As the normalization of gun violence and homicide in Chicago thrives, we welcome new music genre Drill. Drill (originally called dead music) is a subgenre of hip-hop that features trap beats and lyrics boasting of violence, drug use and sale, and getting rich.

            Drill is said to originate from the South Side of Chicago and is quickly moving through mainstream music. Unlike mainstream hip-hop, drill is delivered in a deadpan manner with little to no voice inflection.

            Drill is all about living in the streets, smoking dope, making money, and not giving a fuck.

         

           

The general consensus on drill is that it is the densest music out there. The lyrics are monotonous (i.e., Chief Keef ‘I hate being sober, I can’t spell sober’) and the beats are slow. The artist doesn’t talk much but guns, smoking, and killing.

If you think about it, it’s actually pretty interesting that this entire genre of music came out of Chicago gun culture.

Chief Keef is the face of drill music. He’s only 18 years old and has been on house arrest for the majority of his quickly growing career. Most of his videos are shot within his own home seeing as he can’t leave the premises. He’s from Chicago (Englewood) and is the perfect example of the product of being raised in Chiraq where crime is on every corner.

While there’s something to be said about the creative aspect of the music, the reality is that the music acts as encouragement to violence and the Chiraq movement.

These guys aren’t just rapping about killing each other; they actually are killing each other. As we know, there is massive gang activity in Chicago. Drill music is used to rep the artist’s affiliated gang and in turn, rivals are retaliating. And now, with social networking, threats and locations are being given with the click of a button.

            Well now drill has made its way onto mainstream radio. Drill is no longer just a small subgenre in the south side of Chicago. Kids from the suburbs (and all over America) sing along to lyrics about being raised on 64^th and Normal. ‘Bang Bang’ is a popular saying to get people hyped. Gun culture is now seeping its way from Englewood to the rest of America.

            In a macro sense, drill music isn’t exactly helping the black community.

The theory is that the entertainment industry will absolutely encourage young, black men to continue to make songs about killing each other and selling drugs. What better way to oppress African Americans? Music is the perfect vessel to glamourize violence and drugs. Kids growing up in Chicago can hear Chief Keef’s music and relate to his struggle.

Young men from 64th and Normal can hear Chief Keef's music and feel a sense of identity. The point of this post is not to boycott Chief Keef. It is just to discuss the intricacy of Chicago's gun culture and how its effect is visible in other parts of our culture.
With this type of music seeping through the industry, I suspect we will see more Chief Keefs in the media.

Retail Racism

            Working in retail for almost a decade, I have witnessed my fair share of discrimination. It seems that for some reason, people find it more appropriate to discriminate in the retail setting (both customers and employees.)

            Racial stereotypes are so very active in the retail setting that some don’t even attempt to be secretive about it.

            Once I even witnessed a screaming match between two angry customers where the white woman viciously screamed the ‘n’ word (can we work on creating a better reference for that word, please?) at her African American opponent.

            Discrimination and stereotypes, however, seem to be most graciously given amongst the employees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIGFx31Xqjs

            It is assumed by the employees that when someone is caught stealing, that person is black. Security calls are made on black customers substantially more than they are made on white customers.

            While I have no real evidence or numerical proof of these sorts of things, it has caught my attention over the years.

            It almost feels like some sort of secret society that no one talks about. The severity of racial stereotypes that happens in the retail world is out of control.

            I can’t tell you how many times a fellow employee has made some sort of racially offensive comment to me with that ‘don’t you agree’ look in their eye.

            To be honest, the fact that someone would even make that sort of comment to another person without even considering his or her disproval of such comments shows how serious of an issue this is.

            It’s completely normal for an employee to sigh or roll their eyes when a black woman approaches their register… then begins the awkward dance of ‘who’s gonna ring this lady cause I don’t want to.’

            I guess other than the obvious (that it’s completely fucked up) the point of discussing it is to show that racism is thriving.

            A black man running our country is not enough for me to believe that we have progressed into equality.

            In my eyes, we most certainly have not. In my eyes, we are in an even more dangerous state of racism that is brushed under the rug or hidden.

            So what’s a girl to do? My initial reaction to discrimination in the work place is to politely express my discomfort with rude comments i.e., ‘Hey, that’s not cool.’

            It seems that most of the time, such comments are made on a one-on-one basis with coworkers who I actually get along with. This makes it a bit awkward at times because confrontation is something I avoid when dealing with coworkers.

            However, when being polite doesn’t work, what can I do to show these people that I am 100% not cool with it?

            This predicament led me to a quick and fun solution: pretend my husband and children are black.

            This is effective in all aspects: my coworkers (who eventually find out I am neither married or with children) know it is not okay so make shithead comments in front of me and customers who do not know me are left feeling the guilt of saying something stupid.

            Usually the exchange goes something like this:

Coworker or Customer: [Racist, malarkey garbage]

Me: Oh, well my husband is black so….

Coworker Customer: Really? Wow…(awkward silence.)

           

            I don’t expect this little fib to solve racism in retail, but it does give me great pleasure knowing that I didn’t just sit back and allow someone to be ignorant. And hey, maybe they get so embarrassed by the exchange that they’ll stop tossing out racist comments.

Discrete Discrimination

            Roosevelt University’s core values surround social justice. As a person who believes in equal rights and acceptance for all, I take great pride in my school, my city, and myself for being in such an environment. But sometimes, even in a safe place like Roosevelt (where we are free to be you and me), I can still feel the pressure of the outside world’s ignorance.

            So you can imagine my surprise when one of my own peers made an offensive remark regarding gays and lesbians. The remark wasn’t overtly offensive, rather insensitive and ignorant. 

I’d imagine that people attending university would have a better sense of right and wrong. Actually, I’m not even sure that it’s a matter of right or wrong, but a matter of morality.

Most of my life I have been made to feel that I over exaggerate issues (of the offensive variety.) My family has always made remarks like “Oh, you can’t say anything to her, can you?!” For a long time, I really did believe that I was overly sensitive and just one of those girls who could flip that bitch switch with a simple racist comment.

 Now that I am older with a bit of education under my belt, I see that my instinct to react to these sorts of comments isn’t because I’m overly sensitive, but because it is the right thing to do.

We have a heavy sense of discrimination lingering in the air. It’s something that some swear up and down does not exist any more, but obviously it exists.

When I heard the comment that my peer made, I felt heat in my face. It wasn’t so much out of anger, but embarrassment.

You know, that feeling when you’re so embarrassed for the person that you feel embarrassed yourself?

After a bit of thought, however, I did feel anger. I felt angry that we are in an institution of higher learning that still manages to house someone who would make such a comment.

The comment itself wasn’t so horribly offensive; in fact, it slipped right by without anyone reacting. But for me, that’s what the issue is.

It’s the little remarks that people think are okay to make. It’s the fact that this fellow student even had that thought in her head. Had she not learned anything about equal rights and discrimination on her academic journey?

Whatever the case may be, I bit my tongue and didn’t express my concern of the comment.

Did I make the right choice? Should I have called her out? Will she make a comment like that again?

I’m not sure of the answer, but I do know it was another lovely day living with discrete discrimination.    

Jeremy Scott X Moschino, Fall/Winter 2014-2015

Jeremy Scott X Moschino, Fall/Winter 2014-2015

Italian fashion house Moschino has teamed with cutting-edge designer Jeremy Scott for a capsule collection for Fall/Winter 2014-1015. Seems simple enough, however the collection is causing quite the stir amongst not only the celebrity elite, but also the masses of us regular guys. 

Moschino Specializes in ready-to-wear often seen on celebrities and big wigs across the world. This collaboration in particular turned into capsule collection that is immediately available to the public for purchase.

A fashion powerhouse of that stature has never seen this sort of accessibility.

We also get a look at the pricing structure, which is unheard of for a collection like this.

 http://www.moschino.com/special/capsulecollection14?tp=59427&utm_source=OS&utm_medium=Banner&utm_campaign=OS_MoschinoCC_Feb14&tskay=BD67EC2D

            For me, the accessibility of the collection is only a small charm in the grand scheme of things.

Jeremy Scott boldly created an entire line inspired by McDonald’s. From sweater dresses labeled ‘Over 20 Billion Served’ to bags in the shape of milkshake cups, the collection is magically silly and genius at the same time. Those famous yellow arches are used in his collection as the new symbol of Moschino. The collection is reminiscent of Andy Warhol’s pop art, but with a modern flair.

http://www.highsnobiety.com/files/2014/02/moschino-by-jeremy-scott-fallwinter-2014-mcdonalds-pre-release-02.jpg

http://olivierish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/mcdonalds-jeremy-scott-moschino-04.jpg?w=630

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJca5TcVN933sFsXicwR6uJsTSKRPrgkgyTjKnJ8gClTc5cq40QK9XEMB8EpcEuFXojFrm_nG3-G1pPrINxdMH72efiVpOtNpnIRLPnKxeCSvoRkgh39molXU74bI8m7AJRBRozPpKEi6/s1600/Moschino+McDonalds+accessories+IIHIH.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A6Fi_o18Xo#t=65

Some negative criticism would say ‘So what? He copied the McDonald’s uniform; anyone could do that,’ but the fact is, nobody did it. Only Jeremy Scott did it. And in my personal opinion, he did it flawlessly. The pieces themselves demonstrate a unique ability to straddle the line of runway and ready-to-wear.

The collection has the editorial flare consistent with regular Moschino collections, but perfectly translates for us regular girls to wear. The classic and complimentary red and yellow offers a bold look that immediately draws attention. The fit of the collection is not about sexuality or the woman form, but more about a classic uniform (literally) fit. The retro look of a McDonald’s uniform of yesteryear combined with bold, bright prints offers up pieces that are fun and high fashion.  

The entire theme of the collection is satirical and ironic: come one, come all and order up your Moschino like McDonald’s right over the Internet!        

Of course, most won’t be willing to pay $825 for a backpack, but that is neither here nor there…

Jeremy Scott created a ready-to-wear line that is available over the Internet and that is just unheard of. Beyond that, the line is crazy cool. There is really nothing else out there similar to it. If I had ten thousand dollars to blow, I would most definitely be putting that on my body.  

And I sure as hell would do it more justice than this lady:

 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgmPicQiI2eLohrIyZ0P8-D790fkg17UtDGgVdDAC95dnEC8YMtbJMzAVYzpFHxShYXjhAYnJWRHsjCj8ygQvW7MJaJmqhVAs936gfDqaHJSYirFX9E7jKYXvg4OzuelbA16eRbVd7c-7/s1600/anna-dello-russo-mcdonalds-moschino-mailand-fashion-week-2014-jeremy-scott-440.jpg

Jenny McCarthy is a Scary Lady.

Jenny McCarthy is a scary, scary lady. She isn't your typical scary gal (unusual facial features, unapproachable attitude, larger-than-desired size, etc.) She is a new breed of scary lady: a doofus-lady with a huge social platform.

No- her aesthetics don't bother me all that much, rather the massive platform she has to toss her indecencies to the people of America like shitty candy at a daft parade.
Before I start my rant on her most recent antics, I’ll provide a little history on Ms. McCarthy: 
Jenny McCarthy began her career most notably as Playboy Magazine's Playmate of the year in '93. She then moved on to work as a video jockey for MTV in ’94. This opened the doors for her to work many other careers in media including the host of dating show Singled Out, multiple appearances on WWF, and most recently one of the hosts of the popular talk show The View.

First and foremost- how is this woman even slightly qualified to discuss social issues on national television? I am by no means sweeping her accomplishments under the rug OR suggesting her career in nude modeling makes her unintelligent.

The only reason that seems possibly plausible for her copious presence on the daytime talk show is her promotion of anti-vaccination in children and autism activism.

McCarthy has a young son who has been diagnosed with autism. She has famously claimed that the cause of her son’s autism is due to vaccinations. McCarthy speculates that mercury in vaccines is the cause of autism.

McCarthy’s claims seem bogus to me, seeing as there is much scientific evidence proving so. However, I am in no position to possibly prove it to be true or false. And I do feel for her…if I had a child with autism, I would search for answers, too.

But I do think the manner and intensity in which she provokes these claims is not smart. She is literally directing the people of America to stop vaccinating their children. Once again, I am no scientist, but this seems as much of a danger as the possibility of autism.
A woman with that sort of social platform directing the mothers of the world to stop vaccinating their children is SCARY AS HELL.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGW4a96GqGc

However, this isn’t even the biggest issue I have with Jenny McCarthy. The biggest idiocrasy about Jenny McCarthy is during her free time (not hosting a talk show or trash-talking vaccines and doctors) she promotes the electronic cigarette. Let’s have a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk7LeC_1-IA

Someone who can refer to an e-cig as ‘sexy’ and ‘hot’ seems to be a mastermind at convincing the target audience of the product. I’m sure every 16-year-old girl who watched that commercial wanted to run out to Walgreens and purchase an e cig so they could be beautiful and sexy like Jenny McCarthy.

More importantly, electronic cigarettes are still questionable. There is no way these things are actually healthy for you. The FDA has come under fire because as e cig popularity increases, it seems the addiction for them does as well.

http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2014-04-01/e-cigarettes-a-benefit-or-health-risk-congress-called-to-regulate-industry-representatives-frustrated/1776425120708.html

Jenny McCarthy is a new level of hypocrite that I have yet to witness in my life (hats off to you, McCarthy.)

So- you can imagine my distress on Monday March 31^st, when Jenny McCarthy and Sherri Shepherd decided to suggest Lena Dunham of popular HBO series Girls gets naked for ratings.
McCarthy and Shepherd appeared on The View topless squawking, “Maybe we’ll get higher ratings, too.”

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql9EoWATImk

Discussing my feelings on Lena Dunham and Girls would be opening up a can of worms…so I will just say I think the nudity involved on Girls has NOTHING to do with ratings, and all to do with progressive movement.

The fact that Jenny McCarthy would suggest otherwise proves that she is a simple-minded fool who would so blindly discriminate against her own gender. So for whatever reason, we have put this simple mind on an actual talk show that has actual viewers to make actual claims.

My response to Jenny McCarthy’s tactless stunt Monday on The View is that I so deeply wish she would stick to what she’s good at: Promoting electronic cigarettes and giving people who like to say 'dumb broad' an easy target.

Honestly, this woman’s existence truly scares me. I just hope she has enough hours in the day to raise her son, host a talk show, deny science, sell electronic cigarettes, halt the women’s movement, and keep up that sugary sweet and sexy appearance.

Godspeed, Jenny.