Comments Off on Quick Fixations: Columbus was a jerk, prisons don’t work, Lena Dunham matters

Quick Fixations: Columbus was a jerk, prisons don’t work, Lena Dunham matters

By Clinton Nguyen, Multimedia Editor
@voxels

Welcome to another week of Quick Fixations, kids. Here are a couple good headscratchers for you from around the web. HOPE THEY REALLY MAKE U THINK

I. The Chinese Wall falls

Hey, hey, hey did you hear? Vice isn’t hip. Especially if your editorial steps on the big boys’ toes — Charles Davis tweeted out a series of emails (his account has since been deleted, but the tone of the emails was unctuous and gently assertive) from a higher up suggesting that his freelance piece be sent out to general manager to get it “run up the flagpole.” Which is code for sending your copy to the brass to make sure your piece isn’t burning bills in the company’s coffers.

Remember when Vice called out other leftist outlets for paying their interns peanuts? What a twist.

II. The difference in coverage between Lena Dunham and Aziz Ansari’s book deals

I love Gawker. And then I also hate Gawker.

Certainly, Gawker didn’t post Ansari’s proposal, as they did for Dunham’s, an experience that she described in the New York Times Magazine‘s recent profile as a violation, “to put my unedited work out into the world. As a writer, there is nothing more violating. I would rather walk down the street naked — no surprise — than to have someone read my unedited work.”

III. from the favpile

IV. No country for young men

In West Virginia and other mostly rural areas, minors are more subject to incarceration and substance abuse treatment and therapy than community programs, which are cheaper and rehabilitate youths far more effectively. So why the hell are prisons still a thing?

$$$$ fat staxx duh $$$$

V. Should all journalists be on Twitter?

Maybe? Some are better at their jobs off of Twitter, some are perfect if they can just do Twitter well enough to amplify their work to their audiences. A lot of the New York Times staff don’t do that well and it’s really sad.

And then you have folks like Steve Buttry calling out inactive tweeters for foisting the responsibility of pushing content to audiences to someone else. Because if you’re that important, you can do that, right?

VI. lol columbus day

h/t rusty foster for this good longread, you should read it if you’re unaware that white colonialism has literally shaped education systems and history and caused like basically 99 percent of problems worldwide (actually). Also, Christopher Columbus was nothing short of a complete despot so have fun celebrating a centuries-old asshat with no moral compass?

VII. traxxxxx o’ the week

Nosh on these. Electronic goodies from Clark, beach pop from Painted Palms, beats-y indie pop from Beat Connection.