1
INSIDES p. 4................................................ Open Letter p. 8.................................................. How-To p. 13............................................... Cheet Sheet p. 15.......................................... Antipoems by Siobhan p. 17............................................. Siobhan Stuff p. 19................................................ Chit Chat p. 20................................................Brain food p. 21............................................ Featured Artist p. 23......................................... Item of the month p. 24............................................ Roll the Credits
2Â
3
OPEN LETTER to PLANNED PARENTHOOD I never got the talk from my parents. Instead, they sent me to a sex ed class at my church. Now, don’t fret! I understand this sounds like it could have easily gone south, given certain congregations have used religion as an excuse to perpetuate their own personal bigotry (*cough* Westboro Baptist *cough sneeze cough*), but here’s the thing: I go to a Unitarian Universalist church, which, if you don’t know, is by far one of the most liberal religions in Western society. Therefore, my sex ed experience was very honest, to say the least. Unfortunately though, my experience of sex education was unusually well-done. The fact of the matter is that American society has very polar attitudes toward sex. On the one hand, if you read last month’s issue (or you’ve watched like 5 minutes of American TV, ever), then you know that the representation of women in the media is more often than not hypersexualized. However, when you look into the real world, you face a wall of slut-shaming and misogyny. Sexualization is defined as a process in which a person’s worth is derived from their sexuality, and thus American women are forced into a paradox. As the quote from John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club goes, “It’s kind of a double-edged sword, isn’t it? Well, if you say you haven't, you're a prude. If you say you have, you're a slut. It's a trap. You want to but you can't, and when you do you wish you didn't, right?” The slut-virgin dichotomy is no new thing. Women are fed messages that encourage them to be sex objects for any man who wants them badly enough, yet they are shamed once they try to pursue their sexuality. As a result, sex has become taboo in American society. And as a result of that, sex education has landed in quite an unfortunate state. In a world where “abstinence only” education is not only permitted, but often encouraged, it is quite honestly a miracle that organizations such as Planned Parenthood exist. So please let me take a second to express my love. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Nah, I’ll just take a moment to talk about why it is so important that Planned Parenthood continues to do their super fantastic thing. Sex happens. Okay, now that’s out of the way, we good? I’m sorry, do you need a second to take that in? I know I kind of just dropped a huge bombshell on you. Anyone and everyone is born with the equipment needed. There’s no prerequisite exam for sex. People just do it. Young people do it. However, when these people have been given no information or education on safe sex, the outcomes are not always good. The aftermath of unsafe sex can range from STDs to pregnancy, neither one being a very pleasant scenario. So here’s the
4
deal: when you throw a kid into a situation without telling them how to safely handle it, there is a very good chance they will screw up said situation. I’m going to steal an analogy from Youtuber and Sex Educator Laci Green--if there’s a big dangerous lake on the edge of the town, and you react by telling kids to stay away from it rather than teaching them to swim or giving them life jackets and boats, you shouldn’t be surprised if some of them drown. I know, it’s pretty shocking stuff right here. BUT we still do have hope! Let’s go back to Planned Parenthood, shall we? Thanks to organizations such as this, youth are given free reign to their own sexual health, which is a pretty empowering thing (especially since this is fairly forbidden territory in most of “respectable” society, and people have been programmed to feel guilt and shame over their sexuality). I mean, lust is one of the seven deadly sins, how are we supposed to recover from that? Anyway, this organization not only offers birth control options and STI testing, but education as well, which is even more empowering. Please excuse me, I’m about to nerd all over your floor, but in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter novels, Voldemort, the antagonist (in case you’ve been spending the last twenty years living in a cave on a deserted island that’s also on Saturn), is such a looming figure that most of the wizarding world doesn’t even dare to speak his name. They go about their lives never so much as mentioning him out of sheer fear. However, the only characters who could ever face him were the ones who would pluck up the courage to acknowledge and investigate Voldemort. I’m sorry, it’s a Harry Potter weekend, so I’ve had Planned Parenthood thoughts and Harry Potter thoughts jumbling together for a few days. Now, I’m not saying that sex is a mass murdering, bald, white guy in a cloak. What I’m getting at is that knowledge, excuse the cliché, really is power. In order to prepare kids for the looming concept of sex, it would help to be able to say the word “sex” without having to awkwardly clear your throat twenty times and sweating enough to water a community garden. I’m sorry, that may have been a little bit of an exaggeration, but you get my drift? Education is the only form of preparation, and I am talking thorough, complete education here, not any of that “abstinence only” bull. Thank you, Planned Parenthood, for being one of the few Dumbledores to our millions of Harrys. Especially in this country, a straight answer about sex is exceedingly difficult to come by. So, an organization that is willing to not only provide all sorts of aid, but provide unadulterated honesty is therefore one of the most helpful, needed, utterly phenomenal organizations around. Planned Parenthood, keep doing your fantastically amazing thing. And thank you. Thank you so much for being willing to take on the feats that so many adults are too afraid to take on. Thank you being so available for young, underinformed people. Thank 5
you for dealing with the stuff that so many conservatives would deem too immoral and dirty to handle. And as grateful as I am that such a great organization exists, I’m really saddened by the fact that I have to do this at all. It makes me so very upset that an organization that deals with a naturally human action deserves this sort of effusive gratitude. I’m just so upset that I’m living in this country where one of the most human activities that exists, apart from breathing and eating, is seen as this horrendously shameful sin that doesn’t even deserve to be dealt with, especially not for the youth who are far too pure for that dirty nonsense. This is a pretty mixed up article for me to write, emotionally. I’m sure you can understand my gratitude and admiration for Planned Parenthood, yet my anguish over the notion that sex has become so persecuted that such an organization would be a rarity worthy of praise. Basically, I’m just kind of pissed at the world right now. Who decided this ridiculous moral code, anyway? I say we toss it in a trash can and burn it. xoxo, A still fairly angry kid.
6
7
How-To-For-You:
How to Make a PILLOW FORT in 10 Easy Steps
Let’s talk about complete and utter peace and comfort for a quick second here--I’m talking near-Nirvana-status chilldom. Let’s talk about building a little nest just for you, and then completely melting into it. Yup yup, we, if you couldn’t already guess from the title, are talking pillow forts, and if you haven’t had the pleasure to create one yet, this is your chance. No wait, scratch that, this is the sign you’ve been waiting for to make your own plush palace. So yeah, if you’ve read this far into the article, I hate to say it, but you’re sort of roped into this pillow fort business now. Sorry, man. Looks like you’re now obligated to create your very own comfy cocoon. So gather up your supplies and let’s get ready to do this stuff, yo.
1. Get Close with the Ground The word “floor” begins with the letter F. You know what else begins with the letter F? Friend. Therefore, the floor is your friend. It’s simple math, see. Now the first thing you’ll do when making your fort is become acquainted with the ground. Find a good empty spot, and show the floor who’s boss. If you were a dog you might do this via urine, but for some reason that’s not socially acceptable for humans, so you could just try lying on it, I guess. Now, floors come in all shapes and sizes, so take a moment to see what you’re working with. Is it hardwood? Is it carpeted? Is it a meadow full of tall grass and daisies? Is it a clearing in the woods? Identify your floor! Now use your newfound floor savvy to aid you in the remainder of your construction. Is your floor really hard? You’re going to need optimal padding for that. If it has a scratchy carpet, cover that shit up. Just roll with the punches and know your floor. There is absolutely no reason to settle for a sub-par fort, and a scratchy butt would absolutely make for unsatisfactory pillow forting!
2. Squish What would a pillow fort be without pillows? An embarrassment, that’s what! You need some squishy, snuggly substance for your refuge. That’s right, you heard me, pillows are a bit of a necessity. So let’s connect the dots really quickly. At this point you’ve plotted out some land for your squashy sanctuary, so get as much squish as you deem suitable (although more is never discouraged). Pillows? Nice. Blankets? Mhm. 10-year-old teddy bears from the attic? Hecky yeh. Gather up all the squishy squashy cargo and get to work. Now, here comes the slightly more artful part: arranging the squish. There’s no right way
8
to do this; if you feel like building an elaborately gorgeous masterpiece, go you! But that’s not necessary. Even if you just throw blankets on the ground in a vague nest-like pattern, it will be a beautiful creation if you’ve put some love and joy into it. As important as it is to establish pillow walls, it is equally, if not more, important to see to it that you’ve built up a stockade of vibes as warm and lovely as you truly know you deserve. Surround yourself with ultra-positive juju, because good vibes are like the pillows and cushy comforters for your soul. You need to assure that your inner you is just as comfy and feel-good as the outer you. PLEASE DO NOT NEGLECT THE EMOTIONAL SQUISH!
3. Weather or Not
Okay, here’s the point where you have to use some judgment and decision making. Is it hot as balls outside? Do you not have an air conditioner? I hate to say it, but if you’re in this situation, you might need to postpone. No need to cry, it’s not all bad! The thing about pillow forts is that they have no deadlines. I mean, if you’re okay with leaving a butt puddle and having your fort be more of a sweat lodge, go for it. More power to you, dude. However, let’s take a second to look at the other side of the coin. Could you possibly think of anything that would go better with the freezing cold wintertime than a cozy little hideaway on your living room floor with some hot cocoa and a friend or two and maybe The Gremlins playing on the TV? I mean, to me, that seems like heaven. I literally want that so bad right now but instead it’s ten o’clock at night and I’m typing alone in my room listening to Black Flag. Sorry, that got very personal very quickly. Anyway, what I’m saying here is that while the weather should not dictate whether or not you go through with the fort making process, you should probably give it some consideration. As well, please consider the following: outdoor pillow fort. You heard me. If the weather is just perfect and you have access to a foliage-friendly, outside plot of land, I say do it. I mean at this point, I haven’t, but it’s a dream of mine to make a little people nest in the middle of the woods. Is that even a thing that one would be able to do? God, I hope so.
4. Snuggle Squad
If you thought we were giving you the absolute essentials before, that was nothing. In order to have a perfect pillow fort you need need need to surround yourself with the perfect people. This part is so very vital. You need a squad that you’re really chill with--my own personal preference would be one who you’d be cool cuddling up to, but that isn’t a necessity. Touching isn’t for everyone, and that is perfectly, entirely okay. Don’t be discouraged from the art of pillow forting if you aren’t the touchy feely type! There are
9
really plenty of things you could do that don’t involve cuddling (sit and talk, doodle, play a game, etc.). Now, while friends are definitely a great resource here, they are not the be-all and end-all. If you’re having trouble gathering up your crew, or if you’re just not in the mood to face other people, please consider animals. Grab a friendly dog/cat/turtle/ whatever and snuggle it silly. Pretty much anything with a pulse is on the table, given that it has displayed its consent in some way. So that squirrel outside your window? Maybe not, but that puppy wagging its little tail? Yes. Good. Every fort needs its officers, which means you are going to need to gather your troops for optimum pillow fort potency.
5. Food
You really don’t need me to explain this one, do you?
6. Check your Surroundings
Personal story time: my best pillow fort experience happened in a Quaker meeting in the middle of the wintertime. I was at my friend’s church retreat and on that day you could either take a trip to the middle of downtown Chicago or stay inside, and as a resident of the Chicagoland area, I knew going downtown in sub-zero weather was a big no-no, for me at least. So a few of the Quakers and I stayed in and decided to build a pillow fort, but not just any honky-tonk pillow fort, oh no, we constructed an awe-inspiring piece of architecture. We moved the pews together for the walls and used pipes we found in the building to support the bedsheet ceiling and stole almost everyone’s sleeping bag and pillow to line the floor. We even made a sign for out fort, which we named Fort Didgeridoo after the hours of didgeridoo music we listened to during and after construction. This memory is so dear to me, that I’m actually smiling so big right now, at eleven o’clock while I type alone in my room. This, my friend, is the creative process. Anyway, the moral of that story is that when we built that fort, we had a pretty sweet environment to do it in, and we took full advantage of that. I’d highly encourage that you do the same, whatever your surroundings may be. 10
7. Mood So, you know how I told you in that last story that we listened to like hella didgeridoo music? Well, that is a perfect example of how to execute this next step. You’re going to want to set the mood (I’m sorry that that phrasing sounds much more sensual than I’d anticipated)t. So if you please, play some music, throw on a movie, do whatever takes your fancy and make a wonderful environment for yourself and your squad. Pillow forts aren’t very fun if you’re uncomfortable or unsatisfied in anyway. Discomfort is a straight blow to your emotional fortress walls as well, and we all know at this point that those are just as important as the real walls. You don’t want to make them even an ounce weaker than you’ve built them up. So surround yourself with stuff to feed your chi--I’m sorry, that was definitely too hippy dippy, I’ll try to not let it happen again. But, please excuse my hippy soul and heed my words: you’re going to want to make the mood surrounding your fort as chill and endearing as you possibly can. Whether that involves three hours of didgeridoo music played over the loudspeakers or just some nice smelling candles, is wholly up to you. Do what warms your vibes.
8. Time Wasting
Okay now that you have your fort, you’re going to need to figure out some excuses to stay in there for as long as you possibly can. So if you feel the need for it, you could actually do stuff, like doodle, doodle on another person, doodle on yourself, tell a story, play a game, watch a movie, whatever floats your boat. However, if you’re a bit more chill about it, you could take a moment to just take in the moment. Waste your time lying in harmony with those around you, be that human or kitten or tarantula or what have you, and being in sync with the world around you. Allow yourself to just exist in that moment and waste all the time you want. The other great thing about pillow forts is that they have no time restraints. Well, at least until someone yells at you to pick that shit up off the floor, but until then, the day is yours! You can find refuge in your newly foraged hideaway for as long as you want. If I let myself, I’d just wither away in a pillow fort until I died from being too lazy to walk over to the kitchen for food and water. However, that isn’t really an option. Oh bother. Anyway, point is, waste as much time as you possibly can in the soft comforts of your freshly made fortress.
9. SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
Do you ever take a bite of really good pizza and go to another universe? No? Okay, it’s whatever. I was just trying to relate to the teenage demographic. By use of an analogy involving pizza. But, yeah, it’s whatever. So back to pillowforting. If you’ve followed all 11
these steps so far, you should be at the home stretch now. You have your squishy, squashy, comfy, cozy abode made up all nice and mellow at this point, so now all that’s left to do is to just drench yourself in the moment. Maybe you’ve even got some incense going, you know, if you’re that new age. Just focus on existing. Come to the realization that all you can ever truly do right in life is exist. You are always being, and therefore you’ll never fuck that up. However, every now and then you should remind yourself of this: know that your existence, no matter how much worth you’ve branded it with, is pretty remarkable, and you are responsible for that. The universe may very well be a collection of randomly assorted particles drifting through space, but out of that meaningless spontaneity, you have come to be, and that is really incredible once you’ve given it some thought. You exist, so take the time to just take in that mundanely mind-blowing fact. Take the moment to find peace with the universe that you’re floating through, if only just for the moment. You have built up an incredible, wonderful citadel, so know that in this moment you are wholly safe and comfortable. Let yourself feel that safety, both in your physical body and in whatever you like to call that essence of you that controls your mind and heart. You are really phenomenal. And your pillow fort is really bitching.
10. Rock-a-bye to your own beat You’ve probably noticed by this point that I have just been giving ambiguous suggestions and making bad jokes, and so you’re probably thinking that I must just be terrible at directions. Well, first off I’m not about to deny that accusation. My usual response to people asking me how to do stuff is “I dunno, google it,” (there I go with the bad jokes again, that’s my bad), but the thing is, there are no real directions to build a pillow fort. When you get down to it, you really just gotta do what you think will work. Make it sloppy or elaborate, a fort is a fort. You can have barely any blankets or a definite abundance, there’s really no wrong way to make a pillow fort, so long as you feel comfortable and you’re having hecka fun. In the end, the fort isn’t what’s really important. What will stick with you is what you did with the fort and who you did it with, and you are going to cherish those memories, because the fact of the matter is that it is pretty damn hard to not have a good time when you’re lying down in a pillow fort. So yeah, you do you. And have fun so one day you too can be typing alone in your room listening to angsty grunge music and smiling like an idiot thinking of pillow fort memories. THIS IS THE CREATIVE PROCESS, I SWEAR. I AM A WRITER, NOT A CRAZY PERSON. 12
Cheet Sheet Let’s Learn Things About LOCAL POVERTY ● A 2013 analysis by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) found that over 110,000 people were without residency during the 2012-2013 school year, a 10% increase from the previous year. ● In the 2013-2014 school year, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) identified 22,144 homeless students. Among these students, 88% lived in doubled up housing, 98.2% were not white, and 19.5% had some developmental delay or disability. As well, 2,508 of these youth were homeless without family, and 40% of homeless youth identifies as LGBTQ ● Based on an annual report by the Illinois Department of Human Services, about 48,000 people are served in state-funded shelters each year. ● For the U.S. Conference of Mayors 2013 Survey on Hunger & Homelessness, the city of Chicago reported that 12% of the homeless community were employed yet homeless, 6% were veterans, 4% were HIV positive, 30% were physically disabled, and 28% were severely mentally ill.
*Some Resources* Information: ➢ http://www.chicagohomeless.org/faq-studies/ ➢ https://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/ahar-2013-part1.pdf ➢ http://streetwise.org/2014/04/young-homeless-number-of-shelters-drop-in-centers-i ncrease-in-chicago/ ➢ http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/07/12/515641/study-40-percent-of-homeless-you th-are-lgbt-family-rejection-is-leading-cause/
Organizations that can help: ➢ http://www.thenightministry.org/ ➢ http://www.chicagohomeless.org/ ➢ http://aliciashouse.org/
13
14
Antipoems by Siobhan Gay Straight Lesbian Bi-sexual Pansexual Asexual Transsexual Single in a relationship it’s complicated male female androgynous bigender gender fluid tri-gender cisgender transgender intersex LABELS LABELS SUCK BALLS
A poem by Siobhan
15
16
*Siobhan Stuff* I don't shave. "Ew, you don't shave. That is disgusting." Yep, you heard right, I don't shave unless I feel like shaving. . .which is once in a blue moon. I don't like shaving. It takes FOREVER, you get bumps on your legs afterwards, and you could accidentally cut yourself. Why do people do that multiple times a week?! "I do it because it is gross to have hair there" why? It is natural, What made people think that it is gross? It is only a social norm in western culture. Why do we have to get rid of our natural hair to be “beautiful”? Why are women expected to change parts of themselves to be “normal”? It is all because in the 1930s when the hemlines rose, advertisers decided to shame hair on legs so that they could make money off of shaving products. SO i say FUCK shaving! Why should I have to give in to social norms? Social norms usually start from people with money or power doing things to get more money or power. Why should they make us ashamed of ourselves? I think the real reason I don’t shave is to give myself the power and to stick it to the man. But I am not saying that it is absolutely and entirely bad to shave. I just don’t think that it should be necessary! If you feel pressured to shave, don’t. If you like shaving, shave. Who the fuck am I to judge how you live your life? You are an amazing human whether you shave or not. I personally like to challenge social norms. The point of this is to say you are beautiful whether you shave or not. don’t let anyone take away your confidence, because you were put on this planet for a reason. YOU MATTER.
17
18
Chit Chat Interviewing: Carol C. DiMatteo ● What’s your favorite color?
○ My favorite color is green. When I look around me right now I see 50 shades of green in tree leaves, stems & leaves of flowers, the walls of my home, my glasses frames and it is the color of the Heart Chakra.
● What is the last song you had in your head?
○ Song: "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" from musical Oklahoma goes like this: Oh, what a beautiful morning. Oh, what a beautiful day. I've got a wonderful feeling everything's going my way.
● Who’s your oldest friend?
○ Her name is Shelly and I've known her since 1975.
● Do you talk to strangers?
○ I talk to people I pass on the street, in theaters, restaurants, church, stores while waiting in line. Just about everywhere.
● What is the first memory that comes to your head right now?
○ Seeing a sexy man and wanting to get to know him. (I did.)
● What is your strongest held belief?
○ I believe that love & forgiveness is the answer to all the questions/problems in life.
19
Brain food Philosophy: 1. “You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”Nietzsche 2. “The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.”- Still Nietzsche 3. “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”- Can you tell how much I love Nietzsche? Q-n-A: 1. Is it worse to fail at something or to never attempt it? 2. What is the greatest human weakness? 3. And strength? 4. How many goats are you worth?
20
Featured Artist Ava Rockafield
Ava is a super cute, good-vibe-giving artist and writer from Chicago. She is a badass motherfucker wielding a pencil and sketchpad, and coming at the universe with zealous hugs and broad smiles at every opportunity.
21Â
22
Thing of the Month Siobhan:
So My thing of the month is… Garbage bags. I know that sounds incredibly odd. But, I cleaned my room. and If you know me, my room is never clean. WELL this time instead of keeping useless junk i just throw on the floor, I THREW IT ALL AWAY. 5 FREAKING BAGS. Now I have a spotless floor (minus a pillow or two) and I feel nice. Like I haven’t felt this proud about something since like elementry school when I ran my own business where I sold erasers and jacked up their prices. I mean capitalism am I right? But I also just love not living in garbage. Yeah.
Paloma: So, my thing isn’t one I’ve been using all month, but instead for like the past week. Once I reveal the identity of my mysterious item, you’ll see why. A while back one of my friends bought a tea in bulk, like costco-size bulk, and, accordingly, she had a surplus. So what does she do? I’ll tell you what. She hits up her old pal Paloma and says “Do you want some period tea?” Okay, okay, bear with me for a second here. It sounds weirder than it is. No, wait. It’s a little weird. Whatever, tho; this tea is absolutely phenomenal in every way known to man. It’s called “Woman’s Moon Cycle”, and believe me when I say, it is like the fairy godmother you were never princess enough to get. First off, it smells incredibly nice, which is a must for good tea. Second, I’m convinced at this point that it is magic. Why, you may possibly ask? Let me tell you a thing. I woke up day one with unbelievable cramps and a headache because I spent most of that night not sleeping on account of the cramps. I brewed a little sorcery tea, though, and suddenly felt no more pain. Maybe it was a placebo; maybe it just really works. I don’t know, and, quite frankly, I do not care. IF YOU OWN A PAIR OF OVARIES, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND: http://www.yogiproducts.com/products/details/womans-moon-cycle/ Grace: Well, I think I want some of Paloma’s tea. And they drink tea in England, which is where the English language came from. The English language came from the Anglos, the Saxons, and the Jutes when they came down and forced everyone in Britain to speak their language. Then in 1066 the French invaded, and after that some soldiers were like “I wanna fuck dis native lady, what language do we speak? Should I learn hers or she learn mine?” and the French king was like “No! dont pollute your mouth with her ugly language and don’t taint our language with her ugly lips!” so they all just spoke different languages and hoped to get some point accross. And thus we have English, Anglo-Saxon with French on top. And thats why the French don’t like English speakers, our language is dirty and evolving and compounding (over 600,000 words), while they take a lot of pride in the purity of theirs (about 140,000 words). And when the colonists came to America that started using the Latin roots of words, instead of the French, because they wanted to be different I guess. So they said “‘colour’ is French, lets say ‘color’” and so on with “favourite” and many others. Also, only the upper class spoke french for a while, so all the swear words or “dirty works” are Anglo-Saxon, like, the peasants said “shit” or “crap” and the noblemen said “defecate” or some other fancy stuff. Now you know! Language rocks. 23
Roll the Creds Hit us up: e-mail contactbullture@gmail.com follow bullture.tumblr.com like facebook.com/bulltureculture
Kudos: Writers: Siobhan Sandoval, Paloma Campillo Editor in Chief/Angry Kid: Paloma Campillo Formatting: Grace Bullock Copy Editor: Levi Todd Special Thanks to Carol DiMatteo Thanks to our Artist Ava Rockafield
LIKE ADVERTISEMENTS? Well, do or don’t, you are so very welcome to put your very own ad in this very zine! Shoot us an email contactbullture@gmail.com or give us a ring
(708)214-6353
24Â