In The Buzz Cut, we bring you a round-up of all the weird, controversial, and wonderful stories we’ve been reading all week.
The Maldives, like other countries, is closing its tourism doors for some time, courtesy of Covid19. But for Bollywood actors and other wealthy Indians who found refuge under sunsets and on beaches, the news is harder to digest. Will this be the end to luxurious vacations during the pandemic? For the next two weeks, at least.
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The story of the late politician K.R. Gouri is one of resilience and inspiration. For her, the road to becoming Kerala’s first revenue minister was fraught with gender and caste bias. As a woman from an oppressed caste elected to power, she held up a mirror to a patriarchal society. Her reputation became intertwined with revolutionizing the system: “When a file is in front of her, she only looks at the merits of the case to decide, not the politics of it.”
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Clubhouse, the audio-only app that shot to fame earlier this year, uses a black ‘mark’ to flag problematic users — but the usage of that black badge has revealed biases and inadequacies in big tech’s moderation system. The blocking tool “is more potent, more consequential, and ultimately more contentious than that of any other social platform.” It might also be its Achilles heel.
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Domestic violence in a digital age not only documents the experience for eternity but also makes it fodder for vile humor. From Rihanna to Saweetie, Migos member Quavo’s girlfriend, upsetting images have become TikTok and YouTube content. For Black women and girls especially, it has a menacing effect: “Normalizing domestic violence—through humor, no less—only further traps victims in cycles of abuse.”
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During the pandemic, jails and prisons are packed to the brim — and become a breeding ground for the virus to spread. That hasn’t deterred authorities from making arrests, even without evidence. The fear of an uncontrollable outbreak now looms large in India, where a prison sentence is tantamount to a death sentence in itself.
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The Italian adaptation of Promising Young Woman, a critically-praised movie from last year, used a male actor’s voice to dub a trans character played by Laverna Cox in the movie. Fans point out the transphobic dubbing is only a prelude to the bigger representation problem within the movie industry.
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The Myanmar junta is using TikTok and Instagram to crack dissent. Vloggers and influencers living under the regime now measure their success by seeing who has more arrest warrants. “Until about two weeks ago, everyone was trying to figure out how we make sure we don’t get arrested. Now, we’ve just accepted that the chances are 50-50, regardless of what we do.”
