Investments for Dummies

Fairness. A feeling of just action to establish equality. Equality. A drive to create fairness for everyone. There’s a term for such a movement but it carries much stigma, much of which this article will attempt to dilute: Feminism.

What is Feminism? While it’s true that even feminists can’t agree on its exact definition, that doesn’t mean they don’t know what it stands for. In fact, it may be easier to explain what it is by what it isn’t. There are many misconceptions surrounding feminism partly due to the fact that there isn’t a clear definition. Mikki Kendal, the author of Hood Feminism said in an interview with Trevor Noah, “Every answer basically boils down to if we’re gonna do feminism for all women we have to make sure the poorest women have everything they need to survive. You can’t fight for your rights if you can barely stay alive.” Here are four misconceptions surrounding feminism. The term feminist is naturally the term used to describe those who support the movement or idealology.

Feminism is a term for women to use to express that they want to be “better” than men. Although the structure of the term may be misleading, at the heart of feminism is a drive for equality for both women and men. However, the strategies toward equality often involve empowering women to simply have access to the same opportunities as men. These efforts may add to the appearance that women want to have more power, but it is false. Feminists want all the rights and none of the repercussions. Empowerment doesn’t mean invincibility. While the concern is valid, feminism is about establishing a level of fairness for both sexes in a world where one’s oppurtunities are skewed based on gender and race. Fairness means equal opportunity and equal accountability. This belief is often coupled with the appearance that feminists work for women’s superiority rather than equality, which again isn’t true.

Feminists can only be women. Just because the movement is focused on women doesn’t mean it’s exclusive to just women. For example, one doesn’t have to be Black to support the Black Lives Matter movement. The sense of exclusivity only adds to the stigma of the term. Feminism is about starting a conversation on what it takes to give more power to women, to meet the needs of those who can barely take care of themselves: healthcare, housing, education and food. Everyone is invited to the conversation, because like Kendal said, “no one can pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” Feminists have nothing to fight for. Mainstream feminism often involves issues that don’t necessarily focus on more critical issues like gender-based violence, hunger, and education even in well developed countries like America. There’s much more to feminism than fighting for equal pay. Especially since the pay gap is wider for women of color. While white women earn 83 cents compared to the white man’s dollar, Black women earn 64, and Hispanic 57, according to American Progress. Clearly, there must be factors leading to the range of disparity, and feminism is also a dicussion about racial divisons among sexes. No matter how many times the misconceptions are cleared, Feminism will likely continue to carry stigma. Nonetheless, the term still represents a drive for equality and fairness. For a more in depth look into the complex issues of feminism within the movement, consider reading Hood Feminism. The book breaks down what feminism’s fighting for and what it should prioritize as a movement by breaking down several issues into more simple topics. There is no clear definition of feminism since establishing equality means breaking down toxic racial biases and gender stereotypes in order to establish fair opportunities between the sexes. “When we talk about feminism, and we talk about women, we have to talk about all women, and issues that talk about all women.” Even if one doesn’t call themselves a feminist, it’s important to at least understand that it’s a simply a term to describe a movement that fights for both sexes. Dorothy Parker once said “My idea is that all of us, men as well as women, whoever we are, should be considered as human beings.”

Feminism can’t afford to trip over itself focusing on the wrong issues that don’t seek to empower all women. Photo by Yesenia Morales

NFTs for Dummies: An expert’s guide to creation

By TIANA CYRELSON ‘22 Media Editor

For new investors, the stock market can be scary. It’s challenging to know which stocks to invest in, which to drop, and when to do all of it. This intimidation only continues as the market grows and expands into cryptocurrency and other areas of e-commerce. Although they have been around since 2014, in the last year, NFTs have jumped into popularity, leaving new investors lost and confused. In this edition, we consulted Eastern student, King Meulens, asking him questions involving the behind-the-scenes of selling NFTs. He has been creating and selling NFTs for over a year, and has created a small community that supports his work. As we already learned, NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. In other words, it is a digital image that can not be replicated due to its unique pattern within the blockchain. When a user purchases the image, their individual collector IP is added within the blockchain, identifying their unique and exclusive ownership. This has led to a quick increase in their popularity, due to their irreplicable nature. This has become a prospective opportunity for both investors and artists alike. While in the past, digital artists would struggle with their inability to control the exclusivity of their art, NFTs ensure the same level of individual ownership as original printed works. No longer will artists smother their work with watermarks to control the distribution of their creations. King’s first NFT was listed on February 4th, 2021, and sold only 4 days later. Meulens describes the open accessibility of the NFT market, as he learned in only a week. With all of the information available, it is easy to get started, but there are a few key decisions to be made. The first step is deciding between a “one of one” artist or a generative project. A one of one is an NFT that has been issued as a single, unique edition, whereas a generative project refers to a “mix and match” series where different aspects of the image are uniquely generated from a random combination of variables. According to Meulens, they are “more focused on utility and marketing background” as opposed to the former: “higher quality art and often found moving with purpose.” As a one-of-one artist himself, Meulens suggests a story or cause behind the art. This allows the art itself to draw in those that find meaning in its message, rather than trading the NFT based on market value alone. Once a style has been chosen, it is up to the artist to pick a marketplace to sell their goods. The artist will not only be in charge of choosing their listing space, such as OpenSea or Foundation but their cryptocurrency as well. Once they have invested in Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Tezos, or other cryptos, an artist is able to “mint” or publish their NFT on the blockchain, making it eligible for purchase and trading. While Meulens focuses on the art appreciation of NFTs, he understands the importance of timing a sale. “It takes gas to mint the crypto,” he says, “research gas prices that fluctuate daily. When gas is low, list.” Unlike purchasing an NFT, the main investment is time. Creating a successful sale relies not only on the art itself but on the community and content surrounding it. “Not only are people buying into your art, but they’re buying into you,” Meulens says. Because of this, he recommends making yourself available on multiple platforms. As a creator himself, he suggests both platforms for content and engagement. Content platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, allow artists to build a name for themselves within the collection community. The larger the following, the greater the chance of a successful sale. Similarly, engagement platforms such as Twitter and Discord allow for an artist to create a community that supports and continually interacts with their art. Meulens’ most successful NFT, titled “Repressed Anguish” from TheKorruptedKingz collection sold in under a week for .035 Ethereum ($106-$112). Now, it is held at a value of 10 Ethereum, or between $29K and $32K. When sold, King will receive a royalty between 15% and 25%, but to him, the piece represents more than money. The drop focuses on men’s mental health, especially within the black community:“From adult to youth it’s okay to be open,” he writes in the description of the image, “in fact, opening up is strong in itself.” Most importantly, to Meulens and other artists alike, the creation of NFTs is about more than money. For the first time, digital content creators are able to express themselves and have a market to do so. “Take a leap of faith,” he advises. “Take that chance on yourself, become who you are destined to be.”

Follow King:

Twitter: KingMeulens

Instagram: kingmeulens

OpenSea: KingMeulens