Jerk May 2021

May 2021 Vol XVIII Issue IV Syracuse, New York Your student fee

THE MAY ISSUE

I hate people who work at Jerk.

(Shhh... I work at Jerk...)

JM

@jerkmagazine jerkmagazine.net

Vivian Whitney E D I TO R I N CH I E F

Meredith Clark

Fiona Gaffney

Pearl Cadigan

Hayden Ginder & Kyra Surgent

E X E C U T I V E E D I TO R

CR E AT I V E D I R E C TO R

M A N AG I N G E D I TO R

C O -D I G I TA L D I R E C TO R S

E D I TO R I A L FE AT U R E S E D I TO R

Camryn Simon

A S ST. FE AT U R E S E D I TO R S

Isabel Bekele,

Kailey Norusis, Eden Stratton Zoe Glasser

A R T S & M U S I C E D I TO R A S ST. A R T S & M U S I C E D I TO R

Lucy Messineo-Witt

O P I N I O NS E D I TO R A S ST. O P I N I O NS E D I TO R S

Violet Lazurus

Libby Cultra, Eleanor Quarles

ST Y L E T E A M

D E S I G N D I R E C TO R L AYO U T

Lucinda Strol

Lilly Chidlaw-Mayen, Callen Moor

ST Y L E P H OTO G R A P H E R P H OTO G R A P H E R S

Benjamin Piers

Nina Bridges, Mia Cherfane,

Isabel Madover, Zoë McCreary, Lauren Miller, Ling Ung I L LU ST R ATO R S & G R A P H I C S

Sam Currier, Sophia

Madi Bauman

Dyer, Lance Evans, Jenny Katz , Anastasia

Liz Goldblatt , Kate Regan

Powell, Jordan Schechter, Sloane Sexton,

ST Y L E E D I TO R A S ST. ST Y L E E D I TO R S

ART

Jess Garfield, Ava Lahijani,

Thanh Thai

Tristan Lamson, Jacieon Williams FR E S H M A N I N T E R NS

Grace Denton, Campbell

C O N T R I BU TO R S

Gulbrandsen, Kathryn Stathakis, Bella Young

Megan Adams, Alycia Cypress,

Sarah Dolgin

Noah Estling, Kyle Henderson,

F O B E D I TO R

D I G I TA L D I G I TA L E D I TO R A S ST. D I G I TA L E D I TO R

Lucy Stover

Kenneth Barrist ,

Annie Labarca, Luke Maddren, Hannah Miao-Bian Ly, Margo Moran, Car Shapiro

Chloe Hechter, Jillian LeVeille G R A P H I C S D I R E C TO R

Tanner Hogan

M U LT I M E D I A D I R E C TO R

Jenna Wirth

P H OTO D I R E C TO R

Surya Vaidy

V I D E O D I R E C TO R

Emily Lewis

P O D C A ST D I R E C TO R

Madeline Goore

S O CI A L M E D I A T E A M

Scan to learn more about the staff.

Allie D'Angelo,

Hayley Miller, Katie Murray Melissa Chessher A DV IS E R Through its content, Jerk is dedicated to enhancing insight through communication by providing an informal platform for the freedom of expression. The writing contained within this publication expresses the opinions of the individual writers. The opinions expressed herein are not those of Syracuse University, the Office of Student Activities, the Student Association, or the student body. Additionally, the ideas presented in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Jerk Editorial Board. Furthermore, Jerk will not be held responsible for the individual opinions expressed within. Submissions, suggestions, and opinions are welcomed and may be printed without contacting the writer. Jerk reserves the right to edit or refuse submissions at the discretion of its editors. Jerk Magazine is published monthly during the Syracuse University academic year. All contents of the publication are copyright 2021 by their respective creators. No content may be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the Jerk Editorial Board.

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To the Jerks and non-Jerks that keep this mag goin',

2-21

Stay cool and keep jerkin',

JERK

When the year started, we didn’t know what it had in store for us. We were managing editor-less with an almost entirely new editorial staff, many of whom had never had the chance to hone their okay-you-can-be-a-little-snarky-but-still-credible-and-you-can-use-bad-words-but-don’t-overusethem-okay-were-still-a-respectable-publication Jerk voice. With so many new faces, Meredith and I were nervous about the future of the magazine. Would this new staff care about Jerk enough to foster their love-hate relationship with it (the mark of any true Jerk-ian) and put in never-ending unpaid labor just for the love of the magazine and the raunchy content the school somehow lets us publish?

Turns out… duh. And it is so exciting to see. We found a new managing editor — totally awesome first-time Jerk Pearl (who is helping write this letter but also being mentioned in the third person in this part written by Vivian who’s now writing about herself in the third person, okay writing this letter together is kind of hard) who took on the shitshow that is running this magazine with grace and will keep the shitshow alive next year. And with 130 staff members in our beloved Slack channel that we so annoyingly got everyone on board for (but can we say, gamechanger?) it became clear to us that we really don’t have much to be worried about in the future for Jerk. Here before us — well, via Zoom — was a new generation of passionate, eager, and talented writers and editors with just as much love for the magazine as any crotchety senior.

The pandemic completely altered our modes of learning and interacting, so who was to say that publishing a magazine wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire? We’ll be the first to admit, there were times where it felt like we’d written all there is to write about sex, psychedelics, and Phoebe Bridgers. But at our first pitch meeting last fall, our staff popped off with more than 100 cool, new, interesting, and very Jerk-esque article ideas.

These writers, who I (Pearl here now) joined the team with last fall, proved that Jerk is invincible.

While publications around the world died, Jerk became even more resilient. With such supportive leadership from Vivian and Meredith, though, how could it not have? The two of them have proved to me that the opinion of that obnoxious family member who questions, "Aren’t magazines dead?" pales in comparison to the opinions of over one hundred enthusiastic students who across time and, this year especially, distance consistently work to produce the best publication possible.

Without them, Jerk Magazine would’ve become a distant memory, right next to wearing fake black glasses without any lenses and making videos on PhotoBooth. That’s why this letter is a nostalgic-walk-down-memory-lane for the senior exec, but also a thank you letter. Thank you for keeping us around no matter what’s going on in the world. Thank you for ensuring that our magazine’s future is not just realistic, but also bright. Thank you for loving Jerk just as much as we do. It makes leaving it a whole lot easier.

JERK THIS

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

IN THIS ISSUE NEOLIBERALISM IS MESSING WITH TEXAS pg 20 After a blizzard knocked out Texas in February, white neoliberals flocked to Twitter to make fun of the historically red state. But Texas has a long, complicated, and racist political history that has left thousands of people in the cold. Here’s why bashing Texas is not the woke power move you think it is.

BEYOND THE BROCHURE pg 28 The Department of Public Safety may be known to most as Syracuse University’s premier party-busting organization, but that’s not all it does. It also responds to student mental health crises, usually not for the best. SU students of color share their experiences with DPS and what needs to change when it comes to mental health policies.

ALTERED ALTARS pg 58 Holy hell! Organized religion is a pillar of modern society, which naturally means that artists will always manipulate, criticize, and comment on it. From the Satanic Panic of the 1980s to Lil Nas X’s internet-shattering video for “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” learn about how musicians have used religious imagery and themes to express themselves.

Cover photo

by Nina Bridges

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GAWK FASHION

8 JERK ON THE INTERNET

42 LET THEM EAT CAKE Fashion Feature

11 SIGN OF THE TIMES May Horoscopes

52 CLOSET CASE Engraved Jewelry

12 FRAMED Dani Russo

53 FORM & FUNCITON Jerk

13 21 PLUS/MINUS Retrograde Rum Punch 14 SEX Fucking for Fun

SMUT FEATURES 24 STUDY BUDDY

By Eden Stratton 28 BEYOND THE BROCHURE

By Isabel Bekele & Eden Stratton 32 AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR

By Car Shapiro

BITCH OPINIONS 16

I WAS BUSY THINKIN' BOUT

By Kyle Henderson & Libby Cultra

18

NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS

By Alycia Cypress

20

NEOLIBERALISM IS MESSING WITH TEXAS

By Meredith Clark

23

OBITCHUARY Instagram Infographics

36 IF ONLY THEY'D TELL US

By Nina Bridges 40 SPEAKEASY The Lingo 41 DISCOVER SYR Biwon Syracuse

NOISE ARTS & MUSIC 54 METALWORKING IS OUR JAM

By Sarah Dolgin 58 ALTERED ALTARS

By Zoe Glasser, Megan Adams, & Luke Maddren 66 REWIND 2000s Red Carpet 67 AMPLIFIED Josh Carus aka Mnemonic Advice

2-21

50 STRIPPED Headscarves

JERK

10 HIT/BITCH May/June Events

JERK THIS

JERK THIS FOB

Scan to visit our website and social links.

JERK ON THE INTERNET

GRADUATIONS 1, 2, AND 3

"SPECIAL" SEASON 2 RELEASE

May 22-23 If trying to get tickets for graduation on Ticketmaster wasn’t hard enough, now we actually have to...graduate. And we’re expected to find our “dream job”? Let’s be real: Jerk simply does not dream of labor.

May 20 Ryan O’Connell – who graced SU with his presence in 2019 – returns to our Netf lix screens this spring with a new season of Special, a semi-autobiographical story that follows a gay man with cerebral palsy as he navigates his identity and career. The upcoming season will close off the series, much to our dismay.

MERCURY RETROGRADE

NATIONAL WINE DAY

BILLIE EILISH "HAPPIER THAN EVER" ALBUM July 30 There’s nothing like a singer introducing a new era of their career with a bombshell photoshoot – and Billie’s done just that. Billie Eilish’s Marilyn Monroe-esque cover story with British Vogue left us all speechless and ready for her new album, Happier Than Ever.

THE ANTICIPATION OF DUNE October 2021 We’re still waiting for that prime Timmy and Zendaya content... Not sure when or why we became Dune stans, but we're not mad.

BITCH

HIT

May 25 You read that right; it’s officially w i ne o’c lo c k e v e r y w he r e.

There’s never been a better t i me to f i l l t hat “Rosé A l l Day” tumbler to pregame the v ineyard. A ll we ask is that you lay off the "you had me at merlot" and "I’m on cloud wine" hashtags — the world already knows you treat a bottle of Sauv like it’s equivalent to therapy, Ashley.

May 29 - June 22 If you haven’t realized by now, Jerk loves ast rolog y but by t hat we mean being personally victimized by Co–Star’s push notifications. One thing we do NOT love is when Mercury is retrograde. So while you’re second guessing every single interaction for a month, try sipping on some Retrograde Rum Punch to calm your nerves (yes, we just pulled a shameless promo for 21+/-).

PRIDE MONTH RAINBOW WASHING

June 2021 “There is no et hical consumption under capitalism” — Karl Marx, probably. The fake solidarity during Pride Month from corporations isn’t fooling a nyone (Lister ine litera l ly rele a s e d a pr ide e d it ion mouthwash bottle). And don’t get us started on the over-the-top pride collection from Target.

LANA DEL REY’S “BLUE BANISTERS” July 4 We’ll be the first to admit that Lana Del Rey influenced our entire aesthetic – chain smoking cigarettes and riding on the back of a motorcycle of some sugar daddy… Who wouldn’t want to be her? But at this point, the PicsArt album covers have become too much.

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SIGN OF THE TIMES:

JERK THIS

MAY HOROSCOPES

words by Meredith Clark | illustrations by Jordan Schechter

GEMINI

Spring has sprung, Taurus! As the cherry blossoms blossom, it’s time for you to become one with nature. You’re one of the more grounded signs, Taurus, so this month, connect with people who radiate the same peaceful energy and keep your distance from those who don’t (we’re looking at you, Leo).

You’ve been binge-watching The Circle on Netflix and now you’re hyperaware of human existence, Gemini.

Almost every interaction you’ve had with a person has been followed by a #GirlGang or #MoreThan50Shades, and there’s nothing worse than hashtagging IRL. All this strategy and social science has you asking yourself, “Am I the catfish?”

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Hey, bestie! We’re just checking in to see how you’re doing. You’ve been holed up in your room for two weeks now, and there’s nothing wrong with that! But before you do anything else, we just want you to do a bedroom cup check real quick. Two water bottles, a McDonald’s iced coffee, and a halfempty bottle of Blue Moon? Throw those out, baby.

You’re experiencing a god complex right now, Leo, and it may be because you got the limited edition Johnson & Johnson vaccine. We get it, you’re built different. But that doesn’t mean you have to go around bragging about it!

Anyways, we all know that hot girlies get Pfizer, Moderna is indie, and J&J is for...everyone else.

This month, Virgo, you’ve regressed to your middle school self and it might have something to do with the release of Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

Yes, it has everyone in their feels, but now you’re staring out of every window pretending it’s a music video and picking fights with your serious, long-term partner just for the drama!

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

It’s almost hot girl summer, Scorpio, and what better way to celebrate it than being double-vaxxed up! It’s time for you to get back to your days of green tea shots and bumming cigarettes outside of Faegan’s just to feel something.

Ever since that Evergreen ship was freed from the Suez Canal, you’ve felt empty inside. There’s something about those six days that made you feel so alive. Was it the memes? The gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss energy of the container ship?

All we know is that you’re still left asking, “Why does everyone you love always leave?”

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

As the semester comes to a close, Capricorn, you’re feeling a strong desire to get all your last-minute gradegrabbing in. Your participation was at an all-time low, but that’s not on you; it’s still a panorama! So don’t forget to pop OFF in that course evaluation about how your professor docked your essay for a “misuse” of the Oxford comma.

Darling Aquarius, we can see the number of succulents accumulating in your Zoom background, and it’s getting out of hand. We know your desire to nurture has led you to excessive plant purchasing, but it’s time to take that green thumb back outside to enjoy the spring air (and maybe get some vitamin D. You’re looking a little vampy).

There was negative energy in the air last month (okay, there’s always negative energy when Mercury is in retrograde), and for that, we’ll blame the February Pisces. But this month, March Pisces are ready to cause chaos in the best way they know – by playing the victim of Mercury in retrograde!

“Waking up in the morning, thinking about so many things” has taken on a whole new meaning for you, Libra. Your mind is preoccupied with upcoming finals, post-grad, and basically just never-ending anxieties of… life. Classic Libra — you’re indecisive, you can’t decide.

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TAURUS

JERK

ARIES Aries season is now a thing of the past, but boy, did you find a way to make the entire month all about you! It’s okay, an Aries is gonna Aries. But now it’s time to practice some humility.

Start a community fridge! Distribute free personal care items! You might even get some good karma out of it too, and what more could an Aries want than something in it for them?

FRAMED:

DANI RUSSO

third-year studio art major concentration in 3D and sculpture @drusso.sfx

“Fear is a very humbling emotion and a full sensory to a surrealist lens with much of my work, and I experience in a lot of ways. At the same time though, look to create work that showcases an almost nonit’s also one of the most actively sought out and human or 'oddity' quality to the body.

“I think a lot of people just don’t really know intriguing experiences. People love to be scared and a ton about practical special effects in general. I love to challenge themselves [with] what they are think because special effects is a dying art, and afraid of in a lot of ways. In this way, I’m focusing many of the effects that we see nowadays are CGI on that dichotomy and really intrinsic relationship — especially the more fantasy or sci-fi effects that of attraction and repulsion. we see in film — people kind of don’t realize that “There are so many different things that special special effects is a really involved art form. Moreover, effects can accomplish. For instance, I am really because we live in such a digital age, I think practical drawn to the realism and the illusion of reality that special effects can be seriously overlooked in terms I can achieve with special effects. I’ve played a lot of media production.

There’s so much that goes into with really gory physical trauma effects in the past, an effect, from that one bruise in that medical drama and with those pieces, getting a visceral reaction to that horrifying death trap in Saw. It’s a detailed from people being really disgusted or having to look and laborious process but it can yield some of the away was what I was after and what I prided myself most believable and tangible effects.” on most. Recently, however, I’ve been more drawn

21PLUS/MINUS:

RETROGRADE RUM PUNCH

As the month of May comes to a close, a most dreadful day approaches: May 29, the next Mercury retrograde (dun, dun, DUN). While we can’t promise that your love life won’t turn upside down, your mental health won’t go down the shitter, and you won’t be confronted by a far-fetched epiphany about the meaning of life, we can promise you a strong drink infused with the positive energy you’ll need to cancel out the incoming funkiness.

INGREDIENTS

3 oz. coconut rum ½ cup pineapple juice ½ cup orange juice 1 tsp. grenadine

Pink Himalayan sea salt 1 lime Maraschino cherries

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Slice a lime and run it around the rim of a glass.

2. Salt the rim of the glass with pink Himalayan salt.

3. Pour two shots of coconut rum, ½ cup of pineapple juice, and ½ cup of orange juice into a shaker with ice.

4. Add one teaspoon of grenadine and a squeeze of lime juice for good measure.

5. Stir for about 30 seconds and strain into your rimmed glass.

6. Add 2 or 3 maraschino cherries to a paper umbrella to garnish.

Fucking For Fun Jerk’s guide to the most pleasurable sex possible.

words by Margo Moran | art by Jenny Katz Fucking someone you love in an effort to feel close to them is cool. Fucking a stranger in the bathroom of a bar because you wanted to is also super cool (COVID aside). Fucking for the sole purpose of feeling good is valid and very cool. Pleasure can come in many forms, from solo situations to partner-play to a full-on group gab sesh. The goal of everyone involved should always be that all parties feel as good as possible, and sometimes the best way to amp up those feelings of satisfaction is by involving props. Sex toys can range from handcuffs to vibrators to sex swings, and because there’s such a massive range of toys, there really is something for everyone. Without further ado, let’s meet our sexy hot candidates:

Lube Lube, or as it’s written on her birth certificate, lubricant, is not a toy per se but is a foundational part of pleasure that is too often overlooked. Natural moisture is fantastic, but sometimes it doesn’t happen or you just want reinforcements! Lube can eliminate friction during penetration and decrease your chances of feeling discomfort or pain.

Situations Where Lube is Particularly Fantastic: When someone experiences tightness during vaginal penetration: if you’re hooking up while high and your mouth isn’t the only thing that’s dry; if you don’t have time for sufficient foreplay; if the person you’re fucking has no earthly clue how to make a vagina wet. A particulary beloved product because of its reasonable price, notable effectiveness, and lack of animal testing is Nécessaire’s The Sex Gel, available at Sephora. Nothing says sexy like ethical production.

The Dildo Dildos are a classic for a reason. A dildo is the perfect toy for someone with a vagina who sits in their introductory science lecture and dreams of getting absolutely fucking railed. Rail yourself and call that shit fourth wave feminism! Or, get silly with a partner, whether they’re penile-inclined or not. In fact, getting a trusted associate involved can take your experiences with any of these toys into a new and exciting realm. Dildos are the closest thing to penetrative sex, but with more convenient angles and neat colors. Pair with our old friend lube for a smoother and more comfortable dildo experience, especially if it’s going in your ass!

Fantastic When: You want some deep penetration that hits your g-spot, or when you want to simulate being penetrated with a penis.

A Fun Match For The Dildo: The harness! This allows you to strap a dildo to your pelvis to simulate penetrative sex with your partner.

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Butt Stuff Rocks When: A person with a prostate wants to access their g-spot.

JERK THIS

you’re done with them) with a flared base.

The Vibrator

Anal Toys People with prostates have their g-spot located in their ass, and don’t let your homphobic sex educator from high school tell you otherwise. This is where quirky accessories like anal beads, butt plugs, and prostate massagers come into play. First of all, your anus doesn’t self-lubricate, so lube is your bestie when it comes to butt stuff! Anything that goes up there should ideally come out, so stick to toys (or household objects that have been thoroughly washed and will be thoroughly washed as soon as

Fun When: you want a rocking boner, either alone or with a partner (or partners).

BDSM Equipment: These are the toys to experiment with while getting it on with that special someone (who chokes you out against their wall and then you thank them for it). Handcuffs, blindfolds, and restraints can all serve to bring your submissivedominant dynamic to a new level. Hot take: don’t spend money, get (safely) crafty. Scarves and belts aren’t just for accessorizing anymore. When you dip into this pool, always establish a safe word before tying any knots and make sure that everyone involved is comfortable and on the same page!

The Time to Shine: Power and control is hot, and these toys can help you amp up that dynamic.

Pleasure is something to be experienced without shame or stigma. Pleasure that doesn’t end in orgasm is valid pleasure. Pleasure that you achieve by yourself is valid pleasure. Feeling good is not a privilege but a right, and you deserve immaculate sexual wellbeing.

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Wonderful in These Situations: Someone with a vagina experiences pain from penetration and wants to focus on their clit, someone wants to stimulate their scrotum or the area right behind it, or when you or a partner enjoy some creative nipple-play.

Bonus: Rabbit toys combine the penetrative aspect of dildos with the clit stimulation of vibrators, and they definitely deserve attention. Our recommendation goes to the Bender from Unbound: a waterproof vibrator with impeccable battery life and a remarkable ability to make you sweat — in a good way, of course.

Cock Rings

Cock rings are rings that go around your cock!

More specifically, they restrict blood flow between a person’s body and penis to intensify erections and help them last longer. These cuties can vibrate (which your partner can benefit from if they have a clitoris!) and can be made of a softer material, like silicone, or something firmer, like metal. Make sure to use these only for short periods of time and take them off if you have any pain.

JERK

Vibrators are exactly what they sound like: a device that vibrates and, when placed on an erogenous zone, produces feelings of pleasure. Vibrators are especially lovely for people who have a clitoris, as many of them have adjustable intensities and can be super precise in their stimulation. Toys like the Womanizer Classic even provide clit suction for extra eyes-rolling-back-in-your-head fun.

I WAS BUSY THINKIN' BOUT The various ways TikTok has changed the music

words by Kyle Henderson

industry: for better or for worse.

& Libby Cultra

PRO: Tell Us You Love TikTok Without Telling Us You Love TikTok Like it or not, TikTok and social media as a whole have changed the ways in which we consume music, and I think the impact has been far more positive than negative. TikTok specifically gives aspiring artists a platform to showcase their work and find an audience that may not normally hear it, while simultaneously allowing artists to find a community in which they can grow and thrive within.

For Tessa Pulgar, a sophomore in the Bandier Program at Syracuse University and an aspiring artist, TikTok has played a major role in growing her audience. She believes that the app “almost forces you to be more creative,” she said. “It's definitely taught me to be confident in my own work because no matter how good anyone is, everyone's super different. So you just have to focus on what makes you different.”

When she was locked down with the rest of the world last spring, Pulgar used singing and songwriting as a creative outlet and posted her work to TikTok. A few viral videos later, she now has over 54,000 followers and has accumulated over 1.8 million likes.

Outside of an expanded audience, Pulgar has also connected with other creators on the app. The community is her favorite part of the platform.

“TikTok’s allowed me to meet people that I wouldn't have otherwise met,” she said. “And those people are pretty inspiring. Just knowing that they see my content pushes me to try harder.”

Plenty of other new artists have seen even more success. Indie pop/rock artist Blu DeTiger started posting on TikTok when the pandemic shut down live concerts, and her songs began gaining traction.

She found a hit in her song “Figure It Out”, which became a popular sound on the app and has racked up over 25 million streams on Spotify — mine included.

Eric German, an adjunct professor and practicing entertainment attorney, views TikTok as an

empowering tool for aspiring artists to create their own path. “Everything is in the palm of our hands, literally and figuratively,” he said. “When I was in Syracuse, it was more of a gatekeeper mentality where you had to kind of appeal to certain people that were going to choose the people, places and things that we're going to have the opportunity to be heard right. Now, it could come from anywhere.”

“TikTok has made a measurable impact very quickly, particularly with breaking new artists,” said Michelle Santosuosso, a professor in the Bandier program. “Several have already launched off the platform to mainstream success, with 24kGoldn now signed to major label Columbia Records and Fousheé now signed to RCA Records, being two big examples.”

New artists aren’t the only ones benefiting; Songs released years ago are being brought back into the mainstream thanks to fun TikTok challenges and viral videos. Chances are you heard “Dreams'' by Fleetwood Mac in a TikTok recently, which went viral after Nathan Apodaca, known as @420doggface208 on the app, posted a video skateboarding and lip syncing to the song while drinking Ocean Spray.

Now, the video has over 80 million views and 12.7 million likes, and plenty have created their own take on the video — Stevie Nicks even joined in on the trend at the peak of its popularity. Other older hits like “Little Dark Age” by MGMT, “Potential Breakup Song” by Aly & AJ, and “Electric Love” by BØRNS have all seen resurgence in popularity thanks to TikTok. According to German, TikTok is a great way for older artists to “freshen up your fan base and kind of introduce yourself to a different audience by appealing sort of to the younger audience.”

Overall, the app is completely changing the music industry and the way we find and share music. It’s

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BITCH

Even though “making it” in the music industry is already more of a matter of money and luck than it is talent, TikTok is working as hard as ever to push smaller creators to the side. Record labels are partnering with TikTok and paying influencers to use their songs and promote certain songs and artists.

In today's industry, artists are paid fragments of what they should be. “You have to keep in mind that, unless the artist is fully independent, their record company owns the master recording of their songs, so the label makes most of the money from the usage of that recording,” said Santosuosso.

Instead of naturally going viral, songs are now forced into a format suitable for TikTok — catchy and short — leaving little room for other budding genres. Rapper Supa Dupa Humble was one artist who went viral, yet he was not paid until his song was officially put in the app’s song library due to his lack of partnership with a major label. Take a look at the top 20 songs on Spotify, including hits like Telapatia, MONTERO, and other catchy tracks.

These songs are what TikTok “celebrities” will use in their videos to amass views and catch peoples’ attention. So, who really decides what’s popular?

There is no question that TikTok holds power.

Charli D'Amelio's 100 million followers on TikTok

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CON: Where's the Flavor?

watch the 16-year-old dance to familiar, debatably overplayed songs in videos that regularly amass over three million likes and even more views. This is precious cargo for corporations who want to spread their brand. Young, impressional viewers will latch on to songs and items that influencers are using, and record labels make the most of this. "Yes, they are paid to promote certain music, absolutely. And yes they are calculating to go viral… It's more about being relevant on that platform because that is where the tastemaker audience is,” Santosuosso said.

Companies with major record label partners, like Songfluencer, seek out influencers and match them with large corporations. In this case, influencers will be paid to promote music merely for the virality of it, and, of course, monetary gains. “Money does not properly trickle down to the creators,” Santosuosso said, meaning the record labels who make deals with TikTok hold all the money and power. For example, “Heather” by Conan Gray was made popular through TikTok trends, eventually reaching pop radio stations.

The Fowlkes Firm, a Black-owned law firm, pushes for creators’ rights in music, as artists usually get extremely small royalties compared to what the label makes. Firms like Fowlkes’ help artists stuck in record deals that aren’t in it for the music. The music industry is worse when it comes to streaming apps. Most have little revenue in the first place, but TikTok is cluttered with unofficial sounds and no overall view counts, meaning the "who actually gets the money" game is chaotic.

Navigating this rocky world of endless views and streams will take conscious steps to root for up-andcoming artists, along with supporting them through merch, reputable streaming sites, and tours. We need to bring recognition to independent creators, along with boosting firms and educational tools that help artists sign fair deals that benefit them long term. It does seem this digital world is here to stay, so it’s necessary to figure out how to make it a healthy environment for everyone involved.

JERK

a place where artists old and new can find their viral moment, and there’s a community of creators that’s growing every day. Santosuosso is excited by the possibilities TikTok has to offer, viewing it as “transformational.” “There is a distinct visual language to TikTok,” she said. “A way of storytelling and using music to do so, that is the most exciting thing I've seen since the advent of MTV.” We’re living in an increasingly digital world, and TikTok is a symptom of that. The app empowers artists to blaze their own trails, and the possibilities to find success are endless. The benefits that TikTok has had on the music industry cannot be ignored — it’s a bonafide game changer.

NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS

While we are still living through a pandemic, Indigenous tribes across North America have been dealing with an epidemic affecting their women and young girls.

words by Alycia Cypress | art by Anastasia Powell

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ith pipelines and oil drills forcing their way onto reservations across the country, more and more Indigenous women are “mysteriously” disappearing or even worse, being murdered. Native American communities are severely underserved and repeatedly taken advantage of by large corporations determined to use sacred Native land as a way to expand their companies’ reach. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement has taken over Indian country in the last few years, with thousands of Natives calling out the U.S. government and big money corporations for their disgusting complacency.

In 2017, the movie Wind River, starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, hit the big screen. It tells the story of a wildlife officer (Renner) and FBI agent (Olsen) who try to solve a murder of a young Indigenous girl, Natalie Hanson (Kelsey Chow), on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.

Spoiler alert: Natalie’s new boyfriend worked at a nearby oil drilling site and his co-workers raped and murdered Natalie. They also killed her boyfriend.

None of them were going to be prosecuted if it weren’t for the two protagonists’ continued heroic attempts.

Now this film has some issues, specifically the fact that it perpetuates the ever-so-popular white savior complex, caters to a majority white male audience, portrays Natives as living in a constant state of sadness and lacks an Indigenous cast.

But the film has an overall important message and ends with a chilling fact: “While missing persons statistics are compiled for every other demographic, none exist for Native American women… No one knows how many are missing.” After the film made waves following its release, another scary statistic presented itself. In 2016, 5,712 Native women were either missing or murdered and only 116 of those cases were entered into the U.S. Department of

19 New Republic and data from Associated Press. There’s a severe lack of protection and care for Indigenous

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There’s a severe lack of protection and care for Indigenous women around the world, and it’ll only get worse if we continue to overlook it.

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women around the world, and it’ll only get worse if we continue to overlook it.

Thankfully, we may have hope. With public awareness of the issues BIPOC communities face on the rise, we have new activists fighting for Indigenous rights. The biggest hope though, is Deb Haaland, the current Interior Secretary for the U.S. Cabinet. A Native woman herself, Haaland recently created a unit in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs that will investigate the killings and disappearances of Indigenous people. CNN reports that Haaland expects the unit to help coordinate the correct resources among federal agencies and the Native population. Her latest action involves working with 27 appointed commission members to “hold hearings, take testimony and gather evidence to help come up with recommendations for the government to combat violent crimes against Indigenous peoples,” according to Huffpost. But, while Haaland and her investigative unit get started, there’s so much we can do to raise awareness and potentially stop other ongoing issues as well. MMIW is a result of many other problems plaguing Indian country right now, such as land sovereignty and an overall lack of respect for Natives and our culture. Signing petitions, donating, protesting alongside Natives, and even asking questions regarding Indigenous issues goes a long way. Activists such as @repdavids, @lilnativeboy, @winonaladuke, and @calinalawrence are active on multiple social media platforms and share important infographics, donation links, and petitions.

Native women across the country are murdered 10 times the national average, so we continue to fight for our missing sisters and children in an attempt to raise awareness. We fight because one day it could be our mothers, sisters, cousins, or even ourselves. We wish for a future where Native women do not have to live in fear and our sisters get the justice they deserve.

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Justice’s official missing persons list, according to Urban Indian Health Institute. The only way we know that these women are missing is because their tribes file their cases, but the American government does not.

As a Native woman, that is terrifying to see. At times, it forces me to hide who I am in an attempt to feel safe in white society and unfortunately, experiencing violence at the hands of a boyfriend, husband, or even stranger is all too common for Indigenous women.

With four out of five Indigenous women impacted by violence today, it has become a difficult issue for Indian country to ignore.

Syracuse University freshman and member of the Seneca Nation in western New York Nia Nephew said she started hearing about the MMIW movement when it started gaining attention a few years ago. She says her initial reaction was fear. “Being so young and vulnerable, the risks are already heightened, but adding the stress of the statistics of the rates Indigenous women go missing at makes life feel even more dangerous,” she said. When the issue started gaining attention, Nephew remembers seeing Seneca nation members hang red dresses outside of their houses in solidarity to those who are now missing and murdered. Nephew has lost two cousins due to violence inflicted upon them by their boyfriends.

Both men served very short sentences, with one not even going to jail for murder, but instead for stealing a truck.

This is unfortunately common for many MMIW cases; most women and children do not get the justice they deserve because of federal laws. Tribal courts are only able to prosecute boyfriends and husbands of Indigenous women, but most of them still get off free. Many perpetrators are non-native men, but tribal courts cannot prosecute strangers. This is where Wind River’s plotline and the participation of big corporations come into play. Many MMIW cases occur because of the hundreds of oil drilling and pipeline construction sites and the men who house themselves near or on Native reservations. There is a very clear connection between these sites and the sexual violence the government chooses to ignore. “In 2017, U.S. attorneys declined to prosecute 37 percent of Indian Country cases, citing lack of evidence in 70 percent of the cases they dropped,” according to The

Neoliberalism is messing with texas The deregulation of Texas’s electrical grid is a haven for conservative lawmakers’ policies of free trade and low taxes. Even the Democratic Party leaders are enthralled by privatization, and this might have dire consequences in our climate change policies.

words by Meredith Clark | art by Jenny Katz & photos from Claudia Pharr

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n Monday, Feb. 15, Claudia Pharr and the rest of San Antonio woke up to four inches of snow, the most that the city had seen since 2017. The Texas winter storm this past February ravaged the state with subfreezing temperatures, leaving nearly five million homes and businesses without heat or power. As snow seeped through the windows of her one-bedroom home, blankets were one of the only sources of warmth Pharr could find, but even bundled up, she was still so exposed to the below-freezing temperatures that the blankets felt wet. The weekend before the storm hit, Pharr and her fellow employees at the Housing First Community Coalition in San Antonio, where she works in development and case management, scrambled to find hotel rooms and bus passes for their unhoused clients. The rolling blackouts began in Pharr’s neighborhood Sunday night: first just 30 minutes of no power, then three hours, and some homes went without power for three days. In an effort to keep warm and charge her phone, Pharr (and her cats) piled together in her car as she listened to Texas Public Radio. It was then that she learned

about Texas’s electrical grid system, called ERCOT, and of Senator Ted Cruz’s brief family vacation to Cancún, Mexico. By March, it was reported that a total of 111 people died from the winter storm, the majority from hypothermia and others from carbon monoxide poisoning.

As Texans froze to death in their homes, cars, and on the street, social media roared with tweets roasting Senator Cruz’s not-so-stealthy escape to Cancún — and even bullied him into flying back to Texas. With Cruz blaming his young daughters for his own badlytimed decision, telling the press they “asked to take a trip with friends,” the jokes wrote themselves. Other jokes, however, fell flat. On Feb. 16, author Stephen King tweeted, “Hey, Texas! Keep voting for officials who don’t believe in climate change and supported privatization of the power grid! Maybe in 4 years you can vote for Trump again. He believes in the latter but not the former. Perfect.” King, who seldomly leaves his reclusive retreat in Maine, insinuated that Texans were at fault for the mass power outage, a 130-car pile up on Interstate 35, and a failing infrastructure unfit for these winter weather conditions. The reality is that Texas

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voters barely have a say in the privatization of their power grid, which became deregulated in 2000 as part of lawmakers’ thirst for cheap energy and a marketbased power system. And even if voters could decide whether or not their energy should be privatized, Texas’s longstanding history of gerrymandering has benefited more Republican-controlled legislatures than any other state, according to a study by the Associated Press.

The privatization of goods and services that are necessary for survival follows a neoliberal trend of free trade, low taxes, and deregulation. Neoliberalism has led to the privatization of not only energy systems but also prisons and health care, the creation of a one percent of wealth-holders in the country, and increased poverty and inequality for significant portions of the population. But it has also fostered a culture of apathy, in which self-proclaimed liberal voters who are privileged to experience the resources of blue states poke fun at red states for their twobrain-celled senators — all without acknowledging the racist and classist systems put in place to make sure that power is in the hands, and homes, of some, while others are left in the dark.

The winter storm revealed to many Texas citizens just exactly how they receive their power. “That was the first time I'd ever heard the fact that Texas has a privatized grid. It just wasn't really on our radar,” said Pharr, who is receiving her master’s in social work at the University of Texas at San Antonio. “I think that's kind of, at least with my friends, when we started getting angry about it. Before I was like, ‘Man, this just sucks.’ And then we realized that it was completely preventable.” While one power grid covers the eastern US states and another covers the west, Texas is the only state with its own deregulated energy market.

Texas’s grid became deregulated in the 1990s, when former President George W. Bush, the then Texas governor, worked with the infamous company Enron to break up the system of state-regulated utilities.

Basically, Texas homes and businesses receive power

through a series of perpetual auctions, with private companies maximizing their profits under the guise of “retail choice.” But under a policy of neoliberalism, there is no choice when one person, or the middleman, holds all the power — literally and figuratively. How can it be the decision of Texas voters to privatize their grid if the majority of citizens are freezing in their cars wondering how this mess even began?

The lines of neoliberalism have become blurred over the last few decades. A term that once was a stand-in for policies determined by Margaret Thatcher or Reaganomics has now become a zinger used by Gen Z on Twitter to spotlight the progressive posturing of the Democratic Party. And they’re not wrong to call out Democrats either. As much as the Texas winter storm was exasperated by conservative lawmakers' and regulators’ lack of climate change awareness or their desire to increase profit, our nation’s Democratic Party leaders are just as enthralled by privatization.

President Joe Biden has yet to follow through on expanding Medicare — or at least creating some form of public health care program that he promised to do throughout his campaign.

It’s no secret that Democratic leaders are fraught with contradictions and neoliberal inclinations — Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have followed a “tough on crime” policy throughout their careers, with Biden’s introduction of the 1994 Crime Bill that fed mass incarceration and the prisonindustrial complex, and Harris’s background as a criminal prosecutor and self-proclaimed “top cop.”

“I think a lot of liberals, Democrats, are fine with the corporatization of all of this stuff, you know? They can hem and haw about equality and access, but it allows them to wipe their hands of a difficult problem,” said Dr. Katherine Kidd, an assistant professor in Syracuse University’s English and Textual Studies program. As climate change becomes an increasing threat to the state of, well, everything, the entire nation could be seeing the same blackouts Texas faced on a mass scale if our leaders’ love fest with privatization persists.

With policies like the Green New Deal at the forefront of many young voters' minds, how much change can voter mobilization and grassroots

organizing actually accomplish in places like Texas where gerrymandering influences almost every election and private corporations have a stronghold on the future of climate change infrastructure? For Pharr, the way to make that change isn’t by filling in a circle on a ballot but through community-based mutual aid. “It's kind of discouraging sometimes, but personally I felt a huge kind of relief,” she said.

“Like, letting go of this national narrative of changing things and just kind of keeping my head down, going into work every day, serving food, getting people registered.” During the snowstorm, Pharr worked with a mutual aid organization in San Antonio to redistribute money, replace people’s groceries, and pay rent, and even raised $700 for bus passes and hotel rooms on her personal Facebook page.

If people like Stephen King — the “white educated liberal elite” as they have become known — are donating to local mutual aid services, then by all means make all the jokes you want on Twitter (or don’t...), but we highly doubt that’s the case. As it turns out, being a celebrated author, or educated, or even the president, doesn’t deter you from doing capitalism’s dirty work. In times of climate crises — and this will happen more and more as long as climate change exists — calling out systems of privatization just isn’t enough. It’s time for people to build lasting community-based networks of care and support so that Texans, and the rest of us, won’t be left out in the cold.

Instagram Infographics OBITCHUARY:

Cause of death: performative activism

words by Megan Adams

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tories are already the most annoying thing on Instagram, and the pretty little pastel pink infographics about #howtogirlboss and “What’s Going On In This Place” aren’t doing anything for us. Posting infographic after infographic on your story about current events isn’t the incredible advocacy and activism you think it is.

We’re just annoyed because we have to tap through a whole ‘nother Instagram story that no one’s gonna read about a topic that everyone already knows about.

At first they didn’t suck so bad. Maybe they were even helpful, spreading awareness and information that many people might not have already had. But as we have progressed and time has passed, they are TIRED. Give it a rest, Sarah, we know you’re a “raging lib” according to your bio; are you actually gonna do something about these issues or just sit around posting little aesthetic graphics? But we digress. Of course these posts are well-intentioned — for the most part — and are often aimed to spread awareness, but they have simply run their course.

Performative activism is a no from us.

Instead of finding little graphics about current events to match your feed, let’s try something called doing ~anything else~! There are so many ways you can support these issues, even some that you can do without having to spend any money at all while still contributing to something meaningful. I’m talking petitions (sometimes), protesting, educating yourself

through books, documentaries, television series, listening to underrepresented voices, and literally just showing up for causes you care about. Any of these methods are a lot more effective than reposting the word art posts you find on your explore tab.

Try and think before you post something like “How to Rest When You’re Doing So Much for Every Single Cause!” think: Is it True? Helpful? Inspiring?

Necessary? Kind? Just kidding — mostly. But really, think about who you’re helping when you post this stuff. Posting something just because it’ll match your virtual “aesthetic” isn’t activism, it’s just extraobnoxious virtue signaling. We can tell when a post is just for the look, and it’s not a look. Instead of posting those Canva squares on your story, do something tangible.

If you’re posting infographics and not backing them up with actions, let’s consider how you’re placing the value of your instagram’s vibe above the actual issue you claim to be supporting. That’s a little fucked up. Check yourself and observe the privilege you have to be able to care more about your “feed” than real societal issues because they don’t affect you personally. Rest In Peace to Instagram Infographics (2010 - 2021). She is survived by her husband, the Vignette effect, and her siblings: screenshots of tweets and Reels of TikToks. Being unnecessary must’ve run in the family. You will not be missed.

ADDE ADDERALL

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Adderall has become students’ go-to “study drug.”

But at what cost? words by Eden Stratton illustrations by Jordan Schechter

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enny, whose name has been changed to avoid retribution, always struggled with writing. She could speak in public, participate in discussions, and retain information, but the physicality of writing always escaped her. So when she was faced with a litany of papers without enough time in the day to do them, she felt more than overwhelmed. As a double major with various commitments, Jenny felt that she “couldn’t get caught up on a three-page paper.”

Not when there was so much else she had to do.

Then she started using Adderall.

“At first you don’t really feel anything,” Jenny explained. “But suddenly it feels like you’re wearing horse blinders — that the thing that’s in front of you is the only thing that matters.” Jenny’s experience is common among an ever-growing number of college students who use unprescribed ADHD medication like Adderall and Ritalin to study and complete assignments. The issue of abusing adderall presents multifaceted challenges for both the students as individuals and the entirety of the American education system.

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Study Buddy

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Dr. Dessa Bergen-Cico, a public health professor who specializes in addiction studies at Syracuse University, stated “The way [Adderall] works is that it increases dopamine output, and changes the effect on the person, depending on if they actually have ADHD. For people who do have it, there’s a lack of connectivity between certain cognitive areas of the brain and nerve function. So for people who do have it, [Adderall] helps them focus but also calms them down. But for people who don’t have it, it still increases focus, but also makes them energized.”

For students like Hannah, who also chose to remain anonymous, the drug has an uncanny ability to keep her driven. She began using Adderall occasionaly in times of intense stress, when putting off work resulted in her feeling incredibly overwhelmed. “I can focus,” Hannah said, “but I can’t always get myself to sit down and churn out a good, welldone paper in a full day. But I can often get myself in that place on Adderall.”

The more that Jerk talked with students, the more we realized that using the drug was much more common than we had anticipated. Dr. Bergen-Cico explained that the use of Adderall is not hidden in the nooks and crannies of campus, but rather takes place within the very classes she teaches.

“I teach a Dynamics of Addiction class, and usually there are about 80 to 100 students,” Dr. BergenCico explained. “I’ve noticed that in recent years, stimulants across the board have been going up in terms of the percentage of students that report having used them, and specifically in regards to ADHD medication like Adderall, that’s been going up.”

While more students are using the drug, many

report that the actual sensation of being on Adderall isn’t pleasant. “It feels like tunnel vision, like [it’s] in your chest, in your throat,” Jenny said. “I don’t like the irritability that comes with it. There’s always the lingering thought that I have to get everything done while I’m on it, so I don’t waste the medication.”

Hannah experienced a similar phenomenon, “I usually have really bad come-downs from it — I’ll feel really tired, have a bad headache, I’ll feel really irritable. You’ve just been so focused, like you’ve been working out your brain really hard, and then you just feel so drained afterwards.”

Even for those who have an Adderall prescription, the effects during and after are longlasting. Margot, who also anonymously reported her experience, has been prescribed Adderall since high school and said that the side effects are pretty intense.

“My sophomore year of high school, I lost almost 15 pounds, which is pretty dangerous. It suppresses your appetite, which has a whole bunch of other effects. Because you’re not eating, you start having all these headaches and you just are mentally not well. Adderall is a stimulant, so you don’t really realize the effects until after it wears off, which could be days depending on how often you’re taking it,” Margot said.

This ultimately begs the question: if the side effects of Adderall are so jarring, then why do students continue to use it? The answer is surprisingly simple: they can't get the work done without it. Hannah, who remarked that while she is able to keep up with the traditional education format, found that it’s, “the way you’re expected to work it all up to this big cumulative [exam]… It pushes you into this situation where [you] have to take Adderall because [you] won’t be able to learn

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USE OF ADDERALL IS NOT HIDDEN IN THE NOOKS AND CRANNIES OF CAMPUS, BUT RATHER TAKES PLACE WITHIN THE VERY CLASSES SHE TEACHES.

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it will continue to get more complicated. Yes, it will continue to be at a higher level on college campuses. Why? Because we have gone digital,” Dr. Ijere empathized. “A student can sit in their dorm and get Adderall mailed to them. I agree with the research already being done, but we have yet to see what is to come.”

Perhaps what is most concerning is that there's no effort on the part of these institutions to change despite a plethora of evidence highlighting these trends. Universities continue to foster environments that place letters over experiential learning, regardless of the potential toll it may take on campus-wide mental health. Even in the midst of a pandemic, institutions responded with the cancellation of breaks and an online system that dehumanized students into even schoolwork machines.

As Jenny put it, “We’re all fighting for the same internships, the same jobs, the same recognition. If you aren’t doing the best that you can, that’s when someone else will take your spot.”

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fast enough,” she said.

What does this say about our education system as a whole? Unprescribed Adderall usage is not unique to Syracuse University — a friend of mine (who does not attend Syracuse) once snorted it off her nightstand before going on a homework bender, saying that, “it works faster if you do.” The American education system itself is rooted in unhealthy competition that pits students against one another in what can only be described as a rat race. School is not only becoming more difficult, but it is also pushing students to drug themselves in order to maintain a certain standard of excellence.

Dr. Ignatius Ijere, an associate teaching professor at SU that specializes in clinical psychology, explains that the underlying reason we as students use stimulants is because we’re simply trying to survive.

“I think our society has come to the point where things are grade-oriented. It’s no longer experientialoriented.”

The lack of empathy in the system is leading to abuse and also causing it, thus pushing the students it relies on to their limits. A 2016 study spearheaded

by Professor Jean Kieran at Georgetown University details that, “use among college students shows a range of 5.3% to 35.3%,” indicating that use is high on small campuses as well.

“Yes, [abuse rates] will continue to grow. Yes,

By failing to address the nuanced mental health needs of students of color, SU provides resources without real substance.

BEYOND THE words by Eden Stratton and Isabel Bekele illustrations by Sam Currier

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hen we think of college, we often visualize the classic brochures: manicured quads, tailgates, laughing with our diverse group of friends on our way to class. What the brochures don’t show us, though, are the mental health struggles that many college students face everyday — especially students of color. The Center for Collegiate Mental Health reports that one in five college students struggle with anxiety or depression. But with increased screen time as a result of online classes, as well as residual pandemic emotions like isolation from family and friends and general hopelessness, that statistic feels like an understatement.

Students of color are forced to deal with all of the usual stress and anxiety that comes with being a college student, on top of the racial trauma that comes

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with attending a predominantly white institution, whether it’s microaggressions from professors or acts of outright hate crimes that occur on campus.

While the conversation around mental health has progressed in recent years, there is still a stigma in many BIPOC communities when it comes to topics like anxiety and depression.

For so long, minority communities have had to deal with the various struggles of belonging to an oppressed group, which has left little room for thinking about how we might take care of our mental health. Additionally, there is a distrust between these communities and the healthcare industry at large, which is understandable given our country’s history of providing inadequate healthcare for people of color. For BIPOC college students facing mental health crises in particular, there is an even deeper hesitancy when it comes to reaching out to the same campus security lines that often target us. Nicki Kim, a student at Syracuse University recalls that, “When I was in quarantine, they always told us, if you need anything or are having a mental health crisis, call DPS. Well, a lot of students of color don’t feel comfortable around DPS.” The Department of Public Safety’s DPS’s response to such crises is hard to find. After around 15 minutes of digging on their website, the most recent policy on how to respond to crises is from 2010, over a decade ago. It was revised less than a month ago, three days after Loretta Lynch’s independent report investigating the conduct of DPS was released. In her report, she

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recommended changes to the use of force policy for those in mental health crises, including the major change that use of force must be proportional to the behavior of the individual who is a threat to themselves or others. It is important to note that Lynch’s addition does not actually change the rule; it it only changes the wording of the procedure to be more harsh against officers who abuse use of force.

Hayley Lopez, a sophomore at SU, recalls such an experience with DPS while she was in the midst of an acute mental health crisis. Her roommates, concerned for her well-being, made a call to DPS last semester, which quickly escalated once they eventually arrived at the apartment. Lopez recalls that the officers, “didn’t know how to handle the situation — at all.” While EMTs on the scene gave Lopez the all-clear to stay at her apartment instead of being transferred to the local hospital, DPS vetoed overrode their decision. When Lopez refused to comply, DPS handcuffed her, forcibly dragged her out of her apartment, and cuffed her to a stretcher whichwhere she was then transported on to a hospital.

Lopez was eventually allowed to return home after hours of being at the hospital, and felt “traumatized” by the entire experience. “Every single time I hear a knock on the door, I freak out,” she said. “On Halloween night, someone jokingly knocked on my door and yelled ‘DPS!’ and it sent me into a panic attack.” To make matters worse, in the weeks following the incident, Lopez was then charged with various violations by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities regarding her interactions with DPS officers during her episode. If found guilty, she would be under academic probation for an entire year, which would significantly affect her academic and extracurricular activities. Lopez fought the charges with the help of her parents, while workers at the OSSR attempted to persuade her to simply accept the charges to get a head start on her probation.

“I felt silenced,” Lopez said.

After weeks of waiting for a hearing date, Lopez was eventually able to get the charges dropped in exchange for her participation in a “decision making” course.

In addition to damaging experiences with campus security, BIPOC students have experienced the trauma of seeing Black bodies being murdered on what felt like a weekly basis in 2020. Despite the clear need for mental health resources for students, universities

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While we’re making slight progress in destigmatizing these issues at large and within our own communities, there is still more that can be done to further the conversation and provide concrete policies and resources, especially on college campuses. In terms of mental health resources created for BIPOC students at SU, we still have a long way to go. Although change has certainly been made, all universities — SU included — have a responsibility to continue to evolve their mental health policies, to not only include the needs of students of color but and actively work to continue to break the stigma of mental health struggles.

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often miss the mark by implementing ‘’Wellness Days’’ (as if 24 hours is a cure all) and not taking into account the nuances of students’ mental health issues — especially disproportionality those that disproportionately affect students of color.

Zoë Boise, a student at SU explained that while the university touts the importance of self care, it fails to address pressing issues when it comes to the mental health of its students of color. “SU doesn’t address actual mental health issues, [they] just send us to the Barnes Center without acknowledging the deeper issues. Teachers also aren’t that understanding of mental health, so there needs to be more of a system in place for how teachers address [it],” she said. “For BIPOC specifically, they can definitely do a better job of addressing the trauma of racism and microaggressions.”

Trauma is prevalent within the BIPOC community, and ultimately requires adequate resources for individuals to begin a path towards healing. Professor Marcelle Haddix, the who specializes in such issues as co-director of the Lender Center for Social Justice, explains that, “I think it significantly affects students, whether they acknowledge it or not. I think there’s a lot of unknown about what the residue of our current trauma will be. Right now, we’re still carrying trauma from generations past, like slavery.” In addition, she recognizes the disconnect between existing resources on campus, and the ability for such resources to respond adequately to support the needs of BIPOC students. “I think you have to name and address the complexity and the nuance, and not have this one-size-fits-all mental health programming. Every student is unique and distinct. And every student needs to access and find spaces where they feel safe to process various situations.”

In regards to improving such areas of support, Zoë felt that, “it takes having a person of color as a therapist to address certain issues.” She personally manages her mental health by taking needed breaks from social activity, doing Zoom therapy, and communicating her feelings apart from her therapist to at least one person — all of which she highly recommends to her fellow peers. Professor Haddix provided similar advice, prompting students to hydrate, spend time outdoors in the sunshine, and simply participate in do activities and hobbies that one enjoys, rather than onessomething they have to do.

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ar-hopping in Downtown Syracuse in search of the funkiest tunes and hottest guys was a favorite pastime for many young gay people in Syracuse in the 70s, but it also provided safety from the daily discrimination and harassment they faced. For closeted individuals, cruising was a more “anonymous” way to meet people and hookup, especially on Syracuse University’s campus.

Surprisingly, Syracuse used to be home to a bustling queer nightlife scene, which may come as a shock given the lack of spaces available now. SU currently has Pride Union, the LGBTQ Resource Center, and the newly revamped LGBTQ-run magazine called The OutCrowd. Although there are a handful of queer spaces in the city, like CNY Pride and Sage Upstate, it seems like the queer nightlife scene does not in any way, shape, or form compare to what once was.

“In the 1970s, there were upwards of 10 gay bars

ve a lively sed to ha u e s are u c Syra ow there ife, but n tl e h ig W . n n y ga in tow gay bars d n a d only four ene hat happ be explore w nit y can u m m o c e th re e wh bars. ot at the found if n words by C ar Shapiro photos from The Post-Sta ndard

at one time in Syracuse; now there are a handful.

You can’t help but to ask, ‘What happened?’,” said SU PhD candidate Sam Castleberry (he/him), who studies queer ethnography and theories of memory within mid-sized cities. Cissy Saloon, Orpheus, the Half Shell, and the Cat’s Meow were among the gay and lesbian bars that used to exist in Syracuse in the 70s, but now, there is barely any evidence of their existence apart from people’s memories. Currently, the gay bars in Syracuse include Trexx, Wunderbar, and Wolf ’s Den. There used to be a fourth, Rain Lounge, but it closed down due to COVID and lost revenue. Technically, Syracuse Guerilla Bar, a 21+ pop-up networking and social gathering with a constantly-changing venue that remains a secret until the afternoon the day of, can be included, but there is still a huge difference between now and then, when gay and lesbian nightlife once thrived.

“Gay bars were crucial for queer people in the 70s;

you had to go out to meet people at the bars if you Ryan’s was the hottest spot, people came from all wanted to experience intimacy,” said Greg (he/him), over. All the hot guys were there; you wanted to end a 67-year-old gay man who grew up in Syracuse and up at Ryan’s to close the night,” Greg reminisced. attended SU. He was closeted as a teenager forcing Before Greg started going to bars, he got involved him to seek out places where he could comfortably with the cruising scene in Syracuse. Cruising, for “be gay.” This journey led him to the several gay bars our more innocent readers, is a part of gay hookup that used to sit on Warren Street near his job at the culture where one goes “cruising” to find someone time. “I left work and walked three blocks around to hookup with – a quick fuck, if you will. Back in to avoid being seen going to the gay bar,” Greg said. the day, there were known cruising spots in the city, A typical night for Greg, and many other queer such as the Thornden Park water tower, Onondaga teens in Syracuse in the 70s, involved bar-hopping Lake, and the Armory Square area. There were even down Warren Street and ending up at Ryan’s. He some notable cruising spots on our very own campus, used to work as a bartender at Gotch Carr’s, a including the basement bathrooms of Maxwell and gay bar which got replaced by Steamboat, where Bird as well as the restrooms of Machinery Hall. underage teens got in by using older people’s ID Maxwell was the hottest spot in town. At the time, cards (what a crazy concept). Before disco, bars there were two bathrooms in the basement. The offered 50 cent jukebox songs, but after the groovy back bathroom had a glory hole and was notorious genre became popular, everything changed. “People for orgies due to the lack of surrounding foot traffic. started hanging out where the music was better. “It was out of the way, there was nothing else down

there. There were two stalls and a urinal, with usually 10 to 12 guys and someone watching the door,” said Greg. The crowd included students and locals alike, and signals, like a foot tap under the stall, were used to indicate interest in a hookup. According to Greg, you could slip under the stall for a blowjob.

Although gay cruising is still a thing, it is no longer as prominent, especially on campus. Most queer people now head to online sites or dating apps to partake in a newer phenomenon, virtual cruising: Grindr, Growler, Men for Sex, Scruff, Adult Friend Finder, Man Hunt, Squirt, Double List, and Brawl just to name a few. A big

reason for the decline in cruising and gay bars is the emergence of the internet as a tool for queer education, connection, and activism.

The amount of queer spaces has declined in combination with the stigma around being publicly queer. As a result, gay and queer people are able to take up more space in heteronormative culture. There are a few other catalysts for the changes experienced in queer nightlife some being the first being disco, which changed queer culture for the better. “Disco woke the world up to gay culture; the music started to merge straight and queer cultures as well as Black and white cultures,” Greg said. Another factor that affected gay culture but hurt bars was the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which stole almost a whole generation’s worth of gay people.

“I had to make all new friends as an adult because many of mine lost their lives to the AIDS crisis in the 80s,” said Greg.

That being said, uniquely queer spaces are still important. Jorge A Castillo (he/him) is the director of the LGBTQ Resource Center at SU. Castillo says his motivation as director is seeing queer students thrive despite any obstacles as well as providing a space for people to feel unconditionally welcomed and validated. The center

"Gay bars were crucial for queer people in the 70s; you had to go out to meet people at the bars if you wanted to experience intimacy."

has previously worked with Sage Upstate, a not-forprofit organization that promotes the well being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning people in Central New York as they age, to facilitate an intergenerational dinner for queer people of three different generations to meet and connect. “There is a lack of historical memory in the queer community and a lack of connection for queer elders. Creating a space to talk about struggles helps people find similarities; every queer generation struggles to find community,” said Castillo.

Junior Berri Wilmore (she/her) said she didn’t wonder about what the queer experience would be like here before she arrived, but once she became a student she realized the queer community was lacking. Wilmore also works at the LGBTQ Resource Center and plans events to connect the center to the student body.

“It’s isolating to be queer on campus, especially with COVID. I’m looking forward to more in-person events to help students connect to queer community

and feel more comfortable on campus,” said Wilmore.

She is also working on a project called The Elder Archives, which is an online archive of elder queer experiences in CNY. “Being queer out here [in Upstate New York] means something, and I wanted to help connect different generations of queer people since there is a gap in information,” Wilmore said. The lack of queer history in classrooms combined with the horrendous aftermath of the AIDS epidemic tore communities apart, making it hard for information to be passed down. It is imperative that younger generations learn that their experiences don’t exist in a vacuum, and although queer culture is changing and evolving, there are people out there with wisdom and experience that can be shared.

It seems that Syracuse will never have what it once had — a lively gay bar and crazy fun crusing scene — but that doesn’t mean queer people will cease to find spaces to connect with others safely. Whether it be online or in-person engagement, the queer community in the city and at SU are still striving to experience and make contributions to their areas, something so sacred and necessary for queer people to have.

IF ONLY THEY HAD TOLD US words and photos by Nina Bridges

It’s one of those things you don't realize it's happening as it's happening. I lost joy in my everyday life and was in a constame with taking such a structured pill.

Through screen prints, images and embossments, I explore the fogginess in my body and my mental state over the two years I was taking a daily birth control pill.

The experience that I had begs a larger question about the experience of countless others that have yet to find a voice to describe their thoughts and feelings about the effects of birth control hormones on their bodies. It is almost taken for granted that women will visit a clinician at some point who will lay out the options available for practicing safe sex and birth control. It is wonderful to have these options and to be part of a larger dialogue about women’s right to exercise control of their bodies. At the same time, for most of us it happens at a fairly young age when perhaps we lack the maturity or experience to understand what we are really getting into with hormonal therapy.

One wonders if there has been any real research

into the emotional, intellectual or spiritual side effects from taking birth control hormones. Well, there have been studies and they yield conflicting results, most likely due to the difficulty in measuring the changes that occur since each woman’s body most likely responds differently and the changes are so subtle.

For me, it would have been nice to know about the possible side effects, namely, the potential for mood changes and the possibility of depression. At this point, I can finally acknowledge what happened to me personally. To represent all this in my art, it is my intention to give a broader voice to others who share my experience, legitimizing yet another set of private experiences and planting a seed for a future where those experiences become publicly acknowledged.

Nina Bridges is a Newhouse senior majoring in photography. Her current exhibition, “If only they had told us” was on view at the Michael Sickler Gallery in Syracuse, New York from May 14-21.

SPEAKEASY:

THE LINGO ON THE LINGO Two NYC natives share their love for their city's culture with listeners.

words by Noah Estling | photos by Zoë McCreary Face it: every single one of you reading this has had a shitty idea for a podcast. I’m not immune to this either: freshman year, my friend Mia and I were hellbent on making a history themed podcast even though we didn’t know anything about history. Who was gonna listen to that? Thankfully, people exist who have good podcast ideas and possess the capability to make great content. That's where Syracuse seniors Money Mesbah (they/them) and Omari Romain (he/ him) enter with The Lingo. Money is a Communication and Rhetorical Studies Major, African-American Studies Minor, and Romain is a Finance and Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises double major.

The Lingo began when Money was working on WERW Radio and Romain floated the idea of a joint podcast.

Romain came

up with the name The Lingo freshman year and, realizing how much NYC slang is incorporated into their daily vernacular, it ended up fitting perfectly.

They started the series off on their hour-long radio slot, but quickly realized, and came to resent, the box they were putting themselves in. And if there’s one thing Money and Romain hate, it's being boxed in.

“We are not a music podcast, we are a chameleon podcast,” said Money. As a result, they invite everyone from every corner of the creative universe to come and talk to them. This ranges from music to physical art to sculpting, they even had a chef sit in on a recent episode. Both being from Brooklyn, they have a shared culture that they love and want to introduce to their audience. They both want to talk about what’s important to them without constraining themselves to just one topic.

Money and Romain say they’re “in the business of putting people on” inviting guests from all facets of art and culture to bring something new to their listeners.

“I love the synergy of it,” Romain told me. “Being able to put someone onto something that's dope, I don't know, I feel like that's a huge honor.” Romain shared that a huge part of New York City culture is communication and that's exactly what they both hope to express in theri podcast, be it showcasing artists from their own networks or, including segments with guests talking about the niche slang phrases they use.

When asked what they want people to take away from their podcast Money stated, “We're just two people who really love the culture we grew up in and this podcast is our physical creation to amplify that.”

Romain put it in even simpler terms stating, “You just have to come along.”

DISCOVERSYR:

A TASTE OF HOME

From sweet to savory, Biwon Syracuse is a little slice of Asia in the heart of Syracuse.

words by Hannah Miao-Bian Ly | photos by Ling Ung

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ows of gochujang, a savory red chili paste common in Korean cuisine, ramen, and kitchen utensils line the shelves of Han’s Asian Supermarket. Across the parking lot, the scent of warm Korean pastries waft from Tous Les Jours as customers pick up fresh sushi from Secret Garden.

This mouth-watering collaboration of various establishments is none other than Biwon Syracuse, a hub for Korean, Japanese, and other Asian foods of over 30 years. The small plaza located in East Syracuse houses four businesses: Han’s Asian Supermarket, Secret Garden Restaurant, Tous les Jours, and Palace Music Studio. Beatrice and Jong Hee Han opened Han’s Asian Supermarket in 1989 and then added Secret Garden Restaurant next door 10 years later. Finally in 2015, they opened Tous les Jours, the first Korean bakery in Central New York.

Han’s Asian Supermarket has become a landmark for Asian cuisine. Regular customers know that Han’s is the place to go for recommendations for their latest dishes. Jeanie, the manager, was happily chatting with an elderly man about a new ingredient when I walked in.

The market is undeniably embedded into the Syracuse community and the surrounding area. “We’ve been here for so long that the elderly knows us. Central New York knows us,” Jeanie said.

Once you walk in, you are greeted with fridges filled with traditional, handmade Korean meals, sides, and desserts which the family-owned and operated business is known for. The in-house prepared tteokbokki, a stirfried rice cake, and beef bulgogi, korean beef, practically beg you to take them home. The Syracuse community is a big fan of their offerings. “Local businesses use our homemade kimchi, homemade tofu, homemade rice cakes,” Jeanie said.

As you explore the packed aisles of the market, you’ll find all sorts of domestic and imported goods. You can barely move around with all the different products toppling over shelves and stacked on the floor. I dare you

to leave the store without finding something new to try.

On the other hand, Secret Garden offers an extensive menu of Korean and Japanese food like sushi, sashimi, and bibimbap, a spicy Korean dish with beef, sautéed vegetables, and a fried egg over rice. The restaurant’s name is based on the name of the plaza – fun fact Biwon means “secret garden” in Korean.

Next door, Tous les Jours is a bakery franchise and the newest addition to Biwon Syracuse. The French-Asian bakery offers various breads, desserts, and beverages that have become a sweet staple for Central New Yorkers.

Various cakes, pastries, breads, and sweet drinks create a sweet aroma that makes your mouth water when you enter the bakery. These treats taste even better than they smell. Their milk cream and red bean bread is a delicious combination of chewiness and sweetness all baked to perfection. They also offer savory pastries like kimchi and curry croquettes that show off its French-Asian roots.

Visitors from all over the state come to enjoy the flavorful foods of Biwon Syracuse. Jeanie said that customers come from Binghamton, Ithaca, Rochester and even Buffalo. For some, the traditional Asian cuisine is nostalgic.

“I go there really often because it reminds me of the Korean places I’d go to at home,” said Sarah Lee, a Korean-American student at SU. “It’s something I treat myself to and share with my friends here.”

Despite COVID-19, business at Biwon Syracuse has been strong as one of the few places in Syracuse to offer authentic Asian foods. These never-ending rows of exciting ingredients add a yummy, much-needed addition to the Syracuse community.

You can find Biwon Syracuse at 2737 Erie Boulevard E in East Syracuse or online at biwonsyracuse.com.

LetThem EatCake

models:

Brita Evans, Zoë Boise, JD Triolo, Anjola Layeni, Kodjo Habia, Claire Robbins

director:

Madi Bauman

production:

Kate Regan, Ava Lahijani, Jacieon Williams

makeup:

photos:

Annalise LoBiondo , Hannah Gates, Claire Robbins Benjamin Piers

STRIPPED:

NECESSITY TO ACCESSORY The wide-ranging evolution of the headscarf: from religious texts to TikTok. words by Kate Regan illustrations by Sophia Dyer

The headscarf, which has been seen more recently as a TikTok trend or on your favorite influencer promoting their Parade discount code, hasn’t always been worn as a fun accessory.

Used in the Museum of Modern Art’s exhibit as one of the 111 objects that defined the last century of fashion and popularized by pop culture icons like Audrey Hepburn, Queen Elizabeth, and Jackie O., the headscarf originated way before Hollywood existed. From mentions as early as the Bible to as recent as your spring trend Pinterest board, the headscarf has been a consistent part of fashion worldwide.

Early religious ties The Bible disgraces women from cutting or shaving their hair and requires them to cover their heads — but lucky for us, things have progressed a little in the 21st century. In the Assyrian Empire, laws required women to practice “veiling” to mark their social standings and marital status. Headscarves were forbidden to prostitutes and lower-class women, who risked public humiliation or arrest if this regulation was broken. The headscarf was additionally born out of necessity to protect the heads of the higher class from the rain and sun and help keep hair cleaner. Throughout history, head coverings have been worn for spiritual beliefs, cultural significance, practicality, and fashion.

Whatever the reason, it’s important to note that covering the head is a personal choice.

Certain religions mention the importance of the headscarf in their sacred texts. More conservative groups still uphold these traditions, from Catholic nuns who wear a habit, to married Orthodox Jewish women who wear a tichel — a type of headscarf — or sheitel, a wig. In Islam, the Quran's verses about modesty have been interpreted in different ways, with some regarding head covering as obligatory and others as a choice.

Political systems, geography, and ethnicity also play a crucial role in how and if women choose to cover their heads or hair.

France has recently decided to ban any girl under the age of 18 from wearing a Hijab. While some believe that Hijabs are foundationally oppressive, taking away the choice to wear a Hijab is the actual oppression.

The impact of Hermès Beginning in the 1910s, French fashion houses were dreaming up designs that included colorful,

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Cultural appropriation With headscarves, white people did what they consistently do best: stealing from others and claiming it as their own. While Muslims are

JERK

Importance in Black culture The durag is a head covering that Black people wear to accelerate their wave development, dreadlocks, and braids in the hair. They’re also used to secure wave patterns while sleeping.

Created by enslaved Black people, the durag was originally worn by Black women to hold their hair.

Following the Black Power Movement in the 1960s, the durag became a leading fashion statement and continues to be worn by everyone from athletes to rappers 60 years later.

By the late 90s, the headscarf pivoted to the bandana, and it became closely associated with hip hop and R&B. The paisley print, which was initially linked to gangs and cowboys, was rebranded and worn by superstars such as Aaliyah, Jennifer Lopez, and Destiny's Child in music videos and on the red carpet.

GAWK

embellished scarves on the head. Couture designer Paul Poiret popularized the first headscarf in bold patterns, sometimes affixed with a centered jewel.

Following the suffrage movement in 1917, silent film star Anna Mae Wong popularized wearing headscarves as a sign of sophistication and freedom. Hermès then released its iconic scarf in 1937, with an elaborate design on imported Chinese silk. The scarves were popularized for their intensely detailed process and traditional use of silk screening technique. Instead of using digital technology to mass produce scarves, Hermès chose tradition over technology. Each of their scarves is still silk-screened by a professional artisan. The headscarf very quickly became a fixture in high society worn by Queen Elizabeth, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and Grace Kelly, who famously used her Hermès to fashionably sling her broken arm. Then, in the 1950s, the headscarf shifted to a symbol of class after being popularized by celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn, so much so that Hepburn wore one on her wedding day.

Designers such as Louis Vuitton and Jacquemus have now followed in Hermès’ footsteps and debuted head coverings with modern takes on classic patterns, as seen on Kylie Jenner, Rihanna, and Bella Hadid.

constantly being ridiculed, ostracized, and profiled for their Hijabs, it’s easy for others to take advantage of the look and wear it as their own without acknowledging — or even knowing — the gravity and oppression behind it.

The easiest, and probably the only, way to style a headscarf to avoid cultural appropriation is to try a babushka. The babushka, a headscarf designed to be tied under the chin, is typically worn in Russia and Poland. Thanks to A$AP Rocky, there has recently been a resurgence of the style in streetwear culture. While headscarves can be any material, color, or pattern, it’s safest to choose a lightweight, silk, patterned scarf, as it’s the least comparable to the average Hijab. If you have to stop and ask if your look is appropriating one's culture, it probably is. Make sure to research and educate yourself by listening to the voices of those who actually face oppression from wearing headscarves.

CLOSET CASE:

ENGRAVED JEWELRY

photos by Lauren Miller

GRACE DENTON: This ring is something special that I share with my two best friends (basically my sisters) at home. We all have the same one, and it’s engraved with the phrase “everywhere, I will be with you” written in my handwriting. It’s a lyric from the song "Save Us" by Lennon Stella, about her own sister and the idea that no matter where life takes them, they’re still always with each other. My best friends and I love this song and really related to it when I was leaving for my first semester of college. So, I had this ring made for us to always be reminded that even when we’re not in the same place, we’re still together.

VIOLET LAZURUS AND DOTTIE BRILL: The first weekend I hung out with Dottie outside of Syracuse I went to visit her in Philly. We went to the bar and confidently handed the bouncer our fake IDs and immediately got brought over to the police and cited. We had to go to court and do a class and the whole nine yards but ultimately it got wiped off our records. For my birthday a few months later, Dottie got me a ring with the date we got arrested engraved on it. Because I’ve never had an original thought in my life, for her birthday, I got her a ring with the date our records were cleared. Recently, Dottie tod me her friend’s birthday is the date our records were cleared, and I knew her friend's birthday was in March. I was like, our records were cleared in February. Dottie was like, the rings says March. I got the wrong date engraved on her ring. And we didn't realize until three years later. It’s not my fault. February gives me very third month energy.

KALANI MAH: I made this scorpio constellation necklace in my metalsmithing class while I studied abroad in Florence. I have always been fascinated with the zodiac, how people take it so seriously and about how their sign determines their personality. While a part of me also believes this, one of the main reasons why I take such pride in my sign is because I share it with my mother. I see a lot of my mom in myself — our honesty and tenacity are parallel. Maybe it’s because our personalities are just that similar or maybe it’s just because we are both scorpios...

FORM & FUNCTION: How to dress like a...

JERK

Jerk Beanie: What else are we going to wear to cover our big heads and inflated egos?

Jerk Tote: The Jerk tote stays ON during sex. It’s an absolute must for carrying a pack of American Spirits, a niche poetry collection that you probably won’t open for months, and maybe even a craft beer or two. Need we say more?

photo by Benjamin Piers

Jerk Sweatshirt: Come on, would this even be a realistic guide to dressing like a Jerk if we didn’t shamelessly plug our new merch? Whether you’re more into the classic look or want to mix it up with Sir Stinky, you will without question look like the biggest jerk out of all your friends in one of these.

Jerk Mag: What is a Jerk without Jerk Magazine? Your average Newhouse student with an overachiever complex and a prescription for an anti-anxiety medication.

We need the mag as much as the mag needs us.

Crystals: A is for amethyst, B is for bloodstone, and C is for calcite — Jerks know the real alphabet.

Docs: What’s cooler than being cool?

Dr. Martens, and you already know we’re flexing that vegan leather no matter the season.

Converse: Jerk is a strictly high-top zone.

Metalworking is Our JAM How Syracuse's metalsmithing community has flourished on and off campus, even during a pandemic. words by Sarah Dolgin photos by Isabel Madover

D

uring a year dragged down by the hardships of a pandemic, many people are seeking an activity to help deal with their frustrations. For some, this outlet is hammering away at pieces of metal.

Across social media platforms like TikTok, content creators have been documenting their experiences working with metal to make jewelry for themselves and others. Some people have turned metalsmithing workshops into date ideas, while others use this art form to release their pent-up stress. We can’t help but wonder, though, what’s so golden about this metalwork trend?

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, metalworking is “the act or process of shaping things out of metal.” To Kelly Diemond, the owner of Metal Morphosis Jewelry Studio in Syracuse, N.Y., it’s so much more.

“You can melt it down. You can turn it into something totally different. It’s so malleable and versatile, and yet you can harden it, you can shape it basically to any form that you want it to be. So, to me, it’s taking something that’s kind of just raw materials and transforming it into something that is a reflection of what you want to communicate,” she explained.

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"Having art on your wall is really lovely, but there’s something about having an object that gets to exist with a body and travel through day-to-day life with the wearer that appeals me personally to jewelry and small-scale work." body involved in a variety of workshops.

The club holds free workshops every Saturday that are open to anyone in the SU and SUNY ESF community (with certain registration protocols, such as emailing ahead to reserve space in the workshop due to COVID restrictions). From earrings to rings to pins, participants can work on a wide variety of metalsmithing activities.

Brophy has been making jewelry since she was 14 and loves the concept of creating art that is mobile as opposed to purely ornamental. “I love the idea of wearable art. It feels very accessible. Having art on your wall is really lovely, but there’s something about having an object that gets to exist with a body and travel through day-to-day life with the wearer that appeals me personally to jewelry and smallscale work,” said Brophy.

JAM Club focuses on one or two basic techniques each week. One of these techniques is texture, which includes the usage of stamps and hammers, as well as steel chasing tools, which are rods of steel finished differently at the end (either with points, triangles, or circles). In the workshop, participants can hammer into the metal with these different tools to explore

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When Diemond first became interested in metalsmithing, she had to travel to other cities, such as Rochester, Utica, and San Diego to master her skillset because of the lack of resources in Syracuse.

After practicing and refining her metalworking abilities, Diemond opened the doors to her very own studio for workshops in 2018. She felt that it was important to bring the craft to Syracuse, as there were no other metalworking locations in the area, and she was met with a community of people interested in developing their own relationships with the art form.

“I was really happy that there are people that are interested and want to learn and just keep coming back for class after class,” said Diemond.

This interest persists at Syracuse University, where students can dip their toes into the world of metalsmithing through the Jewelry and Metalsmithing Club. Founded by Adah Brophy, a current senior, JAM Club works to get the student

the varying end results.

There are many different skills that go into metalworking. Some of those taught in Diemond’s studio include soldering, enameling, sawing, piercing, forming, and forging, and other foundational metalsmithing skills.

From learning how to operate air torches, hammers, files, grinders, saws, a hydraulic press, a rolling mill, and other tools galore, Metal Morphosis offers many opportunities for people to find an area of metalwork that suits their fancies. Diemond teaches her students how to utilize these different tools in the studio and use them to make something that they are proud of. “I think they have a new appreciation for what goes into jewelry-making when they come into it themselves,” said Diemond.

JAM Club also teaches students how to weld, but mostly works in soldering, which Brophy describes as “using heat to glue metal together.” It is done by using a metal with a slightly lower melting point in order to fuse the two pieces together. Additionally, the club works with piecework, which involves using small saws, metal forming by using tools to play with its components, lost wax casting – which is often used to make jewelry from a model or pattern — many other facets of metalwork.

Metalsmithing involves constant trial and error,

so exploring the many different techniques that the craft encompasses may seem daunting to beginners.

Even though there are many skills to be learned and tools to be used, Diemond ensures to those who are just getting started that “there’s nothing so precious about it that you can’t undo.”

Brophy hopes to squander the notion that only art students can participate in metalwork, and explains the art form as something open to anyone who wants to learn.

“You don’t have to be in art school to learn how to do it. You can do it just because you love it. There’s something that I think is really special about being able to flex and say you made your own jewelry that you’re wearing,” she states.

Diemond’s most popular workshop is ringmaking, which she offers once or twice monthly and usually sells out as soon as she posts it. She also teaches skills such as fine silver fusing and torch-fired enameling for beginners. For those who want to immerse themselves in more advanced metalsmithing skills, Diemond offers an 8-week mentorship program and has a membership program for people who love her studio and want to spend a lot of their time in her classes.

“Most of my students are total beginners, and they come not really knowing what to expect, and then

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"You don’t have to be in art school to learn how to do it. You can do it just because you love it."

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they leave with something they’re so excited to go show off to their friends,” Diemond said.

To her, there is something special about metalwork that sets it apart from working with other media. As someone experienced in painting and working with textiles among other products, she likes that metalwork can be combined with other materials to create something that incorporates different elements of art. She also strongly enjoys the movement involved in the actual physical act of metalworking.

“The physicality of working with metal, the hammering, the pounding, it’s very good stress relief for me. I always tell people it’s good therapy.”

Through her metalwork, Brophy has found what she deems to be a welcoming and safe community of other jewelers. She hopes to channel the positivity she receives from this community into cultivating an environment that unites people over an art form that is both fun and inviting. “Being able to welcome other people into that community at a very baseline, accessible level is something that’s really important to me,” Diemond said..

Brophy also wants to promote accessibility within her workshops, as she feels that art often falls into the stigma that it is only digestible to those who are wealthy and have access to the fine arts. She hopes to

combat this through the freedom that she conducts her jewelry-making classes with, as “jewelry feels like more of an act of self-expression.” By honing in on self-expression and exploration, she offers people the opportunity to explore and discover aspects of themselves within their metalwork, forgetting about external pressures and enjoying the craft as a therapeutic practice.

“After you’ve had a bad day, sometimes it does feel really good to just put all of your energy into something really physical. It can be such a good release,” said Brophy. Similarly to Diemond, Brophy recognizes the value of being able to pour anxiety and energy into an art that allows physical exertion to be part of the process.

No matter the level of experience someone has with metalsmithing, Brophy says that “it can and should be for any and everybody.” In her eyes, it is a great way to forge bonds and find a common ground, and there are many physical, mental, and spiritual benefits to joining the community. Her advice for beginners? Start wherever you are the most comfortable and try out different skills until something clicks.

“Don’t be afraid to fail. You might make 20 pairs of really ugly earrings, but your 21st pair might be awesome.”

A deep dive into the story of anti-religious imagery in music. words by Zoe Glasser, Megan Adams, and Luke Maddren illustration by Lance Evans

F

or as long as organized religion has existed, it has inspired artists. Whether it be Indigenous deities, the classical Greco-Roman pantheon, or the capital-G God that monotheistic religions worship, religious figures and their associated iconography have been recreated time and time again. Oftentimes, these depictions are positive; Michelangelo’s painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, for example, portrays God perched atop his heavenly cloud reaching out to Adam.

Others depictions, though, use negative or bastardized versions of religious images to prove their point. The inverted cross was originally a pro-Christian image if you can believe it, but it has recently become associated with anti-Christian sentiment and even Satanism.

All this is to say that artists have been using and subverting religious images since, basically, the beginning of time. Within the past century, though, these images have made their way into popular music. In response to the religious fervor of the mid20th century, stars such as Madonna and Prince released music that used religious themes to tackle issues like sex, politics, and often religion itself.

This trend continued in the years leading up to the new millennium, peppered with controversies like Sinead O’Connor ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II live on SNL. Now, we have artists like Lady Gaga, Frank Ocean, and, most recently, Lil Nas X to thank for our fill of (sac)religious images in music.

Take a journey with us to find out how members of the LGBTQ+ community use religious themes in their art, how emo and pop-punk play into religious themes, and why parental advisory labels exist (spoiler alert: it’s because of white moms).

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How rock and roll nearly tore America apart at the seams. words by Luke Maddren illustration by Lance Evans

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astors accusing teenagers of drinking human blood. Parents claiming teachers were involved in a ritualistic sex cult. Ever-present rumors of a nationwide Satanism corrupting our kids and ultimately destroying America. In the 1980s, America was facing a full-on nation-wide “Satanic Panic.” Concerned parents and religious leaders accused everyone and everything that could maybe, hypothetically, have some nominal connection to Satanism of being involved in a global Satanist conspiracy — complete with ritual sacrifice, sex trafficking, and murder — with absolutely zero evidence.

In the 80s, “the rules were shifting, and society is never comfortable when that happens,” said Mary deYoung, a professor of sociology at Grand Valley State University. “The easiest way to deal with that anxiety was to find someone or something to blame.”

While Satanism was connected to all kinds of culture, one of the most popular cultural phenomena to fall victim to these accusations was rock and metal music.

Teenagers started to cast aside the records by rock musicians like Elvis Presley in favor of those

by Black Sabbath and Slayer. This new rock and roll was fast, loud, and abrasive. Songs were commonly about violence, sex, and drugs, which flew in the face of everything Christian. As a result of this new, unholy trend, concerned Christians tried to find any connection between the rise in rock and roll music and Satanic ritual sacrifice. One particularly common technique of identifying “Satanic messages” in rock music was playing records backwards. Some listeners, for example thought that when played in reverse, Led Zeppelin's 1971 song “Stairway to Heaven” repeated the words “my sweet Satan.”

A group of perturbed parents called the Parents

Music Resource Center put together a list of 15 songs they considered to be obscene or violent, which they called the “Filthy Fifteen” — nine of the fifteen songs were heavy metal songs. The PMRC even testified in front of Congress in 1985 about the lyrics used in rock songs with the goal of forming a warning label system for explicit content. Despite backlash, the PMRC got their way and the Parental Advisory: Explicit Content label we all love to ignore was created. Under this new system, bands had to change or completely omit parts of their previously-mixed albums In order to keep their records in stores.

While this might seem like parents just being parents, the Satanic Panic had real consequences. In 1993, three teenagers were convicted of murdering three children in the woods — and one of the accused’s favorite bands was Metallica, which played into the prosecution’s favor, said deYoung. With years upon years of campaigning by rock musicians and the release of several HBO documentaries, the trio, called the West Memphis Three, were exonerated.

At the end of the day, the rock and roll genre survived the public outcry. For some, however, the experience gives rock music a special place in their heart, such as Les Rose, a professor of broadcast and digital journalism at Syracuse University who’s been to over 1,300 rock concerts in his life. “I’m 64 years old, and I’ve been listening to rock music since I was ten, including hardcore heavy metal,” Rose said. “To this day, I have not killed anyone, and I haven’t worshipped Satan. I just enjoy it for what it is.” Despite all odds and the wrath of bornagain parents, the rock and roll genre came out on top — and it’s safe to say that America hasn’t been destroyed… yet.

Ever wondered how sacrilege intersects with goth, emo, and punk music? What about this intersection’s impact on mainstream culture? words by Megan Adams | illustration by Lance Evans

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Michelle Santosuosso: I’d describe it as a sonic and stylized offshoot from alternative rock music that was popular then.

JM: How do you think the goth/emo movement has impacted the cultural landscape as of more recently?

MS: I mean, in LA (where I’m from and spent the last 30 years), lots of people dress up as goths, still to this date, and go to Smiths conventions and fan nights.

JM: Do you foresee a comeback of the emo lifestyle?

MS: In my experience, popular music trends tend to run in cycles, so there could be a new band or new musicians who reignite this in the future, for sure.

JM: Why have emo/alt/punk musicians incorporated sacrilegious imagery into their work? How has that impacted the movement?

MS:To be inherently counter-culture and challenge the mainstream value systems; part of why emo music is sometimes referred to as “Punk’s moody younger sibling.”

JM: How has the emo/goth movement changed?

MS: Currently it does not have the same amount/level of groundbreaking ambassadors as the movement had in the past.

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JM: Is there any song or band that sticks out in your head as quintessentially goth/emo and why?

MS: In the 90s, Marilyn Manson and NIN were covering the goth side of things with their imagery, and there were some bands in that time frame who got some exposure due to this. Death Cab, Jimmy Eat World also come to mind.

JERK

atanism in music isn’t new, but watching Lil Nas X have literal sex with Satan is. Pop music has always had sacrilege integrated into it, but what brought on this modern influxion of sacrilege in music, and what is it about the goth, emo, and punk lifestyles that are conducive to sacrilege imagery?

We have to consider what it is we think of when we think of sacrilege and what sacrilege in music influence us to think of — love, hell, Satan, and sin.

Music has been based in religion since its invention, but sacrilege became mainstream in recent history, namely after 9/11 when My Chemical Romance was formed in its wake (which then inspired Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, which inspired Fifty Shades of Grey, which led to the infamous Dakota Johnson “That’s actually not the truth, Ellen” interview that we treasure to this day, but we digress).

Specific lyrics from pop artists today influence our mental imagery of sacrilegious music. Billie Eilish’s “all the good girls go to hell” has lyrics like “Pearly gates look more like a picket fence” which paints a disapointing picture of heaven, and even the title implies a glorification of “hell.” MCR does things very similarly in their music but even more embedded in the pop punk scene than mainstream Eilish. Their song “Welcome to the Black Parade'' represents a journey from death to the afterlife, where they note that if the son of the dying man “[becomes] the savior of the broken, the beaten, and the damned'' he will join the Black Parade when he dies — the Black Parade being the way to the afterlife or heaven. As opposed to Eilish’s lyrics, MCR seems more inclined to represent religion less backward and glorifies heaven but draws comparisons between life on Earth and hell instead.

We spoke with Professor Michelle Santosuosso in the Bandier program about emo, goth, and punk movements and their cultural impact.

Jerk Magazine: How would you define the emo/ goth movement of the early 2000s to someone who didn’t already know about it?

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e r ' Y ! e Th ming a l F I

The history of LGBTQ+ musicians queering religious iconography.

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t would be an understatement to say that many organized religions don’t have a reputation of being welcoming to their LGBTQ+ adherents.

It should come as no surprise, then, that LGBTQ+ artists who were raised in religious settings often choose to publically subvert the imagery of a religion or religions they were taught hated them. As Lil Nas X displayed in his “Call Me By Your Name” video, artists often choose to reclaim religious imagery and make it tell their stories by showing it through a queer lens.

We’re sure you’ve seen the video by now, so we’ll spare you the intimate details. Those familiar with the GIFs that have been making their rounds on Twitter, however, know that the video features Lil Nas X sliding down to Hell on a gazillion-footlong stripper pole wearing nothing but boxers and leather thigh-high heels. At the end of the video, he seduces Satan (played by himself ), kills him, and becomes king of the underworld.

Contrary to what Ben Shapiro and Company’s panic over this video would have you believe, Lil Nas X was far from the first to queerly subvert religious imagery. According to William Robert, director of Syracuse University’s LGBTQ Studies Department and associate professor of religion, people have been “queering” religious iconography since medieval times. Beginning in about 1250, he says, Jesus was depicted with less clothing and was more often seen dead.

“In some instances, depictions of Christ become

Words by Zoe Glasser Illustration by Jenny Katz

feminized to the point that Christ is represented as a trans person with masculine facial features and breasts. Believers nursing at the breast of Christ, which is obviously a destabilization of gender and familial relations. At the time, these images weren’t considered particularly troublesome because they corresponded to theological ideas in Christianity.

But when we look at them now, they’re quite shocking to see,” said Robert.

He also points out that we cannot say whether the artists who created those images were LGBTQ+, as that nomenclature was created in the 20th century. However, LGBTQ+ artists have consistently used pious imagery to express their identity and relationship with religion since then.

“The turn to art as a means of negotiating identity has largely to do with the fact that a Christian person might say, ‘I’m looking at these [religious] images and I don’t see myself. I don’t see any space for me in these images, and so I’m going to create spaces in which I can find myself, I can see myself reflected,’” said Robert.

In 1990, for example, singer George Michael released the song “Freedom! ‘90.” Written in the style of a spiritual, the song celebrates Michael’s new career as a solo artist and, more covertly, as a gay man — though he didn’t come out publicly for another eight years.

As acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community increased, so too did the popularity of using religious themes in art and music to express queerness.

63 Queer Religion Playlist “She’s My Religion” - Pale Waves “Heaven in Hiding” - Halsey “HEAVEN” - Troye Sivan

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“God In Jeans” - Ryan Beatty “Savior” - St. Vincent “Pussy Is God” - King Princess “religion (u can lay your hands on me)” - Shura “Holy” - Zolita “Sanctify” - Years & Years “Judas” - Lady Gaga “mary magdalene” - FKA twigs “Bad Religion” - frank ocean

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“HIM” - Sam Smith

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One of the most famous people who has used Christian imagery is the mother monster herself. Lady Gaga received plenty of backlash in the early 2000s for her song “Judas,” in which she uses the biblical figure as a stand-in for her lover. Gaga, who is openly bisexual and proudly Christian, regularly uses her lyrics to highlight the intersection between her gender, sexuality, and religion.

Shortly after “Judas,” Frank Ocean released his debut album Channel Orange, which features the track “Bad Religion.” Similar to his predecessors, Ocean uses traditionally Christian and Muslim themes to tell the story of his unrequited love with another man. He repeats the line “Allahu Akbar,” Arabic for “God is greatest,” throughout the song, singing over chilling chords on the organ. Despite comparing love to overt religious practices and figures in the same way Gaga did, Ocean did not face the same pushback as her.

Reactions to Lil Nas X’s “Call Me By Your Name” video were polarized, to say the least, but one thing is abundantly clear: he did what he came to do.

Lil Nas X, like so many before him, manipulated and subverted Christian iconography to fit his own experiences with the religion.

The day the video premiered on YouTube, Lil Nas X tweeted a letter to his 14-year-old self. He wrote, “I know we promised to never come out publicly, I know we promised to never be ‘that’ type of gay person, I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist.”

In fact, being “that type of gay person” is exactly what brought Lil Nas X an outpouring of support on social media. By subverting and queering Christian imagery, he allowed young people with similar backgrounds to feel open about expressing themselves too.

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1969

1971

Age of Satan Church of Satan declares 1966 as the first year in the “Age of Satan”

Belgian Singer Hugo Raspoet releases Evviva Il Papa In the song, Raspoet criticizes the Catholic Church as a whole — as well as Pope Pius XII’s alleged silence about the Nazi persecution of Jewish people during World War II.

1989 Madonna releases “Like a Prayer” music video Madonna’s music video for her song “Like a Prayer” garnered a lot of negative attention when it was released, especially from the Vatican. The video featured, among other things, Madonna dancing around burning crosses and a makeout session with a saint.

John Lennon releases "Imagine" The song famously features a line about a world with no religion.

While the song is meant to be a song about hope for the future and a stop to religious hate and division, the “anti-religious” lyrics pissed off some religious listeners.

1992 Irish singer Sinead O’Connor rips up picture of the Pope on SNL On the late night comedy show, O’Connor performed a cover of Bob Marley’s “War”, with the lyrics changed from being about racism to being about child sex abuse. At the end of her performance, she yells “Fight the real enemy!” while ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II in front of a stunned audience.

From Madonna to Montero: the evolution of sacrilegious imagery in music.

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Synopsis of Sacrilege

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words by Luke Maddren illustrations by Thanh Thai

Ricky Kasso murders

Negativland releases " Christianity is Stupid"

Ricky Kasso, a Satan-obsessed teenager from Long Island, murdered his friend over a dispute over drugs. Unfortunately for fans of rock music, he was arrested wearing an AC/DC shirt — and some drew connections between Ricky’s cold-blooded murder and heavy metal.

Negativland’s album "Escape From Noise" releases, featuring a track called “Christianity is Stupid”. After the album tour was cancelled, the band put out a fake press release saying that the album was involved in the Brom murders, where a teenager named David Brom killed his parents and both of his siblings. The mainstream media didn’t know the press release was a joke, though - and they ran with it.

2011

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Lady Gaga releases “Judas”

Lil Nas X releases " MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" music video

Even though she’s known for her sex-positive lyrics and videos, Lady Gaga drew criticism from religious groups for her song “Judas,” which is about how she’s in love with biblical figure Judas, who betrayed Jesus to the Romans and had him crucified.

Lil Nas X’s video drew both praise and criticism for, you know, the part where he pole dances into Hell, gives Satan a lap dance, snaps his neck, and then puts Satan’s horns on his own head, so he becomes Satan? In addition to the video, Lil Nas X released his own custom shoe - which featured Devil imagery on it as well as a drop of (supposedly) real human blood in the sole. Only 666 pairs were made at a price tag of over $1k.

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1987

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1984

REWIND:

RARE AESTHETIC: 2000S RED CARPET

A reflection on the most questionable celebrity wardrobe moments of the aughts. words by Annie Labarca | illustration by Sloane Sexton Everyone with a working Nokia remembers the absolutely heinous choices made by designers and celebrities in the early 2000s. The goal was to wear the most flamboyant, over-the-top outfits that screamed from the depths of hell, and most of the time, they succeeded. Anything that could be layered was layered, and any accessory that could be worn in a bigger size was given immediate priority.

Unlike fashion from other decases, we're not to eager to recreate that of the 2000s thanks to the lack of cohesiveness in every style, and everyone is thankful for that.

Jeans under everything or too much denim More is more was the spirit behind the denimon-denim trend, with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake leading the way in their iconic matching set at the 2001 American Music Awards. From Justin’s hat to Britney’s bag, everything was just... excessive, though it was a step up from Destiny’s Child's look honoring Janet Jackson from the same year, with Beyoncé, Kelly, and Michelle dressed more like they were showing up to high school than a black-tie runway event. The same could be said about NSYNC, but at least they had colors to tell them apart.

Neon color or colors that could be neon Nothing screams “early 2000s fashion” more than the combination of outrageous colors that hurt to look at. In 2001, Jessica Simpson made quite the statement when

she rolled up to the AMAs dressed head to toe in red leather. The brown smudges that were supposed to be flowers near the bottom of her pants looked more like shit than a delicate detail. At the 2003 MTV Movie Awards, Paris Hilton wore a two-piece neon blue outfit that resembled an inverted flamingo. The fact that it was low-rise didn’t help, either.

Outfits that simply were clothing We can thank Bjork’s swan dress at the 2001 Oscars for giving us the anything but clothes party theme we know and love today. Nothing shouts attractive like the head of a swan lying on your shoulder as if it was just shot a few minutes prior to hopping onto the red carpet. Gwen Stefani decided to ditch clothes altogether when she wore a literal fishnet as a shirt at the 2001 Vogue Fashion Awards, and Paris Hilton struck again with the ugliest excuse for a neon pink skirt at the Teen People x Universal Records party in 2003. I’m serious, the skirt looked like it was intentionally chewed up by some rabid dogs.

Cringe aside, the 2000s red carpet looks have made it acceptable to dress however you want. The red carpet today shows that the line between complete absurdity and style has been refined, although recently the Y2K style has been making a return, so perhaps we missed the era more than we thought.

Thank you, 2000s, for giving us some of the best laughs and unforgettable choices.

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JOSH CARUS AKA MNEMONIC ADVICE

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AMPLIFIED:

words by Lucy Messineo-Witt | photo by Mia Cherfane

Sounds like: Mac Demarco, Wallows, Del Water Gap, Peach Pit, Warren Zevon Jerks to: Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Wilco

JM: What was the first song you ever wrote?

JC: When I was really really young, I wrote this song called “Thunderboom.” My guitar teacher had a studio in his house, and he asked if I wanted to record a song in there, and so I recorded “Thunderboom” there.

JM: Do you remember the moment where you realized music was it?

JC: My first ever word was guitar; fact check that with my parents. Music has always been inside of me. It was always just a passion, a goal to be on a stage with a guitar entertaining people.

Once I got into high school, I felt that I was mature enough to do so and record [songs] and play them live. I played my first show acoustically, playing my own stuff when I was a junior in high school.

JM: What does your future look like?

JC: Wow, I mean, I don't know. I don't think anybody really knows what their future looks like. I hope my future is continuing to do what I'm doing and hopefully getting more people to listen, more people to connect with what I'm putting out there. I also really look forward to fronting my own band and playing consistent shows with a full rock band because I think that demonstrates my full capabilities not only as a writer but as a performer. So I think just playing more music and hopefully reaching a wider audience.

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JM: What music do you listen to, and who are your favorite artists?

J C : My all-time musical hero is Bruce Springsteen. I've seen the guy twelve times in concert. He's just an overall hero of mine. I would say my favorite band is a band called Wilco. The lead songwriter and singer Jeff Tweedy is another one of my idols, and I think both of those guys have kinda been who I want to model my music after because I think both of them have had amazing careers. I think they do really well in the limelight, with representing themselves and their fans really well and never embarrassing themselves or their fans, which I think is really important and something that musicians should aspire to.

That recording exists somewhere, hopefully buried deep in my music library. I don’t think that’s the first song I ever wrote, but it's definitely an early one. I think it was literally about thunder. I think that just sounded cool to me as a little eight year old.

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Jerk Magazine: Can you describe your sound?

Josh Carus: I’m inspired by a lot of indie rock, whether it be current or 90s. I’d say that's what I base my sound around the most, but I also have a really heavy focus on songwriting, and I'm definitely influenced a lot by songwriters of the classic rock era. I like to put my own spin, my own energy on a combination of those two elements.

We're you JerkING or were you JERKed? @jerkmagazine