My name is Emmanuel Ramos Aponte. I was born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico to an elegant but poor mother, Aurelia Aponte Pérez, and a belligerent and crass alcoholic of a father, Jorge Ramos Ramos, a product of cousin inbreeding.[i] I am less than a month shy of sixty-two-years-old. I live in the Bronx in an... Continue Reading →
How WeWork Manipulated the Market
WeWork’s inability to secure investors for an IPO is a trending topic, with various individuals predicting that it will radically change market psychology. On CNBC, Robert Griefeld claimed that we are now living in a ‘post-WeWork world’[i]- as if human reality has been fundamentally altered by this incident. I agree that WeWork’s massive devaluation could... Continue Reading →
Jennelle Eliana- An Overnight Success or the result of Dedicated Preparation?
I want to spend a moment to discuss Jennelle Eliana, a YouTuber that has recently risen to fame by amassing over 1.3 million subscribers in a three-week span, and with only two published videos. Due to the anomaly of this, news sources outside of YouTube commentators have covered her fast track to success, the majority... Continue Reading →
Is Modern News too Surface-Level to Promote Change?
A New York Times[i] article from last month inspired me to write about a global issue with a pernicious impact: the lack of comprehensive reportage and the passive reaction modern society has towards hard news. I believe that an essential component of effective journalism is the reporter’s ability probe beyond the superficial particulars of critical... Continue Reading →
The Cult of the Individual
The United States is a culture that idealizes the individual. On a daily basis, we are bombarded with depictions of the successful persona; of the idea that a single individual can build a multinational corporation, form a successful start-up, become a famous musician, an inspiring influencer, or a multimillionaire solely from personal talent, grit, and... Continue Reading →
Where Have the Creative Artists Gone?
I have spent a considerable amount of time on the internet since I decided to try and make my artistic lifestyle a reality. The foray into both consuming and studying the world of vloggers and bloggers has opened my eyes into how modern platforms on the internet have created substantial opportunities for those who want... Continue Reading →
The Autonomous Vehicle
I recently had a conversation about self-driving cars. The discussion, which quickly divulged into the advantages of such a technology, caused me to ponder my initial skepticism regarding such an invention and why I am inclined to oppose the fast introduction of autonomous vehicles on the road. In order to understand a bit about my... Continue Reading →
Naked Shame
I would like to start this essay by asking a question that many of you- particularly my younger readers- might find uncomfortable: When I ask you to imagine a nude body, what is the image that you imagine? It might be your own body, or the youthful, tauntly lean body that you see in advertisements... Continue Reading →
There is more to Happiness than Standing on a Firm Platform
Some weeks, especially during the summer months, the remarks passing males make on my appearance is an everyday occurrence. The sheer frequency of it has made me numb to the remarks, causing me to experience them as I do the white noise machine I use to drown out auditory stimulation during the night. But in... Continue Reading →