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7/28/2019 RCAHive April 2012 Issue
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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
7/28/2019 RCAHive April 2012 Issue
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
I am the pencil with which I write,
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.
I am the pencil with which I write,
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.
I am the pencil with which I write,
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.
I am the pencil with which I write,
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 am the pencil with which I write,
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
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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
7/28/2019 RCAHive April 2012 Issue
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.
7/28/2019 RCAHive April 2012 Issue
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
7/28/2019 RCAHive April 2012 Issue
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
7/28/2019 RCAHive April 2012 Issue
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
7/28/2019 RCAHive April 2012 Issue
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 are saying.
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.
Think about what you are saying.
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
7/28/2019 RCAHive April 2012 Issue
13/13