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 Fine Line Between Acceptable and Unacceptable Jokes
I am a fan of well-written comedy, despite the fact that it is often contentious, derogatory, and heavily reliant on stereotypes. What I love most about good comedy is that it incites the viewer or listener to question the offensive tropes and clichés present in society and forces them to think beyond the bounds of... Continue Reading →
The Lessons Learned in Watching a Loved-One Die
"I'm going to live in spite of everything I've been through. I'm a nasty old woman." I recently spent ten days watching my grandmother die. It was a stroke that pushed her to the physical limit, leaving her unable to walk and swallow. What made the situation so distressful for my family and I was... Continue Reading →
The Importance of Visual Asethetic
Fretting over one’s physical appearance is a common preoccupation; and this is for good reason, as visual acuity is the primary manner in which humans interact with their external surroundings. Unlike with smell, taste, hearing, and touch[i], our reliance on sight is so profound that without it, and without sufficient aid and acclimation to blindness,... Continue Reading →
Stimulation Addiction
The quality of being drawn to stimulation isn’t unique or particular to the modern world, or any generation or population of people in particular. For centuries, humans have acquired habits to distract themselves from an often frustrating and callous reality. Our ancestors had celebrative rituals such as chants, séances, songs, dances, sport, orgies, and art... Continue Reading →
Perfection Paralysis
I am sitting in a café with a dauntingly blank Word page ahead of me when I notice the man at my left photoshopping an image of a female. The photo is zoomed in at the right corner; she is topless, but her breast is covered by her arm. With precise strokes from an electronic... Continue Reading →
Be more than the Image you Believe Yourself to be
I have an aversion to the capitalist lifestyle I find myself a part of. Everyday I wake up with the feeling of being coerced into work not actively benefiting my own desires or needs in order to have a room, a mattress, pillows, bedding, clothes, a dresser, hangers, curtains, a pot and pan, a bowl... Continue Reading →