This past year has been incredibly difficult for almost everyone. I have oftentimes found myself complaining about how it was unfair that I was going through my college experience during a pandemic. And yes, maybe it is unfair, but I always force myself to take a step back and realize that I am very fortunate to be here. The fact that we are at college alone is a privilege — we get to step out into the real world miles ahead of others (the global 1%). Because of this, we need to make the most of it that we can by taking the time to study meaningful topics. This is why I chose Jepson as one of my majors. We are given the tools to begin fixing the problems that we see, not just acknowledging that they are there. And even better, we can spend this time learning to go out into the world and help others in the direction of change. Like Dr. Bezio mentioned in the podcast, this stuff isn’t easy. We have seen the uglinesses of our country, our world, and even our University fully this past year. But being here is the first step towards meaningful change and using our privilege to help, instead of falling into the same cycle of the top staying ahead, getting further and further from those that were miles behind from the start. I am grateful for Jepson and I am grateful for those studying it besides me, willing to take the risk of an “unsafe” major in order to gain a different set of skills that will hopefully allow us to lead all of us in “filling the ponds”.

I have always loved music. Songs allow us to transport to another world and connect us emotionally. While lyrics might not always be understood by everyone, we all can connect to the mood, tone, and feeling embedded in music. I have never really understood just how long songs have been around until Dr. Bezio stated her belief that humans could have been singing before they were talking/writing. While it seems weird to think about them like this, it makes sense. As I already stated, music is a way to connect us. I think this the exact reasons that certain songs have become known for their impact on movements. One thing that I could not stop thinking about is how pop culture and social media have made huge impacts on this. I am sure that we all (or at least those of us who actively use the social media app TikTok) remember the trend of making videos on the BLM protests using a handful of songs (one being a “This Is America” remix, etc.). In any sense, those sound clips are instantly recognizable and deeply tied to the movement. Songs convey messages and allow us to understand each other’s pain. They also connect us to other emotions, like joy and love. I think you can tell a lot about what is important in a time period by the music that was popular (aka a subset of pop culture). Like Bezio mentioned about “It Don’t Mean a Thing” by Ellington, there is a lot of history that goes along with songs, instead of just what the song is literally saying. To understand a song is to understand why it was written and what about it made/makes it so popular.

I think that pop culture is so defining for how we understand our world. It has always been important in history and the people during that time, but I think that it is becoming more and more relevant. Yes, back then these popular trends and culture had a major impact back then as well, as understood by the Shakespeare example. But, I think that it is becoming more connecting through social media and the ability to spread ideas, pop culture, across the world.  This culture is now spread less through stories but through images, videos, sounds, and stories. It is hard to imagine that we are not fully involved in pop culture 24/7 because of our phones. Most of us spend hours on our phones, scrolling through social media, and soaking up everything that we are being shown. Whether we are aware of it or not, the things we see stick with us. It shapes our beliefs, political views, and understanding of those around us. For example, I don’t think phrases like “what are thoseeee” or “sheeeesh” would have spread very widely if it wasn’t for social media. And as silly as they are, they have and many people will recognize them and connect to it. I also thought Dr. Bezio’s point of not dismissing pop culture as just entertainment is really important. The aforementioned phrases are probably not the best examples, but I do believe a lot of what we consider pop culture is actively working to shape and define our world, connecting us to each other. We normalize things by using media and I think that there will be even more representation to come, helping us normalize even more than just the classic white man. Black Panther is the perfect example of how pop culture is truly connecting when it reflects many people and shared ideas, evolving into more than just a Marvel movie, but into a movement itself (RIP Chadwick Boseman, this one still makes me sad). Overall, while I know pop culture is not a new idea and a lot of how we understand the world today was shaped by pop culture, I think that it is becoming increasingly relevant with the boom in technology that we are facing.

I really liked this podcast this week. I have always thought that history was really interesting, even though it is very complicated. Sometimes, it seems like a lot of history doesn’t really matter because that was then and we are in the now. However, it does because it allows us to know the why, even if the exact why or what is contested. It shapes how we think and why we do. In high school, we learned that history goes in cycles, and if we know what has happened in the past, we can predict what might happen in the future. We can be wary of danger signs and make more informed decisions to avoid tragedies (like examining a dictator’s rise to power, etc.) I have struggled with the study of history only because it seems like it is all recorded from a bias – which it is as Dr. Bezio mentioned in her podcast. I know it’s still important but it is hard when a lot of what we know is shaped by white men, yet again. I thought that the point that there were more poor people than there were white, Christian men and they still dominated the conversation is so perplexing (even though it really isn’t…). There’s so much we don’t know because history has historically been recorded very poorly. I think it is really interesting that in 100 years, there’s going to be people trying to study what we are doing now and why. They will have SO much information that it might honestly be harder to piece it all together. Everyone can have their place in history. And if we have come this far, so quickly, it is weird to see where the study of history will go because I feel like with the new age of media, everyone gets to show their experience, not just the white men as it was for so long.

I thought the podcast was so interesting this week. I have always been so confused over the hold that media has on us. I am not saying that I am any different — I let myself get equally sucked in. But it is crazy to think that this new age of media is not just affecting our day to day but also is triggering our biases when trusting leaders. The conversation about FDR was so weird to think about. Timing really is everything when it comes to this issue but I think that the fact that we would trust his voice and words but not his appearence is insane. This is similar to what Dr. Bezio brought up about Nixon and JFK. I think that it is really weird that these studies have been replicated and we still react like this. Further, I think it is crazy to think of a world in which you would have no clue what a leader really sounded or looked like. Now, there are sound bytes and videos circulating that many, many people will automatically recognize.

The evolution of media is still continuing to grow at a very fast rate. It is concerning to think that we are choosing leaders over physical appearance. This is kind of like the new “influencer” culture in which people put value and trust into people who are attractive. I have always hated that we put people on pedestals with no actual substance. I also think this discussion is so relevant to pop culture right now because all of these celebrities that have such a captivating hold over us, look very similar. There is no diversity and it is sad. I understand that we trust people with who we can already make a connection just based on looks, but I wish our lizard brains would actually get with the times because consciously, we know that we can trust others even if they do not really look like us.

The minimum wage simulator was extremely eye-opening. I spent so much time in the beginning just trying to figure out how much time I needed to get water and food… Apparently, it was a lot more than I could even imagine being possible. Once I kind of figure out some base settings, I thought that I would be able to actually do well and make it work, but I was sorely mistaken. I spent almost an hour trying to get past level 4 but I couldn’t! It was so frustrating because I wanted to get my people to live longer and it was so heartbreaking that this is real life for hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. I mean how do you even process sitting in your bed in a dorm room playing this game on your laptop after getting d-hall for dinner…? It is hard to quantify the difference in living between us and people in those conditions. I know that we are so beyond lucky to be here and live this life, but when you put it into that perspective, it makes you feel guilty for not taking as much advantage of it as you can. Like in McAskill’s Doing Good Better (in chapter 7 I think, correct me if I am wrong),  we are in the best position worldwide to help. I know that we all have our own struggles but I can’t imagine anyone is so poorly off that they are even close to having to live like this and work so hard just to survive. We need to do the most that we can, whenever we can. I am grateful that there are so many organizations and resources to help us help others. After this experience, I will definitely be taking it into consideration for future giving and will take this experience with me and never forget to be grateful for what I have!

I thought the podcast about ads was so interesting. I never really thought of why I was drawn to certain things or more compelled to buy some products and not others until now. I think that certain ads will obviously appeal to some more than others, but for the majority, ads do a great job at selling fantasies or the idea of something that makes you compelled to buy a product. You are not actually buying a fantasy, because those (sadly) cannot be purchased with money (for the most part), but you still think that buying the product will somehow come with it as well. I took the 30 seconds to watch the Old Spice commercial, and even after an explanation as to why my lizard brain thinks this way, I still found it compelling (maybe because of the idea of being on a yacht right now…). Either way, it is crazy to me to actually look back and think of what ads are selling, because for the most part, it is not the actual product. This made me think of when there used to be ads for Instagram and Snapchat (back before they dominated social media). I feel like they drew on the idea that we would be so much more connected when in reality, that is far from the truth. However, they sold the idea and marketed it in a way that would appeal to our lizard brains. 

There are many ads that I remember from growing up and watching on TV. Some jingles still get stuck in my head like Old Spice’s, Kay Jewelers’, or Subways. Some visuals will never leave my mind, like the Skittles commercials. I will say, those are commercials that I will never unsee and the worst part is, and I don’t really know why because they disgusted me, I still will buy and eat Skittles. They are familiar and safe – the exact idea that ads want to sell. I also thought the fact that there is no difference between brand name items vs non-brand name products was crazy. I think I knew this, especially when it relates to medicine (Advil vs ibuprofen, Tylenol vs acetaminophen, etc), but I still will buy the brand-name product, even if it costs more. I know this is a habit I should break because it’s frankly stupid, especially with the knowledge I have, but it is so hard to stray from what you know. Overall, I think ads do a great job at what they are supposed to do. They target your unconscious mind and trick you into buying products based off of fallacies. However, they are frustrating, especially when your Old Spice body wash doesn’t come with a yacht or diamonds.

It is hard for us to escape the constant news cycle about COVID these days but these conversations are really important, especially in regards to how this virus is disproportionately affecting people of color. In the chart, 16 states in which Black people have a higher share of the population percentage than the national average are listed. Within these states, they then compared the % population share to the % COVID death share for Black people.  They found that in all but one state, Black people made up more of the percentage of COVID deaths than they even made up the percentage of the population. When it is broken down like this, it is simple to see — Black populations are being hit hard with COVID. I think that this graph is pretty standard and easy to read, but I could understand how someone may get confused figuring out the % of population bit. This data is extremely important, especially considering VA is on that list! It is graphed like this that can make numbers easier and express issues more effectively with these visuals. 

However, in general, I think that graphs in the news have been used in very misleading ways. While most people with some higher education might be able to see through some of their tricks (mostly because they have had more exposure to classes involving this) a lot of Americans are not as fortunate. Politically fueled new sources will show the data in a different way to push for their cause and make people want to believe it is true. In the second photo attached, it is clear that changing small things, like how many decimal points you make the y-axis go to, can change the graph completely. I think this is something for everyone to be aware of while looking at graphs because while it is easy to fall into their trap, with a little understanding of graphs and data, we all can avoid this.

Mitchell-Freedman and Ryland need to be renamed. While it was once fitting to have their names on buildings, that time has LONG passed. Why are we so focused on the legacy of these two terrible people? If these building signs and names are actively hurting students, why do we keep them up? If Richmond was actually focused on being a safe environment for its students and listened to what the students wanted, they would not deny our request. They state, and I quote, “At the University of Richmond, we believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are inextricably linked to educational quality for our students … we are deeply engaged in the work of making excellence inclusive; identifying inequities in the experiences and outcomes of students” on their Inclusive Excellence page. I find it quite interesting that the school cannot seem to find the blatant hypocrisy in this. If they truly cared about students being in a safe, inclusive environment and working to “identify inequalities”, they would not stand for this. Celebrate the fact that they donated (or whatever they did for Richmond) on a plaque in the building explaining how they helped, but how we condemn the hateful institution of slavery and cannot allow that legacy to prosper on campus. That way, we are not forcing people to look at, live in, or take classes in buildings that have been dedicated to Ryland and Freedman. While they might lose donors, that cannot be the sole goal of the institution because, while it is a business, first and foremost it is a school. The board does not live or study here so how are their voices on this the only ones that matter?

The podcast really made me stop and think about a lot of common practices in the United States. I always thought it was dumb that girls could not wear tank tops in school. I remember growing up, my parents always taught me that I should take pride in and love my body — I was very lucky to grow up in an extremely accepting household. The only caveat was that there were rules to when I could do this. It was not appropriate to wear my summer shorts and tank tops to school or to my grandfather’s house because it was “inappropriate”, even when it was 90 degrees out. I never quite got this because I did not understand why it was okay to wear some clothes to some places but not others, especially as a little girl. Then I grew up and started to hear stories about male teachers and students getting “distracted” by females’ clothing choices. While I guess I can kind of understand the hormone-fueled, puberty mayhem of middle school making it harder for boys to concentrate in general, I still don’t get why some teachers, the people you trust your kids to spend hours a day with, are being protected because they are distracted by a young woman’s shoulders. I think it is frankly disgusting and not something we should accept as a society.
Further, the assumptions we make about other people and their bodies/choices are archaic. I understand that there is a gap in knowledge between every person as we are always dealing with instances of asymmetric information — people will only know what they know if they never try to educate themselves or accept education from others. This being said, we cannot accept people who refuse to try and be better. Just because people grew up with a different understanding of normal does not mean we should allow them to use it to hurt others. We have so much information now and yet, not that much has changed. I know that we are slow to learn and evolve, but I feel like we could speed up the process if we stopped protecting the people who are actively hurting others. I have always had a sharp tongue when it came to people in my life that perpetrated assumptions of racism, misogyny, etc. While that has gotten me into some trouble and some awkward family dinners, I don’t regret what I say to those that are being terrible people. Yes, it probably should have been done with a little more class, but I am sick of excusing people because “that’s just what they know”. I am grateful to know more and grow up in a more accepting time but that also means that things will change yet again and that I will never be able to stop learning or bettering myself. These baseless assumptions once had meaning, right or wrong, but if we know they are wrong, why do we still accept them? We all have work to do to educate and understand our biases but the weight should be on the people who are perpetuating this, from microaggressions to straight-up bigotry, because if we accept the idea that “I personally wouldn’t do that but they grew up in a different time”, we will never get anywhere.