Hope for the world

Happy New Year!

It’s quite refreshing to start of this year with an article like this one. Among all the news about missing planes, mass genocide, Ebola, abusive athletes, etc. ( you get the point), it’s pretty easy to start looking at the state of the world as being in shambles. But as this articles says, to really judge the state of the world you need to look at the trend lines, not the headlines. I like how this piece broke it down and went into each reason why we believe the world to be in a sorry state. It talks about the trends of each of these topics, such as mass killings, violence against women and children, the inevitable fall of democracy, etc. and how while we may perceive these things to be at an all time high due to the way they are portrayed by the media, in reality most of these calamities have been steadily declining over the last few decades.So really then the things that have been on the rise are the ubiquity of news (thanks to social media) and the dramatic way in which news is portrayed.

>> The world is not falling apart <<

-Monisha

Weird Friendships, Explained

I once had a falling out with a friend when I told him he was a Tier-III friend and described my friends as on a topographic map. Citing this article might have saved the friendship…

>> 10 Types of Odd Friendships <<

– Sandra

Power and Pronouns

Have you heard that the frequent use of ‘I’ indicates narcissism?  It’s a common misconception rebuffed in recent studies conducted at the University of Texas at Austin by James W. Pennebaker.  Pennebaker found through behavioral experiments and Twitter analysis that the use of ‘I’ can denote duplicity and a sense of inferiority.  Those who used ‘we’ more often in the experiments tended to have the power in the relationships.

>> What Saying ‘I’ Says About You <<

 

– Sandra

Post-College SAT

My thoughts after reading this article went something like this:

1. This is insanity

2. Thank goodness I’m old

3. This makes a lot of sense…or does it?

I think most of my fellow college grads would agree that this topic is a double edged sword. While it’s plain to see that GPA’s are not the best measure of an individual’s ability to succeed in the workplace, having a standardized test measure that may also not be the greatest measure. After all, many who have taken the SAT’s can agree that they are a better measure of  how good someone is at taking a standardized test than of that person’s ability to success in a college environment. On the other hand with the rise of problems like cheating on college exams and having curved exams some may like the idea of having a standard measure across schools with which to display their ability to succeed.

>> Are You Ready for the Post-College SAT <<

-Monisha

Young Women… Linguistic Pioneers?

Young women are known to gravitate towards several things: clothes, shoes, gossip, frivolity in general… One lesser known – but arguably more groundbreaking – penchant is, believe it or not, determining new linguistic patterns!

From end-of-sentence vocal inflections to “creaky voice”, college-aged women have been and are changing the way the rest of society talks!

>> Young Women Often Trendsetters in Vocal Patterns <<

>> Vocal Fry or Creaky Voice <<

 

– Sandra

The Case of the Ex(es)

Living on the other side of the world from an ex makes things easier, right?  Right?!  Wrong.  In this New York Magazine article, Maureen O’Connor talks about the change in the dating landscape effected by social media and smartphones.  And her conclusions are scarily on point.

>> All My Exes Live in Texts : Why the Social Media Generation Never Really Breaks Up <<

So have you ever de-friended an ex who kept popping up on your Facebook newsfeed with pictures of his new squeeze?  Blocked him on Gchat?  Boycotted social media for a month to detox?  You’re not alone.  Apparently, we’re all doing it.  And it’s seriously ruining our lives.

– Sandra

What’s in a name? Political leanings?

>> Most Popular Baby Names By State <<

Check out this map of the US and the most popular baby names by state!  Apparently Mason is the new John.  And for girls, the states are pretty evenly split between Emma and Sophia… and the divide curiously mirrors the political leanings of said states.  Coincidence?

– Sandra

Sisterhood(lum)

A Delta Gamma executive board member at the University of Maryland loses her marbles in an explicit diatribe directed at her less socially apt sisters… And the Internet ROFLs.

Some of my personal highlights:

“If you’re reading this right now and saying to yourself “But oh em gee Julia, I’ve been having so much fun with my sisters this week!”, then punch yourself in the face right now so that I don’t have to f*cking find you on campus to do it myself.”

“Are you people f*cking retarded? That’s not a rhetorical question, I LITERALLY want you to email me back telling me if you’re mentally slow so I can make sure you don’t go to anymore night time events.”

“”But Julia!”, you say in a whiny little b*tch voice to your computer screen as you read this email, “I’ve been cheering on our teams at all the sports, doesn’t that count for something?” NO YOU STUPID F*CKING ASS HATS, IT F*CKING DOESN’T.”

“”Ohhh Julia, I’m now crying because your email has made me oh so so sad”. Well good. If this email applies to you in any way, meaning if you are a little asswipe that stands in the corners at night or if you’re a weird sh*t that does weird sh*t during the day, this following message is for you: DO NOT GO TO TONIGHT’S EVENT.”

“Seriously, if you have done ANYTHING I’ve mentioned in this email and have some rare disease where you’re unable to NOT do these things, then you are HORRIBLE, I repeat, HORRIBLE PR FOR THIS CHAPTER.”

Honestly, though, you should just read the thing in its profane entirety.

>> The Most Deranged Sorority Girl Email You Will Ever Read <<

– Sandra

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Don’t think the heading describes you?  Go to the site below, input your salary and see how your wealth compares to the rest of the world.

>> Global Rich List <<

– Sandra

Post-feminism, 2013

In the 19th century, feminism was fairly easily defined.  Put broadly, it was the movement away from corsets and other restricting clothing and towards voting rights.  In the 20th century, feminists rallied against prescribed gender roles and lobbied for gender equality in the home and workplace.  The constant and overriding theme, however, was the promotion of blurred gender roles.

Today, feminism has a much more fragmented definition.  While some feminists still assert that women should be treated the same as men (often citing salary differences), others insist that society should be more conscious of the differences between men and women and allow women to pursue their feminine inclinations (such as housewivery and motherhood) without disdain.  I’m going to call this fragmented feminism post-feminism.  So take a look at the articles below and ask yourself: what do you think is post-feminism?

>> The Feminist Housewife <<

“Feminists who say they’re having it all—by choosing to stay home.”

>> Why Women Still Can’t Have It All <<

Anne-Marie Slaughter, Princeton professor and first woman director of policy planning in the State Department, explains her decision to give up her post for her children.

>> Susan Patton’s ‘Daily Princetonian’ Article Urges Female Students To Find Husbands Before Graduating <<

Susan Patton, Princeton alumnus, encourages current students to find their husbands before it’s too late, citing her own failed marriage as evidence.  Internet backlash ensues.

>> Susan Patton Told the Truth <<

A male journalist at the Wall St. Journal affirms that it is necessary for women to find their husbands as soon as possible.

– Sandra