- Title
- The Graphic
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- Date
- 09/18/2014
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- Subject
- ["Newspapers","Students","Student newspapers and periodicals","Pepperdine University","Universities & colleges"]
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The Graphic
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September 18, 2014
PERSPECTIVES
//GRAPHIC A7
Feminist turned firecracker on stage
What does it mean to be
a feminist? According to the
Feminist Majority Foundation,
it is “the policy, practice or
advocacy of political, economic
and social equality for women.”
The general idea of being
a feminist is supporting the
equality of men and women in
society. It empowers women to
feel that they are men’s equals,
even after years of hearing that
women are inferior to men,
especially in the workplace.
This all rings loud and clear
in some peoples minds. But
why is it relevant right now?
Let’s put it into perspective.
Joan Rivers died two weeks
ago. She was known for paving
the way for females in the
world of comedy. Her career
went everywhere from acting in
plays to performing in comedy
clubs to even starring in TV
movies.
But her career really
kick-started when she went
on the “Tonight Show” with
Johnny Carson. Springing from
that, she was the first woman to
have a late-night comedy show.
Since then, she has remained
prominent in the media and
comedy industries.
Rivers did not let the ideals
and precedents set by men in
the comedy field intimidate her
out of saying what she felt. She
said exactly what she wanted to
say. That included topics that,
at the time, were considered
off-limits and taboo, such as
abortion, sex and suicide. With
her “I don’t care” attitude, she
paved the way for other female
comedians like Tina Fey, Sarah
Silverman and Amy Poehler.
As time went on, Rivers
became one of the most suc¬
cessful female comedians in the
business, an act that hasn’t been
matched by anyone as of yet.
Although Rivers took a
break from tire media scene
before making a big comeback
with her show “Fashion Police,”
her story is admirable because
she had early and continued
success. She pressed on even in
the face of adversity after her
husband committed suicide,
and she raised her daughter,
Melissa, alone. Rivers was a
walking female icon at the
time.
However, this revolution for
women in the world of comedy
is not the problem at hand.
Tile problem is that Rivers is
seen as a “f eminist comedian.”
Feminism is the empowerment
of women to be themselves and
do things that women aren’t
“traditionally” supposed to do.
Yes, Rivers did do this, but she
took it to a point that went be¬
yond what feminism stands for:
equality of females in society.
Rivers may have been a
feminist at one point, and her
intentions for comedy may
have still had a feminist out¬
look, but later on, she degraded
women and their appearances,
and that’s the opposite of what
feminism is about.
As of late, Rivers was on
“Fashion Police,” a show in
which she, as well as other
celebrities, critiqued what other
people in the limelight wore to
events, such as the most recent
award shows. But these “cri-
tiques”were often downright
degrading. She would say why
celebrities looked ugly, or why
she thought the dress looked
awful on them. In addition to
the comments on her show, she
talked about people off-screen
too. From comments about
singer Adele’s weight (calling
her “chubby”), to making fun
of Lindsay Lohan’s addiction,
(calling her diet “all liquid, 80
proof”). She even talked about
controversial news, like when
she joked about the three wom¬
en held captive by Ariel Castro,
saying “they got to live rent-
free for more than a decade.”
Essentially, Rivers used her
fame and gift of being funny
and took it to a place in which
a lot of women, and people in
general, often felt insulted.
Returning to the point of
feminism: Rivers began her
career with feminist motives:
making a name for herself
in a then-male-dominated
career. She advocated voicing
your own opinion and being
persistent in your goals. Rivers
never f ailed to say what she felt,
even if it was controversial, say¬
ing things like “a man can sleep
around, no questions asked.
But if a woman makes 19 or 20
mistakes, she’s a tramp.” Rivers
left no stone unturned when
talking.
However, her fame from this
perseverance caused her to take
the “saying what she felt” to a
level that crossed the line. It
seemed like, at the beginning of
her career, she had the best of
intentions, but as time passed,
her confidence turned to
cockiness from her success. She
felt that she could say whatever
she wanted because her fame
had given her a position where
people would laugh at her
jokes no matter what she said,
even if they were insulting and
degrading.
Rivers is famous for her
drastic amounts of plastic
surgery and although she
often jokes about herself and
this topic, maybe she enjoyed
putting other people down to
make herself feel better — pos¬
sibly a characteristic of her own
insecurity.
The point is, Rivers started
out as a “feminist comedi¬
an.” She was an outsider to
the comedy world, but she
persevered and made a name
for herself But as time went
on, she lost her “feminist” title
because she took saying what
she felt to the next level. She
degraded women and insulted
their appearances, likes, dislikes
and goals.
//
tMILY.GOLDBbRG@PEPPERDINE.EDU
I pledge to save water and keep my car dirty
My truck is filthy. There is
a layer of grime covering my
Toyota Tacoma from bumper
to bumper. But I am proud of
my dirty car. Why? Because I
am conserving water. I pledge
not to wash my dirty truck for
six months.
I call all of you, yes you, to
take the pledge too.
Going to the Shell station
down PCH may seem like a
simple way to keep up with car
hygiene. However, those $8 are
contributing to the drought.
While commercial car wash¬
es use less water than tradi¬
tional hand washing, they still
use up to 50 gallons of water
according to www.sustatinable-
sanmarcos.com.
There is more than one
benefit to not washing your car.
It saves water, money and time.
With everyone’s busy schedule,
those are definitely all things of
which we could use more.
As most Southern Califor¬
nians know, the dust from the
surrounding mountains gets
on everything. In order to have
a clean car, you would have to
go through a car wash at least
once a week. That would be
2,600 gallons of water in a year
to keep your car clean.
Also, car washes cost money.
As college students, saving
money is always a priority. It
may just seem like $8 or S10
for the supreme wash, but
it all adds up. In a year, you
could spend up to $520. For
the same cost, you can get 43
movie tickets, 65 frozen pizzas
or even 57 years of a Netflix
subscription.
Time. The one thing we are
constantly trying to find more
of in our busy lives. While
seven or eight minutes doesn’t
seem like an extensive period
of time, it can also add up. For
416 minutes out of the year, it’s
just you, your car and water. In
the same amount of time, you
and a group of friends could
drive to San Diego and back
for an impromptu weekend of
fun.
According to the San
Francisco Chronicle website,
Gov. Jerry Brown has called
for Californians to voluntarily
reduce water use by 20 percent.
According to the United States
Environmental Protection
Agency, the average American
household uses 300 gallons of
water per day. Annually, the av¬
erage household uses 109,500
gallons of water, without con¬
sideration for fluctuations due
to weather and other usage.
These figtires are just for indoor
water usage. Any external usage
is additional. If car washes use
up to 50 gallons of water per
car, an additional 42 percent of
water usage would be added to
the average household total.
That would definitely be go¬
ing against what the governor
has asked of us. Look at the
figures. It’s not just me who is
reaching out to you. It is the
governor himself.
Tire university has taken
some necessary steps to help
with the drought. They no
longer run the fountains near
Smothers Theatre, in front of
the CCB or at Heroes Garden.
There are signs posted at both
entrances explaining that the
university uses reclaimed water
to water the grounds.
This drought isn’t going
away and a few rainstorms are
not going to solve the problem.
In a Huffington Post arti¬
cle from July 3 1, “California
drought reaches a terrifying
milestone,” the entire state
of California is in a severe
drought status as of July. We
have to take a stand and do
something. We, the student
body, must take the necessary
steps to help conserve water.
If you must wash your car, be
sure to look for more sustain¬
able options. Some car washes
exclusively use reclaimed water.
For safety reasons, keep your
side mirrors, front and back
windshields clean by using the
buckets of water and wind¬
shield wipers available at most
gas stations, including Shell
and Chevron. Look for these
options, as it saves a significant
amount of water. Take this
simple measure to help the
planet. Please take the pledge.
Although people may judge
my dirty car, I pledge to not
wash my vehicle until March
18. Even though people may
make comments, I will not
crumble under the pressure. I
want to preserve water so that
1 can help California and the
world. I will be proud of my
“#dirtyride” and spread the
word about this small step
toward a larger goal.
Water is the basis for all
living things. But, of course,
you know this. Use your brains,
Pepperdine. Conserve water. It
has become a dire situation.
Help with the drought and
do your part in preserving
water. Keep your cars dirty! Be
sure to share your #dirtyride
with @peppgraphic. Let’s save
water w'hile also saving a buck.
//
JACKLYN.MAZA@PEPPERDINE.EDU
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Why I won’t
stop talking
about race
-
I
JOSHUA GRAY
//Staff Writer
ь
When will we discontinue
our insertion of race into every
American political conflict or
into every American social
injustice?
On the surface, Pepperdine
is a welcoming and apprecia¬
tive community. Promoted in
the charismatic catalogues we
browse before applying and
some personal encounters
with fellow' Waves, Pepperdine
generally demonstrates sincere
interest in its students.
According to "The Grayde:
Am I Worthless?” poll, “gray-
ding” Pepperdine students on
student interactions, seven
of the 15 people who voted
acknowledge students as “Wel¬
coming and appreciative,” w'hile
another seven viewed students’
interactions as “Acknowledg¬
ing yet misunderstanding,” as
of yesterday. If that’s the case,
w'hy must we persist the talk
about race? When will we stop
talking about race?
In spite of the ‘welcoming
and appreciative” w'orld some
students are privileged to ex¬
perience, these neither permit
nor justify certain actions.
I’ve observed or had friends
report the occasional use of
the “N” w'ord by particular
communities w'hen there are
“no blacks around” or certain
communities hurling the “N”
word at individuals in the black
community.
Therefore, we will not stop
talking about race until wre
eliminate prominent micro-ag¬
gressions and racial insensitivi¬
ties that offend minorities.
Racial insensitivities and of¬
fenses are real. Daily, we can be
deceived by Pepperdine’s beau¬
tifully embracive culture to the
point that we fail to recognize
the micro-aggressions certain
communities commit, such as
walking off of the sidew'alks
as I’m w'alking tow'ard you in
fear that I may harm you or as¬
suming a penchant for Roscoe’s
because of the complexion of
my skin.
How' w’ould it make you feel
if you w’ere followed in the Caf
under the suspicion that you
may steal one of the many ex¬
pensively priced items that you
are fully capable of paying for?
These encounters shape my
perspective, shape my experi¬
ence and shape my reality.
Perspectives on w'hether
race is significant in daily
discussions or political discus¬
sions differ from community
to community. In regards to
race, Assistant Professor of
Sociology Dan Morrison cites
research from Pew' Research
Center for the People & the
Press.
The research says 80 percent
of black, but only 37 percent
of w'hite respondents say the
Brown case raises important
issues about race. Granted race
is a seemingly prevalent topic
among many communities and
if we continue to talk about
race, it should be constructive.
Such perspectives only
rationalize recent racial ad¬
vancements — social mobil¬
ity of the black community,
Hispanic government officials
or minority prominence in
entertainment. However,
those same perspectives fail
to incorporate the interracial
offenses or racial insensitivities
that rest in the hearts of some
Americans. With the existence
of such perspectives, w'hen will
we stop talking about race?
We w'ill stop talking about
race when we authentically em¬
brace the cultures, experiences
and realities of those races
discussed.
//
JOSHUA.GRAY@PEPPERDINE.EDU
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