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(10/09/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I’m a bit of a Vine addict. And Vine has a bit of a reputation as a breeding ground for stereotypes. A lot of the “Vine celebrities” that have become so popular paved their way through videos depicting the differences between men and women or black and white people.In the spirit of fall, a new stereotype has risen exclusively targeting white girls.Basically, what I’ve learned from Vine is that if I have a pair of UGGs, a pumpkin spice latte and a jar of Nutella, I own a white girl’s soul.I’m slightly concerned because I love all those things, too. So does that mean those are legit traits passed on to me from my white mother or am I experiencing another identity crisis?Stereotypes are a tricky subject. In general they seem bad. They label a specific group of people based off the characteristics of a few. But I can’t deny that I use them constantly and base opinions off them. And I find some of them hilarious.That’s where I think Vine is doing society a favor. Jerry Purpdrank is one of my favorite Viners. His name is based on a stereotype. “Purpdrank” is a play on words that means grape Kool-Aid, the liquid of the gods to African Americans — based on a stereotype, of course. Jerry is known for taking a racial stereotype normally aimed at black people and casting it in a humorous light. He addresses a broad range of stereotypes from silly ones like an obsession with watermelon and fried chicken, how black people can’t swim and how they drive. In one video he does a remake of “Cups” with badly written lyrics about Kool-Aid. Sometimes the stereotypes are a little more serious, like the lack of father figures in the black communityThere are racial comparisons like how white people react to magic tricks versus how black people react. White parents versus black parents.Another popular Viner known for using racial stereotypes is Josh Kwondike Bar. His vines focus on the differences between white people and Asians. He freely makes fun of Asian eyesight and how strict Asian parents are about school. Not everyone finds the short clips as funny as I do. Some comments accuse creators of being blatantly racist and shame them for encouraging the belief in such stereotypes. Still, Jerry has over a million followers waiting to see the next clever racial comparison he comes up with, and Josh is following close behind. I don’t think Viners are encouraging stereotypes. They’re calling them out. Viners have found a funny way to take these preconceived ideas we have of other races and made them look as ridiculous as they really are. They’re not confirming anything. They see a silly idea others believe in and they call BS by dramatizing it.In just six seconds, Viners are able to reveal and repeal more racism than what civil rights leaders took years to do. And at the same time, we can all get a good laugh out of it.— lnbanks@indiana.eduFollow columnist Lexia Banks on Twitter @LexiaBanks.
(10/02/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Do you remember eating happy meals as a child? There was nothing greater in the world than being handed that little red box and peeking inside to see what toy you had received. Maybe you snuck a few fries on the way home. Or maybe you had cool parents who let you eat the whole thing in the car.The happy meal has changed. The toys have nothing on our miniature Furby figurines. And instead of fries, kids sneak apple slices.The McDonald’s menu is planning another makeover, according to an article in the New York Times. More fruits and veggies are expected to join the salads and wraps McDonald’s already offers in its attempt to offer healthier options. It’s an all-in effort to help end childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is getting bad, like wet midnight-snacking Gremlins bad. As of 2010, almost 18 percent of children ages 6 to 11 were obese. Organizations like the Alliance for a Healthier Generation are making it their goal to find an end to the problem, and they think it begins with businesses like McDonald’s. I disagree. Ending childhood obesity is not McDonald’s’ responsibility. McDonald’s isn’t being forced into this change. And I don’t think it’s a bad thing they’re willing to change.I think it’s brilliant they see the difference they could make in children’s health and want to play their part. And the cold truth is McDonald’s has to change. Society is being overrun by health nuts. Suddenly everyone wants to know everything about the food they eat — from the germs on the packaging when they buy it at the store, to the meaning behind its final appearance when they flush it down the toilet. McDonald’s business is threatened. The millennial generation is attracted to restaurants like Chipotle and Panera Bread, where the menu contains more fresh foods and is deemed healthier.In order to keep up, McDonald’s needs to incorporate not only more healthy options, but less of their bad ones.Former President Bill Clinton has advocated this campaign, saying, “If we want to curb the catastrophic economic and health implications of obesity across the world, we need more companies to follow McDonald’s lead and step up to the plate and make meaningful changes.” Sorry, Mr. Clinton. But I think you’re wrong. What we need are parents who give time to cook instead of ordering a pizza when they’re feeling lazy. We need parents who don’t teach their kids to rely on fast food by stopping in for a bag of McDoubles on the way home three times a week.We need parents who teach their kids the green thing outside their window — the backyard — isn’t just for aesthetic pleasure. You can play in it. Stop letting the Xbox babysit your kids and take them on a bike ride. It’s not wrong of McDonald’s to change. It’s wrong for the blame of this epidemic to be put on businesses like McDonald’s.They are here to make food, not teach us about it. They don’t make us fat. Our lack of knowledge or blatant lack of caring does. We aren’t what we eat, we are what we know.— lnbanks@indiana.eduFollow columnist Lexia Banks on Twitter @LexiaBanks.
(09/25/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I’m getting sick. This Indiana weather is giving my allergies some serious whiplash, and I’m breaking down. My nose will probably fall off any day now.So as to not infect my roommates, I’ve been staying politely cooped up in my room drowning my snotty sorrows in orange juice. What all of this means is that the Internet and I have embarked on a pretty serious and perfectly healthy relationship. I just can’t live without him. He tells me everything I need to know about getting better.Like seriously, he’s a genius. We like the same music. He makes me laugh. He goes shopping with me without whining. And he’s so helpful with my homework. He practically does it for me. But we have our down sides, too. He doesn’t talk much, so I never know what he’s thinking. Sometimes he tries to finish my question as if he just knows what I’m going to say. He’s such a know-it-all. And he shows me videos that he knows will make me cry. He also doesn’t get along very well with my family. My mom thinks I depend on him too much for my own good. She’s always saying I spend too much time on him. Last time I checked, it was normal to spend a lot of time on the people and things that you love. My grandparents just don’t understand him. My grandpa tries to have as little contact with him as possible. My grandma tries, but after awhile, he just confuses her, and I end up having to explain everything.On the other hand, my sister loves him. A little too much if I say so myself. I’ve seen the way she approaches him when I leave the room. She’d spend hours with him if she could. And when Mom or I tell her to get off, she scowls at us as if we’ve just separated her from civilized society. Also, sometimes when we go out he slows. I don’t know if it’s because of all the people or what, but he just tends to freeze up. Then I can’t a thing out of him. He just sits there and stares as if he can’t quite process what’s happening around him. He also tends to distract me from my work. One minute I’m researching the taxonomy of chimpanzees and the next I’m watching hours of JacksGap videos on Youtube. Or when I’m writing a paper on the amount of media I consume he’ll throw a tweet at me that he wants me to read. He can be a real attention whore.So maybe our relationship isn’t the healthiest. But that doesn’t mean we should just break up. We can work through this. We just need to put a little distance between us. Maybe look into counseling. I’m sure he could find a good relationship therapist nearby. I don’t think I’m fully dependent, but I will admit without shame that I need him. He’s taught me so much, and I know that there’s so much more to learn. He encourages me to express myself through video, photos and writing. He has connected me with thousands of people who share my interests. He has expanded my view and knowledge of the world in a fantastic way.Now if only he were a real guy and I wasn’t just crazy. — lnbanks@indiana.eduFollow columnist Lexia Banks on Twitter @LexiaBanks.
(09/23/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Weddings are boring. They’re so long and redundant. But there’s something about a gay wedding that gets me every time. Maybe it’s the fact that for centuries society has forced gay couples to hide in shame. Maybe it’s because politicians think their position comes with the right to define what love should be. Let’s leave definitions to Merriam-Webster, shall we, boys?It could be because gay marriage is the one case where religious nuts like to use their holy books as weapons to protect their god. And maybe it’s because, as a female, I can’t resist a forbidden romance.The closest I’ve come to witnessing a real gay marriage in person was the ceremony held after the Pride Film Festival in Bloomington earlier this year. I was behind stage, shadowing a reporter from WTIU. I got to talk with some of the couples and see their lovely moments of anxiety before the curtains rose. And when Mayor Mark Kruzan pronounced the 12 couples married symbolically, I experienced an unprofessional flash of tears and irritation. Why did it have to be symbolic? Well, on Aug. 1, Minnesota couples were a lot luckier when their weddings were recognized legally.Back in May, Minnesota became the 12th state to legalize gay marriage. Aug. 1 was the first day the law took effect, and couples lined up the night before with family and supporters. When the clock struck midnight, Minnesota saw its first legal same-sex married couple.I found a photo blog of the event on Buzzfeed.com. It had me tearing up in Starbucks like an idiot. Through all the emotion, the serial wedding ceremony was treated like a big party. There was cake and dancing. Because it was held so late — or early — the kids attending were soon exhausted. But they kept going until 6:30 a.m. when the final couple was married.It was beautiful. Knowing all the abuse and trouble those couples had tolerated to get to that morning made it all the more powerful. Some of the couples had been together over 30 years. Some were pregnant, and some had full-grown children. They never planned to let the government prevent them from the love and family they wanted. But their patience was finally being rewarded. And maybe the best part of this for me was thinking of the look on Michelle Bachman’s face and mentally telling her with an evil snicker to shove it. Of course, more than anything, I can’t wait until the effects of this event wear off on other states. Conquering Minnesota was a big step, but there is more tolerance and enlightenment to be spread. Twelve down, 38 to go. — lnbanks@indiana.eduFollow Lexia Banks on Twitter @LexiaBanks.
(09/18/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This one goes out to the big girls. We need to have a talk, one big girl to another. Forget about the yoga-obsessed, hummus-eating twigs around you and take a seat because I’m going to address what can be a pretty sensitive subject for those our size — the clothes we wear. It’s hard to be big and fashionable these days. With trends favoring halter-tops and cut-off mom jeans assaulting our eyes, we can’t find a foothold. And for some, the difficulty means they should give in.They give in to the fleeting fashion trends and embrace halter-tops and wedgie-giving mom jeans, leggings paired with T-shirts and rompers.Sorry ladies, but we don’t look good in those clothes. We have bodies — real bodies with curves and valleys and mountains. We have big boobs, big butts, thighs and bellies. Squeezing them into tiny articles of clothing doesn’t hide them, accentuate them or make them go away. I’m tired of seeing big girls wearing leggings as pants. Your thighs and butt are not happy and, frankly, you look desperate for an image that isn’t yours.And if I see one more plus-size lady letting her stomach hang out of a too-tight pair of low rise pants I’m going to step in front of a bus. Muffin tops are meant to be covered because then they become cupcakes. That’s right ladies — there are ways to decorate your curves. And the best way to find out how is the Internet. There are loads of fashion blogs to find and explore and worship. Thirty minutes on Pinterest can get you an entire new wardrobe. Watch videos on YouTube. You will learn the secrets to making that beautiful body of yours shine. Adapt the current fashion trends to your shape. You’ll develop your own style and curvy swagger. When you know your body, you get comfortable. And when you’re comfortable in your body, you are confident. There is no need for conformity and feeling unsure of yourself. Be different and be proud. Accept yourself first.Of course, with that said, I kind of shoot myself in the foot. Even as I tell you to ignore the petite-run fashion world, feel free to ignore me. Maybe you truly like that style. Perhaps you feel comfortable in the clothes I’m picking on, and I’m just ticking you off. My email is just centimeters away. Shoot me something nasty and go on dressing how you want. Your opinion is all that matters. I will continue cringing in silence. There’s also always the option of changing yourself. If you want to dress smaller, then get smaller. Work it off, burn it off, chop it off and suck it out. Do what you must to achieve your dream closet.Dressing for your curves doesn’t mean you’re ashamed of yourself. It means you can accept yourself as you are, rather than chasing the skinny girl’s image. You can love yourself and look good in the process.— lnbanks@indiana.eduFollow columnist Lexia Banks on Twitter @LexiaBanks.
(09/11/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For a short while in high school, I was forced to ride the bus. One day while boarding, I was addressed by a boy two years my junior as, “Lexi, what’s goin’ on, my nigga?”When we got off the bus, I kicked him in the crotch.To set the record straight, this wasn’t punishment for a white boy overstepping his boundaries. This boy was black. He and his friends almost exclusively referred to one another as “niggas,” and it drove me crazy. It’s not OK to use racial slurs. Ever. Even if it’s someone of the same race. And limiting the usage of a word to only one race is racist.I’d like to know when it was decided that “nigger” should become a term of endearment. What group of African-Americans got together one night and thought, “Hey, bestie, I’m gonna start calling you ‘nigga.’ But I mean it in a totally friendly, non-demeaning, brotherly way?”Here’s my first problem with the word: the pronunciation. There’s a theory that pronouncing “nigger” as “nigga” gives the word a different meaning. It goes from being a slave-shaming slur to a perfectly acceptable greeting for a close friend. Choosing to pronounce a word like an illiterate child with a speech impediment does not change the meaning of a word. Some black folks believe that, by using the word, they’ve reclaimed the power behind it from those who once used it as an insult, namely white people. Jay-Z has been a major advocate of that belief.Rappers like Jay-Z and Kanye West have found themselves in hot water repeatedly for their use of the N-word. In an interview with Oprah back in 2009, Jay-Z said, “I believe that a speaker’s intention is what gives a word its power.” In some ways this statement is fair. Take “bitch,” for example. Nowadays, when we hear a girl call someone a “bitch,” we don’t ogle, expecting earrings and hair to start flying in a cat fight. By the tone of voice, we can tell if it’s being used to mean friend or foe.So if we can call our best friend a “bitch,” why can’t we call a black person “nigger”? Because the privilege to say the N-word comes with a condition: You have to be black to say it. That exclusivity of who is and is not allowed to say the N-word makes it racist.Forbidding people of another race from saying a word is discrimination. It’s not too different from saying, “You can’t sit here b ecause you’re not white.”What makes it worse is that, while black people have copyrighted “nigger,” some feel free to use other racial slurs against people of different racial backgrounds. If you don’t want to be offended by the word, then don’t be. We, as individuals, choose which words affect us and which ones don’t. But using the word doesn’t change its meaning, and it doesn’t change the past. And reserving the word for only one race isn’t the equality people have fought and died for. I’m not saying that everyone should start using it, but it’s time to let the double standard go. Stop slurring people, period. We’ve come way too far to be held back by words. — lnbanks@indiana.eduFollow columnist Lexia Banks on Twitter @LexiaBanks.
(09/04/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Have you ever wondered what it would be like if IU required physical education credits?Maybe some of you think it wouldn’t be so bad. You could take bowling or golf or something easy. I have a friend who attends Anderson University. She’s taking a dog-walking class. Dog-walking was one of the options to fulfill her P.E. requirements. Yes, my friend paid money to walk poodles and chihuahuas so she can get her degree in elementary education. I’m going to be blunt — this is stupid. All throughout grade school I thought P.E. was stupid, but I’ll admit that’s because I’m chubby and averse to sweat. To be fair, it was high school P.E. that was especially and annoyingly stupid.By that age it should be a choice left up to the student. We all know childhood obesity has become an epidemic in current generations. More children are being diagnosed with diseases such as diabetes.Kids are getting heavier, and groups like PE4life think increased physical education is the answer.PE4life is a non-profit organization working to “build fit kids” through developing physical education programs and activities in schools and communities. In younger children, P.E. is important. They’re at an age when establishing a healthy lifestyle is easy. Most importantly, they can learn to love that lifestyle so that it becomes the norm for them. But once you get to high school, I don’t think it should be up to the school to decide how much physical activity you get. High school P.E. was a waste of time. It didn’t teach us anything other than the importance of washing laundry, which some still failed to grasp. The point of high school is to prepare us for college, and not once last year did I need to know the rules and regulations of ultimate frisbee.I also didn’t need to know the Pythagorean identities, but that’s a problem for my pre-calculus teacher. What I needed to know were the characteristics of Anglo-Saxon poetry and how to write a groundbreaking article on local soup kitchens. Instead, I was stuck sweating in P.E., faking or forcing asthma attacks and plotting to accidentally on purpose hit my coach with a ping pong ball. Health class was where I learned the techniques and information needed to stay healthy. That’s where they teach you about calories and carbs — what’s bad about them, what’s good about them and the effects they have on our bodies. Schools need to worry about our health by monitoring the food they serve students. No more mystery meat hamburger patties three times a week.They need to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables, and no, the gunk collecting dust in industrial-sized cans does not count.I’m not saying all schools should get rid of P.E. I’m saying that for high school and college students, it should be a choice.If you liked P.E. growing up and you want to keep relearning how to play kickball, as if it’s not obvious, then take it as an elective.If you’re interested in pursuing personal training as a career, go crazy. If you think P.E. will increase your health, then take it, and feel good about yourself.It’s not fair for schools or colleges like Anderson or IU to expect us to pay for classes we don’t want to take and that don’t pertain to our future careers.— lnbanks@indiana.eduFollow columnist Lexia Banks on Twitter @LexiaBanks.
(08/28/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s been 50 years since one of the greatest speakers to ever walk American soil delivered the speech that changed society.It’s the speech we’ve studied in English class more than Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. I still have no idea what “four score and seven years” translates into, but I know MLK was a hyperbolizing, metaphor slamming master.On Aug. 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. He explained that years after Lincoln’s hard work, African-Americans were still being abused. He told us that blacks were being denied opportunities. We were owed our “unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”We deserved justice. We demanded equality. We wanted acceptance. We want the same respect as the white man! Can I get an amen?Okay, I got a bit carried away there.Anyway, King expressed his dreams of justice and equality. He described a world of acceptance and respect between all races. I think it’s time for a progress check. Fifty years later, has King’s dream come true?“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”I’m allowed to share a bus seat up front with my white friend. Check.“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” Well, my elementary librarian’s grandparent’s had slaves, but I never minded her reading to me. Does that count?“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”Ugh — that’s a work in progress.“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”They all became respected leaders of activist groups. Check.“I have a dream that one day in Alabama ... little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”We don’t hold hands, but I hang out with my white cousins in Alabama twice a year. Check.“I have a dream that” — I need to paraphrase this one. King’s final dream is that faith will bind humans together and “with this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”I work with almost all white people. Check. I’ve prayed with people of other colors. Check. I struggled through finite with people of all ethnicities. Check. Prisons don’t segregate anymore. Check. You see all sorts of different people at gay rights rallies. Check.Overall, I think we’ve come pretty far. There’s no denying that racism still exists in certain areas. However, the majority of the country has welcomed King’s dream. We’re always changing, and hopefully in another 50 years, the idea that race was ever such a big deal will be another silly mar in human history. — lnbanks@indiana.eduYou can follow columnist Lexia Banks on Twitter @LexiaBanks
(08/19/13 6:34pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Maybe I’m just out of the loop, but since when are IU students allowed to carry weapons on campus?Oh wait, they can’t. And I’m okay with that.Somehow it never occurred to me that at any college, students may be carrying concealed weapons on them. It just sounds to me, put simply, really dumb.I understand why students would want to carry a concealed weapon. After incidents like the Virginia Tech and University of Texas massacres, there’s always an underlying fear that one of your classmates may emotionally explode and take it out on his psychology lecture class.And there are more personal fears for us IU students. For females in particular, there’s the fact that about one in four college women is a victim of attempted or completed sexual assault. Those rates are high enough to make anyone want a weapon.There are the muggings, like the one that happened in the Eigenmann Hall parking lot last fall semester. A gun probably could have helped that poor guy.The many posters of Lauren Spierer’s face remind us that no matter who we’re with or how close we are to home, we’re not invincible.There are so many reasons to allow concealed weapons on campus that I’m almost talking myself into supporting the idea. Almost.State Sen. Jim Banks fully supports students having the right to carry a concealed weapon. He has proposed a bill that would make it illegal for universities to ban guns on campus. He recognizes college students are responsible adults and have the right to protect themselves.IU has opposed the bill. Mark Land, an IU spokesman, said the University is opposed because it is best the University decides its own gun policies regarding students and employees.The concern in allowing this bill is students would abuse the right. Instead of deterring crime, the approval of concealed weapons could cause more — by accident, if not on purpose.An example Land provided was the fatal accident at Purdue in 2009, in which a pair of students jokingly aimed a gun at another student and it fired.I agree with Land. I think students having guns would result in more injuries.The bottom line is that I don’t trust you guys. No offense. I barely trust my best friend with her pepper spray.There is no way I can comfortably walk around campus knowing some of you have guns under your jackets, even if you do have a permit.If IU students really feel that unsafe, maybe the University should stop building gaudy new dining halls and hire more security. Just please don’t give the drunk frat bros an excuse to have weapons.— lnbanks@indiana.edu.Follow columnist Lexia Banks on Twitter @lexiabanks
(07/22/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I hate exercising. I hate running. I hate jogging. I hate really fast walking because it looks like I’m on the verge of peeing my pants. Climbing to the third floor of Ballantine every day was the most horrific part of my freshman year.I don’t like it when my muscles burn. I hate sweating; it smells disgusting. And I hate it when I feel like a pyromaniac Smurf is playing with fireworks in my chest.But I know I need it, so I do it.Right now I’m working on the 30-Day Squat Challenge. I’m on day 17, which is 150 squats, and my thighs hurt, though not nearly as bad as the first day when I only did 50. I spent the next three days waddling rather than walking. But I’m developing thighs of steel. I can’t sit down without grimacing, but I could kick a door down.It’s hard work to be healthy.So when I heard about this new exercise pill study, I got angry.The Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Fla., is working on a pill that is exercise. It doesn’t boost your metabolism to increase the effects of exercising or give you more energy to go exercise. The most exercise this pill requires is actually swallowing it. Then, boom, wipe your brow because your daily workout is done.I’m not a science person, but this is the best way I can explain it: Scripps is developing a compound that increases the activation of REV-ERB, a protein that partially controls animals’ circadian rhythms.They tested this compound on obese mice. Even though the mice were on a high-fat diet, they lost weight and had better cholesterol. And though they became lazier than they had been before the injections, they were using more oxygen and more energy.More testing was done concerning different strains of mice, and it was found that REV-ERB affects the levels of mitochondria, cellular structures that assist in generating energy, in the muscles. There’s a lot more science that goes into the development of this drug, but basically, the drug gives off the benefits of generating a lot of energy without actually doing anything to generate energy. It’s a fake workout. And it’s years away from hitting the pharmacy.But should it ever?The point of working out is to work. Really work. Do something real that makes you feel better not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. When I see the numbers drop on the scale I feel accomplished, like I did something good for myself. Doctors involved in the study say the research is designed to benefit people who can’t work out such as those with disabilities or a handicap. They recognized that there are benefits to physical workouts that a drug can never mimic.But we live in a world where people want the easy way out of everything. And they will lie and cheat to get it. We manipulate and take advantage of anything and anyone we need to.A quick Google search will find you multiple sites on how to get a cannabis card for fake symptoms of serious diseases. If there are people dumb enough to give themselves joint damage just to get some weed, then it wouldn’t at all surprise me if some McDonald’s regular set out to develop diabetes to get this exercise pill. — lnbanks@indiana.edu
(07/15/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Florida has been through a lot lately. The Casey Anthony trial kept us entertained for years. They’ve had some hurricanes. Then last year George Zimmerman was arrested for shooting Trayvon Martin, making Florida host to the most popular court trial in the country.Zimmerman was found not guilty July 14 and acquitted of all charges, including second-degree murder and manslaughter.The Internet broke out in posts about Zimmerman like pimples on a teenager. And most of them were not happy.As I type, there is a hashtag blowing up Twitter called #IfIEverSeeZimmerman. People are using it to threaten Zimmerman. The threats range from spitting in his face to killing him on the street. And I started to get really annoyed as I scrolled through the feed and noticed that, according to the profile pictures, the majority of harassers were African American. One murder was quickly turned into a race war. This isn’t a “protect your own” situation. One black boy being killed doesn’t mean the entire African American population needs to rise up and target Zimmerman. I’ve heard people describe the case as “some black boy got shot by a Mexican.” And then they go crazy about how the gunman must be racist. If Zimmerman had been black it would be a completely different conversation.“Hey man, did you hear about that black kid in Florida who was shot?”“No way! Who did it?”“Just some black dude.”Though self-defense shootings don’t happen often, when they do they aren’t blown out of proportion like Zimmerman’s case was. For example, in 2010 in St. Louis, John Wolf shot a man in self-defense. The man held a gun to his head and tried to rob him. He didn’t get his own Twitter hashtags. It didn’t take more than a year to settle the case.However, I do believe Zimmerman is guilty of racial profiling. You can’t assume every black male with a hoodie is a thug concealing weapons. That’s a stereotype played out by corny rappers who can’t dress themselves nicely and lazy wardrobe departments for television shows. Lay off the Law & Order marathons for a while and calm down. When I see a white person with a white hoodie on I don’t think KKK and assume I’m about to be lynched on my way to class. Martin didn’t have any weapons on him, unless you count a bag of Skittles and a can of tea. Wanting to taste the rainbow is a far cry from wanting to kill.But I’m straying from the point.A lot of time was wasted arguing a case that should have been solved quickly. The Martin family shouldn’t have had to wait a more than a year to hear if they would get justice for their son’s death. People focused so much on the race issue it’s as if they forgot the true importance of this case: there was a 17-year-old boy named Trayvon Martin, and he’s dead. Black people need to stop acting like they’ve personally been attacked and let the Martin family mourn. — lnbanks@indiana.edu
(07/08/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Fourth of July is over, guys. Put your firecrackers away.For the past two weeks I have been constantly assaulted by barrages of fireworks being let off all over my neighborhood. During the day it’s little kids running around throwing firecrackers at each other. At night they’re setting off those annoying fountains that whistle and choke out colorful sparks.And that was just before the holiday.Now they’re letting off their leftover big guns. The semi-pro fireworks, or the illegal ones in some cases, that make that deep booming sound as if we’re being bombed or shot at.My dogs are going insane. One is prancing back and forth as if waiting for the Nazis to burst through the windows and the other has dug herself a nice safe room under my bed.Maybe I’m an old lady for being so negative about this, but there are laws about fireworks, and because I have to wake up at 5:30 in the morning to work, I want them followed.Fireworks have a curfew. They’re only allowed between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. On holidays (i.e. Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and New Years Eve) the curfew extends to midnight. That’s it. After that, it’s lights out. Put your lighters in the drawers out of reach of children and go to sleep.You have to be 18 years old or older to purchase fireworks, and a child with fireworks must be chaperoned by an adult. This means, no, it is not okay to hand your ten-year-old son a pack of miniature explosives and let him ride off on his bike tossing them at squirrels and stray cats. Who gives their young son a lighter anyway? That’s just begging for him to become a pyromaniac by the time he’s 15. Throwing fireworks into another person’s yard is illegal. It’s rude and it’s dangerous. If one more bottle rocket comes over my fence, I’m going to explode.And common sense should tell you that you should never throw fireworks at someone else’s dog just for barking at you. That is dangerous ground, young ones. That is throwing down the gauntlet. All bets are off when it comes to pets. Fireworks have become synonymous with the Fourth of July, but when you become obnoxious with them, you ruin the holiday for everyone. While showing respect for your soldiers, show some for your neighbors.— lnbanks@indiana.edu
(07/01/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A lot has happened in the past week. Kim revealed the dumb name she’s going to curse her child with. The Supreme Court dropped DOMA like the Food Network dropped Paula Deen. Chris Brown was charged with a misdemeanor for a hit-and-run, because punching people doesn’t do it for him anymore. And the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin case ... well, it really made no progress.Here’s what’s up: Abigail Fisher applied to UT back in 2008 and was rejected. She then proceeded to sue the university, claiming the university’s admission process is racist against her (she’s white).UT is one of many colleges that looks to increase its minority population through the admission process. But race actually plays a very small part in the admissions process. UT goes by a code called the Top Ten Percent Law. Under the law, all Texan high school students graduating in the top-10 percent of their respective classes are granted automatic admission to any public state college or university. Those who don’t fall into that top-10 percent — roughly 12 percent of all applicants — are put through a process of more rigorous admission consideration that focuses on their academic performance, extracurricular activities, socioeconomic status, personal hardship, work experience, excellence of application materials and multiple other factors including race. But because race plays any part at all, Fisher claims the university is in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. First, I would like to express just how stupid I think it is that five years later, she’s still whining about this. It’s not like her rejection to UT kept Fisher from attending college. She was accepted to Louisiana State University. She’s already graduated. She has a job as a financial analyst. She’s probably making more than I will the first three years after I get out of college. Her seemingly problematic whiteness hasn’t really done much to hurt her. Now, this is where I admit I’m not a fan of some facets of Affirmative Action. As an African American, I want to know I was accepted to IU because my grades were good, not because my father is black. For me, senior year of high school was a blur of AP classes, pre-calculus homework and all-nighters. I basically had to write a novel to graduate high school. Getting into IU told me my work had paid off. Thinking I was admitted to my dream college only because of my skin color is kind of insulting.That being said, I also am not a fan of little white girls throwing down the race card like it’s a weapon because they didn’t work hard enough to get into their first pick. Her accusations imply the few black people competing for the remaining spots at UT only got in because they were black — that she only was denied admission because she wasn’t black. This isn’t true. It’s come out that she would have been denied admission regardless of race based on admission criteria for non-top 10 percent students. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself questioned whether the case was moot because of this. Even Louisiana State, her alma mater, has programs designed to increase diversity. So if she hadn’t been accepted there, would she be suing them too? In this case, I’m in favor of UT. The percentage of minorities at the university doesn’t come close to properly representing the number of minorities in Texas. Her main competition came from people of her own race. She wasn’t rejected because of race. She was rejected because she didn’t have the grades. If you’re not smart enough to get in, blame yourself. Don’t blame “reverse racism.”— lnbanks@indiana.edu
(06/24/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>By now I’m sure most of us have heard about New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed soda ban. It’s not as scary as it sounds. This won’t be the second prohibition and New Yorkers won’t have to sneak into mafia-run speakeasies to get their daily Mountain Dew. The ban would just make it illegal for restaurants and other public venues to sell supersized sodas. It would still be perfectly legal to buy Coke at the grocery store. When I first heard about this proposal, I just happened to be drinking a Sprite, and I was outraged.What’s next? It’ll be illegal to sell venti-sized coffee? I’d like to see Bloomberg pick a war with Starbucks and see who wins.Then I started thinking further into it, and I was like, “Hey, why not? He’s trying to make people healthier.” Obesity is now considered a disease and America is at the top of the scale. We need changes like this. We need to put down the Pepsi and order water or some iced tea. But then I actually tried it. Sometimes an iced tea with a wedge of lemon just doesn’t cut it. My problem lies somewhat with the coffee comparison. If Bloomberg is banning all large sugary drinks, why doesn’t that include coffee and alcohol? My tall white chocolate mocha Frappuccino at Starbucks has 320 calories. Twelve ounces of Bud Light has 110 calories. Eight ounces of Mountain Dew has 110. Coffee, soda and alcohol are three of America’s biggest and most unhealthy addictions. When it comes to how they figure in our health, they’re on about the same playing field. They’re all bad when we go overboard. Taking away one isn’t going to make a big difference, aside from making some of us very angry. And you can’t take away all three because then we would have the second prohibition. And in case you didn’t hear about the first one — it didn’t work. In March, the Manhattan Supreme Court turned down the ban. But thanks to some city officials, it has recently been appealed to be reinstated. I think it will be interesting to watch how it goes, but in the end I hope it comes to the first conclusion. Bloomberg’s concerns are in the right place, but this ban just isn’t practical.— lnbanks@indiana.edu
(06/17/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Wanna go to Warped Tour?” Excuse me while I laugh in your face.I’d wanted to go to Warped Tour since eighth grade, when black nails marked the presence of an emo kid and it was cool to have a suicide note ready. In the midst of my adolescent tragedy, I was led by my emotions (with the help of Hot Topic) to bands such as All Time Low and Panic! At the Disco. Fast-forward to last summer, which I spent in Alabama with my cousin. My time there coincided with Warped’s visit. After weeks of begging and fake promises to do extra chores, we got permission to go.Let the record show that I don’t think Warped is a bad idea. For the small bands looking for more publicity and show time, it’s a great concept. However, I don’t think it’s worth the trouble.It’s during the summer, so it’s miserably hot. Everyone smells awful, sweatily rubbing up against you like a body odor potluck.Warped encourages you to donate canned food with the incentive of getting in an express line, but you can’t find the express line because there are thousands of people milling about and no directions or signs. So you get stuck carrying pounds of green beans on your back, which starts to get heavy after 14 hours in 99-degree weather. There’s the risk of two of your favorite bands getting scheduled to play at the same time — you won’t know the times until you get there. There are no real rules at Warped, which potheads take as an open invitation to bring their bongs. And worse, the bands encourage everyone to mosh. When Derek Saunders of Mayday Parade asked people to surf up and touch his hand, I wanted to throw one of my cans of green beans at him (probably as much as the security guards probably wanted to throw stones at all of the rowdy concertgoers). I got kicked in the head 17 times. An evil ginger girl pushed me into a mosh pit, where I nearly met my end at the hands of an idiot with a Rambo headband. My cousin was kidnapped by a band of wild teenagers who pushed her over the “wall of death” into the pit with me. And I don’t care if you’re an awesome guitar player — when a man in his 30s dressed as a vampire leans over and shakes his sweat into the crowd, it’s foul. I hope you fall and get popsicled by your guitar.When I say that I will never go to Warped again, I’m often told that it’s about more than the music. Warped is “about the experience.” You go to Warped to get crazy, have fun and rock out. But the truth is that you get dehydrated, sunburnt, injured and sweaty, and you end up smelling like weed.For less than the price of admission to Warped Tour, you can probably get a ticket for your favorite band’s own individual tour. It usually includes two to three other similar artists and is likely inside, where air-conditioning exists. And the bands play longer sets. At least where Warped Tour is concerned, Charmin Toilet Paper was right.Less is more. — lnbanks@indiana.edu
(06/10/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Father’s Day is approaching and I have no idea what to get my mom.This has been a joke between my sister and I for years. We always get weird looks, because obviously you don’t get your mother a gift for Father’s Day. It’s a matter of gender role versus the actual role.Advertisements choose to focus on gender roles. Think of all the corny commercials that recycle on our televisions during May encouraging us to buy jewelry and expensive chocolates that ruin our moms’ diets. And in June it’s all about new tool kits and car wash passes.Women like bracelets and men like screwdrivers, so that’s what we should buy.But if we go by just the role itself, I’d be shopping in the wrong section. In the “typical” family dynamic, mothers are the nurturers and fathers are the fixers. Well, I just watched my mom change a flat tire on my car with a tire iron in one hand and a beer in the other, so you tell me which role she fits. There could be a small catch to my particular situation: my mom is a single mother. She’s been married and divorced twice and has had plenty of in-and-out boyfriends. But for the majority of my 19 years, she has played both mother and father to me. This is what happens in most single-parent households. When one is missing, the other tries to fill both pairs of shoes. And yes, it’s twice the work, so they deserve twice the credit. I’m not saying that if you have a single father that you should go buy him a bouquet of roses and a charm bracelet for Mother’s Day — unless he likes flowers and bracelets — but if he fills the role of a mother a new set of pots and pans would be nice. Maybe do an epic house cleaning. Get or do something that says “I love you Dad, and thanks for being a great mom, too.” And then get him something awesome for Father’s Day too.The family dynamic is evolving. There are more stay-at-home dads and women are becoming more independent. Some households have two dads or two moms. It’s time that Mother’s Day and Father’s Day evolve too. The point of these days is to show appreciation for our parents and what they do for us. Gender, tradition and the media shouldn’t limit what we choose to give to show our gratitude. — lnbanks@indiana.edu
(05/20/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For some odd reason, my grandparents were watching the pre-Billboard Music Awards TV special that featured award-winning journalists telling us information that we’ve already read on Wikipedia about our favorite music artists. All was going well until Barbara Walters introduced the biggest waste of country airwaves: Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift can’t sing. I said it. Yes, “Mean” was written about me. She can play the guitar and has great hair. Other than that she’s just a depressing, permanently 14-year-old Emily Dickinson with less poetic talent. Far less. As in none. When I expressed this opinion out loud, my younger sister jumped to Taylor’s defense. Taylor Swift is awesome, according to her. She’s a good singer. She writes great songs. She isn’t annoying. She hasn’t changed that much. Her new sound isn’t on a level of annoyance that makes you want to pull a double Van Gogh. And anyway, if you hate her music because it has the same “Oh no, another guy broke my heart and it’s not my fault” message then you shouldn’t like an artist like Adele.Point taken, little sister, but the point is that Adele can actually sing. Oh, but Taylor Swift’s saving grace (at least according to some) is that she’s a “terrific” role model. My sister and I continued arguing over whether Swift was a real role model for women. Of course, by this point Barbara Walters had moved on to the likes of Madonna, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. At some point Ke$ha came up and there was something mentioned about leotards and we just lost it until I wondered, “what does any of this have to do with the awards?”How are music awards like Billboard given out? Are they based on record sales? Societal influence? Is there a secret panel of judges that decides whether or not Maroon 5 is a better group than Mumford & Sons? And what kind of sketchy panel would decide that? Music awards should be given to musicians, people with real musical talent. I don’t see many nominees who fit that sensible requirement. Taylor can’t sing. One Direction couldn’t harmonize live if you kicked one of them in the groin. Justin Bieber can’t even wear pants correctly, let alone sing. Psy articulates better English than Nicki Minaj. And I’d be willing to start a Save the Moose Foundation if Canada promised to take Carly Rae Jepsen back and lock her up.Music has definitely changed since the good old days, when the biggest debate was between ‘NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. But so has the audience. And in the end, the audience is what determines what good music is by what they’re willing to pay for. If the majority says artists like Taylor Swift are the ones making music great nowadays, then fine. I’m used to being in a minority anyway. — lnbanks@indiana.edu