Despite critics, music industry can still send a positive message

We've all heard it before--how pop culture is negatively influencing our generation with sex and sensationalism. Critics have railed icons like Madonna or Lady Gaga for shedding light on controversial topics. Disney Channel princesses like Miley Cyrus and Hillary Duff have gotten edgier and edgier. For example, Miley Cyrus came under fire from the media for a racy photo shoot in Vanity Fair. And while there's no denying that pop culture has come a long way from the days of Leave it to Beaver, popular artists and their music can still have a positive influence on society.

Let's take a look at one of the biggest YouTube sensations right now--Willow Smith. The 9-year-old powerhouse and daughter of Will Smith has drawn over 11 million hits on her first video "Whip My Hair Back and Forth" since it hit the web October 18. Any viewer will be impressed and possibly shocked to hear about the age of the performer, who manages to portray a tenacity way beyond her years. Not to mention the fact that she sounds great. But just as important as Smith's age is the content and message of the song.

"Whip My Hair Back and Forth" is remarkable for its lack of sexuality and simple, positive message. Some vocal members of the African-American community have come out in the press lauding Smith's positive message of encouragement to young black women. Smith's video is all about the idea that, not matter what your hair (and you for that matter) may look like, to be empowered to whip it back and forth.

So the next time you criticize pop culture for being too sexual--just think about whipping your hair back and forth and remember Willow Smith.

-Matt Rist

I am a little disappointed that our commencement speaker this year is Michael Bloomberg. Sure, he has done numerous positive things for the city of New York as mayor, but I don’t quite see his relevance in Washington D.C.

Last year’s graduates had Michelle Obama deliver their commencement speech. The class of 2009 saw Rahm Emanuel speak at their graduation. Back in 2006, close friends of mine had George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, speak at their GW graduation. All of these people have significant and influential roles in this city. While it may have been difficult for the school to top the First Lady as graduation speaker, I would think with all of the school’s connections in Washington, they would be able to find a speaker with a greater relevance to the city.

With one of the highest tuitions in the nation, GW charges its students more than $50,000 each year. Therefore, affording any commencement speaker of its choice was certainly not a problem in making this year’s decision.

You probably are wondering who I would have liked to see speak at my college graduation. My number one choice would be Hillary Clinton. She is poised, intelligent, powerful and fierce. She has been a strong presence and force in Washington for my entire life. A speech from her husband would not have been too shabby either. Another attainable speaker would be Colin Powell, an alumnus of the university.

Regardless, I look forward to when the media mogul addresses the class of 2011. I’m sure he will do a fine job. I guess I will just have to close my eyes and imagine it’s Ms. Clinton’s voice I hear.

-Ricki Maybruch

Environmentalism is a Privilege

I’ve always been an environmentalist to at least some degree. I mean, my sixth birthday party was a protest to save orangutans (an endangered species) and their habitat (the jungle). As I grew up, I developed my own political views that didn’t necessarily jive with the stereotypical “tree hugger”. Though I’m fiercely liberal socially, at my core, I am conservative. It wasn’t until I worked at the US Environmental Protection Agency this summer that I really saw how the definition of “environmentalist” could (and should) morph to fit anyone’s political leanings. I actually believe that the most determining factor in this issue is socioeconomic status.

In the last decade, “green” has become not only an adjective describing color but a way of life. It’s a description of this environmental movement that has fallen into our laps. It’s a verb. The cause of “going green” has gone grassroots, allowing citizens to personally contribute to the activism. The sustainable management of our planet’s resources is affected by both public policy and individual behavior, making it particularly unique. Individuals can have a much greater impact on environmental consequences or successes than many other issues.

Someone recently asked me to “described why preservation matters to someone who doesn’t care”. Although I can now think of a million reasons, in the moment I was sort of stunned. Who doesn’t care? I am troubled by the thought that there are people who actually don’t care about our environment at all. And then I began to think about my experience this summer…

Environmentalism is a problem of privilege. Caring about the environment shouldn’t be politically stigmatized; it’s not inherently conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat. Working to conserve resources and preserve our environment is something everyone should be conscious of… and yet, this isn’t so. This summer while at EPA I really had a chance to reflect on what a privilege it was to worry about the environment at all.

As I worked in the press office, I spent a lot of time pitching stories to news organizations about “going green” for different events. Saving water, saving energy, you name it. What struck me was that more often than not, we pitched to publications catering to middle-to-upper-class women with families and some expendable income. It really made me pause to think about who has time to worry about things like energy and water from anything but an economic perspective.

Not surprisingly, some of the greatest concentrations of harmful pollutants are in large cities that have large impoverished populations. “Going green” has potential to help inhabitants of these areas possibly in a more direct way than it could for anyone else. However, in the face of adversity, I can say in all honesty that the environment would not be my primary concern. In some cases, saving money and saving energy go hand in hand. However, many “green” updates are incredibly expensive. Again, not surprisingly, these are the ones we pitched to magazines like Women’s Health and Good Housekeeping.

Ultimately, the environment is something that everyone should care about. I am not sure what it will take for this to happen – especially because I, myself, waver sometimes. If results for “green” actions were more instantly gratifying, our society might accept them more excitedly. In the short term, we ought to work on understanding environmentalism as an all-encompassing issue that will impact us all in one way or another… some day.

Claudia Powell

What Disney gets wrong

Over the weekend, another Disney Channel starlet made a leap. Not from a poppy, silly television show where she wears glitzy outfits and sings a theme song, or into some movie co-starring the Jonas Brothers. Demi Lovato followed a much more predictable route: Rehab.

According to reports, the 18-year-old performer entered an undisclosed treatment center to deal with "emotional and physical issues." Her father Patrick Lovato spoke out to the press on Sunday, stating that he felt the pressures of Hollywood are what put the young actress over the edge.

"There are a lot of pressures. That is one of the things I worried about when she signed with Disney," said Lovato. "It's just going to happen."

While I'm all for acknowledging that Disney tends to put its actresses in a purity box, making it difficult for them to break out without going to the absolute opposite side of the spectrum--ahem, Lindsey Lohan and Britney Spears-- I just don't think we can keep blaming Hollywood for these issues that are occurring all around the country, more regularly than adults and corporations seem to understand.

Yes, being in front of a thousand fans who critique you constantly is rough, but it's the same pressure that regular college students experience on a daily basis. In any given night, they're trying to finish one 10 page paper, while studying for a midterm exam, while trying to plan an event for a student organization and trying to write an article on deadline, all the while hoping to wake up at 7 a.m. to be at their internship on the Hill the next morning; by the time it comes to the weekend, it's no wonder that Nooshi happy hour is packed with students trying to drink away whatever they had to work through for the entire week.

I would never try to minimize whatever issues that Lovato is going through, but I do wish that Disney would instead use this as a learning experience for all of the kids that watch it. Now, more than ever, young people have an endless list of pressures to deal with and everyone is in the same boat. Disney needs to open up the conversation about alcohol abuse, drug use, the pressures of succeeding and the normalcy of failing in some situations-- not chastising them for being immoral, but recognizing that these are regular situations that many young people will have to deal with.

I had the opportunity to work with Miley Cyrus on her film "The Last Song" in Savannah, Georgia, last summer and was able to witness how easy it is for the public to make the normal activities of a young girl an entire controversy worthy of a magazine cover. Cyrus was one of the most normal, down-to-earth and fun girls I've ever been around and had an engaging bubbly spirit that I'll always remember. She was passionate about being a good performer, and from what it seemed, really cared about giving back to her fans.

But when the paparazzi took pictures of her kissing her boyfriend for a scene or wearing a midriff-bearing top--the media had a field day and said that she'd become too "sexy" for the image that she's known for.

While it lacks in comparison to the widespread-ness of entertainment media, Cyrus' situation reminded me of how Facebook has made cyber bullying a regular occurrence. Just as tabloids juxtaposed Cyrus' photos with captions which labled her "No long a little Disney princess," students all around the country are taking pictures from a girl's Facebook that they are jealous of and labeling her as a "slut." It's not right, but it's all too common.

They may have multi-million dollar paychecks and a clothing line at some retail giant, but these girls are going through the exact same things that students on every college campus are experiencing. I hope Lovato gets the help that she needs--just as I hope any of my peers at GW get guidance or treatment if they feel its necessary; but let's not put issues into the box of Hollywood.

The pressures that these girls are feeling are the pressures of just being young and ambitious in America, today.

-Amy Rhodin

Please Someone Read a History Book (and learn from it)!

Anti-immigration sentiment comes and goes, often with economic trends or conflicts between countries. While nationalism is important for a country’s survival, at a point it becomes more of a detriment than anything else. Blaming economic problems on an immigrant group may be good politics, but it will not solve any real problems. The U.S. is anti-immigration with regard to “Mexicans”, I put that in quotes because many Americans don’t make any distinction between people from Mexico and those that are Hispanic. Passing blame for economic problems onto Mexican immigrants is not good, nor is treating Muslims poorly because a few people who happened to be Muslim attacked us.

While illegal immigration of Mexicans, and other groups, causes economic and social problems they are not the cause, and legal immigrants certainly are not to be blamed. Why then, do politicians blame them? I think they blame them because focusing on a group of people to blame for problems is much easier than giving long winded answers to the electorate. People respond much better to “knowing” that everything in their world would be fine if they just got rid of the Mexicans or whatever ethnic group is “ruining” their country. Sure politicians could blame Wall Street, the government, or society as a whole, but blaming a minority group is much easier. Not to mention immigrants usually make up less wealthy groups in a society. Placing blame on a group that cannot easily defend themselves because of their social or economic status is much easier than blaming those that have power or money.

I am not surprised by current anti-Mexican or anti-Muslim fervor, just disappointed. Americans used to blame Irish immigrants for our economic problems. We blame the Mexican’s now. We felt so justified in blaming all Japanese-Americans for Pearl Harbor that we shoved them into internment camps. Fortunately we learned from that mistake. Well learned not to be quite as obvious with our racism against Muslim-Americans. For example, Americans aren’t talking about taking away all their rights like was done to the Japanese-Americans. Instead the anti-Muslim groups just don’t think Freedom of Religion is something Muslim-American citizens should enjoy.

I’d rather future generations read about our time in America’s history and have it bring a feeling of pride instead of shame. I know when I look back on America’s treatment of the Irish immigrants or of Japanese immigrants in the past; I do not do so with pride. If the racist few in America become the loudest or worst become a plurality then I shudder to think of the shadow that will once again be cast on America.

--Briana Giosta

Kids These Days...

I remember as a kid playing with my Easy Bake Oven, Barbie Dolls, Candy Land and my Leap Frog games. Those were the days when kids asked for new trucks and dolls and the parents would say, "No, you have enough at home", and you slowly walk with your head down wishing they would've said "yes". Those were the old days.

Nowadays, no kid I know wants the coolest bike in the shop, the biggest truck or the prettiest dolls, because what they want are iPods, iPads, Wiis and other electronics that they SHOULDN'T HAVE AT THIS AGE. My brother in law bought my 10 year old niece her own iPad, which I think is ridiculous. Why in the world would she need an iPad at age 10 ? Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I have two other nieces who are 8 and 6 years old. All three of them have their own laptops and desktops in their rooms, YouTube accounts, G-Mail accounts and Skype accounts. I wonder if they have a Facebook or a Twitter....hmmm.

All three of my nieces are still in elementary school and I don't think they should have any of that stuff. They are too young and it's also dangerous. Why are the parents letting this happen? I think it's irresponsible parenting, but I can't do nothing about it. I am their aunt and I am worried. Lately, there has been so many deaths of students across the country due to bullying, cyber-bullying, internet predators and inappropriate sites that I'm afraid my nieces will run into. I don't want my three precious nieces dealing with any of these problems and that is why they shouldn't have expensive electronics which allows them to have contact/personal accounts! & No, I am not jealous of their new "toys".

What ever happened to traditional toys? The kind made out of plastic, often colorful, makes noises, and are affordable. Remember those things ? Today, the word toys has a completely different meaning and kids want them. Everytime I pass the Apple store at Tysons Mall (Northern VA) there are always kids and their parents looking at music players, Macs, iPhones, etc. and it drives me crazy. Kids are growing way too fast these days and that makes me wonder what my kids will be like in the future. Am I going to have to buy multiples touch computers and the latest phones every Christmas? That is crazy.

My nieces are always on Skype. I wonder why they are always logged on. Who the heck are they talking to? and What are they looking at ? I asked them all the time and get the same ole answer, "Nothing". Ugh, gets me frustrated and paranoid. I mean, if they had homework and needed the internet for it, then I can understand, but they don't, which is why it worries me. They are good kids, but you can never know what is happening. I also notice changes in the way they communicate in person because their interpersonal communication sucks. Sometimes, they don't talk or respond to me, but instead respond to their friends using acronyms that I don't even know like, "C&G" or "CRAFT". which apparently means "chuckle & grin" and "can't remember a frickin' thing". One time, my oldest niece Celine had a Skype conversation with her friend talking crap about another girl saying, "omg, idk. Smh, idc bout her. She stoopid". I was shocked when I saw this because not only did she use acronyms, but her grammar and the way she spelled stupid were clearly on purpose. What blows my mind is that she's only 10. She has influence on her other two sisters when they see her saying these things. It's just not good and I don't know what to do.

Today, young people are very popular and have a massive amount of influence on the future, but that doesn't mean they have to start at such an early stage in their childhood. There is no need to learn how to use an iPad or have an e-mail account at age 10. They have time to use those things for the rest of their lives. They should enjoy their childhood being a kid, acting like a kid, and do things that kids should do. God, I sound so old.

-Maggie A. Nguyen

The End of Humanity??

Two years ago I read an article about a 4-day conference held at Oxford University in which technology experts from across the world debated on how to preserve the human species in the decades to come against the threat of technological evolution in every facet of the human experience; an evolution that if left unchecked, many experts believed would lead to a condition labeled "Singularity," in which you would not be able to tell the difference between man and machine.

After reading the first few graphs, I was shocked that such a ridiculous topic ran on CNN.com and not on some weird fantasy blog site. As I read on, I was blown away at the actual authenticity of this technological evolution, and how it has already begun. Since I first read the article, I have not been able to forget about it, and being utterly fascinated, I have done more research on the topic.

The leading figure at this conference is also the leading expert on this technological-merging concept. Dr. Ray Kurzweil is an inventor and futurist who has been making predictions since the 1980's about technology, and coined the term and concept of Singularity. He calculates technology trends using what he calls the law of accelerating returns, a mathematical concept that measures the exponential growth of technological evolution. He predicted that sometime in the early part of the 21st Century a tiny handheld device would be invented that allowed blind people to read anything at anytime. That device, and others like it was invented in 2006. He also predicted the wild growth of the internet in the 1990's. Then he made 108 predictions in his 1998 book. By the end of 2009, 89 had come true.

Kurzweil and others say that this transformation is already happening. Transactions are moving increasingly online, as content is created with no physical portion (music, videos, files, money, etc.) Communication technology has advanced tremendously. Users can instantly download books, magazines, newspapers, television, radio, movies, and other forms of software to their highly portable personal communication devices; language translation technology allows for people to speak to each other in their native language in real time. There are tons more examples in every conceivable field, but in biotechnology and medicine it it most apparent.

Developers are currently working on a nanopartical that acts like a red blood cell. This tiny robot is thousands of times more efficient at carrying oxygen, and will enable recipients to run an Olympic sprint at top speed for 15 minutes, or sit at the bottom of a pool for hours without a breath. Another researcher has already successfully implanted a pea-sized computer into the brains of Parkinson's disease patients that can replace destroyed neurons and you can upload software wirelessly.

We are already able to "grow" stronger tissue and even organs for people and use man-made products to replace, fix, and even enhance the human condition. Examples include hearing aids, laser eye surgery, pace-makers, bionic limbs with full mental control, and a host of drugs that requires another article to explain the incredible things they can do to the human brain and body.

Extending his predictions, Kurzweil says that in 2030, we will be more non-human than human, capable of uploading our minds onto the Internet, living in various virtual worlds and even avoiding aging and evading death. In the decades following, we will be billions times smarter as technology-enhanced intelligence, and artificial intelligence will make the human brain obsolete and will allow us to solve global problems currently unsolvable like natural disasters and poverty. Eventually, our bodies will no longer be necessary, he says, and living virtually will be how we exist. (this may be where he starts to lose me)

This stuff completely blows my mind, and if Kurzweil is right, or at least partly onto something, I can't wait to experience the craziness that is technology-enhanced humanity, that will at least start to happen in my lifetime. Some of the wild stuff about the future in sci-fi movies and TV shows that seems so far-fetched may actually have some truth to it.

I guess we just have to wait and see. In the meantime, embrace your humanity! You never know how long we'll be around...

Links

http://articles.cnn.com/2008-07-14/tech/bio.tech_1_bostrom-human-life-technology-trends?_s=PM:TECH

http://us.penguingroup.com/static/packages/us/kurzweil/excerpts/chap9/ch9botframe.htm