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(03/06/14 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A program called “the Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault” came to IU to talk to fraternity brothers about sexual assault prevention. I think that’s the bee’s knees. More programs like this need to happen at IU, especially when it seems that every other week there’s a new report of sexual assault or rape in Bloomington. Moreover, what I really appreciated was the program seems geared specifically toward men and what men need to know and hear about rape and assault.That’s an area that’s severely lacking in assault discourses.A lot of the discussion about rape culture centers around the victims — usually women. This is not to say these discourses and discussions are not important. Clearly the victim’s struggle must be appreciated and fully understood — and to a certain extent the victim is more relatable. Not a lot, however, is said about a man’s part to play in all this. I say “man” here because the program was based on teaching men about what they can do to prevent assault. Men, it seems, are given a blasé and vague set of guidelines about how maybe they can maybe not rape people. Not many are fully versed at all in the different forms sexual assault can take. In fact, not many people in general can clearly recognize a rape, or know how to deal with assault — yours truly included.It’s from this basic ignorance that rape culture stems, and it means this program, and others like it, are extremely important.It allows men to voice their opinions, to ask questions without fear of judgment or prejudice and to learn in an environment that will not automatically condemn them for their lack of knowledge. It was also discussed how quickly fraternities gain a “rape frat” reputation, and what that means for the brothers who have pledged there.There is the insecurity of a job, the social stigma and, bluntly, the idea that the brother himself could be a rapist.The program directors also said when a rape is reported, 70 percent of the time the woman was drunk and 80 percent of the time the man was drunk.Not under the influence of any other drugs, but purely alcohol. They warned the drinking culture at IU practically lends itself to dangerous situations, which should make us stop and think. But it’s through programs like this that we can really enact change. I’m glad IU is putting on events like it, and I definitely want to see more. ewenning@indiana.edu@EmmaWenninger
(02/27/14 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>While browsing Pinterest, I came across a 2012 article entitled “10 Books You Must Read to Your Daughter (Or How To Keep Your Daughter from Ending Up Like that Horrid Girl from Twilight).” I was impressed with the list.If you’ll allow me to scoot my soapbox front and center, I think it’s high time we all read a book.I remember my aunt forcing me to read “Pride and Prejudice” one summer, declaring it was practically a rite of passage, and every girl needed to read it. My roommate placed “Anna Karenina” carefully outside my door, an invitation to engage with her in some of her favorite material. My mom, for her New Year’s Resolution, decided she would read a new book every month. Since I’m clearly a literary expert, she asked me to compile a list for her. For the people in my life, and for myself, it seems we can’t read unless told to.It also seems, unless assigned, most students won’t read for pleasure. And I understand why. Students barely have time to sleep for pleasure. Busy work schedules and homework overload aren’t exactly conducive to curling up with a good book.When I’m at the library dissecting an academic article, I would much rather spend an evening turning myself into a vegetable in front of the television than expanding my horizons by reading “War and Peace.” So, though I can’t judge, the point I’m making here is books are important. The books on the “10 Books You Must Read to Your Daughter” list were typical. They were what every little girl should have on her shelf — “Anne of Green Gables,” “Little Women” and “Harry Potter.” But there were also some interesting choices as well, like “Kristen Lavransdatter” and “Jane Eyre.” I wouldn’t exactly recommend those selections to a 10-year-old, but I think the point was girls should read them at least before they turn 18. It was a compilation of strong women with stronger moral compasses, all geared toward preventing another Twi-hard.It made me think about exactly what slippery slope we let ourselves slide down. We’ve become so busy and so in need of a fast-paced consumer market, we’ve created a 21st-century female icon that does more damage than good. This is not to say writers aren’t currently creating female characters that are brilliant and complex. One look at anything written by Alice Hoffman will tell you it is not true.But I think the fact such a list exists means we need to be taking a closer look at commercial literature. And probably find something better to read.ewenning@indiana.edu@EmmaWenninge
(02/25/14 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The provost released the five-year Strategic Plan for IU last week. The draft is a fairly quick read, and I have very few problems with what it entails.However, it is just vague enough that I’m not actually sure what it is I’m looking at.I agree with many of the provost’s goals. The administration wants to focus on international students, diploma completion, the success and safety of undergraduates and the attractiveness and renown of graduate schools and degrees. I can get behind that 100 percent.However, the language of the Strategic Plan could lend itself to multiple interpretations.There’s a lot of “we will” and not enough “this is how.”As it stands, it sort of sounds like the administration’s goals at the beginning of every school year — good for a bit but not extensive enough to span the five-year stretch.In order to ensure real change, I’d like to see some specifics. How is it IU will “create a set of pathways that span the liberal arts and the professional schools” or “enhance the academic and life success for our students through high-quality and technologically-enabled advising”?That could mean anything from replacing administrative computers with Macbooks to having classes taught by robots.That’s a range of possibilities that I’m not comfortable with.I do, however, understand the language right now can’t lend itself to specificity until the Office of the Provost narrows its goals.And, as is the way with politics and any administrative change, it needs to sound productive enough to pass but not finalized enough to scare people away.But the Provost has asked for the student body’s input on this plan.This is a chance for students’ voices to be heard, and we need to use it.This is not an invitation to go and bash the Strategic Plan, though. I absolutely agree IU needs to update current policies and emphasize a focus on student success.But now that we have a framework in place, we need to figure out how we will build around it.In her message from the provost, Robel assures the IU Bloomington community that commentary will, “guide my revisions as I prepare to submit the plan to President McRobbie.”This is an invitation we shouldn’t ignore.We need to, as a whole, fully participate in future planning.We need to narrow down and make it a step-by-step process. Otherwise, the administration will move forward with a vague list of maybes without a clear idea of what exactly students want and need.That’s why it’s called a draft — there’s room for improvement.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.
(02/20/14 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In 2007, FairTest.org, a nonprofit dedicated to ending the misuse of standardized testing, published “Gender Bias on College Admissions Tests,” explaining why it was that girls statistically receive lower SAT scores than boys even though girls statistically do better in high school and college than boys. The College Board has since decided to redesign the SAT. I can’t say how much influence FairTest.org had, but College Board’s three goals all boil down to making the test more fair, more accessible and more appealing to universities. But if any reform is to be done, the gender gap must be addressed. There is a 30-point difference in SAT scores between male and female students that remains unexplained.In 1989, a federal judge went so far as to ban New York universities from using SAT scores alone to award scholarships, since the tests were not, and are not, accurate predictors of a student’s success in college.They were also not accurate predictors of females’ success in college.No one could explain why girls did better in school, but not better on the standardized tests. FairTest.org highlights two major areas that need to change.First, there are biased questions on the test.When the first reforms were conducted, statistics showed females scored higher on the verbal sections of the test than boys, while boys did statistically better in math. The verbal section was balanced with questions about sports and business so boys’ scores rose, while nothing was done to balance the math section.Boys, obviously, began doing better.The second area of concern was the speed of the tests.Studies have shown females and males approach problem-solving differently — fast tests don’t allow females the time necessary to answer each question accurately.When the time constraints were lifted or lengthened, it was found that females did markedly better on their exams.I think these are easy reforms. If College Board can balance the verbal section, then it can balance the math section. If the test is already four hours long, it won’t kill anyone to go a little longer.The SAT is a massive part of students’ lives, and such a definitive score, having it be a gender-biased test is ridiculous. It only contributes to the larger sexism problem, and it is wildly unfair.If these reforms are going to do anything, College Board needs to consider the girls too.— eweinning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.
(02/13/14 5:00am)
We’re not going to ruin the world. If anything, we may fix it.
(02/06/14 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>During the weekend my roommates, myself and a few friends were invited to our neighbors’ apartments for lunch and dinner.It was one of the most eye-opening and delicious experiences of my life.The neighbors who invited us are Saudi Arabian men studying abroad in the United States.We met them a few weekends ago as we were all walking back to our respective apartments.Last Friday, one of them invited us to dinner Saturday night. Not to be outdone, another invited us to lunch first.We had dates with Arabian coffee and Middle Eastern-style chicken and rice and salad with lemon juice as dressing, which became my new favorite thing. We ate on the floor from big, ornate plates. They showed us how to eat properly with our hands, how you mash a ball of hot sauce and rice and the thanks you say when you are done.That night we had a meal with lamb and vegetables that smelled like curry and tasted like stew. The best part was the conversation. I wanted to know about religious law in their country, and my roommate majoring in history wanted to know about the wars their brothers had died in. Several had lost family to sieges and bombs. They were open and honest, without judgment.They wanted to know about our culture. They wanted to know about hand gestures they’d seen Americans do, like “I know,” “come here” and “I don’t care.”It was fantastic, and the food was amazing. It wasn’t like the ethnic food on Fourth Street, which is delicious but American-ized. It was real, authentic Saudi Arabian food prepared in Saudi Arabian cookware with old-school recipes these guys got from little Middle Eastern grandmothers.I’ve always appreciated the diversity on IU’s campus, but I’d never had a chance to really experience it first-hand.As students, we are always told to accept each other.It’s difficult when students gravitate toward people from their own cultures and close themselves off to others.I’d always heard you learn so much when you are open to new people and ways of thinking, but I’d never been able to figure out how to do so here on campus.I think I had my misgivings about my about Middle Eastern classmates — even though I knew news we get about the war on terror is not exactly the greatest representation of Middle Eastern culture.Now, though, I happily get to tuck my prejudiced tail between my legs, and say I’ve grown and learned.I can say, from experience, amazing things can happen when you open up and accept new ideas, cultures and ways of thinking.Plus, there’s free food.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.
(01/30/14 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s decision to keep campus open in minus four degree weather spoke volumes to me. Bad ones.If the school had to send out an email telling students how to protect themselves in order to defend the administration’s decision, perhaps that decision wasn’t a good one.In the email, it even said students must bundle up to prevent lung damage.Lung. Damage.I don’t care what other reasons they had, keeping campus open told me IU did not care about the safety of its students. Don’t get me wrong, I wore leggings under my pants and two layers of sweaters under my coat. I attended my classes, focused and ready to learn, even if I couldn’t feel my fingers.But every time I walked outside, it was another reminder that campuses around the state were shut down, that we were in the middle of a polar vortex. Which, by the way, is a fantastic name for a weather condition.For whatever reason, IU was prioritizing administrative needs over student safety.As I walked to class, I couldn’t help but notice the sparse crowds and absent classmates. If IU wanted to look good on paper, it shot itself in the foot.Now hundreds, if not thousands, of IU students have absences on their records — a statistic that won’t look pretty when the semester attendance reports roll around.And it’s just plain stupid.Business are closed, roads are closed, half the state is boarded up and the other half is just preparing. Asking people to venture outside because they are afraid of a missed quiz or a zero in participation is almost ludicrous, and at the very least terribly unfair.In certain ways, it reminds me of living with construction in Forest dormitory and around the southeastern neighborhoods last year.The constant dust, holes in the ground, broken water pipes and heat pipes, and faulty electricity all indicated a complete lack of care for — or understanding of — basic student needs.It makes me question what IU’s priorities are.Clearly, students don’t even crack the top 10.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter at @EmmaWenninger.
(01/23/14 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Geneva II Middle East Peace Conference began Jan. 22 and will focus on ending the Syrian civil war, but, already, there have been problems. After a boycott of the conferences by the Syrian Opposition Coalition, Iran was uninvited from the meeting. I find one aspect of the conferences highly disturbing — no women have been allowed or invited to participate in the conferences at all. According to international mediator Lahkdar Bahimi, female representatives are demanding women make up at least 30 percent of the negotiators present at Geneva II.Activist Kefah Ali Deeb has said Syrian women and children make up 80 percent of Syria’s both internally and externally displaced refugees.With those kinds of statistics, 30 percent seems like a stipulation Geneva II can meet.It’s shocking to me that the thought women could be left out of the conferences even entered anyone’s mind.With the amount of bloodshed in Syria, the controversy surrounding the conferences, it seems cumbersome, tedious and ridiculous anyone would bother starting a debacle about the sexes.The conferences have the eye of every government watching them and also feminist groups worldwide.Besides that, it is absolutely crucial women’s voices be heard, in any situation.The key word here is children. Women in the refugee and displacement camps have taken care of their children by themselves. That means female representatives would also represent children and underage refugees, and take care of their needs.Women not only provide a more complete scope of the Syrian population, but they represent people who would otherwise be unable to represent themselves.They have a hands-on idea of the damage the war has done.They know exactly the needs of the refugees and what needs to be done for rebuilding and replacement.This cannot just be a conference loaded with warlords and Western diplomats throwing their weight around.Women must be involved. We’ll even take the 30 percent. — ewenning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.
(01/17/14 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I think, like everyone, that Miley Cyrus has become my new favorite form of entertainment. She’s like the bag of potato chips you eat at 3 a.m. when you know you shouldn’t.However, some of her behavior has begun to throw me off.The usual attention-grabbing stuff like grinding on a foam hand and Robin Thicke or lighting a blunt onstage doesn’t have me up in arms. Those are the kind of stupid stunts I expect from any starlet trying to get attention because they work.For her, they’ve worked especially well.It’s her appropriation of African-American culture that has made me less of a Miley fan.Now, she may not totally understand what she’s doing.But for me, it’s starting to get old fast.Cultural appropriation is a difficult concept to grasp because the line between appropriation and exchange is thin.Appropriation means taking aspects of someone else’s culture out of context and using them to satisfy a personal need or as a tool for personal expression.One example is white people wearing Native American headdresses. The headdress has significant and important symbolism that many a Coachella attendee does not understand, nor cares to. This person takes the headdress and wears it because it “looks cool.” He or she demeans its significance and decontextualizes it. People do not appreciate the history of the object or why it was originally used. And there is nothing the appropriator gives in exchange. They simply take it, use it and throw it away.It’s selfish and highly offensive to the original culture.Last year was a big year for cultural appropriation, specifically African-American cultural appropriation.No one was a bigger perpetrator than Cyrus.She (badly) twerked her way into the public sphere — a dance move we’ve seen 1,001 times from Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. She told the writers of “We Can’t Stop” that she wanted something that “feels black.” She used the iconic image of a “big booty” black female stripper — again, pretty sure Beyonce’s covered this already — in her music videos and onstage performances.Cyrus didn’t attempt to understand and appreciate African-American culture.She took the parts she thought were the coolest — or, according to her, the “dopest” — and used them for shock value.It completely demeaned African-American women, whose feminist struggles already suffer heavily from racism and prejudice.And she looked like an idiot. So for now, I think I’m hopping off the Miley train.At least until she figures out what her image really is.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter at @EmmaWenninger.
(01/14/14 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As a woman in the United States, your weight and body seem to be everyone’s concern. It doesn’t have to be in everyday conversation, but it will be thrown at you the minute you turn on the television, the computer or open a magazine.Soon enough you’re going to start hearing the bikini season bells right around the corner, and we all know what that means.After stuffing yourself with food this holiday season, eating your weight in store-bought chocolate because “it was on sale,” and listening to advertisers tell you that the only thing you have to put on your plate is “more”, you will see the media switch gears.Let me tell you something — you don’t have to follow it blindly.Don’t worry about counting calories as spring break looms over the horizon, and don’t worry about counting calories in the summer.I hear a lot of girls say that when they’re thin they’re going to love themselves, that they’ll hate themselves if they eat too much or have too many sweets.That shouldn’t be an issue at all. Your body is your body specifically. It is designed in a certain way and will not react to certain diets or routines the way another person’s might.Before you do anything, you must be familiar with your own limitations.Don’t look at a Victoria’s Secret model and idolize her. If you’re 5-foot-2, no matter how much weight you lose you will not have a miraculous growth spurt.Take a different approach. Don’t obsess over what you can’t control. For a long time I counted calories and avoided eating, but I had no idea what I was doing.Then it dawned on me that all I had to do was exercise and make sure that at some point during the day I ate a vegetable.That’s when I began seeing results. It’s not about becoming “perfect”. Human beings are inherently flawed. Perfection is simply an impossible ideal.It’s about keeping your body useful — making sure your joints work, that you’re not short of breath when you walk up stairs and that your heart is strong.Listening to fad dieters and “exercise gurus” will only harm you. They don’t know you, they don’t know how your body works and they don’t know what your limits are.So even if the holiday season is over, go nuts. Eat three square meals a day, gorge on fudge and hot chocolate, but eat a salad if you have time.Don’t worry about fluctuating body weight. If your weight didn’t change here and there you’d be dead.Come summer, don’t be afraid to eat ice cream, don’t worry about getting that “bikini body.”It’s about what makes you happy.Nothing more, and nothing less.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter at @EmmaWenninger.
(12/12/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>No Shave November is infamous. It’s a whole month where men don’t shave their faces because, just because.It’s also now becoming infamously sexist. Feminists everywhere denounce the irony that men can have an entire month razor-free, but women cannot participate because unshaved legs and armpits are gross.Yet No Shave November did not begin as a sexist event.It began as a campaign to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer. It then broadened into a larger men’s health event.Participants abstain from shaving to show solidarity with pancreatic cancer patients. So it is not, in fact, a peacock-ing show of masculinity in order to repress women’s leg hair.But here’s the problem.People think it has become a sexist event because the majority of men who decide to participate in No Shave November have no idea what it’s for or about.It’s become a hodge-podge of oversensitive feminism from women (ladies, armpit hair is gross and there’s no two ways about it) and complete ignorance from men.One quick Google search could tell you No Shave November’s cause, where it started, why it started, who started it, etc.You need to be aware of what you’re participating in, what you’re telling the world when you choose to align yourself with something, a cause, an organization, whatever.When I saw men participating in No Shave November I thought it was great that they were raising awareness about health and disease.Some of them might have been doing it just to tick off a girlfriend or the woman who friend-zoned them. They didn’t realize that they were standing for a cause that they may not have entirely agreed with.And it’s a good example of when activism should maybe calm down. I consider myself a feminist, but I was not at all offended by No Shave November, where as some were so mad they practically began speaking in tongues.It’s again an example of what lack of knowledge can do. Instead of raising a fist in the name of women’s rights, I found myself offended by anyone who bashed No Shave November. When they wished it away, they were effectively saying they did not support pancreatic cancer research or men’s health research, something they probably didn’t mean to do.You need to be aware of all aspects of something before you jump on the bandwagon. It’s a great way to avoid looking like an idiot.Women, truly, not everything is about oppression. And men, if you participate in No Shave November, do it for the cancer patients, and not for any other reason besides.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow Emma Wenninger on Twitter @emmawenninger.
(12/05/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The consensus among most students and friends I’ve talked to seems to be that after college there’s a lot of closed doors.Students are told that to get a job you must have an internship.Internships can be invaluable. They can land you a toe-hold, build your résumé and help you network.But there’s also a catch. Sometimes you can wind up doing meaningless work that no one else wants to do.Last summer I had an internship I would consider one of the best experiences of my life. However, a lot of busywork was also forked over to me, things that didn’t help me learn and didn’t train me at all.A friend of mine interned this summer and wound up leaving early almost every day because the work he was assigned was irrelevant both to him and to the company.It can feel a lot like glorified servitude when what we really need is training.Before I knew it, the summer was over. While I had gained experience that really helped me, I had a feeling that I’d also spent a lot of my time twiddling my thumbs.The problem seems to lie in a miscommunication between educating students and training them.Companies believe the student has gained enough training in college — colleges think that by sending students to internships they will receive training.In theory, internships make sense. College teaches us higher-level ideas.Students are not taught trades so much as how to problem-solve and think. These skills are invaluable, but they lack direction.How do you gain direction? By getting real-world experience at an actual company.But with the rapidly changing job market, it seems as if internships are growing less useful. Clearly, more must be done.Colleges and universities must invest in their students’ physical learning processes, and more intense work needs to be done with internship programs. If a company is going to offer internships, it shouldn’t just be to get coffee and file paperwork.There must be serious communication, investment and sharing of knowledge.People like to walk on eggshells around students.Don’t. Train them. Tell them what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong. Don’t just grade them — evaluate them, analyze them, give them advice. Internships should be an add-on, not a solution.Use them as a way for students to gain real-world experience after learning intensely in school. Train the students, don’t just teach them.— ewenning@umail.iu.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.
(11/21/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Our patriotic egos aside, Americans could learn quite a bit about learning from Finland.In Finland teachers are encouraged to do whatever it takes. It is common to pull students aside and teach them separately if they don’t seem to comprehend, or if their learning style is different from the rest of the class. Seven years ago, a 13-year-old boy was held back in a Finnish school — one of the first times this had ever happened. The principal made teaching the boy his first priority. Now Besart, the boy, owns his own company.Finland’s literacy, math, science and reading comprehension rates have increased dramatically in the past 10 years.In terms of literacy, America’s ranking is somewhere around the 40th country in the world.All the facts show that if we invest in our students they can achieve great things.I’ve heard the excuse that it’s because Finland’s economy is better and their people more well off. We don’t have the resources or the time.But it is happening in Monroe County before our eyes.Harmony School in Bloomington has adopted a learning program based on the teacher-student relationship, and it is working wonders. Eighty percent of its students continue on to higher education, and 95 percent of those students get into the top college of their choice.Many might scoff and say it’s because the students and families of those attending are wealthy. But that’s not the case. The school is in Bloomington, which is in Monroe County — notoriously the poorest county in the state.Eighty percent of the students are subsidized.The sad truth is that even with No Child Left Behind we are still undercutting students’ potential.My roommate, an education major currently working at a Monroe County school, says she is appalled by the state of the students’ education. There is simply not enough done for them. There’s not enough funding, and without incentive the teachers just don’t care that much. But if Harmony School can do it, then so can everyone else.The core curriculum is not sacrificed. It is based on a more liberal arts methodology, but students still learn math, English, history, etc.They still take tests. They still have homework.But the teachers are allowed to work closely with their students not only to teach them but to also guide them. To help them achieve on a level unseen in public schools. It is possible. We just need to be willing to do it.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.
(11/15/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A few weekends ago my roommate decided to go to the frat houses. As she waited to be let in, she saw little groups of dejected freshman leaving in threes and fours. They could not get in.I have yet to find a halfway decent report of this new rule, but her story — and others I have heard in the past few weeks — all say the same thing. Freshmen are not allowed into frat parties anymore.I know that I cannot speak for every house, so at this point it’s more of a crapshoot as to who will let you in and who won’t. But if you are a new student at IU, be warned. In light of recent tragedies, the houses are taking more precautions. This, along with Tuesday’s front page article about a junior attending tailgate, has led me to really question how effective IU’s alcohol policies really are.There seems to be an equal amount of drinkers to non-drinkers on campus, but dangerous binge drinking does affect a substantial percentage of the student population. In America, 599,000 students will sustain an alcohol related injury, and 1,825 college students will die from alcohol related injuries. While fraternities are taking steps forward within their own communities, it seems even more dangerous to push the freshmen toward house parties. What’s even more surprising is that the frats even had to take this step. Let’s be honest. When a frat is doing more to promote safe drinking than campus health organizations, you know you’ve got a problem.And the story that ran on Tuesday, while not entirely commonplace, is certainly relatable. No matter who we are, we all have our own “drunk Amanda.” For the most part, it seems that the average IU student has got alcohol figured out.He or she knows when to stop, how to stop and what to do if someone can’t hold up.However, there is a portion of the student body that is really struggling.I’ve heard friends and roommates say time and again, “It’s not alcoholism until after college.”I hate to be a square, but it’s alcoholism now. While I’m sure parents and faculty are all up in arms about the drinking problems on campus, I highly doubt we’ll see Tuesday’s front generate real change. It seems that changing IU’s drinking culture just isn’t a top priority, especially for our administration.There’s a lot of hot air and preaching — and then surprise when something bad happens.It’s time for IU to really step up. The problems of drinking culture need to be made more important, and it would benefit us to discuss these issues in University-sponsored classes, groups and seminars.Otherwise, we’re going to lose our alcoholic and untreated students when it could so easily be avoided.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.
(11/07/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mel Brooks famously said when he wrote “The Producers,” that he wanted to tear down Hitler by ridiculing him.He said this was the best way to destroy his power.I wonder if that was really true.It seems that in some situations, laughter is the best way to resolve the horror.For example, the Holocaust is not and never should be funny. But the mindset and the steps one has to take to think that such a thing is plausible is easily made fun of for the ridiculousness of its logic.There’s a strange, degenerative quality to it as well.Sure, “The Producers” is funny, but in trying to ridicule Hitler’s Germany it also numbs us to the fact that such tragedy was possible. In keeping with the editorial published Monday, I’ve had the opportunity to once again reflect on Lauren Spierer and the tragedy of her disappearance.Of course Spierer weighs, and has weighed, heavily on the minds of every student living in Bloomington.There is also a trend, it seems, to laugh about it — as if by finding humor in the situation we can ward off the same boogeyman. Laughter can be helpful, even calming, but it is not the cure.It allows us to ignore the seriousness of a situation.It affords us a manner in which to comfort ourselves without addressing a problem.Don’t shut out a horror because it is too great for you to handle. That can be harmful and counterproductive.It doesn’t allow for cognitive understanding but only for a brief recognition of a tragedy.And, while it ultimately gives you a brief moment of relief, it still doesn’t solve anything.So laugh, but laugh responsibly.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.
(10/31/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Now is as good a time as ever to talk about body image, specifically in regard to Kim Kardashian.Now that she has had her baby and the veritable media tornado over her weight gain is in its ultimate stage, I’ve finally figured out how I feel about all the tabloid attention.First, as is no surprise, it shocked me how much flak she got for putting on pounds during pregnancy.Did no one realize those pounds were a baby inside of her?Of course she was going to put on weight. She was growing a person.Second, it was ongoing. I know a large part of that has to do with Kris Jenner’s exploitative management style, but after a point I wanted to shove needles in my eyes. And I didn’t even care that much.It was thrown in my face everywhere I went.Social media, newspapers, magazines — the entire summer everything and everyone was focused on how fat this one woman was becoming.The one thing never addressed was the fact she was gaining weight because she. Was. Pregnant.The sky is blue. Water is wet. A pregnant woman is gaining weight.Thank you, Captain Obvious.Why did this come as a massive shock?Of course we could talk about the dichotomy of the real woman versus the ideal woman.The way the media responded to the loss of Kim’s “perfect” body was like watching a bunch of toddlers who were denied their toys.I wanted to focus on the actual message this sent out.And now it’s Halloween — a day for black cat costumes and sexy nurses.I think it’s as good a time as ever to remind everyone women were not created to entertain.If a girl dresses up as a black cat, let her rock that black cat.But for everyone else, understand it is her choice to present herself in a “sexy” way for a night — the same way that the next day when she goes to lunch it will be her choice to present herself in a “casual” way.Women were created for a diverse and complicated set of reasons.One of them, biologically, is that women are designed to have babies.Yet, even these days, it’s considered entirely appropriate to criticize a pregnant woman’s body.To blame her for the biological changes that naturally take place.The more Kim’s weight kept cropping up, the more almost personally offended I became. Just because you don’t get to ogle her for nine months does not mean the world is ending.Calm down.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.
(10/24/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Female strength manifests in varied forms. And female characters should reflect that. My fellow English majors can probably relate.Women in literature, television and film are just not as “strong” as their male counterparts. However, strong is not good enough.Women come in all shapes and sizes. Women come from all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Women want many things.I think the dichotomy between the “real” woman and the “perfect” woman is a dead horse, and I really don’t want to harp on that anymore.Instead, I see a new problem surfacing.To counteract the imbalance between real women and women in entertainment, writers, artists, actors, etc., are encouraged to portray strong, independent women.These girls have six-packs, slug back whiskey and can hang with the guys. They generally have great boobs and wear make-up, although the audience is supposed to believe they have disavowed the confines of their gender. We’re supposed to believe a smoky eye is natural and will last through car chases across big urban landscapes. Instead of simply being sexualized, women are oversexualized, and we’re supposed to not care about what anyone thinks.Women can go on muscle-y adventures, slaying monsters in a tank top.It’s a step in the right direction, but it still does not fully realize or appreciate the feminine spirit. This new idea of “womanhood” equalizes women by turning them into men. We are not men.Some women desperately want to get married and have children. Some women are ripped apart by gossip.Some women want to cook and clean. Some women want to go into business.Some women are timid, and others speak their minds.There are women who do have six-packs, slug back whiskey and can hang with the guys, but I doubt they feel they’re accurately represented. I still don’t believe mainstream media has managed to portray a “real” woman.We need to write “strong” women by writing women who embrace who they are, not sexualized characters who throw it away in a lazy show of equality. The problem isn’t the media’s inability to portray women. It’s their lack of perspective.— ewenning@umail.iu.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.
(10/17/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>We must learn to expand our horizons. Courtney Stodden’s boobs will always be my first ironic love, but I can now add to that ever-growing list, Stephanie Smith’s sandwich blog.Smith, a cultured woman in her 30s, has struck a bargain with her boyfriend, Eric Schulte. Important note — he looks like a winning combination of a chipmunk and the CEO of Abercromie and Fitch.He joked around with her one morning that she should make him 300 sandwiches and he would give her an engagement ring. She decided to turn this red flag into an opportunity. She is currently the proud owner of 300sandwiches.com, a site dedicated to the delicacies she’s creating in exchange for bling.She’s 187 sandwiches deep.All I want to do is scream at the two of them to get a room.The fact that she is actually making these sandwiches for her boyfriend in exchange for a potential happily-ever-after is almost as pathetic as her choice in men.If you want to make a joke of traditional gender roles that’s fine, but learn where the line is. For me, this crossed a big one. As a woman, I feel as if this was a huge step back.The problem stems beyond the blog’s poor taste. It is in the misappropriation of the media outlet. The Internet, people forget, is a very personal tool. People use this blog and others like it to dictate their likes and dislikes.Though I credit audiences with the ability to exercise good judgment, the fact is that this blog is still out there setting an example. If you want to make misogyny cutsie-wootsie, keep it to yourself. Don’t publish it.Don’t create a website dedicated to how well or how poorly you satisfy your partner.Even as it tries to be funny, it perpetuates the idea that women must provide material goods in exchange for relationships and marriage. A woman can never just be herself.It’s this kind of bad entertainment that forces women, and men to a certain extent, back into their “traditional place.”It’s a setback — even if the food looks delicious.Better move: break up with him and write a blog about life as a woman living in New York who dumped her loser boyfriend.That would keep me interested.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.
(10/10/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Fetishizing homosexuality is not the same as supporting it.It’s a very odd, somewhat fine line that I don’t think many people think about or realize exists.Supporting gay rights means actively working to improve the conditions of the oppressed and/or spreading awareness of the problem.Talking about how you find gay porn attractive is you admitting to a kink, or a fetish.Equating that kink with gay rights means you are winnowing gay men and women down to sex and sex only. They are still not equal people.It’s a disturbing trend I’m beginning to see crop up online and in conversation. A Facebook page I follow recently posted a list of actors who are gay. The comments on it — granted, some were just your average homophobia — were mostly from young women. They said things like, “My ovaries just exploded,” and “That’s so hot.”That’s not the same as support.That’s exactly the same as your average sexist old man daring two Playboy bunnies to kiss in the pool. Gay people are not entertainment. As Tina Fey said in “Bossypants” — in one of my favorite passages — yes, they can be attractive, but they are, at the end of the day, people.The problem I have is most people are unaware of the difference between fetishizing and supporting.Those same girls — and guys, since I want to be fair — who think that because Zachary Quinto is gay he is so much more attractive, also, I assume, believe he has every right to marry a man.Yet, I cannot condone a conversation wondering about the specifics of his sex life. His sexuality is not a plaything.It’s not there for you to get your giggles from. It is as equally private as any other actor’s, gay or straight.It’s an interesting dichotomy between seeing people as people and seeing people as entertainment. Plus, it’s all tangled up in gay rights debates and activism. People can’t recognize what is appropriate and what isn’t.Sex will always be interesting, but when it begins to take over, and you start to cross lines, something has to stop. That something should probably be you.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.
(10/03/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I see people blow Disney princesses a lot of crap for being antifeminist and unrealistic.I distinctly remember a conversation I had with a teacher who had two little daughters. “Who’s their favorite princess?” I asked.“Oh, I don’t like Disney movies,” she said. “I find the female characters just aren’t strong role models.”I’d heard this before, and I have puzzled over this conversation for the better part of the last few months. I’ve finally realized my issue with this kind of thinking.Disney princesses and Disney movies are not contextualized with the time period — not a fair basis of judgment used with most other movies, books, plays, etc.Compared to today’s standards, of course Snow White and Sleeping Beauty aren’t strong female characters. They were written in the 1930s and ‘40s. It’s not exactly like women were really running and gunning in mainstream media back then.And they were progressive for their period. They’re all watered down versions of grotesque European fairy tales. Feminist characters run rampant in Grimms. They were just appropriated for their respective audience.Cutting a child off from a classic Disney movie just because you can’t see the immediate benefit means you cut them off from a lot of other culturally significant Disney movie moments, and each story in its own way has a lot to teach a little kid.The princesses were my girls.It’s one of the most cliché things I’ll ever admit to, but I really did see myself in them. Not just in the fluffy dresses, but their actual characters. And I learned lessons from how they overcame the challenges before them.More than that, their influence is too tangible to be ignored. You can’t expect a child to grow up and not see, at some point in her life, “The Little Mermaid.” A lot of significant artistic movements happened such as reference film, filming a stagnant background and the idea of animation in general because of Disney.And the princesses themselves are not bad. Some of the ideas in the movies might fall flat today, but that doesn’t mean the story and character are throwaways.So, my recommendation to parents who are afraid their daughter’s feminist spirit will be lost when they watch a princess — just let them see the movie.Disney movies are one of the best parts of growing up.— ewenning@indiana.eduFollow columnist Emma Wenninger on Twitter @EmmaWenninger.