Category: Opinion

“Wait, you’re vegan? Why?” Simple. Because I don’t want to be a part of the hurt and distress that animals have to endure for the human population’s selfish wants. “Don’t you miss bacon?” No I do not. I haven’t had meat of any kind in four years and I’ve survived so… “I bet you cheat sometimes.” Are you undermining my willpower because you’re incapable of standing against something so strongly? “Lions eat meat!” True, this has been observed first-hand on the plains of Africa. Lions and other wild animals are natural carnivores whereas humans are not and therefore the wild animals have no option but to eat meat since they would die without it. Humans, however, can survive without it and we would actually be healthier. Arranging the claim that lions and other non-human animals eat meat as a defense of meat-eating among human beings is a classic example of the assumption that anything that occurs in nature is therefore morally justifiable.

“How come you don’t feel bad about killing plants. They have feelings too.” I have heard about a scientific study of researching whether plants actually have feeling, but somehow no particular scientist, university, or institution is ever mentioned in association with it. Were the results of this study peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal? When you can tell me this, please get back to me. Oh, and did you know that 70 percent of all agriculture is used for the production of the meat you eat? So actually you’re killing more plants than me. “The Bible says we should eat meat.” If you’re going to use holy writ to justify killing and eating animals, then you place yourself in the highly unenviable position of having to accept such justification from others who use the same text to excuse and rationalize slavery, murder, rape, genocide, animal and human sacrifice, and a host of other divinely sanctioned obscenities.

Now let us overlook the common responses to otherwise foolish comments and let’s talk about the facts. Vegan living often reduces the intake of saturated fat, animal hormones, and cholesterol while increasing the intake of fresh fruits and veggies. That has the potential to reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. A study done by Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn found that a vegan diet caused more than 500 genes to change in three months, turning on genes that prevent disease and turning off genes that cause cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses. Going back to the fact that majority of agriculture is used for the meat industry, the amount of grain fed to livestock in the U.S. alone could feed about 840 million people, roughly eleven times the number of people who die of starvation every year according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Producing a single pound of beef, for instance, requires sixteen pounds of grain. One pound of pork requires six pounds of grain and for every sixteen ounces of edible chicken flesh that is produced, at least five pounds of innocent plants must lose their lives. We’ll leave aside for the moment that these figures represent an egregious, immoral, and unsustainable misappropriation of the world’s dwindling natural resources and we’ll concentrate instead on the issue of suffering, which is of such great concern to the many meat-eaters who are convinced that vegans bear the responsibility for inflicting pain and misery upon innocent fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and tubers.

The misery and suffering of the tens of billions of animals raised and slaughtered for food every year are multiplied by hundreds of orders of magnitude if one accepts the claim that plants, as well as animals, possess consciousness and therefore suffer when they are harvested.

Eating plants causing them to suffer is a proposition that has never been demonstrated in a controlled scientific experiment, despite the numerous efforts of scientists to determine the legitimacy of so-called “primary perception”. It’s time we recognize that the “Plants have feelings, too!” argument is a feckless attempt to undermine the ethical basis of veganism with pseudo-science and bad logic. That being said, while a lot of people have so much to say about a topic they know nothing about, we vegans are not only watching out for animals but we’re also looking out for ourselves and most importantly the world we live in.

Your argument is invalid but by all means go ahead and say something else.

The world we live in currently is riddled with stereotypes.

Gender reveals are waiting around to see the color blue for boy or pink for girls and full of excitement. But why can’t it just be the other way around? Blue for girls and pink for guys. Sounds weird doesn’t it? For Pete’s sake we are in 2018 people! You see guys doing things that are traditionally feminine and wearing clothes that a girl would; you see women wearing clothes that were traditionally for men and doing things guys would do. We all grow up with this stereotype of the whole pink and blue since as long as we can remember, learning from parents, teachers and any other “mature” figure.

There isn’t anything wrong with a guy wearing a pink shirt, and there is not anything wrong with a girl that likes to skate. It seems that mostly men are targeted by the stereotype. It’s completely normal for a girl to wear jeans; but any male would be shamed for wearing a dress, even though skirts were originally considered masculine.

A man wearing a dress doesn’t always necessarily mean he is gay, and that goes for females who dress in  masculine manner. That is often the first assumption that one usually goes to when they see a male or female wearing or doing something that corresponds to their opposite gender.

Fox’s new competitive singing show, The Four: Battle for Stardom, aired its first episode on January 4, 2018. Potential candidates apply online and are chosen to perform for the show. Once chosen, the singers, also known as the “challengers” are presented in front of the panel of judges. The panel consists of DJ Khaled, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Meghan Trainor, and Charlie Walk, alongside the host Fergie. However, Walk will not be judging the season finale episode due to allegations of sexual misconduct. Before it aired on television, the judges searched the earth for the best four contestants to start the show. The original members were Lex Lu (32), Ash Minor (23), Elanese Lansen (22), and Blair Perkins (25).

The challenger performs a song for the judges and the crowd. A challenge occurs when the challenger receives four blue rings on the stage. The contestant cannot advance with a single red ring. The judges give the artist feedback on their performance. Then the artist can choose who to challenge.

The chosen member of the four performs their song, then the challenger performs their second song. The crowd votes on the best performance and the winner takes their seat on the four. The goal for each contestant is to land a seat on the four hoping to be signed with Republic Records.

Personally, I like the concept of this show. Overall, I think the show is decent. My problem though is that the judges are very biased and sometimes they let quality talent slip away.

One contestant on the first episode, Zhavia (16), was the favorite of the judges from the beginning. Her voice is different, a bit deep and weird for my liking, but I still believe she has talent. She challenged Elanese and took her place as one of the four. I thought Elanese, with her latina vibe and angelic voice, should have won.

The judges put too much emphasis and importance on style, stage presence, and uniqueness than the actual talent itself. For example, Anthony Hall, Valentina Cytrynowicz, Kayla Ember, Stevie Brock, Cocoa Sarai, Sean Cavaliere, Edi Callier, and Josh Wyper are all amazing singers but were denied the chance to challenge one of the four.

All the judges are notorious for saying, “I don’t know if you are better than the four,” which means they will not let a challenge happen. How would the judges know if they do not allow them a challenge?

They do not want to lose their favorite artists like Zhavia in a challenge. The other singers have talent but they deny it because of their biases. If the judges want Zhavia to be the winner then they should cancel the rest of the season.

The judges’ commentary on the performances is mediocre at best. None of them can compare to Simon Cowell’s feedback. I do not think all four judges should have to agree in order for a singer to advance. The panel is not going to always agree. If a challenger receives three votes, it would be logical to allow them a challenge. Aren’t the people, the audience, supposed to be choosing a singer anyway? The judges need to stop manipulating who stays on the four.

When Zhavia lost her seat on the fourth episode to Kendyle Paige (20), Meghan Trainor cried. Trainor seemed to indicate hesitance about letting Kendyle challenge because she knew that Zhavia might lose. Kendyle sang better than Zhavia and the crowd took notice. Zhavia had been dealing with problems with her voice, but with Kendyle’s sweet demeanor and growl, there was a clear winner.

In episode five, the judges had four comeback artists perform to reclaim their seat. Ash Minor’s rendition of Bruno Mars’, “When I was your man,” was better than Zhavia’s cover of “Bodak Yellow.” But the judges picked Zhavia and she dethroned Tim Johnson Jr (18). I loved Tim’s voice, stage presence, and personality. He was #robbed.

Walk mentioned once that he is not necessarily looking for the most talented artist, but the “whole package.” This is the reason why we end up with mediocre talent in the music industry.

Restrooms seem to be the hot spot for vandalism, but the graffiti in some bathrooms are positive. What was known as the Sad Girls Club came to an end when the P buildings were disoccupied. The bathroom located near the bungalows had walls and doors that contained questions, conversations, thoughts, and support for young ladies in all the colors and handwritings. Love, hate, sad, emotional, and happy poems were written in the walls. Rude comments were often written but others were quick to write the bright side of such words. “You are strong, worth it, beautiful, pretty,” were in bold letters, standing out from all the other comments. The Sad Girls Club was a supportive place in the ladies’ restroom where girls share their deep experiences and real stories, it was a way of expression and communication.

But like any other restroom, their walls are more than just a notepad or a juicy confesion board for highschool students, these conversations don’t belong in a classroom environment therefore sharing a comment privately and completely anonymous lifts the weight of pain off someone’s chest and it truly shows that girls can be very supportive of each other. Plus, reading the bathroom walls is a great way to waste time on days that you feel like being a rebel by taking a little longer to go to class, which only happens like once a year, right?

Already on a few occasions this year many of the women’s restrooms were surprised by many bright and positive post it notes on the bathroom mirrors. Whoever takes the time to write and display ecstatic quotes deserves a thank you because somedays a girl just needs to be reminded that she is unique.

The graffiti may not be the schools priority, but keeping the bathrooms cleaned and walls erased is for safety reasons. And even though the apparent graffiti goal is to be as harmless as possible, the California Education Code for Student Discipline: Education code, section 48900 states that a student may be suspended or expelled by causing or attempting to cause damage to school or private property. So I don’t in anyway encourage anyone to damage the restrooms, yet I still love the idea that the girls bathroom graffiti is positive.

As a token of condolences, the world renowned artist Jeff Koons donated a monumental sculpture titled “Bouquet of Tulips” to France in wake of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. As a gift to the victims and their families, the statue is intended to be in the center of the city and widely recognizable as a Jeff Koons piece. In the artwork, an arrangement of flowers are held high by a caucasian fist as a nod to the Statue of Liberty located in New York City. The people of France gifted us kindly with it in 1886 and America now is returning the favor.

However, many are saying that Koons’ donation to the French is closer to self-promotion than commemoration. The site of the artwork is not even remotely close to the location of the attack, the Bataclan concert hall and its surrounding restaurants where terrorists killed 130 people and wounded hundreds. In fact, the piece is supposed to be placed beside the Palais de Tokyo, a space solely dedicated to young emerging artists–which Koons is certainly not.

While I disagree for the most part, I do see where the french artists are coming from in saying that it is a selfish and disrespectful act. With US President Trump and French President Macron at great odds on the subject of climate change, it is important to handle our historic alliance with care. Koons’ efforts are only an extension of the artist’s and the states’ gratitude in remaining by our side. Artists are often regarded as brash and presumptuous, but just because they are seen that way does not mean their intentions are like so. It’s like seeing someone with a bad case of RBF and automatically assuming they’re a she-dog.

The tulips are a symbol of optimism, “universal values that the US and France share,” as Koons told the french morning newspaper, Le Figaro, back in 2016. In that same article, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, described the gift as “a beautiful and generous gesture, which testifies to the very strong friendship between our two countries,” and explained that “Those who explain that Jeff Koons is not a great artist are the same ones who dedicated him as such.”

Although Koons is keen on following through with his French-installation art, the people of France have been hesitant to accept his gift with open arms. Critics in the art industry and beyond have largely balked at the massive structure and there is a definite possibility of the piece not ending up on foreign soil at all.

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.