BINGHAMTON REVIEW Editor-in-Chief Contents
P.O. BOX 6000 BINGHAMTON, NY 13902-6000 EDITOR@BINGHAMTONREVIEW.COM
Founded 1987 • Volume XXX, Issue VII Patrick McAuliffe Jr. Managing Editor Kayla Jimenez Copy Desk Chief Elizabeth Elliot
Business Manager Jason Caci
Editor Emeritus Jordan Raitses
Associate Editors Adrienne Vertucci, Colin Gilmartin
Social Media Shitposter Aditi Roy
Staff Writers
Luke Kusick, Chris DeMarco, Jordan Jardine, Tommy Gagliano, Thomas Sheremetta, Matthew Rosen
Contributors
Alexander Lanzman, Larry Gerchikov
Special Thanks To:
Intercollegiate Studies Institute Collegiate Network Binghamton Review was printed by Gary Marsden We Provide the Truth. He Provides the Staples
THE MRC AND MICROAGGRESSIONS
PAGE 8 by Tommy Gagliano 6 Love You BU... But You Got no Spirit by Thomas Sheremetta 7 Doctor Who? Not You! by Jason Caci 10 Changes for Democrats, by Matthew Rosen Concerns for Republicans 11 Democrats Paint Conservatives With Far Too Broad of a Brush by Chris DeMarco 12 Rap Culture Rears Its Ugly Head by Marky Mark
Departments
3 Editorial 4 Campus Presswatch 5 Alumni Testimonials
Throwbacks
13 Quiet!
by Adam Shamah
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! Direct feedback to editor@binghamtonreview.com 2
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Vol. XXX, Issue VII
EDITORIAL Dear Readers,
O
From the Editor
ur second-to-last issue of the semester is finally here! Just in time for you to ignore it and go on Thanksgiving break without reading up on the hard-hitting conservative talking points you need to get through Thanksgiving dinner. Politely explain to your overtly racist great-grandfather that the races can, in fact, coexist peacefully, and nobody is better than anyone else because of their skin color. Conversely, I’m sure you’ve got that fresh-off-to-college SJW-y cousin that has suddenly adopted the Communist Manifesto as zir Bible, and over zir vegan gluten-free, cruelty-free tofu meat substitute you can find clever ways to...use logic to win her back over…? What, who needs logic? (Clearly not Binghamton, since we got Post Malone instead...heyo!) Anyways, we are chock full of excellent content in this issue that you’re bound to enjoy. I wouldn’t do the history of the Review justice if I didn’t mention how thankful we are to our alumni and past patriarchs and matriarchs of the Review. They made the paper what it is today, and it’s mind-boggling to think that a few Russian expatriates could come to America and start a publication fundamentally opposed to the politics of their home country, and have it take off like it has for thirty years! One of the Review’s founders, Alexander Lanzman, gives his testimonial to the Review from the echoes of the 21st anniversary issue, which Larry Gerchikov offers his take on what the Review has done for him. We have republished a piece by Adam Shamah, former EIC, detailing the times where the Review has almost gone under, but persevered every time. Now, back to our current writers. Our cover article features Tommy’s extensive take on a recent microaggression talk by the MRC, laying out several themes dismantling their supposed power. Tom calls out an often lackluster student body on their apathy towards #BingPride or whatever they’re trying to get trending nowadays. Jason analyzes the shocking impact that legal opioid prescriptions can have on future drug addiction. Matt overviews what went down in this last election, and what Republicans need to do moving forward. Chris, meanwhile, focuses on one particularly divisive and generally incorrect attack ad run against Ed Gillespie in Virginia. Finally, Marky Mark comments on the degeneracy of the rapper lifestyle, and warns against perpetuating “rap culture.” We have one more issue coming out this semester, just in time to take a break from all of the finals stress and curl up with a cozy copy of the Binghamton Review. We’ve been told we’re very cuddly! But in all seriousness, expect at least some dogs. Or some memes...maybe dog memes? We gotta keep you on your toes. Enjoy your Thanksgiving break, and we’ll be patiently waiting for your return!
Our Mission Binghamton Review is a non-partisan, studentrun news magazine of conservative thought at Binghamton University founded in 1987. A true liberal arts education expands a student’s horizons and opens one’s mind to a vast array of divergent perspectives. The mark of true maturity is being able to engage with those divergent perspectives rationally while maintaining one’s own convictions. In that spirit, we seek to promote the free and open exchange of ideas and offer alternative viewpoints not normally found or accepted on our predominately liberal campus. We stand against tyranny in all of its forms, both on campus and beyond. We believe in the principles set forth in this country’s Declaration of Independence and seek to preserve the fundamental tenets of Western civilization. It is our duty to expose the warped ideology of political correctness and cultural authoritarianism that dominates this university. Finally, we understand that a moral order is a necessary component of any civilized society. We strive to inform, engage with, and perhaps even amuse our readers in carrying out this mission.
Sincerely,
Patrick McAuliffe Jr.
Views expressed by writers do not necessarily represent the views of the publication as a whole. editor@binghamtonreview.com
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CPampus resswatch We know you don’t read the other campus publications, so we read them for you. Original quotes are in regular text, our responses are in bold. “Dear Jessica 11/13: crush confusion, procrastination perpetrator” Pipe Dream, 11/15/17 Welcome to Dear Jessica, where advice columnist Jessica Gutowitz offers suggestions to make your life better. Submit a question at bupipedream.com/advice and you could be featured in next week’s issue! “Toward the beginning of the semester, my friend and I started hanging out with another friend group. Within a few weeks, I started to like one of the guys in that group. In the beginning we would talk almost every day, but now we barely talk at all and there have been times he hasn’t responded to my texts. He knows I like him, but he hasn’t done anything about it and I have no clue how he feels about me. Here’s the biggest problem: He got out of a four-year relationship a few months ago, and as of one month ago, he told me that he is still working to get over it. I just want to know if we have a future or not, but I don’t want to be pushy and I don’t want to disregard his feelings and the fact that he’s getting over an ex. What should I do? Thanks, (Crush)ing Anxiety” So Pipe Dream has an advice column
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Written by our Staff
with some shitty advice, but fear not! We here at the Review are here to save the day! First of all, learn to take a hint. Chances are if he’s barely talking to you anymore, then you’re not being persistent enough! Make sure to call him every fourth hour and give him updates on your life. Next, call his ex-girlfriend and threaten to ruin her Birkenstocks if she doesn’t leave him alone. If he’s not your boyfriend yet, Beetlejuice that shit! If you say his name enough times, he’ll show up! Once you have him at your house, you have a couple of options. You could either A) sit down with him and together the two of you could write to Pipe Dream asking for some follow up advice, or B) win him over with a game of Monopoly! Everyone knows that nothing brings people together like fighting over who can get Boardwalk! If all else fails, drug him. :) The absence of a “no,” is clearly a “yes.” “Although I’m in my junior year at Binghamton University now, I still have the same horrible weekend routine from my high school procrastination days. Once I’m done with class on Friday, I completely shut down and pretend like the mountains of homework I have just don’t exist until Sunday evening. This makes my Monday mornings even worse because I’m sleep-deprived after staying up all night trying to catch up. How can I break this habit?
Thanks, Procrastinating Perpetrator” Dear Procrastinator Perpetrator, This is obviously a very rare and serious problem that needs attention right now! Whatever you do, don’t get off your ass and do your work! That would be ludicrous (the adjective, not the rapper)! Here’s your game plan: spend all of your time writing to Pipe Dream, that way everybody can see how much you are suffering and give you pity. Pity points are obviously better than GPA points. Of course I am also only referring to all the time that you aren’t watching TV. What will happen is, your homework problem will disappear. See, homework is like dinosaurs. If you sit still and don’t pay attention to it, it will go away. Also, your sleep problem is SO easy to solve. See, Batman taught himself how to get a full night sleep in one hour! All you have to do is spend your time learning how to do that instead of doing your regular work, and you’ll be well rested in no time! No need to thank us! We here at the Binghamton Review look out for you.
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ALUMNI TESTIMONIALS
ALUMNI TESTIMONIALS
n the Thanksgiving spirit, we wanted to take some time to look back to our roots and share our thanks with those who have made this publication what it is today. We reached out to those who we are eternally thankful for: our alumni. With two testimonials, one from Alexander Lanzman, a co-founder of the Review, and another from former Copy Desk Chief Larry Gerchikov, we reflect on our heritage and founding, which is what Thanksgiving is all about. These alumni shared why they were and still are thankful for their experience with the Review, reminding us all to appreciate what we have while we have it. We hope you all are as thankful for the Review as we, Alexander, and Larry are. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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lexander Lanzman ‘88 I want to congratulate the editor and the entire staff of the Binghamton Review on your great efforts and may I say that since the time of the first issue – it has certainly come a long way! As far as the history of the organization is concerned, it was a brainchild of three key individuals: John Guardiano, Yan Rusanovsky, and myself. The reasons for the idea of publishing a paper with a conservative viewpoint on campus should be very recognizable. Virtually all student groups, publications, and professors were of the liberal to hard left variety. This monopoly had to be broken. I lived under Soviet socialism as a child, so disinformation and propaganda were instantly recognizable. During our initial debates as to what the focus of the Review should be, it became clear that our chief editor wanted to focus more on social issues, while I decided to engage the Left on foreign affairs. The Soviet Union, at the time of the Review’s founding, was beginning its death spiral and I wanted to illustrate the brutality of this regime and how, through the policies of Ronald Reagan, the West was nudging this monster to the edge of the cliff. It is a bit surreal to think that some twenty-one years have passed since those days. I am certain that the vast majority of the current members of the Review’s staff and readers were not even alive at that time, and yet the publication is going strong. I would be negligent if I did not remind all of you that during those days our efforts were underway without the benefit of conservative talk radio, the internet, and
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email. However, the issues that bore relevance then are exactly the same today. Freedom and individual liberty are the values that comprise the core of what makes the United States unique in the experience of human history. To this day, we are still the most powerful and prosperous nation on the planet, and therefore highly envied. During the twentieth century, the evil twins of Nazism and Communism pursued annihilation of humanity and the suppression of human nature with the type of brutality yet unseen in the annals of history. It took a Herculean effort on our part to defeat these vile regimes
“I am certain that the vast majority of the current members of the Review’s staff and readers were not even alive at that time, and yet the publication is going strong.” both militarily and philosophically. Today we and other nations that espouse Western values face a challenge from radical Islam, an evil that is imbued with the same familiar traits that were inherent in Nazism and Communism. It too espouses a universal utopian dream of world domination that can only come about when Western values are destroyed. And, not unlike the previous totalitarian structures, it has its enablers and fellow travelers among us. They too resort to monopolizing academic departments of most colleges and universities and editorial
boards of media outlets. It is incumbent upon those of us who recognize their agenda to make sure they do not succeed. In conclusion I would like to wish all of you courage and strength in your convictions and continued success to the Binghamton Review. – Alexander Lanzman, along with two others, founded the Review in the fall of 1987.
L
arry Gerchikov ‘14 When I first decided to join the Binghamton Review during my sophomore year of college, I wasn’t specifically looking to espouse or spread conservative beliefs. Heck, I wasn’t even a conservative; I was (and still am) a classical liberal. Rather, I joined the BR because it represented the minority viewpoints that were never presented or discussed in my social science or humanities classes. The BR gave students with right-leaning political views the opportunity to express themselves, and it challenged the worldviews of its readers with thought-provoking ideas and incisive arguments. I joined the BR not because I agreed with every word that was printed in every issue, but rather because I believed in the free exchange of ideas on my college campus. The BR was a major part of my college education, and I want to extend a big thank you to the current BR staff for carrying the torch. – Larry Gerchikov was Copy Desk Chief of the Binghamton Review from 20122014.
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LOVE YOU BU... BUT YOU GOT NO SPIRIT
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Love You BU... But You Got no Spirit
By Thomas Sheremetta
I
’ve been at this school for almost a year and a half, and in no way do I regret coming here; however, the one major drawback of this university (besides the cold), is that there is NO DAMN SPIRIT. I guarantee most people came here because it’s the “public ivy” of SUNY schools; that’s surely why I came. But, these same people barely make an effort to show any kind of pride towards being a Bearcat. Even though this has always been in the back of my thoughts, it came to mind when I went to the home opener of the men’s basketball team. It was a great game to watch, and I always recommend college basketball. However, even with the home opener, the stadium was only filled about halfway. With a school that has over 13,000 undergraduate students, as well as the many citizens from the surrounding towns, it shouldn’t be a problem to fill up that stadium. It doesn’t seem like
“With a school that has over 13,000 undergraduate students... it shouldn’t be a problem to fill up that stadium.”
people really care about the athletics at BU. It makes me wonder why division III schools care more about supporting their teams than we do. I honestly believe that school spirit would increase if we had a football team. Unfortunately, people would no longer be able to wear those shirts that state we’ve been undefeated since the founding of Binghamton University, but I’m sure they’d get over it. Let’s be honest – it’s more likely that Hillary Clinton becomes president in 2020 than Binghamton getting a football team, but a man can dream. I guess I’ll have to cry myself to sleep as my friends in Penn State and Alabama enjoy their school spirit through sports like football. Back to our school spirit: it goes beyond the disregard of our sport teams. In general, I truly believe a good chunk of individuals would much rather be at another college. Binghamton was a mere backup plan in case they weren’t accepted into Cornell or Duke. Well, now they’re here and they have the pleasure of wallowing in their self-pity while they try to survive the harsh winters. I do have some empathy for them. They bought their favorite college sweatshirt only to have their dreams crushed in front of them because their SAT just wasn’t high enough. Now they just drudge on a day to day basis wearing a sweatshirt that will never become anything more than a sweatshirt. My advice to them: buy a Binghamton sweatshirt and rep your college (or don’t, they’re expensive). It’s not all bad for Binghamton. People contribute their free time to
Baxter wondering where all his fellow bearcats are... sad! 6
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clubs, intramural sports, and Greek life. This isn’t something out of the ordinary for a typical college student, but at least they’re trying. You can also see people enjoy events hosted by student groups, such as the Dollar Show. But, once again, this should be a normal thing for a college student to do. However, for every student that participates in clubs and other activities that build a better campus community, there is a suite of students choosing to be antisocial. There’s nothing wrong with choosing to be antisocial every now and again, but a college student does a major disservice by not participating in any school-related events and thus having no school spirit. A good example of this is my freshman year experience. I lived on a chem-free floor. Before I get into this, let me just say that I totally respect those who choose to live a “straightedge” lifestyle. I’m referencing this floor as an example of some students choosing to stay in, rather than participating in the school environment. When I first came to this floor, I was told that there was an “open-door policy,” enticing residents to keep their doors open for the sake of facilitating a community. Within a couple of days, all the doors were slammed shut. It came to the point where I didn’t know anyone in my hallway… I barely even knew my own roommate. This could just imply that they’re simply introverted individuals. But, I tend to believe that just like my previous roommate who was always in the room, many others choose the same route. In the end, I don’t really care what you want to do as a person. You want to stay balled up in a blanket watching Netflix as you move into adulthood? Then go for it. You want to wear a green morph suit every Friday? That’s okay too. I purely suggest that students try to find a balance so that our school can become a more spirited community.
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Doctor Who? Not you!
DOCTOR WHO? NOT YOU!
By Jason Caci
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octors have been too quick to prescribe medications to their patients whenever they deal with arthritis, migraines, or any sort of general pain. Florida State University researcher Jeffrey Lacasse conducted a study and found that out of 235 bereaved parents, “37.4 percent of those participating in the study were prescribed a psychiatric medication to help them cope, with some receiving prescriptions within a week of losing their children.” Lacasse pointed out that prescribing this medication only a week after the death of a loved one is way too soon. Mary A. Fischer of AARP Magazine reported, “From 1999 through 2007, the number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription opioid painkillers - such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone, and the fentanyl patch - more than tripled, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” We should have seen this one coming because nationwide drug dependence does not happen in one day, but rather gradually over an extended period of time. Prior to going to doctors, perhaps people should first consider natural remedies and do independent research. The Internet has so much information! Why would one waste the opportunity to receive valuable information on the Internet, which is entirely free? Think twice before relying so much on doctors because they have their own personal agenda to fulfill, as they get a nice, fat referral check from drug companies. There is not always a reason to go to the doctor just so he can ask, “How is your family? How is school going?” like he cares at all about your life. The doctor only asks these questions so he can attempt to snatch more clients. I want to get my diagnosis so I know what to do with my own flesh and bones! Doctors tend to over prescribe certain pills. For example, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reported that “the rate of antidepressant use in this coun-
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try among teens and adults (people ages 12 and older) increased by almost 400% between 1988–1994 and 2005– 2008.” If there are more pills that are available for consumption, then people can take advantage of this opportunity and consume those pills. If they were illegal, they would not have to leave their comfort zone to get them. To top it all off, doctors are ready, prescription pad and pen in hand, to prescribe pills to patients. Health.com reported that, “While more than 70 percent and 55 percent of doctors say they prescribe narcotic painkillers for back pain and dental pain, respectively, these drugs are not considered the ideal treatment for either condition, according to the safety council.” This is a problem that has been caused by a lack of preparation on the part of doctors. The United States has seen a huge shortage of doctors, particularly because Americans do not think that the investment in medical school will pay off in the long run. A trend has occurred where medical school graduates choose to work for biotech firms rather than clinics because the ceiling for money to be made is much higher in business than in medicine. Therefore, the U.S. should let more immigrant doctors into the country, particularly those from India and China because they have a work ethic that goes unmatched. Their work ethics arose from the high standards set by their families and cultures back home. With this being said, another option would be to help Americans find an incentive to work as physicians, but it looks like an unfeasible one in the short term. The issue with painkillers goes along the same path as antidepressants. In an era where social media has been on a rapid rise, people may start to become depressed whenever they disagree with comments others make. I am no genius, but I do not think that is how a person wants to end his or her day after a stressful time at work. The phrase “social media” is one of the
great ironies in the English language. One might as well call it “antisocial media” for the plunge in face-to-face human interaction it has caused. I cannot wave the magic wand and cure depression, but I believe that lifestyle changes and therapy have fewer side effects and are more effective than pills, which only help manage depression and are not a miracle cure. Human interaction is the key factor to having positivity in one’s life because you can share your feelings with other people with a good chance that some of them will relate to what you are feeling. People need to be forced to speak to each other face-to-face rather than through the internet because at the moment, they are more comfortable talking to their friends without looking at them. The issue of depression will only increase because more people are glued to their screens. Painkillers should be taken less than the amount that doctors prescribe because doctors overprescribe painkillers to their patients far too often. At the same time, people should look to them as a last resort, especially considering their highly addictive nature. Sources: https://www.aarp.org/health/drugs-supplements/info-11-2011/painkillers-dangerous-effects.html h t t p : / / w w w. h e a l t h . c o m / p a i n / n e a r ly-all-u-s-doctors-overprescribe-addictive-narcotic-painkillers-survey https://www.health.har vard.edu/blog/ a s t o u n d i n g - i n c r e a s e - i n - a nt i d e p r e s sant-use-by-americans-201110203624 http://www.icpcn.org/are-doctors-tooquick-to-prescribe-antidepressants-to-grieving-parents/
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THE MRC AND MICROAGGRESSIONS
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The MRC and Microaggressions By Tommy Gagliano
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ecently, Binghamton University students in certain classes were required to attend a mandatory lecture by the Multicultural Resource Center. The lecture was an hour long, and focused primarily on microaggressions. Along with the lecture, each student was given two handouts - one with examples of microaggressions, and another with tools to fight against microaggressions. Both handouts were formatted as charts. The first handout had 3 columns - the theme, examples of microaggressions within that theme, and the message that these microaggressions convey. The chart has 10 rows, or 10 themes. Let’s break them down one by one. Theme One: “Alien in own land - When Asian Americans and Latino Americans are assumed to be foreign born.” The first example for this theme is “Where are you from?” which I personally find hilarious, since I’ve been asked that at least 50 times since coming to Binghamton University, and I’m white. I’m pretty sure everyone here has been asked that, and has asked other people that, since we’re in college. People in college come from all over the world (or in Binghamton’s case, all over New York State). Finding out where people are from is a great conversation starter, and a great way to relate to people that might be from somewhere close to you. Telling college students that it isn’t ok to ask people where they’re from is idiotic, regardless of race. According to the handout, microaggressions within this theme convey the message that “you are not American” or “you are a foreigner”. Damn, how did they know that when I asked my Asian roommate where he was from I was actually just trying to tell him he’s not a real American? Theme Two: “Ascription of intelligence - Assigning intelligence to a person of color on the basis of their race.” The three examples of microaggressions that fall under this category are “You are a credit to your race”, “You are so articulate”, and asking an Asian person to help with a math or science problem. I agree that the first one is probably not an appropriate thing to say, though I’ve also never heard anyone say it before reading this handout. The other two, however, are pretty ridiculous. How is saying “you are so articulate” offensive in any way? What is microaggressive about complimenting someone on their speaking ability? Are we not allowed to compliment anyone on anything anymore? I also don’t see anything wrong with asking an Asian person for help with math or science homework. If you’re asking them for help it’s probably because you know them fairly well, and know they are knowledgeable in those areas. My Calc professor is Asian, but I guess I’m not allowed to ask her for help, because that would be a microaggression. Theme Three: “Color blindness - Statements that indicate that a white person does not want to acknowledge race.” This one really irritates me, because it is so backwards and against everything Martin Luther King Jr and other civil rights activists have been fighting for. The examples for this theme are “When I look at you, I don’t see color”, “America is a melting pot”, and “There is only one race, the human race”. These are clearly anti-racist statements, but apparently not in 2017. In 2017
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we need to find a way to be offended by everything, including statements promoting equality. Apparently the messages behind statements like this are “Denying a person of color’s racial / ethnic experiences”, “Assimilate / acculturate to the dominant culture”, and “Denying the individual as a racial / cultural being”. Because “America is a melting pot” and “Assimilate or die” are pretty much the same thing. Theme Four: “Criminality - assumption of criminal status - A person of color is presumed to be dangerous, criminal, or deviant on the basis of their race.” This one is slightly less stupid than the others. The microaggressions for this theme include a white person clutching their purse or wallet as a person of color approaches, and a store owner following a customer of color around the store. That makes sense, and I can see the problem with the assumptions being made in these hypothetical situations. That being said, these actions still don’t cause any actual harm to the “victim”, though I suppose that’s kind of the idea behind microaggressions. Theme Five: “Denial of individual racism - A statement made when whites deny their racial biases.” So essentially, all white people are racist, and denying it is in itself an act of racism. Gotcha. The microaggression examples for this theme are “I’m not racist, I have several black friends” and “As a woman, I know what you go through as a racial minority”. I don’t understand why “I have black friends” is viewed as such as bad defense against accusations of racism. If I was a racist and I didn’t like black people, I wouldn’t have black friends. Go ask one of the Charlottesville rioters how many black friends they have. I agree that the second statement is stupid, but for a completely different reason. I think it’s stupid because neither women nor racial minorities are oppressed in the United States, but I guess saying that probably counts as a microaggression too. Theme Six: “Myth of meritocracy - Statements which assert that race does not play a role in life successes.” This is by far the most idiotic theme on the handout, and it pisses me off even more than theme 3. There are only two examples provided for this theme - “I believe the most qualified person should get the job” and “Everyone can succeed in this society, if they work hard enough”. Yes, you read that correctly. Believing that hiring decisions should be made based on qualifications, skill, and work ethic is now racist. Furthermore, the description of the theme and the examples contradict each other. The theme description asserts that race does play a role in life success, and suggests that it shouldn’t. However, in the first example, they claim that if you say that race shouldn’t play a role in life success, you’re committing a microaggression. So the handout about fighting microaggressions actually contains a microaggression. Apparently saying that the most qualified person should get the job and that hard work leads to success conveys the messages that “people of color are given extra unfair benefits because of their race” and “people of color are lazy and/or incompetent and need to work harder”. I fail to see how either of the examples provided correlate to these messages at all. I do
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“By calling them “microaggressions” they are admitting that they are small and insignificant, yet they still declare them a major problem that greatly affects minorities.” actually agree with the first message, however. (Oh no, not only am I guilty of using microaggressions, I actually agree with the evil, racist message that is hidden within them! What a horrible person I am!) People of color are given unfair benefits because of their race. Affirmative action gives a huge advantage to people of color in hiring decisions as well as college acceptance, just based on their race. As for the second message, I’m not the one that is implying that people of color are “lazy and/or incompetent and need to work harder”, the institutions that have adopted affirmative action policies are. Theme Seven: “Pathologizing cultural values / communication styles - The notion that the values and communication styles of the dominant / white culture are ideal.” The examples are asking a black person why they’re so loud, and asking an Asian or Latino person why they’re so quiet. I’ve never heard of the stereotypes that black people are loud and Asian and Latino people are quiet, nor have I experienced it in my life. I’m convinced you’re just making shit up at this point. Theme Eight: “Second-class citizen - Occurs when a white person is given preferential treatment as a consumer over a person of color.” This one seems pretty reasonable, until you get to the actual examples of microaggressions in this category. “Person of color mistaken for a service worker, having a taxicab pass a person of color and pick up a white passenger.” The first one is a major stretch. The only time I’ve ever heard any stories of someone being mistaken for a service worker is when they’re wearing similar clothes to the employees, such as a red shirt and khakis at Target. I really don’t know what this has to do with race, since a lot of people, regardless of race, work pink-collar jobs at some point in their life. I’d say that the second one is a stretch as well, but I recently had an Uber driving say “Oh good, you’re white! I was afraid you were going to be black” when he picked me up, so I’m not so sure anymore. Theme Nine: “Environmental microaggressions - Macro-level microaggressions, which are more apparent on systemic and environmental levels.” I’m not quite sure how you can have a “macro-level microaggression”. Seems like an oxymoron to me. I believe what they mean by this is that these occur on a larger scale, more than just an individual committing a microaggression once. The first example they provide is colleges with buildings that are all named after straight white males. This is dumb for a number of reasons. First off, buildings on college campus are usually named for famous alumni, or people that donated money to the college or university. Black people, if you want a building named after you, just give a lot of money to your alma mater. Secondly, does anyone even know or care who the buildings are actually named after? I know I don’t, because it really doesn’t matter. When I’m sitting in my dorm in Hughes, my experience isn’t going to be any different if the building was
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THE MRC AND MICROAGGRESSIONS named after Charles Hughes (it was, I looked it up) or Langston Hughes. It’s still the same building. The second example was TV shows and movies where the characters are mostly white. Who cares that the US population is mostly white? Who cares that there are other shows that are mostly black, or Latino, or Asian? Who cares what the demographics of the setting being portrayed were/are actually like? Let’s just make every character in every movie and TV show black, we can’t support microaggressions after all. Theme Ten: “How to offend without really trying.” Examples include “Indian giver”, “that’s so gay”, “I jewed him down”, and so on. It’s essentially just a list of phrases that no one should get offended by, but someone inevitably will. Along with with the chart of different types of microaggressions was another handout, that focused on how to combat microaggressions. The entire handout is pretty much just a bunch of ways to try to accuse people of being racist and/or try to get them to admit that they’re racist. For example, when someone asks an Asian person for help with math homework, the handout suggests you respond with “I heard you say that Asians are good in math. What makes you believe that?” Similarly, if you hear someone say “I would have never guessed that you were a scientist” to a woman of color, the handout prompts you to respond with “I’m wondering what message this is sending her. Do you think you would have said this to a white male?” All of the other cases follow this pattern pretty similarly, with you overhearing a conversation and interrupting it to accuse someone of racism. Of all of the stupid things the left complains about (and there are a lot of them), microaggressions are at the top of the list. By calling them “microaggressions” they are admitting that they are small and insignificant, yet they still declare them a major problem that greatly affects minorities. The birth of the term “microaggressions” is pretty indicative of the victimhood culture we live in, where being a victim is considered a good thing. “Microaggressions” are what happen when you run out of things to be a victim of.
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CHANGES FOR DEMOCRATS, CONCERNS FOR REPUBLICANS
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Changes for Democrats, Concerns for Republicans By Matthew Rosen
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ast edition I commented on the current state of the Culture Wars, so this week I decided to shift over to the Political War. The reason for this is that the last two weeks contained two major revelations that could change the state of both major parties. 1. Bernie is crowned King of Democrats The story of King Bernie began way back in 2012 when President Obama drained all of the DNC’s money in order to win his reelection. By paying for the reelection campaign, paying for consultants, and having Debbie Wasserman Schultz as a terrible chairwoman and manager of the DNC, the party was handed off to Donna Brazile with a $2 million debt in 2016. You are probably wondering how the DNC’s finances in 2012 directly led to the crowning of King Bernie last week in 2017. Well, it’s quite simple. The DNC decided to handle its debt problem by handing themselves over to Hillary Clinton. Donna Brazile, the DNC chairwoman in 2016, stated that Hillary Clinton controlled the DNC since a year before her nomination. That means from at least the summer of 2015, Hillary has been raising money for the DNC; in turn, 99% of that money went back to supporting Hillary Clinton, while only 1% went towards state parties. Not only did Politico write about this, but Bernie Sanders, his campaign manager, and the Democratic State parties have all accused Hillary of money laundering. So what? Obama spent all the money and Hillary capitalized on that by controlling the party through money laundering. Fast forward to this week, where the entire party decided to ditch Hillary. Donna Brazile, while previously defending Hillary Clinton during the election cycle, now turned on her and called her hostile takeover of the DNC “cancer.” The chief financial officer of the Clinton campaign
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basically told Brazile that the primaries were rigged. Lincoln Chafee and Elizabeth Warren also admitted that the DNC rigged the primaries in favor of Hillary. While all of these Democrats defended Hillary to the bitter end while she was in the race, she has officially been uncrowned and DUMPED. I am willing to bet that if Bernie Sanders decided to run again in 2020, he will win the nomination. Also, if Hillary ran again, she would lose and would not have the establishment support that she did before. This comes as a surprise because the Democratic Party has a history of not learning from its mistakes, but this time they finally learned from Hillary’s unpopularity, and basically bowed to Bernie Sanders. They all publicly made the rigging out to be a tragedy and totally came out to vindicate Bernie this last week. Bernie Sanders now has more political power than he ever had and is the current loudest voice in the party. Now what will he do with it? He could win the battle by running in 2020, or win the war by becoming a patron, start pulling some strings behind the scenes and endorsing those similar to him. Luckily for us, it is hard to see someone that far to the left (or that far to the right) winning the Presidency, but everyday it seems more and more likely. Either way, Bernie and his coalition will be harder to take down than the Hillary team. 2. The new Democratic strategy vs Trump I want to start this subsection by saying Happy Thanksgiving to all! I will be thankful this year that we have Donald Trump as our President, and not Hillary. Despite this, I wish to officially sound the alarms in the GOP in order to emphasize how crucial it is for a new strategy. Let me explain why. In Virginia, Ed Gillespie lost Northam by almost ten points for Virginia governor. The troubling part is the Republican response of “well that
was expected.” While true, it horribly looks over the troubling fact that Donald Trump and Ed Gillespie both got the same percent of the vote, 45%, but Trump only lost by 5 points. In short, what we know is Democratic turnout was much higher than expected. This is consistent throughout all of the elections, including the new Democratic Governor of New Jersey, Democratic gain in Washington, and a gain of fourteen state legislature seats in Virginia, which solidifies Virginia’s transition from red to purple to blue. The reason for this was talked about in part one of this article: No one came out to vote for Hillary. Unfortunately, the Democrats as a whole have learned from one mistake, and that mistake was endorsing the worst candidate in American history, Hillary Clinton. With Democratic candidates on the ballot who aren’t Hillary, they are seeing a turnout. The Democrats pulled off this major win last Tuesday by employing a two part strategy that Republicans need to find a way to beat. Step one: Slander Donald Trump on every medium possible, from the mainstream media, to Hollywood, to college campuses. Basically, they saturated everything people see with unreasonable criticism of Trump. When he does something dumb, they will blow it out of proportion; when he does something neutral, they will pretend it’s something bad; when he does something good, they will either spin it or not tell you it ever happened. The most recent example is Trump’s great trip to Asia. All of the good things he did were barely reported, while the one minorly bad thing he did was blown up. This example is a video showing Trump giving too much fish food to the fish. This was made out to be somehow bad, even though President Abe did it first and Trump was just following his lead. So step one for the Democrats is around the clock, 24/7 slandering President
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DEMOCRATS PAINT CONSERVATIVES WITH FAR TOO BROAD OF A BRUSH
Trump. Step two: Attach all Republicans to the unfairly slandered Trump. The most horrific example of this was the ad against Gillespie that featured a white man with a Confederate flag and a Gillespie bumper sticker trying to run over minorities, which ended with linking him to President Trump, essentially second-hand slandering Gillespie and other Republican candidates. By implementing both steps one and two, the Democratic Party is ar-
tificially keeping President Trump’s approval ratings down by not allowing him to win over more than his base. As a result, Trump will not be able to get a larger turnout than in 2016, while the Democrats can (and will) with Hillary not on the ballot. This poses a major problem for the 2018 midterm elections and the 2020 elections. With Bernie as a vindicated man with support, he has power that he did not have in 2016. The Democrats also have a new strategy to take down the GOP majority and the Trump Pres-
idency. This takedown of all things Trump is scary because President Trump is doing an excellent job, especially considering the failure of Congress. While the Democratic Party is getting crushed in the culture wars (talked about in the last edition), it is shifting in a positive direction when it comes to the political war. Republicans need a new strategy to combat this, or we may be losing our sweeping majorities across the federal, state, and local governments much sooner than we thought.
Democrats Paint Conservatives With Far Too Broad of a Brush By Chris DeMarco
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uring the Virginia Governor’s race, a defamatory campaign ad paid for by the Latino Victory Fund portrayed a white man in a pickup truck chasing after a group of “hyphenated” American children. The children in this ad were a part of the left’s usual rainbow of virtue-signaling diversity, which included an African-American, Muslim-American, and two Latino-American children. Noticeably absent was a child of European-American descent. The commercial is an attack ad on Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie; it portrays all Republicans as being racist white supremacists. Nothing could be further from the truth. This commercial is wrong for many reasons in the way it portrays things. It portrays all whites as being evil white supremacists. We cannot allow this kind of hatred to be perpetuated. Even the choice of vehicle, a rusty Ford pickup truck, is meant to create a negative characterization of anyone who drives a pickup truck and is from the country; in other words, everyone from the Midwest. Pickup trucks are symbols of American culture and represent the American work ethic and the American dream that if you labor long and hard, you can achieve a middle class lifestyle. The pickup truck in question has a confederate flag on it,
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which is undoubtedly a racist symbol. However, the ad tries to lump other symbols in with the racist, white supremacist theme. For example, the truck has a “Don’t Tread on Me” license plate. Officially called the Gadsden flag, the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag is a symbol of American Liberty and freedom from oppressive government. It is a symbol of American individualism, which is the furthest thing from Nazism. The most offensive part of the commercial is that it essentially creates a libelous portrayal of all conventional Republicans as being racists and Neo-Nazis. Gillespie is a moderate, establishment Republican who ran in the moderate state of Virginia. He is neither Alt-Right nor a Trumpian Republican. It is not racist or Neo-Nazi to want illegal immigrants out of the country. Nor is it racist to want to block Sharia supremacism, a barbaric ideology that is fundamentally incompatible with the West. It is in fact radical Islamic terrorists, not whites, who commit atrocious attacks with trucks like the one portrayed in the commercial. If the commercial were accurate, the driver would be a Muslim, wearing a turban and shouting “Allahu Akbar,” as we have seen in both the recent New York City terror attack and the countless vehicle attacks committed in
Europe in the name of Islam. It is no coincidence that this offensive advertisement was pulled immediately after the New York City attack. As horrifying as this all is, it will be beneficial to the conservative movement if the left keeps on producing material as ridiculous as this. It shows just how absurd the left’s hateful, divisive identity politics strategy is. Most Americans know that just because someone is white and drives a pickup truck with a “Don’t Tread on Me” bumper sticker does not mean that they are evil white supremacists. However, we cannot allow the left to frame conservatism as being the ideology of racists. Conservatives must disavow all truly racist ideologies like the Ku Klux Klan. We must explain our beliefs in positive terms; we need to keep American citizens safe and prioritize their interests over those of non-citizen aliens, whether they be from Mexico, Eastern Asia, or the Middle East. We must stress that we believe in an ideology that does not, in any way, shape or form, discriminate on the basis of race or class. It is the Democrats after all who want to exploit race and class for their own electoral benefit as is seen in the commercial. They have driven a wedge into American society and furthered the hate and division they falsely claim to abhor.
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RAP CULTURE REARS ITS UGLY HEAD
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Rap Culture Rears Its Ugly Head By Marky Mark
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ap music is more of a culture and a lifestyle than a genre of music. Artists can thank social media and its ability to be at our fingertips in a matter of seconds for exposing their private lives outside of the lyrics they “spit” in the studio. This gives fans a front row seat to the good, the bad, and the ugly of the artist. Fans of rap music seem to take pride in the fact that their favorite artists are out there committing heinous crimes that legitimize the rapper in the “game.” Kodak Black and XXXtentacion are two famous rappers that have committed crimes. This should have upset fans, but instead, they come rushing to their defense with an “us against them” mentality. The mentality for backing rappers who brag about committing crimes through their lyrics stems from one main point: that rap music is centered around being “real.” This gives songs more substance in the community because fans know that they do what they say they do, regardless of law or morality. This heinous behavior trickles down to the fans that enjoy this sort of demeanor. The crimes committed give the song the gangster edge that rap fans are looking for. I am partly guilty of this mentality, since clean rap is nonexistent today; I predict it will not be back anytime soon. I still listen to rap music, however, since becoming aware of the crimes, I decided not to continue to give the rappers money by streaming their songs. They have lost my contributions solely because of their sexual harassment charges. Their actions, particularly taking advantage of women and their lack of remorse, effectively ended my appreciation of their music. Even though my lack of listening barely affect them, It’s more about the message being sent. Torturing and raping are crimes that are unjustifiable in rap songs and culture. In my eyes, the drug-selling and apparent disrespect for the police should be frowned upon, but they don’t involve taking advantage of defenseless victims. I am in no way defending rappers who have sold drugs, murdered, or shot at/killed police officers. Those are deemed more acceptable in the backwards rap culture of today’s world. The abusive sexual crimes committed should parallel prison justice when it comes to pedophilia. Pedophiles in prison are brutally attacked within the confines of the prison for taking advantage of those not able to protect themselves. The fans and cohorts who are part of the rap industry should accept that these aspects of rap culture are not okay to make light of or bolster one’s career with, and instead should be used against those vile enough to commit them. Artist Kodak Black has a rap sheet, longer than my forearm, that is littered with charges like armed robbery, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, and most recently, sexual assault, in which Black is being indicted on first degree level charges. After performing a set in a South Carolina night club, Kodak brought a teenaged girl back to his hotel room, forcibly removed her clothes, raped, and bit her. These accusations clearly hold no weight in Kodak’s and his fans’ eyes as he continues going on tour and making more music while his fans continue to support him. The fans of his music ultimately do not care
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about his crimes, and if anything, feel that he’s more of a rapper in the sense that he’s done the felonies he talks about in his music. Additionally, every time Kodak Black is being sentenced to a term in prison, or brought up on charges (which is more often than not) I never fail to see #FreeKodak on Twitter. I guess you have to make as much money as possible while you’re still on the right side of the fence… prison fence that is. XXXtentacion is another example of an “outstanding” human being. Recently coming to light is the story of how he abused his pregnant ex-girlfriend. XXX has been accused of penetrating his ex with a barbecue pitchfork against her will, beating her by means of punching, head-butting, and stomping on her, as well as mentally abusing her by threatening to cut her tongue off. After these accusations arose, XXX took to social media to mock those understandably upset by his actions towards his former lover and even began to mock the feminist movement, even though the movement had no reason to be brought up in this Instagram escapade. For those interested in exactly what was said in response to the torturing being brought to attention, please Google it. I would include the words said but they’re a little too vile for myself to include in an article. In summary of his statements, this whole situation appears to be a joke to him and a way for him to personally turn his “haters into his motivators.” His acts could justify the argument that he’s the type of scum whose music deserves to be removed from major streaming services considering just how unstable and unapologetic this scourge comes off as in regards to his crimes. Somehow though, there are people who rush to defend him. I really do not understand the ability of those to defend these rappers in such extreme cases. Those favoring the rapper over the victim in this situation clearly lack common sense and any sympathy for those afflicted by their wrongdoings, even when the evidence and consensus is wholly against the rapper. They’re guilty, and any fan comprehending morality should realize what they did is appalling, so why should I still listen to these guys? No amount of money or pride you possess in yourself puts you above the law. President Trump also falls into this category, considering the numerous cases he’s seemed to wiggle his way out of, thanks to his wallet and silver tongue, when it comes to sexual harassment. Whether it’s his lawyers or the fact that the Donald seems to be a second coming of a “Teflon President” in his die hard followers’ eyes, he hasn’t been arrested or served time for the accused crimes he’s committed unlike Kodak Black and XXXtentacion. However, taking into account the amount of cases filed against Trump, none have ever held legal weight in a court of law. Even if you have millions of fans eating out of your hands with every move you make, your actions have consequences. Those blind enough to dismiss them allow those committing the crimes to escape scot free. Going back to the rappers: if you don’t commit sexual crimes, you stay out of prison and can make more money since you’re not incarcerated or losing fans, freeing you up to rap about guns, federal notes, and the devil’s lettuce all you want.
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This article was originally published in the December 2008 issue of Binghamton Review.
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Vol. XXX, Issue VII
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