Vanshika Unveiled

I've always been someone to stand for politeness, and not just as a mere courtesy. It's the act of reciprocation, being kind towards someone who is kind towards you. To me, politeness isn't simply smiling at someone in the halls, or saying "please and thank you", it is what helps us be thoughtful about our conduct and be aware of the feelings of others. However, I've noticed that politeness doesn't operate like this in the realm of politics. In politics, politeness is often synonymous to "fakeness" and insincerity. While politeness may stem from the need to gain a social approval from an individual, it also promotes kindness and humility. But politeness in politics is seen as a superficial facade. With an agenda behind being polite, it hardly counts. While it should come from the heart, it is instead abused, creating an apparent facade visible to the public. Additionally, the competitive nature of politics can lead to the strategic use of politen...

Raised in the great Americas as an Indian, I occasionally had trouble assimilating. For me, in elementary school, there was always this one question that simplified approximately to "Taj Mahal or mall?" Meaning: do I choose to embrace my Indian heritage, or conform to the norms of the dominant culture. The answer wasn't so apparent at first and I continued to live this "double life". I thought assimilation meant sacrificing certain aspects of my culture and identity in exchange for societal acceptance. It made me think about how having two identities, two cultures, and two communities was bad. The cost of assimilation became more apparent to me in middle school, faced with stereotypes, I found myself grappling with the desire to fit in while holding onto the traditions that were an integral part of my identity. I began to think certain parts of me as a burden (which I very much don't anymore). Yet, despite the challenges, Ive come to realize that assimilati...

analyzing an article from The Onion   https://www.theonion.com/jennifer-lopez-confirms-this-is-me-now-is-not-just-a-1851261646 One of Jennifer Lopez's most recent projects is her new movie "This is Me...Now". And expectingly so, she had a couple controversial remarks in her movie promotion which press made a treat out of. In the article above, which I honestly found very enjoyable to read, the author uses a sardonic tone all throughout the piece by showing scorn towards the inflated egos of celebrities. Jennifer Lopez's movie might be important to her, but it is nowhere near important in the minds of society in consideration to events going on right now, and this article mocks just that. Lopez exaggerates and says "glorious empire built from blood, sweat, and iron", and this shows the pedestal she puts herself on. She believes her projects have a significance that she exaggerates to the point of absurdity.  She also tries being humorous, but it is just insen...