27 May 2016

Weekly Reading: The best longreads all in one place

9:39 am on 27 May 2016

Our weekly recap highlighting the best feature stories from around the internet.

 

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Can't Shake It Off: How Taylor Swift Became a Nazi Idol – by Mitchell Sunderland, Broadly

“Every demographic chooses a pop icon. Gay men worship Cher, black women love Beyoncé, and neo-Nazis worship Taylor Swift, a skinny, blonde Pennsylvania girl that they have labeled an ‘Aryan Goddess.’”

From Nina to Lemonade, Why We’re Still So Bad at Talking About Colourism - by Mallika Rao, Vulture

“When colourism is acknowledged in broader culture — as it was during the debate over Nina, which lit up Twitter for weeks — resistance is still felt. Both the director Judd Apatow and Robert L. Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, met the outcry over Saldana’s casting with glib dismissals, waving off not just Nina haters, but the existence of colourism itself.”

In the locker room with Steven Adams, the NBA’s most normal star – by Ben Stanley, The Spinoff

“He’s a real dude, Steven Adams. In an age of over media-managed, over-exposed athletes, he’s something we’ve never seen before. He gives us the lightning – just the right amount – but carries the thunder, too. Quite something.”

Will ‘Ilolahia: Once a Panther, always a Panther – by Dale Husband, E-Tangata

“My Panther days caused a bit of a ruckus with my parents. I always remember my dad questioning me when I was involved with Bastion Point: “Why for you get involved in that, my son? You’re not a Māori.””

Eddie Huang’s Spiky Chronicles of Asian-American Experience - by Wei Tchou, The New Yorker

“Like Louis Huang’s dismissal of the General Tso’s, this outcome isn’t particularly surprising. Hooters makes bad Chinese food, and relationships often don’t work out the way we’d hoped. But the point is that Huang is determined to tease out the subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which Asian-Americans give up parts of themselves in order to move forward.”

R.I.P., GOP: How Trump Is Killing the Republican Party – by Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone

“If this isn't the end for the Republican Party, it'll be a shame. They dominated American political life for 50 years and were never anything but monsters. They bred in their voters the incredible attitude that Republicans were the only people within our borders who raised children, loved their country, died in battle or paid taxes. They even sullied the word “American” by insisting they were the only real ones.”