In America, we love to be outraged over the imagined, but when our fellow brothers and sisters are facing a legitimate crisis, we respond by sticking our heads in the sand; or worse yet, we go so low as to blame the victims.
I love being a woman. In fact, given the choice between being male or female, I would choose to be a woman, every time. Even with all the bullshit that comes along with being female–the lower pay, the pressure to conform to traditional societal standards (getting married, having kids, being a “good” wife), the hormones,…
Religion is the exact opposite of reason. It’s like being a child and asking your parent why something “is” and being told, “Because I said so.” It’s such a bullshit, cop-out response and hardly a viable answer. My mother rarely played that card. She almost always gave legitimate answers to my questions, but on the rare occasion that I got the “Because I said so” response, I felt cheated and dissatisfied.
Several weeks ago, when I scored tickets to see Damien Echols speak about karma at the Ruben Museum, I had no idea what to expect. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I had missed a few of his appearances since he moved here to NYC, and I was very excited to at last be seeing…
How in the hell is the irony of celebrating freedom, coupled with the looming threat that the NYPD may stop and frisk us for the crime of carrying a steak knife, lost on so many? On what planet is that freedom? Ben Franklin may have been a sexual deviant, but he sure nailed this one when he said, “Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
It’s horrifying that in this day and age we are still debating things like gay marriage, whether or not gay people are capable of raising well-adjusted children, or if they even have the right to march in a fucking parade. The fact that we are still having these discussions truly highlights how far we have to go when it comes to our evolution as a society.
It’s hard to turn on the TV or scroll through Facebook these days without seeing a story about Chris Kyle or the Clint Eastwood film, “American Sniper.” Whether you are pro or con Kyle, it’s difficult to argue that, right now, our country seems to be consumed with this man’s life. As an associate member…
From the moment Thomas Eric Duncan made headlines as the first person on American soil to be diagnosed with the Ebola virus, the country went into a hysterical frenzy that could rival even the most ridiculous soap opera. You can’t turn on the news or scroll down your Facebook feed without hearing or reading about…
The headline from Spin read: Henry Rollins Bashes the Suicidal, Shames Robin Williams; “Fuck suicide,” the singer wrote in an editorial today. I will readily admit, even as one of Rollins’ staunchest supporters, my first reaction to the headline was, “Wow, that’s pretty brutal.” As a life-long Rollins fan, I know there are times when he can…
With the arrival of the July 4th weekend, most people will undoubtedly be putting out their fresh, bright, somewhat new (used twice a year), American flags. I, on the other hand, am sitting here at my desk contemplating what to fly in the place of our old, washed-out, beat-up, tattered one. It was not my…
It’s been several years since I have seen my father. He doesn’t live far, mind you–only six states south of me in the sultry country just outside of Savannah, GA. Gregory Nicholas Tarana has been my father for almost forty-two years; sadly, while we both love each other a great deal, falling out of touch is…
Like everyone else on this planet, I was born into a family. While I understand the idea of blood being thicker than water and all that jazz, I have never really considered myself part of a “pack,” family or otherwise. I am quite sure that this is in direct correlation with the fact that my…
“Empathetic people–dreamers and idealists–have this sort of accidental power. Most spend their early years ridden with self-doubt, insecurity and people-pleasing habits. But their journey is inevitably derailed when this comfortable life gets uprooted by an unexpected darkness.” – Author Unknown After my mother’s death in 2008, I found myself isolated with a lot of pills,…
