“There’s no Skype, no Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram. We use WeChat,” opens the viral hit “WeChat,” by the up-and-coming Chinese rap group Higher Brothers. The song goes on to poke fun at the dynamics of social media relationships: “Ayo, tell me your WeChat number.” The social media platform WeChat, owned by Chinese tech giant … Read more
Freshman year of college, I was pulled into the undertow of social media further than I ever had been before. Aside from the green circle appearing next to my name in the chat window for more hours than I care to know, my appearance on social media was largely undetectable. I was not one to … Read more
In its race to beat its global competitors, China has quickly become the largest non-traditional contributor of aid to sub-Saharan Africa. In contrast to the West, which prioritizes public health and education when giving aid, China focuses on granting loans to fund physical infrastructure construction. In 2015, it provided around $14 billion in such loans … Read more
After President Donald Trump’s election, environmental activists across the country feared the worst. He had promised to cancel the Paris agreement, shrink the EPA, rescind the Clean Power Plan, revive the coal mining industry, scrap wetland protection rules, and tweeted in 2012 that global warming was a Chinese hoax. As partisanship over energy and … Read more
Carlos Watson is the co-founder and CEO of OZY Media, a digital news platform that has achieved 40 million unique monthly viewers since its founding in late 2013. He moderates Third Rail with OZY, a primetime, cross-platform debate program that features experts and celebrity guests weekly on PBS. Previously, he served as a political commentator on CNN … Read more
With the American market in the midst of the consumerist joys of the holiday season, other countries have paused for a moment of reflection on domestic consumer spending habits. In Poland, the conservative Law and Justice government has taken a decidedly regulatory approach. On Sunday, November 24, the government approved a law to ban Sunday … Read more
Junior year of high school marked the beginning of my preoccupation with eating. I developed stringent standards that would keep me under a certain weight. Even before my junior year, I had a problem with how I looked in a sports bra, or my perceived “medium” size compared to my flat-chested friends who seemed to … Read more
It’s the ‘70s, and you’ve taken the B train to Brighton Beach, Brooklyn and now find yourself transported to the Soviet Union without having paid for airfare. You see old Russian women standing in scarves, selling potato pierogies, and yelling at you in Russian. You find Russian bookstores, pharmacies, groceries, and restaurants that serve up … Read more
Recent unrest in Zimbabwe has been unpredictable, but not unforeseen. Robert Mugabe, the now the country’s former president, long dominated the Zimbabwean political sphere with his divisive and authoritarian perspectives and politics. However, with his recent resignation and the reshuffling of the government, there is a tangible absence at the government’s helm. With the ascension … Read more
“Innocent until proven guilty” is a principle of justice that we claim to hold dear. We demand proof of guilt through due process of law before punishing an individual—either informally, through public condemnation, or formally, by legal means. The crimes of sexual harassment and assault pose a unique challenge to this principle. The rash of … Read more