Politics

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM | “Power is power”: What “Game of Thrones” can teach us about politics

By |

Millions of Americans have been affected by the government shutdown, and many workers’ livelihoods are at the mercy of the decisions of powerful elites. While witnessing the news about the American government shutdown, another shutdown occurred in my home country of Zimbabwe. On the week of January 15th, the Zimbabwean government blocked internet access throughout the country in response to protests. Even when the internet was switched back on a few days later, Gmail and certain popular social media sites such as WhatsApp and Facebook were blocked in the country. As an international student who was in America when all this was happening, I felt powerless.

Politics

NOBODY’S OPINIONS | THE REAL MEANING OF TRUMP’S MUSLIM BAN

By |

A few weeks ago, I could’ve woken up without seeing something totally insane in my news feed when I checked Facebook in the morning. “Donald Trump suddenly and without warning implements Muslim Ban, causing massive backlash worldwide.” “Eric Trump has a suspiciously high secret service bill.” “Sarah Silverman advocates military revolt against the presidency.” Honestly, though, the most surprising and annoying thing about the last one is that it’s news. Why is it important? It’s obviously not realistic, and it’s not profound, and yet somehow people still care. It’s one of those rare and paradoxical instances where caring about something shows you’re NOT actually taking it seriously (I hope).