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Flop Wagner Production Bids Adieu; A Retrospective Look at the Met's Mistake

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:49:00 -0400

In the spirit of Wagner’s birthday, a defense for art’s sake.

James Barron recently wrote an elegy for Robert Lepage’s production of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle in the New York Times. In this post-mortem assessment, he justifiably identifies “the machine” as the operas’ Achilles’ heel. This should not have come as a surprise to anyone; recommended by the likes of Cirque du Soleil, Lepage is expertly trained in the maudlin and visually gaudy. The machine, a series of 24 connected colossal rotating wedges that served as the protean set for all four operas, would constantly malfunction at worst and distract from Wagner’s hard-earned magnum opus at best. Perhaps it is for the best that the monstrosity will not be brought back out until the Met’s 2018-19 season. Maybe.

“The Machine”

This, however, is no isolated incident. The world of theatre has been plagued in the past few years by news of the catastrophic consequences of our erroneous dedication to technology over text. To take a rather stark plunge artistic-integrity wise, one would only have to note the fiasco that is Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark. Here is a show wherein our effects-directed hubris has led to unequivocal failure; we sail with the arrogance of Dante’s Ulysses, and end up falling off the edge of the world to our demise.

Motivated by the putting away of Lepage’s “Ring” cycle, here is a call to abandon our overeager fascination with the superfluous. Wagner has moved hearts and minds before Bill Gates was born, before 3-D meant a thing. The erroneous notion that we need “the machine” or devices like it in order to get the most out of any text will result in masking whatever meaning was originally found in the work. Priorities, people. To suppose that attention that could’ve gone towards casting or vocal training is instead spent on calibrating elephantine wedges and corresponding projectors? It’s like getting cold feet at the wedding and leaving your bride for the bridesmaid. What should have been supplementary to the ceremony has devalued and desecrated it. Let’s take a long look in the proverbial mirror, get ourselves together, and remember our primary commitments.

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Mungiello is a rising Undeclared Sophomore and the A&E editor

[photo credit: cbc.ca]

Don't Miss This: A Review of Adam Phillip's New Book, Missing Out

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:35:00 -0400

By Michael Mungiello

This collection of essays, whose subtitle is In Praise of the Unlived Life, addresses the story of frustration and satisfaction that we all pen in our day to day lives. Our chaperone on this psychological safari is, of course, Phillips himself - however, he brings with him a partner in crime, a veteran explorer to whom he constantly refers: Freud. It is Phillips’ firm belief that much of life’s misery comes from judging ourselves too harshly relative to our “ego ideal;” or, in lay man’s terms, we spend most of our life thinking about the life we are not living. We are sure that if things had been different, they would have been better. We are unjustifiably certain that we know more about the experiences we did not have than the ones we did.

If all this sounds rather like a Lewis Carroll self-help book, that’s because it rather reads like one. Before deciding on a career in psychoanalysis, Phillips flirted heavily with the world of literature. He would’ve made a fine fiction writer: style appears to be, for Phillips, at least as important as substance. Unfortunately, he sometimes indulges in flowery language, art for art’s sake and all that. For instance, take the conclusion of the work: “The ways we cure ourselves of frustration are the ways we cure ourselves of satisfaction. And the ways we cure ourselves of satisfaction are through too knowing, too efficient pictures of our satisfactions. We use satisfactions to cheat us of our satisfactions.”

Clearly, this is not the clearest text. It is most certainly not a case-by-case manual for satisfactory living. But, then again, a safari is not a biology lecture, though both occupy themselves with birds and beasts. Missing Out leaves you with questions and a general framework for discussing them. This framework is, I believe, left purposefully flexible by Phillips, who loves the protean quality of “truth.” The point is not to lay down laws in slabs of stone but to prod and provoke the mind to be a bit more introspective.

In fact, Phillips believes that our tendency to be too exact and stubborn with our thoughts is what brings us trouble. In his essays, he lays out a map of how desires spring up in us and how we sabotage their fulfillment. At first, something we have (or think we have) leaves us and we desire it to return (i.e. my girlfriend dumps me). In its absence, we imagine it to console ourselves: we create a copy of the wanted object in our psyche (i.e. i think about my girlfriend all the time). However, we quickly find out that this imagined image will not do the trick, it’s not the same. In response, we redirect all the energy we spent thinking about the object towards a plan to get the object back; a plan to satisfy our desire (i.e. I think about how I’ll get my girlfriend back by buying her flowers and taking her to a concert, etc.). We take this imagined scenario to be the ideal one.

Meanwhile, in reality, we usually find the object returned to us, just not in the way we had hoped (i.e. my girlfriend calls me and, in rather mundane fashion, asks if I’d like to resume the relationship). Now, technically I’ve satisfied my desire - my girlfriend is back. And yet, I am disappointed, drained, or disillusioned. Things are not as I’d imagined they would be. Because I placed too much importance on my imagined satisfaction, the experience I did not have, I am now incapable of fully enjoying the real, rather stale, satisfaction of my desire. Phillips’ proposed solution to this dilemma is that we should not overthink our desires once they’ve risen within us. We ought, in his opinion, be more attached to reality and what we can realistically expect than the world of ideal solutions, which only leads to real disappointment.

I’m not so sure whether or not I agree with Phillips’ argument, particularly the odd specifics (i.e. “Satisfaction is always a form of revenge”). What I am sure of though is that his thoughts had never occurred to me before and that they seem worth considering for a minute or two. Living more in your imagination than in reality - I never noticed that I did it until somebody else pointed it out.

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Mungiello is an undeclared freshmen and A&E editor

[photo credit: npr.org]

Juicy J Visits His Psychoanalyst

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:51:00 -0400

By Michael Mungiello

P: Hi Juicy. I’m really glad you could come in today.

J: …

P: …

J: …

#wrong

P: I can wait. We don’t have to start right away.

J: …

P: So last session, you mentioned you’d met a woman.

J: …

P: What’s she like, Juicy?

J: Short hair, like Nia Long.

P: Mhm. What does she like to do?

J: (shrugs. makes fluid, willowy motion with his hand)

P: What is that?

J: (repeats the gesture, curving his hand side to side, as though it were a dancer)

P: Is that “dance?” Does your girlfriend like to dance, Juicy?

J: Bands a make her dance.

P: …

J: Bands a make her dance.

P: (writes on notepad) Do you feel like you need money to impress women?

J: All these chicks poppin’, I’m just poppin’ bands.

P: And how’s your sex life with this…Nia, is it?

J: She give me dome when the roof gone, at the KOD she leave with me. She got friends, bring three. I got drugs. I got drinks.

P: But come now, Juicy - isn’t that behavior a little reprehensible? Can’t your censoring mechanisms somehow reprimand your infantile need for dominance and breasts, guilt you into controlling your primal urges?

J: …

P: …

J: You say no to ratchet strippers; Juicy J can’t.

P: (writes in notepad) …Why not?

J: Racks er’where, they showin’ racks, I’m throwing racks.

P: Can’t you just enjoy the company of a woman in a more socially acceptable, less taboo setting?

J: It ain’t a strip club if they ain’t -

P: Look, Juicy. I feel as though the adoration of these strippers, directed towards you, allows you to convince yourself that your ego-ideal is your ego-in-fact. That is, you have nothing to strive for - this sense of superiority you endow yourself with via this careless spending of excess money (which probably has its roots in your relationship with your father) makes you feel as though you’re “manly.” You refuse to accept the fact that you are inherently bisexual, have been since you were born. This abominable habit of yours is just a way for you to suppress the unpleasant realities of your Id, your purest infant Self. (removes glasses with exhaustion) I’m afraid that you run from your vulnerabilities, Juicy J.

J: (curls into the fetal position)

P: …

J: …

P: Juicy?

J: (quietly begins to sob)

P: Juicy, how much have you been spending at these clubs?

J: (snivels) 20 stacks in one night.

P: Tsk. Juicy!

J: (openly sobbing) I be on trippy shit.

(The psychoanalyst and Juicy J get up from their armchair and leather couch, respectively. Approaching each other, removed now from their symbols of authority and submission, they hold one other close in a comforting and human embrace)

[photo credit: itstubatime.com]

By Kathleen Joyce “I’m getting a bit old for imaginary friends,” claims a teenage girl as she...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:41:16 -0400

By Kathleen Joyce

“I’m getting a bit old for imaginary friends,” claims a teenage girl as she skeptically regards a cartoon hand emerging from a cloud. Beneath this scene, from a poster on a G2 bus, large text invites the viewer to visit KidsWithoutGod.com, the new youth-centered site run by the American Humanist Association (AHA), a nonprofit dedicated to the idea that human beings can, and should, be “good without a god.” The AHA launched an ad campaign costing over thirty thousand dollars last November, purchasing advertising space on one hundred and forty Metrobuses in Washington, DC as well as online ads featured on high-traffic sites like Google, Pandora and YouTube. Disney and National Geographic Kids were approached, but ultimately refused to run the ads on their websites because of the controversial content.

But is humanism, or any sort of nontheism, really a controversial point of view in today’s open-minded society? The AHA was founded in 1941, and claims as its predecessor the Humanist Fellowship, founded in 1927 by University of Chicago professors. Despite its often overtly Christian practices, the United States is, at least in theory, a nation founded on the principle of nontheistic governing - by definition a secular government since its inception. Even some more tongue-in-cheek nontheist organizations are gaining popularity: the “Godless Liberal Social Society,” which takes its name from a comment made by Ann Coulter, has over thirty-nine thousand likes on Facebook. Freethinkers, a general term for those who engage in rational and skeptical investigation of the world around them, are no longer a hushed minority, but rather a sizeable, vocal percentage of United States residents.

Kidswithoutgod.com, aside from being promoted on buses, has laid claim to billboards.

The Kids Without God site consists of two separate websites, one for elementary school aged children and one for teens and young adults. Both were created by the AHA with the goal of raising the next generation of humanists. The entrance portal to the site says “You’re not the only one” - a powerful message to send millions of young people beginning to question the faith communities in which they were raised, some of which are hostile to such doubts. The children’s site introduces the concept of being a good person without God and emphasizes the importance of scientific, rational thought. Darwin the Dog, the site mascot, explains how to do simple science experiments meant to engage youthful curiosity. The teen site fosters a humanist community and includes a detailed section on how to deal with religiously motivated bullying, citing federal anti-bullying statutes and explaining how to bring a case to court. The site also instills the value of having respect for a religion without necessarily subscribing to its beliefs. Above all, the site emphasizes that it is not strange, wrong or evil to seriously examine religious arguments in support of God, and to find those arguments lacking. Kids Without God is not an attempt to ‘recruit’ or ‘evangelize’ on behalf of atheism, but rather a resource for young people who are ready to think critically.

Darwin the Dog, Kid’s Without God’s mascot for children

Here at Georgetown, atheism, secularism and other forms of freethinking are preserved and promoted by the Secular Student Alliance (SSA). Despite the university’s Catholic and Jesuit heritage, or perhaps because of it, the SSA is dedicated to combating the notion that ethics and morality must derive from religious belief. The SSA constitution establishes the organization as a “community for atheists, agnostics, humanists, skeptics and naturalists” in addition to its role as a forum for skepticism and scientific examination of the world. Alex Keyes, (MSB 2015) Marketing Chair of the SSA, explained that a priority of theirs is “to develop bonds with each other” and “to create a secular community within Georgetown, especially since religion does tend to be more pervasive than in other schools.” The organization promotes charity work and community development, hoping to dispel the notion that religion is necessary for, or even a part of, acting morally. However, the Secular Student Alliance is, as the name implies, secular, and not particularly atheist; in fact, they have chosen not to affiliate themselves with the national Secular Student Alliance because that movement is too explicitly opposed to religion for their taste. Keyes stressed that, “A secularist is not necessarily an atheist. An atheist is not necessarily a secularist,” and that “We want to encourage people to develop their own beliefs.”

Is it really important for humanist students to be an organized, official group on campus? Keyes says yes; it is only fair that nontheist students be able to form bonds with like-minded individuals based on their beliefs. “A community supports its members,” he says, “I think it is important that secular students have the same opportunity to reach out to a community as those students of other beliefs.”

Not all communities are so tolerant of freethinkers. As recently as 2011, the Toronto chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous voted to disown two subgroups, Beyond Belief and We Agnostics, for interpreting “God as we understood him” - from step three of the famous twelve steps - to allow for the possibility of there being no God. The weekly meetings also used an altered version of the twelve steps, one which removed explicit references to God in favor of references to the group as a higher power than the individual alcoholic. While AA is within its rights as a private organization to reject the two agnostic groups, some argue that to exclude some alcoholics on religious grounds is unjust. The twelve step program works, even for many agnostic AA groups which meet in more forgiving cities than Toronto, and to prevent nontheists from participating is to prevent them from getting and staying sober.

It is easy to get lost and feel alone when wandering outside the gates of religious belief. Secularism, humanism, atheism, freethinking - all are points on a vast spectrum of nontheistic points of view. National organizations like the American Humanist Association as well as local groups like Georgetown’s own Secular Student Alliance are important because they create communities for nontheists to discuss their beliefs free from attack. Organized atheism is not “just another religion” as some religious people maintain. Nontheist people need the spaces created by secular associations in order to freely examine their understanding of the Universe. Young people in particular need a supportive, secular space wherein they can honestly assess what religion has to offer.

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Joyce is Commentary Editor and an Art History and English Sophomore

The Indy Suggests [photo credit: (from top) TVrage.com,...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:21:30 -0400

The Indy Suggests

[photo credit: (from top) TVrage.com, jungleindierock.com, myrecipes.com, ourhotbodieswedowhatwewant.wordpress.com]

Speaking Out on Free Speech: "Code Red" in Red Square

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:56:12 -0400

By Shannon Walsh

Do you like freedom? Good, so do I. As much of a fan as I am of the fact that I attend a Jesuit institution that gives us a boatload of time off in the spring, I often feel that Georgetown is grounded too heavily in its tradition.

Frankly stated, our school is having their cake and eating it too. The institution claims it is fully committed to an “exchange of ideas” yet doesn’t allow those ideas to be freely shared on the entirety of its campus. In text it all sounds fine and dandy, but in reality the school isn’t granting the freedom it claims it does. In a Huffington Post article from last year, FIRE (Foundation for the Individual Rights in Education) VP Adam Kissel recognized that, “As a private Catholic university, Georgetown has the right to clearly state, if it so desires, that it is Catholic and that its Catholic values trump free speech and equal treatment. Yet, Georgetown has generally done the opposite, promising free speech as a core university value.” Well, that sounds great, doesn’t it? We attend a university that revolves around the freedom to say what we want.

Red Square

Groups that are not formally recognized by the university are more often than not told to take their opinions to Red Square or Leavey. Why is it that H*yas for Choice is refused the right that College Dems are granted?

For those of you who read up on this stuff, you may have heard something about “red light” institutions. In a nutshell, FIRE is a nonprofit organization that defends the rights of individuals at the university level. No doubt all this is going to get a little hazy when it comes to the rights granted in Jesuit schools, as Catholic values don’t always coincide with freedom of speech on topics like abortion, but FIRE has nonetheless written to the university three times condemning them for not adhering to the rights they claim to offer students. Consequently, they gave our private Catholic institution a ‘code red’. Sounds very dramatic.

Upon further investigation, I found exactly what it was that FIRE has called Georgetown out on, and went ahead and read Georgetown’s entire policy on student affairs. Their procedure in Responding to Unwelcoming Behavior was particularly amusing: “Students should be aware that as empowering as it may be to advocate for themselves, such advocacy is not always the best or most appropriate choice in every situation. No incident that involves physical violence or the threat of physical violence should be addressed without the assistance of a professional University staff person, the Department of Public Safety (DPS), or the Metropolitan Police Department.” Well, duh. Clearly we should not be such adamant proponents of anything that it brings us to throwing bricks at someone who thinks differently. And I, for one, have never seen a member of H*yas for Choice smack anyone from the Catholic Daughters of the Americas across the face with an oversized condom. Maybe it’s happened, who knows? But I digress. If the university is in any way, shape, or form implying that groups whose beliefs challenge Catholic ethics will in time become violent protests, then they are seriously outdated.

Georgetown has an “access to benefits commitment” that deems certain groups ineligible to receive specific rights. In a nutshell, the commitment outlines the different rights of student organizations, but it should be noted that doesn’t necessarily mean that these organizations are endorsed by the school. So, apparently a group is not granted access to benefits if it directly “advocates positions inconsistent with Roman Catholic moral tradition.” This is where I’m frustrated. If Georgetown just said, approximately 10 sentences before, that granting an organization access to benefits does not imply their endorsement of the organization and what they’re preaching, then why would a group that doesn’t adhere to Catholic morals be denied these rights? It’s unfair.

The fact of the matter is that the groups I’m concerned with here are not hate groups. We attend a school with a pretty well-rounded and level-headed group of students. And in no way do I believe that by enforcing a looser set of restrictions on free speech will organizations start screaming at one another or engage in any sort of wrestling match. Georgetown is probably just trying to keep the peace—to comfort those who chose this school because of its ethical and moral principles that lie in union with its Catholic identity. But the fact that what I’m addressing here has been an issue in the past, and that Georgetown faced an $8 million lawsuit in 2006 for “physical assault and battery against a Jewish retired ex-policeman” who attended a Palestine Solidarity Movement Conference just go to show that the university is not being clear enough in what it is that they support.

Blame it on the fact that I’m not that religious. Blame it on the fact that Georgetown being a Jesuit institution had absolutely no role in my decision to transfer to this school. What it comes down to is that the world is progressing in a way that is more tolerant of people’s differences— where taxes and welfare were once the most important considerations when it came to presidential elections, abortion views and stances on legality of homosexual marriages now hold more of a sway when it comes to voting than ever before. Georgetown is flirting with hypocrisy and if it wants to maintain its reputation as an elite college flourishing with student organizations and a medley of diverse opinions, it’s going to need to do things a bit differently.

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Walsh is a Sociology Sophomore

[photo credit: Kathleen Joyce]

Leo’s: Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:15:40 -0400

By Audrey Denis

Leo’s new ad campaign to convince people to get meal plans includes an image of a student kitchen covered in pots and pans, with the words “You don’t have time for this”. What they don’t tell you is:

The line for any conceivably desirable food—which is relative—at any time that a normal human would eat is so long you’re better off just giving up and eating cottage cheese.
If the lines get to you, you could always embrace your future and eat at geriatric hour: 4:30, perfect for a 9:30 bedtime.
The food is almost certainly made of air, no matter how much you eat, you will inevitably need to eat a second and third dinner.
Leo’s boasts extended late night hours, where they will feed you a vat of bacon with a side of bacon. Perfect, just what I wanted.
Late night also features hot dogs that were definitely recalled from the horse meat scare in Europe. They were on sale.
Just walking by will leave you with that distinct Leo’s smell, which all of your classmates will identify from the back of the class, for 3 hours.
Leo’s really only does well with foods that were supposed to be ambiguous and mushy anyway: meat-loaf, chicken pot pie, yup that’s about it.
Turkey meatloaf is not a thing.
Meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting are really not a thing.
In case your Tuesday was not painful enough, Leo’s sometimes spices up the average lunch with some speakers blasting Like a G6. Just like Saturday night.
Leo’s bought the world’s supply of thyme long ago.

12. If it’s not covered in thyme, it’s probably drenched in butter. Yum broccoli.

13. You will master the art of carrying at least 4 plates at a time, because you will inevitably hate everything you got and have to start over again.

14. Scavenging will become your second nature.
15. Hot bowls are great for ice cream.
16. Every once in awhile Leo’s embraces a theme and attempts to force everything served into the awkward culinary genre. President’s Day: Cheeseburger soup, yeah ok.

17. Maybe instead of being greeted with men in Tuxedos serving punch, we could have something identifiable in the home line, like sometimes?

18. I really want to be the Leo’s creative director.
19. Have fun drinking soda out of mugs, and eating exclusively with spoons. Challenge accepted.

20. Then there’s GAAP weekend when they put a corral and table cloths around half of the upstairs, like no one will notice it’s actually a zoo.

21. Leo’s decides to close upstairs with no warning, creating Hunger Games: Leo’s Edition, probably just for its own entertainment.

22. NEVER take too many sides at Grab ‘N’ Go, because the Grab ‘N’ Go lady will know, and she will get you.

23. The fried chicken and mashed potatoes from Grab ‘N’ Go might seem like a good idea while you are eating them. False.

24. No one has Panini press etiquette, and that one person always takes up the entire thing with their quesadilla. C’mon buddy.

25. Then there are those awkward conversations you have with strangers in the stirfry line. What sauce? What sauce? See you never.

26. When someone tells you more chikcen will be ready in 3 minutes, get ready to wait for 15 and ultimately give up because your friends are done eating anyways.

27. You will inevitably spend twice as much time waiting in line and finding food than you do eating. You will probably leave frustrated and dejected, having lost your faith in the world. And then you will be back tomorrow.

In short, ain’t nobody got time for that!

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Denis is an International Politics Sophomore

[photo credit: Audrey Denis]

By Ben Maher Wedding season is here, bringing brides and grooms each spring weekend to the...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:13:46 -0400

By Ben Maher

Wedding season is here, bringing brides and grooms each spring weekend to the altar of Dahlgren Chapel to tie the knot. But today’s college students are in no rush to join them.

People are getting married later than ever. According to the National Marriage Project, the average age of first marriage has risen to the historical highs of 28.7 for men and 26.5 for women. This delay is even more pronounced among college- educated women, who stand to gain the most financially from waiting: college-educated women who married after 30 make 56% more than those who married before 20. For students more interested in a career than a MRS degree, the twenties are a time for pursuing career goals independent of the restrictions of home and husband.

A flyer advertising Love Saxa within Dahlgren Chapel

But what is lost by spending your college years looking for hook-ups instead of husbands? Susan Patton posed that question in an infamous March 29 letter to the Daily Princetonian, in which the Princeton alumna berated the university’s women for essential wasting their time: “For most of you, the cornerstone of your future and happiness will be inextricably linked to the man you marry, and you will never again have this concentration of men who are worthy of you.” Patton’s letter was widely panned for its antiquated attitude on gender norms and smug Ivy League elitism, as well as just plain trying too hard.

Sean Sullivan MSB ’15 was put off by Patton’s brand of aggressive husband-hunting, saying that finding a spouse “shouldn’t be something you’re actively looking for. No one should actually think about that in their day-to-day life in college.“ Students have enough to worry about, from exams to internships to navigating the social scene; finding a life partner would be just one more stressor. You don’t want to seem desperate to get hitched before you’ve even graduated. And a single-minded desire to marry as soon as possible can result in “decisions that can be hard to undo, especially for kids who don’t always think about the responsibilities and expectations you’ll have in the future.” Most students have other things on their mind besides starting a family.

But Patton’s message seemed to resonate with Love Saxa, an initiative through the Catholic Chaplaincy to promote a campus conversation about loving relationships and marriage. On April 4, the group hosted a lecture by Dr. Patrick Fagan, Director of the Marriage and Religion Research Institute, or MARRI, about the value of marrying young. Citing MARRI data that married couples who attend church on a weekly basis report the most pleasurable and frequent sex, he advised the men in attendance to “find a virgin who goes to church weekly.” And it’s not just about sex. For some Hoyas, religion matters when it comes to marriage.

“Love is very important in marriage, but I don’t think it should be the only factor,” said Hamed Eramian COL ’15. “There are other important factors to think about, like shared major values: religion, family and morality.” Dr. Fagan called this “deep companionship,” a partnership not based on fleeting romance but friendship strengthened through time together. “When you go through problems of life together, you grow together and love each other more,” said Eramian. According to Dr. Fagan, the sooner a couple gets married, the sooner that process can start and the stronger that marriage will become.

A popular site for Hoya weddings…with a student discount

He pointed to the rising age of first marriage and rising rate of divorce as correlated: the longer you live as a bachelor, the more entrenched you become in your individualistic ways and the harder it subsequently is to adjust to life as a partner in a relationship. Marry early, the thinking goes, and grow together as a couple before you get so intractably selfish that your eventual marriage will not last. The data disagrees: Pew Research polling from 2008 showed that Arkansas and Oklahoma, where the median age of first marriage for women was 24, both had divorce rates higher than the national average. Massachusetts and New York, where the median age of first marriage was the above-average 28, had two of the lowest shares of divorcées in the country.

Of course, most 20 year olds think less about their relationship status in forty years than getting a job after graduation. For a student spending four years and a quarter-million dollars to get a Georgetown degree, the choice between starting a family or a career seems like an easy one. But that choice doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive, says Debbie Rivera COL ’15. “I think that people have the wrong idea about relationships and goals. You don’t need to make a decision between finding a spouse or pursuing a career,” said Rivera, who has been engaged for two years. “You can’t put a schedule on finding the right person for you. Sometimes, they just walk into your life without any announcements. It’s up to you if you want to separate the two.”

Added to that dilemma is the daunting prospect of lifelong commitment. The institution of marriage is founded on the idea that, as Woody Allen put it, “people should mate for life, like pigeons or Catholics.” I have a hard enough time finding people whose company I enjoy for half an hour, never mind half a century. That massive obligation to another person till death do you part seems completely foreign to a generation easily distracted and eager for the next new thing. “We’re always told we can flit between things,” said Sullivan. “Committing yourself to someone for the rest of life is a huge commitment that would intimidate most people of our generation.”

If the current marriage trends continue, and they show no sign of slowing, don’t expect to see your classmates at the altar anytime soon. But for some Hoyas, marriage is not a matter of how old you are, but how ready. “It’s not an age thing; it’s about maturity,” said Eramian. Whether you can handle the responsibility of a lifetime together makes the difference between a couple’s choice to wait or wed.

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Maher is Editor in Chief and an International History Sophomore

[photo credit: Shane Smith, hoyaweddings.blogspot.com]

By Gianna Maita Out of every 10,000 residents of DC, twenty-four are homeless, according to the...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:13:16 -0400

By Gianna Maita

Out of every 10,000 residents of DC, twenty-four are homeless, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ 2012 report “The State of Homelessness in America.” With a population of at least 7,000 homeless people—not counting those who cannot seek help because of language barriers, or who are bouncing between couches of residents and friends—DC has the fifth largest homeless population in a metropolitan area in the nation. If you add in Alexandria and Arlington, that’s 13,000 people living in shelters, or else sleeping in alleyways and on park benches just miles from the Capitol Building.

To combat the challenge of homelessness, DC’s local government passed the Housing Services Reform Act (HSRA) in 2005. In its fourth section, the HSRA establishes an Interagency Council on Homelessness to bring agencies together to create policies, develop programs, monitor one another and budget for what the Act calls the “Continuum of Care of homeless services.” The Continuum of Care is essentially a set of detailed guidelines for the comprehensive range of services that different members of the Interagency Council and organizations in DC offer. It is designed to meet the unique needs of homeless individuals and families, but it also has preventive measures to meet the needs of those who are at risk of becoming homeless—including the 27,000 people in DC who are living in such extreme poverty that they cannot afford basic necessities such as food and housing. Those critically impoverished residents are a fraction of the people living in poverty in DC, who make up one-fifth of the total population.

Clients enjoying services offered by the Georgetown Ministry Center

Because so many of those people transition between levels of poverty and homelessness in a number of ways, the Continuum of Care tries to make the changes between services fluid. Its role in the HSRA is to guide effective responses to the dynamic nature of homelessness. It provides standards for programs that do not have many requirements, such as low-barrier and temporary shelters, and for housing programs with requirements that will help residents prepare for self-sufficient living, called transitional housing. There are also standards in the HSRA for more permanent support services which aid those who cannot afford housing or social services on their own due to permanent illnesses or disabilities. Lastly, the HSRA initiates the creation of a database within the Mayor’s office that updates information on the availability of beds, housing and other services at the agencies serving the homeless in DC.

The Georgetown Ministry Center (GMC), a daytime shelter on Wisconsin Avenue that is included under the HSRA, offers a good illustration of what serving the homeless actually looks like on the ground. The shelter offers homeless clients showers, laundry machines, computer access and once-a-week psychiatric services on site and the GMC staff also does street outreach. According to Gunther Stern, the Executive Director of GMC the shelter falls along what he calls the “supportive services continuum” as part of a small community of other organizations such as Martha’s Table and Miriam’s Kitchen. For them, the connections between agencies laid out in the HSRA are helpful. If they find that a client is in need of further services, they refer them to other organizations along the Continuum of Care, keeping with the goal of fluidity in transitioning between programs. For example, while GMC does not offer services specifically for children, they can call organizations like Sasha Bruce Youthwork, a DC nonprofit that works to meet the urgent needs of at-risk youth and their families, if a child comes to their facility. However, Stephanie Chan—GMC’s Program Manager and Communications Director—says that “we barely get people under the age of 18” at the shelter.

Hanging outside the Georgetown Ministry Center

“The State of Homelessness in America” called for several actions to be taken when it was published in 2012, but it seems that the HSRA had already recognized those same needs at its passing in 2005. Following the same recommendations later offered in the report, it improved DC’s crisis response system, building relationships between agencies and providing fluidity between services for each individual that remains sustainable. Through the work of those agencies, it maintains an investment in the well- being of the chronically homeless, including veterans with disabilities (many of whom are regulars at the Georgetown Ministry Center), through the housing and social services on the permanent end of the Continuum of Care. The report advocates dedication to the particularly marginalized populations, which are often seen as hopeless.

But there is still much to be done. For example, although homeless women have a much higher risk of being sexually assaulted sleeping on the streets, or are likely to be homeless because of gender-based violence, the HSRA does not explicitly address the provision of sexual assault resources to the homeless population of DC. The newly reauthorized Violence against Women Act is lacking as well: it fails to address the need to tailor resources to the needs of homeless women, who lack easy access to those resources without phones or transportation, or even the greater risk of sexual violence that homeless women face. Another area that needs further effort on the national level is named in the last task listed in the “State of Homelessness in America” report: the demand to “ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable are prioritized” as the nation addresses debt and deficit crises.

While making these changes from coast to coast is out of our immediate reach, there are still ways for Georgetown students to make a difference in the lives of the homeless people they pass each day in Dupont Circle or on Wisconsin Avenue—perhaps on their way to the Georgetown Ministry Center itself. The value of service is not taken lightly when it can prevent someone who cannot afford a blanket from freezing to death at night. And there are lots of options for students looking to volunteer! A favorite of mine is Friday Fooders, a Hoya Outreach Program and Education (HOPE) effort that brings brown bag meals and friendly conversation (more valuable than you may think) to the homeless in Dupont Circle. Other HOPE programs serving the homeless include Knit for the Needy, HOPE Dental and Grab & Give. And if your interest in the Georgetown Ministry Center has been sparked, it is among the list of organizations participating in the Community-Based Learning program.

As a former volunteer at the Georgetown Ministry Center, I can honestly say that my conversations with the homeless people there truly influenced my views on social justice, especially justice for the homeless. There is not enough room here to describe what it means when your heart breaks over the injustice done to another person; the transformative, overpowering yearning you feel to stop the forces out of their control that throw them into the cold of the streets. But I can say that I felt it first at the Georgetown Ministry Center. That is why I encourage you to start serving the hungry in Dupont Circle or the immigrant at GMC, to join me in alleviating their suffering, in laughing with them in the simple human interaction they miss during their lonely time on the streets. You’ve read this article; you’ve already begun.

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Maita is a Justice and Peace Studies Sophomore

[photo credit: (from top) theatlantic.com, Georgetown Ministry Center, Shane Smith)

By Agree Ahmed Cultural historians will look back at today’s college- age youth and see many...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:08:21 -0400

By Agree Ahmed

Cultural historians will look back at today’s college- age youth and see many things. They will reflect on how the gay rights movement rapidly came to the fore. They will remember how our generation, filled with scruffy skinny hipsters, embraced infinitely recursive irony. But perhaps one of the greatest defining characteristics of this generation’s college students is the college dropout.

The average college student wakes up to an alarm on her smartphone. She then probably checks her Facebook feed. Over the course of the day, she texts friends on her iPhone and corresponds with contacts on her GMail, likely on her Mac or Windows computer. These technologies were all pioneered by entrepreneurs who felt that their time was better spent outside of class and away from cam- pus. Titans of industry such as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and “Google Guys” Larry Page and Sergey Brin all decided to abandon higher education, each at a different stage, in order to pursue more exciting endeavors.

Bill Gates receiving an honorary degree from Harvard at the age of 61.

At the heart of the decision to drop out of college is a mismatch between the benefits of higher education and the requisites of success in entrepreneurship. Higher education offers knowledge in a breadth of subjects from economics to theology to history to science and an opportunity for personal growth. Students lucky enough to attend top-tier schools can also rest assured that their diploma will vouch for their intellect at every job interview they ever have.

Aspiring entrepreneurs often see little value in these potential gains from higher education. They are either curious autodidacts like Sean Parker or Steve Jobs who don’t need a core curriculum to explore multiple disciplines or are only interested in one discipline. Many entrepreneurs could care less about a diploma affirming their intellect because they want to implement their own ideas rather than convincing an employer that they are qualified to implement someone else’s.Only 57% of US college students actually obtain their degree within 6 years. Data does not show how much of that share dropout to pursue lucrative enterprises.

Peter Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal and the first investor in Facebook, strongly believes that the most promising young entrepreneurs should forego college. He is so committed to this idea that he started the Thiel Fellowship, which every year gives 20 auspicious students under 20 a no-strings-attached $100,000 grant to pursue whatever endeavors they like for two years, provided that it’s not school. Recent recipients have explored projects in telecommunications, asteroid mining and biotechnology. If the results of the Thiel Fellowship at all reflect the success rate of firms that secure venture capital funding, nine out of ten of these students will completely fail in their disruptive, anti- establishmentarian endeavor.

Colleges are also beginning to respond to this rising entrepreneurial tide. Stanford, the West Coast’s world-renowned bastion of startup culture, has become a model that universities everywhere are beginning to emulate. Curricula like its Entrepreneurial Studies minor and clubs like the Compass Fellowship have proliferated in the last decade. The pace of expansion has only picked up since the meteoric rise of social media companies like Twitter and Facebook. Even tradition-steeped schools such as Harvard and Georgetown have joined this trend: look at our big shiny business school.

Entrepreneurs without Bachelors

The rise of the dropout entrepreneur is closely linked to the rise of Silicon Valley. Computer science doesn’t speak the language of prestige that has become the East Coast’s lingua franca. Software companies value knowledge and talent over the name of the school on your diploma, if it exists. Sean Parker, who co-founded Napster at the age of 19, made $80,000 a year by the time he was a high school senior because his coding skills were such a valuable commodity. Once a student has all the knowledge necessary to succeed, four years in dorm rooms can become a hindrance rather than an asset. This may not make sense to the vast majority of our generation, who generally see college as some of the best years of our lives. But would those years be so good if you despised the hierarchy and the mindless hours spent doing reading for classes that do not at all relate to the future you imagine for yourself? Would you look back so fondly on four years spent with an electrifying idea bottled in your mind that only exists in the conversations you have with your friends over mediocre, unhealthy food served in bustling the dining hall? Not to mention the fact that you’re potentially driving yourself and your family into a mountain of debt.

Creative and ambitious students increasingly don’t see any reason to resign themselves to the grind of required courses or to maximize their GPAs. If you can make all your dreams come true without a bachelor’s degree, what’s the point of college? The rest of us will be studying for finals if you need anything.

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Ahmed is a Science, Technology and International Affairs Sophomore

[photo credit: komonews.com]

By Marie Planell The other day I was going about my usual business of wasting massive amounts of...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:07:00 -0400

By Marie Planell

The other day I was going about my usual business of wasting massive amounts of time on the internet (oh the essays I could write, the rare wine collections I could amass, the antique furniture I could restore if it weren’t for that damn productivity-sucking vortex known as BuzzFeed) when I ran across a rather interesting video. It featured a girl in what appeared to be a unicorn onesie (it had a horn?) twerking to “WOP,” a song by Nashville rapper J. Dash. What was really notable about the video was the familiarity of its star: Miley Cyrus. Yes, the blonde wig-donning, “Hoedown Throwdown”-singing, former Disney nugget is now racking up hundreds of thousands of hits for shaking her ass while dressed like a mythical creature. What’s significant is that this video is far from the only shocking thing Cyrus has done lately. In the past few months she’s become almost unrecognizable – she’s bleached and shorn off her formerly long brown hair into a mohawk and traded in her jeans and t-shirts for animal print Dolce and Gabbana.

While watching the video, I found myself wondering why it is that child stars so often go to extremes to show that they are finally All Grown Up. Why are they seemingly so desperate to throw off the yoke of chubby-cheeked innocence that had once earned them accolades and legions of adoring fans? The most glaring instances of this kind of behavior seem to always arise from celebrities who got their start in Disney productions – Cyrus, Vanessa Hudgens (she of the multiple nude photo scandals) and Lindsay Lohan being a few examples. As awful as this may sound to those of us who grew up on a steady diet of saccharine Disney programming, the network seems to represent a particular kind of public relations cult – one that demands family friendliness and a squeaky-clean image from its young stars. This wouldn’t be a problem, except for the fact that anyone who has expe- rienced adolescence knows that imperfection is as much a part of youth as growing pains and braces.

Living in the fast lane, veering out of control

It goes without saying that child stars are scrutinized from a young age and given no freedom to make mistakes during the dreaded awkward stages of puberty. Particularly in this day and age, when every embarrassing photograph, video or social media post is immortalized, adolescent rites of passage are ripe for documentation – for better or worse. In my opinion, this phenomenon points to an issue that is more insidious and more deeply embedded in American society than the overwhelming worship of celebrities: the sexualization of young adolescent girls. In our society, youth is fetishized to the point of dysfunction – models as young as 13 or 14 regularly star in provocative ad campaigns and websites like Reddit (which frequently features photos of underage girls, often taken without their knowledge) are stealthily becoming a menacing component of coed communication.

In a popular culture in which child stars are both infantilized and sexualized before their time, it is not at all surprising that a film like Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers exists. It is first and foremost a film that capitalizes on the audience’s desire to see beautiful, barely clothed young women. Unlike the glut of other films that capitalize on this exact same thing, however, Spring Breakers also takes advantage of the inexplicably intense desire of its young stars to declare themselves empowered, sexually mature and fearless. Most of us remember Vanessa Hudgens from her starring role in the nauseatingly wholesome High School Musical films. In the case of Hudgens and Ashley Benson (the two actresses who engage in the lion’s share of deviant behavior in the film – including a robbery, multiple murders and a threesome with James Franco’s character), then attempt to declare their independence ends up feeling calculated and forced. This bad girl façade is a marketing technique - just another example of celebrities molding themselves into new iterations that can be sold to an adoring fanbase.

In comparison to young women who become famous later in life, it seems that the careers of child stars are disproportionately littered with scandals – from nude photo scandals to DUIs to drug charges. The American public is hungry for displays of youth and beauty and yet unforgiving when the underage stars they worship behave like exactly what they are: children. When a kid is made to feel that their body is a commodity owned by millions of strangers, when a kid is told that their childhood is a product to be manufactured and sold and when a kid is forced to make a public apology for even the slightest lapse in judgment, something is undeniably out of whack.

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Planell is Commentary Assistant and a Psychology Sophomore

[photo credit: anyblog.org]

By Kathryn Windels When Downton Abbey and Girls had equally emotional season finales within a...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:01:20 -0400

By Kathryn Windels

When Downton Abbey and Girls had equally emotional season finales within a month of each other, my Sunday and Monday nights suddenly felt a lot more empty; there was a space in my life I needed to fill. Then, a few weeks ago, my roommate and I decided to face the harrowing task of trying to find another “roommate show” that we could discuss, debate and fangirl over every week. Finally, we decided to tackle a show that, much like online dating, still carries a stigma of inferiority — House of Cards, streamed exclusively on Netflix.

Most college students learn early on that Netflix is a staple of dorm life, but, at this point, it is more than a form of entertainment. Online TV-watching is an “almost-cultural-phenomenon,” meaning it has earned a place on Urban Dictionary and in the hearts of young people who do not have the space, time or money to own an actual television. Most college students and young adults living on their own who don’t own a television will proudly say that they don’t even need one. Between Hulu, Netflix and sketchy websites like TV-weed, what use is a television that doesn’t even give the instant gratification of ad-free viewing or make it impossible to accidentally sit on the clicker and change the channel? And of course, there is the pressing question: who has time for TV anyways.

Streaming Television: the new normal?

Apparently, we do. According to the State of the New Media 2012 report, college students watch approximately 10.5 hours of television every week, but mostly in binges. I often go days without streaming so much as a YouTube video and then watching a full season of How I Met Your Mother in one weekend, and I know I’m not alone. Whether it’s Say Yes To The Dress or Downton Abbey, everyone has a weakness, and what could be a better study break than watching 6 hours of your favorite show?

So it’s no surprise that Netflix decided to cash in on the trend. The popular show Arrested Development will return for another season and House of Cards is easily becoming one of the most popular shows on the website. The only thing that is stopping Netflix from taking over the industry is, well, the stigma of seeming less professional than network television..

When my roommate first suggested House of Cards, I was dubious. Why would I watch a show that couldn’t even be aired on an actual TV network? Well, first off, there is the issue of network ratings, namely those that define content. House of Cards is “for a mature audience” (a justified rating considering sex scenes and a few grotesquely violent ones). Unless the show was released on HBO or Showtime, scenes would have to be cut and the show would lose some of its “rough edge” drama. Most importantly, a show like House of Cards couldn’t possibly reach its target audience if it was being aired on a network television station that caters to middle-aged parents who would rather be watching Hot in Cleveland. Shows that target our generation are perhaps best off premiering or at least being available online. We are often defined by our constant connection to the Internet, and television shows can easily take advantage of this.

With already popular shows like Arrested Development and highly rated new shows like House of Cards setting a precedent, it is likely that television will continue to gain prevalence online. Internet entertainment is casting off its stigma; it is no longer being seen as the bastard child of the TV set. As for our personal binging habits, as unhealthy as drinking and TV-watching are, college students aren’t likely to evolve anytime soon. But if you are also struggling to find something to distract you from the fact that Sherlock won’t be airing again any time soon, I might suggest watching House of Cards to pass the time.

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Windels is an Undeclared Freshman

[photo credit: netflix.com, Marie Planell]

By Michael Mungiello “There’s no future without the past and anybody who doesn’t really understand...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:58:45 -0400

By Michael Mungiello

“There’s no future without the past and anybody who doesn’t really understand where jazz has come from has no right to try to direct where it’s going.” So said saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley in 1968, and his words remain true today. Too often when jazz is spoken of today, the listener immediately imagines Kenny G playing mildly in the frozen food aisle. Even in DC, citizens may remain unaware of their home’s history; college students who may be studying with “Fragrance of Dark Coffee” in their headphones will look at you in bewilderment if you mention The Jungle Inn or the 7th & T club. Since the 1920s, DC has been a hotbed of jazz clubs; however, no institution stands out in memory quite like the Bohemian Caverns.

Originally called the “Club Caverns,” the venue was opened in 1926 and quickly became the stomping grounds of innovative artists like Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. Week after week, this small space in the basement of a drugstore would be packed with finger-snapping crowds. Even the best music is better with refreshments - in Prohibition- era America, the Caverns was beloved for housing a generous supply of smuggled alcohol. This bubbly wave of initial success broke in the 1940s, when Club Caverns closed down as war stole the nation’s attention.

The establishment reopened in the ‘50s under the new name, “Crystal Caverns.” This ritzy title did not survive the avant-garde ‘60s; under the new ownership of Tony Taylor, the Bohemian Caverns received its present title and regained its long-lost status as a cornerstone of live jazz, accommodating such talents as Charles Mingus, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. After a particularly rough patch, the Bohemian Caverns finally seemed to be in the summer of its full bloom.

Monday nights, at 8 and 10 pm

Regrettably, it seems that nothing gold can stay. On April 4th 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated - and with him went the African-Americans’ sense of non- violent resistance. Back in DC, a community of outraged men and women rioted throughout the city, turning U Street inside-out. A casualty of political unrest, the Bohemian Caverns closed shop once again.

Paying a visit to the jazz club now, it’s easy to see that the Bohemian Caverns is alive and well. Complete with its own band, lead by a thoroughly qualified Brad Linde, it is regaining its sense of legitimacy. Founder and co-director of the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra (BCJO), Linde is quickly ascending to the top of the music world. When he’s not performing internationally or improvising alongside legends like Lee Konitz, he’s been leading the Bohemian Caverns back to the forefront of the city’s jazz scene. Just last year, the BCJO won the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Emerging Artists; they’ve performed at Strathmore, the Smithson- ian Institute, and the Lincoln Theater.

Regarding these triumphs, Linde remarked “I’ve been very lucky to have the opportunities to play the music I love, work with really amazing musicians - including my students, colleagues, and heroes, and present and shape music to interested audiences.” Speaking about BCJO, he added “It’s a great moment to have 16 musicians come together for 3 hours a week to play and share music together and to grow as a family. Having the ability to create opportunities and invite musicians to join me in the experience is… something I look forward to doing as much as possible.” Far from the stereotypical image of cutthroat young entrepreneur, Linde emerges as a sensitive soul who affirms the value of his artistic community.

His restorative work on the Bohemian Caverns would not be possible were it not for the work done by the club’s post-riot owners. During the last revival period, some 20 years ago, Bohemian Caverns was reopened by Amir Afshar, whose years of service were otherwise anticlimactic. The club hobbled along until 2006, at which point Omrao Brown became the new owner, brimming with determination.

The son of a Coltrane scholar who made his name in the Boston corporate world, he saw the perfect opportunity to combine his two loves in the project of resurrecting the Bohemian Caverns. Brown attributes his success to the younger generation of patrons. These new audience members, snapping pictures off their iPhone cameras, have grown up in an America in which recorded music is freely available. Brown explains, “if you don’t have to spend [your money] on recordings then maybe you start spending it on live music. I think this is one of the more healthy times in the last 30 years for live music.”

“There’s no future without the past”

A venue’s faith in its community and its creative survival have historically gone hand in hand, a fact not lost on Linde. “My advice,” he expounds, “to aspiring artists, of any kind, is to really study the history of your art, take it all in… and be genuine to yourself and those around you.” It is no accident that he feels particularly at home in DC. According to NPR’s jazz department, “The nation’s capitol is not associated with a particular style or sound with jazz like New Orleans, Chicago, or Kansas City, but it is known for its tradition of producing great saxophonists.” It is clear that Brad Linde is already well on his way to greatness - but it’s not a path he travels alone. He’s connected to DC, and this connection between artist and environment is a song that’s been sung before.

In the annals of unfulfilled potential, one may do well to learn the story of DC native Shirley Horn. A beautiful singer and pianist, she quickly became popular at the 7th & T club in the 1950s. She then moved to New York City, where she opened up for Miles Davis and received his lavish praise. But something about the sincerity of the U Street community would not abate; tempted by Quincy Jones to become a commercial singer, she resolutely replied, “I will not stoop to conquer,” and returned to DC shortly thereafter. In between her homecoming in the ‘60s and her death in 2006, Horn won a Grammy for her Miles Davis tribute album and received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music. And yet, her name is not well known in the same cultural memory bank that houses Miles Davis, John Coltrane or Bill Evans. For better or worse, she chose her city and emotional honesty over long-term stardom.

Every Monday nights, the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra plays a balanced program, covering both standards and original compositions by current group members. Best personified by Linde himself, the BCJO comes off as both down-to-earth and intensely trained in jazz history and technique; an enthusiastic student of the past, he remains in awe of the unknown future. “I’m impressed by the constant creation of new sounds, especially when we are still dealing with the same 12 notes that we’ve been working with for hundreds of years.” It is clear that the Caverns, successful in the past and now supported by passionate players, will maintain its influential position in the world of DC jazz.

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Mungiello is Arts & Entertainment Editor and an Undeclared Freshman

[photo credit: (from top) Michael Mungiello, househistoryman.blogspot.com]

The Stress to Impress: Sacrificing Creativity for a Career

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 15:20:48 -0400

By Michael Mouch

I fight a battle every night, usually around midnight. This contest almost always begins when I’m studying Chinese or finishing up an Econ problem set or random work for another course. And as the fight begins my studying grinds to a halt. Afterwards, I usually finish studying and fall asleep. But sometimes in the throes of insomnia the struggle begins anew as I lie awake because my foe is one I’ve never truly defeated: my self-doubt.

Stress certainly isn’t a new concept for me. Securing Georgetown admission was a four-year process. I’ve lost count of how many hours I spent playing football, studying past midnight, joining on-campus clubs and taking SAT prep courses. Getting into Georgetown was supposed to be the end of this competitive culture. Of course I was surprised when the atmosphere was almost the exact same, but with even higher intensity, when I arrived at college.

To an extent, I knew to expect many challenges in college. It would be more accurate to say my surprise was at how people fought tooth and nail for insignificant accolades to add to resumes. And when people are spending hours putting up posters and knocking on doors to represent their dorm in a relatively impotent student government, well, you can only imagine the intensity of fights for the meaningful things, like internships and your GPA.

I’ve learned a lot since my high school days about managing stress and pressure. I no longer expect myself to receive straight A’s or honor roll every semester. But the competitive culture of our college (and likely many others) has permeated nearly the entire student body. Now I find myself desperately wondering how to spend my summer. My colleagues and peers are all receiving internships or studying abroad. There is a pressure on those of us that don’t have our entire lives planned out at 19 to do the same.

The pressure to perform takes a toll on students

But I’ve tried to take a step back from myself and this college culture of competition, and I think I’ve learned something important. This is a sign of societal decay. As a an aspiring sinophile, I’ve read extensively on the strengths and weaknesses of China’s economy, education, etc. America has always set itself apart as a nation with its innovation and its industriousness. When it comes to rote memorization, China is nearly unbeatable, but rote memorization didn’t write the code for Mark Zuckerberg (it was Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss). When I try and look at this whole four year long process of finding a job, I realize more and more that instead of fostering creativity and innovation, we are setting ourselves up to all be slotted into several career paths that students must follow to get a job or get into college, killing creativity in the process.

This is a controversial idea but you only need to look around to see it’s true. It used to be that you got an internship and that often led to a job, but in the past few years, you need to have a smaller internship to secure a larger internship to be able to secure a job. It’s hard to say this without sounding like a hippie, but the system really is turning us into automatons that just live to work. Instead of trying to explore our interests and figure out what career we will best succeed in, when we first show up at college we receive a few semesters before being thrown in the deep end of scouting internships, figuring out study abroad, and networking. At a time in our lives when we should be becoming well-rounded individuals simply for the sake of self-improvement and enlightenment, we’re forcing ourselves to fight over a limited number of internships on the off-chance it could make our careers. And all this before we can legally drink alcohol.

Being willing to stab someone in the back just for a good resume may help us secure jobs, but we all suffer from the pressure and self-doubt produced by the wild pursuit. With all this in mind I can’t shake the feeling that nowadays, some innovator like Larry Page would be busy filling out applications rather than inventing Google, and the loss of practical inventions like these and intangible ideas like happiness seem awfully tragic.

So this summer I’m trying to take a step back. I’m going to try and give back to my community through service. I will take a few online courses pertaining to my major. And most of all, I’ll steel myself, so that hopefully this time next year instead of fighting self-doubt, I’ll be happy with my personal decisions, and I’ll be confident in the fact I’m a well-rounded individual, even if that means I’m behind my peers in securing that elite internship.

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Mouch is Associate Editor and an International Politcal Economy Sophomore

[photo credit: Rachel Lesser]

The Power of Porn: Promoting Positive Images Through Adult Material

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 15:20:12 -0400

By Johan Clarke

I remember my mother once telling me, “If you ever find your younger brother watching porn, I want you to tell him to stop.” I know she said it because she wanted me to be the moral older brother, but there were two things I found really wrong with this command. First, if anyone gets caught watching porn, it is unlikely that they will continue with
you watching. Second, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with porn.

Today, I can understand why my mother would think porn sinful. According to most of society, it’s demeaning, it creates a false and sometimes destructive view of sex, it makes people less likely to try in interpersonal connections when porn is easier, and in general, it ruins lives.

These arguments, however, only really apply to a small amount of pornography, usually commercialized heterosexual pornography, from major porn companies geared towards a male audience. There is in fact much more porn out there than this small sample.

The argument that pornography is demeaning, first of all, implies that people who do porn are subhuman. This is a form of sex shaming and just because these people chose this particular occupation does not mean they should be judged for it. Waste management and other labor-intensive jobs that are taken to make ends meet do not receive the same judgement. Also, there is a variety of porn known as “porn for women”. And I’m not talking about the sexist Porn for Women books with pictures of older Abercrombie models in kitchens and captions like, “Don’t worry, honey, for once I’ll cook dinner,” further perpetuating traditional gender roles. I’m talking about the porn directed by women for women, where men are the object, though not treated as an object. Porn where women can see whatever they want, proving that women can have sexual desires and impulses and don’t just participate in sex to please the male.

Buck is a female-to-male transgender porn star

Porn can create false images of the male and female body, instilling self-consciousness and questioning whether someone is “good” at sex. However, porn can also provide an image for people who never get represented in the world. Film is filled with images of heterosexual couples enjoying the act of sex and music contains lyrics referencing similar actions. Queer people, however, rarely get mainstream examples of their sexual acts. In his article “Why Are We Afraid to Talk about Gay Porn?”, Conner Habib notes that gay porn helped him “encounter positive images of gay men enjoying sex.” Though the world is supposedly getting more comfortable with the LGBT community, they are only able to do so when its members are sexless. An example of this would be the success of Modern Family, which did not feature a gay kiss until the second season. Only in porn are some people able to see non-stereotypical people enjoying sex in the way they want to enjoy sex, bringing them closer to a community of like- minded people. Now, there are some forms of gay porn that fetishize homosexuality, like “gay for pay” porn. This is usually created by major porn companies headed by straight people and do not adequately represent the gay community. In this situation, independent porn companies or porn made by gay people for gay people is better. Porn also allows people to express who they want to be. Buck Angel, for example, is a transgendered man who has not undergone a sex change. He is a man with a vagina and he is so comfortable with his genitalia that he enjoys being constantly naked and showing them off. Angel is able to express himself in a healthy way through porn. Through his comfort, he is able to help others in his situation feel comfortable in the bodies they have. Intersex and transgenderism are significant portions of the sexual spectrum that are almost completely ignored in mainstream media. However, there is plenty of porn depicting intercourse between intersex people or between transgendered people, helping those who also identify with these labels and to abolish the ideology of a gender binary.

Since the creation of the internet and the ability to distribute independent material to a wider audience, porn has allowed people to find empowerment when they cannot in real life. Women have found images and films of other women healthily enjoying sex and not being treated as objects. Members of the LGBT community have found portrayals of their community in an affirmative way rather than shaming them through stereotypes. Porn allows those to fulfill fantasies they would not be able to realize in life due to outside constraints. It creates a plethora of images that are not found in the mainstream. Just because a portion of porn is bad does not mean all porn is bad. That is equivalent to the argument that because Vicodin is abused by some, it should be completely eradicated and criminalized. Porn can be healthy, progressive and beneficial for some communities. The stigma towards porn in this society is just another aspect of society’s negative image of sex.

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Clarke is an English Sophomore

[photo credit: yaledailynews.com]

Ending the Cycle of Violence in America: The Right to Reform

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 15:18:44 -0400

By Kathleen Joyce

The pattern has been made painfully clear, impressed on us through grisly repetition: a person (often a lone white male) opens fire on a crowd of innocents in some wholesome American town. Double-digit casualties and immeasurable psychological scars elicit our outrage and our grief. The young and the liberal cry out for stricter gun control while conservatives quote strategically from the Second Amendment. The NRA releases something insensitive, the President looks stricken, lawmakers spin their wheels, and ultimately, nothing happens. We put flowers on the fresh graves and walk away, dropping the issue as our memories fade.

Why do these tragedies keep happening? The flippant answer is that Americans are inherently more murderous than other nationalities. Setting that aside, we have to wonder why the number of American mass murders vastly overshadows the number of killing sprees in European nations. It isn’t as if the idea is completely alien across the Atlantic - the mass murders orchestrated by Anders Breivik are still fresh in the minds of Norwegians nearly two years later. Yet that gruesome massacre, in which seventy-seven men, women and children were murdered, is regarded as an outlier in Norway’s history, one that stunned and appalled the whole world. In America, when someone makes a killing field of a movie theater or an elementary school, the overwhelming feeling is of a recurring nightmare; we are less and less shocked with each successive blow.

A bullet-ridden schoolbus serves as the centerpiece of a George Mason University art installation.

So a more appropriate way to phrase the question might be, “Why aren’t we getting better at preventing these tragedies?” The answer to that lies in how we as a nation respond to these crises. There are no words to fully express the horror of the Sandy Hooks and Auroras which plague our recent past. That being said, standing mute in the face of these shootings does disservice to the victims and to the survivors. So what can we do? How do we ensure that potential mass murderers never so much as see a weapon without infringing on the rights of innocent people?

Our current response pattern is one of pure emotional reaction. Politicians stand aghast, or weep on camera, but the faintest flicker of rational thought, the mere speculation about the idea of proposing a bill limiting access to automatic weapons, is met with the accusation that lawmakers are ‘politicizing’ a tragedy. The party line is that they are taking advantage of the nation’s emotional turmoil in order to push bills that ordinarily wouldn’t have a prayer of becoming laws. Those who hold easy access to firearms to be their most sacred right are, not surprisingly, the quickest to call out the “political games” of those who call for gun control, but their concern for their rights is not completely unjustified.

The last time the United States government acted in the heat of passion was in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. Some decisions made on that day and in the days immediately after entangled us in foreign conflicts with disastrous and well-documented consequences. Others were necessary for the safety of everyone who flies. Still others have elicited a far more mixed response - TSA’s supposedly random screenings, for example. Some argue that the screenings increase security. But few would say that they are worth the profiling the “suspicious-looking”, meaning Middle Eastern, among us are forced to endure. It is an example of security measures gone too far, a reminder that maybe there should be some distance between the cause and the effect.

Clearly finding the balance between protection and freedom is difficult, and our decisions are unlikely to be perfect when made in the heat of the moment. However, what opponents of gun control fail to realize is that reform is a process, and that there will be plenty of time for them to raise their objections over the course of the discussion. The only way that will happen, though, is if there is a discussion in the first place. We must not let our fear of overreacting cause us to underreact to tragedies like Sandy Hook and Aurora. Most importantly, we must be able to debate our options with a clear sense of what is at stake. The mass shootings which plague our country are acts of madness, so we must respond to them with reason. The law is our refuge against crime; when the crime is unthinkable, we must be prepared to examine our thinking about the law.

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Joyce is Commentary Editor and an Art History and English Sophomore

[photo credit: www.dcist.com]

By Rachel Lesser I will unequivocally admit that sleep is inconvenient and steals valuable hours...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:47:19 -0400

By Rachel Lesser

I will unequivocally admit that sleep is inconvenient and steals valuable hours from my day. I’m still waiting for someone to figure out how to slow the earth’s rotation enough for me to get thirty-hour days. Hint: I’m looking at you. My solution would be for all seven million of us to run backwards until we counteract the magnetic pole. (I have been told that this degree of cooperation is highly unlikely, though the scientific evidence is undeniable.) That being said, energy drinks are not the solution to the pesky need for some nice REM.

Nothing says “stable” like a dozen energy drinks, or does it?

In fact, the only thing worse than a zombie-like state of over-exhaustion is replacing all of the fluids in your body with sugary, caffeinated “beverages”. While drinkable, I use the word beverages sparingly, as their nutritional content is closer to rubbing alcohol or crude oil. In fact, 90% of the contents of Five Hour Energy you can’t pronounce without a PhD in chemistry. And even then, I’m not sure you would want to know that it contains glucuronolactone, a drug which frightens many avid and reliable researchers, who just happen to live in bullet-proof panic rooms in undisclosed locations in Montana. They accuse the American government of developing it during the Vietnam War (a time clearly characterized by its lack of conspiracy theories) and then later abandoning it when reports linking it to brain tumors surfaced.

Sure, Red Bull gives you wings… all the way to Heaven. Drink that Monster and you could join several of your compatriots who just had to stay awake for that extra hour in eternal wakefulness beyond the pearly gates. Though, upon further consideration, Dante might have created a circle of hell for those who try to fight their God-given circadian rhythms with energy drinks. In the Middle Ages, sentries were known to partake in several sips of “The Demon’s Elixir” whereupon helpless maidens witnessed them causing general mayhem as they darted around camp attempting to fight entire battles in under 3 seconds and then promptly collapsing.

Basically everything these days, from your cell phone to the charring on your steak is carcinogenic, poisonous and may contribute to genetic mutations that will manifest as a third eye in subsequent generations. So, maybe we leave one pollutant out of our digestive system. Skip the energy drinks and let your stomach lining live to fight another day.

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Lesser is Managing Editor and a Government and Psychology Sophomore

[photo credit: Rachel Lesser]

By Kathleen Joyce With final exams and final papers descending on us at top speed, we students...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:47:12 -0400

By Kathleen Joyce

With final exams and final papers descending on us at top speed, we students need all the time we can get to prepare ourselves. You know what’s in our way? Sleep. Specifically, the fact that our pathetic human bodies need sleep to function. Fortunately, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, the ridiculous notion of the circadian rhythm will soon become a thing of the past. Yes, I’m talking about humanity’s easy button, energy drinks. Also known as victory in a can, these
suckers will beat your exhausted body into submission.

Energy drinks are great tools in the battle to stay awake. Whether you prefer the insidious, smallpox-in-a-blanket approach of caffeinated sodas or the Five Hour Energy hand grenade to the sleep cycle, these chemically enhanced beverages are the best way to make sure you can rip the trachea right out of all twenty-four hours of your day. Plus, most “chemically rich” drinks like Monster and Red Bull even taste like gasoline, reminding you that you are slowly but surely turning into a machine.

Nothing says “stable” like dozens of energy drinks

Some energy drink opponents complain that ingredients like taurine and
guarine are unnatural and potentially harmful to the body. If that’s your concern, all I can say is go back to your commune, hippie. If you were really so concerned about putting weird, probably carcinogenic chemicals into your body, you wouldn’t be eating at Leo’s. I have no time for your ridiculous peacenik whistle-blowing.

So back off, you granola-munching, kumbaya-singing, drum circle participants. So what if I twitch like I’m constantly under a strobe light? So what if Major League Baseball “technically” classifies my blood as a performance enhancing drug? While you’re busy swaddling your children in hemp and trying to summon the energy to harvest all the quinoa from your organic community garden, I’ll be over here, energy drink clutched in my rapidly vibrating, slightly sweaty hands, running the world.

Maybe excessive use of energy drinks makes you a little paranoid. But how are you going to make sure you’ve covered all the material if you’re not compulsively touching every page of your notebook? Don’t be put off by the crazed look in my eyes - that’s just the gleam of productivity. So grab a Red Eye and drink up. Remember, you snooze, you lose.

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Joyce is Commentary Editor and an Art History and English Sophomore

[photo credit: Rachel Lesser]

The Indy Suggests [photo credit: Denny Renshaw,...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:11:36 -0400

The Indy Suggests

[photo credit: Denny Renshaw, thedrunkenodyssey.files.wordpress.com, newtrier.k12.il.us, liquidlivingmagazine.com]

Gifts for the Ones on Your Naughty List

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:42:00 -0400

By “Torlof”

Every year around November, online publications put up holiday gift guides, highlighting the best gifts for the loved ones in your life. But here at The Indy, we set the bar higher. Rather than perpetuate the usual yuletide redundancies, we are giving you the gift guide for those you hate. After all, we all have to give that cousin a present despite him totally making life hell at the last family reunion by blasting music while you were hungover. So without further ado, here are some ideas for the frenemies in your life.

For Your Thirteen-Year-Old Nephew: Shake Weight

This hit sensation is sure to give the receiver two thoughts: do people think my arms are flabby, and do I have THAT reputation? Everyone’s favorite practice tool for the sexual neophyte’s first foray into “adult” activities is a great gift idea for the person you hate. Male or female, this gift is sure to make them squirm.

For added effect: ask them after the New Year if they have been “practicing” a lot. And it goes without saying that an exaggerated wink is required.

Want one?

For Your Greenpeace-Totebag-Flaunting Uncle and Nephew: Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead

The second-longest strawman of non-objectivist ideas (Atlas Shrugged coming in first), this is a gift with great utility. Even the experienced reader will take a good 20 hours to finish this, so give this to that annoying young nephew that keeps asking why you don’t have a girlfriend and watch the boy sweat as Rand’s meandering sentences exasperate him. It’s also a great gift for your annoying liberal uncle that will not shut up about Citizens United; just remind him that the Democrats are the party of openness and tolerance, so he HAS to give it a chance.

For added enjoyment: watch him nearly keel over when he realizes that the domestic terrorist that blows up housing for the poor is the hero.

For Your Father Who’s Having a Mid-Life Crisis: Duke Nukem: Critical Mass

“A low-tech portable monstrosity that manages to make the worst of both the DS’s abilities and the Duke’s legacy,” says Metro Gamecentral. Give this video game to anyone with a Nintendo DS, and they will be throwing it against the wall in a fit of rage in no time flat. This game was 15 years in the making, but still plays like it was 15 minutes in testing and development. Nothing says “screw you” quite like a game that is not functional nor even playable. The most remarkable thing about this game is that it did not nearly end the videogame industry like the ET game did in 1983.

For added effect: tell them before the open the gift “I got you the must-have videogame of the season.”

For Your (Thankfully) Prudish Grandmother: Pretty much any Lars Von Trier film

We will level with you all here, excluding your pretentious cousin who could not even get into an Ivy League and writes for a poorly circulated college magazine: this will be a gift sure to psychologically scar anyone. Who can forget the memorable scene in Antichrist where the Man’s testicles (this movie is so stuck up it fails to give the protagonist a name) are smashed and then he ejaculates blood? If your “loved” one is not deserving of such severe punishment, then try giving them Dogville; if the misogyny of an entire town tormenting and coercing Nicole Kidman into sex fails to touch them, then they are surely beyond hope. Even better, this gift will make sure that they will no longer want to talk with you anymore, much less bother you. Can you say “two birds, one stone”?

For added effect: invite them to go see The Nymphomaniac, Von Trier’s latest movie, which features uncensored and 100% real Shia LaBeouf sex.

For any and all fans of music: Smoke DZA’s Rugby Thompson

At its best, rap allows for meaningful reflections on culture, society and human nature. But this is not one of those articles. At its worst, rap is juvenile, grating and wholly repugnant. If Christmas represents the start of Jesus Christ’s illustrious career, Rugby Thompson represents the Prince of Darkness’ crowning moment of glory, Paradise Lost be darned. Few albums can claim to revel in references to R. Kelly and his bladder problems. This train wreck of an album oscillates between failing at braggadocio and failing even more biblically at story telling. Luckily for whomever you give this album to, this assault on their ear canals only lasts about 40 minutes.

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“Torlof” enjoys romantic dalliances with medieval princesses

[photo credit: cracked.com]

http://thegeorgetownindependent.tumblr.com/

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Ending the Cycle of Violence in America: ￼￼The Right to Reform

By Rachel Lesser I will unequivocally admit that sleep is inconvenient and steals valuable hours...

By Kathleen Joyce With final exams and final papers descending on us at top speed, we students...

The Indy Suggests [photo credit: Denny Renshaw,...

Gifts for the Ones on Your Naughty List

Ending the Cycle of Violence in America: The Right to Reform