TOW 24: IRB

Judging at face value.. or rather, the back cover synopsis, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers seems like a soberingly self-aware account of loss, responsibility, and the bond of two brothers after their lives are forever changed with the death of their parents. It seems like a sob story, but a sarcastic, thought provoking sob story. However, when one gets past the first thirty pages of the book relating the immediate aftermath of the main character's parents' death, the book's tone changes, and we are left with the author's very self centered accounts of his life in San Francisco as a young, counter-cultured adult, and the hijinks that ensue (the main character's little brother, who is supposed to be the main point of conflict during the memoir as he is now under the care of his ill-prepared older brother, plays a cursory role). So while the book masquerades as a provoking work of "hope and hysteria", it is really just a book written by a hipster, about hipsters, for hipsters. So while I may not have gleaned A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius's (AHWoSG) original purpose, what I did gain from reading it is that throughout modern American history there has been a systemic subculture of "hipster-dom" and that this subculture will forever be (although under different monikers) a part of American culture.

AHWoSG takes place in the 1990's, long before we labeled the plaid-wearing, IPA-drinking, beard-grooming young urban folk as "hipsters". However, the main characters in AHWoSG display many of the traits that define the subculture we now identify as hipster. A hipster is simply a name for the counter culture of young individuals who have renounced conformity in the name of cultural revolution and what the define as the lifestyles and attitudes of the future. The main character and his friends have left behind the normativity of life back in suburban Chicago for San Francisco: a land of young folk and "ahead of the curve" culture. They believe that they are revolutionaries, going against the grain to change the way the masses think by being ironic or avant-garde in the low-budget, too-cool-for-you-to-know-about magazine that they produce. This subgroup of young people who believe in going against the norm, going against the ideas of their parents and grandparents, and seemingly (operative word being seemingly) changing the world has been a large part of American culture for at least the last century, and AHWoSG provides just a snapshot of that group as it manifested itself in the 1990's. The magazine editors in AHWoSG compare their work to that of "The Factory", the place where Andy Warhol and friends produced their art in the 1960's. This comparison is pivotal, because it shows that the group we now identify as hipsters have been around before, but just under different names. Whether it be the folksy Beatniks of the 50's and 60's, the Warhol inspired punk culture of the 70's and 80's, AHWoSG's pre-2000's paragons of young adult angst, or today's Brooklyn-bound unicycle enthusiasts, we will always have a relatively vocal group of young folk who, for better or worse, are bent on changing the world.. for the hipper.

TOW #23: Visual

The U.S.'s corporate tax has long been a point of contention in the United States. Many liberals believe that a high corporate tax places responsibility on the richest of Americans (well, not "people" but "corporations", unless you believe corporations are people). Conversely, conservatives believe that raising the corporate tax will force away business to unregulated overseas markets. This view is what Chip Bok, a cartoonist for magazines such as The Times of London and New York Times, depicts in his April 7th cartoon showing businessmen setting sail from an enraged Barack Obama and the "world's highest business tax". While many conservatives may fear this mass exodus of business, in reality many corporations don't even pay the corporate tax, making evident the need for an even stronger corporate tax.

America's largest corporations largely do not pay taxes despite their grossly inflated revenues. Due to innumerous tax loopholes and off shore accounts, corporations pay close to none of the U.S's 35% corporate tax. According to Forbes, Apple only pays 11% of its income in taxes, and General electric paid only 9% of its 2 Billion dollars in revenue. To put this in perspective, 2 of the world’s highest grossing corporations are paying less than the 15% income tax on persons making only $10,000 dollars a year. This disparity in the taxes paid by corporations versus people is startling, and weakens the argument that the United States is forcing their own businesses out. Due to this, it is easy to see that the corporate tax rather than being relaxed, should be strengthened in order to hold big businesses accountable for their revenues. Corporations in no way will be hurt from these taxes, and it will be the first step in reducing the gaping void between the rich and the poor.

TOW #22: Losing in Battle, ISIS Gains by Attacking the 'Gray Zone' of the West

Following the bombings in Brussels in late March, the already fervent anti-ISIS hysteria in the U.S. has reached soaring new levels. It has precipitated a frighteningly acute Islamaphobia among tense Americans, which has manifested itself into intensifying anti-Muslim and isolationist political rhetoric. Even as ISIS loses large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq as reported by Karl Vick for TIME Magazine, America's fear of the amorphous jihadist group grows. Politicians, media and citizens alike fervently propose ways to stave ISIS's terror; however, this frenzy does not weaken ISIS but rather gives them exactly what they want--it helps them win.

A main goal of ISIS is to eliminate the "gray zone" (more on that later), and America's Islamaphobic response to ISIS attacks has catalyzed the "gray zone's" implosion. ISIS's online magazine describes the Gray Zone as "any society in which Muslims and non-Muslims coexist" and ISIS wishes to "destroy the gray zone." The Brussels attacks can be seen as a direct attack on the Gray Zone as Europe is largely a Gray area in that Muslims and Non-Muslims coexist there. The U.S. is also a Gray Zone. However, after the Brussels attacks, Paris attacks, and San Bernadino shootings, many politicians have proposed feigned protective strategies that would threaten America's "grayness" so to speak. Republican presidential nominees Ted Cruz and Donald Trump have both expressed their desire to homogenize the American population. Cruz proposed the policing of areas with high concentrations of Muslim citizens, and Trump went even further by proposing a direct ban on Muslim immigrants. These reactionary and fear-mongered responses do not help to assuage ISIS's terror but instead fan the flames of ISIS's war by separating Muslim people from peoples of other ideologies.

In the past, America has had a history of demonizing groups when faced with a foreign threat, and today is no different. It was Eastern Europeans in the first Red Scare and Socialists during the HUAC hearing, but today it is Muslims in the age of ISIS. This demonization and isolationism might create a veil of safety for Americans, but it is a false veil. America's fearful rhetoric hurts American citizens and strengthens ISIS's aims, fracturing the diverse population that characterizes the American ideal. So, if we want to make America great again, then we'll have to make America gray again.