Here at Flavorwire, we pride ourselves on not only writing some of the best content on the Internet, but keeping an eye on all of the great writing that other folks on the ‘Net are doing, too. Today, we have a “duh” moment about how Donald Trump’s recent comments on women who get abortions are largely indicative of the Republican party’s views in general, an exclusive interview with the criminally underrated (should-be) pop superstar Carly Rae Jepsen, a profile on two Ethiopian track stars (that also happen to be siblings), and an op-ed on the “revolutionary” aspect of virtual reality.
Rolling Stone‘s Bridgette Dunlap explains why Donald Trump’s comments on “punishing” women who get abortions is not as shocking as people are making it seem.
Yesterday, Donald Trump made a particularly tone-deaf comment regarding women and abortion rights. As part of his campaign for re-criminalizing abortion, Trump responded to political commentator Chris Matthews’ question about whether or not women should be “punished” if they had an abortion by mentioning that there should be “some form of punishment.” Of course, everyone was appalled by the bold, clearly misogynistic declaration, but is what he said really that surprising?
Of course there would. If Roe v. Wade was overturned and abortion was illegal, having an abortion would be a crime. People get punished for committing crimes. And it wouldn’t be just any crime; if Ted Cruz had his way, and the law granted the rights of persons from the moment of conception, abortion would be murder, and a woman who had one would be a murderer.
i-D’s Alyssa Pereira talks to Carly Rae Jepsen about evolving as an artist beyond “Call Me Maybe,” recording the theme song for the recently revamped Full House (one of her favorite shows), and playing Frenchy in Grease: Live!
Four years removed from the smash hit, Carly Rae Jepsen is unfortunately (and unfairly) still known by many as the “Call Me Maybe” Girl. However — even if album sales don’t reflect it — Carly’s latest album, 2015’s ’80s-tour-de-force EMOTION, has graced her with an entirely new (and, arguably, much older and more mature) fanbase. The singer credits this musical growth to her own growth and maturation as a person.
Back in the day, I auditioned for Canadian Idol, and the judges — it like became a joke between my family and me — would give comments, and at least one would say that performance was very “vulnerable.” I’d be like, “What the hell does that mean? Is that good or is that bad?” I must have that quality in what I’m doing. I definitely wanted EMOTION to feel like an album where you’re wearing your heart on your sleeve, living out the fantasy of love rather than being too subtle or coy about it.
Vogue‘s Chloe Malle profiles the Dibabas, an Ethiopian family with seven siblings, all of whom run. The two current “stars” of the family, Tirunesh and Genzebe, are the first siblings in history to hold concurrent world records. They also live together and are best friends.
What does it mean to be “the world’s fastest family” while still living in one of the world’s most impoverished countries? For Tirunesh and Genzebe, two sisters that are currently training (twice a day!) for the upcoming summer Olympics in Rio, it’s just business as usual.
As modest (and petite) as the Dibabas are face to face, they are outsize celebrities on the chaotic, construction-clogged streets of Addis Ababa, where they travel by car to avoid being mobbed. Their arrival at their favorite restaurant, Yod Abyssinia, is greeted with hushed whispers (“Dee-ba-ba, Dee-ba-ba”) and reverential stares. The sisters duck under the restaurant’s theatrical thatched straw canopies and take a table against the wall, smiling patiently as a young man approaches and asks for a photo.
The New Yorker‘s David Sax muses on what exactly will change (and, more specifically, improve) during the quickly approaching virtual reality technology boom.
Virtual reality is the final frontier in technological expansion, at least according to the hype surrounding some of the upcoming products that will use it. But, in terms of progress — specifically as it relates to revolutionizing the way we think — is virtual reality really that big of a deal?
“Welcome to your SAP Digital Boardroom,” she said, as a trio of virtual green screens appeared and quickly filled with bar graphs, pie charts, and other analytic tools. She told me that I could reach and access all the data in my company’s past and present, encouraging me to pull down whatever spreadsheet I desired. At the mention of “spreadsheets,” I ripped off the headset. SAP had somehow created a V.R. experience that was more boring than an actual business meeting.