A Call to Action

A Call to Action

photo credit

I am a senior in high school. This means my life is currently filled with standardized testing, transcripts, teacher recommendations, and decisions as to where I should be applying for college next fall. I am also voting in my first election in November. The election this year brings up a lot of questions in regards to my future as well as the future of the entire country. Will I have access to affordable birth control? If I were to ever be sexually assaulted, would my rapist be prosecuted? Would I be blamed? Will I ever make as much money as my brother will for doing the same job? Will black men and women ever not live in fear of police violence? A few days ago I had a conversation with my mother during which I brought up these questions. At the end, all she said was “I’m glad you registered to vote.” 

The election has been a controversial one to say the least, with Trump and Clinton offering two very different futures for our country. Let’s start by talking about Donald Trump (because that’s what everyone else seems to be doing recently). Ignoring his financial background (refusing to release his taxes, having multiple lawsuits against his companies, and having several go bankrupt anyway), he has no experience in politics, nor does he have any idea about what it means to lead a country. Trump is also putting millions of lives in danger. If he were to win, he would (try) to deport millions of Mexican and Muslim citizens purely based on their heritage, not to mention the global unrest that his regime would bring about. He would create a culture in which anyone who is not a straight, white cisgender male would feel unsafe in their existence. It is strange in and of itself that members of Trump’s own political party would refuse to endorse him as a presidential candidate. Regardless of what you think about either candidate’s policies, you can’t ignore that Trump is unpredictable and dangerous, whereas Clinton would operate within the normal bounds of the office.

Clinton, on the other hand is the definition of Girl Boss. As the New York Times put it, she is “one of the most tenacious politicians of her generation, whose willingness to study and correct course is rare in an age of unyielding partisanship.” Time and again she has (among other things) defended women’s rights, railed against gun violence, and fought against systematic racism. Yes, she has made mistakes, but isn’t that to be expected in a 35 year long career? In order to enact any of her plans in office, she depends on the approval of Congress. This means reaching across party lines and working with Republicans to reach a compromise.

Of course, this is nothing new to expect of a President. What is new, however, is a presidential candidate who is not only unwilling to work with anyone, but who is belligerent and outwardly aggressive towards anyone who opposes him. Trump has set the tone for his potential presidency not by attacking Clinton’s policies, but by attacking her has a woman. It is no secret that he is incredibly, undeniably sexist. He has gleefully said things like “If Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy America?” (Twitter, 4/16/15). He has called women “bimbos” and said of his former opponent Carly Fiorina, “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next next president? I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?" (Rolling Stone Magazine, 9/9/15). 

Recently Hillary Clinton has released an ad in which Trump is heard insulting women as young girls go about their daily lives. The message is clear: is Trump the president we want for our daughters? As bad as sexism and rape culture are right now, think about how bad they will be when the leader of our country regularly insults and demeans 50% of the population. This will not only make it acceptable to follow in his tiny footsteps, but such behavior will be encouraged. This terrifies me. This possibility is something that should be written about in a dystopian novel, not in the mainstream media. On the other hand, growing up under a Hillary would encourage both young men and women to fight for their futures. Girls seeing themselves in Clinton would raise a generation of girl bosses.

Basically what I’m doing here is a call to action. If you can and haven’t already, register to vote. Even more importantly, show up to vote on Election Day. The only thing standing between us and having a girl boss for president is voting. It all starts with us.

A Brief Description Of Just How Much Millennials Suck

A Brief Description Of Just How Much Millennials Suck

Photography by Brandon Stanciell.  Featuring Kristopher Young.  Issue 15.

I work at a sandwich shop.  Last week a gentleman came in two minutes before we closed who had obviously had a rough day because his rude level was at a 10/10.  It didn’t bother me or my coworker until she apparently asked a question too quickly and he made some comments about how “kids these days need to slow down and take themselves less seriously because we aren’t that important.”

I’m sure this gentleman had read one of the multiple articles I see daily explaining how entitled, selfish, and lazy the millennial generation is and how we are going to ruin the country over the course of the next few years.  That may have been part his reason for the condescending attitude, or it may have been possible that the 6-pack he proudly bragged about consuming while watching football caused him to loosen his mouth just a little bit too much. Or maybe it was the fact that he had obviously dropped his pizza on his Avengers t-shirt earlier in the day and he’d have to do the laundry sometime during the week that caused his miserable mood.  Either way, his condescending attitude, rude comments, and smirks weren’t welcome but still were received with a smile and a “thank you”.  Well here’s what I wished I could tell him: 

I woke up that morning at 6:30 in order to get homework done before class.  I finished up over some coffee and headed to a couple of classes before finishing up at 12.  I immediately started and finished a 5-page paper due the next day and wrote last week’s article before starting my shift at 3.  I had stayed up until 2 A.M. the night before so, by this point, I was already worn out.  Obviously, I should’ve prepared myself better and gotten more sleep but I’m young and like to have fun because one day I’ll most likely have kids and struggle to stay up past 9:30.   Anyways, by the time this customer came in I had been working hard for nearly 15 hours.  I’m sure he thought that as soon as he exited the store we would lock up and I’d go home and smoke a bowl because that’s all teenagers are good for, right?  What he didn’t know is I’d go to the back of the store and finish my third venti coffee of the day and spend the next hour closing the store before going home and studying for my test at 8 a.m. the next morning.  Obviously, a long day is one thing and happens to everyone.  I’m used to it and had no problem knowing I’d do the same thing for every day of the rest of the week.  I easily served every customer that day with a smile except for this one because of his lack of respect for what students are doing and his clear lack of understanding as to why we are forced to take our lives “too seriously”

I know that me, my friends at school, and my coworkers aren’t as successful as this man has been (his Crocs screamed high-salary businessman), but I think we deserve some credit.  Contrary to his comment about me being his “wife for the night because she’s out of town” (I wonder how much he has to pay her to stay with him), I am of a little more worth than just making a sandwich.  I’m in the classroom for 24 hours a week, in addition I spend at least another 24 doing homework for those classes, I also work for 29 a week.  If a “full-time” work week is 40 hours, then I am just 3 away from doubling that each week.  Not to mention the fact that I rage my face off at least three nights a week and write for this magazine. 

The reason I mention all of this because I’ve noticed that hardly anyone from the older generations has any idea how hard we work.  What makes me upset is that people like this gentleman have such an obviously low view of my peers and I.  I hear all the time how “easy” my generation has things or how we “don’t know the value of anything”.  There seems to be a common belief that we waste all our time “going on the facebook” and have the intelligence of small children “because of all the marijuanas we smoke”.  There is next to no recognition of how hard we work to prepare ourselves for the future.  Instead, all I hear is negativity about how we will ruin the country (thanks for all the debt by the way). 

I know the older generations have had hard lives (I mean walking uphill both ways to school is rough), but I know for a fact that my friends who bust their asses everyday don’t deserve to hear how little they think of us.  We are doing our best, working hard, and trying to be decent people.  Yes, we have fun.  No, we aren’t as conservative as our parents would like us.  Either way, it is my generation that will be taking care of that man fifteen years from now so I think we deserve a little more respect.  Thanks for the 18 cent tip though.  We’re good now.

Hi, What's Your (Band) Name?

Hi, What's Your (Band) Name?

Choosing a name is a pivotal decision for any band. A band name does so much more than fill space on a promotional poster. A name sets the tone for their music, their fan base, even their shows. For bands, choosing a name means walking a fine line between standing out with a unique name and completely alienating potential listeners with a name that’s just a little too weird.

As I’ve never actually named a band, I asked a couple of my friends (who rename their band more often than they replace their guitar strings) what they look for in a band name. One of said that he looks for “Something obscure that sounds cool, but something that everyone in the group likes. If everyone in the band likes it, who gives a f***k what anyone else thinks?" The other elaborated with “We look for something that, when you hear it for the first time, makes you think ‘what the hell does that mean?’ And it doesn’t necessarily have to fit the style of music”. So, in honor of confused musicians everywhere, I decided to try and define what makes a good band name.

There are generally two routes you could choose when coming up with a band name. First off (and recently more popular with musicians) is choosing a simple name with one or two words and as few syllables as possible. This goes as far back as rock bands do, with some notable examples being Queen, The Clash, KISS, and more recently The Arcs, BØRNS, Dreamers, and Cake. A simple name is easy to remember and rolls off the tongues of groupies when they’re crying at the barrier of their shows. On the other hand, a simple name gives the possibility of being boring and being forgotten.

The other path (and arguably the more fun one), is to choose a unique name that is impossible to forget. These names are funny, sometimes ironic or offensive, yet they’re the names brought up time and again because there’s no way anyone could actually name their band that, right? Some of my favorite weird band names are Congratulations On your Decision to Become a Pilot, The Butthole Surfers, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, !!!, and Honkytonk Homeslice. As amusing as names such as these are, they run the risk of being a little too weird and making mainstream listeners feel uncomfortable (despite the quality music they might be making).

All of this being said, the music the band plays is 150x more important than any name they come up with. A name is simply an attention grabber and a way to market themselves. As helpful as a good name might be in attracting an audience, good music and kick-ass shows are much better.

Progress, Not Perfection

Progress, Not Perfection

Photo by Willow Greene

If you are anything like me, you focus more on the outcome of things rather than the process of reaching the result. I typically strive for perfection in everything I do, especially in my writing because sometimes I am extremely self-conscious about it. Even if I am writing a rough draft, I have to make sure the grammar, structure, spelling, etc. is in order, otherwise I will start over. Lately, however, I have been learning that perfection should come second to progress. Like I mentioned in one of my previous articles, I think it is important to embrace change and try new things. And from process, that is usually the result. 

With a new school year beginning and stress levels on the rise, I easily get lost in the outcome of all things. Sometimes it is good to step back and take a look at the bigger picture, but I try to remind myself to also take life day by day instead of getting caught up in the stress of what is to come in a year from now. Between taking deep breaths and counting to ten, it is difficult not to get distracted by the result rather than the progress. It is discouraging when the result is not what you were hoping. Even if it is slightly off, the whole plan can be ruined.

So, I compiled a few reasons for why we strive for perfection and I came up with a these three possibilities: 1. We want to prove our worth; 2. We feel pressured by external forces (like friends, family, or mentors), or; 3. We honestly want to improve our abilities. For the most part, these are healthy reasons. All three are incentives to better ourselves. But when we allow them to shadow over the learning and growth that emerges from process, we are not understanding the full experience of what reaching goals should be about. It is not what you reap that defines you, but rather the strength, determination, passion, and attitude that shines through from the midst of your core.

We do not give ourselves enough credit for accomplishing “simple” tasks, whether that is completing an extra two miles in your weekly run or if you picked up jogging as a hobby only this morning. Putting ourselves down may seem modest and polite, but in the long run, we are sabotaging our confidence, which makes reaching “perfection” an even tougher challenge. We all have differing ideas of what “perfection” is, so why does such a concept exist if we cannot agree on a definition? Perfection is a part of our imagination, and our imagination stops at the border of reality. 

For the rest of the week, month, and year, continue to pursue your best self, but remember that the learning and growth that unfolds during the process of something is just as crucial to the outcome as the result itself.

Jesse Rutherford & Expression

Jesse Rutherford & Expression

The Neighbourhood’s frontman Jesse Rutherford is making a great living off of doing absolutely anything and everything he sets his mind to. The artist bleeds creativity and has been continually expressing himself in new, bold ways.  This last February Jesse collaborated with Australian photographer Jessie English to release a 144 page book entitled "&" filled with 2,965 photos of himself.  Maybe a little self-involved, but that seems to be the point.  Jesse puts his life on the table as honestly as possible and we eat it up.  

The book contains zero words, only images presented in the exact order in which they were shot. With the goal of expanding on expressions of gender fluidity, the two shot until Jesse ran out of his clothes in his wardrobe.  The book serves as an ode to rock iconography.  It’s unique and offers next to no explanation, but, by this point, fans of the artist have come to expect the unexpected and to simply appreciate it for what it is.   

The book is just one of the outlets for Jesse's budding creativity.  Simply being the lead singer of a rock group seems like it's just not enough.  The artist put his creativity on display with band’s decision to release a rap-tinged mixtape that steered completely away from their initial release before even releasing their sophomore album.  The idea was conceived and its creation was magic.  Entitled "#000000 & #FFFFFF" the mixtape flaunted Jesse's vocal talent while featuring the likes of YG, French Montana, and G Eazy.

Another of Jesse’s most recent creative outlets that I have really been engrossed in recently is his monthly release of music on soundcloud under the alias of “The Factoury”.  The initial track “Cell Phone Trap” was released in February as a predecessor to the “&” book release. 

The track features a continual loop of the apple ringtone, mixed with a smooth R&B beat that blends perfectly with Jesse’s autotuned voice.  It’s a unique form of pop that is simply fun to listen to.  The rest of “The Factoury’s” releases are no less impressive or unique with the exception (in my opinion) of the most recent release which sampled the “Stranger Things” theme song.  Even if I didn't enjoy this particular track it was still an impressive arrangement and I appreciate the fact that he's able to have fun creating his art.

I think that’s the thing with Jesse Rutherford.  These varied displays of creativity are simply expressions of his different personalities.  He's growing just like the rest of us and it's a joy to be able to observe his inner-self projected before us as he continues his journey as an artist and person.  It seems that every action of Jesse's is done simply because he wants, and, as long as that's the case, he has at least one loyal fan.