Upcoming midterms will be interesting

The midterm elections will be on Nov. 8, and their results will play a huge role in Texas’ political future.

The past few years have brought a wave of change in Texas politics due to the rise in issues that people face on a day-to-day basis. The candidates for governor this year include current Gov. Greg Abbott and longtime candidate Beto O’Rourke.

Abbott being a Republican has always upheld the same conservative views regarding hot political topics. O’Rourke, a Democrat, on the other hand, always strongly opposes them. Recently though, many people have felt like instead of respectfully stating their issues with the other’s opinion, the two seem to just bicker like children and spend their time trying to defame each other.

Their on-screen tiffs have at this point caused a disconnect between them and their intended audience. From passive-aggressive political ads to arguing during televised debates, their behavior has been truly immature.

Perhaps if they put the same amount of effort into proposing solutions as they do into arguing, we could finally make some progress as a state.

Many different issues come to mind when one thinks of the midterms, but some of the most pressing issues have been abortion, gun control and education. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade earlier this year as well as the Uvalde shooting, these topics hit close to home for many people.

For O’Rourke, these issues have become the base of his campaign, focusing on the families of the Uvalde victims and openly being pro-choice in a notoriously red state has brought much support for him this time around.

For Abbott, on the other hand, funding from the NRA took precedence above the victims of Uvalde. Even though he was given every opportunity to make a difference on gun violence issues, he chose to turn a blind eye with the label of “thoughts and prayers” every time.

As for abortions, Abbott’s response to the outrage from people on the nation’s most restrictive abortion ban was to state that he plans to eliminate all rapists from Texas, effectively proving he doesn’t understand the issue at hand in the slightest. very bad reality of child actors in the industry.

The responses, or lack thereof, by the current governor have prompted record voter registration. A new generation of voters has emerged and for them, the issues are no longer about party affiliation.

Along with the rise of newly eligible voters, there has also been a spike in new Texas residents coming from primarily blue states. This has caused a shift in the political landscape of the state.

The days of voting based on the sole reason they side with a particular political party are long gone. Voters are looking for change and are willing to hold their candidates accountable for the promises they make. This includes working on pressing issues like the education crisis.

Time and time again, funding for schools has been cut, and Texas teachers have paid the price, being forced to pull from their already limited funds to try and get together the basics needed to run their classrooms.

Teachers need a livable wage, and the state needs to provide for its classrooms the same way it provides for its law enforcement.

These are not political issues. They are fundamental rights issues. Children deserve the right to be safe at school, people deserve the right to have bodily autonomy, and teachers deserve the right to live comfortably with fully stocked classrooms. The future of Texas has been up in the air for long enough. It’s time to make a change, starting with who’s in charge.

McCurdy’s memoir has shed light on the industry’s harmful treatment of child actors and started discussions about the ethics of allowing children to act in the business.

XAVIER BOATNER campus editor xavier.boatner@my.tccd.edu

The entertainment industry is a detrimental environment for the development of child actors.

People have made memories out of countless films and television series. These moments are usually elevated by talented, self-assured actors.

For many children growing up in the late 2000s and early 2010s, reverence is felt for shows like “iCarly” and “That’s So Raven.” Child actors like Jeanette McCurdy and Raven Symone were admired by 2000s kids. Lots of children wanted to be like them.

However, as those actors have aged, they’ve become increasingly vocal about what they dealt with during their time acting. Not every child actor has opened up about their childhood experiences but enough of them have for it to become concerning.

On Aug. 8, “iCarly” actress Jeanette McCurdy released her memoir titled “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” The book explored her traumatic experiences working under Nickelodeon as a child.

She opened up about what happened behind the scenes on the show, and she detailed the destructive conditions she worked under. It’s an eye-opening read for those who grew up watching her work and are interested in how children can be treated

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They run the risk of their entire childhood and youth being exploited, damaging their mental health at an early age and being harassed or violated by greedy or perverted executives, directors, co-stars or paparazzi.

That’s not to say they will, but it can and has happened. It’s risky to allow children to work alongside adults in such a self-destructive setting.

Child stars are exposed to sex, drugs, alcohol and the overwhelming expectations of appearing perfect, bubbly and flawless. It’s too much for most adults, let alone children. It’s a lot for a child to absorb, and they’re expected to adapt to it which leads to years of mental instability and insecurity.

They develop anxiety disorders, eating disorders and self-image problems that stick with many of them into adulthood. Many child actors such as the Olsen twins or Mara Wilson have stopped acting because of mental health issues.

Child stars have to juggle multiple responsibilities and use up a lot of their time. Their childhood should be taken care of. Instead, it’s ripped away.

In an excerpt from “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” Jeanette McCurdy wrote, “They’re giving you $300,000, and the only thing they want you to do is never talk publicly about your experience at Nickelodeon.”

The terrible, Campus),or mailed to: The Collegian 828 Harwood Road Hurst, TX 76054 Office: 817-515-6391 email: collegian.editor@tccd.edu

“To each their own” is something that many people say in the light of various subjects such as food, hobbies and even dark humor.

Dark humor is subjective. Where one would find something exceedingly hilarious, another person would find it deeply offensive. Ironically, it’s hilarious that people don’t understand that others perceive things differently and that people who get offended don’t understand people who make dark jokes.

Dark humor is unique and obviously not everyone understands another person’s humor. However, is it really fair to call someone sensitive because that person doesn’t appreciate a joke considered offensive? Or is it a bit much to put a trigger warning on a dark joke? Will it take away the laughter?

If we put trigger warnings on jokes then do we put trigger warnings on everything? Mentioning a specific ice-cream shop, singing a song or using a laptop could trigger someone, but it’s a bit far-fetched to put a trigger warning on that because it’s something that people experience everyday.

People’s trauma is a serious and daunting aspect, and they must be validated when they express their discomfort. But discomfort is subjective and almost impossible to detect. Insensitivity is also a problem for dark humor because it’s not like people are saying they’re uncomfortable for no reason. good, TCC is an equal opportunity institution that provides educational and employment opportunities on the basis of merit and without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status or disability.

The solution to shielding people’s feelings is for people to have a warning sign somewhere in the tweet, video or message.

I know that many people have disagreements on what to do, but that is only because it would avoid a person getting hurt or retraumatised. It will probably kill the joke and some people may think it’s over the top, but it’s necessary.

For the people who think that the warning sign is tacky and makes the joke less funny, I understand. It’s meant to be in the moment. Is it really that serious if they just scroll away or focus on something else when it is said spontaneously? In this case, yes.

It’s like remembering something you’ve tried a long time to forget, but as soon as someone jokes about it you crawl back into the mindset you were once in and remember everything.

It may take them a few minutes to a few hours to adjust, but the point is that someone got hurt again. This doesn’t mean putting a warning on every joke that exists, because that’s just not feasible. But for something that could obviously trigger someone like domestic assault, rape, death or anything serious that some people like to joke about as a coping mechanism, considering a warning signal is important.

I like dark humor too. In fact, I say multiple things about my life and trauma as well. However, I am careful about who I’m saying it to. I only say it to close friends and even if I wanted to post a video about it, I’ll have a yellow triangle emoji with an exclamation point on it.

Does it kill the joke a bit, yes. But it’s better than a triangle of arguments with the people that disagreed with you and thought that it was offensive.