Our weekly recap highlighting the best feature stories from around the internet.
Pakistani activist for female education and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. Photo: AFP
Does America Deserve Malala? – by Ayesha Siddiqi, Vice
“You don't love Malala because you're grateful she survived—you love her because she's not angry. Despite the starstruck media's insistence, the star of this story isn't an astoundingly gracious child—it's the resounding relief of politicians and officials whose violent foreign policies aren't indicted.”
On all that Susan-Devoy-Wants-to-Ban-Christmas Bullshit – by Toby Manhire, The Spinoff
“There are arguments to be made about political correctness in New Zealand and the worth of the race relations commissioner. But is it too much to ask to start the argument with facts and quotes, that sort of thing? Because that figurine on the top of your Christmas tree looks to me like a strawman.”
What I Learned from Four Years Working at McDonalds – by Kate Norquay, Medium
“For me my time at McDonalds was invaluable. Yeah, I never want to scoop fries or make burgers again, but I learnt something more important. I started to chip away at my arrogance. I challenged the ways I dehumanised people for their job. I stopped equating dislike for big shitty companies with dislike for their foot soldiers. I developed more empathy.”
Why Women Fell For James Deen – by Ann Friedman, The Cut
“Women are desperate for prominent, positive male-feminist examples. But saying the right things doesn’t make you an icon. It makes you someone who’s in line with the mainstream politics of the moment.”
Why Teens Are Obsessed With Pretending to Get Kidnapped on YouTube – by Roisin Kiberd, Broadly
“Stories about kidnappings are surprisingly common on YouTube. There are so many that typing 'My Kidnapping Story' into its search bar comes up with around 223,000 results. Titles include "I got kidnapped??!", "My Creepy Stalker Story–HE TRIED TO KIDNAP ME!!!!" and "Storytime: I was almost kidnapped." The 'almost' here is important: A vast number of these videos are about 'almosts', with varying degrees of severity.”
How To Make Millions Of Hoverboards (Almost) Overnight – by Joseph Bernstein, Buzzfeed
“Call it memeufacturing. It starts when a (typically) Western company, eager to cash in on a product made popular by the social internet, contracts a Chinese factory to make it. From here, the idea spreads throughout the elaborate social networks of Chinese electronics manufacturing until the item in question is being produced by hundreds and hundreds of competitors, who subcontract and sell components to each other, even as they all make the same thing.”