Why Is The Govt. Killing Net Neutrality?

Recently, the FCC chairman appointed by President Donald Trump, Ajit Pai, has spearheaded a movement to end net neutrality. This is not surprising if you’ve been following the government’s feelings towards net neutrality for years like I have, but most people would wonder why congressmen would be so against net neutrality. I’ll try to answer that question as best as I can, but as with all things, it’s next to impossible to know every single detail of the situation. If you’re ambivalent to the idea of net neutrality, why are you reading this? You’re using the internet to read this, so you’re obviously an internet user. As an internet user, you should be against this legislation.

Net neutrality basically ensures that an internet service provider, or ISP, cannot discriminate against certain websites by promoting other websites or blocking users from accessing said website. This is important because the internet is a digital marketplace where currency is exchanged, meaning it should have the same regulations placed upon it as trade in real life. Monopolies are a big danger in regular trade, as it means that the suppliers of goods or services can charge whatever price they want regardless of supply and demand. If Walmart is allowed to merge with another large grocery store or retailer as much as they want, they will eliminate any sort of competition for their goods, which means that they can control the prices for these goods. Competition is essential to fair trade, and our government is trying to end fair trade on the web.

Why would they do this? Republicans are big on free trade, they hate regulations, but in this case, regulation is necessary. They are almost never against free trade, but in this case, they are all for monopolies on the web, even though the used similar arguments against Obamacare, like how it would monopolize healthcare in the United States. Democrats should be all for net neutrality, as it means that tax revenue could be more diversified were taxes on internet purchases implemented and that it ensures free speech. The only reason these politicians are against net neutrality is because ISPs such as Verizon and AT&T spend lots of money on lobbyists to get in the ear of politicians and encourage them to end net neutrality. I have no doubt in my mind that Ajit Pai and anyone else who supports ending net neutrality sees only dollar signs, and they’re willing to sell the privacy and and freedom of choice of the internet-using American public to internet service providers.

The results of this would be catastrophic. ISPs could literally block the websites of any competitor, or block any websites they so choose, and promote whatever websites they want. If a company has a deal with Windows and not Google, they could totally block Google, Google Chrome, YouTube, and other Google sites in favor of Bing, Internet Explorer, and whatever video-sharing website(s) Windows owns. Also, ISPs will be able to charge whatever they want to view certain sites, meaning that the sites you enjoy visiting for free will probably only be able to be visited if you pay a premium fee to the ISP. Personally, I don’t wish to pay an extra $50 a month to be able to use the websites I like to use every day. I’m a college student, I can’t afford that kind of thing.

In closing, I’d like to encourage you to contact your congressional representatives and inform them that you’re a constituent who can’t support them if they vote to end net neutrality. I’ve contacted every congressional representative for my area, and it was a really quick process. It may not stop this from happening, but being passive about this definitely won’t do anything to stop this either. No matter what side of the political aisle you’re on, you should support net neutrality. Remember: we, the people, have the power in this country, and we can change everything with a vote. Don’t sell yourself short, you can help save net neutrality, and the internet as a whole.

Is Kendrick Lamar The Greatest Rapper Of All Time?

The newest Kendrick Lamar album, DAMN., was released just a week ago. While it isn’t my favorite Kendrick Lamar album, it is likely the best hip-hop album since To Pimp A Butterfly in 2015, Kendrick’s last official full-length album, though there is a case to be made for Danny Brown’s Atrocity Exhibition, released last summer. DAMN. is by far Kendrick Lamar’s most contemporary project, but that doesn’t necessarily make it bad. Anyways, I’m not here to review DAMN., at least not until I’ve had a while to sit with it.

A popular discussion on the various music forums across the internet is who or what is the “greatest.” You’ll hear discussions about the greatest albums of all time, the greatest metal bands, the greatest singer-songwriters, etc. One extremely common one is “who is the greatest rapper of all time?” The most common names mentioned are Biggie, 2Pac, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Kanye West. Occasionally you’ll see an LL Cool J or an MC Ren, but that seems to be a fringe group.

My problem with these discussions are how quickly modern artists are exempt from the discussion. Gen-X hip-hop fans are quick to dismiss Drake and Tech N9ne, which I feel is warranted, but they lump in Kendrick Lamar with the “it’s new so it must be bad” crowd, which I feel is unfair. We can go on all day about rose-colored glasses, but I’d like to present my arguments in favor of Kendrick Lamar being the greatest rapper of all time.

1.) Kendrick Lamar represents a return to critical favor for hip-hop. I’m not saying that he started this trend, but hip-hop has moved towards more conceptual and artistic pursuits since the early and mid-00’s, arguably the worst period in the genre’s history. When you look at the music of Jay-Z and Eminem, it tends to be less experimental and conceptual than many of the albums released today. Not that being simple means that your music is bad, but it lowers the replay value of your projects, and it’s far more forgettable.

Kendrick Lamar has been using ingenious concepts and ideas in his music since good kid, m.A.A.d. city, but it isn’t too conceptual that it’s impossible to understand what’s going on or appreciate the music, in fact, the concepts are clear and it only enhances your appreciation of the music. He has gone far enough into left field to intrigue you, but not too far where he’s impossible to understand. His storytelling capacity reaches Bowie levels of complexity, but Dylan levels of simplicity, and he finds the perfect balance. In my opinion, Eminem and Jay-Z occupy the sphere of hip-hop that is easy to listen to, and shows moments of brilliance or wit, but never dwells in brilliance.

2.) Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur were exceptional lyricists with exceptional flow, but never ventured far from the familiar samples of the time. While that may be the fault of Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records as opposed to B.I.G. and Pac, it doesn’t offer much variety in terms of the sound. Biggie was a great technical rapper, perhaps the best ever, but his writing skills left much to be desired, as you can only take so much talk of sex, weed smoking, partying, and spending money before it gets old. 2Pac was the better writer, with songs ranging from racial and political issues to songs about his mother, but his flow was always the same with the words “feel me” or “show me love” interspersed all over this albums. Kendrick Lamar falls closer to 2Pac when it comes to his flow and writing style, but is a better writer and technical rapper in my opinion. He’s not as good a rapper as Biggie, but I think he comes close and then outdoes him when it comes to writing.

3.) Many critics of Kendrick Lamar claim that he doesn’t hold up when it comes to hits and beats. Many modern rappers in G.O.A.T. consideration have the advantage here, namely Kanye West and Drake. Yes, Kanye West has perhaps the best production in hip-hop, likely because he is a genius producer. If you don’t think Kanye is a genius, just listen to “Champion” from Graduation, “POWER” from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and any song from Yeezus, because these beats are absolute art. I would also say that Drake has some pretty solid beats, but they’re far too simple for my taste.

There’s no way that I can make the argument that Kendrick has better production value on his albums than Kanye West, but to me, I prefer the entire piece of work that Kendrick Lamar crafts. Kanye West used to rap about a wide array of topics in his first three outings and 808s and Heartbreak, but shifted to rapping about himself and his accomplishments with a small amount of topics being not-so-prominently featured on his subsequent works. Kendrick’s flow and writing skills blow Kanye and Drake out of the water, but I guess that’s the fault of the guys who write Drake’s rhymes. People still think that Drake has better beats than Kendrick, but I’ll argue that Drake’s beats are merely more appealing to the pop crowd and not necessarily objectively better… you won’t see George Clinton or Thundercat producing a Drake album.

4.) Kendrick Lamar has been extremely culturally relevant, especially when you consider that he’s only been in the mainstream consciousness since roughly 2012 when good kid, m.A.A.d city was released. His single, “Alright”, served as the unofficial theme song for Black Lives Matter, he was given the key to the city of Compton, and is an ambassador for the city. Kendrick Lamar’s influence is undeniable, even David Bowie took a few notes from To Pimp A Butterfly and created his swan song, Blackstar.

Never before has a hip-hop artist come so close to Dylan levels of cultural relevancy. Agree or disagree with what he’s saying in his music, it’s powerful. While Kanye was busy talking about bleached assholes, Kendrick has been talking about some of the most important questions our society is asking at this juncture. Eminem has been making the same album since 2002, Drake has other people writing his music, and older rappers such as Jay-Z, Nas, and Common have lost their relevance. Since 2012, Kendrick has only gotten more attention and I don’t see that going away anytime soon.

5.) Like I said above, many rappers release the same album over and over. Jay-Z hasn’t released an important album since The Black Album, Eminem can’t get away from writing songs about the same three or four topics since The Eminem Show, Drake has never released an album that has captured the intellect of his audience, the quality of Kanye’s music has declined somewhat since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and there are a score of artists that can’t balance contemporary and critical appeal without becoming insanely asinine (Nicki Minaj) or too experimental or industrial to reach a consistent audience (clipping.). Kendrick Lamar is able to release vastly different projects without losing his audience or his wit and charm. Section.80 is far from good kid, m.A.A.d city, and that album is different from To Pimp A Butterfly, and To Pimp A Butterfly is far different than DAMN. They all have some traits in common, but listen to Section.80 and DAMN. and tell me that it doesn’t show a significant evolution in his artistry.

I won’t make any more points trying to prove that K-Dot is the greatest of all time. I can see someone saying Andre 3000, Q-Tip, Ghostface Killah, Rakim, Lauryn Hill, Scarface, Big Daddy Kane, Redman, Nas, Lil Wayne, or any of the artists that I mentioned above, but I feel that Kendrick Lamar might very well be the greatest of all time and I wanted to present my argument. For seven years, Kendrick Lamar has captivated his fans, myself included, with his lyricism and artistic integrity and I don’t think any artist has been able to do that before or since. Feel free to debate me any time, but Kendrick Lamar is the greatest rapper of all time.

Injury Reserve: Floss Album Review

When I was seven years old, Kanye West released his sophomore album, Late Registration. I had been a moderate hip-hop fan for a couple of years, and believe me, my family was surprised when I would quote Eminem and Jay-Z at five years old. But when Late Registration came out and I heard Gold Digger on the radio, I was made a permanent fan of hip-hop music, especially hip-hop with complex production qualities. Kanye West forever changed hip-hop in terms of the level of production you could put on your album.

Fast forward to 2016, and Kanye West is still a great producer, but the quality of his releases has diminished significantly since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Popular hip-hop varies in quality from Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Chance The Rapper to Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Wiz Khalifa. The underground scene is littered with Future rip-offs getting signed to major labels, like Desiigner. However, there are several diamonds in the rough, like Danny Brown, Joey Bada$$, and Action Bronson.

One of these diamonds, smothered in the gypsum, calcite, and quartz of generic trap music, is Injury Reserve. Injury Reserve hails from the unusual location of Tempe, Arizona, and is comprised of emcees Steppa J. Groggs and Ritchie with a T, along with producer Parker Corey. Steppa and Ritchie have unusual chemistry, and resemble former multiple-time WWE tag team champions Edge and Christian, because they’re both charming and charismatic in a way that can either be hilarious or compelling in equal measure. Producer Parker Corey provides excellent beats and finds the perfect samples for these beats. His style is reminiscent of Kanye West in his prime.

I wasn’t aware of their first two releases, Cooler Colors and Live from the Dentist Office, but I was turned on to their newest album, Floss, in YouTube’s suggestion section for Ka’s Honor Killed The Samurai album. I saw the album cover and instantly assumed it was some kind of underground trap album, and boy was I surprised. The first song, Oh Shit!!!, is a banger like no other released in 2016.

The song is almost alien in terms of the sci-fi beat combined with the excellent piano melody. The autotuned vocals at the end are some of the best use of autotune in this decade. This song is meant to be listened to at the highest volume possible at a high-school party with a solo cup of beer in your hand that is constantly spilling because you’re headbanging and dancing erratically (and terribly) listening to this song. Definitely one of the best songs of 2016.

The next song, Bad Boys 3, showcases some of Steppa and Ritchie’s best bars on the album. The beat is almost tribal, and the melody is so unique in our current musical climate. Ritchie’s line about being the black Ben Carson had me laughing hysterically like so few hip-hop lines have in years. The line about the Rat Pack was also pretty clever. Overall, it’s a good song that is excellent to ride to, vibe to, or play at a party.

All This Money is likely my least favorite track on the album. Not to say that it’s bad or anything, because the bars are great and the beat is infectious, but it just doesn’t match the quality of the other tracks on the album. There’s a couple of quotable lines, but it’s just not as great as everything else. The music video is really unique, but you’ll have to watch it to really understand how ironic it is. It’s a better song than most hip-hop releases in the past few years, but it’s the most forgettable song on the album, even though you’ll remember it days after you hear it.

S on Ya Chest is one of my favorite tracks, mostly because it reminds me of a College Dropout or Late Registration cut. Jazz instrumental samples seem like old news, but when Parker Corey is at the helm, it feels fresh and vibrant, just like the original spirit of jazz music. The Vic Mensa guest verse doesn’t feel out of place like many features do today. It’s a song I’ve listened to quite frequently at the gym, and I’ve connected with it like I haven’t connected with other quirky, modern hip-hop songs.

What’s Goodie is infectious and is an excellent banger. It fits so well within the context of the album, and that’s something that is rarely seen in hip-hop. What many don’t understand is that an album isn’t just a collection of songs, it’s an over-arching framework with which all of the tracks fit into. This song has so many quotable lines, but my favorite is the Rey Mysterio line that fits well with the rhyme scheme they were going for. I see Girl With The Gold Wrist as a companion to What’s Goodie, and the two work very well together. Steppa’s line in the song is probably his most memorable and exciting.

2016 Interlude and All Quiet on The Westside work well as transitions to Eeny Meeny Miney Moe, a track that prominent music reviewer Anthony Fantano disliked strongly. To me, the song is an excellent vanguard for the change of pace in the album. It’s one of the best “other rappers aren’t as great as me” tracks I’ve heard in awhile. It’s not too notable when placed side-by-side to many of the other tracks, but again, it’s still a great quality song.

Keep On Slippin is a very introspective song that invites us to feel what Steppa J. Groggs and Ritchie with a T feel at this point in their lives. Anyone who has struggled with addiction or feels that they have disappointed those around them will relate to this song in a highly emotional way. The vocals are heartfelt and sincere, and the bars don’t impede on the subject matter while also maintaining the clever wit you’ll come to expect after listening to the previous cuts from this album. I love this song and it’s one of my favorite tracks of 2016 easily.

Back Then shows how Steppa and Ritchie feel at this point in their careers, and it is somewhat inspiring. You really understand what it’s like to be hometown heroes while also aspiring to something greater. Injury Reserve’s ambition is relatable if you have a kind of personality that isn’t satisfied with your accomplishments. These guys should be mainstage at every music festival featuring hip-hop, and they’re aware of how superior they are to to other hip-hop artists.

Not since 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly have I heard a better closing track to an album. Look Mama I Did It is my favorite song from this album. The gospel sample here works so well with the beat, and it truly shows the technical skill of Parker Corey. The bars that Ritchie with a T spits on this track are emotional and compelling, and I haven’t forgotten them since first hearing the song. Steppa J. Groggs follows the lyrical subject matter of Back Then, but discusses his ambitious and humbleness in such a sincere way that you really can’t argue that Injury Reserve isn’t one of the best artists to come out in the 21st century.

Parker Corey’s production skills can’t be understated, and he is a total genius in a genre where all you’re required to do is create a heavy bass line backing a generic melody. He goes above and beyond to create an atmosphere on this album that you can’t escape. Steppa J. Groggs and Ritchie with a T are some of the most versatile vocalists in hip-hop today, and the writing is clever and witty beyond what you’d expect from a group that has only released two albums and an EP. I won’t go in-depth for each of their skills, because they work so well as a cohesive unit that it would only discredit them by viewing them as two wholes and not two halves. This album could easily change hip-hop for the better, and introduce a whole new generation of listeners to the best hip-hop music has to offer.

Rate: 22/24

Why Jesus Almost Certainly Wasn't Real

You knew it was coming. If you know me personally, you know I’m an agnostic atheist. Agnostic because I would believe in God if evidence of his/her/its existence was obvious, and atheist because I don’t believe that evidence for the existence of a god/gods exists. However, even in atheist camps, there is a popular belief that a historical Jesus exists.

Before I present my arguments for why a historical Jesus almost certainly wasn’t real, I might as well give my reasoning for why the Biblical Jesus definitely wasn’t real. All of the traits attributed to Jesus are applicable to most messianic figures of folklore going back all the way to Ancient Egypt. Let me give you a list of traits and see if you can tell whether it is Jesus or Horus.

1. Born in December 25th to a virgin mother.
2. His birth was predicted by three kings and indicates by a “star in the east.”
3. He was a prodigious child teacher of religion at the age of 12.
4. Baptized at age 30 and preached to those in his community with 12 disciples.
5. While preaching, he performed miracles such as walking on water, raising the dead, and healing the sick.
6. After being betrayed by one of his disciples, he was crucified.
7. He was dead for three days, but was resurrected after those days and ascended to Heaven.

Many of these traits are present is other mythological figures, such as Zoroaster, Mithra, Adonis, Attis, and Krishna.The reason these traits are all present is because these stories are an astrological allegory. In fact, most myths since Horus are astrological allegories. I could explain each of these aspects individually, but there are many sources that reinforce this, such as the 18th and 19th Century works of Constantin-Francois Volney, Criticism of the Gospel History of the Synoptics, Criticism of the Pauline Epistles, A Critique of the Gospels and a History of their Origin, and Christ and the Caesars by Bruno Bauer, The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors by Kersey Graves, and Ancient Egypt: The Light of the World by Gerald Massey. Many 20th and 21st Century sources are more comprehensive and factually accurate, specifically The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion by James George Frazer, Did Jesus Exist? and the other books on the subject written by George Albert Wells, Jesus: Neither God nor Man-The Case for a Mythical Jesus by Earl Doherty, and On the Historicity of Jesus: Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt by Richard Carrier, who famously asserted that the probability of a historical Jesus’ existence was anywhere from ⅓ as a liberal estimate to 1/12,000 as a conservative estimate.

A few arguments for the mythical Jesus’ existence are available, but many of them are derived from Josephus’ Testimonium Flavianum, which has been demonstrated to likely be a forgery. Other than this, other documents supposedly proving Jesus’ historicity are written many years after his supposed death, and really only prove the cult of Christ-worship existed before the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. This, in my eyes, shows that a historical Jesus was unlikely and a Biblical Jesus is impossible. If a man rose from the dead during the Roman occupation of Jerusalem, it would be in all of their records, and Christianity would have been established as the state religion of the Roman empire centuries before it was actually established.

I think that it's certainly possible that a carpenter’s son named Yeshua bin Yosef claimed that he was divine and presented the Palestinian Jews a unique interpretation of the Jewish religion based on Buddhist philosophy, but I don't find it feasible in any way. Jesus, especially as he's typically visualized or interpreted by society, is a myth. That being said, most religious figures are myths and I don’t have an extreme dislike for Jesus in particular, I just feel that religion doesn’t deserve to exist and we shouldn’t believe something without a shred of evidence. Sorry for not posting in a while, but make sure you check out the next piece on Jacob Mitchell: Iconoclast.

Hail The Sun: Wake Album Review/Blog Update

Alright, so I needed to push something out. I've been working on my next iconoclastic blog post for a couple of weeks now. I'm busy and the claim I'm making takes some intense research. Anyways, Hail The Sun is one of my favorite bands around right now. In 2014, they released their first full-length LP and third release, Wake. Their next full-length LP, "Culture Scars," will be released on June 17th of 2016. Their newest single from the album, "Burn Nice and Slow," has a music video available on YouTube.

Wake is not a concept album from what I can tell, but it has the general theme of death throughout most of the album, hence the name. Each song deals with a different death, and a different perspective for that death. The opening track, "Rolling Out The Red Carpet," is very short but powerful. It talks about a killer murdering someone and perhaps the killer is a narcissist who sees himself as important. It reminds me of Ted Bundy a little bit. The lyrics aren't really that powerful, but the music is great and it makes me wish that the song was longer. It sets up the next song very well, "Human Target Practice."

"Human Target Practice" talks about police brutality, perhaps specifically the Eric Garner case, and calls out the sadistic aspects of the police force. It's a very strong song that definitely affects the listener whether they like it or not. I'm not sure what news story "Black Serotonin" comes from, but it speaks of the hypocrisy of the media that advocates compassion yet perpetuates false information negatively affecting society. The song itself has a great structure, and really exemplifies the progressive aspect of Hail The Sun's progressive post-hardcore sound.

"Mourning Sickness" isn't that unique in my opinion, and is made weaker by the two amazing songs both before and after this song. That said, it's not bad, and it is about a dead person seeing their family grieve over the person. The music is very cookie-cutter compared to the rest of the album. The next song, however, combines my favorite aspects of Hail The Sun's music.

"Falling On Deaf Ears" talks about religion from a Hitchens-esque perspective. The one criticism I've heard from others about this song is that it doesn't really fit in the album, but I disagree. The narrator is an atheist or agnostic addressing the absence of God, the hypocrisy of religion, religion as a way for the greedy to make money, and the idea of eternal damnation. That last part and the follow-up song are why "Falling On Deaf Ears" belongs on Wake.

"Cosmic Narcissism" is perhaps one of the most cynical songs I've ever heard, but that doesn't really mean that it isn't wrong. It is kind've a lyrical sister to "Falling On Deaf Ears," and is from the perspective of a man whose significant other treated him poorly. It is a stark look at the mind of a person who has realized that their life and struggles are meaningless. It is one of the songs on the album that I really relate to, but I wish I didn't.

"Relax/Divide" is a really morbid love song that is disguised as a cheery love song. Honestly, I could hear it being in a wedding slideshow, with nobody batting an eye at the lyrics, much like how people really like that Third Eye Blind song. However, it is about a very anxious individual fearing that their girlfriend/boyfriend could die when they're not around. This significant other then breaks up with them over the phone. There is perhaps darker connotations, but this is just my analysis.

"Disappearing Syndrome" has a dreamy opening that contrasts amazingly well with the rest of the song. It is about the mysterious death of Elisa Lam in the Hotel Cecil, and perhaps takes some lyrical inspiration from The Shining. It's one of my favorite songs on the album, and, admittedly, it's mostly because of the subject matter. Donovan Melero's vocals on this song are at their best in my opinion.

"Missed Injections" is the most under-appreciated track on the album. Every review either skips over this song or calls it the most disappointing track on the album. I disagree. The song is a powerful and introspective look at addiction, specifically addiction with someone who supports your addiction. The lyrics are simple but effective and the breakdowns are emotional, especially at the end with the lyrics "still we pretend that our lives do not consist of chasing shit that helps us cope with how we see ourselves. Everything we say is a lie we actually believe." It commands an emotional response and it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it, which is what I like in my music.

"Hanging Revelations" is a social commentary that uses the Salem witch trials as a metaphor for religious and social persecution like Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." It's pretty much required to write a song about the Salem witch trials if you're a socially conscious band. "Jane Doe" is about someone who was murdered being forgotten by society and eventually by her family. The story is told with somber music in the background, making it kind of sound like a wake for someone that has been forgotten.

The album closes with "Anti-Eulogy." It's about a person who has had someone close to them die, but the person is glad that they're dead. For each song I imagine someone giving a eulogy, and this one is the most angry yet relatable. You don't typically speak ill of the dead, but there are a few people I would feel this way about. It's a good song that honestly deserves a few more listens from me, because every time I hear it I find something new.

Overall, this album is one of the best post-hardcore records, it even far outdoes the recent releases from Dance Gavin Dance, widely considered to be the best band of the genre. This album cements Hail The Sun's status as one of the best bands of our time, and will likely be remembered in a few years as a crowning achievement in the genre of post-hardcore punk. Keep an eye out of my blog for the next installment of Jacob Mitchell: Iconoclast.

Rate: 18/24

Third-Wave Feminism Is Stupid

Before I start, let me say that I respect women, and I prefer the company of women to the company of men. Most women are sensitive, intuitive, understanding, and focused, while most men are ignorant, uncompromising, and prideful. There's nothing wrong with masculine traits and there's nothing wrong with feminine traits, it's just biology. Men have testosterone and women have estrogen. We're chemically different.

Back in the early days of humanity, women were treated as sex objects, and men were warriors, hunters, gatherers, and diplomats. Women weren't allowed to be priests when religion was created, and women weren't societal leaders when the first civilizations were created. Women were relegated to positions that men did not desire, such as care of children and homes. Then, as society became more civilized, women took on some of the roles of men.

First-wave feminism was vital for women to gain equal rights in many areas, especially in politics. In World War II, women took over industry while men went out to war. My great-grandmother was a WAC during most of the war while her brothers fought in Europe and Africa, and one even survived D-Day. Then, second-wave feminism did even more in the areas that first-wave feminism and covered other important areas like reproduction, sexuality, equality in the workplace and in society. However, in the early-80's, feminists experienced in-fighting and split in two; one side believed that second-wave feminism somehow contributed to a "patriarchy," and the other side, well, was rational.

Third-wave feminism addresses many of the same issues that first-wave feminism and second-wave feminism addressed, but makes them sound much more prevalent in society than they actually are. Rape is a touchy topic in our modern world today. Like many of you know, rape is a sexual action forced upon someone that doesn't want to participate in the sexual action. Rape has always a subject of feminism, and, sickeningly, rape has only been seen as wrong by mainstream society in the last 200 years. A major reason that rape was prevalent in the past is religion, since the old testament basically says that men can't be punished for raping a woman.

Yes, rape is bad. Sexual assault is bad. I know rape victims, and the experience is traumatizing and lasts forever if left unchecked. I only know one male victim of rape, and perhaps I know more than one, but men are less inclined to tell people about being raped than women. My friend was once an extremely happy and positive person, but now he's nervous all of the time and he is often scared of new people, and he had help afterwards. To focus on the plights of one gender when the problem of rape affects all genders is sick.

Feminism is about equal rights, not special treatment. However, many feminists today want special treatment and give rape a new definition that is problematic, to use feminist vocabulary. Third-wave feminists have combined with the overly-politically correct authoritarians of blog sites such as tumblr to create this new definition of rape: an action that makes a woman uncomfortable. In fact, it doesn't even have to be an action, it can be a statement or even a look. Here's the problem with that definition: men are inherently horny.

I know, it's crazy to think that men want to have sex. Men are biologically wired to be more aroused than women in everyday life. While a woman can have a conversation with a man without feeling sexual arousal, a man can release testosterone after a simple glance. However, when a man "falls in love," his testosterone level goes down, while a woman's testosterone levels increase (yes, women have small levels of testosterone, and men have small levels of estrogen) when "in love." A woman can't understand the libido of a man, but they can experience it when they find a life partner.

So when a guy looks at you on the bus, he's probably not having a rape fantasy, he's just attracted to you. It has nothing to do with what you wear, it is just the fact that he's a man. So you can see why an advertiser might exploit man's weakness to look at a pair of breasts. You're selling some nauseating body spray? Slap some tits on it.

It seems like the focus of prominent internet feminists like Anita Sarkeesian are the perceived sexism of advertisements and media. Anita, in particular, has begun a crusade against the "misogyny" of video games. She argues that female video game characters are overly-sexualized, marginalized, and aren't given personality. But if I were a game developer, I would include sexual imagery in an adult game if it meant that more games were sold. In most video game franchises, the male characters are of an attractive build, same with the female characters. Simply put: sex sells.

Yes, there are some more outlandish things that third-wave feminists say, but they are so ridiculous that they don't even need to be debunked. The problem with this particular movement, however, is that the third-wave feminists are primarily composed of bratty, selfish, entitled, white teenage girls, selfish, entitled, single women in their 30's, and guys who want to get laid. The previous two waves of feminism were composed of strong, independent women who, in the face of unparalleled adversity, completely changed society.

So while I can't say I'm not a feminist, in the sense that I am for gender equality, I can definitively say that third-wave feminism is stupid. I'd also like to give a short message to the "feminists" of the western world before I end this blog: you're fighting the wrong enemy. The chiefest opposition to gender equality is not corporations, media, and the like, it is religion. Religion in the middle-east has led to many women being killed or tortured for expressing themselves in any way, shape, or form. Misogyny exists, but you're too blind to see it.

Martial Arts is a Scam

If you're an action movie fan like I am, you've probably seen your fair share of cheesy martial arts films. The hero is a much more proficient fighter than his adversaries, who are always incompetent in some fashion. They might be huge, hulking men that aren't smart or fast enough to defeat the hero. They might be over-confident in their abilities, underestimating the hero, who unexpectedly dispatches them. It's been done thousands of times.

I've seen about a dozen fights in my life and they all have one thing in common: the winner is stronger than the loser. He may not be bigger, necessarily, but he is always much more athletic. The fight is usually a series of uncoordinated punches, it has much more in common with a boxing bout than a martial arts contest. The winner either lands more punches than the loser, hits them in the right spot that knocks them out, or just makes the other guy retreat. I don't care how many years you've learned how to do an armbar, if Mike Tyson gets a good punch on you, you're out.

The story of a hero who's trained under a master of an ancient fighting style defeating a villain despite the odds being stacked against them is just that, a story. Just because your "sensei," "master," "sifu," "guru," or whatever seems like a smart individual, in reality he's just a scammer. See, assuring people that they can beat up anyone in a fight is in reality a very simple confidence scam. If they're a really good scammer, they can even convince you that you can manipulate your "life energy," "chi," or "qi." This takes a quick moment of critical thought to debunk: "if I'm using my life force to create an invisible punch, am I killing myself?"

Yet, thousands of people sign up to learn how to beat people up. These "classes" can cost anywhere from $10 a month to hundreds or even thousands. You want to win every fight you're in? Sign up at the gym and work out every day. Thinking that you can pay a fee and instantly become Bruce Lee is both ridiculous and hilarious. I can understand what's appealing about martial arts, but it's just false promises like any other scam.