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Down With the Year of the Woman

We need to normalize female politicians, not act as though they’re unicorns. And if someone says “pink wave” again, I’m going to dry

“Down With the Year of the Woman,” written by Amy Chozick, talks about how women are making a statement of wanting equality, and respect. This article focuses on the anger of female candidates who run for office. Chozick wrote, “‘Are female candidates still unicorns, magical woodland creatures that rear their sparkly horns every couple of decades, and only when provoked.’” In other words, women candidates are basically unheard of because we’re supposed to be “well-behaved housewives” and not playing with the “big boys.” We’re supposed to just sit back and let the men do all the work because this is a “man’s world.” However, when we’re provoked by sexual harassment, that is when we become the “over-reactors.” According to The Washington Post” 2018 may be the year that is considered “The Woman on Steroids.” Since recent cases of sexually assault charges (i.e. Kavanaugh v. Ford) Woman are back-lashing against sexual harassment, and because of President Trump’s derogatory comments towards women. There is an interesting term that is being used, and it’s called the “pink wave.” The pink wave is another way of saying women are fighting back, our democracy is turning pink. However, “the pink wave” doesn’t give any justice to women who are, according to the article, red-hot rage.” This article hits a nerve for me because I believe women are strong, and have a right for equality, education, a good career, and respect. We don’t deserve to be treated like “magical woodland creatures.”

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Alcoholism

By: Allison

This blog is not going to be the normal blog. This entry is going to be about something that I actually lived through. Alcoholism.

When I was three years old, living in Washington in the middle of winter, my dad decided to go on a beer run and to bring me with him. It was snowing and I was in the front seat without a seatbelt or car seat. We got pulled over because of a busted tail light. My dad didn't come home that night and I had to get picked up by my moms friend because she was out of town for work. She divorced him shortly after. The damage had been done.

When I was fourteen years old, my father died. I watched him die. His liver was in N Stage, his heart was failing and were his kidneys. He was bleeding from this inside out. It’s something I would never wish upon anyone, and yet, it happened to my father. See, my dad liked to drink. He drank whiskey like is was water, but it wasn’t. And eventually he quit, but it was to late, the damage had been done.

Below is a piece I wrote in the 10th Grade. A year after my father passed. The assignment was to focus on a moment in our lives and to write it out in detail. This is what I wrote:

“October 26th 2012, 1:46 a.m.

The only sound is the ghostly beeping of the heart monitor as I lay in the small hospital bed next to my father. His face pale and ashen, the gray stubble on his chin tickling my hand lightly as I rest it against his cheek. My body seems like a small pebble next to a colossal boulder. My father’s eyes are closed and even though he can’t talk to me, he still holds my hand. We share a single, uncomfortable, starched white pillow as my hair cascades out like a black ink stain behind my head. He is laid out straight and solid with blankets tucked carefully around him and the tubes and needles protruding out of his body. As I lay there stiffly, next to my father, I begin to go to war with myself. This is my fault. If I hadn’t been born, he would have never started drinking so much. But I know my daddy loves me. I just wish he could talk to me. I murmur things to him, I tell him everything he’s missed in my life and that I love him so much and that I am so sorry for the position he’s in now. The room is grim and Death is billowing out around us, polluting the stale air with its darkness. Death is waiting to take my father into its cold, eternal embrace. Death isn’t in one place though, it’s everywhere. Death is in all the machines surrounding the bed. Death is in the pale blue walls of the tiny room. Death is in the thick curtains that act as a door to the miniscule room of grim darkness. Death is everywhere. My vision becomes misty. “I love you, daddy.” The hand I’m holding squeezes mine firmly, yet gently and I smile slightly. The beep of the heart monitor slows… His body goes limp… Blood begins to pool out of his mouth and down his chin…He’s dead… My eyes flood and my cheeks are stained with sorrow. Nurses tear my screaming and convulsing body away from his lifeless corpse. Death has finally revealed itself and taken my father from this world of cruelty and monstrosity. I’m not even 15 years old.”

I’m not the only child that has gone through this with a parent. Sometimes children are stuck with that parent and don’t have anyone else to save them, I was lucky enough to have my mom. When a person is addicted to the bottle, they don’t see anything else. I miss my dad more than anything and I wish I had just one more day with him. But I don’t. The damage has been done.

In today’s society, drinking has been normalized so much that it’s a regular thing to go out and do. I’m not saying that it’s bad, I’m just saying that it can be and there needs to be some form of moderation.. Some people don't know their limits, or they do and just don’t care. Then those people get behind the wheel of a car or start stumbling home. Bartenders are taught the proper way to serve alcohol so that patrons don’t get drunk, and yet it still happens. I believe that something should be done about this. The ease of access to alcohol can start an addiction and can lead to someone’s death. Something needs to change before the damage has been done.

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Welcome to College. Your Parents Are in the Tents Next Door.

Parents of first-year college students in China live in tents on campus to make goodbyes easier. Critics say they are pampering a generation

This article lead me down an interesting path and made me really think. It focuses on Chinese undergrads whos parents are living at the school with them due to financial issues. I found the relationship between parent and child in China to be intriguing and went to do some research on the differences in Chinese and American culture when it comes to parent and child.

In China, when it comes to taking care of elderly parents, it’s traditionally the son that takes care of them, not the daughter. In America, stereotypically, the parents are either put in a nursing facility or taken care of by whatever child is able to do so. Culturally, our two societies are completely different.

Tradition, Stereotypes and Parental bonds are all different when it comes to America and China. Having done some research of my own, I found that a lot of chinese families only have one child, China had an overpopulation problem and created a law stating that every family could only have one child. That being said, the family ties are probably stronger between parent and child in China because of that. In America, a family usually has more than one child, so the bonds and traditions between families are different.

Not to mention that these are two totally different cultures that we are talking about here. Both with different laws, foods, genetic makeup and surroundings. If an American were to go to China or someone from China were to come to America, it would be a massive culture shock to both individuals.

By: Allison

Sterilization, abortion, fines: How China brutally enforced its 1-child policy

Jan. 1 marked a significant cultural shift in China — starting this year, families will be able to have two children. This alters the one-

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When the Tables Turn...  by xodanibanani

Police officers are known for playing a major role in our society when it comes to maintaining our safety. When people within our community commit crimes such as burglaries, vandalism, and much more serious forms of illegal activity, such as kidnapping, murder, and drugs, police officers are one of the first people to respond to the respective case, face the dangerous scenario (while the rest of us are instructed to be as far away from the scene as possible), and  devote their efforts in putting those who are guilty behind bars…at least we thought so. According to The New York Times article, titled, “Three Florida Police Officers Are Sent to Prison for False Arrests” by Christina Caron, Caron discusses the issue regarding three police officers from Florida who have committed to the acts of false arrests and have been reported to have arrested innocent people with the intention of improving the department’s crime statistics and making their burglary clearance rate 100%. However, what exactly are false arrests? According to legaldictionary.net, the website defines ‘false arrests’ as “A false arrest is an arrest that is made without a warrant, or without probable cause. It is possible to sue law enforcement officials for false arrest. However, those who are typically sued for false arrest include businesses, private citizens, private security, or bounty hunters”, which, given the circumstances, proves to be a solid representation of what horrid acts these officers have committed, but establishes that not all innocent victims may receive the justice that they so rightfully deserve.

When police officers make arrests, regardless of whether the party is guilty or not, it is often seen as a success, because the perpetrator(s) are thought to finally be behind bars, which in turn, makes us citizens believe that our community has become “safer”. Thus, when more perpetrators are sent to prison, it ideally helps the crime statistics decrease and “closes” or “solves” the respective cases, which is what the Florida police officers were “trying” to do. However, while the officers did have good intentions, in the sense that they wanted the burglary clearance rate to be 100%, the manner in which they chose to “improve” the crime statistics, which was led by the police department’s chief officer, Raimundo Atesiano, is the one who lead this plan. The New York Times article continues to report that the officers specifically targeted black victims, with one in particular still being a minor, a 16-year-old male. However, after conducting further research, it was discovered that there is more to this story.

According to another article written for The Miami Herald, by Jay Weaver, his article further proves that once again, The New York Times incorporates bias by omission into their article. This time, by reading Weaver’s version of the story, it was established that Caron failed to mention an additional detail regarding one of the officers’ falsely-made arrests. According to Weaver’s article, in addition to the fact that Officer Ravelo (pictured above) has targeted black victims, Weaver also mentions that there was one incident in which Ravelo targeted a Hispanic man as well. In his article, Weaver states, “Between those false arrests, Ravelo slugged a handcuffed Hispanic man after he was stopped for a broken taillight while driving through the suburban town north of Miami.” Without this vital piece of information from Weaver, it would have seemed that the three officers and their chief only targeted black victims, but through Weaver’s article, it turns out that there were more victims of different ethnic backgrounds involved, which only makes matters worse, given that according to statistics, these specific racial groups, among others, are wrongfully stereotyped and overgeneralized in terms of violence.

As I read both articles and took the time to reflect on both of them, I just couldn’t help but think about how hypocritical this whole situation is, because we are encouraged by law enforcement and it is also just common sense as well to obey the law and do the right thing.  We put so much trust in them and believe that everything they’re doing (for the most part) is for the well-being of the general public. Because of this, i am rather disappointed at the fact that the chief of the police of department would even think to do such a horrible thing, just for their own personal benefit. However, in my opinion, it’s even worse that the three fellow police officers chose to abide by their superior, even though they knew he was wrong. I understand that it may feel wrong to contradict our superior or authoritative figure, but I feel that a line If they really cared about whether or not they were doing the right thing, they would have stood up to their chief. Overall, while I do acknowledge and believe that not all police officers and law enforcement do their job and well and really care about the safety of our society, I feel that this specific case with the three police officers, in particular, is as ironic as it hypocritical because three out of the thousands and thousands of police officers who devote their career in putting the guilty behind bars are now the ones behind bars (when the number should be zero), establishing how the tables can definitely turn.

References:

Original NYT article and picture: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/19/us/florida-police-officer-false-arrests.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus&action=click&contentCollection=us

Miami Herald: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article220219750.html

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article218261470.html

“False Arrest” Definition: https://legaldictionary.net/false-arrest/

Racial stereotyping statistics: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0201696

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Fear the Social Media  By IVARTHECLUESS

From the moment I opened the article by Bill McKibben I knew which side of the political atmosphere this article was coming from. The article begins with letting the reader know this by stating, “In a world where the president goes on Twitter to call a woman ‘horseface’ it seems pointless to call for “civility.” McKibben goes on to talk about the death threats he and one of his fellow reporters face and continues to talk about the president as if President Trump caused this atmosphere. He continues by giving an example of someone doxing him, which is an inexcusable act of giving out a person’s legal information. What really caused me to understand how this article could not possibly understand the subject and how to move forward with creating a better internet was when he said, “I know that this is much worse for women…I know enough American history to understand that for people of color the deed has followed the threat with chilling regularity.” I will address all of this further down the line. At the end of the article, he talks about having a beer with an adversary and how America should return to a gentler time.

I went on to read three other articles that share much of the same information and opinions as Bill McKibben. They use words like predator and phrases like ‘dark and scary place’ to get the reader into the mindset of a dangerous and untamed wilderness. They want to create a sense of fear and paranoia. While there are good points made in these articles it does not address the problem at hand, humans. The idea that it is technology that has suddenly made people into assholes, stalkers, and bullies is naïve, to say the least.

The biggest offense of this article and many like it is that it believes that only certain groups of people are affected by this and that the focus should be on them. As stated before the author believes that women and minorities suffer from this more than anyone else and that it applies to them more, but this is untrue. All people face this type of harassment not just the perceived victims of this society. These trolls and internet bullies focus their hate on what they believe will hurt their victim’s feelings. When faced with this myself they often chose my race, but they also chose to attack the fact that I box believing that since race didn’t cause me to react that attacking boxing would since they knew I was passionate about it. The same goes for minorities and women; they attack those physical identifiers because they know most minorities are passionate about their race, sex, and gender. Even the author admits that his sunken chest was used to attack him; a physical trait that has nothing to do with race. The bully suspected that the author would be sensitive about it. This proves that these trolls seek out only what they think will be effective and are not always motiveated by racism. Instead, they use it as a tool to attack their victims.

Though not all articles fall completely into this problem “Social Networking Abuse” by Sue Lynn Carty does give a lot of good information about what it is and how to deal with it. I believe that the article takes the issue and acts as if it is much more serious than it is, but it gives good advice like never engage, block accounts, make one’s account private, and report as necessary. Standard.co.uk also gives some good advice on what to do on each social media platform. It does lean left as most of these articles do, but none the less the advice is good when dealing with serious abuse and bullying.

Cyberbullying and online abuse can lead to some very depressing stories, but reacting to as if there is a serial killer on the loose doesn’t help the issue. Neither does acting like this is a gendered and racial issue. People from all accounts of life face this issue and here are a few ways I believe that can help. One, teach your children about it before letting them on the internet. Children are being exposed to this earlier and earlier and teaching them that there is more to the world that the device in their hands would help them not get engulfed by it. If we don’t teach kids to do other things than be online, then they will grow up in the toxic environment that is online gaming. Two, one should go offline after months of dealing with cancer that is online gaming I decided to give up on it completely and play the games that didn’t require someone to be online and play with strangers. The same can be said about any platform. I once ran a popular Facebook page called Nordic Gods, which is now gone, by doing this I got myself a lot of hate and attacks online such as people telling me where I lived. I dealt with this by not bothering with it, which was what I did when hate groups against me and my page shot up. I took it as a compliment and let them talk until they tired themselves out and they went away. I may be called out on having white male privilege for saying this, but most of this abuse is not serious and goes away. By teaching people that the virtual world is not serious and not to fret over it they can begin to tell the serious abuse from the abuse that isn’t.

(Main Source) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/20/opinion/sunday/lets-agree-not-to-kill-one-another.html?rref=collection%2Fissuecollection%2Ftodays-new-york-times&action=click&contentCollection=todayspaper&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=18&pgtype=collection

https://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/Social_Networking_Abuse

https://www.standard.co.uk/tech/internet-safety-online-abuse-what-to-do-a3921751.html

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/04/social-media-detox-facebook-twitter-august

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Parents -- They’re only one...tent away? ~Dani

The transition of leaving home and moving into college is admittedly difficult for the student—and their parents or caretakers. While many first-time college students may understandably have apprehensions, fears, and doubts about leaving home and moving into a new space, their parents caretakers are probably experiencing the same emotions too—but perhaps, to a much higher degree. Because of these apprehensions that both students and their parents face as they walk through another door of the unknown, many universities have devoted their efforts in easing this transition for the students, such as when the respective universities hold orientations and welcome events for them. However, it isn’t every day that we hear of universities making the same efforts for the students’ parents. Many universities have been known to hold one-day informative sessions for parents to learn about what their student will be going through for the next four years, which includes the current university that I’m attending. Even though my parents did not attend this informational session, I think that it helps distinguish how different certain countries are to one another. I think that parents in America, for the most part, value independence in their children, and the dynamic of some relationships may not be as close. Thus, parents’ involvement when their kids transition into college may not be as attached or long-lasting. However according to a recently published New York Times article, it seems as though Chinese universities are making even greater efforts to accommodate these transitioning parents.

Misleading Headline

However, while The New York Times article talks about China’s latest efforts in great detail regarding the issue of transitioning students and parents, the respective article introduces the issue with a rather misleading headline, which validates their immediate inclusion of headline bias into their article. According to the article, which was written by Javier C. Hernandez, Hernandez headlines the article with “Welcome to College. Your Parents are in the Tents Next Door.” Before even reading the article, Hernandez makes it seem as though all colleges are doing this because it’s so generalized. Hernandez doesn’t specify that the location of focus is China, making his title misleading.

Bias by Omission

Looking further into the article, Hernandez mentions that several universities, which includes Tianjin University which is located in China, are allowing transitioning parents of first-year college students to stay in tents in the university’s gymnasium while their children settle into their dorms. See the corresponding visual below, and visit the website to the corresponding photo, in which they talk about these news in a Daily Mail article. While the Daily Mail article also talks about China’s efforts in bringing in tents of love for parents, it also specifically mentions that the parents get to stay at the university for three days, which other sources, namely, The New York Times, didn’t mention. Again, as was my focus in my first blog, this exclusion of information from The New York Times demonstrates the presence of bias by omission on The New York Times’ end. You can check out my previous blog in which I specifically address The New York Times’ biases in their articles, and why I think they may be biased in the first place, here.

However, still referring to The New York Times, this unusual arrangement enables parents to be near their children temporarily, as many of the families traveled thousands of miles to their respective universities. Some of these families come from a low-economic status. For some other families, given that China had a strict “one child only” policy up until 2016, the child that they’re sending off to college is most likely their only child, making the transition just as difficult, in addition to their low economic status.

As I attempt to connect this story into my own personal life, I can say that I understand why the Chinese universities may have felt compelled to do this. For me, I grew up in a nurturing household and am raised by traditional Filipino parents. With that in mind, I was raised by parents who always go above and beyond when it comes to taking care of me and always try to make things easier for me whenever possible. I’m very attached to my parents, so when the time actually came for me to pick a university to attend, my family and I all agreed that it would be best to attend a local university. Attending a local, nearby university would enable me to not have to dorm, which, in turn, has saved my family a lot of money, but my decision to attend a university that is only fifteen minutes away from home was not solely made to financially accommodate us. Like I’ve said before—I’m pretty close with my parents and I knew that being far away from them would cause me to suffer from terrible homesickness. In the end, we chose what we thought was best for all of us, and I can confidently say that I’m very happy with my decision to attend CSUSB.

Therefore, even though having parents stay in tents for a few days in China while their kids move into their dorms may seem a little ridiculous at first, when one takes the time to dig deeper and realizes the sentimental purpose behind this arrangement, it makes me feel that other universities may benefit from this as well. This makes me realize that these parents who chose to stay in small tents just to be with their child during this major transition, is something definitely worth saluting.

References

1. Original NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/23/world/asia/china-university-tents-parents.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Feducation-learning

2. CSUSB parent orientation: https://www.csusb.edu/orientation/parent-family-orientation

3. China’s one-child-only policy: https://www.britannica.com/topic/one-child-policy

4. Picture taken from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3774223/Incredible-pictures-hundreds-Chinese-parents-sleeping-tents-love-send-children-university.html 

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The Wind Beneath My Wings

               “Welcome to College. Your Parents Are in the Tents Next Door,” written by NYTimes’ Javier C. Hernandez, talks about freshman college students attending Tianjin University in China; not to mention the students’ parents who are living in tents at the university’s gymnasium. This living-on campus is an option for the students’ family, so the child has an easier transition moving away from home, and for financial purposes. Some of the parents live in poverty, so living on the campus helps financially. Moreover, some of these students are used to living at home with their parents; moving away from home is overwhelming enough. For example, student, Mr. Yang said, “I feel safer when she’s here. I’ve never been away from home.” In other words, he feels comfortable with his mother living on campus because he knows that she will be there to attend to his needs such as, washing his clothes, making something to eat, and making to his dormitory room is clean.

           In response to this article, I live at home with my mom, and I commute back and forth to CSUSB. I never fathomed the idea of going to school out-of-state because I couldn’t bare the thought of being without my mom. I (embarrassingly) don’t drive, so I depend on my mom to drive to and from school. I can relate to these students in China because my mom does make my life easier by making my dinner, not assigning too many chores, and supporting me financially- providing I respect her and go to school full-time. Although my situation is different, I can relate to these students in the aspect of still depending on a parent.

           However, my issue with this is when does depending on a parent stop? I believe that we all need our parents in some way, and to a certain extent. But there comes a time when we need to cut the umbilical cord, and do things on our own.

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Book Reviews vs Facebook Rants By IVARTHECLUELESS

Elaine Blair reviews two books of similar subjects, “Rage Becomes Her” by Soraya Chemaly and “Good and Mad,” by Rebecca Traister begins with a picture depicting women faces in disfiguring anger which denies the societal norms of women and anger. The reviewer continues on to summarize the book “Good and Mad” and goes over what the points that the authors made. The major point being that anger in an underappreciated emotion, especially used for activism. Then continues to give examples of this given from the authors of the book naming certain famous figures such as Rosa Parks. The second half of the review introduces the book “Rage Becomes Her”, which she explains is more about the injustices and social norms about women expressing their anger. The review goes over how the book cites the many ways that women face bias in society today. Then the real review of the books begins with her giving questions about why the authors only focused on one aspect of anger, the type that they feel is good, feminist anger. She ends by stating the ways that anger causes harm such as the extremist groups that have gained power in modern times.

This review was extremely through with explaining what each of the books is and what they include within them, but it does come with a slight feminist slant, though it doesn’t necessarily criticize the authors it does provide them with some hard questions. The language used within the review suggests that the author is sympathetic with the author and agrees with the authors to a point. Such as presenting the authors with questions instead of legitimate criticisms. Such as, it was anger that created the divisions within America today. While this slant is there, it is not enough to say that the review is not objective unlike many of the other reviews that can be found on the internet.

Though I was hesitant to read this review believing that it would be very slanted praising the book in every way without any criticism, and I was happy to be wrong. Elaine Blair gave a fair review of the books looking at it skeptically, especially when compared to other reviews which didn’t try and hide their bias towards the book. One of which was by Joan M. Burda; she reviewed “Rage Becomes Her” and does not try and hide her political slant calling out Republican Mitch McConnell long before she even mentions the book she is reviewing. Another was Rebecca Traister, who reviewed “Good and Mad” and just like the Burda, she begins with proclaiming her political affiliations by talking about the 2016 election saying, “I recall barking with laughter. The joke distilled all the male anxieties of the moment: Something was being taken away from them, their balls were in a vise, pissed-off women wanted men’s stuff and were going to be ruthless about trying to get it.” Neither of these authors even attempted to come at this with an objective point of view or try to convince me, a man, to read this book. These two reviews left me feeling attacked and belittled with no desire to give either book a chance. They failed in giving an honest and objective review, instead, they just wrote political posts that belong more in opinion pieces rather than book reviews. Their reviews belong upon their personal Facebook page in the form of political rants rather than on a website pretending to be book reviews.

Elaine Blair, on the other hand, gave a good objective review that allowed me to understand what the books were about, what the books’ goals were, and the questions the book presents her with. She fulfills the role of reviewer and made me interested in reading the books. Her reviews do not attack me for my gender or political leanings but tell me about the books and what might be found in them. I found that to be a pleasant surprise and hope that she does more book reviews.

(Main source) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/27/books/review/rebecca-traister-good-and-mad-soraya-chemaly-rage-becomes-her.html?rref=collection%2Fissuecollection%2Ftodays-new-york-times&action=click&contentCollection=todayspaper®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=13&pgtype=collection 

 https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/11/rebecca-traister-good-and-mad/570826/

https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/rage-becomes-her

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Tyranny on All Fronts By IVARTHECLUELESS

Theft, the destruction of entire villages, human rights violations, death, all have become a part of a daily routine to the people in Cameroon. The nation of Cameroon erupted into chaos in 2016 when the English speaking population decided to form together an protest peacefully. It was then that the government authorized for Cameroon troops and helicopters to open fire on these peaceful protesters. Since that day the country of Cameroon has been on the brink of civil war, though it is not unreasonable to say that the civil war has already begun with over two thousand separatists coming together to create a new country called Ambazonia. With one of the major complaints being the inability to replace the current, Mr. Biya who has spent three and a half decades in office. One may be sympathetic with the rebels, but as it is in every war, there are complexities to this story. Both sides have committed atrocities, the country was set up with the divide, and there are foreign powers at play. 

The temptation to automatically side with the rebels since they are fighting for human rights is nearly instant, but one must understand the situation before rushing to judgments. The division goes back to the colonial days when the country traded hands between the French, English and German colonizers, which split the native population into English and French speakers. With there no single agreed-upon language the divide between the two populations widened. The English speakers are the minorities within the country causing them to be overlooked. These English speakers have accused the government of sending French-speaking judges and teachers to replace English speakers, which would change their culture, language, and disrupt their community. After years of shoddy roads, underfunded schools, a multitude of injustices, and decades of peaceful attempts to form a new nation this minority started to let their voice be heard. It was when the president, decided to open fire on these peaceful protesters and begin this revolution. Now thousands of people have begun to flee the Anglophone (meaning English speaking) parts of the country where the war to create a new nation has broken out. In this war no one is safe, innocent young men are killed in their homes. The New York Times quotes Samira Daoud, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for West and Central Africa, “The situation in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon is becoming increasingly desperate with no one spared from the violence…”  

Both sides have been accused of inexcusable acts of violence against the other, but it is the separatists who have the right to fight against this oppressive government. All people deserve the right to self-determination. The fact that they feel as if the injustices and oppression are too much means that they should be allowed to form a new union. Many videos claiming to be recordings of the violence in the Anglophobe parts of Cameroon may be fake, but they are believed because of the many atrocities committed there; with the constant beheading, burning down of villages filled with innocent people, the shooting of protesters and the theft of property, and the list goes on. After so many injustices and crimes against humanity, it should only be obvious that these citizens should have the right to begin a new nation where they are able to represent themselves and not be forced to submit to a leader that they have no say in electing and don’t even speak the same language as. This inability to bring peace and broker an agreement between the Anglophone and the Francophone proves that Biya does not deserve to remain the leader of this divided country and that the rebels cause is just.

Having said that the Separatists are within the right, the situation gets sticky when one learns that the United States government is providing assistance to the Cameroon government to fight Boko Haram. This is where one must ask oneself if supporting a corrupt government to defeat an enemy is moral. The Cameroon government has committed so many crimes against humanity that it is hard to say that it is a necessary evil and is better than if Boko Harem were to gain control of the region. The situation of the region is terrible on all fronts and any type of action that the United States could take would have serious unforeseeable consequences on the region. If there is anything that can be said, it is that there is no telling what the outcome of this conflict will be and how it will change the power dynamics of the region.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/06/world/africa/cameroon-election-biya-ambazonia.html?rref=collection%2Fissuecollection%2Ftodays-new-york-times&action=click&contentCollection=todayspaper®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=collection

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/05/30/africas-next-civil-war-could-be-in-cameroon/?utm_term=.31a7bdde6847

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cameroon-protests/cameroon-army-helicopters-shot-separatist-protesters-witnesses-idUSKBN1CB2BP

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-45747914

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/24/world/africa/cameroon-ambazonia-secession.html?action=click&module=RelatedCoverage&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer

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Con Man Claimed to ‘Cure’ Childless Women. Blackmail Followed, Then Bodies.

Rasool Landay lured Afghan women into having sex with him to treat their infertility. He then filmed the encounters and extorted money. Offi

Not only is the subject of both of these articles sick and sadistic, they offer an interesting take if the form of bias in different cultures news medias. The basis of this story is that a man tricked Islamic women who are unable to conceive a child that he could “cure” them with herbs and special rituals. When that wouldn’t work as it obviously wouldn’t, he had sex with the women and video taped it without their consent. Since infidelity from women is often punishable by death in the Islamic community, he blackmailed them into giving money and other valuables. From where he was thought to be, bodies of women have been found. What I find interesting is that the New York Times does not include the fact the man is also wanted and when found will be killed. He has brought great dishonor upon himself. A lot of the articles written from other countries have included that he is a walking dead man, but not our major new source in our country. Included with this post is the New York Times article and the link to a similar but written by the Hindustan Times, so that you can see the difference for yourself.

By: Allison

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/afghan-mullah-faces-death-by-stoning-in-sex-scandal/story-hOZ68m0QtVB9iYRq7ZmGuN.html

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Man With a Stone Heart Is Ordered to Get Stoned to Death  by xodanibanani

Having a baby is admittedly one of the most exciting moments in couples’ lives. The whole family becomes just as excited as the couples from the minute they see the word “pregnant” or two solid lines on the pregnancy test. From that point forward, everyone starts planning, picking out names, making the nursery, and going crazy as they shop for everything in pink or blue. While that may be the case for most couples, not all couples will be able to have that same experience. For some couples, the challenge doesn’t begin during pregnancy, but rather, actually getting pregnant. While there are many other methods to become parents in addition to the “natural way”, in one particular news story, it seems as though such alternative methods may come with twisted and heartless intentions.

According to the The New York Times, which covered such heartbreaking story, a man named Mallah Landay (pictured above), a con artist who has tricked several women, who are unable to bear children and made them believe that he was a “healer” who could help them conceive a child. Ultimately, when he revealed to the victims that he didn’t have the “healing powers” after all, he convinced them that their last resort was for him to have sex with the victims because of his “magical sperm”. This, in turn, shows just how sick and twisted Landay is, because he took advantage of these vulnerable women who just wanted to be able to experience the beauty of carrying a child, as women are anatomically designed to do so. 

 The New York Times continues on with the story in great depth, however, after conducting further research, it was revealed that The New York Times withheld a vital piece of information regarding this case, which, in turn, establishes the clear presence of bias through selection and omission in their news article. According to The Hindustan Times, an English-language Indian newspaper, in which the newspaper covers the same issue, it is revealed that in addition to the fact that Landay has been known to wrongfully pose as a “healer” and has victimized several women, the Indian newspaper additionally revealed that religious leaders have ordered his execution, after Landay went on the run, in which he would be stoned to death (a punishment that I believe he so rightly deserves), which The New York Times failed to address. In an attempt to understand why The New York Times may have omitted such a crucial fact about this story, perhaps it could be inferred that their article was written prior to the announcement of Landay’s ordered execution. However, according to The Hindustan Times, their respective article was actually published on Tuesday, September 25, 2018, which is exactly twelve days before The New York Time’s publication. Thus, this then proves that The New York Times would indeed have had an adequate amount of time to formulate their story while including this vital detail. However, even with this twelve-day time frame prior to their publication, they still did not include such detail into their article. Though I am not an expert when it comes to journalism and bias, I feel that it is possible that The New York Times may have chosen to omit this vital piece of information because The New York Times is considered to be liberal, and after conducting further research, it was discovered that liberals do not approve of the death penalty. Because of this distinctive fact, it has lead me to believe that this may be a possible reason as to why The New York Times may have made the decision to omit the information regarding Landay’s death order.

While the fact that Landay’s death order may not have been initially mentioned in The New York Times article, I personally think that it was just nice to know that there is an intent in punishing him for his actions, even though I had to do further digging to find out. Landay is clearly someone who has a heart made of stone, which in my opinion, validates the fittingness of stoning him to death and justifies the violation of these poor women. 

References:

1. Original NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/06/world/asia/afghanistan-rasool-landay-childless-women-scam.html?rref=collection%2Fissuecollection%2Ftodays-new-york-times&action=click&contentCollection=todayspaper&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection

2. https://news.gallup.com/poll/14050/who-supports-death-penalty.aspx

(liberals do not support the death penalty)

3. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/new-york-times/

4. Landay’s Picture: https://it.notizie.yahoo.com/naming-taliban-chief-seen-dimming-obamas-hopes-afghan-104442018.html

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Honor Killings

The New York Times reported in an article, Con Man Claimed to ‘Cure’ Childless Women. Blackmail Followed, Then Bodies, that Mullah Rasool Landay has targeted the women of Afghanistan who have difficulty conceiving children. Landay claims that he has the “cure” to help these women. He lures these women into believing that if they have sex with him, they will conceive a child. In addition to conning women, he exploits his victims by having sex tapes made, and then made public on social medias. Landay is hiding from the authorities because there are recent reports of honor killings that may be linked to his crime.

           According to Britannica.com, honor killing is “the murder of a woman or girl by male family members. The killers justify their actions by claiming that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family name or prestige.” In Afghanistan, honor killings are very common, and sometimes aren’t reported. For example, an article found on Amnesty.org, Brishna was raped by Mullah Mohammed Amin, in May 2014. According to the article, Women’s Rights in Afghanistan (Amnesty International 2014), Brishna’s male relatives threatened to kill her, and dump her body in a river because she brought dishonor to her family’s name. Although this report may not be linked to Mullah Landay, but Brishna’s story only validates that honor killings are highly common in Afghanistan.

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