They Got USC

The Michael Kent Foundation Two months ago, Michael Kent went into a tattoo parlor to cover up a swastika. The former Neo-Nazi claimed that Tiffany Whitter, an African American, changed his life through her kindness. Michael Kent Foundation’s mission is to bring about civil discourse in a time of hostility. In the current political climate, people tend to paint a general image of groups with opposing opinions. Because of the hate President Trump has generated, we are quick to slander one another, as the incident in Charlottesville came about because of the hatred between the alt-right and ANTIFA. The Michael Kent Foundation will air a 30-minute television program that puts two individuals of opposing groups together. The moderator will ask various questions related to current events and politics under peaceful and civil conditions. Through these conversations, the program will hope to look at the intricacies of each person. How passionately does each person support his or he...

I hate extremism. From both liberal and conservative perspectives, any person that tries to beat you over your head with his or her agenda is annoying, no matter what the agenda is. I barely dislike people. Usually, I can tolerate someone talking about their agenda. In fact, I want to be open to hearing opinions different than mine. But, it can reach a point where I very clearly indicated that I’m not interested in or don’t want to talk about the subject anymore, and the person still hammers his or her beliefs down my face. This is where the problem comes in. Extremists tend to paint those who have differing opinions from them in a very “black-and-white” manner. Especially in this current political climate, so many of us are quick to judge people based off their general beliefs. We are quick to just assume that certain individuals fall under every single factor of the group that they are a part of. We are quick to make blanket statements like “All Democrats are _______________” or...

Last year, I listened to specific songs, albums, and artists for each quarter at UCSB. The strange thing that came out of this was that I listened to them so prominently that I can now associate each song with the feelings I had during the quarter in which I listened to them. When I listen to Childish Gambino’s “3005,” I am suddenly reminded of the first nights I spent walking Isla Vista. I can obviously listen to the song without that context, but when I play it sometimes, I will be reminded of those weird days, especially considering how the election created a ripple effect on my life. After watching Moana during Thanksgiving break, I remember consistently playing the soundtrack while I studied for finals. Whenever I listen to any songs from that film now, I remember the nights I spent going over material and wishing that break lasted just a few days more. I suppose that’s the power of music. You can be so attached to a song at a certain point in your life that you can bring b...

As I kept reading Collins’ book, I continued to be impressed by what he talked about. I liked how he took basic information about himself and his family and seamlessly integrated it in a way in which it connected with the topic he was discussing for the section. At points, he directly connects with the reader. He puts himself in their shoes and begins to share his thoughts on their situations. Because he spent the prior pages explaining his life and his beliefs about the divide between the 99 percent and 1 percent, one can understand the perspective that he’s coming from. Collins also includes statistics that helps the reader get a general understanding how many people are involved in the more specific groups. He puts America in perspective of the world, which gives an even wider picture of the financial problem. Another aspect I started to notice was that Collins began each chapter with a quote. As I read the chapter, I could see how the quote related to the content discussed. F...