...yeah.
In the past two weeks, I’ve come across two different articles in my Facebook feed which caught my attention. Before I start to really get into the craziness that go on in Journalism classes today, I would like to open with the fact that I AM NOT A REDDITOR. So don’t yell at me in CAPS and tell me that the articles I’ve posted below are “so last week” or “so 2008″ or even “so 42 minutes ago.” These are just some things I’ve noticed recently through my Redditing and news-savvy Facebook homies.
Okay, so. I never realized that journalism classes were so hardcore and awkward. Personal opinions aside, here is the first piece I saw earlier last week:
Damn, I wish I could have seen this 5 years ago.
The author, Lynzee (which is pronouned ‘Lindsay’) Stauss’ response to someone who was hugely offended by her article:
“me and my sister were writting aganist eachother because our journalism class was about to be discontinued because there was nobody writting to the editior. so for your info i had to write it. because there was no interst in the school paper and they said it was so much money and costing the them too much . thats not what i really think F.Y.I. and i know how to spell” (original message)
Some personal emotions after reading Miss Stauss’ article: awkwardness and self-pity. I don’t get my nails done and have a full-time job. Also, I live like a normal human being and not a princess. My boyfriend comes home and does not make it rain cash and diamonds on me. According to Lynzee’s article, my life would be worthless ’cause I went to college. I’m glad she’s not really like that in real life though. I wasn’t able to find Lynzee’s sister’s article which was supposedly about the pros of girls going to college, but I bet it was way less carefree and fun. Just sayin’.
Which brings me to the second eyeopener in my Facebook feed:
(To read the full article, please click here, or copy and paste this link into your Interweb browser - http://www.ubspectrum.com/opinion/why-put-a-bumper-sticker-on-a-ferrari-1.2755789#.Tym6kcVSR2B)
I feel so beautiful after reading this. Or not.
As the assistant new editor at the Spectrum from the University at Buffalo, Lisa Khoury sure knows how to make girls everywhere feel objectified and confused. If you say that, as a woman, I “hold the world’s beauty,” then why do I have to get my nails done and workout like crazy? Can’t I just eat a bacon cheeseburger and feel beautiful? Seriously though, I feel like she wrote this article to piss off all the women who weren’t blessed with below 16 BMI scores and basements filled with cash and sugar daddies.
However, I definitely need to look into getting more trendy clothes and scheduling trips to the mall with my girlfriends so I can maintain my shallow existence as a woman.
But oh wait… I have tattoos. And I plan to get more ink done. My grandkids are doomed because when they ask me about the tattoo on my arm (it reads “Sometimes even to live is an act of courage,” which are, unfortunately, not angel wings or a tramp stamp), I’m going to tell them that I got it permanently inked onto my being during the time when their great-grandmother was diagnosed with leukemia. The tattoo serves as a constant reminder of the pain my family and I went through during that time and the preciousness of life when my mother pulled through with bone marrow transplant.
I’m not saying that everyone who gets a tattoo has a sob story to tell, but tattoos serve as a form of art that engages the human body and a sort of commitment that no other art form can really achieve. To further prove my point, this:
On the other hand, here is the article written by Rebecca Bratek, which is the counter argument written for their journalism class (or something).
(To read the full article, please click here. Or copy and paste this link into your Interweb browser - http://www.ubspectrum.com/opinion/artful-artificial-beauty-marks-1.2755786#.Tym6mMVSR2A)
Some valid points, some super awkward points.
I applaud Miss Bratek for using herself as an example. On the other hand, there are some eyebrow-raising points about her argument, such as:
“ Some ask about regretting a tattoo or it losing meaning. This is probably the biggest conflict people have with marking their skin. Sure, the song lyrics you like at 18 may be completely out of style once you turn 50, but that doesn’t mean you should regret it. If it was something you once wanted, be proud of that fact alone.”
I don’t think I can agree with this one. There are some things that you just can’t be proud of. Those are called “skeletons in the closet” and that’s why Tattoo Removal surgery was invented. I understand that she’s trying to argument her point with conviction and honesty, but some things are just better left unsaid. Like this:
Three years later, she's going to be fighting with bouncers after they see her trying to buy a beer.
Some advice taken from the first two articles: get your nails done, go shopping with your girlfriends and stay classy.
I take offense to the statement: “My boyfriend comes home and does not make it rain cash and diamonds on me. ” I totes do. As an aside, I would be much more interested in striking up a conversation with the tattooed girl on the left than the author on the right. At least there’s a starting point (a compliment on the quality, a statement about the content/meaning) whereas with the author I’d be forced into saying something awkward like: “where’d you get that awfully generic black curtain you’re wearing?”
On the same note, I would also be inclined to strike up a conversation with the tattooed girl on the left. Even as a straight female, I think I would probably end up saying something along the lines of “Hey, can I buy you a drink/sit next to you/be friends with you” or “Where did you get your ink done? It looks really nice.” I guess the latter would go more along with my original point. Whereas I would begin talking to the author and then perhaps if we touched upon the subject of tattoos, I may feel the need to scrunch up my face and mumble something along the lines of “I have to go home and walk my cat now. Bye.”