culture Tag

I firmly believe that when it comes to dating, texting is the actual devil. It is the demise of dozens of relationships and one text can be a game changer for countless others. One text can keep someone up all night in a ball of anxiety, and one vibration of a phone can send someone into a nervous tizzy. If it were up to me, texting would be strictly for use between friends. And not the, “Oh my god, I’m so not into him at all,” friends, I mean actualRead More

This video of Amy Poehler wearing a Pitbull mask and then shortly after revealing that it’s actually not Pitbull, but everyone’s favorite awkward blonde comedian and actress, is going viral. Yes Amy, you’re better than Pitbull. Watch below and enjoy!Read More

*Spoilers Ahead*   First off, I want to say that I love Game of Thrones. I have an unhealthy obsession with the show, the books, everything. Even this episode has some good moments. Seriously, watch it. But…. let’s face it, the episode Breaker of Chains sucked because….   1. HBO loves unnecessary nudity. Literally every episode so far has been screaming “Hey! Look at Oberyn! He likes men and women! See, he has orgies!!” Alright, we’ve seen him seducing everyone in sight now for several episodes. He’s bisexual and proud. Got it. Can weRead More

The TV Series, “Cosmos,” has shown a new generation of viewers what Carl Sagan did for an earlier one.  New Host, Neil deGrasse Tyson, has shown over the last few weeks how amazing and inspiring our “Cosmos” can be.  However, that sense of wonder and awe is not reflected in the way the United States government views the agency most responsible for this, NASA. The funding for NASA has steadily lost priority in the eyes of the budget makers in Washington.  We are currently at our lowest rate since theRead More

As of Monday, The LA Times published an article condemning a resolution passed by the UC-Santa Barbara Academic Senate intended to ensure that students would receive notice of “triggering” content before it appears in a classroom. The title of this article is “Warning: College students, this editorial may upset you.”   …I am upset. Upset at the victim-blaming that this perpetrates. Upset at the lack of sympathy for our fellow humans who have undergone traumatic events. Upset at the manner in which the writer dismisses the need for trigger warningsRead More

Barbecue sauce, weekend benders, porn, television, movies, Hulu. What do these all have in common? In reasonable doses they can add new dimensions of fun and texture to your life, but too much and the law of diminishing returns kicks in. What’s delicious? Hot wings and barbecue. What’s disgusting? One wing in a tub of Stubb’s. This is what personal media has become to me: a constant binge of distraction. Let me clarify something. I’m 28. I’m in the doldrums of the twenty-something. I’m now filling the void which wasRead More

Alter egos: A lot of stars have them. Beyonce has Sasha Fierce, David Bowie had Ziggy Stardust and now, apparently, Nick Cannon has Conner Smallnut. And people aren’t impressed. Cannon, who is set to release a new album titled, “White People Party Music” on April Fools’ Day, has caused a bit of a stir over the past few days, posting photos and videos of himself in whiteface and skater attire on Twitter and Instagram. Captions underneath the posts include hashtags like “FarmersMarket,” “GoodCredit,” “BeerPong,” and “CreamCheeseEating,” and introduce the pastyRead More

Instant gratification is exhausting.  We are a generation that can get what we desire immediately, we want what we want when we want it, and we can have it.  In a time like this, the word “patience” can be as foreign to us as the idea of mailing hand-written letters for communication purposes; both unnecessary and rather annoying. This instant gratification mentality can leave us in an uneasy state of quantity versus quality, and distracts us from a more meaningful existence full of things out of our control – aRead More

Well, Beyonce continues to live up to her nickname. Queen Bee speaks and everybody listens. Lately, my newsfeed has been buzzing with posts about “Ban Bossy,” a campaign started by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and backed by Bee herself. According to the campaign’s website, “When a little boy asserts himself, he’s called a ‘leader.’ Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded ‘bossy.’” This type of language, according to Sheryl Sandberg, discourages girls from seeking leadership roles, and “Ban Bossy” aims to address this issue byRead More

Kids are getting dumber. Okay, not dumber, but definitely less intellectual. It’s a proven fact. We have such a religious-like belief in controlling a child’s diet; as kids, we’re told that one sugar cookie or half of a coca cola is like a ‘gateway food,’ and it will surely lead to chronic obesity down the road. But as we spend all of our OCD energy on monitoring what children eat, we forget about the importance of a healthy mind. Just go to any high school, or mall, or just aboutRead More

“So…what kind of music are you into?” It’s a stock question everyone uses to pry open that door of awkwardness in class or at a party. It could mean anything from “I’m bored and this silence makes me uncomfortable,” to “let’s bang in the bathroom between stats and psych.” It’s a safe conversation starter and it has the potential to make you feel instantly connected to someone if your playlists are divinely synced up (oh my gosh, you’ve heard of the Front Bottoms, too?) It also let’s you find out inRead More

It seems the internet isn’t serving its function unless there’s something that everyone is foaming at the mouth about. Case and point: the recent upheaval surrounding a certain Duke underclassman that has sparked the largest feminist discussion this side of a Women’s Studies class. If for some reason you don’t know what I’m talking about, perhaps this will refresh your memory: This little story sent the blogs, forums, online publications and YouTube channels into a tailspin over the past week. It seems everyone from Huffington Post to The Daily BeastRead More

Last week, Duke University’s student-run newspaper, The Chronicle, reported a story that has since become a viral phenomenon: a freshman girl at the university, referred to only as “Lauren,”  is working as a porn “star” to help pay for her tuition (not sure why every porn actress is referred to as a “star,” but that is a discussion for another time). Predictably, this discussion has led to an all-out shitstorm in our society, which seems to be more accepting of alternative lifestyles by the day – for better and for worse. In noRead More

Well, this was the natural progression of things, right? After distraught app designer Dong Nguyen pulled his massively popular creation, Flappy Bird, off the market last week, hordes of imitators have flooded the App Market: Iron Pants, Happy Bird, Splashy Fish, and a bunch of other inanity based on the business model that was reportedly making Mr. Nguyen $50,000 PER DAY. So the next step was obvious, right? You can now make a DIY flappy bird clone! Go to this website, upload two photos, give it a name, and BOOM:Read More

As we all know, not much these days comes free. Far more things come incredibly expensive. And while the price tag on certain items can be reasonably justified, there exist innumerable products that are simply never worth the cash. The following six things are simply NOT worth ponying up lots of dough for, period. Some of them are quality products but can be replaced with much cheaper alternatives, some of them you have no reason to ever purchase. Just remember, kids: what you WANT and what you NEED are twoRead More