STIR Magazine Fall 2013 by STIR Magazine

STIR FALL 2013

inside this issue CLARK

MIND & BODY

WORCESTER

Humans of Clark

Our Body, Our Campus

Seven Wonders of Worcester

Unified Sports

Merde

New Indian Restaurant

Invisible Children

Extreme Diets

Rumors and Realities

Clarkie Siblings

WTF Produce

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Main IDEA?

40 oz to Spreedom

Power of the Hike

Loomworks

Growing With or Over?

FEATURES

ARTS & STYLE

STIR IT UP

The Lost Art of the Album

Pride Timeline

Tattooed, Piered & Successful

128

Daughters of Punk

Beyond DOMA

Un-translateable Words

131

Style Snapshots

No Face of Gay

The Shameless Selfie

132

Instagram

On Missing Church

106

Behind the Beehive

136

Antonia Fonseca

The Value of Religion

110

Guess What It Is

140

Have a Little Faith

112

Fuck Yeah America

144

What do you believe in?

115

Watching People Worship

116

The Fragile Value of Freedom

120

Concepts of Liberty

122

The War in El Salvador

124

staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Shannon Magrane

LAYOUT EDITOR Rose Gallogly

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS Catherine Walker Paul Puiia

SECTION EDITORS Ailey Wilder, Features Catherine Walker, Mind & Body Gabby Paolini, Clark Laura Matthew, Stir It Up Lloyd Schramm, Arts & Style Thu Nguyen, Worcester

COVER PHOTO BY SHANNON MAGRANE HAND-LETTERED SECTION TITLES BY ROSE GALLOGLY

CONTACT INFORMATION STIR Magazine 950 Main St. Worcester, MA 01610 STIRMAGAZINE@GMAIL.COM FACEBOOK.COM/STIRMAGAZINE

LAYOUT STAFF Sara Davidow Olivia Lefley Isabel Miranda Stefanie Ochmanek Nora Turok Elyse Waksman

COPY EDITORS Shannon Magrane Matt Newberg Ailey Wilder Elyse Waksman

CONTRIBUTORS Meagan Alexander Nina Borland Samantha Caputo Jaedra Cibelli Sofia Dobner-Pereira Audrey Dolan Jonathan Edelman Maria Luisa Escobar Pardo Liam Fleming Rose Gallogly Juliana Gluck Becca Hadik Hunter Hoysradt Sasha Kohan Degan Larkin Trish Dao Le Jeremy Levine Scott Levine Shannon Magrane Laura Matthew Theo Meyer Matt Newberg Thu Nguyen Stefanie Ochmanek Andrew Ormande Gabby Paolini Dominique Pratt Paul Puiia Lloyd Schramm Raechel Segal Ananya Sikand India Spears Sean Tatar Catherine Walker Corie Welch Lance Yau

letter from the editor Dear Readers, It is hard for me to explain what working on a magazine is like. I am sure a lot of people think that it is a systematic experience—one with deadlines, editing, and printing. There is definitely a system in place; after all, being an editor-in-chief is 90% planning and execution. But there is also something incredibly magical about the whole system. Come to one of STIR’s brainstorming meetings and you will see what I mean. As a team, we come up with about 1,000 ideas for articles and photography. The spectral sparks start flying. I love seeing my colleagues’ faces light up with excitement when they get the opportunity to write about something that genuinely interests them, without the academic grading system weighing down their creativity. Three months later, after a little bit of chaos, a lot of frenzied freak outs, and plenty of sugar highs, we send our baby to print and wait to hold it in our hands. If this were an end of the year performance, this is where I thank all of the staff members, make them stand in front of an enormous crowd, and receive a loud round of applause. To all of the writers and photographers—thank you for sharing your passions and insights. To my section editors—thank you for embracing my capricious leadership and caring about the magazine just as much as I do. To Ailey Wilder—thank you for your passion in working with writers and editing for content and grammar. To Rose Gallogly—thank you for always keeping a calm disposition and organizing beautiful and precise layout. Finally, to Catherine Walker—thank you for being superwoman, taking on a section editor position, photography guru, and not to mention treasury. I treasure you all. With this said, I present to you STIR’s Fall 2013 issue. This one’s extraordinary. I will let the writers and photographers do the rest of the talking. Editor in Chief,

Shannon Magrane

CLARK

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

CLARK

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

CLARK

Humans of Clark

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JONATHAN EDELMAN & NAINIKA GROVER

WRITTEN BY GABRIELLE PAOLINI

Who are the “Humans of Clark?” Jonathan Edelman and Nainika Grover, both sophomores at Clark, are discovering the individuals who make Clark tick. Following the path of “Humans of New York” where this idea stemmed form, Edelman and Grover snap photographs and gather unique facts from members of the Clark community. “We walk around campus just looking and observing to

see if anyone really catches our eye,” explains Grover. Edelman points out how they “get to see and meet new people every day” which is one of his favorite aspects of this project. Clark’s tiny population allows for the assumption that everyone must know everyone; however, Edelman shares that although we may “Clark know” someone, we do not “know know” them. Humans of Clark allows not only Edelman and Grover to meet new faces but also people around the world. Humans of Clark has reached 45,000 people to date and many different countries around the world. Humans of Clark has already made such an impact and shows no sign of stopping! 

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CLARK

Unified Sports WRITEN BY CATHERINE WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY BY CATHERINE WALKER

If you walk by the President’s field in the fall, you might see a slew of Clarkies and a group of adorable young athletes getting ready to play soccer. Have you wondered who they are? This group is called Unified Sports and they are a branch of Special Olympics. This Clark club pairs children and young adults with special needs with their typically-abled peers to play adaptive, recreational sports. Here we pair student volunteers with children and young adults or the “athletes.” During the fall, we are on the president’s field playing soccer and in the spring at the Boys and Girls club playing basketball. For most of our athletes this is the one part of the day for them to play sports. One of our athletes told us that his year this is where his friends are. Imagine your soccer team growing up. Our one hour a week provides friendship, sport and recreational fun. .

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CLARK

Q&A

with the founder and president of Clark Unified Sports, Adrienne Cummings

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STIR Why did you start Unified Sports?

STIR What is one of your favorite parts of the program?

Ever since I met my first Best Buddy when I was 15, I knew that working with people with special needs was a passion and purpose in my life. When I got to Clark, I loved school but felt something was missing. My home town had a great Unified Sports program, so I decided to start one at Clark to both fill my own void and spread this wonderfully positivity to my new home, Clark.

My favorite parts have really just been watching the athletes and volunteers grow together within and between each season: seeing athletes make a pass or make a friend for the first time, and seeing volunteers work together with athletes in ways they may not have known that they could

STIR What are your hopes for the future of Unified? AC

My hopes for the future of Unified are that it continues to grow and spread within the communities of Clark as well as Worcester. I am going to miss it very much, but will be excited to hear of the experiences of the wonderful Clarkies who will carry the program into future years!

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CLARK

Invisible Children and Visible Clarkies WRITTEN BY RAECHEL SEGAL // PHOTOGRAPHY BY HUNTER HOYSRADT

Invisible Children was founded with a promise, a promise to a boy in northern Uganda, that there would be an end to Joseph Kony and his abduction of children with the intention of forcing them to become child soldiers and sex slaves. Clark’s chapter of Invisible Children promotes awareness of these abominations and supports bringing home child soldiers, ending the war, and rebuilding schools. To raise money for this cause, Invisible Children’s Open Mic Night at The Grind on October 9th invited performers to speak based on the theme of inspiration. Jessica Patterson, a member of Invisible Children at Clark, helped organize the event. Patterson explains, “We want to reach out and stand for no child soldiers, no killing, and no war. We want to celebrate every escape.” The Open Mic didn’t go as planned, but neither do the best things in life. I was expecting throngs of people. I was expecting it to be packed. That is why I scurried from the dining

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hall after quickly chowing down some beef casserole and excusing myself to watch the Open Mic Night in the Grind. I arrived fifteen minutes early. I had no idea who inspired me, and I figured it didn’t matter. I was separate. I was covering a story, not going on stage. Fewer people than anticipated appeared. It was smaller than expected. Tighter than I had planned. More intimate than I had imagined. Cupcakes and bracelets were sold, pamphlets distributed. There was also free pizza. (Yeah, you missed it.) And free chips! It was an ideal college student’s night. I was set. I was ready to go. I had a photographer. I had my pizza. I had my laptop. I had it all. But what I didn’t have was who inspired me. So I looked around the room for answers. Inspirations included drug addiction and recovery, three-year-olds, Moms, and Invisible Children. People sang and played guitar while others told personal stories. People even performed memorized monologues depicting their inspirations. A standout was first-year James Patin, whose line “Everything that needs to be done is the responsibility of everyone capable of doing it” resonated with audience members. Referring to Patin, Lizzy Fedorek, an

audience member, commented, “I really liked that guy’s speech. I walked in during the middle of it, and thought of Hamlet, and he mentioned Clark, and I was like, ‘He wrote that.’” The Open Mic ended with an hour to spare. The two performing groups (who shall not be named) didn’t show before we closed up shop. But that was fine. I like small groups of people. I like intimate settings. So I enjoyed my time. I enjoyed the people I met. When Jessica Patterson helped advertise for Open Mic Night, she said, “I thought it would be interesting to see people on stage and see who’s inspired them. Now it has me thinking about my inspirations.” The event was effective in that. It got me thinking. So, who inspires me, and why should you care? Do you even know me? Have we ever shared scrambled eggs and toast at Annie’s Clark Brunch? Have we sipped coffee in AC? You may not even know me, but there is someone, a Clark grad (’12), who inspires me and may inspire you, too. It’s my brother, Rick Segal. He began his Clark career as a party boy, but evolved into a summa cum laude who worked for a cancer awareness foundation. If there’s anything that the Open Mic Night demonstrated, it’s that among the inevitable struggles and obstacles of life, we all have people who inspire us. 

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CLARK

in Degen & Corey Lark

Clarkie Sibling PROFILES

WRITTEN BY DEGEN LARKIN

att Rian & Dale W Both wearing plaid shirts, Clark siblings Dale and Rian Watt from Illinois appear to be one and the same. Dale, three years younger than his senior brother Rian, even admits that, “people always say we look similar.” However, these two brothers are, in the words of Dale, “definitely. . .different people. He has a terrible memory, I have a great memory. There is a whole range of differences,” Dale explains. Although they both ended up at Clark, it was not a decision they made together. Rian reveals that getting into Clark was just, “a thing that happened. It was not the school I was looking at closely until I got in.” And Dale did not choose to come to Clark just because his brother was here. “I was happy to get in [even though] it wasn’t my first choice,” says Dale. Regardless of the reasons they ended up here, so far their time at Clark together has been going well. They have maintained a healthy distance from each

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RIAN

DALE

Economics/International Relations Major

Planning to be a Geography major

Off the meal plan, enjoys any caf food he can get!

Loves Kosher food in the caf

President Clark Undergraduate Student Council, RA, Clark Diaries Student Manager

Ballroom Dancing Club, Elected into Clark Undergraduate Student Council

Was at Clark when people used to sled down Downing St.

Thinks campus is safer now with creation joining the two sides of campus

other, creating their own lives at Clark while also building on their sibling relationship. “We do our own things. The way we were raised was to be independent,” Rian explains. For the most part, Rian and Dale maintain separate friends. “I’m friendly with his friends,” Dale explains, “[but] my relationship with them is predicated on my relationship with him.” On the other hand, they report spending more time at Clark together than in the past. “Our high school was unique because freshman were in different buildings [than the seniors]. The last time we were in the same physical building was elementary school,” Rian describes. Dale, having a fair-

CLARK

Only two years apart in age, my older brother Corey and I have always had a special, very tight bond. His humor is my humor. We watch television together, worked at the same job, shared a few of the same teachers in high school, and now go to the same college. However, my decision to go to Clark was not in the slightest bit based off of my brother’s enrollment here. In fact, if anything, having my brother attend the same school I decided to attend was a source of tension between the two of us. Originally, Corey’s enrollment in Clark “was a surprise” in that, as he states, “it was the last school that notified me that I got in.” He had not even considered Clark until he got the letter in the mail that he had been accepted.

ly easy transition to college in the first place, explains having his older brother was “certainly a great resource to have.” Rian agrees, joking that Dale “didn’t screw up some of the things [he] would have screwed up” as a freshman without a sibling. Ultimately, the good-humored sibling relationship between Rian and Dale has helped with the transition from Illinois to Worcester. They’ve kept their distance and remained true to themselves, while also maintaining their brotherly bond.

My experience, on the other hand, was completely different. Clark was the first school to notify me that I was accepted. Since they had told me so early on that I had been accepted, I put it on the back burner for a while. I didn’t seriously consider attending the school until admitted students day, when I realized that I loved the diversity and friendliness of the Clark student body. My reasons for coming to Clark never centered around Corey being here. When I finally did enroll at Clark, both Corey and I worried about being at the same school and not having something we could call our own. College is all about independence and taking the first

DEGEN

COREY

Checks packages once a week at least

Lets packages sit in mail for weeks

Bullock all the way!

Lived in Wright when Downing street cut through it as freshman

Has yet to try a Taco in the Bistro

Loves Taco swaps in the Bistro

Has Caesar salad in the Bistro every other day!

Hates the salads in the Bistro

Undecided major

Came to Clark knowing he would major in Psych

Does school play, Relay for Life, and Ballroom Dancing

Had leadership position in EcoReps, voices Clark Radio

steps into your adult life. I was terrified that going to the same school as my brother would mean I would miss this vital stage of development. With Corey only minutes away on such a small campus, I knew I would be tempted to use Corey as a crutch in the first months of school instead of learning on my own how to deal with the struggles of college life. A few weeks into the year, however, we both realized that this trepidation was silly. “There’s a personality difference. We’re different,” Corey explains. We do our own things, even this early on in the year. The worries we had this summer about attending the same school in the fall were “blown out of proportion,” Corey states. He is involved in totally different clubs than me and we aren’t taking any of the same classes. We know each other’s friends, but don’t share them very much. I would say, already, we have figured out a good system of when we should visit each other. Once in a while I will venture over to his apartment and bake something or hang out with him, but for the most part we limit meeting up to once a week. Usually we talk when we pass by each other on campus or exchange food our parents send us.

We have also noticed the benefits of having a sibling on campus. Having Corey so near means we can meet up whenever we need to. When my parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary a week before fall break, Corey and I had the luxury of meeting up and sending them a video because we live only minutes apart. We can celebrate birthdays together, exchange notes about what teachers are good, and carpool home. It’s also comforting to know that if any sort of emergency came up, my brother is right down the road. Already the fear that Clark would not be our own, separate experiences has passed. So far we have successfully kept in touch and yet stayed separate. We still have the same inside jokes, goofiness, and tight knit relationship. We’ve just transferred that relationship to the context of Clark University.

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CLARK

nson

Eli, Joel & Leah Simo Unique to the sibling regime at Clark is the Simonson trio. Freshmen Eli and Leah are twins with an older brother, Joel, who is in his third year of school. While there have been many Clark siblings at this school, trios like this are relatively rare. “It is pretty crazy,” Leah admits: “Of all the schools in the country, of all the schools we applied to, we all chose this school.” Like most siblings, their decision to come to Clark was not based on their sibling’s similar choice. “Ultimately, I made an independent decision with regards to where I wanted to attend college,” Eli states. Leah, too, believed that “when it was time to really think about it and decide where I wanted to go, I tried putting the fact that Joel goes here out of my mind.” Although, as Eli put it, having his older brother attend Clark “did have a large influence on [his] decision,” the three enrollments of the Simonson siblings at Clark were mostly coincidental. Once the twins arrived on campus, they kept to themselves. All three siblings admit to seeing less of each other at Clark than they did at home or in high school. “My high school was not the biggest building,” Joel explains, “[so] I think I ran into them more on a daily basis in high school.” Leah and

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Eli seconded this opinion, agreeing that college has meant less time together. “It works out perfectly, actually” Leah explains, “I don’t see them so much that it gets annoying, but I see them just enough. Just knowing they are here is comforting in itself.”

JOEL

LEAH

ELI

Adores the kosher station

Loves the kosher station as well

Loves chicken and cheese quesadillas in the bistro

Doesn’t check mail daily

Checks mail once a week. Has top mailbox that’s too high!

Checks mail every day

Attends the gym 3 times a week when not doing tennis

Goes to the gym two to four times a week

Uses gym nearly daily

On the varsity men’s tennis team, and E-Board of TIMMY Global Health

Member of Counterpoints, Ballroom Dancing, and Unified Sports.

Plays intramural soccer and pursuing tennis club

Having both a sibling and a twin on campus has made the Simonson siblings even more interesting than most. Eli and Leah found their twin relationship to be the perfect blend of closeness and independence. Whether it was twin telepathy or not, both reported that, “having a twin in high school was great.” Eli attributed this to the fact that “my sister and I do not do very much together but are close. We can tell each other anything.” Leah, too, described this equilibrium of keeping in touch and keeping their distance. She also admitted to her high school struggle of having “never felt like my own person. That’s one of the reasons I was a little anxious about going to the same college as my both my brothers.” Having spent only a short amount of time in college, however, these opinions have already changed for Leah. “Even after people know Eli or Joel and then meet me, they think it’s cool that I have siblings here, and then move on from that and to get to know me,” she explains.

Ultimately, the Simonson siblings seem to be enjoying each other’s company. “I was really excited when I found out both Eli and Leah were coming to Clark,” Joel exclaims; “we all get along well, so I knew it’d be a lot of fun.” Despite the temptation to stick together in this small school, Eli, Joel and Leah “are all very different people,” as Eli puts it. For Leah, “just knowing [my brothers] are here is comforting enough” because “it has really given me the support system I need.” Whether it was coincidence or not that all three of them attend Clark, they have each carved out their own separate niches in the school.

40 oz to

CLARK

SPREEDOM WRITTEN BY CATHERINE WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY BY CATHERINE WALKER

am a Spreer. I count down the days to Spreedom, I plan my intricate drink choice, I hope to last longer on the bucking bull. I spree hard. I spree so hard that freshman year I threw up at 11:48 AM, sophomore year I completed 5 beer funnels in a row, and my junior year I tossed free pizza off my fire escape to hungry party goers. I’m not a person who goes hard every weekend. Actually most weekends you can find me and my cat doing some readings or locked up working on my next creation. I spree—yeah, but I also make Dean’s list. I spree—and I have recognized the issues with spree day and want to make sure each and every Clarkie understand that it is our

responsibility as the current Clark Legacy to keep Spree Day safe, fun and memorable. I remember when I was applying to Clark I read about spree day in one of those 9 zillion admission booklets. The book said something along the lines about how clarkies celebrate spring with an exciting day without classes called Spree Day. This was one of the reasons I choose to come to Clark. I was bummed that I did not want to go to a school with a Greek system or Football team. I was confused about how I would get that “normal” college experience. I wanted to experience a shower beer, and tailgates. I’m ok that I don’t get that. I have Spree Day, and once a year is enough for me. Last spring there was chatter amongst the administration and student council to change Spree Day, I wasn’t privy to these conversations. But I was saying things like “Take away my Spree Day, and I will have one anyway.” Clark students were threatening the campus administration to throw our own day of partying if these administrators didn’t bow to our feet and participate in the ways we demanded of them. Our complete lack of respect is only

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CLARK

FRESHMAN YEAR

one of the issues that has pushed its way through— there are numerous others. President Angel sent out a letter this afternoon explaining that he has accepted in full the recommendations by the Spree Day Task Force, a group of individuals Chaired by Rian Watt comprised of Students and Administrators to confront the problems that Spree Day has created. We all received email’s from Rian asking us to participate, we then were asked to respond to a series of questions, that was also open to the Clark Undergraduate community to respond to. Rian compiled the answers and together as a group we worked through them to identify the most important parts of Spree Day, the largest problems. If you haven’t the report

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SOPHOMORE YEAR

to the President, here is what you should know. Spree Day is an issue, not only is it financially costly, but it costs peoples livelihoods as well. From sexual violence to mere drunk students running rampant and acting like they own the school--we lose sight of who we are as individuals because something in the day says that we should. If you don’t drink suddenly a campus who defines ourselves as people who are accepting--turns our back on you. Unless you do drugs in which case Clarkies are ok with that. We demand more out of physical plant, university police, the dean of students and student leadership and planning because no one wants to “waste” their spree day in the effort to have one they won’t complain about. And then Clarkies—you know what we do—we bitch about it. We bitch about it so much, and get so drunk we don’t give a shit who hears. We become entitled little brats who think that we deserve the best band, the best food—

JUNIOR YEAR

and if that goddamn kettle corn isn’t there I am going to scream. Is that the Clark University that I want to go to? No. But that is the reality. Spree Day isn’t a day about enjoying a day off. Its about not giving a shit about anyone but my drunk self. The school of 2,500 students that I attend is loving. It would cringe at the idea of anyone on campus being attacked in any way, especially sexually. But on Spree Day, we let our bystander guard down. We throw away the framework of success. Is that the legacy that you want to leave? Is that the traditions that we want to show? This process of being a member of the Spree Day Task Force truly opened my eyes to understanding why something needs to happen. We recommended that Spree Day be contingent on weather, it have more student run programming,that the chair be a paid position, that there is a committee to advise the chair and his/her committee. We thought long and hard about ways to make spree day last longer and live stronger. We can no longer deny that change must be made. It is for this reason, as a spreer, that I am calling all of my fellow Clarkies, to get it together. Our recommendations won’t mean shit if there aren’t students who are willing to upgrade Spree Day. Lets make this day OUR DAY. 

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MIND & BODY

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MIND & BODY

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MIND & BODY

OUR BODY, OUR CAMPUS - a series about body image -

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NINA BORLAND

Beautiful Bodies WRITTEN BY AUDREY DOLAN I will never forget the day I was accused of having an eating disorder. At 13, the last thing you want is to feel different than everyone else. Around this time, I started to notice that my appetite and eating habits were not ideal. I had mentioned it to my mom and even asked to talk to my doctor about it, but didn’t share these feelings with any of my friends. Week by week, my portions began to noticeably diminish. I could no longer finish a plate of food and rarely brought my own lunch to eat. One day, I was finally called out on it. From halfway down the table, in front of a group of people, my

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friend loudly questioned “Do you have an eating disorder or something?” Looking back on it, it was an adolescent attempt at showing concern and not so much an accusation. But in that moment I felt so exposed and self-conscious. I couldn’t explain why I was eating this way, I knew it wasn’t really normal but I also knew it was not an eating disorder. Knowing that someone even thought that of me was so upsetting, especially when I had always struggled with body image. Until recently, I hated my body. Ask me what I didn’t like about it and I could give you a laundry list. I

was always insecure and unsatisfied, constantly comparing myself to those around me and wasting hours criticizing myself for things I could not change. Now, I’ve made peace. I have become more comfortable and confident and realize that I don’t have to love everything about my body in order to love myself. I work with what I have and know it’s not possible to look like other girls I see. That’s where so many girls and women struggle. Somehow we’ve come to believe that anything short of 5’8 and 100 pounds is not beautiful. And what’s worse is that so many of us feel that if our body is “ugly” so is everything else about us. Too many people believe that what is on the surface is indicative of what lies underneath.

What is ugly? What is beautiful? Why do we feel the need to label ourselves exclusively one thing or the other, or any label at all? Why do we obsess over having a thigh gap or pray that we don’t have saggy boobs when we’re older? We know that we’re all different from one another, but instead of celebrating it we categorize and label, as if that does us any favors. Beautiful, ugly, skinny, slender, curvy, pear-shaped, boy-shaped, flat-chested, flat ass, man thighs, chicken arms. None of these words help to empower ourselves. Confidence and self-love is not the norm. But it should be and can be. There is no quick fix to this problem but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. I firmly believe that if given diverse and confident role models,

girls and women’s perceptions of beauty would change. If we saw people that loved themselves and their bodies, we would follow suit. Lately it seems trendy and cool to be insecure and critical of our bodies. Instead of shaming ourselves, we need to be taught how to speak about ourselves with love. In learning to speak this way we can start to love the skin we’re in. For most of my life I was not comfortable being myself. If given the chance I would have switched places with most people in a heartbeat. Too much time was wasted on self-loathing. But now I see that there is absolutely nothing to not love about myself. I am not perfect. In fact, I am imperfect and flawed but it makes me who I am. My body does not dictate how much I should be loved or how successful I will be in life. I wish I didn’t feel like I’m the only one who thinks like this. Your body is important, but then again, it is just your body. You are so much more than what you look like. Those who love you love you for who you are, not just what they see. A beautiful body is not one that is defined by words or characteristics, but simply one that is loved.

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MIND & BODY

MIND & BODY they are not the only players. A broadcast always requires a listener. So aren‘t we to blame for accepting unrealistic standards without question as well, as we are the ones who react to and internalize these values?

Body Image

The extent of that internalization decides how much we let body ideals influence us in our daily lives and if the desire to live up to that standard could eventually become an obsession.

WRITTEN BY STEFANIE OCHMANEK Here I am, doing my shopping and am headed for the checkout when I see her—Miranda Kerr in all her glory, staring at me from a magazine. For the dozenth time I wonder how anybody could possibly be this flawless and try to squash a creeping feeling of insufficiency. I know that make up, photoshop and an array of personal trainers probably share the credit for the marvel that is her figure. At the same time, I can‘t help it. Compared to her, I feel about as pretty as Princess Fiona in her ogre form.

Younger people can be driven to feel inadequate and are more susceptible to developing an eating disorder because they have grown up with this ideal. However, if taken into consid-

Why is it that I and many others let ourselves be influenced by something as silly as a magazine cover? Today women feel an omnipresent pressure to measure up to specific standards of a select few. It is those few who get to create the concept of “beauty.” The definition of beauty has changed over the course of centuries from a full figure to a slim, more defined body shape. Nowadays the ideal body is slight and toned while still maintaining the much desired hourglass shape that is, supposedly, the epitome of a womanly figure. This form is out of reach for most women unless they are willing to strive for it on a daily basis and to ignore the aspects of their

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body that will never fit into this model. Due to the fact that we are constantly confronted with unusually attractive faces in advertisements we are also programmed to notice “beauty” in the people we encounter in our daily life who come close to this ideal; as a result we unconsciously let others fade into the background. Who is the culprit?

The most obvious answer is. . . Tadaa: The media. The manipulative, sneaky people who sit in their LA offices drinking outrageously expensive scotch, driving extravagant cars (of course not themselves) and who are working towards making our lives look abnormally dull next to the fantastic images they create on-screen. If you don‘t want to go any deeper than that. . . great! Here‘s where to put the blame! If, however, you do not agree with the portrayal of the media as being the most important source of influence on this topic; we‘re on the same page. Don‘t get me wrong: the media does play a very significant role in this game but

eration the terrible effects this pressure can have on adolescents, why are these still standards? They are unrealistic and totally unfair; to make entire groups of people feel like they do not belong or are not enough is morally reprehensible. Back to the media: This is where you are very welcome to disagree with me but I believe that there is much more than media images that gnaw on our confidence and that can ultimately lead to these problems. They may lay the foundation for this problem but the people

who actually make the concept of an ideal body applicable to real life are us. The people in our lives, be it parents, friends, classmates or the people we ride the bus with have a crucial influence on our confidence. The relationships we maintain with them determine to a huge degree how we feel about ourselves. So as one of those people, what is our role and what can we do to improve the situation? For one, make an effort to stop judging based on appearance before giving people the chance to show their true selves. To a degree this is not possible because it lies in our nature to analyze information instantly. When we see people we often allocate certain adjectives to them that are mostly based on stereotypes. Often times, this process is very helpful in figuring out a situation and determining the proper way to act. But when we meet people our initial conscious reaction does not always have to be to evaluate them. By earnestly trying to let people introduce themselves and having a conversation before painting a mental picture of the person they are, a lot could be changed. The simple fact that you let people make their own impression can change the way you ultimately perceive them. Try not to dismiss people because at first sight they look or seemingly act completely unlike you. This is obviously not to say that personal values regarding body image or other important factors cannot make for clashing personalities. Get to know people a bit before you decide, then based on character see if you could ever get along well in the long run. By doing this, we can try to lessen the impact the media has on the way we select the people who we want to engage with. To counteract the critical way the media makes us view ourselves, as a general rule, try to make people feel better when interacting with them. Chances are they‘ll do the same for you but if not. . . be nice still, simply for the sake of it. And with “nice“ I am not referring to the phony sort, but to earnest kindness. Even if it is hard to do and is probably impossible to apply in all situations, it could mean a lot to someone and could end up making a real difference in their life.

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

MIND & BODY

Bro, Do You Even Lift? WRITTEN BY SCOTT LEVINE According to various sources of pop-culture such as programs on MTV and bodybuilding magazines, it is customary that men work out so that they can achieve hulking biceps, rock hard abs, and calves of steel. Boys and men are programmed to think that their body should look like that of, say, Channing Tatum. If they have more fat than this ideal figure, others may assume that person is lazy and call them hurtful names. If they don’t have enough muscle, they will likely be called “twig” or “pussy.” Throughout all of my life, I have fallen on the smaller end of said spectrum. As a freshman in high school, I was a shade over six feet tall and just under 140 pounds. I knew that a good portion of my classmates weighed more than I did and I was embarrassed to bench press in front of them. Even to this day, I have trouble benching half the weight that some of my peers are able to lift. I would occasionally make a trip to the weight room and try to amend at least a little of my

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

wiry frame. I have a clear memory of sitting in my school gym whilst lifting a weight that was slightly too big for me. All of a sudden, the radio started playing “The Reason” by Hoobastank. Being the impressionable fourteen year old that I was, I immediately derived meaning from the lyrics. As I lifted the thirty-five pound weight, I absorbed the chorus of the song: “I’ve found a reason for me, to change who I used to be.” I felt a strong desire to change my physique, to achieve a shape that nobody could criticize. I hoped that having more muscle would increase my mental fortitude and make me feel more comfortable around my peers. In the eyes of some of my classmates, my lack of upper body strength went hand in hand with my generally passive nature and emotional sensitivity. This would make me an easy target. I would all too often play along with being picked on, but I was deeply affected by many of the things said to me. The voices of many of those who have put me down still echo in my head to this day. As time went on, I felt more comfortable about not fitting masculine stereotypes and I realized nothing in the weight room could cure any social insecurities I had. I now know that there was never a direct relation with my personality and the way I looked, that the media and society have created these connections between thinness and inability to comply with stereotypical masculine norms. I am able to look past my incongruence with the stereotypical masculine image. I choose to focus on what I like about my body. I am tall, thin, and decent at sports. I’m not a perfect person. And that’s okay.

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

MIND & BODY

Our Body, Our Campus WRITTEN BY CORIE WELCH When people catch me checking myself out in any and all reflective surfaces I pass, I get labeled as vain. I’m fine with that; I like to think I’m confident. Since I started playing with Barbies, I’ve been surrounded by images of thin women that I should aspire to be, but finally, at age 18, I’ve accepted I will never look like one. I love my body, from my below average height to my above average breasts and everything in between. Despite my confidence now, it took many years for me to reach such a level of peace with my body. I was always a bigger kid growing up, but it never really affected me until high school. During school I felt like I was worthless because I didn’t look like the other girls around me. Surprisingly, what made me feel bad wasn’t the media, but what people around me decided was the ideal body. Rather than the outrageous and almost impossible hourglass shown in magazines, it was my school that stressed the importance of being thin above everything else. Having curves was considered worthless, and as a very curvy fifteen year old, I felt worthless. What I regret most isn’t how I felt about my body but how I acted because of my body.

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

I could have been such an outgoing person but I felt that I was too fat to be able to talk to people and socialize. Although I was rarely teased about my weight to my face I felt that everyone around me was secretly whispering about me as I walked by. I realize that it wasn’t other people holding me back, I was holding myself back because I thought I needed to look a certain way to be beautiful. During my junior year of high school, I peaked in insecurity. I remember almost every day avoiding all mirrors and constantly putting myself down. My friends and I would try and compete putting ourselves down, whining about every unfortunate part of our bodies. It was all a way to receive compliments from one another, but what bothers me is that fact that we needed to make ourselves feel bad in order to feel good. That year, one of my friends came up with a program for one of her class assignments banning the use of “fat talk.” “Fat talk” included any type of putting yourself or others down based on their appearance. Any time any

of us tried to say something negative about our bodies, my friend would stop us. It happened so frequently that we eventually gave up trying to insult ourselves and moved on the conversation. Without constantly talking about our bodies, we ended up not thinking about them either. I suddenly became more confident in myself and realized that the stereotype for what is beautiful is not always true. It became clear that we are all too consumed with the size, shape and texture of our bodies. By cutting out negativity like fat talk, you can’t pick apart each small part of you that’s wrong. Now when I look into the mirror, I scan my eyes over each curve with pride knowing that no one else has a body exactly like mine. I finish by staring into my small, grey eyes and I see someone that is more than just legs, boobs and a flat ass. Just by stopping insulting myself, my mind was freed from the binding forces of constantly comparing myself. Without fat talk I reached a general feeling of peace. Of course, I still have bad days consisting of me frantically trying on every piece of clothing I own, then ripping them off my body in frustration until my room is trashed and my roommate is lost underneath a piles of sweaters. But these days occur much less often than they once did and I can usually take a step back and tell myself to relax and that it’s not that important if my legs look long today. There are more important things to think about than the contours of my body.

Challenge Body Stereotypes Change Our World

WRITTEN BY CATHERINE WALKER

I made myself throw up for the first time in 7th grade. I was starting to become a woman, getting curves and gaining weight. That made me feel like I needed to go on weight watchers. My mom laughed it off and told me I was beautiful. After having a stressful argument with a friend via AIM, I walked to my bathroom, put my fingers down my throat and for the first time felt the excitement of being in charge of my own body. Over the next seven years, that was how I responded to stress. I love to eat (especially foods that tend to hang out on my hips) so when something spiked my anxiety I would struggle to regain control through trying to make myself skinny. I would look in the mirror and feel sick to my stomach about my lumps, curves, and molds. I felt that the only thing I deserved was to be on a hospital bed. I was ugly, single and never going to find love. So once again I would stick my fingers down my throat—and feel the success of control. It is estimated that eating disorders affect over 8 million men and women in the United States. I know I am not alone. Why is it that middle school and high school girls can’t find comfort in their own bodies? Why was that my response to dealing with pain? We are all told

that models have impossible bodies. And yet the popular girls also happen to be the skinny ones. Why does being skinny mean being beautiful? I was successful. I danced, played sports, had boyfriends and was always doing well in class. But I wouldn’t define myself as beautiful. There is a cookie cutter mold for women to fit into. In the work place we are expected to wear god awful spanx and pretend to be happy about it. No real person is happy about having elastic burns all day long.The cutting slicing and pain of the beauty industry has morphed into a money making business that exploits the human body. It traps our confidence. Stomps on our pride. Makes us spend

hundreds of thousands of dollars by telling us that we aren’t beautiful or pretty enough. Sadly, confidence is not something we are born with. Self-esteem is created. We need to actively empower the sexiness of every body type, no matter how big or small. We have to remind ourselves that we are the definition of beauty. The people we surround ourselves withthey are beautiful. Ugly is not real, it was an idea created for us so we would be compelled to buy eyeliner and skin brighteners. As intelligent people and as empowered women it is time to let ugly go and let beauty live. For it truly is everywhere, all you have to do is open your eyes.

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

MIND & BODY

Merde WRITTEN BY SAMANTHA CAPUTO PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAMANTHA CAPUTO

sure if it was a good practice, but the night before an audition we used shellac or floor cleaner, like Mop & Glo floor cleaner, and put a capful into the box of the shoe. We set them up on the toes to dry overnight, first getting any excess out of the tip of the shoe with a paper towel. This made the shoes less painful to wear during auditions. Once I had them on I went into the bathroom and put my heel in the sink allowing water to flow over the heel of the shoe so it would not slip off my heel while dancing, which was the worst.

All ballet moves are spoken in French, so it seems fit that the French word for shit is what brings us dancers luck. Never tell a dancer to break a leg before an audition. It’s merde, always merde. The air was crisp on that September Saturday morning as I walked through the roundabout doors into the Boston Ballet. I arrived at the studio an hour and a half early for my audition to warm-up and get my number: 185. I knew that if I did crunches and stretched out before my audition I would perform extensions and hold balances better. Split up the wall to the left and the right, frog stretch, middle split, push my arch, and stretch my arms out. I did barre work to get my body moving; pliés and grand pliés, fondu, elevés, rond de jambe, développés, and pirouettes. My knees and ankles cracked with approval. The sound of laughter filled the halls with small cliques lining the walls. Rip, tear, cut, bang, crack. Preparing pointe shoes is important. You want them to last. Some of my friends even put them in the oven.We always cut the satin off the tips of our shoes before wearing them. The satin tended to rip up anyway from the friction against the studio floor. I loved breaking in the wooden sole of the shoe by closing them in the door and banging them up. It’s painful going up on pointe in brand new shoes without any flexibility in the sole. I don’t smoke, but I kept a lighter in my bag to burn the edge of the ribbons on my pointe shoes so they didn’t shred. This hard work helped create the illusion of the perfect pointe shoe; the perfect ballerina. Everything needed to appear perfect. I am not

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

When it was time, a woman’s voice called loud and clear, “12:30pm level six audition ready in line!” We looked robotic standing in line waiting, dressed precisely the same way. Merde, merde, merde, I unceasingly said to myself. The process began. We filed into the grand studio on the top floor with a mirror extending the length of the wall and a table of judges in front of it waiting. There was nothing flattering about the lights in the studio, pale and bleak. I had to make it work though. The artistic director, Mikko Nissinen, was there standing tall like Donald Trump. He welcomed all the dancers and thanked us for making it out to the studio that Saturday. You’d be the odd ball out if you didn’t audition, I smirked to myself. Clap, clap. There was no dillydallying as we began to learn the first routine right away. 5, 6, 7, 8. I have to get this right! I have to, I have to… Mikko only went over the routine once, asshole, but I’ve got this! Balancée, balancée, tombe pas de bourrée, développée, chasse, pirouette, chaine four times and end in arabesque. Here goes nothing, smile big and dance with grace and ease. I ignored the butterflies flying around my basically empty stomach. I remembered Mrs. McKeon’s advice from last class: the artistic director and all the judges are the audience so look at them! Remember to look up towards the corners too, over the mirror because on stage there is an audience you cannot see. Merde everyone! I smiled towards Mikko Nissinen.

It is not like I did not already know this, that the audience in the theatre extends far back into darkness, and we can only see the first couple of rows. Sometimes we got so focused on the judges we forgot to perform as if we were on stage. While moving across the floor all I heard was the pianist in the corner playing classical music and I imagined him as a grand orchestra in the pit below the stage. All eyes and one large circular spot light on me. This was my soloist moment and time to shine. I was so excited to be there and I think that showed when I danced across the floor. The judges nodded with approval and the next girl went on her count of 8. They murmured something, but I could not read their glossed lips. I waited in line on the right side of the room to go across towards the left, my weaker side. You danced a perfect routine, you can get through this. You know the steps, just go for it, I told myself over and over as I got closer to the front of the line. Balancée, balancée, tombe pas de bourrée, développée, chasse, pirouette, chaine four times and end in arabesque. Here goes nothing. I looked towards the pianist again and noticed how he hardly had to read the music because he played these classical songs daily. He seemed at ease and the music soothed him. He saw me in the mirror and gave me a nod, smiling. My count of 8 was coming. 5, 6, 7, 8. Inhale. Off I went.

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

MIND & BODY

At the other corner of the room I felt accomplished. Now I just watched the other girls around me, we were all in our own little world. No one was talking; of course, no one talks in the studio. Ballet is a silent art. My mind was racing. I am sure each girl in the studio felt her mind being pulled in a hundred different directions like an elastic band, as if our limbs did not stretch enough.

Extreme Diets

Mikko walked in the center of the floor after the last girl finished, calling our attention for one last routine, jumping. Jumping can be the most challenging and the most exciting part of any ballet class or audition. Pretend you are on a trampoline, get as high into the air as you can. Point your toes when you leave the �loor and plié in your landing, bend your knees when you land! Jeté, jeté, chassé sissonne, assemblé, assemblé, sissonne, petite allegro four times and a jump in fifth position to change feet and direction.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY AUDREY DOLAN

I was tired after hearing Mikko speak, but I could not let that show. I wanted to achieve ballon and show the lightness of the movement. This is a quality, not the elevation or height, of the jump. Even in small, petite allégro, dancers strive to portray ballon. A dancer exhibiting ballon springs off the floor and appears to pause mid-air before landing. One minute to get water and we were split into groups in numerical order. I was in the second group, which was awesome. I got to watch the first group and mark the combination on the side. Boom! Some of the girls were not dancing as feathers, but boulders hitting the ground. I knew I could dance on their graves. Inhale and exhale, do not forget to breathe while jumping, I remind myself, Hold your stomach in, you are facing the judges straight on and you want to appear as skinny as possible, and they do not want to see anything jiggle. Smile and look like you are enjoying the combination. Jumping is fun, but under pressure it is easy to let your stress show on your face. The way you act in an audition while dancing is what they anticipate they will see on stage. I need to be perfect!! My turn, filing in our lines, I am in the second, my favorite. 5, 6, 7, 8 and jeté…

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

Vegetarian

Vegetarian Diet WRITTEN BY SCOTT LEVINE

“Thank you, ladies. We will notify you shortly about callbacks, have a nice afternoon.” You too Mikko. We all began to clap lightly. We applauded the judges for being there on audition day, and they applauded us for our hard work. In our lines we all curtsied to Mikko and then to the judges. At last the stitches were cut from our lips. There was a wave of chatter walking out of the studio; we could finally talk to each other! “If you excelled at the jumping then you’ll get a yellow callback for the battle scene as a soldier or cavalry!” said one girl. “Well, I hope I get a green callback for a part as an angel,” another replied. “Praise the all-mighty merde be with us.” After a long week of waiting and chatter in the studio I received my call back: green. Yes, I �inally have my wings.



It started on the second day of classes. I was sitting with three of my newfound acquaintances, Corie, Audrey and Spencer, when one of them suggested that we all be vegetarians for a week. Desperate for new friends, we all agreed that during the second week of classes, none of us would eat any meat. This was actually a pretty easy feat considering how many vegetarian options there are in Higgins. My staple for that week was rice and beans. I routinely found myself eating some combination of rice and beans every meal. I also ate a salad pretty much every other meal and developed a fondness for chickpeas. I would occasionally accompany these with a slice of cheese pizza if I was

still hungry afterwards. Yes, I still had pizza, and I learned that eating vegetarian does not necessarily mean eating healthily. Especially when I decided to be a vegetarian again this past week, and I found myself consuming a lot of pizza. Then I told myself, “Might as well eat healthily since this might go in the health section of STIR.” I then went promptly went back to the rice and beans regimen. Being vegetarian feels slightly different. I felt lighter. Meat gives me strength and makes me full, but it also weighs me down. Without meat, I cramped less in sports and generally felt more spry, but also less full and satisfied at times. I initially attributed this to my recent dip in protein intake, but I am not positive that protein makes a huge difference in one’s diet. Perhaps I just felt less full because I wasn’t eating as much food. Even when hungry, I still felt

as energetic as when I ate meat. I wondered if protein is really all it’s cracked up to be, and if humans really need all of the protein that we consume on a daily basis. I still don’t know how vital protein is to one’s diet, but I did enjoy being vegetarian for a week. It is legitimately rewarding to piece together one vegetarian meal after another. I showed myself that I can have awesome dinners without reverting to meat. Being vegetarian can be slightly challenging at times, but in a fun way. I recommend you try it.

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

MIND & BODY

GF Gluten Free

Going gluten free was an interesting experience for me. It was a difficult task, to say the least, especially considering I am now a self-discovered gluten addict. As the week carried on, I became frustrated with my lack of options for all sorts of food. The only food that kept me sane during the week was Corn Chex, without that I don’t think I’d still be alive. On day one, I slept through my six alarms that I set for myself in the morning, like I always do. Springing out of bed twenty minutes before class, I rushed to shower and make it to class on time. My roommate and I always keep cereal in the room for these kinds of mornings because we are both people who need to eat breakfast in order to power throughout the day. In my frenzy to make it to class, I poured myself a bowl of golden grams. To my dismay, Golden Grams are loaded with gluten. I couldn’t even make it 20 minutes into day one without eating gluten; suddenly, I realized the week was going to be difficult.

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

Gluten Free Diet

Vegan

WRITTEN BY CORIE WELCH

Lunch and dinner were not as difficult as far as selection goes because Clark offers a Gluten free station for those either trying to eat healthier, or those with a gluten allergy. I mostly ate rice and beans and from the salad bar for those meals, but even with the varied options given to me, I wanted nothing more than gluten throughout the week. Watching my friends at dinner eating whatever they wanted made me so jealous. Rather than thinking what I could eat, I thought about what I couldn’t eat, like, pasta, bread, bagels and pizza. It soon became apparent to me just how hooked on starchy foods I was. To remedy my cereal issue, I bought a box of Corn Chex to snack on and eat for breakfast when I sleep in. This box was my savior for the week. As I studied for midterms, I shoveled handful after handful into my mouth. As pathetic as I may sound, the ability to eat something starchy vastly improved my mood. I guess I always thought that people craved protein when they were really hungry, but I can see that I crave carbs. I clearly have a disturbing love for them. Without Gluten, I just felt hungry and angry. After the week, I have newfound respect for people who choose to go gluten free and have an allergy. Gluten is everywhere, so living that lifestyle can be difficult. Although I didn’t notice much of a difference

in myself besides hunger, I’m sure there are benefits to going gluten free. With large commodity chains modifying grain, what we eat now is much different from what we used to eat. In fact, these highly processed grains are actually harmful to us. That is why many people choose to go gluten free and actually feel a difference after more than a week. Maybe I would have felt the same way if I maintained the diet longer, although I hardly had the willpower for one week. Unless I get some shocking evidence about the true dangers of gluten, I can’t see myself trying it again because I really did not enjoy the task. Although I’m proud of myself for being able to last a whole week, I’m slightly ashamed that it affected me so negatively. For now I’m going to stick to my gluten filled diet.

My catchphrase for the entire week was undoubtedly, “This sucks, I want cheese.” Being vegan was an interesting challenge that I wasn’t quite prepared for. It all started the second week of school when a few of my friends and I dared each other to be vegetarians for a week. Having been a vegetarian before, I felt pretty confident about being able to see it through and I did. After realizing how easy it was, there was only one other way to take it even further; be vegan for a week. I was excited and ready to go. I did some research on vegan foods and I took a trip to Big Y for that things I could keep in my room that would get me through the week. I had this delusion that eating vegan wasn’t any worse and harder, but I was so wrong. Reality hit me right in the face the first meal I had in the dining hall. In a completely overconfident state, I walked through, looking at all the food options, torturing myself with things I knew I didn’t want or couldn’t have. Instead of heading directly to the vegan station before trying to

Vegan Diet WRITTEN BY AUDREY DOLAN

venture out to other options, I blew right through and decided on the vegan pizza for the day. The first confrontation with my favorite banned food, cheese, came as I approached. On its own, the pizza looked fine, but the parmesan cheese to the side was calling to be added. That’s when I realized that I couldn’t eat cheese for an entire week. I went and sat down, my head hanging a little lower and less confidently than minutes before. After a piece of pepper and pineapple pizza and an apple, I was still hungry and dissatisfied. All I could say to my friends was “This sucks, I want cheese.” That mindset is what made the week feel so miserable. Instead of looking at is as an opportunity to try new foods or eat some of my favorite things in a different way, I tended to whine and complain about what I knew I couldn’t have. When I think about it, it wasn’t so bad though. I love chicken pot pie and Shepard’s pie, and now I’ve had vegan Shepard’s pie many times, once during that week and now of my own volition. One day I had white rice, black beans and a Japanese patty of some sort. Though I’m still not confident on what it was, I tried it and I liked it. I wanted to do it to challenge myself and do something that I knew wouldn’t be the easiest for me, but succeed in it anyway. I wanted to push myself to step outside my comfort zone and do something different. Once you get passed all the “rules” of veganism,

it’s actually great. You realize that you’re trying new things and straying a bit from a “normal” eating habit, while also doing something good. Most people eat vegan because it feels better for their bodies and doesn’t hurt animals in the process. After thinking about it that way, it felt pretty cool to be more conscious of how my choices were affecting other animals. Even though it wasn’t the easiest task, it also wasn’t the hardest. Everyone should try to step outside of what they’re used to and eat new things. You don’t have to commit yourself to an entirely new diet, but having the courage to try something you normally wouldn’t can be really fun and somewhat daring. Pushing myself to go the extreme step to do something different and do good while doing it what made the week of vegan so worth it.

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

MIND & BODY

WTF

E C U D PRO

Steamed Artichokes INGREDIENTS: - Artichoke - Seasonings - Butter DIRECTIONS: In a pot or deep skillet add water. Add something like a cake pan or oven proof bowl to the water and place a well-seasoned artichoke inside this. Seasonings can be whatever you enjoy—I like using Trader Joe’s “21 Seasoning Salute.”

WRITTEN BY CAT WALKER & LAURA MATTHEW PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAT WALKER & LAURA MATTHEW

Fruits and veggies are the norm. But in our mostly American society, there are some produce items that you see and think—WTF is that thing? This semester, two of STIR’s esteemed writers put themselves to the challenge of trying some of those unknown, unloved vegetables. The first step to conquering a WTF food is to buy it. Go to the store, buy these WTF produce, and try these simple, fun recipes.

Here are the peculiar items at hand: -

Roasted Cabbage and Vinaigrette sauce INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

For cabbage

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.

For Sauce -

1 spoonful of Dijon mustard A pinch of salt 2 table spoons red wine vinegar Olive oil or vegetable oil to taste

Melt a generous amount of butter to dip in—and eat that artichoke!

Green Cabbage Artichoke Baby Red, White and Purple Potatoes Fennel Kiwano (AKA horned melon)

In the kitchen with Chef Cat

- 1 tablespoon plus 2 more tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds - Coarse salt and ground pepper - 1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seeds (optional)

Cover the pot or skillet and let steam for twenty minutes. Obviously, if you have a vegetable steamer, that would be another steaming option.

Place 1 medium head of green cabbage (cut into 1-inch-thick rounds) in a single layer on the baking sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seeds.

Roasted Baby Red, White & Purple Potatoes with Rosemary, Fennel & Garlic INGREDIENTS: - 1-3/4 lb. baby red, white, or purple potatoes, or a combination, scrubbed and halved - 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil - 1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary - 2 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar or coarsely ground in a spice grinder - Pinch crushed red pepper flakes - Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper - 12 large cloves garlic, peeled and trimmed

Roast until cabbage is tender and edges are golden, 40 to 45 minutes. If you are in a rush, putting the oven on broil and turning it a few times works nicely too.

DIRECTIONS:

While the cabbage is cooking make the sauce. . . Put one spoonful of Dijon mustard in a bowl, salt the mustard, but don’t mix. Add the vinegar until evenly mixed. Add oil until reaching a thick consistency. Now layer generously over cabbage.

In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil, rosemary, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a few generous grinds of pepper. Arrange them cut side down in a well-spaced single layer on a rimmed baking sheet or in a shallow roasting pan, making sure to scrape out and include any herbs and oil stuck to the bowl. Roast for 20 minutes and then stir the potatoes with a spatula and scatter the garlic cloves over them.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

Continue roasting, stirring every 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender enough to pierce easily with a skewer and the skins are browned all over, crisp, and bit shriveled – about 45 minutes more. Serve immediately. *Cooks note: I also ended up broiling these and I didn’t have any fennel so I left that out.

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

MIND & BODY

In the kitchen with Chef Laura

Power of the Hike:

“What the heck is that?” While browsing through the produce section of The Living Earth, a local health food store on Park Ave, I stumbled upon this weird creature of a fruit. With its neon orange color and its spines, I couldn’t possibly figure out what in the world it could be, or how I could even try to prepare and eat it! After talking with the produce manager, I found out this funky fruit was a Kiwano, or a horned melon. A quick google search told me that it goes by many other names as well: African horned cucumber, jelly melon, Melano, or my personal favorite, the blowfish fruit. Various sources tried to pin down its taste–something like a cross between cucumber, kiwi, lemon and banana. Intrigued, I decided to try for myself.

Physically Exausted and Mentally Renewed WRITTEN BY JAEDRA CIBELLI PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHANNON MAGRANE

The Kiwano can be eaten plain and raw as a snack, simply by cutting the little melon in half and scooping out the lime-green seeds. You can either suck off the fruit around the seeds, or eat the whole thing. I elected to do the latter, as the seeds taste pretty neutral and add an interesting texture. As far as taste goes, I found it was pretty similar to a slightly under-ripe kiwi fruit. It has a very mild hint of sweetness, with a bit of a tang to it as well. If you’re looking for a more fun way to eat this fruit, you can do what I did—put it in a salad.

Kiwano, Cucumber and Pear Salad INGREDIENTS: -

1 half Kiwano fruit 1 half Bartlett pear 1/4 of a large cucumber, peeled Few handfuls of baby Romaine lettuce Walnuts (optional) Goat cheese crumbles (optional) Sea salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: Start with a base of the baby Romaine lettuce. Cut the cucumber into rounds, and then cut the rounds in half. Cut the pear into thin slices the long way. Take the halved Kiwano fruit (this is the fun part) and squeeze the rind until the green seeds pop out onto your salad. Alternatively, you can scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Add as little or as much Kiwano fruit as you like. If you desire, top with chopped walnuts and goat cheese crumbles. Season with the sea salt and pepper.

When choosing Clark as the college of my choice my senior year of high school, I never associated it with what Worcester is and what came with the whole package of living here. The hype of leaving my home town and moving out of my mom’s house was such an exhilarating thought that I never thought about how different the community that I was about to move into was compared to home. In Worcester, one cannot see all of the stars at night, hear the callings of the crickets, or drive through a lovely tunnel of trees for miles. In Worcester, the roses try their hardest to grow from concrete; however, in the end they often do not make it to full bloom. I personally found it difficult to accommodate my way of living to the Worcester style of living. Coming from a suburban community, where the land is so spectacular, I was blessed to have the opportunity to selfishly enjoy countless beaches and the benefit of having reservation lands to hike through. Not fully understanding the drastic differences in location, it was hard feeling like I was limited to only Clark’s

For a dressing, I used a store bought white Balsamic vinaigrette, but any vinaigrette (perhaps Chef Cat’s) would work well with this salad.

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laptops, and all of the other electronics that govern our lives away and just go. Beating the struggles of the climb and making it to the summit of any mountain, no matter how big or how small, may open your eyes to a realization – that there are better things out there, waiting to be discovered by you. Standing at the summit of a mountain, where the true beauty of nature can be rediscovered, will brighten one’s mood and lift the spirit just as high as that summit. When I am possessed with a chest wrenching feeling of darkness, there is no stopping my desire–my need–to get up and go. There is never a doubt in my heart that I shouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night to get a head start on my journey. Coffee in hand, driving with the sunrise, windows down, and my favorite jams playing—I can feel the adrenalin rush preparing me for any adventure ahead.

campus—afraid to leave the watchful eye of Freud at the front gate. Folks, urban fever is a very real thing and it is something that many of us suffer from, but never knew what to call this feeling of entrapment. Besides the small gems that hide behind the urban walls of Worcester, there is one thing about the area that I have found to lift my spirits. Conveniently, Worcester is located in a prime area where there are amazing places to hike. I do highly suggest that if the feeling of urban fever lowers one’s spirits, getting out into the wild is the perfect remedy. Pack your bag, put on your hiking shoes and just go. Under the right circumstances, it is perfectly okay to leave society for a couple of hours or a day. It is perfectly okay to put your work aside, but only

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under the agreement that the pursuit of one’s liberation and happiness will be completely worth it. The feeling of walking in the wild is beyond anything that I have ever felt in my entire life. The sensation of being free from the concrete jungle and the restrictions that come with it is just surreal. Leaving the jungle and going into the woods erases all of the stresses in life and rids us of all of the struggles we face. The actual climb

of the hike is the hardest thing that a person could do and the most beautiful thing at the same time. No matter the physical abilities one has, it is the mental and spiritual strength that resides within to get through the fight. Without the will, there is no way and with no way, there is no liberation to be found. As people, we need to have a sense of control and this is something that we actually have complete control over. Put the iPhones,

Get hyped up, because the person standing at the summit of a mountain is a different person who was back in their room scrolling through their Facebook feed. When feeling thousands of feet tall, nothing can ruin you, it can only build and escalate to great things. Giving praise to the climb will do wonders but there is nowhere to start if there is no lead of where to go. Worcester is an amazing home base for great trail hikes and a central location for many other breath-taking hikes:

Cascade Park: Beginner level and 3.5 miles away from Clark’s campus Purgatory Chasm State Reservation: Beginner level and 12 miles away from Clark’s campus Wachusett Mountain State Reservation: Beginner/intermediate level and 20 miles away from Clark’s campus Monadnock Mountain: Intermediate level and 61 miles from Clark’s campus Mt. Greylock State Reservation: Intermediate (some difficult patches) and 106 miles from Clark’s campus

And here, I leave you with these words to ponder:

“

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” – Henry David Thoreau

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WORCESTER

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WORCESTER

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WORCESTER

Seven Wonders of Worcester WRITTEN BY JEREMY LEVINE & LIAM FLEMING PHOTOGRAPHY BY HUNTER HOYSRADT

1 Burnside Fountain

Harriet Burnside bequeathed the funds for the statue in 1905, in memory of her father, prominent lawyer Samuel Burnside. Charles Y. Harvey, a sculptor from Great Barrington, was commissioned to complete the sculpture, but he committed suicide in 1912, before it was completed. The statue was finished by another sculptor in his studio, Sherry Fry. It is currently unknown whether or not the sculpture’s installment was marked by any kind of ceremony. According to a news story from 1912, the Mayor of Worcester, Philip O’Connell, thought it was best “to have the fountain placed in use without ceremony.” It is possible that the mayor feared that the suicide would bring the city more bad publicity than good. Turtle Boy has had this tragic reputation ever since. Perhaps nobody will ever fully understand either what it depicts or how it was received upon installation. What is known is that it has become a fixture of Worcester Commons, and that some, like J. Stuart Esty, a local business owner, are trying to make it into a na-

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2 The Triple Decker Let me tell you a story – actually, three stories. In Worcester, as well as several other New England towns, the triple-decker is the primary form of housing in the central city. Much like row housing, shotgun shacks and tenements, triple-deckers were built to house low and middle-income workers in relatively little space. The dominant buildings of Worcester streets have many eccentricities. For example, early sewage and water charges in Worcester were based on a properties frontage, thus many triple-deckers of early construction are only one or two rooms wide. With a much longer length, this has prompted many household “adaptations” over the years. In the area around Clark, most triple-deckers are no longer multigenerational family homes, but instead rented out by professional landlords. This rental income has prompted many living rooms to be shrunk in favor of an additional bedroom. You know, the one with the double doors at the front of your house? Also remnant of older times, some triple-deckers still have the major appliances in long, creepy, closet-like appendages of the kitchen.

Turtle Boy has a name, and it’s Burnside Fountain. Many Clarkies that have passed by the illustrious statue have reported simultaneous feelings of repulsion, bewilderment, and wonder when gazing upon it. The sculpture is supposed to be the image of a young boy holding a turtle, which Kristina Wilson, an associate professor in the Visual and Performing Arts Department, claims represents “joy, innocence, and rebirth.” But it definitely looks like something thoroughly un-innocent is going on.

tional icon. Although there have been two theft attempts in the past forty years and a children’s book that documented Turtle Boy’s adventures, The Cloud Bird (published in 1916)—it’s hard to know if this will ever be a Wonder of the world, or just Worcester.

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Finally I turn to one of the most eloquent triple-decker residents to date, Samuel Behrman, a playwright who wrote of growing up in a late 19th century triple decker: “. . .in many other respects they were not so bad. They had balconies, front and back, which we called piazzas. . . The contemplative and withdrawn could sit on the back piazzas and look at the fruit trees; the urban and worldly could sit on the front piazzas and survey the passing scene…” Something to think about next time you are on your porch, err piazza.

Elm Park “You know it was the first park in America?” “What, the one by Price Chopper?” “Yeah, that one.”

and Calvert Vaux, whose greatest hits include Mount Royal Park in Montreal, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and of course Central Park in Manhattan.

Most Clarkies have had some version of this conversation before. Even Wikipedia proclaims it to be true. There is indeed a plaque at Elm Park that declares it to be the first public park in America. The City of Worcester’s official website even says so. But this isn’t totally accurate. Boston, New York, Hartford, and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania all claim to have the first parks in America. It definitely wasn’t Elm.

Edward Winslow Lincoln, Worcester’s first Parks Department Chair, chartered the park, but he frequently had trouble with people behaving appropriately. Everything from vandalizing ice skaters, to troublesome baseball players, to an Anaconda left behind by the circus, troubled his beloved park in its first few years. From great design roots through trying mischievous hardships, Elm Park has survived as a gem in Worcester. Today, wedding photos, all-you can eat ice cream festivals, and old Armenian men gathering for a sunday walk can all be observed in our fair city’s greatest park.

However, Elm has the distinction of being designed by the firm of prolific urban park makers Edward Law Olmstead

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6The Port of Worcester

Kelley Square If there’s a special place in Hell for poor urban planning, it’s Kelley Square. An intersection with its own website, this automotive labyrinth has befuddled and alarmed many motorists. Despite these fear-inducing qualities, though, Kelley Square is not even ranked in a 2008 top200 list of the most dangerous intersections in Massachusetts.

Yes, there is a sign in our landlocked city that reads “Port of Worcester.” It is a proud sign at that—with an image of a large container ship, right next to a large gravel parking lot and a railroad crossing. How do we have a port? Well, it makes sense that maybe we are just a transfer station for the rest of Massachusetts for all sorts of goodies coming up from Providence and Southeastern Connecticut. Sure! You got it kid! You are right—at this point in time, that is exactly what the deal is.

Experts say that this ranking is because it’s so frightening. Mary Ellen Blunt, of the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, says that Kelley Square is “an intimidating intersection, and so people may be approaching it more cautiously and entering it more slowly.” Basically, since everyone is aware that Kelley Square is a deathtrap, it actually becomes less of a deathtrap.

However, go back a few decades (or a century and a half, before the railroad) . . . In 1828 you could actually see the 19th century version of a container ship right here in Worcester. Riding up the newly built Blackstone Canal were ships loaded with goods for our fair city. So at one point Worcester really was a port city, not because of some crazy reverse global warming sea-level drop either, but because of good ol’ American profit driven know how.

A total of seven streets intersect Kelley Square. So next time you need to get to I-290, or you have a serious hankering for Kelley Square Pizza, just know that you’re headed toward your demise, and everything will be fine.

The Diner Car American food often summons images of super-sized burgers, french fries, and frisbee-sized slabs of meat. Often, these visions are found inside a chain restaurant, a mall food court, or a drive-thru. But to see true American food you must go to your local diner. The diner is such an important piece of Americana that Guy Fieri made a show about it, and Guy Fieri only makes shows about important things. Without the diner we would be robbed of a vast swath of American food culture, not to mention most of the Food Network’s lineup of reality shows.

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In Worcester, T.H. Buckley, one of the top producers of American diner cars, was part of the manufacturing industry that many food historians trace American diner fare back to. The diner car was a product of American manufacturing, made for American workers. Often open 24 hours, these cars had a kitchen, seating, and all the rest, on a sturdy frame with wheels attached. This allowed diner cars to be moved among manufacturing site to the factories

they intended to serve. Post-industrial America has not abandoned its diner cars, as can be readily seen at Miss Worcester. A classic Worcester-built diner car, it has adapted from serving the adjacent factory complex to serving people from all around the region. Next time you enter a diner, on a weekend morning potentially in dire need of stuffed french toast or a reuben omelet, remember the seats you sit in are part of an entire culture of American food and history.

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7 Mechanics Hall Downtown Worcester is home to a bunch of things – food, museums, even nightlife for you kids out there. But it’s also home to Mechanics Hall, a sprawling, gorgeous, concert hall with renowned acoustics. Built in 1857 by Worcester’s Mechanics association as a venue for community activities, Mechanics hall soon attracted speakers like Charles Dickens and Susan B. Anthony. By the middle of the twentieth century, downtown Worcester had declined and the hall became a space for the less refined pleasures professional boxing and roller skating. When the Worcester Heritage Society intervened in 1977, it was completely restored and became the beloved venue that we know today. At the center of this revitalization is the Hook Organ – also known as the “Worcester Organ” because most of the money spent on its 1982 refurbishment came from donations from the community. It is a 52-stop, 3,504 pipe organ, and is the oldest unaltered four-keyboard organ in the Western Hemisphere. By the time it was restored, Mechanics Hall was a flurry of activity once again. This shift in Mechanics Hall’s prominence is directly related to the revitalization of Worcester’s downtown area, and many Worcesterites see the space as a symbol for the city’s newfound vigor. 

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WORCESTER

New Indian Restaurant

Spices up Worcester

WRITTEN BY THEO MEYER PHOTOGRAPHY BY HUNTER HOYSRADT When I first applied to Clark as a transfer student, one of the first things I did was check out Google Maps to locate the Indian restaurants in Worcester. I was disappointed to discover that there were very few Indian restaurants in the area, compounded by the fact that all of them are inconvenient to access. Conversations with my fellow Clarkies revealed to me that Indian cuisine was a foreign concept to many of them; people either told me that they had never had it, or that they had a strong disliking for it. I was the same way a few years ago, until my brother took me to an Indian buffet, which completely changed my opinion. Since then, I have consumed many Indian meals and introduced many people to the wonders of the cuisine. It has since dawned on me that a buffet format, which introduces people to a variety of dishes at an affordable price, is exactly the way to convert the masses.

students), while at dinner it charges on a dish-per-dish basis. (The food is usually around $10 per dish, which is cheaper than other Indian restaurants.) I knew that I had to try it and more importantly review it so that my fellow Clarkies could finally discover the joys of Indian food. Currently, as I write this review, I have been to the buffet three times and will continue to have lunch there in the future. In order to give a fuller picture of the restaurant, I have divided my review into three categories: food, ambiance, and service.

Imagine my delight when I discovered New House of India. At lunch, the restaurant has a buffet style format for lunch ($9 for all you can eat with a 10% discount for

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Rumors and Realities:

FOOD The food does not disappoint with something for both vegetarians and omnivores alike. Every dish is chock-full of flavor and traditional spices such as cumin, coriander and various curries. I recently had an opportunity to try their naan, fresh from the oven, and it was celestial. The flatbread melted in my mouth with buttery flavor. My personal favorite from their non-vegetarian menu is the chicken in tomato gravy, or chicken tikka masala. The dish is savory with pleasant curry flavors and tang from the yogurt in the sauce. For those with an adventurous side, there is also chicken vindaloo, which is very hot due to green chilies in the sauce. My favorites of the vegetarian options are their spinach (saag) dishes. In my experience at most other restaurants, this dish is usually hit or miss but here, I have yet to be disappointed. Their desserts are also musttries, infused with the flavors of cardamom and rose water. adventurous, there is also chicken vindaloo, which is very hot due to green chilies in the sauce. As for my favorite vegetarian dish, I have to give it to their spinach (Saag) dishes. At most other restaurants I have been to, this dish is usually hit or miss but here, I have yet to be disappointed. Their desserts are also must tries, infused with the flavors of cardamom and rose water.

AMBIANCE When you walk into the restaurant, usually there is a very pleasant aroma. In this case, I was not impressed by the bland décor of the restaurant. There are a few pictures on the walls, but I was expecting something that would transport me to the wondrous world of India. However, the setup of the restaurant is

Searching for Home in Worcester WRITTEN BY SEAN TATAR PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHANNON MAGRANE

quite functional. On one side of the restaurant is the double-sided buffet station where people can serve themselves the dishes of the day, while at the other end of the restaurant is the seating area. I am confident that at some point the owners will update the décor but for now, it’s fine.

SERVICE I have been quite pleased by the staff every time I have been there. They are very prompt about seating people, and the owners are always excited to see returning customers. Furthermore, the wait staff who clear plates and refill drinks are always friendly and attentive without being overbearing. Do remember to bring money for tips as they are greatly appreciated. This restaurant is a true gem. I am pleased to say that this may be the restaurant to put Indian food on the map for Clarkies. 

FINAL RATING: 50

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expression. Worcester? Are you absolutely and utterly insane? Our summers were met by the constant e-mails of articles from concerned aunts and second cousins with an over exaggerated article on the crime rates of the city, urging us to rethink our decisions, or simply commute and return every night to the safety of familiarity or suburbia.

Preconceived notions seem to be a way of life. There is always an upfront judgment of everything that we each experience and no matter how many times someone states, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover,’ it seems impossible to not create an expectation for how you believe something will be like. When many of us told our friends, relatives, teachers, and parents of our future plans of attending a university in Worcester, I can almost guarantee that each person was met with the same confused

Though this is obviously an exaggeration, Worcester seemed like a daunting place to live for all of us. Whether you were from a suburb or an internationally renowned city, the expectations of Worcester seemed to reach everyone. Though it seems to be everyone’s belief that college starts us off with a clean slate, these expectations made it a complete impossibility to remain untainted by stereotypes and clichés. But it is pivotal to explore whether or not these expectations of the city have matched up with the reality of what living in Worcester is truly like. From the perspective of the majority of students from suburbia or other areas of rural America, the safety issue in

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WORCESTER

a level of diversity, but that there would be certain neighborhoods of conglomeration, so the city would be nothing special. For many freshmen, this was something relatively refreshing about Worcester, the fact that cultures seem to mix. Within a few blocks a resident can visit St. Peter’s church, Haiku restaurant, and Moynihan’s Pub. Cultures mesh well in the city which sets it apart and give it some individuality and a trait to set Worcester apart from other cities which no one expects.

Worcester seemed to be of the most concern. In Main South, rumors filled the ears of those who had no experience walking the streets of a city without constant adult supervision. “I thought I would never leave campus” seemed to be the eternal cuckoo cry of every first year coming from this perpetually suburban background. Many newcomers thought that leaving campus was an impossibility at any time of day and that they would be left in the bubble of campus constantly. But in reality, Worcester is like any other city; there are some beautiful sections and some parts of the city that you just need to use your common sense in. Though many people never attempt to part from the periphery of campus, the one tip that most seniors

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have is to venture out. If we perpetuate the idea that Worcester is this devastatingly dangerous place without getting to know the area, rumors will trump reality. For students who were culturally deprived, as well as for those who lived in an area of cultural diversity, people believed that Worcester would be a cultural bore. One first year even exclaimed, “I was expecting to be bored. It seemed inevitable.” The consensus was that Worcester would have

Though many students are coming from small suburban towns and see Clark as this daunting figure of college independence, we mustn’t forget those of us who are coming from cities which dwarf Worcester in an exponential fashion. The romantic view of a city with skyscrapers and panoramic views of lights amongst crowds of constantly moving people caused many to hardly think of Worcester as a true city. These students communally stated that they thought that since Worcester is not as well known, that it would be completely and utterly boring. The relatively small size of the city in comparison to New York seemed to give people the impression that Worcester would simply harbor a sense of monotony and placelessness in comparison to their cosmopolitan lives. New residents pictured strip malls and chain restaurants and a lack of any sense of culture. Fortunately, most were pleasantly surprised by what the reality of the city is. Though the city is small, the Worcester Art Museum with its 35,000 pieces could be compared on the same level to any museum in Boston. It’s refreshing to live in a small city, but also have these opportunities to be immersed in art through the museum, as well as festivals like stART on the Street. Though Worcester is a smaller city, it has the ability to entertain those of us from suburbia, as well as students who live in areas that are completely metropolitan.

Though it seems impossible to live life without expectations, what we should all remember is that without Worcester, Clark would not be the same. Everyone, myself included, at some point has had the thought, ‘if Clark was only in Boston, it would be a much better school.’ But through questioning others on their experiences, and taking a look at my own, I know that Clark would not be the quirky convention-challenging university that it is if it was anywhere else. Worcester obviously is not as recognized as cities like Boston or New York. It carries around these expectations that people have of it and has a reputation which precedes it. But the more people get into the city, the more it grows on them. Worcester has a chip on its shoulder, but it’s a piece of Clark that completes it. It is up to everyone to break this cycle of expectations and forget our preconceived notions about the city. Brush off the stereotypes, explore the city, and get to know your home. 

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What’s the

Main IDEA?

WRITTEN BY SHANNON MAGRANE // PHOTOGRAPHY BYHILARY GRACE L’ESPERANCE & JOY MURRIETA

What is Main IDEA all about? Main IDEA is an organization that pushes to promote the arts as a vital part of childhood growth and development. What does the name stand for? Main IDEA has a focus on the Main South area of Worcester, which has the highest at risk youth population in the city. The IDEA portion of the name represents the four focus area we try to promote throughout the program: Imagination, Discipline, Exploration and Attitude. How and when did this all begin? The concept was first discussed in the early months of 2011. A group of artists who began to talk about their passion for their respective arts and their passion for today’s youth. What brought you all together?

Upon moving to Worcester as a Clark student, I didn’t feel like the Woo was my home until I started to open my eyes to all of the volunteer opportunities in the community. It started in a First Grade classroom at Goddard Elementary School. As anyone who works with young kids knows, the early hours and immense amount of energy is tough, but to me, being reminded of the stories and creativity you once had in childhood is what makes the exhaustion worth it. When I found out about Main IDEA through a classmate, I knew that it was a Worcester organization I needed to get involved with – I was so excited to meet people who could understand this passion of mine. This past summer (of 2013), I spent a week with Joy Murrieta, John

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Rupeck, Jessica Richland, Jenn Lamarche, and Thu Nguyen, among other amazing volunteers, and some of the most inspiring kids in Main South. Hands down, it was the best week of my summer. Team Violet and I made masks, learned how to breakdance, wrote our own group rap, performed our own rock song on stage, and engaged our imagination in a journey through Atwood Hall. If you’re looking to get creative, inspired, and just have some fun in the Woo, then you should learn more about Main IDEA and what they do.

The original group of founders were all connected to the church in Main South, The Woo (which is involved in many other community-based initiatives in Worcester). The Woo was also (and continues to be) a great help in promoting the organization, which led to more volunteers with the same passionate vision coming on board. How does Main IDEA’s summer camp run? The summer program is one week in length, and continues to grow and evolve into more efficient and effective methods of providing exposure of the arts to children in Main South. Currently, the summer program offers workshops in 5 areas of the arts: Creative Drama, Creative Writing, Dance, Music and Visual Art.

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Clark University has played no small role in the support of Main IDEA’s summer program. This past year, they offered one of their buildings, free of charge, to Main IDEA; it was the best of the three annual programs run thus far. What are your favorite parts of being involved with Main IDEA? John Rupeck: I love seeing kids come alive through art. Some are all in right off the bat, and others take a little time getting comfortable. But by the end of the week, all of the kids are letting go of their fears, and unleashing imaginative expressions and connecting with the other kids in the program (most of which they did not know prior to Main IDEA). Joy Murrieta: My favorite thing about working with Main IDEA is getting to see both the kids and the staff’s hearts transform over the course of the program; everyone really opens up and comes alive by the week! It’s also invigorating and encouraging to meet and experience the gratitude of the kids’ families at the end of the week; it always reminds me that what we’re doing is so important. Any favorite memories you are willing to share? John Rupeck: One year in Maid IDEA, I had one boy in the Creative Drama program that was pretty inattentive. He was one of the younger kids, so it didn’t bother me too much. Throughout the week we worked on a small skit that we were going to present the final day of the program. Each day it was hard to get him to pay attention and say his lines on cue. But by the time of the presentation, he had all his lines down, and he was so into his character. He even started improvising in his character at one point. It was amazing. What are some of the organization’s dreams? While Main IDEA is currently a one-week summer pro-

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gram, we hope to expand the organization to a full-time, after-school program. We would love to have our own building, and maybe even someday, expand and bring passion for arts and kids to other cities. Here are some of our goals at Main IDEA. . Long-Term Goals: For Main IDEA to expand beyond a oneweek summer program a. 2 week, 3 week, 1 month, full summer b. annual, quarterly, monthly, and weekly programs/workshops c. art programs for younger/older kids (we currently only offer programs for 3rd-5th grade) d. programs that focus on advanced technique (we currently do more introductory programs) To become a healthy, strong and independent organization a. be able to pay our staff b. have our own building c. have multiple bases: statewide, nationally, and—most definitely—internationally! How can people support or get involved in Main IDEA? We are currently planning some more year-round events in addition to our summer program. But the summer program is always a great place to get involved. If you visit our website, www.mainidea.org, you can find out more about volunteering and getting involved.

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GRAND STREET LOOMWORKS

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“Loomworks” was commissioned by the Worcester Main South Community Development Corporation to document the interior of the abandoned Crompton & Knowles Loomworks factory building in Worcester, Massachusetts before its conversion into apartments. “Loomworks” explores the formal and spiritual elements of the dilapidated space, showing that the space is forlorn, but remains beautiful.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL PUIIA

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GROWING WITH OR OVER?

A Critical Analysis of Clark’s Expansion WRITTEN BY THU NGUYEN // PHOTOGRAPHY BY DOMINIQUE PRATT

rowth. We all want and are expected to grow. It is not surprising that Clark University as an institution envisions itself becoming bigger. This fall Clark celebrated and welcomed the Class of 2017, one of the biggest freshman classes in Clark’s history. But Clark is not only growing in numbers. In recent years we have seen Clark physically grow through reconstruction and additions to facilities such as Wright Hall, Johnson and Sanford, and the Kneller. We have also witnessed Clark’s closing of Downing Street and the spread of off campus housing. Such growth is amazing for the Clark community but, in the eyes of those who do not benefit from Clark’s expansion, it may be seen as cancerous. This article for me is complicated, being from Worcester and going to Clark positions me within the margins of both communities. I know that Clark and Clarkies have done and will continue to do amazing things in Worcester. But sometimes I can’t help but wonder if there is also damage being done. Clark prides itself on being in Worcester, especially in Main South, the urban area

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of the city. Clark views itself as a good neighbor and in many ways Clark is. Clark has an enormous influence in the community and there’s no doubt about the way in which Clark is visible and highly present in Main South. Clark works with the Main South CDC to help neighborhood residents and local business with employment needs. The school also has a Neighborhood Scholarship program that offers free tuition to youth who lived in Main South for at least five years. Clarkies have been and are continuously volunteering for programs like All Kinds of Girls and Big Brother Big Sister, which aim to provide Main South children with safe spaces to play and grow. With that said, it does not change the fact that Clark’s presence has also been a hugely negative experience for many in the community. Being placed in Main South, an urban area mainly made up of low income minorities, means that there is a huge difference between Worcester natives and the college students who enter

the area through a privileged college institution with the goal of graduating with a higher education diploma and the means for upward social mobility. For many years there have been debates about the “us versus them” mentality that exists between Clark students and people who grew up and live in Main South. A lot of Clarkies don’t understand why, as Clark students who are planning to live in Main South for four years, they are seen as “them” in the eyes of the people who occupy Worcester for most of their lives. Well, it’s simple, Clarkies come and go. Most look at Clark as the other because it represents the rich white kids who come onto their

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WORCESTER

homeland and later leave for a better place because they can, while Worcester natives are here to stay for the long haul. Looking at Clark, lots of people see a place that isn’t theirs, a place where they don’t belong despite it being right in their own neighborhood. Now as Clark is expanding, they see it expanding and yeah- that is damn threatening. A lot of the times, walking or driving by Clark, many Main South natives don’t understand Clark’s incessant need for change and expansion. A lot of anger surfaced during the closing of Downing Street. The result of it was an awkward, oval shape mini grassland that makes no sense to a lot of Clark students, never mind the Main South natives who used Downing as a functional part of their daily commute. Along with this, it’s very unpleasant for a lot of Main South natives to be barraged by the sounds of construction all the time and not understand the value. Or worse, they see the value and realize it’s not meant for them, it’s meant for the people who are just visitors here. Egos and self-esteems are being damaged. Where’s the investment in the actual people who live and stay in Main South? What are we worth? As I mentioned before, Clark does offer the Neighborhood Scholarship program and it does help. It really is an investment in the youth of Main South. I mean, I’m going

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of us as human beings. Clark, by default as an institution for higher education, is going to attract a majority of privileged white students. Because it is located in Main South, the school will always create tension by its very nature as a part of the bigger structure of inequality in the United States. How can that be balanced with the school’s ideology of challenging convention and changing the world? I don’t have answers to the questions I have posed, but for years I have been searching for

to Clark through the scholarship right now so if it didn’t exist you wouldn’t be able to read such an amazing and complex analysis of Clark’s expansion and that would be a damn shame. But the problem is that in order to receive the scholarship you have to live within the range that is mapped out by the program. The streets that are part of the Neighborhood Scholarship programs are streets that most Clark students have heard of and many live on, such as Oberlin, Florence, Woodland, Beaver, and Birch. But the fact that more and more students are now living off campus means that Main South residents are moving further and further outside the ranges of the Neighborhood Scholarship program. I was raised in 33 Oberlin until I was in the fifth grade and to now see it as a Clark house is a bit devastating. The Neighborhood Scholarship program sounds amazing on paper and for press. Ideologically, invest-

bridges. Communication and ideological understandings appear to me as the best solutions. Clark has been giving back to the community in various ways, but it has also been taking a lot. Helping Main South residents see the beauty of Clark and what it has to offer is desperately needed because oftentimes the community’s first response to seeing Clark’s expansion is anger. Clark needs to invest in researching how Clark’s presence effect Main

South natives and how it makes them feel. There needs to be a moment for us all to reflect on the ways Clark is taking from the Main South community and to reframe our desires to grow. Should we grow physically and numerically or should we grow towards a different direction? As an institution we must find a way to move towards really loving our neighbors and learn to grow with them, rather than over them. 

ing in Main South youth is something that’s on Clark’s mind, but it seems to be on the backburner now that Clark is expanding. Offering free tuition to Main South residents living on streets that are now majorly inhabited by Clark students seems to be less and less helpful every year. So the question becomes how do we grow as an institution and still be good neighbors? This question is complex and runs deeper than just the physical world. It seeps into the ideological and emotional realities of all

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ARTS & STYLE

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

ARTS & STYLE

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

ARTS & STYLE

THE LOST ART OF THE ALBUM

WRITTEN BY MATT NEWBERG PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOFIA DOBNER-PEREIRA

When the LP was first developed in the late ‘40s, it meant that artists could fit more songs on a record. However, at the beginning of its sixty year history, the album was seen as a collection of unrelated singles designed to highlight the talents of a performer rather than realize any sort of conceptual statement.

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For many music historians, the first album that was seen as more than just a collection of songs is Frank Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours (1955). Inspired by series of failed relationships including two consecutive divorces with Nancy Barbato and Ava Gardner, the talented crooner recorded sixteen tracks that explored themes of loneliness, introspection, lost love, and depression. The album takes a somber tone reflected in all sixteen tracks from the Hoagy Carmichael penned “I Get Along Without You Very Well” to the Duke Ellington standard “Mood Indigo.” The album even features a rare writing credit for Sinatra with the last track “This Love of Mine.” After the release of In The Wee Small Hours, producers and artists began to truly realize what could be accomplished with this lon-

ger format, and the album as we know it was born. Throughout the sixties and seventies, artists and producers really began to challenge notions of what an album could be. One of the first creatively successful concept albums, with a recognizable story that strings the tracks together, was The Pretty Things’ S.F. Sorrow, released in 1968. The sixties also saw the release of several successful “loose” concept albums, where the “concept” wasn’t as clearly defined. This category includes some of the most famous works of the time: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pet Sounds, Freak Out! and Days of Future Past. Additionally, we saw the development of the rock opera, most famously with The Who’s Tommy as well as the Kink’s Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire).

Artists continued to make these fully developed albums well into the seventies, spawning classics such as David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. But going into the eighties, we began to see less conceptually realized works. This could partially be due to the rise of disco and punk music. These two distinct styles fought against the popularity of contemporary adult rock radio, which emphasized entire records—seen in the production of quality conceptually sound albums such as Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. Punk and disco were both largely focused on individual songs. Though both genres produced their fair share of classic albums (i.e. London Calling or C’est Chic)—take your pick, they were both largely genres made up of classic songs instead of albums. As a result, the eighties were largely devoid of good, popular concept albums— although the form continued to remain prevalent in genres like progressive rock and heavy metal, where long sprawling track lengths and improvisation suit the construction of some vague storyline. And though there have certainly been a solid amount of grandiose concept album revivals in the years since (Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness, Antichrist Superstar, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea The Black Parade, Hospice, The ArchAndroid, Year Zero, American Idiot, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Come on Feel the Illinoise!, The Rising, Good kid, m.A.A.d. City, just to name a few) it is no longer the norm. In many ways, we have returned to the singles culture of the early fifties—where a popular album is less of an artistic statement and more of a collection of potential singles and obligatory fillers. If we zoom out and look beyond the top 40, it becomes clear that many artists, at the very least, still work to make their albums cohesive. But with a few exceptions, pop music has returned to the jukebox era—only now the jukebox is digital, it’s on your computer or your phone, and it has, like, every song.

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ARTS & STYLE

It used to be that the only way to listen to your favorite artists, aside from waiting to hear them on the radio, was to go out and buy an album. It wasn’t until the late eighties with the development of the compact disc that skipping through tracks was even an option. Otherwise, it was a pain to drag the needle to the point on the record or fast forward and rewind a cassette tape to get to the song you wanted to hear.

A few years back, A.V. Club published an article “Turn off the Shuffle: 25 Great Albums that Work Best from Start to Finish.” The list included classic concept albums such as Pink Floyd’s The Wall and The Who’s Quadrophenia, alongside more recent offerings from the likes of Parenthetical Girls and Sufjan Stevens. While scrolling through the list, I couldn’t help but wonder what the purpose was. Why single out these 25 albums? Shouldn’t most albums be listened to in order? For a minute, the article seemed like a spoof, a parody from the A.V. Club’s parent publication: The Onion. But there was not a drop of cynicism or sarcasm. The writers were being entirely earnest when they accumulated these albums. The key to understanding why comes in the first part of the article’s title: “Turn off the Shuffle.” It is a plea, an appeal, and a command rolled into one and it comes from a generation of music listeners who never turned on the shuffle. When you listen to music, do you listen to individual songs or full albums? Go back a few decades and this question barely makes sense.

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Nowadays, people can listen to music however they choose. We can download music from iTunes, stream individual tracks through apps like Spotify as well as websites like YouTube, and listen to personalized radio stations via Pandora and iTunes Radio. We can choose whether or not we want to listen to an entire album or just a specific song. And the grownups seem to think that us millennials (excuse the overused overgeneralizing meaningless categorization) have lost the appreciation and the patience for full albums.

whether or not artists are making them. Parents, music journalists, older artists (veterans from the Adult Oriented Rock seventies), are quick to denounce us millennials for not listening to music properly. And when I took on this article I was convinced to prove these sources wrong. But it wasn’t as easy as I had hoped. Yes, these types of albums are still being made – they may not be the norm and they may not be as embedded in the top 40 as they used to be – but they exist. And there is an appreciation for the album among the current Spotify-streaming-youth, but it is definitely a minority. We go back to the question: how do you listen to music? Full albums or individual tracks? Most students at Clark answered with the latter. Although the methods varied from “making a playlist” to “listening to my iPod on shuffle” to “putting a song or an artist I like into Pandora,” it became increasingly clear that fewer students than I had imagined actually listen to full albums. I wanted to find out why.

The A.V. Club isn’t the only music publication gently urging younger listeners to give the album a chance. The New York Times and Associated Press both have featured articles discussing this trend usually focusing on the fact that downloading individual tracks hurts the artists. AP writes “Just before Flo Rida released his third album, almost two million fans purchased the first single ‘Club Can’t Handle Me,’ helping the rapper snag yet another Top 10 hit…But in its first week out, only 11,000 people bought the 8-song EP - “Only One Flo Part 1” - making its debut measly at No. 107 on the Billboard charts.” There are mentions of concepts of artistic integrity but the main issue here, according to the press, is money.

To many, listening to a full album seems a laborious task. People don’t have time or the attention span perhaps to dedicate forty plus minutes to an artistic statement. Students put on music in the background while they socialize, study, play video games, drive, shower, get ready for work, etc. In these situations, listening to music isn’t a main activity as much as it is a supplement to a more dominant one. As Max Igleheart, ’15, puts it “If I’m in the shower, I usually put on a song. In the car, I usually put on a full album. So I listen to individual tracks more than I to listen to albums but that’s just because I spend more time in the shower than I do in the car.”

Some artists still make traditional albums. Some don’t. But does it even matter? Does anyone even listen to full albums anymore? Some say the album is dying or dead regardless of

Meanwhile, Laura Matthew, an editor for STIR, says that she feels an obligation to the artist to listen to a full album. Matthew listens to albums “almost entirely” when she listens to

music, citing the exception of mixtapes, which she claims place equal weight on the ordering of tracks, if done correctly. “Artists take into consideration into how the tracks flow into each other and there’s a lot of work that goes into that and when it works well it’s almost magical,” says Matthew, “When the artist takes the time to arrange the songs in a certain order you should honor that by listening to the full thing at least once.” Even though it may not be the default medium for listening to music nowadays, the album remains the default method for releasing it. A good overarching majority of artists still release music via albums. From Miley Cyrus to MGMT, to some unknown punk band you discovered on Bandcamp last week, albums are still seen by artists and studio executives as the most efficient way to release music. Even bands that tend to experiment with formats such as The Flaming Lips (who released singles in the form of flash drives in the center of gummy skulls and recorded a twenty-four hour long song in 2011) always end up releasing a proper album every few years. Why? There are concepts and ideas you can convey over the course of a forty five minute

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ARTS & STYLE

Daughters of bum is constructed in such a way that it is encouraged, perhaps implied, that the listener is along for the ride, which clocks in at just under an hour.

(or longer) album that you just can’t in three or four minutes. Artists usually put time into thinking about the order and sound of their album as a whole from beginning to end and to not grant them your listenership for the whole thing deprives the listener of realizing the band’s true artistic goal. And while it may be fair to say that a mainstream pop artist like Miley Cyrus or Katy Perry may not have a clearly defined artistic goal aside from selling albums, other mainstream artists embrace the medium and work to concoct a coherent artistic statement. Drake’s Nothing Was the Same is an excellent example of this. The twenty six year old pop sensation remarked in an interview, after finding out that his album had leaked, that he remained confident that the release date would still be big because people will still go out and buy it and listen to it as a whole album. It shows in the way he arranges the tracklist, beginning with the rapping-heavy, chorus-lacking five minute opener “Tuscan Leather,” and closing with the epic Jay-Z feature, “Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2.” Each song compliments and flows into the next with seamless precision. The al-

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Although Drake is in the minority, he is far from the only popular artist thinking in terms of the album as opposed to individual songs. Even though Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories yielded a single universal hit harkening back to the disco days of the late seventies, the album itself is elegantly constructed. Kanye West’s Yeezus is another example of a 2013 release which focused more on the album itself than the tracks that made it up. West stated prior to the album’s release that the radio “ain’t where I wanna be no more” even though several tracks from the album have made their way onto top 40 playlists. Kanye also discussed the several incarnations of the tracklist and the decision behind the final ordering of songs, which further shows that this isn’t just rhetoric and that, indeed, some artists are still trying to engage their listeners on this level. For every Yeezus there’s a Bangerz. And for every one person who listens to

PUNK

a complete album, there’s several who listen to the radio or Spotify or shuffle or YouTube or Pandora or whatever. But, really, so what? Even though listening to a full album may lead to a better understanding of the individual songs contained within it, maybe that’s not always the point. Music is highly subjective and there is unfathomable variation in the ways in which we experience and perceive a song, an album, whatever. And as difficult as that is to understand for some (often we think in terms of “that song is supposed to lead into the next one”), the opposite perspective is equally puzzling. So yeah, people listen to music differently. They always have. They always will. So this article was sort of doomed from the start. Finding any sort of pattern or point in the way people listen to music is pointless because it doesn’t really prove or change anything. This article is inconclusive in the worst way, but if you’re reading this and you don’t listen to full albums regularly, maybe give it a try just once and see what happens. 

WRITTEN BY SASHA KOHAN PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY SHANNON MAGRANE

learning from them? And is it really as bad as some people seem to think?

t was David Byrne, musical genius and founding member of the Talking Heads, who said that “punk was defined by an attitude rather than a musical style.” To be clear: I am not here to talk about what’s punk music and what’s not. As much as I’d like to have the authority to do so, my knowledge of punk history is scant compared to what I really love, and what seems to be taking a few small but visible notes from punk’s book: pop. Pop culture infiltrates our daily lives whether we realize it or not—fashion, film, slang, TV—all trickling through our minds, memories, and dialogue in big and small ways, but perhaps none more noticeably so than music. The stars and icons of the music world are known to all ages, and right now—sorry guys—women are owning the playing field. The influence these women can have (and are already having) on thousands of girls today could be immense, but what are we actually

Let’s look at Taylor Swift— undeniably hot, but also undeniably more conservative than most of her other female pop counterparts, and for all we know, Taylor has been completely sober for all her twenty-three whimsical years on earth. What we do know is that she thinks about boys, a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Referred to as “a feminist’s nightmare” by the blog Jezebel, Swift has publicly admitted that her relationships are most often what inspires the strong feelings behind her songs —which is fine, nothing wrong with that. Swift actually has thousands of defenders who would argue that it’s wonderful to hear familiar stories and moments retold in such an articulate, relatable voice. What some might interpret to be a “feminist’s night-

mare” however, is the fact that every one of her songs centers around these relationships – in other words, boys. Boys boys boys. Swift’s haters would argue that all we can learn from her is how to obsess over boys, but fans see something very different. NPR interestingly called Swift a “princess of punk” upon the release of her fourth and most recent album Red, commenting on the attitude of the songs and noting that Swift’s maturation is evident in the anger (as opposed to mopiness) felt throughout the album. That Katy Perry’s popular new song “Roar” expresses a similar sentiment is an exciting sign that the women of pop are taking advantage of their status and giving listeners some guidance in handling rejection, disappointment, and their own inner strength. “You held me down / but I got up,” sings Perry, embodying the empowering aura of Queen B (or her alter ego, Sasha Fierce), and taking a step back from the

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ARTS & STYLE

rolls its eyes at every other number one hit?

whipped-cream-spraying bras to become a vehicle for the gentle modern punk attitude NPR fitted around T-Swift. Though Swift’s sugar-sweet, pure-as-a-virgin image makes her marketable to younger listeners and often causes older ones to undermine or disregard her music, Taylor teaches us just as much about growing up as any good, relatable pop singer—in fact, because her sound is so accessible to young girls, she is actually instilling her ideas of working through relationships and expressing strong feelings in girls at a younger age—kind of empowering, right? And isn’t that the kind of ability we’d like our daughters growing up with?

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The one girl who probably has the most to say on growing up is actually the youngest of most pop stars on the radar right now. 16-year-old Lorde topped the U.S. Billboard Charts last week with her hit-single “Royals” off her debut album, Pure Heroine (the name itself basically says all you need to know about this girl). Lorde is admirable in a traditional sense yet at the same time “punk” in the way she defies our expectations; a 16-year-old girl writes an album almost entirely absent of boys? Romance? Sex? Her incredibly impressive debut instead focuses mainly on the concept of youth and the strangeness of getting older, a theme equally universal as T-Swift’s obsession with writing about boys. “Royals” even challenges the elements of songs on the radio as of late: “But every song’s like gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin’ in the bathroom / blood stains, ball gowns, trashin’ the hotel room / we don’t care.” How punk is it to write a number one international hit song that

And then there’s Miley— the woman of the hour. This girl has gone through an incredible transformation in the last year, first ridding herself of the long, luscious, Hannah Montana locks in favor of a Twiggy-inspired shaved head and bleach blonde bangs, and now crowned as “Princess of Twerk” by tabloids everywhere. Under intense public scrutiny for the majority of her life, the 20-year-old singer received shocking amounts of negative publicity in the aftermath of the controversial VMA performance. Her public sexuality and discussion of drug use has been criticized as overly dramatic ways of saying, “Y’all, check me out, I’m not a kid anymore.” Her carefree attitude towards the situation has upset parents telling CNN they are now forced to think “that Miley does not either a) care what her younger fans think of her, or b) hasn't even bothered to think of what her actions are doing to her image.” . . .But isn’t that what makes her so awesome? Despite the scandal created around her new look, Miley is flourishing more than ever because she simply does not give

a fuck—which is why VICE magazine even went so far as to call her “the most punk rock musician around right now.” Recent appearances on Saturday Night Live and The Ellen Show prove her capacity for eloquence, honesty, and a good sense of humor about herself and what it’s like to suddenly be the most talked-about person in the world. She’s not perfect, but she’s rich, she’s pretty and she’s testing her limits—paving the way for her own independent image, trying, for fuck’s sake, to figure out who she is. That Miley can disguise Bangerz, (which is, in fact, a breakup album) as what most angelheaded hipsters would write off as another shitty pop record trying too hard to get in the Top 40 is actually an incredible feat. When some girls might be tempted to fill their album with acoustic emotion and bittersweet strings, Miley shakes off her broken engagement with actor Liam Hemsworth by reestablishing her confidence in herself. “So don’t you worry ‘bout me, Imma be okay / Imma do my thang, ‘cause Imma do my thang.” The lyrics of the album tell the story of real feelings, but the upbeat quality of most of the songs instills a sense of conviction and

empowerment—occasionally admitting to unhappiness, but never giving in to it. “Wrecking Ball” is the obvious exception, but we can allow her a few minutes of sadness, right? And can we please allow her to wear what she wants? To dance how she wants? We’re all having sex and doing drugs and whether you like it or not, there’s at least a little bit of Miley in all of us—in reckless, fun, experimental youth. We watched her evolve and now here she is, and some people want to criticize her for not keeping things PG? Please, grow up. Rock critic Lester Bangs said that “punk represents a fundamental and age-old Utopian dream: that if you give people the license to be as outrageous as they want in absolutely any fashion they can dream up, they’ll be creative about it, and do something good besides.” Not to say that girls like Miley, Taylor Swift,

Katy Perry, and Lorde are punk musicians, but their bringing of the traditional punk element into mainstream popular music is an uplifting idea. The women of pop are stronger than ever as they continue to top the charts, make bank, and make the news every week, joining the ranks of Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and other established queens of the radio. As they use their words, sounds, and images to express themselves with confidence and be whomever they choose to be, listeners of our generation should feel more and more comfortable following suit—or taking their own lead. Punk is, after all, “just another word for freedom.” 

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ARTS & STYLE

Style Snapshots WRITTEN BY LLOYD SCHRAMM // PHOTOGRAPHY BY TRISH LE

See: cats, serious goth element, black and white Doc Martenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wingtip oxford with chunky platform-ish sole, maroon backpack.

A gorgeous girl with some biting taste. A black and creme polka dot dress worn with a matching contrast purse and classic black flats create a perfectly polished look.

Harsh black and white stripes amaze and disillusion with strong contrast and bold lines. Studded boots finish the look and give the wearer a little more edge (not that she needed any).

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Black and white contrasting pieces create a clean and simple yet super modern look. The black and white baseball tee with raglan sleeves paired with a black hoop skirt and white Converse-style low top sneakers make a deceptively simple yet furiously edgy look.

This outfit perfectly blends classic style with a more modern, casual twist. A unbuttoned oxford shirt plays nicely with a skinny blazer and faded denim jeans. These lovely blue hues are balanced well with smooth heeled leather oxfords. This is timeless menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s style done well.

This lovely girl caught our eye with her lush velvet top, daisy print skirt, classic Clark Birkenstocks, and stylish fall gourd.

This look screams (or whispers in your ear in a sultry manner) summer chicness. With studded neckline, shoulder and arm cutouts, and an oversized cut, this top goes perfectly with shredded denim shorts (which we can only hope and assume were high-waisted).

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ARTS & STYLE

INSTAGRAM Current technologies have allowed the art of photography to become more accessible than ever before. You don’t need expensive equipment. You don’t need Photoshop. All you need is a cell phone. Instagram has taken advantage of this technology and created a space where people can share images that catch their eye with the touch of a button (or screen). Now, STIR has taken advantage of Instagram. Thanks for sharing, contributors! For more striking Instagrams, be sure to follow these users. CONTRIBUTORS

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@deutschinator @dmparram @jaecibs @jedelgram @markalvarpeck

@mosandler @normalisrelative @rosie_hg @shaggahs

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ARTS & STYLE

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

ARTS & STYLE

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ARTS & STYLE

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

ARTS & STYLE

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

ARTS & STYLE

FEATURED ARTIST: Antonio Fonseca WRITTEN BY CATHERINE WALKER // PHOTOGRAPHY BY CATHERINE WALKER

n my first day of class with Antonio he told me that he would become my teacher for life. There is a lot I could say about my mentor, professor and, dare I say, friend. He showed me that I too can be an artist. He inspired me to continue to pursue my love of art and develop my skills. A few weeks ago I had the privilege to sit down and talk with the great Antonio Fonseca about his art, being a teacher, and his inspiration. I asked him how his art has grown over the years. He explained how growing up in Puerto Rico greatly influenced him as an artist. Puerto Rico has a culture of art, where being an artist is a prized career. He also talked about creating art that was inspired by his identity, from family matters to being an Puerto Rican. His journey to become an artist started bwith a desire to be a teacher, which he has successfully become. Teaching several different grades, Antonio has found that his students become his students for life, a fact to which I can attest. His passion, art, and inspiration come from his home, his love of the people around him, and his questions about himself and what his true identity is. His inspirations are parts of life we can all connect with, making it incredibly easy to connect with his art. Antonio is a master printer, drawer, and painter. Through these mediums he evokes intense emotions of discomfort, anger, love and passion. He uses his careful eye to mold

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not just a piece of art, but an experience for viewer. I hope you all enjoy his art as much as I enjoy him. ď Ž

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

FEATURES

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

FEATURES | PRIDE

STIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2013

PRIDE

FEATURES

A TIMELINE COMPLIED BY THU NGUYEN

The AIDS crisis

First gay pride parades

Gay advocacy groups form to deal with the crisis gripping the community amid a slow government response to AIDS and the linking of the disease with gay men.

On the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the nation’s first gay pride parades are held in four cities – New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

1970

Congress bars federal recognition of samesex marriage (DOMA) Congress passes the Defense of Marriage Act denying gay couples the right to file joint taxes and the protections of the Family Medical and Leave Act, and it blocks surviving spouses from accessing veterans’ benefits, among other things.

FEATURES | PRIDE

2008 California’s Prop. 8 allowing same-sex marriage California’s Supreme Court rules that gays and lesbians should be allowed to wed. Same-sex marriages were permitted for some months until they were suspended upon the passage of Proposition 8 on November 5, 2008.

Connecticut legalizes same-sex marriage

Maryland, Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota and New Jersey legalize same sex marriage

U.S. Supreme Court strikes down DOMA The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional.

1996

1981

2013

2012 1815

1965

1970

1975

1969

1814 Homosexuality considered a crime The term “crime against nature” is first used in a U.S. legal decision to describe homosexual acts.

1980

1985

1990

Harvey Milk

The Stonewall riots transform the gay rights movement from one limited to a small number of activists into a widespread protest for equal rights and acceptance.

Harvey Milk is one of the first openly gay persons to be elected to public office when he wins a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He is assassinated a year later.

1973

The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

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2000

2005

2004

1977

Stonewall Riot

1995

Massachusetts becomes the first State to legalize same-sex marriage

State same-sex marriage bans A dozen states pass constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. The amendments become a popular method to attempt to block legislative acts and judicial decisions on the issue.

1993 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is instituted for the U.S. military, permitting gays to serve in the military but banning homosexual activity. An an estimated 800,000 to one million people participate in the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation as a response to the policy.

2000 Vermont becomes the first state to allow same-sex civil unions

2010

Washington and Maine legalize same-sex marriage

2009

Iowa and Vermont legalizes same-sex marriage

2010 Proposition 8 ruled unconstitutional New Hampshire and Washington D.C legalize same-sex marriage

2011 New York legalizes same-sex marriage

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy repealed Gays, lesbians and bisexuals are finally allowed to serve openly in the military.

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FEATURES

FEATURES | PRIDE

BEYOND DOMA

CO-WRITTEN BY AILEY WILDER & THU NGUYEN

I should’ve been celebrating the day that DOMA was repealed. I should’ve been excited that the struggle for equal marriage rights became such a mainstream focus in recent years. But as an Asian American, college-age lesbian, I wasn’t that excited. Don’t get me wrong, when DOMA was repealed back in July, I was happy and thought, “Alright, we’re finally going somewhere, that’s cool.” Ultimately though, it’s not enough. I appreciate and fully support the awareness that came out of the fight for same-sex marriage. I also recognize the many men and women who struggled tirelessly to make the repeal happen. What I am concerned about is the fact that the only LGBTQ issue that seems to be able to make it to the mainstream is marriage. Living in a time when we grew up watching fairy tales about “happily ever after” and romantic comedies about undeniable chemistry and soul mates, marriage has become the only

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palatable way for our heteronormative culture to recognize the oppression of the LGBTQ community. The truth is that there are many more pressing issues in the LGBTQ community that are in dire need of attention and yet hardly get publicity. In our culture marriage is held up as a symbol of success. But what type of success? For white, middle-class people, marriage means that two people are financially and emotionally stable enough to start on their path towards creating a family. This nuclear family is an integral part of the paradigm of the American Dream. So where do LGBTQ folks fit into this dream? Privileged people who see marriage as their own totem of accomplishment have created a cultural idea that if LGBTQ people are able to get married, they too will be on their way to

success. But for many LGBTQ people (especially those in poor, minority communities) marriage does not hold the same significance. Being able to marry is a part of a broader lifestyle that is systematically denied to the LGBTQ community. We are denied much more than the right to marry. We are often denied things like the right to housing, the right to health care, the right to feeling safe, and much, much more. The assumption that gaining marriage rights is the most important step towards equality comes out of a privileged worldview that fails to take into account the layered and complex realities of LGBTQ oppression. The right to housing is one that is very often denied queer youth. These young people are forced out of their homes by families

that can’t accept their sexual orientation. Once on the streets, they are at high risk of hunger, substance abuse, and sexual violence. One out of every four queer youth is homeless, and yet it is an issue that is hardly ever discussed. Gaining the right to marriage does not help these young people find housing or feel accepted in their society. Furthermore, touting marriage rights as the only platform for equality actually does an incredible disservice to them. Their unique oppression needs to be recognized as important LGBTQ issue before the word equality can even thought about being used.

This hatred often manifests in physical attacks. Hate crimes affect not only the bodies of queer people, but their emotional realities and perceptions of themselves. This reality must be continually worked through and acted upon rather than pushed aside to make room for an ideal of equality through marriage.

Along with this, LGBTQ people in this country are still far from feeling completely safe from the possibility of being the victim of a hate crime. Queer students report that they have been bullied (42% v. 21% of heterosexual students) or threatened or injured with a weapon at school (22% v. 5%) and have skipped school because they felt unsafe (15% v. 4%). There is also a high percentage of queer students who have reported suicide attempts (32% v. 7%). LGBTQ folks still face a huge amount of hatred and prejudice on a day-to-day basis.

So the question becomes: now that gay marriage has been achieved, what is the future of the LGBTQ rights movement? Will it be like the civil rights movement? After segregation was banned, a popular narrative surfaced that racism had been defeated. This narrative has proven to be incredibly destruc-

tive to the continuance of the fight against structural racism. It is clear that racism in America is alive and strong, yet it is continually denied and events such as the murders of Trayvon Martin and Renisha McBride continue to occur. Coming from a place of understanding how the civil rights movement has transformed and been slowly dismantled, I am quite concerned now that a similar phenomenon will occur in the queer rights movement. Yes, it is a win that LGBTQ people now have the right to marry, but will it truly lead to a better future? Or will we fall into an illusion of equality and thereby stop fighting for it? 

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No Face of Gay PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIA LUISA ESCOBAR The "No Face of Gay" photo shoot was inspired by iO Tillett Wright's "Self Evident Truths," a project in which she photographs people who "are everything other than not 100% straight." She emphasizes that there is no "one face of gay" by showing the diversity within the sexual orientation spectrum and gender spectrum in her subjects. Through these portraits I aim to replicate Tillett Wright's initiative within the Clark student body. This opportunity made me conscious of the gender and sexual orientation spectrum. I hope anyone who looks at these portraits leaves with a better sense of awareness and feels empowered to embrace their own unique place on the spectrum.

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On Missing Church

“

WRITTEN BY MATT NEWBERG PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOFIA DOBNER-PEREIRA

So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast o�f the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.” - Ecclesiastes 11:10

It is a little after six p.m. on a particularly overcast Sunday evening in 2009. I am drunk, like completely wasted, in the backseat Joel’s Nissan Cube cruising down Route 17 after finishing off a bottle of Bacardi Raspberry between the five of us in a public park. We are all church kids. Our parents suspect nothing. The afternoon is ripe for unsuspected and undetected debauchery. But here’s the thing: in less than three hours, I will have to go up in front of my youth group (about thirty kids and five or six adults, but since this is an outreach night the turnout will inevitably be larger than usual) and make some sort of speech about my faith in God. I have nothing prepared so you know my faith must be pretty strong. “What the fuck am I going to do?” I say aloud. Not directing the question at anyone in particular, I could be asking myself, my friends in the car, or my supposed Deity. I ask Joel for a cigarette and he passes me back a Newport from the passenger seat. It tastes like toothpaste. I volunteered for the speech because I am a member of S.A.L.T. or the Student Action Leadership Team, a semi-handpicked group of

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cited to sit in a pew again, I had set an alarm for 10:30 and planned on walking over to St. Peter’s and after that I was going to walk over to the Woo. “Go with a group,” a friend had warned me, “They recruit. Hard.” But I wasn’t worried. I planned to go alone anyways. It’s more interesting this way, my editor says.

eight or so teens who are supposed to be exemplary members of the youth group and are responsible for planning events like camping trips and game nights. And making speeches. “You should do stand-up comedy,” one of the other kids suggests, “You’re good at making people laugh” “It’s supposed to be a serious speech.”

• “It doesn’t have to be a serious article. I like the fact that it’s light. We don’t have any light articles about religion.” Years later, I am in Traina Art Center at Clark University submitting my rough draft for this article. My editor is telling me that it’s okay that I slept through my assignment for this article and that I should start writing an article about sleeping through church. My original assignment was to do a feature on some of the local churches near Clark. Vaguely ex-

I can do this. My mother was raised Catholic and was set on raising me that way until a neighbor friend took her to see an Easter play at a nondenominational evangelical-leaning church. That was the night my mom gave her heart to Christ and became a born-again Christian. The following year, I was pulled out of St. Catherine’s K-8 Catholic School and enrolled in Radburn Elementary School, the public elementary school in my town. We started going to a new church, which I completely embraced. I started listening exclusively to contemporary Christian music, became an active participant in the children’s activities at the church, and was baptized at age nine to further affirm my faith. The bible verse I selected to accompany my baptism was Joshua 1:9 “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go.” My father, raised Jewish but a staunch atheist for as long as I can remember, continued to do the grocery shopping and yard work while the rest of us went to church just as he always did. My faith did not make me very many friends in middle school. Inspired by the creed to go out and spread the word of God, I did my best to make sure that everyone in my class knew that I considered myself an apostle of the Word. I was staunchly opposed to things like gay marriage and abortion. I supported Bush on moral grounds during the 2004 election against John Kerry. I did not swear and I did not like to talk about anything morally controversial, but

if coaxed into a debate I would defend what I stood for. Needless to say, I wasn’t the best at making friends and felt alienated during these years. The church was very supportive. I was told that if I was being persecuted then I was doing something right. One time, a couple of kids beat me up on the bus ride home from school and the senior pastor at my church sat down with me personally and gave me the encouragement I needed. It is eight a.m. Sunday morning and I am lying in bed in my dorm room tangled in a mess of sheets and blankets. My roommate comes in and starts to get ready for work. Here is my chance. Knowing I didn’t set an alarm to get up for church, I can get out of bed walk across the room to my jeans from the night before, get my phone out of the pocket, set the alarm, and go back to bed. My thoughts are muddled. I am still half asleep. Sloth. I make excuses. If I’m supposed to go to church this morning, if fate wants me to go, if God wants me to go, it doesn’t matter whether or not I set an alarm; I will wake up in a couple hours regardless.

In my defense, this actually isn’t too farfetched. That’s how my circadian rhythm works for things like going to class. I’ll always wake up a half hour before I have class whether I set an alarm or not. Of course, I completely disregarded the fact that I haven’t woken up early on a Sunday morning for church since Obama’s first term. I sleep till twelve thirty pm. At some point in early high school, I made some new friends. I was exposed to different worldviews and started having an increasingly difficult time explaining and arguing in favor of my own beliefs. I never made any sort of ultimate decision. Throughout high school I continued to participate in my church’s youth group for teens. I even joined the Student Action Leadership Team (or S.A.L.T.) which was an elite group of teens involved in planning and managing events that went on. We did things like camping trips and game nights but also projects that helped the community like working food banks, playing Bingo, and baking cookies at a nursing home.

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The summer between my junior and senior year, a group of us traveled down to Lima, Peru for a missionary trip (something I now sheepishly refer to as a “service project” in most situations). During this time, I was consciously aware of the fact that I was becoming what the bible refers to as a “lukewarm” Christian (stemming from Revelation 3:15 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!”) meaning that I was just sort of going through the motions. I was doing the whole church thing with my church group but was not necessarily emitting Christ’s radiation among my friends from school. In many ways I felt as if I was leading a double life. Before I left for college I participated in a ceremony at my church where all the high school graduates were called up to the pulpit to be honored and prayed for. I was given a copy of a book entitled How to Stay Christian in College which I accidentally, though appropriately, left in the pew. Every year at my youth group a college freshman would come back and speak about their experiences living at school. It was always heavily pushed and deemed essential to join some sort of campus Christianity program like InnerVarsity or something along those lines. At the very least, they said, you should really try and get involved with a church. We arrive at the church a little after seven thirty p.m. I’m still drunk but no one realizes it because no one expects it. This isn’t my first time drinking, but it’s my first time drinking with people from my church, and it’s definitely my first time drunk at a youth group event. I hide in plain sight like Walter White. These peoples’ opinions of me have been solidified for too long to consider that I might be straying from the path. It’s an outreach night which means that leading up to the speech things are pretty light. The theme is “Beach Night” so everyone comes dressed in swimsuits and Hawaiian shirts. I play guitar in the youth band and we crank out a couple of Beach Boys covers. We play games with beach balls and sand and volleyball nets.

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The youth pastor comes out dressed like a lifeguard. The outreach nights are designed to be especially light, there’s that word again, so people can bring their non-Christian friends without making them uncomfortable, until the end, with the speech, my speech. I don’t know why I signed up to deliver that speech. I don’t know why I signed up to write an article about religion. Maybe I was called to it. But I doubt it. They used to tell me I would make a good pastor or preacher or something but I really never liked talking about religion. Even when I was really gung ho about it in middle school, I definitely had this vague sense that religion divides people as easily as it brings them together. I saw this in my household with my Mom having a very strong Christian faith and my Dad having no faith. I never liked talking about it in school or with my friends or in class or anywhere really except church, which doesn’t really make me a good Christian and certainly doesn’t put me in a position to say anything new or interesting about something that’s been around over one hundred times as long as I have. I remember a camping trip that I helped plan for my youth group during my

sophomore year in high school. About fifteen of us drove up to the campsite, hiked twenty or thirty minutes from the van, pitched some tents, made a fire, cooked dinner, and sang songs of worship and praise. An hour after we were supposed to go to sleep, the older guys from the other tent came over to ours and tore it down as a prank. At first wasn’t too bad. It felt almost like an extra blanket. But then it started raining. Hard. Thunder and lightning. Torrential downpour. We tried to ignore it, hoping the rain would pass. But eventually it was clear that we were going to have to hike back to the van. It was pitch dark, pouring rain, and we were walking in what we hoped was the right direction, when one of the kids suggested that we stop for a minute and pray to God for guidance. The kid said a short prayer and like right after he said amen there was a huge flash of lightning that illuminated our surroundings so that we could see where we were going. After thirty seconds or so, there was another one. The flashes continued at this rate and we were able to see where we were going all the way back to the van. I thanked God that night—one of the last times I can remember doing so.

couple of people saying it was a good speech, but that’s it. I probably didn’t say anything groundbreaking or revolutionary. I don’t think I helped anyone come to know the Lord through my words. I don’t think I did anything. So at a time when the senior pastor who helped me through my middle school issues has retired from the church and been replaced by another pastor, at a time when a girl from my church has been kicked off of S.A.L.T. for expressing a pro-gay marriage views, at a time when none of my closest friends see God in me at all, why do I find myself feeling bad that I missed church?

I guess some part of me misses the sense of duty that came with going to church. It felt like a calling, like an obligation, like something important I was responsible for. Even if I spent the afternoon after morning mass goofing off and getting fucked up, I still feel the heavy impact of not having anything like church in my life anymore. But was this fate? Was this

I was always the first one up for church, even before my mom, even in my “lukewarm period,” even when I had been engaging in less than wholesome activities the night before. I seldom missed church. I always wanted to go. I genuinely wanted to go the morning of my assignment. Strangely enough, I feel real regret. It was my journalistic duty for this article to wake up on time to go to two churches and record my experiences. And I failed that.

God? Do I value guaranteed earthly pleasures like the warmth and comfort of my bed on a Sunday morning over the potential eternal pleasures of religion? Do I even believe in eternity? I have no answers. I love to sleep. I love my bed. I love the world. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t learn anything. Not about the churches in Worcester. Not about my own faith or spirituality. Not a goddamn thing. 

But I don’t remember my speech. I remember a

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value of religion the

WRITTEN BY ROSE GALLOGLY

y relationship with religion has always been a bit of a contradiction.

I’m intensely proud of my religious tradition, both in the way it has shaped who I am and in what it represents in the world. But this isn’t something everybody knows about me—I rarely bring it up, and when I do, it’s usually not a conversation I enjoy having. The problem is, my religion is one you have to explain. Most people who identify with an organized religion don’t find themselves having to define the tenets of their faith in casual conversation—if you say you’re Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, people pretty much just nod, smile, and move on. Unitarian Universalist? Not so much. The name doesn’t roll off the tongue, and neither does the explanation, which is almost always asked for as a follow-up. The thing that sets Unitarian Universalism apart from other faith traditions (and, frankly, makes it sound bizarre to most people) is that it’s non-creedal, which means it accepts and celebrates a diversity of belief within its own congregations.

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In other words, two people sitting next to each other in a UU church might have completely different beliefs about God (or have no belief in God) and that’s completely OK. At this point in the explanation, most people try to find a way to ask kindly, “is this even a real religion?” —and honestly, I don’t blame them. The idea of not having a creed contradicts what many see as the purpose of religion, that is, to have a source of definitive answers to questions like those about existence and higher being. The reasoning behind being a non-creedal faith, however, is something many people can identify with in one way or another: it is the idea that faith and spirituality are inherently personal experiences, making no one

person’s understanding of them more correct or true than any other person’s. UUs believe in the wisdom of the world’s religions teachings and beliefs, but we don’t believe that any one religion has a monopoly on wisdom— and so it is our church’s purpose to be a place that facilitates and encourages the exploration of those teachings, instead of telling us which are right or wrong in the scheme of our personal journey. This isn’t to say, however, that there isn’t anything in our religion that guides our understanding of right and wrong. It’s easy to say that UUs can “believe whatever they want,” but when it comes down to it, it’s not that simple. UU congregations are a place to believe what you believe, but also a place to be united around certain principles and to act on those principles. Unitarian Universalists are united by a covenant. There are seven principles that we, as a community, all agree to uphold and act on in our lives. Among these principles is the affirmation of the inherent

worth and dignity of every person, the acceptance and encouragement of spiritual growth, and the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We also share the goal of creating a more democratic and just world around us, and a respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part. These principles inform a way of being and acting in the world. They push us to be an open and welcoming community, especially to those who have been told they don’t have a place in other religions, and they push us to be a force for social justice, which UU communities all over the world have continually proven themselves to be. It is these principles that make Unitarian Universalism a religion of action—one that promotes the value and purpose of religion in the here and now, acknowledging that the physical world around us is the only place in which we know for sure we can make a difference. That last part—the value of religion in the here and now—is one of the

most important lessons I learned growing up in the UU community. In many ways, I don’t fit the profile of a “religious person.” I’m more of a humanist than a theist, and I’m actively critical of the role religious institutions have played in the world. But coming from a UU mind-set, I have a strong belief in the value of religion as separate from its historical faults. I see religion as inherently human. It is something that comes from our need to explore questions, have rituals, and to be surrounded by a community that reaffirms our way of being. Religious worship brings people comfort. It allows them to set aside time for reflection, meditation, for the divine—a word that I don’t necessarily associate with a deity, but instead with something that is set apart from the everyday, both emotionally and physically. The face of religion in the modern world is a troubled one. Too often it is used to justify the darkest side of human nature. I don’t believe that any person has the right to tell you that

your body is wrong, that your sexuality is wrong, that your traditions are wrong or that you are any less worthy of love and dignity than anyone else; religion has too often sent these damaging messages. And because of that, I could never find fault in someone’s uneasiness with the idea of being religious—but I can tell you for sure what religion has given me. Wherever I go, I know for sure that I’ll be able to find acceptance and love in whatever UU community exists there. As a member and the current president of the Clark Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, I know that every week, no matter what else is going on in my life, I will have an hour set aside that will enrich and reaffirm me. I know that there are certain rites and rituals that are important to me, and therefore I value the important rites and rituals in others’ lives. I also have guidance to explore the questions that trouble and confuse every person and, most importantly, the simple power to decide the answers for myself. 

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have a little faith in

faithlessness WRITTEN BY MEAGAN ALEXANDER

When asked about their beliefs, atheists and agnostics usually find themselves in quite an awkward situation. I remember a few Christmases ago my great-aunt walking up to me just before “present time” and placing a trembling hand on my shoulder. Looking directly into my eyes she asked, “Have you accepted Jesus Christ into your heart as your savior?” Being an agnostic, and at a loss for words, I stuffed a Christmas cookie in my mouth with a smile and a nervous laugh. How do you even begin to explain a belief system that is shrouded with so many misconceptions? The Oxford English dictionary defines “atheism” as “disbelief or the lack of belief in the existence of God or gods” and an “agnostic” as “a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.” Despite this, there are still many untrue ideas associated with atheism and agnosticism. These range from the thought that atheists and agnostics are trying to rebel against God, that atheism or agnosticism are not legitimate belief systems, and that

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agnostics and atheists have never attempted to “find God” or seek any spiritual or religious enlightenment. These false sentiments largely contribute to the negative light that is often shone on those who don’t practice or identify with a religion. Only through busting the myths on faithlessness can a sense of true understanding and acceptance be created. One of the biggest, and the most wildly untrue, assumptions about atheists and agnostics is that they have exactly the same beliefs and that they are all trying to “rebel against God.” The reality is that non-theists don’t adhere to the belief of a particular god in the first place, and therefore aren’t rebelling against anything. But this is where atheists and agnostics differ: while atheists tend to lack belief in any deity, agnostics don’t deny the possibility of a god’s existence but also feel that there isn’t enough proof to believe in any specific deity. With that being said, it is important to remember that all non-theists are individuals with differing thought processes and beliefs so what is true to one person may not be true to another.

Non-theists also differ in religious background. Contrary to popular belief, many people who now identify as atheist or agnostic were not raised that way. In fact, many non-theists were raised into families that practice an organized religion. And as for those raised in a family with no religious affiliation, many have sought out enlightenment and answers from a variety of different religions--some have even read and studied religious texts--and have simply decided they don’t believe in any. I remember experimentally going to various churches with friends throughout elementary school and feeling out of place. I desperately wanted to believe with the same vivacity as my friends and to feel the same connection they felt when worshipping, but I eventually came to embrace my agnosticism. Says one Clark student who identifies as atheist, “I actually identified as Pagan for a few years. I studied Wicca and ancient Celtic texts. . .I just decided it wasn’t for me.” Luke Muehlhauser, atheist and author of the blog Common Sense Atheism, was born into a Christian family and was raised as a pastor’s son. On his blog, he writes about losing his faith and discovering his atheism. In one particular post, entitled “My Story”, he talks about the struggle he faced in claiming his identity as an atheist: “I know what it is like to think faith is a strength and not a gullible weakness. . .I had stubbornly resisted my deconversion, but these days I am excited

“Only through busting the myths on faithlessness can a sense of true understanding and acceptance be created.” to accept reality, no matter what it is.” Muehlhauser’s description of feeling conflicted is something many atheists and agnostics understand. It isn’t that they haven’t tried to explore the realms of religious enlightenment, it’s actually quite the opposite. Most non-theists have, at some point, longed for religion and the sense of belonging that comes along with it but, for one reason or another, have come to terms with their faithlessness. A major fallacy associated with non-theism is that atheists and agnostics want people to stop following their religions or that they think practicing a religion is a waste of time. However, non-theists want everyone to follow their

own beliefs—peacefully and respectfully. And though atheists and agnostics don’t follow a religion, they don’t look down upon those who do. Non-theists only want their belief systems to be recognized as a legitimate way of thinking. They don’t pass judgments on others with differing beliefs and they aren’t uncomfortable talking about religion as long as the conversation is open-minded and respectful. Atheists and agnostics are like anyone else in that they won’t force their beliefs on others and also don’t want the beliefs of others forced on them. Says an atheist Clark student, “People can believe whatever they want. As long as they’re respectful, I’ll be respectful too.”

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Another accusation placed on non-theists is that holidays have no significance or that they choose not to celebrate. Holidays are just as much of a celebration for non-theists as they are for those who have a religion—even for many of the same reasons. Though atheists and agnostics will not be observing the religious backgrounds associated with the holidays they celebrate, they will take part in traditions in a more secular way; family gatherings, gift exchanges, singing, and making traditional holiday foods are all activities that do carry religious significance during the holidays but, for those who don’t practice, these traditions still have meaning and importance that isn’t limited to religion. The sense of community and togetherness that is created during the holidays is something that can be shared no matter what beliefs a person has. Of all the misconceptions and myths associated with non-religion, the most troubling to atheists and agnostics is the accusation that those who don’t follow a religion have no

FEATURES | RELIGION

“moral code” for living and that they feel life has essentially no meaning. Though there may not be a set of written guidelines that non- theists follow in order to lead a moral life, atheists and agnostics alike have individual senses of right and wrong and, just like those who practice, have a “gut feeling” of what is moral and immoral. Non-theists perform acts of kindness, treat others with respect, and strive to better themselves- just as those who follow a religion do. The only difference is that non- theists do these things only from a desire to help others or simply because they feel like doing a good deed. In other words, they don’t feel compelled to do these things for any religious reason. That isn’t to say that people who practice a religion only perform acts of kindness for religious reasons, but that having a good conscious isn’t limited to people who identify with a religion. As for the

“meaning of life”, atheists and agnostics have their own ideas on the purpose their individual lives hold. Whether it’s education, music, nature, charity, love, or even writing, non-theists, like all humans, find enlightenment is something that gives their lives meaning— something that is worldly rather than cosmic. Despite differing beliefs, theists and non-theists are connected by the fact that they are human and want to be understood and respected.

What do you believe in?

Ultimately, there is really no difference between “theists” and “non-theists” save for the beliefs that they have. Humans naturally fear what they do not understand—which explains the many misconceptions associated with atheism and agnosticism—but with knowledge these misconceptions can transform into understanding and acceptance. 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIANA GLUCK

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Watching People Worship PHOTOGRAPHY BY CATHERINE WALKER

Belief, ritual, tradition, repetition, community, gathering, sharing, giving, loving, hope. Human nature allows for all of these concepts to come to life. Humans are ritualistic. They practice repetition by doing things like brushing their teeth every night or driving the same route to work every morning. Humans gather in communities, in schools, neighborhoods, shelters. Humans share, they give. They allow for the growth of intellectual and survival through sharing and giving. And that sharing is love. That love offers hope. And all of this is an integral part of worship. In this series, I watched people worship. I watched them worship at institutions of worship and I watched them worship on their own. Surprisingly, I found that Americans worship the freedom of their cars. They get us where we need to go, grant us independence, and save us from the horrors of public transportation. In my observations I noticed that the same amount of worship is given to cars and automobiles as is given to religious institutions. I saw that the religion and ritual of driving is as strong as the belief in a higher power. These images aim to highlight the parallels between the religion of commodities and organized religion.

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The Fragile Value WRITTEN BY LANCE YAU

of FREEDOM

Here’s a question: why do we as Americans value liberty so much? Why do we, as citizens of a ‘free’ Western country, tend to resist tyranny and oppression as if it were an inherent reaction within us? It’s a question that every psychologist and sociologist would love to tackle with lengthily written journals, but the answers tend to be the same. Personal freedom has always been a desire for the individual, whether it be rebelling against overbearing parents or revolting against tyrannical governments. Yet in the case of present-day America, we face a dilemma that could very well be a deciding factor on how personal liberty will be treated in the future, a crossroads between freedom and security. Here’s another question: where will the future of liberty take us? Personal freedom in the modern world is pretty much intertwined with the Internet as it becomes more apparent that governments wish for further control of it in various ways:

• SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), a massive act created in early 2012, aimed to greatly expand government influence online and create a mindset of “shoot first, ask questions later” when it came to any found content on the web. This meant sites like YouTube, Tumblr, Reddit, etc. were all threatened with potential shutdown if the bill ever passed (it eventually failed in the House of Representatives). • This past summer, a former NSA employee named Edward Snowden revealed several interesting things about how the government treated its own citizens and how it dealt with our personal liberties online. PRISM, a pervasive mass surveillance program, was revealed to have collected insurmountable amounts of data on personal details of both citizens and foreigners alike via Verizon, Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft and more in the name of protecting national security. This is the big one. While there were always suspicions that our government had the ability to do this, this revealed that minimal concerns are raised about our person-

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al freedoms, in fact often straight up ignored in the extremely dangerous mindset of national security overriding any other law that we have in place. As a result of this leak, Snowden was almost treated as if he were another manifestation of Bin Laden, tracked and chased around the world before taking refuge in Russia. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Internet, one of the last vestiges of total freedom, is becoming increasingly restrictive and monitored by government programs and companies working in tangent with the government. Security is the driving force behind these surveillance initiatives, but is the extreme loss of privacy and online freedom worth the security that the government claims the programs bring?

ASSERTION:

People with nothing to hide shouldn’t be afraid of being constantly watched.

The Internet was always going to succumb to more monitoring as more criminals, terrorists and disturbed individuals use it more -a surveillance program is necessary to keep us safe on and offline.

This is the main argument of security initiatives, with the point being that any true law-abiding citizen would have nothing to hide and would then open to surveillance programs, all in the name of greater safety and security. Also, it’s arguable that the efficiency of law enforcement should always be an overriding factor in any society.

COUNTER-ARGUMENT: Given enough data, anyone can be made to appear guilty by cherry picking innocent events. Indiscriminate surveillance allows authorities to gather enough data to do this, especially when profiling comes into play: In 2012, a sales manager sent an innocent text message to his colleagues at a trade show in New York, telling them to “blow away” the competition. This man had “nothing to hide”, yet that resulted in him being arrested and searched—the worst part, however was that he was no longer able to receive a certificate of good conduct, damaging his entire career. Even though he was by all accounts of the law completely innocent, his life was forever altered for the worse due to one text. People will stop thinking in terms of what is legal, and start acting in self-censorship to avoid being flagged out of pure self preservation.

COUNTER-ARGUMENT: Given enough data, anyone can be made to appear guilty by cherry picking innocent events. Indiscriminate surveillance allows authorities to gather enough data to do this, especially when profiling comes into play: In 2012, a sales manager sent an innocent text message to his colleagues at a trade show in New York, telling them to "blow away" the competition. This man had "nothing to hide", yet that resulted in him being arrested and searched the worst part, however was that he was no longer able to receive a certificate of good conduct, damaging his entire career. Even though he was by all accounts of the law completely innocent, his life was forever altered for the worse due to one text. People will stop thinking in terms of what is legal, and start acting in self-censorship to avoid being flagged out of pure self preservation.

Conclusion: Think about how and what you use the Internet for, and whether it’s at your home, at a coffee shop or at the library. Internet usage is now synonymous with our lives—it helps define what we’re interested in, what we wish to know, how we interact with people, corporations and governments online. It’s no wonder as to how this amount of information entices the use of mass surveillance, because as the line between society and technology continues to blur, government programs find it easier to find out who we are, figure out what are tendencies are, decide what we might do. Even though the motive behind these initiatives are arguably done with the greater security of the country as whole, it violates the very freedom on the foundation of what this country was built upon. It intercedes into our lives on the basis of nothing other than the fact that they simply can do it. This is not what the Internet, a platform for shared ideas and private communications, should be developed and used for. In short, by using the very utility of our freedom against us, the legitimacy and foundations of this country are threatened, a path that we hopefully can attempt to avoid at all costs.

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FEATURES

CONCEPTS OF

FEATURES | FREEDOM

Liberty

What does “liberty” mean to you? With Clark’s Fall 2013 Difficult Dialogue Symposia being just this, “Concepts of Liberty,” STIR wanted to get a picture of what some of the ideas floating around campus look like. Becca Hadik, member of STIR, handed out disposable cameras to some Clark students and asked them to fill the roll of film with images that represent concepts of liberty to them. Thank you to all who took part in this. It was a treat looking through all of the developed images. Some were ironic and funny, some were thought provoking, and some were very “American”—from the American flag to Dunkin Donuts. All were interesting. We hope this conceptual photo collection sparks some new ideas of liberty within yourself.

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THE WAR IN

EL SALVADOR WRITTEN BY CORRIE WELCH

’ll never forget the first time I heard “Como Tu” by Roque Dalton. Not understanding a word of Spanish, the emotion transcended the linguistic barrier to catapult me into an understanding of a tenuous struggle for life, land and bread. Roque Dalton’s poetry embodies the pain and hope of the Salvadoran people before and during the El Salvador Civil War that raged from 1980 to 1992. During this period the Salvadoran people fought bravely for the freedom that had been lost in the shadowy world of Cold War tensions. Although the United States claims to stand for freedom, the US government assisted one of the most brutal regimes of all time in implementing violent, oppressive policies intended to keep the people of El Salvador quiet and subservient. Fearing the

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communistic ideals of the revolution, Ronald Reagan squashed the freedom of the Salvadoran people by funding and training a militant conservative government that, according to many, committed genocide. Before the war, 98% of the population were landless peasants working on the coffee plantations of the Salvadoran elite. This rich elite exercised complete control of the government and the lives of those working on the plantations. The workers were essentially serfs, bound to the land that they did not own, where they lived in tiny, tin houses and struggled to survive. Much of the poetry by Dalton provides vivid images of the vain attempts of the Salvadoran people to gather enough food to feed their families. In that

time, there was no freedom. No freedom to decide where to live, where to work, what to eat, or to make any changes. People who spoke out against the conditions were “disappeared.” There is no direct translation between Spanish and English of this word, but it connotes a specific and common tactic of the government. To discourage speaking out, people who were reported for rebellious attitudes were taken from their homes and never seen again, leaving the imaginations of their loved ones to run wild about what could have happened to them. To reassure the public that being “disappeared” was something to be afraid of, the government would sometimes dump the mutilated bodies of their victims on the roadside. Lying naked in the road with their hands tied behind their backs and covered in cuts, the government wanted their pain to serve as a statement. The statement was essentially that if you tried to change the system, you too would be abducted, beaten with barbed wire and left on the roadside, dead. The civil war began in 1980 after the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. Romero spoke out against the violence and human rights abuses performed by the conservative government of El Salva-

dor, offering hope to the oppressed masses. He opposed the vast inequality and called for social justice to his people, rebelling against what the government expected of him. He received numerous death threats prior to his assassination, but refused to be silenced. Under orders of the government, he was shot by an exploding bullet during a sermon. As his blood soaked the granite alter, the rage of the people reached a tipping point. At his funeral, the government opened fire on the mourners that overflowed out of the cathedral into the square. This was the final offense for the Salvadoran people. The five leftist parties formed the FMLN (Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front) and began strategic guerrilla strikes to overthrow the government. Sadly, during the twelve year struggle for liberation, the United States was not defending the freedom of the Salvadorans, but providing endless resources to keep them in silent subservience. It is reported

that in the peak of the war, the United States provided $1.5 million a day to keep the conservative government in power. Not only did they supply monetary assistance, but training in torture techniques that were used on over 8,000 Salvadorans. One of the worst violations of freedom done by the United States government was their direct support of death death squads. Death squads, employed by the ARENA party, used a tactic known as “Taking the Water Away from the Fish” which entailed massacring entire villages to try to deter the guerillas from fighting. The squads would come into rural villages and kill every last man, woman and child. They began by splitting up the men and the women and raping the women before killing them. Babies were impaled on stakes and children were beaten to death with barbed wire as their parents watched. It is estimated that 75,000 people died in the war, the majority of whom were civilians.

What I find to be the most deplorable is the condescending attitude the United States takes towards freedom and their “responsibility” to protect it. Foreign policy in the 1980’s was simply to block communism, not to protect anyone’s freedom. Simply because the leading party of the revolution in El Salvador, the FMLN, had significant socialist and slight communist affiliations, the United States took it upon themselves to stop the revolution from succeeding. Freedom is championed in the United States. We display our love for freedom with cloying images of singing children holding hands wearing the red, white and blue. But the truth is, the United States government was a major actor in a brutal genocide. And because of their involvement, the international community will never officially recognize it as such. The US is too big, too powerful to accuse of such a thing. Freedom is not about getting hammered and singing “Proud to be an American” on the fourth of July. It is about the ability to decide the course of your life without having to worry about survival. The Salvadoran people tried to make decisions about their lives and were struck down by the communist fearing foreign policy of the United States. Freedom between Americans and Salvadorans should be indistinguishable because as Roque Dalton points out, we all “…struggle for life, love, little things, landscape and bread, the poetry of everyone.” 

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Tattooed, Pierced, and… Successful?

WRITTEN BY INDIA SPEARS & ANDREW ORMANDE PHOTOGRAPHY BY CATHERINE WALKER

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So you’ve been thinking about it for months and after serious consideration you’ve decided you want to get that infinity symbol tattooed on your wrist. You’ve done the research and found a great spot to get it done with an experienced artist who has a great portfolio of work to prove it. You’ve gone to the shop, talked it over with the artist, made an appointment, and figured out exactly how much it will cost. But have you considered what comes after getting it done, after the initial excitement wears off? That infinity symbol is now a part of you and is going to be with you at every moment of every day. Even though tattoos are some of the best forms of self expression and are extremely personal, you should know what lies ahead for you and your inked body. First off, you will want to do some serious thinking about the placement of your tattoo. Don’t just consider whether or not the placement will get in the way of what you want, but also consider that

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Personally, I wouldn’t advise hiding your tattoos for long, but any easily covered location may be best if you think it would be a serious issue. Once you’ve decided on a location and gotten yourself inked, you should know that people, even those you don’t know, are going to react in one way or another. Just taking that first walk down the street after you get tattooed, you can expect some unwanted opinions. Among the weirdest, expect people to poke or rub your new ink. “. . .some people GRAB at them - highly offensive. I decided to get these tattoos because I wanted them, not be to be grabbed at,” reports Hannah Alves (Research Assistant, Duke University). If you are comfortable with that then it’s all good, but if not, you have been warned. In her experience, Sara Davidow (Freshman, Clark University) says that she has gotten some second glances from strangers but that it hasn’t affected her negatively. Like I said, people aren’t going to jump onto you and start screaming satanic verses, but

maybe one day, you’ll decide that tattoo of a ganja leaf across your cheek was perhaps not the wisest decision. Sara Davidow (Freshman, Clark University) took that into consideration and is now glad that she did, saying that if one day she got sick of her upper back tattoo or had to hide it she wouldn’t have to cover it up with long sleeves. And if your parents are not the most accepting of body art, you may want to take Zoe Adelstein’s (Senior, Clark University) advice, who says that she basically just wanted to be able to hide her tattoos from her parents while still thinking about job opportunities in the future.

you might notice little differences here and there in how people in the general public perceive you. Now that you’ve considered the reactions of the random people you might encounter around town, you have to wonder what your parents are going to say when you come home for Thanksgiving. With any luck, your parents or relatives won’t really mind your chosen form of self-expression, but it is likely that you will face some adversity no matter how liberal your background. “She [my mom] tends to call me a dumbass, but eventually she gets

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un-translateable

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COMPILED BY LAURA MATTHEW & AILEY WILDER

around to ignoring them,” says Jessie Kilpatrick (Sophomore, West Valley College). You might get the occasional comment from your mom or dad, but eventually they will most likely see your tattoos as a part of you, just like your eyebrows or your nose. “They were not too thrilled with the tattoo, but they also understood that what had been done had been done and there was nothing they could do about it,” says Kasey Poulin (Sophomore, Clark University). While you maybe should put some thought into how you’ll explain yourself to your parents, I would not sweat it too much. In the long run, your parents are kind of obligated to like you, regardless of the extra marks on your body. So if not your parents, who should you be most worried about while sitting in the chair awaiting your permanent ink? Well, professional employment may pose some extra challenges for you, as a newly tattooed jobseeker, but there are solutions to every problem. Julia August Stevens (Freshman, Clark University), has seen the way one of her heavily tattooed and pierced coworkers is judged by customers

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esprit d’escalier French

2 at Subway, saying people are a bit creeped out by him, “a lot actually.” But what the clients think is usually far superseded by what your bosses think. They’re the ones who really matter. “People assume you’re stupid, harsh, trashy, flakey, slutty, on drugs. . . All types of stupid things because of tattoos. With my job as a research assistant I have to cover all my tattoos” says Hannah Alves (Research Assistant, Duke University). Some jobs do require that your ink be covered, so you may want to take that into consideration. You can get your dream job, no doubt, but I’m just saying you should consider the fact that sometimes you will have to cover up. However, even in our own experiences, we’ve seen that times are changing and people are becoming more accepting of body art. Andrew has a few tattoos himself. His parents only cared about how much they cost so it wasn’t a big problem with the family. Kids these days are more expressive than ever, and body modification is becoming an increasingly acceptable way for that expression. India works at Pete’s Coffee and Tea, and she has to deal with a bitch of a customer who denies the quality of her cappuccinos because of the tattooed sunflower on her inner arm, but she also has plenty of other customers who request she makes their drinks daily. What we’re really trying to say here is that most people currently entering the workforce will have tattoos, whether they are visible or not. Hannah Alves, a research assistant at Duke University with twenty three tattoos puts it perfectly, “I pay my bills and do my taxes just like the rest of these fucking nine to fivers. Their judgement and negative opinion about me has no bearing on how happy I am. I sort of get a kick out of doing a fantastic job at work and executing tasks with excellence.” What matters is that you work to the best of your ability, not what you personally choose to change about your body. 

3 4

One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.”

[LUFT-mensh]

“One who lives on air,” someone who barely makes a living

5 Jung Korean

[DRACH-ern-FOOT-er]

While this word literally means “dragon fodder,” it refers to a type of gift German husbands bestow on their wives “when they’ve stayed out late or they have otherwise engaged in some kind of inappropriate behavior” —gifts like chocolates or flowers or a nice bottle of perfume

Luftmensch Yiddish

[e-SPREE des-kal-i-YE]

[sa-oo-DAD]

Drachenfutter German

words

“The spirit of the staircase” or “staircase wit” — that comeback you think of right as you leave the conversation/argument

Saudade Portuguese

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[yung]

“A special feeling…that is stronger than mere ‘love’ and can only often be proved by having survived a huge argument with someone”

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The Shameless Selfie

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But that really is the question: why do we post so many selfies? Is it because our generation is getting more and more self-centered? Is it because Steve Jobs--before passing on to the great gigabyte in the sky--created a veritable Swiss Army phone with a front-facing camera? Is it because we’re all just fishing for compliments? The world may never know--but I can at least do some speculating. The idea of a self-portrait is nothing new. Ever since humans discovered the means of creative expression, they’ve been trying to figure out how the hell to capture their own image, whether it be on a rock, a canvas, printed paper or, in our digital age, pixels. Self-portraits imply a deal of time and effort put in, with perhaps a fancy camera and some good lighting. A selfie may only take a few seconds to line up the great shot and tilt your head to its good side. Still, the end result is the same, right?

WRITTEN BY LAURA MATTHEW PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURA MATTHEW

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“

OMG. . .” tweeted the disgruntled late-teen in a passive aggressive voice, “why do you post so many selfies? Everyone knows your [sic] ugly and full of yourself.”

Pull out your laptop, tablet, or smartphone and scroll through Facebook, Twitter, or your Instagram feed. I’m going to guess that 8 out of 10 pictures are selfies, right? Further scrolling begins to show patterns. There’s the classic duckface, or the sideways head tilt. Serious face with eyebrows raised is a popular choice. There’s the “let me look wistfully away from the camera” shot. Peace signs and “deuces” show up everywhere. There are countless mirror pics showing off one’s iPhone or Galaxy S. And there’s also the killer--cute girls covering their mouths with their fist or sweatshirt sleeve. Not as popular, but you know the ploy--somehow it makes them even cuter, and the likes roll in. This is not the same kind of work that goes into an artist’s self-portrait, that’s for sure. But

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as shallow as they may seem, you know there’s a great deal of planning and consideration that goes into getting that perfect iPhone angle. For all you mega-hipster special snowflakes who’ve gone far enough to eschew all social networks, look up from your Moleskin for a second and watch the people sitting around you in that trendy cafe. Chances are there is someone taking a selfie. I know you’ve seen it happen. You can see the way they hold their phone or tablet at arm’s length, turning around to get the best light. You know they’re trying to keep it as secretive as possible, too, but you can always tell. Why all the effort? Why all the planning for a silly little poor-quality photograph? Why, instant gratification, of course. Face it, guys, no matter how modest and humble you think you are, everyone loves a goddamn compliment. Insecurity may cause you to brush it off, but you know there’s a rush that comes when you see all the likes on your latest Instagram picture. And jeez, it’s nice to feel like someone thinks you’re attractive enough to double tap a picture of your face (not at all in that way, get your

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aged Time Magazine writer by the name of Joel Stein even went as far as to call us the “me me me generation,” citing various surveys, including one from none other than Clark University, that just tells us all how lazy and narcissistic we are. The generations before us point their fingers and pelt stones at our generation, maybe because we didn’t have to walk a mile to school in the snow, uphill both ways. But while I’ll readily admit that we definitely spend much more time immersed in the modern technology in our hands, I can’t frigging stand any baby boomer’s generalized spouting on how ego-centric we are. I mean, maybe we’re selfish and lazy, but as I am typing this article, we are reaching the close of the second day of America’s government shutdown. Yes, a bunch of baby boomers sitting locked up in Congress have been so incredibly selfish that they had to literally cease all government activity until they get what they want. Talk about self-absorbed. mind out of the gutter). Compliment fishing? Maybe, but those compliments feel nice. And if the compliment-givers are biting, you’d want to cast out your line too. Now, I know you’re sitting there and you don’t want to admit this, but deep down you know that all of this is true. We have this powerful technology that makes instant gratification even more instant and the reward even more instantly rewarding. Our generation gets it, whether we want to or not. In fact, we get it so goddamn well that the baby boomers who birthed us have taken to shaking their heads and telling us how self-centered we are. A quirky, middle

So maybe our generation is too obsessed with how we all look, or maybe our generation is too hung up on getting validated for having a cute face. In the grand scheme of things, who really cares? While we’ve all be posting our

mugs on social network pages, to the chorus of complaints from the generations before us, it’s given us a reprieve from the jobless, doomy cloud of unemployment hanging over our collegiate heads. It’s given us a self esteem boost in a world shouting dismal figures for our future at us every day. It’s given us something else to look at when we finally earn our possibly worthless diplomas and can’t help but cry at the sight of them. In the end, while you may get a laugh out of a duckface, or insist that your selfies are merely ironic, it’s just a picture. So pick up your iPhone or your Android or your tablet. Turn on your laptop webcam. Keep taking selfies; they aren’t hurting anyone. Who knows, people might actually like seeing your smiling face. I’ve taken just as many selfies as the rest of the world, and I’ll let them sit up on social networks, accumulating likes. Maybe it’ll be the closest I’ll ever be to feeling rich and famous. No harm, no foul--and our generation can continue on its weird little path to the future. Here’s hoping it’ll be one with affordable health care and competent leaders— but I’d say that’s about as likely as Instagram going bankrupt. 

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Behind the Beehive:

A Freudian Analysis of Three Musicians You Thought You Knew WRITTEN BY ANDREW ORMANDE PHOTOGRAPHY BY JONATHAN EDELMAN I’m going to be honest here. I have always found Michael Jackson to be the creepiest dude around, up in the ranks of Ronald McDonald. Even though his nose had virtually fallen off, I’m still pretty sure he used whatever was left of it to sniff out unsuspecting children in the crowds at Neverland. Miley Cyrus, she’s alright, but her still unfolding transformation from Disney Channel princess to twerk-obsessed rebel is way too played out; if you’re gonna be all over the tabloids at least be original. Also, she can’t sing. And Amy Winehouse has a uniquely scratchy and emotive voice. Sadly, the intoxicating quality of her voice was probably a byproduct of her own constant state of intoxication. She said “no, no, no” to rehab but the same response didn’t apply when her local crack dealer came around. In 2003, Amy Winehouse burst onto the British jazz scene with her debut album Frank. Named after Frank Sinatra, the title served as an ode to the jazz legends who had so deeply influenced Amy, while it also established the fact that her writing was heart and soul--completely honest. A self-professed pothead, she was an interesting character on

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the European jazz/hip-hop scene but despite her strong, unique voice, she still wasn’t really turning any heads. It was only after her tumultuous love affair with Blake Fielder-Civil--who is often blamed for her eventually uncontrollable drug addiction--that Amy Winehouse became the Amy Winehouse we all knew and loved to hate. Her breakthrough second album, Back to Black, which chronicled her love affair with Blake and subsequent heartbreak, was released in late 2006, and with her new sound came a new look. She lost weight due to an eating disorder, gained a beehive, and took her “fuck you” attitude to a whole new level. Her performances and personal life became sloppier as her drinking and drug use intensified; her name was all over the tabloids. In January

of 2008 she was shown on tape smoking crack cocaine and was forced into rehab for two weeks, but she bounced back to give a stellar Grammy performance in February, not to mention winning five awards herself. Her winning of the “Big 5” that night solidified her status as superstar but was sadly her last big moment before once again succumbing to drugs and alcoholism. She spent the next three years of her life battling her demons, until she passed away from accidental alcohol poisoning on July 23, 2011. So what was it exactly that caused Amy’s public demise? She admitted to being a manic depressive in 2006, which could explain her tendency to experiment with drugs and alcohol. It can be easy to attribute her most known outbursts, such as punching a fan in the face in 2008, to her drug use. Still, was there more behind it? Although she had a caring personality, Amy likely had much pent-up anger. It could have stemmed from her parents’ divorce, the death of her beloved grandmother in 2006, and Blake’s leaving her for his ex before she released Back to Black. She clearly used substances to assuage these feelings, but she likely projected them, as Freud would have said, onto anyone that pissed her off in hopes that she wouldn’t feel them as strongly. Freud’s idea of the death drive, the innate desire to return to an inorganic state of being, would also offer some explanation as to Amy’s self-destructive side. Nonetheless, Amy Winehouse oozed compassion and sincerity as much as she boozed away her problems, and she deserves to be remembered as more than just the wreck that the media portrayed. Michael Jackson got his start in the music business as part of the Jackson 5, a pop group he formed with his four brothers when he was just five years old. Right from the beginning he blew away audiences with his remarkable vocal range and complexity. But behind the brilliance of the Jackson 5 was a violent, demanding and relentless force--their father, Joseph Jackson. Under Joseph’s direction, Michael had also started a solo career by the age of 13 in addition to his work with the Jackson 5. Tensions rose between the Jackson 5 (who eventually became

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known just as the Jacksons) and their record company, Motown, throughout the 70s. Yet they maintained a solid presence on the charts, surpassed only by Michael’s solo work, especially his record-breaking iconic 1982 album, Thriller. This was a time of amazing success for Michael, but it was also the start of the other things for which he would become well-known, including his plastic surgery transformation and his questionable behavior with children. In 1984, the infamous Pepsi commercial incident occurred, when Michael’s chemically treated hair caught fire while filming, leaving him with severe burns on his scalp and face. This resulted in the initial reconstructive surgery which would lead to his major aesthetic changes over the years. In the late 80s Michael opened up Neverland, a fantasy children’s paradise in which he sometimes held public events for kids. Throughout the 90s Michael was faced with more than one molestation allegation by young boys and his behavior continued to become more erratic, hallmarked by a 2002 incident when he dangled his infant son over a balcony while greeting fans in Germany. He did marry twice during this time, but both marriages failed. The 2000s did nothing for Michael’s career, with the media focusing mainly on his penchant for sleepovers with young boys and his apparent plastic surgery addiction. On June 25, 2009, he died in his home from cardiac arrest onset by a lethal mixture of sedatives, later found to be administered by his live-in doctor. It’s easy to see that Michael Jackson’s life and experience as a superstar was definitely far from normal. Throughout virtually his entire childhood and adolescence, his father was overly demanding and aggressive, causing Michael to miss out on the average being-a-kid experience that most people are able to have in some way. Michael’s father’s attitude could be the reason that he sought to return to his childhood as an adult, opening up Neverland Ranch and seeming to prefer spending time with children rather than adults. His modern-day, Peter Panlike behavior could have been some form of

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Freudian defense mechanism of regression, in which a person goes back to state in which they handle their demons primitively, as a child would. Ironically, Michael’s reversion to his cheated childhood stage was likely in hopes of avoiding the psychological trauma he now faced because of it. It’s clear that he did undergo a lot of plastic surgery, but he insisted throughout his life that his mysterious skin lightening was due to a medical condition called vitiligo, which causes skin to lose pigmentation in ever-growing patches. Coroners’ reports after his death confirmed that to be true, so it’s plausible that Michael’s “turning white” was nothing of his own choice, and therefore nothing to be psychologically examined. Upon a closer look, you can see that Michael’s life was highly sensationalized by the media. Ultimately, they put his quirks above his real passion--the music. In 2006, the Disney Channel premiered a new show called Hannah Montana, starring Miley Cyrus as the main character struggling to balance two separate lives as a normal teenager and famous popstar. Her famous country singer father in real life, Billy Ray Cyrus, also portrayed her father in the show.

The airing of the program ran in tandem with Miley’s singing career, releasing her first studio album, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, in 2007, which featured one disc as a soundtrack to the show and one as Miley’s actual music. In 2008, the first real controversy concerning Miley arose when she posed for some racy photos in Vanity Fair magazine. However, her career suffered little, and she continued to rule the pop music charts with her second album Breakout. Her success continued with the release of her EP, The Time of Our Lives, in 2009, spawning an incredibly large feat of songwriting called Party in the U.S.A. Her short-lived romance with Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers also blossomed in the same year. In 2010, Miley released another album, Can’t Be Tamed, which explored themes of breaking free from the constraints and expectations held for her. In 2012, Miley and actor Liam Hemsworth announced their engagement after three years of dating, but by September of 2013 they had split, with Miley citing her obsession with being alone. 2013 has turned out to be a big year for Miley so far, not so much for her music but for her drastic change in image and attitude. She cut her hair short, started dressing much more provocatively, and has been setting conservative parents ablaze with her lewd performances. The most notable of these was her VMA performance, along with singer Robin

Thicke, of her hit single “We Can’t Stop,” off her newly-released album, Bangerz. Miley Cyrus seems to have embodied the idea of good girl gone bad. Until very recently, she seemed like the average Disney pop star, consistently charting and impressing, but never causing any trouble or ruffling any feathers. But as of this year she has undergone what seems like an overnight change, and it seems to be quite on purpose. It’s clear that Miley is trying to break free once and for all from her squeaky clean Hannah Montana days and trying to become an artist in her own right. In an attempt to be perceived as a grown woman, she has reversed to the opposite of her former self, as Freud may have put it. For years, Miley has been more or less forced by expectation to maintain her innocent image, while inside she likely felt very differently than what she initially portrayed. And although her VMA performance was by far her most outrageous expression of her new image, it was only made so outrageous because of the fact that society still sees her as little Hannah Montana. I don’t think there is actually much analyzing to do here; Miley is changing, as all people do, and her transformation is simply being tracked under a microscope, dissected, and publicized for our entertainment. I say let her be.

each one of these musicians. Not knowing anything but what the media tells us, we have a tendency to be pretty harsh. But if we dig a bit deeper, we realize that we are the crazy ones for being so superficial about it all. I’m not saying that Amy, Michael, and Miley haven’t had any problems, but we need to realize that there is always the other side of the coin. Yes, we all

know there is more to people than meets the eye, but we still actively choose to ignore what we don’t know, simply because we don’t know it. For years now, our society has been bombarded with every flaw and quirk of these three musicians, facts which may or not be true. But one thing we can all be sure of is that these people, among many others, all had sides that we never got to know because of the media’s control. 

Writing this has completely changed my perspective on

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GUESS WHAT IT IS PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANANYA SIKAND

Photographers have the ability to capture something the human eye cannot capture aloneâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;beauty in the fine details of an object. Embrace the unknown in these photographs. See if you can guess what object each photo is of. Then flip the magazine upside down to find the answer.

Fungus Tiles Banana

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Curtain Architecture

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