Coexisting

Traditional Hmong shaman curing ceremony

As I was flipping through my latest copy of National Geographic, title “The Healing Power of Faith”, I couldn’t help but stop and stare at the picture published above. The picture is part of an article within the magazine called “Mind Over Matter”, which discusses different forms of medical treatment and their effectiveness as opposed to the placebo effect. This specific picture shows a Hmong shaman performing a traditional curing ceremony.

While the dead pig in the center of the room is not hard to miss, it is the pig (and shaman’s) presence alongside the young girl playing on a smart phone that makes this picture so interesting. The coexisting nature of the traditional healer and modern technology shows the infiltration of technology, even within the most sacred of circumstances. It is scenes like this that show us that though the world has been launched into an unimaginable age of technological innovation, tradition and faith remain deeply rooted in the lives of many.

Trump vs. Twitter

It will never cease to amaze me that the President of the United States of America is accessible through a single tweet. For so long, the President’s words were valuable treasures, fought over by journalists digging for the next headline. There was hardly such a thing as “off the record” for the president, but twitter and other social media platforms have opened the doors to the President’s thoughts and ideas.

President Elect Trump is no stranger to twitter and neither is Hillary Clinton, throughout their campaigns the 140 character messages were heavily scrutinized and studied. Though politicians of their magnitude  have a staff that monitor most of what they tweet, Twitter gives political campaigns a feeling of personal connection not reached before. Politicians can reply and interact with supporters with only a few buttons and can share their thoughts without the distraction of PR specialists, press conferences, and media twisting their words. While twitter can sometimes cause more trouble than it is worth, there is not doubt that it brings politicians closer to their supporters.

Hamilton

“Hamilton”, one of the newest and most popular musicals on Broadway, tells the riveting story of the birth of the United States of America. However, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda with the intent to breath life into the story of Alexander Hamilton, “Hamilton” has more too it than simply a history lesson.

Not only has the show been successful in creating an engaging way to experience American history, but it has given Broadway (and the media) a splash of diversity. Despite the characters of “Hamilton” being historically white, the show is packed with passionate, and talented people of color. This casting decision has caused controversy, but it is one of the aspects of the show that makes it so important.

The diverse cast represents the diversity of America and the mission of the nation to create a country in which everyone can succeed regardless of gender, race, or religion. As Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays Aaron Burr, expressed at the end of the show Vice President Mike Pence attended, ” we truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us. All of us.” The show places the importance, not on the way that the founding fathers looked, but the ideas that they represented. Ideas that grant everyone of every race, gender, and religion, acceptance and opportunity.

Kim K

Kim Kardashian, for years, has been endlessly mocked for her “bear all” selfies and provocative outfits. Her pictures and styles have been deemed inappropriate and selfish, but could there be a silver lining?

There is no denying that a majority of what Kim Kardashian does comes from a desire for the spotlight but intentional or not, her selfies and style represent a woman taking control of her femininity and body image. Kim Kardashian has used social media to manipulate how people view her body. She has used this power to protect herself from tabloids who, on many occasions, have commented on her weight, body, and style.

While provocative clothing and selfies aren’t for everyone, celebrities who have embraced their bodies such as Kim Kardashian have posed as representatives of the idea that women should not be ashamed of their bodies. Women should not feel as though the gender and appearance of their body determines the respect that they receive from others.

Food, Water, Oxygen, Internet

The internet has become a sort of vital life source, almost everything revolves around it. It’s hard for the newer generations to remember a time without the internet, and some have never known a world without the internet. Of course there are many things that we could claim to “not live without”, but not many innovations are as significant as the vital rise of the internet.

What is so unique about the internet is that though it was invented by specific people, Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, it isn’t actually owned by any one person. The internet is owned by everyone and no one at the same time. It is like oxygen, existing everywhere and continually. It is (arguably) vital to life in the new age and is so important because it is owned by everyone. There is no level of intellectual freedom like the internet, even with magazines there is always someone to answer to. Though there are guidelines, virtually anything can be posted to the internet. While this allows for a lot of idiocy and foolishness, it allows brilliant people, who otherwise would not have the resources, to share their ingenious ideas, thoughts, and creations. Regardless of how you feel about the internet (and older generations definitely do have strong feelings  towards it), it is a vast and extensive collection of the perceptions and creations of citizens all across the world.

Professor iPad

My Sophomore year of high school, we were given iPads. The idea was to enhance the class room dynamic and to catapult the 187 year old school into the 21st century. The irony was not lost on us that the introduction of the iPads was happening in a school that still had chalkboards, nuns, and a population of only girls. Although the iPads offered technology at our fingertips, many of us felt as though something was taken away from our learning experience

Classes became optional. Before the iPads, unless you enjoyed doodling or day dreaming, the only option was to pay attention. With the iPads, it become so much easier to completely block a teacher out and shift interest towards social media websites and apps. It wasn’t easy to take notes when Twitter was simply a few clicks away. It became routine to zone out for over an hour only to return to the lesson with no knowledge of what was said or what you were supposed to be doing. Avoiding this took persistence and hard work. I don’t doubt that there are ways that technology can increase learning, I do know that although we enjoyed the way that the iPads let us escape a boring lecture, we all missed (even if only a little bit) the distraction free, productivity of pen on paper.

 

Millennials, Memes, and Modern Political Awareness

To begin this post, I believe it to be very important that I explain what exactly a meme is. A meme, according to dictionary.com is “a cultural item in the form of an image, video, phrase, etc., that is spread via the Internet and often altered in a creative or humorous way.” and Urban Dictionary defines a meme as “a running joke carried out not by a solitary comedian, but by the collective online community”.  Memes, centered around ironic and sometimes obscure popular culture references or people, have emerged as the primary ways that the millennial generation reacts to world events. Some of the most popular memes  (Pictures below) include: Pepe, Bad Luck Brian, and The Arthur meme

These memes, despite how ridiculous and cheesy they appear to be, are part of millennial culture  and serve as a vehicle for increased political awareness among the younger generations.

I have always loved politics, especially election season, but there are many millennials who are intimidated by the process or are simply uninterested. According to an article from The Daily Texan ,”When done well, memes do not require many words to convey a humorous message. Many millennials are turned off by long-form print journalism, so a visual and conversation-driven approach to news — humorous or not — can be more effective.” My generation likes information in the most straightforward way possible, extra points if the information is presented in an enjoyable and entertaining way. The nature of memes make them the perfect way to inform millennials on political situations and information about the world in general. I will admit that memes certainly aren’t the most prestigious way to spread awareness, but hey, they get the job done.

 

 

FaceTime Friendship

My best friend went to college 748 miles away. This girl became my best friend half way through senior year, but our friendship most of the time seemed as though it had been around for ages. So many times we would show up at each other’s houses, unannounced, to share our heartbreaks, or tragedies, or successes, and milestones. We were as close as sisters. Many people, more often than not older generations, will say that technology is breaking down relationships. I, however, think the opposite.

My best friend who lives 748 miles away is still able to contact me when she needs me, whether it’s through text, call, or FaceTime. We share photos of the friends we have made at our separate colleges, I have even met her roommate over FaceTime. Technology has made sure that there isn’t a lag in our friendship. Most importantly, to me however, is that I can keep in touch with my little sister. My little sister has just started her Freshman year of high school, a milestone filled with good and bad experiences that she can still talk to her older sister about because of technology. Of course nothing will beat hugging and laughing with my little sister in her room or talking about life with my best friend as we get Dairy Queen late at night. Those things are irreplaceable, however the blow of being separated is softened by the ever present connection of technology.

 

You Have It or You Don’t

On the day that my mother got her very first smart phone (three years after everyone in the family had gotten IPhones) I received a panicked call from her as I was out at the mall with my friends. My mother reported that, throughout a five minute phone call, she had accidentally switched to speaker phone three times and had taken several blurry pictures of her feet throughout the call. She is a baby boomer who has begrudgingly stumbled her way into the digital age. She has been forced to keep up with her three teenage daughters and tech loving husband. Unenthusiastically, she mastered the bare minimum: Google, Microsoft Word, and Email and everything else requires a step by step walkthrough by either me, one of my sisters, or my father.

On the opposite spectrum, however, my father has never had any trouble adjusting to the technological age. Many times in my life, my father has been the one to help me with the computer, or the television, or the phone. The way that he interacts with new technology is very similar to me and my sisters, he choses his laptop or iPad over paper sources and does not have any trouble adapting to new technology. He has mastered technology, despite being 57 years old, and has been able to become  citizen of the digital age. While it is true that older generations do not generally pick up digital technology as quickly as millennials, I believe that this generational gap can be crossed by those with enough desire and interest to explore and adapt.

 

 

The Real Reality TV

We live in a world where a majority of the media that appears on television is intended for leisure. Television is, now, more than simply another tool in which to spread information. It has become one of the biggest forms of entertainment and this generation has a specific interest in “reality” television. Reality shows such as “The Bachelorette”, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”, and “Dance Moms” are popular because people love the overdramatized and wild world of people who seemingly “have it all”. These shows create an atmosphere where “reality” is expected to always be entertaining, but this is not a reasonable expectation.

There are events that are broadcasted on television as a way to keep the public informed, but television shows have created a thirst for wild scenarios and dramatic situations. A prime example of this is the way that this years Presidential Debates have unfolded. Most Millennials are at the voting age now and the way to appeal to this generation is to entertain. Turning on the presidential debates this year is similar to turning on TLC or MTV, the broadcasts are filled with name calling and yelling. Though much of this can be attributed to the characteristics of the candidates themselves, it is the love of entertainment and drama in this generation that has allowed people such as Donald Trump (and many other politicians who use outrage to get ahead)  to grab hold of the nation’s attention and win over the affection of so many people.