Art by Kris Harper The age old question remains: Can men and women actually have platonic friendships? While, it can be argued that heterosexual men and women are born to be attracted to each other, there still is a case for platonic love between the sexes. Platonic love is defined "in its modern popular sense is an affectionate relationship into which the sexual element … [Read more...] about Can You Really Be ‘Just Friends?’
Kris Harper
The Humanity of Our Heroes
Art by Kris Harper Everyone loves a good villain; it only takes turning on the TV to see how fascinated our society is with the bad guys. I’m constantly inundated with ads for new fictional depictions of Hannibal Lecter, The Joker, Lucifer, even Bonnie and Clyde. Why do we seem to love watching villains wreak havoc? Maybe it’s because without villains, we can’t have … [Read more...] about The Humanity of Our Heroes
Volunteering vs. Voluntouring: It’s All About the Motive
Art by Kris Harper "Voluntourist" is a relatively new term used to describe the pervasive culture in which privileged individuals travel to other countries for a humanitarian cause. "Voluntourist" and "voluntourism" are respective hybrids of the words "volunteer" and "tourist." Voluntouring is a kind of global branch of volunteering in which a person travels a great distance … [Read more...] about Volunteering vs. Voluntouring: It’s All About the Motive
Feminism is More Than Victoria’s Secret
Art by Kris Harper Although the flurry of ogling women at the Victoria's Secret annual “fashion show” has abated since the Christmas season, its remnants are present in the rubble of hyper-feminine girl power. Posts on Tumblr, BuzzFeed and conversations in the common rooms of Pepperdine chronicle the mental inventory of Millennial feminists who spout the merits of Taylor … [Read more...] about Feminism is More Than Victoria’s Secret
AA: Appreciate Your Education
Art by Kris HarperAn “educational guilt” creeps in especially hard when I labor over assignments I am dispassionate about, and like the best of us, I find myself calculating the bare minimum I need to score on each assignment to reach my desired grade, rather than trying to learn material for its intellectual merit. In fact, I have stopped many assignments halfway … [Read more...] about AA: Appreciate Your Education