How Islam Uses Technology to Make Political Statements

       A wonderful advantage of our access to social media platforms is that we can voice our opinions much easier and find comfort knowing they will most likely be heard. This can be seen in many social movements such as the #BlackLivesMatter movement and support for the LGBTQ community. When a negative event happens in connection with these movements, there will most likely be an influx of posts on social media concerning details of the events, advice in hindsight or just moral support for their community.

      Unfortunately we have seen a horrible tragedy take place last Friday. A tragedy that lead to the influx of posts mentioned earlier. Of course I am referring to the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris. A horrific tragedy of this magnitude comes with a lot of emotion and, in effect, plenty of confusion.

     Many people are making political statements about this event but some are ill-informed. Placing the blame of these terrorist acts on the religion of Islam is not rare, and is generally due to ignorance, xenophobia or Islamophobia. Fortunately, many members of the Muslim community are willing and able to utilize their social media platforms to clear any air.

     We can see a variety of tweets and facebook posts from Muslims all over the world, discussing how being Muslim does not indicate being a terrorist. The picture below is an appropriate answer to those who tend to confuse Muslims with terrorists.

This shows the ability of the Muslim community to participate on the Internet and use it to make a political stance. In a way, this relates to Elizabeth Elcessor's article discussing the ability for disabled citizens to utilize the internet for their own benefits. We can be thankful that there are not as many obstacles for Muslims to get past when displaying their messages on the internet. If there were some type of restriction that didn't allow Muslims to use the internet effectively, it could be a lot worse in terms of their representation. Some disabled people cannot participate on the internet at all due to physical or mental limitations, thus silencing their voice from the web. If this happened to be the case for the Muslim community, there would be a lot less people defending them. With less people defending the image of Islam, the more common these dangerous misconceptions become.

Hip Hop Is Not Dead

                               

          Recently there has been some distress about the idea of today’s rap music being a simple watered down version of 90’s rap. We’ve heard the argument before, mostly from backpack-sporting, headphone-wearing, self-proclaimed fans of “real hip-hop.” Basically, any rap music released nowadays is garbage when compared to the legendary standard set by rappers from the 90’s. I have been listening to Hip-Hop my entire life, and even I have subscribed to this belief at some point. I used to think all new rap was trash and underground rap was the standard, and then I grew up.

          Again, I found Hip-Hop a lot sooner in my life than in high school or whenever 50 Cent put out “I Get Money” and I continuously find something new to love about it. Something that has always been expressed in rap music is a braggadocios theme concerning one’s personal achievements and how they make another person inferior. To some, this theme seems childish and pointless, but maybe those critics aren’t familiar with the low self-esteem that comes with surviving in a low-income neighborhood. This is a theme that enters every aspect of Hip-Hop. Biggie, Tupac, Big L, Nas and Wu-Tang all did it, and they certainly weren’t the only ones.

          What confuses me is when these fans of “real hip-hop” say today’s music is just about drugs, violence, money and promiscuous women, when it is blatantly obvious that their favorite artists did the exact same thing. Let me get this straight, since Big L was an intricate lyricist it’s okay for him to talk about murder and drugs? It is inconsistent to apply your beliefs to Waka Flocka Flame’s music, then turn around and say Nas is justified in doing the same thing.  In Big L’s 98’ freestyle, he makes several claims about his stature as a drug dealer, a thug and a player. My favorite line that contradicts the “holier than thou” idea “real hip-hop” fans have about Big L is “I’ve got more riches than you, I got more b*tches than you, only thing I don’t got is more stitches than you.” Aside from the contradiction that this presents, this hardly cuts deep in the emotion of whoever he is attacking.

Even still, hardheaded backpackers will argue that Big L was just expressing himself through his art form in a way that is familiar to him. Well what makes it okay for an “intelligent” rapper to talk about his life growing up in the hood, but not okay once an average rapper talks about his experiences? To stay with Big L as an example, he only has a few songs dedicated to raising awareness of mistakes to be made in the hood, but the rest of his catalogue is about violence, drugs, sex and money. Biggie Smalls was not known for his peace promoting songs, nor was Wu-Tang, N.W.A. and Big Pun. These rappers are still regarded as great by the same fans who criticize Schoolboy Q and others for rapping about the same subjects.

            Another argument that is presented is that rap songs released today are far simpler than they once were which is obviously absurd. Sure there were plenty of well-spoken rappers back in the “golden age,” but there were also a lot of simple artists. Beastie Boys, Eazy-E, Vanilla Ice, Kriss Kross and others were definitely not the most complex lyricists, but of course this gets overlooked when “real hip-hop” fans decide to cherry pick which artists represent a generation. When speaking about legendary rappers, we forget that people like Rico Suave and MC Hammer existed and also made it embarrassing to say you were a fan of rap. The difference between Rico Suave and Jedi Mind Tricks is that Rico Suave actually got radio play.

            If you wanted to listen to the new Jedi Mind Tricks album in 1998 you had to really want to find it. The same can be said for good music today. Instead of listening to the radio station, waiting for an artist you like, go find the music you want to listen to. Along with the idea of listening to music you want, keep listening to the radio if that is what you enjoy. Tyler, the Creator, an artist described as someone who “consistently nails the craft,” says the same thing in his title track for his Goblin album. “These n*ggas ain’t f*ckin with me, cuz I don’t listen to the Immortal of Tech-the-nique, and all this underground bullsh*t that’s never gon’ peak, on the Billboard Top 20 and Jam of the Week, I’d rather listen to Badu and Pusha the T, and that Waka Flocka Flame instead of that real hip-hop.” This is certainly a powerful statement about the expectations that backpackers have about taste in rap music. It also shows that just because you enjoy Chief Keef or Future doesn’t mean you can’t live your own intelligent and enlightened way of life. I am a heavy supporter of conscious rap but it’s not something I want to listen to in every situation. A party is not the right setting to play Immortal Technique or Jedi Mind Tricks, at least not if you care about everyone else at the party and not just yourself. “Back That Azz Up” by Juvenile is a much more effective way to start a party than “Dance with the Devil.”

    Overall, I think this claim that rap music used to be great and now it sucks, is just plain lazy. First, there is never a time frame for when rap was absolutely perfect. The argument always comes with arbitrary terms like “new school” and “old school.” As years progress, everything becomes “old school.” Hip-hop shouldn’t be about music then versus music now, it has always provided a commentary to extremely recent and relevant events and pop culture topics. The problem is hip-hop heads think everyone has to make an insightful commentary about serious topics that are happening. Some rappers do talk about important issues but then there are others who would rather talk about strippers and prescription pills, and they both have a right to express themselves. Think about all the entertaining movies out there. They would all be replaced with documentaries if we apply the same mind frame to cinema. The same way you don’t see a documentary at a movie theatre, you’re probably not going to hear a socially conscious rap song on the radio. Similar to a documentary, you have to go find the quality of music you yearn for, it is not going to just pop into your lap. Now I realize it may be difficult for some people to find more than five above average rappers nowadays so I took it upon myself to compile a brief list. Ab-Soul, Action Bronson, Big KRIT, Bishop Nehru, Casey Veggies, Capital STEEZ, Chance the Rapper, Dizzy Wright, Denzel Curry, Earl Sweatshirt, Flatbush Zombies, Isaiah Rashad, J. Cole, Joey BadA$$, Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Logic, Mac Miller, Run the Jewels, Robb Banks, Schoolboy Q, Tyler the Creator, Vic Mensa, Vince Staples, Wale. Now, when you listen to these musicians you may notice they talk about money, drugs, women and violence, but remember that your favorite rappers were probably violent, misogynistic, rich and addicts themselves. I can listen to Young Thug and you can listen to Common, but at the end of the day, we both just go home and live our regular lives. I hope this discussion continues because as the great Xzibit puts it, “Your little lungs is too small to hotbox with God.”

Hypermedia in Islam

            During our research of Muslim interaction on the internet, it is obvious that Muslim culture is well capable of utilizing new forms of communication (i.e. social media) rather than sticking to old forms of media such as “word-of-mouth.” This suggests that the Muslim religion has grown to interact across the internet in a state of hypermediacy. Using sound and video, among other forms of information, to share experiences with each other is what constitutes hypermedia and that is exactly what a large part of the Muslim community is engaging in right now.

       

        There are plenty of vines, tweets, snapchats, or instagram pictures, sharing a little experience of the Muslim faith. This could range from a picture of a woman wearing a hijab to a short Instagram video of a religious ceremony. Both of those forms of communication give you a little dose of what the cultural fashion is like or the feelings from a religious moment. For a more specific example, take the Facebook page Islamic Thinking. The page has lots of photos, posts, and discussions about various topics relating to Islam. An outsider such as me may not be familiar with all of the topics discussed, but it is very apparent that this page is popular among the Muslim community. With over 2 million likes, it would be hard to argue against that. With that, we are certain that Muslims interact on the internet in various ways and utilize those opportunities to the best of their abilities in order to communicate experiences with one another.

Social Technologies Used to Communicate Within the Muslim Culture

This week we will be discussing what types of technologies are present in the Muslim culture. This can range from a participatory culture to a convergence culture. From participating in social media to producing content for that media, we find that hypermediation is not something the Muslim culture has not been exposed to.

For instance, this website describes the effect that social media has had on the culture as positive in that it increased exposure and awareness of the religion. However, the general content in the coverage of the Muslim religion is in bad taste and only highlights radical incidents, so this leads to a necessity for self-representation on websites such as Facebook. We found a page titled "Muslims for Social Justice" With this page the Admins use different hashtags to attract their users such as: #BlackLivesMatter. Travelling through the timeline of the page we’ve also noticed that this page would repost and share certain articles and videos to keep their demographic updated on what is going on world-wide. Miguel and I also were able to find out that the same group is active on Blogger. With such adversity “Muslims for Social Justice” has multiple outlets to connect with their users and share their purpose and utilize it very well. YouTube and other video media have been significant sources for different Muslims to attempt to reverse the pre-conceived notions such as abuse/domestic violence, which continue to affect a lot of people who identify within their group. These are some of the media that are used to communicate messages that are important to the Muslim culture.

More specifics about our Muslim justice project

In the previous week, we discussed our topic of interest, social justice for Muslims. Now, we will attempt to provide a little more definition to our group. First, we plan to focus on how Muslims are represented and what they do to represent themselves on the internet and other technological platforms. This can range from Muslim parents to children or just any other Muslim demographic that might be misrepresented in today’s media. This will happen as we monitor different movements and events on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. Muslims in our current American media are portrayed 97% as terrorists or even just as threatening citizens. Throughout the web there has been a wide variety of movements to stop such perceptions. Miguel and I want to analyze such movements by contrasting perception versus reality. We chose this because of the frequency of which these misrepresentations happen.

 A recent incident that comes to mind is that of Ahmed Mohammed, a 14 year-old Texas student, who has circled the internet due to an unjust arrest. Mohammed was arrested when he arrived to school with a clock that he had built on his own. His attempt to impress his teacher led to him being arrested under the circumstances that the school believed he had brought a bomb to the school. These are the types of incidents we hope to acknowledge and clarify throughout our project.

Not All Muslims

There is plenty of discussion about discrimination on campus but many of us forget others that should be talked about. One demographic Khalil and myself (Miguel) found worthy of uncovering was that of the muslim community. We realized that there is a stigma surrounding the Muslim faith suggesting they are violent or are terrorists. This was something that did not sit well us, since we are aware of the diversity among Muslim followers. A majority of muslims in our American media(99%) are portrayed in a negative light. Miguel and I are curious to find out and understand core values of the Muslim religion, for which it holds sacred truths. Throughout this process we are choosing to seek understanding of religion, and plan on to project such understanding through video, pictures, text, and interaction with community members.

 We hope to facilitate a wider acceptance of the Muslim religion by highlighting the fact that they can be everyday people like you and I. Through research and experience we will post periodically on this blog in order to keep track of what we have learned and expand on ideas we have learned in class. Hopefully, by the end of this project we will have affected enough people to see a change in the way people on campus think about Muslims.

Why a Playstation is Cooler than your Family Heirloom

Note: Not a VCR.

            As a kid, I believe my most precious childhood possession was a classic Playstation. Like many other kids at the time, I treated this system with the same reverence as you would give an old family relic. I’ve always felt a little ashamed of myself for worshipping the game system, but as I think more about it, why wouldn’t I praise such an amazing piece of craftsmanship? Let me tell you why a Playstation is better than your old beat-up heirloom and why you should appreciate it more.

            Let’s begin with aesthetics: the Playstation is a sleek, soft-gray masterpiece, while your heirloom is probably a dingy quilt or other craft your great-grandmother did in her off time from smacking your grandmother around (violence happens, get over it). You could place a Playstation in your home entertainment system and it would not look out of place. Hell, it might even be an upgrade to your living room, which is probably covered in weed crumbs and Dorito dust. If you throw an old smelly quilt over the back of your couch, you can’t be surprised with the company that type of feng shui will attract.

This is the type of company...

            Now let’s talk entertainment capabilities, if we really must. The Playstation is capable of playing two of the most iconic video games to date: Grand Theft Auto and Final Fantasy VII, where the argument for Playstation stops. This category is already a victory for the system but I’ll entertain the idea of an heirloom being remotely close to reaching Playstation levels of fun. You can sleep in your old quilt, and eventually die from hypothermia because it wasn’t thick enough to keep you warm. You could also stare at your good ol’ pocketwatch and end up missing the interview you’ve been waiting for, all because the stupid thing doesn’t tell time. If that’s not fun enough you could wear that old ring that was passed down to you and get robbed in the streets after a long day of work. Getting a Playstation would be so much less drama.

The guy on the left could be you.

            I’m surprised you’re still reading this massacre. Lastly, I would like to address cool-points. “Cool-points” is such a mind bending point system that I cannot go into detail about the results. What I can tell you is that Playstation obviously won by a large margin in the cool-points category. Basically, if a caveman found your grandfather’s old hat he would put it on his head and continue about his day. But if a caveman found a Playstation, he would plug it in and crap his loincloth from steep over exposure to coolness. So if you don’t want a caveman overflowing all over your living room, show him that old shoe you got from your great grandfather.

That's a face of relief. Ready for more Playstation

            We knew this would happen, but I’m contractually obligated to state the results explicitly. The Playstation is the clear winner in the battle for your attention and love. Does your family heirloom look cooler than a Playstation? Probably not. Can your family’s heirloom play Crash Bandicoot? Definitely not. Is your family’s heirloom as cool as a Playstation? It wouldn’t make a caveman crap his pants, so the answer is no. What I will give the heirloom points in is that it could be worth more than a Playstation, depending on the object. In any case, if your family heirloom is worth any money, pawn it and buy yourself a Playstation.

Satire Park

 Most of us have all seen an episode or excerpt of the show South Park. In effect, we have all seen an episode that puts a look of shock on our face from the level of controversy it seems that the creators seem to reach for. But within this constant offensiveness is usually a lesson hidden somewhere.

 This is seen in the special two-part episode that the creators used to celebrate reaching their 200th episode. In this episode special pretty much every celebrity that the town of South Park has disgraced has decided to sue them. The celebrities would not sue the town if they were given Muhammad's goo, which they thought would give them invulnerability against being mocked,

 The explanation behind this episode is basically how ridiculous it is that the prophet Muhammad cannot be depicted to avoid the follow through of death threats that the creators received in the anticipation of the release of this episode. After these threats, Comedy Central censored the episode a ridiculous amount and bleeped out the entire ending speech about not succumbing to fear and standing up against terror.

 Of course, the show explains all of this in a humorous manner since it is a satirical show. I think this is the reason why satire is so important. A serious message can be told in an exaggerated and funny way which can make it easier for viewers to digest or accept. Putting the medicine in the candy is a great way for shows like South Park to discuss very serious topics and not receive too much backlash,

 Juvenalian satire is the type of joke that South Park usually uses to deliver its message and can be pretty jarring at times. But juvenalian satire is effective in criticizing aspects of society by using over the top exaggerations to show how crazy some ideas can be,

 What do you think about South Park's humor? Do you think it is a good way to speak on issues or is it too overly offensive for a message to be received? Leave a comment below to discuss how you feel about their use of juvenalian satire to speak about societal issues.

You Have to Eat the Peas Too

 When was the last time an aspect of your culture became cool? A dance, a hairstyle, traditional clothing, or any other aspect is not safe from possibly being appropriated for the dominant culture's enjoyment.

 That one thing you were raised doing and enjoying could possibly be taken and commercialized to the point where you don't recognize it anymore. From "Hip-Hop Abs" to Kylie Jenner's "Bold Braids," we are watching cultures become commodities before our eyes.

 Before Hip-Hop was "cool" its community was shunned. It was not respected as an art form until it first became accepted by the white masses. Then we saw cartoony, watered-down versions of this art form. Vanilla Ice and Macklemore are just two names who embody this idea.

 When the white masses find something they enjoy in another culture, they don't appreciate it, they appropriate it. This means that instead of giving the culture the respect it deserves they extract one piece from it, make it their own and throw the rest of the culture away.

 Give a picky kid a plate full of different foods and watch them eat what they enjoy and treat what they don't like with disgust. Maybe you try to explain that green peas are nutritious and essential to the rest of the meal, but no matter how much explanation you give, the kid will treat the peas with the same disgust. This is the same basic idea behind cultural appropriation.

 Twerking is taken because it is entertaining and edgy to watch Miley Cyrus "twerk" around on stage. Dreads are taken because it is a new look for Kylie Jenner to try on the red carpet. Bindis are taken to enhance Selena Gomez and Iggy Azalea's music videos. The problem is not that they are using these parts of different cultures but it is the only part of the culture they enjoy. The use of these cultural pieces does not mean the white masses like those particular cultures.

 Think about it, when Bindis fall "out of style" they are still a part of a culture. Dreads are not just a fad for a group of people but instead an important aspect of their culture. The problem with cultural appropriation is that parts of many cultures are being used as the "hot new thing" to sell in commercials and on the cover of magazines.

 Why is it that when a white woman twerk it is acceptable but African-American women are looked down upon to say the least when doing the same thing, if not doing it better? Why do dreads apparently look better on white people when they have been apart of black culture for an insurmountable time?

 What do you think about cultural appropriation? Has something from your culture been taken and sold to the masses while the rest of your culture is "thrown away?" Leave a comment below and discuss your thoughts about the idea.

W-W-What!?

 As a child I watched World Wrestling Entertainment pretty religiously. Every Monday and Friday I tuned in to see which superstars were beating each other to a pulp. My personal favorite was a beast named Goldberg, but we aren't here for that conversation. One thing I never noticed about the show until recently is how extreme the racist portrayals are.

 There was always one wrestler whose identity just never felt correct: Eddie Guerrero. This mexican wrestler was a known cheater. At every opportunity he would poke his opponent in the eyes, go for a shot below the belt, and a slue of other shameless winning tactics. Even his entrance music and video was degrading. The chant we constantly hear is about lying, cheating and stealing. He is always shown with a lowrider with hydraulics. This character type is a shockingly obvious form of stereotype reinforcement that flew over my head as a kid. This is what scares me about the rest of the WWE.

 Even Hulk Hogan's original entrance music seemed a little condescending. Others claim to be "Americans" but Hulk Hogan is a "Real American." Complete with guitar riffs, star-spangled tights and hair almost as white as his skin. This was the image of what a real American was and his music was making sure you knew it.

 You do not have to look very far in the past or deep in the roster of obscure wrestlers to find more blatantly racist portrayals. Papa Shango, Muhammad Hasan and Jimmy Snuka are just a few names that send chilling waves of racism coursing through fans.

 Any wrestler with a noticeable ethnicity (or even one slightly resembling another) was doomed to play to the extremities of their ethnicity's stereotype. Mexicans riding lawn mowers, white men acting as trailer trash, and black men being thugs/rappers are all so common that it doesn't seem out of the ordinary in the world of Vince McMahon.

 I admit to loving this source of entertainment for a majority of my childhood but now that I look back, it is difficult to finalize a list of stereotyping characters in the industry as I am almost always able to think of at least one more person to add to that list. 

 Did you watch WWE? What do you think about the characters that you remember? Comment below and tell me which ones you thought were the worst portrayals.

Fresh Prints in Bel-Air

 Can you recite the opening theme song of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Well if not, let me tell you about the main character's story. A young Will Smith was growing up with his mother in West-Philadelphia, born and raised. He spent most of his time on the playground with his friends relaxing, playing ball and other teenage activities. Of course, the good times came to an end when an altercation began with some local hoodlums. Will's mom wanted to shield him from further trouble and sent him to live with her sister's family in Bel-Air. The well-off and seemingly Republican household accepts Will with his wild antics and hilarity ensues.

 Most people would end the story here, but I believe there is a bit more to analyze. Considering the lack of realistic representation of low socioeconomic life, this show may also give outside viewers a skewed perception of what those situations entail. I know you're probably thinking, "Give me a break, it's a sitcom." But whether or not a show is created with the intent of humor or drama, you cannot deny that the representation is still there.

 The portrait that I think this show paints for those watching is that there is an escape for poor troubled youth when that is not always the case. For more privileged families there may be the option of sending a problem child off to live with a better off family member to keep them away from the irresponsible temptations of their own neighborhood, but for most families of low socioeconomic status, that is simply not an option. This is a problem because when we begin to believe that there is always a way out of a predicament, we also begin to see those stuck in a certain situation as people who are not utilizing their options.

 Some situations force a family to make changes in the household and sometimes that includes living with someone else. However, that someone else may not be a rich uncle, in most cases it is a lateral movement just to take that person out of that environment. In the show, Will gets the opportunity to live in a safer neighborhood, get better education and overall, he gets access to more fruitful opportunities. As I said before, to a person who is not afflicted by the problems Will faced prior to moving, the show seems like the obvious solution to his problems. It can make someone wonder why more people haven't handled their situations in the same manner. 

 All I want to point out is that we can enjoy the humor that sitcoms provide, but we should not be ignorant to the representations we are shown. I don't want to spoil any shows for you but I guarantee that if you look close enough, you will find an inaccurate representation of some minority group. Don't let your entertainment stop you from learning.  

Colorful Frames

 In terms of art, framework is important. A frame borders the painting, giving a context for the painting to be considered. A painting without a frame is basically a poster. In terms of journalism, framing refers to the information chosen to represent a story.

 For example, during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina there were different perspectives about the scavenging of food. In certain cases, people were reported as "finding resources" while others were depicted as "looting" the same goods. The purpose of framing is to convey a certain message about a situation without giving the full context of said situation. Framing is an important aspect of the news we receive, yet is not considered with the importance necessary to understand the messages we are being delivered.

 A recent instance of framing can be seen in the recent coverage of the Oscars in which Giuliana Rancic commented about actress/singer Zendaya's faux dread-loc hairstyle. In her critique during "Fashion Police," Giuliana stated that she got the feeling that because of Zendaya's hairstyle, she must smell like patchouli or marijuana. On the other hand, when Kylie Jenner appeared with her hair in locs, she was described as being edgy.

Where's My Role Model?

 My older brother Tony is black and my younger brothers are half-white. Just watching them live, I learned a lot about the privilege of skin, and privilege in general. I belong to a melting-pot family, so I have witnessed plenty of situations that show different privileges for different demographics.

 When I think about role models, I picture a successful person whom someone strives to be like. In my case, my role models were either activists or entertainers. Looking at my older brother's idols, not one of them held an everyday job. Growing up, it seemed like the only options to become successful were to entertain, or if you wanted to oppose that, you had to become an activist and "fight the powers that be."

 Think about it, most people want to become someone who has an effect on their society. I only saw my brother looking up to rappers and basketball players because those were the most prominent figures in our society. Our choices of people to look up to were very minimal. The number of ethnic doctors, lawyers, engineers, business-men, etc. was so minimal that even today, when I list those occupations I picture white males. Of course, we could still strive to reach that type of success, but as a young child, you create a checklist of what you think it takes to be that person. What we saw was unattainable simply because we did not have what it took to be a doctor: white skin.

 Similar to learning shapes as a child, you learn to place the shapes where they fit. A square doesn't have the characteristics of a circle, so you wouldn't associate a square with something a circle does. Circles roll and squares don't. Circles are round, squares aren't. This simple association happens as a child when you see colored people fitting into one shape while white people fit into many other shapes. Not until recently, a colored president was just an idea that parents told their kids to try and inspire them. But who wants to be like the one colored president when it seems proven that people of color are most successful in entertainment? No one wants to be singled out in their respective groups, so it is easier to follow where the people most like you are headed.

 Sports and music being the top interest was no surprise in school because it seemed like the only way to be a successful young ethnic boy. While I imagine young white boys have several categories of role models to choose from, our options were to entertain, or end up working at the lowest level in the workforce. Even if you strived to be something more, it took a great sense of faith in yourself to know that you could break the mold. To many of my childhood friends, attending college instantly made me better than them. I became someone who they thought had left them behind.

 It is difficult to know that you can be successful in a career if you only know of a couple people in your demographic who have had success in that field. I do not want to convey the image that no black or hispanic people have been successful in these types of careers, but there is a marginalization of how successful minorities are portrayed. There are plenty of upstanding hispanic doctors and black lawyers, but as a young minority, you only see successful ball players or rappers. This is the privilege that my half white brothers hopefully will take advantage of.

 Ask yourself the range of role models you have been exposed to. If you can list five different types of jobs, you are already ahead of where I was as an adolescent. Consider the sources of inspiration and motivation which you can draw from. These are thoughts that never occupied my friends' minds, because it seemed so much simpler to want to play ball or make music. This is no fault of our own, the same way your advantages are not yours. We all have privileges which we can't recognize, but this privilege of access to role models has a great impact on the outcome of our societies.

The Blacker The Berry, The Less Color We See

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Why Collecting Shoes Is Not As Dumb As You Think

  A typical outfit for me includes a hoodie, crisp jeans and what some consider flashy shoes, but what a younger me would simply call goals. I have come to know a few "sneakerheads" over the past few years and shaped my own perspective on the culture. "Sneakerheads" are people that collect valuable sneakers such as Jordan, Nike, Asics or many others. This shoe culture is stereotyped with the thought that anyone who spends large amounts of money on shoes must be uneducated. Of course I can see why someone would say that about a person buying the Nike Air Mag, but I don't understand how investing in a pair of high quality shoes supports the stereotype of sneakerheads being dumb.

 First let's forget about our personal budgets and the wage discrepancy between companies and their workers. This does not mean we can't bring up those issues later, but for the purposes of this article humor me.

 If we look at the shoe collecting from a functional aspect first, we can see that considering the current rates, you get what you pay for. For instance, a $50 shoe might not be so comfortable but you can't really complain since you spent $50 on them. A pair of $180 shoes however, feels like a pair of $180 shoes. They may be over priced but even if shoes were solely worth the materials that made them, the fancy sneakers would still be worth a lot more.

 Sneakerheads all find ways to keep their shoes from being damaged because of the respect for the shoe but aside from the extra care, expensive sneakers are pretty durable. Close examination of a pair of Jordan's for instance, reveals intricate stitching and rubber layering that contributes to an aesthetic appeal and durability at the same time. A true sneaker lover would never dream of playing in some limited addition shoes, yet the shoe would be ready to endure the test. Another idea to consider is that with more pairs of shoes, certain pairs are worn less often, ensuring an even longer lifespan.

 If all visual appeal was thrown out of the window and footwear was only created with functionality in mind, we would all have some ugly shoes on. Now think about a famous work of art. You probably thought of a few famous artists and popular painting by them. I want you to ask yourself this; "What does a painting do?"

 Sure we could use paintings as table-mats or chimney fuel if we wanted but for the most part they just decorate a wall. A good painting can cost a lot too, yet the more expensive doesn't mean additional uses. No, a million dollar painting sits on a wall the same way a $2 painting does. With that in mind, is it so crazy to want to display art on your feet?

 Think about it, the only time someone can view and appreciate an art piece that you purchased is when they visit your home. If the work of art was your pair of shoes, that would be a lot more available to the public. Sneakers were not designed haphazardly. Any expensive pair of sneakers you buy were designed to look a certain way in the creative artist's vision. The same way paintings use certain colors and shapes to symbolize specific meanings, sneakers are designed to have a unique feel for each distinctive pair.

 Next time you walk into a young citizen with what seems to be an expensive pair of sneakers, do yourself a favor and think outside of the "they-must-not-have-priorities" mindstate and try to appreciate the art on their feet. Of course, this approach applies to all fashion but for some reason, sneakerheads suffer from being "othered" in the fashion community.

 Keep artistic qualities and functionality in mind and you may just find a new appreciation for that pair of expensive sneakers that you previously thought was hideous. There are also plenty of ugly and expensive works of art.

Missouri High School Students Upset Over Edited ID Photos

           As if young women are not already stressing about their appearance, St. Teresa's Academy has been under fire for altering the appearance of their students' ID photos.

       The all girl academy noticed something different about their pictures when receiving copies back. Realizing that there had been major retouching to the images, many were unhappy with the situation.

        Zoe Royer took to Reddit to express her offense taken in the retouching of her school picture. Explaining that she was finally coming to appreciate the beauty of her face when she received photos of her face which was slimmer, smoother and freckle-less. Zoe's experience is not rare at all. All of the students reported a drastic alteration in their appearance. Slimmer face, neck and cheeks were distributed to each girl, while freckles among other blemishes were stripped away from the photos.

  After Royer's disappointment gained attention around the internet, St. Teresa's Academy immediately apologized and redistributed unaltered photos to each student. The explanation offered was that the pictures had all been automatically run through a retouching software which edited all of the students' pictures. Right.

     It seems ever so apparent that there is an ideology in America that supports the alteration of women in photos. When I say it is an ideology, I mean that immediately editing your own appearance is a social reaction that has become extremely normalized over the years. From social media, apparently all the way into education, young women are more and more conscious about altering their appearance in pictures. I think it says a great deal about our society's self-esteem when photoshop is readily accessible, and even "accidentally" imposed upon an entire student body.

          With that considered, I question our representation-of-self in America. Why are filters, blemish erasers, and face slimming software suddenly so essential to representing our "true" self? This is an example of an instance where representation is "reconstruction rather than reflection," as Dr. Catherine Steele put it.

   

          What do you think? Is it a forgettable mishap that student photos were accidentally retouched or is this an example that we should learn from?