Soccer player Mohamed Salah is said to have helped reduce Islamophobia within Liverpool. New research suggests that sustained positive exposure to out-group celebrities ー individuals from a group not of your own ー helps reduce prejudice against the out-group they’re part of. After the pious Egyptian striker signed with Liverpool FC, hate crimes within Liverpool and anti-Muslim tweets by Liverpool FC fans significantly decreased compared to other cities in the UK, a phenomenon dubbed the “Salah effect”.
Read full article here
Oddities
Why Do Modern Pop Songs Have So Many Credited Writers?
The music industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades – with the number of songwriters credited on number one hits more than doubling. This is due to a combination of factors, including money, the computer and a changing definition of what songwriting is. For example, if The Beatles’ classic “I Feel Fine” was released today, it would likely have four writers credited instead of two, due to the influence of producers, samples and interpolations. With the rise of lawsuits, artists now preemptively add songwriter credits to their songs, even if the similarities between their song and the source material are coincidental. It all goes to show that the music industry is becoming more complex and competitive. Read full article here
Merv
March 29, 2023
