Writes
A few weeks ago, I watched a documentary about the HSBC money laundering scandal. For those of you as unfamiliar with this scandal as I was, essentially the powerful international bank, HSBC, was knowingly manipulating regulations to funnel drug cartel money from Mexico and Colombia through the U.S. financial system. Being a bank that is... Continue Reading →
On the phone the other day, my mother expressed her excitement about the new CVS Photoshop-Free campaign. Like my mother, I support the anti-Photoshop movement. I believe it is a positive start in rectifying our body image issues. Yet despite the fact that I approve of companies, celebrities, and influencers jumping on the anti-Photoshop bandwagon,... Continue Reading →
It can be difficult to understand the privileged mindset. And for many of us, it can be hard to relate to. But I recently came across a video[i] depicting extreme animal cruelty at one of the nation’s biggest dairy farms, and it make me consider this: as humans, we are all privileged; and we all... Continue Reading →
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 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 →
I have been contemplating the negative conditioning that the majority of us have in regards to help. In general, it is difficult to receive help from a primarily empathetic standpoint, where the individual helping is assessing the person-in-need’s capabilities, passions, past history, fears, emotional attachments, and the base requirements that they may lack. Instead of... Continue Reading →
Recently, I have been questioning the manner in which we punish and penalize in our society. A lot of our punitive measures seem driven by our tendency to place people into polarities: as good or bad, kind or mean, angel or devil, moral or corrupt, laborer or artist, hard-working or lazy, as ‘once a cheater... Continue Reading →
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 →
A challenging opposition to what has been termed liberal doctrine is the fact that regulations such as affirmative action and diversity quotas, along with the atmosphere that liberal culture breeds, can uphold exclusive principles, and those that it excludes- mainly heterosexual white men- raise the concern that the restrictive nature of these regulatory requirements inherently... Continue Reading →