The Week on TwitterTopical

The Week on Twitter: Syria Airstrikes, Kylie Jenner, & ZuckerBaby

By Jade Hayden

This week, the UK voted in favour of airstrikes in Syria, Hilary Benn made a speech, Kylie Jenner used a wheelchair as a fashion accessory, and lots of people marched to save the climate. Mark Zuckerberg also had a baby, and pledged to give away 99% of his Facebook shares.

UK carry out first airstrikes in #Syria

On Wednesday, British MPs voted in favour of launching airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria. A ten hour Commons debate saw 397 members of parliament vote to approve the bombing operation. According to Defense Secretary Michael Fallon, the strikes could last up to three years.

Upon the announcement of the Commons’ decision, many took to Twitter to condemn the motion, which will ultimately lead to the death of thousands more civilians. Although Labour’s Shadow Secretary Hilary Benn declared that, unlike ISIS, the UK is not acting with the intention of killing innocent people, many dismissed his words as sensationalism, despite major media outlets describing his speech as “extraordinary” and “powerful.”

The first strikes were carried out on Thursday morning on an oil field in Eastern Syria.

#NotInMyName trended across the UK as those opposing airstrikes expressed their disappointment with their government’s decision. Many people in Scotland conveyed distinct frustration as they felt they had been dragged into a war they did not support.

#KylieJenner pisses of lots of people in photoshoot for #InterviewMagazine 

Kylie Jenner has done another very Kylie Jenner thing. During the week, fashion magazine Interview released a cover shoot of the reality TV appearing, misogynistic boyfriend having, on-point contouring 18 year old in a wheelchair.

The photo features Jenner sitting in the wheelchair, wearing some sort of latex swimsuit number while staring vacantly ahead. Since its release, it has received a lot of criticism from many members of the disabled community, who deem the photo both an offensive ploy to glamourise the use of wheelchairs, and a prime example of ableism.

Some were quick to defend Jenner’s shoot, stating that it was very unlikely she made the decision herself, and that the crux of the blame lies with the publication. Others didn’t see anything wrong with the photos at all, and hailed Jenner an inspiration to young girls everywhere. Those people were wrong.

https://twitter.com/basedonika/status/671715669755502592

Alright Chloe.

#ClimateMarch takes the world by storm #COP21

November 29th saw a large amount of people from a large amount of different countries march to save the environment. Over 700,000 people took to the streets all over the world to promote the use of clean energy, encourage carbon emission reductions, and advocate for a safer planet for the future.

The global march was held just before the UN’s climate summit in Paris. The thousands who partook in the march did so to convince their countries’ leaders to take action before it’s too late.

#MarkZuckerberg creates child and gives shares away

On Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuzkerberg announced the birth of his baby daughter to the world while also announcing that he was planning to give away 99% of his company stock. In a 2000 word open letter to his new baby Max, Zuckerberg declared that he and his wife had decided to use all of those shares to “focus on two ideas: advancing human potential and promoting equality.”

Lots of people thought the letter was really nice and that Zuckerberg was a great fella, doing great things, making the world a great place, etc. Others took issue with his decision to use a Limited Liability Company rather than a non-profit organisation, as it meant that the Zuckerbergs could join up with other companies and make investments in stuff and continue to do lots of other business-y type things while also saving the world.

Some people even accused Zuckerberg of using the philanthropic initiative to get some handy tax breaks, which he has firmly denied.

https://twitter.com/Jim_Capie/status/672112110894252037

https://twitter.com/emma_c_williams/status/671950828027183104

Featured image via interviewmagazine.com

Jade Hayden 144 posts 0 comments

Jade Hayden has an MA in journalism, a degree in English, and a house rabbit who sleeps in her bed sometimes. You'll often find her wearing glasses, fixing her fringe, and complaining about the amount of time she spends on public transport. Jade is also the editor of HeadStuff's topical section, and she'd love if you sent your submissions over to [email protected].

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