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Sexual Offense

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LOCAL

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Lil Boosie accused of destroying equipment at a concert in Atlanta

Britney to finally be free from her dad, conservatorship to end

Bomb at Kabul mosque kills 5 civilians, Taliban say

APD said Torrence Hatch Jr., aka Lil Boosie, and others destroyed equipment and property after a concert held at State Farm Arena. Police have not said if they made any arrests in the incident and they are still investigating what happened.

Britney Spears and her attorney successfully drove her father from the conservatorship that has run the singer’s life and controlled her money, but they say they are not done scrutinizing him and the actions he took over the past 13 years. These include a number of accounting measures such as Mr. Spears lawyers and the “12th accounting”

The attack was the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since U.S. forces left at the end of August. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell on Islamic State extremists who have stepped up attacks on the Taliban in recent weeks, particularly in an IS stronghold in eastern Afghanistan.

NEWS

October 05, 2021

WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM/NEWS

In response to student’s frustrations, student government is advocating for changes within Georgia State’s parking and transportation department.

PHOTO BY EVAN KOENIGS | THE SIGNAL

Top news stories you have missed this week Recap of last weeks news that you might have missed KENNETH LOCKETT III Managing Editor

I

n the hustle of daily life, it is often difficult to sit down and read or watch the news. Here are some important news stories from the past week that you might have missed.

1) Student Government forces updates in parking and transportation:

Many students have not received their parking passes or budget cards in the mail as we enter October.

In response to the growing frustration of students, the Student Government on the Downtown Campus advocated for Brad Freeman, the Vice President for Finance and Administration, to make sweeping changes to the department.

These changes include reduced parking prices for active students with a Panther ID. This policy was put in place to “ensure that as students wait for their budget cards, they are [not] stretching their already strained budgets,” said Speaker of the Atlanta Senate Ira Livnat.

Students will also be able to pick up already ordered budget cards at the Parking and Transportation Office.

2) COVID-19 continues to bog down the state:

New data from the Georgia Department of Health that COVID cases are increasing across the state. Not just increasing but, Georgians ages 64 and younger are dying of COVID-19 at nearly double the rate of the previous pandemic peak last year.

The surge has primarily affected rural Georgia, where unvaccinated rates are high. Still, there were 59 cases reported on the Atlanta Campus during the week of September 18th. You can find more information at: https://covidinfo.gsu.edu/.

3) Georgia State to start offering gift cards in

exchange for getting vaccinated:

If you plan on getting vaccinated on campus, Georgia State will give you a $50 gift card. Each student and employee may receive one $50 e-gift card for each shot received at a Georgia State COVID-19 vaccination site between August 23rd, 2021, and May 17th, 2022.

COVID-19 vaccinations received before August 23rd are not eligible for a $50 e-gift card. But don’t you worry, there is something for those who got vaccinated elsewhere and before that date.

4) Georgia State hosts a cash drawing for fullvaccinated community members:

Beginning September 27th, current Georgia State community members who have received a complete series of the COVID-19 vaccine can win one of 100 cash prizes of $1,000.

All fully vaccinated students — whether at the Student Health Clinic or elsewhere—are eligible.

However, those who have only received half of the total dose will not be eligible to participate in the drawings.

5) NCAA to start using ‘March Madness’ for women’s tournament:

The NCAA women’s basketball tournament will begin using “March Madness” in marketing this season. This announcement comes after sharp criticism over the apparent differences in the male and female programs in the past few years.

“Women’s basketball has grown tremendously over the past several years, and we remain focused on our priority of enhancing and growing the game,” said Lynn Holzman, Vice President of Women’s Basketball. “The

brand recognition that March Madness carries will broaden marketing opportunities as we continue that work to elevate the women’s basketball championship.”

6) Puerto Rico is still without a functional power system despite no hurricane landfall this year:

Hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. territory feel like they’re living in the aftermath of a significant storm despite having no hurricanes this year. And it’s unclear if the federal government will ever issue funding for the weakened territory.

“It’s heartbreaking, really,” Jorge Silva said through tears. “My mom won’t even let us go back and see our family and our home.” He added, “She doesn’t want to put us through that, she doesn’t want us to see our beautiful island like that.”

7) NCAA sets its sights on Louisville once again:

Already under investigation by the Independent Resolution Panel for issues related to a corruption case detailed in a May 2020 complaint, the school received the amendment on Thursday, which alleges Louisville: allowed graduate assistants, managers and noncoaching staffers to conduct impermissible activities with current players; produced showed and personalized recruiting videos to prospects, including their names and likenesses; presumed Mack was responsible for both allegations. The amendment adds that Mack did not rebut the presumption of responsibility.

NEWS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2021

4

Futurama is closer than we know it.

COVID-19 is increasing workplace automation COLBY DAWKINS Staff Reporter

A

s the world becomes more tech savvy and more people want to work at home, the rise of AI technology in the workforce is inevitable. AI, also known as Artificial Intelligence, simulates human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers have faced a labor shortage that is affecting how companies are supposed to run. These employers have had to make many adjustments to employment and use AI more liberally. Here are three industries that have implemented Artificial Intelligence in their normal operations.

1. Restaurants:

Before the COVID-19 pandemic or even the labor shortage, many restaurant chains have implemented AI technology to make things run smoother and cut labor costs. For instance, the popular chain McDonald’s has slowly started to implement Kiosks.

At these kiosks, customers can order and pay for the requested food. The QSR Magazine also reported that some popular burger chains, like BurgerFi, have implemented facial recognition to spot frequent visitors and remember their orders from previous visits.

The magazine also reports that customers can order and pay in less than 10 seconds. Many AI technologies have been implemented behind the scenes so that management and employees can work smoother.

Companies have deployed numerous technologies

to keep track of inventory and purchasing. Computers have been able to integrate technology into the system that employees use to ring up items.

Computers track these items, and management can see what is purchased. This type of technology boosts efficiency and reduces loss.

2. Warehouses:

When people imagine warehouses, they think of workers lifting heavy material and breaking a sweat. In this day in age, one can walk into a warehouse facility and see that AI technology does the heavy lifting.

The biggest online retailer, Amazon employs over 200,000 robots across its distribution centers. These robots can move and carry items across their facilities.

These technologies also increase productivity. AI robots can determine the shortest practice for a given task.

These computers reduce the time and distance they might need to ship between warehouses. Having technology programmed for one task can improve a companies’ accuracy. AI robots can understand their surroundings and can accurately place items and retrieve them when required.

AI technology in warehouse facilities also reduces the risk of injuries within the company. These robots can take over high-risk work, whereas humans can carry out low-risk work.

In response to COVID and labor shortages, employers have begun to use AI more liberally.

3. Grocery Stores:

Going to the grocery store on any given day is hard.

You have to walk through different aisles, dodging people as everyone is trying to get in and get out.

However, many grocery stores have implemented AI technology to make the weekly grocery run smoother.

Many retailers have deployed AI chatbots to help customers. These chatbots help customers find the items they are looking for while reducing the time they spend in the store.

AI technology has also allowed grocery stores to deploy self-checkout kiosks. These stations enable the customer to scan and pay for each item they want to purchase.

The new technology allows the customers to check out and pay faster. It also improves the customer experience and saves companies money.

Having these kiosks also allows companies to cut back on employment and reduce theft. Many companies use AI to detect abnormal behavior among employees and customers.

Many computer vision technologies have been placed in stores to help reduce loss - designers program these cameras to detect an item in a pocket or somewhere on a person. According to itrex.com, this technology has stopped over 6,000 theft attempts at the popular UKbased supermarket, Sainsbury’s.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2021

THE SIGNAL

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Georgia State faces another loss against App State 45 - 16

App State scores on their first drive after intercepting a pass to give them great field position.

PHOTOS BY HARRY WYMAN | THE SIGNAL

OPINIONS

October 05, 2021

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Atlanta Has an Alt-Right Problem Virginfest: Atlanta’s alt-right music festival

T AUDREY BENNETT

Staff Columnist

he Black Lives Matter protests of last summer brought a radical shift towards progress, especially in Atlanta. Protestors challenged a city plagued by years of strained relations between the public and the police by setting cars ablaze and marking the CNN logo with anti-imperialist graffiti.

The City of Atlanta was becoming a progressive center. It seemed as though the tides were permanently shifting towards the left. However, on September 11th of this year, a light was shown upon the dark alt-right underbelly quietly festering in Atlanta’s shadow.

Late that afternoon, the Atlanta Antifascists Twitter account posted a tweet: “HEADS-UP: Tonight at Toki Tatt2 on McDonough Blvd in ATL, far-Right edgelord hipsters are holding ‘Virginfest.’”

A small music festival organized by Athena Raven Rapp - a now-former tattoo artist at the Atlanta tattoo studio TokiTat - infamous incel musicians such as Negative XP headlined Virginfest. Also known tastefully as School Shooter, Negative XP writes misogynistic and racist songs popular on websites like 4Chan.

By 3:53 pm, the Twitter account had updated and stated that the festival would start at Chosewood Park, a predominantly Black neighborhood. Those paying attention waited with bated breath for the festival to start, with some of the altright’s most prominent members attending.

As the festival started, images of white supremacist signs and videos of racist shouting matches began pouring onto the internet. After the events of last summer, the event itself was jaw-dropping.

Fortunately, the public met Virginfest with warranted outrage. The calls for Raven’s firing at TokiTat were heard and upheld, with artists at the studio promising to make reparations for the damage that festival had done.

However, this situation is far from resolved. The success of Virginfest begs a disturbing question: How deep does this go?

The alt-right has made a swift home in the digital age. Their adoption of memes and irony have steadily propelled their extremist viewpoints under the guise of “joking.”

Much of the response to Virginfest from its supporters echoed similar rhetoric.

Many fans claim that the musicians are joking when they include hateful rhetoric in their music.

The organizers follow alt-right meme accounts because they’re funny. It is all part of the joke.

Those keeping a close eye on the alt-right’s methods, though, know that irony is inarguably one of the most critical tenets of spreading their message. In April of this year, NPR published an article on this very issue, stating that: “Online extremists have adopted irony because it is, in many ways, the native language of the internet.”

NPR’s article then quotes Nick Fuentes, one of the alt-right’s most prominent figures. “I’m speaking the language of other zoomers,” said Fuentes in 2020. “If you’re a young person online, I mean, this is the language of our generation.”

Atlanta has an alt-right problem, though addressing it is near impossible because of how entrenched the alt-right is in internet culture. The alt-right cleverly cloaks messages in dark humor and mostly remains anonymous to cover their trail. Unfortunately makes those on the frontlines of hate elusive.

What you can do, though, is call out fascism when you see it. In a world of irony, that is the greatest weapon we have.

“Hamilton” and American revisionism The fine line between storytelling and downplaying atrocities.

H TERRANCE DAVIS

Staff Columnist

amilton is easily the most significant musical of the last 20 years. The show has been a hit since its debut in 2015. It has earned countless awards, reached No.2 on the charts and become an international phenomenon.

Audiences have praised the show for its diverse casting and hip-hop-inspired songwriting. The show’s biggest supporters often call it an example of modern American excellence.

While the show’s casting is genuinely something to behold, Hamilton is ultimately a tired, whitewashed interpretation of a history that defangs the atrocities of the slave trade and venerates men who wholeheartedly believed in their racial supremacy.

Admittedly, the real-life Alexander Hamilton was never openly in favor of slavery.

However, the real-life Hamilton was not the abolitionist that Lin Manuel-Miranda portrays him as in the play.

Hamilton, in real life, married into one of the most prominent slave-owning families in colonial American and regularly procured slaves for them. On top of this, Hamilton’ proposed a federal military force for the explicit purposes of committing genocide against tribes of indigenous people.

Perhaps Alexander Hamilton was not acting out of malice, and that is likely the case. However, the reconfiguring of Hamilton and his ilk into these progressive heroes is not only unrealistically optimistic but erases much of what was critical to their ideology.

The portrayal of other founders is not much better. The slavery fanatic, George Washington, is depicted as the fatherly and strong general of the revolution and our first president. It is a picture taught to American children from a young age.

Perhaps the onstage most criticism towards these figures is leveled at Thomas Jefferson. He has become, in many respects, the most controversial of the founding fathers for sexually assaulting 14-year old slave Sally Hemmings.

While the play mentions Hemmings, she gets no dialogue, and the portrayal of Jefferson, while at times unsympathetic, he is still one of the main characters.

His character is uncontrollably likable, with Daveed Diggs’ portrayal adding to the character’s popularity. However, many of the play’s butchered themes all stem from its creator.

Miranda is adamant in his stance as a believer in the American dream. The opening song contains the lyrics, “The ten-dollar founding father without a father/Got a lot farther by working a lot harder/By being a lot smarter.”

Hamilton, at its core, is the story of an immigrant who, through hard work and dedication, changed the world. This idea of bootstrapping is rather pervasive in American culture, and the survivorship biases of those who break the poverty cycle perpetuate it. It implies that any immigrant unable to succeed is somehow deserving of their socioeconomic status.

Alexander Hamilton may have worked tirelessly, but America never gave the enslaved people he exploited the opportunities he had, regardless of their intelligence. The real-life Hamilton supported the original sin of America that denied opportunities to millions.

Framing Hamilton’s story as an “Immigrant-Bootstrap” narrative feels particularly odd. Mainly as politicians have stereotyped immigrants of color as lazy people, which consequences carry on to this day.

This article is not the first critical piece written about Hamilton. Lin Manuel Miranda has responded to the criticism surrounding his play’s portrayal of slavery and its treatment of its characters. The show was written knee-deep in the Obama years, during a wave of short-sighted optimism.

Hamilton’s staunchest critics have likened its existence to Confederate monuments.

The comparison is thin and misses Miranda’s more benevolent (though still myopic) politics than the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Nevertheless, the attitude that inspires such comparisons is the same. The idea is that America and its founders are used to gloss over current injustices.

PHOTO BY F11PHOTO ON SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2021

OPINIONS

7

Nine minutes, 29 seconds To think politically is to see practically.

I TREVOR KOSLOSKI

Staff Columnist

t’s been a year and some since the police murdered George Floyd.

The events should be familiar by now.

A cashier accused Floyd of paying counterfeit bills at the corner store, Cup Foods – buying cigarettes. A constellation of cops arrived on the scene soon after.

Floyd was apprehended and walked across the street to the spot by which Officer Derek Chauvin would asphyxiate him for nine and some minutes. During the last two minutes, Officer Tou Thao said to witnesses nearby: “This is why you don’t do drugs, kids.”

Floyd was dead by the seventh minute. Prosecutors later spent some fifteen minutes discussing the fake cash.

Being an American in 2020 meant you had seen the video. Being alive in 2020 meant you had at least seen the image. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets because they had seen the video.

Rarely do we endow seeing with that much importance. Here, though, the images were their own truth: the murder was an act of racism.

Anyone thinking about racism encounters a common problem, nonetheless.

Most write about racism as either ad-hoc, recounting specified and delimited interactions between individuals – or like an intricately oblique structure, ineffable.

Our vernacular has gained a new prefix for racism: systemic. I am generally unopposed to talk of systems. I prefer trying to gesture towards the immensity of racism and the profundity of its logic.

I will be plain: the prefix indicates, at some level, a degree of political

thinking. We should all think politically.

Though the arrival of the prefix has brought us back to the common problem, we are still talking around the idea, sitting outside of it. The system has no grounding: it is an enigmatic but quiet subject activated by things and people.

We are again thoroughly apolitical. We are avoiding difficult questions.

Are cops all racist? We should answer “yes,” but only so far as the cop is part of a racist system. We might be allowed this – but where is the system?

You could follow Chauvin back to his local precinct and stare at the bricks awhile. You can stare at the armed cop, entangled in Kevlar panels and flanked by a nylon holster. You can watch patrol cars make their circuit. Tell me when the social hieroglyphics unravel themselves for you.

We too seldom believe in time; we rarely believe our senses. Political thought asks us to formulate the origins of a Chauvin, an enduring and untimed system from which he burst forth – and there is a necessity to this.

Though practical thought asks us to deal with what we have seen in its facticity, we have no prism which reveals the connection of Chauvin to the cosmos of racism – we must make do with our senses.

The murder of George Floyd was racist. The video played out the proof of the system in nine minutes – it was bound up in one man who breathes and lives today, a man who can be seen and touched. There was the system on the pavement: Derek Chauvin, killer cop.

Can I support BLM as a white person?

Does Supporting BLM as a White Person Make an Impact?

D GABBY MILLER Staff Columnist

o white people have the right to support Black Lives Matter publicly?

There has not been a single moment where people do not judge people based on stereotypes about their skin color.

American culture comes packaged with racism, and it continues to be a problem even today. Though protests and social progress are challenging attitudes more and more every year, bigots are a constant.

Based on history alone, there has been a fair share of hatred towards various minorities. Bigots often deserve conformity, having been exposed to only one type of religion or one group of people throughout their lives.

This lack of exposure is still an issue today in 2021. Older generations, in particular, have a strong desire for the ways of yesterday.

However, many of the older generations took part in various civil rights protests in the 1960s. The Freedom Riders are a prominent example of races coexisting in allyship. These Freedom Riders would ride buses across the country, with white people sitting in the back and black people sitting in the front.

These people could not stand the inequality towards black people, so they decided to act in protest.

While everyone should support the Black Lives Matter movement, showing that support is not always easy. Some activists assume that because white people are the dominant race in America, they can not understand the struggles of black Americans. Therefore, they argue, white people should not be involved in protests.

I have been in situations where I did not feel comfortable showing my support because of my skin color. It gets harder to support something when you never know if activists will judge you based on whether or not you experience their suffering.

This viewpoint is not unique to the Black Lives Matter protests.

People constantly do the same thing with other movements.

For example, some feminists do not believe men deserve to advocate for them because they never understand a woman’s fear of walking alone at night. Some women’s activists believe men do not have the right to show support if they do not understand women’s issues.

When supporting Black Lives Matter, there will always be one person judging you because, according to that person, since you do not face the things they face, we should not have the right to support it publicly. When that should not be the case.

Everyone should be able to express empathy for a cause they support. Some people do not want to publicly state their true opinions on this subject because of the fear of judgment.

Another issue someone might face is where a person throws out ‘white privilege’ as a reason they should not publicly support Black Lives Matter. This excuse is stupid because they are placing judgment

onto the person based on their privilege.

If anything, people with that privilege should publicly advocate for it because they have that privilege. It is not a matter of understanding what a black person goes through on a daily basis. People should base activism on the amount of empathy a person feels towards it.

ILLUSTRATION BY PAIGE VEAL | THE SIGNAL

This Week’s Spread: Arts & Living WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM/NEWS

Protest music: a history Songs that give a voice to the voiceless.

DESMOND LEAKE Associate Arts & Living Editor

In light of the Black Lives Matters protests, many artists acknowledged

the protests in the only way they knew how: through music. Atlanta native Lil Baby released his song “The Bigger Picture,” which became his highest-charting solo song and earned him a GRAMMY Nomination.

The song features raw lyrics about the current state of police brutality in America and acknowledges that while progress may seem slow and hopeless, the movement must start somewhere.

Lil Baby was not the only artist to use his platform as a means of spreading a message. North Carolina Rapper DaBaby released a BLM-themed remix of his song “ROCKSTAR.” This song would later be the subject of controversy when he recreated the imagery of Derek Chauvin killing George ] for the remix’s music video.

The line “I got power, now I gotta say something” stands out in Lil Baby’s song. The line resonates with the idea that Black artists and celebrities should act as activists for their communities when they reach a certain level of fame.

In the wake of the George Floyd protests, Rapper Noname called out Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole for their silence on social media. This statement prompted Cole to respond with a track “Snow On Tha Bluff ” in which he attempts to dissuade fans from valuing his opinion too much while subtly taking shots at Noname for allegedly shading him.

Kendrick Lamar came under scrutiny for his perceived silence, although this died down to a degree when he was spotted attending protests in his hometown of Compton. Still, some celebrities feel that they do not have to speak on the topic at all.

In a 2015 interview, rapper A$AP Rocky talked about how he felt he shouldn’t have to be an activist. “I did not sign up to be no political activist,” he said. “I wanna talk about my motherfuckin’ lean, my best friend dying, girls, my jiggy fashion and my inspirations in drugs.”

There is undeniably a pressure to be an advocate when you have a large enough platform, whether through music or statements made on social media. Musicians have a unique ability to empower communities compared to art forms such as paintings or movies.

Concerts are an obvious example of this. Strangers of entirely different backgrounds come together to hear music. It is easy to understand why music is a powerful motivational force for movements with that in mind.

Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledged the power of music to support protests about the Freedom songs. ”The freedom songs are playing a strong and vital role in our struggle,” he said. “They give the people new courage and a sense of unity.”

Music unites the people, giving it an edge over other forms of art in organizing people. Music becomes a rallying cry for the oppressed.

Whether it is slaves using songs to coordinate The Underground Railroad or Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” becoming an

anthem for Black Lives Matter protests, music’s power to organize is a well-documented occurrence.

This history begs the question of what exactly counts as a protest song.

Generally, protest music is defined as music based on social and political change. They focus on the plights of marginalized groups and bring awareness in a way that other mediums cannot.

Protest songs can be genre-agnostic, but the main point that most protest songs have in common is their timeliness and relevance. Obviously, in times of economic prosperity and relative peace, protest songs just aren’t coming out.

Unlike other forms of music, protest songs practically need some sort of conflict or strife to exist. Otherwise, it’s not protesting anything. Times of strife breed protest, and every protest needs an anthem.

Historically, the struggles of Black Americans are a source of very many protest songs, and this trend continues in the present. During the Civil War era, slaves used songs as a means of remembering their history after white people forcibly ripped it from them.

Escape methods were another popular theme in these early protest songs. “Wade in The Water” is one of the most famous examples of these, with it allegedly being used to direct slaves to start traveling in the water to avoid being caught.

Protest music would continue to be made well into the 20th century due to the prevalence of the Jim Crow era and all the various baggage that came with it. In the late 1930s, Billie Holiday’s rendition of “Strange Fruit” arguably became the defining protest song of the early Civil Rights Movement.

It drew attention to the pandemic of lynchings that occurred in the South. The subject matter would lead companies to ban the song from the radio, and Holliday’s record label tried to prevent her from recording it.

With harrowing lyrics such as “Blood on the leaves and blood at the root/Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,” “Strange Fruit” became a rallying cry at the blatant miscarriage of justice that ran rampant in the southern states.

The 1960s are associated with protests due to the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War happening simultaneously.

This atmosphere led to a surge in the amount of protest music.

The Civil Rights Movement was composed of freedom songs. Not only did these songs promote union, but became the anthems for those protesting.

Sonically, the freedom songs derived much of their content from spiritual hymns and church songs. “This Little Light Of Mine” is an example of a song originating as a gospel song transformed into a piece to rally against injustice.

Researcher Julia Katzman acknowledged the power of the freedom songs in an article published by Boston University.

“Because of segregation, blacks were systematically separated from being in communion—in community—with whites.

So, music was important for creating a community,” she said. “It may or may not last, but it is a very powerful feeling, and it comes from singing and listening to music in a [profound] and meaningful way.”

Around the 1980s, the contemporary face of protest music emerged from rap and hip-hop, with anti-government sentiment charging Hip-Hop. Songs like “Fuck Tha Police” painting a critical image of African American relations with the police. Public Enemy’s aforementioned “Fight the Power” is an anthem opposing the oppressive government powers from an African American perspective.

Nowadays, protest music is still heavily associated with hip-hop and rap more than any other. “Alright” is the archetypal protest song of the 2010s, its chorus being an anthem for protestors everywhere. In an incident where a police officer attempted to arrest a 14-year-old-boy for allegedly carrying alcohol, protesters started chanting the song’s chorus when the boy returned into his mother’s custody.

The producer behind “Alright” Sounwave did not expect the song to become a protest song. “I didn’t expect ‘Alright’ to be the protest song,” he said. “But I [knew] it was going to do something because the time we’re living in made it the perfect song.

Music has the power to empower communities, and nowhere is this more authentic than its usage in protests. Protests elevate music from mere art to a rallying cry for the oppressed to push for legitimate change.

Protest music gives voices to the voiceless and combines with music’s ability to unite others. It creates connections that might not exist otherwise.

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ARTS & LIVING

WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM/ARTSANDLIVING

October 05, 2021

ILLUSTRATION BY OLIVIA MADRZYK | THE SIGNAL

How today’s celebrities enforce the culture vulture agenda At the expense of Black people, culture appropriation is how many celebrities reached fame today.

KARA MARTIN Staff Reporter

T

he term “culture vulture” has been a popular subject of debate within the Black community.

Most black activists define being a culture vulture as when an individual outside of the Black community finds interest or fascination in parts of Black culture and tries to make it their own.

“

On social media, this may seem like simple admiration of Black people and the culture, but in reality, it exploits and mocks the culture for their own social or financial benefit.

— KARA MARTIN

”

Staff Reporter

Being a culture vulture and appropriating culture are synonymous concepts that date back into the 19th century. In its earliest form, being a culture vulture often meant that white people would dress up in blackface or perform racist vaudeville routines.

Acts such as these have forever impacted the Black community as a whole.

This controversy sparked outrage in some of the most well-known Black and African American historical figures, such as Frederick Douglass. After witnessing a blackface performance, he penned his opinion in the North Star newspaper.

“The filthy scum of white society, who have stolen from us a complexion denied to them by nature, in which to make money, and pander to the corrupt taste of their white fellow citizens,” Douglass said.

For non-Black people, it is easy to paint your face a darker color and wear a Black hairstyle and still get away with it. They make someone else’s complexion, figure and hairstyle a trend, while white people force Black people to live with the consequences.

On social media, this may seem like simple admiration of Black people and the culture, but in reality, it exploits and mocks the culture for their own social or financial benefit. These acts of appropriation occur in media, music and today’s fashion.

In an interview between mixed martial artist Tyron Woodley and famous Youtuber Jake Paul, the subject of culture vultures came up between the pair. Jake Paul was stunned when Woodley accused him of cultural appropriation. Despite creating videos for online

viewers, Woodley’s accusations are a part of a deeper conversation.

“How many people in your neighborhood dress like that, and how many people wear bust-down Cuban Links,” Woodley said. “How many rap videos have you watched? That’s culture, that’s what I am, I lived it.

They’re rapping about my lifestyle, and you’re trying to vultch from us.”

Countless celebrities are vultures to the Black community, and society consistently gives them a pass for their actions simply because they are white and powerful. Wearing someone else’s culture is a privilege that society often sweeps under the rug.

Another celebrity who is guilty of benefiting from Black culture while not being Black is actress Nora Lum who goes by Awkwafina. She often plays roles in films as the urban, comedic relief using AAVE (African American Vernacular English) or “blaccent.”

Whether Awkwafina or other celebrities realize it or not, stealing from the Black experience and culture to make themselves look better is only hurting the Black community. White society often forces black people to appear differently in professional settings for the sake of the job, while others get to turn their “blackness” off at the end of the day.

Although times have changed, many people could benefit from researching how their actions affect other people and cultures. With a simple conversation and a little education about Black culture, many people will be able to decide whether or not they are appreciating or stealing someone else’s culture.

ARTS&LIVING

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2021

11

No meat on the menu: students go plant-based

Young people make up most of America’s vegan population COLE PODANY Staff Reporter

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s millions of Americans are taking steps to reduce the amount of meat on their menus, plant-based alternatives to traditional beef patties are popping up at Burger King, McDonald’s, and Carl’s Jr. 5% of the American population identified as a vegetarian in 2018, 4% higher than those identified as a vegetarian in the 1990s.

With the normalization of veganism and vegetarianism, vegans and vegetarians now have endless options to choose from, no longer needing to comb grocery store shelves for an elusive block of tofu.

Vegans and vegetarians’ reasons for switching to a meat-free diet vary, but many believe that eating meat causes unnecessary suffering to animals. Some reference the environmental consequences of meat production, while others argue that eating meat is animal cruelty.

The surrounding debate meat is one common to many students at Georgia State. Vauhgn Roverse, a student at Georgia State, gradually switched to a plant-based diet after realizing many animalbased products made Roverse feel sick.

“I find [a plantbased diet] generally healthier,” Roverse said.

“I eventually realized that I couldn’t stomach certain foods anymore, [and] I decided [that] I could live without them, so I cut them out of my diet.”

Those who choose to avoid meat might have more options in grocery stores and restaurants, Roverse feels that Georgia State has not followed suit.

“I ate in the dining hall once during orientation and found it difficult to find food that fit my restrictions,” Roverse

said. “I opted not to get a dining plan and instead prepare my own food.” While the dining hall offers vegan and vegetarian options at their Wellness Station and Salad Station, they do not have a dedicated vegan outpost.

Georgia State received a 50% student satisfaction rating - or a “B” - on PETA’s College Vegan Report Card.

PETA bases their grading system on factors such as whether or not colleges offer an all-vegan station, participate in Meatless Mondays or have a vegan member on their student advisory board. “[Georgia State] always has [plant-based] options and salad bars with tofu, beans and other forms of plant protein,” a student review on PETA’s College Vegan Report Card stated. “Sometimes I wish for more variety, but I always have something to eat.”

Roverse explained that some students might be unable or unwilling to eat plant-based diets due to the school’s limited options.

“Overall, it’s more difficult and expensive to eat plant-based, especially if you’re a student without the means to prepare your own food,” Roverse said.

“For some, might it might not be worth it. . . but it’s ultimately your decision and how you are comfortable living.”

Despite challenges, many students on campus choose to go vegan and even find communities of students who share their passion. For example, members of the PEACE (People for the End of Animal Cruelty and Exploitation) Club at Georgia State frequently hold events encouraging other students to consider a plant-based diet and do away with meat.

Artists such as Ashley Mcbryde, Mt. Joy and Billy Strings will be rocking out in Reynoldstown as the new music venue “The Eastern” opens up just off the beltline on Memorial Drive.

PHOTO BY ALEX CULBRETH | THE SIGNAL

New music venue, “The Eastern”, opens in Atlanta

The newest edition to Atlanta music culture GRACE BRASWELL Staff Reporter

E

very genre, from rap to indie, can be seen playing in the music venues of Atlanta.

Every night of the week, a new band is pouring out into a crowd of music lovers.

Several of Atlanta’s more intimate music venues, such as The Masquerade or Smith’s Olde Bar, are filled with flannel-wearing indie lovers rocking out to the newest underground artists. Other venues such as Coca-Cola Roxy and The Tabernacle give off that same intimate energy while expanding into more prominent and more popular areas of music.

Atlanta’s newest music venue, The Eastern, combines both of these styles. The location has gained immense popularity over the past couple of months as nationally touring artists sweep the stage and make live music a reality.

Opening its doors for the first time on September 1st, The Eastern began with a massive performance from local artist Big Boi. As vaccines started to roll out, people began to feel safe in a concert setting for the first time in a long time. The Eastern was ready to provide music to eager patrons.

Before becoming a music venue, The Eastern was the former Atlanta Dairies. It was a ghost of an industrial building covered in vines, graffiti and broken bottles. After a few years and several construction teams later, The Eastern finally opened to the public.

“The Eastern is a state-of-the-art

venue in the Dairies complex in the Reynoldstown neighborhood of Atlanta, located right off of the Atlanta Beltline,” The Eastern’s website states.

“

As vaccines started to roll out, people began to feel safe in a concert setting for the first time in a long time.

”

— GRACE BRASWELL

Staff Reporter

The Eastern has an impressive lineup of artists with diverse genres set to play for the upcoming months.

Bands and groups such as Mt Joy, Old Crow Medicine Show, Zach Bryan, Saint Jhn and Thundercat are in the books to rock out Reynoldstown throughout October.

Bands and artists such as Shakey Graves, Ashley McBryde, and

Moon Taxi will be playing through November. Although the Eastern’s lineup is musically diverse, the venue focuses on critically acclaimed indiefolk and country artists.

These country artists such as Zach Bryan, Ashley Mcbryde and Billy Strings tell stories with their music, interweaving the heaviness that comes with love, the awkwardness of hookups and the devastating dullness that comes as a package deal with a broken heart.

Artists like these send listeners down a road full of emotional anticipation, describing all the ways a person can feel alive. Several of the artists The Eastern will be featuring in the coming months hold this powerful writing, storytelling and musical style.

According to The Eastern’s website, the building has a rooftop bar, restaurant and open-air seating options.

“The venue boasts a multi-tiered floor-plan which offers unrivaled sightlines, top of the line sound and lights, spacious floor-plan, and rooftop which includes a covered performance space, bar-restaurant and open-air seating,” The Eastern’s website states.

The Eastern is located on Memorial Drive in the Reynoldstown neighborhood. The venue is only a short walk from Georgia State, and students can easily access it through The Beltline.

SPORTS

October 05, 2021

WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM/SPORTS

ILLUSTRATION BY EVAN KOENIGS | THE SIGNAL

The mystery known as Falcons defense Can the team figure out how to stop anybody?

MALIKAI COLLINS Staff Reporter

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ebruary 5th, 2017, was the last time a competent Atlanta Falcons defense was seen. It seems like ever since the Falcons held that 28-3 lead going into halftime, everything for this organization has just about gone downhill.

While the Falcons made the playoffs the following season and lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, they couldn’t depend on their defense to make a big play late in that game. It only got worse throughout the following seasons.

Since their epic collapse during Super Bowl 51, the Falcons have lost four games where they held a lead of 16 or more points. Since the 2010 season, the Falcons have blown leads of 10 or more points on 12 different occasions, including a 21-point halftime lead against Detroit in which the Lions scored 22 unanswered.

The Falcons have played three games where they held a 99% chance to win the contest at one point in the game, two of which occurred in the 2020 season, where they somehow managed to lose those in the most Falcons’ way possible games.

Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire wrote that “[the Falcons] continue to defy statistics, probabilities, and all common sense in their ability to blow leads in historic fashion,” following back-to-back 2020 regular season games where the team had greater than a 99% chance to win.

In 2018, the Falcons defense ranked in the bottom three in forced fumbles and first downs allowed. They ranked 25th or lower in total yards allowed, points allowed, passing yards against, passing touchdowns against, rushing yards allowed and yards per carry.

They also ranked 20th or lower in turnovers forced and rushing touchdowns allowed. Just a year removed from a Super Bowl, the franchise hoped it was just an off-year and that they would return to excellence in 2019.

In 2019, Dan Quinn’s defense ranked bottom 25th in average points allowed per drive, yards per drive and percentage of drives ending in a turnover. They finished

the season 20th or lower in points allowed, total yards allowed, forced fumbles, passing yards and passing touchdowns against other teams.

In the most recent Falcons’ rendition, the team ended the 2020 season with a 4-12 record, their worst since the 2they finished with one of the worst records they’ve held this decade, the defense finished in the bottom three or lower in total yards allowed and passing yards.

They were also near the bottom in first downs, passing touchdowns and yards allowed per drive.

Over these last three years, the Falcons’ secondary has been the biggest issue for their defense, as they finished in the bottom ten or worse in passing yards and touchdowns.

The secondary’s weaknesses have been highlighted in the Falcons’ blown leads, as they have struggled to slow the passing game in the second half when the momentum can so quickly shift.

The Dirty Birds defense hasn’t featured a single All-Pro player in their secondary throughout the last decade. The last time the Falcons secondary had an allpro player was 1993 in Deion Sanders.

Since the 2016 season, the pro bowl has only selected four players from The Falcons. Only one of those players was a part of Atlanta’s secondary, Keanu Neal, now a Dallas Cowboy.

One might ask, why haven’t the Falcons tried to seek help through either the draft or free agency?

Since the 2017 NFL draft, the Falcons have made one first-round selection to address their secondary, and it was A.J. Terrell in the 2020 NFL Draft. He seemed like a surprising choice with the No. 16 overall pick.

Many as in the last collegiate game he played, he was torched by the LSU offense. Terrell has some upside and maybe a piece of the puzzle the Falcons must complete elevating that organization to the next level. From the 2017 off-season to now, the Falcons have managed only to sign one former all-pro secondary position in cornerback Justin Bethel, who only played one season with Atlanta.

With every great secondary comes at least a halfdecent pass rush. The awful defensive play can’t have all the blame placed on the secondary as an inconsistent pass rush can be a thorn in the secondary side as any offense that has ample time in the pocket allows for broken plays.

With no pressure getting to the quarterback, the defense can only cover so much of the field before the coverage is exposed.

PFF ranked the Falcons secondary as the worst in the NFL entering the 2021 season after allowing a leagueworst 4,697 passing yards. “The lack of a pass rush up front undoubtedly compounded the problems on the back end,” Matt Uren said for the Falcons Wire.

The Falcons finished 23rd in sacks in 2018, 30th in 2019 and 23rd again following the 2020 season. They also finished 24th in quarterback hurries in 2019. While the front-seven still does feature a couple of former All-Pros and pro-bowlers, the Falcons still lack a strong point of attack on the defensive side of the ball.

The struggles with sustaining leads can be due to lack of attrition and execution and the battle to wear down teams and get stops when it matters most. Another possible reason for the blown leads could be a lack of energy.

If you leave it all out there in the first half of the ball game, you’re bound to be exposed in at least one aspect on either side of the ball in the most critical part of the game, the second half.

Atlanta’s first four games of the season have been rough for the Falcons defense. They are allowing 32 points per game, and they are still looking for their first interception to counter opponents’ 11 passing touchdowns. It is not just scoring: they have also failed to hold an opponent to under 260 yards passing.

With only four games in the books for the Falcons this season, and 13 to go, things in Atlanta can change for the better, but with Terrell looking healthy on the weaker side of the ball, better days seem to be later rather than sooner.

SPORTS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2021

13

Rob Lanier: they’ve walked the walk and talked the talk

How Georgia State’s core four are preparing the team for 21-22 ANDREW FREEDMAN Sports Editor

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t’s always hard to believe when this time comes around that it’s here already,” Georgia State men’s basketball head coach Rob Lanier said after the team’s first practice last Monday.

The Panthers’ thirdyear head coach may have joked about not wanting to talk about the practice, but he could not say enough about the men who are looking to capture the program’s first NCAA Tournament birth in three years.

With the deepest team he’s had in Atlanta, it’s possible. Corey Allen, Eliel Nsoseme, Kane Williams and Justin Roberts have impressed early in camp.

As the top-four returning players, Lanier is tasking each to be a leader this season. He compared them to a group of four Tennessee, all of whom became NBA draft picks. The four previously mentioned Sun Belt standouts might not have as high odds to go to the league, but Lanier doesn’t seem to mind.

“I was using those guys as an example for our guys about hard work.

Corey Allen has assumed that role inside of our team as the hardest worker,” Lanier said.

“Kane has spent more time in the gym working on his game than at any other time since he’s been here, and it [is] noticeable.”

The Panthers’ November 9th regularseason opener against the Brewton-Parker Barons is right around the corner. Lanier’s first game at Georgia State was against the Barons, and they won 104-35.

With four weeks left before the competition, the team as a whole isn’t quite where Lanier and his staff want them yet.

“Even though it might be competitive, there isn’t necessarily that mentality that ‘I’m going to come in and take your spot’ sort of competition,” Lanier said. “We’ll get some of that, but I haven’t seen enough of that, to be honest with you.”

The Panthers also have new faces this season.

Nelson Phillips, maybe the purest athlete on the team, missed last season due to a meniscus injury.

Jordan Rawles, a Western Kentucky transfer who Lanier says has been “working his tail off,” and Evan Johnson are both starting-caliber players.

The main problem is balancing out all of the minutes for the team to get everyone time on the court. Along with the two freshmen, ChienHao Ma is making a case for the team’s best shooter.

“Each of the freshmen [has] had their moments where they weren’t sure if they were cut out for this, and nobody fits that description more than Ma,” Lanier said of the Taiwanese sharpshooter.

“If you watch him shoot, it’s pretty to watch. Even when he misses it, it looks good coming out of his hands.”

Lanier will find ways to exhibit all of the untapped tools on his bench during those crucial conference games, whether it’s a Phillips fastbreak dunk or a Nsoseme postup. Georgia State has maintained their core team from last year, including Allen and Williams for super senior seasons, Nsoseme, Roberts and brought in even more depth.

Needless to say, the Panthers are expecting great performances this year for the whole team.

Georgia State welcomes a new Track & Field Operations Director, Amber Hughes.

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GSU ATHLETICS.

Women’s track and field with new faces in the office

Amber Hughes joins an elite track and field coaching trio MARQUIS CHAMBERS Staff Reporter

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he 2022 track and field season is just a few months away for Georgia State and a few new faces have already begun helping the program.

Atlanta-native Amber Hughes is coming back from her professional career to take on coaching for Georgia State. She is a decorated athlete who has put together a long list of accomplishments at Tennessee State University.

Along with Hughes, two other volunteer assistant coaches will help team operations, sprints and jumps and support the overall team to perform to their best of ability on meet days. With the team preparing for their indoor season this upcoming January, Hughes will help the team in multiple ways other than just being in team operations.

She brings her experience on the track from going through various rigorous training and going

against high-level competition.

Hughes ran at Tennessee State, where she excelled in sprints, hurdles and jumping events.

During her sophomore season, she earned an All-America honorable mention and collected USTFCCCA first-team All-American honors as a Tiger during her junior and senior seasons. She was also named the Ohio Valley Conference female athlete of the year in 2017.

Hughes went on to win twelve more rewards in her collegiate career, such as two consecutive athletes of year rewards in both indoor and outdoor events, along with 26 individual championships.

After her excellent collegiate career, Hughes decided to go pro, where she competed in the 60m hurdle race with a stellar time of 8.08. As well as go on to finish top three in the 2019 USATF indoor National Championships in the hurdles.

It is safe to say the Panthers’

track team got a good coach in Hughes. She will join Dentarious Locke, Dwight Phillips and Darrow Ramsey in the Athletics Department offices.

Locke, Phillips and Ramsey have all decorated athletes in their own right as well. Locke became a Nike athlete right after he graduated.

Phillips is a former Olympic gold medalist in the long jump.

Lastly, Ramsey has coaching experience at different colleges where he has sent athletes to become MVC champions and 15 all MVC honorees.

The women’s track team will be heading to Birmingham, Alabama, to compete in the KMS Invitational and the KMS Open the week of Jan. 24. The hard work and preparation prepared by head coach Kyle Stevenson and the rest of the coaching staff will help them get ready for the indoor season.

October 05, 2021

GAMES SUDOKU

THE KICKBACK

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2021

GAMES

15

COMIC

Your Comic Should be Here!

UPCOMING EVENTS FRIDAY

International Fall Social 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Student Center East

Self-Care for Trauma Survivors with Student Victim Assistance 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Online

All Majors Fair 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Student Center East - Ballroom

Women’s Soccer vs. South Alabama 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

GSU Soccer Complex

Donuts with the Dean’s Office 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

Student Center East

CPR/First Aid/AED Training 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Student Recreation Center

SUNDAY OCT 10

SATURDAY

Volleyball vs. Georgia Southern 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

GSU Sports Arena

MONDAY OCT 11

Managing Interview Anxiety 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Online

OCT 08

THURSDAY OCT 07

WEDNESDAY OCT 06

TUESDAY

OCT 09

OCT 05

THE KICKBACK

Artist Certificate Recital 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Kopleff Recital Hall Music Monday 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Online

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