John Oliver Reflection
For the 2020 Presidential election, many of us had to vote in an unprecedented way. Rather than heading to the polling places on Election Day, thousands of Americans made the decision to utilize a mail-in voting strategy. This uprise of mail-in voters is due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Mail-in voting is arguably the safest way to get your vote in for this election, as it minimizes the risk of contracting the virus.
However, since the pandemic is highly politicized, conservatives have taken it upon themselves to scrutinize mail-in voting as a whole. Their main claim is that it is fraudulent and that votes will easily get lost using this method. President Donald J. Trump has announced to the country multiple times, through Twitter and through public tangents, that mail-in votes are fake and that they will somehow rig the election. His claims are extremely harmful, as many working-class Americans have enough trouble as is to get to their local polling place, let alone get there in the middle of a pandemic. Many American citizens cannot afford to miss a day of work or potentially contract the virus, and so mailing their votes is the safest option. Therefore, Trump’s claims are extremely ignorant and outright false. Mail-in votes are valid, and they are the safest, most convenient way to vote this year.
I really appreciated John Oliver’s speech about mail-in voting, as he echoed all of my thoughts. He explained that each and every one of us has the right to vote, even in the middle of a pandemic. Oliver did an amazing job at explaining the voter fraud cries regarding mail-in ballots, as voter fraud has never actually been that large of an issue, to begin with.
It is well-known that not enough eligible voters actually use their right to vote in America. It is crucial that we all encourage voting, whether it be mail-in or in-person.
Stay safe, and happy voting!
Analyzing a Meme
This meme is a picture of a guy and a deer in his backyard posing with the caption, “Best friends off the court, sworn enemies on it. Athletes understand.”
I absolutely love this meme. It makes me laugh every time I see it. The way that he and the deer look like they have been friends and teammates for years is hilarious. The caption and pictures are something that I can see any male athlete in high school posting. The fact that instead of being with a friend in those photos, he is with a deer, is incredible.
One of my friends on my cross-country team and I would recreate this meme every year on the track on picture day. One picture would be of us regularly posing, and the other one would be of us ‘squaring up’ as if we were in the middle of an intense basketball game.
I do know the details behind this meme, (such as how he got the deer to pose with him, or if it is photoshopped), but it is a national treasure.
Penn State and COVID-19
Entering college in the midst of a global pandemic is something that my family and I never saw coming, much like any other college student during this time. I had much deliberation and debate with my family as to whether I would live on-campus or stay at home for my Fall semester. On a whim, I decided to come to campus. Much to my expectations, it was very different from what I thought college would be. Civic life as a whole has been disrupted during this pandemic, much less the experience of Penn State students.
Students living on-campus at Penn State have had to face considerable adjustments in order to go about our daily lives. We have to wear face masks whenever we exit our dorms, remain six feet apart, and take the vast majority of our classes over Zoom. It is mentally straining to not only worry about our schoolwork but to also worry about potentially contracting a deadly virus on top of it all.
Everybody at Penn State is expected to be model students and staff, but this year it is quite nearly impossible to be that. We are bombarded with new rules and endless work nearly every day. Our civic life has become increasingly more hostile, as we are hardly ever allowed to see each other unless we are six feet away.
What is disheartening, in my opinion, are the students who refuse the very basic protocol that is to wear a mask and to socially distance themselves in public. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen students walking around the halls with their masks half on, or not on at all. I cannot express how many times students have ignored the ‘six feet apart’ signs on the ground while waiting for their dining hall dinner. All the while, we continue to try to function as a Penn State community.
These social norms are new, but they are placed to ensure our safety. We only know the tip of the iceberg of how destructive COVID-19 is to the human body, blind to its actual long-term effects. Yes, civic life has changed, but it could be a temporary change if we all agreed to cooperate and respect each other. My first semester as a freshman in college was far from what I expected it to be due to this pandemic, but I believe it could have been somewhat normal if we all would have cooperated or agreed to a longer lockdown period back in March.
Please thoroughly wash your hands, wear a mask, and avoid large groups. Stay safe!
COVID-19 Discussion Questions
- Do you think that the preventative measures placed by Penn State are effective? If so, which ones? If not, what could be placed that is more effective?
- Approximately how long do you think the COVID-19 pandemic will last?
- Do you plan on getting the vaccine once it is released to the public?
- What do you think some of the long-term implications of this pandemic will be? Which measures will we continue to have, and which ones will be gone as soon as the pandemic ends?
Tips for Giving a Speech on Zoom!
Hello everyone!
Here are some of my tips for giving a speech over Zoom:
- Make sure that you are in a place that has minimal to no background noise
- You should check that your Internet or WiFi is working well before giving your speech – we would hate to see it crash in the middle of your amazing speech!
- Introduce your topic with an image and a brief preface of what it is you are about to speak on
- Have fun with it! Make things interactive, laugh if you want to
- Keep the audience engaged by making sure you are not using a monotone voice and instead are fluctuating it appropriately
- Move your eyes around when speaking, even if you are not in Gallery Mode it is important to make sure you are not staring in one place the entire time
- Wear an outfit that makes you feel comfortable and confident – even if the audience will not see it, it could help you feel more established!
- Lastly, make sure to rehearse your speech as much as possible before giving it
The Jeffrey Epstein Case
***Trigger Warning for S*xual Assault***
In my HOPC group, we discussed the Jeffrey Epstein case and his later death. Jeffrey Epstein was a millionaire financier who owned houses in New York, New Mexico, Florida, Paris, Africa, and his own private island by the name of Little St. James. His wife was Ghislaine Maxwell, and they were accomplishes in the crime of s*xual assault for hundreds of young girls. I previously knew about him and the crimes that he had committed in the Netflix documentary called, “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich.” He allegedly committed s*icide while awaiting trial in a prison cell, but we will discuss that topic more in-depth in a bit.
We first discussed how Epstein was actually a registered s*x offender in the early 2000’s. However, because of his status, he did not face the same repercussions that s*x offenders are supposed to adhere to once they are registered. He was still able to live close to a school, and we highly doubt that he went door-to-door among his neighboring mansions in Palm Beach.
My HOPC group also discussed Epstein’s ‘Little Black Book.’ This book had signatures of a myriad of A-list celebrities who flew to his private island in the Virgin Islands. These celebrities—among them being the Clinton’s, the Kennedy’s, Alec Baldwin, Mick Jagger, Prince Andrew—visited Epstein’s Little St. James, which was well-known for its acceptance of p*dophilia. Celebrities in the Little Black Book are now being scrutinized for attending his island, suspecting that they engage in said p*dophilic behavior. There is a celebrity child s*x slavery ring known as ‘P*zzgate,’ that we suspect they could have been a part of.
As we learned through the Netflix documentary, and articles we found, Epstein lured hundreds of underage girls into his homes under the impression that they were getting paid to give him a massage. He would attract these young girls from their schools and surrounding areas. They were promised a hefty pay, and potentially a scholarship for school, and so they took Epstein’s offer to their eventual dismay. He would have the girls massage them, until he eventually assaulted them, all while his wife Ghislaine watched and encouraged them.
My group discussed the topic of how Ghislaine Maxwell is just as guilty as Jeffrey Epstein. She was his accomplice, and we hope that she also gets imprisoned. In interviews, she claims that she allowed Jeffrey to commit the crimes he did because he, “…had a big s*xual appetite that she could not satisfy.” We heard that Ghislaine is awaiting trial and she has requested a private hearing. We also found out, though, that her request for a private trial was denied that it will be forced to be open to the public. My HOPC group wonders if some big, wild event will happen before her trial to distract us. Since they are so, incredibly rich, we also speculate that she may just pay the judges off and get away with her crimes anyways. We hope that she will never be allowed bail, and that she will have to stay in jail until her hearing.
Our discussion ended with us speculating who exactly was all involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. We suspect that the CIA and local police officers were certainly paid off, and are probably threatened to keep quiet about it all. Ghislaine Maxwell is British, so she could also potentially flee the country soon. We agreed that there will be no honest answers in her trial. We may never know the extent of the crimes that her, Epstein, and many other elitists convicted. Politicians across the world were likely involved, as Epstein has many properties worldwide. Even some of our favorite politicians could be partaking in these crimes, but we will never truly know.
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