+
upworthy
More

This reporter turned the tables on a group of men who tried to disrupt her work, and it's awesome.

"I'm sick of this. I get this 10 times a day from rude guys like you."Trigger warning: This post discusses sexist slurs.

For as long as TV news crews have filmed on location, some people have used that as an opportunity to steal the spotlight.

Usually, it's all in good fun. Take for example, my personal favorite news-related photobomb featuring the coolest, most adorable little girl in the world.


GIF via Giphy.

Other times, it can be a mess of abusive, sexist, homophobic, or racist words and actions suddenly being given their very own TV platform.

Canadian TV reporter Shauna Hunt recently found herself under verbal attack by a group of men outside a soccer game.

While she was interviewing a couple of men, a third walked up and yelled a really gross phrase into Hunt's microphone.

(He's the guy wearing the black shirt in this clip.)

GIF via CityTV.

Having dealt with this before, Hunt decided she'd had enough and that it was time to stand up for herself.

The men argued that it was a simply a funny thing to say on air and seemed to suggest that because they weren't the only ones who've yelled that (or phrases similar to that), that it wasn't a big deal.

Really, though, the fact that they aren't alone in harassing female journalists is exactly why this is a big deal.

Now let's watch her in action as she (calmly, professionally) stands up to these guys!

GIFs via CityTV.

Another member of the group (the guy towards the right side of this image) told Hunt she's lucky the group didn't stick a sex toy in her ear (that's certainly setting a low bar for what I'd personally consider "good luck" but anyway) and laughed her concerns off.

GIF via CityTV.

You can watch the full interaction below, and while it is bleeped out, be aware that some particularly crude language is being tossed around.

Hunt chatted with CBC Radio's Carol Off about the incident, telling how these types of situations affect her career.

Hunt has had to cancel reports out of fear that once cameras start rolling, she'll be hit with a slew of sexist slurs. Obviously, that's not ideal for her or the network.

"It happens almost every day, at least to me, my other colleagues at CityNews, and I know other reporters in the city get it all the time. ... I remember twice I've cancelled live hits. ... Of course, everyone's really understanding of that. But the fact that this is affecting how we do our job, this is the problem." — Shauna Hunt

Like Hunt said, this isn't unique to her. CBC TV reporter Shannon Martin talked about her own experiences with having men shout "FHRITP" and other slurs at her as she tried to work.

On CBC Radio's "Metro Morning" show, Martin recounted some of the abuse she's endured as a female reporter.

GIF via CBC.

This isn't something male reporters experience, at least not anywhere near as often.

Both Martin and "Metro Morning" host Matt Galloway noted this simply isn't something male reporters are faced with. Martin even asked her male colleagues if they've experienced anything like this, but they haven't.

You can watch the entire interview with Shannon Martin right here:

This is a prime example of how sexism rules society.

Whether it's specific to this phrase or not, this just highlights how easy it is for so many to show such blatant disrespect for someone just because they're a woman.

Even portions of the conversation in the aftermath are hung up not on the well-being of women just trying to do their job, but on whether it's fair for one of the men in the video to lose his job (the one featured in that last image in that series was fired soon after).

Hunt hopes her story can be the spark of a larger conversation, and it looks like she's accomplished her goal because here we are, talking. Let's keep doing that.

"Our intention was not to vilify these two guys. They just happened to be the guys in the confrontation. They're just an example of hundreds and hundreds of men that have been doing this to reporters in Toronto for the past two years. ... What we really wanted was a bigger discussion on the bigger issue. And I think we pulled that off." — Shauna Hunt on CBC Radio
True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

Keep ReadingShow less
Education

3,700-year-old Babylonian stone tablet gets translated, changes history

They were doing trigonometry 1500 years before the Greeks.

via UNSW

Dr. Daniel Mansfield and his team at the University of New South Wales in Australia have just made an incredible discovery. While studying a 3,700-year-old tablet from the ancient civilization of Babylon, they found evidence that the Babylonians were doing something astounding: trigonometry!

Most historians have credited the Greeks with creating the study of triangles' sides and angles, but this tablet presents indisputable evidence that the Babylonians were using the technique 1,500 years before the Greeks ever were.

Keep ReadingShow less
Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Van Gogh’s Starry Night.



Van Gough never got to enjoy his own historic success as an artist (even though we've been able to imagine what that moment might have looked like). But it turns out that those of us who have appreciated his work have been missing out on some critical details for more than 100 years.

I'm not easily impressed, OK?

I know Van Gogh was a genius. If the point of this were "Van Gogh was a mad genius," I would not be sharing this with you.
Keep ReadingShow less

Christine Kesteloo has one big problem living on a cruise ship.

A lot of folks would love to trade lives with Christine Kesteloo. Her husband is the Chief Engineer on a cruise ship, so she gets to live on the boat pretty much for free as the “wife on board.” For Christine, life is a lot like living on a permanent vacation.

“I live on a cruise ship for half the year with my husband, and it's often as glamorous as it sounds,” she told Insider. “After all, I don't cook, clean, make my bed, do laundry or pay for food.“

Living an all-inclusive lifestyle seems like paradise, but it has some drawbacks. Having access to all-you-can-eat food all day long can really have an effect on one’s waistline. Kesteloo admits that living on a cruise ship takes a lot of self-discipline because the temptation is always right under her nose.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash

Women do better when they have female friends.

Madeleine Albright once said, "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women." It turns out that might actually be a hell on Earth, because women just do better when they have other women to rely on, and there's research that backs it up.

A study published in the Harvard Business Review found that women who have a strong circle of friends are more likely to get executive positions with higher pay. "Women who were in the top quartile of centrality and had a female-dominated inner circle of 1-3 women landed leadership positions that were 2.5 times higher in authority and pay than those of their female peers lacking this combination," Brian Uzzi writes in the Harvard Business Review.

Part of the reason why women with strong women backing them up are more successful is because they can turn to their tribe for advice. Women have to face different challenges than men, such as unconscious bias, and being able to turn to other women who have had similar experiences can help you navigate a difficult situation. It's like having a road map for your goals.

Keep ReadingShow less
via Pexels

Millennials are now old enough to seriously reflect on life.

It seems like only yesterday a millennial was a college kid that baby boomers chided for being entitled and Gen Xers thought were way too sincere and needed to learn how to take a joke. Today, the oldest millennials, those born around 1980, have hit their 40s and have lived long enough to have some serious regrets.

They also have enough experience to take some pride in decisions that, in hindsight, were the right moves.

The good news is that at 40 there is still plenty of time to learn from our successes and failures to set ourselves up for a great second half of life. These lessons are also valuable to the Gen Zers coming up who can avoid the pitfalls of the older generation.

A Reddit user who has since deleted their profile asked millennials nearing 40 “what were your biggest mistakes at this point in life?” and they received more than 2,200 responses. The biggest regrets these millennials have are being flippant about their health and not saving enough money when they were younger.

Keep ReadingShow less

A woman giving a stern warning.

Over the past few years, women named Karen have taken a lot of heat in the media. The term "Karen" has been used to describe a specific type of entitled, privileged and often middle-aged white woman. Typically, "Karen” is depicted as demanding, self-important and constantly seeking to escalate minor inconveniences to authority figures, like demanding to "speak to the manager."

Identifying the folks who create unnecessary drama in our world is important. But calling them a “Karen” isn’t the best way to solve the problem. There are many reasons to have an issue with the “Karen” stereotype. First, it’s terrible for people named Karen, and it’s also a connotation that many feel is racist, sexist and ageist.

Further, according to a new study by Trustpilot, the stereotype isn’t accurate. A recent survey by the online media site found that the people who leave the most one-star reviews aren’t female, and the women who do it the most aren’t named Karen.

Keep ReadingShow less