In many quality films, it would appear that nothing happens at all to the unaccustomed viewer, and then the ending is the key to the movie. The finale is the filter through which to view all that preceded it: this filter unveils the themes, messages, and morals of seemingly aimless films.

Another category of movies is those with plots that provide no revelation, but rich characters, snappy dialogue and an affecting mood are enough to make them memorable. “Lemon,” the debut feature of Janicza Bravo, has none of these qualities.

The film stars Brett Gelman (“Eagleheart”) as a misanthropic failed actor turned acting teacher, named Isaac Lachmann. Isaac is — in no uncertain terms — a loser. He is stagnant and alone in his 40’s, experiencing a midlife crisis.

His blind girlfriend (Judy Greer, “Arrested Development”) has left him for a more vital
relationship, and the movie begins with Isaac contemplating how to get his life back on track. The rest of the film meanders through a loose association of scenes depicting the acting class Isaac teaches, Isaac’s apparently dysfunctional family and Isaac’s attempting at wooing a makeup artist played by Nia Long (“Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”). The only common thread between these scenes is a vague sense of absurdity that rarely results in serious laughs.

At one point in time, “Lemon” may have been an original film. Before Daniel Clowes and Chris Ware and Todd Solondz and Wes Anderson, the idea of the socially awkward, cold, emotionally repressed middle aged misanthrope may have been a novel concept.

Even today, there are variations on this trope that can still strike chords with audiences. Emotional crises are obviously not foreign to viewers, and a well written narrative will always find an audience. However, there is nothing original about “Lemon” because there is no heart at its core.

The film is heavily stylized by Bravo, creating scenes that sometimes are quite interesting. But style alone cannot carry a movie. Indeed, Brett Gelman’s Isaac is intended to be the heart of the movie, yet he lacks any heart of his own.

Isaac is a caricature. He is an amalgam of every awkward, stoic middle-aged loser that has
appeared in cinema, as if to heighten the comedy of his life while only flattening any
dimension he could have had.

Isaac runs with an ungainly, flapping gait. He yells to himself on a whim. He wears only one blank expression, willfully oblivious to any others. He is disagreeable, in a way that is supposed to sympathetic but in reality, is just sad. In any given scene, he is a statue, erect and unflinching, and the novelty wears off quickly.

Stylistically, the film is inconsistent. Heavily influenced by filmmakers like Wes Anderson, Bravo tries to create humor through absurd direction. She frames wide shots and symmetric scenes and captures her actors in profile. While these elements were designed to create a deadpan, absurd humor, the humor rarely hits.

Much of this failure stems from the film’s editing and Bravo’s direction of her actors. Anderson’s humor works not only because of his shot composition but also because of how he directs his actors and edits his gags. His dialogue is quick, like the Coen Brothers’ dialogue, and the actors are unflinching.

Bravo is not quite on that level yet, but it would not be surprising if her next feature hits that mark. The unrefined potential in Bravo’s direction could be something quite special and unique if she is paired with a stronger script and takes more risks.

With any misanthropic narrative, much of the humor is most effective when it is daring, cynical and truly grotesque. The humor ought to stun audiences. Bravo’s humor is simply too safe to
be memorable.

Despite these shortcomings, there are some enjoyable aspects in the movie. The cast is as
dynamic and as amusing as they can be with the script. In one perfectly absurd scene at Isaac’s family Passover Seder, the entire family is framed in a single shot as they all attempt to sing 10 verses of “One Million Matzo Balls.”

Other high points include several scenes in Isaac’s acting workshop, where Isaac comically directs his two actors played by Michael Cera (“Arrested Development”) and Gillian Jacobs (“Community”) through a ridiculous adaptation of “The Seagull.” Cera’s character is perfectly
arrogant, spouting faux-artistic gibberish in an effective satire of artistic culture.

Isaac views his actors with contradictory pride and contempt as he copes with the possibility of being outshone by them. This character thread is the only truly compelling thread in the film, but it is unfortunately dropped by the end.

Ultimately, the script never makes anything of Gelman’s character, and viewers cannot help but grow bored with the film. Bravo makes a gamble by exchanging depth for generic absurdity, and it simply does not pay off. Nonetheless, Janicza Bravo will certainly be a director to look out for in future years. “Lemon” is currently playing at the Plaza Theatre.

As the weather cools, the TV schedule heats up with premieres of new shows and returns of fan favorites. Plan your season around a cozy night in with one of these upcoming shows.

American Horror Story

Sept. 5: The unique anthology series “American Horror Story” came back to FX this week with for its seventh season, titled Cult. Being released in a politically charged climate, the season is
rumored to include several references to and critiques of the current political landscape along with its standard nonstop horror.

A menagerie of veteran actors and actresses from seasons past return in different roles, a practice which has become standard for the show.

The Orville

Sept. 10: Though Seth MacFarlane is probably known mostly for his animated works, his face will find the small screen Sept. 10 in the live-action series
“The Orville.”

Set 400 years in the future, this science fiction comedy takes inspiration from “Star Trek” and “The Twilight Zone” to depict a space-faring crew’s adventures on the titular Orville spacecraft.

MacFarlane’s crude and even vapid humor works well in a cartoon format like “Family Guy” or in such films as “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” but it will be interesting to see if an entire live-action series can stem from what is essentially a frat-boy auteur.

The Deuce

Sept. 10: HBO’s newest series “The Deuce” throws viewers into the sleazy and drug-addled landscape of the 70’s New York porn industry. Hollywood stars James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal take to the small screen in this already-lauded tale of violence, lust and greed.

Broad City

Sept. 13: Comedy Central’s “Broad City” returns for its fourth season after over a year off air. Playing characters somewhat based on themselves, showrunners Illana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson will revive their signature brand of messy, raunchy and painfully real comedy.

While they use the old trope of friends who are polar opposites, they weave in modern elements, like FaceTiming across town and casually address current social
issues. This season’s treatment of President Trump’s election, including beeping out his name, should prove interesting. A fifth season has already been approved.

The Good Place

Sept. 20: After a dramatic twist at the end of the first season, NBC’s after-life themed show promises an exciting exploration in a new direction. Kristen Bell and Ted Danson star in this absurd but charming comedy.

Inhumans

Sept. 29: The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) will bring another story to the small screen this fall with the upcoming ABC show “Inhumans.”

While other Marvel series have found moderate success, the pre-release Rotten Tomatoes score of “Inhumans” currently sits at 0%. Despite this unpromising indicator, those who are caught up with the MCU and are craving more before the next film should give it a chance.

The Walking Dead

Oct. 22: AMC’s flagship series “The Walking Dead” returns for its eighth season. The late fall
airdate allows plenty of time to binge and fall back in love with this popular show.

While there has been a steady decline in the show’s momentum recently, the series still promises a suspenseful and action-filled hour every week. Chandler Riggs, who plays Carl Grimes, has promised many killings and explosions during this season.

Stranger Things

Oct. 27: The Netflix hit “Stranger Things” took the internet
by storm upon its release, becoming one of the platform’s standout series. Just in time for Halloween, the binge-worthy sci-fi adventure will be returning to the streaming service with a fresh slew of new episodes.

The second season, according to creators, will delve deeper into the circumstances regarding Will’s disappearance and fill in the mythos set up in season one.

Located less than a mile off campus, the New American Shakespeare Tavern has been host to all of Shakespeare’s plays as well as the works of many other playwrights over the past couple decades. Its most recent production, “Taming of the Shrew,” has seemingly been more popular than most of the others, as it has been performed yearly since 2014.

At first glance, this play is severely outdated with its use of antiquated English grammar,
deprecated vocabulary and overall themes, but upon closer inspection, one might notice that even as it is, “Taming of the Shrew” can still be enjoyed.

This tale of how to deal with an unruly woman is set in Padua, Italy, sometime during the 14th, 15th or 16th century. The exact date has no real bearing on the plot since neither rapid long
distance communication nor proper identification methods were available, and both would destroy a good portion of the plot.

Katherina and Bianca, portrayed by Dani Herd and Kristin Storla, are sisters doomed to be at odds with each other for the sheer enjoyment of the writer. The younger, Bianca, has many suitors, but cannot marry any before her sister finds a husband. The rest of the play is about finding such a man for Katherina and how the two eventually come to terms with their respective marriages.

Bianca comes across as lighthearted and decidedly one dimensional, as she seems not to care about her prospective husbands as individuals and is pleased to merely gloat over her suitor-less sister. The blame for this debacle cannot rightly be placed on Storla, as an actor cannot be held responsible for the faults of his or her role’s writer. Bianca simply had little development in the original script, and so she was doomed to fall flat in the performance.

Even with a character dedicated to cheap laughs, “Taming of the Shrew” manages to deliver Shakespeare’s trademark wordplay and intricate jokes in the form of Katherina and her
husband, Petruchio (Matt Nitchie), whose dialog is marked by quick wit and severe loathing, which inexplicably turns to adoration.

With three offstage weddings, several cases of hidden or mistaken identity and no deaths (although there is a widow present), “Taming of the Shrew” is undoubtedly a comedy. The interplay of Herd and Nitchie as Katherina and her husband is energetic and, with the proper mindset, quite humorous. Unfortunately, the proper mindset must be that women should be demure and obedient to their husbands.

Perhaps the best portion of this outdated yet enjoyable play are the scenes where Drew Reeves portrays Grumio, a servant to Petruchio. Grumio is hopelessly under Petruchio’s control, and he often comments on his master’s eccentricities. His character embodies contradiction, as he can be dejected and tired one moment and ecstatically subservient the next.

In total, the New American Shakespeare Tavern’s production of “Taming of the Shrew” is entertaining, yet there are more modern ways to spend one’s time. Shakespeare Tavern will be performing “Taming of the Shrew” until Sept. 17, when they will begin “The Reign of King
Edward III.” Many postulate that this play of uncertain origin was a collaborative work involving William Shakespeare.

Without warning, Taylor Swift’s fans were consumed by darkness. Around 11 a.m. on Aug. 18, the much-publicized celebrity’s Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook and official website were suddenly blacked out. Every meme, message and mention had vanished.

She left the world unimaginably befuddled, as her confused fans searched for signs indicating whether she had been hacked or was plotting a significant announcement. Swift had also abandoned all those she was previously following, an unusual purge for celebrities. Something big was undoubtedly about to happen.

In the next few days, Taylor Swift posted a few ominous videos and images on her
social media outlets, depicting a snake. Fans continued to grapple with the various interpretations concerning her whereabouts.

Five days later, Swift finally ended the torturous anticipation by announcing her new
album “Reputation” to be released on Nov. 10. She would also be dropping the album’s first single on the following day. Spectators could breathe at last.

However, when “Look What You Made Me Do” dropped on Aug. 24, many experienced a
similar shortness of breath similar to that which the superstar’s social media blackout induced. The song is unlike anything she had ever released.

The album appears to be headed in a dark dance-pop direction, including edgy R&B and hip-hop sounds. Considering the 14-year-old version of this musician was a stainless sweetheart dedicated solely to country music, one could imagine the controversial reactions to this constantly evolving artist’s new song.

Regardless of the polarized responses to her musicality and choice of genre, Swift undeniably applied herself when writing the song’s lyrics. The single is jammed with references to her previous works and personal affairs.

A common analysis of her first verse is that she refers to Kanye West in the line “[doesn’t] like [his] tilted stage.” West recently used a tilted stage during his Saint Pablo tour. Swift appears to still be agitated by his interruption at the VMAs in 2009. The piece is overflowing with subtle mentions of the people who have wronged her and her hatred of the
reputation they have given her.

The passive aggressive, yet well-written song was no match for the music video that went along with it, delivered to followers the next day. Swift destroyed all lingering bits of confusion about what she is doing next in a four-minute film.

She knows what everyone has been saying about her, and she knows who said it. The Taylor Swift that existed before these rumors is dead. Now she has nothing left but to embrace her new reputation. In honor of the frequently trending tag #TaylorSwiftIsASnake, Swift becomes one with her brethren in the video, sitting in a throne room abounding with reptiles and
allowing one to serve her tea.

Additionally, Taylor Swift seemingly impersonates Katy Perry in one scene of the video, reflecting on their many preceding conflicts, in which Swift is often criminalized. She embodies this idea by carrying a Grammy, highlighting that she has many while Perry has none.

Toward the end of the video, the celebrity stands atop a tower of past versions of herself fighting with each other. She wears the letters “REP” across her chest, and she wipes out the mountain underneath her. Her new reputation massacres her past.

One cannot deny that Taylor Swift dedicated immense amounts of effort to make her new song and video well-thought out and well-executed, but critics have tended to ignore the craftsmanship of her recent work.

USA Today says “Taylor Swift’s ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ isn’t smart — it’s just petty.” The Nashville Scene, an alternative newsweekly in her hometown, says her new piece is “worse than bad — it’s irrelevant.”

While their criticisms may hold some truth, it seems that they will only feed her new
concept of a reputation created based upon rumors and opinions. One day, this supposedly “petty” and “irrelevant” Taylor Swift will die as well. Right now, one can only wait and see what else she has in store, especially on Nov. 10.

Brian Regan stands apart from the saturated comedic landscape through his observational and clean humor. Regan has performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York, was on Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” and has filmed two solo Netflix specials.

Brian is a seasoned stand up legend. He seems at home on stage as he rattles off dozens of punchlines. His animated style and unique take on everyday occurrences evokes the memory of bygone greats, like George Carlin and Richard Pryor. Regan’s tour will stop at the Chastain Park Amphitheatre on Sept. 23.

Technique: So, when did you start doing comedy?

Regan: Oh, many moons ago. I don’t know why I’m making
a Native American reference. Basically a long time ago. Half a
century ago.

Technique: When and where did you start standup?

Regan: I decided to start standup in college. My first set was at a comedy club in Fort Lauderdale. You know, when I went up, I got up there, and the light was shining in my eyes and everything, and I just went up there and ad-libbed. I just said, “I forgot my lines.” And the craziest thing is, I killed. It was surreal. When I stepped off stage, my head was spinning, and when I drove home that night, it really felt good.

Technique: You just finished filming your second Netflix special in Denver on Aug. 24. How did it go?

Regan: It was awesome. I’m actually in LA to do the final editing for the special. You know, a lot of people think that a special is one uncut performance. When I’m really on stage, at some points, it’s quieter, but we edit all the best parts of the performance together for the special.

Technique: Why did you choose Denver for the filming?

Regan: I used to perform at a comedy club there called Comedy Works. They were always supportive of me when I made the jump from clubs to theatres. And the altitude is a mile high there, so people are pretty delirious.

Technique: Where do youstay now?

Regan: I live in Las Vegas. There’s no rhyme or reason to it, I just stay here with my family.

Technique: I read that you have had some cameos in Hollywood. You had a guest appearance on Chris Rock’s Top Five and now are a guest star in a TV series called Loudermilk.

Regan: Yup, “Loudermilk” — just to clarify — it is not my own show. I’m acting on for the show, working with a buddy.

Technique: Are you looking to have your own show in the future?

Regan: When I was working on “Loudermilk,” it was a bit different because I was working on someone else’s vision. I think to work on something solo … is something that I would really want to do.

Technique: Have you ever done stand-up at any clubs in
Atlanta?

Regan: Oh, yeah, I’ve been all around Atlanta. I’ve gone to the Punchline and Cobb Energy Center.

Technique: What other cities have you done stand up in?

Regan: I’ve been to the big ones: New York, LA. I was there when there were some clubs that aren’t even around anymore.

I think The Improv shut down in New York. And I’ve been to clubs in Milwaukee, and the set has gone just as well.

Technique: When you were first a comic, who were some of your inspirations?

Regan: I really looked up to Jerry Seinfeld; he gets a lot of mileage out of a simple thought. You know, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, all those guys. Steve Martin is a mixture of smart and silly, and George Carlin moved into social consciousness kind of stuff.

Technique: Clean humor is something you are known for. Have you always been clean on stage?

Regan: I was always mostly clean. Not 100% clean, but pretty much. I had some jokes with the f-word in it. Clean humor is not as big of a deal to me as it is to other people. I just talk about everyday stuff. I’ve never done a filthy, raunchy bit. Being clean was a part of my act that just felt natural to me.

Technique: You have a show at Chastain Park on the Sept. 23, right?

Regan: Yes, I’m looking forward to it because the Amphitheatre is outside. A lot of comics would say that they don’t want to perform outdoors because they want the laughter contained, but I’m really comfortable outdoors.

Technique: Thank you for your time. I look forward to your tour at Chastain Park.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Having to put all of your collegiate accomplishments on one paper is daunting, and rightfully so. However, fear not, because the Technique recently sat down with Michael Laughter, the educational outreach communications manager at the Center for Career Discovery and Development (C2D2), to compile some key ways to make sure that your resume stands out.

START EARLY

While it may seem unnecessary to make a resume before even thinking of applying for internships or jobs, doing so is vital to making sure yours is full and complete. “It amazes me that I still see students who show up their final year having never crafted a resume,” Laughter said. By starting early, you will have a base that can be easily updated as skills, experience and projects change.

Break it up

Every resume should have five sections: Education, Work Experience, Academic Projects and Skills. Be sure to order these sections so that after education, the strongest section is first. “When a resume is filled out in this manner, and has really good content in each of the five sections, a student can describe themselves according to their skills and not just their major,” Laughter explained. Even first-year students should have each section, supplementing collegiate experience with high school information.

Focus on skills

Students often do not realize the importance of this section. This is where you highlight the concepts you have learned in class, equipment and computer programs you’ve used and secondary skills. “At a glance the skills section shows me everything you’ve been exposed to and everything you’re capable of,” Laughter said. Moreover, this is a great way to include keywords in your resume that will show up when companies use keyword search.

Don’t forget the projects

Academic projects show that you can implement the theory and concepts that you have learned in the classroom. “Often times, at a career fair, when you see a recruiter in an animated conversation with a student pointing to a resume, they are asking questions about the project section,” Laughter shared. Additionally, this section is a great way to share your passions and interests in the context of the academic work you have already done.

Know Your Audience

You probably will not be able to fit every single thing you have accomplished or learned on your resume. Consider keeping a list of everything from which specific items that pertain to the particular job or internship to which you are applying. Not only with this keep your resume uncluttered and concise, but it will help tailor your resume to your particular audience.

The Devil is in the details

The resume is the first step in getting someone’s attention. It is important to include the specific concepts you have learned in classes and to share the specific experiences which may be important to a recruiter. Also, make sure to include any pertinent dates, locations and organizations for easy and quick reference by the reader. By including specific details, you can help your resume stand out.

Keep it simple

While making sure you have all of the facts is important, it is also necessary to make sure that your resume is not cluttered or hard to read. Keep your bullet points to one line and do not allow yourself to be wordy. Make sure that any formatting is neat and not excessive. Simplicity will make your qualifications easier to understand.

UPDATE EARLY AND OFTEN

The best way to ensure that your resume is complete and detailed is to update it anytime you acquire a new skill, gain more experience or have a change in any of the sections (often at the end of a semester). This ensures that none of your hard work falls by the wayside, and that recruiters have the most complete image of your talent.

If you think you might need more help, be sure to schedule an appointment with the C2D2 office through CareerBuzz, or check out the resources available to you in your specific school. These resources can offer guidance specific to your case, and can help you craft a resume that is perfect for your situation. These steps will be able to confidently hand any recruiter your resume.

This fall, Georgia Tech Center for Career Discovery and Development is hosting the Virtual Career Fair, powered by CareerEco’s Virtual Event Solution. The event will take place on Sept. 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is open to all Georgia Tech students and alumni.

The Virtual Career Fair is an opportunity for those seeking internships, co-ops and full-time positions to learn more about the represented companies and to speak to recruiters in a variety of settings.

The fair is convenient for all candidates because it takes place entirely online, allowing both candidates and recruiters to cut down on travel time and expense.

However, attending the Virtual Career Fair does not mean that students can simply roll out of bed and send a few online messages while in their pajamas.

Candidates should still dress in a professional manner and find a quiet environment because some portions of the virtual experience include video chats.

At first glance, the Virtual Career Fair may seem like a more impersonal option to some; however, in many ways it can provide a more one-on-one experience than a traditional career fair. Instead of being lost in a crowd of faces, candidates can participate in individual video chats with company representatives.

In this way, the virtual format serves as a valuable alternative to the traditional career fair setting.

This platform also helps recruiters with the process of reaching back out to candidates after the event has taken place. In addition, it provides more opportunities for students to find jobs and for companies to find employees because of the high volume of people that can attend at once; both candidates and recruiters can participate from various locations without worrying about being on Tech campus at a specific date and time.

Candidates of all majors are welcome to this virtual event, and students can preview the companies attending the event online.

The CareerEco website includes specific details about companies that will be represented, the positions that are available and the range of majors and disciplines they will be looking for.

The website is also designed with helpful features, such as a button that allows users to express interest in a company, and comprehensive schedules for the time frames that recruiters will be hosting chats.

CareerEco allows candidates to plan out the entire career fair experience and provides the option to link to an existing online calendar, such as Google Calendar.

The site also provides details about the types of positions offered and their locations, and
includes a filter to help candidates find a position that is right for them. This allows candidates to quickly hone in on the exact positions they are interested in.

In addition, the virtual environment creates more opportunities to communicate than a traditional career fair. It enables users to conduct multiple conversations simultaneously and through different channels; for example, each company will host its own chat room, but recruiters also have the option to set up individual video chats.

This career fair is also has advantages over major-specific career fairs because it is open to all majors and its webpage provides lists of not only people from broad fields that may be interested in the position, but also a list of more specific disciplines.

Companies such as VDOT, Aptean, Motorola Solutions and Stanley Black and Decker will be participating in the Virtual Career Fair. For a full list of companies and to view other upcoming fairs, go to career.eco.com.

The Virtual Career Fair takes place on September 20th, after other career fairs have already occurred on campus. This makes it a great opportunity for those who are unsatisfied with the results from traditional career fairs to try out the virtual option and see if it is more compatible with their goals.

Visit career.gatech.edu/virtual-career-fair to register for the Virtual Career fair on Sept. 20.

It’s hard enough having to deal with the day-to-day struggles of my mental illness. It’s even harder to hear someone say that I shouldn’t be proud of it, but instead, hide it from the world, even in spaces specifically designed for creativity and self expression to flourish.

This weekend, along with thousands of other nerds, I attended Atlanta’s very own DragonCon and attended several panels that I assumed would give me insight into the industry in which I hope to work one day: media, communication and technology.

At one specific panel titled “Diversity in Gaming,” a panelist, who was supposed to be praising diversity and talking about how games and media should also
embrace the concept, said that “we all want to be better, more beautiful versions of ourselves.” By her logic, many people create characters, whether in tabletop games, video games, computer programs, or even in writing and artworks, without the “flaws” that they find in their real life selves. These “flaws” specifically include mental illness and disabilities.

Her statement came in reply to an audience question from a fan wondering what the climate was for creating disabled characters in games, seeing as our world is getting better and better at representing more diverse groups. Her response was disappointing. I had expected her answer to follow along the lines of, “embrace yourself, make a character with your disability, don’t make it a plot point or something to overcome, and be yourself,” but instead, the audience was confronted with something more along the lines of “nobody wants to be disabled, it’s society’s view that you’re better when you’re able-bodied and neurotypical.”

She has a point, though. Throughout the past few years of my life, I have found it extremely difficult to openly discuss my struggles with my mental disabilities, whether that be my attention deficit disorder or my anxiety; all of my “problems” are pitied and seen as abnormal. Why can’t I just be normal? But here’s the thing: I am normal, and I wish somebody would have told me that sooner. It’s okay to have a mental illness, it’s okay to be physically disabled, it’s okay to struggle with day to day life, but what is not okay is being shunned and looked down upon for what we go through.

I don’t want to be a “better, more beautiful” version of me. I am fine how I am. I am beautiful the way I am. Not being anxious, depressed, or having other emotional issues is not going to make me a better person. I’m just a person, just as anyone reading this article is.

I think it’s important that we, as a community here at Tech but also as a community of human beings, work together to de-stigmatize disabilities and embrace ourselves for all that we are. When I look on TV, I want to see myself represented in those people — I don’t want to watch people that aren’t even a solid reflection of what is real in this world. When I create characters, I want them to go through what I go through without making it their entire plot or development.

I want others to respect me and see me as an equal, not as someone who needs to be pitied,
improved upon, or even feared. My disabilities are a part of who I am, but they are not who I am in my entirety. I can be mentally ill and passionate about writing, I can be active in my community but also depressed, I can do well in school while having ADHD.

I don’t have to defy these stereotypes either to be considered valid and important. I can have off days, I can be too tired to get out of bed, I can be too anxious to move, I can be too scatter-brained to hold a good conversation, but just because those things may sometimes be true, doesn’t make someone else better than me. It just makes them different, and I think that these differences are more important than we think they are.

I think that it’s time that we are open and honest about our differences, and that we respect and love what makes us all unique in our own ways, even if that means having an open dialogue about our disabilities and our struggles.

Another semester at Tech is now underway, and, as such, I have a bunch of complaints that need to see the light of day.

First, what is up with the library lobby redesign? It looks awful, with a strange, half-assed, hipster-chic vibe going on.  Why did that need to happen? The now-vanished counter was a classy look and didn’t leave the librarians sitting at a random island as if waiting to be rescued by the goddamn Coast Guard. I get that Crosland Tower is being renovated, but efforts should be focused there on that eternally-delayed project, not bleeding over into the west wing.

Next, it has come to my attention recently that the price of bottled soda in the vending machines around campus has been bumped up from $1.75 to $2.00. Great. As if the former price was not enough of a rip-off. The sad thing is that the new freshmen will never know any other reality.

Then there’s the terrible rollout of two-factor authentication. Okay, so there have apparently been some security breaches in the past. Why, then, is the burden of security being forcibly passed on to me, the end-user? Don’t outsource the responsibility of keeping the data secure. And before you come at me talking about how two-factor is some kind of standard in the tech industry, I don’t care. If it is, it shouldn’t be.

All of this is not to mention the unequivocally clumsy way that students are being made to start using the new authentication system. Is it really so difficult of a process that I need to physically go to OIT and be helped? Is there really no way it can be set up remotely? I even tried to have a friend add me to the system to avoid what I knew would be an unsavory time-waste of a trip. But their account did not have the required permission or access to help me. Neither did another friend, who had been on two-factor for a bit prior due to being a tutor. What a disappointment.

Another thing — why this huge push towards not having any backpacks at the career fair? The fact that the demand is plastered in bold lettering on every single career fair poster and advertisement almost makes one think that they’re afraid backpacks will take all the jobs. Seriously, what is the big fear here? If it is serious, and there is no area to drop backpacks as in years past, the expectation on the part of the event organizers that students can deal with what will for many be massive inconvenience is simply mind-boggling. It’s unreasonable to think that students attending the career fair will be able to spare time to make the journey to the CRC, stand in line, talk to recruiters, trip back to their home, get their stuff and then go to class, especially when the fair will overlap with nearly every class slot during the day.

I could go on. But if my time at Tech has taught me anything, it is that many distasteful and unfortunate experiences are sure to come.

American hate groups have recently discovered a new and interesting way to justify their beliefs. Unable to defend their views on the basis of logical thought or rational justification, these people have taken to reclassifying their views as alternative viewpoints instead of radical fringe beliefs. They then use this self-classification as a shield, claiming that the true perpetrators of intolerance in the US are those who refuse to play along with their charade.

According to these groups, calling a Nazi a Nazi is as bigoted and hateful as genuinely believing in the inferiority of races and promotion of genocide. They would prefer you called their ideology an alternative form of right-wing thought, allowing them to claim that their beliefs are much closer to the American norm than they are. They attempt to package fascism and blatantly racist beliefs in a particular way that allows them to make the claim that an attack on them is an attack on all of tradition.

When level-headed Americans attempt to confront this kind of behavior by calling a spade a spade, modern hate groups often turn progressive language on its head, claiming that these people are practicing intolerance by mislabeling their ideology and refusing to allow them to identify with what they claim to be. The mistake many people make when confronted with this is questioning whether calling them Nazis truly is intolerant.

Promoting a culture of tolerance does not require putting up with intolerance from others. In fact, doing so requires rejection of hatred and intolerance as part of its core mission. Not
rejecting bigotry and fascism allows those beliefs to grow with diminished opposition and deflects the argument from the merits of their systems, which hatred simply cannot defend.

Hate groups also employ false equivalence when under attack, claiming that politically opposed groups deserve just as much scrutiny as they are receiving themselves. They will often invent terms for these groups, such as ‘alt-left’, that associate these groups with the very hatred they oppose.

They then rely on people to attribute hatred to both sides of the debate, allowing their ideologies to grow with lessened opposition.

No left-wing groups identify as ‘alt-left’. The term is only used to falsely cast progressive ideas as dangerous and hateful, ironically by the very people who claim their own extremist
beliefs are legitimate.

All responsible Americans should be aware of the smoke and mirrors used by far-right
extremists to promote their ideologies across the country. Do not be afraid to reject their ideals out of hand and do not buy into their claims that you are intolerant for doing so.

The central ideals of right-wing hate groups are and will always go against American values and principles.