Reading Poetry during a Global Pandemic

Throughout this whole ordeal, I’ve been shocked by how much casual indifference there has by on the parts of so many to this crisis based on the belief that it “only” affects other people. Many have expressed the desire to continue about their daily lives or semester without interruption, even if that endangers the lives of many in their communities. The navel-gazing is not exclusive to Gen Z and millennials, as many on twitter and the in the media have suggest. Brueghel’s and Auden’s works are testaments that these attitudes have been common throughout history, whether it be eighty or five hundred years ago.

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Thinking About Music

Last evening I finally took it upon myself to watch Whiplash, the 2014 Oscar winning film about an obsessed jazz drummer and his borderline psychotic music conductor. I realize I’m a little late to the film game here but I have a lot more free time now as it so happens. One of the biggest lines from the movie that sticks out to me is J.K. Simmons’ character’s line: “The two most harmful words in the English language are good job.”

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Fight The Power

Two days ago, the paper got an email from bronxtenantsunited@gmail.com, detailing a day of action going on today, April 1st, at the corner of Willis Avenue and East 139th Street in the Bronx. At 2pm, the tenants in the South Bronx will converge to demand rent freezes as well as better living conditions during this international pandemic.

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USG Attempts to Make the Best Out of Bad Situation

Well ladies and gentlemen, and those who do not identify with either gender, we’ve reached the apex of hell. The rest of the semester will be conducted from the privacy and loneliness of our respective homes. I’m not happy about it, you’re probably not happy about it, but nonetheless this is the situation we’ve found ourselves in. My heart truly goes out to the seniors, both those in high school and those at Fordham who are really getting screwed over by this. We love and appreciate you, and we wish you the best. That being said, we’ve got to get to the meat of the issue.

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A Better Approach to Mental Health

I feel as though some mental health topics, namely suicide, despite the world being more open to discussions of mental health now than ever, are still taboo. Sure, we can recite statistics and even policy without fear, but as soon as the conversation creeps closer, and turns from the generic to the intimate, it hesitates and loses confidence. A shame, considering suicide and its facets are nothing if not personal. In light of this, I’ve decided to write about what I’ve learned from a few times and people in my life where the topic was especially relevant.

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Familial and Long-Term Effects of Alcoholism

In college, it’s pretty common to hear people refer to themselves as “a literal alcoholic” because they went to Barnyard on a Tuesday night. It’s easy to laugh these comments off and go on with your night, but they can actually minimize what alcoholism is. It is not getting drunk in your freshman dorm a couple of times a week, it’s something that can fully ruin your life and is something that caused me immense amounts of pain throughout my childhood.

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Lying to My Parents About My Mental Health

In general, I’d like to consider myself an honest person. Most of the time, if you ask me my opinion, I’m gonna give it to you straight. It also doesn’t help that I’m a terrible liar, and usually, I’ll start bursting out laughing or smile really widely if I tell a lie, and it’s a dead giveaway. For the past three years, however, I’ve gotten surprisingly good and lying to my parents about my well-being at school, even if they can sometimes tell what’s up.

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