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Everything That Upset the Internet This Week

It’s the weekend! And what better way to celebrate that with a round-up of this week’s buzziest controversies? From Netflix paycheques to Snapchat ads, here’s everything that’s shaking the web right now.

Snapchat ad asks users if they want to “slap Rihanna”

THE STORY: In an ad for a smartphone game promoted via Snapchat, users are asked if they would rather slap Rihanna or punch Chris Brown. The “Would You Rather” question is perceived to be made in reference to the infamous 2009 domestic violence incident, in which Chris Brown choked, punched and threatened to kill his then-girlfriend.

THE REACTION:

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: I’m going to leave this one to Rihanna. “Now SNAPCHAT,” she posted in a message on her Instagram story, “I know you already know you ain’t my fav app out there! But I’m just trying to figure out what the point was with this mess! I’d love to call it ignorance, but I know you ain’t that dumb! You spent money to animate something that would intentionally bring shame to DV victims and made a joke of it!!!! This isn’t about my personal feelings, cause I don’t have much of them…but all the women, children, and men that have been victims of DV in the past and especially the ones who haven’t made it out yet….you let us down! Shame on you. Throw the whole app-oligy away.”

HOW WE FEEL: Snapchat is officially ?

 

Netflix’s The Crown paid Queen Elizabeth less than Prince Philip

THE STORY: A producer of Netflix’s hit royal drama The Crown said in a recent press panel that Claire Foy, the brilliant actress who played Queen Elizabeth II, was paid less than her on-screen husband, played by Matt Smith.

THE REACTION:

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: Heading into season one, Matt Smith was the bigger star. He was Doctor Who! That role is pretty much the greatest distinction that British television has to offer its native actors. Claire Foy, on the other hand, was relatively unknown prior to The Crown. Equal pay for equal work rarely exists in any workplace: you’re going to make more money if you have more experience and a bigger name.

It does, however, only seem fair that for season two — you know, after Foy had won the Golden Globe for Best Actress and captivated the world — that she was paid top dollar. It’s her face on the posters, after all — and it’s her crown. The producers said the gap would be closed in the third season, saying “going forward, no one gets paid more than the queen.”

HOW WE FEEL: ?? ⚖ ? ?

 

Kokito the French Bulldog dies on United Airline’s flight

THE STORY: Monday’s United Airlines Flight 1284 from Houston landed at LaGuardia Airport with a dead puppy onboard. A flight attendant had required the dog, a 10-month-old French bulldog named Kokito, to be placed into the overhead bin for the duration of the three hour flight — despite the family having followed all the rules about flying with a pet in an airliner’s cabin.

THE REACTION:

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: United Airlines has had a pretty rough year. From dragging a paying customer out of an aircraft to banning young girls from wearing leggings, it’s shocking that the the company hasn’t flopped yet. Will a dead puppy be the tipping point? Will the loss of baby animal life provoke plane passengers to boycott the airline? We need to remember this tragic incident every time we’re booking plane tickets; we can’t make price-point driven purchases if they’re going to put our safety, and the safety of our furry family members, at risk.

HOW WE FEEL: ? ? ? ? ? ?

 

Gabrielle Union is referred to as “Dwayne Wade’s wife”

THE STORY: Gabrielle Union, an ultra-successful actress, author and advocate for survivors of sexual assault, made a sizeable donation to March For Our Lives with her husband, a basketball player. A local news station in Florida shared the news with the headline: “Dwyane Wade, wife donates $200,000 to student-ran gun control rally.”

THE REACTION: 

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: Twitter gives its users 280 characters, and this is how they use them? It’s never fun to be referred to solely as “wife,” regardless of your individual starpower.

BUT, to be fair, this tweet came from the sports section of a Miami news source, and Dwayne Wade is the star player on the city’s NBA team, Miami Heat. They’re leading with the name that their readers are more likely to know (and care about), and we can’t really blame them for that.

HOW WE FEEL: ? ? ?

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