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              This article talks about criticisms fellow music artist Tyrese has said about rapper Kanye West. Tyrese feels that Kanye has a hidden agenda with his new gospel album and change in direction with his music.  “I’ll never forget when they said when the world turns their back on you, meaning black people, all you gotta do is talk about Jesus and you’ll get whatever you want,” Tyrese has said about Kanye West.

              This article was so interesting for me to read. Relating it back to the class, it touches on the power of merging music and religion (which we have discussed several times), and religious fanaticism. I personally am a huge fan of Kanye West’s music but I did not really enjoy his latest album, Jesus is King released last year. I am not religious by any means, and I am not a fan of gospel music, although I did think enjoy listening to his take on it and can still appreciate that Kanye is incredibly talented, but the album was simply not for me.

              Now in my head, I imagined that Kanye (who has always had religious themes in his song) suddenly had a religious epiphany and decided that he was chosen by God to make a gospel album. I’ve never thought there would be anything more interesting to the story than that. But what if Kanye did have ulterior motives? If he was quoted by Tyrese to say that if people turn your back on you, just talk about Jesus and all will be forgiven, then clearly that must be the motive to Jesus is King. Is he justified in believing this? Let’s examine further.

              Can a gospel album really turn a Kanye West hater into a fan? I believe so. I’ve always thought Kanye was sort of a jerk, didn’t agree with his political stances or his pompous attitude, but boy can that man make a great song. I’ve never even personally related to many of his songs that I can think of. He’s not one of those artists you cry and sing to during a heartbreak because the singer is perfectly singing about every horrible sad feeling you’re feeling but can’t express. No, Kanye doesn’t exactly make relatable music, he just spits some clever rhymes to the best beats, you can’t help but love them. So even though they’re not super relatable, I love his songs! I can’t even imagine if he made an album completely dedicated to something I was as passionate about as people are about God.

I absolutely believe people can be manipulated to follow and support an artist because of his religious affiliation, after all, politicians are capable of it all the time. For the record, I do believe him to have always been a religious person and I do not feel that his motives behind the album were completely manipulative. However, you think about it, I believe his demographic was probably a younger crowd, and as we learned in class, a lot of younger generations are non-religious. Making a gospel album was probably a really smart financial decision to broaden his audience to an older crowd who perhaps wouldn’t have otherwise given rapper Kanye West a chance. Either way, this was a really thought-provoking and interesting read exploring the ideas of religious pandering.

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              This article touches on the current covid-19 pandemic and how it is affecting religious gatherings. Currently, 15 states are allowing religious gatherings to continue regardless of their size. Only 10 states (CA included) are prohibiting religious gatherings of any size. Many states consider religious practice as “essential”, the same as food shopping and health care. A majority of the country has taken the stance that religious gatherings are permitted as long as the size is kept to under 10 people.

              This is a perfect example of one of the main debates of our class: Where should the separation of church and state be? Many people argue that limiting religious gatherings completely takes away their first amendment right to free exercise of religion. However, clearly public health is a huge issue right now and irresponsible large gatherings could mean the spread of disease and the deaths of many.

              This is such an interesting debate to me. Although I am not religious myself, I respect and recognize that religion is such a huge part of many people’s lives and many feel compelled to practice even past the point of their own safety. Should they be allowed this freedom? Typically, I’d be inclined to say yes, absolutely! However, let’s examine the situation closer, considering the current health pandemic.

              I’ve been following the stay-at-home order for the last month and a half. I’ve lost my job and have been living off of government support. I have refused to see any friends, although I am an extrovert at heart and crave social interactions to keep me sane. I only leave the house to head to the grocery store, which I carefully plan and postpone until I absolutely need to go. I do take my dog on daily walks, but I keep a wide berth from anyone I may pass along the way. As you all know, we have been switched to completely online classes. I struggle with this form of teaching a lot, and there is a reason I chose to go to school in person rather than take online classes. I have poor time management skills and lack motivation when I’m working from home. Pair that with the constant state of panic, anxiety, and depression from worries about public health, finances, and lack of social interaction or general lack of purpose, and passing my classes feels like a pretty difficult feat.

              Is my education essential? Is having a job and sustainable source of income essential? Is maintaining my mental health essential? Absolutely yes to all of the above! However, that being said, I am enthusiastically complying with the stay-at-home order being asked of me because I understand that the safety of my community is much more important than just me. I could never live with myself if I knew that my lack of social distancing was responsible for killing a senior, or an immune compromised patient. I choose to comply every day to the greatest extent that I can because I know that sacrifices must be made for the greater good. Therefor, I do not believe that large religious worship should be exempt from these rules. Huge religious gatherings is such a mind-boggling irresponsible practice that I cannot believe this is continuing in such a large part of the country. Thousands of people will unnecessarily die because people could not sacrifice being a part of large religious gatherings during this time. I absolutely cannot support that.

              However, I do believe people should be able to gather in very small groups (less than 5) to pray and worship. It is no less dangerous than visiting the grocery store, and I would never want someone to feel they might be eternally damned because they did not properly worship during this time. I believe there are responsible ways to practice religion during this time, and these practices should be allowed. It could be a bad domino effect from the government being able to ban all religious worship, even when practiced responsibly. I do not support a totalitarian government.

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              This article shows that about half of Americans believe that the bible should influence U.S. laws. Among those surveyed, the groups that disagreed with that statement the most were: Non-religious people (Athiest, Agnostic, Unaffiliated), Democrats, Jewish, and people aged 18-29. The groups who most agreed with that statement were Christians, Protestants, Republicans, and both seniors aged 50-64 and 65+. People who agreed that the bible should influence American laws were asked a follow up question: “When the Bible and the will of the people conflict, which should have more influence on U.S. laws?”. The most common response to this question was that the Bible should take precedence over the will of the people.

              This survey absolutely blows my mind. I honestly cannot believe that half this country believes the Bible should have any say in American politics. America was built on the foundations of religious freedom, escaping the English Catholic Church, and constantly preaches separation of church and state. If you were to ask me how many people would have agreed with this statement, I would have guessed a much smaller percentage, probably closer to 25-33%. However, that’s probably due to the fact that I live in a very liberal area with progressive values and surround myself with such people.

              I believe there can be a lot of correlation between the survey groups. For example, as we learned in class, my own generation tends to be less religious and unaffiliated groups are growing with each new generation. Young people and Jewish people tend to be more progressive and tend to be Democratic which explains why these are all the highest survey group against mixing the Bible with U.S. laws. On the flip side, you can see the correlations between the group for the Bible’s influence, as older generations tend to lean right, be more conservative, and tend to be more religious.

              I truly believe that American politics should be separate from religion. I believe religion is such a deep, personal experience that should not be forced upon one another. By molding American laws with the Bible, you are forcing those religious beliefs on people who do not share them. Personally, I am atheist/spiritual and believe in a higher power but I absolutely do not believe in the Christian God. I also love America and want it to be a country where my political rights are not dictated by a God I do not believe in.

              Another story I’d like to share is about my religious mother. My mom, a Korean immigrant, has been extremely religious her entire life. A big part of her raising me was spent trying to convert me to Christianity. Her religious fervor has only pushed me further and further away from religion, slowly distancing me away with every rant about how my soul will burn in hell for eternity unless I accept Jesus Christ into my life. Obviously, this is far from what she wanted to happen, and I can’t help but wonder if she had only raised me with less pressure to accept Christianity then maybe I would have chosen that route for myself organically. This is the advice to the American people: The more you shove religion down other people’s throats, the further you drive them away from religion. If you truly believe the Bible to be true, lead by example, live a good and virtuous life, and let others organically join you in your religion.

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              This is an online gallery/article on some of the covid-19 inspired graffiti that is popping up not only in America but internationally as well. I wanted to specifically highlight the fourth slide which was a picture created in Chile. The art depicts the message that no matter your race, religion, sex, or age, we are all in this fight against the pandemic together. It implies that we must bond together to tackle this, and those with corporate greed in their hearts may perish and/or should not be part of the fight. This piece really spoke to me, as did so many of the other pieces highlighted in this article, and I feel it was such a beautiful argument towards unity.

              Graffiti is such an interesting topic to me. On one hand, it’s considered illegal and vandalism, and on the other hand, you get pieces like the one mentioned above which can be so powerful and beautiful. Currently it looks like many people are using graffiti as an outlet to express their frustrations and/or fears with the current pandemic. I am also incredibly stressed and worried during this time, worried for my health, worried for the future, just perpetually worried. I appreciate seeing articles like these that make me feel like I am not alone in my worries, and that we are all in this fight together.

              However, I do personally feel like there is a fine line where graffiti is definitely vandalism, but it can create beautiful things. I’ve seen really beautiful works of art (murals, natural wonders, etc) completely ruined by graffiti. When you see graffiti in the most pristine of places, you can’t help but wonder who would dare to vandalize something so beautiful. It’s clear in those moments why graffiti is illegal. However, when I see graffiti in places I deem appropriate, perhaps on blank crumbling walls, or somewhere discreet like under a bridge, I am fascinated by some of the pieces I’ve seen. I stand there trying to figure out what words say, and read the lyrics and poems people write, and have even hunted down Banksy pieces while in my trip to Italy. I also snapshotted quite a few different graffiti pieces that I loved while roaming the alleys of Naples, Italy.

              There’s no denying that graffiti can be beautiful, powerful, and emotional. There’s also no denying that it can be careless, crass, and disruptive. Should it be punished? To an extent, I believe so. However it’s much harder to figure out the grey area and easier to make the rules black and white: “all graffiti is illegal”. But it does make me sad to think that a creative outlet that can be so beautiful, and help many people express their hardships and get out creativity, and make powerful political statements, could be punishable by law.  Luckily I’m not in charge of making those tough decisions so all I’m responsible for is sitting back and getting to admire the graffiti that speaks to me.

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              This article is about the recent Marine Corps decision to ban the public display of a Confederate flag. The decision was made by General David Berger who explained that although many people see the flag as a symbol of heritage and regional pride, it also promotes division, pain, and rejection towards many. The decision was made in attempts to unify the Marine Corps and communicate that it is made of people from all walks of life who come together for a united purpose.

              Although this is a controversial topic, I personally do not support the use of a Confederate flag. I do not come from a Southern state so I cannot personally attest to the regional symbolism it may carry, however I feel that it is a flag that has been so tarnished by hate and racism that I cannot imagine wanting to proudly wave it in the air. That being said, obviously some people feel differently about the matter. Even my own boyfriend said he grew up with people who had confederate flags and it was never once meant as a racial attack, simply a source of regional pride and/or a symbol of rebellion.

              The argument for confederate flags reminds me of our class discussion on American politics, and how American patriotism is almost a religion in itself. Americans are so regionally proud of living in this country that standing up for America is almost as important to them as a religion is. I feel this is incredibly true and experience this in everyday life. Political discussions I have with peers discussing my opinion on flaws with the current American political system are often met with comments such as “Then just move.” As if there were no room for change or improvement in the political system, because we live in America, and America is the greatest country in the world, right? I feel this view is incredibly flawed and there are many countries with policies far superior to our own, as well as many things America does incredibly well. As a country we would do better for our own people if we can put down our defenses due to such inflated American Pride, and rationally discuss political matters with an open mind.

              Coming back to the debate on the Confederate flag, I feel this is a similar argument. Many people have become so infatuated with “regional pride” that they cannot see the implications of having a confederate flag. American patriotism actually has much to do with this, as “This is a free country” has become the defense of many. However, there is no denying the facts: The Confederate flag was used by many proponents of slavery, by the KKK, and by many white supremacists who committed terrible hate crimes. At that point, I feel that the flag is clearly a symbol of hate and racial divide, rather than simply a source of regional pride, and agree with the General’s decision to ban this symbol in the Marine Corps. I sincerely hope the rest of the country will soon follow suit.

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This article is about how a Native American government sued against the Treasury Department’s decision to give $8 billion to Native American relief through for-profit Native corporations (in the CARE act). That would mean that much of the relief funds would be distributed to share-holders before providing relief efforts. The courts sided with the Native American governments and decided the relief funds should not be filtered through a for-profit corporation and instead directly provide relief to those immediately affected by the virus.

              I feel this relates to the class because it demonstrates a minority group of people (Native Americans) who share certain political ideas (mainly how government relief funds should be allocated) which conflict with how our own government thought was best. It reminds me that although America is a melting pot of races and religions, the American government doesn’t always do what’s best for its people. In fact, I truly believe that money rules the American political system, which can clearly be seen in this example. Although it would seem like common sense that economic relief funds provided through the stimulus act should go directly towards immediate relief efforts, they were instead allocated to a for-profit corporation. This is a clear example of how the American government will always favor the interests of shareholders over the interest of the average citizen, after all, they provide many funds which pay for the political careers of many.

              While reading this article, I was thoroughly relieved that the courts sided with the Native American governments and decided to give the relief funds directly to relief efforts. I feel this is a win that is rarely seen in American politics, and often times the big corporations tend to win over the best interest of common people. It’s no mystery that history has been cruel to the Native American people and I feel that in such a time of crisis every cent of economic relief funds should be allocated fairly and justly. I would hate to see that billions of dollars went into shareholders pockets because of such a horrible pandemic which is not only killing many but also economically displacing millions of people in America.