Nick's News

     In Miss Representation, we are given a comprehensive overview of the way that the portrayal of women in the media affects both their mental health and their political power. The film covers topics ranging from video games to educational institutions. However, in the face of the incredibly multiplicitous nature of the patriarchy, the filmmakers offer us a single solution - policy change. I believe that this is problematic for a few reasons.      First, I believe that faith in the power of the current political system (the Trump administration) to make liberal moves towards feminism is inevitably disappointing. I have spent many years investing politics to improve living conditions for those around me who feel unsafe - and, almost every time, I find myself disappointed when that doesn't happen. At this point, I think it is what Lauren Berlant would call, "cruel optimism," or an attachment to the promise of change that functions to create a sense of des...

     I was recently struck by a video of an interview that took place between CNN host Jake Tapper and Senior Adviser to the President, Stephen Miller. The interview began with a question from Tapper about the controversy surrounding Steve Bannon's recent comments about the President - this was met with outrage and indignation from Miller, who proceeded to rant about the glory of the president for a seemingly endless amount of time. When Tapper attempted to get the interview back on track, he was accused of being, "rude and condescending." And it only got worse from there. The interview is beyond explanation, so it is attached below, and I highly recommend you explore its wonders. However, I think it poses an important question about the role that anger should play in politics - is it productive, or detrimental?      We have seen the consequences of the anger that the alt-right movement has located within many middle-Americans - the result has been hate ...

     In, "Merchants of Cool," viewers are told various stories of how marketing has effected the formation of what the filmmakers refer to as, "teen culture." Beginning with the gendered archetypes that pervade depictions of teenagers, the film takes an interesting turn during the discussion of the the archetype of the, "rebellious teen." Specifically, we are regaled with the narrative of some Detroit teenagers with a nearly theological devotion to the rap group Insane Clown Posse and their counter-culture spirit. The group's specific form of counter-culture materializes in the glorification of rape, murder, and general disrespect, but that is neither here, nor there. The film follows the development of other seemingly rebellious rap groups and their assimilation into mainstream culture through institutions like MTV and radio music. While one day the Insane Clown Posse is antagonizing the music industry, the next day it is at the center of it all. Howe...

     Many years ago, German philosopher Nietzsche wrote, " God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers?" In the face of a world devoid of meaning, or a world where god has died, Nietzsche asks us what we intend to do next. Well, fear no more, because modern capitalism has the answer: purchase!       We live in a meaningless world - there is no inherent value. This is not to say that we cannot create value on an individual level, though. Yes, god has died, but that does not mean that all hope died with him. Nietzsche would contend that, paradoxically, value comes from the lack thereof - or, in other words, we can create meaning as individuals despite the fact that there is no inherent meaning in the world. However, conflict arises when we attempt to impose a universal meaning onto others. For example, the crusades, which were lead by Christians who believed that their vision of ...

             America is saturated with information - every day we are gorged with knowledge, drowned in facts. The rapid proliferation of information, which, at this point, are little more than rumors, has created a fundamental issue for those of us who seek the truth: it has become nearly impossible to distinguish truth from fact.         The digital age, in its effort to educate the people of the world, has had the opposite effect. While information is vitally important to the process of fact-finding, there must be a limit. The digitized nature of modern America has failed to locate that limit, and I contend that this is largely the reason Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. American politics resembles a schoolyard -- politicians have formed into cliques, spreading gossip about one-another in a profoundly dishonest and depoliticizing way. Even the most objective truths -- things like recorded quotes or proven statis...

     We all make decisions that we later find unbearable. Maybe it is a serious life decision that we regret, or maybe it is just an awkward moment that we wish had never taken place - but we can all locate low points in the plateau of our lives. However, I believe that at the age of fifteen I have already made the mistake that will define the entirety of my existence. Several months ago, I made a decision so despicable, so strikingly irresponsible, a decision so wrong that it struck me to my very core: I followed the NBA on Instagram       It was a moment of weakness, and one that stands our like a sore thumb in the tapestry that is my life. I found myself drawn towards the nightly highlights and recaps of games that appeared on the Instagram - I was seduced into making a decision that would create a flow of advertising so heavy it would define the next several months of my life. Immediately after following the account, my Instagram was flooded with ...