The wild success of the Ice Bucket Challenge, one of the past decade's feel-good social-media sensations, obscured its origins as a form of extortion. Its source, though murky, might be traced to Norway, where early nominees were pressured to choose between jumping into a frigid body of water and taking care of the weekend's bar tab. By early 2014, the moral ante had been upped: the penalty for noncompliance became, rather more nobly, a contribution to medical research. This structure which incentivized bravado at the expense of charity-persisted until the spring, when American firefighters helped repackage the experience. Now a high pressure hosing was the reward for a donation to a colleague's cause of choice. That July, a golfer decanted water on his own head in an effort to cheer up his cousin's husband, who had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or A.L.S., and invited others to donate to the "A.L.S. Foundation." By the end of the month, the idea, now connected to one disease, had taken on a life of its own. Bill Gates engineered an elaborate self-soaking contraption, posted high-definition footage, and challenged Elon Musk. The taunt was at once socially contagious, righteous, and fun. But there were still some disposed to see it as a threat. President Barack Obama, when drafted by Ethel Kennedy, Justin Bieber, and Donald Trump, declined in favor of a hundred-dollar contribution to A.L.S. research.
This story is from the June 26, 2023 edition of The New Yorker.
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This story is from the June 26, 2023 edition of The New Yorker.
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BADDIE ISSUES
\"Wicked\" and \"Gladiator II.\"
LET'S MAKE A DEAL
\"Death Becomes Her\" and \"Burnout Paradise.\"
ANTI HEROES
\"The Franchise,\" on HBO.
FELLOW-TRAVELLERS
The surprisingly sunny origins of the Frankfurt School.
NOW YOU SEE ME
John Singer Sargent's strange, slippery portraits of an art dealer's family.
PARIS FRIEND - SHUANG XUETAO
Xiaoguo had a terror of thirst, so he kept a glass of water on the table beside his hospital bed. As soon as it was empty, he asked me to refill it. I wanted to warn him that this was unhealthy - guzzling water all night long puts pressure on the kidneys, and pissing that much couldn't be good for his injury. He was tall, though, so I decided his insides could probably cope.
WILD SIDE
Is Lake Tahoe's bear boom getting out of hand?
GETTING A GRIP
Robots learn to use their hands.
WITHHOLDING SEX FROM MY WIFE
In the wake of [the] election, progressive women, who are outraged over Donald Trump's victory at the ballot box, have taken to social media with public, vengeful vows of chastity. - The Free Press.
DEADLINE EXTENSION
Old age, reborn.