Stride & Saunter

While issues of gender take many forms in our society, some more nuanced than others, cultural bias and opinions are particularly evident in performative spaces and professions. This week we welcome Olivia Sanabria to discuss the relationship between female comedians and culture. What are our underlying expectations and pre-conceived notions of femininity and how do they relate to the societal commentary and entertainment found within comedy? How do confidence, personal voice and critical, resistant response relate to the field of comedy?

As seniors in college, many of us have to grapple with the predictable and agonizing questions about our post-graduate experiences, plans and goals. Although these conversations are invariably personal and rife with uncertainty and hesitation, we find ourselves frequently cornered nonetheless. This week, we welcome Yara Farahmand to explore the various dynamics within these questions, proper responses and how we might best juggle these inquiries for peace of mind and self-confidence.

Although many of us may not think about it, water has always been and continues to be a precious resource for life on Earth - human and otherwise. As the global population has increased, however, supplies of fresh water have begun to dwindle. Various scientists, governments and communities around the world have started to think of solutions in response to the potential problem. This week, we react to an article in The Atlantic which deals with this issue. What are our preconceptions surrounding water and what ends would we consider pursuing for our own survival as a species?

While the distinctions between healthy and unhealthy food products are often evident to consumers, some communities lack the resources to acquire and store nutritious items. This week, we take a look at Englewood, a formerly thriving commercial suburb of Chicago whose prosperity in the 1930's has become a modern food desert in 2015. It is a predominantly black community of approximately 60,000 faced with poverty and high crime and unemployment. The grocery chain Whole Foods sees an opportunity and plans to open a branch in 2016. We thought it pertinent to discuss this complex relationship between food, opportunity and race in our discussion this week.

As we conclude the 2015 holiday season, we felt it worthwhile to discuss our modern commercial relationship with these annual celebrations. How do they affect our relationships and perceptions of compassion, generosity and gift-giving? We reflect upon our own experiences with gifts around the holiday season and what they say about us as individuals and as a larger culture.

This week we analyze and respond to an article written by Dr. James E. Young. He and fellow researchers conducted studies to determine the current sentiments human beings have towards robots. Their research indicates that people have an inherent impulse to personalize robots and imbue them with intentions, emotions, social abilities and attachments. He theorizes that in future, steps should be taken to facilitate productive, prosperous working relationships between people and robots in a variety of settings, including combat and other dangerous environments. We use this article as an entry point to discussions about humanity as it relates to robotics and how robots may substantially affect our lives in the future.

The upcoming release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens offers an unprecedented opportunity to discuss the historic, popular and influential film series as a greater whole. In anticipation of the climactic return to the franchise after 10 years, we welcome Sam Whipple to examine the impact Star Wars has had on global, cultural and generational levels. We explore the past of the franchise and talk about our hopes and expectations of The Force Awakens, as well as the excitement, controversy and mysteries surrounding it. We would also like to thank Trevor Hailey, Chris Katzmann, Nico Hargreaves-Heald and Haleh Kanani for their written contributions.

Established in the 1970's to control population growth, China's One-Child Policy is likely to be repealed in coming months. The decision to end the restriction followed a four-day strategy meeting of senior Communist Party officials at a Beijing hotel in late October. This policy and its potential conclusion have had profound economic, social, psychological and personal effects on the Chinese people. We discuss our opinions on its impact and possible futures it might create. Of course, our primary lens is as Americans living on the outside and we acknowledge this.

With the recent terror attacks in Paris, we felt it worthwhile to discuss their political, social and personal impacts. Various news organizations have covered the details and both citizens and countries around the world have united to mourn and grieve, but several factors appear to be overlooked. Among the responses, Syrian refugees have been blamed, similar terror attacks (like those in Beirut) have been seemingly ignored by the press and ISIS's intentions and goals appear simplified. As always, we do not have the answers to the questions we ask, but we find the dialogue to be both invaluable and necessary. Our thoughts go out to all of the victims of these recent attacks, as well as their friends and families.

This week we discuss a viral video of the past year entitled "Don't Stay in School". It deals with critical flaws in the current educational system, including the lack of practical information, training and life skills given to students. As upcoming college graduates, we felt our simultaneous experience with the educational system and our oncoming endeavors with independence offer a unique perspective through which to analyze the points made in the video.

This week we return to the BBC series Black Mirror to discuss and review its second season. As with the first season, the show continues to deal with topics relating to technology. Specifically, these episodes examine our relationship with obsessive recording, death and technology and modern political candidates. As this conversation spans details from multiple episodes, we spoil plot details and recommend that you refrain from listening if you wish to watch the show first.

While computers of the modern age offer us a tremendous amount of flexibility and function in storing, transmitting and accessing data, they are still fallible. Often, this fallibility manifests in the loss of large quantities or entire regions of data. As a members of a highly-technological generation, we wanted to discuss our experiences with digital data loss and its implications.

This week, we give a second reading of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and further discuss some chapters in the book, focusing on behavioral habits, criticism of others, understanding and graciousness. As before, if you are interested in getting the book for yourself, we've included some links below.

As Columbus Day concludes its 78th year of official celebration as a federal holiday in the United States, we should consider its broader legacy, the man it honors and his impact on America as a result of his actions. With increasing disapproval and protest from groups of indigenous cultures, we wanted to examine the holiday more closely and consider both sides of the debate.

There are vast swaths of history often untouched and glossed over by most of us. This week we welcome Nick Rogers, who wrote his thesis on Leprosy in the Medieval Europe, one such topic. We discuss some of the approaches to the disease at the time, curious details and misconceptions surrounding it, medical practices in the Middle Ages and how we might learn from this historical period.