Musings

Over the years, I've noticed a strange trend in how we describe and talk about unpleasant things. Every couple of years or so, a new term replaces an old term that has now become "problematic." Even if these words are very literal descriptions of a phenomenon (like mental retardation, for example). It seems two things happen in tandem (but not always necessarily) to force a change in how a word is understood by broader society.  The first thing is shortening, which is a normal thing that happens in slang and the transformation of words. So, mental retardation, or someone being mentally retarded, changes from a two-word phrase to a single-word "retardation" or "retarded." And the second thing is that the word begins to be used pejoratively instead of descriptively.  For the record, I'm talking strictly about the use and enforcement of different terms in the colloquial language that is spoken by the layman. I'm sure there could be some relevant c...

Obviously, this is not a review, but this is a non-exhaustive list of some of the anime and manga that have legitimately changed my life. I'll keep adding to this, so keep checking back if you're interested. In addition to the list, I'll also try to add some of my favorite characters from each series as well. I haven't read or watched a crazy amount, but I'll try to keep updating it as my tastes and knowledge grow. This list is in alphabetical order, by the way. If I don't have any characters under an anime/manga, then it's been too long for me to remember exactly who my favorites are or I'm getting to it, you'll just have to guess lol. Attack on Titan Favorite character(s):  Levi* (not unique, I know, but he's just so cool) Erwin Eren Mikasa Beastars Favorite character(s): Legosi's grandpa* Bleach Favorite character(s): Shunsui Kyoraku* Byakuya  Shinji  Yamamoto (even though he got done so dirty by Kubo) Aizen Chainsaw Man Code Geass Death N...

For those unfamiliar, Red Pill is a philosophy developed from the movie The Matrix , where the main character, Neo is offered two pills by Morpheus, one blue and one red. The blue pill offers contentment and relaxation and exclusion from what is actually going on in the system that operates behind the illusion of order. The red pill offers freedom and the truth of reality. It shows you what's really going on, how dirty and dark the matrix really is. If you want a good idea of the idea that the red pill philosophy appeals to, watch this clip . Introduction The red pill is a movement that has grown significantly in the last couple of years. It consists of men, mostly, who have broken out of the "matrix" and have come to understand the reality of the world. Taking the red pill means seeing through the manipulations and deceptions of society. While vague and slightly confusing, if simply understanding the world for what it truly is was the only consequence of taking the ...

For me, the phrase, "just do it" is almost synonymous with Nike. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but I must admit that it has made me completely numb to the phrase over the past five years. So numb that even when I hear the phrase in its appropriate context, removed from anything Nike-related, I just think of Nike and it has little to no effect on me. While this may seem like a super random introduction, pretty removed from the title of this post, it isn't. Doing is hard. Doing is so difficult that oftentimes people hold themselves back from achieving the things they want to accomplish simply because they don't do .  Honestly, I can relate to this more than I'd like to admit. Most of the time when we have something that we want to do, what keeps us from starting it is our belief about what might happen if we were to do it. The potential consequences. These consequences might include judgment, wasting money and time, and just being bad at the thing...

Introduction: The rise of Andrew Tate and his swift acceptance by the Muslim community made two disturbing realities shockingly clear to me. One, much of the world, but specifically the Muslim community (Sunnis and Shias) hold shockingly anti-women views and are relatively uneducated about what the religion actually says in regard to women (more on this later). And two, and the topic of this particular post, how I’ve seemed to notice a strange trend of Islamic commodification. Before I continue, like any essayist worth their salt, first, I must define terms. On Commodification: What I mean by commodification is the act of transforming something, be it a value, idea, person, or service into an object of trade and exchange. Commodification is a phenomenon that many are familiar with. It happens with athletes and models, and probably, at least to some extent, is unavoidable with most things in market society as we know it today. In the age of social media, knowledge is becoming more and m...

It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his twoness, -- an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder. - W. E. B. Du Bois When I was younger, I was always fairly disconnected from the idea of Black history month. I did projects about various abolitionists, activists, and freedom fighters. I wrote essays and gave presentations about pioneers of the civil rights movement, but I never felt really connected to the celebration or commemoration of this specific month like I knew I was “supposed to.” I’m not gonna lie, I thought something was wrong with me, “am I not Black enough?” “what’s the big deal anyway?” It felt as if two sides of myself were at war with each other....