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It’s been nearly 100 years since Hermann Rorschach introduced the well-known inkblot test used by psychologists to analyze personality characteristics and emotional processing. Where one person sees a bat, another may see a butterfly. One person might find an inkblot shape soothing while another finds it unnerving.

Whether the test truly tells psychologists anything definitive, there’s no doubt that our perceptions are colored by our thoughts, emotions, and experiences. And that’s quite clear in people’s reactions to this video from a school in China.

The video, shared by ShanghaiPanda on Twitter, shows a large circle of children bouncing dozens of balls in unison and moving around the circle in a rhythmic pattern. “China’s kindergarten game: Cooperation,” the post reads.

Responses to the post reveal a wide range of perceptions of the purpose and value of the activity. As a former teacher, I see kids learning and practicing excellent hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. I also see them working together, cooperating to keep the balls moving in unison. To me, it’s a really cool example of using the whole body to perform a task and focusing one’s attention on what’s in front of them while preparing for what’s to come. It also builds trust, as you have to trust that your neighbor is going to perform their task of bouncing the ball at the right time, and your other neighbor has to trust that you will do the same. (A far better lesson than, say, the cut-through terror and individual dominance most of us remember from playing dodgeball in school.)

From my perspective, this is a valuable group activity for young kids that teaches multiple skills at the same time.

But for others, it’s a creepy example of group-think indoctrination, molding kids to accept uniformity and train them into obedience.

Huh.

If the first thing you think of when you think of Chinese culture is communist indoctrination, then I can see why this video would elicit that response. But that doesn’t make it correct or okay.

Thankfully, most of those responses were met with rebuttals that showed the hypocrisy and xenophobia inherent in them.

Considering how we have kids recite the pledge of allegiance to the U.S. flag every morning in unison, the “indoctrination” argument falls a bit flat.

It’s not hard to imagine very different responses if this were a group of American kids coordinating to do the same thing. They would be hailed as impressive kids who worked toward a goal, not communists.

Not to mention, nearly anything can be twisted into something dark or sinister simply by describing it that way, as evidenced by this description of “musical chairs.”

The video also ignited some interesting conversations about competition vs. coordination.

Ultimately, the idea that working together in unison to build skills and create a cool effect is somehow “communist indoctrination” is purely a product of people’s perceptions about China and its people. After all, our marching bands and cheer squads do the same thing.

If our first impression or reaction to a video of kids doing something educational in another country is “that’s creepy” or “ew, communism” we may want to check ourselves. Replace those kids faces with ones who look American to you and be honest about what your reaction would be to see it. Our prejudices can color our perceptions, and it’s important for all of us to acknowledge and challenge our own thoughts.

Especially when we’re looking at children bouncing balls, for goodness sake.

Recently, Kanye West and Lil Baby found themselves in the middle of a misunderstanding. In part of a recent Twitter spree, Kanye noted that Baby, who he called his “favorite rapper,” wasn’t interested in working with him, writing, “Lil baby my favorite rapper but won’t do a song wit me.” Meanwhile, Baby was confused by that and pleaded ignorance, responding on Twitter, “Nobody told me ye was trying to get me on a song. that’s fucced up.” He added in a tweet to Kanye, “no disrespect nobody told me.”

Since that confusion, it appears the two have figured things out and met up.

Days after that Twitter exchange, Baby shared a video of himself getting off a plane, and many believed his flight landed him in Wyoming to meet up with Kanye. Now, a photo of the two has surfaced, in which they are surrounded by audio and production equipment. In the picture, Baby wears a huge smile and Kanye also sports an expression that indicates he hearing something and liking it.

While this is far from confirmation that the two are creating or will release new collaborative material, seeing them in the same room is at least a positive sign for fans hoping to hear the two link up on a track (as long as Kanye coughs up $100k, that is).

The NFL is currently holding training camp at 32 sites around the country as they attempt to pull off a non-bubble season without a major hiccup, something we’ve yet to see amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

While baseball continues to press forward, they have seen multiple franchises have to stop playing for weeks at a time due to outbreaks that have left them scrambling to finish their seasons with doubleheaders. That’s not an option for football, so they have to find a way to get through the season without team outbreaks that could sideline entire clubs for weeks on end. So far, though, so good.

The league, which is in the process of re-evaluating some of its testing protocols amid a rash of false positives, announced on Monday that, despite those popping up for some teams, testing has gone extremely well. The NFL released its testing data for the week of August 12-20 on Monday, noting that of nearly 54,000 tests, only six came back positive and none of those were player tests, as the more than 8,000 players took over 23,000 tests that all came back negative.

It is truly impressive and shows that so far team protocols in their facilities and hotels for camp are working as intended. It’s also a testament to the players for following protocols and fighting the temptation to go do things that could put their team at risk. Once camp ends and traveling between cities begins, that will be the true test of the NFL’s plan, but for now things are going as well as the league could have hoped.

It wasn’t a surprise this time last week when Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s huge hit “WAP” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the No. 1 spot. It also may not come as a shock that this week, on the chart dated August 29, the song is once again in the top spot for a second time.

“WAP” becomes the first song to spend its first two weeks on top of the Hot 100 since Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” did it when the song spent its first five weeks on top, beginning on February 2, 2019. Between then and now, eight songs have debuted at No. 1, each of them spending only its first week on top consecutively. “WAP” is also the first song by a woman or multiple women to lead the Hot 100 for multiple weeks since Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” did for three weeks in December and January.

The hit single wasn’t unchallenged for chart supremacy this week, though, as Drake and Lil Durk’s new collab “Laugh Now Cry Later” made its debut at No. 2 on the new chart while knocking “WAP” from the top of the Streaming Songs chart. The song also gives Drake a career total of 41 songs in the top 10 of the Hot 100, which extends a record he set in July. “Laugh Now Cry Later” also serves as Lil Durk’s first top-10 song.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In March, Big Sean celebrated his birthday by announcing his upcoming album, Detroit 2. Now, months later, he has revealed just when that project will be released: Detroit 2 is coming on September 4 via GOOD Music and Def Jam.

This comes hours after Sean shared some photos of himself in the studio to tease the near-completion of the record, writing alongside his gallery, “I feel nothing but happy! Finally done recording #D2. Time for mixing.” He then noticed that sellers online quickly started selling unauthorized versions of the Detroit 2 shirt he was wearing in the photos and called them out, writing, “Aye people bootlegged these shirts in 30 mins lol. 4real. I’m a work on getting the real ones to y’all tomorrow, don’t buy sh*t that ain’t come from me or my site #D2.”

Last night, he also took to his Instagram Story to share how he has been on an emotional level, saying in a video, “I talk about being aggressively happy. That’s one of the things that I’ve been working on every day, is to feel good. Whatever it takes, you know, because the best things happen to you when you feel good and when you attract it, and it’s because what you’re putting out there is what you’re going to get back from this ever-giving universe. It’s law, really. If you’re attracting bitterness, or in my case, I had a lot of anxiety and depression and all those type of things that put the craziest ideas in my head and made me feel like I wasn’t worth it. But not only am I worth it, I’m in control of my feelings. Unless I give somebody else or something else that power, I’m in control of my feelings. Nobody else. When you are at your lowest, the quickest relief you can give yourself is to count your blessings, show gratitude. Because guess what? If you’re here, you got blessings.”

Detroit 2 is out 9/4 via GOOD Music/Def Jam.

In Bill and Ted Face the Music, the grown-up rockers have to hop back in their phone booth and write the perfect song, or else the entire universe is destroyed. However, it wouldn’t be hard to argue that the Wyld Stallions real-life counterparts, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, have an even more difficult task: promoting a movie in the middle of a pandemic.

Fortunately, Winter and Reeves’ work has been made easier thanks to Orion Pictures’ decision to do a simultaneous theatrical and VOD release for Face the Music. But the actors still have to thread the needle on promoting the theatrical release without seeming like they’re encouraging moviegoers to put themselves at risk. Here’s the very diplomatic answer Winter gave NPR when asked about what it’s like being one of the first films released in the “pandemic era”:

“I think that the industry is rightly very concerned about the cinema experience, but also they’re very concerned about the the economics for exhibitors who, you know — keep the movie business alive and we want the exhibitors to stay afloat at the same time. We want people to be safe in a pandemic. And people need to be to be given an option to watch this movie safely at home. So we feel really good about the fact that the studio is willing to throw in behind that rollout plan.”

Reeves echoed Winter’s statement by highlighting the fact that theaters will be working diligent on keeping audiences safe if they choose to go, but it’s also great that they have the VOD option. “I think everyone’s going to put all the protocols in place to make it as safe as possible for people who do feel comfortable,” Reeves told NPR. “That opportunity presents itself if they want to go to the cinema. And it’s also on pay per view or streaming. So there’s that option as well.”

Here’s the official synopsis:

The stakes are higher than ever for the time-traveling exploits of William “Bill” S. Preston Esq. and Theodore “Ted” Logan. Yet to fulfill their rock and roll destiny, the now middle aged best friends set out on a new adventure when a visitor from the future warns them that only their song can save life as we know it. Along the way, they will be helped by their daughters, a new batch of historical figures, and a few music legends – to seek the song that will set their world right and bring harmony in the universe.

Bill and Ted Face the Music hits theaters and VOD on August 28.

(Via NPR)

HBO’s “wildly expensive” Euphoria tackled a lot in its first season: addiction, sexual orientation, domestic violence, grief, body shaming, sex positivity, and so on. Not everyone looks like Zendaya or Sydney Sweeney or Hunter Schafer, but everyone, especially teenagers, can relate to the issues their characters went through. That is one of the things the show’s Emmy-nominated star loves the most about Euphoria.

“I think that’s what’s good about Euphoria is it makes other people feel less alone in their experiences,” Zendaya told Deadline. “It makes them know that they’re not the only person dealing with what they’re dealing with. For example, episode 7 is a manic-depressive episode. That’s what she’s dealing with. And really understanding that from Sam’s perspective was beautiful.” The Spider-Man: Far From Home actress continued:

“When it comes to Euphoria, it’s just people being able to have empathy for others and to take a second to understand that everybody’s dealing with battles that we could not know anything about”

As for how playing Rue has changed her, Zendaya said, “I have softened a little bit. I’m more emotionally connected. I’ve learned more about people, empathy, and understanding by playing her.” Yeah, but could Rue ever sing “Swag It Out”? Didn’t think so. Euphoria isn’t expected to return for a while, but there’s hope for a bridge episode.

(Via Deadline)

In the wake of Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting, a sentiment has emerged on social media criticizing recording artists — particularly male rappers — for a lack of support for the “Savage” superstar. While there have been some who shouted her out or sent messages of encouragement, fans perceived an overwhelming silence, with male artists seemingly refusing to condemn Tory Lanez, the man Megan accuses of shooting her in the back of both feet.

However, there’s one prominent exception to this narrative, someone who Megan herself looks up to as an OG of her native Houston. Bun B, who held an hour long Instagram Live session over the weekend with fans, took time out to express solidarity with Meg and to call out Tory Lanez. He took on a guardian tone during as he spoke, reminding fans that Meg went through a lot even before being shot and deserves to have someone in her corner.

She ain’t got her momma no more, her momma is gone,” he said. “Her daddy is gone. Her grandmother is gone. All the people that loved her and cared about her unconditionally that looked out for her and would have protected her ain’t there. So, as an OG in Houston, I’m standing up. Tory Lanez is some ho ass sh*t. Period. Yeah, I know Tory. I know his manager. I know all of ’em, man. F*ck all that, though. F*ck all that.”

Bun expressed a wish for Tory to “get help” if his behavior was the result of substance abuse, but remained adamant that the behavior of Tory — and of observers who turned the incident into fodder for jokes — was unacceptable. “But nobody is talking about it because it’s a Black woman,” he said. “And y’all can say what y’all want. That’s just what it is.”

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Cardi B has spent some time teasing her upcoming album in recent months. In February, Cardi noted that her upcoming record was “just missing a couple more club hits,” and earlier in August, she compared it to Beyonce’s Lemonade. Now she has offered another update, and it might disappoint fans who were hoping a new full-length Cardi B project would be arriving soon.

Over the weekend, she guested on The Angie Martinez Show. During the conversation, she suggested that her next album might only come once the pandemic is over, since she wants to travel the world and talk to people face-to-face to support it. She told Martinez, “I don’t have my album ready yet. But even when I feel I have my album ready, I’m still debating when I should put out an album, too. I want to do real f*ckin’ interviews. I want to see people and sit down. I want to tour. I want to do parties, go to the club, and shake my ass to my own music.”

She also declared that she’s not going to just rest on the success of “WAP,” saying, “I’m already plotting my next move. I have other projects coming out that doesn’t involve music, but when it comes to music, I think I’m going to put out another single.”

Watch the full interview above.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad made a big splash at DC FanDome, and fans were treated to a splashy trailer showcasing the star-studded cast and their roles in the sequel/relaunch. However, one cast member was notably missing: Taika Waititi. While it makes sense that Gunn would save a few tricks up his sleeves for when the film hits theaters in August 2021, it didn’t take long for the fan theories to come rolling in on Waititi’s mystery role.

Right out of the gate, folks latched onto the fact that King Shark was the only Suicide Squad character that didn’t have an actor attached to the part during the sizzle reel for the cast. Considering Waititi’s voiceover work on The Mandalorian and Thor: Ragnarok, fans were quick to speculate that he could be voicing the humanoid shark, which was played on set by Steve Agee.

While the case for Waititi playing King Shark is pretty strong, there are unconfirmed rumors that the villain in the film will be Starro the Conqueror, a giant, intergalactic starfish with mind control powers who’s given the Justice League a run for its money in the comics. It’s also the type of wacky role that has Waititi’s name written all over it. Although, again, Starro’s inclusion is merely speculation at this point.

Once the idea of Taika playing a secret villain was in the mix, fans really started dreaming big, and thus was born the long-shot theory that the Ragnarok director is the newest Joker.

Granted, Taika playing the Joker in The Suicide Squad seems unlikely and would retread a lot of ground from the original David Ayer film, the DC Extended Universe is an interesting place where anything can happen. There’s no longer a strict adherence to continuity, which puts almost everything on the table including casting Taika Waititi as the Joker. We’d probably put our money on King Shark or Starro, but it would be a hell of a trick if Gunn pulled a surprise like the Joker out of his hat.