This Guy was Great!

Who does not love this guy right now? Well maybe not a lot of people since he hasn’t been relevant since Predator came out in 1987. That’s Dillon’s character played by Carl Weathers in the Arnold Schwarzenegger blockbuster hit, Predator. Thought it was Kony, head of the LRA? Some readers may have thought so. It’s pretty sad, but it appears my generation has so much Internet overload that they think by just clicking “like” on a Facebook post, or writing a comment, they are doing something to help US foreign relations with abusive regimes. This is a term a recently learned as “slactivism,” and it is a problem within the Internet community. I wonder how many people watched the entire 30-minute video or even checked to find out where Uganda was located before they posted or liked the same link. It’s important to share news and spread information, which the Internet is a very good tool for. However, by clicking “like” or simply reposting, we are slowly becoming a generation of “slactivists.” How will liking a post help the young girls who were kidnapped and turned into sex slaves? I understand the human compassion component, but my argument is if you really feel the need to help out and stop an abusive power, why do you think sharing the same video to your friends, who shared the same video with you, will help? Do you honestly think you’re becoming an activist by clicking like? I think spreading ideas and news is important, but I don’t think reposting is equivalent to volunteering or overthrowing. Let’s not get it twisted.

I'm Sick of This Sheep!

As any red-blooded American girl, I admit that I love to shop. Nothing tickles my fancy more than a stroll through a packed mall fishing out sales and fashion. But as I walked through the mall one day with a friend, I halted before following her into an Urban Outfitters…she looked back and said, “I want to check some things out in here.” To which I replied, “no you don’t.” After giving me a quizzical look she had to wonder what my beef was with the hip store geared towards youth culture. Who wouldn’t like a fun colorful store packed with hipster fashion, fun books, groovy apartment furnishings and ironic glassware? You would imagine this “Free People’s Store” would be any late teen to early 20-something person’s dream destination. And it is, if you follow blindly and regret to realize that once a liberal owner, Richard Hayne, has now transitioned to the conservative capitalist and even funded political campaigns for Rick Santorum. Now I try to stay clear of any political bashing because that can be a dirty game, but when a company funds a politician who openly hates gays, wants to take away women’s rights, and prefers to spread his strong Christian ideals on an entire nation, the same nation who once freed itself from religious persecution, then there can be a slight upset among the people. The problem is that this is not where my beef ends, not only did Urban Outfitters pull pro-gay marriage t-shirts from their shelves, but they were quick to sell “voting is for old people” shirts to strengthen the unimportance of a youth vote. A youth vote who tends to lean more towards a liberal agenda. “But their stuff is so cool” you may think…this is true, but can you call it “their” stuff after countless lawsuits have been made by independent artists who have had their work and designs stolen by Urban Outfitters with no credit to the artist? So there goes my beef that I explained in about 2 minutes to my friend. It may not have made an impact, but at least knowing a deeper side may help someone formulate their own opinion. Until we catch up again! Peace, love and happy shopping to all.