The difference between satire and trolling
Hate groups in the modern era have needed to devise unique ways of justifying or inserting their hateful beliefs in the mainstream. The public is generally culturally against such overt representations of racism or sexism, so hate groups are relegated to outsider status until they can find ways to permeate the collective social consciousness. In […]
Achieving true social justice
Last year, I was sitting in one of the lounges in my dormitory building when a group of students started sitting in a circle on the other side of the room. While overhearing their conversations, it became apparent that they were the media and politics LLC and they were meeting for a discussion. The professor […]
How conservatives contribute to the polarized nature of political discourse
In hearing the opinions of people on both sides of the spectrum, I have noticed that many believe the left to be the source of much of the recent polarized socio-political discussion. More specifically, they cite outrage culture as the reason that it is so difficult to cooperate with liberals to reach a meaningful compromise […]
The Controversial Common Core
The Obama administration saw the conception, creation and implementation of a Common Core system that was very much controversial. A Gallup news article comparing two Gallup polls on parents’ views on the Common Core around the time of the new enforcement of the standards stated, “Thirty-five percent [of parents] view [the standards] negatively and 33% […]
Achieving change requires focusing on the actions of the presidency
A recent update from the Trump administration on new plans to enforce human rights worldwide took much of the country aback. In an article entitled “A U.S. Ambassador Promises a Global Push to Decriminalize Homosexuality,” the New York Times reported on Richard Grenell’s announcement that the Trump administration would be starting an international campaign to […]
The purpose of public apologies
On Dec. 4, the Academy Awards tweeted out “Welcome to the family, @kevin4real! #Oscars.” Soon after this event, some from the internet started expressing disdain towards the Academy’s decision to have Kevin Hart host the Oscars, given some past tweets of his. The tweets for which Hart was criticized included statements such as “Yo if […]
Validation in education
Since I was five years old, I took violin lessons. Like most children, I was never excited to play or practice. But every Tuesday when my parents drove me to my violin lesson, I found myself almost magically inclined to follow the directions of my teacher. My teacher was a very soft-spoken young man. He […]
The cost of maintaining rapid social change
Despite Trump taking office as president, we have seen a continuation of the rapid social change that has been quite apparent since the Obama administration. The gay rights movement, universal healthcare, rights for transgender individuals and more mainstream discussion surrounding equal pay were all developments which took place in a relatively short span of years. […]
The social implications of offensive humor
When enjoying the art of comedy, it is inevitable that one encounters a joke or a bit that uses a premise that is shockingly offensive. Yet, in some circumstances, this form of joke proves itself to be overwhelmingly funny. Why is this? And what is required for this seemingly warped comedic formula to work? A […]
The power of conceding
The political world has felt much more chaotic to me now than it has in any other point in my lifetime. Many political debates in the news or online are arguments that are going over other party members’ heads, leading to anger on both sides. Additionally, social media is now a cacophony of outrage and […]
Interpretations of art consumption in the #MeToo Era
The #MeToo movement is, undoubtedly, a crucially important revolution in the gender culture of corporations and industries. #MeToo revealed to the mainstream public the exploitation of power discrepancies that was taking place among celebrities and directors through social media and news outlets. The majority of instances took place between men of higher power in the […]
Outrage in the face of oppression
American culture has found itself in an age of outrage. It can be found, in some form, in every group, and the more broadly defined the group is, the more room there is for outrage. I believe this outrage has its roots in many different phenomena, including the dawn of social media as a universal […]
The utility of general education requirements
Attempting to engineer education for the benefit of the student population reveals many challenges for the simple reason that not every student operates the same. I believe that the individualized nature of students requires an individualized education system. One of the challenges that must be considered in the face of this is whether general education […]
Bias in education
Education systems all across the world are constantly trying to improve the rate at which students are able to learn information and trying to improve the choice that students receive in order to help them better succeed. But much of the learning that a student does will go to waste if the information being taught […]
We are in a worrisome era of deflection
There is no question that politicians are not very transparent. This is likely a product of the idea that politicians know they can get away with some small-scale forms of deception and fallacious comments in order to make their perspectives and values seem more amiable. This practice is frowned upon, but because of the gray […]
A critique on the liberal reaction
Trump’s victory over Clinton was the shot heard around the world. It was a distressing astonishment to some and a triumph for others. Quickly, the reigning ideology was becoming a breed of Republicanism that had not been thoroughly considered in the liberal mainstream before this presidential race, and the liberal movement as a whole was […]
High school should be more like college
Education is conducted very differently in different parts of the United States. No two high schools or colleges are identical in the way that they facilitate their students’ learning. However, colleges and high schools have very similar missions. Colleges generally give students the freedom to pursue the subject matters that interest them while also ensuring […]
In defense of jury nullification
The United States legal system is far from perfect. This fact is a nightmare for many who suffer from the shortcomings of the legal system put into practice. However, in many cases, it is by comparing the ideal version of the legal system to how we put justice into practice that we attempt to evaluate […]
What does ‘journalistic integrity’ mean?
It is impossible to avoid the buzzwords—free speech, clickbait, partisanship, fake news—especially in journalism. They represent how far the media has fallen in the eyes of the public. Despite journalism’s failing image, it is necessary to remember the important role that journalism plays in our society. So what is that role? Not only do I […]
The entertainment industry needs to limit sensationalism
Sensationalism is a way of presenting a story to make it more entertaining. Oftentimes in journalism, sensationalizing a story compromises the truthfulness of the piece from lack of integrity. But since the entertainment industry is not in the business of informing the public in an unbiased manner, sensationalism is utilized by many programs in entertainment […]
