In The Buzz Cut, we bring you a round-up of all the weird, controversial, and wonderful stories we’ve been reading all week.
A German radio host recently compared famous K-Pop band BTS to Covid19, calling them a “crappy virus” that needs a vaccine. Enraged fans are expressing support for the band and calling out the host’s blatant, unapologetic racism.
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Kate Winslet recently opened up about the fat-shaming she faced after Titanic. She recalls one tabloid journalist writing, “If she just lost 5lb, Leo would’ve been able to fit on the raft.”
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Elite, U.S.-based Smith College is under fire this week for turmoil dating back to a 2018 incident when a Black student accused a white janitor of racism. An investigation concluded there were no obvious signs of racism, prompting a discussion about race and class, and how the former can be weaponized to disadvantage lower socio-economic classes.
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An Indiaspend investigation delves into one of the most underreported causes of injury and death in India: snakebites. Could it be because a predominantly rural, poor class of people is afflicted by them?
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A deep-dive into the history of the Chandigarh Chairs — everyday, practical chairs designed in the 1950s for the city’s government offices — reveals a tale of widespread popularity gone awry, only to be repurposed by European art dealers who now auction the furniture for thousands of dollars abroad. The trajectory of the Chandigarh Chair, modern designers allege, exemplifies exploitative capitalism borne out of colonialism.
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“They’re great fighters and have tremendous competitive spirit.” At first glance, this statement seems to be directed at a WWE or UFC champion, but in reality is talking about … crickets. Yes, the insect. Crickets are all the rage in China, where there’s a revival of a 1,500-year-old tradition of cricket-fighting rings.
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The Covid19 pandemic, and its disastrous effect on work-life balance, has made us all question the concept of the “dream job.” Can work be supremely fulfilling for all of us, or do we need to look at it simply as a means to an end? A new book explores the dilemma.
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A South Korean court recently ordered Japan to compensate “comfort women” — women and girls who were enslaved and trafficked during the Second World War to provide sexual services to the soldiers fighting in the Imperial Japanese Army. As Japan called the order “unacceptable,” the debate over comfort women reignited, and the outcome remains to be seen.
