We Need to Practice What We Preach to Avoid “Slacktivist” Conversations
“But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”- Matthew 23:3b Although written for an ancient audience, the biblical idiom “practice what you preach” still applies today. The phrase directs its listeners to avoid hypocrisy, a phenomenon all too prevalent in discussions of the unique issues faced by minority […]
Why We Can’t Forget Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
Earlier this year, former spouses and actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard sued each other for defamation in a highly publicized trial that largely focused on both parties’ alleged domestic violence. Five months after the trial’s conclusion, national feminist organizations and prominent celebrities signed an open letter in support of Amber Heard condemning the harassment […]
Do Revenge and the Commodification of Wokeness
On September 16th, Netflix released Do Revenge, its latest romantic comedy marketed towards teens across the country. However, what seems like another painfully transparent remake of classics like Clueless and Mean Girls is actually a satirical commentary on the way we glamorize performative activism and artificial allyship. The story follows two teenage girls: Drea, the […]
The Problem with Dahmer: True Crime Shows and the Broken Criminal Justice System
A growing number of American adults are watching true crime dramas, based on theft, kidnappings, or serial murders, on a regular basis. In recent years there has been a rapid increase in production and consumption of the true crime genre. Most recently, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, a true crime drama revolving around notorious cannibal […]
Administrative Apocalypse and the Prospects of Proprietary Cities
“And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.” – Daniel 2:43 “For at that time the world was altogether home-bred, every nation looked little beyond their own confines or territories, and the world […]
Why Trans Female Athlete Bans Aren’t the Solution
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order combatting discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. The order allowed trans children to access restrooms, locker rooms, and school sports of their gender identity and directed the Attorney General to evaluate states’s current regulations. In retaliation, almost thirty deep-red states […]
The Paradoxical Power of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
The phenomenon of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has inhabited many political discussions since she defeated Joe Crowley in the 2018 midterms. Since then, she has gone on to light up Congress as the radical politician that is not afraid to call out colleagues who have been in power longer than she has been alive. Her unfiltered […]
The Black, White, and Grey Areas of Ethical Protest Coverage
On November 5, 2019, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions visited Northwestern University to speak to students about Trump’s agenda. Sessions’s visit drew about 150 protesters, some of whom climbed through windows or pushed through the doors of the building in an attempt to interrupt the talk. As the university’s student paper, the Daily Northwestern sent […]
A Lost Generation and the Breakdown of (Civil) Society as We Know It
I have never asked my neighbor for a cup of sugar, nor have I ever invited them over for dinner or done anything more than return their mail when it gets delivered to the wrong address. I wouldn’t attribute this to poor character, since a majority of Americans only know some of their neighbors and […]
The “Public” Elite
Mainstream media elitism has become the industry norm, perpetuating a system of cosmopolitan journalism that fails to achieve true diversity.