Five Great Reads: why people cheat, ‘liberation day' and the young men v women political divide

The Guardian

04-04-2025

Top of the weekend to you all. This week has been a lot – the trailer for the Naked Gun reboot nobody needed was about the only thing that helped me crack a smile (stick to the end). After that palate cleanser, step right this way.
Global research suggests there is a growing gender gap among gen Z voters, with election results showing young men are shifting to the right while young women are becoming more progressive. But is that also true in Australia? Grace Richardson, a Sydney musician and podcast producer, got a glimpse of how it might play out on a date with a man who did not 'believe' in the gender pay gap and argued feminism had gone too far.
With a substantial number of gen Zs about to cast a vote for the first time in Australia's federal election, we're about to discover if Richardson's experience was a bellwether or an outlier.
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
Further reading: Week one of the federal election campaign covered in depth.
Donald Trump's so-called 'liberation day' has come and gone, with the US president imposing a minimum 10% tariff on imports from every corner of the globe. Perhaps unsurprisingly, chaos ensued.
In his first take of what it all means for the global economy, Martin Kettle argued the 'broken' international economic model is in dire need of a reboot – but that Trump's strategy risks hurting the very Americans he claims to champion.
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
Further reading: Even uninhabited islands weren't spared from the tariff hit, which was based on an 'idiotic' calculation.
Professor M, 60, had been living a contented, interesting existence with her life companion for 25 years. Then she randomly encountered an acquaintance from her 20s, had sex with him in a hotel room, and promptly bought herself a vibrator to manage her newfound 'roaring libido' between meetings with the man who became her secret lover.
So why do some of us explore this most risky of relationships? The psychotherapist Juliet Rosenfeld, who over four years spoke to Professor M and myriad other people who had affairs, argues 'the reasons are locked in our infancy and childhood' – a theory underlined by Professor M's behaviour when her lover froze her out.
'Consciously, it was simple: she had an adult lover. Unconsciously, she had Daddy back or, maybe, he had just never gone.'
How long will it take to read: Nine minutes.
Further reading: Three (or more) is no longer a crowd for the sex lives of a rising number of Australians.
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Supporting losing teams is tough enough (Canberra Raiders fans, I see you), so what's it like playing for one? In the NBA, where the regular season stretches to 82 games, bad teams usually know they're making up the numbers 30 games in.
But players can't turn off the TV in disgust – they still have to turn up to work. As a grizzled veteran told a promising rookie when he felt his debut season going down the gurgler: 'Rook, there ain't no Ls or Ws on them cheques.'
The secret of success: Scott Williams, who spent three years winning titles with the 90s Chicago Bulls, says all NBA players are talented but success is about attitude. 'There was nobody that had more intensity and stronger will and a passion to work than Michael Jordan,' Williams says. 'Everyone has to come along if the superstar is doing it.'
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
Further reading: Why some terrible NBA teams are intentionally terrible.
Looking good on Instagram has its drawbacks – just ask the 600-odd residents of Bibury, home to some of England's most photographed terraced cottages. Hordes of tourists turn up daily, wave their smartphones around until they've nailed the perfect selfie, then get back on the bus for the next destination.
Some business owners are delighted; many residents are less than enthused.
Playing the part: Staff members at a Bibury pub say they are often treated like actors in a living theme park.
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
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