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The 'Fifty Shades of Grey' author had a Twitter chat. It went off the rails BIG TIME.

#AskELJames is the hashtag. They might have seen this coming.

Here's the thing: No matter how you feel about BDSM (bondage, domination, sadism, masochism), most domestic abuse survivors and fetishists agree that what author E.L. James put out into the world with "Fifty Shades of Grey" is not an accurate description of it. Ever since the books have become popular, both camps have been outspoken about the fact that it more closely resembles domestic abuse than fair role-playing.

Here's how people made that point using today's prime Twitter-tunity.

There were concerned friends asking for other friends:

There were people who took their time to craft just the right thing:

There were people seeking guidance after her "model" didn't work so well for them:

There were people searching for a sign of deeper meaning:

There were earnest, straightforward types with damn good questions:

There was pop culture cross-pollination:

There were call-outs about the times fiction turned into horrific reality:

There were the folks feeling empathy for E.L. James' PR people:

Finally, there was the question that drove home the point of the backlash and the brilliant irony of it all:

All of this points to readers who, like Christian Grey, have very singular tastes — you know, for responsible literature that doesn't romanticize abuse when it gets kinky. Let's hope the publishers and authors are listening.

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United Nations Foundation
United Nations Foundation
Awards

These global change-makers represent the very best of humanity

Photo: Jason DeCrow for United Nations Foundation

Honorees, speakers and guests on stage at We the Peoples

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Some people say that while change is inevitable, progress is a choice. In other words, it’s a purposeful act—like when American media mogul and philanthropist Ted Turner established the United Nations Foundation 25 years ago.

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Pop Culture

People are loving this Amazon delivery driver for warning a woman that her house is 'unsafe'

Great info, even better delivery.

TikTok

Delivering packages AND safety.

This article first appeared on 6.15.22.

Amazon delivery drivers don’t have the easiest job in the world. Sitting through traffic, working in extreme temperatures, hauling boxes … not exactly a fun time. So when a driver goes out of their way to be extra considerate—people notice.

One delivery driver has gone viral for the way she delivered a little bit of safety education, along with some lighthearted advice. The TikTok video of the encounter, which now has more than 4 million views, was shared by Jessica Huseman, who had only recently moved into her new house.

The clip shows the doorbell cam recording of the driver approaching the house. As the delivery driver makes it to the front door, she sings, ”Hello … I hope your Monday’s going well. You have no markers on your house that says what number you are.”

From there, the driver’s song quickly changes tune, going from funny jest to helpful PSA.

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CooperVision
CooperVision
Sponsored

How to help your eyes in a world that makes you stare at a screen all day

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Innovation is awesome, right? I mean, it gave us the internet!

However, there is always a price to pay for modernization, and in this case, it’s in the form of digital eye strain, a group of vision problems that can pop up after as little as two hours of looking at a screen. Some of the symptoms are tired and/or dry eyes, headaches, blurred vision, and neck and shoulder pain1. Ouch!

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Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

An update on the 'corn kid,' a powerful airport haka, some moving mama-baby reunions and more in this week's roundup of joy.

Image by Robert Vincent from Pixabay

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy.

Thanksgiving week in the U.S. is a time for practicing gratitude, and we want to take just a moment to give thanks to you.

You, dear readers, are a big part of Upworthy's mission to celebrate the best of humanity and to show how people can be a force for good. Every time you share our stories, drop a positive comment on a post or tell a friend about something you saw here, you help create the world we all want to live in. A world where kindness and compassion are the norm, where humanity flourishes in all its beautiful diversity and where genuine joy and laughter abound.

Without you, we'd just be throwing all this good stuff into the ether, so we are so very grateful you are here.

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uplifting
Joy

Guy forgot to change his address in his Chipotle app and it resulted in the sweetest exchange

"Take it with you bro" turned into a tear-jerking story of human connection.

Shahid Davis/Facebook

Shahid Davis told a delivery driver to keep his meal and the result was a sweet moment of human connection.

This article first appeared on 3.3.22.

Sometimes the silliest of mistakes can result in the sweetest of coincidences.

Shahid Davis had ordered dinner from the Chipotle app and was checking on the map to see how far away the driver was when he realized that the driver was half a continent away. Davis had been staying at a hotel in Iowa the last time he ordered, and he forgot to go back and change the delivery address to his home in Hagerstown, Maryland. He contacted Chipotle, but the customer service person told him they couldn't do anything since it was already out for delivery.

So when the delivery person texted Davis to let him know they were there, he explained what happened.

"I'm here with your order," the person texted.

"Take it with you bro and enjoy the lunch," Davis responded. "I forgot to change my address and I currently in Maryland."

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Health

'This is the face of domestic violence.' Megan Montgomery's tragic story is far too common.

"THIS is the face of domestic violence."

Feminist News/Megan Montgomery

Megan Montgomery and Jason McIntosh.

This article originally appeared on 12.16.19


If you were to look at Megan Montgomery's Instagram account, you'd see a beautiful, smiling woman in the prime of her life, her youth and fitness the envy of women the world over. You'd even see some photos of her with her husband (#datenight), with comments saying things like "Aww, gorgeous couple!"

But beneath her picture perfect feed was the story of a woman in an abusive relationship with her husband—one that would start with his arrest shortly after they got married, and end 10 months later with him shooting her to death in a parking lot.

In a Facebook post, one of the people who was out with Megan the night of her murder detailed how her estranged husband had come to their table, put his hand on her neck and shoulder, and escorted her out of the building.

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