It is August 1st, sometime after midnight. Not a single set of eyes is fixated to the small television situated in middle of our living room — except for mine. There I sit in a sea of people who have come not for the reason not which I am here. Frank Ocean and I are having a staring contest; I’ll be damned if I blink first.

An hour passes as I give myself to this idle fantasy, unable to accept that which has been accepted by every other person occupying this space of celebration and glee: the album is not coming. Quickly arrives the time of the night when people should leave. The host should play that one Semisonic song where everyone sings the refrain asking them to leave then immediately following the song ask if they actually have to leave. Tonight, I opt for ‘Thinkin Bout You’, the melancholic chart topper from Ocean’s debut album. Tonight, I don’t want people to leave. Tonight, I want them to stay. This is no longer a party, it is a vigil.

It is almost three weeks later when I receive the text from my friend, “Frank dropped.” It had to be then. Near days after saying goodbye to someone important. At a pivot in my life where I could feel myself sliding off the fulcrum, of course Frank dropped.

Going into both albums, it is quintessential that you block out that this release took four years collectively. One cannot deny that Ocean’s antics were frustrating at times, but if you go into this album thinking that an artist was capable of not only reproducing, but also improving upon, an album as addictive as Channel Orange, you’re going to rob yourself of an optimal listening experience.

To best enjoy these releases, you have to take them for what they are. That being Frank Ocean once again exposing himself to us through music. These projects are meant to heal in the same way group therapy does. Ocean makes himself vulnerable as he dances his way through two full-length albums giving us the rawest, most naked form of himself.

This is what makes a great song/album/artist to me. The ability to consistently excavate a feeling from within me. When I hear Kendrick, I feel empowered. When I hear Chance, I feel joyous. But there is absolutely no artist on this planet that can make me feel more nostalgic than Frank. For almost ten years Frank has been making us remember what it smelled like when we first fell in love. Or what flavored chapstick heartbreak tastes like. Ever since the Lonny Breaux collection, Ocean has been dousing us with nostalgia. Songs such a Novacane, which can be found on Ocean’s aptly named mixtape, “Nostalgia, Ultra”, make the listener devastatingly reminiscent. In the middle of this sexual endeavor while on drugs, Ocean takes the time to point out, “been tryna film pleasure with my eyes wide shut but it keeps on movin’.” It is an incredible talent he has, to make even the most blissful of moments terribly sad.

That’s what these albums are, a collection of moments in which Frank has transformed his decomposed tragedies into those flowers that remind us of our first love. That’s why this music is great. Life and music are so intertwined, that we don’t even have to allow ourselves to, our mind just melds the two together naturally. We remember the moments and we remember the music that accompanied those moments.

That’s why I am not worried that this project took Frank Ocean four years. Or that it might not be as great of an album as its predecessor. Because when the rhythmic mantra of Comme Des Garcons hits me years from now, when I least expect it, I know I will be transported back to summer; a summer of fruition and incautious at its crest and unforgiving loneliness at its troughs. When I hear Self Control, I will be taken back to that first night under the stars. Because that’s what the best music is for us: a teleportation device.

As outlined in a hard hitting Pro-Clinton Ad, major Republican figures including Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, John McCain, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham have verbally demolished Trump to the media. They themselves described him as dangerous to America’s well being, stating his racist support, his sexist rhetoric and utter lack of tact as a human being. Frankly it’s the most honest I have ever seen politicians be. The entire theme of the Republican primaries was strategizing ways to debase Trump and somehow win over votes from him. However, the establishment of the party wilted at every chance they got. No matter the amount of verbal abuse they tried to hurl through the media, Trump’s personality dominated the meek voice of the establishment in the media cycle and during debates. They didn’t’ have a chance.

The moment of truth has finally come. After Cruz and Kasich both dropped out of the race, the narrative made a very quick shift. The party that had been screaming at the top of its lungs for Trump to be cast from the race was slowly starting to get behind him. “Never Trump” quickly turned into “Never Hillary”. Somehow, in the minds of the GOP, Hillary Clinton, who has been a staple in American politics for almost three decades, was a less appealing candidate than a violent, isolationist, bigoted Reality TV star whose monetary success can largely be attributed to his rich dad dying.

The funny (quite sad, actually) part of the GOP’s fear of Hillary is that almost none of that fear is based in discrepancy in policy. They want to talk about how untrustworthy Clinton is and how her scandals make her “unfit” to be president…
Really?

Of course, no one likes the idea of scandal, but let’s get real here. The GOP primarily brings up the “Email Scandal” and the unfortunate deaths at the attack on the Benghazi embassy as reasons that Clinton is somehow too untrustworthy. This reveals a lot of ignorance and hypocrisy in the GOP, not that anyone should be surprised. The “Email Scandal” is not much of a scandal, rather an unfortunate situation that occurred during a common practice among government officials. Clinton was using her personal email for classified information, which sounds worrying until you realize that having a high enough security clearance allows for such practices. Colin Powell and Condolezza Rice both used their personal emails for classified information while they served under the Bush administration. Neither got hacked, as Clinton did, so there wasn’t an audit. Obviously the use of personal emails for the use of government dialogue is bothersome at first glance, but it is far from being an irregular aspect of high-level government work.

Almost a nonstory.

As for Benghazi, as horrible as the deaths of embassy workers are, Clinton was cleared of any wrongdoing after months of investigation and days of standing trial.

Another nonstory.

What is most interesting is the Republicans’ sudden fixation, and selectivity with “scandals”. While harping on the deaths of Benghazi, Republicans seem to forget the nearly 5,000 soldiers that have died fighting in Iraq. Why the fighting in Iraq in the first place? Because the Bush administration lied to congress and lied to the country about the presence of weapons of mass destruction in order to codify going to war with Iraq. That is a scandal, bordering on a war crime, yet the GOP had supported W. Bush through his entire presidency. The death of Americans only matters to the GOP when they themselves can politicize it against a candidate. Ronald Reagan, who Republicans nearly deifies and recognizes as the face of the party, was far from having his hands clean. Few people can forget the arming and training the Mujahideen to fight the Russians. Of course that arming and training soon led to the formation and armament of Al-Qaeda… Few can forget the Reagan administration pumping money into South American revolutionary groups that slaughtered innocent people and kick started South American drug empires… Of course, Reagan didn’t fall for these scandals just as Bush didn’t fall for his. They both had fall guys: Oliver North and Colin Powell, respectively. The history is there, and yet Republicans conveniently forget and canonize these politicians.

Let’s forget about history for a second, just as the GOP has, and focus on the contemporary candidate for the party: Donald Trump. Talk about scandals! Trump has been accused of sexual assault by his ex wife, has been sued several times for racial discrimination, has members of his staff-assaulting reporters and has said publicly he would force American soldiers to commit war crimes if he is elected president.

Pretty cut and dry, huh?

Alas, the GOP does not care about scandals. They do not actually care about the American people. They care about narratives that secure the party the office. They do not care about hard policy, because if they did they would probably see that Clinton is closer to what they should want from a candidate than Trump is. The Republicans have manufactured a boogeyman in Hillary Clinton without recognizing the very monster they are suddenly getting behind. This move is ignorant, it is purely partisan, and it is cowardly.

Politics, in its very definition, should be defined through compromise and understanding. Politics must be approached with an open mind with the priority being the welfare of the American people. This is not going to an Eagles game. This is not screaming and shouting, hoping your favorite team wins. Politics isn’t a sport, it is about the people of this country and until the cowards at the GOP who are turning on their own opinion to support an authoritarian realize it, America is not safe.

Name: Jared Goff

Position: Quarterback

Scouting Report: From a physical point of view, Jared Goff has everything you want in a QB. He’s a tall 6’4, a bulky 205 pounds, and he just has that football look about him. You see him and you can just imagine him saying “Yeah, I like to sling the rock and skateboard and I love when my mom buys pizza rolls.” But I’m afraid that’s all there is to him. First of all, he’s an idiot. Second of all, I can’t tell if he emotionally neglects his puppy or if his puppy is constantly thinking about how horrible his NFL career will be.

Pros

• He’ll likely get drafted by the Rams and become really popular because of this

Cons

• His coach will likely be Jeff Fisher, guaranteeing a 7-9 record.

Rating: Trash

Name: Carson Wentz

Position: Eagles Fan Life Ruiner

Scouting Report: I call this guy Carson Wince, because when I watch him play, can you guess what I do? This guy sucks. Typically, I don’t watch film to rate my prospects. I prefer to use their social media accounts to properly get a feel for their future success or lackof.

and well. Wow.

“Well hey, that was in 09! He was a teenager!” Ok. True. But I never thought about cutting off my dick as a teenager. Have you?

Pros

• Wanting to cut his dick off shows bravery
• Causes Ben Natan dread since he is Ben Natan

Cons

• This picture looks stupid. Carson Wentz looks like an idiot. Why are you wearing the ducks? What did the ducks do to you, man? Are you more passionate about destroying lives in the duck community over football?
• He sucks

Rating: Trash

Name: Joey Bosa

Position: Defensive End

Scouting Report: Bosa is an interesting prospect, and for a while, was considered the best pass rusher in the draft.

Pros

• Bosa has been linked to “party drug” rumors. Which explains this pic:

Cons

• Really awkward guy.
• Talks like he’s a hostage but he can’t tell the person he’s talking to that he is one or he’ll get shot.
• Makes posts like this:

I don’t have to explain much more.

Rating: Trash

Name: Myles Jack

Position: Linebacker

Scouting Report: Mylse Jack is a good player. He shows a lot of speed and athletcism for his size, and his insticts on the field are superb. Unfortunately, he’s actually an 80 year old man.

Pros

• Random nerds on draft twitter dislike him

Cons

• He belongs in a nursing home

Rating: Trash

Name: Ronnie Stanley

Position: Offensive Tackle

Scouting Report:

I…what?

Rating: Trash

Name: Vernon Hargreaves III

Position: Cornerback

Scouting Report: Vernon Hargreaves is often considered the 2nd best cornerback in the draft behind Jalen Ramsey. That’s not a knock, as Ramsey is a very good cornerback prospect.

Pros

• Is in a rap duo.

Cons

• Once got upset at someone for not inviting him to see “the minions movie,” showing his lack of judgment skills.
• Said he likes that the NFL passes more because it means he gets more chances to get burned. I appreciate that honesty.

Rating: Solid

Name: DeForest Buckner

Position: Defensive Lineman

Scouting Report: Was very productive his last year at Oregon.

Pros 

• Chops wood in his spare time, which is some suspect shit.
• Will have an easy transition if people ever decide to mic him up, since he’s already used to snitching and probably cooperating with police with a wiretap.

Cons

• Here’s a picture of DeForest Buckner where he appears to be snitching to the cops.

“It was him officer. He was the one who said you look like a poopface behind your back”

• Pete Prisco loves him, hurting his value.
• Going off of his name, he probably loves unregulated capitalism and air pollution.

Rating: Trash

Name: Laremy Tunsil

Position: Offensive Lineman

Scouting Report: Laremy Tunsil is big, strong, and probably the best offensive lineman in the draft.

Pros

• Possibly threw Robert Nkemdiche out of a window.

Cons

• Didn’t throw him out of a window a second time for snitching

Rating: Solid

Name: Ezekiel Elliott

Position: Running Back

Scouting Report: Ezekiel Elliot on film is often compared to Ladainian Tomlinson.

Pros

• Once demanded he get more carries, showing he’s all about himself and not with that teamwork bullshit
• The bottom half of his face kinda looks like Kanye West’s

Cons

• Linked to party drug rumors just like his roommate Bosa
•  

Rating: Trash

Name: Jalen Ramsey

Position: Cornerback

Scouting Report: Jalen Ramsey is very good on the field. While you’re watching him, it seems he’s always near the ball. Unfortunately, looking good on the field has nothing to do with future success. It’s all about random pics you find on the internet involving prospects.

Pros

• Once got suspended for being too rough in practice
• Said “I didn’t know the Rams loved me that much” when he heard about the Rams trading up to #1. Naive little bastard.

Cons

• As of right now, deactivated all of his social media. Coward. But possibly smart.
• Doesn’t have a lot of interceptions, which is the only stat that matters for cornerbacks if you’re in a barbershop
• Is often called a safety too. Can’t make up his mind smh.

Rating: Solid

That’s all for now. Hope your favorite team drafts one of these trash players!

Pretty awesome coincidence, since that’s what I am here to do.

(I know no one has wondered this, but shut up and read)

First up is the everyone’s favorite comic book character, Donald Trump. Trump, who was probably in some kind of Mussolini fan club when he was in high school, is a massive buffoon and a violent racist. He clamors to large groups of inbred fans that he longs for the days of old when “America wasn’t so damn politically correct”* (*He prefers minorities to have less rights). He is loud, vile, offensive and his ideologies do not belong in this country, let alone in this century.

So this loud mouth blowhard with archaic ideologies is obviously Rex Ryan. Ryan loves to talk about how great he and his defenses are, but the truth is his defenses haven’t been great in this decade and he hasn’t won shit in 15 years. So the only reason he is relevant is because he won’t shut up about himself and groups of delusional people still think he is some sort of genius. No Rex, dropping your best pass rusher into coverage will not make your defense great again.

Sticking with the Republicans for now, lets go with Ted Cruz, who was narrowly beat by Danny Devito to play The Penguin and has since vowed to be really fucking evil in real life instead. No one likes Cruz. Not Democrats. Not Republicans. Not even his own family. Yet somehow, he is still piling up votes in this election because people are terrified enough of Donald Trump that they are willing to vote for someone who is an even worse human being!

Only makes sense that Cruz is the GOP’s Jay Gruden. Sure, Jay may be doing pretty well, but that is only the rest of his division is in the shitter. Gruden is such a good offensive mind, that when he left Cincinnati, Andy Dalton got better! Since he has gotten to Washington, an organization whose slimy leadership is so fitting to this parallel, he completely screwed up the quarterback situation. Gruden favored former 4th round pick, Kirk Cousins, over the guy Washington traded three first round picks for and while it won them the division this passed season, Cousins’ mediocrity is going to command a high price tag on a low ceiling player. So, like Cruz, Gruden is a backwards thinking obstructionist who is narrow minded and loves to shoot himself in the foot. They are also both painfully unattractive.

Flipping to the Democrats, let’s talk about Hilary Clinton. Clinton has been in the politics game for what feels like centuries. She is a truly professional politician, knowing how to conform to the times and win over the hearts and minds of millions of supporters. Little does it matter that she might not believe a single word she says and the things she has actually done over her career have been more hurtful to this country than not, she is an experienced stalwart in our nations capitol and she is bound to get things done. Right?

Step on down Jeff Fisher! Year after year after year, every sports writer and their mother is ready to talk about how great that Jeff Fisher team will be next season. “He’s changed!” They say. “Once the offense clicks, it will go perfectly with Fisher’s stingy defense!” Every summer prediction column states. Yet, year after year, it is the same disappointment. It is the same Jeff Fisher. However, people love him! He has been in the game for decades, so he has to be great! Right? Guys? Never mind that his teams haven’t done anything since Vince Young was in at quarterback, but of course Fisher ousted Young because he couldn’t deal with “strong personalities”. So, Jeff Fisher will probably be in St. Louis for another 4 years at least, just like Clinton will probably end up being our president. He will have a big win against a league juggernaut one week to get everyones hopes up, only to lose to the Jaguars the very next Sunday. Four more years of 8-8 and probably with another Clinton as the president as well.

Oh, John Kasich. The “adult” of the GOP primaries, sitting at the kids table while Donnie and Teddy throw food and boogers at each other. It’s funny, because Cruz and Trump are so bad, that the rest of the country is actually somewhat convinced that Kasich is a good politician. Kasich may be the adult at the kids table this year, but the dude still eats with his hands. Not only did Kasich codify the killing of a child by the police in his state, he has been working his entire tenure as governor to disenfranchise the lower class Ohioans. He’s raised taxes on the poor, severely reduced funding to inner city schools and made healthcare very expensive in his state. On top of all of that, he removed funding from Planned Parenthood, which provides affordable and accessible health care to families across the country. So, yeah… Kasich Sucks.

Kasich’s image is elevated by his situation though, not unlike Mike Mularkey down in Tennessee. After stepping in as interim coach for one of the worst coaches in NFL history, Ken Whisenhunt, Mularkey was handed the head coaching job after the season ended. That’s right, Ken Whisenhunt was so awful, that Mike Mularkey seemed palatable to the Titans leadership. Of course, Mularkey now has the bright future of the Titans young quarterback in his hands, which he will inevitably fuck up. However, Mularkey is taking over for Ken Whisenhunt *and* he is coaching in the same division as Gus Bradley and Chuck Pagano, so people might underestimate just how bad he will be for Tennessee. Just like people don’t realize how bad Kasich would be for America.

The most polarizing person of the election, surprisingly, is the little old man from Vermont, Bernie Sanders. Sanders might be an old codger, but he is fiery and not afraid to speak his mind on what he finds problematic. His economic views have people on both sides of the aisle pretty terrified, but his revolutionary idealism and social progressiveness have many young people falling head over heals over the prospect of getting elected. He is far from a perfect candidate, but his ability to act with people first in mind and also relate to the plight of younger generations is exciting.

Now, Sanders may not have the hardware that Pete Carroll does, but he definitely plays the cool grandpa thing just as well. Carroll is a great coach, but he also seems to genuinely connect with his team on a level most coaches do not. On top of that, he is definitely a bit out of left field in terms of his views on life (and politics). Also, like Sanders, Carroll and his Seahawks have large swaths of rabid and obnoxious fans that make the rest of the NFL community hate everyone and everything Seahawks related.

On January 26th, Kanye West Tweeted out a picture of the order of songs on his highly anticipated upcoming album, Waves. In this iteration, Waves would have concluded with “Ultralight Beam,” a crescendoing gospel gem about how wonderful things were going for Kanye, Kim, and krew, with the mirthful yet mischievous Chance the Rapper’s incisiveness interspersed within it.

Concluding The Life of Pablo with this song would have been a perfect way for Kanye to close his eighth album release. Yeezy’s musical career has been quite a journey, and 2015 (when a majority of this album was written) served as a major year of transition for him. Kanye provided a New Year’s surprise when he released “Only One,” an ode to daughter North from the voice of his deceased mother, Donda Williams. This tenderness, not seen in a song of West’s since “Hey Mama” in 2005, signified how good Kanye’s life seems, at least to an outside observer. He’s married to the third most powerful woman in the world after the Queen and Elizabeth II. He has two children. By all accounts, he should be happy, he should be satisfied. Perhaps now was his time to ride off into the sunset on an ultralight beam, living his God dream, taking a victory lap around all of those who had doubted and derided him for so long.

Two weeks and a name change later, The Life of Pablo was released with Ultralight Beam now at the beginning of the album rather than the end, with the ode to a past lover “Fade” serving as the final song. “Fade” is one of the better tracks on the album, and Ty Dolla $ign kills his bars. However, to me, the shift in track order speaks louder than the songs itself. By moving the most uplifting song to the front, Kanye turns TLOP from a transcendent triumph into a fall from grace. It’s classic try-hard Kanye, the tinkerer needing to switch something, anything, to appease the constantly grinding gears in his brain.

In the process, though, Kanye changed the entire meaning of his album – and, perhaps, robbed himself of the happy ending that he deserves.

The Life of Pablo: Kanye’s Challenge, The Good, and The Bad

While his fans may, in the rapper’s own words, “miss the old Kanye,” the simple fact remains that…well…Kanye’s life has changed over the past 20 years. He’s not a scrappy college dropout from the streets of Chicago anymore. If anything, Kanye’s life is pretty blessed. This is a “problem” that many rappers and artists have to face, especially once they have made it for an extended period of time. For instance, Jay Z was selling crack on the streets of Bed-Stuy 30 years ago. Now, he’s the third richest rapper of all time. The stuff he was concerned with 30 years ago, the creative sparks that inspired him to write and pursue his dreams in the music industry, are not the same issues that he cares about now. Sean Carter needed to figure out how to survive on the streets of New York; Jay Z needs to figure out how to survive his next press conference without being asked a too-embarrassing question.

In that vein, The Life of Pablo represents a changing of the guard of sorts for Kanye from a rap standpoint, as he takes a step back on most tracks, allowing young stars of the future take the reins and get prime verses on his songs. Chance the Rapper, Young Thug, Frank Ocean, and Kendrick Lamar are just a few of the high-profile stars on this album, and their inspired raps and riffs help to elevate TLOP. It is not Kanye’s best piece of work, but it certainly is a worthwhile addition to his discography – and, perhaps, a sign of what is to come for Yeezy.

While “Ultralight Beam” is my personal favorite track, there are a number of others that have great replayability. “No More Parties in LA” and “Real Friends” are two stalwarts, both of which deal with companionship and finding one’s true comrades amidst the hullabaloo and chaos of celebrity. These songs were Kanye at his best: relaying a relatable message with fluid rhymes and stellar hooks. I also personally love the 808s vibe of “Highlights,” the meme-ready “Father Stretch My Hands (both Parts 1 and 2),” and the chill “30 Hours,” all three of which are definitive jams on this album that have found their way onto my recurring playlists. “30 Hours,” in particular, has some of the best lyrics of any song on the album.

For the many peaks of this albums, there were a couple of tracks that did not fit my personal taste. Most notably, I do not get why people love “Waves” so much, although this may stem from a personal disdain for feature artist Chris Brown. I just find the beat mediocre and the lyrics yawnworthy, especially when compared to the eccentric funkiness Kanye is normally capable of. Chris’ ex, Rihanna, also featured in one of the more polarizing songs on the album – “Famous,” where Kanye calls out Taylor Swift and others that he stepped on during his rise to the top. These songs, among others, rang hollow to me because the premises felt contrived and the controversies seemed manufactured. Kanye himself admitted that he had discussed the ramifications of “Famous” with T. Swift’s people before releasing the song. He wanted to maintain that contrarian, crazed genius persona through it all. For some fans, it worked. For me, it did not.

Conclusion

The future for Kanye is unknown, but one thing is clear to me. At this point, between the track switching and chaos he has caused, he is not satisfied just fading into the background and writing himself a happy ending…although, to be honest, the next vehicle for his creativity may be outside the realm of rap. Kanye has massive dreams – he wants to be a fashion mogul, an author, a director, maybe even a video game maker. He cannot do that if he gets complacent. He does not want to ride off into the sunset on an ultralight beam just yet. He wants it to propel him to even greater heights.

I may not agree with Kanye on this count. In fact, I am a bit scared for him. MTV News’ and ex-Grantlander Molly Lambert wrote about the ramifications of perhaps the rawest lyric on Kanye’s album, where he makes the allusion of going off his Lexapro. Kanye needs to take care of himself, and if this lyric stems from truth, hopefully he can reconcile his need for creativity with his mental health.

However, for the time being, Kanye is going to be Kanye. And through all the bad Tweets, the awful shoes, and the eccentric ideas, he will occasionally drop a glimmer of brilliance, the shining stars we have come to expect. The Life of Pablo is that glimmer, and even with two kids on his lap, Kanye is not done creating just yet.

On September 11^th, 2001, the United States suffered the most devastating attack in the country’s young history. 19 men decided the fates of thousands of people on that September afternoon by hijacking several commercial airlines. However, it was their hijacking of Islam that cause death, destruction and pure, unadulterated hatred for the following decade and beyond.

Only nine days following the deadly attacks across northeast America, president George W. Bush stood in front of the country:

“I will not forget the wound to our country and those who inflicted it. I will not yield, I will not rest, I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people. The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.”[1]

War.

Less than a week and a half following the deadliest attack in American history, George Bush declared war. However, he did not make a statement a country to declare war on, nor did he precisely identify an organization that may have exacted such an awful attack. George Bush declared a war on “terror” and “terrorists”. In fact, over the course of a massively long speech, Bush mentioned Taliban and al Qaeda a combined ten times while using the words terror or terrorist over 30 times. George Bush declared war on a feeling. George Bush declared a war of ambiguity.

Of course, Bush made statements in his address to America that this was not a war on Islam, rather “Islamic terrorism”, but the phrase went a long way into codifying an American war on difference. In the days preceding the speech and the months following, news stations ran thousands of hours of stories about “Islamic terrorists” and plastering the faces of the 19 perpetrators, 15 of whom hailed from Saudi Arabia, two from the UAE and the others from Jordan and Lebanon. In the years following the attack, the American media and government was conditioning citizens to fear Muslim people. This fear manifested itself in many different ways, but the worst, of course was the government sanctioned profiling to be exacted by both the law enforcers of this country and mere citizens.

“If you see something, say something.” Plasters itself across the walls of pubic transportation in New York. It is hard to go a day without reading something where a government reminds me to be afraid. That is what it is! No time have I seen one of those signs and felt safer, because it operates to instill anxiety. Even worse, it allows vagueness to be perceived as danger and appropriates vigilantism. A random man could make another person out to be a threat and exact sanctioned violence against them or inform a more empowered body to do so. In Fanon’s “Black Skin, White Mask”, it is talked about at great length that a minority person’s being an intention is so often defined by the empowered group. That pattern plays itself out hundreds of times a year when unarmed black people are gunned down by police officers operating out of a supposed fear for their lives, but the police officers are rarely asked to pay for their mistakes because society says they are allowed to afraid of black people and that black people are expendable. In that same vein, “If you see something, say something” has a similar impact as the racist “stop and frisk” laws that plagued New York no less than a few years ago. These laws allow for empowered bodies to decide the worth of a marginalized and allow them to exact violence against them imputatively.

The language of “terror” and “terrorists” remains problematic due to its equivocalness. It disembodies actions from people. Labeling disagreeable acts as terrorism allows people to remove themselves from the why, when that is often the most important question. So often there is a jump to arms because “we need to fight terrorism”, except history has taught that jumping into wars, especially with a vague cause will only create more war and death, all of which is pointless. At least trying to understand motives opens the door for a more tactile approach to curbing violence and yet there is rarely an effort by the public or politicians to think critically. It is always more popular to declare war. After all, with a government made up predominantly of white men, they know it is in their nature to use violence to confirm their status. To them, violence is always the answer. Not only does “terrorism” create ambiguity in the action, it is the type of storybook verbiage that dehumanizes groups of people. In Jasbir Puar and Amit Rai’s excellent piece “Terrorist, Monster, Fag” they expound on the idea of making a monster out of these extremist groups.

“Merely glance at the language used by the dominant media in its interested depictions of Islamic militancy. So, as an article in the New York Times points out, “Osama bin Laden, according to Fox News Channel anchors, analysts and correspondents, is ‘a dirtbag,’ ‘a monster’ overseeing a ‘web of hate.’ His followers in Al Qaeda are ‘terror goons.’ Taliban fighters are ‘diabolical’ and ‘henchmen.'” Or, in another Web article, we read: “It is important to realize that the Taliban does not simply tolerate the presence of bin Laden and his terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. It is part and parcel of the same evil alliance. Al-Qa’ida and the Taliban are two different heads of the same monster, and they share the same fanatical obsession: imposing a strict and distorted brand of Islam on all Muslims and bringing death to all who oppose him’”[2]

The language used to describe extremists is reminiscent of the language used to dehumanize and vilify blacks in America for hundreds of years. This language opens the door for Muslims to be viewed as subhuman and second-class citizens, for white America to let fear rule their opinion of a people… That is what remains worst of all about “terrorist”. While it disembodies and dehumanizes one group of people, it empowers white America to commit violence in the name of some “greater good”.

White anger and white violence are what has shaped and driven this country. From the revolution that birthed America to the violent workers uprisings over the course of many decades that shaped reforms, white violence has always been something that was expected and appropriate. America celebrates its white war heroes, but America will never celebrate colored revolutionaries in its history nor will it encourage black violence. Major gun control legislation was not introduced into America until the rise of the Black Panthers in the 1960s and the government said that all convicted felons and drug users could not purchase firearms. Of course, in a country where blacks are disproportionately arrested and charged for such crimes, this leaves legal firearms primarily in the hands of white people. Of course, in the year 2015 where there are mass shootings on a regular basis, usually carried out by white males, congress constantly resists against more gun control. It was only when blacks were empowered to use firearms to protect themselves were politicians ready to curb the distribution of guns.

Of course, this violence that white America can utilize goes beyond the distribution of firearms. It goes to real time, active violence that immediately results in the death of civilians. How many drone strikes have America carried out that have left innocent people dead or without homes? How many weeks ago that an American airstrike blew up an Afghani hospital, murdering the injured, sick, innocent and those helping them… How are these attacks any different that militants shooting up a movie theater in Paris? All of the death is tragic and all of the violence was committed in the name of defending ideologies. However, we are not asked to think about American violence in such a way, because it is never called terrorism. Going back to violence on our own soil, a white man carrying out a shooting against black people in a church will not be called terrorism, nor will a white man killing people, including police officers, at a Planned Parenthood. Of course, both men were acting under their extremists convictions, just as the Paris shooters were, but “terrorist” belongs to white America to label marginalized people who they are threatened by. The moment “terrorist” is used by people of power to describe a white male shooter; it will deteriorate the system in which it functions.

White anger is a sacred entity. White people are allowed to be confused, angry and threatened and immediately act on them, but will redirect any anger directed towards them or label that anger as violent and monstrous. Anger, of course, can be a productive force. As Audra Lorde says, anger “is a liberating and strengthening act of clarification, for it is in the painful process of this translation that we identify who are out allies with whom we have grave differences, and who are our genuine enemies”[3] The issue is that public anger is something that is reserved for white people. In Lorde’s essay, she talks about how when she tries to express her anger with systemic racism and explain to white people how they are complicit or what they can do to make a change, the common reaction is to divert. The white people, women in this case, want to talk about how they feel about people being mad at them. They want to divert because a black person’s anger makes them very uncomfortable. This is a microcosm for American society. America refuses to acknowledge the anger that may fuel violent extremism, but rather focus on the actions themselves. Of course, America would love to ignore the atrocities it has committed against Middle Eastern countries. It would also like to forget that the groups America is currently fighting are the same groups this country armed and trained to fight wars for us thirty years ago. There is so much rooted into modern violent extremism that we as a country can learn from and actually work towards positive outcomes, but instead, the root of violence is ignored, the acts are brandished as terrorism and this country hates and wars on and it will continue to do so for many more years.

“If you see something, say something.” Is the 21^st century call to arms for white vigilantism. It is the embodiment of the last 15 years of this county’s history and the growing national disdain for Muslims and anyone of difference who may pose a threat to white America. As Sara Ahmed explains in “Affective Economies” there is so much in our language that makes white people feel it as their duty to hate. How hate is ingrained into American’s by saying it reaffirms their patriotism.[4] Love of country is hatred of those who are different, as they threaten white supremacy, and thus, America. This ideology is manifesting itself wholly in Donald Trump’s running for president. He is using hatred and fear, calling Mexican Immigrants criminals, all Muslims terrorist and saying the Black Lives Matter movement is a criminal organization. His rhetoric has already caused violence against different minorities and has empowered people to hate even more publicly and violently. “Make America Great Again” is the new “If you see something, say something” because it is this affirmation of white violence and saying that it is the white man’s duty to hate and profile. Trump is using this mindset to reinforce racist ideologies and fuel his campaign and it is dangerously affecting how Americans are dealing with their fear and anxiety.

All of these problematic functions are different heads of the same hydra. White, American supremacy succeeds through exacting violence upon the different and working in any way to qualify their violence while neutering and disembodying the protestations of the oppressed. Of course, all acts of violence are problematic, but how we label them on a case-to-case basis can create even more vitriol and death. Using “terror” and its derivatives is a primary function of this, and its use needs to be changed or end altogether.

[1] Bush, George W. “Transcript of George Bush 2001 Speech.” CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2015.

[2] Puar, Jasbir, and Amit Rai. “Project MUSE – Monster, Terrorist, Fag: The War on Terrorism and the Production of Docile Patriots.” Project MUSE – Monster, Terrorist, Fag: The War on Terrorism and the Production of Docile Patriots. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2015.

[3] Lorde, Audra. The Use of Anger. Thesis. City University of New York, 1981. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

[4] Ahmed, Sara. “Affective Economies.” (n.d.): n. pag. Print.

Rules:

1. Each player gets one entry for the group.
2. Set the name of your bracket as your Twitter handle.
3. Winner of the challenge gets a 20 dollar gift card to the place of their choosing.

Set your brackets and good luck!

***

Preparing for a media event as a female sports writer, takes a few additional considerations that males don’t typically require.

Before attending my first Pro Day workout at Ohio State, I googled “female sports reporter” to see how they typically dress for interviews and practice-like events. I was more surprised than I should have been about how many half-naked pictures or close-up shots of the reporter’s ass I found in the results.

When I prepare for events, I have to carefully choose my outfit to avoid being “that girl”.

Who is “that girl” you may ask?

The one that everyone assumes is only there because she’s sleeping with a man in charge. The one that wears tight or revealing dresses to ensure the players talk to them. The one that uses their looks and flirting ability to gain media access. The one that doesn’t earn a reputation for being smart and doing a good job, but rather relies on her looks to get the job done.

So every time I go to a media event, I spend extra time preparing to avoid being thought of as “that girl”.

It’d be a lot simpler if there was an easy answer to my oft repeated question, “What is the female version of a polo and cargo shorts?” — the standard outfit for men on the beat. I don’t want to be too casual and not taken seriously or too dressed up and look out of place; and I sure as hell don’t want to wear a dress…because who wears a dress while watching football practice — aside from the mom who came straight from work.

I’d like to see — or be — the sideline female reporter in jeans and t-shirt because that’s how people really watch football. I can’t tell you the last time I decided to put on one of my tightest dresses and strapiest heels to head down to The ‘Shoe for game day…because it’s never happened.

There are already scantily clad females adorning the sidelines for male viewing pleasure — they’re called cheerleaders. Can’t the women reporting on the game do their job and not be there solely as another piece of eye candy?

But to say something about this, would be considered “bitchy”, and that argument tends to open the door to even more sexist overtones.

From the beginning

As a little girl watching football with my Dad, I learned to love the sport and all the hidden life lessons that came with it. I love the lifelong bond it’s created with my dad that continues each season; it just wouldn’t be gameday without at least one snarky text and a post game phone call to recap.

Why are these traditions limited to father and sons?

I used to get excited when the boys at school would be surprised that I knew just a much — if not more — than they did on Mondays. But over time those “biggest female sports nut” awards went from exciting to sad and from sad to disappointing.

After spending years dedicated to following and learning about the sport, people still didn’t take me seriously. It still isn’t until mid-conversation with a group of men that they accept my views as legit. In almost every football conversation that I partake, I have to justify my opinion with my background and “credentials” on the subject. I shouldn’t have to name drop or in some way qualify how much I know about my teams and players any more than a man does.

Not much has changed

I’ve been asked, “How can you write about a sport you never played?” more times than I can count, and with each question at least two dozen sarcastic and somewhat bitchy replies come to mind.

Why would I have to have played football to understand it?

In my school days I played a lot of sports — soccer (5 years), tennis (3 years), basketball (3 years), softball (7 years). Like a lot of football players, I too was coached by my Dad, benched and injured. Playing a team sport, no matter which, still provides an understanding of following orders, becoming a cohesive unit and fighting for one common goal.

I know what it takes to be out with an injury and have to rehab back into the starting line-up. I know what it’s like to put the game ahead of your health, and consider self-medicating as a way to avoid the pain. I know how hard it is to watch someone play your position while you sit by the water cooler. I don’t need to have played football to understand these universal truths about team sports.

I may not know all the X’s and O’s, but can assure you, few reporters actually do and far less fans rely on that information.

What’s next?

The world we live in is not fair, nor just, but as females begin owning their voice, and working hard to be among the best — regardless of gender — the barriers will start to fall. The sports writing community for the most part has welcomed me as one of their own, as I’ve slowly evolved from one weekly post on a local blog for 500 views to a newsdesk position with a sport heavyweight.

I don’t want any handouts just because I’m in a minority group within the industry, I just want the same respect that is afforded to the people who have held these positions before me.

***

“I trust everyone. It’s the devil inside them I don’t trust” – The Italian Job

1. Jim McElwain has to one up Will Muschamp (Derrik)

ESPN did the world a favor by seating Will Muschamp, former Florida Gators head coach, and Jim McElwain, current Florida Gators head coach, across from each other at the table. Muschamp was as bitter as could be. McElwain was pompous and always giving his two cents. It was the perfect amount of tension that the film room broadcast needed to keep the conversation heated. Though, it was less of a real conversation of more like an older brother pumping himself up in front of his younger brother and his friends.

McElwain refused to look inferior to Muschamp. Granted, looking inferior to Muschamp would be difficult to concede, but McElwain wasn’t having it. Early on in the broadcast, McElwain cut-off and spoke over Muschamp multiple times. If Muschamp said something, McElwain made a concentrated effort to say something back. The two bickered the entire game, but ultimately, McElwain came out having said made many more enlightening points than Muschamp, who I’m positive said “50/50 balls” upwards of ten times throughout the broadcast. Uncle Mac came to assert his dominance over the bumbling idiot he stole the Florida job from, and damn it, he did it.

Prior to the broadcast, McElwain was eating smoked gator. The metaphor could not be more perfect. McE ate a dead, smoked gator just before he smoked a dead Gator on national television. He is the hero that college football needed. Too many people have been hurt by Muschamp, but McElwain made it a mission to embarrass him.

2. “What do you call that?” “Illegal.” (Nate)

McElwain digs himself deeper with every word here, stutters abound. The silence in the room as he tries to explain himself is immediately followed by the pouncing of multiple coaches, as they ruthlessly call him out on his dirty tactic. If your ultimate defense is “No, no, that’s totally legal”, wearing a giant smirk, you probably need to take the L, and fast.

This reminds me of a certain somebody trying to cover up the dirty deed he committed.

3. Bird/Rabbit (Derrik)

Jim McElwain is a national treasure. He is the uncle at family parties who just tells you how it is when the conversation gets overly complicated. That is exactly what he did here when host Chris Spielman said that, as a defender, code words were used to tell if the offense was running the ball or throwing it based on alignment. If the ball was going in the air, the defense called ‘bird.’ If the offense’s alignment showed run, the defense called ‘rabbit.’ It’s a fairly simple call out system, but not simple enough for Uncle Mac.

After a bit of discussion and back-and-forth from some other coaches about the call outs, McElwain leans back casually in his chair and says “In Montana, they call it ‘run’ or ‘pass’.” He wasn’t having this new age bullshit. Where McElwain comes from, electricity is a myth, kids can drive a tractor by the age of five and football players just say ‘run’ or ‘pass.’ It’s as simple as that. He’s a simple man with simple ways. He doesn’t need no fancy calls to win the big game.

4. MOMENTUM IS REAL (Nate)

USF Head Coach Willie Taggart says here that he would “ask his Defensive Coordinator to bring some pressure”. Coming from the guy whose defense gave up 45 points in their most recent bowl game to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, maybe we should take his opinion with a grain of salt.

The next play? Clemson puts 9, almost 10, guys in the box, yet still gives up the first down.

(Momentum is still real though, just not in the way Taggart tries to say it is)

5. Dan Quinn wears cleats  (Charles)

Yes, Dan Quinn wears cleats. And he runs stadium stairs before every game. And when he was with the Dolphins he gave himself a broken nose smashing his face into a players helmet. What’s it to you?  He’s fired up, jacked up, ready to be fast and physical at all costs.

6. Willie Taggart is a football Free Mason (Derrik)

With five head coaches in one room, there had to be one of them that would predict the deciding factor of the game. Of course, it was the quietest, most soft-spoken of all the coaches: USF’s Willie Taggart. Maybe that was their plan. The Masons, that is. Find a quiet head coach who has just enough command and national recognition to be heard, but not enough for things to get out of hand. Maybe he called in the onside kick during a break? Maybe he has a mole at Clemson that purposely threw the play? Maybe Willie Taggart knows something we don’t know.

7. Shutting down the host (Charles)

In a room of egotistical men trying to spew analysis whenever they get the chance, the host is going to get verbally stampeded  frequently. Larry Fedora and Will Muschamp were hogging all the airtime on that missed throw (drink) by Jake Coker. There’s no way that Jim McElwain was going to let the coach that preceded him and some inferior ACC coach get all the precious TV time. Sometimes people get hit with stray bullets, the host was the unfortunate victim in this scenario.

8. Will Muschamp spilled his coffee (Nate)

There’s just something funny about a 40 year old Griese calling 44 year old Muschamp “old school” after seeing Sweet N Low packets near Muschamp’s spilled coffee(probably the results of one of these reactions). I imagine Muschamp probably uses something harder than that, but you do you, Mr. Sweet N Low.

9. Shaaaaaaaade (Derrik)

For the second time in the game, Alabama’s quarterback Jake Coker had to call a timeout to avoid a ‘delay of game’ call. Instead of chastising Coker for his incompentence, one of the hosts says he “likes that from him.” WHY. One of the coaches table rightfully called him out on it. Coker wasted a timeout when he didn’t have to and the announcer commended him for it! Being coaches who have seen their own quarterbacks do the same, they were irked by the hosts awful comment. It’s shit like this that enabled people to think Coker might not be terrible, but the coaches were there to steer the people back on the right path.

10. Asking Larry Fedora about onside kicks involving Clemson (Charles)

For those who don’t know, North Carolina had a chance to beat Clemson in the ACC Championship game. They scored to cut Clemson’s lead to eight with just over a minute remaining. North Carolina kicked the onside (and recovered it), but they were called with an absolute horseshit offsides penalty. If North Carolina had won that game Clemson probably wouldn’t have been in the College Football Playoff. Of course, the other coaches in the room are going to give him a hard time about it.

There is no expiration date a violation of dignity.

Though the story has been out in the open for a while, New York Daily News ran an exposé on Peyton Manning  sexually assaulting a trainer while he was at the University of Tennessee. The article included over 70 pages of court documents, clearly stating damning details of the case. Of course, the quick reaction to the piece’s release was to debase the author and discredit the story.

This happened too long ago to talk about it!

Of course people would wait until after Peyton wins a ring to try to hurt him!

Why would I trust Shaun King?!

Of course, none of this is new. Peyton Manning has had a wall built around him by the media, his fans and even the NFL since he arrived at Rocky Top back in the 90s.

After Peyton Manning assaulted Jamie Naughtright, his “punishment” was two weeks of early morning running and a cafeteria ban. For sexual assault. He forced his genitals onto an unsuspecting trainer’s forehead, violating her and her dignity. However, the University of Tennessee thought two weeks punishment was plenty punishment for the Golden Boy’s heinous actions.

Years after the incident, Manning had the nerve to write up his victim as a “vulgar woman“, attempting to shame her and protect his legacy. That is the textbook cowardice of a predator to assert dominance over a victim whenever possible. He did so in a massively published and consumed biography of the Manning family. His words were met with a defamation lawsuit from Naughtright, who appropriately felt horrified by this attempt to sully her name. Manning, who is above reproach in his eyes and the eyes of his fans, went back to bad mouthing her two years later on an ESPN documentary.

This horrific pattern of shaming and intimidating a sexual assault victim had a short stay in the media cycle, because why would anyone want to sling mud at Peyton Manning? Manning is everything to the football world.

Peyton Manning: The good ol’ white country boy with NFL bloodlines who set records in the “ESS EE SEE”, got taken first overall by the Colts and set records in the NFL. Peyton Manning will never be seen dancing after scoring a touchdown nor will he ever wilt after being defeated in even the biggest football games. Peyton Manning is the gold standard.

Oh, shut the fuck up.

Even the league caters to Peyton Manning.

As CLNS’ Jeff Kane aptly stated:

“The first time the Mel Blount rule was brought back up again was for the 2004 season.  The season after the Patriots defensive backs, manhandled the Indianapolis Colts wide receivers on their way to a championship.  After the season in which Manning had thrown four interceptions in the AFC Championship game, the competition committee, changed the rules to have the NFL officials more strictly enforce illegal contact, pass interference and defensive holding.  The 2004 season saw Manning throw for 20 more touchdowns and 300 more yards on the season.  His average yards per attempt skyrocketed from 7.8 to 10.2.”

The league saw their Golden Boy embarrassed on a big stage and had to take action. Years later, this babying came back recently with Al Jazeera report that Peyton Manning was potentially getting access to HGH. It made sense, the star quarterback had to return from four neck surgeries and was in his late 30s. Why wouldn’t he look to gain an advantage in recovery to preserve his performance? Manning shot back with a smear campaign against AJA, using George Bush’s former PR guy to spearhead it. A report came out that Manning even went to lengths to intimidate the parents of the AJA piece’s witnesses and eventually, the key witness miraculously recanted on his statement. It’s interesting, to say the least, that a pattern intimidation and shaming has followed Peyton Manning wherever he has taken his career.

But he is protected. He is regarded. People love to cape for him. Even with 74 pages of legal text clearly documenting his sexual assault years ago, people question the purpose of “bringing it up”.

The validity is that we live in a society that protects sexual predators. We also live in a society that protects white men. The imbalance in representation in the media and how he is treated by the NFL is a microcosm of how American society treats people of Peyton Manning’s “stature”. Patterns aren’t broken by staying silent on issues, patterns are broken through action.

As long as the media, the league and this country continues to revere Manning, even using him as a moral compass, it continues to appropriate the bullying, cowardice and predatory behavior that Manning has exhibited during his career.