IT’S A DAY of rest, and you may be in the mood for a quiet corner and a comfy chair.
We’ve hand-picked the week’s best reads for you to savour.
1. Who’s sober in Narcotics Anonymous?
Hannah Beckler looks into twelve-step treatment programmes, whose emphasis on abstinence can make them difficult for some addicts to complete.
(Jacobin, approx 15 mins reading time)
When it comes time for members to celebrate their clean time and receive their sober chips, Dahlia stands. But as she moves to the front of the room, the meeting leader shakes his head. He explains that she’s ineligible for a sober chip as her methadone use means she’s not sober. The group does not acknowledge her clean time.
2. How Kylie Jenner built her fortune
Kylie Jenner has a business empire worth around $1 billion – and here’s how she did it. (Disagree with her being called self-made? Many on Twitter agree with you)
(Forbes, approx 13 mins reading time)
Add to that the millions she’s earned from TV programs and endorsing products like Puma shoes and PacSun clothing, and $60 million in estimated after-tax dividends she’s taken from her company, and she’s conservatively worth $900 million, which along with her age makes her the youngest person on the fourth annual ranking of America’s Richest Self-Made Women. (We estimate that 37-year-old Kardashian West, for comparison, is worth $350 million.)
3. Spy for us or your family will die
Members of minorities in China have been put under pressure to spy on their fellow exiles. If they don’t do it, threats include sending their families to reeducation camps.
(Buzzfeed, approx 21 mins reading time)
That China spies on and pressures its exiles — particularly ethnic minorities and those involved in activities deemed political — is not new. China has used such tactics since at least the 1990s to put pressure on those it believes are seeking to undermine the state. But Uighur exiles, Western academics, and advocacy groups say this pressure campaign has gotten far more aggressive over the past two years and has been bolstered by digital surveillance tactics.
4. Sexism as a stay-at-home dad
When Matthew Jenkin and his husband had a daughter, Jenkin decided to be a stay-at-home dad. But while he was prepared to face homophobia, he wasn’t prepared for the scale of sexism he faced as a father.
(BBC, approx 13 mins reading time)
Our most shocking experience was during lunch at a restaurant. We had just sat down at the table when suddenly Carla woke abruptly from her nap, crying. We were trying our best to soothe her when the waitress approached. “Two men cannot look after a baby. Next time bring a woman,” she scolded us
5. Tanacon: The Youtuber convention that turned to chaos
Tana Mongeau set up a convention for her fans – but no one attending realised that there was chaos down the line.
(Polygon, approx 12 mins reading time)
Pre-registered fans, people who waited in the heat for multiple hours, started yelling and complaining, demanding refunds for their wasted time. Mongeau used Twitter and Instagram to try to quell people’s frustrations, but provided few updates as things got worse, but it eventually all came to a head when they were told to shut down the event for the day. It became a major safety concern, Mongeau tweeted, and people were concerned that if things got out of hand, it could result in someone getting trampled.
Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts left Hollywood for Vietnam after the huge success of Kong: Skull Island. But while there, he was attacked by gangsters. Soon, he was in pursuit of them.
(GQ, approx 24 mins reading time)
In the early hours of the morning, Choi saw at least ten men looming over Vogt-Roberts, swinging haymakers at his face. While the music continued to play, Vogt-Roberts covered his head and backpedaled into more fists. He fell onto the sofa, and the scrum threw him onto the floor, taking turns kicking him from all sides while he curled into the fetal position. Choi realized, “Jordan is going to die, and no one is going to do anything about it.”
…AND A CLASSIC FROM THE ARCHIVES…
The second film in the Sicario trilogy came out earlier this month. Back in 2009, Charles Bowden wrote about a real-life Juarez hitman about the work he did.
(Harpers, approx 43 mins reading time)
I show him the photograph of the woman. She is lovely in her white clothes and perfect makeup. Blood trickles from her mouth, and the early-morning light caresses her face. The photograph has a history in my life. Once I placed it in a magazine and the editor there had to field a call from a terrified man, her brother, who asked, “Are you trying to get me killed, to get my family killed?” I remember the editor calling me up and asking me what I thought the guy meant. I answered, “Exactly what he said.”
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