‘Murica!… Ehhhh….

When I was in high school, every Monday morning the school would play on the announcements “America the Beautiful,” along with the pledge of allegiance. It was more than any other high school in the city did, and more than really I was willing to put up with on a Monday. To this day I still don’t know who suggested it, but I’m pretty sure they still do it.

That and the Pledge kind of reflects how ingrained into our society a sort of blind patriotism is. Automatically people jump to “FREEDOM! ‘MURICA!” as excuses when really we need to have a lot of conversation and education about what we mean by that, and who it really applies to anymore. Patriotism becomes the end-all, be-all of an argument about policy and criticism of the direction the country is going in. Someone can say a problem exists but just saying “We have no problems, this is the greatest country in the world!” before shotgunning a beer and firing off six rounds won’t fix it or create a conversation like what the country was founded on. It’s kind of like the Hitler fallacy, in that it can’t be argued with and maybe it isn’t wrong, but jeez, that’s not where I wanted this argument to go at all. It just kind of leaves a conversation on a note of “Really, dude?”

Our country is a pretty good place to live and we’ve come so far… but there’s still a long way to go.

This Fourth of July really did feel weird. I think the culprit for that is pretty obvious: No matter your thoughts on the outcome, the 2016 election cycle was ugly and divisive. Let’s face it- the country was injured. I don’t think it’s fatal, but it has definitely not healed. I went to a picnic sponsored by the college and they played the National Anthem, and for some reason it just didn’t sit completely right with me, but I heard several blind patriots sing proudly.

I’m glad you’re proud, and you have every right to be. But I realized at that moment that this was not how I wanted to show my patriotism. In fact, no moment in recent memory that anyone played National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance, or America the Beautiful genuinely made me feel patriotic and proud.

But let me tell you when I did feel that way.

Last year was the first election I was eligible to vote in. I am registered in the state of Virginia, not Pennsylvania, and I was denied the opportunity to go to the polls in person. I cast my ballot absentee at the end of September. I was disappointed that I thought I wouldn’t get an “I Voted” sticker. But I got to make my voice heard, and really it felt like it counted. Virginia went for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and I was proud that I was a part of it. Later, I got a text from one of my parents of mail I had gotten at my house with an “I Voted” sticker. That one is still on my tablet today.

I was still reeling from the election when I got that letter. I wasn’t sure what to do next, honestly. I was in the radio station on Election Night, lightly buzzed on vodka, with the electoral map version of a March Madness bracket frantically switching colors from red to blue, blue to red, trying to see how to make the numbers add up in my favor. Eventually, I realized it was not going to start adding up anymore. I sat back in my chair, and then forced the News Director to play “Electioneering” by Radiohead. It was labeled as depressing, and then I wasn’t allowed to pick the music anymore.

A few days of reflecting and watching the news led me to the conclusion that starting to get active with the politics that exist. Obviously I wasn’t going to singlehandedly revolutionize the system- that’s not how it works. January 20 came and went, and I set my sights on the Senate. Remember, I’m registered in Virginia and I have Senator Tim Kaine and Senator Mark Warner to constantly email, begging them to vote no on DeVos, Pruitt, Perry, Carson, and more.

There was also the fun time when Trump’s budget draft came out, scrapping several vital agencies and endowments I cared about. A postcard campaign came to the college to save the NEA and NEH, and I grabbed some and sent them in to my elected officials.

Surprisingly I got this text from my mother a while later.

sorry mom pic.twitter.com/i6fbTQtUdp

— 🩷💜💙bi-ritt🩷💜💙🇵🇸 (@supbruss) May 8, 2017

Yes, it’s a generic press release that I think I saw online once before. Still, I felt for about two seconds that my voice was being heard. Someone took a second to pick my address to send the press release by mail. Someone had to decide it was a good idea to let me know he agreed. That felt patriotic to me.

I guess, in conclusion, the founding fathers weren’t satisfied with the original constitution for a reason. And there was a reason that they decided that freedom of speech, the press, petition, and assembly should be first on the list of rights to protect. Say what you want about the extracurricular activities of the Founding Fathers (looking at you, Jefferson), they had the idea that it was the first priority.

You have to admit that one of the most American things you can do is learn, educate, speak, and think critically of the country we were born in. Criticizing the country and throwing tea in the harbor is as American as apple pie. However, listen to the experiences of others, and try to criticize it in such a way to make life better not only for yourself, but for the person next to you as well. Speak up for what you believe in, but not on your crazy uncle’s Facebook page. Go to the people whose job it is to listen, and speak until you are heard. If they don’t listen, find a NON-VIOLENT way to make them. Every Election Day, even the primaries, you get your ass to the polls and vote for someone who you think will listen to your voice. Get that cool, patriotic sticker.

Finally, be kind to others, and that will help heal the wounds left behind from years of ugly words and policies as well as prevent further injury.

Then maybe those songs will go back to feeling a little more special.

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July, and make good choices.

-Britt

I Kissed A Republican… And I Liked It

As the country gets really polarized and everyone just shouts at each other and calls names, people kinda start asking “is it ever possible for Democrats and Republicans to get along and be happy?” That’s not entirely unjustified. I do get sick of Republican shit constantly, and the news cycle is nowhere near helpful. However, I would like to present a case study in which I say it definitely is possible. Get ready to have your mind blown, because we’re talking about me.

I met my boyfriend back in high school sort of, since he was a judge for my high school debate team’s biggest rival, and therefore was able to judge me. He didn’t do it often, and we never spoke. I graduated, went to Gettysburg, minded my own business and never thought much of that guy. My college ex broke up with me, so I pulled out Tinder just to get some form of attention and to get some douchebags telling me I was pretty. The sorts I matched with were the liberal indie boys I confidently named out in my Tinder profile, some of which ended up getting weird and invited me for coffee on the blood moon or told me to go see Animal Collective on shrooms. Then here comes Boyfriend, advertising a world famous bowl of cereal. I thought he looked familiar- but I wasn’t sure when or where I saw him. We swapped numbers, and eventually he asked me if I did debate, and remembered me as the red lipstick girl. Surprise!

We went on a few dates, and they were pretty pleasant. I found myself enjoying his company- he laughed at my puns, I laughed at his jokes and weird stories. He was charming and friendly and sweet. I liked it. Eventually, the night before I had to head up to camp for work as a camp counselor, we made it official as boyfriend and girlfriend.

A few weeks later I went out with him to a movie, and afterward we went to a McDonald’s and managed to get 40 chicken nuggets for free by our own luck and the McDonald’s only taking cash at that moment in time. We pulled into a parking lot and we started talking about the election, and finally I asked him who he was voting for. “Trump. I don’t trust Hillary at all.” At this point, Trump had said some batshit crazy stuff about a wall (and more stuff I can’t think of the timing of), picked Mike “Zap the gay away” Pence as VP, and we hadn’t even gotten to the Billy Bush tape yet. I did a double take and was like “dude, Trump’s an idiot and wants to take away rights of minorities… I can’t endorse that.”

“Yeah, but Hillary’s a crook.”

Yeah, substitute the sex for chicken nuggets in a car and it went about like this.

There was a little more back and forth but this ended with me telling him to take me home. I had a bit of an attitude that night that I still get joked for, but I was taken home and made sure there was plenty of silence for him to appreciate how mad I was. I even turned the radio off because I wanted him to stew in that silence to think about his choices. But that night I realized I had to make a choice- here was a dude who made me happy, whose general presence put me in a good mood that’s been later commented on by both of my parents, and just happens to be on the wrong side of the aisle. Things were going really, really well, and I had to decide if I wanted to put the brakes on it over this stupid thing.

So, I did an impulsive move and took a chance- which was probably a very good move. I went back to him, and I kissed him and said “so help me god, if he wins, I’m blaming you for everything.”

As 2016 unfolded, he offered another perspective that was far more rational than I realized he was. The fundamental things that are more important to me (abortion, gay rights, women’s equality, equality for minorities, etc.) were things we often agreed on in favor of prioritizing other issues like the economy and foreign policy. He’s cool with my bisexuality, and doesn’t think Mike Pence is going to realistically zap the bi away. The foreign policy (and military action) was where we probably disagreed (and still do) the most, but there was still that stupid issue of the pantsuit lady candidate and her damn emails that nobody seemed capable of shutting up about.

A ray of light shined down upon this man in the form of an Access Hollywood tape with Donald Trump talking about grabbing people by the pussy, and suddenly everything became clear and we got to talk shit about Donald Trump together. It’s absolutely fun to do this- and I’m salty more people didn’t have that epiphany that Donald Trump was an absolute moron sooner. Election Day came, and while I had already voted absentee, he made the choice to say “well, I didn’t vote for him” and voted for Hillary.  We watched each state turn read in shock and disbelief and waited for Pennsylvania to be called, but by that point I was doing the math with an electoral map version of a March Madness bracket. It was over. It was like a weird dream you really hoped to never have, and then you had to kinda stop for a bit and wonder what the hell just happened. We just kind of kept watching the rest of 2016 go by in a daze, wondering what the heck Trump was doing and all sorts of scandals come out in December and January that Trump wasn’t going to shake off as president hit the news cycle.

Now, I make jokes about it more than anything. We both acknowledge Trump is making some really, really bad moves, but he has a lot more respect for some of the people in the administration than I do. His favorites are Mattis, McMaster, and Spicer of all people, and the only one I can even fathom thinking decently about is Mattis. This is mainly because I tell Boyfriend that McMaster’s head is oddly phallic-shaped and I can’t take it seriously, and Spicer is… well, we’ve heard a lot about that guy with one of the worst jobs in the world whom none of us really envy anymore. Of course we discuss the Russian collusion too, and I tell him that obviously, since this boy is Russian, he is definitely responsible for this rigging and felt comfortable enough to vote for Hillary because he already rigged it the other way. Then there’s times like these that still make me laugh:

I was too lazy to find and embed this tweet… good lord why do I tweet so much?

 

Even then, I still do enjoy hearing about his perspective- even if I don’t necessarily agree with it. He can still discuss it rationally and still maintain the charm and humor I ended up falling in love with. He’s great to me, and we’re happy. It’s plenty possible, but I guess you really just need to find the right one who you’re willing to put up with. Apparently this has been met with mild admiration for my patience and willing to put up with conservative views. I don’t quite understand how I do it either, but he puts up with my liberal shit right back. Maybe it comes down to patience, and the types of people involved. And many, many conversations.

So that’s the end of my case study and the end of a fabled love story between Democrats and Republicans. He’s cute and I love him and appreciate him. Cheers to the other couples who make it work too, because it’s possible.

Make good choices,

-Britt

P.S. I’m still owed a bowl of cereal.

What The Hell Is Wrong With Everyone?: A Critique of the American Political System

The following appeared in an opinion article I wrote for the college newspaper, The Gettysburgian. I made some additions and edits in light of recent events. If you google it and accuse me of plagiarism, you didn’t read this.

Donald Trump has solidified himself as one of the most divisive figures in American politics that we’ve seen in modern history. His rise to power has been met with stronger opposition than what we’ve seen since Vietnam. He’s made quite a turbulent debut in his first 100 days in office and has been met with both high praise and high opposition.

As a Democrat, I’m thrilled to see other Democrats step up their game and increase their engagement with politics. State and local politics are just as important as federal politics, even if they come off as less sexy and have less star quality.

I’m really excited to see that people are marching against injustices perpetuated by this administration. The grand scale of the Women’s March inspired many other marches- for science, for climate change, for truth. These are causes I agree with. I love this energy that’s been invigorated into the Democratic Party. I want you to keep engaging.

However, there’s still work to do, and we are only four months in. Donald Trump is probably not going anywhere for a while. There’s another year until midterms, and three until 2020 (I’m not touching the impeachment idea here – mainly because I don’t think it’ll happen).The previous champions of the Democratic Party are aging and are about to step out of the limelight for good. And young Democrats, I urge you to remember this is not a sprint – it is a marathon. Pace yourselves and remember that there’s a long way to go. We’ve only made it an inch through this presidency and I don’t want our steam and energy to be worn out by the time it’s truly needed. That energy needs to be harnessed to power the Democratic Party through an identity crisis as we face aging heroes and search for a new hope like what we saw in President Obama.

Democrats, our bench is fairly weak, and the superstars are reaching 70, or in the case of Obama, has no political future. We did make a mistake in putting all of the eggs in the Hillary Clinton basket.

The Democratic National Party is now faced with the divided party that we thought the Republicans would be facing when Hillary won. Bernie Sanders widened that divide and when Hillary won, several of his voters jumped ship to the Trump Train because they didn’t think the establishment worked for them.
A few names are cropping up (Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker), but none are gaining as much star power and that star power needs to consolidate. Don’t force Biden or Bernie to run to buy them some time- what they need are more rising stars and more people that will engage and harness the newfound energy, and keep it going until the elections. In the meantime, the young crop of Democrat officials are now being forced to take sides on a more progressive path like Bernie, or take a moderate path like Hillary.

That choice is being delayed in favor of framing the party as “The Party Trump Isn’t A Part Of.” I don’t think this is the right answer at all. Treat Trump like you would treat any other Republican politician with questions of policies and not his character. Attacking his character was not a strategy that helped them. Focus on the policies, where he went wrong and where the GOP went wrong, and remind his voter base where Trump screwed them – healthcare, tax reform, coal, etc.

As we continue to look back at one of our greatest failures, more and more issues come to light about where the Democratic Party went wrong.

I see recurring themes of a lack of a clear economic message- and while Hillary Clinton had one on her website, it was never pushed or sold as much as it could have been. Find that economic message: pick one side or the other, or preferably reach a compromise, and hit it hard. That was one of Trump’s biggest advantages. Address the Wall Street elephant in the room- the speaking fees can wait until after you’re done being president.

Trump is temporary, but an identity crisis can last for years. Solidify an identity and that can engage people for years to come and lessen the damage Trump causes, and keep that momentum going.

Otherwise, come 2018 and 2020, the GOP is going to look at an aging party laying on napping snowflake millennials and laugh all the way to the U.S. Capitol and the White House.

Then, there’s the other other, more literal elephant in the room- The GOP.

I can appreciate what you stand for from a distance- freedom, protecting constitutional rights, limited government. In practice, that turns out a little wonky. Limited government… unless it comes to a woman’s reproductive system then fuck you, you’re keeping that baby because the government says so.

You might have more of a case if you can find some people with some goddamn human decency somewhere in there.

I’m not touching the policy part here anymore, but it might slip in by accident. I’m talking more about the fact that your representatives are getting increasingly violent. Greg Gianforte bodyslammed a reporter. Donald Trump mocked a disabled reporter, has several rape allegations against him, and has a very explicit tape where he says “grab em by the pussy” and says anyone will let him do anything. Those are just the two highlights right now.

https://twitter.com/pattymo/status/867747816092950528

Bill Clinton had impeachment articles drafted about him regarding lying about a BLOWJOB. You all claim to be the party of principle, yet you cannot grow enough of a spine to condemn anyone’s most egregious actions. Honestly, what the actual hell?

Also, start condemning attacks by white supremacists. Start calling it what it is- white terrorism. It is violent. It is associated with Nazis and the KKK. Racism, homophobia, and islamophobia should not be a platform you should endorse. Remember, your president was endorsed by the KKK?

I watch every day as the layers to the new president peel off like an onion wrapped in Onion headlines. I keep wondering – where is the line in the sand? Was there ever one to begin with? Does Donald Trump need to shoot someone in the face like Dick Cheney to have anything happen to him? Does the fact Trump and the gang have committed numerous felonies already as far as perjury, obstruction of justice, and various false statements under oath not merit any condemnation?

Stop holding party over country. Grow a backbone, slow down, and think for a second. I honestly cannot fathom that you are that hardened to believe that any of this is actually proper behavior. Most of you are grown ass, professional men who served in the military, went through law school, learned some manners somewhere down the line. I don’t know where you ditched those manners, but good lord I hope your mother is disappointed. If not, I sure am.

See, here’s Space Mom being disappointed in you. I think this is an adequate substitute. She’s disappointed in you too, Democrats.

Also, regarding my earlier point about reproductive rights, an issue you want to fix- if you want to minimize abortions, give people proper sex education, remove the stigma around sex, and improve access to birth control so none of this happens to begin with? Honestly guys. You’ll kill more people if you keep doing this.

Rant over. I’m not going to singlehandedly change politics in my current position as an undergrad, but maybe my disdain will translate into more disdain and more changes. In the meantime, I suggest you be that annoying person who contacts your congressmen and tell them to cut the bullshit. The more people who do, the more likely they are to listen.

Make good choices,

Britt

College Radio: What I’ve Learned In Two Years

I mentioned before that I somehow became a college radio nerd, and I don’t usually get to share that story with other people very much, mainly because I don’t often find people who understand the ins and outs and can recognize bands as much as I do, and don’t appreciate how technical it can honestly get. It’s weird, and the past two years have been one hell of a journey.

But let’s go back to the beginning, where I, a small freshman, came in expecting to do this on the side. I thought it looked cool and my background in Halsey, Lana Del Rey, and Twenty One Pilots was perfect for a college radio station!

Bitch, you thought!

The training director also mentioned that there was a job opening up for music director, and since my mom was harassing me to get a job, I figured that would do it- right?

So, I showed up…and I never left. I was given music to review that I did poorly, and had gigabytes of old albums dumped on me over breaks to listen to and familiarize myself with. I figured out who I liked and didn’t like, and that took more work than I anticipated. But it was fun work! Not many people get to say they listen to music for a living (I use that term loosely- more on that later), and that made me feel cool! But I didn’t get the paid job, and instead was being groomed for program director, which was unpaid. I could still do work in music, but I would still be in charge of scheduling. Still working for a radio station, still cool.

A few weeks later I was given the job by sheer luck, mainly because the guy in front of me was going abroad. I couldn’t complain, and man was I excited to tell everyone about it! I spent more time over the summer learning more albums and still doing reviews while giving input on some cleanups and changes to the station while sitting in the woods. People had barely met me, mainly over transition phone calls as an assistant for a semester and over my twitter presence. But I got to know them, and the people I met digitally were honestly, really nice. It helped me accumulate more conversation topics with the promoters I hadn’t talked to yet, and still helped me share what I was listening to and really appreciating.

Over the summer, however, WZBT made a transition to Spinitron over the College Music Journal, whose charts were still posted, but the staff and social media presence were silent. As people waited in anticipation over the upcoming CMJ Festival (a giant radio festival in NYC), WZBT saw the silence as a sign, and jumped ship. This wasn’t a popular move in the industry, and we got dropped from a ton of physical mailing lists. With the demand increasing for them and getting more aggressive, it was extra work on my part to spend my office hours tracking them down and sending emails. I never took to Twitter about it, but I was cracking under pressure from that and the fundraiser and more.

CMJ renewed our subscription for six months out of the blue- and I wanted no part of it, but I played nice. You have to play nice, and that’s okay. I had had the industry portrayed as a group of people who wanted to take advantage of me for adds, but honestly I realized that at the end of the day, we’re all people just trying to make a paycheck, and music is subjective, and that is okay.

CMJ died when the last staff member jumped ship after weeks of no pay. I hesitated on NACC, but I was exhausted from shit hitting the fan in November. I relaxed my policies because I needed to relax. I added what I wanted, and I took into account what everyone else wanted because obviously, someone saw merit here and thought it would work for the station. I was sick of arguing, so I let it slide.

So, what did I learn from this two year journey?

• People can really, really rock… or really, really suck. There were cases that have popped up in the past year that definitely have proven that people in college radio can be scummy, sexist, and creepy. I’ll call out Adam Klein of CMJ and the band PWR BTTM specifically, but I’m sure there are plenty of others you can think of. But as the college radio space becomes increasingly safe, and tolerance for that shit decreases dramatically, I hope the last two years see those people pushed out. I’m very grateful to the people who have helped me learn A LOT the past two years, and I’m excited to learn more from them.
• Not many people know what you’re talking about. I can throw around names like Spinitron, CMJ, NACC, various promoters and bands, etc. all the live long day, but when I go home no one has a damn clue what I’m talking about unless you are an active participant in that community. It’s too much to keep up with. No one gives a shit how you know which band is on what label with which promoter, and aren’t as enthralled by the guessing game over which promoter is going to have a big album. You’re just a nerd. You’ll be lucky to run across someone who does, and those who I’ve stumbled across have suggested I go see Animal Collective on shrooms, tried to kiss me over liking LCD Soundsystem, or just ghosted me. It happens.
• Not many care as much as you do. That’s harder to find in Gettysburg College, where I woke up every Saturday morning to the sound of country music playing from the frat across the street. The DJs don’t care as much as I do, and that’s partially because we cared more about numbers than the music. That makes us unique, and definitely leans us more freeform as far as live programming. As long as the automation is correct and everything is in place, my job is good.
• It’s supposed to be fun. Don’t let it be a burden on you and your studies. My mom kept reminding me she didn’t send me to school to learn radio. I’m here to learn political science and other classes. This is a side project, and it honestly started consuming me at one point. Relaxing the reins really helped me, and it meant I got to appreciate what I did listen to more. It also meant more albums got programmed and seen for their value rather than having it be added and then unceremoniously voted out of heavy rotation and an add by a narrow margin by my staff. I think it’s diversified our programming as well, and that is a good thing!

I still probably will learn more as I continue my journey down this weird, wacky, wonderful path called college radio. It’s been a great time so far, and I’m really thankful for the opportunity that I’ve been given to take it.

Make good choices,

Britt

Here We Go Again

Back to blogging I go. I did this once before, and tried to come back, but now I’m back again. Figured I would since I’m sitting in a WordPress seminar. It happens.

I’m a tiny 20 year old who shouts sometimes, and likes to say the word “fuck.” This is meant to be a generic first post so everyone has something to look at while I’m figuring out what to write next. This is longer than Twitter- and arguably more articulate. You can make a thread of thoughts all in a row, but it gets muddled and confusing. This can approach that as well, but at least it’s in a format you can sort of follow the order for.

Couple of notes though:

• This place is safe, and if I mess up, please tell me. I can’t fix it if I don’t know I did something wrong. It’s okay.
• Cut the bullshit, and don’t be an asshole about the things I say. I’m an independent woman and I know what I said. I welcome discussion about it, however, but it needs to be civil if we’re going to get along.
• Title came from the fact I wear lipstick and drink a lot of coffee, and my mom always gets annoyed when she finds lipstick prints on dishes that won’t come off in the dishwasher.
• Dogs are welcome here- they’re all good puppies and we don’t deserve them.

Make good choices,

Britt