4chan, reddit, funny and discord. All have been controversial cesspools in some way or another. Some like reddit and discord have redeemed themselves. Others have… well.. yeah, they’re still exactly the same.

In a world dominated by the internet and the discourse that happens on it, a few have decided that we need to monitor what goes on within our virtual halls in order to protect vulnerable populations. Younger girls needs safe spaces to talk amongst themselves and enjoy content. The lgbt community needs to have a safe space to discuss their needs and issues. The fat community needs to have a safe space away from fat phobia. etc. etc. But with these safe spaces came trolls, usually manifesting themselves from teenage boys and young adult men. Trolls who would often post triggering content within these safe spaces trying to illicit a reaction from the members of said group. And while these actions were not tasteful or ok, many failed to realize that it was this group of people who often needed a safe space for themselves. Their behavior, while not to be excused, should be understood where it came from and why.

Many younger boys and men used to watch cringe compilations on sites like YouTube. These compilations while funny and usually innocent would slowly start adding suggestions in the watch next category along the lines of “feminist gets owned” or “sjw fail” and things along those lines. An interesting video many would think, simply an extension of the video they are currently watching, but alas it was truly propaganda meant to draw in that vulnerable population. From these videos showing very blatantly extremist views from people who identified as feminists or social justice warriors, it would create a hatred of said groups for the viewer. These viewers would then go source out this anti-feminist material and go down rabbit holes of trad-wives, meninism, and other masked alt-right propaganda. Within these spaces, many would interact with actual alt-right members and slowly become desensitized to extreme cruelty and violence towards marginalized groups such as poc, lgbt, and women, often under the guise of “They’re the cringe extremists, we are in the right.” Sites like 4chan and reddit would have forums with thousands of members talking about their distrust and dislike of these groups, slowly brainwashing younger more impressionable boys and men into thinking what they were doing is correct, thus creating entire online armies of people to do their bidding. These high school and college aged boys were truly victims of the internet, and a lot of people don’t seem to see them as such. Boys and men who were sweet and caring were slowly and unfortunately brainwashed into believing in hate and bigotry. This is not and should not be considered a “normal phase”. Of course many teenagers go through periods of questioning the norm and going against the grain, but the lack of empathy and willingness to cause other harm and agony is not. Behavior like this truly is a cry for help.

Veganism. A tricky subject to talk about. What entails being vegan? Is it a diet? Is it a lifestyle? Well honestly it can be both. Vegan/animal activists want it to be known however that veganism is strictly intertwined with compassion and rights for animals. No animal products may be used or consumed, involving eating dairy and meat, using bees wax, wearing leather or fur, etc. A vegan diet, they insist should be labeled “plant based”. Certain animal rights organizations who come to mind are places like PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals). However it should be known that organizations such as peta try and further the idea known as ”white veganism”. White veganism is referred to the concept that lacks to understand that the ability to eat vegan and live a vegan lifestyle ultimately comes from a place of privilege and not a simple or realistic decision many people, especially marginalized populations cannot make. Another important thing to realize is that for some cultures and religions, animal parts and products are sacred. Take for example the Inuit people, indigenous to the arctic. Their entire culture revolves around the use of animals, wearing them, eating them, using them, etc. To say an animal’s life is more important than an Indigenous person’s is already offensive in of itself. Another example comes from Eid, a muslim holiday to celebrate sacrifice and life. On this holiday, it is customary for muslims to sacrifice a goat and donate the meat to charities. For certain vegans to argue that one’s religion is wrong for killing an animal is also extremely offensive. Being against factory farming or mass leather usage might seem like a valiant cause from the beginning, however one must realize that majority of animal abuse and animal welfare problems stem from large corporations. It is extremely immoral to try and say that every single person must be vegan, or they are supporting animal abuse, because that simply is not true.

I’m sure all of us have some experience with makeup. Cosmetics. Facepaint. Etc.

Whether you choose to wear it, or know someone who does, makeup such as eyeliner, mascara, blush, among other things, can be use to accentuate your natural features or change the way you look entirely. But should your self worth be reliant on your makeup? I’d assume many people would say no, but I for one have definitely experienced body dysmorphia when it came to seeing myself without eyeliner. The large bulbous eyes I once thought looked normal, looked completely naked and alien without thick dark strokes of black liner around them. I would purposely squint and worsen my eyesight on purpose if I wasn’t wearing eyeliner in public as a middle schooler, so my eyes might look more defined. Why on earth did I do that lmfao…Anyways, the eyeliner that I put on gave me a way to change my face in an attainable way. I was in control, and while it did make me do some questionable things, I had the power to put it on and make myself look the way I wanted if I chose to. Instagram and Snapchat filters are an entirely different thing.

It’s happened to us all, you’re innocently scrolling through your phone when you see a beautiful person on social media. The nice hair, the sharp features, perfect teeth, it’s all there. And you think “Damn, I wish I looked like that”. So you slide over to the camera and take a look. Meh….but then you put on a filter. And your eyes light up. Beautiful skin, amazing makeup, the eyes the lips, the nose. This is what you wanted to look like. This is what you should look like. You snap a couple photos, admiring yourself in the camera. In fact you start to feel more confident, this is basically what you look like anyways. It looks good! That is until the filter comes off, and a completely different face appears. Your face… your actual face. Without the filter. “Who the absolute hell is that ugly fuck staring back at me.”. But you didn’t think of yourself that way before. Before you just thought you were meh. Social media filters change the shapes and angles of our faces to often give us Eurocentric features, and k-beauty inspired makeup overlaid on top of that. The way our faces look through these filters are not attainable through makeup alone, they require extensive plastic surgery, fillers, and botox to name a few things. There is no way physically possible that every single social media user can have similar faces, yet when it comes to most influencers they do. And the truth is, many of them use not only extensive makeup, but face changing filters as well. The absolute shit this would have caused me to feel in middle school is immeasurable, but I can’t imagine what it’s doing to other young people online at the moment. In fact it still causes extreme body dysmorphia to see myself once the filter comes off. Oh well, it’s just something we have to live with now I guess.

When you think of a muslim what comes to your mind first? A modest woman in a hijab? A man with a beard? Sunday school, mosques, exotic foods? Men and Women within a close-knit community, with a conservative look to match their conservative morals?