Though many regard California’s San Fernando Valley as the birthplace of American pornography, one must actually search further back in the history books to the landing of the Mayflower in Plymouth, Massachusetts to discover its true origins. Established on the foundation of Puritan and Protestant beliefs, America has been grappling with its complex psychological makeup derived … [Read more...] about Pornographic Pilgrimage
Humanities
Shark Week: The Not-So-Terrifying Truth About Stereotyped Predators and Wary Prey
By Paige Connell “Live every week like it’s Shark Week” (Wikiquote). This statement, uttered by none other than 30 Rock’s accidental genius, Tracy Morgan, makes us question what it really means to follow this mantra. Certainly audiences are not searching for shows about actual risk factors, considering Coronary Heart Disease Week and Drunk Driving Week have yet to steal a … [Read more...] about Shark Week: The Not-So-Terrifying Truth About Stereotyped Predators and Wary Prey
Mother Nature Meets Her Match
By Emily Rowan “Blood is kinda like snot,” author Karen Houppert declared in her book, The Curse, “How come it’s not treated that way? People with runny noses do not hide their tissues from colleagues and family members. Young girls do not cringe if a boy spies them buying a box of Kleenex.” When hormones run rampant and shooting cramps puncture their insides, few women … [Read more...] about Mother Nature Meets Her Match
Trusting the Anonymous
By Frank Hou Founded in 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, Wikipedia has revolutionized the way Americans gather information and conduct research. A web-based encyclopedia spanning 16 million articles written by its users, Wikipedia is among the most widely used websites in the emerging digital era. Millions of Americans, varying from high school students to college … [Read more...] about Trusting the Anonymous
Casual Labor
“Social participation is the oil of the digital economy.” – Trebor Scholz[1] “The consumer is sovereign in a jungle of ugliness, where the freedom of choice is imposed on him.” – Jean Baudrillard[2] Histories of Play and Labor In his short essay “Money for Nothing: Virtual Worlds and Virtual Economies,” Steven Shaviro traces what he sees as the historical trajectory … [Read more...] about Casual Labor