Octobers Very Own

Welcome to the mind of an eighteen year old undergraduate at Lehigh University studying Computer Engineering. It's a complex place. Try not to get lost in it... I know I have.

[ovolifestyle]

A sad reality..

The question that many people want answered (whether they know it or not) is "Will we ever achieve a post-race society?". The simple answer is No. I don't want that to be the answer, nor do I want to believe that is the answer. But it is a sad truth that I have come to terms with. That being said, we are certainly not a post-race society at this very moment! At this point in time we as a society barely tolerates most individuals, beliefs, thoughts, customs, and even relationships. In some instances society completely rejects people. A prime example is the gay community. How different are they from the non-gay community? We are all humans and should be treated that way. Simple. But society believes otherwise. If a group or even an individual fits anywhere outside of what society says is "the right way" then those people are not only out casted but also treated unfairly. I am not saying that people need to give all of their compassion to others but the line "treat others the way you wish to be treated" is a simple yet very effective way of living. I live by this line and people see me as an extremely compassionate person when in all honestly, I do not think I am that nice. I am just being fair, helpful, honest, and trying to make people smile because I know that when someone else makes me smile on any given day, I am grateful. But people don't live this way. People live their lives as they believe they should and if someone else doesn't look like them, doesn't eat like them, dress like them, believe what they do, or even talk the same then they are considered different and treated differently as well. That is the society we live in. A society where different is bad. Different is frowned upon. Yet we are all different...

How does that work? No two human beings are exactly the same but if you are "different" then that's bad. Something that helps this mindset is stereotypes. When people don't know someone, or a group, they judge them based on generalizations that society has implanted in the minds of every single person. These stereotypes provide people with the ignorance necessary to believe that a "type" of people are all the same. This is not a characteristic of a post-race society. I don't think stereotypes will ever go away but if people didn't believe in their clear faults then we may have a post-race society. If people saw other people as their equals then we may have a post-race society. If people saw women as an equal to men then we may have a post-race society. If everyone looked at the world as a place to live harmoniously then we would have a post-race society... Until then, not so much.

 This directly affects my life because I am one of the few black students in my university and on top of that I have a Korean girlfriend. People don't accept me very easily because of my "different" life. I am not bitter about this fact, I am actually pretty accepting. People live their lives the way they want to and I just have to make the best of my life. I may not get the privileges that some get, I may not get the opportunities that some get, but I have a mindset that most aren't raised to have. If I want something, I have to get it and earn it. So if I want equality, I have to earn it. That is why I am an activist on campus to see my dreams become a reality. I want a post-race campus... If we can achieve that, then we can achieve it on a larger scale. That is my goal at Lehigh. But just like society, Lehigh has a long way to go to be a post-race campus. 

[ovolifestyle]

The Reality of Racial Stereotypes

The documentary "Ethnic Notions" was not only an eye opening experience, it was also a journey into the history of the country that I have grown up in without knowing the real  history of how our society has become what it is today. There is still an unbelievable amount of truth to discover in my lifetime but this documentary is a step in the right direction. I never imagined that the social stereotypes that are rampant in this country would have come from books(understandable... I suppose), cartoons(this is brainwashing. How do you implant these thoughts into a child's mind?.. That's scary), and figurines (This is out of hand now... There are big lipped ash trays of black people? Okay.. This is crossing the line).  To think that people were buying black figurines would only mean that they were high in demand! It also means that there was an overarching population that believed in the stereotypes being portrayed. These products and cartoons also made stereotypes in the north easier to believe. The people in the north had not been to the south and are almost completely clueless as to what is really happening with slavery in the southern states. How can you believe anything contrary to what you are being shown? The north believes that slaves are happy working for people because they are being treated well in the south. WELL, that was not the case. And the media in both the south and north helped shade the truth from ever being discovered. It seems like as I get older, the true history of what happened in the past reveals itself little by little. It is astonishing how far we've come. I never really appreciated the black holidays and the hero's like I do now...Can you blame me? The school system downplays the black history as if it is this minor time in history where there were slaves and a few were abused, so this one man decided to say "Okay, stop it!". And once that man got people to protest, everything ended but unfortunately the man was killed in the process. Hence Martin Luther King Jr day... Maybe I didn't pay enough attention in class to get the details.. Or maybe the details were left out. But one this is for sure, I have a whole new view on the phrase "Look how far we've come". I can now see how far we've come because I am now beginning to see where we actually began. And this documentary has done that for me. It is very simple and not very recent but it was definitely still a very moving piece nonetheless. 

This documentary shows how the tension between the white and black race has come to be. The documentary shed light on how this came to be. Blacks were slaves and had negative feelings toward the white race since that had begun. Whites wanted to remain in power and their way of doing this was to keep slavery in place and too make blacks look like "beasts" when their attempt to make slavery look humane didn't work. The tensions between the north and south increased when the truth about slavery began making its way to the north. People had very differing opinions on slavery which was one of the reasons for the Civil War. All in all, slavery caused America to become what it is today. It is not a history that anyone can be proud.. But as they say..We've come a long way. 

[ovolifestyle]

SHE RELEASED IT!

I'M IN HEAVEN!

ASDFGHJKL;;LADHFUEBWOVHBV!

[calif3ver]

Demi Lovato - Heart Attack (Single Leak)

[ovolifestyle]

LOVE.LOVE.LOVE. Can't wait to hear the highs, lows, and everything Demi has to offer March 4th. But this quality will keep me busy until then! 

[forevers-2-blog]

[ovolifestyle]

I heard the teaser and almost had a heart attack. 

SWEET. JESUS. I. NEED. THIS. NOW! <3

[houseofdawn]

[ovolifestyle]

Started from the bottom, now we here! #BumpinThisJam

[countrysidefaggot]

[ovolifestyle]

RWBY. I am offically obssessed! 

[ovolifestyle]

Violence, the act that dates back to the beginning of mankind itself.

Violence has been one of mankind’s greatest let down. We’ve spent all of our time fighting and arguing. We’ve spent all of our time pushing and shoving. We’ve spent all of our time “claiming what’s rightfully ours”. We’ve spent all of our time asserting our authority. Showing manliness, showing pride, striking fear in other, convincing others of what is right/true, proving a point, settling a debt, “He started it”, “He said, she said”, and even ‘just because’. These are just SOME of the EXCUSES for violence. But why can’t we see that violence isn’t the answer? Why can’t we see that beating someone up for bumping into your wife by an accident is irrational? Why can’t we see that going to other countries and murdering people to find someone that they are supposedly hiding ISN’T RIGHT?! I could go on and on for days on this route. The point is not to change the past but to change the future. We, the people, can change who we are and what we see is right or wrong. Our government doesn’t have control over us in that regard. Every individual is just that, an individual. To ask the world to change is a rather daring request. But to ask yourself to change is just as daring when you think about it. Changing yourself is the first step to changing the world. Start with the person you look at in the mirror. Is that person who you want the world to resemble? If not, then how can you ask anyone else to change when you haven’t? That’s where it all begins.

Violence seems to have been socially accepted in the history of our species. Wars, oppressions, genocides, killing for property, and hate crimes are nothing unseen in the pages of humans’ history on earth. These things still go on to this day… This very second there are wars with people dying for an ideology or for a piece of land. In order for our society to advance the violence HAS to stop! Nuclear warfare should be used to blow up meteors that threaten our planet, not to cold bloodedly murder innocent people because of a disagreement! It’s impossible to name all the things we can change because there are so many. But the first step is acceptance. Of yourself, of others, of everyone. If we ever get that far our society will start producing things that could have never been imagined. But until then, we will always be focused on weapons to fight our neighbors and enemies.

Now this is the part of my writing that hits home. Gender Violence. I can’t even gather my thoughts on this topic because I feel as if whatever I write will sound so opinionated that readers will consider my thoughts biased. But to be honest, they are. Gender violence is an epidemic on this planet and we need to acknowledge that or else we will end up in a dark place not knowing how we got there. Sexual assault, hitting women, rape, and even emotional abuse are wide spread issues that have been increasing as time progresses. The survivors of these life changing crimes are often left unheard and this causes them to think it’s themselves against the world. People who go through these crimes are forever scarred and have to live with what happened to them. And some people have the AUDACITY to say ‘she was asking for it’!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? A woman cannot dress pretty/sexy (in accordance to societies completely ridiculous scale of beauty) without being considered wanting to be raped? OH MY LORD ALMIGHTY! NO! NO! NO! THAT IS NOT RIGHT! Any opposing argument is invalid! Rape is NEVER okay! The fact that not only people have justified rape, but also the court system has done so is beyond appalling. THE FLIPPIN’ COURT SAID A WOMAN THAT WAS RAPED HAD JEANS THAT WERE SO TIGHT THAT SHE MUST HAVE HELPED TAKE THEM OFF!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1270113/Youre-guilty-rape-Those-skinny-jeans-tight-remove-jury-rules.html

WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT???!!?!?!?!?!?!

How does one even come to this conclusion? I am not saying that every person that claims to have been raped should be treated with extra privilege. But if the evidence is there and the story makes sense and they have proof then WHO ARE YOU to tell them otherwise? ESPECIALLY TO GO AND SPECULATE ABOUT THEIR JEANS!? I am sorry that I am writing so emotionally but this just infuriates me. Gender violence is a very moving topic to me which is why I am involved on Lehigh University's Womens Center. I am a part of a group that helps stop gender violence on campus and help survivors obtain the support and resources that they need. But I think you understand my view on gender violence and my frustration at the way society has chosen to handle it. People need to realize what gender violence is and how much it affect not only the people who are involved but it also effects their family and friends. 

Violence has found a common place in society. From music to television shows to movies. Violence is portrayed as 'cool' or normal in all these types of media. I like to listen to rap music, particularly Drake, and the lyrics are just SO RIDICULOUS  sometimes. Drake has lyrics that have meaning and I respect him a great amount for it. But I was listening to rap and I heard a song  that said "Imma beat the pu**y up". How is that okay? Please tell me when making love or even having fun sex turned into a synonym with violence. And that doesn't even include the killing and gun promotion that goes along with music as well. 

Violence is something that comes natural to us humans. A sort of instinct. But does that make it okay? My answer has been made very clear. I wish that peace, love, and happiness would fill everyone's hearts and we could live harmoniously. But as of right now, that is merely a dream. Every person does not have to try and change the world but if you change yourself you are helping the cause. I am doing my part... Are you? 

[ovolifestyle]

We are One Billion Rising..

V-day 2013 was a wonderfully executed production. I am a part of a group on campus known as BTS (Break The Silence) who act as peer educators and try to stop the act of gender violence on Lehigh's campus. So it is only necessary that BTS not only supports V-Day but attends V-Day as well! So, BTS split its members up into the 3 days that the production was being held, I attended on Friday night, so that BTS would be represented and supporting every night of V-Day. 

Now, I was in my bed at 6:55 playing Temple Run 2 on my iPhone when I got a text from one of my fellow members of BTS saying that "Hey! I saved a seat for you! You here yet?" And at that moment I jumped out of bed, I hit my head on the ceiling since my bed is bunked with my roommates, and grabbed my V-Day ticket!  I had thought that V-day began at 8:00pm... But the ticket said 7! I threw on my bright blue BTS sweatshirt, that all of the members were wearing so the audience could identify us, and sprinted out the dorm. I ran to Packard Lab 101 and it just began snowing really heavily. I was in sneakers, my favorite sweatshirt, and running in snow. But thanks to good help from my long legs, I made it to Packard 101 at 7:04 and. luckily, the program started at 7:07. I sat with my fellow BTS members, out of breath, and not knowing what to expect from this presentation. Was I going to cry? Was it going to be really emotional? Should I have brought tissues?

Well, this production didn't make me cry but it was one of the best things i have seen in a long time. I loved the monologues and the rants and the prayers and the everything! I mean, these  college students   talented young men and women gave me more chills than I felt walking around Lehigh's campus all winter! Some monologues were short, some long, but all of them powerful. I had been surprised at the professional acting I was witnessing. Some actors had tears in their eyes at emotional points in their monologue, rant or prayer. Maybe they feel that strongly about gender violence, maybe they are really getting into character... or maybe they aren't acting at all. Maybe they are telling us their past. Which was it? I couldn't tell. And to be quite honest, I don't want to know! All I know is that there is one reason for this production, one reason that these people are standing before me and making me feel these emotions. It is because gender violence exists. And ONE BILLION WOMEN HAVE BEEN BEATEN OR RAPED... ONE BILLION! That is one in every 3 women.....

It must end now. For all the women and children of this planet. That is why V-Day has the One Billion Rising campaign. 

One Billion Rising is :

A global strike

An invitation to dance

A call to men and women to refuse to participate in the status quo until rape and rape culture ends

An act of solidarity, demonstrating to women the commonality of their struggles and their power in numbers

A refusal to accept violence against women and girls as a given

A new time and a new way of being

V-Day is not just a production. It is not just a video. It is not just extra credit for english! It is a change. And I am proud to support it.

Here's the link to the campaign. Please watch and see what the movement is about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl2AO-7Vlzk

[ovolifestyle]

Started From The Bottom... On replay till Drake gives me something else that I can bump too. OVO is my life. Great anthem, Great video, by the best Artist out there. 

[ovolifestyle]

Passing: What do you deserve? Society decides.

It is hard to understand what "passing" is. Let me break it down simply. Passing is when a person of color tries to look like, or "pass as", a person of lighter color or even of non-color. Why would someone want to do this you ask? Well it’s simple. Society treats people of light skin with more respect, more opportunities, more class, and quite honestly society is just plain nicer to lighter skinned people. So that is where passing comes into play. Darker skin people feel the need to try and either become lighter or make people believe that they are lighter. They do this because those are the people society accepts. Those are the people who are treated like people! It is natural to want that respect, to want the same opportunities, to want that high class status. But when society frowns upon you by the color of your skin, something you are born with, something that is nearly impossible to change, you try to convince people that you are not what they see on the outside.

  Passing was not something taken lightly. To pull a wool over an entire societies eyes was an extreme offense and punishable by law. Being caught or accused of passing could result in prison time or even being lynched. Being hung was a punishment for pretending to be a lighter color! People committing murders and violent acts are getting prison time and people who are trying to be accepted by society are getting lynched. Where is the justice in that? People of color have worse bathrooms, restaurants, parks, schooling, houses, and countless other things. People of color had a life of being treated unfairly and with no respect. So why is it so hard to believe that they would want to leave that life behind and get the respect that other people are getting? But if they were caught passing then they would be imprisoned or lynched. How is that fair? It doesn't have to be. Society makes its own rules and until someone says otherwise, these rules are accepted. So people of color are forced to pass as something they’re not in order to live a life worth living. Some may say that no one is forcing these people to pass, that colored people could just follow the rules. But what choice do colored people have if they are being forced by society and the laws that society abides by, to live in fear and oppression. Colored people don't have a choice. It was either be oppressed or lie to society, yourself, and everyone around you so that you can live a happier life.

  To be completely honest, I would have done the same thing. The risk of death is worth the world that you would enter. It may seem like a crazy view but when you've seen the way colored people are treated and the way they have to live and struggle, you would give anything to change it just as quickly as I would. Passing would be my choice.

Would it be yours?

[ovolifestyle]

I have a dream..

I have a dream that one day the people of world can come together as a human race. A human race that would have a lot to sort out because of what occurred in the past. But nonetheless, our rate of advancement would multiply exponentially is we took warfare out of the equation and just focused on the advancement of society. 

This dream is not that distant. The only barriers that races have between each other are the ones that they make themselves. If the people of the world saw other races as just simply human relatives then the world would be much safer, advance much faster, and even have more resources to support everyone. The amount that the human race can accomplish is not even fathomable because this society is so bend on being a certain ethnicity or race.

I have a dream where we all come together as one. We could accomplish the unknown. 

I have a dream where everyone can walk along the streets and be seen as equal. No minorities. No majorities. Just humans.

[unitedvirtuoso-deactivated20160]

 #keepmovingforward

[tyme1this-blog]

[ovolifestyle]

I would be lying if I told you that I didn't want to go back there every weekend.

[ovolifestyle]

I can't call this blog my own until my second favorite artist is present... I am a proud Demi Lovato fan! 

[danklyfestyle]

[ovolifestyle]

OVO and that XO is everything we believe in. 

[ovolifestyle]

Education... with a little bit of me.

This blog is mainly for my English class with a little bit of flavor thrown in. I don't want to be bland, like everyone else, or just plain boring. I mean, I am from New York City for heavens sake! It's the place to find yourself and it allows for everyone to truly express their beliefs and opinions without judgement. That's the way I have been brought up and it is really all I know to be quite honest. That's why this blog is going to have things that interest me, inspire me, and some would even say that these things define me. But that is up to you, the reader, to figure out... 

Hope you enjoy getting a look into my world, and thanks for reading!