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Throughout the past decade with regard to television and film, diversity has become a key factor in a show’s success rate; across all platforms, diversity determines whether a show sinks or sails.

In this day and age, most of America is of mixed decent, that is, they are ethnically, religiously, politically varied. That being a common day truth, television today is very relateable.  It’s very appealing when you are able to connect with the characters on screen and realize that what you once thought to be different has in fact become mainstream. This is exactly why, it very important to incorporate diverse casts. Studies show that “…more viewers were drawn to shows with ethnically diverse lead cast members and writers, while shows reflecting less diversity in their credits attracted smaller audiences”(https://newsroom.ucla.edu). This is very understandable, considering people gravitate toward things that are familiar, and sometimes it even serves as an opportunity to learn about things that are not familiar.

Aside from the aforementioned variations, gender has woven itself into the television world in a very big way. With the new gender recognitions, people from all walks of life are discovering things about themselves no one anticipated. According to ABC News there are currently 58 genders which is far more than the two we are accustomed to knowing. With transgender individuals coming out in great numbers, its seems to be an obligation to cast transgender actors or at least depict them with actors on television. In fact, producers themselves are held to a certain standard when it comes to the casting process. It is always important for them to cast a wide variety of people in order to represent the underrepresented. Shows like Modern Family, Orange Is the New Black, Black Mirror etc all have diverse casts that represent the ocean of diversity we have today.

To speak to the contrary, producers should not always be obligated to diversify their casts. The whole job of the producer is to execute his vision. He/She shouldn’t have to meet certain standards when it’s his/her movie. As it (diversifying the cast) does help with relateability and most likely ratings, it’s not always necessary. Sometimes doing this can make the film contrived in a sense. There are plenty of instances when producers can be more liberal in their casting choices but other circumstances prevent this. Historical depictions, reenactments, biographies are some of the few genres that call for very specific casts and inadvertently eliminate the opportunity for diversity. Bottom line, diversity shouldn’t be an obligation for the producers. They should be trusted to make their own choices for their final visions. This may help or hurt actors from every descent- that’s the industry.

In the current industry, minorities and women are greatly impacted. In Hollywood, “Despite the fact that minority groups make up nearly 40% of America’s population, they were underrepresented by nearly 2 to 1 as film leads, film directors and cable scripted leads. They were also underrepresented by more than 6 to 1 as broadcast scripted leads and 3 to 1 as the creators of broadcast scripted shows” (www.mic.com). While these are alarming statistics, diverse incorporations of said minorities and women in TV and film are on the rise. As a whole, everybody wins when there is a diverse cast; ratings go up, actors get more exposure, and more money is generated by all involved. It shouldn’t be an absolute obligation to diversify every cast, but it should be a major consideration, which I think it is. I believe producers are making a conscious effort to be more open-minded. Despite the alarming statistics, change is happening. Equal opportunity is happening for film and television. It may be a slow start but at least it has begun.

https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/study-finds-that-tv-shows-with-248757

https://www.mic.com/articles/111500/hollywood-s-ranks-aren-t-diversifying-fast-enough-even-though-it-s-more-profitable

During the Oscars, Joaquin Phoenix gave a phenomenal speech, not only did he not make it about himself, he touched upon other issues that our world is currently going through.

Phoenix decided to use his platform to address issues regarding inequalities in our country and worldwide. In this fashion, he  captured his audience and achieved his goal. Humility existed behind every word which was endearing and engaging all at once.He was sure not to be arrogant or place himself on a pedestal during this proclamation of issues. Instead he created an aura of safety and non judgement for the audience both at the event and back home. Phoenix went on to talk about inequalities within our species and as well talking about how our species thinks we are that much more important than the rest. The key focus was about how we take whatever we want from our planet and animals and use them for our benefit. He put it into a perspective where, us as humans see what we’re doing to animals and the world yet we don’t see it as cruel or malicious, which we should. He wanted everyone to realize that aw are destroying this planet. He juxtaposed this cry for help with the acknowledgement that we are also inventive and innovative and that we should use our compassion and beautiful minds to save the Earth.

There’s not much up for debate, the man made clear valid points that can’t be disagreed with. Almost all of the comments were in support of him, once he said “The opportunity of being a voice for the voiceless”, he took the cake. What confuses me is that people still have negative things to say. As much as there isn’t a lot of disagreement in the comments, there are still the lingering ignorant comments. Naturally as humans, we tend to disagree with things we don’t like to hear no matter the validity. In the comments, people called him “mentally unstable”, and others questioned why he’s making political statements at an event just like this, all in all, people just can’t take the message. These are the ignorant bigots that fill our world, the reason why good things can’t be achieved. Besides the very few negative comments, overall, everyone was in good faith towards Phoenix and praising him for his amazing selfless speech. It is clear that people still have hearts but the problem is, are we capable of making change, do we have the willpower to do it? It all comes down to that, people can say things but not act on it, people can type away on social media yet 99% of the time they don’t practice what they preach. That’s what Phoenix is preaching against too, he stated that “I think we fear the idea of personal change because we think that we have to sacrifice something, to give something up, but human beings, at our best, are so inventive and creative and ingenious. And I think that when we use love and compassion as our guiding principles, we can create, develop and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and to the environment.” In order to achieve these goals, we must come together, use our hearts, and make change.

There can’t be growth without self reflection. When I was a kid, I was always right, even when I wasn’t. When my parents encouraged me to “think about what you did” I usually just said I had, apologized and moved on. As I got older though, isolated “thinking” wasn’t sufficient for them anymore. They stepped in with a larger than life presence for the good moments and the tough ones I faced in my young life and thinking on it now, it was my dad’s lectures that actually forced me to think about everything… and so began my journey; my growth. For anyone who might be unclear, self-reflection is an art. It’s probably the hardest thing to learn and the most humbling. I’ve looked forward, backward, left, right, and every way in between and what I realized is, each one can’t exist without its counterpart. I think this realization made me see that I am a small part of the whole. These pieces give me balance, while I also balance them. It’s sort of a give and take relationship. So, through all of this learned self-reflection that prompted my perceived growth, I’d have to say that my biggest take away that has shaped and continues to shape every outlook I have, every decision, every personal connection I make, is that having self-awareness is the most authentic and meaningful quality and this can only be achieved through effective self-reflection.

When I was 12 years old, quite possibly the biggest and most traumatic event in my life, I found out that I needed extensive reconstructive surgery on my feet or I would be nearly crippled by the time I was 30. Now at 19 when I think back on that time, I understand that I was a part of changing my own destiny.  I was very naive because I don’t remember being scared. My parents never considered not doing the surgery so I never thought about the alternative. This is what it was going to be so my mind was sort of forced to accept it.  I didn’t get through it because I was brave; I got through it because I had no choice. For four years I was the epicenter of my parent’s world and that’s how I expected it to be. I don’t think this was selfish, I just think when you’re a kid, you naturally depend on your parents for everything. Shortly after the final day of my physical therapy I saw a photo book my mother had made. One of the pages showed an image of me lying down in the hospital bed before my first surgery. The long blue gown was draped over me as I looked at my dad who was sitting beside me with a small smile on his face. The caption in the photo book read “a father will be the worrier, but he will teach his son to be a warrior.” It was at this moment that I stepped away from what was my experience and realized that I was a smaller part of the whole; that this was not just my experience. It belonged to all of us and my parents endured much more than I ever considered. I knew I had to make something out of these surgeries. In order for me to do my experience any kind of justice I knew I had to hit the ground running, literally. My feet had to become my foundation and they did! They gave me balance, and the confidence I lacked. I used to look around me and see what I couldn’t do, and now I take full advantage of my new feet. I joined the wrestling team during my eighth-grade year and have been a wrestler ever since. I played football for two years. I play basketball leisurely every chance I get. I went from inadequate to completely equipped.

I know who I am and I only got here because of my experience. My maturity could’ve provided this clarity, but I like to believe that this experience is what did it. My father with his lectures and my mother with her insights fostered the art of self reflection for me and I’ve discovered that it is simultaneously the easiest and most difficult thing for me to do. It allows me to accept the good and the bad inside myself and change what I can. This is what I think self-awareness is all about. However, there are many parts to this self-awareness thing. To know yourself is only a fragment that will actually take a lifetime to complete. The other parts have to do with your awareness of everything else that isn’t you; kind of hard to believe I’m not the center of the universe. Realizing this is half the battle. Effective self-awareness let’s me see that everyone and everything around me has value. Based on this singular experience I’ve shared, it allowed me to see that I was a part of changing my destiny, but my parents were ultimately the reason my destiny changed. I am a small part of the whole, but an important one at that, as is everyone and everything else for that matter.

BREAKING!!!!

Trump has been acquitted of all charges. I’m sure we all saw this coming. The expectation from the onset was exactly this and here is why.

To start, Trump has been declared dishonest, immoral, and unethical very early on in his presidency. Impeachment was no surprise but it was surprising how long it took to actually go through with it. Perhaps they wanted to gather as much evidence as possible so they didn’t miss anything or lose their case based on an oversight. The fact that the election is coming up fairly soon and his term is coming to an end could’ve played a role in the acquittal.

Trump at first maintained the support of his fellow Republicans but along the way, through his barrage of lies and corrupt behaviors, he lost many of these supporters. However, over the last few months Republicans and Democrats alike have demonstrated their alliance to President Trump so the final decision to impeach became a difficult one.

First, Congress had to investigate the alleged corruption and they concluded that he violated 2 articles: Article 1 (Abuse of Power) because he abused his power by exchanging promises (quid pro quo-You do this for me and I’ll do this for you) with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky and Article 2 (Obstruction of Justice) because he hampered with the Houses investigation as well as aiming to dismiss Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russia. Both of these Articles didn’t provide enough solid ground for the Democrats to impeach so he was found not guilty on both charges.

The votes were extremely close but ultimately fell in Trump’s favor. Clearly he had more support than opposition. However, there are other things at work here. Americans witnessed varying forms of suspect behavior, outright lies, incredibly insulting prejudices, and a man more concerned with personal gain than the well being of the country he is leading. It seems to me that it is his money that allows all of this to continue without consequence. That’s what makes the most sense here because he is constantly questioned, and news channels dedicate hours and hours of air time to point out his wrong doings, but in the end, nothing ever happens.

When someone with that much money enters the White House, their money is their power and it controls everything. Opposers of Trump as well as his supporters have seen this first hand. Some have spoken up (whistle blowers) while others have quietly stayed neutral for fear of repercussions (another crime by the way). I firmly believe that if Trump was not as wealthy, he would not have been elected, and for argument sake, if he wasn’t as wealthy and president, he would’ve been impeached. Our government is our backbone but they have shown very questionable behaviors and made very appalling decisions that have devastated the American people. We have been let down by the system. Our president has degraded immigrants, women, other races, and has blatantly lied and broken promises. The fact that our government has overlooked this is another form of condoning it. This is teaching the American people, especially the children that it is ok to do these things; that leaders can be corrupt without consequence; that we are not equal and that money will get you what you want- not hard work, honesty, and morality. Yes we should appreciate this beautiful nation that we are a part of but it is difficult to accept that nation when it is led by a person who does not care about it as much as we do.

In this case money “trumped” the argument of right and wrong. Trump was strategic in his plan to be acquitted. With his millions and with his corrupt approaches he fired key players that had the capacity to jeopardize his position. He found allies who would support him by covering up or “spinning” what really went on behind closed doors and quieted as many people as he could. Money most likely backed all of these actions. Our nation’s foundation is based heavily on its money. Money can get you anywhere in this country regardless of merits; money got Trump into the White House, and money saved him from impeachment. He may have a few strong visions for this country but those are overshadowed by the daily disturbing behaviors he engages in. This man should not be the man running our country. I really hope that Americans realize this for the next election, when he runs for a second term.

The Yeezy brand has attracted sneaker enthusiasts from around the world in the past decade. The Yeezy Brand was originally a sneaker brand created by Kanye West and it evolved into a clothing line as well. Kanye West debuted his first pieces of Yeezy apparel through collaborations with Bape, Louis Vuitton, Giuseppe Zanotti and Nike. The very first item created was the Bape “College Dropout” sneakers, featuring the Nike Air Force 1 model with the Bape star logo along the side. This was a fashion breakthrough because during 2015-2016, artist/brands collaboration were almost unheard of. As a result this brand and all it’s items skyrocketed. Naturally, West went on to further his fashion empire by collaborating with Nike and creating one of the most valuable pairs of shoes to date. West revolutionized the sneaker industry, revealing that artists can easily collaborate with famous designers to make quality pieces of art.

Shortly following, a deal was signed between Yeezy and Adidas in 2015. The final product quickly became one of the most popular pairs of kicks on the street. For the release, Yeezy dropped the first Adidas X Yeezy shoe, aptly named “Yeezy 750.” An odd looking shoe, that swept through the fashion world and sold out in a matter of seconds. This could either be because they loved the shoe or the loved the creator; either way, these crashed the sneaker game party, and coined them as one of the most hyped pairs of shoes of their time. As fashion evolved and Yeezy’s became commonly known, many different versions have been released as well as many different models. For some, the design donned the details of kiwi flowers and glass visuals. There are even feminine touches that are well paired with elements of silk and linen. The studio did have to think about a little something called ‘design & manufacture’ as well, because as mentioned, the materials are for men’s use only. Infused with layers of thoughtful detail, the sneaker line expands to represent many of West’s signature silhouettes, each perfect for casual or semi formal wear. With premium features, stretch fabrics, and cozy knit wovens, these are all you need for a casual look you can still wear to work. You’d also be able to wear them for… well, anything, really. Get dressed up or go for a hike. No matter what you are doing, you’ll find that Yeezy’s are suitable for any and all occasions. Over the passed decade, the Yeezy brand has innovated the street fashion culture, birthing a new era of street wear. Styles that are dramatically distressed have taken over the fashion market because of Yeezy’s influence. In years to come, who knows what other styles will dominate the fashion world, all we can do is just sit back and watch.