The FADER Weekend Reading List

This week, yet again, there was a plethora of really great reads about women who aren't afraid to make noise. The first, of course, was Noreen Malone's New York Magazine cover story on the 35 women who came forward to tell their stories about being assaulted by Bill Cosby. This is a must-read. Also from New York, Allison P. Davis wrote about women making noise music in NYC. The Daily Beast's Tim Mak did an extensive piece on Donald Trump's ex-wife coming forward about feeling "violated" during sex, and the politics of marital rape. And you should also read Anna North's NYT Op-Ed on the Propaganda Campaign to Defund Planned Parenthood. Women's issues! Woo! My favorite, though, was the following piece by Rebecca Traister on HuffPo.

Rebecca Traister, Highline via Huffington Post (7/29)

Year Of The Woman is a documentary that was made by Sandra Kochman about the July 1972 Democratic Caucus at Miami Beach, almost 40 years ago. It's never been widely available, until now, and it tells the story of a fearless woman, Shirley Chisholm who ran for president because, as she said, "someone had to do it first,” The doc also stars feminist heroes Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Nora Ephron, Coretta Scott King, among others, and was created by an all-female crew. But mostly, as Rebecca Traister writes, "the film reminds of us of the absolute ferocity—and good humor—that women used to kick and bite their way into our political system," which is about to be crucial in the upcoming 2016 presidential election. This piece reminds me of another that was published recently, Lindsey Zoladz's Yoko Ono article—one that praises women who arouse "the kind of hate that seems too big and billowing to be directed at just one woman." Yeah, so, it's time to get loud and angry and go "full crocodile"—that means be a freak!

Joel Anderson, BuzzFeed (7/29)

It's been 10 years since Hurricane Katrina, a disaster which defies language. Joel Anderson over at BuzzFeed has written an eloquent and moving piece on an unlikely hero named Jabbar Gibson, who was willing to take a risk in order to save dozens of lives with a school bus and pure determination. "'They can say he went from a hero to a zero or whatever they want,' said [Jabbar's mother] Bernice Gibson. 'He saved my whole family’s life, and he saved everyone in the Fischer. And the world should know it.'”

Speaking of New Orleans, this week the New York Times published this piece by David Amsden on how rich entrepreneur Sidney Torres convinced the city to let him create his own police force in response to continued violence.

Jordan E. Rosenfeld, Good (7/30)

We've been telling ourselves for a good bit now that 30 is the new 20, which means that 40 is the new 30, etc. But it turns out that's probably true! The chance that you'll live to, like, 100 aren't so slim anymore. Hell yeah. Don't start slacking off, though.

Trey Taylor, Dazed (7/28)

It's been 20 years since that great-but-also-fucked-up movie Kids (you know, the one Harmony Korine wrote about delinquent teenagers during the height of the 1990s AIDS epidemic) came out, and it's still as shocking as when it was first released. Check out this annotated oral history of how it all came to be by the film's cast and crew on Dazed.

Melissa Gira Grant, Vice (7/29)

According to a 2013 report by the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce, "almost half of all black transgender people have been incarcerated at some point in their lives." Read Melissa Gira Grant's incredibly important piece for Vice on how black trans women are hidden from the media, and how police forces want their bodies unseen and removed from public. As Grant writes, "When we in the media report these stories of police profiling, in shaping the public's response and attempt to make sense of them, we can write ourselves into knots. What we might usually just call 'walking the down the street' or 'hanging out with friends' gets turned into something else: 'not doing anything wrong.'" #BlackTransLivesMatter

For more on trans politics, read this piece in the LA Times on How A Transgender Muslim Man Brings His Worlds Together.

T. Christian Miller, The Atlantic (7/30)

Did you know that there's a system that the FBI created to catch violent repeat offenders? Yeah, me either. And neither do most police forces, apparently. It's called Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, or ViCAP, and it was created more than THIRTY years ago. Yet most serial rapists, and the like, are never caught. As Miller writes, "The FBI can parse your emails, cellphone records, and airline itineraries. In a world where everything is measured, data is ubiquitous—from the number of pieces of candy that a Marine hands out on patrol in Kandahar, to your heart rate as you walk up the stairs at work." And yet this ViCAP system remains nearly void of information. Read about why no law enforcement uses ViCAP...even though it's almost always effective. SMDH.

Fiona Shipwright, Rhizome (7/30)

Ready for more about data? Cool. There's a dope exhibit going up at Berlin's NOME in September by James Bridle, called "The Glomar Response." The show's title refers to a "neither confirm nor deny" response to a Freedom of Information Act request, and includes photographs of super top secret government surveillance stuff. Fiona Shipwright discussed the show with Bridle for a feature on new media publication Rhizome.

Carl Wilson, Billboard (7/30)

On something of a lighter note, here is a piece from Billboard about pop scandals and public shaming in the age of the internet, feat. Ariana Grande's DonutGate, and more.

Grimes In Reality by Emilie Friedlander
Grimes started as a fantasy project, then became too real. Now Claire Boucher is taking back control and showing the world that pop stars can be producers too.

Meet Leon Bridges, A Retro Soul Star For The Snapchat Era by Adam Doster
In this week's GEN F, a 25-year old Texan reimagines '60s sensibilities.

Mas Ysa Screams What Most People Can't Say by Alex Frank
Thomas Arsenault ditched the city for the country, and took his baggage with him. But even when he's singing about heartbreak, it sounds like joy.

Skepta On Drake: "I Definitely Think My Vibe Has Rubbed Off On Him" by Zara Golden
The London MC takes a break from his North American tour to dish on Konnichiwa, hanging with OVO, and the anatomy of a good diss track.

We’ve Reached Peak Outrage—Now What? by Aimee Cliff
Between Nicki, Taylor, Rihanna, and Drake, July 2015 saw outrage culture in pop explode. How can we have meaningful conversations that go beyond picking sides?