We Need to Practice What We Preach to Avoid “Slacktivist” Conversations
“But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”- Matthew 23:3b Although written for an ancient audience, the biblical idiom “practice what you preach” still applies today. The phrase directs its listeners to avoid hypocrisy, a phenomenon all too prevalent in discussions of the unique issues faced by minority […]
Do Revenge and the Commodification of Wokeness
On September 16th, Netflix released Do Revenge, its latest romantic comedy marketed towards teens across the country. However, what seems like another painfully transparent remake of classics like Clueless and Mean Girls is actually a satirical commentary on the way we glamorize performative activism and artificial allyship. The story follows two teenage girls: Drea, the […]
The Complexities of Queer, Caribbean Identities, and the Dangers of West-Centric LGBTQ+ Advocacy
Introduction As of 2020, nine Caribbean countries criminalize same-sex relations. Beyond legal discrimination, queer Caribbean people face increased threats of violence, abuse, and oppression. In 2006, Time magazine went as far as insinuating that the Caribbean region is “the most homophobic place on Earth.” But despite this environment, queer Caribbean communities have continued to resist […]
Youth Activism in the Age of Social Media
Social media is revolutionizing how youth-led activism gains momentum. Young adults, once in the shadow of their parents, possess a powerful voice, constantly active through mobile technology. The power of that voice was evident around the world, when four million young people—many under the age of twenty-five—protested across 150 countries in September to demand urgent […]
All About Incivility: An Interview with Candice Delmas
Candice Delmas is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Political Science at Northeastern University, and the Associate Director of the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Program. She will be a 2019-2020 Humanities Center Fellow and served as a Dworkin-Balzan Fellow at New York University School of Law in 2016-2017. She works in applied ethics, social and […]
The Comforting Limits of Pessimism
A turning point in my emotional development occurred during the historically destructive winter of 2015, the one that buried Boston under 108 inches of snow. Those months laid bare a pessimism I had harbored for most of my adolescent life. Until that point, the pessimism existed as a quiet dread in the pit of my […]
Protest and Productivity
From the inception of our country, protest, defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary as “a solemn declaration of opinion and usually of dissent,” has played a role in how citizens can voice concerns and draw a government’s attention to particular issues. In times of discontent, people have turned to protests to voice their opposition toward […]
The Case for Conditional Optimism
I missed only one day of class during my entire first semester of college: November 9th, the day after the presidential election. I could not imagine functioning on a campus that seemed to be in mourning, let alone in a small, intimate classroom. In the months following, I’ve frequently felt restricted by anger, fear, despair, […]
Traitor: A Study in Pakistan’s Cognitive Dissonance
Renowned filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy added another Oscar to her CV on February 28th for her documentary A Girl in the River, which highlights the issue of rampant honor killings in Pakistan. Many Pakistanis, including myself, see this as an important step towards breaking down the taboos surrounding violence against women. According to multiple sources, including […]
App-tivism For Syria
We are in the depths of one of history’s largest human rights crises. Syria is hemorrhaging refugees, and its citizens inside and out are being deprived of basic living, educational, and health resources. Humanitarian assistance organizations are overloaded with need, and strong Western governments need to step up to bridge the gap. Instead of focusing […]