Social Media + Political Views = DO NOT MIX

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say with absolute conviction that I am incredibly happy that this year’s presidential election is over. Do not get me wrong, there is a certain excitement that hovers around televised debates, shameless advertisements and waiting up late into the night watching states slowly turn either red or blue. But along with the end of the election disappears the endless stream of solicitation calls in favor of each party and the complete ignorance that constantly appears in my social media feeds.

I cared about the election way too much at first, as every American should in his or her own right. I followed as much information as I could, tried to gauge which candidate was the best fit and oftentimes thought about how both myself and the people I know could be affected by the election turnout. That’s how it was for me for a long time leading up to the election of 2012. I can remember watching the Republican candidate debate back in September of 2011 in an attempt to familiarize myself with the people and opinions of the Republican Party. I was interested, fully immersed and thrilled about finally coming into my own as a voter in America (to tell you the truth, my vote in the 2008 election went to John McCain only because my father told me who I should vote for). And then social media exploded. I don’t mean just exploded. I mean that it erupted into a series of ignorant comments, racist remarks and people so completely off base that I wanted to rip my hair out sometimes. With each of these comments and every bit of negative energy I saw put forth through the internet airwaves, I began to lose a certain level of interest. I can say with absolute frankness that last night as I awaited the results of the election, a gigantic part of me wondered if it would make a difference either way. People were going to be infuriated on either end of the victory and I knew those people would make their voices heard.

Let me be completely honest with you. I was raised in a very Conservative family. I used to identify more with the Republican Party than the Democratic Party. I’m not sure if this was because I understood or because I didn’t know anything else. There have been many changes in recent months that I have noticed, however. I was a member of the pro-life club in high school, but still believe that sometimes a woman has no choice but to abort her child, particularly in certain medical scenarios. I have the utmost respect for the LGBTA community and want them to have the same right to marry that my parents had. I believe in birth control, especially that many American women have access to it under Obama Care. I do not think a person’s worth is defined by their skin tone, their religion or their relationships. While I wanted desperately to support Mitt Romney for my father, my grandparents and the sake of everything familiar, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. This primarily came into play the first time I ever heard Paul Ryan open his mouth. It continued when I heard him say that rape is just "another form of conception."

I do not care that Romney and Ryan’s radical plans would never have come to pass had they been elected. I knew that, I understood that. For me it came down to the simple fact that a leader of today could even BELIEVE in these ideals, ones that were so old-fashioned and misplaced. Did I want someone so set in his ways, someone who didn’t believe in the equal worth of each human being, in the White House running our country? No. I didn’t.

I blame my time at Penn State for a lot of my rationale here. All I need to do to prove this is look at how I acted in the first presidential election when I had only been on campus for three months. That was before I joined Residence Life, experienced the LeaderShape Institute or developed some very close friendships and bonds with people who identify as gay. My time at Penn State taught me the importance of diversity and appreciation of others. Above all else, it taught me that positive change can only be enacted when we take away everything of face value and place ourselves all on an even playing field. My grandparents knew this was my belief as they liked to tell me that I "got sent to that big school and brainwashed," but I didn’t mind. True peace and a true unity in this country is dependent upon making ourselves "colorblind," not only in terms of skin color but of every difference we possess. If believing this is a product of my Penn State experiences, derived from Sociology 119 and personal relationships, then so be it.

There was still an issue for me though as a voter. There were other sides to see, other angles to pursue and I grappled for quite some time. While I thoroughly respect Barack Obama as a human being, I wasn’t so sure how I felt about Barack Obama as the president. While his social views are astoundingly awesome, I still am not sure (even post-election) I necessarily agree with his plan for America’s economy. My dad’s company has taken a hard hit since Obama’s first term began and I am aware of this. I knew my parents had been affected by Obama Care. It hurt me to see my family struggling some months simply because my father’s hard-earned dollars were being given to those less fortunate, even though I never ONCE heard him complain. And as I played all of these thoughts over and over again in my mind, I finally came to the conclusion I had been searching for.

Nobody is perfect. No one can be the perfect person or please everyone or be EXACTLY what each person in this country needs. That’s part of the fun, that’s part of the democracy and like it or not, that’s part of America.

Last night, as I scrolled through my Twitter feed I could not allow myself to take it seriously. I re-tweeted election jokes and tried to stay as moderate as I could be, a place I’ve come to find quite comfortable in recent weeks. I saw white people use the N word to describe our president. I saw black people saying that if Romney had been elected, slavery would have returned. I saw first-time voters spewing out insults while making it screamingly obvious that they were EXACTLY where I had been when I was in their shoes four years ago: too absorbed in their parents’ beliefs to make any of their own. I ignored it because I realized that what America needs more than ever is a person to unite us all. The president is that person, whether we necessarily like who was elected or not. Insulting him or hurling obscenities at him or cursing the day he was ever born doesn’t do anything but bring us FURTHER away from the future we need. With that in mind, here is my response to what I saw last night on the internet and have continued to see today.

Note: The ending of this may have been different had Romney won, as most of the negative comments I saw last night were from angry Republicans disappointed in their loss. I do not mean to offend here but please let me end with this note to you, all of the angry people who flooded my social media networks last night citing specific rationale:

Trust me, I understand your frustrations. I’ve agonized over conversations with my father, grandparents, aunts and uncles more times than I count. I support many of your beliefs, but there is no place in 2012 for your ignorance.

We are in college. We are not rich. Some of our parents may have money, but the fact of the matter is that we are up to our elbows in student debt, we spend our paychecks as they come (on food and alcohol most likely) and we’re trying to make something of ourselves. If you’re whining about Obama taking your parent’s money to provide healthcare to those who are poor, check yourself: It is exactly that. Your PARENT’S money. They can be upset all they want, but it’s not your place to care so much about their finances. Unless, of course, you are used to a spoiled existence and are afraid that Obama is taking money out of their pockets that could be spent on you. If that’s the case, I feel sorry for you.


Most of the Republicans I know are either excruciatingly wealthy or in the upper middle-class. Not everyone is afforded the same liberties as you. The most important thing that we can do for those who are not as lucky as we are is to give back. Does this mean more money for the well-off sometimes? Yes. But when you put your head on the pillow at night, remind yourself that someone is sleeping better and is a little bit healthier because of the finances of your family.


These people receiving your support are not necessarily "lazy." These are people who work hard but don’t make a lot of money. If you don’t believe me, I invite you to take a trip on the Septa bus with me on any given weekday in the Philadelphia suburbs. These people pile onto the bus at 6 am with their lunches in plastic Acme bags. They know what tired feels like, they know the importance of working, but they weren’t born into the same lifestyle as many of us. They did not or do not have the means to go to college. They wear tattered clothes and don’t speak as articulately as my friends, but damned if they don’t gather themselves and go to work every day (doing jobs that no one I know would be caught dead doing, for that matter). Celebrate them and their struggles, celebrate their worth.


For the record, a few idle people in each state who do not work by choice does not define the majority; it just allows people the leniency to perpetuate a stereotype.


For those of you claiming Obama only won the election because of the color of his skin, you’re wrong. He won because of his belief in the equality of all Americans. He won because he supports the rights of women. He won because he does not define a man’s worth by the person said man loves. He won because he supports education. He won because he supports unions. He won because he spent the week prior to the election visiting states in complete disarray. Though I have some friends who are of different nationalities, a majority of my friends are Caucasian males and females. And guess what, racists of America? Every single one that I spoke to about the election voted for Obama. Obama won because in our age group, ages 18-24, we understand the importance of acceptance.


I will graduate from the greatest university in the world in May. I will struggle with the adjustment as all do. I am not afraid for ONE MINUTE that I will not be able to find a job. Jobs are everywhere and the way I see it, if you are a good person and market yourself correctly, you are indispensable to any employer. My self-worth and my talent are not indicative of anyone but me and nothing, not even who was elected as the President of the United States, will ever change that.

To those wanting that map to be filled with red in 2016 (and in some ways, I am even one of those people), I tell you this: the Republican Party has a long way to go in their terms of thinking. Find a candidate with Mitt Romney’s economic plan and the social sentiments of Barack Obama and you’re golden. I would applaud such a candidate. In the meantime, I hope we all can learn to respect one another, promote peace and value the significance of every single person we meet. Last time I checked, the Civil Rights Movement happened for a reason. It’s about time to get off of social media and learn to take note.

Spiritual Happiness: Where To Find It

               I wish that I could articulate into words the way my heart feels when I am surrounded by unconditional love and support. The cries of jubilation, the voices shrill with charisma, the contagious, seemingly perfect smiles and the apparent tears of pure happiness- these are the types of people and moments and surroundings that I live for; these have helped shape every piece of who I am.
                My sister and I often discuss the thought of “spiritual happiness.” If you’ve experienced it, you know what I’m talking about. Spiritual happiness makes you ache in a good way: it makes you feel invincible and so sure of yourself that you not only THINK you can take on the world, you KNOW you can. Spiritual happiness first found me when I was a child and today, as an adult, I look for it as often as I can. Where can I find this happiness I speak of? Well, finding it is very easy. It’s all about where you look.



Light the Night Chester County 2012



                It wasn’t until I was a college student that I became aware of what these moments of happiness can do to your life. They can change it. They can completely alter your life plan. They can irrevocably weave into your heart and make you wonder how you ever knew a life of a different sort. This appeared to me as a college freshman when I first experienced THON. I won’t try to explain to you what THON is because words simply cannot do it justice. But, for those completely unaware, it is a 46 hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon that benefits the Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Children’s Hospital. THON’s mission is simple: to eradicate pediatric cancer while ensuring that the families feel the warmth, love and support of students at Penn State University. I was never happier than I had been while getting ambushed with water guns; or shaking a father of a cancer survivor’s hand to forget my achy feet; or crying out of pure exhaustion and immeasurable happiness with 15,000 of my friends each time we saw an amazing number. Insurmountable laughs accompanied $7,490,133.87. Goosebumps came along with $7,838,054.36. Tears and hugs emerged with $9,563,016.09. And right next to $10,686,924.83, the emotional tidal wave of an entire year turned into nothing more than those numbers and those kids; a sheer appreciation as the magnitude of everything disappeared under a giant blanket of selfless LOVE. What a gift I was given. What a gift to all of us.

                This joy that was felt during my time as a Penn State student involved with THON was incomparable to anything else, and led me to where I am now: a PR/Marketing Intern for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Eastern Pennsylvania. I experienced another one of those THON-like, spiritually happy moments this past weekend while attending the Light the Night Walk in Chester County. Each of the walkers is given an illuminated balloon and they literally LIGHT the night. Some walk with red balloons to show they are supporters. Some walk proudly with their white balloons to tell the world that they beat cancer. And then, there are those who walk quietly with their gold balloons- a constant reminder that cancer stole someone too soon. Yet, it wasn’t just the sight of these balloons that caused my heart to ache, in both good and bad ways I might add. It was the PEOPLE. Their rawness, their vulnerability, their excitement. These people were different from my world of THON. They were not my friends, they were strangers; but I felt like I knew them. I had seen their faces in those  of children and siblings and parents too many times before.

                Sitting there Saturday night, the whole point of my presence snapped into focus in one striking, awe-inspiring moment. Two little kids approached the t-shirt tent to collect their survivor tees. Both were timid and both needed the encouragement of their parents in the form of a hand on their shoulder. One of the volunteers in the t-shirt tent yelled that there were survivors present and all of a sudden, the hustle and bustle of the volunteers in the tent stopped. They all congregated towards the side of the tent where the children were and together, in unison, their VOICES (rather than the balloons) lit the perfect September night. “SURVIVORS ARE THE REAL CHAMPIONS!” My heart leapt into my throat as I grappled with the beauty of what I had just witnessed. A connection of the human spirit. A moment that would probably stay with those young survivors for the rest of their life. THAT moment would be tied to their cancer battle, and that would be a good memory. There is always beauty, I was reminded, even in the ugliest parts of our world.

                As I drove home from the walk with my dad that night, we rode in silence as my mind was racing (something that you will know is very normal occurrence if you know me well). I thought about THON. I thought about LLS. I thought about spiritual happiness. I thought about those happy moments and then I realized something.

                 I am only ever SPIRITUALLY happy when I am doing something for someone else.

                This is my call to action for our generation, one that is liberal and unique and so vastly different from others that it is hard to necessarily explain. We have the power and the ability to make the world a better place. We have the relationships to enact change. We have the brains to come across new discoveries. We have the smiles to brighten bad days. We have the voices to remind everyone of their importance. Do not waste your talent. Make a difference. Help people every chance you get. As I often hear from people “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are, while you are here.” It may be the tiniest of gestures (like those volunteers cheering those survivors, like college students giving up a few hours of sleep), but to someone else it will truly mean the world.

               And you never know, you just might benefit too. Spiritual happiness? You might want to try it.

Sports: Reputations in Social Media

Philadelphia is a city unlike any other where sports is concerned, at least to anyone who is familiar with the atmosphere. Philadelphia fans are both loyal and ruthless, kind and horrific, supportive and so quick to turn the other cheek. This has been existant forever, but in an age where social media is a booming industry it appears to be more prevalant; and Philadelphia is not the only guilty party. The carnage that is left in the wake of a terrible performance by a professional athlete is no longer just left behind in the stadium upon the completion of the game. It lurks on the internet and seeps into the social media accounts of the despondent athletes, rubbing salt in an already palpable wound.

Take, for example, the Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. In the opening game of the season today, Vick seemed to disappoint Eagles fans in the worst way. Each year the Eagles fans anticipate the "dream team" and each year they are immediately reminded not to buy into it. Michael Vick kept this streak alive when he threw four interceptions during the first game. Not only were these interceptions thrown, but they were thrown directly into the arms of a weak Cleveland Browns defense (the Eagles were predicted to win 34-16, but actually only pulled away with a narrow 17-16 victory). The insults and the upset of the performance are clearly still resonating in Vick's mind, not only on account of his pressure on himself, but also through the wonderful world of Twitter. Some of the most popular tweets at the moment are as follows:

@FauxJohnMadden: This is one of the worst days Mike Vick has had in a "dawg pound" ever.

@EvilMikeTomlin: Mike Vick went to throw DeSean Jackson a towel in the locker room after the game, but it was intercepted and returned for a TD

@noahrosenfeldt: As for mike Vick 4 ints is Unacceptable and Andy Reid Doing his old thing bein a moron throwing the ball 56 times

And let's not even get started on the bombardment of insults that rained upon Penn State's kicker Sam Ficken after missing four field goal attempts in this weekend's match up against Virginia. Much of it resembled this:

@dakotadebellis: Sam ficken shouldn't even come back to state college because he's going to get lynched

While you feel for the players in the times of grief, fans also use Twitter to shower them with affection and compliments. David Akers, a kicker for San Francisco, hit a 63 yard field goal today and was blown away with support from his fans.

The basic principle I am attempting to reach is this: The world of professional sports is intimidating for the athletes, especially the rookies. They play on a terribly large platform and the world of social media has made a seemingly gigantic platform even larger; even those who are not able to watch the game can instantly see just what has happened. Clear proof of this lies in the way in which the United States seemed to know the outcome of most Olympic events before they had aired on prime time television.Yet this is both a blessing and a curse, and I'm sure the world of social media will only grow more impactful as time progresses. Hopefully, for the athletes' sake, with this sure to come growth also comes a more positive era of fanship through the internet airwaves.

After all, everyone should take a lesson from Penn State's punter Alex Butterworth, who took to the internet last night:

@alexxxbutters: I would trust @sficken1 with any kick in any game anytime and from every distance he's gonna win us a lot of games this year and beyond

Maybe one day, all sports-related tweets will be this positive. Something does tell me, however, that this is wishful thinking on the part of my naive mind.

My Message to the Penn State Community and the Ignorants

For a girl who “blogs” about life on a daily basis in some form or another (though not publicly), I have struggled to find my footing this whole year to write a commentary about The Jerry Sandusky Scandal that has rocked Happy Valley, my home. (Notice that I refer to the scandal as “The Jerry Sandusky” scandal because it is not, as the world seems to believe, a Penn State Football Scandal.) With so many thoughts and opinions to wrap my head around, words didn’t seem to come easy to me and then today happened. Every thought that I have about my university will be dispensed now.

I entered Penn State University as a college freshman in the fall of 2008. I arrived on campus with zero independence, a willingness to learn and excitement for the journey ahead. As the first three years of my undergrad flew by, my happiness grew seemingly on a daily basis because of the atmosphere in which I found myself. With amazing philanthropies, world-renowned professors, fun sporting events, interesting class loads and the greatest group of people I will ever meet in my life, it was hard to ever leave State College for more than two weeks at a time. My heart ached when I was away from this University and I always anticipated my return to a town that had slowly turned into my one true home.

                Throughout the first three years of my undergrad experience, some of my most revered memories involved football coach Joe Paterno. My first night at Penn State, as I stood amongst my fellow classmates at Be A Part From The Start, I marveled over him. Joe Paterno had this amazing capability that most do not possess- he could enter a room of college students (thousands of them) and somehow turn the entire room quiet. In his unique voice, he would grumble at us about the importance of education and making a difference  while using his hands to silence anyone who dared praise him in a lone “We love you, Joe!” chant. If anyone who is not a Penn Stater doubts this, I urge you to search the video of the night of Joe Pa’s 409^th win. Not only did he silence a student body, but an entire football arena hung on his every word as he stood next to Sue beaming with his humble pride. Though both of these moments are cherished memories of Joe Paterno, the one that leaves the most lasting impact occurred in February of 2009 when Joe stopped by THON. Joe never told people when he was going to come to THON, he just showed up to ensure that the attention was only his for a few minutes. Joe Pa, standing right in front of me as I stood beside my sister alongside the stage, described the efforts of Penn State students perfectly: “I wish the whole world could see and feel what is in this room right now. I have never been more proud of Penn State than I am.” That was the kind of man Joe Paterno was: humble, quiet, intelligent and wanting the best for every student, faculty member and alumnus of this university. Penn State undergrads didn’t need to know him personally to recognize this; his actions confirmed it every day and in turn, he became like Penn State’s grandfather, imparting wisdom and preaching “success with honor.”

                In November, however, three months in to my first senior year at Penn State, the protective bubble around Happy Valley was popped with the news of Jerry Sandusky’s horrid actions and the supposed cover up by well-known campus officials. One of the safest college towns in America remained safe in a criminal sense, but could not escape the omnipresence of the media, egging students on and causing the pain to hover like a thick blanket over the place we love. And that is when Penn Staters began defending our school to the ground and the defense continues.

                Let me point out two things: first, Jerry Sandusky is despised in this community. Most of us didn’t even know he existed until the tragic events came to light. Yet, we as Penn Staters are now generalized as being “child rapists” and “people who support child molestation.” How that ignorance exists is something I will never comprehend. Secondly, just because we support Joe Paterno does not mean that we support his moral oversight by not reporting what he knew. Penn Staters support Joe Paterno because he made this school into what it is. He built numerous academic buildings, funded academic programs, supported students maintaining a close relationship with their religion on campus and taught us what success with honor truly means. He may not have practiced what he preached at all times, but he still preached it and in turn made this university what it is today.

                As long as I live, I will never forget the feeling that existed when he was fired without remorse by a corrupt board; or how it felt to stand next to my friends and watch as the Penn State football bus, with Sue Pa in Joe’s seat, followed his hearse down Curtin Road on a cold January day. That day, thousands of Penn Staters came together and cried on one another, strangers became family, and the heart of Penn State seemed to be broken completely as we mourned what once was; that protective bubble I mentioned that had once been. Where happiness had existed in my heart where Penn State was concerned, I now saw emotional snapshots of my senior year and tried to block them out: Sitting in the G-Man and hearing ESPN announce that Joe would most likely be fired; riding on a bus home, tears streaming down my face, reading the grand jury presentment; watching the final football game of the  year and knowing that half of that staff would be gone in due time; seeing the look in Sue Paterno’s eyes as she told the THON dancers at dancer meeting number one how proud Joe would have been of our efforts. The days of naivety were gone for me at school, and Penn State University was once again growing me up (though not necessarily in ways that I would have hoped for).

                This entire Sandusky scandal and the anguish and heartache should focus around one thing: the victims of the child sexual abuse by Jerry Sandusky. Yet the media seems to have forgotten that this man is in jail for the crimes as they, along with the popular opinion, have thrown Penn State and its family under the bus more times than I can count. They say we don’t care about the victims, despite candlelight vigils, blue outs at games and raising an extensive amount of money for RAINN. They say we don’t care about kids when we devote most of our year to putting efforts towards THON. They say we support child abuse because we defend Paterno. In actuality we are struggling to see a man we loved as exactly that, a flawed man, and one who has been the media’s scapegoat (despite more guilt by men such as Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, the Board of Trustees and even our own governor, Tom Corbett.) The entire situation truly makes me sick to my stomach.

                Today, however, the enormity and unfairness of the entire situation crashed down on me with the announcement of the NCAA sanctions. These men who committed these acts are not being held accountable, and isn’t that accountability what will aid these victims? Joe Paterno was the only man hung out to dry while men like Tim Curley, who appears to be the most guilty party in the cover-up (at least if any part of The Freeh Report is reliable), remain on paid administrative leave. Yet, the Penn State players, the students, who through all of this have been the TRUE embodiment of what it means to be a Penn Stater, are being punished on the administration’s behalf? These men were seven years old (at most) when Sandusky’s time at Penn State came to an end. You’re going to hurt their hard work and take away their scholarships? Hasn’t this football team been through enough? When will this end? 

I saw those men walking through my apartment complex in their letterman jackets in January, right after Joe Paterno’s death was announced. They walked in silence in clusters, some crying. Inflicting pain on innocent people is not the way to solve the problem. Doesn’t the NCAA realize that they are only creating more victims in response to The Jerry Sandusky scandal by handling it this way?

                And, my response to the media who supports the decision is this: Back in November, when Joe Pa and Graham Spanier were fired before a lengthy investigation, a victim’s attorney released a statement saying that the victim and their family were disappointed in the decision by the BoT. The victim said that the attention was taken away from the crime and placed rather on the firing of two men which would be sure to bring national media coverage. To the news stations and to the NCAA, can’t you see that you have made the same mistake as the Board of Trustees? You want to draw attention to the victims, correct? But what have you done to raise awareness for child abuse in comparison to what the Penn State student body (and many members of the football program, both current and past) have done since the allegations first surfaced?  You ought to be ashamed of yourself, but congratulations- you certainly received your fifteen minutes and the news stories that you so desperately search for to sensationalize.

                My message to Penn Staters is this: We know who WE ARE. We know where we’ve been and what we’ve seen and how we need to move forward. We know that we will never allow this to happen again. We know that we will fight child sexual abuse with all that we have and that we will continue to fundraise for RAINN. We know that we will say prayers for the victims and try to forget the name of Jerry Sandusky, the man who was actually responsible for tarnishing the reputation of our school. We will not listen to or react to the ignorance of outsiders. We understand that they will never know what it is like to be a part of something bigger than themselves like Penn State’s family is. We will continue to maintain our academic excellence. We will remember Joe Paterno for the good that he did, and not just for a mistake or two which he admitted to making. Wewill  stand by the Paterno family during their time of grief to remind them that even though Joe is gone, they are not alone. We will recognize the Paterno legacy on this campus every day. We will purchase football tickets and Penn State clothing to support our students athletes who do not deserve the punishment of our leaders. We will stand, arms around one another, during the Alma Mater and we will sing together with tears in our eyes. We will not riot. We will band together, we will rise about this and we will emerge as a stronger university because of this. We will re-create the protective bubble around Happy Valley and ensure that it remains a happy place for our future children (who we will force into coming here one day). We will never forget what we have learned. We will stay proud. We will show the world that they cannot break us. We will embrace the uncertainty of the future with our love of the past. And we will do all of this because WE ARE and always will be Penn State.