Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar

Women in films are rarely viewed as their own person. A majority of the time, they are objectified, sexualized or used as a tool for the male protagonist to get ahead. 

This is called the male gaze in which women are portrayed through a masculine, sexualized lens that adheres to a male standard of what it means to be a woman. 

Oftentimes, women portrayed through the male gaze are belittled as their body means more to the audience than their actions and goals. 

This is harmful as it provides an outlet for men to justify their misogynistic actions as well as negatively impacts women’s self-esteem and self-perception. 

The effects of the male gaze continue to be studied but the most resounding effect would be how women feel forced to fit into the standards brought forth by the male gaze in real life. 

Whether they feel inclined to follow the standard or rush to reject it, it still creates a divide of what it means to be a woman as femininity is pushed to be the main determining factor. 

A common idea that arises would be the “I’m not like other girls” phenomenon where young girls reject femininity by choosing hyper-masculine traits. Although the idea is to fight the patriarchy, it only serves to further abide by it as the “other girls” who present feminine traits and hobbies are viewed as villains rather than the misogyny that is born within the patriarchy. 

Femininity is not the villain nor are the women who feel happy to follow traditional feminine roles. 

The female gaze, which can vary by person but still carry the same message, is an emerging term used to describe the way films portray women as well as men to be intimate, multi-dimensional people. 

A recent example would be Greta Gerwig’s adaption of “Little Women” which follows the lives of four sisters in America. Amy March, portrayed by Florence Pugh, adds a progressive aura to the film as she claims to not be ashamed to have to marry rich but that she views marriage as an “economic proposition” where it’s the only way women can showcase their success. 

To add on, the cinematography in the film focuses heavily on the faces of the characters, their hands and their words rather than the groundless sexualization found in other movies. 

The female gaze aims to humanize women to be more than their relationships with men which is a rarity in film. What is so great about “Little Women” is that it still keeps the element of marriage, love and traditional female roles but it allows the women in the film to explore those aspects and how it pertains to their goals, motivations and self-perception. 

All in all, the male gaze continues to pester society as it uncomfortably paints women to be sexual objects when in reality, that is far from the truth. 

There should be more room for films that utilize the female gaze to humanize women, celebrate femininity and provide a space that allows women to question their roles in society without being painted as a villain. 

What it means to be a woman is different for everybody and that should be allowed to be explored. 

Cindy Rivas Alfaro is a sophomore journalism major who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com 

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“The male gaze harms the perception of women” was originally posted on The Cougar

Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar

As people gather around to be thankful for their friends and family, the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday are rarely questioned. 

Many learn that Thanksgiving celebrates the alliance between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. 

Tisquantum, or Squanto as the Pilgrims called him, was an enslaved Native American who escaped to London and returned to his homeland. He taught colonizers how to grow crops and survive which lead to their settlements to thrive. It also set the tone for the 50-year-old alliance the colonizers had with the Wampanoag tribe. 

However, this is only a bubble of the actual history between Native Americans and colonizers.

The history between Native Americans and colonizers is filled with massacres and years of bloodshed. 

The number of indigenous people living in America as well as the number killed through colonization has been argued by historians for years. Because of the erasure of their culture and people through forced assimilation, no one truly knows how many indigenous people were living prior to European involvement. 

It is difficult to pinpoint a population as a minor change in the number creates grand differences. A population of 100 million can shift to become 125 million if numbers are increased by a fraction. Deaths can grow or fall between 90 million or 112 million depending on those numbers. 

Historians roughly estimate that 90 percent of the Native American population was killed because of diseases brought from Europe and the number only continues to grow if you include wars. Indigenous people died protecting their lands that were continuously stolen by Europeans by greed and the push for westward expansion. 

Thanksgiving overshadows this harsh truth and glamorizes colonialism by painting colonizers to be helpless and innocent. Many people didn’t even know that Tisquantum was the last person alive from his tribe, the Patuxet, because when he escaped from his enslavement to return home, everyone had died from diseases. 

The facade of a peaceful harmony is broken by the millions of graves that were never able to be paid respect to because there was no one left to carry on that ritual or mourn their loss.

Celebrating Thanksgiving seems harmless but the passiveness is what allows the history of Native Americans to be erased. 

There should be an effort to tell the truth about Thanksgiving and rectify the holiday to honor the indigenous people who died at the hands of colonialism.

Cindy Rivas Alfaro is a sophomore journalism major who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com. 

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“Thanksgiving erases Native American history” was originally posted on The Cougar

Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar

Feeding the squirrels at UH does more harm than good as it desensitizes them to humans and could lead them to act in bold and dangerous ways.

The United States Department of Agriculture page states, “Animals accustomed to people often lose their fear of people and can become aggressive.” Even if students believe these squirrels are gentle and friendly, there is a potential for any wild animal to harm students.

The USDA also states that feeding animals in certain areas, such as airports, may cause “flight delays, damage to aircraft, and loss of human life.” Additionally, if squirrels are fed near roads, the animals could also be injured by vehicles.

Not only can the practice of feeding squirrels result in physical harm, but it may spread serious diseases. 

Orkin, a pest control service, notes the multitude of illnesses spread by direct contact with these animals include tularemia, typhus, plague and ringworm. Pests such as ticks and fleas on squirrels may infest homes and introduce Lyme Disease to humans and house pets.

Although not all encounters with the creatures result in infection, some interactions may be fatal. A lot of the illnesses transferred from squirrels can start off similarly to flu symptoms and then become deadly when left untreated.  

It is essential that students practice caution when interacting with these animals as their life could depend on them.

However, the squirrels’ lives depend on avoiding this practice, too.

Even though many believe they are helping squirrels by providing necessary food, human food may be detrimental to this animal’s health and cause negative effects.

The USDA explains wild animals require specific diets and if the needs are not met, they can die from malnourishment. The pizza and fries from Moody Towers Dining Commons may not nourish these critters as much as you think.

Wild animals have vastly different diets and lifestyles than humans, so students should think twice before exposing squirrels to potentially unhealthy foods.

Although feeding squirrels may appeal to animal lovers on campus, this practice endangers both animals and humans. 

Students must consider the physical harm or fatal sickness they may suffer from interacting with these wild animals and the negative impact human food has on squirrels.

It is much more respectful and safe for students to enjoy the squirrels without direct interaction to ensure that both parties do not endanger the other.

Gina Grenyo is a freshman Global Hospitality Leadership major who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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“Students should not feed the squirrels on campus” was originally posted on The Cougar

Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar

Twitter Blue has created more problems for the social media app as users take advantage of the verified check and Elon Musk continues to implement changes. 

One of the main perks of Twitter Blue is the verified blue check mark that is known to be a symbol of reliability and trust in the app. 

Before Twitter Blue, the verified blue check mark required a rigorous series of qualifications to verify a user. 

Now, however, anyone with $8 to spare could become verified on Twitter. 

The issue with Twitter Blue is that people already do not fact-check their sources nor do they take the time to double-check the media they’re consuming. To elaborate, during the pandemic, only three out of 10 Americans felt confident in their ability to fact-check news about COVID-19. 

To add on, Twitter Blue becoming available during a very competitive election season arises questions about Elon Musk’s intention with the new feature. With a third of tweets from American adults mentioning politics, there is no doubt that Twitter plays a major role in spreading political messages and campaigns. 

With that in mind, Twitter Blue was suspended a few days later after its launch as people began impersonating big-name companies and individuals to spread disinformation at lightning speed. 

One of the notable companies affected by this impersonation crisis is the pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly. An impersonator account tweeted a simple “we are excited to announce insulin is free now” which led to chaos on the web. 

From this simple tweet, the company managed to lose billions in stock overnight. 

Aside from company losses, users are now starting to become worried about Twitter’s security risks. 

Several executives of Twitter whose job was to protect users’ safety and personal information have resigned after Elon Musk implemented layoffs at the company. 

Yoel Roth, who resigned from his position of head of trust and safety, attempted to provide reassurances to the public that hateful content will stay off the app, however, the Federal Trade Commission has already expressed their concern of Elon Musk’s executive decisions. 

Twitter is rapidly changing and as one of the world’s biggest social media app, this is concerning.

There have already been concerns about Elon Musk taking over Twitter as he has constantly praised free speech which has just become a code name for him and his followers to spread hate speech without consequences. 

It is clear that the consequences of Elon Musk’s control over Twitter have already begun to show and the billionaire should take a step back and realize the damage he has caused to not only the social media app but the public as a whole. 

Twitter Blue was a disaster and any following implementations made by Elon Musk will only cause more chaos to the already crumbling social media app.

Cindy Rivas Alfaro is a sophomore journalism major who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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“Twitter Blue is spreading disinformation, concerns over safety” was originally posted on The Cougar

Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar

The solutions brought forth to solve the issues of feminism only benefit white, able-bodied women as they strive to rise above the systems of oppression rather than dismantle them. 

The experiences women face are all so inherently different as race, gender, class, religion and economic circumstances deny a homogeneous culture within feminism. 

This is why feminism cannot be viewed through a single lens. 

After four waves of feminism and three emerging feminist ideologies, there is not a world where everyone can be appeased with the solution to ending the patriarchal society that harms women. 

However, white feminism is causing more harm than good. 

White feminism is used to describe the way in which white women strive in a patriarchal system while minorities continue to struggle with the same issues that plague their everyday lives. 

One of the more troubling instances of white feminism touch into the white savior complex where white women travel to other countries to spread their western view of feminism without taking into account cultural differences. 

The U.S. Aid and International Development Agency implemented a program called Promote in 2001 which aimed to help 75,000 Afghan women earn jobs and internships. 

However, two decades later, only 55 Afghan women were said to have benefited from this program. 

The main problem with programs like these is that the people in charge want to change the mindset of these women to fit Western standards. This only invalidates women’s experiences and causes more strain in their journey to reach equality and justice in their countries. 

Women started to feel ostracized and overlooked from these programs as they don’t really aim to help their circumstances, only attempt to blindly uproot them from their systematic oppression that takes more than a pep talk to make a difference. 

White women contribute to this, whether intentionally or unintentionally, by dismissing the magnitude of women going against their violent patriarchal societies. 

Women of color face violence at a more disproportionate rate compared to white women. 

Without an understanding of how culture, religion and other factors play a part in how inequality and misogyny build onto a women’s experience, no improvements can be made to improve their experiences. 

In order to help women of color, people need to listen to their experiences rather than talk over them and invalidate their struggles. 

The feminist movement can only become successful once it helps and listens to all women, not just the chosen few at the top of the pyramid.

Cindy Rivas Alfaro is a sophomore journalism major who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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“White feminism hinders the movement” was originally posted on The Cougar

Iqra Rafey/The Cougar

Politicians are heavily politicizing the Constitution rather than adhering to the document. 

With the modern U.S.’s divided political climate, it can be a challenge to pinpoint who the actual defenders of such an important document really are and who are just claiming to be for the sake of political clout. 

Over the years, however, it has become clear that a staggering amount of politicians who are meant to represent what the Constitution stands for do not fully understand the implications that lie beneath it.

Over the course of the last decade alone, political views deemed as “extreme” have taken over mainstream American politics. 

There is a growing resentment towards more moderate politicians who have been seen as unproductive and not passionate enough to serve the changing needs of the people they serve. 

Thus, they are quickly vanishing in favor of more far-left and far-right candidates. The newfound motivation for these candidates to cater to this polarization in order to maintain political power means that they lose touch with the purpose of their service: to serve the people based on the interpretation of the Constitution.

This dilemma is already apparent. 

Earlier this year, Republican representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado expressed her resentment towards the separation of church and state doctrine, spouting her beliefs that the “church is supposed to direct the government.”

In reality, this contradicts the Establishment Clause which explicitly states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

Boebert’s comments not only demonstrate her lack of understanding of the Constitution’s core values despite claiming to be a staunch defender of it, but her comments also highlight a concerning trend in faux patriotism that stems from personal rhetoric rather than interpretation of the living document. 

It is an unfortunate reminder that American politics has developed into less of an act of service to the nation, but rather a divisive battle for power.

Misconstruing the Constitution is more than just preconceived rhetoric as well, and it is more of a bipartisan issue than many may think. 

Many claim that a series of bills heavily backed by Democrats designed to federalize the voting system contradicts the document, which states that each state may conduct the “times, places, and manner” of their elections. 

While these laws were merely a counterattack to voter suppression, it appears that the Founding Fathers’ words prevail in the eyes of the American people.

So what has caused such a widespread misunderstanding of Constitutional values by both politicians and their constituents, many of whom pledge loyal allegiance to this document?

A study conducted by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation shows that this dilemma stems more from the lack of civic education than anything else. 

Their results showed that only around 25 percent of Americans knew how many amendments the document had. That same percentage of surveyed people were unable to point out all of the guaranteed rights in the First Amendment. 

While not knowing these details may seem insignificant to the average American, it highlights a major issue that keeps the country divided. 

The Constitution is continually weaponized by both sides of the political aisle, despite the obvious fact that very few people who use it within their argument actually understand the context of it. 

Education is vital when it comes to making political decisions and the lack of basic civics knowledge can be an easy way toward political manipulation.

Michael King is a political science sophomore who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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“Politicians fail to adhere to the Constitution” was originally posted on The Cougar

Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar

Latino archives should be preserved in a way that makes them accessible to the Latino community it is serving. 

Before the 1960s, there were practically zero written documents referring to Latino culture. This is not to say that they were nonexistent. 

There were hundreds if not thousands of documents collecting dust in boxes, but since they did not fit the white male American’s perception of Latinos, they were disregarded. 

The Recovery Project at UH aims to build a collaborative and inclusive space for scholars from all around the world to preserve Latino history. 

There has been a lot of criticism of the archival world as the majority of the content within them has to fit a certain standard that does not match the way history flows within minority spaces. 

For Latinos, it is common for documents to never make it into the archives as they prefer to keep them safe in their homes as they get passed along through generations. 

The term migrant archives is used to refer to this unique flow of documents as there is a lack of trust in the archival world as previous encounters have led to a loss of personal histories. Several instances have occurred where records have been taken away by white archivists only to never be returned and kept in spaces blocked by a paywall or specific credentials. 

To add on, there is a lot that goes into archiving works of minorities, especially those in different languages. With translations, meanings can get lost and with a majority of archivists lacking the cultural context of these Latino documents, much information is white-washed or straight-up racist. 

Translation and interpretation are two completely different concepts that usually get mixed. 

The Recovery Project digitizes these important documents combining the efforts of several Latinos to ensure that the information delivered as is clear and raw as its original document. 

Migrant archives explore a unique experience that usually does not match up with the previous concepts of Latino histories. Some of these documents share new ideas and revelations and sometimes add to theories to strengthen them. 

Many people used to think that Latinos were illiterate and that women contributed nothing to the scholarly world, however, these theories were debunked as documents were uncovered by future Latinos who believed that their pasts were more than just what the white-centric archival world told them. 

It is important to place importance on building an honest and inclusive archival world that includes these Latino histories but it cannot be done without creating a space for Latino archivists to input their thoughts as well. 

The whole reason Latino archives are so undervalued is that the people who have to power to pick and choose which archives are important refuse to acknowledge the very people who the archives are about: Latinos and their histories. 

Archives have the power to reconstruct the present as they provide insight into the past and without Latinos having a say on how their history is presented, only misconceptions will continue to be told. 

Cindy Rivas Alfaro is a journalism sophomore who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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“There should be more efforts to preserve Latino archives” was originally posted on The Cougar

Iqra Rafey/The Cougar

LGBTQ people face greater challenges when it comes to the dating scene due to a long history of oppression from the outside world and emotional turmoil from within stemming from homophobia. 

Although various apps such as Tinder, Bumble and Hinge exist to assist LGBTQ people in meeting other members of the community in a more convenient way, many still struggle to find dates compared to their heterosexual peers. 

One of the most obvious obstacles in LGBTQ dating is the lack of overall options. 

In a society where being LGBTQ has almost never been seen as acceptable, many people feel the need to suppress their sexual identity, therefore, never coming out of the closet. This lessens an already limited dating pool, as only about 7.1 percent of Americans outwardly label themselves as part of the community. 

While this number is much more significant than it used to be, people who live in more conservative parts of the country are typically hit harder by this dilemma. 

Although apps may make this easier, many fear going on these apps due to their lack of anonymity. Anyone could impersonate an LGBTQ person and potentially out their peers, leading to paranoia about joining the apps.

In addition, outward ways of expression may also be an indicator of how many matches one may get on an app.

For example, gay men tend to prefer more masculine partners on average than those who portray themselves as more feminine. 

In fact, it also leads to high displeasure with their own overall self-esteem. So not only does this hindrance of freedom of expression set greater limitations on the dating pool, it can cause psychological distress in the long term while simply trying to find a partner.

To add on, some people do not fully come to terms with their sexual identity until later in life, and many may not get to experience dating during their teenage years because of it. 

Also, because of the aforementioned suppression of sexuality due to pressure from society, the lack of open LGBTQ people makes it difficult to have a relationship with someone, especially one that is known to the public. 

Because of this, LGBTQ people may turn to alternative fulfillment, such as toxic hookup culture through apps such as Grindr. Not only does this pose a potential risk to one’s physical health, but it can also be emotionally taxing.

Hookup culture has filled the void of physical connection that many LGBTQ people feel as though they’ve missed out on and still continue to lack in their day-to-day lives. 

While an LGBTQ dating app that is specifically just for courtship has yet to become mainstream, currently existing apps such as Hinge are becoming more inclusive by providing a frequently answered questions tab with common LGBTQ dating questions that allow people to become educated on various topics related to dating and gender identity. 

These small but notable strides are what opens the door for LGBTQ people to find that special someone in a world that has historically restricted them from doing so freely.

Michael King is a political science sophomore who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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“Dating is hard for the LGBTQ community” was originally posted on The Cougar

Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar

Violence against transgender individuals continue to occur even as strong support systems rise. 

Several states and local laws have protections set in place to prevent discrimination against gender and sexual orientation but there is a lack of protection from the federal level. 

The first amendment does a really good job of protecting anti-trans discourse and hate speech under the guise of free speech. 

However, free speech should not equal hate speech. 

Violence doesn’t have to be physical for it to cause damage. The spread of harmful, discriminatory language and ideologies is still harmful and possibly even faster to spread in this societal climate. 

The main instigator for violence against transgender individuals stems from anti-trans stigma which is worsened through lack of family acceptance, hostile political climates and cultural marginalization. 

According to The Human Rights Campaign, around three out of four transgender individuals experience their families make negative remarks surrounding them and over half have been mocked by their family. 

Experiencing a lack of acceptance from the people closest to you is devastating and disheartening. Some people end up having no one close to them to rely on. 

The only way to combat this violence is to create a society that accepts all genders and expressions, however, anti-trans activist continue to invalidate the transgender experience through insensitive questions and languages. 

Matt Walsh, a conservative anti-trans activist, was invited to UH for a screening of his documentary “What Is a Woman?” which had over 400 attendees. 

His ideology harms transgender individuals and only enforces gender as a biological concept rather than characteristics built off of social constructs. 

With a university that preaches diversity and supporting the LGBTQ+ community, having Walsh speak on campus creates a conflict of interest and integrity. 

Although Walsh was able to speak under the protection of the first amendment, his ideologies only continue to harm transgender individuals and the LGBTQ+ community as it only spreads hate and violence towards people who only want to live true to themselves. 

As people continue to spread anti-trans stigma and misinformation, transgender individuals will struggle to lead lives free of harm and discrimination. 

As the number of transgender individuals killed continue to rise each year, there should be more done to limit harmful ideologies as they are the start to violence against transgender people. 

Realistically, it would be impossible to eliminate discrimination entirely, but hatred could be lessened by eliminating platforms held by anti-trans activists like Matt Walsh. 

Instead, those platforms should be held by transgender individuals who want to create an inclusive environment of all genders, sexualities and self-expression. 

Cindy Rivas Alfaro is a sophomore journalism major who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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“Transgender discrimination should be taken more seriously” was originally posted on The Cougar

Dylan Burkett/The Cougar

The promise of free college is misleading as it only brings new economic strains onto individuals.

Recently, one of the main selling points for members of the Democratic Party to young adults has been the promise of free tuition for all. 

While that may sound like a sound deal, especially for all students frustrated with the amount of tuition money needed for each new semester, it comes with strings attached. 

Although college should not be completely free, the cost of attending college should indeed be reduced to a more manageable level. 

A Georgetown University report concluded that college tuition prices have risen by 169 percent since 1980 and are only expected to continue rising despite the COVID-19 pandemic raising tuition prices during 2020.

With a potential recession facing the nation, prices for tuition seem even more likely to rise during the coming years. 

This also means that master’s, doctoral degrees and professional degrees will be even harder to attain for those from low-income backgrounds or those struggling with paying off bare necessities. 

While people may opt to find work with only a high school diploma instead of paying for their degree, the Georgetown University report also found that today, two out of three jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree, a dramatic shift from the 1970’s when only one out of four jobs required a bachelor’s degree.

The idea that free college will resolve the tuition issue is also not realistic. 

For most other countries around the world where college is free, taxpayers are usually the ones who pay for higher education fees. To impose a system where taxpayers are forced to provide for those seeking higher education would be an additional strain on taxpayers. 

In addition to a higher tax rate, students attending free universities like in Norway, Finland and Germany still have to consider that these European countries have some of the highest costs of living. 

Students still have to pay for other additional materials not paid for by the university and master’s, doctoral degrees and professional degrees are not free in most European or international universities that offer free college.

Seeking higher education is an extremely individual choice that people tend to make considering their current economic situation. 

There is no universal rule that dictates individuals have to pursue college or higher education after obtaining their high school diplomas or bachelor’s degrees. 

It is okay to work in a stable job first and then attain a college degree whenever aspiring scholars feel economically secure to make an investment in their education.

Maintaining the choice for individuals to pay for their own education at the time they see fit is a more flexible system that does not automatically place an economic strain on taxpayers through a higher tax rate nor does it increase costs in other areas of living. 

JJ Caceres is a political science sophomore who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com 

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“Free college is not actually free for students” was originally posted on The Cougar