2023’s Oscars were full of celebrations and awards that were long overdue to several individuals who broke records. It seems to be from this historic night that Hollywood and the Academy are starting to give a lot of recognition to actors that went unnoticed for too many years by the film industry. Despite this, there are a handful of POC that were overlooked by the Academy this year, having been robbed of nominations and wins due to potential racial bias. An award that did not …
Ahead of the election, Newsom is the only person fit for president
As the divide between the right and the left grows wider and wider, the rise of large political personalities has taken center stage. Enter Gavin Newsom, the current governor of California and a key democrat who has made quite the name for himself in recent years for being a staunch defender of progressive politics. He breezed through a flimsy recall election in 2021 and has been on the offensive against aggressive right-winged policies over the last year or so. Despite the aforementioned attempt at a …
Child marriage in the U.S. puts the ‘lock’ in ‘wedlock’
Many Americans do not know that child marriage is still legal in the U.S. Often times when people think of child marriage few people think of the U.S. The amount of loopholes placed on child marriage in the U.S. is insane. Only seven states have the minimum age for marriage as 18, meanwhile seven states in the U.S. currently have no minimum age for marriage. Two states in the U.S. require the minimum age of 15 to get married. 25 out of 50 states have …
Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign is a wrong step in the right direction
Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and United Nations ambassador, announced her intentions to join the 2024 Presidential race. She will inevitably face the G.O.P.’s long history of party sexism. Although it is seen as a sign of progress that a woman is entering this upcoming presidential race, especially in the Republican party, Haley is not the ideal person for this step in progress. Haley announced her presidential bid via Twitter this past February. In a large portion of the video, she claims that …
California’s wishy washy water policies are a wasted opportunity
California for the last few months has faced one of the wettest winters on record after three years of crippling drought. But without balanced water policies and management plans, we’re either letting all of this rush out to sea, or letting it all get caught in reservoirs. This is a failure of balance in a state of extremes. Without many of California’s water policies in place, we’d be a dry, desolate wasteland. But there’s also the argument that water regulators do too much to enforce …
Walgreens chooses conservative money over abortion access
The still simmering political regression in the United States hit a boiling point when pharmacy chain Walgreens announced that they would stop offering the abortion pill mifepristone in 21 conservative states on March 2. According to the Food and Drug Administration, mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone from allowing further development of a pregnancy before another medication called misoprostol induces cramping and bleeding, ejecting what cell structures have developed, effectively ending pregnancy. Despite being considered a safe process, Republican attorneys general in these states made their …
De La Soul’s streaming arrival signals need to straighten our priorities
Although it took years of heated label disputes for the group’s back catalog to arrive on streaming, the timing of De La Soul’s reintroduction couldn’t be better. Though their debut album, “3 Feet High and Rising,” paved the way for other alternative hip-hop artists to follow, the exposure allows new listeners to learn why the issues De La Soul touched on still sadly resonate 34 years later. Nineteen days before their first six albums could hit streaming services, founding member Trugoy the Dove passed away. …
Feeling hopeless means you’re paying attention
Mental health is less of a taboo topic within our generation, as American teenagers are more likely to feel “persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness” according to the CDC. Mental health awareness has increased, as the world becomes more and more desolate. From a pandemic, to inflation, to environmental devastation, the world feels like it’s falling apart more than ever before. The overconsumption of information doesn’t help, as it shines light on everything happening around us. Other generations didn’t have constant updates of the happenings …
Cheap clothing comes at a much higher cost
Like every other member of Gen Z, I watch YouTube and scroll on Instagram. Shein is a brand that has gained a lot of popularity among Gen Z for a number of reasons. Shein provides the newest styles for a cheap price, this is something that definitely grabs the attention of young people who want to look cool for a cheap price. The prices of sustainable fabrics are, on average, two and a half to four times more expensive in comparison to more commonly used …
Ballooned overreactions pop any chance of diplomacy with China
Balloons are often associated with parties, but one’s floating in the jetstream sixty-thousand feet above the United States was twisted by the conglomerate media into mass public hysteria and panic of epic proportions, and hints of true American patriotism from those who rashly support the armed forces and America’s infringement abroad. Balloon spying is nothing new, so the fact that the United States is blowing hot air out of its mouth in response to the Chinese balloon is an overreaction to something that has been …