Author: adviser

2017 brought a lot of Hollywood’s sexual predators to light, a good amount of previously respectable men lost their jobs. Women by the dozen each came forward with stories of sexually and physically assault that have been kept under wraps for decades. The #MeToo movement and the #TimesUp movement have helped many women feel supported enough to share their experiences in hopes of finally seeing justice be made. To show their own support for the movement, The Golden Globe Awards, on their 75th year, decided to set a dress code, all black attire. The dress code was meant to showcase solidarity for the women who have experienced physical and sexual assault or abuse. It was also done to promote racial and gender equality in show business.

Though their hearts and wardrobes were in the right place, not much can be gained from the color of someone’s $20,000 dress. Not much was said about these important issues during the event, other than Oprah’s uplifting that’s-why-we-love-her speech. Actors and actresses who have worked with well known creeps wore black even though they don’t care about the message behind it. Justin Timberlake and Emma Stone both wore black and spoke on how men in charge in Hollywood shouldn’t abuse their power. Pretty ironic considering they both starred in Wonder Wheel, which was directed by Woody Allen, a well known child molester, who still works and is very successful in film.

Stars didn’t wear black because they wanted to show their support, but because they were afraid of being otherwise shamed. If we really want to give women more freedom and power, we should stop talking and do it! There is this false sense of progress, when nothing is really changing. All we keep seeing are small, insignificant forms of protest being hyped up by people who could actually spark change but won’t. Women are still being criticized because of what they wear and perverted, abusive men are still very much in charge. Firing a few actors because of allegations isn’t the right way to go. The media claims they want change but will ignore doing anything constructive. These “protests” are an easy gimmick to allow the film industry to pat themselves on the back for being “so progressive”, when in reality nothing will change until we change what we watch. The industry has been like this forever. The first films Shirley Temple starred in are too disturbing to watch. A four-year-old girl playing a prostitute with a full grown man and nobody bats an eye. It’s more than just women speaking up, what’s the point when everyone hears but nobody is actually listening?

New Year, New Me. It’s 2018, this is my year. It’s about that time of year again. I can feel it all around. People are going to work out more next year!  Learn how to cook, be adventurous, put themselves out there more, find a boyfriend, find a girlfriend, have no more regrets, create memories, blah blah blah. “New year, new me.” It’s time to make a change, no more complaining, do something about it.

I’ve set goals for myself and I have a whole year ahead of me to do something about it. I spent last year doing a lot of soul searching. I was able to find myself and grow as a person. This year I’m committing to my resolutions. I don’t have a whole list of things to change because I find that having so much to resolve only results in accomplishing one or two. In 2018, I’m achieving my goal to be stronger and healthy, both mentally and physically. Start off small, then end the year with a BANG!

Three things to remember: First, accountability. In order to truly change and reach some of your New Year’s goals, you really need a partner. Someone that will give you a good slap when you cheat yourself. Someone that will make you accountable throughout your journey to achieving a goal. That can be a friend, family member, or your advisor. This person can be the one to remind you of your goals and motivate you to stick with it. Second, commitment. It’s going to require you stick with it all year. That means every day of the year. For example, if you’re planning on get fit and healthy this year, ease into going into the gym. Rather than going for 4 days in a row then wearing yourself out where you get unmotivated and lazy. You’ll have to decide what you want and what you want to give up to get it. It will be worth it, just like losing twenty pounds. Finally, habits. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. You cannot expect to make progress if you’re doing things the same way you did last year. Think about it, are you still in the same position? It’s probably because you haven’t broken those bad habits.

This is our time to grow. 2018 will be filled with positivity and happiness. To achieve this we are breaking habits and sticking to our agenda, which is reaching these goals. Set daily reminders! Get organized. Make this year yours!

Imagine a world where we focused on the positive instead of the negative. Yes, a lot of negative events have taken place recently, but there is some good in the world. We always focus on the negative. There can be someone who does greater good for the world, but society will only pinpoint the one bad thing that person did from years ago. For example, Instagram people who do ridiculous things on Instagram. SUPREME PATTY, has gained popularity by squirting lemon in his eyes, endangering himself by eating the hottest pepper in the world, jumping off of roofs, and sometime disturbing the peace by making a mess in stores. He may be a hooligan, but he also gives back to the community by passing out food and clothing to the homeless. If we focused on things like that and started spreading positivity, the world could advance as a community. Yes people have flaws but they also have perks, they have attributes that allow them to contribute to others. I will admit, some things may be too big to look past, but think of it this way, if it doesn’t conflict with your life or that of someone close to you, you shouldn’t make that big of a deal out of it. So stop being negative and look on the bright side.

So for anyone who hasn’t heard about Logan Paul’s literally disgusting vlog, let me fill you in. On New Year’s Eve Logan uploaded a vlog of him and his friends going into Aokigahara, or most famously known as the “Suicide Forest”- where a lot of people go to die in peace, to camp out. The video starts with this dramatic intro and he says that it is not clickbait but he uses the dead man’s body as the thumbnail? He and his friends are walking through the forest and they find a person who has clearly just hung himself, and a normal reaction to seeing a dead body should be to call the authorities, right? No, Logan’s first reaction was to tell his friends to grab his camera. He and his friends acted surprised that they found the man, although they are in a place notoriously known for people going to die in peace. He starts filming the guy and yells “Hey, are you messing with us?!” Logan could easily have run back to the parking lot, which was only 100 yards away, to get help. Instead he moves closer to get a good view of the body for the camera. And he thinks it’s okay because they blurred out the person’s face. It’s clear that Logan is filming this man for views, he had no respect for the man nor any desire to get him help until after he got his content, then and only then did he decided that maybe it would be a good idea to call the authorities. The worst part is he’s making jokes about it. His friend says that he doesn’t feel good about the situation. Logan says “What, you never stand next to a dead guy before?” and just laughs. A person takes their own life and this boy makes it into a joke. This is one of the most disrespectful things he could have done, but he’s too immature and immoral to understand that. The responsible thing to do would have been to turn away the camera and call the police. Logan is 22 years old, he can’t say that he didn’t realize his video was inappropriate. And of his viewers are literally children who aren’t any older than 13. Impressionable children who are going to  think insensitive and disrespectful stuff like this is okay because a YouTuber did it. Overall, Logan Paul is literal trash.

We can all agree that the internet is a part of daily life. If you haven’t heard, Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman, Ajit Pai, is trying to destroy Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality is our right to communicate freely through the internet. Service providers can’t speed up or slow down any website, content, or application. Like how they can’t pick and choose who you call or text. Net Neutrality is a set of rules that keep the internet free and open, allowing you to share and access information of your choosing without interference. Without Net Neutrality, there is no internet. This is a HUGE deal. Our free access to the web will be taken away. It only takes three of the five commission members to decide whether or not it goes through. It is to be decided on December 14, 2017. If Pai decides to repeal Net Neutrality the internet will never be the same!

Our generation has grown around the internet, everything we do now in school and our socially is now on the internet. Education has turned to the internet so students may have easier access to content and topics they are focusing on. Internet access is a necessity in college and everyday working life. So, you’re telling me I have to pay even more on top of my tuition just to have access to websites I need in order to pass the class? No thanks. Applications for jobs, schools, and many resourceful things. Net Neutrality is crucial for small business owners, startups and entrepreneurs, who rely on the open internet to launch their businesses, create markets, advertise their products and services, and reach customers. It makes no sense to take that privilege away from us. It makes life more difficult for everyone. If it is passed, your service provider gets to choose what you CAN access and what you CAN’T. It would come in a monthly plan, where you would have to pay extra on top of your phone bill. Why would I pay extra just so I can go on Instagram and Twitter? I have to pay to tweet now? It’s ridiculous! It’s free now, keep it free.

America has been in this situation before, we fought for our right to free access to the internet, in which we won Net Neutrality. Now, they are trying to repeal it for no good reason. It’s like picking at a scab, DON’T PICK AT IT. Why do these old people have a say in MY future? The FCC is considering a decision that will severely and negatively impact my future, and half of their own. It adds to the list of unnecessary doings after Trump was elected. They need to consider the what ifs, the what will happen if it goes through. Sadly, I feel as if they would only choose what appeals to their own good and not that of others. It’s upsetting to think, that this issue is being politicized, when there are many ongoing issues that need this amount of attention. Our people have used social media to raise awareness in what we can do to #SAVETHENET.

I’ll get right to it, I support Planned Parenthood. Before I start laying down the logistics, here’s a fun fact: Planned Parenthood isn’t just abortions! Now you’re probably wondering, “Then what is it?”

It’s actually a nonprofit organization that supplies reproductive and related health services to men, women, and young adults while also providing important sex education. Yes, these health services do include abortion and I’m all for it. No, I’m not a murderer nor am I a supporter of murder.

“But that’s what abortion is!!!” The reality is that the majority of abortions are performed during the first trimester of a pregnancy, when the embryo hasn’t fully developed. Even at five weeks the embryo is barely the size of a single grain of rice, not a clump or bowl of rice, a single grain. What gets iffy are the abortions that happen once the embryo is identified as a fetus. This development happens two months after conception but these procedures during this time period are usually emergencies.

Women don’t go to Planned Parenthood for fun. No one wakes up and thinks, “I haven’t gotten an abortion in a while, I’ll go today.” It’s not Target. Those who choose to have one can be financially unstable, unwilling to be a single mother, or there’s a high chance of birth defects. Whatever the reason, they don’t owe anyone an explanation.

Why not just give up the baby for adoption? Here’s the truth about adoption: in 2015 there were around 397,122 children in the U.S. that were circulating around the foster care system and didn’t have permanent homes or families, and the numbers have gone up since then. By not allowing women to get an abortion, you’re forcing her to be pregnant and deliver just to raise the number of unadopted children every year.

We all know now that I’m pro-choice, in support of abortions, but do you know who isn’t? The Trump Administration. In October 2017, they proposed a new rule to eliminate the Affordable Care Act’s requirement for all insurance plans to cover the cost of birth control without a co-pay and take away federal funds to Planned Parenthood.

This makes getting abortions a lot more expensive and a lot less accessible. Women desperate enough will take extreme measures to perform their own unhygienic abortions that could lead to infections and sickness that could have been easily prevented.

Not only will abortion services be scarce, but so will the several other reproductive services Planned Parenthood offers. They offer multiple forms of birth control, such as pills, IUD, or NuvaRing, to accommodate everyone’s preference. They also have STD and pregnancy testing, and men’s and women’s health services in addressing cancer, fertility, sexual dysfunction, pelvic exams, and routine checkups.

You want to defund Planned Parenthood because you’re against abortions? Here’s a thing to try: don’t get one. Don’t take away someone else’s choice to get or not get one. Nor should you try to up the prices of the numerous and important services that Planned Parenthood has to offer people.

In the days leading up to Christmas, it is custom for people around the world to buy trees, send cards, and sell their souls for whatever mainstream gadget is on the market. Once all of the gifts are opened, the rest of the day is pretty anticlimactic. Are you a better person now that you have that designer purse? Does an eight year old really need an iPad? (Kids basically become zombies with weak social skills but that is a whole different conversation.) I am not saying that I am not a part of the consumer frenzy of the holidays, however, I think it is time to assess how Christmas has changed to become a national hallmark of materialism.

Christmas is the ultimate excuse to fill the materialistic void with all of the deals that flood our email inboxes. It is typically the “largest economic stimulus” as sales increase dramatically in almost all retail areas. According to a 2016 Statistica survey, 29 percent of respondents stated that they expected to spend over 500 U.S. dollars on gifts for the holiday season. This is disappointing because after the gifts are opened, they quickly lose their meaning as we run back to the mall for the New Years Deals. Then the cycle starts all over. As a society, we are in an endless loop of wanting more and more. I realize that I am generalizing, but our economy and people’s livelihoods depend, in part, on this insatiable cycle.

In general, Christmas has strayed away from its traditional Christian roots to represent a more secular holiday of celebration. But whether Christian or not, gifts are a staple of any household. We are set on the mentality that Christmas isn’t Christmas unless there are gifts under the tree. The little things like spending time with loved ones and watching sappy movies are overshadowed by the gifts.

With all of that said, I do not think that there is anything wrong with wanting to surprise family and friends. It is a great feeling to see everyone’s faces light up with excitement on Christmas morning. I am just hoping that people will reflect on what this special time of year is really all about: family, food, and Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas.”