The Rapture

Fang, Maria. "Michele Bachmann: The Rapture Is Coming And It's Obama's Fault". Huffington Post. April 20, 2015. Web. April 26, 2015.

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Former Minnesota republican congresswoman Michele Bachmann has recently expressed her concerns for the nation.  In a recent interview Bachmann stated that Obama is going to cause the rapture.  Bachmann specifically points out Obama’s foreign policies with Iran and his views on gay marriage.  “We in our lifetimes could potentially see Jesus Christ returning to Earth,” says Bachmann.  Bachmann accuses abortion and gay marriage as being pagan acts punishable by God.  Along with these “predictions” Bachmann has also previously warned the coming of WWIII and has consistently maintained her thoughts on Obama’s “sins”.

It is very hard to begin my reaction, as there are many things I could say.  Firstly, it never ceases to amaze me how much disregard there is of the Constitution.  Separation of church and state is an excellent idea, if only our politicians would stop pretending that it doesn’t exist.  I understand that religion is important, however ignorance can not be excused with religious reasoning.  People have rights; ideas do not have rights.  Many republicans do not seem to understand that there are people who do not and never will practice Christianity.  Laws can not be made based off of religion because they are applied to those who practice other religions.

Catcalling

Visser, Nick. "These Anti-Catcalling Signs Posted Around New York Want To Stop Street Harassment In It's Tracks.

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The non-profit organization Feminist Apparel has posted several signs around New York City to battle catcalling and street harassment.  There are over fifty signs scattered around the city.  Up to 99 percent of women questioned report being catcalled.  A recent viral video of a woman in a standard outfit, jeans and a black t-shirt, walking around the city and receiving 100 catcalls was created by feminist organization Hollaback.  Street harassment has become a popular subject for feminist groups recently, along with other internalized misogynistic activities that occur in everyday life.  Feminist Apparel’s campaign hopes to tackle the issue of street harassment in New York City.

Catcalling is a sexist, rude, and obnoxious.  Many men say degrading things at complete strangers just because they find them attractive.  There is often confusion among men as to why catcalling is different from complementing.  Catcalling and all street harassment is often said with a sexual connotation, and is usually crude and demeaning.  Compliments are wanted and sincere comments directly towards a person that make them feel happy, not creepy comments about a woman’s appeal.  Catcalling embraces the material value women are given in society, as well as supports the high, unrealistic beauty standards of women.  I think this campaign is an excellent idea, and judging from the comments on this article, I can only hope it changes the way men see women in our society and beyond.

Bruce Jenner

McCormack, Simon. "Bruce Jenner Interview Draws Huge Ratings". Huffington post. April 25, 2015. Web. April 26, 2015.

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The other night, Bruce Jenner’s long awaited interview was released.  There has been a long history of rumors centered around Bruce and his unknown gender identity.  ABC conducted an interview that was extremely respectful, giving Bruce the opportunity to talk about what it means to be transgender.  In his interview Bruce stated that he identified as a woman, but that until a later time he would still prefer he/him pronouns and his given name.  Bruce used his interview to educate viewers on the issues and difficulties that transgender individuals face.  In the interview, Bruce tried to cover as many issues as possible, however the transgender community faces many issues and it is hard to cover them all.  Some members of the transgender community feel as if the interview wasn’t enough, or that it wasn’t conducted well.

I am proud of Bruce and the Kardashian family for being open and supportive.  All members of the Kardashian family have tweeted about their love and respect for Bruce, which drastically helps representation of the trans* community.  I think a lot of people aren’t educated enough about transgendered individuals.  There are many myths and stereotypes about being transgender, and it is difficult to get the truth out.  I think this interview is a large step forward in LGBTQA rights.  Transgender awareness is extremely important in order to create an accepting society.  I think this interview was spectacular and important.

News For the Week of 4/19

Hillary for President

Lerer, Lisa.  "Clinton Patches Up Relations With Liberals During Beginning Of Campaign".  19 April, 2015.  Web.  19 April, 2015.

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Hillary Clinton’s run for president this year is quite different from last year.  Hillary’s views have shifted to the left, aligning with the liberal ideals.  Hillary has become the change that the liberal wing has been waiting for.  Hillary has now stated her support for same-sex marriage, and her support of immigrants with legal registrations.  Hillary has received some skepticism of how committed she is to her promises, due to her old views and opinions.  For the most part, Hillary has received praise for her campaigns and speeches from democratic politicians.  Hillary is still facing setbacks from her gender and old statements, and some doubt that she really believes in the majority of liberal values.

I think that having a woman president is a monumental step in history that absolutely needs to happen now.  I think that there is some risk that she may not be as liberal as she says she is, but I believe the possibility of having a female president is worth the risk.  If Hillary is elected, it will set off a chain reaction in the feminist movement.  I believe Hillary’s victory is very much a possibility, seeing as she will most likely receive a considerably large percentage of the vote of female voters.  I believe that it is imperative that Hillary wins the election, as she will be the first female president in American history, and she has already served as secretary of the state.  I am pleased with her progress in her campaign, and I support her in her run for presidency.

Standardized Testing in NYS

Thompson, Carolyn. "Thousands Likely To Sit Out New York English, Math Tests". 13 April, 2015. Web. 19 April, 2014.

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New York’s standardized testing has become a hot topic lately, due to the increasing numbers of students being opted out.  In Buffalo, a growing group of concerned parents have been organizing mass numbers of opt outs, in the hopes that it will force the state to deem them inefficient.  Tens of thousands of students are being opted out of the ELA and math exams state-wide.  The standardized test not only affect the students, but the teachers as well.  Teachers are being evaluated based on the performance of their students.  This has raised many complaints from parents, students, and teachers alike.  The number of standardized tests have increased over the last few years, and have become even more strict.

I am very excited by this movement, and I hope it succeeds.  The principal concept of standardized tests is horribly flawed and incredibly stupid.  No two brains are alike, and no two people learn the same way, and expecting children to only learn one way is ridiculous.  The weight of these tests are just as ludicrous.  Students are judged on how well they can study, and not how much they know, and their entire lives are based off of a number.  Too much emphasis is being placed on grades.  Some students have straight A’s yet are unable to pass a standard test.

Beauty Standards

Bahadur, Nina. "Kelsey Higley's 'Manipulated' Shows What It Would Be Like If You Could Mold Your Body Like Clay". 17 April, 2015. Web. 19 April, 2015.

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Art student Kelsey Higley has made an insightful video demonstrating beauty standards for women.  In Kelsey’s video she is made of clay, and sculpts her body to match the beauty standards that society has set.  The goal of her video is to show how ridiculous it is to try and make yourself look how others want you to.  Kelsey’s art project also includes other representations of society and it’s standards.  Kelsey includes paintings of what was considered beautiful throughout history.  Her project shows how much image changes over time, and helps people accept themselves.

I love this video, it is well-done and has great editing.  I think too much pressure is placed on women to please men.  Men expect women to look appealing for them, when women should only be dressing and acting for themselves.  The media’s use of photoshop is unacceptable.  The media has gone so far as to manipulate pictures of women so much that the proportions are physically impossible to achieve, causing a rise in eating disorders, and low self-esteem among girls and women.  This is extremely important because young girls are being exposed to these behaviors from birth, and are brainwashed into thinking that they are normal things to do.

News For the Week of 4/05 - 4/12

A Shred of Decency

Grenoble, Ryan. "'Shred Of Decency' Campaign Turns Anti-Gay Pamphlets Int Confetti For Same-Sex Weddings". Huffington Post. April 9, 2015. Web. April 12, 2015.

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In Ireland, a Dublin paper company by the name of Daintree has begun a hilariously ironic move to support gay marriage.  In May of 2014 the paper company first started putting their new product out.  Called “A Shred of Decency”, Daintree takes anti-gay pamphlets and other hateful propaganda, and turns it into heart-shaped confetti.  The confetti is made to be used in gay weddings, and along with aesthetically supporting the marriage equality movement, all profits made off of the confetti is donated to Yes Equality, a supporting charity of gay rights.  Daintree requests that their customers bring any hateful propaganda to their shop at 61 Camden Street, Dublin Ireland.  The company also has a presence on social media, asking people to flag any hateful tweets as “#shredthistweet”, and Daintree will print out the anti-gay tweets to turn into confetti as well.

Aside from being one of the most ironic things I’ve ever seen, “A Shred of Decency” is an absolutely amazing program.  Not only does it dissuade the creation of hateful propaganda, but it also supports pro-equality organizations directly.  The achievement of marriage equality can not be gained by just tackling the larger issues like legality, gay marriage has to be accepted within all domains, such as representation in media, education on sexuality, and religious tolerance.  Small companies like Daintree are helping to support the movement on the homefront.  This display of associating gay marriage with positivity, the more impressionable kids of Dublin will learn to view homsexuality and LGBTQA rights as a normal thing, and not as a crime or a sin.

Refuge Restrooms

Nicholas, James Micheal. "refuge Restrooms Launches Mobile App To Help Users Locate Gender Neutral Bathrooms". Huffington Post. April 10, 2015. Web. April 12, 2015.

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Harlan Kellaway is the creator of “Refuge Restrooms”, an app designed to help the transgender community.  Public restrooms are one of the most common locations for hate crimes against transgender individuals, because it becomes much harder to conceal their gender assigned at birth.  Many establishments have begun introducing neutral restrooms along with male and female, these restrooms are for transgender individuals who do not feel safe or comfortable using specific gendered restrooms.  Refuge Restrooms displays these neutral restrooms on a map based on the user’s location, this allows transgender individuals to find a safe place to use the restroom.  This app is potentially life-saving, and encourages the support of the transgender community.

This is a perfect demonstration of how modern technology is improving the quality of living.  Helpful tools and resources such as Refuge Restrooms are extremely important to oppressed groups of people, to the point where it may be a necessity.  This app represents the ingenuity and strength of the transgender community, a community that faces horrible crimes and injustices.  I think this app is a fantastic step towards making the world a safer place for transgender people as well as promoting equality and freedom of expression.  Neutral bathrooms are also a crucial way of representing the transgender community and normalizing the existence of transgender individuals, rather than alienating them from cisgendered individuals.

Cuba and the United States

"Raul Castro Says Cuba Blockade Not Obama's Fault". Huffington Post. April 11, 2015. Web. April 12, 2015.

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Yesterday, Saturday the 11th, 2015, the President of the United States and Raul Castro made several remarks about the Cold War and the relationship between Cuba and the U.S..  Castro made several unexpected statements of positivity towards Obama and the United States.  Castro and Obama shared a monumental handshake, nearly reversing the U.S. policy of isolation towards Cuba.  Obama expressed his goals involved in this new chapter of U.S. and Cuban history, including providing more opportunities.  Obama has stated his intent to remove Cuba from the list of nations accused of terrorism, and has stated that the Cold War is long over, and should be treated as a thing of the past.

I think that this is fantastic.  America should be as friendly as possible during this nuclear era to avoid unnecessary war.  This new relationship between America and Cuba has unimaginable potential, economically and culturally.  Cuba is fairly close to the United States, being only 90 miles off the coast of Florida.  These events show a promising new attitude toward foreign relations, and the forgiving of past skirmishes has the possibility of extending past Cuba.  The tension between Cuba and the U.S. being relieved opens up countless opportunities for both Cuban and American peoples, and is a wonderful development in foreign policy.

The Complexity of Genocide

This image from the Holocaust is a truly haunting artifact that tells a story of death and immorality without using any words.  This picture only shows a portion of the thousands of wedding rings that were taken from the Jewish prisoners that were forced into concentration camps.  There are so many aspects of this image and what its contents entail that are terrible and almost unimaginable.  The rings themselves are symbolic, these are not just rings, these are wedding rings.  Symbols of love, loyalty, and life.  The SS taking these rings away from the Jewish prisoners is a metaphorical connection to the SS taking the lives of the Jewish.  The concentration camps were not filled with love and life, but rather the opposite.

“‘You are in a concentration camp.  In Auschwitz...’  A pause.  He was observing the effect his words had produced.  His face remains in my memory to this day.  A tall man, in his thirties, crime written all over his forehead and his gaze.  He looked at us as one would a pack of leprous dogs clinging to life. (Wiesel 38)”

In this section of a passage from Night, Wiesel is describing an SS officer.  The word choice that Elie uses paints such a clear image in only a few sentences.  The image of a facial expression so cruel that it is associated with crime is extremely descriptive.  A person so evil that their physical appearance itself feels like a violation would scare anyone.  The people Elie talks about are the same people who greedily take away irreplaceable belongings to melt for gold.  Separating the Jewish from their families and loved ones wasn’t enough; the Nazis had to take away the only things that were left to show that they even had families in the first place.

Comparing the Jewish prisoners to dogs is further evidence that the Nazis didn’t even see the Jewish as human beings.  The loss 0f personal belongings and erasure of identity is not the way humans are treated, it is the way animals and puppets are treated.

“‘Remember it always, let it be graven in your memories.  You are in Auschwitz.  And Auschwitz is not a convalescent home.  It is a concentration camp.  Here, you must work.  If you don’t you will go straight to the chimney.  To the crematorium.  Work or crematorium - the choice is yours.’ (Wiesel 39)”

This section of the passage is more directly connected to the wedding rings themselves.  The connotation of marriage is a home, a family, and happiness.  It is directly stated in the passage that Auschwitz is none of these things.  Each wedding ring has its own story.  Each ring has a proposal story, a meeting story, a wedding story.  Thousands of happy memories being burned along with the people who wore them.

• Wiesel, Elie. Night. Trans. Marion Wiesel. New York: Les editions de Minuit. 1986. Print.
• "Remembering the Holocaust Photo Gallery." history.com. 2014. Web. <http://www.history.com/photos/remembering-the-holocaust#>