Things you can still look forward to This fall

By Nicole Bates

Instagram- @nicolebates_

Currently many of us are stuck at home, wearing masks, working/learning remotely, and it will be our reality for the unforeseen future. Following my first two weeks of Zoom classes, I am starting to feel a little weary after coming to the realization that this is how it’s going to be for a while. But even though sometimes I feel really stuck in my bedroom and my small radius of movement, life has also been transforming in a way as I spend more time in this space. I am definitely looking forward to the fall with the hope that the physical change of scenery will spice things up a little as I continuously try to wrap my head around what is going on.

So that’s where I’m at and that’s why I decided to make a list of things we can all look forward to heading into an unusual fall. 

1. The leaves on the trees will transform into the mystical ombré of red, orange and yellow, while some leaves fall to the ground and you can crunch them as you walk by. As the scenery of your daily walk changes, these old New England trees you are so used to seeing full and green this summer may have a new story to tell. 
2. It’s apple season! The apples you eat will get crunchier, juicier and fresher, because all the local apple orchards will be open and ready to sell you their fruits of all flavors and colors. You might be a golden delicious gal or perhaps gala is your favorite. I personally love the Granny Smith. But nevertheless- apples are coming. 
3. Fall is the best season to spend all your time drowning in your biggest, coziest knit sweater. And this goes for everyone. Sweatshirt*, sweater, or whatever you like- the fall is the time to slip into clothes you can completely engulf yourself in. In a time where hugs are scarce, I think the perfect sweater is the sweater that most closely resembles the warmth of a hug. 
4. We are also surrounded by pumpkins in the fall, and though I don’t normally love orange, something about the pumpkin shade of orange is pleasing to the eye. They make great décor, great bread, great pie. I really have no complaints about pumpkins.
5. Fall is a great time of year for entertainment. In the fall, all of the Oscar contenders start to come to theatres, so all of a sudden you are bombarded with a plethora of choices of films to go and see. I always find it to be the best time of year for going to see movies on the big screen. Also, it’s a great activity for when it’s a little cold, and you can just throw on a cozy sweater (see #3) and take yourself out to the movies. And… now with Covid-19 precautions you can go to the movie theatre and not have to sit close to any strangers! I personally always preferred fewer people in the movie theatre, so this is a slight perk amidst pandemic times. (Case in point Christopher Nolan’s Tenet just came out, and I’m really excited to go see this one.)
6. Halloween is in the fall, and Halloween is always fun. If all parties were costume parties, I think I might like parties better. And even though there likely will be no Halloween parties this year, there’s no reason to not still put on a costume and pretend you are someone/something else. And to eat candy. And watch an ideal fall flick like A Nightmare Before Christmas
7. The weather in the fall is lovely with its blend of summer brightness and winter crispness. I always distinctly notice the first day I walk outside in the fall season and the air is so cool after a hot summer. It feels like taking a sip from a cold glass of water after a long run. I’m looking forward to that day. 
8. This final bullet isn’t really a specific quality about fall to look forward to, but more like a fall feeling. There is something about a New England fall that lends itself well to being stuck at home. Fall is a good time to reflect and to create and to explore your surroundings; all things we are forced to do in the world we are currently living in.

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Editor’s Note:

*- #CrewneckSZN is a stabilizing force in these trying times.

Athletes Who Didn’t “Stick to Sports”

Audio Version:

https://anchor.fm/s/9f00fb0/podcast/rss

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-names-no-numbers/id1457394246#episodeGuid=e807cb52-467b-4ca4-9591-086e7b517be6

Written Version (with citations):

History Research Paper

Patrick LaBelle

US History 151

1 December 2019

Athletes Who Didn’t Stick to Sports

Athletics are undoubtedly among the most popular forms of entertainment for the American people with many athletes being looked at to provide some form of escape from the harsh realities that everyday life brings to the masses. This can cause a sentiment that athletes are just people putting on a show for our enjoyment and nothing more. It is because of this that many people are reluctant to support athletes who don’t just “stick to sports” but also delve into larger issues facing society. Laura Ingraham summed up the sentiments of many Americans on her Fox News show when she made the statement that athletes such as LeBron James should “shut up and dribble” instead of giving any political commentary. Furthermore, the President of the United States put out a comment saying that owners who see a player kneeling should “get that son of a bitch off the field”. However, despite the comments of a boisterous few, history has displayed time and time again through the actions of athletes including Muhammed Ali, Tommie Smith, John Carlos, and Colin Kaepernick just how impactful activism within the realm of sport can be despite the immediate backlash it typically entails.

No athlete has ever embodied the athlete activist spirit quite as well as “The Greatest”- Muhammed Ali. Despite facing extreme backlash for his refusal to serve in the Vietnam war after his declaration of being a conscientious objector, Ali stuck true to his beliefs and supported doing what was right instead of doing what most did. He is a prime example of why the belief that athletes can’t have social impact is simply not true. Muhammed Ali was blunt when asked why he would risk his whole career and even imprisonment in order to protest the war saying “What’s wrong with me going to jail for something I believe in?” before adding “Boys are dying in Vietnam for something they don’t believe.”. There was nobody more willing to cut to the core of an issue than Muhammad Ali. Talking about something as frankly as he does about the United States military involvement in Vietnam took a lot of bravery during that time. Not only was he protesting the war he was also the heavyweight champion of the world which is important to note as it seems strange how even someone who partook in such a barbaric sport would still be opposed to the atrocities of war. In addition to moral religious dilemmas regarding the war Ali also spoke on the hypocrisy of America (white Americans specifically) for having the audacity to force black people to go to war to fight for equality when they didn’t even have equality in America. In a fiery response to college students who didn’t agree with his opposition to serving in the war Ali said “You won’t even stand up for me in America for my religious beliefs and you want me to go somewhere and fight when you won’t even stand up for me at home!”. It is remarkable to think about just how unpopular this statement was during this time period. Ali was considered a traitor by some simply for refusing to kill for a country that doesn’t even seem to care about his faith, religion, or in the broadest sense- him. However, as the years went by and the true picture of Vietnam came out it seems as though nobody was “on the right side of history” quite as much as Muhammed Ali although my next examples certainly give him a run for his money.

On October 16^th, 1968 American track stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos finished first and third respectively at the Olympic Games being hosted in Mexico City. Smith had just set a world record in the 200m final but historically this would pale in comparison to a small gesture on the podium in the moments after; a black fist raised in the air. Smith along with Carlos had planned the gesture well in advance along with other Olympic hopefuls while at San Jose State. Smith declared “It was a cry for freedom coming from a young twenty-four-year old’s lips” when looking back on the day before clarifying that the protest was not just for black rights but human rights as a whole saying how he worked for the “Olympic Project for Human Rights” (a group that threatened to boycott the Olympics entirely if Muhammed Ali’s titles were not restored). It is important to note that the protest was far from a popular one at the time and many news outlets were reluctant to even show the act of dissent. The protest took a backseat to Smith’s record-breaking time for the most part and those who did cover the protest often took a negative stance including one piece written at the time by sports journalism icon Brent Musburger. In a scathing article, Musberger claimed that the two courageous men looked like “a couple of black-skinned storm troopers”. When the media responds to acts of protest in this manner it takes the focus off of what the people involved are actually protesting. Musberger would go on to write that working against racism is fine just not during a “fun and games tournament” such as the Olympics. This is an interesting place to draw the line considering the primary goal of protest is to draw attention to an issue. It doesn’t seem outlandish to think that the scale of the Olympics provided the perfect time and place for a peaceful protest that could be witnessed around the world. Despite winning the gold and bronze medal, Smith and Carlos were banned from the rest of the games in addition to being called a “disgrace” by the president of the International Olympic committee Avery Brundage. However, in a similar way to Muhammed Ali, history has looked favorably upon the two men as people who took a stand for what they believed in despite knowing they would face backlash for it and face major career and personal consequences. They are two people who must be kept in mind when trying to analyze what one particular athlete has been doing in the present day.

When Colin Kaepernick took a knee three years ago the American media lost their minds and political pundits started rubbing their hands together. Debate swirled over whether or not it was disrespectful to kneel for the anthem and if Kaepernick “hated the troops” so much so that the question of what Kaepernick was kneeling for was almost entirely overlooked. In the interview immediately following the protest Kaepernick explained his decision to kneel during the national anthem by saying “There are a lot of things going on that are unjust and people need to be held accountable for”. When pressed on what issues specifically he would like to see change Kaepernick voiced his disapproval of police brutality. “There’s people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable” before saying “that’s not right by anyone’s standards”.

When questioned about whether the activism was a distraction from the team’s goal of making it to a Super Bowl Kaepernick retorted with “No, we’re focused on football while we’re in meetings and when we’re on the field” before adding “But in our free time we have conversations about this and that’s not something we should be ashamed about or shy away from…there’s a social responsibility we have to be educated on these things and talk about these things”. There is no doubt that Colin Kaepernick has become one of if not the most polarizing athletes of our time and it is not hard to understand why when people continuously demonize what he is trying to do. Bill O’Reilly of Fox News claimed that Kaepernick is “missing the bigger picture of his country” but I do not understand what “bigger picture” he is referring to. Is it the fact that police are able to murder unarmed civilians without any consequences? Is it the fact that mass incarceration has created what some scholars call “the first genuine prison society in history”? I don’t ask this facetiously I would truly like to know. Based on the historical precedence provided by athletes such as Ali, Smith, and Carlos there seem to be undeniable similarities to what is happening in the present day with Colin Kaepernick. The NFL serves as “fun and games tournament” for millions of Americans every Sunday and it is no surprise that people don’t seem to enjoy having the fun interrupted with a little bit of bitter reality. However, the notion that athletes have never been in the right when standing up for what they believe in is just flat out incorrect.

America is approaching a pivotal time in its history with people being able to access more information at their fingertips than ever before. The internet has created an extremely low barrier to entry for obtaining knowledge about issues that would previously have been reserved for only the most elite in society. However, the rhetoric used on TV and other mediums continuously focuses on people and events rather than getting down and dirty into the ideas- the true core of the issues being talked about. The responsibility of deciding what is right and wrong cannot be left solely up to the media to determine; it has to be decided by the people too. The courageous actions of Muhammed Ali, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos demonstrate how just because an opinion or stance is unpopular at the time does not make it wrong (with the same logic applying to popular ideas). With that in mind, it is of the utmost importance that the current case of Colin Kaepernick taking a stand against police brutality and inequality be looked at through the most critical of lenses. This could be one of the first times that Americans get it right in the present day instead of looking back in reverence years from now when people forget all about the issues he is trying to raise awareness for. There is a fantastic quote commonly attributed to former first lady of the United States Elanor Roosevelt that states “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people”. It is so easy to get bogged down in the details of certain people and events that the idea never even gets talked about. However, with the knowledge of brave athletes in the past there is certainly hope for a brighter future. A future where the exchange of ideas is put before the exchange of ignorance.

Citations:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/sep/22/donald-trump-nfl-national-anthem-protests

https://syndicate.network/symposia/theology/redeeming-a-prison-society/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSS9QfGBNno

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka0446tibig

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/sports/how-a-black-power-salute-at-the-1968-olympics-changed-two-mens-lives/2018/05/27/3162fc76-61da-11e8-81ca-bb14593acaa6_video.html

https://deadspin.com/should-brent-musburger-apologize-for-calling-john-carlo-5916321

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm0EUPwGUU0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID3-vqADnRY

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/08/07/lebron-james-turns-shut-up-and-dribble-insult-into-title-of-showtime-series/

https://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=b86da340-43f7-4661-bad5-50e1619e4cdd%40pdc-v-sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=83146112&db=ssa

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Athletes Who Didn’t “Stick to Sports”

Audio Version:

https://anchor.fm/s/9f00fb0/podcast/rss

Written Version (with citations):

History Research Paper

A Message to My White Followers

By: Nicole Bates

Instagram: @nicolebates_

Over these past couple of days, I have been grappling with how to express my anguish about the state of our country right now. My heart is broken and I am sick to my stomach.

It is easy to get caught up in the fight for a cause, but it is also extremely important to remember that individual human lives have been lost to police brutality (a brother, a father, a son, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a spouse, a friend).

With all that in mind, this is my message as a white woman to my other white followers:

When I was younger, I used to daydream about how peaceful it would be to escape to an island where there was no technology and no contact with the outside world. At the time, these idealistic dreams of escape were my way of coping with not knowing how to handle all the news of the evil, hate, pain and suffering of people in the world every single day. But this way of thinking is not going to help anyone or change the suffering.

AS YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY RIGHT NOW WE CANNOT BE APOLITCAL. We have to vote, we have to be active in politics, we have to put in the work to make a better, safer world for our future and our children’s future.

You, yourself, escaping and avoiding the evils of this world is not going to stop the pain and suffering of others, specifically the millions of black Americans who have to live in fear everyday of being killed by the cops, who are meant to protect us and have disgustingly failed to do so over and over and over again. As a white woman in America, I have the privilege of choice to consume this news and then move on. However, it doesn’t really seem like much of a choice to me anymore. How could I move on knowing that such injustices continue to occur to fellow Americans? It is sickening. It is absolutely appalling.

You may feel burdened with a sense of “white guilt” for your position of privilege in society, but feeling this guilt is not close to enough to not be racist. Nothing will ever change if we don’t unite and take legitimate action against these injustices.

My frustration lies in the way social media functions in these situations. Though sharing information on social media is a successful way to spread the word about petitions, organizations to donate to, literature to read to educate yourself about racial issues in America, there are algorithms in place that make it difficult for us to reach people on social media who have radically different views than our own. So, though we can communicate with others who likely already share our views, in order to reach the people who, NEED to unlearn their racist ways, we need to do more than social media posts.

For some, social media may even be too toxic right now to engage with. It can be sickening to go on your phone and constantly see violent images of black men and women being beaten and killed. It is possible to express solidarity and take action without sharing these violent videos and images.

From my experience on social media, it’s quite jolting to see beautiful artwork honoring the lives lost to police brutality: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, the list goes on, side by side with images of people enjoying a pool party with their friends. This emphasizes the fact that as a white person in this country you can move on from the violence going on across our nation. This emphasizes that because of your white privilege you are able to enjoy a pool party with your friends. It is simply not enough to post a story and then just go on to hang out with your friends as if nothing is going on. This country is literally on fire.

I am not saying that we cannot allow ourselves to take time to take care of ourselves and be gentle with ourselves during this time. But we have to acknowledge that posting an Instagram story or tweeting is never going to be enough to make change in this country. If we want to be anti-racist, we need to be active in the fight against racism now and ALWAYS.

And, even if you feel as though your morals and beliefs align with anti-racist rhetoric, you still need to listen and understand how as a white person in this country you benefit from institutional racism. It is an uncomfortable conversation, but it needs to be had, and it needs to start with facing the racism you see in your family, your friends and in yourself. To be anti-racist means that you are committed to actively fighting against racism in your day-to-day life even if that means you have to question some of your actions or positions and those of your family/friends.

First, we need to educate ourselves. It is our job to read about these issues; our job is to know and to understand these issues as they exist in our society today and their complex history. But it is not even enough to know, whilst we educate ourselves we must use the knowledge we learn and apply it to make institutional change. You can’t rely on others to educate you on this. You can’t rely the on public education system, that only considers history from the eyes of the white man, to educate you on this, you have to take action and educate yourself.

At a protest I attended in Worcester, MA on May 30th, a speaker on behalf of the independent socialist group said that, “We can’t just react, we have to be proactive too.”

I certainly have a lot more thoughts on the matter, but I am going to leave it at this for now as not to overwhelm with words. If anyone would like to reach out and further discuss any of these issues please feel free!

If you are in position where you are able to donate money to help the cause, below are some organizations you can donate to:

Massachusetts Bail Fund

https://www.massbailfund.org/donate.html

George Floyd Memorial Fund

https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

 I Run with Maud

https://www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud

Louisville Community Bail Fund

https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/louisville-community-bail-fund/

Black Visions Collective

https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/

Minnesota ACLU fund

https://aclu-mn.org/en/donate

Minnesota Freedom Fund

https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate

 Color of Change Fund

https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/justiceforfloyd_george_floyd_minneapolis

Even if you are not in a position to donate money there are still many things you can do to take action:

Petitions

Justice for Breonna

https://justiceforbreonna.org/

Text Floyd to 55156

Books

I am also beginning on the journey to educate myself on these issues, starting with the books I have accessible to me in my home (I am trying to avoid feeding the giant by ordering books from Amazon), if you want to join these are some of the books I have:

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

Nobody Knows My Name by James Baldwin

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

The Autobiography of Malcom X as told by Alex Haley

Dark Ghettos: Injustice, Dissent and Reform by Tommie Shelby

Natives: Race & Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala

Black Prophetic Fire by Cornel West

“And don’t call me a racist!”: A treasury of quotes on the past, present, and future of the color line in America

Selected and arranged by Ella Mazel

Google Doc on Anti-Racism Resources:

bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES

Upcoming protests in Massachusetts (please remember to be safe at all protests!):

Worcester

https://www.facebook.com/events/2380591582239060n

Boston

https://www.facebook.com/events/1539887756189818

You can google more protests in your area as well as they will likely continue until all four cops responsible for George Floyd’s death are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

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NNNN Episode #28 with Ian Dartley

Follow Ian!

Instagram:

@iandartleyfilmreviews

Twitter:

@iandarts

It was awesome to get the chance to sit down with Ian and talk all things film. Ian was a certified #filmguy in my book before coming in but now he may very well be #filmjesus. Don’t believe me? You’ll have to listen to disagree…

Apple Podcast:

https://anchor.fm/s/9f00fb0/podcast/rss

Spotify:

Hope everyone enjoys!

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P.S- NEW YOUTUBE CLIPS OUT NOW 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxe7WFb-WxnwiDARTaAJwlg/

Editor’s Note:

1. If you have been enjoying the show I’d really appreciate it if you could tell at least one person about it. That way I can cool it a little bit on the self-promo (contrary to popular belief that is by far my least favorite part of creating lol)
2. Like, subscribe, and leave a five star review…or else!