What’s In This Issue?
Special Feature: A Preview of SXSW 2019
SXSW starts this weekend in Austin, and to prepare, my team and I have been curating our picks for the top 60 sessions from the event. Our list will give you a sense of the topics being discussed and I'm also going to be sharing insights from the show throughout the weekend on Twitter (@rohitbhargava) and Instagram (@rohitbb).
The Silenced Supermajority - How Democracy Gets Hijacked
What if the reason we are all angry so often is because a small group of private interest groups are thwarting what the majority of people want? I have been a fan of Professor Tim Wu's writing and thinking for some time, and in this well argued short piece for the NY Times, he points out that this is effectively what is happening right now. It's disturbingly on point and perhaps the most urgent problem facing America today.
Story Of The Week:
5 Interesting Stories From International Women's Day
This Friday is International Women's Day and based on the early buzz, it is rapidly becoming an international movement. The focus on women in media, entertainment, business and politics over the past year has been intense ... and it is all likely to make a big splash on Friday.
In curating this week's email I came across dozens of stories of female empowerment. Rather than create an exhaustive list, I decided to share five that really made me think - and I hope they do the same for you.
1. Pantene Malaysia Encourages Girls Not To Drop Out Of Sports
Research shows that girls who continue playing sports into their teenage years build more self-esteem and confidence, so efforts like this are more important than ever. They are also perhaps more actionable than the usual broader feel-good advice for girls to just be stronger or braver or more resilient in abstract.
2. BirthStrike: For Women Afraid To Have Kids Due To Climate Change
This was a sad yet understandable story about a new movement of women who are so disheartened by the threat of climate change to our world that they don't want to have children. It may seem like an extreme reaction, but it's one that will likely get more popular as time goes on.
3. Emojis Get Inclusive With Gender Neutral & Menstruation Options
Starting next month, the Unicode group will start rolling out their 200+ new approved emojis. Among them will be the period emoji to symbolize women's menstruation, gender inclusive emojis for the deaf, emojis for interracial couples and plenty more. It is an interesting visual barometer of how our global culture is shifting.
4. Netflix Champions Greater Diversity Among Storytellers
The other day I was speaking to an actor friend and she was commenting about how it was a great time to be working today because there was so much diversity thanks to all the new original content studios from Netflix, YouTube, etc. The gatekeepers are breaking down and there is more opportunity than ever. If anything deserves to be a theme this Women's Day, it's this.
5. Should Brands Speak Up Even When They Have Nothing To Say?
The entire tone of this piece is a bit misguided as it asks "how can brands take a stand without rocking the boat?" It's a question more brands are forced to ask when moments like Women's Day come up and they no longer feel they have an option of remaining silent. How do you weigh in on an important cultural moment when you have nothing to say? This is a question no brand wants to have to ask (or to answer).
BONUS - On Friday, the team from Girl Rising will be releasing another film called Brave about a courageous girl fighting for an education in one of the world’s largest refugee camps. Watch the trailer here >>
