rcahive april 2012 issue

7/28/2019 RCAHive April 2012 Issue

1/13

A p r i l 2 0 1 2 | N e w B e g i n n i n gThe RCAHive: Why

That First Step (Is, Notoriously, a Doozy

Occurences in a DeseAbby Tells It Like It I


2/13

Our Mission:

RCAHive strives to be an innovative student magazine that is

entertaining, intellectually provocative, and visually engaging. We are

conscious of the responsibility of writing and publishing, and we seek

to create a dynamic magazine that is worthy of its readers. RCAHive

seeks to bring RCAH to the world and br ing the world into RCAH.

RCAHive Staff

Editors in ChiefCooper Franks, Arielle LaBrecque

NewsToni Lee Ruggiano, Bridget Gonyeau, Sean Fitzpatrick

FeaturesJonathan Evans, Libby Lussenhop, McKenna Keck

The ArtsPhoebe Richardson, Abbie Heath

RCAH LifeBecky Barron

EntertainmentIssac Berkowitz, David Ward, Ian Siporin

ColumnistsAbby Schottenfels, Kaitlyn Fay, Abby Conklin, Anna Orsini

Copy EditorNicole DiMichele

Layout EditorSamantha Novak

PhotographyHillary Higgins, Catie Bargerstock

Graphic DesignSamantha Novak

Faculty LiaisonSamuel Appel

Other ContributionsDrew Fisher, Melanie LaBerge

Submissions:

RCAHive wants to hear from you! We encourage submissions, writing andphoto, from all members of the RCAH community. We reserve the right to edit

submissions for length and clarity. The opinions expressed in the articles are thoseof the writers and not necessarily of RCAHive. For this reason, we do not accept

anonymous submissions.

The theme for the May issue is travel.

8

RCAHive | April 2012

Music Not Money


3/13

RCAHIVE | feature

s a new beginning. And since

e've begun this beginning with

question, why not ask more?

hat denes a true beginning?

t measured by time, like that

onumental second between

11 and 2012? Why is it that

e need New Year's to begin?

alter the course of our

tions, thoughts and outlook

life entirely. Why do we

ed to remind ourselves to

f-analyze, appreciate and plot

r ambitions?

elieve that each day should

lived like New Year's. It's

at pinnacle instant where

u can stare at yourself in

e mirror and travel back

where you were the year

fore. For me, I smell that

ty ocean breeze and hear

rtuguese intermixed with the

plosions of reworks. I feel

e sand trickling in between

y toes as I jump seven waves

r luck. The colored roses I

row in the ocean sway with

e current, as I stand on the

shore, hoping they drift off to

sea. A friend of mine knocks on

the bathroom door. I transport

back to Michigan. The warm sea

transforms into a sink as I stare

down at the water swirling into

the drain, carrying my thoughts

of the previous New Year with

it. It disappears momentarily, but

is never forgotten.

For you, the traditional New

Year's could be huddled up

north with your loved ones,

or perhaps each year you

search for that party in your

hometown hiding in someone's

basement among your friends.

But wherever you were, you

reect. You do it instinctively, it

just takes the length of a breath

to realize the signicance. Inhale,

exhale. You've grown. You've

accomplished and you've failed.

You've made mist akes and

you've learned. You've lived.

So the real question is, how

can we treat each day like New

Year's? How can we transfor m

the daily routine to the

adventurous nale of a year?

Well, a year is simply a measure

of time. And time is simply

a measurement created by

humans. We have the power to

create, to inspire, to continually

redene ourselves each day.

Instead of waiting till the New

Year to make that resolution,

why not now?

The way I look at it is you

should continuously reect

on past moments, celebrate

the present and develop drive

for the future! And with that

philosophy has given birth to

The RCAHive. It's not just a

literary magazine where you

submit your work to show

off what you have learned,

or another bullet point onto

your rsum. It's a chance to

conjure up something so that

everyone may see the potential

in humanity. I want it to be

a magazine where you can

nostalgically ip through the

pages when you have wrinkles

on your face. I want it to be

a magazine where you can

cheerfully gather the thoughts

of this historic era and imprint

it into time for eternity. I want

it to continue to improve

and embrace the change

that it undergoes. I want it to

essentially embody the essence

of New Year's.

So here is to the beginning of

a beautiful thing. Happy who

cares what year it is.

he RCAHive: Why?

ooper Franks

feature

When I think back to a year

ago, I see myself shoving my

belongings in suitcases. I see

myself packing journals, books,

and maps. I see myself arriving

in Rome, in the midst of

antiquity and chaos. I see myself

walking along viales and running

to tram stops. I see myself as

someone other than myself.

Some unchanged entity that I

no longer recognize to be me.

Of course, much has altered

within a year. I spent half of

2011 thousands of miles across

the Atlantic, something Ive

never done before. When I

came back to the United States,

I felt that there was an empty

space of who I previously was.

A void within myself that I was

incapable of lling, or even

describing. As I adjusted to my

niche back at MSU and the

RCAH, I slowly reconciled with

myself. I faced reality. But I felt

lost; uncontrollable, almost.

I struggled with how I could

connect back to the self that I

was in Rome: the woman with

no reservations, no country.

The Americana who was no

longeruna stranieraa foreigner.

How could I get back there?

Scenes play out each day in

my head: having dinner with

my neighbors, making the 45

minute trek to class each day,

arguing with gypsies, buying

owers from vendors in the

citys most colored markets,

nding beauty in what most

thought was no longer beautiful.

As we inaugurate the ofcial

RCAH literary magazine, we

ask: how can we connect with

our past? How can we get back

to something so tangible but

unreachable? Ive learned that

in order for one thing to begin,

something else must end. But

that doesnt mean that it is lost.

My time living in Italy is not lost,

because writing is how I have

come to remember Rome.

My words recreate the smells,

the characters, the story of

the unending drama that is the

eternal city. And sometimes, I

put myself in these stories, as

we must be a part of things we

create.

We hope that creative

expressions found within

RCAHive will renew our

passions. My hope for RCAHive

is that it not only becomes

a vehicle for creativity

a vehicle of remembr

though writing and ph

can relive our experie

year ago I was watchin

most beautiful sunrise

kiss the earth these la

years. The dissipating b

pink clouds spread ac

Gianicolo hill still spea

Possiamo cominciare a

clouds whisper. We ca

again.

RCAHive: A Beginning and an

Arielle La


4/13

RCAHIVE | feature

If you have a computer and

ears, and dont live under a

rock, youve probably beenhearing a whole lot about two

acronyms lately: SOPA and PIPA.

As Im sure youve all heard

it has something to do with

Internet and everyone is against

it. But the details of these two

legislations have become so

vague and misconstrued that

they are starting to sound like

the confusing health reform of

the 2009-2010 years.

So what exactly are the

SOPA and PIPA bills? Well for

starters SOPA is the House of

Representatives Stop Online

Piracy Act. PIPA is the Senates

Protect IP Act. Each bill, when

passed, would allow copyright

holders to punish websites that

host pirated cont ent. According

to CNN.com PIPA,

...is intended to help put a

stop to foreign websites thatillegally post, and sometimes

sell, intellectual property from

the United States. Federal

law-enforcement agencies

would be empowered to shut

down those sites and cut off

advertising and online paymentsto them.

This worries many American

companies who have domain

names registered across

borders. Companies registered

in the United States are

equally as worried because

both bills give copyright

holders the power to shut

down sites they accuse of

copyright infringement with

very little to no evidence. The

current standing law in the US

allows for the website guilty

of infringement to be given a

warning to take down offending

material before the government

is permitted to seize the

domain.

These bills dont just affect

those small shady websites

that stream terribly bootlegged

versions of movies not yet onDVD. Both of these legislations

would majorly handicap,

if not entirely shut down

major internet giants such as

Wikipedia, Youtube, Tumblr, and

many more. Any website where

copyrighted images, sound, orvideo are shared would fall

under the piracy guideline of

SOPA and PIPA and would be

immediately shut down.

The backlash from these

legislations has caused

thousands to march into

protest. Among the vocal

protestors have been many

internet giants such as Google

and Wikipedia, who placed

censors over their logos, or

turned their home pages

into links to petitions for the

internet blackout this week.

These avid protests have

successfully persuaded many

congressional leaders to rethink

the bills. Even the White House

released a statement last

Saturday against the charters:

"While we believe that online

piracy by foreign websites is aserious problem that requires a

serious legislative response, we

will not support legislation that

reduces freedom of expression,

increases cyber secur

or undermines the dy

innovative global Inter

Protests have been so

abundant, in fact, that

caused for many rewr

the bills. As reported

NY Daily News, SOP

coming back to comm

a markup session in F

according to a release

one of its sponsors, R

Smith. PIPA is still sche

go up for a procedura

the Senate Jan. 24th.

The likelihood of both

failing or being comple

revised until the 2012

are looking very prob

luckily for those again

legislation, the opposi

bills far outweighs the

which will be very im

for President Obama

year, being that its alm

election time.

A Further Explan

of SOPA and Bridget G

Protester Nadine Wolf demonstrates against SOPA outside the US Senate in New York.

Picture: AFP www.news.com.au

ew Beginnings are something

any people wish to obtain on

daily basis. New beginnings

th friendships, classes, jobs.

t when I think of new

ginnings in correlation with

y article, I think of a new

ginning by starting a third

ave: A third wave to the

minist movement..

e feminist movement dates

the way back to the 1800shen women were ghting

r equal rights and were

similating into the workplace.

ow, over a hundred years

er, we are still facing

trimental issues that plague

e female gender.

ould write this article and

orm you about how women

l face discrimination in the

orkplace and still arent

owed to ght on the front

es, but instead, I will tell

u about how it is still seen

degrading for a male to

rticipate in feminine activities.

ow it is still degrading for a

ale to like soft colors that

ten seen as girly like pink

d purple. And how it is still

grading for a husband to stay

home and do the cooking

d cleaning while the wife

rings home the bacon.

n April 5th of last year, J.

ew sent out an email to

customers, offering free

pping on certain purchases.

e email contained an ad

Jenna Lyons, the J. Crew

esident and Executive

eative Director, painting

r young sons toenails pink,

which just so happens to be his

favorite color.

This innocent picture is meant

to depict a mother and son

bonding and sharing a happy

moment together while

advertising J. Crews nail polish

line. However, many people

acted as if the picture was

some horrendous tool meant

to cause gender confusion to

Lyonss son and small boyseverywhere. Erin R. Brown,

a writer from CMI, the very

conservative Cultural and

Media Institute even went

as far to say, J. Crew Pushes

Transgender Child Propaganda.

Many said that this ad was

wrong because the young

boy is showing transgender

actions and will lose his ideas of

gender identity. But if the ad

was of a father and daughter

playing with toy trucks or toy

guns, the ad would have slipped

right under everybodys radar.

This is why the ad has a

stronger, underlying problem

other than just the accusations

that were spewed at J. Crew.

The ad proves the fact that

boys taking part in a girl

activity is unacceptable, not

because the activity itself is

unacceptable, but becausethe female sex is still seen as

inferior.

This same theory is applicable

to boys and men who are

overly sensitive or are having

a bad day. You can often hear

other guys tell them toget

off the rag, or to stop being

such a gir l. Many people see

sensitivity as a weakness, and

relate sensitivity to women.

In turn, this causes women to

appear as weak or inferior in

the eyes of many.

The female sex has progressed

signicantly in the last century.

We attained our right to vote,

began to break the mold of just

being the motherly caretaker,

and started participating inactivities that were traditionally

male dominated. But now, I

think its time to not only nish

breaking this stereotypical

mold for women; I think that

the stereotypical mold for men

needs to be broken, too.

For example, its still not

socially acceptable for a father

to be a stay at home dad

while the mother goes out

to work. Society deems this

unacceptable because the

gender roles are reversed.

Traditional western culture says

the woman should be cleaning

and caring for the children

while the man brings in the

money. However, its now okay

for the woman to work and

have a career, as long as her

husband does, too.

My roommate and I share

similar perspectives. This pastweek, it seemed like our room

was overowing with female

power as we discussed the

stereotypical roles women

fulll. Sarah told me about

an article she read that

attributed womens success

to their nurturing and car ing

qualitiesnothing else. Not

their hard work, intelligence, or

determination.

Many students, and maybe even

some professors, are going to

read this article and deny the

claim I am making by saying

that I have made an inductive

leap from the evidence to my

conclusion. However, those who

believe that probably wont be

able to answer me this: why is it

now acceptable for little girls tonot only play on baseball teams,

or play with trucks, or even toy

guns, yet its still unacceptable

for little boys to like pink or

paint their toenails?

Whats wrong with that?

Children are curious and they

like to explore. A boy playing

with dolls or painting his

toenails isnt going to make him

gay or force him to become

transgender. Its not going to

make him weak like society

views women. His identity

will stay the same, regardless

of feminine activities he may

participate in.

This is why I think its time for

a third wave of the feminist

movement. But this time, the

movement cant just change

things for the female sex,

because in order for things to

change for us, things need tochange for the male sex, too.

he third wave:A CALL FOR A PROGRESSION IN THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT

cKenna Keck


5/13

RCAHIVE |news

ollowing tie for rst in

e Iowa caucuses, former

assachusetts Governor

itt Romney won the New

ampshire primary by a sixteen

oint margin. He's expanded his

ational lead to double digits.

hree former opponents for

e nomination have dropped

eir bids. He's scored high-

role endorsements, including

rmer rival and 2008 nomineeenator John McCain. On the

rface, January seems to have

een an excellent month for

omney. But even as everything

ems to be going right for

e frontrunner, January has

vealed a number of chinks

the former Governor's

mor and opened the door

r intense criticism both as he

raps up the GOP nomination

nd in the fall against President

arack Obama.

Much of this was beyond

Romney's control. Former

House Speaker Newt Gingrich

opened up a erce line of

attack against Romney's days

at private equity rm Bain

Capital. His experience at Bain

has been a central part of his

campaign; he frequently cites it

as proof of his private sector

experience and claims to have

created over 100,000 jobsduring his time there. Private

equity rms like Bain purchase

companies that are struggling

and attempt to turn them

around. When they doas was

the case with Staples and The

Sports Authorityit can be a

stunning success, as Romney

is quick to note. When it isn't,

though, workers bear the brunt

of the pain and Bain tends to

skate off unscathed, or even in

the black. The Bain attack was

a key reason Romney lost in

his 1994 Senate bid, with Ted

Kennedy's campaign running ad

after ad featuring workers who

lost their jobs due to Bain's

maneuverings.

Gingrich's campaign, spited by

negative ads in Iowa, has taken

a page out of the Kennedy

playbook and begun to attack

Romney for his work at Bain.

On January 18, for example,

Gingrich blasted the Bain

model for allowing the rm to,

"leverage the game, borrow the

money, leave the debt behind

and walk off with all the prots."

Gingrich was not subtle in hisconclusion: "Now, I'll let you

decide if that's really good

capitalism. I think it's exploitive.

I think it's not defensible." The

Gingrich campaign has serious

money behind these ads

now, too, with a pro-Gingrich

Super PAC pumping millions

of dollars into South Carolina

to run ads blasting Romney.

The other chief remaining rival,

former Pennsylvania Senator

Rick Santorum, while refusing

to explicitly attack Bain, has

portrayed himself as the only

candidate for the working and

middle class, an unsubtle attack

on Romney's wealth.

Romney has attempted to

deect the attacks by insisting

that to criticize Bain is to "put

private enterprise on trial." In

fact, Romney even suggested

that those who attacked it

didn't believe in capitalism.

This defense may have been

effective in the general election,

when right-wing voters, already

convinced Obama is a socialist,

would have shrugged theseattacks off. But the fact that

this onslaught comes now

puts Romney in a difcult

position in the primary and

sacrices his general election

defense. To attempt to brand

the President as an opponent

of capitalism, while dishonest,

would have been one thing.

But to try to do the same with

a former Republican Speaker

of the House, a leading culture

warriorm for mer Senator, and

the Republican Governor of

Texas, is monumentally more

difcult. Assuming Mitt is the

nominee, expect a number

of Democratic ads this fall to

simply let Romney's Republican

opponents do the talking.

Mitt's Bad MonA Controversial Beginning to the Elections o

Sean Fit

Not all of what has made

January such a bad month for

Romney has been because of

his rivals. He has made a series

of unforced errors that have

reinforced the Bain narrative

and has gone further, to

appear out of touch. In New

Hampshire, he told a crowd

at a town-hall meeting, "I like

being able to re people." In

context, this was not an allusionto his corporate past but simply

a rather awkward phrasing

of his position on health care

choicebut the context is not

likely to matter. As the airwaves

are ooded with ads featuring

workers laid off by Bain, to

suggest that you enjoy "ring

people" sounds callous no

matter the rest of the sentence.

Romney's tax returns have also

been a source of considerable

frustration. In keeping with a

precedent set by Romney's

father, Michigan Governor

George Romney, every major

Presidential candidate since

1968 has released his or her

tax returns. So far, Romney has

refused. This is because they

will likely show that, because

of the structure of the federaltax code, Romney pays a lower

tax rate than many middle

class Americans. The actual tax

forms may do a lot to validate

the Democrats' position that

the wealthy currently benet

from too many loopholes. But

the drawn out, feckless way in

which Romney has attempted

to dodge the issue has made

matters even wor se. When

asked at a CNN debate if he

would release his returns like

his father did, his ineffectual,

"maybe," drew boos from the

audience. In an election where

the progressiveness of federal

taxes will likely loom large,

struggles with his own taxes will

do everything but help.

Romney has done much to

appear out of touch. When

discussing his income, he

referred to the $360,000 he

earned from speaking fees as

"not very much" money and

laughed. For the almost 99% of

Americans who earn less than

that, it was no laughing matter.

He also referred to himself as

coming from "the real streets

of America," an almost comicattempt for the multi-millionaire

son of a multi-millionaire to

connect with average voters.

It is difcult to tell most

Americans that Bloomeld Hills

represents the real streets of

America.

As we enter February

Mitt Romney is still th

overwhelming favorit

the Republican nomin

He has the support o

of the GOP establish

has the strongest org

of any of the Republic

polls consistently sho

as the strongest oppo

in the general electio

as his record at Bain faced increased scrut

tax returns have spar

considerable controv

his connection with t

American has been q

the rst month of 20

been a bad month fo


6/13

Kristin PhilRCAHIVE |the arts

hat First Step (Is, Notoriously, a Doozy)bby Lussenhop

es tell-tale heart would commend us

r our own tale-telling hearts

t cant be silenced

the oorboards.

es we display

dismiss, we are familiar

h the polished blades

ncealed among words, zinc-spiced pills submerged

pplesaucein an age

ide effects, we understand

w those blades can be bent, forging

iers into railings, guiding us

the slick steps

the high dive.

ufing our feet, we adjust

fulcrum, we need

ttle more spring

er this persistent winter

perpetual sleep,

rds conned

dreams.

w poised

he edge of the springboard,

es held tight, its the doubt

fore the dive

t stops us.

e want to know

waters depth;

want to see ourselves

ng, breaking

surface,

urning,

aching, breathing, repeating.

ly time will tell

and weve never listened so closely.t rst its our turn to speak.

were taking

t rst step.

Mind the splash zone.

the arts Occurences in a Desert My feet now stride atop the grains of earth Ground up. Cut down. Splitapart through ages; Measures hither

Existing separately and together.

Shifting under my step-maintaing an impression of what once was there.

Thieved of uidity. Arid...

Truth!

My gait quickens

Thirst ooding the brittle estuaries of my hearth.

The path lengthens

I can see the musing solutionthe answer to this drought!

The distance shortens

The oasis I seek smilesseeming with soporic promise

Desire heightens

I sprint. It smirks.

I cease.

Truth.

I steeped in the sinister delusiveness that ebbed from this very place.

The incidences of existence I laid,

Like Echo,

Faded.

Resonating the longing I possessed before.

The grains parted beneath my sole.

Fervor forever eeting

I embarked once more.Truth...

Phoebe Richardson

If I slipCooper Franks

I am the pencil with which I write,

Expelling my thoughts into the world of white,

Injecting it with bold expressions of black, Pouring out myself, never looking

back. For if I slip, I will simply begin.


Without an eraser I will be just right,

Filling up my canvas with illustrations of me,

Showing it proud for the world to see.

And if I slip, I will simply begin.


Illuminating the darkness with my light,

Never regretting my constructions of art,

The beautiful imperfections of my heart. For if I slip, I will simply begin.


Engraving my legacy with all my might,

Transcending each time and space,

Impacting each and every place.

And if I slip, I will simply begin.


Growing, learning and improving outright,

Using my doodles to live what I know,

And that is to awaken, get up, and go.

For if I slip, I will simply begin.


I will make contact and passionately ignite,

To make a mark and to be,

And thats whats real, and that is me.

If I slip, I will simply begin.

New Beginnings


7/13

RCAHIVE |the arts

ter a day of moving, moving,

oving, we settled down in

reektown to get us some

ty eatz. I was seated at

e edge of a long table with

y back to the window, and

eryone in the restaurant

as placed in just a way that

owed me to make perfectly

nnected eye contact with a

rfectly connected stranger.

eryone at my table was

king and drinking and buzzing,

d I just felt me slowly going

ide of myself. Not in a Sylviaath sort of way, but rather

was sinking into Observe

d Absorb Maggie, and I just

the reality of the situation

velop me. I felt a step

moved from everything, and

my observational frenzy, my

es found Stranger. He looked

be about my age, at the very

ast no more than 20 , and he

o was smushed between the

ergies of those around him,

bdued in the middle of all the

zzbuzzbuzzing. He had a thick,

rk mustache that seemed

contradict the clean eager

ungness of his face. And we

oked at each other. And we

pt looking at each other.

ually when someone nds

e staring at their face, I quickly

y away and nd any and

ery possible out to explain

y crazy eyes. But this time,

ither of us did. Maybe it

as because I wasnt at my

al home, or maybe it was

cause I was so absorbed

absorbing, and a little tipsy

f of rosy red Greek wine.

her way, we both boldly

ntinued staring, not smiling

or mouthing any words, just

blatantly acknowledging the

other. We shifted between

worlds, returning to our proper

tables, and every now and then

I found him with a big smile,

or gesturing to his family (...

probably?) around him. We

looked up every now and

then, the staring continuing. I

wasnt trying to irt with him,

and I dont think he was really

trying to ir t with me. In the

situation, irtation seemed a

foreign concept and beneathus. We were just connected,

despite the busy restaurant

and the even busier streets.

We were just looking, trying to

feel the presence of another

human. (At least, thats what I

was trying to do, for all I know

he was just wondering why

the doe-eyed, big-nosed white

chick was staring at him). After

awhile, a ruckus broke out, and

I saw the waiters hustling over

to Strangers table, singing and

bringing him whatever the hell

dessert Greek restaurants give

to people on their birthday (...

baklava?). Either way, I found out

his name is Yani, and as he was

sung to he just stared ahead,

barely reacting.

After hours and hours, he got

up, dinner over. And as he stood

up, I noticed he only had one

arm, the other was a prosthetic.

I didnt notice during dinner,

because it looked like his hands

were just sitting in his lap while

he ate, and frankly, I was too

busy staring at his mustache-

face. I didnt mind, he was still

clearly a good looking kid, but

everything inside me fell apart,

and everything grew louder as

I saw his Maybe-Uncle wrap

a coat around him and zip it

up. The whole time Stranger

Yani looked at me, our eyes

locked, and I felt like I could

hear everything we werent

saying. He was wondering if

I cared. He was wondering if

I was questioning our whole

connection because now I

know his physical secret. Or

maybe he was wondering if I

was happy, if thats why I was

staring, and if thats what Iwanted to see. I wanted to hug

him and nuzzle him and tell him

that everything was so real, that

I wasnt irting, just connecting,

and that wasnt going to go

away. But his dar k eyes just kept

looking at me uninchingly, and I

wanted so much for him to see

that it didnt matter, that I didnt

care. But it was his tr uth, and I

know he cant escape it.

He and his Maybe-Family,

Denite-Horde led out of

the restaurant, his eyes never

leaving mine. Judgement,

connection, confusion. I

found myself at a long table,

surrounded by laughing

faces made louder and more

distorted by the rosy red Greek

wine. The bottles emptied, and

his eyes remained.

I felt anxious-empty-at. Will his

eyes remember me? After all,

were just humans.

BOTTLE EYESbbie Heath Drew Fisher

It's snowing outside.

And so it begins.

A snowy haze has descended upon the landscape, as the

and sidewalks have disappeared. All that marks their loca

streetlamps, casting their warm glow across the snow, illu

a shadowy gure that stands alone, as the last hint of inte

life quickly evacuates the barren and hostile landscape in

of a place to hole up for the night. The winds are picking

storm is coming.

The snow piles up slowly on the edges of the window pa

precariously perched on the precipice , preparing to take

plunge. Into the wind it goes, traveling wherever the win

blow. And as the wind slows, it signals the calm before th

The snowy haze thickens up like a heavy fog, obscuring th

as it coats the roads and the roads blend perfectly with th

One nal soul makes a br ave and daring dash, through th

and the omnipresent snow. A car inches along, trying to

wanting to crash into the tree that stands strong against t

A vicious gust picks up the dust and the snow takes to th

storm is almost here.

The sky itself has turned a reddish hue and the rest of th

reects it too. The snow that sprawls over the landscape

into mounds and smooths itself out into sands of a deser

The trees have lost their detail, and the bare branches are

black shadows of what they used to be. You can see as t

you can see as they sw ay. You can hear the wind blow. A

can feel that the storm is upon us.

The window panes start to shake in their frame as ghosts

outside. They scr eech and howl and tear at the trees, sha

few leaves with more than a breeze, and hurtling through

branches. Pine needle ngers tap at the glass, urgently w

come in. Wanting to come in, out of the cold, the very c

keeps me penned. So I close my eyes, glad that Im alive,

for the storm to end.

Line of sight is no more, as the wind and snow ght their clashing and thrashing and making us sore, as the fallen co

upon the oor, piling up in front of our doors. A few hum

out to play, oblivious that they're now caught in the fray, s

go out and about their day, the battle rages as before.

White.

Endless and unceasing white, smothering the blight of ou

outright, long before we can put up a ght, and reecting

turning the whole world white.

Blizzard


8/13

RCAHIVE | entertainment

MusicnotMoney

Isaac Berkowitz

$$$

Monday, December19 was

quite the night in Chi town. I

went to Reggies Rock Club, the

rst stop on Asher Roths new

tour named after his recently

released mix tape , Pabst &

Jazz. The mix tape he dropped

while on stage at the stroke of

midnight for free on the well-

known website, Datpiff!

Four close friends of mine

made the road trip from my

hometown of South Haven to

meet up with fellow Roth fans

in Chicago six hours before

the doors opened. We lucked

into parking right in front of

the venue and to our surprise,

we could see Asher doing his

sound check inside. We were

so pumped for the concert and

were not disappointed. A guy

who went into Reggies noticed

us waiting in line alone for this

concert not scheduled to start

for hours; he came back out

with a camera. He said they

were making a Pabst & Jazz tour

DVD and wanted an interview

with some obviously dedicated

fans. This was exciting but not

enough to block out the cold

of waiting hours on a frigid

December night. Right before

they opened the doors on this

sold out show, we tossed our

sweatshirts and coats in the car

then walked in right to the front

and center of the stage. After

some opening MCs, a soulful

and refreshing Jazz band called

the Oh Mys came out and

rocked the house. Their new

single My House sounded

great with their blend of

saxophone, trombone, trumpet,

keyboard, drums, bongos, and

lead vocalist playing smooth

guitar. Rapper GLC destroyed

his set and Micky Rocks of the

Cool Kids came out with DJ

Chuck English and pumped the

place up. The doors opened at

7 and it was around 11 when

Asher nally came on, and

boy was the c rowd ready. He

walked out in a plain grey cr ew

neck with a PBR blue ribbon

pinned to his chest and warned

the crowd that Im gonna play

a lot of stuff off my new mix

tape a lot of stuff you guys

havent heard but its gonna be

ok because we're just gonna

jam and rock out.

He then proceeded to rock

song after song off his mix

tape bringing out most of the

other MCs that were featured

in the songs. Vic Mensa and

Liam Cunningham of up and

coming band Kids These Days

joined him on stage for Hard

Times. DJ Chuck English came

back out to do his song In the

Kitchen which him and Asher

actually made in the kitchen!

Nathan Santos joined Roth for

Not Meant 2 Be, while Roth

got everyone to spread their

arms out and oat to the

beat like we were ying. All the

while DJ Wreckineyez spun the

beats in his fake mustache and

glasses, awlessly free styling a

bit here and there. My friends

and I were blown away at how

close we were to the artist.

I have pictures on my phone

that look as if I was on stage

with Asher. When Roth left the

stage the crowd was more than

hyped and the inevitable chant

ASH-ER ASH-ER ASH-ER

started up. He came back out

and performed his hit single

G.R.I.N.D. The crowd went

insane when they heard the

unmistakable synthesi

intro to the start of th

That energy carried t

the song and after the

Asher, his bassist, drum

DJ Wreckineyez stopp

danced to Apache (Ju

On It). Then they smo

went back into the so

ending with Roth stag

right onto me and my

Walking out of Reggie

1:30am Chicago time

DJ Wreckineyez frees

end the show meant

already 2:30am in Sou

Driving the 2 hours b

no problem since that

show had me wired. A

was awesome to my

four in the morning w

asked how the conce

I opped onto my bed

sounds of soulful jazz,

MCs, the roar of a so

house, and Ashers un

still pulsing in my ears

G.R.I.N.D. (Get Ready Its a New Day)The story of the incredible Asher Roth concertDavid Ward

ntertainment

ecently, I was able to play

usic with a local Jazz guitarist

y the name of Ray Kamalay

member of The String Doctors,

hepards Folly, and Ray Kamalay

nd his Red Hot Peppers). He

as been playing music around

ansing and Detroit since the

960s. Being a young musician

the area, I was interested in

hat he had to say about the

cal scene. He told me that

rectly after nishing college in

974 (a recession year) he was

ble to obtain a job at a localoundry making roughly $240 a

eek while playing music two

o three nights a week at local

ars and venues and making

he same amount of money. He

old me he played at as many

enues as he could and even

hen, there were still countless

ore inviting him and other

cal musicians in to play. This

ot me thinking about my own

xperiences with playing live

usic. Growing up in Grand

Rapids I have been playing

music in a band since I was

about 14 and playing live since I

was 16. Since Ive been playing,

however, it has been much

more difcult to showcase my

music live. There were only

really two venues in which my

band could sincerely play and

be welcomed because of what

we were doing, while every

other venue seemed to focus

on money and not the music.

Mr. Kamalay fur ther reminisced

about how live music used tomean everything, recordings

were simply a way to be

recognized and bring people to

see the band play.

Over time recordings

have ruined the purity

and excitement of the live

performance. People began

putting so much into the studio

recordings and using new

technologies to alter sound

and ability that when audiences

nally go see the artists

perform they are let down by

the poor quality of the music

and inability to duplicate the

sound, leaving fans skeptical of

the music and pushing people

away from the live music scene.

However, to be clear, there

are musicians who are able to

duplicate their studio sound and

put on a show as wonderful

as expected by their fans. It is

when tools such as Auto-Tune

are used to perfect the vocals

of a singer that the studiobegins to ruin the sanctity of

live performance.

As times change though, it is

easy to get left behind. As much

as one would love it to be like

days past where recordings

were merely an invitation to

the live showwhere there

were recordings like Bob

Dylan's 115th Dream in which

a carefree Dylan stumbles

over the intro begins laughing

and starts the song overyou

must progress with the times

and roll with the punches. As

a musician now it seems as if

you are judged more on the

quality of your recordings than

your raw talent as exposed in

a live show. Live music, to me,

is truly how music is supposed

to be heard. Every time it gives

you something new, something

exciting to think about and to

inspire you.


9/13

RCAHIVE | entertainment

A small record label located

in Fenton, Michigan has been

generating quite a bit of buzz

over the past few years. Count

Your Lucky Stars, or CYLS,

as its known to many fans,

is a label that has amassed a

large following in the midwest.

They happen to be one of the

frontrunners in the growing

Midwest Emo Revival scene

and are associated with the

larger label known as Topshelf

Records. Now, when I say Emo,

I dont mean the common

misconception of bands like

Hawthorne Heights or TheUsed. Midwest Emo has a

much more subtle and subdued

sound. The heavy distor tion

of most mainstream Emo and

Hardcore bands is often tossed

aside and replaced with a clean

twinkly guitar sound. Bands in

this scene incorporate elements

of Math Rock, post-rock, and

punk rock.

Even though there is a

particular sound that the

label looks for, listeners can

nd a great amount of variety

between the bands on the

label. Warren Franklin has a

more acoustic singer/songwriter

style, the soft and emotional

sound of Empire! Empire! (I

Was A Lonely Estate) is a must,

and even the all-instrumental

music created by Mountains for

Clouds is a staple in the CYLS

catalogue. My personal favorites

from the label are Empire!

Empire! because of singer/

songwriter Keith Latinens

unique voice and poetic lyrics,

Joie De Vivre because of their

ability to incorporate horns and

powerful vocals into their songs,

and Castevet (CSTVT) for their

beautiful instrumentals.

Label head Keith Latinen

has given CYLS the tagline

The Little Label With a lot

of Love, and as a fan, this is a

very appropriate description

of CYLS. Their collection of

merchandise is very reasonably

priced and it ranges from

t-shirts and stickers to CDs

and, for all the hip kids (wink

wink), tons of vinyl. Yes, you read

correctly, one of my favorite

aspects of CYLS is that theyhave vinyl available for almost

every artist on the label.

Not only is it priced very well,

but they always seem to add a

little are to the vinyl pressings

by adding color and design

to them. I recently purchased

Empire! Empire!s full length LP

when coming up to state , and

opened it to nd a beautiful

grey marble colored record,

ready to sooth my eardrums.

The label also has plenty of

deals that go on throughout

the year. The most recent was

a sale where every day a new

type of merchandises pricing

was slashed. This included

albums, shirts, stickers, mp3s,

and everything else available on

their website.

Im sure the students at

Michigan State would also like

to know that Keith Latinen

is an MSU alumni. I had the

pleasure of talking with him

over the summer at a house

show in Ann Arbor. I must

say, he is a very nice and soft

spoken man. He spoke with my

acquaintance Sean Fitzpatrick

and I about everything from

his time spent at MSU to his

interest in Pokemon. Keith

apparently used to work in the

MSU library and got his degree

in Library Studies. Not knowing

what to do with this degree, he

decided to pursue his passion

for writing emotion heavy songs

and bringing Emo joy (maybe

a contradiction) to the world.

Now Keith runs his own label

and gets to tour not only the

country, but the world.

I would strongly suggest looking

into what Count Your Lucky

Stars has to offer. They are a

great local label that supports

local acts and produces fantastic

music. CYLS has a knack for

forming personal connections

to their fans. I know that Ill

always be a supporter of CYLS,

whether that be buying the

merch or going out to shows.

The Midwest Emo scene is a

very fun scene to be apart of,

and I would suggest that all of

you look into seeing what its all

about.

The Little Label With A lot of Lovea br ie f look into count your lucky stars record label

Ian Siporin

The best part about working in

the RCAH is seeing our students

ideas come alive. I think one of our

students said it best when she said

that this is a place where professors

and staff members say, why not

instead of why. I used to think that

the willingness of faculty and staff to

support student ideas and initiatives

was the result of us being a brand

new college. We wanted students to

have a voice and enough space to

create the culture of the college on

their terms. After ve years, I now

realize that its not because were

new. Its because we know that

students are the lifeblood of this

college and that anything that has

ever worked and worked well hascome from students. Our students

are artists, performers, teachers,

activists, thinkers, musicians, and

world citizens.

Our students take initiative. They

see a need and they ll it. They

have an idea, and they connect with

someone to make the idea a reality.

That is exactly what happened

with this literary magazine you are

holding. One student had an idea,

and he kept moving and bringing

people along until som

happened. He made a

Beginning.

What I love about this

what happens within th

of this college does not

everywhere. Students

exceptional. From RCA

to ROIAL players, to R

to RCAHive, students

involved, and passionat

So, whats the advice fr

advisor? Get involved. S

Ask for help when you

enjoy being part of a p

to give you the space y

create and explore! Finbeginning.

If you walk through the

basement of Snyder-Phillips

on a Friday night and hear

excessive laughter, lots of

applause, and maybe a few

awkward comments being

yelled from the RCAH

Theater, like loose-cannon

gynecologist or mama's boy,

you are denitely hearing a

Roial Player's Improv Show. For

those who don't know, Roial

Player's Improv Group puts ona show once a month, always

on a Friday at nine o'clock in

the RCAH Theater. The Roial

Players improv show is typical

of the traditional games played

on Whose Line Is It Anyway,

like The Dating Game, Scenes

From A Hat, and Harold's.

And if you are worried about

being called upon for audience

participation, don't worr y, you

most denitely will be. I myself

have been a bachelorette on

the dating game and had to

choose from one of my three

bachelorsa kangaroo, Jesus,

and a caveman.

Grace Pappalardo, director ofthe Roial Players Improv Group,

rst joined the group as a

freshman. For those of us who,

like myself, have to think about

our jokes long and hard before

we say them, might want to

turn to some advice from this

improv director. I think one of

the best methods of thinking

on the spot is having a super

weird brain and an untamed

imagination, says Pappalardo.

A super weird brain and an

untamed imagination...I don't

think that should be too hard

for us RCAH majors! Another

member of the group, Sam

Peters, said that playing different

theater games at practice helphis skills, and that improv is like

a team sport; every one helps

each other out on the stage.

Now for those skeptics out

there who wonder why they

would want to waste

time on a Friday night

a college improv show

ya! Improv makes the

better place. Grace an

both agree that laught

a healing power, and t

shows can make some

week just a bit brighte

a room full of people

is pretty signicant, sa

and I agree. So if you

a bad week and needup, or just want a goo

hey, want to meet you

kangaroo husband, co

to Roial Players Impro

upcoming show is Ma

at 9 PM, for only

Beck

RCAHtainmenAll your entertainment in the RCAH Roial Play er

rc

Kate's Ko

DEAN ESQUITH

WANTSYOU...

to come to RCAH council meetings on Mondays at

8:00 PM in the second floor study rooms . Help be a

part of the student voice! Plan events, voice student

issues, and help cultivate RCAH community.

40% Work 60% Fun


10/13

RCAHIVE |column

column

dore my godmother Susan,

writer who is responsible

r my taste in jewelry, love of

ords, and the marriage of my

rents. But she is also a force

be reckoned with, which

eans that until recently, I never

oke at her dinner table for

ar of public shaming. Case in

oint, when I nally worked up

e nerve to argue with her for

e rst time, she informed me

at my theories on the author

A. Ray (of Curious George

me) were totally incorrect

e direct quote, actually, is,No, youre wrong, sweetie.

eally, really WRONG,and

e began yelling at each other

out a childrens author until,

evitably, she won.

rtunately, I have developed

ore of a backbone with her

ce then, and Youre really,

ally WRONG, has become

rt of family lore. But she is

l a challenge sometimes, and

s past New Years denitely

t my family to the test. We

rived at her apartment in

anhattan two days after

hristmas to be greeted with

e excited announcement that

e had gotten us tickets to see

e 9/11 Memorial on January

st. My father tentatively

ggested that maybe only he

d my godmother go, and

t my mother and I stay back

th my brother, but in case I

vent made it clear enough

or to now, Susan does not

lieve in half-assing anything.

We were going on a family trip

Ground Zero and it was

ing to be great. My mother

d I went into the guest room

unpack, and began making

rt of miserable jokes about

ur pending visit: Oh look,

the gravesite of a thousand

people! I exclaimed with mock

enthusiasm as I opened a

suitcase. Do you know where

the snack bar is?

The fact of the matter is,

we know a couple of names

on the marble walls of the

site, including the father of

a childhood friend of mine

from Brooklyn (where I grew

up), and I really didnt want to

go. Didnt want to start 2012

in a mess of tears and snot.

Which my mother and fatherunderstood, just as well as

they understood how much it

meant to my godmother that

we all go together. So, seven

hours after cheering for the

four mile-racers in Central Park

at midnight, the ve of us were

in line for security checks in

lower Manhattan. It is public

knowledge that the attacks

gutted the towers as well as

the surrounding area, but being

there for the rst time since

was surreal. The city space was

oddly clear, with an enormous

wash of light and sky overhead

because, unlike the rest of the

island, there were no buildings

jumbled together. My father

was clenching his jaw and my

mother was walking behind

me with her head down. My

brother was silent too, but it

has to be said that hes sixteen...

My godmother was not

prepared for how her guests

behaved during the half-hour

allotted to them on site , for

how much we cried. My

parents and I walked single

le around the two enormous

square fountains that stand for

each tower. There was water

coursing down the black stone

insides, across the bottoms,

and then down again; a rigid

quadrilateral chute in the center

that seemed to be pulling us in

and under to the ashes of the

attacks far below. We looked

at each engraved name, the

mothers and their unborn

children, the sons carrying their

fathers names; there was a

mass of people slowly rotating

around the two marble squares,

and then through the many

memorial trees. My godmother

and brother drifted off while

my parents and I stood rstin front of my fr iends fathers

name, then the reghter from

our Park Slope neighborhood,

and were quiet for a long time.

It was sometime during that

stillness that I noticed that

many tourists around us

were not upset. Instead, they

were posing for photographs,

situating themselves under the

sun, leaning on the fountain

walls, grinning hugely with

peace signs. I found this

shocking, almost offensive,

and was secretly relieved to

have something else to think

about. We continued our walk

through the memorial, left just

before the thirty minutes were

up, and wended our way back

to where we had parked, a few

blocks into the canyons of the

city. It was a relief to be back

in that shadowed familiar. And

then, as we were getting into

the car, a large man with a cat

on his head appeared down

the street. I kid not, a black

cat with white mittens, and a

group of Asian tourists behind

us got very excited and pulled

out cameras, in response to

which the guy held up a furious

hand and demanded payment

for each photo taken. Bafed

initially, a few of the tourists

pulled out bills, posing as we

pulled away from the curb. I

found myself thinking about the

people smiling at the memorial

in relation to those who had

just been harshly treated by a

New Yorker with a pet on his

bare head. The rst tourists

had irritated me, but the Asians

were probably no happier

about the behavior they saw

from cat-man than I had

been. Which then triggered

something elseits all thesame, isnt it?

We can all judge. We can all

decide that someone else is

behaving improperly, that they

fall into one category versus

another. But we seem to forget

that doing so is never, ever

one way. For every time I have

looked at someone unfairly,

someone else has directed such

a thought at me. And we could,

of course, take that realization

as reason for continuing our

cruelty. But, what if we didnt?

What if we realized that the

world is far bigger than us?

That our time is short, during

which we come into contact

with thousands of people? And

that if we chose to spend that

short time here being a positive

force, we could do a lot more

for those people we only briey

pass in our lives than if we were

unpleasant?

Just a thought. It is,

after all, a new year.

A New YearAbby Conklin

Its my last semester, and Im

sort of freaking out and not

wanting to dwell in "new

beginnings" quite yet. But what I

can do is new reections. Being

that this is the beginning of the

end I feel as though it relates. I

wanted my column to be a tell-

all. Me laying on the hard truths,

schooling you guys in hard

knocks. And one thing I know

about best is living (read: going

BANANAZ) in S nyder-Phillips.

Here are some of the tricks

and trades I learned during my

time in the glorious, notorious

complex that is MASP:

1. Create your own

extracurriculars. Im not

talking about the usual Join an

intramural team or Lets start

the RCAH Photo Club for

umpteenth time. Im talking

about real extracurriculars like

the time my roommate and I

started what we called The

Terrace Fight Club Dont Talk

About It. We advertised on the

bathroom dry erase boards

and told everyone on our oor

to meet us in the Pillar Room at3 in the morning. No one came,

except there was a couple

there making out. They didnt

want to be in the club.

2. Find places that arent your

room to make your home . I just

want to say for the record right

now that the alleged Snyder

Reading Rooms or the "back

rooms by Aronoffs ofce

or whatever is formally titled

Serenity. Serenity is the place

for one to truly go crazy. No

work gets done there, but at

the same time, all the work

gets done there. It is the only

place where it is completely

reasonable to order two rounds

of Jimmy Johns in one night.

3. Get wacky in the caf. The

caf is cool until after the rst

month or two when you realize

that you will never eat a new

meal again. You know that

green bean casserole comes on

the third barbeque Wednesday

of every month and there is

nothing you can do about it.

Except get wacky. My personal

favorites include making what I

like to call The Bagelwich and

tricking the sandwich peopleinto making me quesadillas.

4. Spend a Thursday night with

someone who you wouldnt

usually talk to I will never

forget the night my friends and I

fashioned our extra sheets into

capes, changed our Facebook

statuses to INFILTRATE, and

tried to barge our way into the

Pillar Rooms weekly Dungeons

and Dragons game.

5. Make your whole oor do

stupid things with you. One

time I made my entire oor

agree t o Catwalk Tuesday

every time we walked down

the hall we strutted our stuff.

We had Olympics, massage

trains, sh funerals, roundtable

conversations and once a

Febreeze ght. Never be afraid

of getting a noise violation or

being written up, because

it turns out they dont mean

anything at all.

6. Never underestimate a

shower jam session. A shower

jam is a true art form. You cant

try to control it. It has to be

authentic. You shouldnt really

try and plan it or pick songsbeforehand. Its more like a

drum circle in the way that

everyone should co

exactly what he or s

7. ALWAYS cure a

the caf. These are th

you will cherish fore

at a marathon lunch

on end with differen

people shufing in a

glory stories from th

before. Sitting with y

friends intellectualizi

nothing, stalking the

clowns in Gal, laughi

and from Brimstone

back again to Ciao.

This is what college

Abby Tells It Like

Abby Schottenfels


11/13

The Simple ThingNew Begin

K

elcome to the rst of

y monthly columns in the

CAHive. I spent a lot of time

kay, maybe half an hour)

bating over winter break

hat exactly I wanted the

eme of my column to be.

ould I write about current

ues related to the four

ars of the RC AH? Would

ocus on civic engagement?

hat about highlighting some

the current happenings in

e college? Nah. I decided

y column would simply behatever I felt like writing

out each monthnothing

rious or profound, just some

sual musings. And one of my

-time favorite things to muse

out is reality TV. Besides, what

ates to this months theme

New Beginnings more than

e outrageous new season of

ance Moms?

admit it: Im a reality

evision addict. Its really the

ly thing I can get interested

watching. See, Ive never

en much of a TV/movie

n. My ideal movie length

about 90 minutes, since

ything longer puts me to

ep. I nd sitcoms to be like a

ot canal with no anesthesia,

d I can hardly even make

hrough a single episode of

ose intelligent HBO dramas

e Boardwalk Empire and The

re.Watching TV for me is

physical discomfortI cant

lp but feel like I should be

ing something better with

y time. I just dont care what

ppens to these fake people

the screen.

t, ah, reality TV. Now that

something I can get into. I

ent a long time ghting my

urge to watch the mundane

lives of pregnant high schoolers

onMTVs 16 & Pregnantor

following bratty two-year-olds

as they compete in pageants

that they dont even know

theyre in, aka Toddlers & Tiaras

on TLC. I was embarrassed that

the commercials I saw for these

shows deeply fascinated me.

Besides, I didnt watch TV at all,

and that stuff was for real TV

junkies. How could I possibly

like it? It was trashy, and I was

above it.

Until, that is, I watched it. Ten

minutes ofTrue Life: Im Deaf

was all it took to make me

realize I was in no way better

than reality televisionI was

its prime audience. I watched

13-year-old skater-punk

Christopher try to navigate his

life in a public school, speaking

only sign language and nearly

unable to communicate verbally.

I watched him get a cochlear

implant and upon hearing

his mom say Christopher,

watched him sign, Thats my

name. I heard you say my

name. I sat on my couch

and cried right along with his

mother. I realized then that

these were real people. These

were their lives, and they were

complicated and difcult. I

may not have been able to get

myself to care about Jennifer

Aniston as Rachel in a staged

New York City apartment, but

goddamnit I cared about them.

For me, reality TV just had a

gravity that scripted shows

were missing.

Flash forward a few years and

Im hooked. I watch Dance

Moms every Tuesday night,

and record Teen Mom 2 after

that (not even reality shows

can overcome my lack of an

attention span.) I love Teen

Mom, Top Chef, True Life, Beyond

Scared S traight, Toddlers & Tiaras,

hell, Ill even watch Storage Wars.

Yes, Im aware the reality

TV shows have writers. Im

aware that they employ story

editors who create plots by

cutting existing footage and

using voiceovers to create

illusions that certain things

happened which, in fact, did

not. I know that producerscreate drama by manipulating

the questions asked during

character interviews, by adding

intense music and sound

effects to important scenes

(as we all know, real life has

no soundtrack), and even by

staging certain events. In effect,

I know that reality TV simply

does not always portray true

reality.

But you know what? I dont

care. Its fascinating, its

entertaining, its illuminating;

and for that one hour that Im

watching it, I can escape. I can

stop worrying about the papers

I have due, the chores I never

nished, what the hell Im going

to do with my life...Instead, I can

completely invest myself in the

(edited) lives of real people in

the world. I can root for Maci

in Teen Mom as she devotes

her life to her three-year-old

son Bentley, getting a job, going

back to school and standing up

to her ex, Ryan. I can shake my

head as middle-aged women

ght over which 9-year-old is a

better dancer in Dance Moms

(its Maddie, by the way). Hell,

I can even cry at True Life: Im

Deafif I want to.

Ive been told watching reality

TV is tasteless. Countless

people have tried to nd just

the show that can get me out

of my reality habit and back

into quality (re: scripted)

television. My friends and family

wonder how I, an intelligent

young woman, could possibly

degrade myself with unscripted

shows on MTV. Well, it may be

trashy, but reality TV gives me

perspective. When I do think

critically about it, it helps me

understand the world and thepeople in itproviding examples

of how power and privilege,

race, gender, sexual orientation,

class and more function

in the media. And when I

dont, its pure, unfettered

entertainmentthe escape from

my own life that, at some point,

we all need. If reality TV is what

can give this to me, whats so

wrong with that?

RCAHIVE |column

Defense of Reality TV

nna Orsini

The idea of starting fresh

and being able to begin from

square one is always exciting.

As humans, we like to have

constant new beginnings. It

gives us a chance to start over

and forget any mistakes we may

have made before.

Every semester we get to start

from scratch with new classes

and new professors. We make

promises to ourselves that we

will try harder, achieve more

this semester, and get those

papers started well before they

are due. Lets be honest, for

most of us those papers will

still be left until the last minute.

At least we had the chance to

expect better from ourselves to

try harder.

The changing of seasons is

always exciting to us. Thebeginning of spring brings

fresh owers and new life to

the world. Summer promises

a break with sunny times and

laughter. When we think of fall

we imagine walking around on

a nice crisp day through tunnels

of yellow, orange and red trees.

Winter gives us thoughts of

pretty snowakes, sledding, and

making snowmen.

We like to imagine the positive

aspects of what the new

seasons will bring us. We could

dwell on the fact that spring

will bring rain, summer will be

sweaty and unbearably hot

at times, fall means raking up

dirty leaves and winter gives

us slippery roads and frozen

toes, but we dont. We imagine

beautiful beginnings with

hopeful glances toward the

future.

Going through life, we

sometimes dont realize simple

things are complex things put

together for our enjoyment.

Look down at what you are

wearing. Can you imagine thatevery article of clothing on

your body began with one little

stitch of thread? Whether your

clothes are hand made or were

made in a factory ; someones

hands guided the machine

to sew the fabric together

that you are wearing. If you

would like to go even fur ther,

someone created the fabric

being sewn together and the

thread thats used.

Many of our new beginnings

are created by us, like writing

words upon a page. The rst

word on a piece of paper can

begin a whole new story that

no one has ever seen before.

Whether you are writing a

story, a poem, or a song, there

are so many possibilities. You

can take yourself and others

anywhere your imagination will

lead you.

Creating something is the

ultimate of new beginnings.

Who knows where your

creation will take you? You may

just escape the burdens of real

life for a few minutes, or youmay see your artwork in a

museum some day. Regardless,

it all begins with a brushstroke,

a word written on a page,

the singing of a lyric, or a

picture being taken, and ends

with freedom. That could be

freedom of thought, f

speech, or just the fre

release.

The sunrise is one of

simplest new beginnin

can think of. With the

orange ball peeking o

horizon, we are given

promise of a new day.

made it to yet anothe

life. Only we can deci

that new day will brin

preciously we will trea

With the constant blu

of school, work, and

extracurricular activiti

through us, it become

easy to forget how gif

are to simply be alive.

sunrise means we are

Earth to enjoy life. Ev

begins a new jour ney

story must start some

LIFE WITH ANNA ORSINI


12/13

Heres the thing about words:

Theyre just words.

Just a conglomeration of sounds.

It's the humans job to apply meaning.

I feel words have become so

light lately, people throw them

around like feathers to the point

where the meaning has become lost.

Think about what you are saying.

They do impact the people

who see these words as opaque

and clouded with intention and

formed thought.

The people who do take words

lightly are the ones that need to

realize the magnitude of it all. Its

easy to throw feathers around,

but the thing is, if you dont

realize the feathers are actually

rocks youre eventually going to be

the cause of your own demise.

And then there are cases where

words take the guise of truth,

but are in fact shallow falsities.

This is the cancer of a words

meaning. And we become

confused with reality.

Reality is what you make of it,

though. If you believe the sky is

purple and the grass is blue, even

though it is not true, that is your

reality. On one hand, Im sure

the sky and the grass would be

frustrated with the population

holding this reality, as they would

want them to know their true

colors. On the other, maybe they

realize the people who accept

these false realities are not

worth their energy. Those whodo not question should not have

the right to own a brain. Or the

right to own a voice to spread

their ignorance.


Think about what you know, and

what you dont know. Question.

Dont assume. Do not accept

what is given to you even though

it might be what you want to

believe. That is foolish. Find these

things out yourself. Ask the

source. As words travel from

one host to the other it is easy

for truth to be twisted, stretched

and bleached to the point where

it has come so far from what

it was that it has become a

completely different entity. And

so the meaning and the truth,

who desire no association with

the new being, have ed.

Please, lets stop this genocide of

words.

Lets all grow up and use our

brains a little instead of ripping

pillows apart and letting feathers

y when were angry or upset

like a toddlers temper tantrum.

No need for such destruction.

Im here to understand, Im here

to learn, Im here to question, Im

here to problem solve, and Im

here to communicate.

The thing is though, I dont

hold grudges. All negativity

can be erased with a simple

conversation. Perhaps we can

inch closer to truth that way.


Genocide of Words:The impact of words.

Phoebe Richardson

RCAHIVE |opinion

ow hard is it to love yourself?

ow hard is it to look in the

rror and feel beautiful? From

y own personal experience

d the experiences of people

ose to me the answer is that

can feel impossible. Believing

at self-acceptance is hard in a

orld where every perceived

w you have can be edited

way is easy. Its much easier

an learning to love yourself

r the person that you are.

ook in the mirror and see a

ce too round, with a lack of

n that often makes me look

e I have two. I see the swell

my stomach where Ive been

d there should only be a Flat

ace. I see my feet that face

ward and feel like I am unable

walk in a way that would

considered beautiful unless

orce them to face straight

ead.

hen I was younger I would

cidentally lose weight without

ying. My pediatrician grilled

e like a police investigator

r any signs that I might have

eating disorder. I never have

d I could never compare

y suffering to a person

ho has experienced such a

order, but this accu sation was

setting to me. I felt like my

ctor assumed that I hated

y body simply because I wasadolescent girl. I know she

eant well by it, but it put a

ting pressure on me that I

l suffer from today. Before

my most recent appointment

I noticed that I weighed a

little less than the last time I

had gotten a check up and

quickly looked up ways to gain

weight because I feared being

questioned again.

I open a magazine and see

people with unnaturally smooth

skin, skin that no human being

has. I see womens waists

reduced to sizes where they

wouldnt be able to hold

themselves upright. I am told

what I am supposed to see as

beautiful. Its not people like me,

not like my boyfriend either.

In fact, who are these people?

They dont look like human

beings anymore. Why do we

do this to ourselves? I say this

assuming that the people sitting

in front of a computer screen

editing all the possible zits or

wrinkles off of a models face

are human beings and not

aliens from a planet where

looking like a person on a

magazine cover is norm al. What

do these people look like? How

do they feel about their jobs? I

dont think they could possibly

be oblivious to the effect that

their work has on the rest of

society. I wonder if it makes it

more difcult to sleep at night.

I suppose if you work in such

an industry long enough youeventually get used to it.

Although I desperately ght

against this notion of what is

beautiful, I still get caught in its

web. I dont nd what Im told

is beautiful attractive. Year after

year I nd myself looking at this

or that magazines proclaimed

sex symbol of the year and feel

nothing. When this happens I

wonder if theres something

wrong with me because

obviously everyone else must

be attracted to such and such,

as long as the persons in th eir

target sexuality. I assume that

Im the problem, not that what

a person is attracted to varies

far more than what Ive been

told.

My boy back home, my gem,

would not be considered

beautiful in this wor ld. The mere

fact that he has pimples and

blackheads would bar him from

attractiveness. He admitted

to me that he didnt consider

himself beautiful before I told

him I liked him. I could hold

this over my head like it was

somehow a triumph of

my ability. I gave him condence,

it was me! Instead I just feel

upset that he wasnt able to feel

that way without my validation.

I often felt the same way about

myself before meeting him. I

shouldnt need someone else to

help me even feel the slightest

bit of good about myself. That

shouldnt happen. I know itsall right to be happy when he

says that Im beautiful, but the

fact I often cant say that to

myself without encouragement

makes me feel weak. Ive felt

that way about it for a while,

but until now I havent said it.

Is it possible to love yourself

without help?

I cant pretend that loving

yourself is easy. People ing the

phrase around like it takes no

effort at all. Its not that simple.

Were only hurting ourselves

by pretending that it is. When

everything around you is

geared to tell you that youre

hopelessly awed and ugly it

takes work to love your body

the way it is. It is in fact an act

of revolution in a way. Is it a

revolution that is desperately

needed by us all. We are not

the perfect magazine aliens

and we should not try to be

because beauty should not

be dened by sameness or an

adherence to some impossible

standard. Desire for complete

identicalness in every human

form denies the very nature

of beauty in itself, which is

its subjectivity. I want to see

people of every shape, size,

and color, as varied as they

can possibly be. I want to see

people like and unlike me. I

want to feel condent and

charming and desirable and I

want the people around to me

to be able to feel the same way,

if that is what they wish. Is thattoo much to ask?

Am I beautiful?A Collection of Thoughts

Melanie LaBerge

opinion


13/13

rcahive april 2012 issue

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