Hey bestie, why is everyone saying “hey bestie” online?

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1nbCyoyRS59ZubzF75OD4Oyr3YE=/0x52:1017x584/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489586/Screen_Shot_2021_05_03_at_5.59.23_PM.png" /></div> <p>Hey bestie! Do you keep logging onto the internet and seeing people calling each other “bestie” and “girlie” and “girlboss” and “queen,” and you sort of get the sense that these words are on some level being used ironically but also you aren’t totally sure what the joke is?</p> <div class="c-float-right"> <div> <div class="c-entry-sidebar"> <p>Each week we’ll send you the very best from The Goods, plus a special TikTok edition by Rebecca Jennings on Tuesdays. <a href="http://www.vox.com/the-goods-newsletter" data-analytics-viewport="related-story" data-analytics-link="related-story">Sign up here</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p>If you spend a lot of time reading TikTok comments, the most brutal and hilarious place on the internet, you almost certainly have. There, everyone is “bestie.” Regardless of whether you are wonderful or absolutely suck, you are “queen.” Did you have a really bad opinion on something you don’t know anything about? “Hey girlboss it’s not too late to take this down <3” Did you post something that you thought was a flex but it ended up being a self-own? Someone will have commented “hey bestie I can’t do this today!”</p> <p>“Besties” and “girlbosses” have neither gender nor profession; even if you are an old man, on TikTok you are “girlie.”</p> <p>It’s a joke, even when it’s not — you can comment “ok bestie you BODIED this” on a TikTok of someone wearing a cute outfit — the joke being the fact that you’re saying the word “bestie” to a stranger on the internet. In other words, the fun of “hey girlie” is that you get to role-play as someone who <em>would</em> actually call a stranger on the internet “girlie.” In other-other words, you’re also sort of ironically appropriating MLM culture.</p> <p>MLMs, or multi-level marketing companies, have been a subject of fascination on the internet for more than a decade. Companies that <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/15/17971410/lularoe-lipsense-amway-itworks-mary-kay-mlm-multilevel-marketing">operate with an MLM structure</a> (also sometimes called “network marketing” or “direct sales”) rely on individual sellers to recruit others to join the business, creating a pyramid-like system in which the biggest successes aren’t the people who sell the most product, they’re the ones who recruit the most sellers. MLMs like LulaRoe, LipSense, and Young Living encourage members to exploit the relationships they already have and create a false sense of intimacy with people they barely know — i.e., calling a distant acquaintance a “bestie” before sending them a sales pitch.</p> <p>A portrait of the typical MLM participant has dominated: a white, suburban woman in her 20s or 30s who’s either married or perpetually engaged, who probably loves Disney and <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22373865/rachel-hollis-controversy-harriet-tubman-girl-wash-your-face-stop-apologizing-unrelatable">Christian self-help evangelist Rachel Hollis</a>, and who posts grainy images that say “But first, coffee” to her Instagram. There are plenty of women like this, but the internet’s obsession with them goes deeper than just the numbers. For at least the last decade, we’ve endured several new dictionary definitions for what it means to be an embarrassing kind of white woman: First we had the Pumpkin Spice Latte-drinking “basic bitch,” then there was “Christian Girl Autumn,” a play on “Hot Girl Summer,” the same year that <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/9/24/20881656/vsco-girl-meme-what-is-a-vsco-girl">“VSCO girl”</a> became the de facto way to describe middle-class teenage girls who wore oversized T-shirt and puka shell necklaces. And as of last Friday, we have a new term to describe the same kind of cringey, out-of-touch basic person: “cheugy.”</p> <p>What is “cheugy,” a word I came across precisely once in a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@webkinzwhore143/video/6945562242259684613?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowIIrb2MgbhGVOIyJ09JNPVQp5TuAoeqDtaYpktcC%2Bm6tlv5CRMjYAtCSA8OJ71ED3GgA%3D&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAA4BgIbw0ed4-DdJrkIGl8b-Z7qVcLSeJC8LSb_o3Q8_UKKEk1hoyPyATFAQmpe-Go&share_app_id=1233&share_item_id=6945562242259684613&share_link_id=A055E62D-FB85-482E-BC8D-FF0128A0236B&source=h5_m&timestamp=1619731440&tt_from=copy&u_code=6dc3cefl1fi8a&user_id=144377784793104384&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&_r=1&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1">relatively niche TikTok</a> a couple weeks ago and never heard again until the New York Times’s digital trend oracle <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/style/cheugy.html">Taylor Lorenz wrote about it last week</a> and <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2021/05/cheugy-is-hard-to-define-but-easy-to-identify.html">is now all</a> <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/what-is-cheugy-millennial-girlboss-tiktok-aesthetic-1163515/">over the internet</a>? “Cheugy,” according to its inventor, 23-year-old software developer Gaby Rasson, can be used to describe “people who [are] slightly off-trend,” outdated, or even just generally “off” in the same way that a high school classmate DMing you to buy her essential oils feels. The aesthetic is chevron print, Instagram posts captioned with “I did a thing,” and the twirly, curly font adorning <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/9/18/17870200/script-bridesmaid-gifts-wine-glasses">every Etsy product tagged “bridesmaid.”</a> The Instagram account <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cheuglife/">@cheuglife</a>, which documents particularly cheugy offenses, includes pictures of Ugg slippers, #girlboss mugs, Minions memes, Smirnoff raspberry vodka, and, hilariously, cake pops.</p> <p>The original TikTok, which got about 100,000 likes (Twitter viral, but not TikTok viral), makes clear that very few people are actually saying “cheugy.” It was presented more as a pitch, a term that might be useful in your life in case you and your friends needed it. In her explainer, Lorenz emphasizes the point, making clear that this was simply a term that spread among a few groups of friends at summer camp and sororities, not a wildly common phrase.</p> <p>Then, something predictable happened: The story went viral, and as of this weekend, “cheugy” is everywhere. Though she couldn’t tell me how many pageviews it has, Lorenz said it was one of the most-read recent stories in the Styles section — right below an explainer on Rachel Hollis. The meaning is clear: People are extremely fascinated by this specific kind of person, whether it’s because they’re reminded of cheugy #girlbosses in their own life or out of a desire to separate themselves. “People love to bash this specific type of person, a privileged white person, and especially sorority types,” Lorenz told me. “Any time you can name that backlash or articulate it, it pops off.”</p> <p>While it’s easy to claim it all as outright misogyny, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/what-is-cheugy-millennial-girlboss-tiktok-aesthetic-1163515/">Rolling Stone’s EJ Dickson</a> makes a good point: “Misogyny is insidious and takes many forms in our culture, but making fun of someone for posting Minion memes is not one of them.” Much more than sexism, I’m reminded of spaces on the internet where people cosplay as other types of internet users, like Facebook’s iconic <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/j5yev4/facebook-group-pretend-boomers-trend">“a group where we all pretend to be boomers”</a> or Caroline Moss and Michelle Markowitz’s delightful book <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/30/style/hey-ladies-emails-women.html"><em>Hey Ladies,</em> a fictional parody of a bridal party email chain</a>.</p> <p>“Cheugy,” to me, feels less like an attack on someone else and more like self-deprecation, a way to poke fun at our past selves who actually did earnestly love chevron and aspired to be a girlboss. A little part of us probably wishes that we were less online and had fewer irony-poisoned brain cells, living in a world where we were completely unaware of the term “cheugy” and instead just lived it. Am I right, bestie?</p> <p><em>This column first published in The Goods newsletter.</em> <a href="https://www.vox.com/pages/newsletters"><em>Sign up here</em></a> <em>so you don’t miss the next one, plus get newsletter exclusives.</em></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2021/5/4/22418174/cheugy-hey-bestie-girlie-tiktok-girlboss">https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2021/5/4/22418174/cheugy-hey-bestie-girlie-tiktok-girlboss</a>

vox Hey bestie, why is everyone saying “hey bestie” online?

Hey bestie! Do you keep logging onto the internet and seeing people calling each other “bestie” and “girlie” and “girlboss” and “queen,” an...

Read More...»

Reality TV used to be about getting famous. 90 Day Fiancé is about the American dream.

<p>When you stop to think about it, reality TV and documentaries are cousins, if not siblings. The family resemblance may seem unlikely, but it’s there. Both documentaries and reality shows use the raw material of “real life,” then selectively edit and craft a narrative that’s funny or thrilling or dramatic, with characters, stakes, and something to tell us about ourselves. You might even say that documentary walked so that reality TV could fly — or vice versa?</p> <p>That link is something that writer, critic, and comedian Ashley Ray-Harris has been thinking about a lot. A connoisseur of reality TV of all kinds, she writes for outlets like <a href="https://www.vulture.com/author/ashley-ray-harris/">Vulture</a> and the <a href="https://tv.avclub.com/author/ashleyrayharris">AV Club</a> — including a lot about <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/90-day-fiance-how-to-watch-franchise-guide.html">the TLC show <em>90 Day Fiancé</em></a> — as well as <a href="https://ashleyray.substack.com/">her own newsletter</a><em>.</em> And her weekly podcast <a href="https://theashleyray.com/tvisaypod"><em>TV, I Say with Ashley Ray</em></a> is a wide-ranging exploration of the medium, often with fun special guests. (When it was time to talk <em>90 Day Fiancé</em>, <a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1395490/6788944-ep-8-roxane-gay-and-seth-rogen-in-conversation-90-day-fiance">she chatted with Seth Rogen and Roxane Gay</a>.)</p> <p>So it makes sense that Ray-Harris was asked by the <a href="https://truefalse.org/">True/False Film Festival</a> — one of the premier all-documentary festivals in the US — to curate this year’s “Neither/Nor” section, an exploration of the margins of documentary. The program will be available for free online from May 5 through May 9 and will focus on shifts in reality TV and how its “constructed reality” functioned during the Trump era. Viewers can watch episodes of <em>90 Day Fiancé</em> and read Ray-Harris’s writing on the subject, all <a href="https://truefalse.org/program/neither-nor/">collected on the True/False website</a> beginning May 5.</p> <p>I am a longtime True/False fan and someone who thinks about nonfiction filmmaking a lot. So I was fascinated when I heard about this year’s program, especially because I’ve only dipped my toes into reality TV. So I watched a few episodes of <em>90 Day Fiancé</em> (which bucked my expectations, in a good way) and then called Ray-Harris to talk about why she loves the reality empire <em>90 Day Fiancé</em> has spawned, the way Donald Trump changed reality TV, the relationship between reality TV and documentary filmmaking, and more.</p> <p><strong>You’ve watched a lot of reality TV and docuseries. Why do you think</strong> <em><strong>90 Day Fiancé</strong></em> <strong>is so important?</strong></p> <p><em>90 Day Fiancé</em> is one of the most pivotal reality shows. From when it debuted in 2014 to now, you actively get to see it react to the culture. You see it react to ICE and immigration under Trump; that impacts and changes the show. It became so popular — to the point where you get all of these spinoffs [of which there are now nearly a dozen] — because people recognized it as not being a product of the early 2000s Trump/Kardashian reality machine, which is losing steam.</p> <p>When it comes to the reality shows like <em>The Apprentice,</em> the shows that made people like Trump — this idea that you could have someone pick you up and lift you out of poverty and make it as a reality star — I think today we see that reality as false. You can get famous being on Instagram, being on TikTok, being on Twitter, but the idea that you can even go on reality TV to get famous nowadays feels so false. The cast and crew of <em>90 Day Fiancé</em> — sure, people know them and follow their lives outside of the show. But they wouldn’t call themselves celebrities. We don’t see them as the type of celebrity that you saw created with shows like <em>Laguna Beach</em>.</p> <div class="c-float-right"> <aside><q>“Viewers have become more focused on whether what they’re watching is ethical”</q></aside> </div> <p>That’s created this really interesting conundrum for producers. With some reality shows, things like <em>My 600-Pound Life</em>, <em>Intervention</em>, <em>Hoarders</em> — there’s always been the question of how exploitative they are. How much are we using these people? This isn’t manufactured like <em>Real Housewives</em> of whatever; this is people’s real lives.</p> <p>In the early days of <em>90 Day Fiancé,</em> like in season two, there’s some fairly exploitative TV. There are moments when you’re like, “Someone please help this 19-year-old girl who is about to marry a 50-year-old, please!” Or with [<em>90 Day Fiancé</em> couple] <a href="https://screenrant.com/90-day-fiance-danielle-mohamed-season-2/">Danielle and Mohammed</a>, where it’s so clearly a manipulative, abusive relationship on both ends.</p> <figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1620145831_3355_411875" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22489339,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RWCMD_gDYECM-Z5JHYn7yyPz5YQ=/0x0:2880x1610/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9pJ8rRtTUghd2XsNfZQDD3nyh6o=/0x0:2880x1610/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QJNAuylrdVmFbipJnEajHAzpQLo=/0x0:2880x1610/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PpxBNkjxuJGpGMYvYCoMYuSy6pg=/0x0:2880x1610/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F0HZp25kXSVUdOde5rHAGeHTwQg=/0x0:2880x1610/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aHtal83NFXgV6kBSIKCW3OHQCjw=/0x0:2880x1610/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GR1ULnoHCEmjKHtvXsYJ77S9Rjc=/0x0:2880x1610/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YRAhzmo83FfEn_cqL9tFBI364-Y=/0x0:2880x1610/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GWkE8KP_9hqLyRvwtzl0JWlip0c=/0x0:2880x1610/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="A young man and a middle-aged woman stand in a garden." data-upload-width="2880" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AH6BN1pUCBuhM29Cbzhv7wiSQ04=/0x0:2880x1610/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6q_ao6Yc63t1QdbL0kMI_n6DhSw=/0x0:2880x1610/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ma1hvchGMlcq8uiGgWmKAWP9Hdw=/0x0:2880x1610/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JqKKP8aDsFAxc2PwUCQcM6fiMVE=/0x0:2880x1610/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JIoa-XBpPzemJ74xM8kCu1hL3pA=/0x0:2880x1610/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_ObXuLWCJrcKiAVdWS3NsXn2qyg=/0x0:2880x1610/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AZt7enBbuDxwtHrUDja9jU-SxN4=/0x0:2880x1610/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UOGcxCQ6gsM8x-3CPEYWDyB5KCo=/0x0:2880x1610/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9de_3ScErtkh4q7iRRZ5Yoks1pU=/0x0:2880x1610/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d_hwkf4x65TbEViW2402rt0Eo4I=/0x0:2880x1610/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2880x1610):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489339/danielle_mohamed2.jpeg 1920w" /></picture></span></span> <figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">Mohamed and Danielle, whose engagement plays out in season two of <em>90 Day Fiancé.</em></span></figcaption> <span class="e-image__meta"><cite>TLC</cite></span></figure> <p>But <em>90 Day Fiancé</em> is one of the rare shows that, when called out, has said, “Okay, yeah.” You shouldn’t call ICE on these people who are coming here for love. We’ll paint the American as the villain, rather than always siding with the American, or always siding with whoever American society might say is the hero for falling in line with the American dream.</p> <p><strong>I had not watched</strong> <em><strong>90 Day Fiancé</strong></em> <strong>at all until recently, but when I dipped into it I discovered that it’s not just a show, it’s like an entire universe.</strong></p> <p>A whole universe! I wrote <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/90-day-fiance-how-to-watch-franchise-guide.html">a guide on how to watch it</a>. On Discovery+, there’s <a href="https://screenrant.com/discovery-plus-90-day-fiance-property-brothers-channels/">a <em>90 Day Fiancé</em> “channel,”</a> where you can just hop in and follow one couple if you want. You can just watch all of the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13990474/"><em>90 Day: The Single Life</em></a> spinoffs. They call it their own Marvel Universe. At this point, they’ve got 11 spinoffs.</p> <p><strong>It’s so much to absorb! But the concept of the whole franchise is also really simple. It’s different from some reality shows I’ve seen —</strong> <em><strong>Real Housewives</strong></em><strong>,</strong> <em><strong>The Apprentice</strong></em><strong>, that sort of thing. One thing that struck me while I watched</strong> <em><strong>90 Day Fiancé</strong></em> <strong>was how much it felt like a documentary. If you told me the show was just a documentary about people who are going through this specific visa process, rather than a “reality show,” I completely would have believed you.</strong></p> <p><strong>I think some of that comes from the filmmaking. But some of it also comes from what it expects us to feel as we watch it.</strong></p> <p>That is the thing that shocks people the most. When people first hear about <em>90 Day Fiancé</em>, they’re like, “Okay, is it some sort of competition? Is it some sort of thing where people have to fall in love in 90 days?”</p> <p><strong>That’s what I thought at first.</strong></p> <p>Then you start watching and you realize that these are people who already loved each other and would be doing this without the show. They aren’t making their decisions because they want to be on a TV show — most of them, anyhow. In the later seasons, with some of them, you’re definitely like, “Okay, this person just wanted to be on TV.”</p> <p><strong>There’s always a moment on a long-running reality show when you can feel the show becoming self-aware, because the people on the show now were watching the show before they were cast.</strong></p> <p>Yes. But with the <em>90 Day Fiancé</em> universe, because the show kind of peeks in at different moments [in couples’ lives], that doesn’t really happen. You see them go through the visa process, and then you might not see that couple again until three years later, when they’re on <em>90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After</em>. That gives it a more natural feeling — “I’m checking in on this family that I like, and they got married, and now they have three kids.”</p> <p>That kind of self-awareness can really go wrong. An example is the <a href="https://popculture.com/reality-tv/news/teen-mom-every-16-and-pregnant-spinoff-ever/"><em>Teen Mom</em></a> franchise. [<em>Teen Mom</em> is a spinoff from MTV’s <em>16 and Pregnant</em>; both launched in 2009. <em>Teen Mom</em> now has four spinoffs of its own.] When the franchise first started, it was about 16-year-old girls who were going through stuff they’d never been through before. It was messy, and it was about their lives.</p> <p>But by the fifth season of <em>Teen Mom</em>, they’re girls who grew up watching reality TV and who understand how to manipulate the producers just as much as they’ve been manipulated. On top of that, their children, who grew up on camera since they were on <em>16 And Pregnant</em>, understand being on camera. You see these kids talking to the producers like they’re family members. The show becomes so much more staged. They understand how they should act on camera versus off camera. They start to understand their double consciousness.</p> <div class="c-float-right"> <aside><q>“If America is a melting pot, <em>90 Day Fiancé</em> is when it reaches its boiling point”</q></aside> </div> <p>With <em>90 Day Fiancé</em>, the producers are very good about allowing the people on the show to have boundaries in their lives. A lot of the people on the show do get into legal trouble or have personal issues. But the show is very clear that that’s not what it’s about; it’s about exploring the K1 visa process. It’s about exploring the idea and promise of the American dream, and what we make of it.</p> <p>That’s why it’s so good at showing that the American dream isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s a show that says, “Yeah, people think America is great. And then they get here and they realize, Oh, now I live in Kentucky and we don’t have clean water. What is this place? We can’t even afford an apartment!” It’s unflinching and doesn’t really try to paint a better picture. I give it a lot of credit for that.</p> <p>I think that’s why it does feel so much like a documentary, and why it has influenced documentary makers. In some ways, it elevates the genre of reality TV. If America is a melting pot, <em>90 Day Fiancé</em> is when it reaches its boiling point, where you see it all come together. They somehow managed to find a way to spin that off into 11 different versions of that stew, and they all taste great.</p> <p><strong>When I watch the more Bravo-style reality shows, I know that when I’m watching, they don’t really want you to empathize with anyone. At best there’s a character you might root for. But</strong> <em><strong>90 Day Fiancé</strong></em> <strong>definitely feels like it’s attempting to help you understand all the characters, to feel what it’s like to be them in this position.</strong></p> <p>Yes. In the end, it’s a show about people who want love — who in some cases desperately want love — which puts people in this really vulnerable position. And somehow the producers and makers of the show find a way to treat it with such empathy and sympathy. You want these people to find the love they want. When they’re with people who you know they shouldn’t be with, you’re not like, “Oh, this is gonna be good drama.” Instead, you’re just like, “No girl, you deserve better. Don’t date him. Don’t marry him. You should have someone else.”</p> <p>It’s never a facetious thing, even when it’s like [<em>90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days s</em>eason two’s] Angela and Michael — and I mean, those two have so many issues. Angela is a white woman from Georgia. Michael is her Nigerian lover. I think they’re probably one of the most famous examples from the show of how twisted American exceptionalism can be.</p> <p>Michael proudly says, “I’m a Trump supporter! I want to go to America.” Angela is like, “He’s my Nigerian king. How can I be racist when I have him?” If I just was reading about them, I would be like, “What is happening here? What is this?”</p> <div class="c-float-right"> <aside><q>“This is about how people love, what people are afraid of and love, how people change, how people grow”</q></aside> </div> <p>And then when you watch their story, and you see Michael <em>does</em> love her. They have real issues — she’s too old to have a child, they’re not sure if they’ll be able to surrogate. It’s way more empathetic than if it was just this Black guy who clearly has some internalized issues with racism and is trying to just get a visa. It’s about so much more.</p> <p>It’s about how he is going to carry on his legacy and honor his family when he knows he really does love this American woman. It just warms your heart, even though on paper, you’d be like, “Oh, my God, this is terrible, it’s exploitative, and these people shouldn’t be together<em>.”</em> But then when you watch it, you’re like, “Oh, my gosh, no, Michael really does just want to help Angela take care of her horde of grandkids. That is his dream.”</p> <figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1620145831_7355_411876" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22489343,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iebcQqOwEkc_DfZa8j1KConSwQg=/0x0:1400x700/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jWk-u5DVdUK0VvkrC6plckUIsa8=/0x0:1400x700/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zzkTDdV-Fg6cfJsFx3fERGp1wCM=/0x0:1400x700/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hVoZi5FtOWnp59xfb3bJl0NhoM0=/0x0:1400x700/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3zkVlxSHdtdKs9ivoy2kPDNPoxU=/0x0:1400x700/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/X7UdP_VzNrKVjo7ZGcNz1RuJwLM=/0x0:1400x700/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mfZUOF_P1Z5xPyMD8aRYmoMxujM=/0x0:1400x700/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MSKApgpvGWksHZ4OP95MCvRDElE=/0x0:1400x700/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JwG6LxP7L6ZAZRfVrw0mExyk7kU=/0x0:1400x700/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="A white woman and a Black man smile." data-upload-width="1400" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zXPev_SqbldGXlaqgV3_02F5QtE=/0x0:1400x700/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SMqangPObVY38y5K5LQzmteU6bI=/0x0:1400x700/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LuYfIqACrIDL6gc1uw4wJ2DBWs0=/0x0:1400x700/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Dr6vIKDQpECpCVJZ-G-r843-RYc=/0x0:1400x700/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jcaG6bIeVUVJ-MmS8jRItVxWi6o=/0x0:1400x700/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XXq6Vv_J9fkiy19tfZjg2qMwSUk=/0x0:1400x700/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_LQAnU2HZX8E_G0TTsZxdQ9vZkI=/0x0:1400x700/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TC-EFLrkVwVeoB2keGdMtlbG6nU=/0x0:1400x700/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5QPJjZq6zhekjkdQNm_4ct72jYc=/0x0:1400x700/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/omYwOQsON3UOxXy-qlTybwyqPDE=/0x0:1400x700/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489343/angelamichael.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span> <figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">Angela and Michael, who first appear in <em>90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days</em>, <em>s</em>eason two.</span></figcaption> <span class="e-image__meta"><cite>TLC</cite></span></figure> <p><strong>Several people in the documentary world have told me that reality TV — particularly early shows like</strong> <em><strong>The Real World</strong></em> <strong>— taught people how to watch documentaries.</strong></p> <p>I really think that that is true. There’s a phenomenon going on recently: We are seeing fewer documentary movies and more four- and five-part documentary series. And in some cases it’s warranted. When it’s something like <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/10/21/21525430/vow-finale-nxivm-interview-explained-raniere-noujaim-amer"><em>The Vow</em></a> and <em>Seduced</em>, series that get into deep topics, people don’t just want to sit down for an hour and a half. With episodes, people feel as though they’re getting more information, they’re getting more in-depth, they’re getting a whole episode about this person’s background story versus just the first 10 minutes of a film.</p> <p>And I think that mirrors how people watch reality TV shows. I never was a big fan of <em>The Real Housewives</em> and other shows like that because there’s no longevity. You don’t need to know what happened the previous season to care about what is happening in these people’s lives, because really, it has nothing to do with their real lives. Whereas with <em>90 Day Fiancé</em>, you have to know what happened in their lives before the show to see how they got there. You grow with them.</p> <p>I think we’ve seen that mirrored in the documentary space, where people realize you can allow more space for empathy. There’s a template people expect for documentary movies — this is what this is about, and by this point, I should have this type of closure. When it’s more open-ended, you don’t get forced into that box. With series like <em>Murder on Middle Beach</em>, <em>Heaven’s Gate</em>, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/21417306/love-fraud-interview-review-showtime-ewing-grady"><em>Love Fraud</em></a>, they focus on empathy for the victims. They get into the villain, but without making it the villain’s story.</p> <p>And viewers have gotten more used to that because we’ve seen reality documentary series on TV change. Shows like <em>Hoarders</em> and <em>Intervention</em> have also grown. I’ve been obsessed with <em>Hoarders</em> since it first came on the air. People would be like, “How can you watch that show? It’s so exploitative. You know, they’re just making fun of these people with horrible homes.” But now they show you every step of the process: bringing in the family, the psychiatrists, the aftercare help that they get.</p> <p>Viewers have become more focused on whether what they’re watching is ethical. Is what I’m watching fair? Is what I’m watching giving me two sides of a story, or is it just trying to get me to root for a plot, or some sort of overall villain or story? I think reality TV has had a huge impact on that.</p> <p>And I love where we are in the documentary age. I am constantly just seeing new things I’m excited about. I kind of wish we could go back and redo some of my favorite documentaries as four-part series, because you just get so much more.</p> <p><strong>Okay, so: Tell me how this True/False program about</strong> <em><strong>90 Day Fiancé</strong></em> <strong>came together.</strong></p> <p>I’ve been such a fan of this festival and their programming for a long time. When my friend Amir [George, one of the festival’s programmers], first hit me up, he was like, “Ashley, we want to do something really different this year.”</p> <p>And I was like, “First of all, what do you want from me? Because I’m a TV person.” He said they wanted to look at the current surge of reality TV and how it’s changed over the last four years because of Trump, and the ways reality TV is starting to mirror documentary filmmaking. That was something that I had also seen.</p> <p>So I thought we could do an in-depth look at reality TV, and specifically <em>90 Day Fiancé</em>. At how we’ve seen that exploration of exploitation influence not just reality TV, but also docuseries and true crime, with more people saying, “<a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22272863/redhanded-true-crime-podcast-interview-hosts-suruthi-bala-hannah-maguire">Let’s focus on victims’ stories</a>. Let’s focus on <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22240673/netflix-night-stalker-docuseries-frank-salerno-gil-carrillo">the untold stories</a> rather than focusing <a href="https://www.vox.com/22258961/netflix-the-ripper-review-yorkshire-ripper-documentary">on the murderer</a> or the serial killer or the victor.”</p> <figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1620145831_3884_411877" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22489348,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F78A0Rw-gnOHF7PjU2f2MK0i1AE=/0x0:1400x700/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7mcDXpDqSF33617a5HAc7b6RauY=/0x0:1400x700/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TLJBxQTOIYparCmE-sjCxrIZQQs=/0x0:1400x700/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/scG-prFrCaagR_oMvMaObwlXVAA=/0x0:1400x700/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bp-KRH7DF8PFXWAEwrvdLF2_4vs=/0x0:1400x700/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_pUVjx4ayjOLyp4Mjhq87UR9AXw=/0x0:1400x700/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/J4YDuew-iLMGdwhHAU_8v85SCTc=/0x0:1400x700/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SfDuws_y3_14yHqgloPSzcCw63Q=/0x0:1400x700/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JtR0NuVe-MnPGVVn10hm7SA7TN0=/0x0:1400x700/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="Two men stand and smile at the camera." data-upload-width="1400" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dZ1FwCqf3KT2qTfBM_pPII3bj1g=/0x0:1400x700/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QZFd4jWaZav_riqCSynVVNqq-2U=/0x0:1400x700/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/X3cgiJ3OIPkvdiwNzrOXmBOacVc=/0x0:1400x700/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eaTXWZ3vZIpwv8oc2_fiiwzZWPQ=/0x0:1400x700/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yASla61hzjdzJxelH6XEVq0_rFw=/0x0:1400x700/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DRSJugzGKDu8T-1LcXQWb31FFdk=/0x0:1400x700/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Wr5DmnRXQ-IvSJ2JHvAadgeQcKE=/0x0:1400x700/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bsiW2ZfcHZMZLuKxcs9lbC13hko=/0x0:1400x700/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7eFqAqQg8B9vOUd_gpqJKvJgxXM=/0x0:1400x700/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JV6KIjJsLi5pv3Yc2f79bqoL9RQ=/0x0:1400x700/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1400x700):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22489348/kennetharmando.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span> <figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">Kenneth and Armando, the franchise’s first gay male couple, who appeared on <em>90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way.</em></span></figcaption> <span class="e-image__meta"><cite>TLC</cite></span></figure> <p><strong>So for people who might watch the program, since it’s online, what will they experience?</strong></p> <p>We’ll be exploring how <em>90 Day Fiancé</em> has not only changed in the time it’s been on TV, but how it’s impacted the culture of documentary making, as well as the current reality TV landscape. How it became a ratings juggernaut, a powerful thing that could set the tone for the reality TV landscape.</p> <p>And we’ll look at why it’s doing that in a positive way that gives us more reality, more capability, more empathy, than previous generations of reality TV like <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22338679/keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-final-season-20-hulu">the Kardashian era</a> — or as I like to call it, the “fake it till you make it” era. Everyone knew Donald Trump had been bankrupt, but <em>The Apprentice</em> made some people believe, “No, he’s a legit businessman, he knows business.” That’s not true. The Kardashians weren’t actually a conglomerate family that’s done all these things — but now it is true, because they faked it until they made it.</p> <p>We can’t really do that anymore with reality TV. People don’t want to see the fake. So we’re going to be exploring that transition and how it happened under Trump and how the show reacted to it.</p> <p>We’re also going to dig into some of the most pivotal moments in <em>90 Day Fiancé</em>, for people who’ve never watched the show and for people who are fans. Characters like <a href="https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/90-day-fiance-paul-and-karines-relationship-timeline/">Paul and Karine</a>, who really define why the show is so good — Paul, confessing that he was an arsonist and running into the woods. Angela and Michael, and how they have to explore interracial dynamics, how someone can move from Nigeria to the American South and not realize racism still exists in America; Michael literally had no idea until he had to talk to Americans.</p> <p>We’ll also look at <a href="https://screenrant.com/90-day-fiance-armando-rubio-kenneth-niedermeier-update/">Kenneth and Armando</a>, the show’s first gay male couple. They’re on <a href="https://screenrant.com/90-day-fiance-armando-rubio-kenneth-niedermeier-update/"><em>90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way</em></a>, a spinoff that shows Americans moving to other countries [to be with their partner]. That’s a pivot for the show, saying this isn’t only about American exceptionalism. This is about how people love, what people are afraid of and love, how people change, how people grow.</p> <p>We’ll look at the moments on the show that hit on something important, special things that I think changed the landscape and made other reality shows go, “That’s what we need. That’s how you pull people in nowadays.” The glitz and glamour of seeing people on private jets, it’s gone<em>.</em></p> <p><em>A full guide to participating in Ray-Harris’s Neither/Nor program</em> <a href="https://truefalse.org/program/neither-nor/"><em>is available on the True/False website</em></a><em>. It will take place May 5-9, 2021.</em></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.vox.com/22412033/90-day-fiance-reality-tv-true-false-neither-nor">https://www.vox.com/22412033/90-day-fiance-reality-tv-true-false-neither-nor</a>

vox Reality TV used to be about getting famous. 90 Day Fiancé is about the American dream.

When you stop to think about it, reality TV and documentaries are cousins, if not siblings. The family resemblance may seem unlikely, but it...

Read More...»

Summer Fundraising Campaign – Help us to knock the Mainstream Media off their perch

<a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/category/breaking-news/" class="post-lead-category">Breaking News</a> <section class="entry" readability="28.268031942298"> <div class="wp-block-columns" readability="1.6636904761905"> <div class="wp-block-column"> <h4 class="has-text-align-center has-custom-font"><strong><strong>Summer Fundraising Campaign Progress</strong></strong></h4> </div> </div> <p class="has-custom-font"><strong>The mainstream media are currently being paid millions upon millions of £’s of your money to advertise on behalf of the UK Government that we are supposedly in the midst of a “deadly” pandemic. We are doing our best to compete with them and report the facts that the mainstream refuse to, but we rely solely on your support to help fund our investigative reports.</strong></p> <p class="has-custom-font">We’ve got big ideas for the future and we want to knock the mainstream media off their perch – but to do this we need your help. So we’ve set up a Summer Fundraising Campaign in the hope that you, our readers, can help us to reach 100% of our target and support us in our mission to become the mainstream media and report the facts that they currently refuse to.</p> <p class="has-custom-font">Every month by paying your TV license you are donating £13.33 to the BBC who spread propaganda on behalf of the authorities and lies. Why not donate that to ‘The Daily Expose’ instead who are committed to bringing you the facts that the mainstream refuse to. You can <strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=864RBRS7GH9LA" target="_blank">donate today via PayPal</a></strong> or if you <a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/donate-today/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>hate PayPal you can just donate by card</strong></a>. No matter how large or small your donation every one will help us to bring you more of the facts that the mainstream refuse to.</p> <p class="has-custom-font">If you can’t donate then that’s fine, please show us your support by following us and sharing our reports on your social media.</p> <div class="wp-block-columns" readability="1.6636904761905"> <div class="wp-block-column"> <h4 class="has-text-align-center has-custom-font"><strong><strong>Summer Fundraising Campaign Progress</strong></strong></h4> </div> </div> <div class="wp-block-group" readability="3.3849557522124"> <div class="wp-block-group__inner-container" readability="4.8893805309735"> <hr class="wp-block-separator" /> <p class="has-text-align-center has-custom-font"><strong><span class="has-inline-color">We urgently need your support!</span></strong><br /> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/04/summer-fundraising-campaign/" target="_blank"><strong>The Mainstream Media are being paid millions of £’s</strong></a><br /> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/04/summer-fundraising-campaign/" target="_blank"><strong>of your money to advertise that there is an alleged</strong></a><br /> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/04/summer-fundraising-campaign/" target="_blank"><strong>“deadly” pandemic.<br /> We rely solely on your support to help</strong><br /> <strong>fund our investigative reports.</strong><br /> <strong>If you love what we do then please help us to</strong><br /> <strong>keep doing it by supporting us today.</strong></a></p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-custom-font"><strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=864RBRS7GH9LA" target="_blank">Please click the red button to donate via PayPal</a></strong><br /> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/donate-today/" target="_blank"><strong><span class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Hate PayPal? Then please click the ‘Donate Now’ button to donate by card</span></strong></a></p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter"><a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=864RBRS7GH9LA"><img alt="The Anatomy of a Perfect Call to Action & Why they are Critical for Site Conversions - Inbound Now - November 5, 2013" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.inboundnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/call-to-action.jpg?resize=173%2C138&ssl=1" /></a></figure> </div> <hr class="wp-block-separator" /> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel"> <div class="coblocks-slick pb-8" data-slick='{"slidesToScroll":1,"arrow":true,"slidesToShow":3,"infinite":true,"adaptiveHeight":false,"draggable":true,"responsive":[{"breakpoint":1024,"settings":{"slidesToShow":3}},{"breakpoint":600,"settings":{"slidesToShow":2}},{"breakpoint":480,"settings":{"slidesToShow":1}}]}'> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="12.764705882353"> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="13.176470588235"><time datetime="2021-05-04T15:29:43+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">May 4, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/04/whistle-blowing-nhs-board-member-says-the-government-are-committing-genocide-and-your-children-are-next/" alt="Whistle-blowing NHS Board Member says “The Government are committing Genocide, and your children are next”">Whistle-blowing NHS Board Member says “The Government are committing Genocide, and your children are next”</a> <p>A senior NHS Board Member has come forward to warn the general …</p> </div> </div> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="13.66265060241"> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="14.313253012048"><time datetime="2021-05-03T17:28:36+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">May 3, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/03/injecting-a-child-with-an-experimental-covid-19-vaccine-would-be-madness-they-dont-need-it/" alt="Injecting a child with an experimental Covid-19 vaccine would be madness, they don’t need it">Injecting a child with an experimental Covid-19 vaccine would be madness, they don’t need it</a> <p>'First they came for the elderly, and I did not speak out …</p> </div> </div> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="14.282722513089"> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="14.743455497382"><time datetime="2021-05-03T14:37:46+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">May 3, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/03/uncovering-the-truth-about-indias-alleged-covid-crisis/" alt="Fear-mongering, Lies and Propaganda – Uncovering the Truth about India’s alleged “Covid Crisis”">Fear-mongering, Lies and Propaganda – Uncovering the Truth about India’s alleged “Covid Crisis”</a> <p>The scenes being broadcast on 'BBC News' and displayed in newspapers such …</p> </div> </div> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="19.2"> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="20.4"><time datetime="2021-05-03T10:06:52+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">May 3, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/03/woman-left-paralyzed-after-receiving-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine/" alt="Woman Left Paralyzed After Receiving Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine">Woman Left Paralyzed After Receiving Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine</a> <p>Source: WPXIRachael Cecere, 33, was left paralysed 12 hours after her first …</p> </div> </div> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="14.280898876404"> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="14.741573033708"><time datetime="2021-05-02T19:07:53+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">May 2, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/02/doctors-from-around-the-world-say-the-covid-vaccines-are-ineffective-and-dangerous-video/" alt="Doctors from around the world say the Covid Vaccines are “ineffective and dangerous” (Video)">Doctors from around the world say the Covid Vaccines are “ineffective and dangerous” (Video)</a> <p>Doctors for across Europe and North America have united to call the …</p> </div> </div> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="15.768786127168"> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="16.277456647399"><time datetime="2021-05-02T18:52:14+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">May 2, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/02/thousands-queue-for-miles-to-get-the-experimental-covid-vaccine-on-a-sunday-afternoon/" alt="Thousands queue for miles to get the experimental Covid vaccine on a Sunday afternoon">Thousands queue for miles to get the experimental Covid vaccine on a Sunday afternoon</a> <p>Footage recorded on Sunday 2nd May shows thousands of people queuing from …</p> </div> </div> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="11.116161616162"> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="11.474747474747"><time datetime="2021-05-02T12:03:31+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">May 2, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/02/uk-gov-awards-320-million-tax-payer-funded-contract-for-covid-19-media-propaganda-campaign-which-runs-until-april-2022/" alt="UK Gov. awards £320 million tax-payer funded contract for ‘Covid-19 Media Propaganda Campaign’ which runs until April 2022">UK Gov. awards £320 million tax-payer funded contract for ‘Covid-19 Media Propaganda Campaign’ which runs until April 2022</a> <p>You don't think things are going to go back to normal on …</p> </div> </div> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="13.661016949153"> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="14.101694915254"><time datetime="2021-05-01T19:46:30+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">May 1, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/01/doctors-around-the-world-unite-to-call-the-covid-vaccines-unnecessary-ineffective-and-unsafe/" alt="Doctors around the world unite to call the Covid Vaccines “Unnecessary, Ineffective and Unsafe”">Doctors around the world unite to call the Covid Vaccines “Unnecessary, Ineffective and Unsafe”</a> <p>DOCTORS from around the world have urged the public not to take …</p> </div> </div> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="14.25"> <div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="14.928571428571"><time datetime="2021-05-01T16:50:07+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">May 1, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/01/shocking-u-k-government-release-13th-report-on-adverse-reactions-to-the-covid-vaccines/" alt="SHOCKING! – U.K. Government release 13th report on Adverse Reactions to the Covid Vaccines">SHOCKING! – U.K. Government release 13th report on Adverse Reactions to the Covid Vaccines</a> <p>The number 13 is viewed as unlucky by many, and after reading …</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h3 class="jp-relatedposts-headline"><em>Related</em></h3> </section> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/04/summer-fundraising-campaign/">https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/05/04/summer-fundraising-campaign/</a>

revolution Summer Fundraising Campaign – Help us to knock the Mainstream Media off their perch

Breaking News Summer Fundraising Campaign Progress The mainstream media are currently being paid millions upon millions of £’s of you...

Read More...»

China Calls For "Basic Etiquette" After Philippine Minister's Outburst

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="China Calls For 'Basic Etiquette' After Philippine Minister's Outburst" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-05/5opqrb4o_chinaphillippines-reuters-650_625x300_04_May_21.jpg" title="China Calls For 'Basic Etiquette' After Philippine Minister's Outburst" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">China Foreign Minister and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary during a meet in Manila (FILE)</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Beijing:</b> <p>China urged the Philippines on Tuesday to observe "basic etiquette" and eschew megaphone diplomacy after the southeast Asian nation's foreign minister used an expletive-laced Twitter message to demand that China's vessels leave disputed waters.</p> <p>The comments by Teodoro Locsin, known for occasional blunt remarks, follow Manila's protests over what it calls the illegal presence of hundreds of Chinese boats inside the Philippines' 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).</p> <p>In a statement, China's foreign ministry urged the Philippines to respect the nation's sovereignty and jurisdiction and stop taking actions that complicate the situation.</p> <p>"Facts have repeatedly proved that microphone diplomacy cannot change the facts, but can only undermine mutual trust," it said.</p> <p>"It is hoped that relevant people in the Philippines will comply with basic etiquette and their position when making remarks."</p> <p>The ministry cited comments by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte that differences between the countries on individual issues should not affect friendship and cooperation.</p> <p>"China has always worked, and will continue to work with the Philippines, to properly resolve differences and advance cooperation through friendly consultations."</p> <p>China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which about $3 trillion of ship-borne trade passes each year. In 2016, an arbitration tribunal in the Hague ruled that its claim was inconsistent with international law.</p> <p>"I won't plead the last provocation as an excuse for losing it; but if Wang Yi is following Twitter then I'm sorry for hurting his feelings but his alone," Locsin said on Twitter on Tuesday, referring to the Chinese government's top diplomat.</p> <p>Duterte has reminded his officials that there is no room for cursing in the matter of diplomacy. "Only the President can cuss," his spokesman, Harry Roque, told a regular news conference.</p> <p><i>(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/china-calls-for-basic-etiquette-after-philippine-ministers-outburst-2427893">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/china-calls-for-basic-etiquette-after-philippine-ministers-outburst-2427893</a>

news world China Calls For "Basic Etiquette" After Philippine Minister's Outburst

China Foreign Minister and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary during a meet in Manila (FILE) Beijing: China urged the Philippines on ...

Read More...»

Swiss Diplomat In Iran Found Dead After Fall From Residential Building

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Swiss Diplomat In Iran Found Dead After Fall From Residential Building" src="https://i.ndtvimg.com/i/2018-03/police-generic-international-afp_650x400_41520126059.jpg" title="Swiss Diplomat In Iran Found Dead After Fall From Residential Building" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">The first secretary at the Swiss embassy in Tehran was found dead on Tuesday.</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Dubai:</b> <p>The first secretary at the Swiss embassy in Tehran was found dead on Tuesday after falling from a high-rise building where she lived in the north of the city, a spokesman for emergency services was quoted as saying by Iranian news agencies.</p> <p>The Swiss foreign ministry (FDFA) said an employee at its embassy in Iran had died of an accident, without identifying the victim. "The FDFA and its head Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis are shocked by the tragic death and express their deepest condolences to the family," it said.</p> <p>Iranian emergency services spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi said the diplomat's body was found by a gardener after an employee who arrived at her apartment early on Tuesday noticed she was missing, the news agency Fars reported.</p> <p>"This person was the first secretary of the Swiss embassy," Khaledi told Mehr news agency. "The cause of her fall has yet to be determined," he told Fars.</p> <p>The diplomat was 51, the semi-official news agency ISNA reported. Other reports put her age at 52.</p> <p>Switzerland has represented U.S. diplomatic interests in Iran since Washington and Tehran cut ties shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/swiss-diplomat-in-iran-found-dead-after-fall-from-residential-building-2427817">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/swiss-diplomat-in-iran-found-dead-after-fall-from-residential-building-2427817</a>

news world Swiss Diplomat In Iran Found Dead After Fall From Residential Building

The first secretary at the Swiss embassy in Tehran was found dead on Tuesday. Dubai: The first secretary at the Swiss embassy in Tehran...

Read More...»

UK, India To Start Formal Free Trade Agreement Talks Within Month

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="UK, India To Start Formal Free Trade Agreement Talks Within Month" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2019-08/hig9bu78_modi-boris-johnson-afp_625x300_26_August_19.jpg" title="UK, India To Start Formal Free Trade Agreement Talks Within Month" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Boris Johnson's office said it expects the deal preceding FTA talks to create over 6,500 jobs. (File)</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">London:</b> <p>Britain and India will begin formal free trade deal talks later this year, the UK government said Tuesday, after they agreed an initial package to boost bilateral trade and investment.</p> <p>With its massive population and growing economy, India has been high on London's list of trade deal targets since Britain left the European Union last year.</p> <p>Under a post-Brexit "Global Britain" strategy, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government is pivoting its foreign policy priorities towards the Asia-Pacific region, signing trade deals with countries including Japan and Singapore.</p> <p>UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said India and Britain would start negotiations on an agreement "in the autumn", following the announcement of a preliminary "Enhanced Trade Partnership" deal.</p> <p>"We want to get these negotiations completed as soon as possible," she told Sky News during a round of broadcast interviews touting the partnership package worth 1 billion ($1.4 billion, 1.2 billion euros).</p> <p>"Of course, FTAs (Free Trade Agreements) take longer, this is the immediate gains that we can get for both countries, driving jobs here in Britain and in India," Truss added.</p> <p>She said both countries were looking for "early wins" reducing barriers to trade from an FTA, noting Britain wants tariffs lowered or removed on various exports to India, from cars to whiskey.</p> <p>The comments come ahead of virtual talks between Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Narendra Modi later on Tuesday.</p> <p>That follows Johnson postponing for a second time an official visit to India last month, due to the worsening coronavirus situation.</p> <p><strong>'Self-Reliant India'</strong></p> <p>The partnership announcement with India includes lower trade barriers for some UK exports such as fruit and medical devices.</p> <p>It also includes investment in Britain by vaccine maker the Serum Institute of India, which could eventually see more of its inoculations made in the UK.</p> <p>Johnson's office said it expects the deal preceding FTA talks to create over 6,500 jobs.</p> <p>But there are signs India may be reluctant to sign a more wide-ranging trade pact, as PM Modi pushes "Made in India" and "Self-Reliant India" agendas.</p> <p>Last year PM Modi abruptly baulked at joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement among 15 Asia-Pacific nations, because New Delhi feared its agricultural, dairy and services sectors would be disadvantaged.</p> <p>Former US president Donald Trump disparaged India as the "tariff king" for its duties on imported goods, hobbling trade talks despite his friendly relations with PM Modi.</p> <p>Talks are due to resume between India and the EU on a free-trade deal later this month, eight years after 16 rounds of talks broke up in deadlock.</p> <p>Trade negotiations are also reportedly set to resume with Canada soon after a gap of four years.</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/uk-india-to-start-formal-free-trade-agreement-talks-within-month-2427813">https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/uk-india-to-start-formal-free-trade-agreement-talks-within-month-2427813</a>

news world UK, India To Start Formal Free Trade Agreement Talks Within Month

Boris Johnson's office said it expects the deal preceding FTA talks to create over 6,500 jobs. (File) London: Britain and India wil...

Read More...»