The Forgotten City

Historical treasure Petersburg, VA stuggles to stay afloat, though residents remain optimistic

By Grace Winfield

I took a stroll down Sycamore street today. Past the classic marquee of the Bluebird Theatre on 16 N, where couples, friends and lonely passersby could once catch the debut of classics like, ‘Gone with the Wind,’ and ‘Singin’ in the Rain.’ I kept walking to the corner of Sycamore to the Dixie, a southern breakfast restaurant I’ve spent one-too-many afternoons at for its infamous chilli hotdogs. I cut a sharp left down West Bank street to Hiram Haines’ Coffee & Ale House, where Edgar Allen Poe and his wife, Virginia, honeymooned on the second floor. If your curiosity is peaking like mine, in the heart of Petersburg rests Centre Hill mansion, where tourists can walk in Lincoln’s final footsteps as he visited Union General George Hartsuff at Centre Hill Mansion on April 7, 1865. Blandford Church and cemetery is across the street, whose decorative stained-glass windows were completely executed under the direction of the famous designer Louis Comfort Tiffany of New York.  Following the cobblestone roads downtown to the old North & Western, I imagined the train station flooded with crowds of soldiers and passengers arguing over taxi cabs and asking for directions.

There was a time when Petersburg was a bustling commercial center on the Appomattox River, a city arguably with the richest history Virginia has to offer. What’s left? Poverty, crime, condemned buildings and closed museums. An abandoned city, a threatening space, a has-been place of sorts—and that’s the only way I’ve ever known it. The Bluebird Theatre is now a run-down hair salon that’s been shut down too many times to count in the recent years. Gang signs and graffiti are scrawled on the brick walls and windows of Pritchett’s Bakery was, and the smell of fresh baked goods is no more.The Dixie remains as the only original business, in its original building, with the same hot-dog man we all know and love, Charlie Rawlings.

When I go there, I hear the warnings. Be careful. Don’t walk alone. Stay alert. Don’t you know people get shot here? Within Virginia, more than 97 percent of the communities have a lower crime rate than Petersburg, and members of the Tri-Cities don’t let you forget it. Be wary—they say—but I’m not scared. Walking the streets of Downtown Petersburg, past the antique stores and the local restaurants, I can see the beauty that once was—but I worry no one else will. Petersburg is representative of so many great old American towns that have been left behind due to natural disasters, fleeing companies, and lack of support.

*** 

But even Charlie can’t seem to stay afloat in the economic decline that small towns across the nation have dealt with over the past decade.  

The siege of Petersburg during the Civil War continues to define the place, along with three museums. One aspect that kept the city stable was the tobacco boom just after the war.  An 1880 report on the industry in Virginia noted that 68 percent of Petersburg’s workers at the time were employed in tobacco manufacturing, nearly two-thirds of local workers. The industry accounted for 12 factories in the city, though the tobacco business for the area plummeted in years to come. Petersburg took its first big blow in 1985 when tobacco company Brown & Williamson moved out of state, taking thousands of jobs and leaving a large dent in the city’s economy. On Aug. 6, 1993, Petersburg took another hit, literally, as a F4 tornado blasted through the downtown historic district, destroying over 100 homes and setting back revitalization efforts by decades.

The city is in substantial debt that only seems to grow worse. In 2016, it was reported to have had a roughly $12 million shortfall in its operating budget, spent all of its reserves and had at least $14 million in unpaid bills. It was unable to make payroll by the end of the year. The discovery was shocking, and was only revealed after the failure of a campaign to install new “smart” meters throughout Petersburg went horribly wrong. 

The blame fell on city staff leaders who failed to communicate the financial unsteadiness to city council. Even city leaders gave up on Petersburg. Money was irresponsibly spent elsewhere. The previous city manager oversaw the construction of a $12.7 million public library. Before the reveal, the council considering plans to replace the 1856 city hall with an $18 million complex in 2016. 

***

Petersburg doesn’t stand alone in its struggle to compete with energetic cities. It’s happening to minor towns and cities all over the country, and no one has really seemed to notice. And if they do, it’s no concern to them. It’s doubtful the fate of these ghost-towns even crosses the minds of big-city residents, let alone raises any true alarm.

The Robert Bobb Group, a minority-owned national consulting firm specializing in public and private sector consulting and advisory services, was hired to help the city recover financially, and delivered their 5-year plan at a city meeting in 2017 that outlined 15 actions the city must take to stay on the correct path. 

In a desperate attempt to make up for the impeding debt, Petersburg’s interim city manager, Dironna Moore Belton, urged city staff to make drastic cuts that began in 2016 in hopes to sustain the town’s financial fate, including closing a firehouse, jailing fewer criminals, shutting down museums, reducing library hours and slashing school spending. Pillars that support the foundation of thousands of communities across the nation stripped from Petersburg natives—though it is the city’s only hope. 

According to the City of Petersburg website,the city announced on Sept. 28, 2018, Standard and Poor’s (S&P) Rating Services has upgraded the City’s bond rating one notch to ‘BB+’ from ‘BB’ and revised upward the outlook on the city’s bond rating to ‘Positive’ from ‘Stable’. The ‘Positive’ outlook reflects S&P’s expectation that the City will continue to strengthen both liquidity and reserve levels, while maintaining structurally balanced budgets.

There’s no easy solution, and certainly no lack of effort from the people to change trends in cities such as this one. “The truth about these downscale communities is that they deserve to die,” said Kevin D. Williamson wrote his opinion on these displaced areas in a 2016 essay in National Review. “Economically, they are negative assets. Morally, indefensible.” Williamson says that the resolution is simple. “They need real opportunity, which means that they need real change, which means that they need a U-Haul.”

***

Nonetheless, I love Petersburg. Jobs are scarce, money is short—and yet people stay. There’s a reason residents won’t abandon Petersburg. It’s built on the foundation of community and tradition, families that have live in and loved their city for generations; a place that once largely shaped our current America. Amidst amiable characteristics like hospitality, patience and understanding, goodwill is the main appeal of these minor cities that once seemed to hold the utmost importance—and still do to those who live there. Clouded with feelings of abandonment and unappreciation, the people of Petersburg struggle to salvage what is left of their formerly beautiful city. But if you find yourself in Petersburg, do them a favor and take a stroll down Sycamore. 

What I love most about Petersburg is the undying love and support from the town and surrounding area’s residents. Those whose families have called Petersburg home for decades have slowly watched their town crumble—literally—but the city’s spirit is still alive.

For me, Petersburg is extremely nostalgic. Early-morning breakfasts with my grandma at the Dixie. Going with my dad to listening to live music from his friend’s “Triple B” blues band outside of Andrade’s. Giving ghost tours at Centre Hill Mansion with my big sister. Antiquing with my mom. I think about the Trading Post antique store every time I sit on the loveseat in my living room, a piece of Petersburg I brought to my new home in Fredericksburg. These are only some of the many cherished memories I have growing up with the city, and its that family-valued, small-town atmosphere that makes it so charming.

In today’s world, an underdeveloped city like Petersburg just isn’t attractive anymore. It’s all about materialism. Corporate America. The Big Apple. Coffee at Starbucks. Contemplating artwork at the Met. Enough stores to satisfy the pickiest shopper and to pleasure the biggest label addict’s cravings—a name-brand smorgasbord, the esteemed-American of high-society’s Utopia. You can’t get any of that in a place like Petersburg.

But I’ll tell you what you can get.

You can get a latte at locally-owned Demolition Coffee. You can visit Petersburg Battlefield where Ulysses S. Grant's and Robert E. Lee's armies collided for the last time. You can poke your head around the Oak Mall antique shop on Sycamore, filled with civil war memorabilia. You get a friendly wave from a passerby on the street. You hear a honk from the beat-up Chevy that rides by while you grab your mail. A stranger who holds the door for you and expects nothing more than a simple, ‘thank you.’ You grab dinner in Longstreet’s restaurant and they’ll make you feel like a regular. And you soak it in.

The In-Crowd wants out

How being in a clique in my adolescence made me a loner in my adulthood

By Grace Winfield

I was in the living room when I heard my iPhone ring. I quickly hurried to my room to check it. It was from a group message: 

Tomorrow let’s wear wedges and maxis. It’s supposed to be warm!! 

It was mid-April, and I was a freshman in high school. Our group of four girls coordinated outfits at least once a week, “Mean Girls”-style. I responded in seconds. 

Omg yes!! Love it.

But the truth was that I didn’t love it. I had already picked out my outfit for the next day. I was going to wear a new skirt my mom had bought me just days before, and I knew the weather was going to be perfect for it. I figured that a skirt with wedges was hardly any different from a maxi dress with wedges. I was going to wear what I’d planned anyway. But deep down I knew better. 

The next day, my friends shot me glares and short, snippy comments. 

“That’s an interesting skirt,” one of them said to me facetiously, the others giggling. 

I thought I heard the others whispering that I was purposely trying to look better than them. One of them even told me what I wasn’t wearing didn’t look good. . 

I felt panicked. I wiped my sweaty palms on the hem of my rayon skirt, trying to maintain my composure and relax. As I fought back tears, my immediate thought was get to a bathroom, now. 

But instead, I calmed myself down. I made up for my insubordinate act with shallow compliments and constant flattery for the remainder of the week. I playfully touched my friend Sarah’s hair, “you’re so pretty, S,” I said. She would be the first I’d get on my side. She always was the easiest. It was harder to get to the others. They loved the feeling of superiority, so inferiority was what I had to give them. “I wish I was as pretty as you are.” “How do you look so good all of the time?” “I hate my stomach—you are so skinny.”  

After a couple days, the tension eased up. It was a relief.. No more worrying about being conveniently left behind after class and being ignored at the lunch table. But deep down, I felt kind of empty. Why did I care what my friends thought, and if they were really my friends, why would they treat me that way? These weren’t new thoughts. 

***

My clique started in elementary school. All but one of the members had an older sister by 6 years, give or take, who grew up together just as we had, though not all of them had remained friends. So our families were acquainted with each other. Coming from a small town, it was slim pickings in the friend department. We all first met when we took dance classes at a local studio, and shared birthday parties after being in the same classes at pre-school and kindergarten.  

Then came middle school, when we really cemented ourselves as a unit. This was a time when popularity felt like one of the single most important things in life, and not everyone met the standards. For me, being in the clique meant instant invites to parties, double dates to the movies and attending school proms as an underclassman. But while I was busy pining for approval and power in my clique, I lost friends who didn’t fit the image we wanted to project. At the time, I told myself that we just weren’t alike anymore, that it was all a part of growing up. In retrospect, I see that I was the one who changed.  

By the time high school came around, our clique remained intact. Luckily for me, high school was a game I played well. I graduated at the top of my class. I was a four-year varsity letterman and a captain. I held leadership positions in multiple clubs. I was well-known. I was popular, and so were all of my friends. From the surface, it was obvious why we were friends. My friends were all smart, pretty jocks too. We were in the same clubs, on the same teams, and always, always in the same friend group for as long as our classmates had known us.  

I never told them about my family issues, I never came to them about my accomplishments. We never talked about school work, literature, music or current events. Just high school drama. It sucked. All the high school movies are about loners who are trying to get in with a clique. Here I was in one, and I kept feeling the urge that I wanted out. My friend group made me feel empty inside. I felt alone, and no amount of group texts or popularity was going to satisfy me.  

What really struck me the most is when I realized just how much being in my clique affected people’s perceptions of me. It hit me one day when I was partnered with a classmate in English. After our assignment, we just casually talked and joked about school, life and what shows we were watching on TV lately. 

“You know, I always thought you were stuck up, but you’re really cool.”  

I didn’t really know how to respond to her. I thanked her and laughed it off, but then I asked why.  

“Well, you know, just you and your friends. I don’t know, some of them are just kind of mean and you’re all always together, so.” 

***

The formation of cliques is simple to understand. People are just naturally inclined to become friends with people that are similar to them and share their interests. There are the goths, the techies, the jocks and the makeup gurus. The thespians, the preps, the alternatives and the rebels. Some friend circles overlap. Some cliques party together, but there also tend to be distinct lines. 

What’s less obvious is how a school environment affects the formation of cliques. Daniel McFarland offers a perfect lesson in how cliques form in some schools in his dissertation, and why they barely form in others. "Larger schools that offer more choice and variety are the most likely to form hierarchies and cliques and self-segregation. In smaller schools, and in smaller classrooms, you force people to interact.” 

In other words, he found that students in a big school environment have more social options, and are more inclined to be exclusive with friends. Whereas in a smaller environment, students don’t have as many options and are forced to mix with the other students. I went to a big school. It is described as “distant rural,” and is the only high school in the entire district. Because of its isolation, there are 1,328 students enrolled in the 2018-19 school year. I graduated in a class of roughly 400 students.  

On the outside, cliques always seem like untouchable groups that don’t care about what other people think, but I can tell you that is exactly what motivates a clique and its members. If our peers considered us popular and cool, then we had to do what we thought cool and popular kids do. Hook ups. Sneaking out of the house. Underage partying. Each questionable thing I did to advance that “coolness factor” was just another point added to the imaginary scoreboard. It was a constant competition for who was the prettiest, the coolest, who did the guys like the most. I’d like to pretend I was beyond it, but of course I wasn’t.  

Cliques have a hierarchical structure and are exclusive in nature, so not everyone is going to make the cut. It’s because of this competition for power that the negative effects of social cliques outweigh the positive effects. There could only be one leader, and we all fought for it. We’d never dare admit it out loud, but actions speak louder than words anyway—and our actions were shady.  

One of my friends started a rumor I was pregnant in 10th grade. Yes, 10th. Luckily, two of the other girls in the clique came to me after it hit the high school mainstream and told me all about it. In 9th grade, one of them made out with the guy she knew I was talking to—all because she had a crush on him in middle school. I never even confronted her about it, either. Letting her know it upset me would only give her the satisfaction she wanted. My friends rarely had good intentions.  

Everyone is familiar with bullying and peer pressure, but in a clique, these issues are heightened. Even if I didn’t want to go to a party or go on a date with a guy, I would be told how lame or immature I was. But I’d rather be in than out. I can’t repeat some of the rumors my friends spread about girls on the outside they were threatened by, or the hurtful things they said to them. The scariest thing about it was that people promoted our bad behavior. Girls laughed at the public berating of other girls by my friends.  

***

I spoke to Dr. Miriam Liss, professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Mary Washington. She explained to me that the lonely feelings made sense. I was only accepted by my friends in the clique because I became the person on the surface they wanted to be, that we all wanted to be at one point, not because they appreciated who I was on the inside. 

The Encyclopedia of Human Relationship defines loneliness as “…the distress that results from discrepancies between ideal and perceived social relationships.” 

Making friends was never an issue. But the friendships I had with members of my clique was based on a fake version of myself that I used to assimilate in middle school and never let go of. I didn’t feel genuinely connected to them when I was around them anymore, and I certainly didn’t feel satisfied. If anything, I felt worse. Drained. And kind of annoyed. 

I stayed in the clique for so long because it was easier than starting over and being alone. I found it hard to believe my friends in the clique felt much different than I did. We were still friends because, well, we were always around each other. We knew things about each other’s lives, our strengths and weaknesses. It was the classic social mere exposure effect (Say who invented this concept or something,). Essentially, mere exposure is when the more you see or hear something, the more likely you are to like it and eventually, grow accustom to it. I once liked my clique, but as the years went by, we were just going through the motions.  

Being in a clique limited my social circle, and delayed my discovery of who I truly was. I was so caught up with maintaining my image, until I realized that it wasn’t my image at all—it was just some superficial identity we all strived to become.  

*** 

Eventually I came to terms with the fact that most of them just weren’t my kind of people. Our friendship was built on envy and insecurity. In 11th grade, things started to change for me. I had different desires and ambitions and I wanted to pursue them. I started to own who I was, or at least who I wanted to be. With college around the corner, I asked myself why I still continued this façade. In a few years, we weren’t even going to be at the same schools. We weren’t going to have the same peers, followers and enemies. I would be all on my own, and that excited me.  

I said goodbye to Lilly Pulitzer, monograms and Polo and started dressing however I felt when I woke up. I hung out with people in different grades and made new friends, friends I wasn’t allowed to have before. Eventually, I think we all had the same idea that high school would soon end. Most of us started hanging out with people from different schools and switching up our styles, but not everyone was confident enough to embrace the change.  

When I finally went to college, I continued to pursue self-exploration. I became the discoverer, as Dr. Liss said. Meaning, I tried on different identities—through fashion, music, and even hair styles. I have made so many different friends since coming to college. Friends who were into the same shows and music as me, friends who could argue politics, friends who have the same career path, and those who I loved being friends with because they were completely different than me. 

Of course, not belonging to a clique has its setbacks. Gone are the days of guaranteed sleepovers and gossip-filled group messages, but none of the advantages of the clique appeal to me anymore. Some people are still friends and some aren’t; I still talk to two of my friends from the group, but we only truly became close when we broke away from the limitations of being in a group who shared everything. Now, we can actually share our thoughts and feelings in confidence. 

The best part of not belonging to a clique is knowing that those closest to you are there because they genuinely want to be. Surrounding yourself based on that criteria will only raise your friendship standards and promote healthy relationship. My friends don’t need a group name, matching outfits, or double dates and dual birthday parties to substantiate our friendship.   

My Voice, Your Problem

How I discovered dissimulating my Southern accent submitted to dialect prejudice

By Grace Winfield

“I’m fixin’ to grab some dinner myself,” I said to my friend as we walked through campus my freshmen year of college.

She furrowed her brow. “You’re… what?”  

I swiftly corrected myself. “I want some dinner.”  

This wouldn’t be the last time someone gave me a perplexed look about something I’d said.  

I’ve figured out over time some of things I say that stand out to people. There’s “critter” and “I reckon” and my grandma’s personal favorite, “Well, I declare.” I get that Southern-isms can be funny sometimes, and I don’t mind being teased. But what really gets to me is all the assumptions people make about me. They’re surprised when I say I don’t like country music and have never been a fan of sweet tea. The worst is being called a Redneck or having people make assumptions about my politics. Trump supporters confide in me their plans for a greater America, Christians share their Sunday revelations, and I won’t tell you how many times I am told with confidence how great the border wall would be.  

I grew up in a town called Dewitt, in Dinwiddie County, and the culture is different in Fredericksburg. After my first few months, I started to make an effort to avoid using certain idioms and to change my accent because I thought it would deflect some of the assumptions and would make people take me more seriously. It has become natural after a while, but I still sometimes feel like I’m living an alter ego, and losing a key aspect of my identity. 

A question lingered in my mind: why did my accent hold such a strong role in people’s perceptions of my character, and was I somehow abandoning my identity by forcing myself to change?  

A Disappearing Accent 

Dr. Janie Lee, professor of linguistics at the University of Mary Washington, explained that people often change their dialects as they move to a different region, which is known as language convergence. Language convergence is a type of linguistic change in which languages come to structurally resemble one another as a result of prolonged language contact and mutual interference. Simply put, if majority of the people a person sees everyday has their own dialect, subsequently that person will begin to sound like those around them, assimilating the dialect. 

“It is a natural phenomenon that happens, and everyone is subject to it, unless they actively try to retain their native dialect,” says Lee. 

Now, when I go home, people tell me I sound “Northern.” But just as quickly as I was able to adopt a new way of talking, through constant exposure and a conscious effort, the same way I’m able to easily revert back to my prior linguistic habits. I guess this is the way people are – we’re built to blend into whatever environment we’re in.   

What’s in a Word?

During the summer, I spent a month at a local television station to study broadcasting. At one point, a superior recommended that I might consider hiring a speech coach.But then I got to thinking about the meaning behind it. Most news stations prefer to have their reporters appear unbiased. Because of the stereotypes associated with my southern accent, I might be perceived the same way my classmates had. At first, I brushed off what she said. But then I had a mix of emotions. I was a little offended and also slightly bewildered. She was only trying to help me, right? This was accent discrimination, Lee told me. 

“Many cases of accent discrimination are where people are encouraged to change the way they talk if they want to get a promotion, or want to get a job,” she said.  

She told me about the book Language and Linguistics on Trial by linguists John Rickford and Sharese King, which was about About a key witness in the Trayvon Martin murder case. Racheal Jeantel was on the phone with Martin when George Zimmerman shot him. Jeantel claimed that Zimmerman was the instigator and that Martin acted in self-defense. When she was answering questions in the courtroom, her African-American vernacular language, or AAVE as its referred to by linguists, was obvious, and made it difficult to understand her.

Most of the jury was white, and didn’t have familiarity with the dialect, thus Jeantel was misunderstood and discredited by the jury simply because of her speech patterns. “People speaking non-standard English are even seen as being of poor character,” wrote Rickford, a native of Guyana, who has seen first-hand the politics of language at work form both personal and research perspectives. He emphasized in his book how important it was for jurors and the court to make greater efforts to prevent bias against non-standard speakers of English. 

The bias experienced by Jeantel is a large problem for witnesses like her who are native-English speakers whose dialects vary from Standard English, such as AAVE. Rather than being understood and accepted, the dialects are often stigmatized as improper or inferior English. What’s worse is that witnesses who speak non-standard Englishdo not get access to translators in the courtroom as speakers from foreign language backgrounds do. 

It was humbling to read about the trial. I realized that the bias I experienced because of my accent was a little example of a much bigger issue: dialect prejudice, discrimination purely based on someone’s accent.

Stereotyping 

As for stereotyping, it may be harder for people to change their associations with the southern accent than one would assume. 

“Regionally speaking, because the southern accent has been the most associated with a negative attitude, all of the assumptions people make about the southern accent comes with that,” Lee said.  

She explained that the Southern accent is known to tip people off that a speaker is uneducated or racist. On a more positive note, the accent also indicates qualities such as hospitality and politeness. But Lee says those positive connotations on the Southern accent are almost always trumped by the negative perceptions, and I can attest.

Eddie Ronowicz’s book “English: One Language, Different Cultures” says that Southern stereotypes sometimes refer to the Southern belle or hospitality. But more often, the dominant image is of rednecks and hillbillies. One chapter defined a redneck as an uneducated, bigoted, reactionary, rural working-class Southern white. I didn’t think anyone would understand how offensive redneck was to me, but Ronowicz’s book makes me believe that perhaps people are aware of the negative connotations, and just don’t care.  

Staying Southern  

Assumptions happen because we live in a society where its unavoidable to be exposed to stereotyping, says Lee. As individuals part of a multi-cultural society, it is important to become aware of our own stereotyping, and recognize the stereotyping and assumptions of others.   

“We have to take it upon ourselves to be aware of these stereotypes and assumptions, and as a society, it is up to us to do something about that,” she says.   

What we need is a call for authentic representation. It might be argued that one way to make people more accepting of linguistic differences is for the mainstream culture to promote different kinds of voices. Perhaps Lee was right. Maybe I was doing society at large a disservice by simply fitting in. 

While my dialect may change as I live in the north, or anywhere for that matter, I’ll always have my Southern roots to return to. One short visit home and my twang suddenly appears, and I’m okay with that. But the hard truth is, I feel like I’m taken more seriously with my modified accent, and I don’t want years of hard work to go to waste. I’m not just the small-town gal with a southern drawl, and I’m not the yankee-wannabe. I’m a combination of my past traditions and my future endeavors.

I am who I am, y’all. 

Chris Young is awesome and people are unaware

By: Lindsey D. Brown

I remember watching the Country Music Awards in 2010 and 2011. Chris Young, my favorite artist, was nominated for New Artist of the Year both years. As I waited for his category to come up, I watched him perform. But he was on the side stage. I was angry for him. He did an incredible job with the performance. He sang his song, “Voices” and he looked like he belonged up on stage. More well known artists got to perform on the main stage, and that was infuriating. Then, the moment of the award came. And it went to Zac Brown Band in 2010, and The Band Perry in 2011. I thought that was wrong. He is so talented, and does not get the recognition he deserves. The Band Perry is not on the radio anymore, and Zac Brown Band has not put a single out in a little while. However, Young is still releasing albums, and his singles are making it to number one on the music charts. So why is he still not winning awards? Young has only won a few awards. He has been nominated multiple times throughout his career, even for a Grammy, but he does not win. His music does really well on the radio, and most o his songs have reached number one. So why is it that he does not win awards?

I have been following Chris Young’s career from the very beginning, when won the music competition reality show Nashville Star back in 2006.  His first single, “Drinkin’ Me Lonely” a song he co wrote with David Lee Murphy only made it to 43 on the country music charts. It was not until he released his sophomore album that he really got noticed on the main country music scene. His second single, “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song)” went number one,  and from then on each of his singles reached number one. The only exception to his number one streak is a single from his third album, “Neon.” This song has a very traditional sound to it, partly because of the steel guitar in it.

The Artistry

I remember getting his first album, and really liking it. However, it did not get much airplay. Many artists do well with their first album, so why was he an exception? The album was more traditional country, and it was a time when country music was pulling away from the traditional sound. Young has never lost that traditional sound, but it is obvious his talent could not go ignored by country radio.

Young writes or co writes his own music, so he has a hand in all of his songs. This makes me have so much more respect for an artist, when they write their own music. I love when I find out an artist wrote my favorite song they have. It makes me connect with the artist on a deeper level. When it comes to Chris Young, I feel that with every one of his songs because he is always present in the lyrics. I find myself dissecting the lyrics to see which ones came from him specifically. The fans can feel that their music is more authentic because the artist had a hand in creating the lyrics.

Young’s voice is classically trained, like a Broadway star would be trained. So his vocal talent is very extensive. Young’s vocal quality is off the charts. He can go really high in his range, but he also has a really deep voice. This is a big part of the classically trained aspect of his voice. He uses all of that to his advantage in his music, and he will go up and down with the notes in a song, and it is absolutely perfect.

Young’s music has evolved over the years. His first three albums were more centered towards traditional country music. His more recent albums have gotten more recognition, by going platinum because of the evolution of his sound. The changes in country music have really caused a shift in what does well, and what does not do well. While his music has taken on a little more of a modern sound, it is still very country. He has never lost his country sound. I do not think he ever will. He once said in an interview for Taste of Country, “When I open my mouth, it’s pretty damn country,”

I have seen Chris Young in concert three times. And each time was better than the last. He has such a presence on stage, and he performs with such ease and obvious passion for his profession. His live version of his music is just as good as the studio version. He hits each note with such ease, and his love for music is palpable. Each concert he sings a song or two of one of heroes. Some artists will sing more of other artists songs at their concerts, than their own music. Young sings a few other songs than his own, but he makes sure to sing most of his singles in concert.

He is also a great guitarist and songwriter. As a person who has seen him in concert three times, I can attest that he is an even better entertainer. If he is not touring, he is in the studio. This musician pours everything he has into his music, and sharing it with people. Yet many people do not know who he is, and it drives me crazy.

When Image gets in the way of Talent

So then, if he’s so good musically, I started to wonder why he doesn’t win the awards.  I think it has to do with his image. He is a very humble, family oriented guy. He loves football, and being a musician. He has party songs, but that is not all he is about. I think his image is the reason he does not get the recognition he deserves. Chris Stapleton has this southern rock vibe, and his super long beard adds to his vibe. Luke Bryan is adored by many women for wearing tight pants, and having a 100 watt smile. Jason Aldean has this bad boy vibe, and many women lust after him as well. Chris Young is more attractive than all of them put together if you ask me.

So why is this bad boy image more of a draw? Why is it not enough that he is an incredible singer? Why does the image have to come into play? The bad boy image is more relatable to the jaded world we live in. People do not relate to the good artist that does not have his name in the press all of the time.

He also has a really good image as a whole. His love life is never in the media. There was speculation that he broke up Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert’s marriage, which he and both of them denied. Damn fake news. Other than this situation, he does not let his love life get in the media. He takes his mom to the awards shows sometimes, and there is not a new girl on his arm every year. I believe when he does settle down with someone, that will be when people will know a little about his love life. Until then, I can keep hoping, just kidding, mostly.

Picture of Chris Young and I

I met Chris Young back in 2016, and it was on of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had. He called me darling and I almost died. We were only supposed to bring one thing for him to sign. But I brought two of his CD books, and I asked him to sign both, like the greedy fan that I am He said, “Of course”. And I died again. I remember noticing that even though he was humble, he had this air about him that made him seem like a truly good person.

The fact that Chris Young misses out on awards and being more of a household name because he is more reserved is very frustrating. He is so talented, and he should be treated as such.

Once a Fan girl, Always a Fan girl

Being Chris Young’s number one fan, I will watch every award show with bated breath, hoping one day he will get the recognition he deserves. Until then, my anger will not subside until he is recognized for the amazing talent that he is. My hopes for his recognition are still hopeful, and have not not faded as of yet. Chris Young has a long career ahead of him, and I intend to be there every step of the way.

Why Hallmark Movies Might Be Your Next High

By Laura Taylor

Picture this: Susan works at a small local coffee shop and has been hurt by a stream of men. One day, her recently widowed mother comes to town seeking her support. Susan’s life, in other words, is hard. Amid all the chaos, there’s a meet cute, and love becomes the focus in Susan’s life. After a few ups and downs, everyone lives happily ever after. And at the very end, there’s a wedding to top it all off. Sound familiar?

Obviously, life is not a Hallmark movie, and things don’t work out this neatly. But there’s still something so pleasant about watching these movies even though real life doesn’t feel that way most of the time. But there are enough elements in Hallmark movies that mimic life - we have coffee shops, and people get married - that they feel like these movies might hold an element of truth. But the movies represent a reality, usually, that’s much better than life. But why do we like doing this? Shouldn’t watching movies like this make us feel worse about our own lives? Shouldn’t we desire something better?

To figure out the secret behind these Hallmark movies that are so irresistible, I spent some time watching these movies and really studying them.

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Kylie is a struggling pastry chef who has recently gotten back with her high school love, Nick, in Hallmark’s The Sweetest Christmas. Kylie preps for the American Gingerbread Competition and if she clinches, she would be able to open her own coffee shop. Nick and Kylie’s love blossom’s and they fall in love again like they once had before. Kylie learns a valuable lesson about embracing the Christmas spirit in times of turmoil.

Another story goes something like this: After unexpectedly moving to Alaska to add some out-of-the-box residency to her resume, Lauren Brunell also unexpectedly falls in love with a small town man who didn’t end up sending her packing for home. Lauren learns a lot more about herself and appreciating the little things in life in the Hallmark movie Christmas Under Wraps.

Then, of course: A woman, Elise, who has always hated Christmas is forced to take over running her father's struggling Christmas tree lot when he breaks his leg. Helping people find the perfect decoration for their homes inspires a newfound love of the season and she starts to fall for a repeat customer - but Elise also has to save the business from closure.

All these stories seem completely contrived when you see them back to back in this way. And yet, I think we watch them and all hope our own lives will turn out this way. Is that unrealistic?

First of all, it’s pretty. There’s always something so pretty and attractive and sparkling about the scenes in Hallmark movies. Beyond the pretty scenes, people with average jobs are completely financially stable and often living lavishly. It’s impressive and something we all desire. It’s such a desire we find the movies to be an escape into this no-struggle world.

Lessons about love, lessons about finding the Christmas spirit, lessons about family, lessons about the bonds with loved ones, and lessons about being independent remain central take-aways from these movies. Having the courage to ask your crush out (in public, no less), for example, is something that is made to look so easy and effortless that makes us question the reality of the situation. Living in a small town is often seen as a setback yet for some reason, Hallmark movies paint it to be the best thing possible for careers and finding love.

This escape may not only be an escape to the pretty and struggle-free world but it could be a result of chasing a feeling that Hallmark movies instill in people. That warm, gushy, hopelessly romantic kind of feeling that leaves viewers wanting love, success, or close-knit family that never leaves your side. It’s almost like an addiction that is impossible to break out of.

And yet that warm, gushy, hopelessly romantic kind of feeling that leaves viewers wanting love, success, or close-knit family that never leaves my side Once you start a Hallmark movie, sometimes it’s not just one movie you’re watching. The Hallmark movie marathons always seem to run when you happen to watch so you can’t turn it off. There’s something about the structure of the movies and when they come on. The beginning of the marathon is 11 a.m. in the morning and goes until past midnight and you haven’t been able to take your eyes off the screen kinda structure. The in the beginning of the movie gets you buzzed and then the climax gets your buzz to intensify and when they happy couple pronounces their love for one another, you’re at a high you haven’t felt for years. Coming off a high sucks, so you need just one more movie to keep you elevated and it’s almost comforting to know that feeling comes from just watching a movie.

Like reading a bedtime story to your kids or reading the last few pages of The Chronicles of Narnia before turning out the light, Hallmark movies offer a sense of comfort that people just don’t want to leave. The neatly packaged families with the romantic love stories that almost seem to top Nicholas Sparks movies suck people into their worlds that don’t seem to offer any way back to reality.

Like with too much candy, the sugar can really upset your stomach. Too much Hallmark can have the same effect. It can alter your perception of reality and instill this desire to chase a life like from the movies and you’ll probably fall for it knowing full well that this movie life you want doesn’t exist. When you realize you can’t find this world that existed in the Hallmark movies, you may find that your heart actually begins to heart. So what do you do? You watch another movie and the cycle starts all over again.

There are elements of Hallmark movies in everyday reality, but what if life itself had its own elements of fairy tale that Hallmark movies haven’t been able to grasp yet?

In real life, the Coffee Bean is a coffee shop in Reston, Louisiana, and Taylor Record has been working there for a week. Before starting, she didn’t think of finding the potential to find love, but she’s been told by friends that lots of guys will probably ask her out. You could say this fulfills the Hallmark look but there’s a creepy side to it that reveals a life that’s more complex than what’s in a Hallmark movie.

Sometimes the opportunity for love comes from within the coffee shop. Here’s a scene from real life: The local donut shop in Fredericksburg, Sugar Shack, held its own scene for a Hallmarkesque feel. Sylvan has been asked out by a coworker several times but she remains just friends with him. There’s a creepy element to the Hallmark movies that translate to real life. Standing behind the counter taking orders doesn’t have “be asked out b strangers” in the job description. If this is what happens in Hallmark movies and this is what we want to have happened to us, why is it so creepy? Why doesn’t it feel as good as it does while watching a Hallmark movie?

Has this movie determined what is considered romance for us? Do we define what’s romantic by what’s in the Hallmark movies? And has that skewed the way we handle relationships is real life?

Maybe living your life like a Hallmark movie causes more awareness to social norms that confirm the realness of life. Hallmark movies do an excellent job of eliminating awkwardness, boosting confidence out of nowhere, and promising a happily ever after from the very beginning of the movie. Life doesn’t guarantee a happy ending, asking people out is as stressful as taking an exam at times, and confidence just doesn’t come so easily in stressful situations.

Life just isn’t a Hallmark movie but there’s something so addicting about them we just cannot keep the TV off the Hallmark Channel.

Why the "Babycakes" Parent Always Shows Up to the Game

By Laura Taylor

Everybody hates Pinnacle. The kids on the Stars team had tried out for Pinnacle, the Double A team, and had been cut. Now they were playing on the Triple A team. This explains the hate. Playing against the team you get cut from doesn’t mean friendly competition, it means war on the field -- dirty slides into the base, aggressive runs, and the greater risk of harm on the limbs.

As I studied the battle ground on through the chain link fence, one of the parents I regularly sat next to, Mr. Rivera, interrupted my thoughts.“You know, I give my son a speech before every game. Today was different. Joe came over to me and simply said ‘we gotta beat em, dad.’” Mr. Rivera’s eyes reflect the proud look of pride he had in his son as he said this. He told me Joe doesn’t slide into the base (implying what about his son?). It kind of scares him and rightfully so. When he played Little League, he slid into third base and broke his ankle pretty badly. It shattered and his ankle and his confidence with sliding.

I glazed my eyes over the muddy baseball field once again and couldn’t help but notice the history that these two teams had built on the dirt. These two teams had faced each other several times in the past which only fueled the rivalry. As the ump called the game to start, Pinnacle took to the field a step ahead of the Stars and the low grumbles of the Stars’ parents heated up. Baseball is a dirty sport.

There’s a sense of unity with these parents. A sense of us against them that surrounds this baseball field.

“Get a hit for me, babycakes!” said one parent. At the ninth game of the season, I had been waiting to hear this common phrase from a baseball mom at Mechanicville Little League field number four in Mechanicsville, Virginia. The chain link fence was the only thing keeping me and a long line of reclined parents in folding chairs separate from the 13-year-old travel Stars baseball team at their biggest rivalry game of the season. From my folding chair parked next to

Mr. Rivera under the canopy that shaded us from the sun, parents settle in with their snacks, their water bottles, their coolers filled with Gatorade in colors from red to yellow to blue, long wagons parked up behind them forming a train barrier, and their chanting voices still babying their teenagers. This is kind of a routine for them. There’s a weekly Costco trip, battery packs are charged, ice packs are chilled, and the car is cleaned and ready for a weekend of baseball and there is nothing different this week.

I guess you could say Mr. Rivera is the “Atta boy!” father who you hear first when his son makes a great play. There’s the dog mom and the assistant coach’s wife mom who must have a hand in everyone’s business and the game. Did I mention there’s the teacher mom? She has a pen in her mouth and is grading eighth grade science homework. What draws these parents to this game with an exaggerated version of themselves? Perhaps it’s an opportunity for parents to bond over their kids and reflect on a time when they were younger.

Some of these parents grew up playing little league baseball themselves and they feel overwhelmed with the memories of attempting home runs and hearing their parents chant their name as they came up to bat. For others, it’s the sense of pride that their kids are growing up and have the opportunity to become successful and that means mom and dad might get some credit.

Families have been going to baseball games since the game began in 1839. According to Newsday, what initially drew families to baseball games was the energetic upbeat play-by-play announcers. Children were the main audience for announcers, which explains the overly dramatic calls during the play-by-play.

When Little Leagues began in 1939, there was this sense of having pride in the child on the field. Parents would utilize use this sense of putting their kids on a pedestal for other parents trying to prove that their kid was the best at the sport and thus making their family the best.

As far as the exaggerated parental personality is concerned, parents really feel the most comfortable coming together in this social environment and having this sense of pride for their children on the field.

Parents are always going to be at baseball games with their children, supporting them in overly exaggerated ways even putting the reputation of the child at risk. After all, babycakes won’t pass over too well with other 13-year-olds.

Radio will never die

By: Lindsey D. Brown

I sat at the front of the office across from Nick and Keefe, the tech dudes. They were my buds, and they always made me laugh. There was a new edition since I started there; the walls that make up the front of the desks are lined with album covers, as opposed to being blue like they used to be. It really gives the office a cool feel. There are pictures of the DJs that line the walls down the first hallway. The desk I worked at had an outdated computer, with so much old information. My job was to listen to our competitors stations, and find their ads. I was in charge of checking to see if they were running ads that we were not. I also was in charge of giving people the prizes they won over the air. I did a few other jobs here and there as well. The office is small, with two hallways in the shape of an L. There are cubicles and office to the right, and if you head down the hall you will find the recording rooms where the DJs are, and those are the coolest if you ask me. I got to help record the Christmas play last year, and using one of those big DJ mics is the coolest thing ever.

The first time I ever crossed the threshold of the Telemedia office, I was a scared eighteen-year-old, going in for her first job interview. The office is a small little place that is a little hard to find. It’s located almost at the the end of Lafayette. I remember my interview took place in the conference room, and I was so nervous at first, that all I could focus on were the large white blinds that covered the huge window across the room. My boss,Tom, and my manager, Andi, sat across from me, and asked me questions of why I would want to work there. They asked me about my people skills, and my experience in writing. I gushed over my love for the station, and fibbed a little on my people skills. I left with an assignment to write two commercials for the station. I was over the moon, and yet a little terrified of the assignment. I wrote them, and sent them to Tom and Andi. Tom came back with comments about them being good, but he wanted to hire me for my sunny disposition. How I fooled them on that I will never know. My class schedule also did not work with the times he needed me to work, so that was the main reason I became a Promotional Assistant. Little did I know it would be the start of one of the best things I have ever done.

However, while music plays a vital part in the radio business, advertisements are a key player in the industry. The business owners pay the radio station to run advertisements for the businesses throughout each day. While the DJs are the voices of the radio stations, the sales people are the brains of the operation. Funny how people change the station when the ads come on, and there is no music. It seems that with radio taking a hit from the digital music age, the ads are what keep the stations going. Henry Ford said, “Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time.” David Ogilvy said, “There isn’t any significant difference between the various brands of

whiskey, or cigarettes or beer. They are all about the same. And so are the cake mixes and the detergents, and the margarines… The manufacturer who dedicates his advertising to building the most sharply defined personality for his brand will get the largest share of the market at the highest profit.”  According to an article on RadioWorld, by Susan Ashworth, people listen to the radio out of habit, and the local DJs give the listeners a feeling of comfort that helps them forget their worries. Ashworth uses media research done by Jacobs Media Strategies, and explains that 33% of people listen to the radio for weather, emergency, and traffic. This research also proved that 40% stop listening to the radio because there are too many ads, and repetitive songs. It seems that while the ads are annoying to listeners, they keep the radio station going. Listeners tune in for the music the DJs’ charisma, traffic, weather, news, and emergency updates.

Radio has changed over the years. Ad sales have gone up and down, and left the stations to deal with the problems. Each client for ads is of utmost importance to the survival of the station. The clients pay to have their ads on the radio, therefore the funds go to the station. Certain parts of the radio show are completely sponsored by a certain client. For example, there is a client that sponsors the weather forecast on the radio show. The client is not always the same, and it just means they paid the station a lot to incorporate their business in the weather reports. Which is a big deal considering many tune in for the weather forecast.  The competition in ad space varies. During the holiday season, ads are in high demand for the radio stations. While during other times of the year there is less demand.

As a promotional assistant, I have to travel to the various events that the radio station sponsors. So I didn’t visit the office except to drop off equipment from different events, and other times to pick up my check. It was about a year and a half later in the summer of 2016, I gathered up the courage to ask Tom if I could work in the office at the desk. I explained that I wanted more hours, and that I loved working there. I was surprised with my own moxie, when I told him what I wanted. We finally came to an agreement that I would work 3 days a week from 8 to 5. I couldn’t have been happier.

People work in radio for the community feel. Longtime veteran of Telemedia Broadcasting, Rosemary Carlso has told me multiple times that working for the radio station keeps her busy, and helps her stay involved with the community. The culture of the radio stems from community and connecting with people on their daily drive to work. Radio connects with the middle schooler waiting by the radio to see if the snow caused their school to cancel. Sometimes the radio station would know, before we got the call that school was closed when I was a kid. Working in radio, you do not make a lot of money, but there is so much more to gain with this business than just making money.

Nikolai Tesla was the first to demonstrate a wireless radio in St. Louis, Missouri in 1893. However, Tesla did not patent it until 1900. In the 1920s, it was mainly used for contacting ships out to sea. The Westinghouse Company applied for a radio license in 1920, which lead to the creation of the first radio station KDKA. In 1923, AT&T was the first to have a commercial on the radio. At first the radio was used to work with newspapers to get information across. It wasn’t until after World War II that music became more important in the radio world.

Radio has its good and bad aspects, just like anything and this research proves that. After the years of working at this radio station, it has changed in a few ways. A DJ that was pretty new to the station when I first started was fired just last year. He did not last long, and the morning show that was built around him and another DJ was cancelled. They still have not hired a DJ to replace him, the other DJ runs the morning show on her own with guests almost every morning. It seemed awkward at first, but soon she got the hang of running the morning show by herself. I got the gist from a conversation with boss one day, but I don’t think I’ll ever know the real story. The DJ world seems competitive for the radio industry, although my experience with it is based on a family owned and operated business. So it does not seem to be a competition with the more local stations. The more broadband stations seems to have more competition because of the lack of family instilled in the company. This year, the radio station did their first singing competition. It was pretty successful locally, and the winner was a girl I graduated from high school with oddly enough. This aspect of the radio station is a big deal for local artists. Telemedia Broadcasting finds it very important to recognize that every musician has to start somewhere. That is what comes from doing a local singing competition, the recognition of dreams becoming a reality.

There are many attributes to it that cannot be done by Spotify. According to an article on SuiteRadio, the main place for people to listen to the radio is in their car. It states that 70% of people 13 and older listen to audio in their car everyday. This beats out the 67% that listened to radio in their homes. However, with the new smart speakers, it seems that local radio will find a better place in home again. People want to know what is going on locally, and local radio already works on that for people. With the conversationalist DJs, the up to date traffic and news, and the occasional catchy tune, or song that takes a person back to a memory, radio will never die.

Working at the radio station has taught me a lot. I chose this job, because I want to work in the media, and focus on music. Working in a radio station, people think it is all about the music. That is what I thought when I applied for the job. As a promotional assistant, I see a lot of the events that the radio sponsors. For example, collecting for the local food bank, walking in the Christmas parades, the cars sales, and the local wine festivals just to name a few. One thing that does not change with working events is that one never knows exactly what to expect at an event. This job is never boring. It is never boring because of the people I meet at events. We will run out of prizes to give out before the event is over, that will never be boring. Or the fact that each and every event I have worked, I have both loved and hated. I hated standing in the cold, but I loved seeing the smile on a kid’s face when I hand them a candy cane. I hated standing in the heat before a concert, but I love being around the music and the people.

Respect For Art School

A look into the lives of artists and their professional endeavors

By Alicen Hackney

After years of being a high school set designer, of painting for commission for friends and of making sculptures in her spare time, my sister Claire was starting to think about college. Given her interests, art school was a natural choice.

The fact that she was even thinking about going to a university was a major shift for her. Even though a bachelor’s degree has always been the rule in our house, Claire had never thought that going to a university was the right path. That was, until she considered art school. And while that should theoretically have been a win for my parents, it ended up being rather problematic.

She hadn’t shared much about her newfound goal until one day when the women of our house were chatting in the kitchen. 

“I don’t know about that,” our mother said with a frown. “What about welding? You could go to trade school!” 

Claire’s cheeks flushed, and she sank into the couch. After having the big college decision looming over her shoulders for years, she finally had figured out an option she didn’t hate, but this seemingly random shutdown surprised her. She knew it was going to be a slightly controversial decision, but she hadn’t expected our mother to think it was such a poor choice that she would rather her take on an option that was less than the family ideal of a four-year degree. 

When I asked my mother later on she explained, “it’s not that I wouldn’t want her to study art, I want her to study what she loves. I just would hope she would get a four-year degree before going to an art school so she has something steady fall back on. And as for trade school, welders make a lot of money, and that’s something she wouldn’t have to spend a long time studying to be successful in.”  

As I listened to this conversation, I wanted to interject to make sure Claire didn’t lose hope for her new idea, but I wasn’t sure what to say. I had the same immediate intuition about art school as my mother did, that it wouldn’t provide Claire with a proper education or steady career. But as I mulled it over, I realized that maybe there was something to it. After all, the writing career I’m studying for doesn’t offer an obvious career track either. 

As I did more research, I learned even more about why art school could be a good choice. Art schools in the U.S. accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design ensure their students receive a liberal arts education alongside the arts programs. This means not only will these students have an education in their field, but they are also pushed to find success in unrelated studies. That’s really not unlike my own Mary Washington education. 

And as I read online about artists’ own paths to success, I realized that there are many opportunities that they are able to find for ways to get paid to do what they love. To better understand what my sister may be stepping into, I decided to learn from artists myself, what their experiences were in higher education and later on, and how they remained impassioned through it all. Did they struggle to explain their choices to family and loved ones? What inspired them to chose a field many see as financially unstable? And what keeps them going? 

Lynne Mulhern

As a 10-year-old, Lynne Mulhern attended the World’s Fair in New York, she waited in line to see Michelangelo’s “Pieta,” one of the most iconic pieces at the gathering. It was an incredible statue of the Virgin Mary holding her son Jesus as he lay lifeless; it was so incredible intact that two popes had to approve of its relocation from the Vatican for this event. She remembers getting chills as she rode the moving walkway around the statue, thinking, “I wonder if I could ever do anything like that.” That was the day she decided she wanted to become an artist. 

From that point on Mulhern fell in love with painting and drawing and when she had reached college age she knew she wanted to continue as an artist, but her parents pushed her to become something they believed would be more financially stable like a teacher or a nurse. 

“It was the 70’s, and my parents just didn’t understand. They would say, ‘Art? How can you make a career out of something like that?” Because of their influence, she studied and became an elementary school teacher, and later taught art to both elementary and middle school students. 

Over a decade later in life, she received an endorsement to go back to school from her work, and went back to school where she took art classes at night. “My husband and close family encouraged me to go back,” she said. “As a family we had moved around a lot and once my husband retired from the marines he encouraged me to take time and pursue this.”

While taking her night classes at Virginia Commonwealth University she realized that there often weren’t introductory classes that she felt she needed, such as the basics of drawing and painting. “I felt intimidated by the students around me,” said Mulhern of taking classes with more experienced artists. Luckily, she had a favorite professor who let her do her work at her own pace and would suggest artists and pieces to find inspiration in.

“It took ten years before I finally got one painting where I felt comfortable saying I was an artist,” she said. “It was a 5x4 painting of artichokes with one red pepper for spice.”

She graduated with a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies in painting and printmaking at 55 years old. Today Mulhern has studio space at Liberty Town in downtown Fredericksburg where she spends time working in many mediums including cold wax, pastels, printmaking, and her personal favorite, which is oil painting. The freedom of retirement has allowed her to travel to find muses and make money through her passion without relying on it for a livable income. 

“What makes all of this worth it is when someone really loves one of my paintings; they’re my children,” she said citing the time a family bought one of her paintings of a staircase in Italy and decorated an entire room in their home based on it’s colors and style. 

Jon McMillan

In the years before Jon McMillan attended college, he had already become a decent painter. So when he went to apply for colleges he knew he wanted to look for an art program, but not necessarily an art school, so he could get a broader education. His parents had already been watching him dutifully pursue his hobby, so they had confidence in his potential as an artist and supported his decision about his schooling. 

“When I started undergrad at James Madison University they thought maybe I might turn in the direction of architecture, but that just wasn’t what I was interested in,” he said. “I was always an artist.”

However, McMillan didn’t pursue jobs directly in his field until over a decade after his undergraduate schooling. He freelanced as a professional chef in many kitchens and worked full-time as a functional potter, making things like dish ware and other home goods. After all those years, he decided to go back to school and spent his graduate school years at Southern Illinois University studying ceramics, an art form he didn’t approach until his years at JMU. 

Even though he started out painting, he took a ceramics class and fell in love with the material, the process, and the potters wheel. While he was at graduate school he became a teaching assistant, and stuck with teaching from then on. His initial schooling in the arts guided him along the whole way.

“Decisions change and I just had to roll with it,” McMillan. “Art studies teach creativity, flexibility, and problem solving, and that is all important as the decisions in life change.”

For McMillan the most fulfilling thing about teaching has been being able to encourage the next generation of artists. About a year ago at the Sophia Street Pottery Throwdown in Fredericksburg, a local pottery exhibition and sale, McMillan had a tent showcasing some of his work, and out of 20 artists participating in the event, a major of them were alumni students of his.

“I was so happy to see all of them there, continuing in their art and knowing I had a hand in that.”

Currently, McMillan is both a professor of Ceramics and the Chair of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Mary Washington. He’s come to understand that he prefers the experience of UMW over the larger school, as smaller liberal arts schools allow non-majors to gain experience in the arts, while larger schools are separated into more distinct departments and don’t allow for students to take classes outside of their majors very easily. 

“In the next 20 years, 50 percent of jobs will be all new, and we are behind in preparation for that naturally,” said McMillan. “But art gives you the basic, important skills to be successful beyond your career. It gives students a more holistic approach to the professional world. Job training will come with experience, but you need to be able to know how to roll with the punches.

Elizabeth Freeman

Elizabeth Freeman grew up in a family of artists, and from a very young age developed a love for drawing and painting. Her grandfather was a landscape painter, who would frequent the family’s home in the Catskill Mountains where he found inspiration. It wasn’t until 2010, however, that she took her first pottery class and fell in love. 
“Most of the artists in my family are painters, so I feel a little more intimidated to pursue that avenue.” 

But art isn’t her main career. She is also a scientist. Her schooling includes bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology and a Ph.D in environmental science and policy. Today, Freeman is a biology professor at George Mason University and a conservation biologist who specializes in the behavior endocrinology of endangered mammals. “More simply, I study the behavior and hormones of elephants, rhinos, red pandas…etc.”

Her love of science in prevalent in her art. Like her grandfather, she is inspired by the natural world. She puts images of species such as red pandas and elephants into her work, and incorporates art into her students’ scientific studies regularly. For instance, with colleagues she designed and taught a freshman level course that combines science and art. Students had to create an original work of art that expressed their relationship with nature. She also just started a practice in which her graduate students had to present an artistic representation of their research when they defended their theses. She explained that art and science can overlap in many ways, and often people gain an understanding of the scientific and natural word through art. “Most people learn to love and care about the natural world through documentaries, photography exhibits, or even more recent movements using recycled materials and trash in sculptures. Those reach and inspire far more people than my peer-reviewed scientific papers ever will.”

As art is not her career or primary source of income, she finds that the freedom of not relying on art for her livelihood allows her to appreciate her pottery for its stress relieving and creative processes more deeply. “More than anything, my pottery is a stress relief from my job and my commute up and down I-95. Both my profession and pottery hobby allow me to be creative, but in very different ways. Work is very much a mental exercise in creativity. Pottery is a physical expression of my creativity.” 

“I believe an arts education and eventual career as an artists is as important as being a science major,” said Freeman. “Our society needs both artists and scientists. They complement each other and both advance our culture in different ways.” 

Nicole Hamilton

When she was 3-years-old, Nicole Hamilton drew a portrait of her grandparents that is now it is framed in her home. Needless to say, from a very young age Hamilton knew she wanted to be an artist. “This is what I was meant to do. I need to tell these stories.” 

In the 90s, when Hamilton was in college, computer graphics had just become the next big thing to major in for the best career opportunities beyond college. While her parents supported her artistic endeavors, they encouraged her to major in something they believed would bring her a more financially stable career, so she studied graphic design at Colorado State from which she graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree. 

For three years after college, Hamilton worked at American Handgunner magazine as their art director, arranging and editing photos and graphics. “I was bored to tears,” she recalls finding herself feeling unfulfilled from the lack of creativity in a job mostly consisting of putting together picture after picture of guns. After leaving the magazine she decided to purse art full-time, working for clients on commission and producing as much art as she could. It was a bold decision, but she knew she didn’t want a steady paycheck to get in the way of her passions.

In her time painting commissions she had been approached by the coworkers of a man who had lost his 19-year-old daughter to cancer. They wanted her to paint the young girl for the man’s family. Hamilton painted a portrait of the girl by the ocean with her arms stretched wide to symbolize the cross. At the unveiling of this portrait for the girls family, the girls brother walked up to Hamilton and hugged her, thanking her for this gift

“That is what makes what I do so important, telling these stories,” she said… 

“I think of art 24/7, and I fight really hard to be an artist… It could have been easier or more lucrative, but just like starting a restaurant, I knew it would be difficult to build, and I knew I needed to do it.”

These days Hamilton spends most of her time painting. To enrich her work, she has studied with professional artists in Maryland, solidified her command of the basic artistic principles, and kept herself to a high level of productivity she knows creates success. She uses her paintings to connect to the life and experiences of those around her as primarily both a portrait and still-life artist. “The story of the objects and the story of the person fascinates me. Often I feel the grouping of objects becomes a portrait of the person as much as an actual painting of the person themselves.”

“You can’t draw or paint enough; I paint every day as much as I possibly can,” she said. “To be an artist you have to be open to a life of learning. And I am thankful I have been strong enough and confident enough to pursue this dream.” 

---

While my sister is still trying to figure out her college and career arraignments, she is looking into schools that would provide her with the opportunity to explore her passions both artistically and not. The rule in our house still stands, and she will be going, but she knows that she is free to study art in college and beyond. As all the artists I have interviewed have told me, in art you never stop learning, just as you do in life.

What It Means to Run a Family Business

When the business stops being passed down, the opportunities start

By Alicen Hackney

Top: Burger Delite, Hyattsville Maryland; Bottom Left: Burger Delite, Alexandria, Va(Now Closed); Bottom Right: Weenie Beenie, Arlington, Va

Every Sunday, in elementary school, after church my family including my aunt, uncle, and three cousins, and sometimes even my grandma would gather at my dad’s restaurant on the corner of Pickett and Edsall. My cousins and I would run around playing waitress for our parents and grandma while my dad “played” chef. And, while his restaurant never had waitresses to start with, he would always give us little notepads for us to use to take down orders. Once everyone had made their orders and dad was getting cooking, all five of us girls would perch ourselves in the little ventilation window above the industrial sized bread toaster from where we could see the entire kitchen. While we sat cozy from the heat of the toaster, we would tell dad jokes and stories, and dad would show off on the grill, let us watch as the bread went on this log flume like ride down the toaster machine, and joke and tell stories right back at us.

The corner of Pickett and Edsall wasn’t in the best neighborhood, it was surrounded by low rent apartment complexes and industrial park type businesses. Kenilworth Avenue, where my dad’s other store is located, isn’t either. Both of his locations were surrounded by the impoverished areas pocketed near nice suburban areas. This is why my only memories of this place growing up were on Sunday’s when my dad could keep an eye on us and the doors locked. 

Growing up I always looked at this place with wonder in my eyes. I thought it was the coolest thing ever to have our own restaurant, and that nothing could be better than my dad’s grilled cheese and chicken salad. When I walked through the double set of doors, I was always greeted by the shoulder hight, mustached, wooden chef holding a plate covered in saran wrapped baked goods. Across from him was a pig in a chefs apron holding up a tray that was too high up to see what was on it. He stood atop a Pepsi fridge that had cake and pie in it. My favorite part about the store was always the giant menu board that hung above the cash register. My whole life, any time my dad needed to edit prices or add or take away menu items my mom, sister, and I would come help him on a Sunday. We would take the whole technicolor yellow and red board down and rearrange the stickers. No matter how many edits we made, my dad would always post pieces of paper to the bottom of the menu or to the side of the Pepsi fridge that detailed a special for the week or advertised a menu item he wanted to sell more of. 

Now, we’ve lost the brightly signed Burger Delite on the corner of Pickett and Edsall to a new land lord who spiked the rent, but the Kenilworth Avenue store remains ours, our family owns that land. Kenilworth Avenue is over an hour away from our house up in Maryland, and my dad makes the drive everyday. 

According to the Conway Center for Family Business, Family businesses account for approximately 80 to 90 percent of all business entrepreneurship in America, and only 30 percent of those family businesses are successful in getting passed down through generations. My family’s business has accomplished that once over, as my dad is the second generation to own the business which he co-owns with his siblings and mother. 

When my dad was young his father owned the business with a friend of his, who later relinquished the business to solely our family. At the age of 13 my dad began working in the restaurants which took up a lot of his time outside of school. This continued throughout his life, he has worked there ever since and has dropped many of his interests in order to keep the business running.

“Working in this business my whole life, I kind of lost the chance to test other things out and figure out who I wanted to be or what I wanted to do for my career. Working in the restaurants was always the answer,” he said over dinner. 

Every day my dad gets up with the sun to a cup of coffee from my mom, and heads out to restaurant depot to pick up pounds pounds of tomatoes, onions, beef, and more bottled drinks than you could imagine to stop the fridges and pantry with. From there he heads to the restaurant and opens shop, as long as one of his loyal workers hadn’t already. He unloads the entire truck of all of the food and drinks, and gets to work doing anything from making huge tubs of chicken salad to fixing and cleaning the soda machine and attached syrup bags. 

While the work may sound straight forward or simple, it is anything but that. The physical labor required for his job is extensive, and as he’s been doing this his entire life, it’s taken a toll on him.

“What makes it worth it, is now I get to give my girls the chance to figure out what they want to be. They’ll never work in the restaurants if they don’t want to, and I can support them in what they choose to do with their lives,” he said. He has never expected us to work in the restaurants and it’s unlikely either of us ever will.

In my high school years, my dad would only take me to work with him when I was grounded. He wanted to show me that if I didn’t study and push for a better life than he did I would end up working the long days that he does. As much as I did learn this lesson, I loved going to work with him for a day, getting to spend time with him and cut cake slices for the customers. 

While my dad doesn’t have me come with him anymore, and he has shown me the difficulties that come with the business, I still love and adore the memories I have of this place, and I wish I could go just about any time. To see my dad on the grill, smell the warm, greasy food, and help where I could. On the rare occasion he needs our help with the big technicolor menu board I will always go help. But I’m thankful to have been given the opportunity to choose my own path in life.

The Only Sober Girl At The Party

Since when was it this weird to be sober?

By Alicen Hackney

I know my place at parties well. I am the eternally sober girl, the girl with the water bottle she brought from home, the one who gets invited just to be the designated driver for those who get too drunk too soon, the one who takes people for walks when they get high and spend too much time with the cat they’re allergic to. 

At first I would get one of two comments from people, either I’d get the tipsy, “good for you! I wish I could do that, be proud of yourself!” or the well meaning, “are you sure you don’t want one drink? Maybe you’ll change your mind.” However, as time went on, I began to get more startling reactions; people began to get deeply uncomfortable around me. I thought maybe they were worried I was going to tell on them, or that they were worried I was uncomfortable being around these substances. As it turns out, much of their discomfort came from having someone around who wasn’t participating in their madness. 

Parties were’t an an environment I wanted to be in, but when I ended up there I would have my own fun. Usually I would sit off to the side either by myself on my phone, or talking to one or two closer friends. I stayed quiet and never really put myself in the middle of things, but the problems came when, on a couple occasions, I was asked to leave. I understand that they may have just wanted to make sure I wasn’t uncomfortable around them drinking, but it always came across as I was an unwanted guest. That I wasn’t a normal friend, and that I wasn’t free to come or go as I pleased like everyone else.

It was upsetting and frustrating; being sober had never felt so isolating before. I began wondering, why did drinking and drugging have to be the staple items at parties? American pop culture has drenched high school and college life with this idea that drinking was the only way to stand out as the cool kid at parties since long before I was born. It’s become acceptable to single out and exclude those who refuse to participate, and I wanted to know how it ended up this way. To find out I started at the founding of America’s first college, Harvard University, in 1636.

College Parties: A History

Time Magazine writer Lisa Wade described that in colonial times college’s controlled “every detail of students’ lives… how they kept their room, how they dressed and wore their hair, what they could do, when and what they ate, where they could go and when. There were substantial penalties for deviance and they came swiftly.”

In the 18th century college life was centered entirely around higher education. There was no room for fun and merriment when there were books to be read and tests to be taken. College life was meant for middle-class men trying to move up in the world, and it stayed this way into the end of the century. 

At the start of the 19th century however college life shifted to focus more on wealthy society men who had a low tolerance for a life without fun and extravagance. As much as the college faculty disapproved of this shift which included a lack of structure and a rise in the power of the student body, they were no match for the shear number of student riots and protests. 

Out of these riots, the fraternity was born, and its founding gives a steady nod to the way fraternities still act and are perceived today. 

Wade explained that Fraternities were, “infused with a rebelliousness that was their birthright, fraternities incubated a lifestyle that revolved around recklessness and irresponsibility. Members encouraged one another to neglect their studies and mocked those who were earnest about getting an education, disparagingly calling academically hardworking students ‘digs’ and ‘grinds.’ Nicholas Syrett, the scholar who penned the definitive history of white fraternities, wrote that by the early 1900s it was ‘glaringly obvious’ that, ‘for the most part, fraternity men did not study much, dedicating themselves instead to extracurricular activities, camaraderie, athletics, and having fun.’”

The modern day Fraternity continues to be perceived in exactly this way and has been through decades of American pop culture. Fraternities however aren’t the only issue when it comes to why party culture is so prominent in modern college life. Sororities, which came about over a century later, were established as women began to take their place in collegiate life. This conveniently happened simultaneously with the end prohibition. It was a perfect storm.

Fraternities turned their gaze to the women in their classes and wanted to ensure they had the upper hand at getting these women's attention and admiration. These men began limiting their application intake as to the level of attractiveness in it’s members to ensure they would uphold their reputation in women’s favor, and they would host parties to invite these women to to mingle. Parties began to get wilder as the two groups mixed with drinks and a lenient sexual movement brewing which would hit about 20 years later in the 1960’s.

From this point on movies, print work, and advertisement all glorified this party life-style. I’ve seen it a million times and it’s never any different, even as far back as the 1932 musical film “Horse Feathers” about college hijinks which came out right as party culture came to fruition. 

College movies particularly famous for the inclusion of drinking at parties are such classics as “Animal House,” “Old School,” and the more recent “Superbad” that literally follows three boys on their journey to bring alcohol to a party to win over their lady loves. It’s seen as the easiest way to gain cool status, to avoid a beating from bullies, and to win over women’s hearts which all has built the modern party scene into what it is. As young as middle and high school, these movies have become the expectation for parties, that you can’t have fun without alcohol and promiscuity. 

The final thing to unpack is why it’s so acceptable to ostracize sober partygoers. LIFE writer Kelly Fitzgerald describes what it has been for her to go from being the drinker to being open about her sobriety in her article “I Used To Think Sober People Were Aliens.” Her original feelings about sober “aliens” expresses peoples discomfort with sober people perfectly. 

“Coming in contact with sober aliens perplexed me. I felt icky, disturbed, and shocked. It's because I didn't understand them and I didn't want to. Understanding them scared the shit out of me. I didn't want them looking at me and my drinking habits. I didn't want to hear about their amazing sober lives because chances are I would be jealous. I would make snide comments about them under my breath, criticizing their lifestyle, or choice of the moment, whichever it was. In college I would even obnoxiously ask why someone wasn't drinking,” wrote Fitzgerald. 

For many people who participate in party culture by going all in and drinking, it can be uncomfortable to see others having fun without going all in. As Fitzgerald expresses, it’s difficult, especially for an alcoholic who needs it to participate, to see a sober person as anyone other than someone on their high horse, who just won’t stop talking about it. 

I found that often, when people perceived that I “just wouldn’t stop talking” about my sobriety, they had asked me and all I was doing was giving a brief explanation of my choices. I never spoke longer than I felt necessary on it unless they asked me further, but I was always got labeled as that girl “on her high horse.”

There shouldn’t be any shame in being the sober one, and it’s becoming more culturally acceptable to be it. Movements like the StraightEdge movement, while it may be an incredible target for meme making and punch-lining, have large followings and are represented in a lot of environments where alcohol and other substances are present such as concerts and festivals. Some popular ones to become a part of are Truth, which is an anti-tobacco movement, and FEND, an anti-opiates movement which as of 2018 teamed up with Vans Warped Tour for their last tour.

The Men Who Spend Their Lives in the Sky

A look into the world of the traveling businessman from the perspective of a outside observer.

Photo by webintravel.com

By: Rachel Cooper

In 2017, passenger traffic at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport amounted to 103.9 million passengers boarding or exiting planes, making it the busiest airport in the world. Sitting in front of Gate D8 three weeks ago in the Atlanta Airport I could see it with my own eyes. In two hours, I watched hundreds of people stream by traveling from all over the world --families, elderly couples, college students, honeymooners, adventurers. I had been in the Atlanta airport before, but this time what stood out to me, just because of their sheer numbers, was a unique class of traveler, the businessman.

As soon as I walked into the airport and got in line at the general, regular people TSA security checkpoint, there they were cruising past me in the TSA pre-check line with an air of yes, I am better than you and I know it. I got through security and suddenly they multiplied, businessmen, men in their thirties to their fifties, faking prestige. They were wearing blue or white button down shirts, black slacks, khaki pants, or dark jeans, and the younger men sometimes pushed the dress code and wore collared shirts. Black, old school shoes that need to be shined are usually the traveling businessman shoe of choice, but brown or black loafers are acceptable. Almost always they were donning glasses and a fancy watch.

Before their flight, I found them puttering around the airport newsstand stores, flipping through local newspapers and business magazines. But they ended up eventually just buying a smart water. They then walked quickly to their gate holding a coffee. A coffee that was always hot, never iced, and always larger than a small and smaller than a large. They made it to the gate in time to board with the rest of their premium zone buddies and by buddies I mean the other traveling businessmen with whom they exchanged a nod of approval and maybe a short conversation about the weather or the destination they were headed toward or their business. Bulky gold bands on their ring finger showed that most traveling businessmen were married, but they tended to travel alone. Sometimes they ventured in packs like the seagulls from Finding Nemo, and the young travelers, likely newlyweds, sat at their gate looking down at their phones like their family would magically materialize from a picture or a phone call. They then proceeded to stare wistfully into the distance.

I fly about three times a year. Almost always it’s to and from home and college. I don’t think a lot about people for whom it’s their entire culture and way of being. It’s odd that they’re so at home in the airport. Seeing so many businessmen made me wonder about them and how it seemed that the airport actually belonged to them.

* * *

According to SAP Concur, a cloud-based provider of integrated travel and expense management solutions, the kind of business travel we know today didn’t take off until after World War II when there was surplus of aircrafts left over after the war. The Douglas DC-3 began flying people from New York to Los Angeles in the same day proving that commercial air travel was possible and profitable. Businesses realized that although flying was expensive, it was worth it to expand their markets.

In 1958, a global aerospace and defense tech company began selling the first business airplanes. By the 1960s, aviation had become the preferred mode of transportation for business in America. And according to the Global Business Travel Association, in 2016 alone, Americans took more than 500 million domestic business trips. And in 2017, according to the U.S. Travel Association, U.S. residents logged 462.0 million trips for business purposes.

Because of the frequency of their travel, an entire set of benefits accrues to them - including airline lounges, TSA pre-check, flight rewards, and first class seats.

Some businessmen take these advantages to the extreme. One business traveler I saw walked inside the Delta Sky Lounge wearing his sunglasses indoors, and when stopped at the entrance of the lounge to be cleared for entry, got visibly annoyed and spoke rudely to the poor young man whose job it was to check those walking through the cloudy glass doors. Even with all these things that make make air travel less stressful, clearly it still is very stressful for some people.

A study of health insurance claims among World Bank staff and consultants found that travelers had significantly higher claims than their non-traveling peers for all conditions considered, including chronic diseases such as asthma and back disorders. The highest increase in health related claims was for the stress-related disorders. A second World Bank study found that almost 75% of the staff reported high stress related to business travel. The benefits can only do so much to limit the disadvantages of constant travel.

When it was about the time that the screen over the gate desk said the plane was supposed begin the boarding process, the businessmen got a little antsy. They stood up and took off their sports jacket and draped it over the handle of their rolling carry on as the universal symbol to the flight staff that they were ready to go. They continued to stand, looking around as if coaxing the entire population of travelers at their gate to join them in protest that, God forbid, the plane was boarding four minutes later than the time on their ticket. Finally, the plane began to board and when first class and premium members were invited to board, it was like they thought that the plane was going to leave without them if they weren’t the first ones to make it to the desk to scan their ticket.

The rest of the flight boarded and as I walked through first class on the way to my economy seat in the back of the plane, I was the lucky recipient of condescending little looks as the traveling businessman got in a last minute business call, flipped through this week’s stock numbers in the New York Times, began their crossword puzzle from the local newspaper, or looked official writing something on their laptop until forced to put it away for takeoff. I finally pushed past the snobby glances, and I saw something out of the corner of my eye. No way. There was a little closet right behind first class for the businessmen to hang their sports jackets. They had their own closet on the plane but I couldn’t take my small suitcase onboard because there wasn’t enough room in the overhead compartment.

* * *

Two hours later, I landed at my destination. The pilot hadn’t even turned off the fasten seatbelt sign yet but best believe the businessmen were up and ready and pulling their carry ons out of the overhead bin. Must be the first off. Places to go and people to see. So, to the peasantry of the travel community like myself, I would suggest getting out of their way. They seemed to not even see me as they stormed through the airport holding their iPad inches from their face, yelling into Facetime.

As I thought about the people who the airport and the airlines were catering to, I realized that it was clearly the business travelers. It all revolved around them. But then, I thought, how long will business travel continue to exist? For all that the traveling business lifestyle and technology have done to alter air travel, I wondered if it was necessary to actually go somewhere to do business anymore?

Most of the businessmen I had already seen were walking around like their cell phones were glued to their ear and every call was of the utmost importance. The veterans of business travel had an earpiece so when they walked right behind me saying “I need the notes on that meeting in the next hour” I wondered what meeting I had missed and I had a brief second of panic wondering where I was supposed to get the notes. Some of them were even Facetiming and walking, holding the phone directly in front of their face. And several were wearing Beats over their head talking obnoxiously loud into them, unable to hear their own vocal volume through the soundproof headphones. According to Travel and Transport, there are ten things that every business traveler needs: a wireless device charger, an electronic device organizer, a baggage tracker, sleep aids, a wireless touchpad, a lightweight carry on, a pocket projector, a portable humidifier, multi-tool collar stays, and noise-cancelling headphones. But even as technology make teleworking possible in many industries, others still prefer the face-to-face meeting. According to the Global Business Travel Association, business travelers most often work for industries such as food processing and services, utilities, professional and business services, social and personal services, transportation services, government, wholesale trade, construction, or real estate. According to Forbes, 94% of American business leaders believe that travel experience directly leads to a competitive advantage in the workplace. Traveling for business teaches important business lessons like the ability to adapt, better communication, teamwork skills, cultural awareness, time management, networking, working with constraints, and leadership. All of which are put to the test in airline travel even if just in a conversation with fellow businessmen at the gate.

The overall makeup of the workforce who fly for business is also changing. According to the United States Department of Transportation, the typical business traveler is likely to be male, 20-49 years old, and have an income well above the population average. Even if they are mostly middle-aged men, according to Inc. Magazine, business traveling women and millennials are on the rise and changing the game. Although right now women make up about a fourth of business travelers, those numbers are expected to increase until women make up almost half of business travelers in the coming years.

These travelers have different expectations. Traveling business women tend to value information about what to do and what to expect in their destination cities more so than their male counterparts. This is partly due to the fact that women traveling alone face higher travel safety risks, and knowing more about where they are staying and the places where they are going at their destination, helps ensure safety. Millennial business travelers are changing the game as well by extending their trips to add leisure activities. Older men are moving out of positions of power and Forbes predicts that the new generation will make up more than 50% of business travelers by 2020.

Sounds like the businessmen I saw in the Atlanta airport will look a little bit different in the years to come. As the number of business travelers become women and millennials, some things will change. The next generation of younger travelers are more technology dependent and overall feel more entitled to certain things. I think we’ll see a rise in virtual communication with traveling businessmen and fancier lounges and bigger benefits instead of just faster lines at security. Women will change travel business by being more involved in the cities they visit, adding more to the local economies through dining and shopping. Business travel will continue to change with the times and I look forward to observing these changes during my future flight travels.

Are You Tone Deaf or Just a Bad Singer?

Turns out there’s a real difference between being tone deaf and not being a good singer. Who knew?

By: Rachel Cooper

I got a karaoke machine for my tenth birthday. And of course it came with every High School Musical sing-a-long track for movies one, two, and three. My birthday party that year was a girls’ slumber party with 15 of my closest screaming friends, all of them fans of Troy and Gabriella. I was singing into the microphone when suddenly my best friend called out “I’m glad you’re sporty. It really makes up for how bad your singing is.” I was humiliated. I blinked back tears.

From then on I told everyone that I was tone deaf. Elementary school music class when my classmates stared because I missed a note? “Oh, sorry. I’m tone deaf.” Bus ride sing-alongs on the way to tennis matches and soccer games? “I’m tone deaf. Good thing I’m athletic right?” I used tone deaf as an excuse for every badly sung tune. That was, until I was in my best friend’s FJ cruiser singing poorly when I used the same excuse. Then, I got a question I’d never heard before: Is tone deaf actually a condition?

I’d always assumed it just meant that I was bad at singing. It turns out, it’s a whole lot more complicated. So I set out to learn everything I could about tone deafness.

* * *

Tone deafness or using its technical term, amusia, is “the inability to recognize musical notes or to reproduce them.” It can be present at birth or acquired later in life from brain damage. According to an article published by Harvard Medical School in 2007, 1 in 20 people truly have amusia. Most people who claim tone deafness can discriminate between pitches and tell notes apart. But they lack talent or musical training or the ability to transfer what they hear to the pitch that they sing.

I wanted to see which one of these I was. So I took an online test through Musical U, an online website run by musicians dedicated to teaching people about music and helping them become more musical, that assessed my ability to hear differences between musical notes. The test would play two sounds and I had to determine if one sound was higher than the other, lower than the other, or the same pitch. The test examined basic pitch discrimination ability, not how well I can sing. I made a 36/36 on the tone deaf test showing that I can hear the differences in notes.

http://tonedeaftest.com/

In short, I am not tone deaf. I can hear differences in pitches and recognize the differences in musical notes. My ears work great I just cannot connect my voice to what I hear, and as I now know - tone deafness is primarily an ear issue, not a voice issue. The ears make up 80 percent of singing in tune, so if I could hear, why couldn’t I sing?

* * *

According to Musical U, vocal control is important in singing well, but it is only 20 percent of singing in tune. If I change the tone of my voice to be higher or lower, then I can control some of my pitch. And to find the right pitch when I’m singing, I practice hitting the notes right the first time instead of just singing until I hit a right note.

The experts at Musical U say to figure out what the right note is first. So I listened for it amongst the people I was singing with and heard it in my head when I was singing alone. But how do I train my ears to hear these right notes? There are several ways to train your ears.

First, you must understand pitch ear training. Pitch ear training is honing your sense of pitch or how high or low a note is. In order to do this, sing back a note you hear. Match your pitch with the song. I did this with a digital tuner app on my phone so I could know if I was singing too high or too low. And then practice, practice, practice!

Second, practice audiation, the imagining of music in your head. It’s the musical equivalent of visualization. Try to play your favorite song in your head. You may not remember every note, but the more you practice playing it in your head, the more clearly you will remember musical notes and pitches. Imagining music makes your brain remember a song and connect its notes with your voice when you sing. Audiation makes your brain aware of every pitch in a song and teaches your brain and ears what a song should sound like before you go to sing it.

Lastly, actively listen to songs and other people when they sing. Do not focus so much on the words to songs or how you think you sound. Listen to the pitches of others and the musical notes behind the lyrics.

I had no idea if the note coming out of my mouth was the right pitch, so I had to practice listening to the notes I was singing to see if I was hitting the right pitch. I listened to the note coming out of my mouth versus the note coming out of my roommate’s mouth to see if they were the same note. I also recorded myself singing and compared it to the song to see if my note was the same. I even attempted to blend my note that I was singing with the notes in the songs. My notes still aren’t right and the same as the notes in songs but at least now I can hear that my notes aren’t perfect.

* * *

I tried many of these tactics over a couple of weeks to improve my singing ability. It is definitely a process but I’m beginning to be able to hear when I do not hit the right notes when I’m singing. Unfortunately, I still can’t sing but I am working on, at the very least, being able to match pitches with what I hear. It’s getting better. My roommate (who is musically proficient and plays many instruments) told me today that my notes were much closer to the notes in a song.

After my research and taking the tone deafness tests and knowing what I now know, I don’t think I am going to be able to hide behind tone deafness anymore. I could not look my best friend in the face today and tell him that I am tone deaf now knowing that I am not. So I’ll tell him that I was wrong. I’m not tone deaf, I’m just a bad singer who is working on matching my notes to real notes in songs. I will just continue practicing active listening and pitch matching so that I won’t embarrass myself too much ever again. But honestly, I don’t really care if I’m not a great singer, and that’s okay too.

Wildlife Seen on Instagram is Still Wild

Wild animals in National Parks are just that, wild. Think before you try to take that same close up bear picture you saw on National Geographic’s Instagram.

By: Rachel Cooper

She just stood there staring at us. At Glacier National Park this past summer, my family and I walked a trail around Josephine Lake and Swiftcurrent Lake after having hiked up to Grinnell Glacier. We came around a bend in the narrow trail through the lakeside woods and suddenly my dad, who was leading the pack, just stopped. There standing in the middle of the path was a huge moose. She stared at us and then began walking toward us. While my mom and I scrambled backwards, my dad and my oldest cousin stood where they were, taking advantage of the opportunity to take close up pictures. My dad posted the picture on Facebook and it got more likes and comments than most of the other nature photos or the photos of our family that he posted from the trip.

What my dad discovered was what many people before him already have, that wild animals play really well on social media. It’s something that National Parks themselves have taken into account on their own social media feeds. Photos of wildlife just tend to earn more likes than people or physical natural features. On November 26, the official Instagram of Glacier National Park posted an incredible picture of the mountain Little Matterhorn covered in snow. The photo got 10.5k likes and 47 comments. Just a month earlier on October 24, the same official Glacier Instagram posted a photo of a bull moose swimming through the water and only his head and shoulders were visible. This photo got 16.1k likes and 156 comments. This is seen across national park social medias. Last December, National Geographic, the most popular account on Instagram, published an online article with photo slideshow, “Our 18 Most Popular Instagram Photos of 2017.” Of the 18 most popular Instagram photos on the National Geographic Instagram last year, 15 were of animals.

It’s not surprising that people like pictures of animals. They are often beautiful and fascinating. But what is odd is the way people portray them. I would argue that they’re portrayed as cute and cuddly instead of wild, fearsome, untamed, and worthy of being revered. And that changes people’s perceptions of these animals in real life too. When people see these animals in person, they start to react in the same ways they might to a stuffed animal and not to something wild. When I see a photo on my Instagram or Facebook feed of a close up photo of an animal, I wonder about the danger in taking it. This past summer I was in Rwanda, Africa on a safari in Akagera National Park. We stayed at a lodge that baboons had also taken as their home. A couple of my friends wandered into the brush behind the lodge to get a closer picture of the baboons and the next thing I know, they came sprinting out of the trees. The baboon that they were so sure was cute and photogenic, aggressively jumped out the brush bearing his teeth and scared the life out of them, but then thankfully ran off. They were thinking about their picture, not the wildness of the animal.

But this imagery of wildlife is problematic, blurring the boundary between what’s wild and what’s not. I love the outdoors and to me nature is something to stand back and be in awe of its wonder. I have been to eleven national parks and I still find myself breathless before the immensity of creation and the wildlife that call it home. Is cutesiness really the way to revere nature? Or does it make us feel like it’s another place we’ve domesticated? How does our view on wild animals, in part thanks to social media, change how we take photos of animals in national parks?

* * *

Visitation to national parks has risen as its social media presence has increased.

The red dot marks 2009, the year Facebook was created. The purple dot marks 2010, the year Instagram was created. The trend-line that shows a general trend of increasing number of visitors to national parks is shown going right between 2009 and 2010 when the National Park Service created their social medias. Just coincidence or is the trend increase related to growing social media presence by national parks?

There are a number of ways that wild animal photos make the wildlife seem domesticated. One is naming the animals. At Katmai National Park and Preserve, 480 Otis the bear is a local celebrity having won Katmai’s Fattest Bear Championship in both 2016 and 2017. According to an article in Backpacker, “each fall, rangers in Alaska's Katmai National Park pit the park's brown bears against each other in a March Madness-style bracket, monitoring the bruins as they gorge themselves on fish and pack on winter weight. Each week, the fattest bears (as determined by a vote) advance, until only one ultra-chubby champ remains.” 480 Otis is an 1,000 carnivore wild bear with sharp teeth and claws. But since he has a name and won a fat competition he no longer seems threatening or wild.

National park social medias also put cute little captions next to animal pictures, which make wild animals seem like they have friendly personalities. On October 24, the National Park Service Instagram posted a photo of an owl in the the Lake Mead National Recreation Area with the comment “I am Hoot” referencing the popular movie Guardians of the Galaxy and the character who always says “I am Groot”. So now every tourist wants to take an up close photo of animals like owls in the parks. But taking photos that close can be dangerous for people and wildlife.  

In 2015, a woman tried to take a selfie with her daughter 6 feet away from a bison at Yellowstone National Park and was attacked and thrown into air. The bison ran at her and caught her, ripping her clothes, as he threw her into the air with his head and horns. Lucky for her, she only had minor injuries. This past June a crowd of people at Yellowstone got within 10 yards of a bison and the animal got agitated and charged the group, goring a woman. She too thankfully only had minor injuries. People become so concerned with taking a great picture of an animal up close that they lose sight of the fact that animals often are not as docile as they appear in the still photographs they see on Instagram.

Mississippi woman tossed by bison in 2015 when her and her daughter tried to take a selfie with the bison.

For most wildlife, like moose, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, deer, and coyotes, visitors are to be at least 75 feet (25 yards/23 meters) away. For wolves, grizzly and black bears, visitors need to be at least 300 feet (100 yards/91.4 meters) away.

It’s clear that social media’s role in understanding how humans use the outdoors is expanding alongside its presence in our lives. While nobody should be trying to cozy up to a bison for a selfie, the integration of social media and the outdoors might yet have some silver linings. Some photos of animals in the parks are posted to inform tourists about these animals. The National Park Service posted a photo of cutthroat fish 3 days ago to inform people about Glacier’s catch and release policies.

* * *

While appreciation for wildlife is important, I started to wonder where the portrayal of animals as cartoonish characters come from.

In March of 2018, History.com published an article about the history of national parks and the rise of nature conservation. The story explains that this movement began with transcendentalism in the 19th-century with writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman who drew inspiration from nature and artists such as Thomas Cole, Asher Durand, and Albert Bierstadt who depicted the beauty of the American landscape.

Many Americans at this time believed in Manifest Destiny, or America’s moral mission to expand westward. Nature was something that was meant to be conquered and tamed. But as settlers and explorers traveled the West, they discovered awe-inspiring scenery in places such as California’s Yosemite Valley and along Wyoming’s Yellowstone River. Men like John Muir began to travel to these wonders and spread the news of a West soaked in natural beauty, Americans began to develop a sense of national pride in these wilderness areas. Prominent citizens advocated for the protection of such areas from commercial interest and development.

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln responded to pressure by conservationists and created the Yosemite Grant Act to protect land in the Yosemite Valley which set a precedent for national conservation. In 1872, Yellowstone was created as the first American national park. And in 1916, Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service. The mission of the agency was to “provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

But since then, what’s happened is that wilderness areas have become yet more spaces that are dominated by people. What used to be awe-inspiring because of its wilderness and its potential danger, has now become tame. Social media offers a way to show just how humans have taken over. It is encouraging people to do whatever it takes to get an incredible picture to share with the world and suddenly, leaving the parks (and the wildlife in them) “unimpaired for the enjoyed of future generations” is no longer the priority.  

“Much of social media is to provide the opportunity to connect to the park and the park resources if people cannot visit the park, as well as provide safety messaging to those who do visit” said a park ranger at the North Cascades National Park, Katy Hooper. This may be the intention but social media has larger impacts beyond safety messages and important information.

When tourists go into the parks and try to take photos of wildlife like they see on social media, they don’t realize that the professionals who take those photos take them carefully without disturbing the wildlife.

* * *

So here’s a glimpse at what actual wildlife photographers do.

Professional wildlife photographer Joye Ardyn Durham takes many of the photos for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and she walked me through how professionals take animal photos and what people should know about photographing wild animals.

For a camera, Durham uses either a Sony A7RIII or Nikon D750 with mostly telephoto lenses. And to get photos she keeps far enough away from the animals to keep them comfortable. “I don’t want to stress the animal at all. That is why I choose to use longer telephoto lenses and my camera has such high resolution that I am able to crop a bit if needed” said Durham.

Disclaimer: I took this photo in Glacier National Park from the path without disturbing the mountain goats.

The most important element in wildlife photography is patience.

“I will wait for them. I have taken photos of bears from the sunroof of my car which was great. The bears didn’t even know I was there and I was able to get some great shots.”

She also believes that social media photos of wildlife influences tourists trying to take close up animal pictures. “Putting a disclaimer on the photography might help, but really people need to be smarter about the dangers of wild animals” Durham said.

“I think some people do not have respect for the animal and when Instagram or Facebook sharing becomes more important than the animal I have a hard time with it.” said Durham. “I have seen some folks try to get a selfie with a wild bear, that to me is way over the boundary.”

 Her advice to tourists who want to take photos of wildlife in national parks is this:

“Use a longer lens so you don’t have to get close enough to be in danger. Safety needs to be the priority. Also focus on the eyes, the eyes is where the story is. I use a long lens with a tripod in order to get the sharpest photo I can. Be patient. Sometimes waiting and being still can be rewarded with a million dollar shot.”

It’s not just photographers like Durham who realize there is a problem with how visitors are attempting to photograph animals in the parks. Many national parks have created pledges or social media hashtags to promote safe pictures and conservation.

Yellowstone created the Yellowstone Pledge that they encouraged visitors to sign, and in doing so, visitors agree to help protect Yellowstone by following these guidelines: Practice safe selfies by never approaching animals to take a pictures. Stay on boardwalks in thermal areas. Protect hot springs by not throwing anything into them. Park in designated areas and avoid blocking traffic. Stay with your car if you are stuck in a wildlife jam. Follow speed limits and pull over to let cars pass. Travel safely in bear country by carrying bear spray, making noise, and hiking in groups. Keep food away from animals. Recycle what you can and put garbage in bear-proof containers. Tell a ranger, or call 911, if I see someone whose behavior might hurt them or the park.

Glacier created a hashtag #ProtectGlacier to encourage visitors to the park to be mindful about what they post on social media. Posting about conservation, leave no trace, and safety, helps spread and support the mission of the National Park Service. It functions off of these ideas: Encourage positive behavior. Avoid giving directions to areas off trail. Consider the impacts a location geotag might have on a sensitive environment before posting. Be mindful of what your images portray (don’t share illegal or unsafe behavior). Don’t be the person who posts a selfie while feeding wildlife. If park staff sees those kinds of posts you may receive a citation in the mail. Do not advertise commercial services. Commercial photographers, product ambassadors, and other marketers require permits.

Social media causes visitors to compete for the best animal photographs and for some people getting that incredible picture for Facebook or Instagram means crossing boundaries that should separate man and wild. People are so focused on getting an amazing video for their social media accounts that they miss what is right in front of them. Put your phone away and look around you. It happened even if you didn’t post it, I promise.

I have realized that the next time I go into nature, I need to appreciate what I see instead of spending so much time trying to get a perfect picture for my Instagram. It’s not worth missing out on what’s right in front of me, or even worse putting myself in danger, for a picture of a wild animal.

Can I train my Golden Retrievers to stop play fighting?

By: Lindsey D. Brown

I have an 8-month old female Golden Retriever named Gabby, and a 3-year old male Golden Retriever named Max. They love each other, but they also love to rough house. They will play around the house and knock things over in the process. They even go as far as to stand on their hind legs and play-fight. It drives my family crazy. It is really hard to spend time with them separately all of the time. Gabby seems to be the instigator in the play fights most of the time. She is an 8 month old puppy, so she is not matured entirely. However, despite the fact that Max is 3 years old, he becomes a puppy as soon as Gabby starts playing with him. Gabby even tries this play on my 8 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, named Marley. He is a smaller breed, and a bit of a drama king. He is not a fan of the play fighting, he will even go as far as to give a warning bark at Gabby. She just thinks he’s playing hard to get, so I have to separate them. Marley and Max used to have this same issue when Max was a pup. Max still gets excited and scares Marley at times, but they are best buds now.

So we have tried to get the dogs to stop play fighting all of the time, by scolding them. They will stop for a bit, but they go right back into fighting. We have tried to get them to sit, and stay, but their attention is short-lived once one of them decides to stop listening. Max went to doggie boot camp over the summer, so he has some training. He is also neutered, and Gabby is not yet. We are still toying with the idea of breeding her once. However, we have decided to go all out and get these dogs trained to stop. I have decided that even though I am going to be working with both dogs with the training, I am going to focus on Gabby mostly. Since, she is still a puppy and the instigator, it might be easier to break her of the rough housing now. I want to train them to stop doing this. I want them to be around each other, play nice, and even take naps together.
So in the past, we have used collars that beep to warn the dog to stop whatever they are doing. When they would start fighting, we would beep their collars. Sometimes, they would be so into their play fight, that the beep did not even phase them. We would then have to say their names loudly, and continue beeping their collars. When they did finally separate, it was only for a few minutes before they would start play fighting again.

The training methods I’ve decided to use are those of Cesar Millan. I am choosing to follow his methods because I like the way he trains dogs, and he is very successful in doing so. It is not just his success that drew me to his methods, it is the fact that he focuses on love, respect, and trust when working with dogs. I consider my dogs part of the family, and Milan has the same values. I also grew up watching his show, so I have always admired his teachings. These are all the reasons I chose to follow his teaching methods.  According to his website Cesar’s Way, “When dogs play too rough” by Ashley Bennett there are few different things dog owners can do to resolve the issue. One suggestion in the article mentions to neuter/spay your dog. As I mentioned before, Gabby is not spayed, but Max is neutered. This may be one of the big reasons they are still play fighting. They are family dogs, so I do not have control over this issue. Another suggestion in the article, is to discourage rough behavior. The article explains that it is important to behave in a gentle manner with your dog. Bennett also states that you should not play tug-of war with your dog. It encourages the dog to have dominance over the owner if they let the dog win. The other thing I will be trying with dogs, is to stop the behavior before it even starts.

So I have applied these changes when working with my dogs. I am being more gentle with them, and have eliminated any kind of dominance related situations. As soon as Gabby gets ready to pounce on Max, I scold her calmly, and tell her to sit. I do the same with Max. I will be working with both dogs for a couple hours, for three days in three weeks.

Week One: Short-lived Peace  

The first week I took Gabby out first, and got her settled with a toy on her bed. I told her to stay there, while I got Max out of his crate. Gabby followed me, and immediately started fighting with Max. I pulled them apart, and scolded them. I got them to lay in their beds for a few minutes, but the peace did not last long. They started fighting again. I kept them out for a couple hours while I did a few things around the house, and homework. They seemed to take advantage of the times when I was not paying attention, by fighting when I would leave the room. They made progress by the end of the week, because they stayed in their beds longer, and stopped using every opportunity when I wasn’t looking to fight. The key was to stay persistent in what I wanted the dogs to do. Before, I was too relaxed and the dogs seemed to pick up on that. They would watch me intently, and jump into action when I was not giving them my full attention. I was gentle, yet stern, and they responded really well to that.

Week Two: Playing Favorites

The second week started out really well. My mom started working with me this week, and it seemed to help, since the dogs see her as a pack leader. It seemed that they were both really responding to the training. The training that I was applying was keeping both dogs in their beds in the front of the living room. I asked the to sit, then lay down, and then I would tell them to stay, while I would walk away, but continue to keep them looking at me. Gabby would get up occasionally to come see me, and check in with me or my mom. Max would then get up and want attention too. I was able to keep them from fighting by having my mom give attention to Max, while I gave attention to Gabby.

This went well at first, but by the second day, they played favorites. If my mom was petting Max, Gabby wanted attention too, even if I was giving her attention. This started a little fight again, that I had to break up. So I decided to make them stay in their beds, if they wanted to get up, we would call them to us. If they got up from their beds without being asked, we would tell them no, and take them back. We would tell them to sit, lay down, and stay. It was hard to scold them for wanting to come see us, but we had to keep up with their training. This was a process at first, but they eventually got it.

Week Three: Wanting to Please

By the third week, I was able to keep the dogs from fighting almost entirely. They seemed to understand what we wanted them to do. After many times of taking them back to their beds, having them sit, lay down, and stay the weeks before taught them the rules. Persistence was key in this entire training setting. Golden Retrievers are known for being fast learners. They would lay in their beds in front of the television. We would direct them to their beds, go through the commands, and they would listen. If they were to get attention, they were to be called first. And they would get attention at the same time, so that they would not get jealous. We even kept them out during meals, and they laid in their beds like we told them to. They still play fight when they go outside together, but it is easier to separate them. Gabby wants to please, so she comes right to me when I call her away from Max. This came from her personality, Max is a bit more of a trouble-maker. I did nothing different with her than Max in order to get her to come to me.

Even though the training worked, and has kept the dogs from fighting. I still wanted to know what provokes them to do it in the first place. According to an article on Mother Nature Network called, “The science behind how dogs play” written by Lauren Moss, the play behavior that a dog shows, all has meanings. When a dog puts its hind end in the air means that they want to play, and it is not a sign of aggression. When a dog exposes its belly, or rolls over when play fighting, it means that the fight is a submissive one. The article also touched on the fact that male dogs will let the female dog win the fight even when they are stronger. I thought about Max and Gabby, and I realized that Max does let Gabby win the fights most of the time. While it is good to know what is behind the play fight behavior from my dogs, and that they are not being mean to each other; I still do not want them doing it. And it is not because I do not want my dogs to not have fun, or be dogs. They do not know when to stop, and they will fight until they are separated. That is why I chose to apply a training method for them. It was all or nothing with the play fighting, and I had to choose nothing so that there could be order in my household.

Links to Articles Referenced: https://www.cesarsway.com/dog-training/socialization/what-to-do-when-dogs-play-too-rough

https://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/science-behind-how-dogs-play

The Three Furries

By Luke Hillmer

Part 1: Akimoto Kumiko

It was 2013 and Akimoto “Aki” Kumiko was just starting Middle School. She had just come out as being transgender. She was bullied for being transgender, which was very hard on her. Outside of school she would think fondly of movies with anthropomorphic animals. Such as the original Disney Robin Hood and The Jungle book cartoons. One day when Aki was home from school, she got on YouTube, and saw a comic about anthropomorphic animals, it a was at this point where Aki was drawn into the furry fandom.

“I don't know,” says Aki, “I guess I just kind of subconsciously was drawn into the fandom and have since experienced both the highs and lows within it.”

Aki believes that everything has it’s pros and cons, and that the furry fandom is no different.

“I saw the rise of popularity for the fandom itself,” says Aki, “But the quality started taking a nose dive into a free fall. Like when I first joined it wasn't associated with pornography or weird sexual tendencies, but as the fandom grows it gets more and more associated with those things than it should have.”

Aki believes that the furry fandom currently has a split between a side that “likes it for the porn” and a side that “likes it because it’s cool”. She currently identifies as being on the non-porn side of the fandom. This hasn’t stopped her from getting bullied online, however.

“You know how preteens and early teens can be with this kind of thing,” said Aki, “Alienating a person or group of people because they like something different, or think a different way, or what have you. They would beat me up and jump and such, but my best friend made them turn tail and run.”

Although Aki isn’t personally a part of the sexual side of the furry community, she doesn’t have anything against those who are.

“It’s absolutely fine if you're into furries in that way,” says Aki. “I don’t believe it is bestiality, because it’s not directly a dog or any other animal. I feel like its fine, every fandom has its sexual side after all.”

Aki believes that the societal pressure has been lessoning ever since the distinction between the sexual and non-sexual sides of the furry fandom was made more clear to the public.

“It got better and has been getting better, ever since [the split],” says Aki. “Things became wholesome again.”

From personal experience, Aki says that the “likes it because it’s cool” side of the fanbase is warm and welcoming. Aki has spent the past five years enjoying fan animations in the furry community. In 2016, she found herself really enjoying the Disney film Zootopia.

“I was a huge fan, Disney nodded its hat towards us.” Aki said, “I thought it was a good movie with tons of references and an overall fun family Disney experience.”

If it weren’t for the internet though, Aki says that she never would have identified herself as a furry: a result of societal pressure and bullying. If it weren’t for this pressure, and this bullying, then Aki believes confidently that she would have found her calling to the furry fandom just as naturally as she did on the internet. Today, Aki is 18 years old, and proud to be a furry.

Part 2: Rocket

“Rocket” is the online username of a specific, anonymous individual, who has only recently stepped into the furry fandom.

“What got me into it was just kinda curiosity from another one of my friends who is a furry,” says Rocket. “He showed me art from it mostly, and I started to notice a lot of the art was really really well drawn so I just started looking more and more.”

Rocket currently searches through “e621” for furry art. “e621” is a social web application (furry and anthropomorphic image board) that allows users to upload, share, and tag images. It is based off of and inspired by a more popular, massive image sharing site called Danbooru.

“A lot of art on there can be pretty cringe worthy, not for the faint of heart.” says Rocket.

Rocket keeps his life as a furry as a complete secret. Despite being interested in furry art, his interest in such things are almost completely private, none of his friends know that he is currently interested in looking up images and comics of anthropomorphic animals and their adventures.

“I’m keeping it as much on the down low as I can,” says Rocket, “I think I’m technically in [a furry Discord server] but they don’t even know I’m a furry. They are furries and furry allies I just said I’m an ally. I wanna keep this a secret that no one knows because I feel it would be horrible if my friends found out I looked at furry art or had any interest in furries.” 

According to Rocket, furries are pretty despised around the internet and will get ridiculed hard. Rocket has often heard his own friends express extreme disdain furries. Here is an example of a conversation he has had, for the sake of anonymity the friend will be referred to as “X”:

Rocket: “What’s wrong with being a furry ? I consider myself one you know”

X: “So you admit it to me” “You disgust me” “Jk”

Rocket: “Nah I was just kidding” “I was hoping for a funny reaction”

X: “For real though they are a blight on societ and need to be purged”

Rocket: “I don’t think that”

X: “If they want to be treated like animals then treat them like animals and start putting them down when they misbehave.”

Rocket: “Damn dude calm”

X: “It’s true tho”

Rocket: “Nah that’s kinda fucked up”

Any time Rocket is around his friends, he plays it off like he has zero interest in the fandom. Normally, Rocket is very open and casual, but being a furry is something that he makes an exception for, he tries his hardest to keep it private.

“I'm normally open about everything and I mean everything,” says Rocket, “I have had long detailed conversations about my fetishes and stuff like that before didn’t feel awkward at all but this I want to keep hidden.”

Rocket believes that there is both a sexual and non-sexual side of the furry community, he sees himself on the non-sexual side of it but personally doesn’t have anything against the sexual side of it.

“I approve of it.” says Rocket,  “as long as it is legal and if another person is involved consensually, I say do whatever you want. That sexual half of it is just another fetish in my eyes.”

Currently, Rocket feels safe, considering he’s keeping his furry side hidden on the internet. That being said, he is concerned over the idea of his secret being revealed.  

“I feel if people did know I’d get a lot of social pressures and hate, but physically I think I’d be just fine.” Says Rocket.

Rocket’s future appears to be filled with looking at more furry art in secrecy, which inspires him to draw his own art. Here’s a drawing that Rocket drew of his Racoon fursona:

Part 3: Jet

Jet is a 24 year old man who has been in the furry community for 3 years. He’s had an interest in the community for probably five years. He’s not entirely certain what got him into it, but he knows that his first exposure to the community was through Team Fortress 2, or TF2. Jet used play on community TF2 servers and befriended people on Steam who he liked. Some of those people Jet befriended were furries.

To be more specific. Jet enjoyed playing on a prominent “micspam” server, meaning a server where people would play the game and take turns using custom software to play music over the in game mic system as, what Jet desrcribes, as a “sort of crowdsourced dj thing”. Jet remembers that his first real exposure to the furry community was from a player who used to post an in game spray message of an anthropomorphic furry character looking miffed with the text "Just because I'm a furry doesn't mean I like furry porn!" Jet says he still knows this user.

“He's a cool guy,” says Jet. “He lives in Washington, owns a house now. No longer a furry though.

According to Jet, this particular user later admitted in private that the spray message he was using in TF2 was in fact implying something that wasn't true - He did look at furry porn, lots and lots of it.

“One thing I want to make clear here is that the people in this fandom who say their interest does not stem from a sexual place is either lying to you or lying to themselves.” Says Jet.

Today, Jet wanders from server to server on Discord, looking for decent people to become friends with, and he insists that the vast majority of furries do, at the very least, have a sexual interest in anthropomorphic art.

“I've been hopping around furry discord servers and friend groups for the last 3 or so years,” says Jet, “and every single person who I've talked to that initially said they do not have a sexual interest in furries has later doubled back on that claim.”

According to Jet, there is a ton of denial in the fandom. Jet theorizes that a lot of it is just some attempt at image control, people denying their own perversions publically. Throughout his time in the fandom, Jet has received many unsolicited dick pics, what he can only describe as “animal dildo pics”, as well as all sorts of unsolicited pornography.

“I don't know why but it seems like most people on here are decent people but like you spend a few hours chatting them up and bam porn.” Says Jet

To clarify, Jet is a member of the more sexual side of the furry fanbase. He personally enjoys some weird kinks and fetishes, and he has several hundred NSFW pages on e621.net favorited.

“I don't think that that side of the fandom is necessarily harmful on its own,” says Jet, “however I believe that side of the fandom can get out of hand very very easily. Also I would just appreciate if they kept the weird stuff to themselves like 90% of the time.”

Listing off some of the examples of “weird stuff” that Jet has witnessed yields some rather disturbing results. Jet describes a particular disturbing encounter with a user who had a dragon fursona,

“He tells me all about how he wants me to kill him and eat him,” says Jet “And then he starts talking about how nice it is to disembowel people. Like I never indicated that I wanted to hear about that kind of stuff, and for the record gore and vore are absolutely not my thing.”

According to Jet, this dragon user also heavily implied that he wanted to “do things with animal carcasses”, implying necrophilic activities. Jet expressed an incredible disgust towards this, especially considering the possible exposure of this sort of behavior to younger furries.

“It just happens like every day I talk to someone new,” says Jet. “There is an extreme end to all of this, and all of it is completely unfiltered. The part where I believe it gets harmful is due to the exposure that young people have to this sort of stuff. I believe that is a serious problem.”

In addition to witnessing cases necrophilia, Jet has also witnessed older furries praying on younger furries in the sexual portion of the community.

“I had been on several discord servers with hardcore fetish art channels that had zero age restriction, and no age restriction on the server itself either,” Jet says. “I know for a fact a couple of people on that server were 12.”

Jet is confident that a considerable fraction of the furry community includes older furries that are trying to take advantage of younger furries.  However, Jet has personally witnessed widescale implementation of age restriction rules on erotic role playing, or ERP. But even if this is the case, it doesn’t stop older users from engaging in erotic roleplaying with younger furries via direct messaging. The issue goes even deeper when younger furries pretend to be older for the sake of trying to engage in ERP with older users, Jet almost had an experience with that.

“One of them, who I thought was a friend of mine, revealed to me he was a 16 year old masquerading as a 19 year old after about six months of me knowing him,” says Jet. “Thankfully I had not done any erotic anything with him, though he did show me porn he commissioned of his fursona.”

This 16 year old furry also informed Jet that there were many older people who engage in ERP with him despite knowing his real age. This would not be the last time that Jet would meet someone like this too.

“The first person who ever solicited me for anything sexual was a sixteen year old who completely disregarded the fact that I was 21 and he was 16,” says Jet. “Also, my first ‘boyfriend’ was somebody who was three years older than me, and later revealed to me that he, prior to meeting me, had been engaging in activity with that person.”

Across over 14 different servers over the past three years, Jet has personally witnessed dozens of smaller examples of minors and older men being engaged in relationships. He’s usually reacted to this behavior with disgust, and just tried his best to ignore it. That is, until Jet ran across a particular server that had been running an extremely hardcore fetish roleplay server with channels named things like "Slave Auction" and "Execution Block". It’s probably worth mentioning that this particular server was run by furry claiming to be 17 year old.

“I have been banned from 2 separate servers because I was expressing disgust for some of the things I've seen to the administrators (of said servers),” says Jet. “Maybe I wasn't being tactful enough I suppose. There is this whole culture in the fandom where if you find something disgusting you keep it to yourself”

One of the servers that Jet was banned from had a public ERP channel with no age restriction with an ongoing bdsm, sex trafficking roleplay, and rape roleplay. Jet personally witnessed two minors engaging in such rooms. As a result of witnessing this borderline criminal behavior within the furry fandom, Jet’s attachment to the fandom seems to be straining.

“Part of me would love to just detach and leave it all behind, and maybe one day I will,” says Jet. 

Despite this, Jet still seems to believe in a good side of the fandom,

“I have known some genuinely good people in the fandom who are just kind of into weird kinks but are not morally bankrupt, these people have been good friends of mine.” Says Jet.

This is why it’s important to remember the ultimate motivations behind Jet, he’s a guy who’s ultimately jumping around on Discord, going from server to server, looking for good people to befriend.

“I never join for long anymore,” says Jet. “I hop in, see if there's anyone I might have some interest in making friends with by scrolling through the intros panel and looking for anyone who is over 20 and has anything remotely interesting in their bio, and then bail after a few days”

This being said, Jet doesn’t have many friends over Discord, he only has twenty four, and one of those is his alt account. This is most likely due to the fact that Jet only adds people who are over 20 as friends, and most of the people he comes across on Furry Discord channels are younger than that.

Jet is currently not planning on going anywhere in particular. He definitely won't ever get involved with any single community or server again, unless he happens to find some “magical place” where people are all adults but don't want to just talk about sex constantly. In real life, Jet will continue to keep his furry life private.

“I'll certainly try to maintain contact with the decent friends I have made on here,” says Jet, “and I might even go as far as to make a road trip out to visit them some time for entirely non-sexual reasons, just to meet up. I've got some friends on my friends list who are furries but also decent people and that's likely as far as I'm ever going to go again.”

Getting involved in the furry community has been a drastically life altering event for Jet, in the end he admits that he thinks that he would have been better off if he never got involved at all.  He acknowledges that the furry fandom has probably done some people good, but he considers what it did to him to be a whole lot of bad.

“But it's hard to determine what the best course of action to take is when you're lonely and depressed. ” says Jet, “When you've spent three years of your life buried in this stuff it's kinda hard to just drop it and it becomes difficult to relate to people who haven't seen the sort of stuff I've seen.”

What I Learned From Working On my College Newspaper

by Luke Hillmer

I was recently assigned to write my first story for the student newspaper, about the air conditioning systems on campus. My first few steps were to send out some quick emails to administrators and conduct a quick informal poll of about one hundred students to see how theirs were functioning. And then I waited. No one responded. I had to break the bad news to me editor. I had nothing.

After getting an extension, I sprang into action with a confident tone and a handy dandy smartphone I conducted, I went to the Dean of housing and recorded a perfectly decent interview and a lead to a new source. I also ran around on campus to get all the answers I needed from students, the ones I didn’t get while taking the lazy route, running the poll. I quickly learned that with enough courage and confidence, I could get more information in a single afternoon than I could in a full week of being shy.

I’d often heard my professor talk about the importance of shoe-leather reporting. But I finally understood what she’d meant all that time. I was emboldened by that experience to start taking a different approach in other aspects of my life, including on future stories. I’d spent too much of my life being passive and waiting for things to happen. I wanted to be bolder.

Sixteen Days Later

It was the month of October. I had already completed the story about the air conditioning, but it was admittedly mediocre. I vowed to do better next time. I even took an extra step. I emailed and called a few contacts I know from the student government, people I’d met last semester, so they could give me the scoop on some things that were going on around campus in the near future. I figured I could use that information to write a story. But I’d gotten so caught up in my self-improvement that I made a critical mistake. I missed an email from my editor at the newspaper, as well as my professor reminding me of a news story that was supposed to be due that week. I’d completely forgotten about it. I explained the situation to my editors and they generously gave me an extension, saying that if I could get a story written in a few days, then everything would be squared away. I immediately, without hesitation, got started working on the story. The story that I chose to write about was a news story based on some interesting statistics released in the most recent college annual security report. For example, the campus has had a steady incline of reported rapes on campus over the past three years, and there are a couple ways to interpret that statistic: are more rapes occurring on campus or have recent changes in society empowered victims to speak up? The second statistic that was interesting was that of the 16 incidents that occurred on campus last year, and 15 of them occurred in dormitories. From a student perspective, I wondered “What can be done to keep this from happening in dorms?” My goal was to find someone who could help interpret the statistics. I talked to some students as well as the campus police.

The latter was a particularly interesting interview.

It was an hour long interview that ended up giving me far more information than I was probably capable of using. It felt easier this time to settle into a conversation with someone who was in a position of authority. I got home and I immediately emailed the head coordinator of the Title IX initiative here on campus. I’d say I was becoming braver. Learning to network with people and become braver and more immediate when it comes to contacting people has drastically improved my abilities to complete this assignment.

But emotionally I have to admit it was strenuous. At time it felt like an adventure because I was going around and finding information, and it was all so fast and productive. Other times I found myself feeling just completely alone with my own stress. It wasn’t in my personality to be that much of a go-getter. It’s  like I forgot how to properly coordinate myself after going through the stress, and I quickly just reverted back to working, almost just completely out of fear, fear of not being productive enough, fear of letting down the people who I interviewed, fear of embarrassing myself in front of my friends.

To add to that, the emotional labor required for this effort affected other areas of my life. While it was beneficial to me in some ways, it was possibly detrimental to my other courses: I do not believe I performed particularly well on any exam I have taken this week as a result of this extra work I put upon myself. It had a negative impact on my social life as well, I didn’t speak to any of my friends at all that week, I spent all my free time conducting interviews and piecing together the story. My sleep schedule wasn’t doing so well either, I stayed up entire nights listening to recordings of interviews, trying to make sure I word things absolutely perfectly. I was just absolutely exhausted.

A Week Later

It turned out that my final source for my story wasn’t getting back to me as soon as I hoped. This was another important lesson. While I could have definitely put in more effort, and been a bit more proactive, accidents and setbacks are always to be expected. That was something I quickly learned: when it comes to Journalism, there is always a chance that something outside of your immediate control can go wrong. I could have done everything humanly possible to make a story good but at the end of the day, a lot of it depended on my sources. Despite how rough it was, I definitely learned useful lessons. I knew how to ask the right questions, I knew how to ask questions that would give me useable answers, and I knew who to contact and when to contact them.

Two Months Later

It was around December, about final exams week. Everything turned out fine thanks to my intense attitude towards working on everything. There were definitely short term issues regarding grades in my other classes but I managed to just barely catch up to bring things up to a passing grade for each class. Last week I looked back on those earlier months and I felt sick to my stomach with stress. That being said, knowing that I was able to eventually conquer those hardships eventually inspired me to perform well on my Final Exams. I suppose it was at this point where I really realized how applicable my lesson was to other parts of life.

If you really put your mind to it, you can accomplish far more than you would ever even imagine you’d ever be capable of. Moments like that can be very magical, but it takes putting in effort. Don’t put things off, do what you need to do as soon as you can. Trying is all it takes, and then it’s determination that keeps you going, that and a whole lotta coffee. Another thing that helped was probably the monster sized box of Apple Jacks I started keeping in my car, the Apple Jacks probably didn’t help that much but I managed to convince myself that they did. Little things pieces of inspiration like that can actually go a long way. I’m sure that throughout the course of things that I wrote in the past that my situation seemed pretty hopeless but in the end everything turned out okay, and I was able to stroll into my final exams just fine. I suppose if there’s a point to everything I’ve talked about it’s that… sometimes life can seem tough, but it’s through those tough times that we can learn how to do more than we could ever imagine in very short bursts of time.

In the end, I suppose that everyone has to go through a time in their life where everything seems kind of hopeless, and I was probably lucky to have my situation end well. I still hope that if anyone reads this that they get inspired to not give up and keep reaching for that goal.

How WWE Smackdown’s 1000th Episode Exposed WWE

By Luke Hillmer

This wasn’t my first time at a WWE event, so I pretty much knew what to expect from the people around me. There was the casual fan in front of me, who came to the event alone, sat excitedly and cheered for everyone he could. There was the kid behind me who screamed in delight whenever he saw a wrestler in a mask. Then there were the two guys sitting behind me to the right, the smart fans, or “smart marks” as they’re professionally called in the wrestling business, who throughout the show would cynically pick apart every move and make inside jokes about the lives and controversies of the older wrestlers. Finally, perhaps the most interesting person was the fancy dressed guy sitting way up front with his laptop, who would casually read up on basketball news throughout the more boring moments of the event, I will hence refer to this man as “basketball guy.” 

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the WWE, “WWE” stands for “World Wrestling Entertainment”. Formerly known as the WWF, it’s a sports entertainment company that specializes in pro-wrestling. Pro-wrestling is essentially to martial arts what the rehearsed battles at the Medieval Times restaurant are to actual medieval sparring. Wrestlers, or “Superstars” as the WWE brands them, are essentially characters who perform dangerous stunts that try to convey violence as convincingly as possible without actually hurting one another. These performers are separated into two categories: “Babyfaces” and “Heels”. “Babyfaces” or “Faces” for short are characters whose goals are to get the crowd to cheer for them, think of guys like Randy Savage, Dwayne Johnson, and John Cena. “Heels” are the exact opposite, their job is to get the crowd to boo and hate them as much as possible, so that inversely the crowd wants to root for the “face”. The false reality that these Wrestlers try to create for the viewer is called “Kayfabe”, which is pretty similar to the “Fourth Wall” of a TV show or film. Today some Wrestlers, such as Kevin Owens, have even used social media as a method of maintaining this kayfabe. Today’s wrestling fans have the ability to communicate with these performers like never before. From what I’ve observed, this has led to a far more intimate viewing experience than ever before. The crowds at WWE events are the realest thing about each show, because the fans say whatever they want to say: their emotions and responses are legitimate. The audience’s connection to the individual performers, and their desire to see their heroes succeed is part of what makes pro wrestling so engaging to watch, whether it’s a WWE show, or a show from lesser known companies like New Japan Pro Wrestling, Lucha Underground, or Ring of Honor.

At the Oct. 6 Smackdown Live show I was at the Capital Center in Washington DC, the smart marks were perhaps the most vocal, not just because they got to see the now famous Hollywood actor Dave Bautista, who I reckon most people would recognize for his role as Drax in the Guardians of The Galaxy films, but because they were opposed to a particular event WWE was holding called “Crown Jewel.” It was a Saudi Arabia event, and it was constantly being promoted. The Washington DC crowd was not having it. I heard the crowd respond to each of these promos with either bitter silence, or powerful booing, and I knew that this was undoubtedly in response to the fact that a Washington Post journalist had recently been found dead in the country of Saudi Arabia.

They were easily the ones who were the most disgusted by Crown Jewel ads, making weird scoffing noises that I didn’t think were actually humanly possible to make, then booing at the top of their lungs. It seemed that they both had different reasons for disgust though, one of them was simply upset by the fact that the WWE was holding an event in Saudi Arabia given recent news, I distinctly remember him saying “Jesus Christ! Such poor taste, don’t even bring that shit up here!” the other one had a more complicated reason for being upset, relating to former wrestler Shawn Michaels, after 8 years of in ring absence, returning to in ring competition in a country outside of America, “Way to ruin Michaels’ retirement storyline he had with Taker all those years ago… just shameful.”

WWE’s image has changed drastically over the past four decades. In the 80’s it great success as a family oriented show, spawning icons such as Hulk Hogan who would tell kids to eat their vitamins every morning. In the later portion of the 1990’s WWE began marketing it’s content as being more mature, in what they have since branded as the “The Attitude Era”. This turn in marketing done out of an attempt to compete with their biggest competitor at the time, WCW or “World Championship Wrestling”, which had since grabbed many of the icons that had made WWE big in the past, such as Hulk Hogan. This “Attitude Era” of WWE was the peak period of success among WWE’s mainstream audience. When people look back on this period of WWE they recall beer drinking, “mudhole stomping” characters like Stone Cold Steve Austin. WWE tried to ride this sort of attitude into the early 2000’s, only to eventually change their show to more family friendly content in 2008 when the show changed it’s ratings to PG. Then, in the 2010’s WWE has since attempted to become a progressive, family oriented program for people of all ages. The female wrestlers in WWE today are given more focus and more respect than they ever have before in the company, or possibly in the wrestling industry as a whole. The storylines in WWE have also become far more traditional, and far less gritty.

Multiple studies have shown that even today, most of WWE’s viewer base is still composed of people from ages 18 and older, despite its attempts to become more family oriented. This is why these “Smart Marks” exist, they watch the show in spite of what it’s become out of respect for the talented performers, and not out of respect for the poorly oiled company that governs said performers.

 There are many reasons why WWE as a corporation has received this harsh criticism from its fans. An example is how WWE has changed the way wrestlers are allowed to conduct in ring promos In the mid 2000’s onward, WWE became far more concerned about what kind of content they show on their live programming, so they began using script writers to write incredibly generic promos for their wrestlers. A common criticism of this, is that experienced WWE fans can tell when a promo sounds like it came from a script writer as opposed to a wrestler: because in their minds they compare it to promos of the past. Promos used to be an art in WWE, they used to have character to them, they used to come from the wrestlers themselves: the wrestlers were ultimately the ones who would drive the stories, and that was just part of the performance. Wrestlers like Dwayne Johnson in the late 90’s were able to read their audiences and play with them, it brought the levels of interactivity to a level that felt like it wasn’t simply just covering bullet points.

WWE is the Walmart of its industry, it’s not the most respected organization of its type by any means, but people will always go to it, because it’s the most easily accessible. Today WWE Monday Night RAW is the longest running weekly episodic television show in history, and WWE Smackdown is the second longest running weekly television show in history. WWE’s accessibility and sheer dominance as a brand is what has kept it floating for so long, it no longer has to worry about appealing to a core viewer base, it only has to worry about expanding its audience to more places on Earth. Many American fans have jumped ship to shows like Ring of Honor and New Japan, and that movement is slowly becoming more mainstream, but it’s not quite there yet.

Even on my college campus I’ve observed many people wearing Bullet Club shirts from New Japan Pro Wrestling. Bullet Club shirts are also, to my knowledge, sold at every Hot Topic store in the US. Pro Wrestling is evolving, and expanding. Crown Jewel may, in retrospect, be remembered as one of the biggest flops that WWE’s corporate management has made in a long time. I was not surprised when it made international news.

One of the biggest returns of the night was the return of the legendary WWE wrestler, The Undertaker. Fans exploded in excitement during his entrance, as The Undertaker is an aging legend who few modern fans will have a chance to see live. Undertaker walked to the ring, was handed a microphone, looked into the camera and said “At WWE Crown Jewel, I have three words for D-Generation X: Rest In Peace,” and after this single sentence, The Undertaker left the arena. Upon the utterance of the words “Crown Jewel”, a sea of cheers quickly turned into a sea of boos. I was surprised to hear this, because never in the seven years that I’ve watched WWE have I ever seen Undertaker get booed. Undertaker is one of wrestling’s most respected and beloved individuals, and it’s his job to promote whatever event that the WWE pays him to. The crowd, upon the simple utterance of two words, ruthlessly turned on him. It didn’t help that the Undertaker’s appearance was short lived either, as I later heard a rather loud southern gentleman profanely curse out the segment when I used the restroom.  It seems like WWE could lose tens of million dollars if they cancel the Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. There’s been speculation of whether or not the event will simply be moved to another place but WWE has not confirmed anything as of yet. Hell, from what I just read in recent online news, it sounds like Hulk Hogan may make an appearance there too. This event cannot get any more controversial. Today’s WWE crowd is global, since 2015 a huge chunk of their viewer base has been reported to come from the countries of India and Mexico. It likewise has to appeal to these audiences. From what I can tell, this is just another instance of WWE making a dumb corporate decision, but I don’t think it will really hurt their business as a company much.

When you look at the crowds that WWE shows gathered in the 80’s and 90’s, it’s incredibly apparent that the crowds aren’t like how they are today. Today’s WWE fans are like fans of any other TV programming. Many WWE fans are, not to sound condescending, quite nerdy. WWE as a company has a broad history, like a comic book company it has a legion of heroes and villains that stem across different decades. There are wrestling fans today who are younger than me who can probably give you a detailed analysis of why Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat’s 1989 feud and matches are considered masterpieces. Old WWE feuds are like old comic books in that sense. And sure, a lot of WWE fans act like they completely understand the wrestling business even though they’ve never been a part of it, but that doesn’t make them bad people. It’s kind of like how every time a new Marvel movie gets released there’s a million articles written analyzing every last detail of them. Marvel movies aren’t really that complicated, they’re actually very simplistic, but the fans care and find investment in them, fans go into Marvel films wanting to have a good time, and when they do have a good time they analyze the films for years afterwards. Wrestling storylines likewise usually aren’t the most complicated things in the world, but when wrestling is good, it feels like there’s so much more to it. Pro Wrestling has its own little world to it, and the legacy of that world may just be in the hands of the WWE. The success or failure of WWE may ultimately determine the fate of pro wrestling as an industry. The voice of WWE’s crowds are a voice of truth, and whenever WWE chooses to ignore that truth, it also ignores the voices of the only people who really care.

A Professional Instagram Account vs. Your Own

By Christine Mears

I first created a social media account on Facebook. I thought it was a great way to stay in touch with family and friends. I would post about 1-3 times a week, mainly photos or status updates on my life. However, I would interact with other posts more than I would post myself.

I then got Twitter, and saw there was a variety of content to choose from, and it was very entertaining to scroll through my news feeds. When I got these accounts, I made sure I never shared my personal information or political opinions on controversy topics, as my parents taught me to use the internet responsibly when I was in high school. It is fairly common for people to troll you through a computer. I did not really care about the reactions I got to my personal content (whether someone liked, retweeted, or favorite my statuses or tweets). It wasn’t until I got Instagram, that I became a little bit more serious about what I was posting, by using popular filters and making sure my content was artsy.

My social media use started to feel more “professional” when I began my own blogging. I was using hashtags, and tagging clothing companies to share my outfit of the day, helping to extend my reach out to a wider audience. I also took editing of my photos more seriously, rather than just using an Instagram filter, I began using an app called “Priime” that offers hundreds of presets. My Instagram began to look and feel more professional because I was creating a certain aesthetic, and focusing on the content rather than posting just because it was nice photo.

Now, not only do I run my personal Instagram and blog, along with my other social media accounts, I also run the University of Mary Washington Cheerleading Instagram and I am also an intern for University Relations. As such I run UMW’s Instagram and Snapchat. 

Along the way, I’ve learned a lot about how to strategically think about using social media. Obviously, what works differs across platforms and depends on what I’m trying to promote. But I have gathered some universals on what people generally would like to see, based on what the page is promoting. It’s not as simple as capturing and posting a photo. Quite a lot more that goes into posting on different social media accounts.

My Personal Instagram

I have some general rules for the posts I make; I never edit my photos unless I have red-eyes, or a blemish, which are the two things I am a bit self-conscious about when taking a photo. Other than that, I like to keep my posts as natural as possible. I never use a filter at 100%, but rather adjust it to about 40% - 60% of the filter being used. This leaves the photo still natural looking. I do not do any of editing within the Instagram either. I have several applications that I use for my Instagram dedicated in one spot. I do not use applications for any other social media.

I am currently in the process of changing my aesthetic back to a bright look (specifically whites, pinks, and blues), as it fits more with my personality. For me, it is fairly difficult to keep my aesthetic bright during fall and winter months because the colors are darker in general. This photo that I recently posted on Instagram, from my “darker/autumn” aesthetic period, is a photo of my friend and I at a Downtown Bar. Below is the original photo (left) for comparison to the one I posted (right). As you can see, no changes have been made to the public, but the photo has been cropped to square, and the image has been significantly brightened (due to it being such a dark area). 

If you were to search my personal account, you would find that it is public, has over 1,800 followers, story highlights that help show off my sense of fashion and lifestyle and a feed that contains pictures of me, my friends, family, and attractions. Out of all of my followers, I only know a little over half of them. The rest are followers who probably follow because of a hashtag I use, or being attracted to my blog. No one can see my analytics, and I focus on how well I am doing based off the number of reaches I get per week. My reach (refers to the total number of unique accounts that have seen your post) is always around 1,000, and my impressions (measures the total number of times users see your post) are around 2,500. I also have a follower base that is a majority of women (62%). This is fairly good analytics for the kind of blog I have; and although I would love for it to improve, I am not entirely worried about it growing. I take this Instagram fairly seriously, but it is more of a hobby for me, rather than a job.

The UMW Cheerleading Instagram

About three years ago, I started the UMW Cheerleading Instagram. My captains reached out asking if I would be interested in creating and starting an Instagram account for our team, and ran it my sophomore year. When new captains came into position for my junior year, I only posted a couple times, as they enjoyed posting material themselves, but I resumed control of the feed this year. This account has the fewest of followers of my three Instagram accounts, with a little more than 300 followers. Most of the followers are current or past cheerleaders, UMW sports teams and clubs, and other university cheerleading pages.

The analytics for the cheer Instagram is lower than my personal Instagram because it has fewer followers. The accounts interactions is around 94, and the reach is around 230. Most of the page’s followers range between the age of eighteen and twenty-four, and 79% of the followers are women. 

The UMW cheer Instagram does not really have an aesthetic. For this Instagram, I mainly focus on the hashtags. For example, once a week I post about one of the cheerleaders, and use the hashtag “#cheerleaderoftheweek”. I try to post at least two to three times a week on that Instagram, so I do not worry as much about keeping a decent aesthetic. Most of the posts generally are either of stunting or tumbling, game day announcements, or cheerleader shout-outs. These posts are to show the skills of the UMW cheer team, as most of the school does not know what we do, and some do not even realize that there is a cheer team on campus. This Instagram is to help our name grow through campus.     

The University of Mary Washington’s Instagram

When I was first offered a position as an intern with University Relations, my main task was to get footage that was suitable for the Instagram and Snapchat stories, and would post for them from time to time (my boss usually posted, until I became comfortable to post). Being a student it’s easier to make time to go to events, or get everyday photos on campus. Once my boss left the university, they asked if I would be interested in continuing posting on the stories, and also post on the Instagram feed as well. 

Since being asked, I have made five posts. The first was about the Men’s Soccer CAC championship. I used a photo from a student photographer, and it gained a lot of attention. The other four posts have been taken on my iPhone Xs, and have also attracted a decent amount of attention. For editing, I do not do anything except pick a filter that helps keep to the theme of the feed. Most of the work that is put into these posts is getting the actual footage rather than the editing.  I tend to critique myself a little bit more harshly than with my other accounts as the follower base is much larger, and I have supervisors watching what I post. 

The UMW Instagram has over 7,000 followers. It reaches over 3,000 people weekly, and leaves more than 17,000 impressions per week. The followers generally are people between the ages of 18 and 34. The follower base is 76% women and 24% men. Unlike my personal Instagram, the aesthetic of the UMW Instagram is mainly different shades of blues and greens, and I have stuck to this aesthetic for the most part. This is a fairly easy aesthetic to stick with since those colors are two of the most popular colors seen in scenery. I feel as though this was an intentional aesthetic as it the colors that are seen throughout campus, and the colors of our school.

When capturing photos for the university, it tends to be easier to get campus shots rather than student shots. The main reason for this is that I must be sure students are dressed appropriately, acting appropriately, and shows diversity within the post. For a campus shot, I just make sure that there are no people walking in front or out of the building. When getting student shots, it is also harder for me as the students sometimes find it hard to believe that I am actually the person behind the Instagram account for UMW. It was a little nerve wracking in the beginning, as I had to go up to strangers a lot to ask to take their pictures (which can easily come off a bit creepy, until I explain why). However, I have gained quite a bit of confidence from this internship, as I am very comfortable asking people for photos, and knowing what is right to post.

I always make sure that the posts I make are friendly for all audiences. For example, showcasing diversity and inclusiveness and writing friendly captions. Although this job is the most exciting I’ve had in my career, it can be difficult for someone who tends to be a perfectionist in the social media aspect. 

Social Media in Society

Professor Zach Whalen, director of the Digital Studies program at UMW, and I discussed how social media is always changing, whether it is the aesthetic of someone’s feed or the actual application itself. What I mean by that, is that social media is becoming a more picture-perfect rather than posting something just to share it with your follower base. Furthermore, the applications for social media are always changing; improving and adding new features. We discussed the advertisement methods that are shown on the University’s Instagram, such as how we post picture-perfect shots on the feed, and everyday photos on the Instagram stories. Professor Whalen said he prefers to follow brands on Instagram, rather than Facebook, because the advertisements and visuals are better in comparison to Facebook.

We discussed one issue that constantly comes up in discussions about the UMW feed, which is the diversity issue. Many students have stated in the past that the university falsely advertises that the university is diverse. They school does want to appear diverse, but it’s not for purely marketing reasons. It’s also to make all students on campus feel included when posts are made. Professor Whalen made a point that people would be equally upset if only one race or gender were the focus, or if it were always the same group of students in the pictures. Although this may come across as false advertising, it is one of the only ways for the students to feel included.

            Over time, social media will change again, and there will either be a new application that is even better than what we have now, or there will be significant updates to the existing ones. Anyone working in this field has to be adaptable to changes, and ready to take action when these changes occur. I have gained a lot of confidence through social media marketing, and am more comfortable obtaining footage for the Instagram accounts I run. I also have become more careful with what I post as well, trying to please all audiences. This kind of job can be fairly stressful, as one has to think about a lot when making a post, however, it is a job that I love to do and would like to continue as a career post graduation.

Downtown Culpeper vs. Downtown Fredericksburg

By Christine Mears

My father and I traveled to Downtown Culpeper to explore the area. The first boutique my dad and I entered was called “Harriet’s General”, a very hipster-like store that sells items such as bohemian jewelry, candles, soaps, lotions, cacti, Frye and Lucchese boots, fashionable clothing, posters, and fun stationary and greeting cards. My dad, who is not one for shopping, really enjoyed the vintage posters and similar items they were selling. The store associate was really friendly, and talked to us for a bit about the store, but did not push us to buy anything which is something I really appreciated as a customer. One interesting thing she told us is that everything in the store is made in America, which is pretty rare to now a-days because so many products are imported. I actually felt like I could afford some of the items, which was nice for a college student. If I had brought some spending money, I would have purchased quite a few things. It took quite a bit of will power to avoid spending money in this boutique. I was especially interested in the denim jackets they had, as well as the all natural candles, soaps, and lotions they were selling. Some day when I am able to go to Culpeper again, I will return to this boutique (hopefully with some spending money this time).

The second store we visited was called “Green Roost”, which is a trade shop that focuses on ecofriendly products. We chose to go there because of her funny window display. They were socks with funny quotes and sayings like, “Adult in training” and “Ringmaster of the s***show” that were for sale for a little under $20. The chalkboard in the window display read, “the divorce rate among my socks is astonishing. #keepthemtogether”. The socks that most caught our attention were a pair of dark blue socks that said “Let her win, she’s probably right anyways” with a picture of a washing machine label that said “Machine wash cold, tumble dry warm, or whatever”. My dad and I giggled as we saw these socks, as it reminded us of my mom, who is the type of mom who has seven different categories of piles when doing loads for laundry. The rest of my family all sort our loads of laundry in two categories, but do not argue with her, as she is very strict with her approach. When we went inside to look around, there were also soaps, bath bombs, essential oils, home décor, and everyday living essentials. This was a boutique that had great gift options for friends and family that were both cute and affordable. 

These two boutiques were the highlight of our walk down East Davis Street in downtown Culpeper. Afterward, I decided to check out the restaurants around town. There were not many different cuisines to choose from. It was mostly all-American menus, baked goods, or sandwiches. I gave up after going into my third restaurant looking for a bite to eat, nothing had the immediate appeal as I was hoping for. Although it was in my price range, I was not in the mood for a plain old sandwich and chips, when I could have easily brought that from home. We decided to head home, as most shops were closing for the evening, and there was not too much left that we could have done.

I live equal distance between Downtown Fredericksburg and Downtown Culpeper. My reason for spending an afternoon in Culpeper was to learn how it compared to Fredericksburg.  It is sort of a smaller version of the town. Fredericksburg has a cute boutique on every corner, a variety of restaurants, numerous small annual traditions, and a clean cut look, downtown Fredericksburg looks like a cute little town straight out of “Gilmore Girls.” Culpeper is a smaller than downtown Fredericksburg, does not have as many stores or restaurants, and is in the process of renovations. Both are historic towns that are known for their homey and fun appeal, and yet is never really mentioned in a conversation when asking, “Where are some fun places to go in the area?” 

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Fredericksburg and Culpeper are small towns located about thirty miles apart in coastal Virginia. Both towns have a long history. In the 18thcentury Fredericksburg was an important port, including during the slave trade. Available water power from the Rappahannock River gave rise to milling of grain, cotton, and some manufacturing. During this time, residents in the area built Plank Road (now Route 3) to connect to the interior via Germanna, Culpeper. Fredericksburg was an important site during the Civil War because it is located on the railroad line that connects Richmond and Washington D.C., and therefore had strategic importance. After the war ended, the town began to shrink due to manufactures moving to other areas, but regrew in the mid 20thcentury due to the baby boom and urbanization. More modern history, less old old history. Culpeper is named after Thomas Culpeper, who was the Colonial Governor of Virginia from 1677 to 1683. The first town was created in 1752. It was initially named Fairfax, after Lord Fairfax, but this changed to avoid confusion with Fairfax Station and Fairfax Court House, two towns located farther north. During the American Revolution, the Culpeper Military was active in the area. Because of Plank Road and Route 15 plus its location on the railroad, Culpeper was a strategic crossroad during the Civil War with both armies moving back and forth to control the transport routes. The town shrank considerably after the Civil War, possibly because the county aggressively enforced Jim Crow laws. Culpeper County was the last county in Virginia to become integrated within schools. For the 2010 census, the population of Culpeper was about 16,379 people. It is fairly busy town today, as a lot of people who want to live in a small town, but work in Washington D.C. reside there, as it is a decent distance to commute to for work. I believe that Culpeper is keeping from fully developing, as they do not want to become like downtown Fredericksburg or other popular towns, that have begun to overpopulate and build expensive condominiums and apartment buildings.

Traffic in Downtown Culpeper is surprisingly hectic, especially when driving down Main Street. Finding parking is difficult; as it is all parallel parking that varies between one hour and three hours parking with very few parking lots (I got lucky with parking as it was a Tuesday and not a weekend day). One thing that Downtown Fredericksburg and Culpeper have in common is the “amazing” parking options. For the first time, Fredericksburg parking actually is better than I thought. Culpeper only has limited two-hour or three-hour parking spots, and the rest are either thirty minutes or an hour. I was able to park in a three-hour parking lot, on a Tuesday. Imagine what the weekend must be like. Although Fredericksburg lacks in it’s available parking spots, almost all of their spots are two-hour parking or more; not to mention the garage that is on the end of Sophia Street that is three-hour parking for free, and then one dollar per additional hour.  Downtown Culpeper is even less enjoyable to walk; as it is rather loud from all the zooming cars, since Culpeper has no alternative highway to take, but rather has the main road go right through downtown.

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One interesting thing that I found on culpeperdowntown.com is that they are doing a placement of wall murals throughout downtown to enhance the physical appearance, and help increase tourism. A lot of downtown areas are doing this now to help show off the art, history, and culture of their area. 

Downtown Culpeper has the potential to be a beautiful historic town that is just as popular as downtown Fredericksburg. After spending a bit of time in the town, I believe that the town is not visited or mentioned as much as Fredericksburg because Fredericksburg is trying fairly hard to be that up-scaled town. I also believe it is not mentioned as much because there are just more store and restaurant options in Downtown Fredericksburg. I still would recommend to any one that they take a day trip to downtown Culpeper to see the cute little town, and see what it has to offer, as its history is fairly interesting and is shown with in the architecture, art, and culture of the town.

Christine Mears, Emily Shumaker, and Rachel Cooper. We talk about our experiences in downtown Culpeper, VA, Washington, D.C., and the Atlanta International Airport. This assignment is for ENG 310, Magazine Journalism class at the University of Mary Washington.

What is My Major?

By Christine Mears

My first semester of college was a struggle. I was adapting to living away from home, and I was not enjoying any of my classes.  As a result, my GPA was poor. As I talked to friends about it, I felt like I was alone. Most of them were talking about how much fun their majors were and how much they were enjoying their classes.  I just felt lost. It was a strange because I’d been focused on a certain direction since high school. I had been told that it was important for colleges to know that I already had a goal in mind, so I setter on business. I believed there would be a lot of career opportunities for business graduates.

After slogging through four semesters, in the fall semester of my junior year it became too much. I was super stressed juggling my class schedule, a part time job (about 10 hours a week), and extra curricular activities. Another major stressor was that I needed to get an A in a specific class to meet the criteria to declare my major in Marketing. It was a class I absolutely HATED. I realized that I probably wasn’t doing well in school because I didn’t actually like my major. After talking to a friend who was a major in Communications and Digital Studies, I decided to switch. I still remember meeting with Gary Richards (the Department Chair of English, Linguistics, and Communication at the University of Mary Washington). He was very welcoming, and understood my reasons for wanting to switch so late in my college career. We sat down for about forty-five minutes discussing my future semester schedules, and what I needed to do in order to graduate on time. He gave me some recommendations for elective courses, and we discussed the major an in depth. That meeting made me feel much more comfortable and excited about my late switch. Ever since, I’ve never looked back. I am not the only person who has had a change of heart in what they want to study and do with their life. According to insiderhighered.com (an online publication that focuses news, resources, events, and jobs on college and university topics), “most students – as many as 80 percent in some surveys – will switch majors at one point during their time in college.” And yet so many high schools, parents, and others tell us to figure out what we want to do before even applying to university. I started to wonder why is there so much pressure to figure out what we want to study at such a young age? And is the advice wrong? 

Do I Need to Know What my Major is Before Attending College?

There are several pros and cons when applying to college undeclared. According to usnews.com, it is best to apply undeclared if you have a competitive field in mind and can use the first year of college to build a strong GPA, if you truly are undecided, or just are not sure if you would like to major in a certain field (like what I experienced) because you may change your mind. However, if you apply declared you can receive possible financial support and get admitted into major courses immediately. Overall, if you are not entirely sure on what to major in, it is best to be undeclared to allow time to decide on a major once you arrive at college.

According toThe Princeton Review, it is okay not knowing what you want to study; They suggest that the best time to declare a major is typically sophomore or junior year of college. The articles did not put stress on having to know what you want to major in, or even knowing your eventual career track. The Princeton Reviewsaid in a TK date story “The major you choose will neither predict nor guarantee your future. Many graduates find jobs that have nothing to do with what they studied in college.” Freelance writer, Julia Quinn-Szcesuil, states in collegeexpress.comthat not knowing your major coming in to college can lead to success. She begins the article by stating that she came into college with some ideas of what she wanted to do, but nothing made her want to declare in a certain field. She became a double major and states, “I ended up taking a lot of subjects I wasn’t exposed to in high school”, and was able to explore these courses more in depth in college.  This proves that one does not need to go into college with a set path, as it can easily be changed due to lack of being unfamiliar with certain fields of education.

Insidehighered.com states that according to a report, students who made a final decision on their major as late as their fifth term did not delay their time to graduation. The EAB (Education Advisory Board) came to find that even one-quarter of the students who decided on a final major during their senior year still graduated in four years. One can still change major late in college and still finish on time. They just have to be dedicated and work hard. 

Explore Your Options

            Although certain people may say that no businesses really cares about what your major is anymore, as long as you have at least your bachelor’s degree and the necessary skills it does not matter. But it matters to you. If you are going to study at a university or college for four years, you should be able to enjoy your major (as you will likely be doing something very similar to it for the rest of your life). Explore your options, and take classes that interest you, as that may help you make your decision. Although it is good to seek advice from your advisors, parents, and friends, you do not need to make your final decisions based on their opinion (unless it truly matches with what you want).

High school students already have a lot of pressure and stress to maintain good grades, be involved in after school activities, as well as find the right university; figuring out their major should not be a priority on top of that. Students have plenty of time when they get to college to figure out what they would like to do (and as insiderhighered.commentioned this can and often does change in college.) and still graduate on time.