Injustice in Ferguson

This week a verdict made by a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri sparked controversy and anger throughout the nation. As almost everyone is aware, the verdict was whether or not to indict Officer Darren Williams for the August 9^th shooting of Michael Brown.  Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, was shot and killed by Darren Williams, a white policeman. Brown’s death ignited fury within the community and prompted protests, which led to confrontations between protesters and police. Racial tensions were heightened and a debate over the legitimacy of Officer Wilson’s actions began.

What the Puck? Why Hockey Draws More Fans Than Women’s Soccer

University athletics are universally celebrated and have become a huge part of the college experience. A team can forge bonds between fans and crowds can become a united front capable of energizing and compelling a team. Being a part of a crowd is not simply a pursuit of personal enjoyment, it motivates a team and at times teams rely on their support system as expressed in The Playing Fields of Eton, “surely, one might think, it matters for a person’s interest in a pursuit what sort of incentives are associated—and have historically been associated— with it. Social appreciation from admiring spectators is one such incentive.” Spectators drive the players and incentivize them. While school athletics are typically dominated by football, basketball, and hockey, other sports still merit celebration. One would assume that division 1 athletics are cheered on and draw relatively similar crowds. But when division 1 women’s soccer at the university of Illinois Chicago and division one men’s ice hockey at the University of Michigan are compared, they have almost nothing in common. 

A Theorists Guide at Surviving Holiday Travel

Airports are exhausting and disgusting. If you disagree with me, you either only fly private (in which case hello, I’m trying to hang) or you’re wrong. For those of you who qualify as the later, stop glorifying the experience because you enjoy the magic of being thrust through the air into the clouds like a bird. I’m all for reveling in the wonder that is flight, but you’re living in a state of delusion if you think that you can remain levelheaded and sane during your travels. Many aspects of flying relate to some political theorist in some way, from showing up to check-in, to grabbing your luggage at baggage claim, because after all, flying takes skill/cunning/strategy and sometimes when your plans don’t pan out, it’s because of the way the state of nature of the airport is. I wish it were as simple as tying one theorist to flying but this is real life and there’s no perfect theorist that will get you through the nightmare that is flying. So remember, the ends justify the means unless those means get you in trouble with TSA and you never even reach the end because you’ve landed yourself on the no fly list. So listen to the rants of a disillusioned flyer:

A New Wave of Political Dynasties

There’s been much speculation as to who will be running in the 2016 presidential election but there are two names that voters are already familiar with seeing on presidential ballots: Bush and Clinton. The Bush’s and the Clinton’s have already established their families as being political powerhouses that have dominated the political sphere for decades, bringing into question the power and relevance of political dynasties.

The past

The future?

 

 

 

 

 

Hillary Clinton has been shown an outpouring of support by Democrats and is considered the strongest candidate with polls reflecting 64% of Democrats stating they would support her over Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. Jeb Bush has remained much more silent about his potential candidacy and is more unknown than the former secretary of state. The last time Jeb Bush’s name was on a ballot was 2002 and he has shown little interest in actually running for president, yet he is still the second most supported potential candidate for Republicans behind Mitt Romney. 

Are Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush coasting off of the accomplishments of their last names or have they established themselves as capable politicians? Another question to consider is whether or not the continuation of a political dynasty is beneficial for the nation. According to Edmund Burke in the Reflections on the Revolution in France, “the possessors of family wealth, and of the distinction which attends hereditary possession are the natural securities for this transmission. With us, the house of peers is formed upon this principle. It is wholly composed of hereditary property and hereditary distinction, and made therefore the third of the legislature.” While Burke seems to be in overwhelming support for the perpetuation of power throughout families, American politics are founded off of the belief that power is not handed to individuals because of their family ties, which is why we do not have kings or lords ruling the nation.

 

Would another Bush or another Clinton mean the continuation of the Bush administration or Clinton administration, or would the candidates differ from their brother/father/husband’s policies? Would they have even been considered as potential candidates if it weren’t for their ties? Hillary Clinton has been incredibly active in politics, having made a failed bid for president in 2008 and serving as Secretary of State during Obama’s first term, as well as campaigning across the country for several Democratic candidates for congress. There’s no question that Clinton is no longer known for being Bill Clinton’s wife. Jeb Bush, on the other hand, has remained out of the limelight for quite some time and seems to be coasting on his surname.

It seems as if the Clinton and Bush have not been weighed down by their last names at all. Is it a coincidence that the best (potential) candidates come from political dynasties, or are voters drawn to the power associated with the families? While Burke may believe that “some decent regulated pre-eminence, some preference (not exclusive appropriation) given to birth, is neither unnatural, nor unjust, nor impolitic,” others believe that there are more capable or deserving people to run the country and that Obama shouldn’t be an interlude between a span of Bush/Clinton domination. Will 2016 be the continuation of a political dynasty, or will the nation vote in a manner that reflects Jeb Bush’s mother Barbara’s belief that “this is a great American country, great country. And if we can’t find more than two or three families to run for high office, that’s silly, because there are great governors and great eligible people to run.”

More Than An Armrest: A View from 5’1 1/2″

I’m going to model this post after my stature: short and sweet.  We are not all born equal; everyone is born with an Achilles heel, something that makes it more difficult for him or her to forge on and become a functioning member of society. What’s mine? I’m inherently and forever short. For all you average height/ tall (hate you) people rolling your eyes, hear me out, because I’m sure you are just as tired at staring at the top of my head as I am at staring at your nose hairs. I’m here to tell you that it’s not easy being small.

Preach.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not a mutually beneficial arrangement when you decide to rest your bony, pointy elbow on the top of my head. While you’re relishing in all the conveniences that come with having your own portable armrest,

Tiny person or large building? A question for the ages.

 and enjoying a nice moment of relaxation and comfort, I’m down here losing brain cells by the second. PSA: if you do choose to rest your hefty body weight on my small frame, I will do everything in my power to ensure that you fall, preferably on a hard surface.

 

Additional Nugget Problems: I don’t like shopping in the youth and children’s sections to find clothes that fit (side note: judgmental mothers giving me side glares while shopping– quit staring or I’m going to sit on your child), it hurts when friends grab my ponytail so that they won’t lose me in a crowd, and I’m tired of my view being obstructed at every sporting event, concert, class, and really anything else that involves crowds and people being directly in front of me. I’m sick of not having my own seat on the bus because my friends insist I stand, or sit on their laps because “you don’t take up much room.”  Also, I’m really, really sick of straining my neck all day long just to hold a conversation or make eye contact with someone. You think it’s difficult tilting your head down? Think again, I don’t see you constantly needing to crack your neck for relief or ending the day with a heated neck pillow every night. 

Same

 

 

You want to ride a roller coaster? Wait until you’re 14 because the park has deemed you a liability. You want to take pictures with your friends? Either stand on your tiptoes and stretch your neck as long as possible or watch your friends sorority squat just so they can come down to your level. You want coffee? Bummer, that’s off limits unless you want to endure the wrath of a bitter and bored middle-aged soccer mom who will chastise you and condescendingly insist “perhaps that’s what stunted your growth.” I’m sorry, Mrs. Johnson, but my mother is 5 Foot 1 and my father is 5 Foot 9, please riddle me how this cup of coffee at age NINETEEN is contributing to my literal shortcomings.

Always trying to catch up

 

As LaVaque-Manty points out in Being a Woman and Other Disadvantages, “distributive justice isn’t only about the just distribution of goods: it can be about the just distribution of rights, opportunities, capabilities, and even recognition and respect.” I don’t see you precariously balancing on three textbooks on top of a storage box container that’s resting on a chair while you are wearing high heels just to change a lightbulb, so a little recognition and respect wouldn’t kill you. While I recognize that my situation doesn’t demand as much precedence or importance as those discussed in Being a Woman and Other Disadvantages, I’m not asking for much here people. There’s no need for legal action or legislation, (though, if you agree that this sounds reasonable, and you have some hookups in the State Department, get at me) just throw me a stool and we can call it a day. Or even a boost from someone would be great.

“People differ in needs, inclinations and talents,” yes I’m skilled at balancing on counters and finding ways to reach things but sometimes I just need a ladder or like eight more inches in stature. Adjusting my surroundings to my needs is at times easier than others. For example, while my home was tailored to my needs, my dorm and the rest of the world are not. In my dorm, there are no stools so I can’t reach the top of my closet, I can only see the top half of my face in my mirror, and I have to awkwardly hop into my bed. I constantly find myself using chairs, counters, or really anything that I can stand on to get to the snacks that my roommates (who are both 5’10”) conveniently keep out of my reach.

Sorry for the excess of Nicole Richie, she just gets me

What am I getting at? Being short is not just a different aesthetic, it is a physical difference that demands I make certain accommodations so to comfortably carry out simple tasks, after all according to Lm,“equality requires the acceptance of differences.” While I still hold out a little hope that I’ll hit my growth spurt soon, I’ve also accepted that at 19 that is highly unlikely and I forever blend in among a sea of 5th graders.

 

Admittedly, there are some perks that accompany the nugget life. I always get reduced ticket prices/ free admission at museums because people assume I’m under eighteen, and much to my disdain under 16 at times too. No one contests me when I order off the kids menu. Oh, and awkward run ins with people? Not a problem: just sink down like you’re descending underwater, and scurry away between the legs of the crowd like the chipmunk you were born to be. So short people remember, “neither nature nor accident denies anyone the capability to function.” And for tall people out there everywhere: stop asking me to tie your shoes, stop insisting I pick up your dropped pencil because I’m technically closer to the ground, and recognize that just because I look like I belong in It’s a Small World After All doesn’t mean I’m a joyous, singing doll for you to push around.

I’m just a Bruno Mars in a world of Taylor Swifts