Most of us think of the holidays as a time to celebrate and be joyful. But it actually has become a tradition for controversies to pop up around Christmas. And this year is no different.

In 2018, we have seen a series of controversies spring up over Christmas ads, decorations, greetings, songs, and trees. Christmas trees are particularly controversial because they’re the de facto symbol of Christmas. However, they are not alone.

10 ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’

Frank Loesser’s 1944 song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which won an Oscar when featured in the 1949 film Neptune’s Daughter, has been causing controversies around Christmas for a long time. But it became more pronounced in 2007 due to the increased use of social media. Flash forward to 2018, and several radio stations across the US have banned the song over its lyrics, which they consider to be offensive.

The ban came after listeners called the radio stations to complain that the lyrics supported rape. The song tells the story of a lady who wants to leave a man’s house. She tells the man, “I really can’t stay.” But the man discourages her from leaving, saying, “Baby, it’s cold outside.”^[1]

Emily Crockett, who wrote about the controversy in 2016, mentioned that the lady in the movie really wanted to stay in the man’s house but felt compelled to leave because it could cause a scandal. Obviously, morality was a major issue in the ’40s and the practice of unmarried couples living together was frowned upon. However, Crockett agreed that the lady was being coerced into staying.

9 Holland Tunnel Controversy

This year, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey unwittingly caused a controversy when it added three Christmas wreaths to the “Holland Tunnel” entrance sign. Two decorations were circular, and the third had the triangular shape of a Christmas tree.

The first circular wreath was installed over the letter “O” in “Holland.” The second circular wreath was placed over the “U” in “Tunnel,” making it look like “Tonnel.” The Christmas tree was installed over the “N,” which just looked awkward. The Christmas tree and the second circular wreath were the sources of the controversy.

Obviously, the decoration would have looked much better if the Christmas tree wreath had been installed over the “A.” This made a lot of sense because the “A” already had the shape of a Christmas tree. The second circular wreath should have been dropped because it transformed “Tunnel” to “Tonnel.”

Cory Windelspecht was the first person to complain about the wreaths. He created a petition on Change.org where he complained that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was fond of putting the Christmas tree wreath over the “N” instead of the “A” every year. Cory said that this could cause problems for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder.^[2]

The petition quickly gathered signatures, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey later put a poll on its website asking commuters what they wanted. After the poll, the organization agreed that it would remove the circular wreath on the “U” and move the Christmas tree wreath from the “N” to the “A.”

8 There Is A Rang-tan In My Bedroom

In 2018, UK supermarket chain Iceland Foods planned to release an animated video ad for Christmas. The ad was about a young orangutan that runs amok inside a young girl’s bedroom. The orangutan, which is called “Rang-tan,” hops across the girl’s bedroom, throwing things around and hanging from furniture.

The girl narrates that she does not know what to do about the orangutan in her bedroom. She later orders Rang-tan out. However, just before the animal leaves, the girl asks Rang-tan why she (the orangutan) was in the bedroom. The camera zooms in on Rang-tan’s eyes, and we see the true story.

There are humans in her forest, and Rang-tan doesn’t know what to do. They have destroyed her home and turned it into palm oil plantations. They have killed Rang-tan’s mother, and she is afraid that they will kill her, too. The entire ad is about the massive deforestation in palm oil–producing countries.

Iceland Foods was going to air the ad in the UK until it was banned by Clearcast, the UK advertisement regulation agency. Clearcast claimed that the ad was a political advertisement that violated rules enacted in 2003. Apparently, the ad was originally created for environmentalist group Greenpeace, which had earlier used it for its anti-deforestation campaign.

If anything, the ban popularized the ad. People watched it on the Internet anyway. It also put workers at Clearcast in danger. Clearcast received over 3,500 emails and hundred of phone calls at the time of the ban. Many of the calls and emails were threats. Some were so severe that Clearcast removed the pictures of its workers from its website and closed down its Facebook page.^[3]

7 Starbucks Christmas Cup

For years, Starbucks has had a tradition of creating specially designed cups for Christmas. The first cup was introduced in 1997, and they were controversy-free until 2015. Since then, each Christmas cup has caused its fair share of controversy, which seems to heat up every year.

Unlike those in previous years, the highly contentious 2015 cup was devoid of all designs. Joshua Feuerstein started the debate when he made a video claiming that the plain red color was an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas. He suggested that each customer tell Starbucks’ employees that the customer’s name was “Merry Christmas” so that the workers would call out “Merry Christmas” whenever they made a drink.

The 2016 cup was a green-and-white one that was accused of being anti-Christmas. In 2017, it was a white-and-red cup that was said to be pro-gay. In 2018, Starbucks introduced five cups, including one that was supposed to be reusable and free. But customers were forced to shell out $2.50 for it because the free supplies were exhausted quickly (as in minutes).^[4]

6 Minneapolis Christmas Tree Controversy

In 2018, officers at the Minneapolis Police Department decided to decorate one of their stations for Christmas. They installed a Christmas tree, and all appeared well until a picture of the tree was posted on the Internet. The department was hit with complaints that the Christmas tree was racist.

Apparently, the police department had replaced the ornaments, stars, and lights that were supposed to be on the tree with cigarettes, crime tape, malt liquor, and a cup from a restaurant that served fried chicken. Two officers involved in putting up the tree were suspended, while the commander of the station, Inspector Aaron Biard, was removed from his position.^[5]

5 Rome Christmas Tree Controversy

In 2017, Rome became the center of a controversy over its threadbare Christmas tree. In 2018, the city had the same problem. The Christmas trees installed in both years are more like sticks than trees. The majority of the branches in the middle are missing, and the few remaining branches have sparse greenery, just like the rest of the tree.

In 2017, concerned citizens called the threadbare tree “Spelacchio” (“Mangy”). In 2018, they called it “Spelacchio #2.” The business handling the installation and design of the tree claimed that they deliberately cut the branches to make transportation safer. They added that the branches and greenery will grow before Christmas, but some citizens are having none of it.^[6]

4 Deitrick Haddon’s Sexually Explicit Christmas Song

In November 2018, US gospel singer and pastor Deitrick Haddon revealed that he was planning to release a sexually explicit song for Christmas. The song is about a man telling his wife that he wants to make love to her on Christmas Day. He mentions wanting to eat her “milk and cookies” and lie in her “Garden of Eden.”

The Internet went haywire after the revelation. Many believe that a gospel musician should not release a sexually explicit song, especially for Christmas.

However, opinions are divided.

On one side are the critics who say that the song promotes lust and is contrary to what Jesus stands for. On the other side are those who say that the song can be used by Christian couples just before they get between the sheets. Haddon has already said that his song is targeted at married couples.^[7]

3 Bethel Atheist Banner Controversy

Every Christmas, some controversy pops up over the use of “Happy Holidays” and “Happy Holiday Season” instead of “Merry Christmas.”

Non-Christians will usually say “Happy Holidays.” Some Christians also prefer “Happy Holidays” so that they will not be biased toward people who do not celebrate Christmas. However, some Christians consider “Happy Holidays” to be offensive. They believe that it is an attempt to take Christ out of Christmas. For them, it is “Merry Christmas” or nothing.

“Happy Holidays” wasn’t always controversial. In fact, the word “holiday” has its roots in Christianity. It is from “holy day,” which refers to a day that is considered holy. Christians have been using “Happy Holidays” in place of “Merry Christmas” for years. But it just happens to get a bad rap these days.

In 2018, the town of Bethel, Connecticut, found itself in one such controversy when atheists in the town put up a banner with the words:

To our Bethel community,
Happy Holiday Season! (whatever you celebrate)
From your friendly atheist neighbors.

Some Christian residents considered the banner an unfriendly gesture and a disguised attack on Christians and Christianity. They say that the atheists who put up the banner could have just kept their greetings to themselves. However, other Christians think that the banner makes non-Christians share in the fun of Christmas.^[8]

2 Highlands Christmas Tree Controversy

Another Christmas tree controversy. This time, it is from Highlands, North Carolina. Like many American towns, Highlands engages in the tradition of putting up Christmas trees. In 2017, the town installed a tree with a star on top. However, the star broke off because the tree could not support its weight.

In 2018, the town put up a Christmas tree without the star. Initially, workers placed a cross on the top of the tree. But they were ordered to remove it because it was illegal. At that point, the tree became controversial. Townspeople complained because they wanted the cross back. After a series of protests, the mayor ordered the cross returned.^[9]

1 White House Christmas Tree

The White House has a tradition of putting up Christmas decorations every year. The First Lady is usually in charge of choosing what type of Christmas tree and decorations go in the White House. In 2018, Melania Trump settled for plain bloodred Christmas trees.

However, some Americans do not agree with her choice of color. The trees have been heavily criticized and are attracting all sorts of negative attention. But Mrs. Trump does not care. She said that the trees are “beautiful,” “fantastic,” and look better when seen up close. She suggested that the critics visit the White House to see the trees firsthand.^[10]

The world of video games is an endlessly fascinating place, especially when you peek behind the curtain and learn its inner workings. Controversy is no stranger to video games, whether it’s attributed to a specific title or the people who made it. In this list, we’ll be running down some fascinating examples of various times the gaming industry was making headlines but for all the wrong reasons. 

10. The Last of Us Part II Leaks

Honestly, we could just mention the title The Last of Us Part II, end this paragraph early, and just assume the comment section is already in flames. Whether you love it or hate it, the follow-up to Neil Druckmann and Naughty Dog’s 2013 smash hit, The Last of Us, is still a point of contention for many fans. 

Not helping matters were the leaks before the game’s release back in April 2020, just two months before the game’s official release. On April 27, a leaker took to the internet and dropped over an hour of gameplay and cutscenes, spoiling some big reveals and moments from the impending sequel. These spoilers not only included the switch to the secondary protagonist of Abby partway through the game but the death of Joel as well! With these rather major reveals let loose on the web, many passionate fans quickly began voicing their displeasure with Naughty Dog’s creative choices. 

Despite Naughty Dog’s best efforts to extinguish the fire, the damage had already been done, casting a dark shadow over the once highly anticipated sequel. Despite these leaks, the game still went on to garner solid critical praise, as well as selling over four million copies in three days.

9. The Mass Effect 3 Ending

If one were to harness the concentrated rage directed at BioWare in 2012, you could probably use it to power a small country for over a thousand years. For those of you not familiar, back in 2012, the hype for the third installment of the Mass Effect series couldn’t have been more rabid. What amplified the anticipation was the “Choose your own adventure” tinted nature of the game’s ongoing narrative. From the customizable appearance of the lead character, Commander Shepard, to the way the player chooses to engage with the plot and characters, the experience is beyond immersive. 

So upon reaching Mass Effect 3’s ending and discovering that their various decisions over the past few years meant next to nothing, people were beyond disappointed and betrayed. For something this underwhelming and lazy to be presented as the finale to such a lauded franchise resulted in quite the backlash to be sure. Bloodthirsty fans look to the web to voice their displeasure, even going as far as to craft petitions for BioWare to change the ending. 

Overwhelmed by the backlash, BioWare opted to release the Extended Cut DLC, to expand on the previously released ending. While this redux did resolve some lingering plot and character threads, it still wasn’t enough to satisfy the fans.

8. The False Advertisement of No Man’s Sky

There have been many instances in the video game industry of a highly anticipated project simply not living up to fan’s expectations. A major example of this is No Man’s Sky, released in 2016, and the allegations of false advertisement thrown at it following its launch. 

For content, the advertisements of No Man’s Sky very much made it look like a next-level science-fiction game experience. Not only did the marking lead players to believe that the game would be teeming with diverse planets, wildlife, and deep exploration possibilities, as well as multiplayer functionality. Needless to say, players were very excited to play the game and explore every inch of its allegedly lavish and diverse world. 

Unfortunately, when people bought the game on its release day, they were met with a game that was a far cry from what was promised. Not only was the promised multiplayer functionality absent, but the planets in the actual game were not as diverse and immersive as initially promised. Hello Games and its founder, Sean Murray, were soon swept up in a tidal wave of backlash and criticism from the gaming community, many of whom felt cheated and lied to. It got to the point where Hello Games needed to publically address the disconnect between the marketing and the disappointing final product.

7. Star Wars Battlefront II Microtransactions

In the world of modern gaming, one of the more frustrating developments has been the genesis of microtransactions within major titles. This refers to a business model where users can purchase in-game virtual goods – such as weapons, skins, and rare items – with micropayments. This means that many players can simply buy their way to a higher level in a certain game without progressing via their skill.

Nowhere was the inclusion of this aggravating trend more prevalent than when it came to Star Wars Battlefront II, published by Electronic Arts (EA). The game was heavily predicated on a loot box system, which effectively hinged the gameplay on a pay-to-win-based mechanic. When beta players realized that buying these loot boxes was integral to progressing in the game, it wasn’t too long before the backlash began. EA even found themselves under investigation by the likes of Belgium and the Netherlands as to whether the loot box mechanic constituted a form of illegal gambling.

Eventually, EA was forced to temporarily remove microtransactions from Battlefront just before its official release. They later reintroduced a revised gameplay system wherein the loot boxes were only for cosmetic upgrades. The whole debacle served as a harsh reminder that the modern consumer, especially in gaming, won’t blindly accept predatory microtransactions in their AAA titles. 

6. The Cyberpunk 2077 Launch

Following the success of The Witcher games, hardcore gamers were ready for whatever CD Projekt Red, the studio behind them, had in store next. So when it was announced that they’d be adapting Mike Pondsmith’s Cyberpunk tabletop RPG series into their next title, fans were ecstatic. 

Despite being announced in the early 2010s, Cyberpunk 2077 wouldn’t arrive on store shelves until late 2022, the release date having been delayed several times. However, when console users, specifically PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners, popped the game in on launch day the disappointment was almost instant. Players quickly ran into a downpour of technical problems, including crashes, low frame rates, and graphical glitches that made the game borderline unplayable for some. Additionally, players were also dissatisfied with the lack of deeper customization, the shallow NPC interactions, and the incomplete open world.

This couldn’t have fallen further from the mark of what was originally advertised, which made the game out to be a visually stunning and fast-paced gaming experience. CD Projekt Red was severely criticized for putting out a game that, from a programming perspective, was as unstable as a house of cards. Not only that but their stock price sharply plummeted following the launch of the game, even offering refunds to dissatisfied players.

5. Ubisoft Workplace Misconduct

No industry has been untouched by the Me Too movement which picked up steam in the late 2010s, especially the gaming industry. A major example of this was a major scandal in 2020 surrounding allegations of workplace misconduct within the walls of Ubisoft. Things kicked off when numerous reports began to surface regarding the toxic behavior of several high-profile Ubisoft executives and employees.

Before too long, multiple current and former female employees were coming forward with stories of mistreatment and harassment within the company. The stories ran the gamut of heinous actions, ranging from inappropriate verbal comments and behavior to several instances of assault and systemic sexism. These revelations led to the resignation or dismissal of several key figures within Ubisoft, including the chief creative officer, Serge Hascoët. Another key figure who found himself out of a job was the managing director of Ubisoft’s Canadian studios, Yannis Mallat.

Many current and former employees, publically expressed disappointment and ample frustration with Ubisoft’s lack of accountability and transparency. Following this, Ubisoft opted to launch internal investigations, as well as implement changes to foster a safer environment and a more respectful workplace culture. The whole incident stands as a harsh reminder of how grimy the gaming industry can be and what needs to be done to improve it. 

4. Rockstar’s Infamous “Hot Coffee” Mod

When it comes to controversies within the gaming world, you can always count on the Grand Theft Auto franchise to provide more than a few. The irreverent and hyper-violent crime-based action-adventure games have always had a knack for making it into mainstream news headlines. Whenever there’s a discussion about violence in video games corrupting the youth, GTA has more often than not been a poster child for that claim. 

However, the most noteworthy scandal revolving around the franchise came in the form of a minigame found in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In 2005, following its release, players who dug into the programming made a rather raunchy discovery, a hidden minigame buried in the game’s code. The game, now referred to as Hot Coffee, allowed the player to control the main character, CJ, as he engaged in aggressive sex acts with various women. The name itself is derived from CJ’s girlfriends asking him “Do you want to come inside for some coffee?” before the minigame starts.

While some fans might’ve been entertained by this discovery, it wasn’t too long before Hot Coffee was a source of major controversy. Rockstar Games and, their parent company, Take-Two Interactive were hit with a slew of lawsuits and fines, including a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

3. Blizzard’s Hong Kong Controversy

To understand the 2019 Blizzard Hong Kong Controversy, we must first quickly explain the game Hearthstone, one of the company’s flagship titles. Hearthstone is a free-to-play digital collectible card game where players build decks composed of different creatures, spells, and abilities from the Warcraft universe. The game became so popular that many skilled players have gone pro, even showcasing their prowess on highly touted tournament livestreams. 

This leads us to the aforementioned controversy that began when a professional Hearthstone player, Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai, used said platform to signal-boost the Hong Kong protests. Blitzchung opted to wear a gas mask, a symbol of the then-ongoing protests, and shout a slogan calling for Hong Kong’s liberation during a post-match interview. This resulted in Blizzard banning Blitzchung from competitive play for a full year and revoking his prize money.

This decision kicked off an influx of outrage from fans, fellow pro players, and human rights organizations around the world. Many were incensed that Blizzard would punish a player so harshly, simply to appease the often stringent Chinese government. Blizzard soon had fans boycotting all of their game titles, as well as their employees staging walkouts and protests within their offices. Eventually, Blizzard relented and reversed the ban they’d placed on Blitzchng, even returning his prize money as well. 

2. Bethesda’s Fallout 76 Launch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9FGaan35s0

It’s a bit hard to properly summarize just how passionate Fallout fans are about the still-ongoing post-apocalyptic game series. From its retrofuturistic style to its extremely immersive gameplay, when there is some new brewing in the Fallout universe people’s expectations are usually pretty high. So, when Fallout 76 was announced, especially following the success of Fallout 4, the anticipation train was right on track. 

So, when the game finally arrived in November 2018, you can imagine fans’ disappointment when they discovered the subpar quality of the released game. While bugs on a game’s initial launch day are to be expected, players dealt with a staggering amount of bugs, glitches, and performance issues that hindered gameplay. These issues included server instability, frequent crashes, graphics issues, and even side-missions that were broken or just flat-out unfinishable. Additionally, the game itself was just devoid of any real substance, especially compared to prior Fallout games, lacking meaningful quests, NPCs, or storylines.

In response, Bethesda, the game’s publisher, had no choice but to issue an apology, as well as address the technical issues with a series of patches and updates. Regardless of where the Fallout series goes next, this entry will likely always be regarded as its lowest point. 

1. GamerGate

Dread it, run from it, GameGate arrives all the same. Given the subject matter of this list, it was only a matter of time before we discussed one of gaming’s most volatile periods. Several years on, people are still analyzing and unpacking GameGate, the problematic online movement wherein female game developers and players were hit with targeted abuse and harassment. 

The whole thing was spurred on by allegations surrounding Zoe Quinn, a female indie game developer. It was rumored that Quinn had engaged in a romantic relationship with a gaming journalist for positive coverage of her game. Despite these claims being largely baseless, many gamers believed it and went to work on attacking Quinn online and defaming her character. From there, the whole situation only got worse, with more developers and journalists, including Anita Sarkeesian and Brianna Wu, finding themselves the target of harassment campaigns. This harassment even escalated beyond hateful online comments with reported incidents including threats of violence, and even public doxxings of private information. 

The whole thing served to highlight many of the deep-seated issues within gaming culture, including sexism, racism, and homophobia. Even now, people are still unpacking the shameful fallout of GameGate and how gaming culture can move forward and improve.

Bobbleheads may be small in stature, but for many, they are a very big deal. Often made in the image of a popular player and given away by professional sport teams, Bobbleheads are everywhere. They even have their very own museum.

There are Bobbleheads made in the likeness of Supreme Court Justices, Presidents, and, yes, even the Pope has one.

Mostly, these goofy plastic statuettes are meant for fun – stick one on your car’s dashboard and watch its head bobble as you drive.

But, there have been some Bobbleheads that have been anything but fun. These Bobbleheads have stood at the centre of controversy and have led to heated debate, great shame and, in one case, actual physical injury.

10 Einstein Gets Too Close To Marie Curie

Marie Curie won 2 Nobel Prizes. She won one, in 1903, with her husband Pierre and one on her own in 1911. Together, they discovered a new chemical element they named polonium. The Curies work was instrumental in the development of X-rays. Marie Curie went on to become the first female teacher at the Sorbonne – France’s internationally celebrated university.^[1]

All of those achievements were briefly put aside by host Joe Hanson on an episode of his PBS web series, “It’s Okay To Be Smart.”

The offending segment was part of an imagined Thanksgiving dinner between Einstein, Curie and a few other famous scientists – all represented by their respective Bobbleheads.

At one point, Hanson has the Einstein Bobblehead ask the Marie Curie Bobblehead to, “wear him like a Parka.” Then, later, the Einstein Bobblehead appears naked. Finally, Hanson puts the naked Einstein Bobblehead on top of the Marie Curie Bobblehead.

Not surprisingly, there was negative feedback. Initially, Hanson tried to defend his segment saying that he was trying to show, “the dark reality that many men in his time acted inappropriately toward women.”

PBS also came to his defense – even passively mocking those who were outraged – by stating, “NOTE: Some people were offended by the scenes involving Marie Curie and Albert Einstein. We apologize for our comedic error.”

Eventually, though, PBS took down the video and Hanson apologized, saying, “We failed in using satire to shine some light on the problem of women’s under-representation in science.” He added, “Harassment is real and unacceptable — I never meant for my work to indicate anything other than that.”

The web series survived the controversy and completed its 7th season in August of 2019.^[2]

9 Blackface Bobblehead

Blackface – where a white performer darkened their face and depicted African-Americans in insulting ways – became popular in the mid 1800s as part of Minstrel shows. These white performers would act stupid and lazy to the delight of their white audiences. The black make-up would often cover the whole face of the white performer, except for the area around their mouth – that was covered with bright white clown’s make-up.^[3]

Apparently, bobblehead artists are not history buffs, because when it came time to make one to celebrate the beloved Afro-Latino Boston Red Sox player, David Ortiz, the small figurine was given white lips.

The David Ortiz Bobblehead giveaway – meant to celebrate the player’s moving tribute to the city in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing – was cancelled by Red Sox President Sam Kennedy just 5 hours before game time.

“I personally thought it seemed to be an offensive portrayal of him and the facial features were racially insensitive, ” said Kennedy.

Ortiz, himself, didn’t think the bobblehead looked anything like him, “That’s supposed to be me?” Then he seconded the club’s decision to trash the bobbleheads with language the newspaper could not print.

BDA Inc., the company that made the bobblehead, agreed with the Red Sox decision, saying, “We value our decades-long relationship with the Red Sox organization and its decision to postpone Tuesday’s David Ortiz bobblehead giveaway. We’re currently working closely with the Red Sox to ensure the team and its fans receive a quality product.”

In total, 15,000 of the offensive bobbleheads were made – and later returned – for the special night.^[4]

8John Wilkes Booth Bobblehead

United States Republican President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at the Ford Theatre on the night of April 14, 1865. He was killed by John Wilkes Booth, who shot him in the head with a pistol at very close range. The bullet entered Lincoln’s left ear and settled behind his right eye. Paralysed and close to death, he was taken to a boarding house across from the theatre. He passed away 9 hours later.

In 2012, the bookstore at The Gettysburg National Military Park’s visitors center started selling a John Wilkes Booth bobblehead – complete with drawn gun. Visitors to the location of the famous Civil War battle and equally famous Lincoln address, and a major Lincoln scholar complained. A week later, the bobblehead was pulled from shelves.

Dru Anne Neil, the spokeswoman for the Gettysburg Foundation, acknowledged that the bobblehead had triggered some concern.^[5]

Bobblehead sculptor, Rick Lynn, felt his intentions were misunderstood, “I use these bobbleheads as teaching tools,” he said. ‘It’s hard to get young people interested in history. But if you make an interactive figure, it becomes tactile and more accessible for them.”

Harold Hozer, prominent Lincoln scholar, objected to the plastic figurine,”‘There’s a line between freedom of expression and insensitivity and boorishness,’ he said, in an email. “I hold no belief for censorship, but I do believe in common sense, respect, and good taste. And these souvenirs featured none of the above.”

7Obama Bobblehead In Bottle Of Urine

In 2011, Glenn Beck was a mostly loathed political TV show host. That may be why his Fox News Channel show ended, in that same year, even though he predictably delivered a steady diet of Anti-Obama content.^[6]

Shortly after his Fox News show signed off for good, Beck got all tangled up in one doozy of a crazy controversy. It involved a bobblehead Obama and whether or not it was submerged in a bottle of Beck’s own urine.

It was up on eBay and, apparently, while a lot of people got very pissy about it, others were willing to part with $11,000 to get their hands on it. But, eBay took it down – urine or no urine – stating in their notification sent to Beck, “We do not allow bodily fluids to be listed on our site. Even if the liquid in the jar is not urine, you are describing it as such.”^[7]

6Bobblehead Gift A No-No For Politicians

Lou Gehrig was a legendary New York Yankee baseball player known for playing in an astounding 2,130 consecutive games.

His streak ended abruptly when he couldn’t play due to a mysterious neuromuscular disease that was slowly ravaging his body. Today we know that disease by the name ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). It is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He died in 1941.^[8]

Back in 2015, Lou Gehrig made the news again – this time in the form of a bobblehead. It all started when the ALS Association gave Lou Gehrig bobbleheads to Albany lawmakers. They were forced to give them back because the bobbleheads were considered a violation of the Legislature’s gift ban.

Lisa Reid, executive director of the Legislative Ethics Commission put it this way, “There was concern that it could be seen as a violation of the public officers law.”

The concern expressed had to do with a letter the ALS Association sent along with the bobbleheads. In it, it mentioned that the ALS Association was seeking a grant of $250,000. It also didn’t help that the bobbleheads arrived just as Albany lawmakers were negotiating ethics reform.

Democratic Senator George Latimer was okay giving back the bobbleheads, but expressed the silliness of the moment succinctly, saying, “The real question is how do you compare this with something like a campaign donation in which you could receive in theory $10,000 from an interest group. That is worth a lot more than a bobblehead doll.”^[9]

5Pitchwoman Dumped For Bobblehead Look-A-Like

Being the face of a popular product can be very lucrative.^[10]

It was for Phoebe Jonas, who regularly appeared in ads for Bayer’s Phillip’s products until they replaced her with a bobblehead. Not only that but Jonas claims the bobblehead looks just like her.

She filed a claim in New York State Supreme Court suing Bayer for $500,000 in damages. She wanted them to stop using the look-a-like bobblehead, which she claimed was used to, “avoid renegotiating the right to continue to use [Jonas’] likeness.” She also accused the company of using her in ads beyond the time her contract expired.

The two parties managed to work out a deal regarding the use of Jonas in ads after the contract ran out. However, Jonas’ bobblehead twin was still bobbing its head for Bayer in Phillip’s product commercials.

VP and head of external communications for Bayer, Chris Loder, didn’t mince words responding to the claim, “The allegations contained in this complaint are baseless.”

Jonas’ lawyer, Steven Mintz, showed he had not lost his sense of humor when he shot back at Bayer, saying they chose to, “create a big headache for everyone.”^[11]

4 Coach Bobblehead Shooting Range Target

Lane Kiffin caused quite a stir when he left his football coaching job at the University of Tennessee for one at USC. Police had to be called in to control an angry crowd of fans who started turning up outside the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center – where the University of Tennessee football team plays.^[12]

Tennessee Gun shop owner, Brant Williams came up with a different way to show how angry he was with Kiffin – organizing a shoot-em-up fund-raiser for a food bank. For $5 bucks, pissed off fans would get a chance to blow to smithereens bobblehead representations of Kiffin and his father, Monte – University of Tennessee’s defensive coordinator.

This proved to be a particularly ill timed event. A few days prior, Gabrielle Giffords was shot while holding a meet-and-greet outside of a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona.

The event started to collapse when the food bank, Second Harvest, who planned to benefit from the fund-raiser, pulled out. They had received dozens of irate phone calls and emails. Regardless, Williams was defiant, saying, “People won’t leave the event wanting to shoot Kiffin.”

It was only after members of the Knoxville Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church – itself the victim of a shooting by a lone gunman in 2008 – reached out to Williams. “I was impressed with how much this seemed to be hurting them,” he said, adding, “Their pain and remembrance of what they went through caused me to back off my stance.”^[13]

3Indian Killer Bobblehead

In 1697, Abenaki Native Americans kidnapped a woman named Hannah Duston, her infant daughter and her nursemaid. While traveling north from Duston’s home in Haverhill, Massachusetts the Abenakis killed Hannah’s young child. They ended up stopping in Boscawen, New Hampshire for the night. As the Abenaki families slept, Hannah and her companions murdered 10 Abenakis – including 6 children. Duston and her friends then scalped each victim before returning home.^[14]

The New Hampshire Historical Society decided to commemorate this grisly historical moment with a Hannah Duston bobblehead – complete with hatchet.

The controversy was complicated by a second bobblehead the NHHS made of Chief Passaconaway. He actively encouraged his people to live in peace with English settlers when they started turning up in New Hampshire in the 1600s. He had also been dead for more than 30 years when the deadly encounter between Duston and the Abenaki Indians took place.

Within weeks of the dolls being put on sale, one employee quit and another refused to sell or touch the offending hatchet wielding bobblehead.

Historian for the state’s Intertribal Council, David Stewart-Smith, was frustrated, saying, “To have the New Hampshire Historical Society come out with a caricature of an Indian after all these years of us working on this issue … is just staggering.”

Bill Veillette, executive director of the NHHS, countered, saying, “If (the society) gets scared of every little criticism that comes at us, we’ll crawl under the rock and do nothing.” He went on, adding, “We’ll become the most boring place in the world. We’ll reinforce the notion that history is like religion and politics: You don’t talk about it in polite company because you don’t know who will offend.”^[15]

2 Bobbleheads Scrapped By Sexual Assault Allegations

Legendary baseball player Pete Rose is Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader. You would think that alone would qualify him for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, he is not in the BHOF because he bet on baseball. Not only is he not in the BHOF, but, in 1989, he was suspended from the game for life.^[16]

Regardless, in 2017, the Philadelphia Phillies wanted to honor Rose by holding a Pete Rose Bobblehead giveaway day. They immediately ran into trouble – not because of the gambling – but, because a woman accused Rose of having sex with her when she was a minor.

The Jane Doe court filing claimed that Rose started having sex with the girl in 1973 when she was only 14 or 15. She also claimed that the relationship went on for several years.

Rose’s lawyer countered by saying that the woman’s allegation was unverified.

The Phillies were going to give away 35,000 bobbleheads and induct Rose into their Wall of Fame. Not surprisingly, everything was cancelled once the allegations surfaced. The Phillies then made plans to destroy all 35,000 bobbleheads.^[17]

1 Fan Hits Goalie With Bobblehead

Back in 2011, Major League Soccer team Sporting Kansas City had a Bobblehead giveaway day for Omar Bravo.

During their match against the Portland Timbers that night, one fan threw their Omar Bravo Bobblehead into the field of play and struck Sporting Kansas City goalie Jimmy Nielsen in the face.

How much damage could a small piece of plastic make? Nielsen lay on the field for 4 minutes being tended to by a trainer. He received cuts around his eyes.^[18]

Nielsen became disoriented, “I did not see it coming.” He added, “First I thought I walked into the post, then I realized I was a long way from the post.” Immediately after being struck, he had a,”…crazy headache…” and had to lie down for a while.

Security nabbed the bobblehead bombers soon after, “Two people from the same group in the third row both threw the head of bobbleheads, one of which struck Nielsen,” SKC’s VP of communications said, adding, “Both were apprehended, both will be prosecuted.”

In the end, SKC won the game 3-1, which made all the drama worthwhile for Nielsen, “The victory helped.”^[19]

In the ever-changing world of technology, TikTok is the latest social media phenomenon. Since its global launch in 2017, the Chinese video sharing app has gained 1.5 billion downloads, rapidly becoming one of the most popular platforms in the world.

Although still in its infancy, TikTok (named Douyin in China) was listed as the seventh most popular app of the last decade. Users, particularly young people, have flocked to the app to share clips of them dancing, lip-synching and performing short skits.^[1] Like it or loathe it, there is no denying its vast global appeal.

But TikTok’s short history has been mired with controversy. A British inquiry raised concerns about poor data safeguarding. Popstar Lizzo has criticized it for promoting fat-shaming. And as tensions rise between China and the US, President Trump has threatened to ban the app. But Mr Trump is by no means the first to find fault with this contentious new app. Here are ten of TikTok’s most controversial moments.

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10 Erasing the poor and disabled

Have you ever wondered why every social media star looks gorgeous, successful, and ridiculously rich? It turns out some apps are suppressing content from poor, unattractive, or disabled users in order to make their platforms seem more aspirational.

Internal documents recently published by The Intercept, a US-based news site, have revealed how TikTok moderators censor posts based on how attractive they judge users to be. Anyone with an “abnormal body shape” such as dwarfism or obesity, “too many wrinkles” or “ugly facial looks or facial deformities” is automatically struck off from the ‘For You’ section of the app. Likewise, videos filmed in “slums” and “dilapidated housing” are barred from the feed, including anywhere with cracks on the wall or shabby decorations.

A spokesman for the Chinese company claimed the strict guidelines are enforced to prevent bullying. However there is not a single mention of bullying in any of the published documents, and TikTok has used same excuse previously to deflect accusations of discrimination against gays. Instead it seems they discriminate against the poor and disabled due to a lack of popularity. As it says in the guidelines: “if the character’s appearance or the shooting environment is not good, the video will be much less attractive,” therefore they do not consider them worthwhile recommending to new users.^[2]

9 Randonauting to a dead body

To most of us the term “randonauting” probably sounds like double Dutch, but the viral TikTok trend has become enormously popular during quarantine. A random number generator called Randonautica provides players with a set of nearby coordinates to travel to and investigate, where it claims they can discover “synchronicities” and “coincidences” outside of their typical experience.

Launched at the start of 2020, randonauting has flourished under social distancing; the #randonautica hashtag on TikTok currently boasts over 700 million views. For many, randonauting has provided some much-needed relief from the chaos of the pandemic. But one group of randonauters had a much more disturbing experience when their adventure was cut short by a macabre discovery.

In June 2020, a group of teenagers in Seattle decided to spend the afternoon randonauting. After driving out to a nearby beach, they stumbled across a suitcase that the tide had washed up. The randonauters decided to open the bag, hoping it might contain money, but after the stench subsided they found something very different stuffed inside: human remains.^[3]

After arriving at the scene, the police discovered a second bag of remains in the water. The deceased were identified as a young couple: Jessica Lewis, 35, and Austin Wenner, 27. Both died of gunshot wounds. The couple’s landlord, Michael Lee Dudley, 62, has been charged with two counts of second degree murder and is awaiting trial. The motive for the crime is currently unknown.^[4]

TikTok user @UghHenry later uploaded footage of their discovery, receiving tens of millions of views, although it has since been made private. “The moment I got back home, I broke down,” he told followers, “I still can’t sleep.”

8 Weaponizing social media in international warfare

In military disputes anything can be used as a weapon, and that includes social media. Indian authorities are using a ban on TikTok to exert pressure on the Chinese government. China and India are currently at loggerheads. In June 2020 the Chinese military killed twenty Indian soldiers on the Himilayan border. India’s Ministry of Information Technology responded by banning 59 Chinese phone apps, including TikTok, claiming the apps pose a threat to the country’s privacy and data security.

Indian authorities have called on internet service providers to stop anyone in the country from accessing the blocked apps. App stores have been asked to suspend all updates and downloads for TikTok, WeChat and the other blacklisted services.

The actions of the Indian government are expected to deal a serious blow to China’s rapidly expanding technology sector. Internet usage in India is colossal; Indians make up over a third of internet users worldwide. On top of that, India is the most popular country for downloading TikTok, with over 600 million downloads, higher than the US or China. This huge base of users will have to find new platforms for communicating and socializing.^[5]

China has come under harsh criticism for its own internet restrictions. Its government are accused of blocking various foreign news sites and monitoring its citizens. Now, in a strange new twist, Indian authorities are using similar methods to restrict access to a number of Chinese apps. They claim these platforms threaten the country’s sovereignty, but their actions are cutting off millions of users from some of the India’s most popular apps. The jury remains out on whether censorship really is the solution for tackling hostile foreign powers and untrustworthy tech giants.

7 Egyptian women jailed for “inciting debauchery”

In most countries if you tell someone that you work as a “social media influencer” the worst you can expect is a roll of the eyes and a few snarky comments about “entitlement” and “getting a real job”. Admit to it in Egypt and you could find yourself with a two year prison sentence. That is what happened to five young women who in July 2020 were sentenced by Egyptian authorities for uploading “indecent videos” to TikTok.

Influencers Mawada al-Adham and Haneen Hossam leapt to fame on TikTok for their lip sync and dance videos, both gaining millions of followers. But in April 2020 Hossam was arrested after she posted a video explaining how women could earn money talking to strangers on the app Likee. She was accused of inciting debauchery and human trafficking. al-Adham was arrested shortly after, along with three other women who have not been named.

The social media stars have been prosecuted for “violating family values and principles and establishing and running online accounts to commit this crime.” On top of their prison sentences, they were each fined 300,000 Egyptian pounds ($19,000).^[6]

6 Use of unlicensed music

TikTok is reshaping the way we listen to music. Songs like Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ and Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Savage’ have been propelled to global acclaim after finding fame on the app. Budding musicians are now trying to mirror that success by creating the next viral pop sensation. But not everyone in the music industry is smitten with this innovative new platform.

In April 2020, the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) threatened to take TikTok to court for copyright infringement. Universal Music (part of NMPA) had been in talks with the Chinese company since early 2019. But, after a year of negotiation, they had failed to reach an agreement. This meant Universal songwriters like Billie Eilish or Taylor Swift were unable to receive royalties when their music was used in TikTok videos. One spokesperson called it a “blatant infringement … something that is rarely seen at this scale by a large multinational company.”^[7]

But later in July, when a lawsuit seemed almost inevitable, TikTok finally struck a deal with the NMPA. Now, when a piece of music crops up in a video, you can be sure the songwriter is being paid their dues.^[8]

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5 Body shaming—Lizzo steps in

Despite years of campaigns and complaints, “body shaming” lives on. Almost every beauty magazine, TV sitcom and social media app on the planet has fallen foul of it. Now TikTok is the latest platform to be accused of mistreating its users based on the way they look.

In March 2020, popstar Lizzo posted several videos of herself in swimwear to the app. They were swiftly taken down. As an overweight black musician, Lizzo is no stranger her appearance being criticized. The Michigan-born popstar quickly struck back, pointing out the hypocrisy that her videos were deleted when similar content from slimmer models is allowed. “TikTok keeps taking down my videos with me in my bathing suits,” she explained to her followers, “but allows other videos with girls in bathing suits. I wonder why? TikTok … we need to talk.”

TikTok claimed that the videos were removed due to confusion around the rules on “sexual gratification”. They were later reinstated in full.^[9]

4 Australian government threatens to ban it

Some world leaders just need to learn to take a joke. In late 2019, while Australia was being wrecked by bushfires, young people down under used TikTok to air their contempt for Prime Minister Scott Morrison. During the peak of the crisis, Morrison decided to take his family on a six-day holiday to Hawaii. In that time two firefighters died trying to keep the blazes under control.

Understandably, Morrison soon became a figure of ridicule on Australian social media, and the TikTok memes went through the roof. One video mocking the PM to the tune of Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’ gained over 120,000 views in less than a week. Another using September’s 2006 europop hit ‘Cry For You’, which features the lyrics “you’ll never see me again”, was viewed almost 220,000 times. In total the app’s #scomo hashtag had received more than a million views by the time Morrison returned to work.^[10]

Months after his viral infamy, Morrison declared that the Australian government were launching an investigation into TikTok. The PM announced that intelligence agencies would scrutinize the app “very closely” to find out if it threatened the country’s data security. A number of MPs called on Morrison to ban it altogether. Following the investigation, it was decided that TikTok did not compromise Australian security and that it would be allowed to stay up and running.^[11] Looks like he took all those incompetency memes on the chin after all.

3 Stolen content from TikTok reposted on Zynn

In May 2020 a new social media app by the name of Zynn sprung from out of nowhere to the top of the app store charts. The millions of people who downloaded Zynn found an app fit to burst with short videos and skits. Some users were even getting paid to watch certain clips and recommend the app to their friends. The only issue: a significant amount of the content on Zynn is stolen, plagiarised from other platforms and reposted without consent.

TikTok megastars Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae were among those to have their videos pirated. Others found their entire accounts had been stolen by imposters trying to pass themselves off as authentic internet celebrities. Many creators are perplexed about how videos from their TikTok and Instagram accounts have found their way onto the strange platform.

This kind of fraudulent behavior is nothing new online. Whenever a new social media app crops up people often rush to snap up celebrity usernames and repost stolen content. The suspicious thing about Zynn is that the plagiarized videos date back to February 2020, three months before the app was made publicly available. Zynn have vowed to look into the issue and take action against stolen content. The app also has been accused by several critics of being a pyramid scheme, something its Chinese creators fervently deny.^[12]

2 Data collection allegations

TikTok has come under widespread scrutiny for its collection and safeguarding of data. President Trump asserted on a number of occasions that it poses a major risk to US national security. Wells Fargo, the Californian bank, has instructed all employees to delete it from their phones. British authorities have become so concerned they have decided to hold an inquiry into the app’s data protection protocols for young users.

Western authorities seem to be constantly painting TikTok as a menacing data-hungry e-villain, but is this really the case? No, say the tech experts. While there are definite issues with the app’s handling of data privacy, those issues are in no way unique. It is standard practice for mobile apps to collect and analyze vast amounts of personal information, particularly by monitoring their users’ locations. Most apps on your phone are selling your personal data to third party buyers on a regular basis. It is hugely intrusive, and a little unsettling, but that is the nature of the technology business.

As US-China relationships become increasingly strained, it is understandable for the US government to be uneasy about growing Chinese influence. Secretary of State Mike Pomeo has voiced his concern that, under China’s cybersecurity laws, the Chinese government have the authority to demand users’ data from TikTok. But TikTok claims his worries are misplaced. “We have never provided user data to the Chinese government,” said a spokesperson for the app, “nor would we do so if asked.” Furthermore, there is no evidence that anyone from the Chinese Communist Party has tried to acquire user information from TikTok, or that the company would be forced to oblige.^[13]

1 Blocking user for calling attention to Communist Concentration Camps

The treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, China has divided and outraged people the world over. Chinese authorities are accused of imprisoning over a million Muslims in concentration camps, designed to brainwash and strip them of their religious identity. Beijing argues that the camps are voluntary re-education centers that help prevent the spread of terrorism. They claim Western governments and media are deliberately misrepresenting the situation.

In 2019, a US teenager uploaded a series of videos to TikTok to bring attention to events in Xinjiang, which she describes as “another Holocaust”. Seventeen year old Feroza Aziz framed her videos as makeup tutorials, teaching viewers how to get long eyelashes. But only seconds in she asks viewers to drop their curlers and instead use their phone “to search up what’s happening in China, how they’re getting concentration camps, throwing innocent Muslims in there, separating families from each other, kidnapping them, murdering them, raping them, forcing them to eat pork, forcing them to drink, forcing them to convert.” The clips have been watched over a million times, and widely shared across Twitter and Instagram.

Feroza Aziz, an Afghan-American from New Jersey, told followers that she had to disguise her videos to avoid them being removed by TikTok. Despite her efforts, the platform suspended Aziz’s account in November 2019.^[14] They later apologized, claiming there had been a “human moderation error” and that her videos did not breach security guidelines.

TikTok has come under attack for judging videos in line with the views of the Chinese government. According to a leaked moderation guide, “highly controversial topics” are banned by the app, “such as separatism, religion sects conflicts, conflicts between ethnic groups, for instance exaggerating the Islamic sects conflicts.” TikTok is also accused of censoring content related to Tibetan independence, Falun Gong and Tiananmen Square.^[15]

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Although it is just over 20 years old, the Stanley Kubrick film, Eyes Wide Shut remains one of the most controversial movies ever made. And not so much for any particular scene, but rather due to the overriding plot which, at least to some, makes some rather heavy hints of the reality of The Illuminati and the secret rituals they are involved with. And while most have dismissed most of the claims of what the film is “really saying” as conspiracy nonsense, in light of the recent Jeffrey Epstein case, some are starting to look again at what Kubrick might have been trying to tell us in his final movie.

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10 Stanley Kubrick’s Sudden Death

Perhaps the conspiracies surrounding Eyes Wide Shut began when the maker of the film, Stanley Kubrick, died only days after the first viewing of it. The official cause of death was from a heart attack. However, as we might imagine, there were many who believed his death was far from natural.

Given the subject matter, a popular conspiracy theory soon took hold that elite members of Hollywood had arranged to have the world-famous director killed. And of course, in true conspiracy style, this murder would have to look like anything but. In this case, the most popular claim is that a heart attack was intentionally induced in Kubrick. There is, however, no evidence to support these claims. And as easy as they might be to subscribe to, we must treat them for what they are.

So why would someone wish to bump off Kubrick? Well that is subject of our next point.^[1]

9 Allegations Of Cut Scenes From The Finished Film

The main conspiracy as to why some people believe Kubrick was murdered revolves around a “damage limitation” mission ordered by elite financial backers in Hollywood. It is the belief of some that upon seeing Kubrick’s film at the first viewing they decided much of the content had to be cut away. Not confident that Kubrick would agree (he was known very much for his determination in such matters) and consequently fearing a surge of publicity from any fallout, a decision was taken to remove Kubrick from the picture permanently.

Once this had happened, the movie could be trimmed down and tempered somewhat. Once more, we should mention that there is no evidence for this. And while the movie was completed in terms of editing and such after Kubrick’s death, it is maintained that nothing significant was removed. Although, if there was a cover-up over such a matter, then that is exactly what the powers that be would say.^[2]

8 Hints Of Illuminati Activity

OK, so why exactly is the content of the film so controversial. Ultimately it is because it appears to lean heavily on many of the Illuminati and secret society conspiracies that have been around for decades. Perhaps the main drive of these is that such secret societies use “mind-controlled sex slaves” for their rituals. In some cases, with “high class sex slaves”, they are also used to pass top-secret information between world leaders and high-ranking members. We will come back to some of the alleged specific symbols used to convey this message a little later.

Essentially, the movie suggests that those on the inside of these secret societies control anything from the police to the media. And because of this, anyone who presents problems or becomes of no further use, can be made to disappear with no questions asked. Almost any of the conspiracies that surround the Illuminati can be found in Eyes Wide Shut leading many to question just how real these claims might be. And when we move on to our next point, that blurring of fiction and reality increases.^[3]

7 The Depiction Of The Rothschild Party

One of the main parts of the film revolves around a secret party at a lavish mansion. And it looks almost exactly like the mansion owned by Baron Guy and Baroness Marie-Helene de Rothschild, the Chateau de Ferrieres. What’s more, the mansion was subject to a mysterious masked party hosted by the owners in 1972, photographs of which have since been leaked online.

It certainly appears a morose affair. Aside from the very strange masks people are wearing – ranging from animal heads to pretend cages – there are dismembered dolls and other broken children’s toys purposely scattered around on the tables. Some tables even feature naked mannequins as if laid in a coffin with food served on top of it.

It is even claimed that invites to this “surrealist ball” were sent with coded wording. Furthermore, the wording was written backwards so it could only be read in a mirror. Even stranger, as the guests arrived at the mansion, it was bathed in a deep red glow. This was to give it the appearance of being on fire.^[4]

6 Suggestions Of Mind Control

We mentioned mind control in an earlier point, and how the film appears to drop discreet messages of this throughout. Perhaps one of the main ways this is done is by the constant references to rainbows throughout the movie. It is claimed by some conspiracy researchers that rainbows are a reference to the MKUltra mind control techniques used by high-ranking elite members. And this is particularly the case when this is done to create sex slaves.

For example, a costume rental shop named Rainbow plays host to several scenes. Perhaps the best example, though, is when the main protagonist, Dr. Bill (played by Tom Cruise) finds his way inside the secret party. He lies to get inside (he is eventually found out) but is greeted upon his arrival by two “Monarch Presidential” models. They begin to lead Dr. Bill away from the hall, so he asks them where they are going.

To this, one of the girls replies they are going “where they rainbow ends”. Before Dr. Bill can respond, the second girl says to Dr. Bill “don’t you want to see where the rainbow ends?”^[5]

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5 Masonic Symbols Are Everywhere

As we might imagine, there are also numerous Masonic symbols and references within Eyes Wide Shut. And this happens right from the off. At the beginning of the film, for example, when we see Alice (played by Nicole Kidman) undressing ready for bed, she does so while standing in between two large pillars. It is claimed that these represent the Masonic pillars, Boaz and Jachin. There is also discreet appearances of the Star of Ishtar in the film, another strong Masonic symbol.

Perhaps one of the most obvious Masonic symbols can be seen in the scene where Dr. Bill has been discovered at the party and is standing in the main hall in front of the cult leader. This leader sits on a throne that contains a two-headed eagle on the back of it. The two-headed eagle is a primary emblem to the 33-degree Scottish Rite Freemasons, one of the most powerful Masonic organizations in the world.^[6]

4 Sex Slave Rituals

A great part of the film revolves around the idea that woman from all backgrounds of life have been somehow subjected to mind control programs. And the reason for this is mainly so they can be used as sex slaves at the society’s secret gatherings. We have already mentioned the rainbow aspect relating to mind control.

However, another clue can be found in the term often used in such scenarios – a scarlet woman. Several of the main characters that surround Dr. Bill all have scarlet hair. And this might be pure coincidence. However, even the most skeptical person should at least raise an eyebrow at this. Furthermore, and much more harrowing, Dr. Bill’s own daughter has scarlet hair. This is an apparent reflection of the claims that many of the woman who find themselves trapped in these situations – if we believe the claims to be anywhere near true – are often programed and groomed from being young children.^[7]

3 Hints At Murders Disguised As “Overdoses” Or Suicides

Toward the end of the film, one of the prostitutes who was at the party (seemingly as a mind-controlled sex slave) is discovered dead. It is reported in the media that she died of a drugs overdose. However, in a later scene, it is revealed to Dr. Bill that the high-ranking members of the secret society control all of the media, and even the police. Anybody at all, in fact, who might cause a problem with their activities.

Furthermore, while it is not said outright, it is heavily implied that she was murdered, and her death made to look like an overdose.

As outlandish as the above might sound, it is a scenario that has been discussed in conspiracy circles for decades. And not exclusively for unfortunate woman who might find themselves mixed up with such organizations. Many researchers – even (relatively) serious minded ones – have made various claims of politicians dying in strange and suspicious circumstances, for example.^[8]

2 What Is It Called Eyes Wide Shut?

The reason the film is called Eyes Wide Shut, at least according to some researchers, is a blatant reference to Hollywood and the number of people who (allegedly) know this kind of activity is taking place yet do not say anything about it. And, like the conspiracies of the alleged Illuminati, such talk has been rife in Hollywood for years. And while some people have spoken out, they are usually left as lone wolfs with no one willing to corroborate their accounts.

While most dismiss such rumors as exactly that, it appears that in recent years there certainly appears to be certain parts of the film and television industry that appear a little suspect. That is not to say that activities are taking place as some conspiracy theorists say they are. It does appear, though, that there might be more to uncover than most of us would like to admit.

When we consider our final point, that likelihood increases even more.^[9]

1 In Light Of The Epstein Allegations, What Should We Think?

Although the rumors were rampant for years when the revelations about the secret sex parties hosted by Jeffrey Epstein on his private island came to light recently, it caused many people to look again at such claims of secret societies made of high-ranking people. And that, at least for some, included another look at Eyes Wide Shut.

With what we know now of Epstein Island – and there is surely more to come to light – should we take some of the claims of the “real” messages of Eyes Wide Shut a little more seriously? Might, as some researchers will tell you, the Epstein case simply be the tip of the iceberg? Might the happenings in Eyes Wide Shut be going on behind closed doors in real life? Right under our collective noses? And if they are, will we ever truly discover anything about them? To end on a cliché, only time will tell.^[10]

8 Conspiracy Theories That Refuse To Die

The world of professional wrestling is perhaps one of pop culture’s most intriguing and consistently befuddling mediums. A form of sports that has one foot in fiction and the other in reality, you’ll often hear a swath of insane stories surrounding the squared circle. 

From violent backstage incidents to intense legal proceedings outside of the ring (some of which are extremely fresh, and ongoing, so we will not be delving into those), pro wrestling has seen its fair share of controversies. The following entries will touch upon distressing topics such as sexual assault, suicide, and drug abuse, so reader discretion is advised.

10. Montreal Screwjob (1997)

The action we see every single week in the squared circle is predetermined but on rare occasions, it can become all too real. Our key players in this situation are then-current World Wrestling Federation Champion, Bret “The Hit Man” Hart,” and number one contender, “The Heartbreak Kid,” Shawn Michaels. Despite sharing impressive in-ring chemistry, the two did not get along very well, even coming to physical blows at one point.

By the end of 1997, due to the company’s inability to pay him a previously agreed amount, Bret intended to depart for World Championship Wrestling, the WWF’s main competition. Complicating matters was the fact that Bret could very very likely leave with the championship belt itself, even showing up on WCW television with it. So to avoid this potential PR disaster, Vince McMahon and writers Jim Cornette and Vince Russo hatched a devious plot. 

As their championship match at Survivor Series 1997 ended, Michaels hooked in the Sharpshooter, Hart’s own finishing move. Vince McMahon, revealing himself as the WWF’s chairman onscreen for the first time, ordered the bell to be rung, making Michaels the new champion! To this day it stands as one of the best examples of the staged world of pro-wrestling melding with real-life behind-the-scenes events. 

9. The Curtain Call (1996)

In the world of pro wrestling, you’ll often hear the word kayfabe passed around by everyone from the bookers to the workers. Simply put, the term is a catch-all, frequently used to describe the act of maintaining the magical and theatrical illusion that is the in-ring action. 

This proverbial fourth wall was heavily maintained in wrestling for many years, the audience mostly kept in a perpetual state of blissful ignorance. However, in 1996, one of the most infamous examples of kayfabe being shattered would occur in one of professional sports’ greatest arenas. In the mid-’90s, The Klik, a backstage group consisting of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall, had an absurd amount of sway and influence. 

However, things changed when Hall and Nash opted not to re-sign with WWF, instead jumping ship to WCW for more lucrative contracts. With their exit imminent, the quartet opted to throw caution to the wind and give their little posse a public send-off. After the conclusion of a live event at Madison Square Garden, all four men shared a prolonged hug in the middle of the ring. This confused many fans, as both Triple H and Nash were bad guys during this period, destroying any previous sense of kayfabe. 

8. Hulk Hogan’s Racial Slur Controversy (2015)

Whether it was beating the Iron Sheik in MSG or slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III, Hulkamania was the driving force of pro wrestling’s boom period. However, many fans will still opt to look back on those fond memories, while choosing to forget the Hulkster’s most infamous moment. In 2012, a sex tape filmed six years earlier, featuring Hulk Hogan and a woman named Heather Clem, leaked online causing a whole mess of issues. Snippets of this tape were then posted on Gawker, a celebrity news website, resulting in Bollea suing the site for posting what was his content.

However, his desire for legal justice may have made things worse as, eventually the tape’s entire transcript was made publicly available. This transcript included a moment when Hogan was ranting to Clem about his daughter being involved with a black man. During this pillow talk tirade, Hogan proceeded to use the n-word several times to describe him, much to the shock of many fans online. This revelation resulted in WWE temporarily parting ways with Hogan, going as far as to never show or mention him in video highlight packages. While Hogan has resumed infrequent appearances for the company, many fans to this day still would rather the Hulkster remain absent.

7. The Plane Ride from Hell (2002)

If ever there was a lethal combination, it would be already chaotic professional wrestlers and the presence of alcoholic beverages. There is no better example of this than the actions of several major WWE stars back in 2002 during an incident that’s now referred to as the Plane Ride from Hell. Following a tour and sell-out pay-per-view event in the United Kingdom, several key WWE stars were set to return home on a chartered flight.

Following their arrival, several of the present talents began overindulging in the plane’s open bar which is where the trouble began. Soon enough the talent began acting up, devolving into very meanspirited pranks, physical altercations, and sexual debauchery. This included a pull-apart fight between Brock Lesnar and “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig which almost ford open the plane’s emergency exit. Dustin Runnels AKA Goldust also opted to hop on the plane’s intercom and sing songs to Terri Runnels, his ex-wife who WWF also employed then. At the same time, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, known for his excessive alcohol indulgence, was busy exposing himself to the two flight attendants present on the flight. After returning to the United States, several talents were severely reprimanded while a few had their WWE contracts terminated. 

6. Fabulous Moolah Controversy (2018)

Regarding the history of women’s professional wrestling in the United States, the Fabulous Moolah is an integral figure of its early success. Starting her career in the 1940s, Moolah AKA Mary Lillian Ellison went on to become a multi-time Women’s World Champion. From the National Wrestling Alliance to the WWF, Moolah was widely regarded as one of the greats and frequently propped up as a celebrated figure.

However, following her death in 2007, the truth of who Moolah was behind the scenes emerged and the truth was disturbing. As the years have passed, many former female wrestlers have come forward with their own first and second-hand Moolah stories, all horrific in different ways. From Moolah pimping out unsuspecting young talent to stealing a significant percentage of her trainee’s money, it’s an eye-opening laundry list of misdeeds. Mad Maxine, a once-promising female star, went on record as calling Moolah an “evil person,” citing her money-making method of sending her trainees to be pimped out by a man in Arizona. 

What sparked a renewed interest in these allegations was WWE’s attempt in 2018 to brand a memorial battle royal after Moolah at that year’s WrestleMania. Snickers, a prominent sponsor for that year’s event, even threatened to pull out if the match wasn’t rebranded which it ultimately was. 

5. Jerry Lawler’s Legal Issues (1993)

In 1993, pro wrestler Jerry “The King ” Lawler found himself in immense legal trouble due to allegations of statutory rape. The accuser was, quite disturbingly, a 15-year-old girl who claimed that Lawler and she had been assaulted by Lawler in his hotel room. These accusations, and subsequent legal proceedings, led to Lawler being removed from WWF television ahead of the Survivor Series pay-per-view in 1993. 

Lawler completely denied all of the allegations, reaffirming his innocence throughout all of the legal proceedings. The case ultimately devolved into a deluge of “he said, she said,” with Lawler even writing a letter to his prosecutors to defame his accuser. The case went on until February 1994, when Lawler ended up copping a plea for harassing a witness, avoiding any serious legal ramifications. 

Although Lawler would avoid jail time and even ended up returning to the WWF in 1994, the damage was already done. To this day there are still a fair amount of fans who still aren’t comfortable seeing Lawler on television in any capacity. Despite the charges never being proven, the dark cloud of the allegations still follows Lawler, often resurfacing in online discussions from time to time. This includes the time that Lawler himself re-stoked the conversations by bizarrely retweeting an old newspaper clipping of his indictment.

4. The Steroid Scandal (1990s)

As recent events have more than shown us, Vince McMahon is no stranger to front-page news and negative publicity. However, this isn’t the only time that McMahon has found himself in trouble with the federal government. 

Back in the early-90s, ringside physician, Dr. George Zahorian, was indicted in 1991 for the illegal distribution of steroids to WWF talent. The subsequent investigations into steroid abuse within the locker rooms of the WWF resulted in what is now known as the Steroid Trials. These trials saw the United States Government bring no less than six changes against McMahon, though three would be thrown out before the trial began. 

On the stand was not only McMahon but also, the biggest wrestling draw of the early-90s, Terry Bollea AKA Hulk Hogan. Hogan, testifying under immunity from prosecution, said that McMahon had never once forced him to take any performance-enhancing substances, and any found in his system were for his own medical purposes. When the trial came to an end on July 23, 1994, McMahon was found not guilty by the jury due to a lack of sufficient evidence. Although he’d walk away a free man, the effect of the Steroid Trials on WWF (later WWE) would be felt for countless years after. 

3. Owen Hart’s Death (1999)

When it came to in-ring proficiency, back in the 1980s and 1990s, one needn’t look any further than Owen Hart. Whether it was fighting against his brother Bret or winning the Tag Team Titles with the British Bulldog, Owen was as dependable a worker as one could find. Not only was he an absolute technical wizard in the ring, but outside of the squared circle was was widely regarded as one of the business’s nicest people. 

Sadly, Owen’s career came to an end in tragic circumstances one fateful night in 1999 at a WWF pay-per-view ironically titled Over The Edge. At the time of the event, Owen was portraying a superhero character named the Blue Blazer, who’d make his entrance by soaring in on a zipline. Unfortunately, as Owen was set to make his aerial entrance for his match with Jeff Jarrett, tragedy struck. Due to what was later revealed to be a defective harness, Hart fell 78 feet into the ring, landing chest first on the top rope! Due to internal bleeding caused by the fall, Hart would be pronounced dead at 34 years old just a few minutes later. The fallout resulted in the Hart family suing the WWF for the lack of oversight regarding the safety of the stunt, eventually being paid 18 million dollars. 

2. The Death of Bruiser Brody (1998)

In the 1970s and 1980s, Bruiser Brody was one of pro wrestling’s most dangerous and destructive men, often leaving his opponents as bloodied, crumpled heaps. Brody, real name Frank Goodish, did much of his most memorable work in Japan and the shores of Puerto Rico, two territories known for their pervasive bloodlust. 

Due to his aggressive in-ring style and “My way or the highway” attitude backstage, Brody made just as many enemies as he did allies. One such enemy was wrestler and booker, José Huertas González, AKA Invader #2, a popular masked star in Puerto Rico. These real-life issues reached a fever pitch when Brody was set to take a position of power in Puerto Rico’s World Wrestling Council, likely putting González out of a job. 

On the night of July 16, 1988, while sitting in the locker room, González requested that Brody step into the shower area for a quick chat. A few short moments later, fellow wrestler Tony Atlas rushed in to see Brody lurched over, bleeding profusely, with a crazed González holding a bloody knife! Despite the best efforts of the nearby hospital, Brody was later pronounced dead with González claiming he’d acted in self-defense. These shady and tragic circumstances have only added to Brody’s mythical outlaw status, further propelling him into legendary status within wrestling history. 

1. The Chris Benoit Tragedy (2007)

When wrestling fans hear the name Chris Benoit, they’ll recall his stellar in-ring career, but more than likely they’ll be focused on the disturbing final days of his life. En route to WWE’s Night of Champions event in 2007, Benoit had sent some rather distressing text messages to a fellow talent, Chavo Guerrero. The texts, noting the location of his dogs in his home and punctuated with the words “I love you,” were more than a little concerning. 

Following Benoit’s no-showing of the pay-per-view, WWE opted to call the police precinct closest to Benoit’s home and ask for a wellness check. The police arrived and, after seeing Benoit’s neighbor flee the home in horror, quickly entered and were met with a nightmare. As they searched the house, they soon found both Chris’s wife, Nancy, and his son, Daniel, dead. Then, upon entering Benoit’s home gym, they discovered the 40-year-old wrestler hanging dead from one of his workout machines. 

The horrific scene was later declared a murder-suicide, with Benoit having killed his family before taking his own life. WWE, not knowing these details until after that following Monday, still went ahead with a tribute episode for the late Benoit. This episode has never been re-aired and, to this day, WWE has seen fit never to mention Benoit or his past accomplishments in any form. 

How often do you think about the books that you read? For many, you likely pick up a book, enjoy yourself, and then put it down, likely only revisiting it when it comes up in conversation. However, this would be doing a great disservice to the often controversial world of publishing and the backstories of countless books. Whether the book was loaded with lies or its contents led to a massive backlash, these are some noteworthy publishing controversies you should be aware of. 

10. James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces

When James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces hit bookshelves in April 2003, nobody could’ve predicted the explosive controversy it would spark. Upon first glance, the book purported itself as James Frey’s memoir, focusing on his struggles with addiction, as well as his tenure in a twelve-step rehabilitation center.

The book’s first major claim to fame was being picked as an Oprah’s Book Club selection, a definite sign of mainstream popularity. This ended up propelling it to the top of Amazon.com and The New York Times Best Seller list for fifteen weeks. Unfortunately, its other claim to fame is far from positive and it’s the reason it’s earned a spot on this list. The Smoking Gun, a website focused on legal documents and arrest records, published a piece titled A Million Little Lies, listing the book’s litany of falsities and lies.

Eventually, the genie was out of the bottle and the truth behind Frey’s book was revealed, that he’d exaggerated or completely fabricated the events described within. Soon enough Frey’s lies were exposed, resulting in Doubleday and Anchor Books, the book’s publishers, needing to release public statements. This revelation certainly touched a nerve for many, including celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain who said, “As a former addict, I found this fake redemption memoir to be morally repugnant.”

9. Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses

Published in 1988, Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses was a fantastical look at the life of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. Much like his previous books, Rushdie utilizes magical realism, a realistic story with fictitious elements, as well as real figures and events to convey his narrative. The plot centers around the lives of two Indian expatriates, people who live outside their native country, all while touching upon ideas of faith, culture, and identity.

However, controversy would soon be on Rushdie’s heels as many Muslims ended up perceiving the book, and its portrayal of Muhammad, as blasphemous. Another point of contention for many was Rushdie’s treatment of the titular Satanic Verses, which concerned three pagan Meccan goddesses: All?t, Al-Uzza, and Man?t. All of these perceived transgressions resulted in Iran’s then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, placing a fatwa on Rushdie, marking him for immediate assassination. 

Not only was the book banned in several countries, but Rushdie himself ended up living under police protection for nearly a decade. He was also often forced to hide for long periods and constantly change residencies for his safety. It’s a prime example of how a person’s work can incite ample backlash, as well as how limited freedom of speech can be within other cultures. 

8. J.D. Salinger’s Unauthorized Sequel

Whether you love it or find it insufferable, there is no denying the impact of J.D. Salinger’s famous novel The Catcher in the Rye. While the book itself has generated its own streak of controversy over the years, that’s not what we’ll be recapping here. Instead, we’ll spotlight John David California AKA Fredrik Colting, a book author who opted to pen his own sequel to The Catcher in the Rye.

60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye, published in 2009, follows an elderly Holden Caulfield and his adventure following an escape from a retirement home. However, it wasn’t too long before Colting’s fanfiction began stirring up trouble with Salinger himself who, before he died in 2010, saw fit to slap him with a lawsuit. Sallinger argued, not unreasonably, that Colting’s book thoroughly infringed on his already existing work and was heavily exploitative regarding Holden Caulfield’s character. 

After the dispute went to court, a permanent injunction was granted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. This injunction prevented the book from seeing official publication in the United States, though Colting did file an appeal to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals later on.

7. Maus by Art Spiegelman

We now turn to the world of comic books and graphic novels for a moment, a venue that’s been no stranger to its fair share of controversies. The focus here is the work of Art Spiegelman, specifically his serialized graphic novel Maus, which was first published in 1980 and lasted until 1991. The comic tells the story of Spiegelman’s father and his survival in the Holocaust, told through anthropomorphic animals. Despite using mice as the Jews and cats as the nazis, the story never once pulls its punches regarding the sobering historical events portrayed within it.

Many have critiqued the book for its animal allegories, as several critics have noted how comparing Jews to mice only serves to reinforce hurtful stereotypes. However, the comic was plagued with even further controversy when it made its way to schools and public libraries, with many taking umbrage with its content. Given the subject matter, the comic doesn’t hold back with its graphic depiction of violence, nudity, and strong language. This resulted in many schools banning the book, most notably the state of Tennessee who pushed for the decision due to the story’s profane language. Despite this, the controversial status of Maus has only pushed more readers to give it a look, further encouraging people’s education regarding the Holocaust. 

6. American Dirt Controversy

As years have passed and modern culture continually evolves, the debates regarding cultural appropriation and ethnic stereotypes have only increased. Nowhere was the debate more evident than in the discourse following the 2020 release of American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. The book concerns a Mexican woman who, with her son in tow, fled to the United States to escape cartel violence.

Many have praised the book as a thrilling read, however, just before its publication, many negative think pieces concerning American Dirt began popping up online. The common criticism was that Cummins wasn’t an appropriate choice to craft a narrative concerning Mexican culture and the immigrant experience. Many noted that Cummins, who’d identified as white in a previous interview, was simply reinforcing Mexican stereotypes via her book’s narrative. Additionally, many also pointed out several inaccuracies in its depiction of Mexican life and the lives of immigrants, further cementing the perceived inauthenticity. 

This was only heightened when American Dirt was selected for Oprah Winfrey’s book club, which propelled the controversy onto a grander and widespread stage. Cummins’ work stands as a reminder of how important cultural representation is to people and how mishandling it can lead to a serious backlash.

5. Amazon vs. Hachette Book Group

Nowadays, whether it’s a book, a new air fryer, or a six-pack of towels, if you need it at your doorstep quickly, you’re heading to Amazon.com for it. Alongside their convenient online shopping and streaming content, Amazon also has a wide array of electronic books AKA e-books for sale as well. The publishing controversy we’ll be spotlighting here is focused not just on Amazon but on Hachette Book Group, one of the largest book publishers in the industry. 

Back in 2014, Amazon, looking to lower the prices of their e-books, put pressure on Hachette to comply by delaying shipments of their physical books. They also decided to remove the pre-order option, usually present on a forthcoming book’s listing, from any new Hachette title on the site. The more this dispute went on, the more attention it received, with Amazon receiving criticism for its bullying tactics which were nothing short of harmful.

Many authors, whose work was published by Hachette, found themselves stuck right in the middle of this conflict, with the reach of their work being severely affected by it. Eventually, both parties came to a compromise via a multi-year agreement, though the specific details have never been revealed publicly.

4. The Da Vinci Code Plagiarism Allegations

When The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown hit bookshelves in 2003, it quickly became a major success, selling over 80 million copies worldwide by 2016. The book focuses on symbologist Robert Langdon who, along with cryptologist Sophie Neveu, investigates a murder in the Louvre Museum that leads them down a rabbit hole of religious conspiracy.

However, where the controversy began was the book’s alleged similarities to another book written years earlier in 1982 titled Holy Blood, Holy Grail. Much like The Da Vinci Code, the book shares a similar narrative throughline regarding the modern descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, two of the book’s three authors, ended up filing a lawsuit against Brown and his published, alleging copyright infringement.

Their argument was predicated on the notion that Brown has used the main crux of their story, plot points, and even character names without any acknowledgment, permission, or compensation. While on the stand, Brown and his legal team did state that The Da Vinci Code did draw influence from their work. However, they also maintained that the book itself was a work of fiction and drew influence from a wide crop of historical sources. Eventually, the judge ruled in favor of Brown, noting that the ideas and historical elements in question were not protected by copyright.

3. The Bell Curve

The Bell Curve, published in 1994, argued that measuring intelligence with IQ tests could predict a person’s social outcome in education, employment, and socioeconomic status. The book’s authors, Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray, also suggested that racial differences played a role in the results of the tests.

Simply put, Herrnstein and Murray’s work heavily implied that racial minorities have less of a chance of success due to their genetics, a grotesquely antiquated idea to be sure. This claim sparked a fair amount of controversy, with many scholars, activists, and even the general public, accusing the authors of promoting racist ideas propped up by sketchy pseudo-science. Herrnstein and Murray also suggested that social welfare programs might be futile due to what they perceived as inherent and largely unchangeable differences in intelligence.

It has long been established that a higher IQ doesn’t always lead to higher pay or prolonged success, so their already flawed logic was shaky at best. The book’s highest critics even feared that such misguided ideas could lead to many justifying discrimination and the cutting of various social programs. The backlash was so immense that many universities were being pressured to cancel speaking events featuring the authors.

2. J.K. Rowling’s Transgender Comments

J.K. Rowling, it’s a name that at one time brought joy to the lives of many kids and young adults, but today just leaves a sour taste in their mouths. It all began in 2019 when the Harry Potter scribe tweeted support for a researcher who was terminated for stating that biological sex is immutable. This caused many to accuse her of transphobia, with many viewing her comments as diminishing toward those with transgender identities.

This was only exacerbated when, in 2020, Rowling published an entire essay outlining her concerns regarding the impact of transgender activism on women’s rights and safety. A big crux of her argument was concerning public bathrooms, claiming that a transgender person could sexually assault a biological woman. This revelation regarding Rowling’s views on the matter resulted in an ample backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates, fans, and fellow authors, all tremendously offended by her stance. 

Considering the sizable amount of Harry Potter fans who identify as LGBTQ+, this was a heartbreaking turn of events for many of her biggest fans. Rowling however remains largely unphased by her critics in this regard, even going on record as saying she doesn’t care how her legacy will be affected.

1. Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman

When it comes to famous books, there are perhaps few as famous and widely celebrated as Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. The book, based on Lee’s childhood, is told from the perspective of Scout, a young girl who greatly admires her father, a lawyer named Atticus Finch. The book deals heavily with the topic of racial inequality, as Atticus is appointed to defend a black man who has been accused of sexually assaulting a young white woman.

This narrative presents Atticus as an ethical and very intelligent man, who refuses to be intimated out of defending his client by the town’s various racist residents. This stands in strong contrast to the version of Atticus shown in Go Set a Watchman, Lee’s sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird which was released in 2015. In the sequel, which was written by Lee before To Kill A Mockingbird, the once-noble Atticus is portrayed as a racist.

This revelation proved quite devastating to many fans of Lee’s original book, as it tainted one of literature’s most beloved characters. Additionally, Lee’s then-lawyer, Tonja Carter, had also made rather dubious claims that Lee had reneged on her almost-lifelong decision to never release the book. This, when paired with the knowledge that Lee’s health was steadily declining at the time, led many to speculate that she was being taken advantage of.

Sometimes, it can be very difficult to distinguish historical fact from historical fiction. In some cases, the lack of solid evidence makes a definitive conclusion impossible, while in others, new findings keep changing the official story. Academic biases can also muddy the waters at times.

Many things in history are open to passionate debate. The following historical issues have all been hot-button topics at one point or another and have been debated for decades, even centuries. And all of them have had recent developments which added another twist to the tale.

10 Is The Warren Cup Real?

The Warren Cup is one of the most expensive items owned by the British Museum and is known for its graphic depiction of gay sex, including a scene between a man and a youth. Because of this, it was considered too obscene for a long time, and many museums refused to buy it. Today, however, many regard the Warren Cup as one of the most well-preserved examples of ancient Roman erotic art.

Due to its uniqueness, some experts have doubted the cup’s authenticity. They claim that the 2,000-year-old drinking vessel is actually a forgery from the late 19th or early 20th century. Most recently, Humboldt University Professor Luca Giuliani asserted that the iconography is unlike anything seen on Roman tableware but is reminiscent of early 1900s erotica.^[1] He argued the cup was specifically made for its first modern owner, Edward Warren, a collector of erotic memorabilia who possessed other counterfeits in his collection.

9 Who Raised The Flag On Iwo Jima?

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is one of the most iconic photographs of all time. However, most people forget all the controversy surrounding the misidentification of the Marines in the photo, which still hasn’t been fully resolved.

Originally, the six soldiers were identified as Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, Henry Hansen, Michael Strank, John Bradley, and Franklin Sousley. President Roosevelt wanted to bring them back and use them in a bond drive to raise funds. Unfortunately, three of those men died days after the photograph was taken.

At the same time, word started to spread that the Marine identified as Henry Hansen was actually Harlan Block. Ira Hayes claimed this was true and that he was told to keep quiet, as the official identifications had already been released. It wasn’t until Block’s mother wrote her congressman that an inquiry was opened which rectified the misidentification.

Seven decades on, people still aren’t sure who was in the photograph. In 2016, a new Marine Corps investigation concluded that Harold Schultz was actually in the photo instead of John Bradley.^[2] Members of the investigation panel believed Schultz was aware of the misidentification. It is unknown why he chose to remain silent, even though he survived the war and lived until 1995.

8 Have We Found Akhenaten’s Tomb?

Ancient Egypt still holds many mysteries to us. Currently, experts are debating whether or not we’ve solved one of those mysteries using modern technology: the identity of the KV55 mummy.

KV55 is a tomb in the Valley of the Kings discovered in 1907. The sarcophagus found inside had been desecrated, and its face mask was ripped off and inscriptions chiseled away. For over a century, Egyptologists have been debating the identity of the mummy. Other artifacts found in the tomb tentatively made scholars believe its inhabitant was the infamous pharaoh Akhenaten, father of Tutankhamun and religious heretic. However, examination of the skeleton placed the mummy’s age at 20 to 25 years. Many proclaimed this was too young to be Akhenaten and that the mummy was more likely his short-lived successor, Smenkhkare.

Other experts weren’t convinced, though, arguing that the methods used to establish a mummy’s age of death weren’t completely reliable. The skeleton also showed possible signs of Frolich’s syndrome, which could have stunted normal growth.

Modern tests presented in 2010 came out in favor of Akhenaten. CAT scans and DNA tests performed on a dozen royal mummies over several years showed that the KV55 mummy was the son of Amenhotep III and father of Tutankhamun.^[3] According to inscriptions, that would be Akhenaten.

This only strengthened the controversy. Opponents have two issues with the findings: First, they believe that accurate DNA tests on mummies are impossible due to degradation and contamination. Secondly, they consider any records regarding Akhenaten unreliable, since the ancient Egyptians tried to erase him from history after his death.

7 Have We Identified Jack The Ripper?

There have been hundreds of books and countless theories about Jack the Ripper. Despite this, new developments still happen that spur on the debate regarding the identity of the notorious serial killer.

Back in 1992, Ripperologists were stunned when a man named Michael Barrett presented what he claimed was the diary of Jack the Ripper. Allegedly, it belonged to a wealthy cotton merchant from Liverpool named James Maybrick. He described the five canonical murders in detail (as well as a sixth one) and revealed that he was, indeed, Jack the Ripper.

Obviously, there were many skeptics who promptly dismissed the diary as a hoax. To make matters worse, Barrett was evasive about how he obtained the diary and changed his story several times. At one point, he even signed an affidavit saying he was the author, but he later retracted it.

Experts performed several tests on the diary, particularly on the ink to try and date it. While nothing was ever definitive, nothing was found that was inconsistent with 1888. There was also circumstantial evidence which strengthened Barrett’s case. Maybrick died in 1889, which could explain why the Ripper stopped killing. Also, some historians believed that Barrett was simply incapable of such a convincing forgery.

In 2017, a new team of experts declared the diary genuine.^[4] It also contains details about the murders that should not have been known to anyone outside police and the killer. Many Ripper enthusiasts are now convinced that James Maybrick was Saucy Jack. Expect the debate to be hotly renewed within the months and years to come.

6 Did Ancient Humans Settle In Beringia?

New archaeological discoveries are constantly rewriting history, especially when it comes to the first human settlements. Not all new ideas are embraced with open arms, though, especially when they contradict long-held beliefs.

It has been accepted for decades that the Clovis people were the first to settle in the Americas roughly 13,000 years ago. There have been several new hypotheses that challenge that view, but one of them has actually been around for four decades.

In 1977, an archaeologist named Jacques Cinq-Mars began excavating the Bluefish Caves in Canada. They are located in a region called Beringia, which consists of the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and landmasses from Russia, Canada, and Alaska. Thousands of years ago, Beringia was one land before being submerged by the ocean. Cinq-Mars claimed he found toolmarks on horse and mammoth bones, which were dated up to 24,000 years ago. Therefore, Cinq-Mars presented the Beringian standstill hypothesis—the idea that ancient humans made a 10,000-year stop in Beringia before settling in North America.

Cinq-Mars’s theory met heavy resistance from the scientific community, and even though he championed it for decades, it eventually faded away. However, in 2017, a team at the University of Montreal backed up his findings. Using modern technology, they examined 36,000 bone fragments recovered from Bluefish Caves and found 15 samples which featured cuts from stone tools. They ranged between 12,000 and 24,000 years old.^[5] It remains to be seen if the theory will receive a warmer welcome today.

5 Why Were Women Buried At Stonehenge?

If you want mysterious ancient monuments that still puzzle experts even after decades of study, look no further than Stonehenge. It seems that every few years, archaeologists make a new discovery at the prehistoric landmark which changes our perception of it.

One of the most curious features of Stonehenge are the Aubrey Holes, a ring of 56 chalk pits surrounding the main structure. They have been excavated since the 1920s and have revealed cremated remains, showing that, at least in its early stages, Stonehenge functioned as a cemetery.

The excavations continued, and in 2016, archaeologists found the remains of 14 women in Aubrey Hole 7. Their ages ranged between 4,000 and 5,000 years old.^[6] Experts agree that the women buried at Stonehenge had to have been of high status, but the find raises new questions regarding the overall role women had in the community that inhabited the area. Project member Christie Willis opined that women’s status within that society equaled that of men. Also curious was the lack of any children’s remains. Archaeologist Mike Pitts speculated that they had also been cremated, but their ashes were scattered instead of buried.

4 Who Was The Great Sphinx?

In 1817, Italian explorer and archaeologist Giovanni Battista Caviglia began the first modern excavation of the Great Sphinx on the Giza Plateau. Even though scholars have been studying the statue for 200 years, we still hardly know anything about it.

We have found no inscriptions from the Old Kingdom of Egypt relating to the statue. We call it the Sphinx, a name given thousands of years later by the Greeks, but we don’t know its real name, who built it, or why.

Most intriguing is the identity of the Sphinx. Mark Lehner is one of the leading experts on the statue. He’s been researching and excavating the Giza Plateau for over 30 years, including five years spent mapping out every inch of the Sphinx. He subscribes to the most prevalent theory that the statue was built by Khafre, who also built the second-largest pyramid at Giza. Lehner and other Egyptologists contend that evidence such as causeway ruins point to one massive building plan which included the Sphinx, Khafre’s pyramid, and several temples.^[7] Lehner also believes the Sphinx, the adjacent temple, and the pyramid were arranged to link with solar events like the summer solstice.

Other scholars such as German Egyptologist Rainer Stadelmann believe the Sphinx represents the builder of the Great Pyramid himself, Pharaoh Khufu. Stadelmann argues that the facial features, iconography, and style are more reminiscent of Khufu and claims that the causeway was built to conform to a preexisting structure, the Sphinx.

Most recently, French archaeologist Vassil Dobrev claimed in 2004 that the Sphinx was built by Djedefre, an oft-forgotten pharaoh who ruled between Khufu and Khafre. He agrees with Stadelmann that the image depicts Khufu and that the causeway was built around an existing structure.

3 Is The Grolier Codex Real?

Back in 1971, members of the bibliophile society called the Grolier Club displayed a priceless historical artifact—a Mayan codex. These books about the pre-Columbian civilization are exceedingly rare, as most were destroyed by Catholics. So far, only three others have been found and authenticated, all in the 19th century.

Initially, most academics believed it to be a forgery. They argued that the codex had unusual iconography and that some of its pages looked cut recently and were only written on one side, unlike the other codices. They also weren’t convinced by the sketchy story of how collector Josue Saenz obtained the book from looters.

However, some professors have turned around in recent years. One test on the paper showed that it was genuine Mayan bark paper from the 13th century. This wasn’t enough to convince all skeptics, however, as blank paper was far more common than codices and could have been used by skilled forgers.

In 2016, a team at Brown University declared the Grolier Codex genuine, providing explanations for all the objections to the book’s authenticity. Not only that, but they asserted that the codex was a calendar tracking the movements of Venus and that it was made sometime around 1230. This would make it the oldest book in the Americas.^[8] It remains to be seen if this new study will convince the academic community as a whole to accept the Grolier Codex as genuine.

2 Did We Find Nefertiti 100 Years Ago?

Queen Nefertiti is one of the most prominent and scandalous names to come out of ancient Egypt, and Egyptologists have been looking for her tomb for decades. However, one controversial hypothesis suggests that she’s been sitting in a museum since the late 19th century.

In 2003, archaeologist Joann Fletcher suggested that Nefertiti could be a mummy known as the Younger Lady, which was found in tomb KV35 in 1898. She reasoned that the mummy had a wig with a Nubian hairstyle and a double-pierced ear, which were attributed to Nefertiti and rare in her time. The idea caused a media frenzy but found little support from the academic community, which considered it plausible but lacking in any solid evidence.

The first development happened in 2010, when DNA testing performed on the Younger Lady revealed her to be Tutankhamun’s mother and wife and sister to Amenhotep IV, aka Akhenaten. Nefertiti was the great royal wife and cousin to Akhenaten.

The idea resurged in 2013 thanks to French Egyptologist Marc Gabolde, who believed the original DNA results were misinterpreted. Initially, the genetic closeness between the Younger Lady and Tutankhamun was attributed to brother-to-sister mating. However, Gabolde claimed the same result could be obtained through three successive generations of marriage between first cousins.^[9] That would mean that the Younger Lady is Nefertiti and mother to Tutankhamun. Others contend that the mummy is an unnamed daughter of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye.

1 When Did Homo Sapiens Appear?

Piecing together the various stages of human evolution has proven to be one of the most ambitious scientific endeavors in history. New pieces of evidence are constantly being found which challenge our beliefs. In 2017, we found something that might force us to rewrite human history entirely: 315,000-year-old fossils of Homo sapiens.^[10] They are notable for two reasons: They are 100,000 years older than the previous oldest fossils, and they didn’t come from Sub-Saharan Africa.

The discovery was made at an archaeological site named Jebel Irhoud in Morocco following a ten-year dig. A team led by paleoanthropologist Jean-Jacques Hublin found skulls, jawbones, and tools, which were initially thought to be Neanderthal and no more than 40,000 years old. However, the surrounding fauna seemed to be much older. Subsequent thermoluminescence dating tests placed the age of the tools at 315,000 years, and radiocarbon dating showed the bones to be between 280,000 and 350,000 years old.

Not everyone is convinced the remains come from Homo sapiens. Paleoanthropologist Maria Martinon-Torres points to the lack of the prominent chins and foreheads characteristic of our species. It’s still too early to tell what kind of impact the find will have on our evolutionary history. Hublin believes that early humans formed a large, interbreeding population which dispersed all over Africa instead of being confined to one region. Others have suggested the fossils belonged to an archaic species of humans which survived until Homo sapiens came from the south and replaced them.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first appearance of Pokemon. In the years since we were introduced to these pocket monsters they have invaded every area of pop culture. You can get Pokemon cards, computer games, TV shows, movies, and every sort of collectable. And if that’s not enough they you can always turn to the news and see what controversy they have generated.

Here are ten of the wildest reasons that Pokemon turned into news stories.

10 Pokemon Drawn From Myth And Legend

10 Peta Objections

 

If you break down Pokemon to its most basic level it is a game that involves people, often children, capturing animals and forcing them to participate in brutal battles. Of course the game and tv series show the bonds that develop between Pokemon and their trainers but for some this just makes the exploitation of Pokemon all the more reprehensible. This is where Peta – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – comes in.

Peta has a long history of provocative actions when it comes to getting their pro-animal message across. Comparing eating meat to the Holocaust was a particular low point. When it came to Pokemon Peta knew it had to act to stop the (virtual) cruelty.

In 2012 to protest the release of Pokemon: Black and White they created their own game. Called Pokemon: Black and Blue it was supposed to teach children that instead of ‘catch them all’ they should ‘free them all.’ Unfortunately the game taught children the dangers of playing hastily put together flash games online.

When Pokemon Go came out years later Peta declared that no Pokemon could be caught on their property.^[1]

9 Banned in Saudi Arabia

 

In 2001 the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, on of the nations most powerful figures, issued a Fatwa against a dangerous new foe. The enemy of the country and Islam as a whole was Pokemon. According to the Mufti the game encouraged Zionism. Apparently the cards included “the star of David, which everyone knows is connected to international Zionism and is Israel’s national emblem.” There were also apparently links to Freemasonry that were worrying.

Other aspects of the game that caused concern were its use of words like evolution. “Astonishingly, the children frequently use the word ‘evolution’ inside and outside the game.” Despite having nothing to do with what a scientist would understand as evolution just the mere mention of the word is sufficient to make the game unmentionable.

The ban was mostly forgotten until 2016 however when some Saudis began to download Pokemon Go – bringing Pokemon directly to the streets of Saudi Arabia. The un-Islamic game was banned in Saudi Arabia but some players still found ways to illegally download it.^[2]

8 Jynx

 

Companies have to be incredibly careful when they enter new markets that they don’t make culturally insensitive mistakes. Ford’s Pinto was a flop in Brazil when it turned out pinto meant ‘small penis.’

In 2000 Carole Boston Weatherford wrote an op-ed after seeing an episode of Pokemon. “The character Jynx, Pokémon #124, has decidedly human features: jet-black skin, huge pink lips, gaping eyes, a straight blonde mane and a full figure, complete with cleavage and wiggly hips. Put another way, Jynx resembles an overweight drag queen incarnation of Little Black Sambo, a racist stereotype from a children’s book long ago purged from libraries.”

Whether the appearance of Jynx was intentionally a racially insensitive parody is not known. To avoid causing further offence however Nintendo, the makers of Pokemon, changed Jynx’s skin colour from black to purple.^[3]

7 Uri Geller Sues

 

Uri Geller is one of the most famous psychics in the world. Using what he claims are supernatural powers he has made his fortune from, among other things, showing how with just a waggle of his fingers he can bend a spoon.

Although psychic Uri Geller was unable to foresee that his image would be appropriated for a Pokemon character. Known in English as Kadabra the psychic Pokemon is shown wielding spoons as a sign of its power. This might not have been enough to tip off Geller had Kadabra’s name in Japanese been ‘Yungera’ – very similar to how Geller’s own name is transliterated into Japanese.

Geller filed a $60 million lawsuit against Nintendo claiming they had stolen his identity and turned him into a dark figure. In response Nintendo removed Kadabra from Pokemon cards worldwide. In 2020 Geller finally relented and gave his blessing to Kadabra. It may be the spoon carrying Pokemon will be featuring on cards again soon.^[4]

6 Pokemon Go(es to inappropriate place)

Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game that lets users hunt for Pokemon against the backdrop of the real world. When it launched it was an immediate success and saw players taking billions of extra steps as they roamed their neighbourhoods in search of raw Pokemon. The game encouraged people to discover their local area by turning sites of interest into Pokestops where in-game treats could be picked up.

Unfortunately not all the sites the game picked out were really appropriate for a light-hearted Pokemon battle. Those in Washington DC’s Holocaust Museum could find three Pokestops among the displays about the evils of the Nazi regime. There were also cases of Pokemon popping up where they weren’t wanted there. Koffing, a poison gas Pokemon, was caught in a room describing how people were slaughtered in the gas chambers of concentration camps. The museum looked for ways to be taken out of the game.

Of course perhaps players should take some of the blame. If you are visiting Auschwitz then perhaps you shouldn’t be hunting for Rattata.^[5]

10 Fascinating Real-World Inspirations Behind Pokemon Characters

5 Teaching Evolution

 

Evolution is one of science’s greatest triumphs. Few theories have as much evidence supporting them as evolution does. Hardly any aspect of biology or medicine makes sense unless viewed through the lens of evolutionary theory. That is perhaps why scientists get a bit touchy when people question evolution’s validity.

Pokemon has from its earliest incarnations involved evolution – of a sort. If you train your Pokemon hard enough and get them to the right level then they will “evolve” into a new Pokemon. Really “metamorphose” would be a more accurate word as evolution doesn’t work on individuals but populations but evolution is the word Nintendo chose and that’s what riled up Christian fundamentalists.

Fundamentalist are not as fun as their name suggests (though they may be mental) and some saw Pokemon as a tool being used to teach children evolution. If it was designed for teaching evolution it was not very intelligently designed however as no scientist would call Pikachu turning into Raichu an evolution.^[6]

4 Card Scams

 

In times of crisis certain commodities always go up in value because they are always useful. Gold is usually the go-to purchase for jumpy investors but sometimes it is a much less obvious product they buy into. Recently Pokemon cards have sky rocketed in value – and the number of scams associated with them has blown up too.

Some people collect Pokemon cards because they are cool or they spark a bit of nostalgia but Chris Camillo bought into the cards because he had studied the market and thought there was money to be made. With a single Charizard going for over $200000 there certainly are some cards that can be worth a fortune. So live on YouTube he swapped $375,000 for one unopened box of Pokemon cards that should have been stuffed full of rarities.

Instead the box had already been opened and raided for any cards of value. Camillo was lucky in that he kept his money after the scam was realised but others who are splashing the cash on Squirtles and Blastoises are less lucky.^[7]

3 Satanism

 

What does Pokemon have to do with the Prince of Hell? Nothing, you might think, but certain eagle-eyed Christians have pointed out the myriad ways that Pokemon has links to Satan.

Did you know that Pokemon were specifically designed to look like the demons that were once featured in medieval books used by witches? No? Well, of course they weren’t but that didn’t stop some claiming that Pokemon literally were demons. Why else would they have horns and magical powers? Some pastors thought that Pokemon were a slippery slope that would lead children into researching aspects of the occult.

Urban legends sprang up that supposedly proved the demonic nature of Pokemon. Some said that the spooky music heard in the game when players visited Lavender Town had caused children to commit suicide. Others shared an interview with the creator of Pokemon that stated he made the game in direct opposition to Christianity – though of course this was a complete fabrication.

With the release of Pokemon Go one Pastor thought that “this technology will be used by the enemies of the cross to target, locate, and execute Christians.” Fortunately thus far Satanists have resisted the urge to use Pokemon Go as a means of attacking the holy.^[8]

2 Seizures

On the evening of December 16, 1997 several million children settled down to watch an episode of Pokemon on Japanese TV. The episode “Denno Senshi Porygon” saw the characters on the show transported to a virtual world where they fought a Pokemon called Porygon. At the climax of the battle Pikachu unleashed one of his electrical attacks and the screen lit up with flashing red and blue images – and moments later children began to collapse.

At least that is the story as it was reported. It is undeniable that flashing lights can cause seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy but many people with no form of epilepsy apparently fell victim to the episode. What seems to have happened is that word of some people’s reactions spread and when more children watched the episode the next day they mirrored the seizures.

In what was probably a case of mass hysteria the seizures, though real, had nothing to do with the images on the TV. One follow up study found that most people who had seizures reported no further symptoms up to three years after the episode was aired.^[9]

1 Pokemon Go Deaths

 

Pokemon Go was a huge success. Millions of people downloaded the app and it changed people’s lives. Some people made new friends as they hunted Pokemon together, others found spouses. Some people lost weight as they walked around and some people found it helped with their depression as it gave them a reason to leave the house. But among all the joys the game brought there were a number of tragedies.

The first death attributed to the game was when a man in San Francisco was shot while out playing late at night. Other players were shot at when they broke into private properties to catch super rare Pokemon. It also turns out that walking around with your phone constantly out makes you a target for robbers. A number of players were mugged at gunpoint or found themselves faced with knives.

Many players also chose to ignore the warning in the game that it should never be played while driving. One distracted player had the bad luck to hit a police car while playing behind the wheel. One study of the potential damage caused by the game suggested Pokemon Go may have caused up to $7 billion in damages and caused hundreds of extra deaths. No Pokemon is rare enough to be worth a human life. Unless it is unusually shiny…^[10]

Top 10 Fascinating Facts About Pokemon Go