Stay True

     Continuing with the Lady Gaga theme from my last post, this one is a bit less heavy in the emtional department. Here, she is seen talking to a class at Yale University on what fame and society have done to both change and strengthen her character. We can all learn something from her wise words, I know I did.

     If you would like to watch the full hour-long video, you can do so here.

Til It Happens To You

     Sexual assault is a huge issue in the world today. Rape on college campuses makes up for a large amount of these assaults on women. Lady Gaga, a phenomenal advocate for human rights, has created a gut-wrenching video of what sexual assault is really like. Grab the tissues and tune in for this emotional statement on what it's really like to personally experience this type of tragedy on a college campus.

Tweet Tweet

Everyone's into barely wearing clothes these days huh? Not my style. I like to keep the good stuff covered up for the one who matters 😂😂😂

— Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) December 6, 2015

Just looking at the latest fashion trends. I'll take classy over trendy any day of the week. #saturdaynightinsight

— Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) December 6, 2015

Regardless of if you like my "style of clothes" or not (which I don't care) please do not tear women down and degrade them... Not cool peeps

— Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) December 6, 2015

      Above are a few tweets shot out by Ayesha Curry, the wife of popular basketball player Steph Curry. Contradictory in nature, this set of shame-filled posts are exactly what's wrong with the way women treat each other nowadays. Instead of criticizing the choices of clothing one makes, we need to respect that person for their choice and not blame them for loss of self-respect or class. Tearing each other down does nothing to help our cause, but this is precisely what Curry is guilty of as she tweets these words. First off, she basically calls women who do not dress in a "classy" way unequal and beneath her. Then, she says it's not cool to degrade women for their style. Excuse me, but is that not what you just did on this same day, just two tweets before? The wording in the first post also suggests her shaming women who bare it all to people who mean nothing to them emotionally, essentiallyone-night-stands. Women and men are equally allowed to express themselves sexually in safe, consentual environments. Saying that she saves her body for "the one who matters" implies that women who do otherwise are, again, beneath her.Let's all agree to leave the way women choose to present themselves through dress out of personality, self-respect, and confidence evaluations. You just need to do you and be comfortable with other women doing the same.

Price of Fame

Source

Source

The photo on the left of a former Disney star is highly praised, while the one on the right is scrutinized to the extreme. Calling out sexism is the first step to diminishing it.

            As a culture, we are obsessed with celebrities and famous people. Actors, athletes, reality television stars, and socialites. In retrospect, these people are exactly like us. Celebrity personalities have always been put on a pedestal in every culture around the world. Why do we do this? Seeing someone portray a role on the silver screen or score winning games for your favorite team can have an impact on a person. Non-famous people dream of fame and fortune, but many celebrities do not recommend their lifestyle. However rich or publicized someone is, they too can often fall victim to diseases such as alcoholism or detrimental drug use. They also are subject to scrutiny under the eyes of millions, often billions of people. Celebs such as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez have been overly-criticized, specifically from parents. Coming from Disney Channel fame, these women served as "role-models" for children who watched their shows religiously. Now in their early twenties, these women have shed their Disney-clad skins and developed their own identities. Outraged, parents have called out these former child stars for "corrupting" their children’s' views of them. Can we agree that celebrities are not in charge of raising other people's children to have specific morals and values? These people also ignore male Disney or child stars who have so-called tainted their squeaky-clean reputations, such as the Jonas Brothers. Nick Jonas can pose over half-naked in a magazine spread and is praised for it. But Miley Cyrus does a photoshoot where her back is exposed, and gets criticized and shamed to this day still. We must stop holding celebrities accountable for raising our children and criticizing their personal choices, sexual or not.

Bang Bang

Satire at its finest.

     Domestic terrorism. A phrase not too often heard in the past few years, although there have been plenty of tragedies that fall under this term. Aurora, Santa Barbara, Columbine, Blacksburg, and Wichita are a few of many cities who have experienced domestic acts of terror. Every single one of these horrific incidents were accompanied by guns or semi-automatic weapons, used to inflict fear and pain into the hearts of fellow Americans. These types of events are possible with the low-action stance on mental health in the United States as well as loose gun control laws. Recently, a law allowing citizens to conceal and carry, even on college campuses, passed. I am not a fan of the way gun control is run in this country. Anyone can get their hands on one, or however many their hearts desire. Many oppose the tightening of control because they enjoy owning their guns for personal protection or hunting. While that is all fine and dandy, there are children dying for that right. If we implement strict protocols for the distribution of weaponry, this country will get a much-needed mental makeover. Take Australia, for example, who has a restrictive gun policy. Their total number of gun-related deaths in 2012 was 226 people. In the United States, our 2012 death toll was 33,563 people. There is absolutely no way of justifying this massive amount of loss simply by saying, "It is our constitutional right to go out and shoot stuff!"

     So, take a second. Is your government-given right to own a firearm really worth the loss of innocent life?

Defunding Our Future

     December 3rd, 2015. This is the day that will live in infamy in the minds of women's rights activists for a long while. On this day, the United States Senate voted to pass a bill to defund one of the most resourceful places for women and families alike, Planned Parenthood. To help raise funding, you can donate to the cause on their official website. This disgraceful ruling also aims to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, also referred to as Obamacare. A true tragedy to witness, the bill passed through the Senate on a tight vote of 52-47. An invaluable asset to women and their families, Planned Parenthood is a federally-funded organization that provides excellent services from contraceptives to family planning, and discreetly conducts sensitive procedures. Thankfully, if the bill ever reaches the oval office, President Obama has publicly pronounced his intentions to veto the proposal out of existence.

     To see what impact the organization truly has on cost-effective reproductive healthcare, flip through their colorful annual report given at the top of this article. 

     To check out the location nearest you in the state of Kansas, consult the Google Map embedded below.

Dump Trump

An interesting political experiment conducted by the Huffington Post.

   As many will say, even bad publicity is good publicity. However, in this situation, I simply cannot hold my tongue even if it means giving free online publicity to something I dislike. In the 2016 presidential candidate pool, diversity is key. The most surprising candidate to date, Donald Trump, is surely making waves with his flailing attempt at the next presidency spot. He has proven to not only have ruined his integrity with how he deals with fellow running mates, but also in his sexist, racist, and xenophobic remarks. He has consistently taken unfair shots at those who publicly disagree with him. Living as a grown adult with a toddler's mentality, Trump has been cited for calling his opposition ugly, unattractive, dumb, and even going so far as to cruelly make fun of a disabled writer who called him out.

     No matter where you stand on the political scale, I sincerely hope that Trump is nowhere near your radar. Personally I'm just waiting for 2020 to come around so I can cast my liberal vote for Yeezy. Until then, Bernie Sanders has my support all the way.