pop culture
The headline rundown: Modern popular culture topics in the realm of politics, legislation and activism.
#CNNblackmail: The New Meme War (Trump Tweet)
#CNNblackmail is currently trending, and in this article, we will break down how it all started, the response and the beginning of a new meme war. Whatever your political allegiance this story touches on an issue that goes beyond partisan politics and enters into the realm of the foundational aspects of our privacy, freedoms, and society.
By Fred Akali9 years ago in The Swamp
Aslan's Deception
Clearly, as Reza Aslan so eloquently demonstrated, obscurantism is the new black. With an all but creepy smile, Aslan has been lionized, sniffing things like Islam does not need a reformation. Really? Then how does he answer to the experiences of Ayaan Hirsi Ali in Somalia, who against her own will, suffered female genital mutilation? Painfully, Hirsi Ali recounts the details of this event for all to witness:
By Roger Smith9 years ago in The Swamp
Yes, This Is Tone Policing
The logic goes something like this: critiquing the tone of someone’s argument is a tool of oppression. Accusations of “Tone Policing” are designed to limit the scope of a political debate to the content of one’s rhetoric, not its mode of delivery.
By Dan Johnson9 years ago in The Swamp
MSNBC Leans to the Right, a Little
What do Bret Stephens and Greta Van Susteren have in common? (a) Both are conservative journalists recently in the pay and orbit of conservative media; (b) both have history with MSNBC. There the similarities end, since one's just started at MSNBC, while the other just left. This latest TV minute, the square dance of talking heads has got people’s attention and sent fearful progressives rushing to social media to express their concerns.
By Michael Eric Ross9 years ago in The Swamp
Dear Donald... If You're Going to Start a War, Let's Stay Off of Twitter
Dear Trump, I am not sure what you think being the president is, but it is not a game so it should not be treated as one. If you are going to treat it as one, then I will not refer to you as Mr. President, or any name for that matter. Your role as president is not the same as your role in The Apprentice, where you can just do and say whatever you feel. This is real life, and there are real consequences to every single thing that you say, and in your case everything that you tweet. With foreign countries respect of the United States lowering daily, the possibilities of war are rising. Whether it is the fact that these countries do not like Trump, or that he offends their countries, cultures, and religions, the name Donald Trump is not very popular in other places (hard to believe in the most sarcastic voice possible).
By Corey Gittleman9 years ago in The Swamp
American Ostrich
Americanus Ignoramus. Successor to the now extinct American Eagle. Symbolic emblem for a nation of 350 million people unwilling to face increasingly unpleasant realities. Icon of a country spoiled by prosperity to a point that they are no longer willing to administer their own affairs with any semblance of maturity.
By Dan Johnson9 years ago in The Swamp
Dear Donald... Sorry, Not Sorry
Why apologize? Why should actors and other creatives keep apologizing to you for expressing their feelings? You have never apologized. In some ways that wouldn't be such a big deal, or at least not unprecedented. I was always bothered when Obama declined to apologize for certain things he did and said. Stupid. But not unprecedented. The real problem, though, is that you don't actually believe that you have ever made a mistake that warrants an apology. The difference between you and Obama is that he did not do something daily that most of us feel he owed us an apology.
By Frank White9 years ago in The Swamp
The Wonder Woman of Tel Aviv
There’s a billboard on the Tel Aviv highway that proclaims “We Love You” under a picture of Wonder Woman. More accurately, under a picture of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. In Israel, she’s kind of a big deal. And if you’re wondering why all you have to do is watch her late night interviews. She mentions her home country in all of them. Jimmy Fallon? Check. Kimmel? Check. Even Conan. And Conan didn’t even interview her. During a segment where she takes him through her workout regimen, he mentions that she was trained in the Israeli army (she served for two years). Now imagine you live in a country like Israel, where United States exposure to your culture is limited. And if somehow you do manage to break into the cultural sphere, odds are the focus isn’t really on where you’re from. It might be mentioned in an offhand question - “You’re from so-and-so, what do you think of America?” - but the bulk of the questions will be fun personal anecdotes about your breakfast, your kids, or that time you met that other famous person and you were just so star struck. But there’s Gal. On American TV. Talking about Israel.
By Zane DeYoung9 years ago in The Swamp
The Pulled Show
The Carmichael Show was a surprise hit for NBC when they debuted it 2 summers ago. It won over critics by tackling controversial, and timely topics while still managing to be funny. It's a rare feat in these days of family sitcoms and super sexy single people comedies. Every summer, fans eagerly anticipate what writers, producers, and the stars of The Carmichael Show have in store for them. This week NBC was supposed to air an episode about a mass shooting, on the very same day that a mass shooting happened in our nation's capitol. The Peacock network was left with an impossible decision, to air or pull the episode? Jerrod Carmichael, the star/creator of the show thinks they should have aired it.
By Edward Anderson9 years ago in The Swamp
Is Third-Wave Feminism Ruining the World?
When I was in my twenties, I would’ve called myself a “Feminist.” However, now that I am nearing the age of thirty-one in the year 2017, I would never use the term “Feminist” when describing myself. Upon entering the world of social media and YouTube more frequently during the last few years, I have noticed that I am not the only woman who is no longer identifying as a “Feminist” to society. It made me wonder why this is. I knew why I was no longer saying I was a “Feminist” to describe my identity, but that didn’t mean I knew why the rest of the world did. So, I dove in. I began researching, watching all the videos I could and reading all the articles I could. I read articles and watched videos Feminists wrote and made. I read articles and watched videos ex-Feminists wrote and made. I realized many of the women who came out as an “Ex-Feminist” felt the exact same way I did about Feminism and its views.
By Beth Gibbons9 years ago in The Swamp
What Traits Do Sith Lords and Donald Trump Have in Common?
Star Wars has a universe that really seems to be able to split people into two parties—the Jedi and the Sith. If you're a Star Wars fan, then you've already had moments where you have wondered where you'd land in the Galaxy Far, Far Away.
By Riley Raul Reese9 years ago in The Swamp
The Magnificent Seven or Magnificent Minorities?
Growing up in the seventies and eighties, I remember movies always typically had a majority white cast of characters with maybe one or two minorities and typically the hero of the film. It was typical and predictable for horror films and action movies to almost always have an African American sidekick or hero make it to the end of the movie and killed off in the last 15 or 20 minutes. Gradually movies and television have gone away from that somewhat with African American, Hispanic and Asian lead characters which lead to creating fresh storytelling and new themes with not as predictable plots as in the past.
By Kevin Bailey9 years ago in The Swamp
