photo courtesy flickr user florriebassingbourn
- Will
Archive for the ‘Society & Culture’ Category
Misconceptions
Saturday, July 3rd, 2010
We’re in Man-dal Country
Friday, June 25th, 2010
photo courtesy flickr user recursive_1
Gender-based expectations and disqualifications are frustrating: Why aren’t I allowed to like pink? Purses look so convenient! Tiny dogs that I can hold in my arms? Count me in. Most of all, I really want a pedicure. I can deal with my hands – they’re perfectly located for grooming. But my feet- my feet are a good four feet away from access, and as such are nearly impossible to take care of. Unless I want to contort myself into previously unimaginable positions, I have to sacrifice the joy of having beautiful feet. The problem is that I know no man who gets a pedicure. My mom does, my sister does- but my dad’s feet are more talon than skin. The expression “man up” seems especially paradoxical when it involves doing something seemingly feminine, which only adds to my anxiety. If I “man up” to do something regarded as womanly, that should balance out, right? My only hope is that, like cooking, gardening, and other highly enjoyable activities, pedicures will morph into gender-neutral foot perfection operations.
- Will
Historic Win
Saturday, June 19th, 2010
photo courtesy MSNBC/AP
After a 49 year drought, success is hard to come by. But for the Chicago Blackhawks, one year shy of half a century without a Stanley Cup victory, it proved to be just enough. During their run through the season and playoffs, more and more Chicagoans got into hockey. By the time their plane landed last Friday back in Chicago after winning it all in Philadelphia, it seemed like every Chicagoan was proud of the team. It’s pretty incredible how something which seems trivial- a bunch of guys ice skating?- could create such a strong camaraderie amongst people in this town. The day after their win, the atmosphere was abuzz, and Blackhawks shirts were common sights. The Chicago Blackhawks now get to bask in the glory, keep the Cup for a year, using it for whatever purposes they see fit.
- Will
World Cup Time
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
photo courtesy Reuters
The World Cup started last Friday, and the most exciting global sporting event is now under way. This year, a big story line is that, for the first time ever, the World Cup will be held on the African continent. It’s being held in South Africa, no less, which was an apartheid-enforcing country as recently as 1994. The World Cup being held in South Africa is a sign of racial, social, and economic progress there since then. It’s encouraging to see the rapid change from a segregated country to an equal one. These sporting events may seem largely recreational, but the meaning behind them can be large. In this case, we can be encourage by signs of development, whether measured by the ten massive stadiums built for the World Cup, the unity of participating countries, or the racial equality that has been increasingly present around the world.
- Will