Author: Jared Hobson

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Opinions

Intentional Positivity and Hope

As ordinary people living our lives in 2018, I think that all too often we let ourselves slip into a nasty habit of dwelling in garbage. For as much as there is to complain about (and, trust me, I recognize that it’s difficult to navigate Facebook for more than two seconds without wanting to bang your head against a wall) there is just as much good we could instead focus on. And that’s what our energy should be directed towards.

Near the start of 2018, I was convicted that we shouldn’t waste our energy on things we cannot control. Unless you and you alone are responsible for something that goes wrong, don’t waste valuable time focusing on the issue. Did someone cut in line in the dining hall? Is it unbearably warm and humid outside? Cell phone not running as fast as it used to? None of that is actually your fault. To live a better life we must let go of these everyday (more or less) annoyances and intentionally choosing to focus on the good.

Now, I’m not saying that everyone should stop caring about everything bad that happens. “I failed that test because I didn’t study? Who cares? Yay!” No. The glory of not wasting emotional energy on all the stuff you can’t control is that now there’s an abundance of energy to take care of what is truly valuable and worthwhile. A big part of this mindset is grounded in self-care and allowing there to be time and energy to step away from others and take genuine care for yourself. This isn’t a matter of being willfully ignorant to the problems in the world, large or small, but an effort of choosing to take a stand against letting it all affect you personally.

If nothing else, day-to-day life feels a lot better and brighter when hope is on the mind instead of misery. I’ve found that all the small problems I face tend to make my outlook cloudy and skewed. Choosing to have hope reveals all of life’s small treasures that too often go missed. And hope is just as contagious as despair; in a world of conflict and hatred, now is the time that we need hope the most. We need to show love and be loved, and we can’t do that when we complain about how hot it is outside or how much we hate Mondays. We’re wasting our energy when we should be putting it toward loving one another.

This is a message for the first year student who is struggle to adjust to college life; for the senior too terrified to think past graduation, for staff, faculty, and parents back home. For everyone, really. Dwell on the good, and don’t waste energy on the bad. It takes effort and definitely won’t come easy, but think of how better the world could be if we all lived a little bit more positively.

Jared is a junior majoring in Communication.

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Opinions

Tech: Addiction Or Opportunity

I think that we really like to throw around the word “addicted” when it comes to social media culture. People often fast from social media—Lent or not—because they see it as a distraction from more important parts of life. However, it would be hard to deny the fact that technology is a crucial part of our world. No one likes to admit that they’re addicted to their phone, and yet most of us probably can’t function unless we have our phones on our bodies at all times. Even when we go to the bathroom.

We have become so attached to our phones that, when people make that brave decision to abstain from phone usage for the long weekend, we all gasp in shock. But I would argue that this is really a deeper problem masquerading as a trendy Buzzfeed think-piece about millennials and their love for Twitter. When used properly, social media has a valuable place in today’s world of communication.

a photo of the author

What I’ve come to understand is that we live in a society that has consequences for the people who don’t follow particular feeds and don’t remember to “like and subscribe” to important videos. Referencing vines and tweets has become the norm, and complaining about the relatives we’ve friended on Facebook has become a go-to conversation starter. You probably didn’t even think twice about the word “friended,” even though that’s a word which was born directly from social media culture. Part of the reason our reliance on social media has grown so pronounced is that it’s the core of our everyday language. If you aren’t laughing at the latest screenshot of a popular tweet, then you’re out of the loop.

This dynamic boils down to social pressure. It’s not all fun and memes, because that social pressure tends to enforce the idea that communication is cut off as soon as we power-down our devices.

In many ways, this is true. Personally, I use Facebook to communicate with different groups and friends and family; if it weren’t for Facebook Messenger, these conversations would be significantly harder to coordinate. I am able to stay invested in the lives of my close friends, people I grew up with, and people who live across the country through Snapchat. This, at least to me, is incredible! So, why do we to hate on ourselves for using our phones?

We need to acknowledge the value of social media as a tool for investing in the lives of others. Cell phones are a part of our lives as much as the shoes on our feet, and while many people are afraid of this fact, it may not be such a bad thing. Now, trust me, I know that there is a lot to say about using our phones in moderation. It is possible that we are addicted to the devices, after all. (That’s a STAR opinion piece for another week.) This time, though, I want to say that I believe we shouldn’t be so quick to condemn ourselves. We are in a time of technology that allows us to connect with other people so easily. We should appreciate this opportunity, not rebuke it.

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Campus Reviews Stories In Focus

Party Of 3: Introducing Drive-In

Middle school is usually a time that most of us like to forget about, but not for Lars Erik Ljungholm ‘20 because that was when he first met his friends Cameron and Cole Tessier. The brothers met Lars in their church’s youth group, and the three of them played on the church’s worship team quite frequently. It wasn’t long before the three decided to pursue producing their own music, forming the band we now know today as Drive-In.

All three are producers and songwriters, and the roles they play in the group are mostly shared among all three. When they play live, though, Cam acts as lead singer and keyboard, Cole does background vocals and synth and drum pad, Lars plays guitar and synth as well. “There’s so much in our music,” said Lars, “There’s too much for just three people to make with real instruments so we would have to use backtracks.” Even though nowadays they’re separated because of college, they maintain their work through Facetime calls and a lot of sharing files on Google Drive. Cam and Cole will send an idea for a track, Lars will make his tweaks and adjustments before sending it back, and then the process repeats. It’s back-and-forth until they decide it’s perfect. Although they haven’t played any shows together as a full band yet, they’re working on booking shows for the near future. Lars also recently played in a coffeehouse and asked a few friends to assist him, although the performance was more stripped-back without Cam and Cole.

Coming to Houghton has helped Lars grow as an artist; may it be through his Visual Communication major or his Music Industry minor. When asked about the influence the college and the classes here have had on him musically, he said, “I was just surrounded by music all the time [during my Music Industry classes]. You just get a ton of ideas. Going to Houghton has impacted me so much through the people I’ve met here. I’ve picked up a ton of unique production techniques and met many people who I believe are going to have great success in the music industry.” Not only has his work in the Music Industry program given him opportunities for making valuable connections and great friends, taking Visual Comm classes has really allowed him to think about his music in different creative forms; he has even had the chance to implement his own musical work in his class projects.

When Lars defined the genre of his music, he labeled it as “alternative pop,” admitting though that it is a fairly broad genre and difficult to pinpoint. He mentioned artists such as The 1975, LANY, and M83 as some of the biggest musical sources for inspiration for Drive-In. When Lars writes music, he draws from the work of many other artists that he listens to; he will pick out what he really likes in certain songs and what inspired those certain parts. May it be a melody or a something more specific like a beat of a snare – then he’ll create his own track based on the inspiration. Lars said in an interview that, “The music [of Drive-In] is a culmination of everything you’ve ever heard – ever. So, like, in some of the songs you can hear every day noises; like a pen on a desk. Everything is an influence.” Listeners will find that each song individually tells its own story, but the songs on the EP blend more sonically by the way they sound and the way they feel.

All of Drive-In’s EP’s were completed over the summer, and two have already been released (“1996” and “Glass”) but be on the lookout for more music from the band: the third installment from their EP series is set to release on New Year’s Day. Before that though, Lars mentioned some other fun projects that might find their way to your favorite streaming services. Make sure to follow Drive-In on Instagram (@driveinmusic) for updates! And for your listening pleasure, head over to Spotify or Apple Music to stream the available EP’s and singles.

 

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Reviews Stories In Focus

Humor Shines in Thor: Ragnarok

If you are a fan of Chris Hemsworth’s long, golden locks, then his newest movie might be a little bit of a disappointment for you.

You probably already know from the trailers that the mighty Thor loses his hair for a new ‘do, but Thor also loses something else from his past Avengers and standalone movies: his painful seriousness. Thor: Ragnarok is refreshing for movie-goers, providing many comedic quips as well as exciting action. Marvel seems to be learning from its funniest blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy, and letting Hemsworth’s humor shine through on the big screen.

After the dramatic reveal at the end of Thor: The Dark World, audiences might have expected Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to pose more of a threat as Odin—but this conflict was resolved relatively quickly. Thor and Loki spend little time on Earth in this film; they only stick around to have a quick chat with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), as revealed in the end credit scene in Cumberbatch’s own feature film, and then to meet the real Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Soon, the action really starts to pick up when the Goddess of Death, Hela (Cate Blanchett), shows up on the scene and throws Thor and Loki off to a strange catch-all of a world, after managing to destroy Thor’s iconic hammer.

As if Thor weren’t already at an all-time low, he’s then pitted against his “friend from work” the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in a colosseum run by the Grandmaster, an eccentric dictator whose mannerisms are nailed perfectly by Jeff Goldblum.  Thor needs to get back home to Asgard to prevent complete annihilation of the world— which is the actual definition of the Norse word “ragnarok”—so he gathers his limited crew of Loki, the Hulk, and dangerous Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) to tussle with Hela before she grows too powerful.

Director Taika Waititi, a New Zealand native, had only tackled smaller indie films before he took the gig for Ragnarok back in 2015. Waititi is used to being a funny guy, especially considering that most of his previous works were highly based in comedy. So when Marvel reached out to him with the Ragnarok offer, he was initially a little hesitant. After all, this set would be significantly larger than anything he was used to—and there was this grey cloud hanging over the Thor franchise after less successful attempts at standalone movies.

“In a lot of my films,” Waititi said, “the biggest theme is family, making families out of those around you.” This mindset fits well into the Marvel cinematic universe, as many recent films also highlight this theme. Not only was Waititi on-theme for Marvel, but he was also fully capable of bringing a sense of fun back to the God of Thunder. Waititi managed to cultivatea comfortable and humorous atmosphere on his set, and his lighthearted efforts shine through into the film. Overall, Thor: Ragnarok may have been the end for Asgard, but it also represents the rebirth and redemption for the character of Thor and his franchise.

Thor: Ragnarok is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action and brief suggestive material. It runs 130 minutes.

 

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Opinions Two Views

Two Views // On the #MeToo Movement – Jared Hobsen

If you have been on Facebook or Twitter recently, you may have noticed some posts with only the words: “Me too.” In fact, if you had any sort of experience similar to mine, you were probably startled at the number of women posting those two words to their feeds and timelines. It all began on Sunday, October 15, in wake of the news about Harvey Weinstein, when actress and activist Alyssa Milano went online on Twitter to call all women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted to write “me too” to show how pervasive the problem really is. I was so heartbroken by how many of my good friends have been victims of sexual assault or harassment, and it left me wondering what we can do to stop this epidemic.

We, as a society, aren’t holding men to the standard that we could be. Why do we continue to ask women “what did you do to provoke the attack?” when we should really be asking men “what could you have done to prevent the attack?” And the problem is rooted deeper than just physical attacks on women. We all, men and women alike, need to stop treating women as inferior beings only obsessed with the latest hairstyles or fashions. We need to stop using gendered insults that imply women are weaker and lesser, and we need to start teaching boys and girls at a much younger age that girls should be valued for more than her looks.

Guys, now I’m speaking to you. We need to do better. First of all, we really shouldn’t be waiting to have these conversations about sexual assault AFTER the problem already happened. Women don’t owe us anything – including their stories. But we should still be taking a stand for them and advocate for their safety. And that means that we’re going to have to stand against the other guys who perpetuate and promote harmful behavior. It’s going to be an awkward process; it’s going to mean we have to say “that’s not funny” when our friend makes a joke that objectifies a woman, it means we can’t argue with people who have experienced oppression in ways we haven’t, and it means we need to be careful about demanding answers and information from victims.

For everyone who wants to and is already taking a stand for women and against this oppression they face, we must not forget the men who feel silenced from joining in the #MeToo movement. There are men out there who have been victims of abuse and attack, but feel the need to stay quiet because many times their painful experiences are just as disqualified as women’s. Instead, though, many men are told, “Oh, you probably wanted that anyhow.” This is just another result of the toxic society that we live in that tells men that they are made to take control of women.

What I’m saying through all of this is that we need to take a good, hard look at our culture and realize that we’ve been promoting dangerous behavior that allows men like producer Harvey Weinstein to get away with sexual abuse for so long.  We need to listen to the victims that are speaking now, we need to realize that there are definitely many victims who still cannot speak out, and we need to take a stand for love. We need to work through the discomfort we will feel as we dissent from being passive about harassment. If we do this, it’s possible to live in a world where there are fewer and fewer “me too” stories.

Jared is a sophomore majoring in communication.

Categories
Arts Campus Stories In Focus

Artist Spotlight: Sorrow Estate

Laura Johnson ’17 has been writing songs for over eight years now, but music has been a major part of her life for as long as she can remember.

Her primary instrument is voice, and although she is fluent on the piano and guitar, she considers herself a vocal performer and songwriter first and foremost. However, when Laura chose to seriously follow a path of singing and songwriting, she chose to act under the name of “The Sorrow Estate.” “My name is dreadfully common: Laura Johnson,” she said. “You can Google it and find plenty of celebrities and actresses. So when I went into music I chose ‘The Sorrow Estate.’ It’s the name of my music project. It’s just me, but I have people perform with me whenever I get the chance.”

After attending Houghton for three full years, Johnson took some time off from campus. It was during this time that she took the opportunity to play at various smaller stages and shows, and later taking her spring semester at the University of Indianapolis to further study writing and poetry. Now, however, she is back here at Houghton for one last semester before graduation.

Johnson described her music as earthy and folky, drawing inspiration from creators such as Conor Oberst – who she said has been her favorite artist as long as she can remember – and poet Sylvia Plath. She also cited other artists, such as Keaton Henson, Dustin Kensrue, and Jewel. Johnson spoke about her love for songwriting as a platform for storytelling. The theme of the currently available self-titled album, The Sorrow Estate, is travel. Although, if you asked Johnson, she would tell you that her existing album is simply a home for the written and unwritten songs floating around in her head. In some of her work, she ties traditional song with spoken word lyrics. As she’s working on her new songs, she said that her music is leaning even more towards spoken word.

As her senior writing capstone, Johnson is writing a thirteen-song album. For the work to be counted as a four-credit project, she will need to write, record, and perform all of the songs. Pursuing this next album in a more academic focus has helped Johnson take the time to sit down and determine exactly what she wants her work to portray to her audience. She has been working under Professor Zoller, and also with Nancy Murphy, Houghton’s Title IX coordinator. Since Johnson stands strongly for the empowering of women through song, she stated that Murphy has been a huge help and source for wisdom. “This next album is about womanhood,” said Johnson. “It’s about the struggles that women come up against, and also the struggles young women face … Sexual abuse, sexual identity, what it means to be a woman of the church. It’s also a reflection of the struggles of mental health issues and how to share that in an encouraging way.”

Because she knew this upcoming full-length album was going to be a bit more emotionally heavy, Johnson spent her summer working on an EP entitled “The Happy EP,” which is filled with ukulele and jingle bells and all things flamboyant. (The album is currently post-production right now, but it will be released soon.) Johnson is thankful for the Houghton community, and for the outpouring of love she received when she released her first album. She looks forward to releasing her upcoming music to all of her friends and family.