#5SmartReads - August 2, 2021

Today’s #5SmartReads regular guest curator is Dr. Kate Slater! Check out her Instagram for honest talks about race. Stay up to date with her published articles, and more, here.

Of Course, 'The Bachelorette' Found A Way to Objectify Sex Positivity (Bitch)

I've always had a love / hate relationship with the entire Bachelor franchise, and this article is such a fascinating look at the ways in which this season is attempting to reckon with their 'purity problem'.

Katie Thurston is known as a very sex-positive Bachelorette, but the franchise is now finding ways to warp and misrepresent sex positivity itself.

‘Sedition Hunters': Meet the Online Sleuths Aiding the FBI's Capitol Manhunt (Huffington Post)

Following the January 6th Capitol Insurrection, a loose network of online 'sedition hunters' have devoted an extraordinary amount of time and resources to identifying the perpetrators who were at the attack. They comb the Internet using photos, personal information, and tips from friends, family members, and acquaintances, and they're responsible for a huge number of arrests.

This profile piece was a fascinating glimpse into a new kind of vigilante justice.

The Assault on Black Academics (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Nikole Hannah-Jones' recent ordeal in being denied tenure at UNC Chapel Hill (despite her widespread support from faculty, students and administrators alike, as well as a host of professional accolades including a Pulitzer and a MacArthur Genius Fellowship) speaks to the devaluing of Black academics in higher education.

As Dennie writes, "Elsewhere too, scholars who study race and racism have had tenure bids denied by boards of trustees despite departmental support... Such incidents are especially alarming given that trustees may very well be invested in upholding the systems of oppression that such scholarship seeks to dismantle."

Best Actor Or Actress? Gender-Expansive Performers Are Forced To Choose (NPR)

This year's Emmy nominees include Mj Rodriguez, the first openly transgender performer to receive a lead acting nomination. But this is prompting a larger question as to why these award categories are gendered to begin with.

As Asia Kate Dillon stated, "When pitted against each other in the context of an awards show, they only mean male or female, or man or woman... when presented with those options, I am neither of those things."

Jack Kerouac's 'On The Peloton' by Jon Methven (McSweeney's)

If there's anything in this world that's more over-hyped than Jack Kerouac, it's gotta be the Peloton (yes, I'm a bonafide hater over here, and Hitha, don't block me). This spoof of 'On The Road' ("great American novel" my ass) made me cackle with delight.