It seemed obvious by the time I got to college, especially at a place like UNC I would be surrounded by like-minded people heart-set on changing the world to be a better place. In hundreds of ways this is true, yet in others it’s not. It’s easy to say that people who believe different from you are backwards, bigoted, racist, homophobic etc. Here’s my thing with that, everyone has a right to their own opinions and I’m sure that they have some good (ish) reasons that at least make sense to them to back up what they believe. My problem is the disrespect between these groups that occurs all too often. Between party affiliations it turns into a problem when someone we know is a Trump supporter or a Republican in general, there’s gasps and demonization of the person and typically distancing. I’m not sure if this divide is due to the recent election cycle or if we’ve truly never been able to reach across the aisle. Truly I believe some people are just wrong about certain things as a liberal democrat in today’s society, but I think a big thing to learn not just for college students, but for society is that most everyone deserves respect. We’re in 2017 and we’re still arguing about which people should have rights, that really trips me up. What I don’t understand, democrat, republican or something else is why, why we think certain people deserve less than ourselves. I don’t understand how an overwhelmingly male dominated government (yes, government) can assert abortion rights on women. What gives them the right to tell us what to do with our bodies when they can do pretty much anything in theirs? Why are there questions about LGBTQ+ rights when they are really not different from anyone else? I simply don’t understand the superiority complex that has been rising with nationalistic attitudes arguably erupting in the age of Trump. The idea of superiority has been, can be and will be the cause of many more incidents. In times as polarized as these, it seems crazy not to just reach across the aisle, whatever division that may be and be willing to change, listen and grow. For the world is never just black and white, if you see it that way, you must be looking at it wrong.
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As we all know, October 31st is around the corner and I am sure that many of us are bouncing around ideas for costumes. I absolutely love Halloween and all that it entails – tricks, treats, and especially costumes. Do you want your costume to be scary, sexy, empowering, strong, or comical? There are so many options! Everyone wants their costume to be classic and original without being too off the grid. The bottom line – Halloween costumes are extremely difficult to plan. Yesterday I was browsing through Pinterest trying to come up with ideas when I came across the sugar skull, or calavera de azucar. The girl in the picture was wearing a beautiful flower crown with half her face painted as a white skull decorated with vibrant flowers, hearts and other intricate designs. My thought process – “Oh, this is really cute! I never see anyone dressed as a sugar skull for Halloween! This would be super easy and inexpensive.” I added the costume idea to my ongoing list of ideas (everyone knows you cannot have just one costume). Last night I checked my email and caught up on The Skimm and Bitch Media. As I was scrolling through Bitch Media, I came across the “Feminist Snack Break: This is What Cultural Appropriation Looks Like” with the subheading “Newsflash: Dia de los Muertos and Halloween aren’t the same thing.” My jaw dropped a little bit after reading the subheading. I proceeded to the link and reviewed its contents. I continued to do a little more research about Dia de los Muertos and calaveras de azucar. Prior to reading the article, I knew the major differences between Dia de los Muertos and Halloween. Dia de los Muertos is a holiday to commemorate the lives of past loved ones, whereas Halloween is a holiday full of celebration and superstition where everyone dresses in costumes and trick-or-treats or parties with friends, family and even strangers. Through my research, I learned a little more information on the significance of calaveras de azucar. Calaveras de azucar are used to decorate Dia de los Muertos altars and they are given as gifts to the living. Dressing up as a sugar skull for Halloween sends all the wrong messages. Not only would I be disrespecting the holiday Dia de los Muertos, but I would also be disrespecting all the lives lost that are being commemorated on that sacred day. It is a slap in the face to all who celebrate the holiday and have lost those closest to them. Overall, no one should use the symbol of the sugar skull unless it is an accurate representation. It should not be used for individualistic gain, because it is considered a ‘cute, inexpensive Halloween costume’. We all make mistakes, even those with the best intentions. The best rule of thumb is that if you question whether or not something is cultural appropriation it probably is what you think. Listen to your doubts. Want to check your privilege and avoid cultural appropriation? See the link below. http://www.refinery29.com/2015/10/95646/halloween-cultural-appropriation In the wake of the Las Vegas Shooting, controversy has amassed surrounding gun violence laws, reform, and registration. I am here to discuss something else. Many people are quick to blame mental illness as the root cause of such tragedy, as if it could ever be that simple. 18.2% of the total adult population will develop a mental illness at some point in their lives, and women experience a disproportionate number of these especially those such as depression and anxiety; however, this is not reflected in mass shooting statistics. A plurality of these mass shootings have been committed by men, a 98% male enterprise. Mass shootings are carried out largely by men, disproportionately white, and media does little to address this. What we have here is a "boys will be boys" phenomenon blown to epic and frankly sadistic proportions. It is expected that men will be the, for lack of a better word, "gunman". I want to state at this juncture that most men don't commit violent acts, most men know it to be weak and heinous in nature, it is not those men that this piece is addressing. When a shooter who identifies as a Muslim extremist attacks, it is deemed the fault of the entire religion, when a shooter is African American race is the first factor discussed, however when a white man is the shooter they are merely "a lone wolf", a perfect example of privilege being invisible. They are painted as an outlier when really they adhere to the in place system of extreme masculinity better than anyone. They are extremists in their own right, but ones that go unidentified and unchecked. |
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