MCJ

Protected: Divisions of Labor

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Divisions of Labor by Barbara Ehrenreich

The first thing I will say about this article is that I really liked the lead. I think people on the left--especially those who may have voted for Clinton--are far too quick to dismiss supporters of Trump as simply racist, or just plain stupid. Instead of dismissing Trump supporters (one of whom I’m related to, others of which I’ve been friends with for years), I prefer to attempt to understand why they are voting that way, which is the goal of this article. The lead clearly defines what the author is seeking out in this article: “Why do they believe Trump’s promises? Are they stupid or just deplorably racist?

MCJ

Protected: Taylor Swift Runs The World

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Taylor Swift Runs The World by Chuck Klosterman

My first (and only) exposure to Chuck Klosterman was over the summer when he was a guest on The Daily Show. I did a little bit of research on him, and all I remembered was that he apparently hates soccer. I also do not really have any particular positive feelings toward Taylor Swift, so why did I decide to read this article? Well, while I’m a bit offended by his stance on soccer, I did remember Klosterman being an intelligent guy, so I figured I would give this article a read. And I’m glad I did…

The organization of this article was pretty strange, but I thought it worked.

MCJ

Protected: BATTLEGROUND AMERICA

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BATTLEGROUND AMERICA by Jill Lepore

A bunch of my friends back home own guns. Over Spring break, one of my friends told me we would go to the shooting range by the end of the break. It never happened, although I did attempt to shoot a bow in his backyard (at which I failed miserably, unable to even pull it back). I’ve also seen one of my friends’ dad leave guns lying around in interesting places. These are just a few of my friends, not to mention a large portion of people from my high school that own guns.

MCJ

Protected: THE CARELESS LANGUAGE OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE

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THE CARELESS LANGUAGE OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE by Roxane Gay

Before I delve into the content of this well-written article, I would like to briefly explain why I chose to write about this piece. A few weeks ago (at least a month ago at this point), I was getting on the Market-Frankford Line in Philly after catching a show at Ortlieb's. While waiting for the train to arrive, a man sat next to me, and I started a conversation with him (yes, I-Kirby Sibiski-actually initiated a conversation with a stranger!). We talked from the time he sat next to me until I got off at Jefferson Station. While conversing, I asked him what brought him to the train station.

MCJ

Protected: Keep the Things You Forgot: An Elliott Smith Oral History

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Keep the Things You Forgot: An Elliott Smith Oral History by Jayson Greene

While I have been exposed to this article before (in Writing and Communications if I’m not mistaken), this was the first proper read through I’ve done, start to finish, of this piece. I’ll start by saying that my first exposure to Elliot Smith came in high school. The teacher of my creative writing class would sometimes play a song as we walked in the room for the start of class. After complimenting a track or two he played, he told me I should check out Elliott Smith. A few weeks later I listened to “Between the Bars” and I thought it was a really good song.

MCJ

Protected: A CLOSED LETTER TO MYSELF ABOUT THIEVERY, HECKLING AND RAPE JOKES

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A CLOSED LETTER TO MYSELF ABOUT THIEVERY, HECKLING AND RAPE JOKES by Patton Oswalt

To be completely honest, I have not listened to nearly enough of Patton Oswalt’s stand-up. I’ve seen bits and pieces here and there, and I’ve seen him make appearances on television, but I have just never gotten around to listening to much of his stand-up. With that being said, plan to change this, as I find the man very funny. So, despite my limited experience with Oswalt, I thought I would read his writing (only the second piece I’ve read by him, the other being the piece he wrote after the death of his wife) and see what the legendary comedian had to say about joke thievery, heckling, and rape jokes. Firstly, I would like to talk about Oswalt’s writing style.

MCJ

Protected: Shirtless Trump Saves Drowning Kitten

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Shirtless Trump Saves Drowning Kitten by Brian Phillips

Well, there’s a lot to unpack in this relatively short article. Where else can we start but with the title…

This article, as the subheading indicates, is about “Facebook’s Fake-News Problem And the Rise of the Postmodern Right.” Believe it or not, this article has nothing to do with a shirtless Trump or drowning kittens (although, if we stick with the theme of postmodernism, how can we know for sure?) Instead, the title functions as a comment on the sensational fake news headlines so prevalent on Facebook. I found the title very clever, and it certainly grabbed my attention. Perhaps even more surprising than the title of this piece was the publication it was published in: MTV.com. I typically associate modern MTV with popular garbage, but this article really opened my eyes and broadened my perspective on the publication.