All Kat & A Bag Of Chips

Politics? In My Column?

I had originally planned to keep my columns free from current events and politics. After all, I run the music section in this paper. Part of my job is to provide readers with music to either enhance their political viewpoints, or escape them. People always like to complain when musicians, artists, or professionals in the industry take a stand, complaining that “music isn’t political”. I personally think those people must not have listened to very much music. I believe that music has been one of the biggest agents of change in the modern world. My favorite bands all have albums with political commentary.

So with that being said, I’m no longer afraid of occasionally writing about current events in my column. Not only that but the issues I am most passionate about may be labeled as “political”, but truly, they’re ethical. I cannot call myself an intersectional activist if I choose not to use my voice as an editor, writer, and college student to push for a more ethical and liveable world. I will not bring up current events in every single one of my columns, but after the new law that was passed in Texas this week, I felt absolutely sick to my stomach and my blood boiled with rage and empathy for the people in Texas affected by it. I felt this same way for every black person killed or abused by police, every LGBT child whose family, home state, and government refuses to accept and love them, for every country wrongfully impacted by the US military, the list goes on and on. And the truth is, it really isn’t about me. It’s about. standing up for what is moral and ethically right and choosing to do what I can to make a difference. Writing about abortion laws, capitalism, or race in my column may be seen by some as “too political”, but for me, it’s my way of using my privilege and voice to make a difference. As I said before, not every column will feature current events or touchy topics, but it’s important to have open conversations about those hard-to-discuss issues. That’s what I am hoping to do when my columns do feature those topics.

Editor’s pick: “All you Fascists Bound To Lose”-Woody Guthrie

“I’m gonna tell you fascists, you
may be surprised, the people in this
world are getting organized”