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Facing fear and isolation in today’s political climate
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I have an incredibly vivid memory of crying in my room the night that Donald Trump was elected as president last year. As someone who had recently accepted their queer identity and begun to accept their gender identity, seeing the voting map slowly turn more and more red was so incredibly disheartening and gut-wrenching.…
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Fear of wokeness scares away compassion
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It feels as though I have awoken to a new America. Gone are the days of the word “woke” referring to awareness of racial and social injustices. The term has now evolved into an insult pointed towards progressive viewpoints, its likeness used by conservative pundits and politicians. With the demonization of this word comes…
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STEM is not the only equation for success
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Throughout the majority of my life and academic career, one subject has always haunted me. I’ve suffered from nightmares, many tears shed and all nighters pulled because of the one thing I cannot seem to understand: math. As I progressed through high school, and my math classes only got harder, I noticed myself internalizing…
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Slice of Life: Christmas confuses me: learning not to be the Grinch
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From the moment Halloween ends and we turn our calendars to November, my neighborhood is decked out with twinkling red and green string lights and pine wreaths. Christmas meets Thousand Oaks as quickly as gossip meets my bubby and as enthusiastically as Manischewitz wine meets a 13-year-old on his Bar Mitzvah day. Being Jewish…
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Politics has turned into reality TV
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Workplaces and school settings have an expectation of professionalism, respect and decorum. One would think that this would carry into the political sphere, especially with our current administration constantly preaching a new wave of “common sense.” However, it seems that civility has been thrown out the window and replaced with incompetence and hypocrisy. What…
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Cutting SNAP benefits harms America’s working class
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Imagine your Thanksgiving table. Can you smell the turkey, the mashed potatoes, the stuffing? Can you hear the laughter and buzz of conversation on America’s most food-centric holiday? This scene might not be the Thanksgiving experience this year for the 42 million Americans who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP] benefits to supplement…
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Let’s not artificially teach intelligence
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As with many other people in this world, I have had a difficult time accepting the nature of artificial intelligence [AI]. I am constantly told to accept the changing times, that AI has many benefits for all ages, that it is a way for jobs to get easier and one less thing to worry…
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Identity isn’t just black and white
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The straightener on my countertop bears a painful reminder of my past. The cord is worn and frayed, the metal clamp overworked from years of hard work. I have spent years trying to smooth over the roughs, every pass over my hair inadvertently reminding me that most of my effort was spent trying to…
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Modern advertisements reflect the shift of modern values
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Societal desensitization ebbs and flows for dozens of factors and reasons. From media saturation to political power and ideologies, what we deem as “okay” or “normal” has never been linear. Ever since the 2000s, hyper sexual content and outrage marketing have been used as a marketing play to increase product sales; it has not…
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Sportsmanship is on the decline in professional sports
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Imagine yourself as a professional athlete, fueled by encouragement and cheers from fans. Now imagine thousands of people booing you, rendering you weak and discouraged. Being degraded is soul crushing and can ruin potential. Good sportsmanship from opponents, team mates and fans is essential for athletes to succeed. Sportsmanship differentiates sports from simple competition.…