The pressure to conform to social norms is a challenge as old as the concept of a society itself, yet is nonetheless harmful to anyone who falls anywhere outside the narrow definition of acceptable. Members of the LGBT community have fought this pressure for decades, and while societal acceptance is much more widespread than it once was, the community still faces challenges. One of the most persistent is the idea of compulsory heterosexuality, the idea that every person is assumed to be heterosexual until proven otherwise. Unfortunately, many people still have an unconscious bias that leads them to assume that any given person is heterosexual until indicated otherwise. This challenge is especially exacerbated for bisexuals, who specifically face the pressure to “prove their gayness.”

Bisexuality is often an overlooked identity within the LGBT community itself, sometimes labeled “not gay enough” to really merit a seat at the table. Any struggles specific to bisexuality get written off as trivial, supposedly paling in comparison to the struggles felt by others. 

Discourse regarding bisexuality even escalates to the point that bisexual members of some online communities state that they feel uncomfortable attending Pride events out of fear that they will be excluded or shamed. One particular scenario drives this anxiety: a relationship where one person is a woman and another a man, and one or both of them are bisexual. Members of couples that externally look heterosexual, but are in fact not, are often made to feel that they have no place within Pride events or discussions surrounding LGBT-centric issues. 

This unfortunate fear of showing up in gay spaces as something that externally appears to be straight stems directly from the concept of compulsory heterosexuality and the ways that it impacts bisexual people. When one is automatically assumed to be straight and feels that they must somehow “prove their gayness” in order to be accepted within the LGBT community, they are inherently not being accepted as they are, for who they are. 

Similarly, many bisexuals struggle with feeling that they are not “truly bisexual” when they are in a relationship that outwardly appears to be straight. This pressure often comes from the rhetoric that many people who identify as bisexual are either just doing so for the attention, or to make it easier on themselves rather than coming out as a gay man or lesbian woman.

The solution to this challenge is twofold: deconstructing compulsive heterosexuality and working to build more accepting spaces that don’t judge people’s apparent “gayness” based on outward appearance. 

As a society, we must work on dismantling the pieces that come together to create the unconscious bias within people that causes the assumption that the default is heterosexual. This work takes many forms, from intentionally curating the stories that we tell our children to more kinds of romances shown on screen. We also must work on creating less judgemental LBGT spaces that are more accepting of members across the sexuality spectrum, regardless of if they look “gay enough.”

Despite strides in the right direction, there is still work to be done in continuing to create spaces where everyone feels welcomed and accepted exactly for who they are.

The post Not “Gay Enough”? Dismantling the Harm of Compulsory Heterosexuality appeared first on Technique.

Earlier this year, when Beyoncé released “Cowboy Carter,” she thrust the stereotypical country aesthetic into the cultural spotlight, once more selling the shallowest facets of the genre to the public as the true essence of country music. Much like the release of “Old Town Road” six years ago—a pseudo-country song by an artist famous for their discography within another genre— the song reinforces the public perception of country music as a genre dominated by cowboy boots, jeans and men singing about hot women in daisy dukes. By promoting these superficial aspects, the artists overshadow the genre’s rich history, perpetuating a limited and inaccurate portrayal of what country music truly represents.

After years of suffering through the “bro-country” era, a period marked by songs about trucks, beer and women, popularity has shifted in favor of the folksy “outlaw country.” This new sound, popularized by Tyler Childers, Ashley McBryde and Jelly Roll, reflects the raw honesty of country music’s roots. From Hank Williams to Johnny Cash, these artists set the sounds of their soul to the fiddle and steel guitar, forming the very essence of classic country. The revival brewing in country music is bringing these lost sounds back to the forefront of the genre.   

Compare the airbrushed, Barbie-esque imagery surrounding Cowboy Carter to the stripped-down simplicity of artists like Childers and McBryde, and the value of each becomes clear: one is designed for mass market appeal, while the other showcases the authentic artist, flaws and all. This difference between what country music is stereotyped as by outsiders and the stories of those actually within the community reflects the widespread misunderstanding of the genre. Country music is rich with diverse stories that extend beyond tailgating and beer.

The best names in country music today are using their platforms to share stories of their struggles. In “Outlaws and Mustangs,” Cody Jinks sings for the “misfit daughters and prodigal sons,” proclaiming they are not alone and will find their place in this world one day. Meanwhile, Ashley McBryde sings on how you are not alone even on the worst night of your life; you can even find your people, as she says in her song, in “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega.”

Works about stigmatized struggles are not missing either. In Son of a Sinner, Jelly Roll sings about being imperfect and struggling with substance abuse. His message is that these imperfections do not define him, and he will keep pushing forward. In “Nose to the Grindstone,” Tyler Childers delves into addiction and the struggles of blue-collar workers. The raw honesty and open embrace of these taboo concepts emboldens everyday people to share their stories.

When you listen to the music of artists who are not afraid to share their authentic stories, you feel far less alone in the world. Your flaws are no longer quite so isolating, and your situation is no longer impossible to overcome. You are no longer the only one getting through an unrequited love, a difficult family situation, a substance abuse issue or just the feeling of not knowing your place within the world. Authentic country music creates a space where you can find solace in shared experiences.

You should feel a sense of pride when you compare the movement of authenticity and outlaw country to the ‘bro-country’ that dominated the genre over the last decade. Country music is once again returning to its rich, diverse roots of telling the stories of the voiceless and calling for social change. The stories of the economically and politically disadvantaged are at the forefront of the most popular songs in country music, and artists are telling their raw stories, a change that is joyfully welcomed by those who have nostalgically listened to old country for years, waiting for their stories to be told again. While Cowboy Carter might be more commercially viable, the songs composed by authentic country artists will continue to be a space where unique and meaningful stories are told.

The post Outlaw Country and Beyonce: Mass Marketing Vs. Authenticity appeared first on Technique.

AI is taking over our jobs, major global conflicts threaten the start of WWIII, no one is satisfied with our presidential candidates and the country’s legislators are eroding the separation between church and state. In a world where it feels like everything is going wrong and is completely out of our control, what can we do to improve our quality of life? It turns out that the answer to this question may have been staring us in the face the whole time. Some of the strategies for living a happier, more fulfilling life are often written off as just for old ladies, but many of the ways that seniors move slower than the world around them are key to finding happiness. 

When someone pictures an older woman, they likely imagine her knitting on a rocking chair on her front porch or in the company of others doing just the same. Although these are generalizations, the merits of engaging in a hobby with one’s hands, such as knitting or crocheting, are truly quite incredible. The practice can decrease stress, enhance self-esteem, and even slow the impact of cognitive decline associated with diseases like dementia. Beyond the benefits of a handicraft hobby, the community woven within a knitting circle is something that many people lack in their everyday lives. Many people today live solitary lives, lacking regular community activities to look forward to. Conversely, the knitting and quilting circles that we might stereotype as “old lady activities” provide exactly this, allowing people with the same hobbies to connect as they work.

Older women are also known for being very intentional with their time. Acting intentionally can take many different forms, from prioritizing time spent with a grandchild to choosing to participate in a weekly gardening group to setting a specific hour of every day dedicated to reading. The overall purpose is to align these activities with one’s values, ensuring they guide how you spend your time. While many students do not have the same abundance of free time as retirees, the ways that someone chooses to spend the free time they do have matters. Making this choice in a meaningful way will look different for every individual. It might look like dedicating the last hour of a day to reading or doing trivia with a friend every Thursday. Regardless of what this time might exactly look like for you, choosing to set aside time for something you love will always be time well spent.

Discussing the positive impacts of specific hobbies, a strong community, and intentionality with one’s time is only the first step to making this type of positive change in one’s life. The next, more important step is implementing meaningful changes. The adjustments that each individual may be able to make, or wants to make, will look entirely different from one person to the next. Consider whether or not there is a beloved hobby that has fallen to the wayside, and set aside time tonight or this weekend to dedicate to it. 

If you feel uninspired by the hobbies you have on hand, then it might be time to research new possibilities. Maybe you are already dedicated to a hobby that you love, but right now it is something that you practice alone. Researching a local club or community to connect with others would be well worth your while. Whatever it is that you may or may not decide to change, I encourage everyone to intentionally prioritize their hobbies, community and overall happiness.

The post What the old ladies got right: living slowly and intentionally appeared first on Technique.

As people have been buying more and more things online, the landscape of consumer payments has evolved to squeeze every last dollar possible from consumers. Whether it is Venmo or PayPal charging a fee to transfer money into your bank account or the subscription model that retailers like Walmart have adopted, it can feel like you are always paying for more than you bargained for. Within the collection of digital companies lining their pockets through tacked-on fees are several prolific “buy now, pay later” services such as Klarna, Afterpay and Affirm. 

These companies typically offer consumers the choice of opting into a micro-loan during the checkout phase of an online purchase, suggesting that consumers split their purchases into several smaller payments over time. The most common offer that appears in the checkout phase is to split the purchase into four smaller payments, tricking your brain into thinking that you are only spending a quarter of what you really are. 

These services not only push people to spend beyond their financial means, but they have launched many consumers into nebulous amounts of debt that are difficult to keep track of. 

When a customer sees during checkout, or even on individual item listings, that they have the option to pay a smaller amount of money several times rather than a lump sum upfront, this checkout suggestion can make them feel that they are able to purchase more than they were intending to because the amount they are paying for today is less than they had planned on. This leads consumers to purchase more than they had planned, playing into the culture of dangerous overconsumption and accruing debt.

Due to the smaller amounts of these micro-loans, in comparison to something like a home or car loan, it can be easy to conceptualize that the future payments will be so small that they won’t make much of a difference in your future finances. 

If customers get into the habit of making multiple purchases through a micro-loan service on a monthly basis, they can quickly become tethered to monthly or biweekly debt payments. These services allow consumers to purchase more than they can immediately afford, giving them a stronger mood boost from
the purchases they are making.

As soon as a person subconsciously links that they feel happier when they make a purchase with one of these services, they will continue to do so more and more. 

This can quickly turn into a vicious spiral of saying “just one more” until they have made four months of purchases in the span of one month. 

While at first a four month long series of $45 payments to finance a clothes haul might feel insignificant, if someone took out five of these they would then be paying $225 a month for purchases they likely could not have responsibly afforded in the first place. 

These companies see record-high participation around the December holiday season, as consumers are purchasing decorations and gifts, and then see themselves in a financial hole that feels deeply inescapable. 

The impacts of utilizing “buy now, pay later” schemes to finance your shopping is now being seen by more conventional lenders, as consumers who utilize a service like Klarna or Afterpay end up being twice as likely as the average consumer to leave recurring debt, such as a car loan, unpaid. 

Many people would be quick to blame the woes of people in the depths of consumer debt on their own poor decision making skills; however, the companies preying on people who just want to afford something they want within the increasingly expensive economy of today are more to blame than any individual might be. 

Much like with student debt and credit card debt, consumers who have made financially inadvisable decisions by purchasing through these micro-loans are the victims of false promises of affordability made to them by companies participating in predatory behaviors. 

Beyond simply encouraging the overconsumption of material goods that contributes to our climate crisis, these “buy now, pay later” companies are participating in predatory practices that take advantage of ways that people mentally keep track of their finances in a way that puts more and more people
into consumer debt. 

The post Buy now, pay later appeared first on Technique.

Many students at Tech choose to participate in an internship or a co-op that includes a rotation during the Spring or Fall semester, a time when the majority of the other students on campus will be taking classes full-time. The typical 9-5 work schedule tends to highly contrast with the schedule that undergraduate students typically lead, which can cause friction for students who are working full-time for a semester and are trying to maintain connections to other students. Whether it is events late on Thursday nights or club meetings that take place at exactly 5 p.m., staying connected to campus while co-oping can put a strain on students. However, working to actively maintain a connection to the campus community is critical to preventing loneliness and isolation. 

One of the challenges of trying to make two very different schedules work is that something has to be lost, and often that something can become your sleep. If your body has gotten used to waking up early every day, and then your friends want to hang out super late at night, you will feel the resulting exhaustion for the rest of the week as your body tries to catch up. It can also become literally impossible to be in two places at once, with club meetings that start while you are still on the way home from work. 

One of the most important parts of college is the connections that you make, and this is still true during semesters when you are doing something other than classes. If you neglect your social life entirely while you are working, returning to classes can be a lonely endeavor, especially when the time comes for 3000 or 4000 level classes that are group project-based. While it might take a bit more work and intentionality than when you are a full-time student, it is still possible to maintain and even create new connections on campus. 

The most important thing you can do is to intentionally choose to participate in clubs and activities you’ve been involved with, even though this can sometimes be inconvenient with a working schedule. While the last thing you want to do at the end of a long day of work is attend that 6 p.m. club meeting or 7 p.m. club sports practice, the first time you choose to sit at home instead of participating can quickly snowball into isolating yourself. While in the moment the rest can feel worth it, the price of disconnecting from the community you are surrounded by could be one you pay in loneliness next semester. 

On the other hand, if clubs that you were previously involved with only meet during your working or commuting hours, looking into different clubs that you are able to participate in can help solve the problem. Since you are not able to meet other students in classes like you normally would, meeting new people through joining a new club or two can be a really good way to make new connections if you aren’t taking classes. The easiest way to stay connected to campus is to continue to hang out with your friends as much as you already would if you were taking classes. Whether your study sessions together might need to change into working out together or you need to hang out on Friday night instead of Thursday night, make sure you don’t lose your friends because of work. Make the time each week to spend time with your friends who you don’t get to see every day during class anymore, and when you return to classes it will feel much more normal. Whether it’s finding ways to participate in clubs you’ve already been a part of, finding new clubs that fit your schedule better or asking your friends to hang out on the actual weekend instead of a Thursday, co-oping doesn’t have to mean that you’re no longer a part of the campus community.

The post Co-op connects appeared first on Technique.

At the end of last year, reports came out that the average ACT score was the lowest it has been for the past 30 years. The average SAT score dropped in comparison to recent years as well. Initially, this might seem alarming when considering the state of the future of higher education, but this might actually be a sign that the world of higher education is moving in a very positive direction. 

Grade inflation, or an overall rise in the average grades students are receiving, is often cited as one of the major flaws with the current American education system. Often, students’ GPAs and standardized test scores (such as on the ACT or SAT) are both identified as areas that have been inflated over the last decade or two. As grades and test scores rise across the board, it becomes more and more difficult for colleges to use students’ GPAs and standardized test scores to differentiate between different applicants, leading to a higher weight being placed on other parts of applications. At first, it may seem that a switch to holistic application review would be beneficial for students. 

On the contrary, high school students are now expected to achieve academic perfection, athletic or musical prowess and become expert essay writers by the beginning of their senior year in order to have any hope of landing an acceptance to their dream colleges. Students no longer need to solely focus on academic achievement to get into their college of choice. Now, the pressure is dialed up within every single facet of their life to achieve perfection and greatness or risk a stunted future. In combination with the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic had on students, today’s high schoolers really never seem to be able to catch a break from unprecedented circumstances impacting their formative life experiences. Never before has a college education been so critically important to qualify for many of the jobs required to even be comfortably middle class with a family. The pressure placed on teens can easily begin to feel as though they are being asked to fight an unwinnable battle, a feeling that can effortlessly transition into feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy. 

This intense pressure has undoubtedly had a negative impact on the mental health of young Americans, leading to 40% of teens reporting that they felt “persistently sad or hopeless,” according to the CDC. The mental health crisis among teenagers has escalated to the point that  the American Academy of Pediatrics has declared the situation a national state of emergency. 

As the average score on the ACT trends downwards, this creates the opportunity for these standardized test scores to once again provide students an opportunity to differentiate themselves from their peers in the college application process without having to somehow prove themselves to be a savant at the piano or a world class athlete. If the college application process no longer required students to cure cancer to even be considered for admission, the world of higher education would be changed for the better.

By the time they reach their first year of college, many students are already incredibly burnt out, leading to over one-fourth of all collegiates dropping out before they receive their bachelor’s degree. This staggering statistic reflects the unsustainability of the current experience of being a high school student hoping to go to college and the toll that the process takes on many students. As the nation considers how to fix a broken education system, reducing the pressure being put on high school students to achieve multidisciplinary perfection by continuing to work against grade inflation is a critical first step towards meaningful change.

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Our world is one where male or masculine is the default and female or feminine is an alternative deviation from the expected norm. Without thinking much deeper about it, the average person will use phrases like firemen and policemen, and will refer to a group of people as guys without considering the gender makeup of the group. The issue of the male-default extends farther than somewhat outdated phrases; it extends into our perception of what gender-neutral means, in particular the ways that it extends to clothing.

Infamously, t-shirts promising a “unisex” fit are almost always just shirts cut for a masculine frame that are being marketed to a wider audience in order to increase a company’s bottom line. The real problem with this marketing lies in the fact that unisex clothing rarely fits those with a feminine frame well, making the phrase “unisex” a clear contradiction.

Gender-neutral clothing styles have become more and more popular for people of all gender expressions, as androgyny increasingly influences trendy clothing styles. In particular, it has become more popular to dress young children in “gender neutral”  clothing until they are old enough to voice their desires as to how they would like to be dressed. 

While this is an amazing sentiment and working to decrease the gender specific socialization that children experience is incredibly important, the problem is that “gender neutral”  clothing isn’t actually neutral; it’s just masculine clothing in especially neutral colors. 

Conventionally, “masculine” clothing for young kids includes a color palette of dark blues, greens, blacks and grays along with imagery of “outdoorsy” things like dinosaurs, bugs, dump trucks and sports. The shapes and cuts of this category of clothing are distinct from clothing generally designed for young girls in a few key ways. First, the shorts and sleeve lengths are longer (little girls t-shirts generally include a short cap sleeve as opposed to an elbow length short sleeve) and the cut of pants and shirts alike are much less fitted. 

Conversely, “feminine” clothing for young kids typically includes a pastel or bright color palette and motifs such as flowers, fairies and butterflies. The cuts of this clothing typically include dresses and skirts, shorter sleeves and shorts and generally more fitted cuts than clothing marketed for little boys.

The style of gender-neutral clothing for kids that is currently most popular features a neutral palette of beiges accented by colors like mustard yellow, forest green and dusty blue. The cuts typically feature t-shirts, pants, shorts and sweatshirts in these hues with very few graphics. Undeniably, much of this clothing would not look out of place in the “boys” section of a clothing store.

Treating masculine styles as though they are somehow “gender neutral”  presents masculine as the default and feminine presentation as an offbeat alternative. When children grow up seeing that masculine and “gender neutral” styles are incredibly similar and are harshly contrasted by feminine aesthetics, they are led to believe that if they prefer more feminine styles then that makes them abnormal or wrong.

Instead of making more sad beige clothes for kids and calling masculine clothing “gender neutral,” companies should be clothing in “masculine” cuts but featuring the more “feminine” colors and motifs so that children who want to play outside have options beyond navy with dump trucks or plain beige. Combatting stereotypes that little girls are fragile and should not play outside starts by producing clothing marketed for them that are both practical and in a variety of colors beyond dark colors and neutrals. 

While normalizing clothing for young girls that prioritizes their comfort and is perfect for playing outside is an great step forward that frees them from highly gendered expectations of their behavior, the ways in which we present ideas about masculinity and femininity are incredibly important to allow them to find the identity that
most well suits them. 

Although college is a notoriously expensive undertaking, many companies offer college students steep discounts to help offset other costs for students. From in-person retailers to digital subscriptions to even transportation, there are various student discounts available to help save money!

Use Buzzfunds

Many students elect to purchase Buzzcard Funds (Buzzfunds) in addition to their freshman meal plan for use at many different retailers and restaurants off-campus. Around the Tech Square area, restaurants and stores such as Moe’s, Ray’s Pizza, Twisted Kitchen and Barnes and Noble accept BuzzFunds to purchase food and other merchandise. Off of West Campus on Hemphill Avenue, restaurants such as Rocky Mountain Pizza Co. also accept BuzzFunds! 

NEWS Outlets

Many news outlets require a paid subscription to access their content, but some of these outlets give students a free or discounted subscription! For example, the New York Times gives students a free news subscription when they sign up with their school email address. Other outlets, such as The Economist, The Telegraph and The Guardian offer students discounted rates on their news subscriptions. However, the Technique is always free for all friends of the Institute!

Student Tickets

Whether one is going to the movie theater or going to see a show at the Fox, there are often discounted tickets available to students. Movie theaters such as Regal and AMC Theaters offer students discounted tickets if they purchase tickets in person and present their BuzzCard as proof of their valid student status.

Compile Discounts

Many retailers offer seasonal or changing student discounts, and certain digital services compile these for students to consult periodically. Some of these services include MyUniDays and Student Beans. 

Media Subscriptions

Many different subscription based services offer students a discount on their products. For example, Spotify Premium, Amazon Prime, Apple Music and Youtube Premium all offer students heavily discounted rates. 

Free Software

Certain software is available to students when they register with their student email address. For example, all Tech students have access to the suite of Microsoft 365 products, such as Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint, for free. Tech students are also eligible for a free Headspace subscription when they sign up using their student email address. 

Tech Library Card

Along with the books that can be checked out from the Institute’s library, your library card can also be used to check out content through other programs. Certain apps such as Libby allow you to input your library card information and use their app to check out ebooks and audiobooks.

Transportation

Through Tech’s Parking and Transportation Services, students are able to purchase MARTA passes at a discounted rate. These passes are available on a monthly basis and offer a discount over the prices available to the general public. 

Cheaper Insurance

Certain insurance providers, such as Allstate and Progressive, offer college students discounted rates on their insurance coverage. Some providers, such as State Farm, offer a steeper discount for students who maintain a certain grade point average and submit their transcripts regularly as proof.

When the spring semester comes to its abrupt end after finals and most students head back to their hometowns or to study abroad, Tech’s campus becomes a shell of its former self. 

Whether you look at the empty street parking spots along Techwood Drive or walk around Tech Green between class periods, campus is eerily empty.

 Although this certainly makes it easier to find a parking spot or quicker to pick up your mail from the post office at the Student Center, the emptiness in a place that is usually overflowing with students can really make you feel uneasy. 

Passing by the off-campus student apartment Inspire and seeing nearly every light turned out by 8 p.m. makes walking into my half-empty on-campus apartment building an even more isolating experience. 

Even lonelier than just being on campus during the summer is doing so while working a full-time internship. 

Working in the corporate world for the first time is already a drastic change of pace from the rhythm of a typical collegiate schedule, but when you must return to a ghost town of your college campus, it can feel incredibly lonely. 

Sitting at your desk alone for eight hours, with the sole exception of your lunch hour, is a significantly more solitary experience than a semester taking classes where your only time alone is when you are asleep. 

Coming home to an empty apartment, then making and eating dinner alone can be  quite a sad experience. The experience of the American corporate commute makes the jarring difference between working and studying even clearer. 

Tech’s campus is very walkable, and in conjunction with the buses, living on campus means you rarely need to drive yourself anywhere on a daily basis. 

On the other side of the world, while working an internship in Dublin, my daily commute was a much less lonely experience,  consisting of a safe and reliable public transport commute in tandem with a short walk through a dense and lively city center.

In contrast, my current commute consists of driving alone in my car through the downtown connector, which is my least favorite road in Atlanta to drive on. 

For this change of pace to be positive instead of depressing, there were specific steps that I had to take. 

First, I reached out to my friends who were also doing internships, and we scheduled times during the week to make our dinners together, adding much-needed social interaction to our lives during the long work week. 

The most significant change that I had to make was working towards feeling at peace when sitting alone with my thoughts. 

With the hustle and bustle of my life during a semester where I am taking classes and participating in the student life events Tech has to offer, there is rarely a time that I spend alone in the same way that I now find myself doing on an everyday basis. 

Learning to accept the feelings and experiences that come with doing this, or at least working towards learning to accept them, is certainly an important part of adapting to the rhythm of a full-time job.

Noticing all of the ways that campus has emptied for the summer semester highlights all of my favorite parts of Tech in full swing: the vibrant student life, the way you will never be alone in the library (even at 3 a.m.), being so close to all of your friends all of the time and the way that there are corners of campus where every single person can find themselves feeling at home.