activism
Grassroots campaigns have proven instrumental in bringing about political, social or environmental change; you've got to start somewhere-might as well start here.
All Hail Gritty, Chaos-God of America
I spoke a little bit about the American Mythos in my article about the Star-Spangled Banner and why the song sucks. Long story short, the United States functions by its own strange cultish mythology; praise be to Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty, the primordial boy band that resides inside of Mount Rushmore, and the sweet stars and stripes of the ol’ American Flag. And sometimes I think the symbol-worship goes a bit too far; for instance, some people get all worked up when a sportsperson doesn’t stand up to sing the overrated song at the piece of cloth. And sometimes, I appreciate these figures. I, for one, very much enjoyed when the Statue of Liberty came to life in Ghostbusters II and beat up the ghosts or whatever. (I haven’t seen the movie in quite some time.)
By Steven Christopher McKnight5 years ago in The Swamp
Animal Agriculture: The Number One Cause of Environmental Degradation Today
Animal agriculture is the number one leading cause of environmental degradation, and contributes to world hunger by outcompeting land that could grow crops for starving human beings. By the end of these paragraphs, I will convince you that you can directly contribute to the end of climate change. Together we can bring hope to billions of people for a healthy Earth. I will show you that the collective global community can single-handedly save the environment within a projected 20 years time through math and pragmatic thinking. First I will go through the problem. Then I will turn it around in a positive, take-action light, giving you tools to make a change.
By Kate Nitzschke5 years ago in The Swamp
Black Lives Matter
Many have heard the chants of angered frustration from the activists of Black Lives Matter. This movement garnered international recognition in the summer of 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. The social and political movement known as Black Lives Matter (BLM) advocates against all racially motivated crimes against black people. The movement began with a simple hashtag (#BlackLivesMatter) following George Zimmerman's vindication in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Since then the movement became nationally recognised for shining a spotlight on the cracks of the criminal justice system towards African Americans. Specifically, the deaths caused by police brutality.
By Keira Brown5 years ago in The Swamp
White Nationalism
Terrorism: The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. White Nationalism is a political view that the white race is superior to other races and a white national image should be upheld. White Nationalist groups include Neo Nazis, The Ku Klux Klan, anti-immigrant groups, Skinheads, and Alt-Right activists. Not all, but many of these groups and many in these groups commit what are known as hate crimes. Hate crimes are crimes motivated by racial, sexual, or other prejudice, usually involving violence. Hate speech is used by everyone in these groups to express their distaste for those who do not look like them. Even though it is not expressly stated in the name, many white nationalists also tend to be sexist and discriminatory to people in the LGBT community. White Nationalists are not frequently called, but are by definition, terrorists with the political goal of eliminating non white immigration and oppressing non whites through laws and fear. White Nationalism is possibly the greatest threat facing America today.
By Ace Magnolia5 years ago in The Swamp
Piecing Together a Broken Society
Imagine you’re sitting on your couch, binge watching Netflix, and a tornado spawns on your area rug. You’d convince yourself you were seeing things, until the turbulent winds picked you up, couch and all, and tossed you skywards. You’d probably grip the couch for dear life, do your best to dodge the flying tchotchkes, and wait out this weird, unpredictable storm.
By Jennifer Black5 years ago in The Swamp
