Hot Topic
Opinion pieces on the issues of the day, from pop culture to post-modernism, exploring the pressing issues that affect our community.
The Woman King Doesn't Tell the Whole Story, But Should It Have To?
History is a tricky beast to nail down. The result of a mixture that’s equal parts objective science, subjective perspective, political power, and good old fashioned belief, history is a feat, the attempt of which leaves scholars and students alike with the same inevitable paradox: on one hand, an unwilling acceptance of the fact that we will never be able to recount with complete accuracy or objectivity exactly what happened; and on the other hand a grim understanding of the consequences of getting it too wrong or worse yet, not trying at all.
Pride and Protest: What Should Pride Look Like?
Pride marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, multiple demonstrations as a result of police violence at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. In the early hours of June 28, 1969, Stonewall patrons and community members clashed with police after officers stormed the bar, arresting, violating, and beating people as part of their routine raids on queer establishments. The escalation turned into two days of rebellion and protest, and what is considered to be one of the greatest movements in queer liberation.
Attention 21st Century: It’s Time to Grow Up
Centuries are like decades. The first few years of one are mostly indistinguishable from the last few years of the one before. But eventually, new ideas and directions develop — often by recognizing the limitations of what came before — and slowly, an identity emerges. We are now firmly into the second decade of the 21st century. Despite several pivotal moments, this century has yet to fully define itself or honestly evaluate the problems that have developed with ideas, systems, and paradigms that have run their course — and we continue to suffer for it. The year 2020 was a masterclass in the shortcomings of our society in many areas that we consider permanent. But they all had beginnings, so they can have ends. Here are a few things we need to admit that we’ve outgrown in the 21st century.
We Are The Economy: Building from the Ashes of COVID-19
There is an old saying that goes: when white people get a cold, Black people get the flu. And unfortunately, the coronavirus outbreak has proved this to be true. More than 100,000 Americans have lost their lives due to COVID-19. And 40 million workers have filed for unemployment benefits in the last 10 weeks as they continue to lose work hours or lose their jobs altogether, affecting their wages and access to health care.