Recently, Chicago was hit with a "massive" snowstorm. Now, while I don't mean to sound like some uppity been-there-done-that kinda gal, I am going to have to say "been there done that", to all you wimpy Chicagoans. 10-14 inches is typical snowfall in Minnesota and I love it. Sadly, Minnesota's plows have adapted to this annual snow dump, and I rarely got the taste of this foreign concept called a "snow day", so seeing the city freak out over this pleasant powdering had me chuckling a little inside.
However, I wasn't laughing for long.
In Minnesota we survive our winters by using common sense equipment. Ski jacket, so we can go sledding/nordic skiing/dog walking and stay warm and dry; heavy, water-proof boots so our toes won't freeze off in one of the above mentioned activities; and any glove/hat/mitten/scarf with hometown 3M Thinsulate technology to keep our fingers warm but not sausage-like. While there were noted brands, such as Columbia, Northface, and Patagonia, there was no real stigma attached to any of the brand names: if it was warm, you wear it. Plus there is always a Target brand version of these items and they are almost always inevitably bought.
Then I came to Chicago.
I came to this city because I wanted to be the city girl. I had visions of myself prancing down Michigan in a perfect outfit, laughing smile forever on my face, cheeks rosy from the excitement of the hustle and bustle, welcoming the Windy City with an open joyful heart and a Mary Tyler Moore-style hat toss. However, nowadays you're more likely to see me in my Northface ski jacket from 8th grade bent over and stomping up North Sheridan, my cheeks ruddy and my mascara running from the brutal bully wind.
Then I step onto the el and see some 20-something working girl in a slouchy muslin hat, purple peacoat, patterned dress, gray tights and forest green Hunter boots, and I just want to ask her: "How do I become you?!" It appears something I still have yet to learn in Chicago is how to maintain the warmth, while not looking like I just returned from an expedition to Antartica.
Here I can name off the winter-wear brands by heart: Ugg, Hunter, Northface. Either you have one of these logos on somewhere throughout your ensemble, or you can quickly be labeled as un-hip and un-Chicago based on the style of your winter wear. While all of these brands make high quality, functional pieces of clothing, they are extremely expensive especially for a college student who recently downsized from two minimum wage jobs to one. However, I still find myself slipping into an envious gaze whenever I see those green Hunters with the little cream colored sock folded over the top. I know I can get the same boots on Target.com, but I want the rugged glamour that comes with the "Hunter" name outlined in a red and black box.
Now are these brands necessary for looking cute and staying warm in the city? No, of course not. But does seeing them everywhere sure tempt me? Yes. It sometimes just feels like the young and hip of Chicago seem to be a part of some secret community where their membership comes with a Northface parka, Ugg boots, and thick dark rimmed glasses. However, maybe its just my perspective. To everyone else, they see these brands as dependable, easy to access, and worth the extra cost for quality. This of course is the logical explanation...
I'll still be looking out for that secret community.
2.04.2010
My Left Wing Week and Some Thoughts on Politics
It all started out last Wednesday when my self-proclaimed liberal philosophy teacher, who also informed us that she was on several painkillers and loves cats, put a picture of George Bush eating a puppy on a powerpoint about Plato's The Republic.
And that's just the beginning.
The same day of my Philosophy teacher's powerpoint, I watched the State of the Union and received tweets from @BarackObama on my phone updating me with soundbites from the speech. I continued to receive tweets from the President throughout the week informing me of the online conversation that would be taking place through Organizing for America and persuading me to join the fight for the middle class by signing a letter to Congress.
On Friday on my way back from class, I walked through CFSU and was handed a flyer that blamed capitalism for all of America's current problems and urged me to join the fight for an economy that shared the wealth among the people. Yes, I was being asked to join the Loyola Socialist Club.
On Tuesday, I attended a lecture called "Demonizing Barack" which discussed how Barack Obama has been demonized by the right and how it is affecting his presidency and policy-making. The keynote speaker largely blamed the Republican Party for, well, everything that is wrong with America today, and proclaimed that everything they did that inhibited the President's policy-making ability was because of their inherent racism and prejudice against African-Americans. One of the panelists pointed out that when looking at the voting patterns of the South in the Obama/McCain race, these states voted as though "they were still in reconstruction".
On Wednesday I attended the premiere of Rush Limbaugh! The Musical. As you can imagine, Limbaugh was portrayed as a an idiotic conservative zealot bent on exterminating the Jews, Blacks and hippies from America, thanks to a little help from his friends Ann Coulter and Reverand Right-Wing. Also note that when the narrator hypothetically mentioned that Barack Obama would win the Presidency in 2012, the entire audience broke out in applause.
After this high point of liberal celebration, I went to an open mic benefiting Haiti at Heartland Cafe in Roger's Park. The music was great, the poetry was great and the subject matter was significantly left wing. If the fact that it was a benefit open mic didn't immediately swing the political pendulum to the left, the crowd of college students, young adults, and loyal attendees from the neighborhood cheered at mentions of the end of George Bush's presidency and the many proclamations of the need for change and peace, and the entire event was hosted by a Rastafarian.
Just thinking about this week makes me want to head to the nearest Megachurch for just a slight breath of another opinion.
Now I'm a liberal, both socially and fiscally, but to be honest, I even felt like this week was a little much. I believe liberals have the best ideas when it comes to political issues and are a force for positive political change (as well as the way our nation is headed, at least socially), however I am not okay with getting caught up in groupthink mentality. I always appreciated the fact that an urban environment tends to be more open minded, however anything in excess can lead to tunnel vision. One of the most frustrating aspect of politics today are the the fundamentalist right wing and left wing politicians who refuse to even listen to one another to make something of the tangled mess the government has been handed. Even though I am aware that my ideologies are generally purely liberal, I still like to hear the conservative opinion before I decide on an issue.
In Minnesota this was easy. Minnesota, and especially the Twin Cities, has voted consistently blue since 1976, a longer streak than any other state in America but my high school was home to just as many conservatives. Granted some weren't the most articulate in their views, but their point of view was represented nonetheless, and I could always find someone who was informed enough to have a conversation about any issue.
In Chicago, this is slightly harder. I find that the political movements tend to be caricatured and extreme on both sides. Either I have a repeat of this ludicrously liberal week or I talk to the people outside Dunkin' Donuts holding the signs portraying Obama with a Hitler mustache. These people, both wings included, represent the polarized views that are sucking America in two directions: either you are a communist hippie who supports legalizing marijuana, abortion rights, gay marriage, and big government spending or you are an uptight white man only focused on family values, abstinence, the right to carry a gun, and pure capitalism. Where is the wiggle room? As Obama said in his State of the Union, we need bipartisanship if we're going to get anywhere. Liberals, conservatives, democrats, republicans, hippies, and white men can all agree on a few key issues. No one wants to get cancer only to find out their insurance doesn't cover the medical bills. No one wants their son or daughter to die overseas. No one wants a depression or to be unemployed. However, compromise is necessary if any of these things are going to get done.
And as for the Loyola Socialist Club? Maybe next year...
And that's just the beginning.
The same day of my Philosophy teacher's powerpoint, I watched the State of the Union and received tweets from @BarackObama on my phone updating me with soundbites from the speech. I continued to receive tweets from the President throughout the week informing me of the online conversation that would be taking place through Organizing for America and persuading me to join the fight for the middle class by signing a letter to Congress.
On Friday on my way back from class, I walked through CFSU and was handed a flyer that blamed capitalism for all of America's current problems and urged me to join the fight for an economy that shared the wealth among the people. Yes, I was being asked to join the Loyola Socialist Club.
On Tuesday, I attended a lecture called "Demonizing Barack" which discussed how Barack Obama has been demonized by the right and how it is affecting his presidency and policy-making. The keynote speaker largely blamed the Republican Party for, well, everything that is wrong with America today, and proclaimed that everything they did that inhibited the President's policy-making ability was because of their inherent racism and prejudice against African-Americans. One of the panelists pointed out that when looking at the voting patterns of the South in the Obama/McCain race, these states voted as though "they were still in reconstruction".
On Wednesday I attended the premiere of Rush Limbaugh! The Musical. As you can imagine, Limbaugh was portrayed as a an idiotic conservative zealot bent on exterminating the Jews, Blacks and hippies from America, thanks to a little help from his friends Ann Coulter and Reverand Right-Wing. Also note that when the narrator hypothetically mentioned that Barack Obama would win the Presidency in 2012, the entire audience broke out in applause.
After this high point of liberal celebration, I went to an open mic benefiting Haiti at Heartland Cafe in Roger's Park. The music was great, the poetry was great and the subject matter was significantly left wing. If the fact that it was a benefit open mic didn't immediately swing the political pendulum to the left, the crowd of college students, young adults, and loyal attendees from the neighborhood cheered at mentions of the end of George Bush's presidency and the many proclamations of the need for change and peace, and the entire event was hosted by a Rastafarian.
Just thinking about this week makes me want to head to the nearest Megachurch for just a slight breath of another opinion.
Now I'm a liberal, both socially and fiscally, but to be honest, I even felt like this week was a little much. I believe liberals have the best ideas when it comes to political issues and are a force for positive political change (as well as the way our nation is headed, at least socially), however I am not okay with getting caught up in groupthink mentality. I always appreciated the fact that an urban environment tends to be more open minded, however anything in excess can lead to tunnel vision. One of the most frustrating aspect of politics today are the the fundamentalist right wing and left wing politicians who refuse to even listen to one another to make something of the tangled mess the government has been handed. Even though I am aware that my ideologies are generally purely liberal, I still like to hear the conservative opinion before I decide on an issue.
In Minnesota this was easy. Minnesota, and especially the Twin Cities, has voted consistently blue since 1976, a longer streak than any other state in America but my high school was home to just as many conservatives. Granted some weren't the most articulate in their views, but their point of view was represented nonetheless, and I could always find someone who was informed enough to have a conversation about any issue.
In Chicago, this is slightly harder. I find that the political movements tend to be caricatured and extreme on both sides. Either I have a repeat of this ludicrously liberal week or I talk to the people outside Dunkin' Donuts holding the signs portraying Obama with a Hitler mustache. These people, both wings included, represent the polarized views that are sucking America in two directions: either you are a communist hippie who supports legalizing marijuana, abortion rights, gay marriage, and big government spending or you are an uptight white man only focused on family values, abstinence, the right to carry a gun, and pure capitalism. Where is the wiggle room? As Obama said in his State of the Union, we need bipartisanship if we're going to get anywhere. Liberals, conservatives, democrats, republicans, hippies, and white men can all agree on a few key issues. No one wants to get cancer only to find out their insurance doesn't cover the medical bills. No one wants their son or daughter to die overseas. No one wants a depression or to be unemployed. However, compromise is necessary if any of these things are going to get done.
And as for the Loyola Socialist Club? Maybe next year...
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