Issues Tag

Alter egos: A lot of stars have them. Beyonce has Sasha Fierce, David Bowie had Ziggy Stardust and now, apparently, Nick Cannon has Conner Smallnut. And people aren’t impressed. Cannon, who is set to release a new album titled, “White People Party Music” on April Fools’ Day, has caused a bit of a stir over the past few days, posting photos and videos of himself in whiteface and skater attire on Twitter and Instagram. Captions underneath the posts include hashtags like “FarmersMarket,” “GoodCredit,” “BeerPong,” and “CreamCheeseEating,” and introduce the pastyRead More

Oh, Facebook.  Thank God I have you to tell me what I want.  Think of all the things I’d miss out on if I just stuck to Netflix reruns of Archer. When I logged on the other day, I found the typical slew of game and app suggestions accompanied by the usual “10 of your friends like this” tagline.  I was just about to download Siege of Legends (or Legend of the Siege, I can’t remember which), when I stumbled upon an ad quite different from the cutesy FlappyBird ripoffs. Read More

While I’m aware I’ll have to survive off fantasies of a world without texting, I know I can fight for one cause… Please, dear God, stop texting your boss. Why? Texting has already ruined every relationship in your life. Let’s go through a mental checklist: Lovers? Deleted your number awhile ago. Friends? Sick of the same stories. Parents? Don’t even call you anymore. You? It’s so over… (because you just killed yourself in a texting and driving accident) Did anyone text me? No. What about now? Hmm. Hmm. Hmmm. Oh now?Read More

Well, Beyonce continues to live up to her nickname. Queen Bee speaks and everybody listens. Lately, my newsfeed has been buzzing with posts about “Ban Bossy,” a campaign started by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and backed by Bee herself. According to the campaign’s website, “When a little boy asserts himself, he’s called a ‘leader.’ Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded ‘bossy.’” This type of language, according to Sheryl Sandberg, discourages girls from seeking leadership roles, and “Ban Bossy” aims to address this issue byRead More

When I began to talk to, well, anyone who would talk to me about their American Girl Dolls, there was one common theme among women—not the wealth of American history obtained from their 18-inch-tall childhood friends, but the response, “No I didn’t have (insert blonde doll’s name), she was a b*tch, I had (insert different doll’s name), the cool one.” Which brings me to my question, why the hell did my mom buy me an American Girl Doll? The original American Girls—Samantha, Kirsten, and Molly—arrived on the market in 1986Read More

Bare with me and we’ll get to the butts soon, I promise. First, let’s get somewhat educational, but not too much. The content provided by television has long adhered to rules, regulations, and procedures, both political and corporate in their design. These rules and regulations I speak of served the general purpose of censoring out what was considered culturally “obscene” or “indecent” to the American Public, today we know it all as the FCC. In laymen’s term’s (and because I just want to), these regulations worked to ensure that theRead More

Last week, Duke University’s student-run newspaper, The Chronicle, reported a story that has since become a viral phenomenon: a freshman girl at the university, referred to only as “Lauren,”  is working as a porn “star” to help pay for her tuition (not sure why every porn actress is referred to as a “star,” but that is a discussion for another time). Predictably, this discussion has led to an all-out shitstorm in our society, which seems to be more accepting of alternative lifestyles by the day – for better and for worse. In noRead More

Before you have a rage stroke, that’s not just another clickbait headline. It’s true and I’ll tell you why. First, let’s back up and take a moment to bask in the majesty of the Internet. In terms of sheer size, scope, and overall effect on humanity, it’s a pretty sweet invention–maybe even one of the most important inventions of all human history. (Obviously, the #1 most important will always be melted cheese.) Almost everything in the developed world has been revolutionized by and now depends on the internet: shopping, universityRead More

So I’m going to assume most people reading this are over the age of 18. Therefore, you are an adult. Act like one. Here are seven situations in which I see people continuously act like lazy children and I CAN’T DEAL WITH IT ANYMORE.   1. Pick up after the messes you make. -We’ve all been there. You’re in a rush at the grocery store trying to make it home in time for the Bachelor. There’s that last item you need to grab so you run down the aisle withRead More

As you may have heard, yesterday Bill Nye the Science Guy (a man of many talents) participated in a debate about evolution yesterday against Ken Ham, a well-known Young Earth creationist (more on what that is in a minute). Now, this article isn’t going to rehash the points discussed or decide on a victor. You can watch for yourself, and of course I’m going to say that I think you should. Instead, I’m going to talk about why having these debates is so important. Some of you are probably wondering whyRead More

I would like to thank Brigham Young University-Idaho for the production of the following video. This inspirational anti-wanking PSA gives us all something to think about. The video begins with clips of a young man who is apparently “addicted to pornography” (and watches it in the most unnaturally relaxed manner). His roommates know, but really don’t seem to give a shit or find the need to step in, leaving him “spiritually wounded on the battlefield of a great war.” The video continues with a series of combat scenes, in whichRead More

I truly believe that the hallmark of any great artist, of any great musical outfit, is the ability to evolve musically, to grow personally, and to have every new album serve as a showcase for that latest great step forward. There is little more impressive than progress. Against Me!‘s latest album, the deeply personal Transgender Dysphoria Blues, not only represents a bold new step for the band and frontwoman Laura Jane Grace – it represents a colossal step forward for the LGBT society, and hell, the American public at large. If TransgenderRead More

Magic isn’t real anymore. Gone are the days of widespread witch hunts and divine prophecy (in the US, anyway). We no longer live in a demon-haunted world—now we have the technology to access an infinite amount of information anytime, anywhere. Google made a computer small enough to fit in a contact lens and your predictive text knows you better than you do. We’ve come a long way since bleeding people to cure them of diseases that had more to do with “sinning” than with medical phenomena. Next time you bustRead More

1. All of your friends are getting married. All of your friends are wild and single. You can’t win. You feel surrounded by the friends who, a) got married so young that you question why you aren’t getting married, or, b) by friends who are so ambitiously single that you question the relationship you are in. 2. You have money, but not a lot of money. You’re out of college and making some dollars. But those dollars run out scary fast when you start shopping for two. Plus, life insurance,Read More