It's a great relief for me to be able to take some time away from schoolwork. I know that my brain is thankful to have a month to recuperate from the abuse that it was subjected to, which I'm sure many other college students experience during finals week.
This being said, the absolute LAST thing on my mind was the holiday season. Honestly, my sense of time has been very badly distorted (thanks, college), so it is always a bit of a shock for me when I look at a calender and see that we are so close to entering 2015.
On top of this, I am barely ever to remember that it's Christmastime.
I mean, yes, I know that Christmas is December 25th...but it just doesn't "feel" like Christmas.
Do you remember being young, and being consumed with the holiday spirit? I do. I remember that right when December 1st came around, I would pull out the ornaments box (even though we never bought a tree until a few days before Christmas) and turn on the little device we had that played Christmas tunes. I remember writing my 'Wish List' over and over, and counting down the days until Christmas. I remember shopping for presents with my mother, and having suspense build up inside of me as more and more gifts appeared under the tree. I especially remember waking up nice and early on Christmas morning, and opening gifts while being recorded on video, and laughing and playing with my siblings.
...Oh, how things change as you get older.
Now, at this time of the year, I feel nothing. There is no anticipation surrounding the season. The Christmas tree (no longer a real one that we haul into the house--but a fake one) in my house stays up year-round, mainly because my parents don't care to disassemble it, nor do they have the time. I don't have any desire to give or receive presents. And Christmas morning? I spend it planning for what's to come, as far as work and school are concerned.
I noticed this change within myself quite some time ago. It started when there was no longer time to go out and buy presents for people, because we were always busy running the Subways. In addition to that, time and other factors had caused us to drift away from our family-friends, so there wasn't really anyone to buy presents for anymore. Soon, Christmastime simply meant that we needed to stock up on more food and supplies in the stores, since others would be out shopping, and thus stopping by to get food.
And as I began to get more mature, I didn't feel the need to have a 'Wish List'. Since probably the 9th grade, I have declined my parents gifting gestures. When asked 'What do you want for Christmas?' the seasoned answer became 'Nothing.' And not because I was just a perfect child who was too selfless for her own good; I just sincerely didn't want anything. Even a few weeks ago, when my mother asked me what I wanted for Christmas, my response was, "Don't get me anything; just when I ask for something throughout the year, give me the money so I can get it." (And as selfish as that may sound, I assure you that I really don't ask for much throughout the year to begin with.)
My lack of holiday spirit probably also has something to do with my recent distaste for the way holidays are presented and celebrated. I feel that our society has lost the true meaning of different holidays in the frenzy of shopping deals and fictional characters. I mean, Christmas isn't about giving and receiving gifts, or waiting for Santa Claus to drop down the chimney; it's the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ.
I feel the same way about Thanksgiving. I didn't go home for this holiday, nor did I attend any great big dinner. I just don't see the need to wait for one specific day to be thankful for anything and everything. (Plus, I think we could all agree that skipping out on all of those calories wouldn't be a bad idea, either.)
And don't even let me get started on Easter.
And I guess it could be argued that the holiday season is meant to bring families and different groups of people together. But if you are doing this through the showing of the movie 'Elf' or gift-wrapping, instead of discussing what the religious importance of December 25th really is, I'm sorry, but I think that's wrong.
So how will I be spending my Christmas morning, you may ask? Probably sleeping in, since Subway will be closed. Sending a few prayers in the direction of the Birthday Boy, and his Creator. Awkwardly mingling with my siblings ('awkwardly' because we all haven't lived in the same house together since I was about nine years old). Submitting resumes to different businesses and hospitals in a desperate attempt to score a summer internship. Mourning over my fallen GPA. Continue working on the book that I was supposed to publish two years ago. And maybe I'll tune in for a few Christmas cartoons, for old times sake.
Happy Holidays, and stay safe!
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
The Bigger Context of the Criticism of the First Daughters
Sorry to break it off like this; the first post just got so long!
Also, what I'm going to address here doesn't solely talk about the First Daughters' situation.
I think what my biggest issue with Lauten's comments is that it perpetuates what I am going to call the "war on women".
The other day, one girl pulled up for me a petition created by the public for Beyonce and Jay-Z to "Comb her hair", referring to their two-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy.
And I was just like, "...what?"
I recall reading somewhere else (I regret that I cannot site this to give the person credit; I just read it in passing) that it's exactly these kinds of things that cause black girls see themselves in such negative ways.
I absolutely agree. And I feel like this situation with the First Daughters is another example of this.
I mean, these are children we are attacking. And for what?
I can kind of understand the perspective fans have about Blue Ivy: "All that money they have and they can't even comb her hair?"
But honestly, at the end of the day, what do we have to do with that? Why do the lives of these superstars concern us that much? Shouldn't we be focusing on more pressing matters, like our own lives, or global climate change...?
But this "war" extends beyond black girls. There is a whole industry that thrives off of belittling women for what they wear or how they look. Take a look at the show that the late Joan Rivers used to run, called "Fashion Police". It revolved around criticizing the way women look. And yes, they do talk about males as well, but let's just be sincere and accept the fact that women are held under more scrutiny in this area than men are.
And it's these kinds of things that create these boxes that women start believing they have to fit in. Because everything that is advertised to be beautiful is 5'10, size 2 and seemingly flawless.
This is the "war on women" that I mentioned above. Of course, we could also talk about how women are still paid less than men. But what I'm referring to here is the war on female self-esteem. The public perpetuates criticism of women based on looks, rather than more important things, like personality, values and skill level.
And now, in 2014, we are seeing this war being taken to a new level, as the public begins to attack children.
If you ask me, things need to change. Stop telling women how to dress, how to eat, and how to live. Stop telling people to style their daughter's hair in a particular way. And STOP ATTACKING CHILDREN.
Thanks for reading, and make sure to comment!
Also, what I'm going to address here doesn't solely talk about the First Daughters' situation.
I think what my biggest issue with Lauten's comments is that it perpetuates what I am going to call the "war on women".
The other day, one girl pulled up for me a petition created by the public for Beyonce and Jay-Z to "Comb her hair", referring to their two-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy.
And I was just like, "...what?"
I recall reading somewhere else (I regret that I cannot site this to give the person credit; I just read it in passing) that it's exactly these kinds of things that cause black girls see themselves in such negative ways.
I absolutely agree. And I feel like this situation with the First Daughters is another example of this.
I mean, these are children we are attacking. And for what?
I can kind of understand the perspective fans have about Blue Ivy: "All that money they have and they can't even comb her hair?"
But honestly, at the end of the day, what do we have to do with that? Why do the lives of these superstars concern us that much? Shouldn't we be focusing on more pressing matters, like our own lives, or global climate change...?
But this "war" extends beyond black girls. There is a whole industry that thrives off of belittling women for what they wear or how they look. Take a look at the show that the late Joan Rivers used to run, called "Fashion Police". It revolved around criticizing the way women look. And yes, they do talk about males as well, but let's just be sincere and accept the fact that women are held under more scrutiny in this area than men are.
And it's these kinds of things that create these boxes that women start believing they have to fit in. Because everything that is advertised to be beautiful is 5'10, size 2 and seemingly flawless.
This is the "war on women" that I mentioned above. Of course, we could also talk about how women are still paid less than men. But what I'm referring to here is the war on female self-esteem. The public perpetuates criticism of women based on looks, rather than more important things, like personality, values and skill level.
And now, in 2014, we are seeing this war being taken to a new level, as the public begins to attack children.
If you ask me, things need to change. Stop telling women how to dress, how to eat, and how to live. Stop telling people to style their daughter's hair in a particular way. And STOP ATTACKING CHILDREN.
Thanks for reading, and make sure to comment!
First Daughters Face Thanksgiving Criticism
Hopefully everyone has had a good week. Here in America, we celebrated Thanksgiving last week. Usually the modern tradition of this holiday is to eat everything in sight, and to sacrifice a turkey in the process. This year, however, I did not take part in any events of the kind. Ironically, though, if you ask me, that's exactly what I'm thankful for; I have enough thigh to last me at least one Thanksgiving without taking one from a poor unsuspecting turkey.
Instead, I have been devouring a story that sprung up from the White House last week. Ironically, it goes hand-in-hand with the festivities; President Barack Obama, alongside with his two daughters, continued a White House tradition of "pardoning" two turkeys, sparing them from "a terrible and delicious fate", in the words of the President.
You know, I kind of see it as a gag by the White House for them to be like "See? We're not that different from the rest of America. We can be funny and animal-friendly." And since it has been going on for over two decades now, it's not that big of a deal, and doesn't really call for much response from the public anymore.
However, this year was a bit different. A woman named Elizabeth Lauten, who happened to be the communications director for Rep. Stephen Lee Fincher, took to Facebook to give her personal opinion on the appearance and conduct of the two First Daughters during this ceremony. If you'd like to read exactly what she posted, you can find it here.
End of the story? She resigned on Monday.
I first want to say that I find it laughable at what seemed to me as her attempt to salvage her job. In the same link, you can find her apology statement, which she also posted on Facebook. She is so sure to mention her "many hours of prayer". Despite that having slight political relevance (because I think we can all understand that letting America know you're religious can have some positive impact on public perception), let's be sincere here and ask: what do you really think she was praying for? (I'll tell you what I think: it was to keep her J-O-B!)
Let's now go on to talk about what she said. She obviously does not take much of a liking towards the President nor his family (which isn't too surprising, since she is the staffer for a Republican congressman). But what she says goes beyond politics; she belittles their parenting. Which is one thing I don't approve of. It is one thing to disagree with one's views, but at the end of the day, both individuals go their separate ways. They don't know about each others personal life, therefore there is ABSOLUTELY NO right for either of them to criticize the way the other lives, talk less raise their families.
She also talks about "respect". Which is pretty ironic to me, because based on her comments, she has absolutely no respect for the First Family. On top of that, for her to go and post such a thing on a social media networking site tells me that she didn't have much respect for her job, either.
And the best statement: "Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar."
Does she realize how old these girls are? A spot at a bar?! They've barely reached the age where they are accepted at the grown-ups table for Thanksgiving, talk less making their way into a bar.
When you read her comment, you may think: "Damn. For her to write such statements, they must have been dressed very inappropriately." That's what I thought, at least. I figured the case was either that they were wearing plain blue jeans (and maybe not even nice ones), or just clothing that is considered inappropriate for public consumption.
But if you go watch the video (here is that link again), or even just skip forward to a part of the video where you could see their outfits, you would find nothing of the sort. Malia is wearing a sweater, a CUTE plaid skirt, and tights; Sasha is wearing a semi-formal dress and a cardigan. They aren't dressed like cats in an alley. I personally really liked Malia's look; it's the type of outfit that is not too dressy, but takes a few steps away from everyday casual-wear.
I think I can personally identify with the girls' mindset towards the event. I know that in my mother's business, she would have meetings once every few months. And when I was younger (starting around eight years old), I was always so eager and excited for it; I would dress up and everything, even though we were simply meeting at a food restaurant. But then time went on, and as years passed, it got repetitive, and held less meaning for me. Now, marking over ten years of having these routine meetings, I simply show up in whatever I felt like putting on that morning, stay in the background, and entertainment myself with my cellular device.
And it's the same case for these girls. They are 16 and 13 years old. They have to stand and watch their dad make corny jokes, which they have heard for years now. And on top of that: NO PHONES. Kudos to you two.
All in all, Lauten had it coming for her the moment she decided to hit that 'Post' button. I think this is a great example of the age-old saying, with a modern twist: Think before you post!
Don't worry! I'm not done! Check out the continuation of this now, here.
Instead, I have been devouring a story that sprung up from the White House last week. Ironically, it goes hand-in-hand with the festivities; President Barack Obama, alongside with his two daughters, continued a White House tradition of "pardoning" two turkeys, sparing them from "a terrible and delicious fate", in the words of the President.
You know, I kind of see it as a gag by the White House for them to be like "See? We're not that different from the rest of America. We can be funny and animal-friendly." And since it has been going on for over two decades now, it's not that big of a deal, and doesn't really call for much response from the public anymore.
However, this year was a bit different. A woman named Elizabeth Lauten, who happened to be the communications director for Rep. Stephen Lee Fincher, took to Facebook to give her personal opinion on the appearance and conduct of the two First Daughters during this ceremony. If you'd like to read exactly what she posted, you can find it here.
End of the story? She resigned on Monday.
I first want to say that I find it laughable at what seemed to me as her attempt to salvage her job. In the same link, you can find her apology statement, which she also posted on Facebook. She is so sure to mention her "many hours of prayer". Despite that having slight political relevance (because I think we can all understand that letting America know you're religious can have some positive impact on public perception), let's be sincere here and ask: what do you really think she was praying for? (I'll tell you what I think: it was to keep her J-O-B!)
Let's now go on to talk about what she said. She obviously does not take much of a liking towards the President nor his family (which isn't too surprising, since she is the staffer for a Republican congressman). But what she says goes beyond politics; she belittles their parenting. Which is one thing I don't approve of. It is one thing to disagree with one's views, but at the end of the day, both individuals go their separate ways. They don't know about each others personal life, therefore there is ABSOLUTELY NO right for either of them to criticize the way the other lives, talk less raise their families.
She also talks about "respect". Which is pretty ironic to me, because based on her comments, she has absolutely no respect for the First Family. On top of that, for her to go and post such a thing on a social media networking site tells me that she didn't have much respect for her job, either.
And the best statement: "Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar."
Does she realize how old these girls are? A spot at a bar?! They've barely reached the age where they are accepted at the grown-ups table for Thanksgiving, talk less making their way into a bar.
When you read her comment, you may think: "Damn. For her to write such statements, they must have been dressed very inappropriately." That's what I thought, at least. I figured the case was either that they were wearing plain blue jeans (and maybe not even nice ones), or just clothing that is considered inappropriate for public consumption.
But if you go watch the video (here is that link again), or even just skip forward to a part of the video where you could see their outfits, you would find nothing of the sort. Malia is wearing a sweater, a CUTE plaid skirt, and tights; Sasha is wearing a semi-formal dress and a cardigan. They aren't dressed like cats in an alley. I personally really liked Malia's look; it's the type of outfit that is not too dressy, but takes a few steps away from everyday casual-wear.
I think I can personally identify with the girls' mindset towards the event. I know that in my mother's business, she would have meetings once every few months. And when I was younger (starting around eight years old), I was always so eager and excited for it; I would dress up and everything, even though we were simply meeting at a food restaurant. But then time went on, and as years passed, it got repetitive, and held less meaning for me. Now, marking over ten years of having these routine meetings, I simply show up in whatever I felt like putting on that morning, stay in the background, and entertainment myself with my cellular device.
And it's the same case for these girls. They are 16 and 13 years old. They have to stand and watch their dad make corny jokes, which they have heard for years now. And on top of that: NO PHONES. Kudos to you two.
All in all, Lauten had it coming for her the moment she decided to hit that 'Post' button. I think this is a great example of the age-old saying, with a modern twist: Think before you post!
Don't worry! I'm not done! Check out the continuation of this now, here.
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