Two of my main topics of conversation and media consumption are entertainment and politics. In this Table Talk, I was able to easily combine both interests and engage in fun and insightful conversations involving the two of them. One of the most important discussion points established during the session was the difference between performative activism and real activism. In the age of social media, political commentary and information has been made much more accessible to the general public in ways never seen before. However, there are dangers to people claiming themselves as activists by simply sharing an Instagram story, or even requesting their favorite (non-political) celebrities to take public stances on certain topics. While celebrities discussing essential political issues with large platforms can be extremely informative, it can also be very dangerous if misinformation is spread instead. Looking on the bright side of things, platforms like Tiktok have made socio-political and cultural education more available to the masses, making it something much bigger than just an entertainment platform. For this reason, I would not advise people to stay away from social media, but rather to always fact check all the information they read and/or share with credible sources first.
Author Archives: gm463
Independence and Loneliness
This week’s episode of the Queen’s Gambit can be viewed as an extension of the plot twist established at the end of the previous one. Dealing with her adoptive mother’s death was no easy feat for Beth. Throughout the episode, we were able to observe her different coping strategies as well as contrast the version of herself that she shows to the public vs her actual emotional state. One of the discussion questions presented at the session was about Beth taking Alice’s advice about being alone and how she copes with her own loneliness. I believe her reliance on substances and other people throughout the whole episode depicts the fact that she is strongly fighting or even ignoring this loneliness as much as she can. The main takeaways from this episode, in my opinion, were the fine line between the definitions of independence and loneliness. In some ways, Beth was independent in the sense that she owned her own home and did not have to economically rely on other people (husband or family). However, her invisible ties to those around her were strengthening even more throughout the episode.
Discussing royalty
For several days before this Rose Scholars event, I had come across several clips from the Oprah interview involving Prince Harry and Meghan Markle all over social media. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had come clean to the public about their departure from the British royal family as well as their treatment over the last two years. I had not watched the actual interview before the event so it consisted mostly of me listening to other people’s perspectives about it. We talked about the importance of this for the American public as well as how it could impact the British public. One of the most important points of conversation, in my opinion, was Meghan Markle’s treatment throughout her presence in the royal family. I personally believe that most of her mistreatment stemmed from blatant racism and sexism, especially when it came to comparing her to Kate Middleton. This also relates to a discussion we had about the role of journalism and the media in situations like these and how uninformed reports can tarnish someone’s reputation. After this event, I watched the actual interview and was able to thoroughly enjoy it after our thoughtful discussions.
Forced to grow up
After watching the first episode of The Queen’s Gambit some weeks before this event, it was very interesting to pick up the show at a point where the plot had already been established and developed. This episode was action-filled and entertaining overall. There was an unexpected plot twist at the end dealing with Alma’s passing (Beth’s adoptive mother). Some important life lessons were offered by showing how Beth deals with loss and the idea that not everyone copes with death in the same way. At the end of the session, our breakout room had very insightful discussions about one specific scene of the show where Beth plays a chess match with a younger player. I personally disliked this scene the first time I watched the show because it showed Beth’s immature and dishonest behavior. However, after the group discussion, I was able to comprehend the reasoning behind her attitude, which was the fact that she was no longer the only child prodigy. For this reason, she let her younger and immature side take over by playing tactics that she never used before to distract the younger player. This point of the show could then be contrasted with how Beth deals with Alma’s death at the end of the episode and is basically forced to grow up. This Rose Scholars event reminded me of how entertaining and how perceptive it is to rewatch shows and movies, given that you are able to pay much more attention to detail and engage in deeper reflections about the plot.
One Health for One World
This week’s Rose Scholars event was very informative overall. It dealt with topics surrounding One Health, an organization I was not familiar with. As defined by the CDC, One Health is a “collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.” It was very interesting to learn about zoonotic diseases or diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans and the impacts that they can have on different aspects of our lives, ranging from health to the economy. The most insightful and engaging part of the experience was when we were sent into breakout rooms and asked to design a scenario dealing with one of these diseases; in our case, the group decided to work on salmonella. The main takeaway from this event was the importance of the overlap between disease transmission and environmental and socioeconomic factors, especially in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
An ‘introduction’ to effective writing
This week’s Rose Scholars event was probably the most helpful session of the semester so far. As a STEM major, it is not often that I come across required writing courses, which leads me to sometimes struggle with the process of planning/developing writing pieces. As many other students who attended this seminar pointed out, the most difficult part of an essay for me is the introduction. It has the essential role of captivating your readers’ attention as well as clearly defining your thesis and topics to discuss. The body of an essay is usually the easiest portion for me, given that I just get to communicate all the information that I had gathered as well as analysis points in an organized manner. A piece of advice that the instructor provided during this session was to break down the most intimidating parts of an essay into smaller manageable pieces, in order to just focus on one task at a time. I actually used this recommendation in one of my recent essays and it allowed the overall writing process to flow much more smoothly. Another specific recommendation provided for essay introductions was to use the “three Ts trick,” in which you have to check for an effective title, a thesis statement that expresses the main claim, as well as a smooth transition into the body of the paragraph. I will definitely be using all the advice that I received in this session in my future writing endeavors, especially grad school applications in the upcoming future.
The evolution of New Orleans
I am not the biggest fan of documentaries but I decided to attend this Rose Scholars event because the description in the newsletter had caught my attention, a reason that many of my peers seemed to share during our initial discussion. It was very interesting to learn about the rich cultural and sociopolitical history of New Orleans. It was fascinating to see how New Orleans had the oldest black neighborhood in the United States that led a civil rights movement that changed the course of American history. In terms of sensory communication, the background music used throughout the film was phenomenal, which truly encapsulated the town’s deeply rooted connection with jazz. Despite its immensely rich history, this city has also faced heart-wrenching struggles throughout the years, including natural disasters like hurricane Katrina, in which they did not receive any support from the government (spoiler alert: this was not the first time). The images from the hurricane’s consequences were very impactful and captured the dreams of the population being lost. The portrayal of architecture and urban planning (as an arrangement of clips and more recent interviews) played a major role in this documentary given that it showed us the evolution of this city, sometimes blurring the lines between the past and present.
A greater appreciation for chess
I had the pleasure of watching The Queen’s Gambit over Thanksgiving break with my family. It was a very interesting and engaging show that seems very unique in comparison to other Netflix originals released around the same time. Watching the show definitely inspired me to pick up the hobby of playing chess, which I had not done in a very long time. Despite the entertaining and sometimes frustrating chess matches, this show deals with other important topics regarding family dynamics, gender roles, and substance abuse. Being able to rewatch this first episode during this week’s Friday Film allowed me to pay attention to the smaller details that I was not able to catch the first time around. I was also able to understand the importance of the portrayal of Beth’s childhood for the development of her character later on, especially her relationship with chess, drug consumption, and independence.
Diving into Netflix originals
Over the past winter break, I engaged in many relaxing activities, many of which included media consumption. The British show Bridgerton was one of the TV series that I had the pleasure of watching. I am an avid fan of period pieces and this one did not disappoint. Due to the small number of episodes, I was able to finish the show over a few days, which means that, despite highly enjoying it, I did not take the time to fully appreciate and analyze the show. This Rose Scholars event allowed me to test my knowledge of the show through a very amusing Kahoot game, which proved that I still had a very clear memory of the show’s main points. However, one thing that I learned at this event was the fact that the show is based on an 8-book series, each covering a different Bridgerton sibling. Some of the most important points of discussion that came up were the portrayal of race, sex education, and class struggles within the show. In terms of race, it was very insightful to break down the concept of “forced diversity” and if this was the case in Bridgerton. All in all, I am looking forward to the next season covering the story of a different sibling.