Month: August 2023

Simone Biles withdrawing from the team final in the Tokyo Olympics and subsequently withdrawing from the individual all-around finals after getting a case of the “twisties” has the world talking. She’s received overwhelming support as well as overwhelming criticism for the move, with some praising her for recognizing her limits and others blasting her for not persevering through whatever she’s dealing with.

Some people pointed to Kerri Strug, who landed on one foot after vaulting with a broken ankle in the 1996 Olympics to help the U.S. win gold, as an example of the kind of sacrifice an athlete should be willing to make for their country.

Byron Heath shared some thoughts about that fateful day in a viral Facebook post that has been shared more than 370,000 times in less than a day.

Heath wrote:

“This realization I had about Simone Biles is gonna make some people mad, but oh well.

Yesterday I was excited to show my daughters Kerri Strug’s famous one-leg vault. It was a defining Olympic moment that I watched live as a kid, and my girls watched raptly as Strug fell, and then limped back to leap again.

But for some reason I wasn’t as inspired watching it this time. In fact, I felt a little sick. Maybe being a father and teacher has made me soft, but all I could see was how Kerri Strug looked at her coach, Bela Karolyi, with pleading, terrified eyes, while he shouted back ‘You can do it!’ over and over again.

My daughters didn’t cheer when Strug landed her second vault. Instead they frowned in concern as she collapsed in agony and frantic tears.

‘Why did she jump again if she was hurt?’ one of my girls asked. I made some inane reply about the heart of a champion or Olympic spirit, but in the back of my mind a thought was festering: *She shouldn’t have jumped again*

The more the thought echoed, the stronger my realization became. Coach Karolyi should have gotten his visibly injured athlete medical help immediately! Now that I have two young daughters in gymnastics, I expect their safety to be the coach’s number one priority. Instead, Bela Karolyi told Strug to vault again. And he got what he wanted; a gold medal that was more important to him than his athlete’s health. I’m sure people will say ‘Kerri Strug was a competitor–she WANTED to push through the injury.’ That’s probably true. But since the last Olympics we’ve also learned these athletes were put into positions where they could be systematically abused both emotionally and physically, all while being inundated with ‘win at all costs’ messaging. A teenager under those conditions should have been protected, and told ‘No medal is worth the risk of permanent injury.’ In fact, we now know that Strug’s vault wasn’t even necessary to clinch the gold; the U.S. already had an insurmountable lead.

Nevertheless, Bela Karolyi told her to vault again according to his own recounting of their conversation:

‘I can’t feel my leg,’ Strug told Karolyi.

‘We got to go one more time,’ Karolyi said. ‘Shake it out.’

‘Do I have to do this again?’ Strug asked. ‘Can you, can you?’ Karolyi wanted to know.

‘I don’t know yet,’ said Strug. ‘I will do it. I will, I will.’

The injury forced Strug’s retirement at 18 years old. Dominique Moceanu, a generational talent, also retired from injuries shortly after. They were top gymnasts literally pushed to the breaking point, and then put out to pasture. Coach Karolyi and Larry Nassar (the serial sexual abuser) continued their long careers, while the athletes were treated as a disposable resource.

Today Simone Biles–the greatest gymnast of all time–chose to step back from the competition, citing concerns for mental and physical health. I’ve already seen comments and posts about how Biles ‘failed her country’, ‘quit on us’, or ‘can’t be the greatest if she can’t handle the pressure.’ Those statements are no different than Coach Karolyi telling an injured teen with wide, frightened eyes: ‘We got to go one more time. Shake it out.’

The subtext here is: ‘Our gold medal is more important than your well-being.’

Our athletes shouldn’t have to destroy themselves to meet our standards. If giving empathetic, authentic support to our Olympians means we’ll earn less gold medals, I’m happy to make that trade.

Here’s the message I hope we can send to Simone Biles: You are an outstanding athlete, a true role model, and a powerful woman. Nothing will change that. Please don’t sacrifice your emotional or physical well-being for our entertainment or national pride. We are proud of you for being brave enough to compete, and proud of you for having the wisdom to know when to step back. Your choice makes you an even better example to our daughters than you were before. WE’RE STILL ROOTING FOR YOU!”

Many people shared Heath’s sentiment, with comments pouring in thanking him for putting words to what they were feeling.

We’re in a new era where our lens of what’s admirable, what’s strong, and what’s right has shifted. We understand more about the lifelong impact of too many concussions. We have trainers and medics checking on football players after big hits. We are finding a better balance between competitiveness and well-being. We are acknowledging the importance of mental health and physical health.

We are also more aware of how both physical and mental trauma impacts young bodies. Though Kerri Strug pushing through the pain has long been seen as an iconic moment in sports, the adults in the room should have been protecting her, not pushing her through an obvious injury.

And the way this fall of Dominique Moceanu at age 14 was handled is downright shocking by today’s standards. She said she never received an exam for it, even after the competition was over. So wrong.

u201cIn our sport, we essentially dive into a pool w/ no water. When you lose your ability to find the groundu2014which appears to be part of @Simone_Biles decisionu2014-the consequences can be catastrophic. She made the right decision for the team & herself. @bispingu201d

— Dominique Moceanu (@Dominique Moceanu)
1627483863

“@Carolinafan0279 @Simone_Biles Nope 👎🏻”

u201c@Carolinafan0279 @Simone_Biles Nope ud83dudc4eud83cudffbu201d

— Dominique Moceanu (@Dominique Moceanu)
1627483863

Athletes are not cogs in a wheel, and the desire to win a competition should not trump someone’s well-being. Elite gymnasts already put themselves through grueling physical and mental feats; they wouldn’t be at the top of their sport if they didn’t. But there are limits, and too often in our yearning for a gold medal—or even for a triumphant Olympic story—we push athletes too far.

Now we see some of them pushing back, and knowing what we know now, that’s 100% a good thing.

This article originally appeared on 07.28.21

As a Gen X parent, it’s weird to try to describe my childhood to my kids. We’re the generation that didn’t grow up with the internet or cell phones, yet are raising kids who have never known a world without them. That difference alone is enough to make our 1980s childhoods feel like a completely different planet, but there are other differences too that often get overlooked.

How do you explain the transition from the brown and orange aesthetic of the ’70s to the dusty rose and forest green carpeting of the ’80s if you didn’t experience it? When I tell my kids there were smoking sections in restaurants and airplanes and ashtrays everywhere, they look horrified (and rightfully so—what were we thinking?!). The fact that we went places with our friends with no quick way to get ahold of our parents? Unbelievable.

One day I described the process of listening to the radio, waiting for my favorite song to come on so I could record it on my tape recorder, and how mad I would get when the deejay talked through the intro of the song until the lyrics started. My Spotify-spoiled kids didn’t even understand half of the words I said.

And ’80s hair? With the feathered bangs and the terrible perms and the crunchy hair spray? What, why and how?

In some ways, that era was simpler. We weren’t bombarded with information and opinions about every issue in the world 24/7 and had the freedom to just be kids. At the same time, I personally have no desire to go back. (My straight, fine hair was not made for the ’80s.)

However, one dad is bringing full-on nostalgia to millions of Gen Xers with a viral TikTok he made about sharing his ’80s childhood with his 8-year-old son. Justin H (who goes by @shadyraro on TikTok) included photos and descriptions of things all ’80s kids will recognize and it’s like hopping into a time machine.

Like, the unwound cassette tape struggle was genuinely real. Grab a pencil, start winding and pray. “The A-Team”? Totally. Streetlight curfew? Yep.

@shadyraro

The 80’s was the best decade #80s #80skid #oldschool #genx #parents #funny #family #foryou #fyp

The video has been viewed more than 10 million times this week, with commenters neck-deep in their feelings about their childhood flashbacks.

“I miss them days, technology has taken away so much,” wrote one commenter.

“Miss the 80s era but unfortunately us kids were the remote control,” wrote another. (So true. Changing the channel was exercise.)

“The 80’s cannot be explained…it was an experience…a complete vibe all its own…and if you missed it I’m so sorry for you!” wrote another.

And if you feel like there were some things missing, no worries. There’s a Part Two:

@shadyraro

The 80’s was the best decade Part 2 #80s #80skid #oldschool #genx #parents #funny #family #foryou #fyp

The ashtray in the back of the car seat! The phone booth! The Walkman! The overhead projector. So my childhood. I can practically taste the Tang and Twinkies.

Kids today will never know the ugly beauty of growing up in the ’80s, but someday they’ll have their own tales to tell their kids that they’ll look on with fondness and nostalgia. “We used to spend hours building things with little digital blocks in Minecraft…”

There’s never been anything like the ’80s and there never will be again. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Justin H.

This article originally appeared on 05.21.22

Would you be considered human if you haven’t locked yourself out of your house at least once? One mom on TikTok found herself in quite the predicament with only her toddler to “mission impossible” his way to unlocking the house door to let his mom, @gesikaaaaaa, inside. The video starts with the camera pointed at a rosy-cheeked toddler on a snow-covered porch.

The boy looks to be no older than 2 or 3 but he’s an expert at following directions … sort of. It’s all still pretty new to him and, as anyone who’s ever interacted with a toddler knows, multistep directions are not the way to go. They tend to hear one thing only and even then are apt to be distracted by a stray piece of lint and not be able to finish the task.

Everything is new to a toddler and it doesn’t take much to distract them. And just about anything can be a toy. So when this mom helped her son through an open window in an effort to guide him through the process of unlocking the door, classic toddler cuteness ensued.

The desperate mom explains in the video that she left one window unlocked and you can see immediately that there’s no way an adult could fit through the small space without injury. So instead she uses her toddler to do it and once he’s inside the house his instructions are to get a chair … he finds a bowl. His mom tells him, “Focus. Focus. Grab the chair and take it to the door.”

What do you know? That sweet boy did just as he was told. Until he found a rock. Mom quickly refocuses the boy and the chair is back on the move, then he finds the fireplace tongs and takes a break to play with the fireside tools stand. Eventually the little guy succeeds in his mission but the journey there was the cutest maze of side quests you’ll ever see.

Watch him rescue his mom below:

@gesikaaaaaa

Thank god for tiny humans #bne #lockedout #tinyhuman #mamashelper #breakingin #DoTheSmartThings #toddlercomedy #kidtok

This article originally appeared on 1.4.23

Before leakers have the opportunity to spill the tea, Oscar-nominated rocker Mitski has just announced that her forthcoming album, The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We, will spawn a double feature. In addition to the new music — including singles “Star,” “Heaven,” and “Bug Like An Angel” — Mitski has curated a special film screening featuring some of her favorite works around the world.

Beginning next week (September 7) ahead of the album’s release, fans will have the opportunity to drop into select theaters to watch films Days Of Heaven (directed by Terrence Malick, 1978), Desert Hearts (dir. Donna Deitch, 1986), Drugstore Cowboy (dir. Gus Van Sant, 1989), and La Strada (dir. Federico Fellini, 1954), which are rumored to be points of inspiration for Mitski’s upcoming release. Attendees will also get a sneak peek of the album.

Although Mitski won’t be in attendance, at each event, attendees will receive a limited edition poster created exclusively for the series. The showings will be held at theaters in eight international cities, including Chicago, Dallas, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Nashville, Sydney, and New York.

In addition to the joint advanced listening and movie experience, the following week, supporters will have the opportunity to attend the immersive listening experience under the stars in Tokyo, Japan.

View the full schedule below. Tickets for each date are on sale now. Find more information here.

Movie Screenings
09/07 — Chicago, IL @ Davis Theater [film Drugstore Cowboy]
09/07 — Dallas, TX @ Texas Theatre [film La Strada]
09/07 — Los Angeles, CA @ Brain Dead Studios Fairfax [film Days Of Heaven]
09/07 — Nashville, TN @ Belcourt Theatre [film Drugstore Cowboy]
09/07 — New York, NY @ Village East by Angelika [film Desert Hearts]
09/07 — London, UK @ Everyman Screen on the Green [film Desert Hearts]
09/07 — Sydney, AU @ Ritz Cinemas [film Days Of Heaven]
09/07 — Melbourne, AU @ Lido Cinemas [film Days Of Heaven]

Album Listening Experience
09/14 — Tokyo, JP @ Planetarium Album Listening Experience

The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We is out on 9/15 via Dead Oceans. Find more information here.

Arctic Monkeys are continuing their tour in North America, as the leg kicked off last week and will run through October. The band is playing in support of their recent album, 2022’s The Car, so fans can expect to hear selections from that.

However, as seen at shows like their recent one in Chicago, they are also incorporating fan favorites from across all of their albums — whether it’s their well-known singles from the AM era or older hidden gems.

Some changes between their stops so far have included “Potion Approaching” getting swapped for “Pretty Visitors,” “One Point Perspective” for “Knee Socks, and “I Wanna Be Yours” for “Star Treatment,” according to the setlist from their Minneapolis show on setlist.fm.

Continue scrolling for Arctic Monkeys’ most recent setlist for an idea of what to expect at future shows.

1. “Sculptures Of Anything Goes”
2. “Brianstorm”
3. “Snap Out Of It”
4. “Teddy Picker”
5. “Crying Lightning”
6. “Fireside”
7. “Cornerstone”
8. “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?”
9. “Arabella”
10. “The View From The Afternoon”
11. “Four Out Of Five”
12. “Potion Approaching”
13. “Fluorescent Adolescent”
14. “One Point Perspective”
15. “Do I Wanna Know?”
16. “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball”
17. “505”
18. “Body Paint” (extended outro)
19. “I Wanna Be Yours”
20. “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor”
21. “R U Mine?”

Donald Trump‘s mounting legal problems accelerated this week as the former president was ordered to face trial for his third indictment in Washington D.C. on March 4, 2024. That date is exactly one day before Super Tuesday, which could affect Trump’s standing in the Republican primary.

The indictment stems from Trump’s election interference actions up to and including the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building. Instead of playing it cool that he has the power to prompt his MAGA horde into action, Trump has continued to lean into the looming presence of his ravenous supporters. Such was the case on Tuesday morning when the former president essentially threatened Joe Biden and the Democrats.

Via Truth Social:

These Indictments and lawsuits are all part of my political opponents campaign plan. It is Election Interference, and they are going to use the DOJ/FBI to help them, which is illegal. Crooked Joe pushed this litigation hard to get it done. This is a new low in Presidential Politics. To the Democrats, I say, “be careful what you wish for.”

Trump’s remarks arrive after his potential running mate, Kari Lake, also began stirring the pot for a “fist fight” in the streets. While talking to Steve Bannon, who’s openly called for MAGA Land to literally do a “J6 thing” in Georgia, Lake told Trump supporters to prepare for a fight because “God has put us here for a reason.” Nothing terrifying there.

Lake also told MAGA believers to ignore “all the news you’re reading,” which is one way to keep them ready for a “street fight” for a lost cause.

(Via Donald Trump on Truth Social)

It’s Sexyy Red’s moment right now. The St. Louis rapper’s wishes are all coming true; she’s met (and opened for) Drake, she got a cute photo with Tyler The Creator, and she’s set to turn cities across America into Pound Town satellites with her upcoming Hood Hottest Princess Tour. She’s got a lot of momentum, and it looks like she’s not letting any of it slip away.

Next on her agenda is a remix of her Hood Hottest Princess single “Hellcats & SRTS” featuring none other than Lil Durk. The two rappers had a humorous exchange recently when Durk teased the upcoming collab, but accidentally misspelled Red’s rap name in his tweet. “Feel like going on my feature run,” he wrote. “I’m healed….First stop sexy red second stop ytbFATT.”

The error prompted her to tease him with a typo of her own (albeit an intentional one), writing, “Dang u gon spell my name wrong Lil Jerk?”

The two rappers kept the gag going this week, with Durk sharing a screenshot of his DAW (digital audio workstation) session featuring the reveal of the collab’s title and a joking, even worse misspelling of “cexy reddd” for the artist name. She came right back, cracking, “Ok lol luh derk got me lost for words right now.” The funny exchange has both rappers’ fans hype for the collab; clearly, if they have this much chemistry online, their musical connection is going to be a must-listen.

Róisín Murphy finds herself in some hot water at the moment.

Over the past week or so, a screenshot of a Murphy comment on Facebook has made the rounds. In it, she seemingly responds to being called a “TERF,” which stands for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist.” The comment reads, “Please don’t call me a terf, please don’t keep using that word against women [folded hands emojis] I beg you! but puberty blockers ARE F*CKED, absolutely desolate, big Pharma laughing all the way to the bank. Little mixed up kids are vulnerable and need to be protected, that’s just true.”

Now, she offered a statement in response this morning (August 29). It begins, “I have been thrown into a very public discourse in an arena I’m uncomfortable in and deeply unsuitable for. I cannot apologise enough for being the reason for this eruption of damaging and potentially dangerous social-media fire and brimstone. To witness the ramifications of my actions and the divisions it has caused is heartbreaking.”

She also explained the story behind her comment, saying, “I’ve had a personal Facebook account for years. The morning I made these comments I was scrolling and I brought up a specific issue that was only broadly related to the original post. It was something that had been on my mind. I knew my friends were informed about the topic. I should’ve known too that I was stepping out of line.”

It appears this could be Murphy’s last comment on the matter, as she wrote, “I will now completely bow out of this conversation within the public domain. I’m not in the slightest bit interested in turning it into ANY kind of ‘campaign’, because campaigning is not what I do.”

Read Murphy’s full statement below.

“I have been thrown into a very public discourse in an arena I’m uncomfortable in and deeply unsuitable for. I cannot apologise enough for being the reason for this eruption of damaging and potentially dangerous social-media fire and brimstone. To witness the ramifications of my actions and the divisions it has caused is heartbreaking.

I’ve had a personal Facebook account for years. The morning I made these comments I was scrolling and I brought up a specific issue that was only broadly related to the original post. It was something that had been on my mind. I knew my friends were informed about the topic. I should’ve known too that I was stepping out of line.

I’ve spent my whole life celebrating diversity and different views, but I never patronise or cynically aim my music directly at the pockets of any demographic.

The music I make is the core of everything I do and it’s ever- evolving, freewheeling and unpredictable. For those of you who are leaving me, or have already left, I understand, I really do, but please know I have loved every one of you. I have always been so proud of my audience and understood the privilege of performing for you, all through the years.

I am so sorry my comments have been directly hurtful to many of you. You must have felt a huge shock, blindsided by this so abruptly. I understand fixed views are not helpful but I really hope people can understand my concern was out of love for all of us.

I will now completely bow out of this conversation within the public domain. I’m not in the slightest bit interested in turning it into ANY kind of ‘campaign’, because campaigning is not what I do. Though I completely understand that for others activism is their true calling, and is necessary and legitimate in a democracy. My true calling is music and music will never exclude any of us, I believe it will always be one of the greatest tools we can use to create a culture of tolerance. Thank you for taking the trouble to read this.

I’m Gone Fishing.

Sincerely, Róisín [heart emoji].”

Elton John, just after wrapping his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, had a fall and landed in the hospital.

“Following a slip yesterday at his home in the south of France, Elton visited the local hospital as a precautionary measure,” Elton John’s representative shared in a statement with Today. “Following checkups, he was immediately discharged this morning and (he is) now back at home and in good health.”

The news follows a string of medical issues for John. Last year, there were rumors that he was using a wheelchair, but he later clarified why that was the case.

“The true story is that I’m in top health, loving my shows and playing and singing at my very best,” John shared on Instagram. “I give 100% every night and never want to disappoint, especially after everyone has waited so long to get back to seeing shows. Your response to every show has been phenomenal and I’m loving every minute of it.”

He added that it had been a long walk to his plane, so he used a wheelchair to give his hip some rest after playing a show.

The year prior, in 2021, John received hip surgery for having an “awkward” fall on a “hard surface,” according to the publication.

Thankfully, he still seems to be in good shape, even after the recent incident.

Earlier this week, Atlanta rapper JID celebrated the one-year anniversary of his third studio album, The Forever Story, on Instagram. Then, in an Instagram Live stream, he revealed his plans for not just one, but multiple follow-ups, including his previously-teased joint project with Metro Boomin.

In a clip captured by a fan account, JID jokes that he’s too “old” for Instagram while promising three projects: a “two-pack” with fellow Atlantan Lil Yachty coming in a few days, a new album in the fall, and then, the Metro Boomin project. The project dropping in the fall is allegedly called Forever & A Day, which sounds like it could be an extension of The Forever Story. He says it’ll be around ten songs, but doesn’t reveal much else, like collaborators or producers.

These tracks with Lil Yachty sound intriguing as well, as Yachty has been both incredibly productive and fascinatingly creative lately, dropping both the psych-rock project Let’s Start Here and a slew of compelling freestyles this year. JID, meanwhile, has been touring his album; earlier this year, he and Smino embarked on their Luv Is 4ever Tour, and now, he’s overseas.

If the Metro Boomin project drops this year, it’ll complete an all-time run for the St. Louis producer, who dropped Heroes & Villains in December, the Across The Spider-Verse soundtrack in June, Business Is Business with Young Thug later that month, sold part of his catalog for $70 million, and has been working on projects with ASAP Rocky and Future in addition to JID. Whew.