A&E

The 814: Purrista Cat Cafe

Inside of Purrista Cat Cafe in downtown Erie.

Photo by Mackenzie Zent

By Mackenzie Zent Staff Writer

A new café has opened up in Erie, and it’s “purr”-fect for cat lovers!

Located at 30 West 8th Street, Purrista Cat Café opened its doors for the first time on Feb. 14.

They have had a great turn out during their first week open and are expecting it to take off even more as time goes on.

There are two different sections to the store: the café and the cat play area.

They have a great selection of coffees, lattes and other drinks to purchase, as well as muffins, croissants and slices of cake.

They also sell fun mugs and t-shirts with their logo and pictures of cats on them.

To pet the cats, appointments must be made beforehand. Customers can come in and enjoy a drink or pastry while they wait for their appointment time to play with the cats. It is $15 for 50 minutes with the cats, and customers can make reservations on their website.

To ensure the cats are safe and not overwhelmed, there are only 12 people allowed in at a time, so it is a good idea to plan ahead and make reservations a day or two in advance.

Customers must take off their shoes before they go in so that no one tracks dirt or germs into the area where the cats live. They have hand sanitizer before and after you go in to minimize the spread of germs, which is an important touch especially during the pandemic.

All of their cats are adoptable, so the hope is that they will find forever homes when people come to play with them.

Purrista works closely with a local shelter, and one of their main goals is to find homes for their furry employees.

I think this is a great initiative, and it gives the cats a chance to show off before finding their forever homes.

Once a cat is adopted, another cat will come in and fill its place until it finds a new home, too.

Their adoptable cats can be seen on their website, along with their name, age and a little bit about them!

The cats are all very friendly, but some of them are shy and take a little longer to warm up to strangers. Don’t take it personally — they are cats, after all.

Customers are able to give them treats to help them feel more comfortable around different people.

There are also different toys that people can use to play with the cats, and this is a really fun way to bond with them.

One great thing about the cat café is that you don’t have to play with the cats to enjoy the café. Anyone can come in, order food or coffee and just sit and enjoy the good vibes. There are plenty of open seats and tables, so it makes a great hangout place! There is a table and a bench next to a window looking into the cat area.

This is perfect for people who may have allergies or do not feel comfortable being close to cats, but still want to watch them play!

Overall, Purrista Cat Café is a really cool place for people of any age.

With the last few years in an active pandemic, people have realized just how important physical touch and in-person interaction are.

Many people have gotten pets because of this, but many have also been unable to.

Places like Purrista are great because they allow people to have that interaction without the responsibility of owning a pet of their own.

Although there are many cat cafés throughout the country, it is the first of its kind here in Erie, so that makes it really special.

We’re a small community, so to get something “trendy” like this is really exciting. Hopefully this trend continues and Purrista gains some neighbors soon.

Erie is nonetheless a unique place but, this place takes that feeling of home to the next level.

Three cats have been adopted in the first week through Purrista cat cafe.

If you are looking for something to do next time you have down time consider checking out Purrista Cat Cafe in downtown Erie, and be on the lookout for possible student discounts in the future!

‘Talking Black in America’ panel discusses language discrimination

By Ashley Barletta News editor

In honor of Black History Month, Campus Involvement partnered with the World Languages Department to host a showing of the documentary “Talking Black in America.” The showing took place on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Mercy Heritage Room.

The documentary was followed by a panel and discussion with members of the Mercyhurst community Vydalia Weatherly, Jessica Hubert and Jeffrey Rozier.

The documentary presented both past and present issues surrounding African American English.

Some Black people are told they “sound white” based on the way they talk to others. However, that is not the whole picture. Many Black people “code switch,” meaning that where they are and who they are interacting with provides the basis for how they will talk.

“For Black individuals, code switching occurs mostly when they are switching from African American Vernacular English (AAVE) when talking to another Black individual to standard English when talking to a white individual,” Vydalia Weatherly, a sophomore criminal justice and political science double major and history minor.

During the panel discussion, this was compared to how college students talk to their professors versus their friends, known as “style switching.” Code switching, though, is different.

“Everyone, in essence, style shifts,” said Weatherly. “Code switching is more complex, and, to simply put it, occurs when an individual alternates between two or more languages depending on who they are speaking with.

Weatherly continued, “Code switching is something that comes naturally to a large portion of Black individuals in the country; most do it without thinking. You learn how to do so at a young age, and it just becomes an unconscious procedure afterwards.”

Another topic that was discussed is how Black people who talk in AAVE are seen as uneducated. This is a stigma that is simply not true, but many Black people are still forced to learn and use standard English.

During the panel, the Black professors here at Mercyhurst acknowledged the fact that they may not have gotten the jobs they currently hold if they had used AAVE during their interviews.

When asked if he thought there would ever be a point when he did not have to code switch, Jeffrey Rozier, a professor at Mercyhurst’s Booker T. Washington campus, had a sad but truthful response. “I honestly believe we will not reach that point, sad to say. We are living in a time where critical race theory is being thrown out of classrooms because it’s more forward thinking. So, for me to never have to code switch again would be great, but I do not see it going away.”

Weatherly talked about code switching as “giving up a part of yourself.”

She feels that this is something she does every time she must code switch to standard English instead of talking in the manner in which she grew up speaking.

This is not the only perspective on code switching, just as there is not just one Black experience.

Sherez Mohamed, Ph.D., was constantly corrected for using AAVE in school while she was growing up.

She soon learned where and when she could use AAVE and when she needed to use standard English.

“I’d say, at this point, it’s not that I’ve given up part of myself for my career, but rather, I think having to constantly navigate different spaces has impacted my identity,” said Mohamed. “It’s hard to put into words, but I’ve been having to code switch and put away parts of my Black identity way before choosing my career.

Mohamed continued, “These things are embedded in you starting from elementary school, so you grow up knowing what version of yourself you have to bring to different spaces.”

One of the things mentioned during the panel discussion was that AAVE is more widely accepted if you are famous.

Sometimes, white people will use it without knowing its origin, and this is typically seen in rap music. This has been criticized widely in recent years as more and more young celebrities find themselves using AAVE without knowing its cultural roots.

“Yes, it is more widely accepted in a sense that everyone can rap the lyrics. But that too is a setting when it is feasible to use AAVE. But what comes into play is when you use that same language outside of those lyrics to make yourself seem cool. That is in fact not the case as you don’t truly know the meaning behind the language you are speaking,” said Rozier.

There were many other ideas that were discussed during the panel presentation, but it would be difficult to go into depth for each and every one.

In the words of Jessica Hubert, Multicultural and Inclusion Coordinator, “Do the work.”

By saying this, she means that, if you want to help Black people to feel more included, it is important to educate yourself on things like AAVE and its origins, which are not always taught in schools.

The internet alone has so many resources, let alone presentations like this that the school offers to broaden student perspectives. “At this point, the older I get the more I recognize that it’s a privilege for others if I’m using AAVE with you because that signifies that I feel I can be 100% authentic with you and you are getting the real, un-altered me. And that person is pretty dope, if I may say so myself,” Mohamed said.

To learn more about the Talking Black in America Project, visit https://www.talkingblackinamerica.org/.

Make yourself uncomfortable to make sure that others don’t have to feel the same way just for being who they are. With documentaries like this, it is not critical to educate ourselves but, in doing so, we are changing the world and doing our part to make it a welcoming place for all.

While this is one documentary of many, there are plenty out there for all to watch and learn from.

Hurst Hot Take: ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (2022)

By Vydalia Weatherly Staff writer

On Feb. 18, Netflix came out with the eighth sequel to the original 1974 horror film “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

The 2022 “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is currently ranked third in the “Top 10 in the U.S. Today” on Netflix, and rightfully so in my opinion.

Not only does the iconic character Leatherface strut around in a new skinned face, but this movie takes a more modern approach that has not been seen in the other movies of this franchise.

The movie focuses on relevant issues facing us today such as gentrification, school shootings and the controversy surrounding the confederate flag and its underlining meanings.

While Leatherface does not pull out his famous chainsaw until almost fifty minutes into the movie, he makes up for the lack of use at the beginning of the film throughout the rest of the movie. Seriously, he does.

If I could provide any advice while watching this film, do not get attached to any of the characters.

All of the characters I thought were going to survive Leatherface’s murderous spree, or at least survive a good portion of the movie, ultimately did not.

I do not know if the budget was low for the fake blood supply, but I believe this movie compared to the movies in this franchise lacked blood splatter.

Some might prefer it that way, but true horror fans know what I’m talking about.

Additionally, many of the killings were unrealistic.

I get that horror movies often feature this kind of death, but at some point it’s just too much.

I simply do not know how a person has a chainsaw ripped up their guts and then proceeds to be tossed in a pile of garbage a few yards away and survive for a couple more minutes (not just survive but be able to talk clearly).

One of the main storylines during the movie focused on Sally Hardesty. In the original 1974 movie, Sally Hardesty was the only one in her group friends to survive Leatherface’s killing spree.

Now, almost fifty years later, Hardesty returns to Harlow, Texas to stop Leatherface once and for all.

If you are a fan of the franchise, you probably noticed something was off about Sally Hardesty in this film.

Marilyn Burns, an Erie, Pennsylvania native, originally played Sally Hardesty in the 1974 film and in two other films in the franchise. Unfortunately, in 2014, Burns died at the age of sixty-five in her sleep after suffering an apparent heart attack.

The directors, instead of writing Hardesty out of the latest adaptation, decided to cast Irish actress Olwen Fouéré to play the famous character.

While I love the character no matter who played her, I did not like the storyline much.

It reminded me a lot of Jamie Lee Curtis’ character in the latest “Halloween” movie.

However, if you want to know whether or not Hardesty is successful in killing Leatherface, you will have to watch the movie for yourself.

While there are parts of the movie that could have been better, I overall liked it.

My adrenaline was high throughout the movie, and it really kept me on my toes.

“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” also provides viewers with some important life lessons throughout the film as well.

For example, if you ever want to survive a chain saw throwing maniac or any homicidal psycho, never assume the killer is dead.

A picture of the mask from the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie.