Em-URGE-ing Voices

Posts Categorized: Uncategorized

Disney’s Casting of Johnny Depp Hurts Abuse Survivors

When we consume media, particularly media produced by individuals like musicians and artists, we have a choice to make: do we appreciate/not appreciate that person’s art separate from who they are as a person, or do we judge that person fully, taking their actions and views into account when we enjoy their art? While there is no clear-cut answer, I typically don’t mind if a musician or actor I like doesn’t have the same values or opinions I do; that’s part of life. Chris Pratt, for example, is Republican. He’s not discriminatory or anything of that sort, so I still support his work. However, I will not support a celebrity if they have committed violent acts, especially against women. This value aligns with what the #MeToo movement means to accomplish:… Read more »

The Science Behind The Copper IUD: How Does Metal Work for Birth Control?

  Most forms of birth control, in terms of understanding how they work, are fairly straightforward. Barrier methods like diaphragms and condoms physically prevent sperm from entering the uterus, and hormonal methods like birth control pills, NuvaRings, and Nexplanon administer dosages of hormones that disrupt ovulation. But there’s an outlier in the BC field: PARAGARD, also known as the copper IUD. It is different from its other T-shaped counterparts because it does not contain any hormones; copper is the contraceptive in this product. How does copper actually work to prevent pregnancy? Is this method as reliable as its hormone-based peers, like other IUDs and the Nexplanon implant? Medical mechanisms In a mechanism of action report by CooperSurgical, the company that makes the copper IUD, the pharmacology behind this birth control… Read more »

Nobody Cared About Opiates Until It Started to Affect the Soccer Moms

One night, I sat with my friends as we watched the news. We sat and listened to what officials were being elected and what events were coming up in the city. They stopped on the topic of opioids as the news anchor looked sternly into the camera to talk about the latest parents who had overdosed on the drugs, neglecting their children. “They didn’t care about Black people when crack hit, now these opioids are invading the suburbs and suddenly it’s a problem,” my friend shouted with a mouth full of Cheerios. I thought about it, and I realized it was true. Never had I seen so many outcries for rehab centers.  People didn’t say “addict” or “crackhead” when talking about those that used heroin and other opiates. They called… Read more »

The Ecological Footprint of Aunt Flow

Yesterday I learned that every piece of plastic created since plastic was invented (that hasn’t been burned) still exists in some form today. I never really thought about plastic in an introspective way until I was in middle school and stumbled upon Ramin Bahrani’s short film called Plastic Bag, which depicts life from a plastic bag’s point of view. This breathtaking eighteen-minute film narrated by Werner Herzog beautifully illustrates the realities of the Pacific Trash Vortex and the harm a single plastic bag can do. And what I didn’t know until watching it was that plastic never really biodegrades and actually roams the earth and the oceans, even after breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces. In fact, these pieces of plastic are so small that they are often mistaken for food…. Read more »

We Can’t Leave Faith Behind

  I grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness. I spent my formative years devoted to my relationship to God and my spiritual community. In my religion one of our core values was service, community, and advocacy. I remember with great vividness waking up at 8 in the morning to go door to door, talking to people about God. I learned resilience, messaging, and the power of storytelling from an early age. As I grew older, I found that issues that I valued didn’t align with the church. There was a disconnect between the values that were taught to me and the rules that were imposed on us by the church. We were taught compassion and tolerance, but if I were to ever come out as queer to my church elders,… Read more »

Paid Time Off is a Staple for Reproductive Justice

On Monday, Senator Tammy Duckworth became the first senator to give birth while in office. She will be taking parental leave, but Senate protocol could keep her from being able to vote on legislation during that time. And she faces another problem upon returning to the Senate—no children are allowed on the Senate floor. “You’re not allowed to bring children onto the floor of the Senate at all, so if I have to vote and I’m breastfeeding my child, what do I do, leave her sitting outside?” said Duckworth in Politico’s Women Rule podcast back in February. On Feb. 5, she also penned an op-ed for CNN calling attention to the need for not only parental leave, but more accessible childcare options and paid sick leave for working Americans. “When people… Read more »

Don’t Confuse Political Correctness with Respecting People

Last year, South Asian comedian Hari Kondabalu released a documentary film entitled The Problem with Apu that included South Asian celebrities discussing the impact of The Simpsons’ character, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. The character has been criticized since the inception of the show for being a racist caricature of Indian-Americans, not helped by the fact that the character is voiced by a white actor doing an exaggerated accent. Kondabalu’s documentary includes interviews from South Asian celebrities who all have had similar experiences in direct result of the character: microaggressions and racial slurs with several of them being asked to do the Apu accent while auditioning for roles in Hollywood. The producers of The Simpsons have remained largely indifferent to these concerns, but an episode that aired Sunday evening directly addressed them head-on in, quite possibly, one of the worst… Read more »