11 things that put the number of people who’ve voted for Trump in perspective.

OK, so. This … looks bad. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images. Donald Trump’s resounding victory in Indiana last night — and Ted Cruz and John Kasich’s departures from the race — means that, barring a last-minute catastrophe, he’s all but wrapped up the Republican nomination for president. While it’s more than a little discouraging to…

Eric March

May 4, 2016

OK, so. This … looks bad.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

Donald Trump’s resounding victory in Indiana last night — and Ted Cruz and John Kasich’s departures from the race — means that, barring a last-minute catastrophe, he’s all but wrapped up the Republican nomination for president.

While it’s more than a little discouraging to think that Trump, a man who’s made so many bigoted comments about Mexicans, Muslims, women, black people, and Jews (and that’s not even a full list of groups he’s offended) is still so beloved by so many people, the truth is that though the 11 million total votes cast in Trump’s favor this far have been good enough to best his rivals and let him walk away with a commanding victory in the Republican primary, it doesn’t actually make him all that popular in the grand scheme of things.

11 million votes might sound like a lot, but there are 318 million Americans, meaning that, currently, only 3.5% of the population has cast a ballot for Trump. That’s peanuts. Even if we grant that a lot of those are children and others who can’t vote, that’s still peanuts. Not even peanuts. It’s just peas. Or just nuts.

But I digress.

To put that 11 million number in perspective, here’s a look at how many more millions of Americans do noble, inspiring, or just generally kind of cool things each year than have voted for Trump’s brand of hater-ade this year.

1. Volunteering (62.6 million people)

62.6 million Americans volunteered in 2013. That’s 51.6 million more people than have voted for Trump so far.

Photo by Randy Shropshire/Getty Images.

Statistically speaking, at this point, you’re about five times more likely to find Americans who recently made brownies for a church bake sale or escorted a 90-year-old nursing home resident to the bathroom than you are to encounter Americans who bought hard enough into Trump’s BS about Mexicans being rapists and Muslims being terrifying death-splosion monsters to cast a vote for him.

Unless of course, you’re on the internet, in which case, they’ll find you.

2. Going to a baseball game to watch a last-place team play (which people did 14.1 million times)

Always next year, Papi. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images.

Attendance at the stadiums of the six worst MLB teams in their division last year totaled 14.1 million. That means 3.1 million people thought it was a better use of their time and money to watch the completely hopeless Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, and Colorado Rockies flail helplessly at a series of 90-mile-per-hour fastballs for three-plus hours than to cast a vote for Donald Trump.

Sure, some of them probably went to games more than once, but these attendance figures don’t count the millions of fans who, even more bafflingly, went to watch those teams lose on the road. When you factor that in, it’s clear that more Americans spent the summer of 2015 clinging to an inspiringly cockeyed and delusional but ultimately charming hope that it still just might be Joey Votto’s year than who voted for the host of “Celebrity Apprentice” to become the Republican nominee for president of the United States.

3. Being Latino (55 million people)

Photo by David McNew/Getty Images.

Among the 55 million Americans who identify as Latino, Trump currently boasts an impressive 77% unfavorable rating.

That means there are almost four times more Latino-Americans who hate Trump’s guts (42 million) then there are total people who have voted for him so far.

4. Using wind to power their homes (approx. 45 million people)

Photo by David McNew/Getty Images.

Wind turbines provide power to an estimated 18 million American homes. Given that the average American household contains 2.5 people, that’s about 45 million people helping save planet Earth by doing nothing more than living high off that sweet breezy crude — 34 million more people than have pulled the lever (or filled in the dot or dimpled the chad) for the former CEO of Trump Steaks.

5. Donating to charity (265 million people)

Photo by Albert Herring/Wikimedia Commons.

Americans not only gave $358 billion in 2014, but a Gallup poll taken the previous year found that 83% made some sort of charitable donation, which works out to about 265 million people.

That’s not only a staggering amount of humans; it’s real money! Definitely more real than the donations Donald Trump promised to make to veterans organizations and then only sort of did.

6. Supporting the right to affordable, reproductive health care (175 million people)

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.

55% of Americans — about 175 million people — favor federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Even if you extrapolate out Trump’s percentage of the Republican primary vote (40%) to half or all of the electorate, Planned Parenthood still comes out ahead.

Not getting ovarian cancer and being able to choose when or if you’re ready to start a family: still more popular than giving the doofus behind Trump Airlines the nuclear codes.

7. Visiting America’s national parks (which people did 307.2 million times)

Meh. Photo by Karen Bleier/Getty Images.

America’s national parks recorded a whopping 307.2 million visits in 2015.

That’s like if 11 million people each voted for 28 Donald Trumps…

Ahhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

…perhaps the most terrifying “28 of something” that it is possible to have — narrowly edging out bees, undetonated land mines, and phone calls from your mom where she didn’t leave a voicemail.

8. Watching “Let It Go” on YouTube (526 million views)

Photo by Matt Stroshane/Disney Parks via Getty Images

As of May 4, 2016, the official video for “Disney’s ‘Frozen’ ‘Let it Go’ Sequence Performed by Idina Menzel” had been watched an ungodly 526 million times! If there was a way to put it to a vote, a 3-year-old theater-pop anthem of self-empowerment from a children’s movie would pile-drive Donald Trump into the mat in the biggest landslide in history.

(Is it too late for the Democrats to nominate “Disney’s ‘Frozen ‘Let It Go’ Sequence Performed by Idina Menzel?” Asking for a friend).

9. Commuting on public transit (16 million people)

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.

The bad news? A mere 5% of all Americans use mass transit to get to work. The good news? That works out to 16 million people, which is five million more than have voted for a trust-fund baby who bankrupted his gross casinos.

10. Calling to tell their moms how much they love her (??? million people)

Admittedly, I’ve got no statistics on this, but I think it’s a safe bet to assume more than 11 million Americans do this each year.

I hope more than 11 million Americans do this each year.

You’re the best, Mom. Photo via iStock.

And most importantly…

11. Not voting for Trump (14.5 million voters)

11 million people in the Republican primary voted for Donald Trump.

14.5 million Republican primary voters haven’t. That’s about 3.5 million more, according to math.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

Meanwhile, the ranks of Republicans who not only didn’t vote for Trump’s brand of callous bigotry, but say they still won’t vote for Trump include an editor of a prominent conservative blog…

…a former John McCain adviser…

…and the managing editor of the Washington Examiner, a conservative publication.

Meanwhile, 12 million Democratic primary voters have voted for the Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and 9 million have voted for Bernie Sanders. Math says that’s a total of 21 million people — 10 million more than have voted for Trump thus far. If you combine the Republican and Democratic not-Trump votes, you get almost 45 million.

Trump will almost certainly get more than 11 million votes in a general election, especially now that the other 17 Republican candidates have dropped out of the race. But while Trump might seem unstoppable now, only 3.5% of Americans have actually cast a vote for him thus far.

Far more Americans are standing up to Trump’s brand of bigotry, mysogyny, xenophobia, and general cluelessness than are casting a ballot for it.

And that’s just as important a story.

From now until November, let’s make sure we keep it that way, so that Trump can go back to doing what he does best:

Photo by Chad Buchanan/Getty Images.

Selling terrible vodka.

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Pictured here: Anita Omary; her son, Osman; and Omary’s close friends – Photo credit: Array

Family, Modern Families, Motherhood

Once a refugee seeking safety in the U.S., Anita Omary is using what she learned to help others thrive.

Even in divided times, small acts of friendship help create vibrant communities where everyone feels safe.

Sarah Watts

2/11/2026

In March 2023, after months of preparation and paperwork, Anita Omary arrived in the United States from her native Afghanistan to build a better life. Once she arrived in Connecticut, however, the experience was anything but easy.
“When I first arrived, everything felt so strange—the weather, the environment, the people,” Omary recalled. Omary had not only left behind her extended family and friends in Afghanistan, she left her career managing child protective cases and supporting refugee communities behind as well. Even more challenging, Anita was five months pregnant at the time, and because her husband was unable to obtain a travel visa, she found herself having to navigate a new language, a different culture, and an unfamiliar country entirely on her own.
“I went through a period of deep disappointment and depression, where I wasn’t able to do much for myself,” Omary said.
Then something incredible happened: Omary met a woman who would become her close friend, offering support that would change her experience as a refugee—and ultimately the trajectory of her entire life.
Understanding the journey
Like Anita Omary, tens of thousands of people come to the United States each year seeking safety from war, political violence, religious persecution, and other threats. Yet escaping danger, unfortunately, is only the first challenge. Once here, immigrant and refugee families must deal with the loss of displacement, while at the same time facing language barriers, adapting to a new culture, and sometimes even facing social stigma and anti-immigrant biases.

Welcoming immigrant and refugee neighbors strengthens the nation and benefits everyone—and according to Anita Omary, small, simple acts of human kindness can make the greatest difference in helping them feel safe, valued, and truly at home.
A warm welcome
Dee and Omary's son, Osman
Anita Omary was receiving prenatal checkups at a woman’s health center in West Haven when she met Dee, a nurse.

“She immediately recognized that I was new, and that I was struggling,” Omary said. “From that moment on, she became my support system.”

Dee started checking in on Omary throughout her pregnancy, both inside the clinic and out.

“She would call me and ask am I okay, am I eating, am I healthy,” Omary said. “She helped me with things I didn’t even realize I needed, like getting an air conditioner for my small, hot room.”

Soon, Dee was helping Omary apply for jobs and taking her on driving lessons every weekend. With her help, Omary landed a job, passed her road test on the first attempt, and even enrolled at the University of New Haven to pursue her master’s degree. Dee and Omary became like family. After Omary’s son, Osman, was born, Dee spent five days in the hospital at her side, bringing her halal food and brushing her hair in the same way Omary’s mother used to. When Omary’s postpartum pain became too great for her to lift Osman’s car seat, Dee accompanied her to his doctor’s appointments and carried the baby for her.

“Her support truly changed my life,” Omary said. “Her motivation, compassion, and support gave me hope. It gave me a sense of stability and confidence. I didn’t feel alone, because of her.”

More than that, the experience gave Omary a new resolve to help other people.

“That experience has deeply shaped the way I give back,” she said. “I want to be that source of encouragement and support for others that my friend was for me.”
Extending the welcome
Omary and Dee at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Vision Awards ceremony at the University of New Haven.
Omary is now flourishing. She currently works as a career development specialist as she continues her Master’s degree. She also, as a member of the Refugee Storytellers Collective, helps advocate for refugee and immigrant families by connecting them with resources—and teaches local communities how to best welcome newcomers.

“Welcoming new families today has many challenges,” Omary said. “One major barrier is access to English classes. Many newcomers, especially those who have just arrived, often put their names on long wait lists and for months there are no available spots.” For women with children, the lack of available childcare makes attending English classes, or working outside the home, especially difficult.
Omary stresses that sometimes small, everyday acts of kindness can make the biggest difference to immigrant and refugee families.
“Welcome is not about big gestures, but about small, consistent acts of care that remind you that you belong,” Omary said. Receiving a compliment on her dress or her son from a stranger in the grocery store was incredibly uplifting during her early days as a newcomer, and Omary remembers how even the smallest gestures of kindness gave her hope that she could thrive and build a new life here.
“I built my new life, but I didn’t do it alone,” Omary said. “Community and kindness were my greatest strengths.”
Are you in? Click here to join the Refugee Advocacy Lab and sign the #WeWillWelcome pledge and complete one small act of welcome in your community. Together, with small, meaningful steps, we can build communities where everyone feels safe.
This article is part of Upworthy’s “The Threads Between U.S.” series that highlights what we have in common thanks to the generous support from the Levi Strauss Foundation, whose grantmaking is committed to creating a culture of belonging.

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She’s giving birth to a puppy. – Photo credit: Photo via Carrie Jensen/Imgur, used with permission.

Family, Modern Families, More, Popular

One couple’s perfect response to people asking when they’re going to have kids

Choosing to have kids or not have kids is no one else’s decision but yours.

Ally Hirschlag

Upworthy Staff

2/27/2025

“When are you guys going to start having kids?”

Like many couples, Carrie Jansen and her husband Nic had heard this question a million different ways, a million different times.

The pressure really started to mount when the pair, who’ve been together for eight years, got married three years ago. While Carrie loves kids (she’s an elementary school teacher, after all), she and Nic simply aren’t interested in having kids of their own. Now or ever.

“It’s not what I was meant for,” explains Carrie in a Facebook message. “It’s like, I love flowers, and everyone loves flowers. But that doesn’t mean I want to grow my own. I’m perfectly happy admiring other people’s gardens.”

Carrie wanted to tell her family that they don’t plan on having kids but knew if she did, they’d say something like, “Oh you’ll change your mind one day!” and that pesky question would keep rearing its ugly head.

Dressed to the nines on their wedding day. Photo via Carrie Jansen, used with permission.

Rather than continue to deflect the question over and over, Carrie decided to do something a little bit different.

Since the couple was adding another mouth to feed to the family, they decided to announce it with a series of maternity-style photos, revealing the twist: The new addition was a puppy named Leelu, not a baby.

Look at my newborn baby… puppy. Photo via <a href="https://imgur.com/gallery/DLQcpW2">Carrie Jensen/Imgur</a>, used with permission.

“My husband and I have been married 3 years and everyone is bugging us about having a baby. Close enough right?” she captioned the photos.

Her pictures went insanely viral, with many of the commenters giving her props for hilariously addressing the dreaded “kids ” question.

The adorable pup. Photo via Carrie Jansen, used with permission.

“If you don’t want kids, don’t have kids. Seriously. Have fun with each other. I had three kids early and it’s all about them now,” wrote one user. “I wish people would just mind their business raising a kid ain’t easy and cheap,” wrote another.

“I got my husband a vasectomy for his birthday this year. Best gift ever,” chimed in a third.

Carrie was overwhelmed and inspired by the viral response. “Having children is definitely a hot topic, and one that is evolving in this generation like so many other social issues,” she says. “It’s exciting to find others that feel the same way I do.”

Carrie is hardly alone in not wanting to have kids — in fact, a record number of women are choosing not to have kids today.

In 2014, the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey found 47.6% of women between age 15 and 44 had never had children, which is the highest percentage on record. Despite the numbers, however, because we still live in a patriarchally-driven society, women regularly face the expectation that they should be mothers, and they often are judged if they decide not to be.

Whether you want to have one kid, five kids, no kids, or a puppy, the choice should be yours and no one else’s.

The holiday photo in front of the Christmas tree. Photo via Carrie Jansen, used with permission.

No one else has the right to put pressure on you to change your body and life in a drastic way. Thankfully, because of women like Carrie — and partners like Nic — who aren’t afraid to bring the subject out in the open, the expectations are slowly but surely changing.

This article originally appeared nine years ago.

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Constance Hall asks for domestic equality. – Photo credit: via Constance Hall/Facebook

Family, More, Popular

Mom rips into husbands who expect their wives to do housework in crazy viral Facebook post

Can you do the dishes without being asked?

Upworthy Staff

2/6/2025

It’s the 21st century, and as a civilization, we’ve come a long way. No, there are no flying cars (yet), but we all carry tiny supercomputers in our pockets, can own drones, and can argue with strangers from all around the world as long as they have Internet access.

And yet, women are still having to ask their partners to help out around the house. What gives?

Recently, Blogger Constance Hall went on a highly-relatable rant about spouses assuming responsibility for housework, and women everywhere are all, ” .”

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Recently while bitching about the fact that I do absolutely everything around my house with a bunch of friends all singing “preach Queen”, someone said to me “if you want help you need to be specific… ask for it. People need lists, they aren’t mind readers.”

So I tried that, asking.. specifics..

“Can you take the bin out?”

“Can you get up with the kids? I’m just a little tired after doing it on my own for 329 years”

“Can you go to woolies? I’ve done 3 loads of washing and made breaky, lunch, picked up all the kids school books, dealt with the floating shit in the pond.”

And yeah, she was right… shit got done.But I was exhausted, just keeping the balls in the air.. remembering what needs to be asked to be done, constant nagging..And do you know what happened the minute I stopped asking…?

NOTHING. Again.

And so I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not your job to ask for help, it’s not my job to write fucking lists.

We have enough god dam jobs and teaching someone how to consider me and my ridiculous work load is not one of them. Just do it. Just think about each other, what it takes to run the god dam house.

Is one of you working while the other puts up their feet? Is one of you hanging out with mates while the other peels the thirtieth piece of fruit for the day? Is one of you carrying the weight?

Because when the nagging stops, when the asking dies down, when there are no more lists….All your left with is silent resentment. And that my friends is relationship cancer..It’s not up to anyone else to teach you consideration.

That’s your job. Just do the fucking dishes without being asked once in a while mother fuckers.

Hall’s post touches on the concept of emotional labor, which can be defined as “the process of managing feelings and expressions to fulfill the emotional requirements of a job.”

In other words, although Hall’s partner may be the one carrying out the tasks she assigns him, it is still Hall’s job to be the “manager” of the household, and keep track of what things need to get done. And anyone who runs a household knows that juggling and keeping track of chores is just as exhausting as executing them. There’s also the idea of being the “default parent.” which, more often than not, tends to be mothers. It’s a lot to handle.

At time of publication, Hall’s post was shared nearly 100,000 times. That’s a lot of frustrated ladies!

When your girl Far Kew sends you the perfect present. You will find this and more cunty cups on her facebook page ??
Posted by Constance Hall on Thursday, November 30, 2017

Women in the comments section seemed to overwhelmingly agree with Hall’s post.

Let’s all learn to share the load…laundry and otherwise.

This article originally appeared seven years ago.

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Array – Photo credit: Array

Education, More, Popular, Schools

A dad’s hilarious letter to school asks them to explain why they’re living in 1968

“I look forward to this being rectified and my daughter and other girls at the school being returned to this millennium.”

Upworthy Staff

1/15/2025

Earlier in the week, Stephen Callaghan’s daughter Ruby came home from school. When he asked her how her day was, her answer made him raise an eyebrow. Ruby, who’s in the sixth grade at her school in Australia, told her dad that the boys would soon be taken on a field trip to Bunnings (a hardware chain in the area) to learn about construction.

The girls, on the other hand? While the boys were out learning, they would be sent to the library to have their hair and makeup done. Ruby’s reply made Callaghan do a double take. What year was it, again? Callaghan decided to write a letter to the school sharing his disappointment — but his wasn’t your typical “outraged parent” letter.

“Dear Principal,” he began. “I must draw your attention to a serious incident which occurred yesterday at your school where my daughter is a Year 6 student.”

“When Ruby left for school yesterday it was 2017,” Callaghan continued. “But when she returned home in the afternoon she was from 1968.”

The letter goes on to suggest that perhaps the school is harboring secret time-travel technology or perhaps has fallen victim to a rift in the “space-time continuum,” keeping his daughter in an era where women were relegated to domestic life by default.

“I look forward to this being rectified and my daughter and other girls at the school being returned to this millennium where school activities are not sharply divided along gender lines,” he concluded.

Dear Principal

I must draw your attention to a serious incident which occurred yesterday at your school where my daughter Ruby is a Year 6 student.

When Ruby left for school yesterday it was 2017 but when she returned home in the afternoon she was from 1968.

I know this to be the case as Ruby informed me that the “girls” in Year 6 would be attending the school library to get their hair and make-up done on Monday afternoon while the “boys” are going to Bunnings.

Are you able to search the school buildings for a rip in the space-time continuum? Perhaps there is a faulty Flux Capacitor hidden away in the girls toilet block.

I look forward to this being rectified and my daughter and other girls at the school being returned to this millennium where school activities are not sharply divided along gender lines.

Yours respectfully
Stephen Callaghan

When Callaghan posted the letter to Twitter, it quickly went viral and inspired hundreds of supportive responses.

Though most people who saw his response to the school’s egregiously outdated activities applauded him, not everyone was on board.

One commenter wrote, “Sometimes it is just ok for girls to do girl things.”

But Callaghan was ready for that. “Never said it wasn’t,” he replied. “But you’ve missed the point. Why ‘girl things’ or ‘boy things’… Why not just ‘things anyone can do?’”

He later commented that he didn’t think the school’s plan was malicious, but noted the incident was a powerful example of “everyday sexism” at work.

Callaghan says the school hasn’t responded to his letter. (Yes, he really sent it.) At least, not directly to him.

Some media outlets have reported that the school claims students are free to opt in and out of the different activities. But, as Callaghan says, gendering activities like this in the first place sends the completely wrong message.

In response to the outpouring of support, Callaghan again took to Twitter.

“At 12 years of age my daughter is starting to notice there are plenty of people prepared to tell her what she can and can’t do based solely on the fact she is female,” he wrote.

“She would like this to change. So would I.”

This article originally appeared eight years ago.

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It's beautiful when humanity comes together. – Photo credit: YouTube

Heroes, Joy, More, Popular

13 truck drivers parked side by side in the middle of the night to save a life

Humanity at its best.

Eric Pfeiffer

Upworthy Staff

1/7/2025

Around 1 a.m. on April 24 2018, semi-truck drivers in the Oak Park area of Michigan received a distress call from area police: An unidentified man was standing on the edge of a local bridge, apparently ready to jump onto the freeway below.

Those drivers then did something amazing. They raced to the scene to help—and lined up their trucks under the bridge, providing a relatively safe landing space should the man jump.

Fortunately, he didn’t.

The impressive line-up wasn’t a coincidence—the drivers were prepared for exactly this sort of situation. Sgt. Jason Brockdorff of the Huntington Woods Police Department told The Detroit News that the response was something local police and truck drivers had actually trained for. But what was unusual was the sheer number of drivers who responded to the call.

“That’s a practice we use if we have a jumper,” Brockdorff said. “We try to do it every time, to lessen the distance someone would travel if they were to jump. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.”

The incident lasted nearly four hours, into the early morning. However, once the trucks were in place, the police were able to more comfortably negotiate with the unidentified man.

Eventually, the man walked off the bridge on his own and received medical attention.

In a pair of tweets, the local police department called attention to the incident to remind people in similar situations of the importance of seeking mental health services (emphasis mine):

This photo does show the work troopers and local officers do to serve the public. But also in that photo is a man struggling with the decision to take his own life. Please remember help is available through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

You can also call a loved one, member of the clergy or 911. There are so many people that can help you make the choice to get help and live! It is our hope to never see another photo like this again.

Working together, the police and everyday strangers saved a life.

Ordinary people heeded the call of service to help a fellow person who was struggling. It’s a powerful image that’s impossible to ignore, and a reminder of humanity at its best.

This article originally appeared seven years ago.

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Lifespans were far shorter a century ago. Why? – Photo credit: Photo by Social History Archive on Unsplash

More, Popular

Ever wonder why people 100 years ago died so much younger? It’s these 14 reasons.

1796. That’s when we invented vaccines.

Upworthy Staff

1/6/2025

An English doctor named Edward Jenner took incredible risks to try to rid his world of smallpox. Because of his efforts and the efforts of scientists like him, the only thing now standing between deadly diseases like the ones below and extinction are people who refuse to vaccinate their kids.

Unfortunately, because of the misinformation from the anti-vaccination movement, some of these diseases have trended up in a really bad way over the past several years.

Wellness involves a lot of personal choices and the tradeoff between personal liberty and shared public good.

Measles is the starkest example. In 2014, there were over 600 cases of measles in America during the first seven months of the year. According to the CDC, ten years later in 2024 there were 284 cases of measles nationwide. Though the numbers have improved in a decade, 89% of 2024’s cases came from people who are unvaccinated or refused to share their vaccine status.

Anti-vaccination movements aren’t new. Controversy, fear, and anti-vaccination rhetoric has plagued immunization efforts as far back as the early 1800s. Despite research conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) showing that vaccines and immunization research has had a positive impact on global health, the anti-vaccination movements don’t seem to be facing eradication any time soon.

The chart below was made by graphic designer Leon Farrant and uses data from the CDC and JAMA to show that vaccines have real public health benefits. Paired with decades of improved medical care, vaccines have nearly eradicated many formerly fatal illness like Polio, Measles, Malaria, and Diphtheria. The impact of one’s personal health choices can have a significant impact on the population around them, in their communities, and even on a national level. It makes that trade-off all the more complicated and one not easily distilled into one convenient political or religious ideology.

Infographic by designer Leon Farrant based on 2012/13 data.
<a href="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTQ4NTEzMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc0MjUyMjA2M30.LpX4PtyDQj18b8Y394cDyUgINF1Mw7Jn9Qu2VI4o1ws/img.jpg?width=980"></a><a href="https://www.behance.net/leon_farrant">image from Leon Farrant</a>

Obviously, the topic of vaccinations has become immensely more complicated and controversial over the years, especially since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020. But history teaches us valuable lessons and information is power. No matter how you feel about vaccines today, this chart is a reminder that medical science can be used for incredible good. Without breakthrough vaccinations in the past, many of us would likely not be here to have the debate about our personal choices now and in the future.

This article originally appeared eleven years ago.

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Here’s a thought. – Photo credit: All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

Equality, Identity, More, Popular

This artist brilliantly tackles the concept of ‘being offended’ in a colorful comic.

Maybe we need a new word for ‘offended.’

Upworthy Staff

12/27/2024

Self proclaimed “feminist killjoy” Rebecca Cohen is a cartoonist based in Berkeley, California.

Here’s what she has to say about her role as an artist taken from her Patreon page.

She says:

“In these trying times, the world needs a hero to resist the forces of tyranny.

That hero is definitely not me.

I just draw funny pictures and like to share my opinions. I’m Rebecca, also known as @gynostar.”

Enjoy one of her comics below.

An all too common exchange. All images by <a href="https://rebeccacohenart.tumblr.com/post/152073543260/new-comic-for-upworthy-about-why-i-avoid-calling">Rebecca Cohen</a>, used with permission.

It’s only words. All images by <a href="https://rebeccacohenart.tumblr.com/post/152073543260/new-comic-for-upworthy-about-why-i-avoid-calling">Rebecca Cohen</a>, used with permission.

Simple jokes contain implicit ideas. All images by <a href="https://rebeccacohenart.tumblr.com/post/152073543260/new-comic-for-upworthy-about-why-i-avoid-calling">Rebecca Cohen</a>, used with permission.

Discussing the impact of words. All images by <a href="https://rebeccacohenart.tumblr.com/post/152073543260/new-comic-for-upworthy-about-why-i-avoid-calling">Rebecca Cohen</a>, used with permission.

This article originally appeared eight years ago.

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Photo of Skylar. – Photo credit: Photo from YouTube video.

Body Image, Identity, More, Popular

5 years’ worth of photos show how testosterone affected one person’s life.

A journey as a trans person in photographs.

Upworthy Staff

11/3/2024

Even though he was born “Katherine Elizabeth,” Skylar lived like a regular little boy for most of his childhood.
He was happy.
This is Skylar.
A photo collection of a young Skylar. Photo from YouTube video.
Little Skylar. Photo from YouTube video.
But when puberty hit, he started feeling intense pressure to be “normal” and fit in. So he tried to present as more traditionally “feminine.”
Puberty happens. Photo from YouTube video.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was denying a huge part of himself. Late in high school, he started taking testosterone.
Eating and feeling more comfortable. Photo from YouTube video.
Skylar started feeling more comfortable immediately. And before he knew it, he was at his “dream school,” having the time of his life. And taking lots and lots of pictures of himself.
A person and their dog. Photo from YouTube video.
Access to medical care played a big part in Skylar becoming the person he is today, but that wasn’t all.
Check out his story and walk five years in his shoes. It’s definitely a perspective we don’t see often enough:

This article originally appeared on 08.30.14

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Array – Photo credit: Array

More, Music, Pop Culture, Popular

This Māori group’s kapa haka performance of Bohemian Rhapsody will make your day

Somehow it totally works.

Annie Reneau

Upworthy Staff

10/26/2024

Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody has been covered dozens of different ways. But you’ve never seen it performed like this.
As one of the most iconic songs in rock music, Bohemian Rhapsody is recognizable no matter how it’s done. As children, my brother and I used to belt out Galileos and Figaros in the backseat of our parents’ Volkswagon whenever the song came on (yes, just like in Wayne’s World). While other kids learned about Beelzebub in Sunday School, I learned about him from Queen’s perfect harmonies. If there were an anthem from my classic rock-filled childhood, it would be Bohemian Rhapsody.
It’s one of those songs that is hard to cover well, though it hasn’t stopped people from trying. I’ve enjoyed some renditions, but nothing has caught my attention or delight more than this kapa haka version from New Zealand.
A Māori choir in native garb sang the song live in the Māori language, and it is something to see.
The group Hātea Kapa Haka performed the song on February 21 at New Zealand’s national kapa haka festival, Te Matatini, in Wellington. The festival brings 46 kapa haka (Māori performing arts) groups together to compete against one another.
Newshub reports that Hātea Kapa Haka collaborated with musical artist William Waiirua to create a “Bohemian Rhapsody” cover in the Māori language, both as a tribute to Freddie Mercury and to celebrate the Oscar-nominated movie about his life.
The group had previously created a music video for their cover, but seeing it performed live is something else. The voices, the harmony, the presentation—everything—is wonderful.
This kind of cultural mashup reminds us how small our world has become.
The contrast between Queen’s 1970s British rock and the Māori people’s traditional kapa haka could not be more striking. And yet, the melding of the two totally works. Music has the power to bring people together, and this performance is a great example of how it can bridge cultures with beautiful results.
Watch the live performance here:

And if you want more, check out the music video too:

William Waiirua got more help from Hātea Kapa Haka than he bargained for when his car broke down… For more Queen, check out this playlist: https://umusicNZ…

This article originally appeared on 03.01.19

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11 things that put the number of people who’ve voted for Trump in perspective.

OK, so. This … looks bad.

1. Volunteering (62.6 million people)

2. Going to a baseball game to watch a last-place team play (which people did 14.1 million times)

3. Being Latino (55 million people)

4. Using wind to power their homes (approx. 45 million people)

5. Donating to charity (265 million people)

6. Supporting the right to affordable, reproductive health care (175 million people)

7. Visiting America’s national parks (which people did 307.2 million times)

8. Watching “Let It Go” on YouTube (526 million views)

9. Commuting on public transit (16 million people)

10. Calling to tell their moms how much they love her (??? million people)

11. Not voting for Trump (14.5 million voters)

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This is Skylar.

Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody has been covered dozens of different ways. But you’ve never seen it performed like this.

A Māori choir in native garb sang the song live in the Māori language, and it is something to see.

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An Eastern European asked Americans why they’re so ‘nice and cordial.’ The replies were totally wholesome.

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