Month: February 2021

• Actress Evan Rachel Wood just named Marilyn Manson as her abuser.
• She’s the latest of several women to come out against the former rockstar.
• Despite these recent ‘revelations,’ Manson has been slipping these secrets out for years. Why haven’t we been listening?

Marilyn Manson doesn’t just play a troubled rockstar on TV. He’s actually living it.

Just ask Evan Rachel Wood. The Westworld star just came out and named Manson as abusive, violent, and sexually deviant. Her courage has finally lifted the veil, once and for all, on this man.

But his dark side was far from a secret. Besides allegations from other women, Manson has been putting his violent behavior on full display for years.

What has kept us from seeing these truths all along?

Evan Rachel Wood Comes Out

Evan Rachel Wood plays a humanoid robot on Westworld. On Monday, February 1st, she was a full, vulnerable human being.

Wood made an Instagram post naming her abuser that she’s hinted at in previous interviews. In 2016, she told Rolling Stone that she had experienced ‘physical, psychological, sexual’ abuse.

To clear up any confusion, she dropped his stage name (Marilyn Manson) and his government name (Brian Warner).

Wood claims she was “groomed,” “brainwashed,” “horrifically abused,” and “manipulated.” She called him a “dangerous man” who she feared would retaliate and blackmail her if she came out.

The grooming likely started before the two started dating around 2007, when Manson was 38 and Wood was 19.

They met on the set of a horror film Manson was making at the time. During that time, he painted a watercolor of the teenager.

Here was her response:

It came as kind of a shock. I was beyond flattered.

What hasn’t come as a shock are Wood’s accusations.

The most shocking part of this story should be, as Wood puts it, the “many industries that enabled him.”

Marilyn Manson Was Not Good at Keeping Secrets

Sadly, for many of us, this isn’t really news. Obviously, one look at Manson or one listen to his music might raise your spidey sense that something is off.

But he’s gone further than that to tell us, fairly blatantly, that he’s not a safe person.

In a 2009 interview with Spin, Manson said

I have fantasies every day about smashing her skull in with a sledgehammer.

In that same interview, he explains the inspiration for the song “Devour”:

That song is about when someone said to me, “Okay, I want to be with you until I die.” And then they gave up. I was at the point in my life where I was like, “Okay, let’s die, but I tell you what, I’m going to kill you first, because I don’t trust you.”

Check out the song below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaEekA7WPLU?feature=oembed&w=900&h=675]

If that weren’t enough, he said he cut himself 158 times–once for each time he tried to call Wood.

Yikes.

Some might say those are red flags.

Why Were People Okay With This?

We can’t blame Spin for Marilyn Manson’s answers, but it seems strange that the interview had a light-hearted tone. In the description, the interview is described as “wildly entertaining,” when it was actually “wildly disturbing.”

But worse than Spin is Manson’s ‘team.’

Likely comprised of managers, agents, and PR people: his team is like the janitor that follows Manson around, cleaning up his mess.

They spoke with Metal Hammer in 2020 to justify Manson’s previously mentioned comments.

The comments in Spin where Manson had a fantasy of using a sledgehammer on Evan and he cut himself 158 times was obviously a theatrical rock star interview promoting a new record, and not a factual account. The fact that Evan and Manson got engaged six months after this interview would indicate that no one took this story literally.

When responding to direct questions that implicated his behavior toward Wood, his team said there were “also numerous articles over multiple years where Evan Rachel Wood speaks very positively about her relationship with Manson.”

You don’t say. A teenager who was flattered and groomed by a rockstar had positive things to say about him at one point? I guess the pages of accusations against Marilyn Manson, including a 2011 police report against him involving sex crimes, mean nothing!

A teenager was once infatuated by a rockstar!

The sad truth is that we know Marilyn Manson is broken. But why have so many people within the music industry tried to justify his behavior?

Manson may never recover from the fallout of his actions, but his ‘team’ will likely continue operating without integrity for years to come. The media will continue enabling troubled souls as long as they get them the clicks.

At least we have people like Evan Rachel Wood who are willing to give the world her full truth.

Disclaimer: The opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.

• Superstar singer Rihanna just brought awareness to the farmer protests in India via Twitter.
• Farmers in India have begun protesting new agricultural reforms in the country.
• The protests are become bigger than just farmers, as they’ve raised concerns about the foundations of democracy.

“Why are we not talking about this?” Rihanna tweeted on Tuesday.

She was referencing India’s farmer protests that have gone under the radar for many people in the western world. And Rihanna is right. We should be talking about this because it’s not just about fed-up farmers who are oceans away. It’s about the foundations of democracy and the potential overreach of a government.

And that affects us all.

Rihanna Speaks Up

Rihanna has been a busy activist lately. First, she brought awareness to the farmer protests in India:

The tweet has gone viral, gaining over 150k retweets. But she wasn’t done there. She also played a small part in spreading awareness around the ongoing crisis in Mynamar:

Both of these pressing issues deserve the attention of the international community. Residents of Mynamar have started protesting the military coup that saw their leader Aung San Suu Kyi, detained last month.

The protests in India might not be as forceful as a military coup, but there is a battle for true democracy in both cases.

What Are India’s Farmer Protests?

Farmers in India have been protesting recent agricultural reform in their country. Farmers were previously guaranteed certain prices for their crops by the Indian government—up until recently.

New changes allow farmers to sell their crops to anyone at any price.

While that may seem to create more freedom, farmers are concerned that corporations will exploit these rules and drag down the price of their crops.

According to CNN, farming is the main source of livelihood for 58% of the country’s population of 1.3 billion people. So it makes perfect sense why so many people are upset.

And upset they are.

Check out this video of the protests:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TXWu2DKQuY?feature=oembed&w=900&h=506]

Last week, thousands of farmers stormed New Delhi’s historic Red Fort. Farmers breached barricades and clashed with police. One farmer was killed when a tractor tipped on top of him.

He joins the 146 other farmers who have died during the course of the protests.

The agricultural reforms were alarming enough for the citizens of India, but the government has taken concerning steps to try to mitigate the protests, which is partly why people like Rihanna are speaking up.

India’s Government Takes Some Alarming Steps

India is the world’s largest democracy. But in recent days, the term ‘democracy’ should be used lightly.

In the past few years, the Indian government has been engaging in forced blackouts of the internet when tensions rise. The internet is obviously one of the most efficient ways for communities to organize and spread information. And Indian officials want to make sure that doesn’t happen at certain times.

According to the Software Freedom Law Center, India leads the world in internet shutdowns. In 2019 alone, Indian officials cut off the internet over 100 times.

In 2019, following a rewriting of the constitution, which removed autonomy for India-controlled Kashmir, the Indian government cut off or restricted the internet in Kashmir for 213 days.

And they’re doing again with the farmer protests. Multiple areas have suffered from internet bans due to the protests.

In January, India’s opposition parties wrote a joint letter condemning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tactics, calling them “arrogant, adamant and undemocratic.”

Devdutta Mukhopadhyay of Internet Freedom Foundation told CNN that the measures were “extremely draconian.” She also said there’d been mob violence against protestors due to the shutdowns.

The protests in India are much bigger than a handful of disgruntled farmers. It’s an attack on the foundations of democracy.

We all deserve to communicate freely and nonviolently with each other, especially in times of turmoil. Luckily, people who have that freedom, like Rihanna, are using their voices.

Disclaimer: The opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.

• Jeff Bezos just announced that he is stepping down as the CEO of Amazon.
• His replacement will be the head of Amazon Web Services, Andy Jassy.
• Who is Jassy, and is he the right person for the job?

Jeff Bezos has had enough. The longtime CEO of Amazon will be relinquishing that role to Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services.

As Bezos moves into the executive chair, it begs the question of who, exactly, is Andy Jassy?

Jeff Bezos Finally Steps Down

People have been speculating that Jeff Bezos would step down as Amazon CEO for years—and many detractors have wished for it.

On Tuesday, February 2nd, those wishes came true.

In an email to Amazon employees, Bezos announced that he would be transitioning out of his current role of CEO into an executive chair position.

He had a controversial tenure as the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world. Despite all of the criticism slung his way, Bezos continued to innovate and create huge profits for the company.

At the end of his company email, he told employees to “remember to wander. Let curiosity be your compass.”

And many curious people out there are wondering about his replacement, Andy Jassy.

Who Is Andy Jassy?

Andy Jassy is the CEO of Amazon Web Services, which he helped found in 2003. According to Bezos, he’s been with the company nearly as long as anybody.

Here’s Bezos’ endorsement of Jassy in his email:

Andy is well known inside the company and has been at Amazon almost as long as I have. He will be an outstanding leader, and he has my full confidence.

Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, had nothing but nice things to say about Jassy:

According to Newsweek, Andy Jassy joined Amazon in 1997 and has been one of Jeff Bezos’ chief advisors ever since.

Much like Bezos, Jassy has always had an eye on the future. He was one of the first people to push Amazon to include music sales and retail services. Amazon Web Services has expanded exponentially since Jassy founded it, and many think this move will see Amazon becoming even more competitive in the tech and software business.

According to his Twitter bio, Jassy is married with two children, and he’s an “experienced buffalo wings eater.” That’s surely an important skill as the new Amazon CEO.

He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard University.

Jassy is also part owner of the Seattle Kraken, an NHL team.

• Rapper Lil Uzi Vert just revealed his latest body art: a diamond carved into his forehead.
• He allegedly spent $24 million on the naturally pink diamond.
• While it does show creativity, it’s also a very creative way to waste money.

Lil Uzi Vert is losing his marbles.

Actually, he may never lose his marbles again now that they’re fused into his forehead.

The “Eternal Atake” rapper just spent a boatload of cash on a diamond that’s apparently been surgically inserted into his forehead. That is not a typo.

Make no mistake; the man is allowed to do whatever he wants with his money. But we’re allowed to make fun of him.

Lil Uzi Vert Describes His Investment

Lil Uzi Vert — real name Symere Bysil Woods — is making his best attempt at fully becoming a diamond. He just announced that after four years, he’s finished paying off his $24 million natural pink diamond.

The rock comes from his favorite jeweler Elliot Eliantte, who should fully be ashamed of himself.

How are you going to take advantage of poor Lil Uzi like this, Elliot? Don’t you know he’s a mainstream rapper with cash to burn and an addiction to bling?

At least Lil Uzi Vert seems to have some kind of sense of humor about this:

If I lose the ring yeah U will make fun of me more than putting it in my forehead ha ha jokes on you ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha… And yes I do have insurance.

So, he’s putting the diamond into his forehead, so he doesn’t lose it. Maybe he should’ve just put the $24 million into his forehead because he absolutely just lost that.

Why Are We Mad at Billionaires but Not Rappers?

Look, I’m as sick of billionaires as the next person. Although I do think some, like Jeff Bezos, are doing more good in the world than people give them credit for. Nonetheless, we should never have a trillionaire.

But why do people get mad at the idea of the ultra-wealthy? Because they have too much power? That’s part of it, but one of the most common retorts is that if people like Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk used their money for good, they could change the world.

If they just spread the wealth, they could give all of us thousands of dollars!

Obviously, these men are financially on a different level than Lil Uzi Vert, but why aren’t people up in arms about his new face prop?

I mean, does it even look good?

Lil Uzi Vert’s new $24 million face diamond 💎 pic.twitter.com/CPqsPFFru7

— Hot Freestyle (@HotFreestyle) February 3, 2021

Surely, he could’ve spent $24 million on a higher cause. Maybe he could’ve fed millions of hungry people. Maybe he could’ve bought a poor kid a private jet.

I believe that he, and the rest, should be able to do whatever they want with their money, but shouldn’t the critics out there be questioning Lil Uzi like they do others?

At least we have Twitter, the great equalizer.

Lil Uzi Vert Gets Roasted on Twitter

Thankfully, people are not just letting Lil Uzi get a $24 million face implant without making fun of him. The Twitter brigade was out in full force on Wednesday, armed with jokes, memes, and general disbelief.

One Twitter user hilariously compared himself to Marvel’s Thanos:

Another compared Lil Uzi Vert to a cheap Photoshop job:

And of course, people keep the Vision memes going strong:

Hopefully, people don’t try to capture this $24 million prize next time they see Lil Uzi Vert in person. And let’s hope that diamond isn’t as loose as the screws in his head might be.

Disclaimer: The opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.

• Chrissy Teigen just tweeted that she accidentally purchased a $13,000 bottle of wine.
• Twitter is beside itself at the humblebrag.
• This isn’t the first time Teigen has been tone-deaf on Twitter, and it won’t be the last.

Chrissy Teigen is just like the rest of us. At least that’s what she wants you to believe.

But not too many of us have accidentally purchased a $13,000 bottle of wine, as she tweeted out on Wednesday. Somehow, that wasn’t even the most annoying part of her tweet.

Chrissy Teigen Has Gon’ Fishin — For a Humblebrag

Chrissy Teigen just did that thing where she asked other people a question just so she could give her own answer. You’ve seen it played out in real life. Someone has something impressive they want to say, but they don’t want it to come off as bragging. Then they ask a leading question that allows them to slip their brag in the back door.

That’s Chrissy Teigen.

Check out her ‘question’:

Immediately, she followed up with her answer:

That sounds like a really tough life, Chrissy. We feel terrible for you. We feel so bad that the fine folks on Twitter came out in droves to offer their condolences:

But lucky for us, Chrissy Teigen had a rebuttal.

Teigen Doubles-Down on Being Tone-Deaf

Chrissy Teigen came to her own rescue today, probably because nobody else would. She said that “not everything” she says “is going to be relatable.” And then sarcastically said, “yes, you really nailed me.”

The thing is, Chrissy, when the world uniformly responds to you with a singular message, maybe you should look into it? Instead, she just defended herself and her privileged point of view.

But Chrissy has been known for oversharing for attention.

And yes, she is a millionaire, and not everything she says will be relatable. That’s 100% true.

But my goodness Chrissy read the room.

We are in a pandemic. Unemployment is still higher than before the pandemic, and experts predict that it will remain that way for a decade.

People are losing their jobs, their businesses, and their residences.

Most of us do not have a multi-million dollar nest egg to fall back on. In fact, most Americans make less than three Chrissy Teigen bottles of wine per year.

So while she is absolutely right that she’s not relatable, there is another thing called consideration. It’s important to consider who you’re sharing certain information with. You shouldn’t tell a blind person how great it feels to see. And you shouldn’t tell a struggling economy how funny it is to throw your money around.

Share your rich stories with your friends and spare us commonfolk the humblebrags, please.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.