Society has long had a fascination with child stars, from Mozart to Macaulay Culkin, and from Jackie Coogan to the stars of Harry Potter. Celebrity status can often bring fame and fortune and dramatically transform young lives. But it can also come with many hidden costs that lead to trauma and tragedy. As they become adults, child stars like Sarah Polley and Jennette McCurdy have begun to write about the toll of childhood fame.
Today in The Conversation Canada, Dalhousie University professor Jacqueline Warwick writes about the phenomenon of childhood fame and the often high price of cuteness. As our appetite for the “power of cute” grows, we must develop ways for children to experience the excitement of performing without the dangers of stardom.
Also today:
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Fame can bring young performers financial success, but it also comes with hidden costs.
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Jacqueline Warwick, Dalhousie University
What do we love about seeing children perform? And how do their performances shape our understanding of childhood?
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Family and household resources were critical to individuals who struggled with both employment income and savings during COVID-19.
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David Pettinicchio, University of Toronto; Michelle Maroto, University of Alberta
Supports that were crucial in helping Canadians with disabilities stay afloat during COVID-19 are no longer available, causing concern from many about their economic future.
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An endangered female orca leaps from the water in Puget Sound, west of Seattle.
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Fanny Couture, University of British Columbia
The declining salmon and whale numbers raise a critical question: Is the southern resident killer whale population solely reliant on the abundance of salmon? And, if so, since when?
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A new study predicts a significant increase in the number of Canadians living with dementia over the next three decades.
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Saskia Sivananthan, McGill University
Action is needed to hold off a wave of dementia cases in an aging population. One of the most effective tools to reduce the prevalence of dementia is to address modifiable factors.
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Young people prioritize issues in preparation for a political debate in Lalitpur, Nepal.
Tom O'Neill
Tom O'Neill, Brock University
At a time when democratic norms appear to be in decline around the world, deliberative democracy is one potential remedy worth pursuing.
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Une large part des créateurs de NFT (jetons non fongibles) sont issus d’une pratique de modélisation 3D, de design graphique, d’animation ou de conception de jeu vidéo.
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Nathalie Casemajor, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
Les créateurs d’œuvres d’art NFT (œuvres sur la chaîne de blocs) s’organisent en nouvelles scènes artistiques, mais elles sont encore en quête de légitimation culturelle, et les musées restent frileux.
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Business + Economy
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Danny Bradlow, University of Pretoria
The reality is that the US Federal Reserve has decided price rises must be addressed by raising interest rates. African countries have no choice by to follow suite.
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Politics
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Deborah Madden, University of Brighton
Many of those critical or skeptical of the monarchy have felt silenced.
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Science + Tech
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Svetla Ben-Itzhak, Air University
Crashing the 1,340-pound DART probe into the small moonlet orbiting the asteroid Didymos should redirect its trajectory – and could be a model for how to save Earth in the future.
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