Feminism
Black Liberation is Feminism: Police Brutality and the Erasure of Black and Trans Women
“Feminist efforts to politicize experiences of women and antiracist efforts to politicize experiences of people of color have frequently proceeded as though the issues and experiences they each detail occur on mutually exclusive terrains….The failure of feminism to...
Why Are We So Shocked That Women We Know Were Abused?
As I become more open about my own experiences with gender oppression, I am repeatedly struck by two vastly different reactions to my presented facts and anecdotes. Men often recoil or become defensive. Some of these issues are ugly and raw and difficult to stomach,...
This Is Why Even Nice Guys Don’t Understand Consent
By the time I realized what was going on, she already had one hand wrapped up in his hair and the other to his throat. She was winning, but he kept coming for her with punches and wrist grabs, despite her repeated cries to “stop attacking me!” I hustled to her side of...
9 Simple Ways To Focus Your Feminism After International Women’s Day
International Women's Day is a great initiative that brings awareness to women's issues. This year, the organizers of the Women's March held an international Day Without A Woman strike. While we can hope that the momentum behind the Women's March and Strike will keep...
Why It’s Smart For Conservatives To Support Abortion
Amidst all the furor about planned parenthood and abortion rights, the NY Times published a thinkpiece by Ross Douthat called “There Is No Pro Life Case For Planned Parenthood.” Tucked between hyperbole and melodrama, the thesis was this: liberals who are squeamish...
Cope2 And The Truth About Being A Female Journalist
Being a female journalist is a double-edged sword. While I am somewhat more likely to be allowed access to sensitive or intimate spaces or events, I am also less likely to be taken seriously as a human/professional. I am more likely to find myself in dangerous or...
The NRA, Guns, and Girl Power
Nashville, TN—The NRA is in town, and the convention center is covered in pink. A “Shoot Like A Girl” tent is set up outside, and booths like “Concealed Carrie” are selling purses designed to carry handguns. Slogans like “look cute while you shoot” and “silly boys,...
Sex, Consent And Quality: How Women Can Do Better
Rebecca Traister wrote an article for the most recent issue of NY Magazine called “The Game Is Rigged,” or “Why sex that’s consensual can still be bad.” Traister argues that “consent” has been over-billed as the magic, empowering, feminist bar for sex, all while...
The Great Conspiracy of Women’s Clothing
Shopping for women’s clothing is one of the most baffling, frustrating, mind-blowingly difficult activities I can think of. “WHAT EVEN IS THIS?!” you wail at the Gap, holding a strip of fabric upside down, sideways, and draped like a sash over your shoulders,...
Six Of The Most Ridiculous Planned Parenthood Myths, Debunked
I wrote recently about all the reasons that conservatives should support abortions; they all mostly fall into the financial category of “you and the rest of the country will all save money.” But now, republicans are seeking to strip funding from Planned Parenthood in...
Addyi: Is The New “Female Viagra” A Feminist Breakthrough?
The FDA has finally approved a drug to improve women’s libidos. It’s called Addyi (pronounced ADDY-EE) and it was finally allowed into the pharmaceutical market after great debate, after approval being withheld twice in a row in 2011 and 2013 for limited results and...
“Bitch Better Have My Money”: Female Misogyny in Music
Most of the time I applaud Rihanna for what I see as her unapologetic feminism. She owns her body and her sexuality so openly and overtly that it’s almost aggressive. Female celebrities tend to be demonized for in-your-face eroticism, but male celebrities are given...
Race
Black Liberation is Feminism: Police Brutality and the Erasure of Black and Trans Women
“Feminist efforts to politicize experiences of women and antiracist efforts to politicize experiences of people of color have frequently proceeded as though the issues and experiences they each detail occur on mutually exclusive terrains….The failure of feminism to...
This Is What White Accountability Looks Like
The wheels of oppression keep on turning even when we don’t acknowledge that we are in the car. White supremacists marching and murdering people in the street are white people’s problem, and it’s time to start acting like it. Or are we still pretending that we’re...
9 Simple Ways To Focus Your Feminism After International Women’s Day
International Women's Day is a great initiative that brings awareness to women's issues. This year, the organizers of the Women's March held an international Day Without A Woman strike. While we can hope that the momentum behind the Women's March and Strike will keep...
Urban Contemporary: A Racial Breakthrough, or Racism at the Grammys?
Make The Grammys Great Again We all got some serious deja vu when Adele was graced with the Album of the Year Grammy award and melted into a tearful speech about why Beyoncé should have won instead. “Beyoncé should have won.” How many times have we heard this now?...
Why It’s Easier To Be A White Addict
The New York Times published an article by Katharine Q. Seelye today titled “As Heroin Use by Whites Soars, Parents Urge Gentler Drug War.” Much of the meat is in the title: white people are suddenly doing a ton of heroin, and so drug abuse should be decriminalized....
LBGTQAI+
Black Liberation is Feminism: Police Brutality and the Erasure of Black and Trans Women
“Feminist efforts to politicize experiences of women and antiracist efforts to politicize experiences of people of color have frequently proceeded as though the issues and experiences they each detail occur on mutually exclusive terrains….The failure of feminism to...
9 Simple Ways To Focus Your Feminism After International Women’s Day
International Women's Day is a great initiative that brings awareness to women's issues. This year, the organizers of the Women's March held an international Day Without A Woman strike. While we can hope that the momentum behind the Women's March and Strike will keep...
Love Wins, But Marriage Equality Is Just Practical
On Friday June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled 5-4 to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. The victory is a historical milestone that will rapidly enter into the Civil Rights Section of American history textbooks. The fight itself has lasted...
Is Truvada A Breakthrough In The Fight Against AIDS?
The newest tool in the battle against HIV/AIDS has just entered the global playing field. Truvada is the first FDA-approved HIV prevention drug. It has been used in conjunction with other medications to treat diagnosed HIV for years, but was approved as a preventative...
Politics
Black Liberation is Feminism: Police Brutality and the Erasure of Black and Trans Women
“Feminist efforts to politicize experiences of women and antiracist efforts to politicize experiences of people of color have frequently proceeded as though the issues and experiences they each detail occur on mutually exclusive terrains….The failure of feminism to...
Chiang Mai Climate Strike: AUA Students in Global Solidarity
Chiang Mai, Thailand On Friday, September 20th, dozens of students from the AUA Access Microscholarship Program organized a climate strike in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in solidarity with millions of climate protestors around the world. They were joined by individuals and...
That Anonymous Op-Ed Is Dangerous. Here’s Why.
The only thing more frightening than the New York Times' anonymous op-ed itself is the fact that it is apparently meant to be reassuring. The letter, written by a “senior official in the Trump administration,” assures readers that there are “adults in the room” who...
Your Right to Free Speech Doesn’t Mean what You Think
The anecdotal evidence of my own Facebook feed tells me that a lot of people don’t know what “free speech” actually means. "PC culture" isn't trampling on your right to free speech. Milo Yiannopoulos's rights to free speech aren't being violated if UC Berkeley or UC...
This Is How To Judge A Successful Protest
When things look bleakest, it is important to remember the victories. It can be discouraging to look back at the major protest movements of the past few years. Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, Fight For 15, Standing Rock, and now the Women’s March took over...
Why It’s Smart For Conservatives To Support Abortion
Amidst all the furor about planned parenthood and abortion rights, the NY Times published a thinkpiece by Ross Douthat called “There Is No Pro Life Case For Planned Parenthood.” Tucked between hyperbole and melodrama, the thesis was this: liberals who are squeamish...
The NRA, Guns, and Girl Power
Nashville, TN—The NRA is in town, and the convention center is covered in pink. A “Shoot Like A Girl” tent is set up outside, and booths like “Concealed Carrie” are selling purses designed to carry handguns. Slogans like “look cute while you shoot” and “silly boys,...
Why is the Media Running Trump’s Campaign For Free?
There are seventeen republican candidates and five democrats in the presidential campaign, and the wealthiest one of all is getting the most help running his campaign—without paying a dime for it. This is the first and last article I will write about Donald Trump. He...
idNYC Is The Promise of Protection for Undocumented People
The release of a New York City ID card (idNYC) is being attacked for the new opportunities it will provide undocumented immigrants such as opening a bank account or visiting a hospital. Critics feel that these benefits should be the earned privileges of taxpaying...
What You Need To Know About NYCHA Selling Half
NYCHA, the New York City agency responsible for public housing, is selling 50% of its stake in nearly 900 apartments to two enormous private developers, L+M Development Partners and BFC Partners. These two firms are expected to pay NYCHA $150 million up front and...
Why Do You Care About Cecil The Lion?
Imagine if the Black Lives Matter movement started not with ordinary citizens like Michael Brown—like the many millions of other black citzens who bear the everyday burden of police brutality—but with a well-loved celebrity teenager. Imagine further that people raised...
Environment
Boswyck Farms Teaches STEM With Hydroponics
Boswyck Farms is a small Queens-based hydroponics design firm that provides STEM education through hydroponics technology–two fundamental skill sets that the world needs now more than ever before. Newer generations need to learn how to grow food sustainably, and they...
Is It A Good Idea To Eradicate Mosquitoes?
Oxitec, a British company, is awaiting FDA approval to release a population of genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys, and residents are not pleased. A change.org petition has garnered over 137,000 signatures. Oxitec insists that they have tested the...
Tiny House, Big Heart: The Latest In Sustainable Living
Though the media may have washed its hands of Occupy Wall Street, the movement lives on through Occupy Madison and the Tiny House Movement. Four years ago a loose collection of activists founded the Occupy Wall Street movement, and similar protests appeared around the...
The California Drought and Its Water Criminals
For years now, California has been on the forefront of the environmental movement. The Golden State has become the green state, implementing progressive social policies, climate-conscious building technologies, leading the country in clean energy and clean...
Art & Culture
Your Right to Free Speech Doesn’t Mean what You Think
The anecdotal evidence of my own Facebook feed tells me that a lot of people don’t know what “free speech” actually means. "PC culture" isn't trampling on your right to free speech. Milo Yiannopoulos's rights to free speech aren't being violated if UC Berkeley or UC...
Urban Contemporary: A Racial Breakthrough, or Racism at the Grammys?
Make The Grammys Great Again We all got some serious deja vu when Adele was graced with the Album of the Year Grammy award and melted into a tearful speech about why Beyoncé should have won instead. “Beyoncé should have won.” How many times have we heard this now?...
Cope2 And The Truth About Being A Female Journalist
Being a female journalist is a double-edged sword. While I am somewhat more likely to be allowed access to sensitive or intimate spaces or events, I am also less likely to be taken seriously as a human/professional. I am more likely to find myself in dangerous or...
Mekons: This Is What Punk And Survival Look Like
The Mekons wrapped up their fifteen-day tour this weekend, starting in Chicago at The Hideout and finishing in Cambridge at Middle East. They stopped for a few days in New York City, playing a concert at the Bowery Ballroom on the 21st and recording a new album before...
Dear Nike: Hip Hop Needs Vegan Kicks
Sneakers are a staple of hip hop culture. Nike, specifically, has pretty much cornered the market on Hip Hop Fly. I am a conflicted but nevertheless willing participant in this phenomenon: I love kicks. I’m not the only one with this weakness: a quick Google search of...
This Is The Difference Between Appropriation And Admiration
Despite all the recent discourse about musical appropriation, it is still unclear to me exactly who is appropriating which music. The default answer seems to be “white people are appropriating black music” but this seems inaccurate, or at least unspecific. Hip hop has...
Is Nashville Selling Out to Save Its Music?
From the moment my plane coasted onto the Nashville tarmac, it was clear that I was in the south. The flight attendant with a fake tan and a southern accent came on the loudspeaker to wish a high school cheerleader the best of luck in her upcoming competition. “We’re...
When Black Boys Die: An Ugly, Hopeful Look At Gun Violence
William Electric Black’s >When Black Boys Die is tragic, hilarious, self-aware, involving, and idealistic. The Theater for the New City performance space is intimate, with characters sometimes towering over the audience on a raised center stage, or shouting over us...
Black Music, White Grammys: Kanye’s Point
The internet has been abuzz with Kanye West’s latest Grammys scandal, excoriating him for disrespecting Beck, a humble and genuinely talented musician. It should be said, however, that West’s antics in 2015 were far more tame than his treatment of Taylor Swift in...
Eco-Music Big Band Has Gigantic Sound, Revolutionary Energy
Those of us lucky enough to see the Eco-Music Big Band this weekend at Zinc Bar in the Village were privy to social innovations capable of big change, and musical innovations already making big sound. The Eco-Music Big Band is a 15-piece jazz band that is heavy on...
“Bitch Better Have My Money”: Female Misogyny in Music
Most of the time I applaud Rihanna for what I see as her unapologetic feminism. She owns her body and her sexuality so openly and overtly that it’s almost aggressive. Female celebrities tend to be demonized for in-your-face eroticism, but male celebrities are given...
Is The St. Patrick’s Day Slogan “Kiss Me I’m Drunk?”
I had forgotten that the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade plowed straight up 5th avenue. Increasing numbers of daydrunk teenagers and twentysomethings stumbling past me as I walked East down 50th street should have tipped me off but I had braced myself on the subway for...
Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp A Butterfly: A Review
Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly needed to happen. It might be one of the most important albums that’s dropped at least since Nas dropped Illmatic, which is not even necessarily the same as “the best album since ______,” although I think that’s true, too. Every...
Living Well
7 Better Ways To Support Someone With A Mental Illness
Chester Bennington is gone and I’ve been thinking all week about what it means for someone who kept so many people from committing suicide to have themselves committed suicide. It’s sort of unfathomable, in its way, like the way the world works is broken, like glue...
Is Soy As Sustainable As Vegetarians Want It To Be?
New vegetarians always jump straight for the soy. All those trendy-looking meat-substitute packages pop from supermarket refrigerators, perkily promising to taste, well… just like chicken. Some of them do, but a lot of them are just terrible—bland, mealy, or just...
100% Cotton Is No Longer The Best
We tend to give “100% cotton” a thumbs up when we see it on T-shirt tags. Intuitively, cotton feels better: it’s natural and socially associated with quality. Polyester, on the other hand, gets a thumbs down: it’s plastic, manufactured, uses fossil fuels, and tacky....
How To Find An NYC Apartment Without Killing People
I believe that certain people who have done special evil in this life end up in a particular compartment of Hell where they have to live in New York City and move apartments every few months. They are forced to do so on tiny, unreliable incomes with flaky, unreliable...
When Leather Is The Kinder Choice
As a vegetarian, I have always shunned leather and opted instead for cheaper pleather alternatives when shopping for shoes or jackets. I paid fractions of the price for similar-looking products and got to congratulate myself on my eco-friendly purchase. Unfortunately,...
Why Organic Food Costs More
“I’d love to eat organic, but it’s such a rip off. It’s too expensive. Who can afford that?” Anyone who has gone shopping in an American grocery store has noticed the price difference between organic and conventional products. It’s a very real price gap: USDA data for...
For Now, Citibikes Are For Rich People
I’d love to have an annual Citibike membership. At $149, they break down to just over $15 a month if you don’t ride at all from December through February, and even less if you bike year-round. I spend nearly that much every month on unlimited Metrocards (which cost...
Tiny House, Big Heart: The Latest In Sustainable Living
Though the media may have washed its hands of Occupy Wall Street, the movement lives on through Occupy Madison and the Tiny House Movement. Four years ago a loose collection of activists founded the Occupy Wall Street movement, and similar protests appeared around the...
When You Realize Uber Is Just A Convenient Scam
For many, Uber has turned out to be a disaster. It was a great idea: push a button, get a cab, and pay less through supply-and-demand pricing. Some riders love Uber and use the service frequently, but others have been injured or assaulted and left unprotected. Drivers...
Is Truvada A Breakthrough In The Fight Against AIDS?
The newest tool in the battle against HIV/AIDS has just entered the global playing field. Truvada is the first FDA-approved HIV prevention drug. It has been used in conjunction with other medications to treat diagnosed HIV for years, but was approved as a preventative...