A frustrated America and the Trump appeal

Ever since Donald Trump has risen in the ranks of political popularity, I've been fascinated by the strong support he receives. At first, I was like many other left-leaning people and thought his 15-seconds of fame in the presidential spotlight would quickly fade from public consciousness. Trump has been trying to get his name in runs for the White House since the 1980's. He's never been thought of as a serious contender, but now, for some freakish reason, Trump's name association with President of the United States of America has not quit.

Why does such an offensive man have the most support in one of only two political parties? Could Donald Trump's support be an indicator of something seriously wrong with American society?

The list of people Trump's anger and ridicule has been directed at could fill pages. It's unfortunate that his targets aren't tabloid fodder anymore, like when he called Rosie O'Donnell a "fat pig". The targets seem to have extended to anyone in Trump's path. Millions of immigrants should be deported and ripped from their families; women like Megan Kelley are debased when crude references are used towards her vagina; the Pope was referred to as "disgraceful" when he commented on how it's unchristian to build a wall instead of building bridges; an entire religion should be discriminated against and not be allowed to enter the country; and Syrian refugees should not be allowed asylum from a government that has killed thousands of its citizens, including women and children.

When people are asked to explain why they like Trump, they typically talk about how appealing his strength is and that he tells it like it is. What worries me is that so many Americans are falling for the shadows of strength and understanding he offers. It doesn't take strength to give knee-jerk assessments of serious political issues that affects the livelihoods of millions of people.

What Trump's support tells me is that many Americans are so frustrated and scared for the future that they can't even think straight. We live in a time, where nothing is shocking anymore. We've seen kindergarten children gunned down, imminent threats of exotic viruses, major buildings successfully targeted by terrorists, and many more events that were once things only read about.

Donald Trump is monopolizing on the fear and uncertainty our now volatile global world brings. His black-and-white views on complicated issues are comforting, when no other solutions are being offered up. I believe Trump's popularity is a testament not to any real leadership ability on his part, but to how American government has struggled to lead in recent decades.

A little bit of politics

America is in the midst of the presidential primary season, and the race between the two democratic candidates is heating up. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is once again fighting for her parties' nomination, and she's getting a run for her money from a self-proclaimed democratic socialist. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has gained a substantial following with his vocal views on campaign finance reform, wall street, and healthcare.
Senator Sanders' unapologetic opinions speaks to a generation of Americans as frustrated with government as Donald Trump's bigoted supporters. He talks with passionate distaste for the wealthiest one-percent population and says he's the best candidate to turn America around, but is he really?
I find it amusing that Sander's healthcare reform proposal comes directly from Hillary Clinton. Clinton outlined universal healthcare and exactly how it could be paid for in the 1980's, when she was first lady. The plan was never accepted in much the same way Clinton's assertive attitude for a first lady was never accepted. Sanders would like the youth of America to believe that a simple tax-hike would reduce everyone's healthcare bills by $5000. If this was the case, I'm sure it would have been already done.
Our country, our world, our economy, and our healthcare system is complex and different than it was in even the 1980's. Sanders should realize our government doesn't work as simple as he's proclaiming, and should take his own advice when he flippantly said to Mrs. Clinton, "You're not in the White House yet Madam Secretary."
I also find it sad that more millennial women support Sanders over Clinton. The fact that we still don't have one woman president says a lot about our society. It's the same misogynistic culture that supports a man like Trump, who publicly berates women. It's the same culture that blames a girl for drinking too much or going out with the wrong guy, when she gets raped.
 As a woman, Clinton would be able to speak for women's rights and the disenfranchised black community. A white man from Vermont can never relate to the very real socioeconomic disadvantages our society places on minorities, and women are a part of this minority. If we were not, we would have equal pay for the same work a man does, and we would have paid-family leave. What kind of a cruel joke is being played, when a woman's biological nature to bear children is used against her in the working world?
It's the same world that thinks it's okay to bash Hillary Clinton for campaign contributions every other candidate before her took. Bravo to Senator Sanders for not taking any Political Action Committee money, but his campaign has raised close to ten million dollars. Clinton has raised nearly the exact same amount, and just because some came from JP Morgan doesn't mean she's in their pocket. It means JP Morgan may have an interest in keeping someone like Sanders, who wants to tear down Wall Street, out of office. Wall Street is yet another way Sanders should be realistic. No one on the democratic side thinks the big banks don't need to be reformed, but as fragile as world markets have been, a full-fledged dismantling may not be wise.    
When it comes down to it, democrats need someone who can win against the propaganda Trump constantly spews out. Could a radical like Sanders win against another radical like Trump? It won't give moderates, who most Americans identify with, much of a choice. Poor choices is what makes poor voter turn-out, which could lead to this guy being elected:

Experimental Painting

I had to make a music video for my media production class. When I first learned this, I was shocked. I'm a grown a** person, and I have to make an amateur music video? Well, it wasn't so bad. I actually enjoyed it, and I got to do something I don't think I would have done otherwise.

I'll try to upload the full edited video after I transfer it to a flash drive. I did this crazy mess that was even messier than I imagined to the music of an obscure artist I really enjoy. Findlay hasn't been out too long, but it is definitely a part of the alternative, non-commercial music scene.

I wasn't sure what to expect result-wise with the painting. I did a lot of flicking and throwing of paint. It ran down the poster board in globs. I actually really like it though! I know why people love contemporary work now. It's fun. I also feel like I could do a much better job with something a bit more planned out. This was absolutely an experiment. I have better expectations now. Also, I think I could do something better without having to worry about filming myself.

Not too terrible in my opinion! I used so much paint that the paper feels like it has a thick plastic film on it. It feels cool. I'm excited to try more contemporary things. I've been wanting my work to get looser for a while now. Maybe this is an extreme step, but something I need to learn.

Oh Christmas, You've crept up on me Once Again.

It's finals week for me. I have projects due, tests to take. Work as a hairdresser picks up full-steam this time of year. None of this, though, has prevented my holiday happy daughter from being super ready to put up the Christmas tree. Thank goodness we got it up tonight!

 

Granted, I'm not falling too behind this holiday season for all I have going on. I have a few presents bought already, which is impressive for me.

I really didn't have the time to put this tree up tonight, but it made Sophia so happy. After it was all up, she said, "the tree just gives me a happy feeling for some reason," It was definitely time well spent.

I used to love decorating for Christmas. The pressure of the holidays as an adult has taken some of the joy away. I'm so lucky I have Sophia to look towards to remember that happy holiday place.

I drove to Colorado Springs with my daughter over Thanksgiving break to visit my niece and great-nephew. It was a good nine-hour drive, but very worth it. We had an awesome Thanksgiving and got to see Colorado for the first time.

 

The minute we hit Colorado from the south I was amazed by how beautiful the landscape was. I've always seen photographs and paintings of mountain scenery, but I was never particularly impressed or amazed by them. Now I know why! A photograph does not do any justice to the raw beauty and majesty of the Colorado landscape. The magnitude of the mountains and vastness of the landscape left me in awe. The billions of years it took to create such beauty  made me reflect on how tiny each and every one of us are, yet it was invigorating at the same time. If this breath-taking landscape can be created, anything can be created. It's magic.

 



 I took a ton of pictures of the scenery! This was simply because I was trying to capture what my eyes were seeing, but none of the pictures captured it. This solidifies my belief in painting, because a camera will never see things like our eyes see them. A painting can also capture the emotions involved in an image with different brushstrokes, colors, and exaggerations. A photograph can't do that, and I think this is also the reason why I don't like the super realistic paintings of mountain scenery. It's devoid of feeling. As I was snapping as many pictures as I could in Colorado, Sophia said, "I have a feeling you're going to be painting this soon." Maybe Sophia, maybe I will.

    

What I've Learned

My blog adoption project for this blogging for journalists class has been quite tumultuous. None of the five people I tried to contact responded to me, which was very disappointing. Three of the people I tried to contact were local and blogged for NewsOK.com. I really got my hopes up when Steve Lackmeyer responded to my email with, “Yep, fire away.” Well, thanks Steve for not responding to my well-thought out questions. I purposely tried to find professionals in the fields I hope to go into, and let’s just say I now have zero interest in NewsOK.com.

Luckily, I sit next to Queila Omena in my Gender and Communication class. She is the author of Little Brazilian, big thoughts, and I’m really happy with my adoption of her blog. It was great to look closer into what a classmate of mine is doing. Especially since Quiela is also a professional media major, shares the same journalistic aspirations as me, and took Blogging for Journalists over a year ago but is still blogging.


Queila told me that she has been blogging, since taking Dr. Clark’s class. She said she had a blog since 2010 that she played around with, but Dr. Clark’s class gave her the direction she needed to upkeep on a regular basis. Queila writes commentary for the Vista, so she just uploads all her pieces from the student newspaper onto her blog.


Interestingly, Queila told me that the Vista really got her out of her shell opinion wise. Before being told to write commentary about some controversial issues, she said she was a typical newsy person. She was very neutral, but now she has a lot of fun showing people her thoughts about different issues.
Showing her opinion has been a double-edged sword for her though. Queila said she gets hate letters sent to her on a regular basis. One post in particular she mentioned. In it she describes the type of woman that will send a boyfriend running away. She said a lot of women wrote saying they were offended by this. I read the post, and it’s no different than some of the articles you’d see in Cosmopolitan. The controversy went on further when her editor berated her for writing such an article as a woman, but she said she began to be offended by this! Why couldn’t she write anything she wanted as a woman? I find it all kind of hilarious. I guess Queila’s post about what it really means to be a feminist may have redeemed her.


Queila is a full-time student in addition to writing for the Vista. She plans on interning at the Oklahoman for a second summer in a row. She doesn’t receive any income from her blog, but uses it only as a way to get her work, her writing, out there. She said she knows of some people who have received jobs by getting their blogs looked at by prospective employers. I think it’s very smart of her to keep her blog updated in the specific journalism/commentary niche.


I have a bit of a beef with her blog, because the description says, “International, National, and Local News Covered by a Young Journalist.” I can’t find any real news in her blog. The commentary is great, don’t get me wrong, but part the issue I have with bloggers is their lack of real content. Blogs are called an online diary for a reason. They tend to be simply personal thoughts on various things without any real backup or analysis. It’s fine, but let’s not confuse journalism with commentary.


I really liked Queila’s advice for bloggers. She said everyone is gung-ho about blogging at first, but they quickly lose motivation. I definitely find that to be the case, and I thought her advice to push yourself to post is perfect. Push yourself to post. Push yourself to do anything you know you’re supposed to be doing. It is great advice.  

 

Volunteer Work

All Pictures are of Regular Clients,
Not YWCA Residents.

In addition to finishing up my undergraduate degree in journalism and cultivating my fine art skills, I am also a self-employed hairdresser. Oh! I forgot mother. How could I forget?! Seriously, my beautiful daughter is so awesome that I can forget about motherhood being a job.

Anyways, I had the privilege over the weekend to volunteer my hairdressing skills up to the YWCA. The YWCA is the only domestic violence shelter for women and children in Oklahoma County.

As a future journalist in OKC the former fact really unsettles me. Not a lot of news coverage is given to domestic violence issues, yet Oklahoma ranks number three in the nation for the number of women killed by men.

I was able to get ten women's hair cut on Saturday. The women were super sweet and polite. I felt really honored to be asked to come back on a monthly basis.

I was also made aware of some tough situations for these women. One was open about telling me how her boyfriend would take anything away that made her happy.

Two boys were deathly afraid of my clippers. The ten-year-old started crying, and squirmed when I cut around his ears. His mother said this was scary for him. Why when the clippers didn't hurt? I was a nice lady. The boy was traumatized by clippers.

Two pregnant women came in. One looked down nearly the whole time. The other joked about how my friend, who came to help me, better not get in trouble, because she had DNA all over her. She seemed too sweet with the most adorable three-year-old boy to ever think about DNA or people getting in trouble. It was the world she was born into.

I was really surprised by how hard it was to get help cutting these women's hair. I had no idea how un-humble some people are. As for me, I loved going to the YWCA, and I look forward to going again.