Volume 8, Issue 19

UCSB’s Weekly Student-Run Newspaper

Volume 8, Issue 19 | April 23-29, 2014

@tblucsb / thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu

TORRENTS

FLUME

JAILBIRD

More people than ever are torrenting Game of Thrones. What does this mean for the series?

Flume stopped in Santa Barbara after two weekends at Coachella.

Recent events have shown that threats on social media can have serious consequences.

SCI & TECH / 3

A&E / 7

OPINIONS / 8

COACHELLA’S SECOND WEEKEND WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD

AS BEAT REPORT

AS Senate Considers Withdrawal from USSA

Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

Hani Tasjar dicusses divestment during last Wednesday’s Senate meeting on April 16, 2014.

PHOTO / 4 Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

Check out the photo story on page 4 for more coverage.

IV BEAT REPORT COMMUNITY SERVICE DISTRICT POSES OPPORTUNITY FOR GREATER AUTONOMY FOR ISLA VISTA

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by Giuseppe Ricapito IV Beat Reporter

unning parallel with transformative post-Deltopia planning is a grassroots campaign to give Isla Vista greater local autonomy as a Community Service District (CSD), a form of independent community government used to provide services in an unincorporated area of the county.

Many claim this is the best way to improve IV’s decaying infrastructure and give the community a greater voice in their own affairs. But still, like with past applications for cityhood, the CSD proposal faces many local hurdles and voices of opposition on the way to approval.

“My hope with the CSD is that it continues to improve the quality of life beyond parks,” said CSD advocate Josh Plotke, a fifth-year biological anthropology major. “I have advocated for major systemic change in IV mainly because of the crime problem. I think the IV CSD would be a step in the right direction, by improving the services in IV, and tangentially would cause a decrease in crime as well.”

The original plan for the CSD is rooted in a 2002-2003 Santa Barbara Grand Jury review of the report “Isla Vista—Who’s in Charge.” The report emphasizes the extreme density of IV (drawing from May 2003 data), noting “approximately 20 percent of these [Santa Barbara County Third District] voters live in Isla Vista, which is only about one half square mile in size.”

Proponents of the CSD emphasize that the county cannot provide specific aid and resources to such a small location while also dealing with the widespread and diverse needs of the entire Third District.

After an evaluation of IV’s internal issues, the document determines “the registered voters of Isla Vista have the privilege and responsibility to hold their elected officials accountable for their decisions.” The report calls for Isla Vistans to “take a more active role in determining its future…” and “take the necessary time to become knowledgeable about how Isla Visa can and should take charge!” Further, it states that the formation of a CSD and an election of a local Board of Directors “would establish local political control” and allow for the retention of “financial resources.”

In the process for CSD formation, there can either be a reso-

lution by the Parks Board or the county, or 25 percent of voters in IV can sign an official petition to be sent to the Santa Barbara Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), which will either approve or reject the proposal. If approved, a local election will be held to approve or disapprove the CSD, authorize property tax increases, and elect the IV CSD Board of Directors.

Since the plan must be financially feasible, it is unlikely that the application for an IV CSD would claim all the possible powers authorized, which include numerous civil items from waste management and the creation of a community center to security service and cemetery maintenance. Instead, in an effort to assure approval, the IV CSD would likely claim a minimal increase in control of some services to fix some features of IV’s decaying infrastructure, such as graffiti abatement, street lighting, or fixing sidewalks.

“I would suggest that only non-controversial services be pursued,” said Plotke. Along with the infrastructure repairs and the establishment of a community center, he suggested “possibly a municipal advisory council and/or an area planning commission and the like.”

Once LAFCO grants those powers to the CSD, the elected Board of Directors would have complete autonomy on those issues. The CSD does not create a complete secession from the county; IV would gain autonomy on some specific internal issues, but it would still rely on services provided by the County Third District.

Associated Students External Vice President of Local Affairs (EVPLA) Alex Moore contended that, overall, the CSD would strengthen the role of the EVPLA office with IV. “It would give EVPLA a very strong ally,” he said. “It would enable the EVPLA to focus more exclusively on student needs because there would be someone else representing the community as a whole.”

But property and homeowners in Isla Vista are concerned with the increased property taxes required to fund and support the CSD. Though the community has a direct say in the types of services it receives, they are mandated to pay for the services the CSD provides.

READ THE FULL STORY AT THEBOTTOMLINE.AS.UCSB.EDU

LAKE CACHUMA SITS AT BELOW PERCENT CAPACITY, AFFECTS SANTA BARBARA COUNTY COMMUNITIES

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by Julia Frazer STAFF WRITER

ake Cachuma, an artificial lake located in the Santa Ynez Valley of central Santa Barbara County, is sitting at approximately 38 percent. These levels are especially alarming because of the approaching summer, when there is less of a chance of rain to refill the lake.

According to the Santa Maria Sun, there hasn’t been enough rain to recharge the reservoir in three years. The level of water in the lake is low enough that the Cachuma Operations and Maintenance Board is in the process of installing a pumping system to obtain water for Southern Santa Barbara County and maintain local wildlife. At risk is the now-endangered Central California coastal steelhead, which in times of drought has difficulty making the journey to spawn through the creek system fed by Lake Cachuma.

According to an article in Mission and State, Carpinteria, Goleta, Montecito, and Santa Barbara all rely heavily on Lake Cachuma. These districts have asked their customers to voluntarily cut back water use by at least 20 percent.

In addition to affecting Santa Barbara water consumers, the drought and its lowering of the levels of Lake Cachuma have also had an impact on the University of California, Santa Barbara Rowing. Nate Clark, president of the team and a third-year English major, is extremely concerned.

“The water level of the lake is dropping, which is giving us less space to practice and making the lake more treacherous due to the uneven, ever changing shoreline,” said Clark.

Clark has noticed a marked decrease in the water level of Lake Cachuma since he has been on the team.

“My freshman year, in the early spring of 2011, we got record rainfall and Cachuma went well over capacity…that season it seemed as though the lake went on and on,” said Clark. “Now, since the water level has dropped around 50+ feet, our walk to the dock is around a quarter of a mile. The change in water levels is dramatic to say the least. I know that the contrast between my freshman year and this year really puts into perspective just how serious the current drought we’re facing is.”

Clark recalled an incident last year that demonstrated the gravity of water level situation at the lake. One of the novice men’s boats was practicing and was scraped by some hidden rocks that punctured the shell and totaled the boat. Clark remembers that the area never used to be so shallow.

“We had to dig deep in our pockets immediately just to continue getting everyone out onto the water which, for a program that already has a want for equipment, was difficult,” said Clark.

“The rocks that it crashed into now are a peninsula sticking around 20 feet above the water and cutting somewhere around 100 feet into the middle of the lake.”

According to State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, the drought’s impact may have implications beyond the local. Jackson forecasts that the drought in California may have a potential increase in food prices throughout the country.

“We’re now in crisis management but we have to start thinking in the longer term,” Jackson said at a recent gathering at Lake Cachuma to talk about the drought’s impact. “That’s where the whole water policy issue becomes the challenge.”

by Kelsey Knorp AS BEAT REPORTER Associated Students Senate tabled “A Bill to Officially Withdraw ASUCSB Membership from the United States Student Association” at its meeting on Wednesday, April 16.

The bill, if passed, would cause AS to discontinue funding its current “direct membership” in the United States Student Association (USSA) on the grounds that AS already has representation in the association through the University of California Student Association (UCSA) and that benefits from direct membership are not proportionate to the current student fees allocated to the association.

USSA is a national student-led organization that aims to address student issues at the local, state, and national levels through grassroots movements. According to AS executive officer reports, about $10,000 of AS funds are currently allocated toward its membership in the organization.

The bill was met with opposition from several sources Wednesday evening, including co-chair of AS Human Rights Board (HRB) Anisha Ahuja, USSA Golden Pacific Region Chair Navkiran Kaur, and several former AS executive officers, who composed a letter read to the Senate by second-year sociology major Mohsin Mirza.

Kaur, also a candidate for 2014-2015 AS President, expressed concerns that this withdrawal would force University of California, Santa Barbara students to pay to attend USSA conferences out of their own pockets. She also criticized the Senate for a lack of transparency regarding the proposal of a bill that could, in her eyes, have a significant impact on students.

“Without our involvement in USSA, we are pulling ourselves out from the nationwide student movement, and that is disgraceful,” Kaur said.

The letter read by Mirza, which discouraged the Senate from passing the bill, cited several accomplishments allegedly brought about by AS’s relationship with USSA. The letter was signed by AS alumni whose respective terms as executive officers spanned a number of years, from 1991 onward.

During his weekly report, AS President Jonathan Abboud addressed transparency concerns by reminding the Senate that bills are required to be tabled for one week before passing in order to provide the public adequate time to consider their implications. When asked for his thoughts on the former executive officers’ objections, he suggested that the letter’s authors could be overlooking some of the internal inefficiencies that he and other current executive officers have perceived within the organization.

“I disagree with them because they probably have an emotional connection to USSA because they probably were involved in it,” Abboud said. “And I was involved in USSA too…but I’m willing to separate my emotional involvement [from] the student fees that have been spent.”

External Vice President of Statewide Affairs (EVPSA) Alex Choate clarified during her weekly report that even without direct USSA membership, UCSB students would still be able to attend conferences and serve on the board for the association through the university’s continued UCSA membership.

Choate also referenced a membership evaluation conducted by one of her staff members, which concluded that despite USSA’s increased membership fees, the effectiveness of its campaigns has experienced a substantial decline in the past few years.

“At the root of the organization, I wholeheartedly believe in it, but I don’t think that it’s worth the $10,000 that students are paying right now, especially in this really tense financial climate,” Choate said.

The Senate will reconvene on the bill at its April 23 meeting.

Haven’t voted in the AS elections yet? Check out TBL’s AS Elections supplement out now and head to GOLD to make your voice heard!

TBL | April 23-29, 2014

2 | FEATURES

Grad Slam Finals Celebrates Accomplished Grad Students

by Alex Albarran-Ayala STAFF WRITER

The University of California, Santa Barbara Graduate Division held a competition known as the Grad Slam, in which roughly 80 UCSB graduate students, across various disciplines, presented their research to a wider campus audience beginning April 7. The finals took place at the Corwin Pavilion on Friday, April 18. The winner was James Allen, a first-year geography graduate student involved in the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science.

A panel of six judges, including several Professors Emeriti such as Gene Lucas, John Wiemann, and Sarah Cline, deliberated among each other to choose the top three presentations. A special guest who also served as a judge was California State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson.

Allen earned a $2,500 research fund. The runners-up, Deborah Barany, from Dynamical Neuroscience, and Damien Kudela, from Chemistry, each received a $1,000 research fund.

Allen’s research views the usage of remote sensing satellite systems as an easier solution for measuring phytoplankton density. These plant-like microorganisms play a significant role in the ocean and precisely quantifying phytoplankton distributions by using satellite imagery could be beneficial for understanding the “ocean’s role in climate change.”

Barany’s presentation was titled “The Brain in Action.” With her research, she wants to “understand how the brain represents different types of movement.” Research on this field could expand current knowledge on mindcontrolled robotic prostheses.

Kudela gave a presentation on “Smart Drugs to Stop Bleeding.” By injecting nanopartilces that travel through the body to reach an affected area, these nanoparticles could initiate treatment of internal wounds. One of the examples he gave is using nanopartilces as a “drug delivery system” for speeding up the clotting process inside the body. He has already received a patent for his work.

Contestants advanced through two rounds before being announced as top three in the finals. Each contestant had to give a threeminute presentation during each round. At the conclusion of a round, each contestant was allowed to modify his or her presentation, said Carol Genetti, Dean of Graduate Division.

Additionally, the Graduate Division requested that judges give feedback to all contestants regarding their presentations.

“I got feedback every step of the way and they really helped me get to the details of what I actually needed to present, so they helped me think of it, in a kind of new way, to really get this idea out there,” said Allen.

In addition to the more detailed judging criteria, the Graduate Division delineated three essential points for judging presentations: “Impact on an academic field or on society. Clear and compelling presentation.

Geared for a general university audience.”

According to the UCSB GradPost, the institution of the Grad Slams at UCSB received a 2013 “Award for Excellence and Innovation in Graduate Education” by the Western Association of grad Schools and the Educational Testing Service.

The Grad Slam is part of a series of events that occur during the Grad Student Showcase; the showcase is part of the Graduate Division’s

Photo by Neha Pearce | The Bottom Line

Linguistics graduate student Don Daniels presents his research in reconstructing languages, “Reconstructing Proto-Sogeram,” to an audience and a panel of six judges during the Graduate Student Showcase in Corwin Pavillion on April 18. efforts to celebrate the work of UCSB grad students. Other events in the showcase include an art exhibition, department open houses, readings, and performances.

According to the UCSB GradPost, this tradition of celebrating the work of grad students began in 2005, with an April event entitled Graduate Student Appreciation Week.

This event was renamed to Graduate Student Showcase in 2013, said Genetti.

Despite the name change, the purpose remains the same: to recognize all the work and groundbreaking research conducted by our

graduate students.

One of the persons responsible for the re-imagining of the appreciation week into a showcase and a slam was Genetti, said Associate Dean of Students Don Lubach.

“One of the goals that I had as dean, when I came here, was to raise the profile of our grad students on this campus,” said Genetti, “and I really wanted a way that I could truly highlight all of the incredible work that they’re doing, to the broader campus so that they could be appreciated for the important role that they play.”

Activist and Artist Favianna Rodriguez Shows the Beauty of Immigration to UCSB

by Bailee Abell STAFF WRITER La Familia de Colores and the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity hosted artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez at the Migration is Beautiful Silk Screening Workshop at the University of California, Santa Barbara on Wednesday, April 16. Held at Loma Pelona Center, the event showcased Rodriguez’s work as an activist while also allowing students to create meaningful artwork.

This workshop was the second event in a three-part series featuring Rodriguez as the special guest. Rodriguez is a self-proclaimed “artist, agitator, and techie” who works to create significant, long-lasting social change, particularly in the lives of women, immigrants, and people of color.

“I don’t want to be a quiet, passive woman.

I want to break down doors and [rise] through ceilings,” said Rodriguez.

This powerful attitude is shown not only through her artwork, but through her social activism as well. Rodriguez shows no mercy while speaking; her lecture was raw, thoughtprovoking, and insightful. She did not refrain

from obscenities or finger waving, which added to the intensity of her speech.

The presentation primarily focused on the oppression of immigrants, which Rodriguez feels is an issue of human rights, not politics.

“We are up against an ideology, and we are disproportionately targeted because of an idea,” said Rodriguez. “It’s not because we’re bad or worse [than the majority], it’s because people’s ideas get transformed into [political] policies.”

The first piece of artwork Rodriguez showed was entitled “Raw,” a self portrait depicting two versions of Rodriguez: one is blindfolded and wearing white, while the other is removing her blindfold and wearing black.

“When I was growing up, I was surrounded by white,” said Rodriguez. “Do we see ourselves reflected in the media? Hardly. This is because of something I call the ‘cultural apartheid’: we live in a society where minorities do not exist.”

Rodriguez aims to combat this “cultural apartheid” through artwork and multimedia projects. These include CultureStrike, a national arts organization, and Presente.org, the largest Latino online organization, which she co-founded and later quit because she wanted

to pursue art full-time.

“I believe that artists have a particular [voice] that can lead to social change like nothing else,” said Rodriguez.

After Rodriguez’s presentation, students were encouraged to try silk screening, a medium by which a screen with an etched-out image is inked and pressed onto paper, creating a design. Rodriguez brought her own butterfly screens–some of which contained the slogan “Migration is Beautiful”–for students to use.

The butterfly is particularly resonant of the immigration movement, as it represents the beauty that comes along with migration into the Unites States, rather than the hateful opposing views. Rodriguez explained that she chooses to use the butterfly symbol because she “wanted to create an image [depicting] the positives.”

“Why don’t we show and offer hope, mobility, fun, and self-reflection? We are not a sedentary people. Movement is about moving for the better,” said Rodriguez.

Several students smiled as they learned about the process of silk screening, and most were happy to create art themselves. One student, third-year feminist studies and Chican@ Studies double major Melba Martinez, was

particularly reflective.

“I like that she is using art as a way of bringing back fun in these movements. We are showing each other how beautiful we are, but also how beautiful out movements are,” said Martinez, who is also one of the workshop’s organizers.

Abigail Salazar, another attendee, was a fan of Rodriguez’s before the event.

“Favianna has been an art-activist for years, specifically for…the undocumented immigrant community,” said Salazar, a second-year feminist studies and Chican@ Studies double major with a double minor in Indigenous Studies and Black Studies. ”She reminds us of our struggles, but also our inspiration. It’s actually fun, and she creates community and love, even in the midst of all we have to go through.”

Since spring 2013, Rodriguez has been working alongside Salvador Güereña, UCSB’s Chican@ Studies librarian, to create an archive of her artwork which will forever be housed at Davidson’s Library. She will also be returning to UCSB in May for the Mujeritas Conference–hosted by MUJER, an on-campus women’s support group–where she will be speaking to high school girls.

DELPHINE LOUIE ANAYA CHALKS FOR JUSTICE AT THE MCC

by Julia Frazer STAFF WRITER Dwarfed by the giant black chalk wall in the MultiCultural Center’s meeting room, Delphine Louie Anaya, wearing a white smock splotched with old paint in smears of green and electric blue, carefully smoothes a section of rich purple chalk. Though her canvas is immense, Anaya focuses on details–from the creases in a formal suit to the shine of buttons–with a fervent intensity. The chalk rasps against the board as she crouches on the floor, constantly checking her reference, a Norman Rockwell piece portraying Ruby Bridges. A pair of sunglasses perches upon the top of her head, forgotten amid her intense concentration.

Since April 7, artist Delphine Louie Anaya has been working on a live exhibit, using the MCC’s chalk wall as canvas, in an effort to create an image that embodies the mission of the MCC. The live art will continue until an estimated completion date of May 2.

“We came across [the Ruby Bridges image] and thought it would be appropriate for the theme. We wanted to utilize the wall because that wall is a wall for empowerment,” said Anaya.

The figure of Ruby Bridges is certainly an

Photo by Benjamin Hurst | Staff Photographer arresting one that represents the struggle for integration of schools. The girl’s dress and shoes are starkly white in comparison to her deep skin. Flanked by three Deputy U.S. Marshalls in suits and yellow armbands, the young girl stares forward determinedly, school supplies under one arm. She is unperturbed by offensive spray-paint on the wall and the remnants of a thrown tomato behind her. Anaya expressed

ethical concerns over faithfully reproducing the spray painted word, an offensive term to African Americans. Anaya explained that majority of reactions to the work have been positive, and looks forward to fostering more dialogue with students about her art.

Anaya has been a lead artist, concept artist, background painter, and digital artist working for Disney Interactive, Mattel Toys, Hasbro

TBL 2013-2014 STAFF Executive Managing Editor | Cheyenne Johnson Executive Content Editor | Parisa Mirzadegan Copy Editor | Camila Martinez-Granata News Editor | Lily Cain Features Editor | Katana Dumont Opinions Editor | Anjali Shastry Arts & Entertainment Editor | Deanna Kim Science & Technology Editor | Matt Mersel Photography Editor | Magali Gauthier Senior Layout Editor | Haley Paul

Senior Layout Editor | Robert Wojtkiewicz Layout Editor | Beth Askins Layout Editor | Morey Spellman Multimedia Editor | Brenda Ramirez Isla Vista Beat Reporter | Giuseppe Ricapito Associated Students Beat Reporter | Kelsey Knorp Promotion Director | Audrey Ronningen Advertising Director | Marissa Perez Staff Adviser | Monica Lopez

Writers this issue: Giuseppe Ricapito, Julia Frazer, Kelsey Knorp, Bailee Abell, Sam Goldman, Maddy Kirsch, Janani Ravikumar, Alex-Albarran-Ayala, Neha Pearce, Ashkah Karimloo, Kassandra Gutierrez, Sarah Beaver, Pragya Parmita

Photographers this issue: Lorenzo Basilio, Neha Pearce, Benjamin Hurst, Kaha Ebiko, Madison King

Interactive, Universal/Vivendi, and Sony. She is currently an art teacher at Laguna Blanca School in Santa Barbara. Anaya is also a veteran of I Madonnari, an Italian street painting festival that has become a Santa Barbara mainstay. Anaya has done chalk art in far-flung locations like Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Mexico.

“It’s a good way to raise money and awareness for the arts in general,” said Anaya. Travelling all over the world for competitions and for charity, she has been recognized both nationally and internationally for her expressions of the figure and engaging imagery.

Anaya is very inspired by the Renaissance masters.

“They are called the masters for a reason.

They are masters of painting light and shadow, and I don’t ever want to forget how to draw,” said Anaya. “I don’t ever want to forget that drawing is part of connecting with people, and if you do it in public, you do connect to people… I love people and I love art so that is the best way for me to connect with people and connect with art. And have people connect with my art as well.”

Be sure to swing by the MCC and watch as Anaya’s vision culminates into one large and magnificent image. All are welcome to watch, speak with Anaya, and even contribute to the piece.

The Bottom Line provides a printed and online space for student investigative journalism, culturally and socially aware commentary, and engaging reporting that addresses the diverse concerns of our readership and community. This is your community to build, share ideas, and publicize your issues and events. We welcome your questions, comments, or concerns at bottomlineucsb@gmail.com, or call our office phone at 805-893-2440.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS A PROUD MEMBER OF

Illustrators this issue: Hector Lizarraga, Silvia Quach

The Bottom Line is sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Opinions expressed in TBL do not necessarily represent those of the staff, AS, or UCSB. Published with support from Generation Progress/Center for American Progress (genprogress.org). All submissions, questions or comments may be directed to bottomlineucsb@gmail.com or content.tbl@gmail.com.

Our web magazine offers hard-hitting journalism, analysis, and multimedia on issues of the greatest concern to young people; gives young writers, reporters, artists, and others the chance to publish nationally; and builds a community of progressives interested in issues, ideas, and activism.

SCIENCE & TECH | 3

TBL | April 23-29, 2014

‘Game of Thrones’ Beats Piracy Record, and HBO’s CEO Could Care Less

Illustration by Hector Lizarraga | Staff Illustrator

by Sarah Beaver HBO’s newest episode of the popular program “Game of Thrones” became the most pirated television episode on record on Sunday, April 13. However, the CEO of Time Warner, which owns HBO, does not seem to mind.

According to Forbes, 193,418 people shared one file at one time in order to watch the latest “Game of Thrones” episode, beating its own

record of 171,572 people torrenting the season 3 finale. For CEO Jeff Bewkes to see this in a positive light is unusual. He told Business Insider, “If you go around the world, I think you’re right, ‘Game of Thrones’ is the most pirated show in the world.

Well, you know, that’s better than an Emmy.”

Bewkes believes that piracy leads to more “penetration” and more money in the long run. And if he thinks it may not be so bad after all,

perhaps he is not the only one. If more people start to support piracy, it could mean big changes in the television industry–and it seems as though Bewkes is not the only one who has become more at ease in regard to piracy.

Back in September, according to TorrentFreak, the series finale of AMC’s popular series “Breaking Bad” resulted in 500,000-plus illegal downloads within 12 hours of the episode being put online. Although

“Game of Thrones” remains at the top for most people streaming at one time, the numbers are still impressive. Creator Vince Gilligan shared similar sentiments to Bewkes in an interview with the BBC. “[It] led to a lot of people watching the series who otherwise would not have,” he said. But while this is true, Gilligan also went on to say that if it had been downloaded legally, it would have meant more profit for the people who work on the show.

Though Gilligan’s views may not be as strong as those of Bewkes, his support, though limited, is evident.

Not everyone in the television industry feels this way, however. Gale Anne Hurd is the executive producer of another hit AMC show, “The Walking Dead,” and her views clash with those of Gilligan. She said to Variety, “I don’t think its something we should encourage,” and notes that it when people continually do it, it becomes habitual.

It makes sense. If everyone took advantage of torrenting and streaming popular TV shows–and nobody actually paid to watch them–ratings would plummet and people who work hard to make TV what it is would not be paid accordingly for their time and effort. For now, the simple act of illegally downloading or streaming a show that would normally have to be downloaded seems to be the simple solution for a lot of people, and it is easy to see how this would be an appealing option for college students.

Not many college students would be willing to pay the extra money for an HBO subscription when they are already concerned with paying for tuition and the necessities to live.

Even if “Game of Thrones” is popular among college students, when there

GAME OF

NUMBERS 193,418 people shared file at time to watch the latest “Game of Thrones” episode

is no need to pay to watch the show, why would anyone do so? These days, it is easy to stream or download almost anything from the Internet, television, movies, and music alike.

The adjective “illegal” does not seem to scare anyone off from the action, especially when we hardly ever hear of anyone getting caught.

Piracy does not seem to have an immediate effect on show ratings, at least not at the moment, and it may even be increasing the popularity of some shows. However, does that mean that it should continue at the ease it has for the past few years? Some would have to heartily disagree. Hurd said to Variety that she confronted her teenage daughter about downloading music illegally, saying, “Did you pay for this? Would you like to continue to be clothed and fed?”

THE HEARTBLEED BUG IS A TRIVIAL MISTAKE WITH DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES

by Pragya Parmita STAFF WRITER One of the worst threats to Internet Security, the Heartbleed bug, remained undetected in the very popular OpenSSL library for over two years. Now that it has finally been discovered and tested, security analysts are starting to realize that the bug poses an even greater threat than originally anticipated.

According to Codenomicon, a Finnish IT security firm, the Heatbleed bug lets hackers steal information typically protected by the SSL/TLS encryption that is used to secure communication over the Internet for various applications, including web, email, instant messages, as well as some virtual private networks (VPN). With Heartbleed, hackers have access to the memory of any system protected by vulnerable versions of the OpenSSL software.

By exploiting the bug, a hacker can retrieve up to 64kb of memory from a remote system. And while it is a tedious process, tests conducted to check the consequences of the bug have proven that everything from web content, names, and passwords of users, to secret keys used to identify security providers and to encrypt Internet traffic has been compromised. This information, if stolen, could then enable bigger attacks. The threat is even more dangerous considering the fact that it is almost impossible to retroactively detect any attack using Heartbleed on the system.

Neel Mehta of Google Security first discovered the bug on March 21. It’s only in the past couple weeks, however, that the bug has become public knowledge, as various companies race to

Asian Air Pollution Found to Affect Global Weather Patterns, World Environmental Leaders Respond

by Mimi Liu STAFF WRITER

improve their security. Among the confusion regarding vulnerability to the bug, the NSA has been accused by many to not only have had knowledge of the bug, but to also have utilized it to gather critical intelligence.

Bloomberg’s Michael Riley writes, “Putting the Heartbleed bug in its arsenal, the NSA was able to obtain passwords and other basic data that are the building blocks of the sophisticated hacking operations at the core of its mission.” In the process, the security agency left millions of users at the mercy of criminal hackers. However, the NSA has denied any knowledge of the bug before public disclosure.

Given how long it has taken to discover the bug, it is possible that very few hackers have had the chance to exploit it, even though using the bug to gather security certificates seems to have been very doable. Security certificates help browsers to determine the legitimacy of a website. If the security certificate for a website is invalid, most browsers would block access and warn the user. However, with a stolen certificate, made possible by the Heartbleed bug, a fake website could easily mimic a real one, and users could unknowingly feed sensitive information to a hacker.

CloudFare recently announced an open challenge to hackers to test the limits of Heartbleed. Within nine hours of the announcement (only three since he started working on the hack), a hacker named Fedor Indutny was able to obtain a security key.

Another hacker, Ben Murphy, announced that the process took him a total of two hours.

Furthermore, two instances of hacking have already been reported. Nineteen-year-old hacker Stephen Arthuro Solis-Reyes

Air pollution from Asia has been known to severely increase global emissions and is linked to changing global weather patterns. A decadelong study was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) regarding the changing weather patterns. It appears that the smog directly affects weather systems over the Pacific Ocean, causing unseasonable, extreme weather in some locations.

“The Pacific storm track is a major driving force over global weather patterns,” said the study’s main author Yuan Wang, a post-doctorate fellow at NASA’s U.S. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “The modulated storm track can be linked to abnormal weather behavior in the mid-latitudes of the Northern hemisphere, including U.S. and Canada.”

In January, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing recorded air pollution levels up to 18 times the safe amount determined by the World Health Organization (WHO). Residents were recommended to stay indoors.

WHO estimates that in 2012, 7 million deaths throughout the

world were linked to air pollution.

The United Nation Health Agency stated that air pollution is the “single largest environmental health risk,” with a respective 2.8 million and 2.3 million deaths attributed to East Asia and Southeast Asia.

“Few risks have greater impact on global health today than air pollution: the evidence signals the need for concerted action to clean up the air we all breathe,” said Dr. Maria Neira, director of WHO’s Department for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health in the report.

Additionally, China’s use of fossil fuels and chemical processing results in a build-up of aerosols, fine particles that are suspended in the air.

Generally, this is supposed to keep the planet cool; however, an excess could lead to disruption of global weather patterns.

“Aerosols provide seeds for cloud formation. If you provide too many seeds, then you fundamentally change cloud patterns and storm patterns,” said co-author of the study, Renyi Zhang, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M

was arrested by Canadian Mounties and was “accused of using the Heartbleed bug to hack into Canada Revenue Agency’s database and hijacking Social Insurance Numbers and other sensitive information from 900 taxpayers,” according to Time. The CRA was forced to take its website down while they worked on strengthening security. The second reported instance involved a hacker who was able to log into the Mumsnet server and access user data with the username and password stolen from Justine Roberts, the founder of Mumsnet.

Robin Seggelmann, the software developer who has taken responsibility for the bug, has stated that the bug was not inserted on purpose but instead was a “quite trivial” mistake. “I was working on improving OpenSSL and submitted numerous bug fixes and added new features,” Seggelmann told The Sydney Morning Herald. “In one of the new features, unfortunately, I missed validating a variable containing a length.” After he published the code, a reviewer “apparently also didn’t notice the missing validation, so the error made its way from the development branch into the released version.”

Experts believe that the bug, according to the Washington Post, has affected over 500,000 sites, and the necessary fix would be for all these sites to revoke their security certificates and issue new ones, a very time-consuming process.

According to a list published by Mashable, the bug affected several popular services such as Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Intstagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr. Most of these companies have already patched the problem and suggest that users change their passwords, and none of them have announced any kind of breach yet.

University.

Experts conclude that China’s industrial byproducts “very possibly” influenced the unusually cold winters in the U.S. and elsewhere.

China now leads the world in current carbon dioxide emissions, with the U.S. coming in a close second, studies show. However, when looking at a log of total CO2 emissions dating as far back as the 18th century, the U.S. has been the biggest global contributor.

Emissions must be reduced 40 to 70 percent by 2050 to prevent the climate from rising over 2 degrees Celsius, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported on Sunday.

However, just the opposite has been happening. Half of all current emissions were released in the past 40 years, data shows, and global emissions rose by a billion tons annually between 2000 and 2010.

Ottmar Edenhofer, the co-chair of IPCC, believes that all countries must take steps toward the goal of reducing emissions. However, many developing countries fear that decreasing emissions means halting all

growth, and countries with natural fossil fuel deposits are wary of their stock falling.

“You need reasonable incentives, for instance national carbon dioxide taxes,” said Edenhofer. “They would contribute to economic development, but they could be staggered so less affluent households would barely be affected. Governments are only now realizing these possibilities.”

So far, countries have been uncooperative, and Edenhofer describes the process of negotiating with more than 110 governments as “extremely difficult.”

“It’s not likely that much will happen,” he admits. “But if someone had asked in 1970 about the likelihood of the Berlin Wall being nonexistent in the year 2000, the answer would probably have been zero.”

“You shouldn’t consider probabilities where historic developments are concerned, but rather necessities.

The people in Berlin wanted the wall to fall–so it fell. I hope the IPCC’s reports and experiments all over the world contribute to opening a door to fair international cooperation,” Edenhofer said.

4-5| PHOTO

Matthew Shultz of Cage the Elephant grabs a pineapple as he stage dives.

Broken Bells fan dances.

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor (Lorde).

Alisa Xayalith of The Naked and Famous.

The Sahara tent during Empire of the Sun’s performance.

ZZ Ward.

Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells.

TBL | April 23-29, 2014

COACHELLA 2014

Photos by Lorenzo Basilio| Staff Photographer Sunset of Day 1.

David Macklovitch of Chromeo.

Lana del Rey.

Hundreds of thousands gathered in the SoCal desert for one of the biggest music festivals in the world, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Over three days, concert-goers were treated to some of the best music and art this side of the Atlantic.

Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT.

TBL | April 23-29, 2014

6 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A Look at the American Flag After 9/11

Photo by Kana Ebiko | Staff Photographer A third-year year exchange student from England, Ana-Diamond AA. examines “Tec Sayings, 200 tiles.”

by Neha Pearce Doris Bittar’s art exhibit, entitled “Between the Stripes,” is grounded in the concept of multiculturalism and identity in America by virtue of Bittar’s personal background as well as her own interests. The artist, writer, and professor at the California State University of San Marcos, gave a talk on Friday, April 18, at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s MultiCultural Center to discuss and answer questions posed by students and professors alike about her exhibit.

“Between the Stripes” features several acrylic paintings and one wall installation, all of which play on a theme of multi-culturalism. The wall installation, “Tec Sayings,” was created in collaboration with poet Diane Gage. Several velcro tiles are arranged in a pattern and are meant to be rearranged and repositioned by those who attend the exhibit.

The paintings, most of which are acrylic on canvas rendered in the renaissance style, are all centered around the American flag.

“It’s the most profusely patterned flag, and I see it as coupled with the most profuse pattern of cultures,” Bittar said. “It’s kind of clownish, but it’s very iconic.”

I found the most striking piece in the collection to be “Baghdadi Bride,” which featured an intricate, lacey design pulled from an Iraqi tile pattern as an abstract veil layered over the American flag. Bittar described it as “a quotation from a Jasper Johns painting,” an American contempary artist from the mid 20th century.

She said she continually hallucinated about the image before bed every night after 9/11. Finally, she had to put paint to canvas in order to get the pattern and the flag out of her mind.

SREPAYMENT tudent Loan

“When you mourn, you hallucinate, and the Arab culture was not allowed to grieve after 9/11,” Bittar said. “We were too busy defending ourselves.”

As for the patterns, “I cannot look at the flag without those filters,” Bittar said. “I think the patterns act as filters, barriers, revealers.”

The “Wandering Ishmael: Tour Amerka,” another of my favorites in the exhibit, was an exploration of Bittar’s personal identity before 9/11. It is a reflection on growing up in New Jersey, learning about what it means to be Middle Eastern, and attempting to educate others.

The painting is an American flag of orange and green–colors which she found more welcoming than the real ones. It also features an image of her as a child, Wonder Bread, Arabic letters and numbers, and an image of the Empire State Building, which was close to where she lived.

Bittar explained her fascination with patterns and history, as well as the lamentation over the death of multiculturalism and the need for its reclamation.

“I like that it’s capital M and capital C here, it does need to be re-created,” said Bittar, about the MultiCultural Center’s name. She talked about how we ignore multiculturalism, as if it isn’t a problem anymore and has been dealt with.

“We are still trying to reconcile history with the facets of our own identity and the anxieties that come from it,” said Bittar, elaborating that we need to reclaim and explore the concept of multiculturalism.

Doris Bittar’s art exhibit “Between the Stripes” will be on display at the MCC until Friday, June 13.

Financial Literacy Week at UCSB

Panel

Friday April 25th 3:30pm San Nicolas Hall Formal Lounge

Join a panel of former UCSB students (alumnus) The panel will hold a stimulating discussion on their experience with loan borrowing, ways they minimized loan borrowing, and provide real-life insight about their understandings with loans and repayments

MONDAY APRIL 21ST:

Personal Budget Workshop 10am MCC AS Nati Conference Room

TUESDAY APRIL 22ND:

Intro to Modern Financial Literacy Workshop at 9am AS Annex, Bldg. 434 Rm 141 Intro to Credit Cards at 10am AS Annex, Bldg. 434 Rm 141

WEDNESDAY APRIL 23RD:

Personal Budget Workshop 3pm AS Annex, Bldg. 434 Rm 141 Intro to Modern Financial Literacy Workshop at 4pm AS Annex, Bldg. 434 Rm 141

THURSDAY APRIL 24TH:

Intro to Income Individual Income Taxes 2pm MCC AS Nati Conference Room Intro to Modern Financial Literacy Workshop at 3pm MCC AS Nati Conference Room

FRIDAY APRIL 25TH:

Intro to Modern Financial Literacy Workshop at 1pm MCC AS Nati Conference Room Student Loan Repayment Panel at 3:30pm at San Nicolas Hall Formal Lounge Sponsored by Associated Students Community Financial Fund and Housing & Residential Services

Sponsored by Associated Students Community Financial Fund and Housing & Residential Services

Contact Jose Raygoza for information: joser@as.ucsb.edu or 805-893-3659

Contact Jose Raygoza for information: joser@as.ucsb.edu or 805-893-3659

TBL | April 23-29, 2014

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 7

Photos by Benjamin Hurst | Staff Photographer

FLUME TAKES SANTA BARBARA ON A TRIP DOWN UNDER

by Ashkan Karimloo Coming fresh from Coachella, Flume played a strong set at Casa De La Raza this past Sunday, April 20, in an evening presented by Red Eye Entertainment and We The Beat. An electric combination of dance and down-tempo hip hop, Flume’s setlist included hits from his self-titled debut album along with a wide array of his edits and remixes, indicating that the young Australian will enjoy a long and lucrative career.

The 22-year-old DJ and producer began with “Drop the Game” from his recently released EP “Lockjaw,” a collaboration with fellow Australian and Future Classic signee Chet Faker.

From there, he transitioned into the song “Sleepless,” which features Jezzabell Doran.

Flume spoke into the microphone, saying, “This is the song that started it all,” referring to the song’s success as the leading single in the EP “Sleepless,” released by Future Classic when he was only 19 years old.

The highlights of his set included the song “Insane,” taken from the deluxe edition of his album and featuring Moon Holiday and Killer Mike, and his unreleased remix of Lorde’s

“Tennis Court,” which he debuted both weekends at Coachella. When Flume played versions of Ta-ku’s “Higher,” Rustie’s “Slasherr,” and Hermitude’s “Hyperparadise,” the audience reacted with great enthusiasm, dancing along to the rhythms of Flume’s production despite the lack of space in the sold-out venue. Flume then ended with a bang, spinning his remix of Disclosure’s “You & Me”–a song with over 10.7 million plays on Soundcloud, making it one of the most well received hits of this past year.

Those in the crowd who had seen Flume perform at either of the two weekends of this year’s Coachella may have expected the producer to play a mere repeat of his set from the festival.

However, Flume approached this smaller gig with a different mindset than that of a festival performance. He played a variety of songs in a much different order than he had played at either of his two shows at Coachella, including many songs that he was not able to play during his constricting 50-minute time slot at the festival.

Although Flume played many songs from his debut album,

he also included songs such as Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy,” which he blended into his aforementioned remix of Ta-ku’s “Higher”– a moment that was reminiscent of his set at Los Angeles’s FYF festival this past summer. But, in this performance, the blending of the two songs seemed more natural, as Biggie’s lyrics gradually led into “Higher” and faded away during the song’s bridge and chorus, as opposed to a simple layering of the vocals of one track over the other.

Leading up to his Santa Barbara performance, Flume received an almost unprecedented amount of hype from the locals of the area. However, the excitement was far from unwarranted; his debut album was a chart-topping, two time platinum winning release in his home country of Australia. And since, Flume has gained a worldwide notoriety within the music industry.

Artist such as Ta-ku, Wave Racer, Jagwar Ma, Cosmo’s Midnight, and Flume demonstrate that Australia is undergoing an electronic music renaissance and setting the stage for acts to come. The world better watch out for the surge of talented DJs and producers coming from the land down under.

Billy Collins and Aimee Mann Present a Night of Spoken Word and Acoustic Music

by Kassandra Gutierrez Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins and Oscar nominated singer-songwriter Aimee Mann collaborated for a night of words and music on Thursday, April 17, at Campbell Hall in an event put on by University of California, Santa Barbara’s Arts & Lectures. Despite it only being their second performance together, Collins and Mann worked exceptionally well alongside one other. The performers, including Mann’s bass player Paul Ryan, were very charismatic and kept the crowd entertained and laughing throughout the night.

Collins opened up the show with three poems about dogs: “Another Reason Why I Don’t Keep A Gun In The House,” ”A Dog on His Master,” and “The Revenant.” The first and last poems were very comical compared to the emotional “A Dog on His Master,” which depicted the one- to seven-year ratio between humans and dogs.

A story about a man annoyed by his neighbors’ barking dog, ”Another Reason Why I Don’t Keep A Gun In the House” had everyone laughing. The line, “and

now I see him [the dog] sitting in the orchestra,” depicts how influential the little things, such as a barking dog, can be on our train of thoughts and imagination.

“A Dog on His Master” seemed to be the most emotionally moving poem.

Right after reciting the poem, Collins described the dog in the poem to be “the most sensitive dog he’s ever met” so far.

Complementing Collins’ sentiments, Aimee Mann started off her performance with her song titled “Labrador,” describing a faithful partner called “the loyal Labrador.”

Toward the middle of the show, Mann performed her sorrow-filled hit song “Save Me,” which was featured in the film “Magnolia” and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song in 1999.

The other laugh-out-loud poem, “The Revenant,” wrapped up the evening. The poem is written from a dog’s perspective after it is put to sleep, and starts of with, “I am the dog you put to sleep, as you like to call the needle of oblivion, come back to tell you this simple thing: I never liked you–not one bit.” Throughout the poem, Collins takes us on a journey through this

dog’s mind, who confesses all that he’d ever wanted to tell his owner.

The collaboration between the poet and a singer-songwriter flowed extremely well. Collins would entertain us with his poetry, and when he finished, Mann and her bass player Ryan would perform their indie rock. Filled with great charisma, both Mann and Collins put on a very entertaining show that kept the crowd laughing and engaged throughout the performances.

Collins and Mann, who had their first show together the night before in Malibu, first met at a poetry appreciation event at the White House, hosted by President Barack Obama, in May 2011.

According to The Press Democrat, when the two initially met, they had talked about performing together in the future.

Now, three years later, Collins and Mann are on an intimate three-stop tour along the coast from Malibu to Santa Barbara to Santa Rosa.

After the show, the crowd showed their enjoyment with their claps and cheers, and Collins stayed to meet fans for a book signing.

Photo by Madison King | Staff Photographer

TBL | April 23-29, 2014

OPINIONS | 8

A License To Threaten: THREATS ON THE INTERNET NEED TO STOP

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This combination of accessibility, casualness, anonymity, and an already existing plethora of inappropriate material creates opportunities for making direct threats by people who otherwise wouldn’t have the environment or audacity to make them.

Illustration by Silvia Quach | Staff Illustrator

by Sam Goldman STAFF WRITER No one can doubt that in post-9/11 America, the government has taken national security threats particularly seriously.

When a 14-year-old girl in the Netherlands prank-tweeted American Airlines, telling them she was an Al Qaida terrorist planning to “do something really big,” the airline reported her to the FBI, and she was later arrested by Rotterdam police. Threatening both national security and the lives of individuals happens all the time on Twitter and a million other Internet sites. These alarmingly ominous threats, often without the slightest hint of a joke, pop up much more frequently in this age of ubiquitous online activity than ever before. Why is the Internet such a catalyst for constant, serious threats?

The web is an easily accessible vehicle for everyone’s (often anonymous) self-expression. Such an enormous variety and quantity of content exists on it that even extreme declarations seem routine and inconsequential. Prior to the Internet, if someone wanted to express a public threat in a way other than yelling on the street corner, they would have had to take the time to get it formally published, which likely could have gotten them in some serious trouble. Nowadays, folks who aren’t even celebrities

can receive hundreds of death threats for making only semi-controversial statements. The pervasive public aspect of the Internet means these threats are going to be easily spread, viewed, and shared without anyone necessarily knowing who’s behind them.

The Internet also allows people to come into direct contact with even the most inaccessible individuals and groups. This provides people the opportunity to deliver their threats directly to their targets, often anonymously. Additionally, this constant access to everyone and everything and the generally casual nature of the Internet can lull people into a state where they believe it’s less of a big deal to threaten others. Having ready access to and communication with, say, a celebrity or an airline, can conceivably give someone enough comfort with them to vent their over-the-top outrage or play an inappropriate prank. This combination of accessibility, casualness, anonymity, and an already existing plethora of inappropriate material creates opportunities for making direct threats by people who otherwise wouldn’t have the environment or audacity to make them.

The girl in Rotterdam would not have even realized the magnitude of her tweet and might have even thought it would be a joke that could garner her more followers. As one can imagine with this set of circumstances, people can also begin to feel manipulative toward their targets, as if the nature of these

”

circumstances endows them with a right to exert some sort of control. When a teenage girl tweeted that she wasn’t a fan of Justin Bieber and received a response from him, some of the pop star’s fans vented their rage at his recognizing a non-fan by directing death threats at her. These messages may get lost amongst the hullabaloo of the Internet, but they reflect a mindset that’s inconsistent with reality. We are not actually close enough to these people and organizations to vent or joke with them in this manner. This is a drawback of the Internet and many social media sites: it allows us to believe there’s a special relationship and comfort to be had with anyone we can connect with that permits us to share thoughts and feelings that are better kept outside public view.

Even though death threats or threats intending bodily harm are constitutionally protected forms of speech when they’re made to be, according a 1969 Supreme Court ruling, “obvious hyperbole,” a significant portion of these kinds of Internet threats are more than ambiguous enough to not be considered protected. When it becomes so easy for us to express ourselves through direct threats, it means we need to take a step back and think about what we’re actually saying and the potential consequences our words can carry, both for ourselves and for our targets.

FASHION APPROPRIATION? Don’t Appropriate What You Don’t Understand

by Maddy Kirsch Urban Outfitters puts Hindu deities on crop tops displayed next to high waisted “cheeky” shorts. Katy Perry performs at the AMAs in a kimono, complete with an ultra high slit and a chest cut-out. Selena Gomez wears a bindi in her sultry music video. Somebody is profiting off of all this appropriation and it is definitely not the cultures that these symbols come from.

There is certainly a line between appreciation and appropriation, and it is certainly blurry. Maybe it’s sometimes okay for a white girl to dress up like a Native American or for American college students to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Maybe it depends on context and intention.

But what is certainly not okay is for billion dollar industries to exploit power structures, mine historically marginalized cultures for fashion pieces, and market them on skinny American models as exotic and sexy.

When Vanessa Hudgens, Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez and the like sported bindis at Coachella two weekends ago, they trivialized the bindi’s religious significance and essentially gave a fat middle finger to the IndianAmerican community.

Here is what I mean: Hudgens et al. wore the bindi as a decoration and got to look festival-ready to the delight of their twitter followers. Meanwhile, 2014 Miss America winner Nina Davuluri (who actually has Indian heritage) performed a Bollywood dance in a sari and bindi for her talent act and was slammed with racist criticism.

“Miss America is Not American!” and, “Miss America?

You mean miss 7-11,” that same Twitterverse responded.

Hudgens is embraced as fashion pioneer and Davuluri is rejected and told to go back to where she came from.

Davuluri has to deal with prejudice and complexities that come along with claiming her cultural identity. Hudgens gets to dance around for the cameras without carrying any of that extra baggage. That, my friends, definitely falls on the appropriation side of the line.

But what about the average person–someone who is not trying to be a fashion icon or make a profit? Certainly not every person who wears a bindi and is not of South Asian descent is committing an offense. Where do we draw the line?

Money, power, and celebrity recalibrate the appreciation-appropriation scale. A woman outside the public eye who wears a skimpy Eskimo costume because she likes the aesthetics of fur trim could be slightly insensitive, but she doesn’t pack as much punch as companies and celebrities who repurpose traditional cultural symbols for their own personal branding.

The larger conversation on cultural sensitivity is only just beginning. In 2011, an Ohio University campaign designed to curb culturally appropriating Halloween costumes garnered national attention. In one campaign poster, a girl of Japanese descent sorrowfully holds a photo of someone dressed up as a geisha, accompanied by the tag line, “This is who I am, and this is not ok.”

Other posters followed the same formula: a Latino boy holds a photo of somebody wearing a sombrero/poncho

It’s Not Worth Our Time To Worry About Bindis At Coachella

combo and a boy of Middle Eastern descent frowns on

by Janani Ravikumar someone dressed as a STAFF WRITER terrorist.

According to Jezebel, this past week, Vanessa tural exchange would be if a white woman married The Internet apHudgens posted a picture on Instagram with an Indian man and wore a sari to the wedding, or parently thought the this caption: “Just dust. Everywhere. Lol #bindi if someone learned forms of classical music and campaigners needed to marks.” This particular fashion trend wasn’t ex- dance simply for the sake of learning them and loosen up a bit; a series clusive to Hudgens alone; many others sported appreciating the culture. An example of cultural of memes mocking the multicolored, rhinestone-studded stickers on appropriation would be if someone wore a T-shirt original posters began to their foreheads. Immediately, there were ral- depicting one of our gods, such as Ganesha or Shitrend. The memes showed lying cries from social activists everywhere va, without any sort of context.

Hermione offended by screaming “cultural appropriation” and quesBut the boundaries within which something someone wearing a wizard tioning whether people were even aware of remains a cultural exchange and doesn’t veer into costume and Jake Sully from the cultural significance behind the bindis the territory of cultural appropriation aren’t always Avatar offended by someone they wore. But should we really be picking so clear. Defining cultural appropriation becomes who had painted himself as a a fight over something so small? messy at this point–were the people wearing binblue Na’vi. The memes ironiDerived from the Sanskrit word “bin- dis at Coachella appropriating Hindu culture, or cally kept the slogan, “We’re a du,” meaning “drop,” a bindi is the red dot simply appreciating what it has to offer? It’s probculture, not a costume.” that Indian women traditionally wear ably safe to say that many of the people who wore The costumes from the on their foreheads, according to surf- bindis that day did so without its cultural signifioriginal campaign are clearly apindia.com. The position of the bindi cance in mind. propriation rather than appreciabetween the eyebrows denotes the But frankly, neither do very many of us Indition, as the campaigners needed to third eye, the seat of latent wisdom, ans, either. If we held the same sort of respect for choose the most offensive examples where all experience is supposedly our own culture that “cultural exchange” demands, possible to make their point salient. gathered in total concentration dur- the only sort of bindis we’d be wearing are red But the Internet’s strong reaction ing meditation. Other names for dots or drops positioned perfectly between our was warranted–an instinctual rethe bindi are “pottu” in Tamil, “ti- eyebrows–but only if we were married. And yet taliation against a threat toward free lak” in Hindi, “tilakam” in Telegu, my own collection of bindis—multicolored and speech. The meme creators under“bottu” and “tilaka” in Kannada, rhinestone-studded stickers–don’t seem to match stood the danger in taking our fear of and “teep” in Bengali. While up, and my friends, my relatives, and I have been insensitivity too far, to the point of banthe traditional bindi is a red dot wearing these for practically our entire lives with ning cultural borrowing altogether. worn by married women, it now virtually no opposition. Granted, I grew up in a We need to make room for people comes in various colors, shapes, community kind and accepting enough that the who legitimately admire a culture outside and sizes today for women of worst my family and I received were questions their own and want to express that admiall ages and marital statuses from small children about why my mother wore ration. We need to allow for costumes that to wear. Today, simple red a red sticker on her forehead, and other commuare nuanced and satirical; costumes that use bindis, dots, and drops can nities may not be nearly so accepting. Regardless, cultural stereotypes for social commentary. be purchased in bulk, while we bought these bindis from Indian stores in this An intercultural exchange and intercultural more colorful and creative- country and, in some cases, even the motherland dialogue is certainly better than building ly shaped bindis are sold in itself. blockades. Our task is to make sure the exindividual packets.

According to Anjali Joshi of the Huffington change is fair.

According to Ev- Post, there was no such uproar when Bollywood So let’s all be more conscious of where our eryday Feminism, the actresses forsook the traditional red dot in favor actions weigh in on the appreciation-appropridifference between of the more fashionable, multicolored stickers. If ation scale. Most importantly, let’s remember cultural exchange and non-Indians find them beautiful, then who are we how power and money multiply the effects of cultural appropriation to argue? If we’re going to take issue with cultural appropriation. is that there has to appropriation regarding Indians, then we should It’s time to unfollow celebrity culture vultures be some element of be arguing with people who sexualize our clothwho mock important symbols by considering only mutual understand- ing, people who expect Indians to act exactly like their aesthetic value. And it’s time to boycott ining and respect for characters in Bollywood movies, people who destitutions that profit by picking and choosing what something to be file our classical music and dance, people who see they please from other cultures, without having to a true exchange. Hindu gods and goddesses as little more than hipdeal with the more challenging parts of belonging to In the context of ster symbols–not a bunch of people who decided that particular group. But let’s hold off on policing evHinduism, an to adopt what, at least today, is little more than a eryone who dresses outside cultural lines–just ask them example of cul- fashion accessory. to reflect on why they do so.