Opinion Category

I discovered PWR BTTM only a month ago, and they probably wouldn’t have crossed my radar without a little stoking from Apple Music. One Friday in early May, a raw punk thrasher called “Big Beautiful Day” from their new release “Pageant” found its way onto my New Music playlist. I was immediately enamored. As I began to read about their image of queer advocacy, the hook sunk deeper. Here were a pair of gender non-conforming musicians rocking drag, while howling out songs about bodily autonomy. I dug it in aRead More

Posted On May 15, 2017By Jackie RodriguezIn Miscellaneous, Opinion, Ramblings

Not Your Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is an especially tricky holiday for the best of us. It’s even worse when your relationship with your mother leaves something to be more than desired. And it’s the hardest thing to see‒ Facebook posts from friends that love their mothers, each one a special story about their mother and the things they’re doing to repay them. Stories about the way they never can. And scrolling through each one becomes a chore because you don’t have your own to add. This is the life of someone with aRead More

Posted On December 31, 2016By Anthony KozlowskiIn Buzzworthy, Music, Music Reviews, Opinion

The 30 Best Songs of 2016

No year in recent memory has brought with it as much turmoil and general fuckery as 2016. From the celebrity lives lost, to the spiraling of world events, to the dumpster fire that was the US presidential election, it seemed like this was the year that would never end. And of course it had to be a leap year too, extending our misery for an additional 24 hours. 2017 can’t get here soon enough. In these twilight days of this lemon year, there are a few things to look backRead More

Posted On April 26, 2016By Hunter SimmonsIn Buzzworthy, Issues, Opinion, Politics

The Bathroom Debate: One Man’s Take

I recently went to Six Flags Magic Mountain with my brother-in-law on a whim. Upon walking through security by the entrance plaza, I saw a scene all-too-familiar within high capacity events: long bathroom lines. Typically, the line for the men’s room is nothing to fret about. The line moves relatively quickly and one can get their business done without too much of a hassle. Popular culture has indicated to us that women use the restroom for much more than simple paperwork, if you catch my drift. For women, the restroomRead More
Several notable black individuals in the world of Hollywood filmmaking have come out in protest against the 88th Academy Awards this upcoming February. Director Spike Lee will not be attending this year due to the fact that all 20 actors and actresses that have been nominated this year are white. “We cannot support it and [I] mean no disrespect to my friends, host Chris Rock and producer Reggie Hudlin, president [Cheryl Boone] Isaacs and the Academy,” Lee wrote. “But, how is it possible for the second consecutive year all 20 contenders underRead More
  I’m a huge fan of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In my opinion, it’s the funniest show on television, and there ain’t a close second. Watching the escapades of a group of sociopaths who run a bar – a motley crew known as “the Gang” – provides a dark sort of comedy that stands out from most laugh-tracked garbage that cable channels try to pass off as humor. It’s no coincidence that in watching the last few weeks of turmoil unfold at the University of Missouri and Yale University, I’m remindedRead More
November and December are more than simple holiday months. This is the time in which the cinematic heavy-hitters step up to the plate. The 2014 movie scene got off to a relatively crappy start, but here are some well-done, indie-ish films that are worth checking out:   Birdman Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu Stars: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton This movie just takes us on a whirlwind adventure. There is literally never a dull moment in this film. I am glad to see Keaton up and at ’em throughout this movie, andRead More
I’d been working for two weeks straight and it was my day off so I was a little apprehensive when my housemate suggested we go see a movie called Gone Girl. I was totally unaware of this movie, hadn’t seen any trailers. Somehow it was totally off my radar. “Gone Girl?” I thought, “Why are we going to see a chick flick?”   Looking ahead at a day of playing Borderlands and not wearing pants, I thought that I may as well schedule some time to stretch my legs andRead More

Posted On October 21, 2014By Payal MajithiaIn Girlzone, Issues, Lifestyle, Opinion

I Am A Feminist And It Repels Men

When it comes to questioning gender roles and the social constructs created by society, I have always felt that it creates some rift and controversy between people. Many individuals have their own opinions on race, gender, and popular culture, although I feel that the majority of people prefer to lace their viewpoints with what society deems as “right” or “normal”. I believe that everything, especially gender and race, is a very fluid and wide spectrum of ideals and options. I’m part of a program called Gender Studies, which can isRead More

Posted On October 8, 2014By Quentin MontemayorIn Miscellaneous, Opinion

Broke in New York: A Review of ‘My Salinger Year’

Joanna Rakoff’s “My Salinger Year” is a memoir that is particularly relevant to 20-something girls. It’s a story we’ve heard before, namely on the popular HBO show Girls, but that does not make this story any less engrossing. Sometimes truth must be told several times before it sets in. Rakoff’s memoir documents her year working for the literary agency which represented J.D. Salinger. The book is not so much about J.D. Salinger, or the fans that write to him whose letters are never delivered. It is more about Rakoff’s comingRead More

Posted On September 25, 2014By John O'NeillIn Buzzworthy, Opinion, Politics, The Scene, Up For Debate

A Millennial Political Platform

The 2016 presidential elections will be fierce. With no eligible incumbent, the nation is braced for the political season that has already begun – its starting gun signified by the media peeping at prospective nominees viable to survive what promises to be an attritional war of primaries and the always fierce and final push toward the general election. Like any show dog or pageant contestant trying to win over the hearts of an American electorate, the political parties are grooming and prodding their candidates to form an ideal appeal. DamningRead More

Posted On September 22, 2014By Quentin MontemayorIn Miscellaneous, Opinion

Savory and Unsettling: Review ‘Season To Taste’

At first glance, the cover of “Season to Taste,” by Natalie Young looks like another boring chick lit novel, clogging the shelves of bookstores. Upon closer inspection this notion is dispelled. “Season to Taste” is a cautionary tale about not getting stuck in a loveless marriage–duly noted. The story chronicles the actions of a sad woman who has just done the unthinkable. Lizzie Prain kills and eats her husband. But this is not the end of the story. Merely the beginning. The story is told in snippets which include flashbacksRead More

Posted On June 18, 2014By Caitlyn DavisIn Issues, Opinion, The Scene, Up For Debate

Rape Culture & How You Can Stop It

I’ve seen a lot of articles recently regarding ‘rape culture,’ and while many of them are poignant, thought provoking pieces that really contribute to the cause of stopping said rape culture, there are several articles out there that take the term to the extreme, making women out to be victimized. In my opinion, this further propagates rape culture by taking arguments and pushing them to extremes. So I made a handy list, which in my opinion, outlines some of the topics that help call out and end rape culture, andRead More
Today is perhaps the greatest era of social commentary, even more so than just yesterday. We live in a world where everyone is a publisher and one-to-many-communication is the easiest it has ever been. Of course I am talking about social media. Any single person has the opportunity to express, document, and publish their view on anything – this restaurant, that movie, what your girlfriend did, how pretty your dog is. Lighthearted, flippant posting is great social fun, but challenging hard issue on social media brings a new level of responsibility to theRead More
By now we’ve seen the headlines.  We’ve scrambled to make sense of a horrific act of violence that brought a quiet college town to its knees.  We’ve cursed, we’ve mourned and in the case of us Gauchos, we’ve stood together – wounded but unified – in the wake of unspeakable tragedy. Last Friday, a gunman drove through the UCSB beachside town of Isla Vista slaughtering six and wounding thirteen more before turning the gun on himself.  Hours before the event, he uploaded a video explaining the reasons for his attack. Read More