Mount Hood

Opinion: Thanksgiving deserves just as much love as Christmas

Cora McClain | Editor-in-Chief

So it’s November, which means the most family-centric holiday is right around the corner. It’s a wonderfully festive time that brings people together through love and thankfulness. That’s right — it’s Christmas (and other winter holidays).

Almost as soon as the Halloween decorations come down, they are replaced with dreidels, kinaras and stockings. Nov. 1 seems to signify the changing of holiday seasons as Michael Bublé’s velvety pipes belt out “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot  Like Christmas” over the speakers in public places. November has turned into a month-long preparation for the winter holidays, specifically Christmas, and overlooks a special little day on the fourth Thursday of November, where families gather around and gorge on carbs and turkey. 

While the origins of Thanksgiving are not the best — and poorly represented — the meaning of modern Thanksgiving has come to signify the gathering of family. Sure, Christmas is about gathering family too (as it is an aspect of any holiday) but just because Christmas is branded better, with more celebrity cover albums than I can count and a crazy man who climbs down chimneys and eats cookies as a mascot, it shouldn’t overshadow Thanksgiving. If anything, Thanksgiving just hasn’t been given enough branding to make it any more than a fly-over holiday. 

I mean, are there any Thanksgiving-themed songs? Adam Sandler’s “The Thanksgiving Song” doesn’t count. What about Thanksgiving-themed movies? Even if there is just one or two, they can’t possibly outweigh the massive amount of Christmas-themed-and-adjacent movies, TV shows and other entertainment media. Without these forms of media, it becomes easy to skip over Thanksgiving, as if it doesn’t exist. However, Thanksgiving still deserves recognition and celebration.

From good food to appreciation, Thanksgiving has a lot to offer as a holiday. Whether the Thanksgiving table is filled with mashed potatoes and gravy or kimchi and jeon, just being around a table of good food, no matter the food, honors the holiday. More important than the food on the table (I know, nothing is more important than food) are the people around the table. 

Extended family, close family and found family in friends all make the holiday what it truly is. Spending quality time with people, whether in constant contact or only seeing them every-so-often, makes Thanksgiving a holiday worth celebrating.

Finally, the “giving thanks” aspect of Thanksgiving allots the holiday its own spin on the “family gathering” facet of every holiday. Just like how Christmas’ gimmick is giving presents, Thanksgiving is all about taking a moment to reflect on the good things in life. Reflecting on the positivity like this is something special that Thanksgiving is centered on. While it may not seem important, taking a serious look at all there is to be thankful for can be very encouraging in troubling times, and maybe people need a little more positive reflection. 

So, don’t just let Thanksgiving fall to the wayside as Michael Bublé plays from the speakers, remember the fourth Thursday of November as a day to reflect and gather and eat.

 

Contact the author at cmcclain17@wou.edu

Photo by Mikayla Bruley

Opinion: Now is the time to end the stigma around STIs

Caity Healy | Managing Editor

Think back to when you were in middle school or high school, when one of your teachers, sat the class down and gave you the sex ed talk. Of course, this is assuming your school actually decided to give you said talk — my school district, Battle Ground School District just outside of Vancouver, WA, just decided to cut the requirement for sex ed. Which is absolutely ridiculous, but an argument for another day and not the point I’m wanting to get at here. So, back to what I was saying: think back to that sex ed class you (hopefully) had. 

When I think of my sexual education, I remember it pretty clearly — there were visuals, so they showed us what a condom looks like and how to use it; there was the explanation on how to have safe sex (although they did tell us the only way to really be safe is to not have it at all, which is a cute idea but you’re talking to a bunch of people who just hit puberty so… good luck with that); and, what I remember most was how there was a huge display on how having unsafe sex will spread sexually transmitted infections and diseases, and they made it sound like it would ruin our lives.

Let’s look at the facts; according to Western’s Health Center’s 2018 survey, “41.8% of students did not use any method of protection the last time they had intercourse.” On top of this, also in 2018, “34.1% used the “Withdrawal” method of contraception the last time they had intercourse,” or in other words, the “pull-out method.” 

When this many people are practicing unsafe sex, it’s inevitable that someone will contract an STI. In fact, according to CDC.gov, in 2017 a total of 1,708,569 chlamydial infections were reported to the CDC in 50 states and in the District of Columbia. Similarly, CDC.gov reported 555,608 cases of gonorrhea in the U.S. in 2017, as well. So the point is, these infections are happening. Regardless of whether a sex ed class teaches safe sex, STIs and STDs are still being spread. So wouldn’t it have been nice if your sex ed class taught you what to do if you actually contracted one of these diseases, rather than try to scare you away from the thought of them?

STIs are heavily stigmatized in our culture. When sex ed courses, or “the talk” with your parents, tries to scare you away from them, or make you feel like you’re a bad person for contracting them, it further enhances that stigma surrounding STIs. When someone does contract one, rather than wanting to take care of it, this stigma will lead to them feeling ashamed or embarrassed to tell their partner(s), a friend or their health care provider. 

I can think of several films or TV shows where the parent or a physician told a kid something along the lines of, “This is what your genitals will look like if you contract an STI.” It then pans to the child in absolute horror and disgust. But we never hear them say, “If this does happen to you, here are the steps you can take to make sure you get healthy again.” That last part is important if we actually want people to be healthy, and not just want to scare them away from sex and shame them for contracting an incredibly common infection. 

At the end of the day, that’s what an STI is: an infection. People get infections every day, and when they do, they go see their doctor and get it cleared up. STIs should be treated like any other infection. If you get one, it can be taken care of, and that’s the end of it. Based on the fact that it’s an incredibly common occurance, it’s really not as big of a deal as your sex ed might have made it sound; most clear up from prescribed medication from a doctor. That said, it can become a bigger deal if it is not taken care of or if it’s being spread haphazardly. 

If someone reaches out to you and tells you they have an STI, treat them the same as if someone said, “I think this cut on my hand is infected.” Don’t be disgusted; they’re probably scared and need someone to confide in — be happy they chose you. Then reassure them that they will be okay and show them ways they can get medical attention. Ultimately, we all have to work together to minimize this stigma surrounding STIs.  

If you or someone you know believes they might have an STI or STD, they can contact Western’s Health and Counseling Center at (503) 838-8313. It’s also a good idea to get checked for STIs and STDs regularly if you are sexually active or were recently, as sometimes they don’t present with symptoms. 

 

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Infographic by Caity Healy

Opinion: Is there more to self-care than Netflix and bubble baths?

Ashlynn Norton | Digital Media Manager

For a very long time, self-care felt like a very elusive thing to me. What I heard from the majority of society and my friends was that it consisted of taking bubble baths and binging on Netflix. I didn’t know how to start my journey or what it would look like for me. I tried doing things that I had seen others do: cooking, watching Netflix or drinking tea. Even today, I don’t fully know what works for me. There are so many things out there to try, what if I pick the wrong thing? 

I recently — and by recently, I mean two weeks ago — started to learn one way to perceive self-care. The little sliver of information I have regarding self-care came from my learning seminar class taught by Lizzy Harman. Harman, the Assistant Director of Student Success and Advising at the Student Success and Advising Center, has been studying self-care for a little over two years now. With a master’s in rehabilitation mental health counseling, Harman wanted to see how self-care related to advising students. 

Harman thought she knew what self-care was since she has a background in counseling. She soon discovered that she was wrong, and did not understand the subject as well as she thought she did. 

“It started as a research fascination and then became a personal fascination because it wasn’t going so well for me,” Harman said. “But also it was important to me that we could kind of talk about it in the field of advising because I think it has been seen as a weakness or a shameful act in a lot of ways and I really wanted it to be a part of the conversation of how we train new advisers.” 

Self-care can be defined in many different ways. Harman’s favorite definition is “Any act or experience (that) maintains or enhances your wellbeing.” 

“That’s very highly individualized and based on who you are as a person, and the things that you value and the things that are important to you,” Harman added. “I also prescribe to this belief that self-care is not just about yourself, it’s about the people around you. That the ability to care for yourself means that you are better able to be present and show up for the people around you.” 

Harman also believes that self-care has to be preventative and treatment-based. 

Further expanding on the idea, Harman explains “Where you are doing things to get through stress and challenge, but you’re also taking care of yourself in the long term of building things in your life so that you don’t have to take an escape or take a break from your life,” she said.

Harman has taught me that “escaping” is not the best route to take when life gets a little too hard and you need to take some time for some self-care. Self-care is about creating a strong base (prevention) and then occasionally doing something to realign yourself if you get a little off track (treatment). 

So, for those who are like me and are stuck at the fork in the road not really sure which path of self-care to take, I hope this sheds a little light on the best path for you. As for me, I’m going to stick with my salt baths and regular beach trips. 

 

Contact the author at anorton17@wou.edu

Photo by Rachel Hetzel 

Opinion: Just a girl’s personal bias on why you shouldn’t just listen to music within your own language

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow | News Editor

Let me begin by first saying: I am in no way particularly knowledgeable about music production or the music industry; my opinions are just that — opinions — and I make no pretense that my tastes are more impeccable than anybody else’s. That being said, my good people of Western, we have a problem: people are avoiding music outside of their own bubbles.

Phrases such as “music transcends all boundaries” are commonplace, but it seems to me that we keep placing boundaries regardless, most prominently the boundary of language. And, I get it — people fear the unknown, and more than that, many people just don’t have an interest in listening to music that they can’t inherently understand. I confess, too, that I haven’t always been an “international music connoisseur,” but I place value in understanding people and learning about things outside of my bubble and in turn, I developed an interest in exploring music through a historical and cultural lens.

I’m going to come right out and say it, because you’re probably already thinking it, but yes, my first exposure to music not in English was through anime openings. Sound the alarms, I know that’s the ultimate cringey sentence for some. But hear me out because this article isn’t about that; there’s this anime called “NANA,” and the music for that anime was largely sung by a woman named Tsuchiya Anna, who I now credit with getting me interested in J-Rock, which in turn led me to think ‘huh, I wonder what else is out there,’ which then got me interested in K-Pop. 

And you might be wondering, what the hell does this have to do with that historical and cultural lens you were talking about? But through my interest in these musical genres, through time spent perusing YouTube for explanations behind lyrical intent, I’ve learned so much about the cultural values and historical significance of certain songs — from how a culture might perceive beauty standards to issues of government control — and I’ve come to have a real appreciation for the artistry of languages that I can’t understand without first doing some digging. 

Here’s a more specific example: I was in the YouTube abyss one night, watching compilation after compilation of music competition videos, when I stumbled upon a video of Elina Ivashchenko competing on “The Voice Kids Ukraine” while singing a cover of Jamala’s “1944,” a song dedicated to the forced migration of the Ukranian Tatars under the Stalin regime. You might be thinking “the what? I never learned this in school,” and if that’s what you’re thinking, then I was right on board with you. And that’s my point: my first introduction to the history of a people’s pain under annexation was from a 14-year-old girl on a competition show singing a song so hauntingly beautiful that I did my own research on its meaning which I carry with me now. Music has the power to do that, so why is it that we confine ourselves to the limitations of our perspective languages? The world is so much vaster.

 

Contact the author at skiernansherrow17@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of ziyoou-vachi.com

Photo courtesy of https://anna-t.com/

Photo courtesy of Big Hit Entertainment

Opinion: Design should have more white space

Kyle Morden | Designer

In design, white space isn’t just unnecessary waste — it has a purpose. If used correctly, it will provide elements to ensure satisfaction to any viewer. It’s a simple and powerful tool that can be misunderstood by many.

As a student designer, going to the College Media Mega Workshop — hosted by the Associated Collegiate Press and held on July 11–14, 2019 to provide hands-on media training for college students — has given me a better understanding about design. Ron Johnson, a long-time contributor to the Society for News Design, explained to students at the workshop that white space “empowers adjacent elements, so use it to frame your lead package.” Therefore, designers use white space to captivate viewers. It’s something that every design should have to provide quality content.

For those who don’t have design experience, or don’t know much about utilizing white space, white space is more than the color white; it can be any color or background image. There’s two types of white space: micro and macro. Micro white space is the spacing between lines and paragraphs. Macro white space is the large amounts of space often found around the margins of books and websites. Together, they balance and organize content to provide positive experiences for viewers. However, for those who are unaware of this balance white space creates, it can come off as awkward and unclear.

Often times, white space cause problems between clients and designers. Clients may think that it’s a waste of space and that there should be other visual elements. They might say that it looks bland and useless. They might even ask to redo the entire job completely. Here’s what I think: remember why you hired a professional, and let designers do their thing.

Design isn’t about shoving large chunks of information into the viewers’ brains — that’s boring and cruel. Do you ever wonder why there’s white space around groups of text? Imagine reading a book that has text filling to the edge of the page. There would be so much clutter that it’d be hard to focus and retain information — everyone would hate reading. White space allows us to breath and be calm. It brings forth simplicity and keeps our attention to the content.

Not only that, white space can create powerful messages. On Jan. 10, 2013, The New York Times published a blank cover page followed by a headline that said “And the inductees are…” A clear and powerful message that translates to the denied induction of players into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I understand that there are times when white space is used incorrectly. And, that it does look bland when there’s too much of it. Designers can solve this problem by readjusting their eyes. To do this, they can take their eyes off the screen then look back. They can then notice the first thing their eyes point to and ask if it supports the content. If it doesn’t, they’ll have to keep working until their satisfied.

So yes, white space is more than just emptiness. It provides balance and harmony; enhancing the content. Our goal as designers is to create simple designs that will deliver information to you as clear as possible. Because we don’t need more clutter in our lives.

 

Contact the author at kmorden17@wou.edu

Opinion: Pumpkin spice is back, and so are the monotonous, dull jokes about being “basic”

Caity Healy | Managing Editor

October is here, fall has officially begun, and with it, the celebrations and festivities that often come with it. Pumpkin spice is back in rotation at most coffee shops, those little Pillsbury sugar cookies with the ghosts and pumpkins poorly printed on them are back in stores — though, from my experience, they sell out in like, two seconds… so get ‘em while you can — and Halloween decor is making its appearance. And, of course, the tweets and memes about “basic b*****s” are making themselves comfy on our social media feeds once again. 

Look, I get it. A single leaf falls and suddenly these “basic witches” (I changed the word so I don’t have to keep using asterisks, but you know what I mean) seemingly show up out of nowhere, just crawling out of the sewers like they’re Pennywise or something. A person steps on a perfectly crunchy leaf and the next thing you know they’re wearing a sweater that says something like “pumpkin spice and everything nice” written in Rae Dunn font and probably covered in glitter. Before you know it, the basic witch invasion has begun. And it must be so incredibly hard to see several people post about Starbucks’s new pumpkin spice cold brew and NOT say anything at all. So, so hard. But here’s an idea: just… actually try not to?

It feels like we’ve come to a point where we just can’t let people enjoy the things they like. So someone chooses to put their Halloween decorations up before the official first day of fall (it’s me, I’m that someone), is that hurting anyone? Unless they’re putting those decorations up in your space, then you don’t really have a right to say anything at all. 

So someone chooses to literally search for when pumpkin spice is back in rotation at their local Starbucks so they can order their drink the first day it’s back (as you can probably guess, it’s me, I’m still talking about myself), does that have any effect on you whatsoever? If someone can genuinely tell me a way that it is creating a negative impact, short of buying into the commercial schemes that most of us are still guilty of buying into in some way or another, then I’d genuinely like to know. Until then, what right do you have to make people feel bad about it? Because, while I do understand that it is a joke, I definitely still feel a little self conscious when I go to The Press and, under my breath, tell the barista that I want a grande PSL (if you abbreviate it, people in line behind you might not know what you mean. Pro tip). 

To be clear, I’m not advocating for the end of all criticism of things we consume. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. We should be critical of our consumption, and it’s definitely okay to not like something or actively want to partake in it. But the difference between that constructive critical mindset and what is actually happening is that the former would involve a conversation about how we as a society can be better and would respectfully assert your opinion, and the latter is people recycling the same jokes, usually aimed at judging women, that truly just are not funny.

We see this trend all the time. “You’re playing Christmas music before we even sat down for our totally unproblematic American holiday of Thanksgiving?! How dare you!” The non-existent PNW snow melts and spring arrives.“You’re actually wearing shorts when it’s barely above 60 degrees outside?! Ridiculous!” Or, of course, “You like Nirvana? Lol you probably just like their logo — name every single song on every album ever made. By Nirvana and every other band, too, while you’re at it. Fake fan.” 

All jokes aside, I really think everyone should make a conscious effort to just try and let people enjoy the little things. Life isn’t easy. I don’t know about everyone else, but college has been nothing short of a struggle for me. So if a festive beverage or a spooky shirt, or an occasional trip to Target’s dollar section for a pair of pumpkin-covered socks makes me feel a little better, just let me have it. Let the basic witch in me live. Because in the end, it’s not hurting anyone… except maybe my bank account. But we don’t have to talk about that. 

 

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photo by Caity Healy

Opinion: Administration — really worried about student safety?

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Joey Gibson, defendant in multiple lawsuits for defamation, negligence, trespassing, intentional infliction of emotional distress and several other charges, visited Western Oregon University June 4, 2019 after being invited to speak by the College Republicans club. Gibson is also the founder of a conservative activist group titled “Patriot Prayer” who advocate for “free speech,” gun rights and are against big government.

I’m not going to talk about what Gibson preached about while he was at Western. Honestly, what he has to say isn’t really all that revolutionary — his rhetoric isn’t anything that other people haven’t already said. In that way, his visit was pretty anticlimactic — no violence broke out, which was unusual for him. He spoke about God. He spoke about free speech. He spoke about how much of a victim he is, and about how a group of people within America that have historically had the most privilege — white-passing, straight, Christian, cisgender dudes — are under threat.

Gibson claims he follows a nonviolent ideology. Of course, the evidence points to the contrary, but he still claims it. In fact, almost all of Gibson’s rallies have ended in violence. A simple Google search shows that wherever Gibson goes, violence follows.

But, of course, Gibson is extremely careful to make sure he isn’t caught openly advocating hate and destruction. In his speeches, he talks entirely in generalizations and blanket statements and makes sure to put himself in the position of the victim and the martyr. Like many other alt-right hate groups, Gibson paints “liberals” and “Antifa” as the enemy, while standing on the soapbox of protecting “American values” and “the constitution.”

Gibson is a master of manipulating rhetoric and tactics of deflection, and it’s one of the reasons he gets away with claiming to be “nonviolent.” Gibson has a knack for letting his followers do the threatening. Then, when counter-protestors inevitably make their presence known, everything that happens can be claimed by Gibson to be “self defense.”

One clear example of this is Gibson’s connections to the Proud Boys. The Proud Boys are an alt-right organization recognized by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. They are regularly in attendance at Gibson’s rallies and protests, and are known to incite racist, sexist and homophobic violence. Gibson has “denounced” alt-right groups on several occasions, although according to an article written by William Bradford Nichols for thehumanist.com, he has used them as “security” for multiple Patriot Prayer events. Patriot Prayer and hate groups such as the Proud Boys often show up decked out in full faux-military gear carrying loaded weapons. So, is this all in the name of self defense? Or is “self defense” simply a thinly-veiled excuse to be as violent as you want while avoiding the consequences? Are people really supposed to believe Gibson “denounces” these hate groups?

Gibson is right, in a way. He is allowed to say anything he wants. As a journalist, I also value the first amendment. I also value integrity and adherence to the facts, but I doubt Gibson and I would agree on that. But just because he’s allowed to say anything he wants doesn’t mean he’s immune to the consequences. For example, Gibson recently called Luiz Marquez, left-wing activist, a pedophile, despite having no evidence. So now, Marquez is suing him. Weird how that works.

In all honesty, I think Gibson is just another out-of-touch Christian dude crying “victim” who is fueled by a need for attention. The College Republicans knew this and invited him. I wouldn’t expect more from them.

I expect more from the administration. They approved a speaker who has a history of bringing violence everywhere he goes. They invited an individual who is vocally against sanctuary cities on his YouTube channel (titled Joey Gibson) to a sanctuary city — an individual who is currently being sued by multiple people as the result of his actions and the actions of his group. They allowed this individual to speak after he publicly went after the Senate President of ASWOU.
Gibson being invited to campus quickly became about a bigger issue than free speech. It became about just how much the administration values its student body and its students from minority communities who are actively threatened by Gibson’s poisonous ideologies and the groups he surrounds himself with. The administration should know better than to let the students deal with the fallout of their poor decisions.

 

Contact the author at cweedon16@wou.edu

Photos by Paul F. Davis

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