I know that saying something “sucks” isn’t a strong take, but Malcolm Gladwell sucks. Oh man, he sucks so hard. He’s a buffoon. He’s a used-car salesman. He turns science, with all its complexity and nuance, into Chicken McNuggets.
So you know I had to read this awesome Miles Klee takedown of Gladwell’s awful New Yorker piece on how cannabis causes crime. Cover to cover, baby! It’s good — real good.
Check that one out, and everything else, below…
Must Read
“The Muslim Guys Getting Swole for the Prophet”
For most Muslims, being devout means praying five times a day, being charitable and keeping halal, among other obligations. But following the teachings of Muhammad also involves small daily acts such as sleeping on the right side of the bed or using oil when washing your hair. Which is why Sunnah Fitness, a London-based collective of 20- and 30-something Muslim men who meet up and work out together, isn’t just another run-of-the-mill fitness group. For these guys, getting ripped helps bring them closer to God. READ MORE
Throwing Off the Yoke
Life under the thumb of a manipulative parent can take a profound emotional and mental toll, making it incredibly important to develop the coping skills necessary to handle a manipulator, or to reach out to those locked into these types of relationships to get them the help they need.
Mama’s Gonna Knock You Out
New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the country’s top wrestling division and the number two promotion in the world behind WWE, is made up exclusively of male wrestlers, a sore subject that has resulted in discussion on social media about adding a women’s division. But talk to the heads of Japan’s all-female promotions and they’ll tell you they’re perfectly happy power-bombing each other through tables right where they are.
Reefer Madness
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that milquetoast pseudo-intellectual Malcolm Gladwell has mistaken correlation for causation in a poorly written think piece on the dangers of cannabis for the New Yorker:
Glad to see Malcolm Gladwell is as rigorous as ever. https://t.co/mxy4HcCq6M pic.twitter.com/lUEGjxKYA2
— Tom Ley (@ToLey88) January 8, 2019
Still, please allow Miles Klee to explain exactly how Gladwell has gotten it so wrong.
Gimme Some Sugar, Baby
It’s nighttime, you’re in bed and (natch) you’re as horny as the dickens. How do you ask your partner for sex without sounding all desperate? Do you (a) ask them directly if they want to have sex, or do you (b) indirectly make a move?
HAHAHA jkjk it’s a trick question — you can be direct or indirect, depending on whichever you’re comfortable with. But there’s a super-duper important caveat.
WTF is GOLO?
No, seriously, what the fuck is the GOLO metabolic plan, other than the latest fad diet sweeping the nation? One thing I know for sure is that “GOLO” isn’t an acronym — at least, I can’t figure out what, if anything, it stands for even after skimming through GOLO’s 2003-era website. According to its founders, GOLO’s secret to sustainable weight loss is “to eat more food, not less while optimizing your metabolism and maintaining healthy insulin levels to lose fat.” Well, that’s incredibly vague and unhelpful.
Ahh, fuck it — let’s just have nutritionist David Friedman explain what the hell is going on with this strange-ass weight-loss program.
Time to #TalkPay
It’s a time-honored tradition that no one in the office talks about their salary. The excuse has always been that it’s gauche, or that it’s bad for morale. But in a world where women are paid a median wage of 80 cents for every dollar earned by men, the #TalkPay movement says screw all of that — we need to discuss salaries much, much more openly (and much, much more) in an effort to help marginalized workers close the pay gap.
Sew-It-Yourself
If you’re anything like me, the moment a shirt or a pair of pants gets a hole in it, it’s — *doink* — in the bag to Goodwill. But Carale Bowe, aka “Stylish Dad,” thinks that’s a massive waste of a potential Golden Boy, and rightfully so. That’s why the 34-year-old YouTuber from Minnesota has made it his mission to teach men how to stitch. He’s been so successful at it, in fact, that he’s sparked a groundswell of dudes tailoring their own dress shirts.
Jeff Gross
Jeff Gross is MEL’s senior editor for social media and content marketing. His daily ICYMI column, which chronicles all things meta on the site, is the quickest way to catch up on MEL, and the funniest thing you’ll read all day. Follow him on Twitter.
