American politics Archives - Queen's Journal

Conservatism is no excuse to ignore people’s needs

Written on March 26, 2021. Posted in Opinions.

Amidst a global pandemic and an open conversation of state-induced repression, it has become more critical than ever to analyze effective government and hold representatives accountable for their duty to the people. Conservatism is built upon a foundation of preserving traditional institutions proven...

From Borat to Eric Andre: Reviewing the history of performance art

Written on October 22, 2020. Posted in Arts.

No one commits to a role quite like Sacha Baron Cohen, but his dedication to duping real people is part of a proud history of performance art, which makes us laugh and cringe while teaching us about ourselves. Borat took the world by storm when the movie premiered in 2006. Cohen’s absurd portrayal...

Voting absentee as an American-Canadian citizen

Written on October 22, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

I’ve always been proud of my American-Canadian dual citizenship. While I grew up in a small, Connecticut town, my summers were consumed by month-long visits to my grandparents’ cottage near Westport, Ontario. Christmas often meant travelling to Ottawa to see grandparents and cousins. Once I graduated...

Canadians cannot ignore our country’s social issues

Written on October 16, 2020. Posted in Opinions.

The murder of George Floyd sparked a pandemic-fatigued, Trump-weary United States into a summer of protest against police violence and the enduring legacy of slavery and segregation within the United States. Ultimately, it forced every facet of American institutional society to enter a reckoning on...

American politics should matter to Canadians

Written on October 8, 2020. Posted in Opinions.

American politics are a train wreck, but Canadians need to watch. Former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau once described relations with the United States as being like sleeping with an elephant: “no matter how friendly and even-tempered the beast is, if I can call it that, one is...

The return of ‘Saturday Night Live’ couldn’t have come at a better time

Written on October 8, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

2020 has been quite a year—from a deadly virus to murder hornets, it’s left us all wondering what could possibly come next. With everything going on, it’s easy to lose hope. But, as a silver lining, this year’s bizarre events are good fodder for a reliable coping mechanism: comedy. Humour can be...

Online panel to discuss the upcoming US election

Written on September 29, 2020. Posted in News.

Whether they’re eligible to vote or not, students who are following the impending US presidential election are invited to engage in the conversation at an upcoming panel event. Queen’s Politicus Journal is hosting an American Elections Open Panel on Oct. 5. Four panelists, including Queen’s professors...

Memes have replaced the political cartoon

Written on September 11, 2020. Posted in Arts.

The political cartoon has been a means of speaking truth to power since the 18th century, but now print media is in its death throes, and internet memes are spreading misinformation in place of satire. James Gillray, a British caricaturist born in 1756, is credited as the father of the political...

Twitter shouldn’t be a platform for propagating hate

Written on February 4, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Two weeks ago, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US, comedian and The Daily Show correspondent Jaboukie Young-White changed his Twitter name and picture to resemble the FBI’s official profile, and tweeted, “Just because we killed MLK doesn’t mean we can’t miss him.” Not long after he published...

Governmental inaction forces youth to carry the burden of social change

Written on November 1, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

In today’s political climate, youth activism has become the new norm. From Greta Thunberg to the “March for Our Lives” organizers, young people are fighting for systemic change with an urgency governmental leaders lack. While youth activism is a positive trend, the frequency at which we see it suggests...

Kanye West’s politics aren’t personal, they’re his art

Written on October 19, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Kanye West made headlines last week—even more than usual—after visiting the White House to meet with his current political idol, President Donald Trump. While Kanye’s support of Trump may seem to reflect his political beliefs, his jumping on the MAGA train likely has more to do with his artistic...

Why Brett Kavanaugh got appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court

Written on October 12, 2018. Posted in Columns.

This article discusses sexual assault and may be triggering for some readers. The Journal uses “survivor” to refer to those who have experienced sexual assault. We acknowledge this term is not universal. Brett Kavanaugh, a man accused of multiple counts of sexual assault, has been appointed to a lifetime...

I miss the old Kanye: free thought gone too far

Written on May 28, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

Earlier this spring, Kanye West rapped, “We ain’t made it off the plantation,” calling himself a ‘slave’ to fan expectations after professing admiration for right-wing causes. The rapper subsequently tweeted in late April, “the mob can’t make [him] not love” Donald Trump, a president known for institutionalizing...

March For Our Lives touched on more than just school shooting violence

Written on March 29, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

This Saturday marked a new era for gun control. Students from the recent Parkland shooting hosted a march in Washington, D.C. on Mar. 24 to show politicians they’re serious about fighting for changes to gun legislation. The march brought out an estimated 200,000 people, included celebrities Miley...

Jane the Virgin gets political

Written on February 6, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

With humble roots as a North American take on classic Hispanic telenovelas, Jane the Virgin has grown into a show that hits hard on political issues. Jane the Virgin begins as a charming show revolving around the main character Jane getting accidentally artificially inseminated with a rich hotel owner’s...

Why Martin Luther King Jr. Day is different in 2018

Written on January 19, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

Every year, the United States takes a moment to recognize Martin Luther King Jr.’s influence and achievements on what is known as MLK day. But after a year that presented so much racial tension and turmoil, does the day still stand for what it used to? When I was growing up, celebrating MLK day...

Oprah for President?

Written on January 19, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

As an American citizen and a politics major, my eyes rolled to the back of my head when I heard Oprah was being considered as a legitimate presidential candidate for 2020. After an inspiring speech at the Golden Globes and some past stirring about a potential candidacy, news outlets like CNN and...

Taking my seat: Politics and Hollywood

Written on November 16, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

Ready for it? I wasn’t. In case you missed it, Taylor Swift released her sixth studio album titled Reputation last Friday. Before I get into it, let’s make one thing clear: I used to be a huge Swifty. I’ve been to her concerts, purchased her t-shirts and up until now, bought all of her music. Now,...

Taking My Seat: The importance of Title IX

Written on September 19, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

This article talks about sexual violence and may be triggering for some readers. On this week’s chronicle of ‘WTF is up with the White House women’, President Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced the education department’s plan to reform Obama-era guidelines of Title IX, implemented to...

Taking my seat: guess who opposes equal pay

Written on September 8, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

It’s been quite the summer. Nearly one year ago, our neighbours to the South realized a catastrophic mistake when the electoral college gave the Presidential race to a racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, ableist (or any of the myriad of other “ic” or “ist” terms that he most likely falls...

Update on US politics

Written on June 26, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

Another month has gone by and things still haven’t calmed down in the realm of American politics. One of the most significant things to have happened this month was President Trump’s announcement that the United States would be pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement (PCA). The PCA is a worldwide...

You are the company you keep

Written on February 3, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

June 2016 — Trump Tower. A lightning bolt flashes over the New York skyline as a small hand pens a contract. Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, has caused the Republican nominee headache after headache. Trump is at his lowest point in the campaign. A single tear rolls down Lewandowski’s...

Young Canadians: American politics affect you too

Written on January 22, 2016. Posted in Opinions.

Even if the words “politics” and “elections” usually tune you out of a conversation, chances are that you’ve still noticed that American elections have begun. Let’s be honest: the current election looks more like a reality show than a race to choose one of the most powerful human beings on the planet. But...

Rotten to the core: Donald Trump

Written on January 15, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

Your housemate’s rotting groceries are an embodiment of Donald Trump in the Republican Primaries. No one is willing to touch either and we have a problem. I came to this realization over the winter holidays in my hometown of Blackstock — a beautiful, rural idyll in the middle of Ontario that, to...

QJPolitics: Drone decisions defy civil liberties

Written on March 14, 2013. Posted in Lifestyle.

For four years, Barack Obama and his top counterterrorism advisor John Brennan met regularly. During these meetings, Obama and Brennan worked methodically through a “kill list” of men who they perceived as a threat to America’s national security. After Obama and Brennan marked someone for death,...

QJPolitics: Out of touch in America

Written on January 21, 2013. Posted in Lifestyle.

Sometimes American politics is downright laughable. The “fiscal cliff” debate was the latest in a series of manufactured crises which serve as the landmarks for this unfolding comedy. This most recent fiasco was preceded by last summer’s debt ceiling debate, and it will be followed by yet another...

Tag: American politics