Public Discoursin' (EMC)

If you can’t see something, does that mean it’s not real? We’ve all heard it before. Hell, we’ve all said it ourselves. “I’m so OCD about _______.” Cue collective laughter and affirming nods. Isn’t everyone a little OCD about something? That OCD is a legitimate, mentally-crippling disorder is unquestionable. And yet here I am, advocating for its validity and insisting that we begin to take it more seriously. Just picture this: a child creeps out of bed at ten o’clock on a school night. After descending the staircase quietly, their feet pad across ice-cold hardwood. Frozen in a unique mixture of paralyzing fear and overwhelming exhaustion, the child stares at the lock on the front door. Then, following ten long seconds of stillness, the child moves toward door, touching the lock in six quick, gentle movements, and sprints back up the stairs, careful not to look back. Three. That’s the number of times this child has peeled their tiny body from the comfort of their warm bed. This child is...

For one of my op-ed pieces, I will be writing about suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder—why it's just as valid of a mental illness disorder as any other, as well as how the ways that people discuss/react to OCD can be incredibly damaging to those with the disorder. Stepping out of my comfort zone with this one! 😬

Say it with me: polarization is REAL. Okay, now that that is out of the way, let's get started. Yes polarization exists. Yes, it is a bad thing...BUT polarization may also be a good thing. What?? As we saw in this week's online lecture and as evidenced by Jacobs and Townsley, shows like O'Reilly Factor and Hardball are quintessential examples of why polarization is horrible. What good can come out of being cut off, attacked and/or completely dismissed while you're trying to have a thoughtful conversation? What is the point? In situations such as these, nothing is being accomplished. As a viewer, I don't feel I'm gleaning anything useful; instead, I feel like my brain is on fire. If anything, I'm horrifyingly uncomfortable or incredibly annoyed, reactions that cause me to tune out, both physically and mentally. Obviously, this isn't helping to raise political engagement. However, polarization could also be not so bad. Maybe it is within these grue...

When I think of fields dominating the media, from social to print to television, I immediately think of Political Science. Coming out of such a major election, I can't tune into any platform without being bombarded by all things politics . So. much. politics. I also think of Sociology, particularly when it comes to the many human rights movements taking place in our country. In both of these arenas, though, we're slowly starting to see less representation of the "old white guy" and instead are being presented with more people of color, different genders, more complex backgrounds, etc.—a necessary step in a positive direction. Fields that appear to be more "under-the-radar" include Art and English/Writing. I received my Bachelors in Interactive Media (with Journalism and Studio Art as minors) and yet I rarely see a whole lot of positive representation of the arts in the media. It seems as though people assume artists and writers shouldn't fall into th...

Here are just a handful of public intellectuals that, I believe, are significant in our day and age. Malala Yousafzai At 15 years old, Malala survived being shot in the head by the Taliban while campaigning for girls education in Pakistan. While this event didn't catapult her into a public intellectualism, it only made her advocacy for female education stronger. Malala is still advocating for female education and other major issues that affect marginalized groups (like gun control, for example). Her discourse is widely accessible, poignant and relatable for a lot of people. When addressing groups, she poses questions that provoke critical thinking and move people into action. Malala is also the youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient ever, which is just incredibly impressive. "We should all consider each other as human beings, and we should respect each other." Mary Midgley Midgley is an English moral philosopher from London. She has written numerous critical t...

That the public sphere is both prevalent today and incredibly value goes without saying. I think, though, that it is tough to say whether or not the existence of the public sphere is toxic or beneficial. Depending on what spheres one subscribes too, it can be either. There are so many diverse public spheres, from communities of color to feminist circles. Certain public spheres can be incredibly rewarding, especially if the discourse within is bringing people together or bringing about social change. I wouldn't say that online platforms are functioning  as   public spheres, but rather as additional "venues" for public spheres to congregate, in a sense, and engage in discourse specific to the sphere's objectives/topics of conversation. Since people from all over the world can subscribe to certain public spheres, blogs and social media make it easier for discourse to take place. However, because communication is screen-to-screen rather than face to face, discourse coul...