#11 Ke$ha the Feminist

Pop music is infectious. Like it or not, most of the time, that catchy song about partying will get into your head and remain there for days on end. With that said, it is generally understood that this music serves no purpose. Taylor Swift sings another song about a break up and Flo Rida tells us to have a good time,  but beyond that, there's not a lot to analyze. Pop music is generated merely to get a person to buy the single on iTunes and nothing more. Most usually say the same about Ke$ha, the singer known for bathing in glitter and auto-tuning her way through numerous songs involving binge drinking and parties that last all night. They look at lyrics like "I wanna dance with no pants on" and write her off as another meaningless artist- perhaps even especially stupid. The thing is though, Ke$ha is in on the joke, and means to send a message. One of her main intentions is to deconstruct the way society views women as well as make make a statement about gender roles. She makes it painfully clear that in the music industry, women barely receive any respect.

Misogyny is ever present in the world of music. From lyrics detailing how women are only useful for their bodies to singers flat out calling women disgusting words for the sake of being masculine, it's hard to escape it. The best examples of lyrics that shame women in such a way are way too inappropriate for me to paste here, considering the fact that most of them involve calling them a number of colorful curse words. The worst part is that this is considered normal for pop singers and rap artists. When Eminem sings about hitting and killing women, he's just doing his job- at least, that's how we see it. This music has a direct impact as well. A 2007 study done by Michael Cobb and William Boettcher found that "exposure to rap music increases sexist attitudes towards women," in addition to making more woman accepting of sexist behaviors (Cobb And Boettcher). Ke$ha isn't the only one who has noticed this trend. In her song, "Blah Blah Blah," such lyrics as "Music's up/ listen hot stuff/ I'm in love with this song/ So just hush, baby, shut up/ Heard enough," going on to curse at the supposed male counterpart and tell him how he is only useful for physical purposes. When asked abut the song, Ke$ha stated, "I'm just talking about men the way they've talked about women for years. If you listen to LMFAO, it's all about how women are pieces of meat. I find that stuff funny, so I want to do it back to them" (Ke$ha).

(Ke$ha at the VMA's exhibiting a more classic look that contrasts sharply with her usual outfits.)

Ke$ha certainly isn't the first female artist to embrace her sexuality, but for the purposes of our generation, her actions are definitely startling. Just consider the majority of people who immediately believe her to be "trailer trash" or "an idiot" or "a whore," despite the fact that she got a 1500 out of 1600 on her SAT and was accepted to Columbia before becoming a singer. Ke$ha is a smart businesswoman who knows what she's doing when she plays up a shtick and behaves in a lewd manner. Just as she said, when LMFAO sings songs about partying and getting drunk, they're considered fun, but most see Ke$ha merely as a nuisance. Music like "Blah Blah Blah" is so startling because it's so outside of the realm of what we normally hear from female singers, and as such, people make a snap judgement and judge her in numerous ways. All that she's preaching are the core roots of feminism, though: let women do whatever they want. If men are able to do something, so should women without facing such a dramatic backlash. Some have definitely taken her actions the wrong way, thinking that her behavior is indicative of the old feminist stereotype that states that all they are is a group of men-hating women.The answer to gender equality certainly isn't putting down men, and Ke$ha certainly isn't the first female artist to embrace her sexuality, but for the purposes of our generation, her actions are definitely startling and display the differences between the two sexes, at least in the music industry. Whether you're a fan, a hater, or simply someone who doesn't like pop music, Ke$ha has undeniably made a big impact so far in her music career, regardless of the status of her acceptance into society.

Fetters, Ashley. "Why Ke$ha's New Memoir Is 2012's Answer to 'The Feminine Mystique'"
The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 02 May 2013.

"Ke$ha: Feminist Pioneer?" PhiLOLZophy. Tumblr, 2011. Web. 02 May 2013.

Vansant, Emily. "Ke$ha...A Feminist?" The College Voice. The College Voice, 4 Dec. 2012. Web. 02 May 2013.

Van

#10 RuPaul's Drag Race: Deconstructing Gender and Femininity

Everyone is placed in a specific mold the minute they come into the world. "It's a boy!" balloons are blue and "It's a girl!" balloons are pink. The minute a person breaks that mold, they are labeled as being different, and in our society, being different is often faced with backlash. As such, coming by any representation of anything outside of the gender, race, and sexuality binary is difficult, but many have been able to find comfort in one of the quirkiest shows on television: "RuPaul's Drag Race." In this reality show, RuPaul, one of the first famous drag queens to ever grace television screens, puts different drag queens to the test in order to crown 'America's Next Drag Superstar.' The majority of the contestants are gay men of various color, size, and economic background, from Latrice Royale, a "chunky but funky" queen who used to be in jail for drug possession, to "Willam Belli," a snarky queen who has had numerous appearances on mainstream television shows outside of Drag Race. With this eclectic group of individuals, RuPaul has essentially created one of the most diverse shows on television. Not only that, but drag, a formally underground form of entertainment, has become mainstream, and with that, so has the idea that femininity isn't something to be ashamed of, regardless of your gender.

               (Latrice Royale)                                                                                   (Willam Belli)

When a person first encounters feminism, they might get the idea that being feminine goes against all ideas of feminism. This is a common misconception, one that I held all throughout childhood. It's a little embarrassing to admit, but this rag tag group of men have been able to figure out and put on display something that took me years to learn: femininity is a source of power. When these men put on drag and blazon a caricature of women, they do it to entertain, but they also do it as an art form, as something to be applauded. When contestants on "RuPaul's Drag Race" walk the runway, they put on their highest heels and their best gowns and they do so in order to impress, and they get applauded for it. That in itself is amazing. These men are able to become a different person and embody everything that there is about being feminine. Not only that, but the fact that the show highlights the men both in drag, out of drag, and in between drag deconstructs gender roles in a way not normally seen. Gender pronouns are used interchangeably, and some contestants even come out as transgender. In a society where being feminine in any sense is viewed as a form of weakness, these men use it as a strength. Most of the contestants are even feminine out of drag, and instead of being shunned or mocked, it is just seen as normal, sending the message that anyone regardless of race, gender, or sexuality can be feminine and be strong.

This is not to say that being feminine is the only way in which a person can be. Certainly women and men alike should also be empowered to be masculine if that is who they are, and just as a feminine man might be shunned in our society, so are the masculine women who struggle with conforming to societal norms. One can also ascertain that only enforcing femininity would, of course, also negatively contribute to the patriarchy and would place women in a box that told them that they must only be the caretakers (a traditional feminine role) of society rather than be whomever they wish to be, as would telling men that they must only be the muscle of society rather than whomever they respectively wished to be. The fact is that any form of gender representation should be celebrated, whether it be a man who partakes in fashion or a woman who wants to be a construction worker, any form of expression should be accepted into society. Femininity is something that I have struggled with my whole life. I remember being in 6th grade and deciding to only wear boy's clothes because I didn't want to contribute to the standards of femininity. Looking back now, I think I definitely took the idea of women's empowerment the wrong way.  Blogger Emily Gordon puts it best, "the femininity we shun is also an important tool," and women and men alike have the ability to use those tools to their advantage, because ultimately, masculinity and femininity can both be used by any one person.

Clay, Andreana. "Glamazons: The Time Has Come." QueerBlackFeminist. Blogger. 25 April 2012. Web. 24 April 2013.

Gordon, Emily. "What RuPaul Taught Me About Femininity." XO Jane. SAY Media. 8 February 2012. Web. 24 April 2013. 

Nelson, Carrie. "'Hey, Fake Ladies!': On the Construction of Gender in RuPaul's Drag Race." Gender Across Borders. Gender Across Borders. 12 February 2010. Web. 24 April 2013. 

Villiers, Nicolas de. "RuPaul's Drag Race as meta-reality television." Jump Cut. Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media. Web. 24 April 2013.

#9 Injustice In Our Youth, Not Our Legal System

Many have recently been made aware of the Steubenville rape- the event in which a 16 year-old girl was raped by two of her peers at a party, whilst others recorded the entire event via various social media outlets. The case of rape is undisputed; everyone knows that rape and assault are horrible crimes that are punishable through jail or other means. The deeper issue is the way that people handle such news. CNN recently received major criticism from the sympathetic way they portrayed the story. In their report, CNN anchor Harlow states, "These two young men who had such promising futures -- star football players, very good students -- literally watched as they believed their life fell apart," while another anchor asked a CNN legal analyst, “What’s the lasting effect though on two young men being found guilty juvenile court of rape essentially?” Another report on ABC news focuses solely on Ma’lik Richmond, a football player who can be seen in one of the photos carrying the unconscious girl. In a sense, this reaction is understandable- up to a point. In America, sports are glorified and the general populace is obsessed with the promise of the future for young, talented individuals, so naturally one emotion potentially felt by those is sadness for the lost potential of young boys so talented. However, while that is an understandable aspect, the fact that any story could be centered around sympathizing for the aggressor is preposterous. 
None should cry for the loss of a superstar athlete, they should cry for the girl who lost her privacy and was taken advantage of. As Mallory Ortberg said, "“Their dreams and hopes were not crushed by an impersonal, inexorable legal system; Mays and Richmond raped a girl and have been sentenced accordingly.” While it disturbs me that the media is handling the Steubenville case this way, it doesn't surprise me at all. In fact, numerous blog posts and news stories have already been written claiming that the whole case is simply being exaggerated. The website "The Other McCain" writes, "It seems that we may be witnessing a typical case of media malpractice, in which a crew of irresponsible bloggers and “hacktivists” are ginning up false accusations without regard for truth, and without concern for the harm done to innocent citizens of Steubenville," some details might be exaggerated, but a rape is a rape and an assault is an assault. That alone makes the aggressors guilty and the victim innocent.
This can all be chalked up to rape culture, a phenomenon deeply embedded in our lives. We as a culture have a common phrase, "boys will be boys." That phrase acts as a special get out of jail free card for any man who commits an unjust act such as this. Instead of analyzing why young men would behave in such a cruel way, we ascertain whether or not the victim's claims are legitimate. We claim that the victim must be to blame for some aspect of the crime, because there's no way that young high school boys could ever commit a crime so commonly associated with true evil. Slate's Amanda Marcotte describes it perfectly, "Claiming that it’s the victim’s fault for tempting men with her drinking/sexual activity/mini-skirt means telling yourself that as long as you aren’t as ‘slutty’ as the victim, you’ll be OK," and in turn, it protects the public from the knowledge that crimes are committed by normal people, not the evil monsters engendered from nightmares. Normal boys, young all-star athletes, even, can rape and molest and ruin someone. Instead of facing that reality though, the media hides behind the guise that there must have been something to cause them to act this way. The boys are given love and sympathy because something else has seemingly thrown their lives away, when it was their decision to rape in the first place. They might have been drunk, but plenty of people get intoxicated without raping a girl and tweeting about it. 


Davidson, Amy. "Life After Steubenville." The New Yorker. Conde Nast, 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.

Newcomb, Eric. "Beyond Steubenville: Rape Culture and Complicity." Christ and Pop Culture. Avalon, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.

Shapiro, Rebecca. "Poppy Harlow, CNN Reporter, 'Outraged' Over Steubenville Rape Coverage Criticism: Report." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.

Stacy, Robert M. "Steubenville ‘Rape Crew’? Non-Facts Smear the Innocent in an Ohio Town." The Other McCain. Alibi, 15 Jan. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.

Wblog Exclusive: Steubenville Teens on Tape Describe Night of Sexual. "Exclusive: Steubenville Teens on Tape Describe Night of Sexual Assault." ABC News. ABC News Network, 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.

#8 Women + Body Hair = ???

When people think feminist, the image of a woman with hairy legs who never showers comes to mind. While this is a bit of a stereotype, there is some truth to the fact that a section of the women's rights movement centers around body hair positivity, and the attempt to destroy the idea that to be feminine is to be hairless. Women who decide to go "all natural" and live with body hair are often viewed as social pariahs, but usually only in America. In a sense, America has effectively brainwashed us into believing in a certain idea of beauty. There is really nothing natural about shaving body hair, and if you look at other countries and their women, you'll see that very few shave and wax and pluck to the extent of women (and sometimes men) in America. The idea of needing to be pure and "clean" was a constructed idea, and the fact that women are sometimes seen as "gross" just because they have hair on their bodies is completely ridiculous. If we truly want our youth to grow up with a healthy idea of beauty standards, one aspect of that should definitely begin with body hair.

The removal of underarm hair began in 1915. What some regard as the "Great Underarm Campaign" consisted of a series of marketing campaigns that told women that to be beautiful, they had to shave their armpits. In Harper's Bazaar, a beautiful young woman was depicted holding her arms over her heads while wearing a sundress. Her armpits were shaven, and the caption read: "Summer Dress and Modern Dancing combine to make necessary the removal of objectionable hair." There suddenly became a pertinent need for women to shave, and the new fashion trend was simply a sleek, clean armpit As skirts started to get shorter and society felt a need to see a woman's legs, corporations began to ran advertisements that cited the hairless Greek statues of women, trying to embed the idea that a hairless woman was a tradition set in place since the blooming of art itself. So, in a sense, we have been brainwashed. Little girls and boys grow up to watch advertisements and movies and television shows and their mothers and their friends and their role models with their bare legs and bare armpits and clean eyebrows and shaven upper lips. They grow up to hear these individuals speak about the troubles of shaving, while still relaying a sense that it is something that they need to do. 

(Emer O'Toole on This Morning)

The reason why shaving is held with such value isn't only due to societal pressures, though. It also has to do with the potential backlash. In May of 2012, a woman named Emer O'Toole went on a show called "This Morning," and exhibited her hairy armpits and legs. Naturally, there was a large outcry. One blog post in particular stated, "Watching her I nearly parted with my breakfast." The post went on to explain how it was a woman's duty to keep herself free of hair, and that any recent people who decided to do otherwise were just dumb, radical feminists. All of this hateful speech came from a woman. It is appalling to think that even women would think to join in with society and lower themselves to the position of an object of beauty and then, in turn, call a woman 'un-feminine' if she herself does not do so. Shaving is, essentially, a part of beauty, and beauty in our culture can often have damaging effects on women. In a society where women are mainly judged on their appearance, making fun of other women who do not try to look what is considered "the best" doesn't help anyone, it only adds to the problem. Now, there's nothing wrong with shaving. If it's what a woman or man feels they have to do, then they should be allowed to do it without being mocked or criticized. But this should go across the board. If a woman or man also does not feel like shaving at all, then they too should be free of criticism. 

One body-positive article states that a woman's road to women's rights usually begins with looking in the mirror and recognizing how deeply these imaginary ideals have been internalized. Once people start recognize that these ideals have merely been created in order to be used as weapons to create a horde of buyers who will buy whatever they can to erase any insecurity created by corporations, they might begin to cease judging those who choose not to conform to that standard. A person is still a person whether or not they don't look a certain way, and a woman is still a woman whether or not she shaves.

Cecil, Adams. "Who Decided Women Should Shave Their Legs and Underarms?" The Straight Dope. The Straight Dope, 6 Feb. 1991. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.

Erikson, Jenny. "Arm Shaving Is One More Way Women Torture Themselves in the Name of Beauty." The Stir. CMI, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.

Platell, Amanda. "A Feminist Statement? No, Untamed Body Hair Is the Pits!" Mail Online. Daily Mail, 9 May 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.

Skerman-Grey, Tasha. "Feminism, Body-Hair Activism and Anti-Capitalism." The Occupied Times RSS. The Occupied Times, 31 Dec. 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.

#7 Amazon Runs LGBT Advertisement: Progress?

There is no doubt that representation is a hot button topic in the entertainment industry today. As stated in a previous post, one of the biggest issues is the lack of POC in television shows, movies, commercials, etc. Being that the average person you see on the television is a conventionally attractive white person, there aren't a lot of chances for people who don't fall into that category to be able to see someone they can identify with, and those who are 'represented' may not be shown in a positive light, either. One of the biggest and most controversial issues today though is LGBT representation in mainstream commercials. Though you may be able to find a gay, bi, trans, etc characters in movies, seeing people who identify as such in commercials is a rare sight, seeing as how commercials are mainly meant to exist as a tool to entice the viewer to buy the product. Companies in the past have refrained from any sort of representation of gay individuals because they run of the risk of not selling any products, but lately more and more commercials have been running commercials featuring gay people. This begs the question, is being gay no longer a deterrent for the average buyer?

(Take a look at the commercial here.)

If you look at the evidence, the answer is clearly yes. As times begin to progress, the amount of people in support for gay marriage increases, and in turn, the amount of people who are pro-gray rights increase as well. As journalist George Will stated, "quite literally, the opposition to gay marriage is dying." He's not lying, either. 57% of voters under the age of 30 are in support of gay marriage, as opposed to the 51% of the general American population. The the shift of power goes from old to young, so do the view points of the people. The fact that companies feel comfortable with displaying those who identify as gay under normal circumstances (that is, not using their sexuality as a joke or in a demeaning way) means that not only are steps being taken to improve the imbalance mainstream media has with representation, but that being in support of gay rights is no longer something that can ruin profits. 

That's not to say that people won't be outraged, though. This can be noted quite clearly just by looking at the first page of comments. "It's a shame what the world is coming to!" and "being gay is a mental illness" are just a few of the anti-gay opinions being posted on the video. The amount of negative comments cannot compare to the positive feedback, though. "Thank you Amazon.. This really means a lot to me.. Simple things like these will create tolerance in the future." and "Awesome commercial." are the two top comments. Companies who decide to make this risky choice are almost guaranteed to lose customers, but the amount of people in support of their decision greatly outnumber those who criticize it. Commercials such as these have the power to change opinions and create new perspectives on ideas. The gay couple in the commercial are not used as a gimmick or the butt of the joke, they are simply displayed as a normal couple. This normalcy is what audiences need to see, and it is possibly what could be seen throughout the entire entertainment industry. If displaying the average buyer of a product as a gay man doesn't deter buyers, then perhaps the actors in commercials will begin to reflect the rest of America as well instead of adhering to the same principles that they always have. I have to say that personally, I am very proud of Amazon for making this bold decision that will undoubtedly be marked as a stepping stone for future equality. 

Here are some LGBT commercials from over the years:

Italie, Leanne. "Ads out of Closet, into Mainstream with Gay Themes."Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 6 Match 2013. Web. 07 March 2013.

Stephanopoulos, George. "George Will: ‘Quite Literally, The Opposition to Gay Marriage Is Dying’." ABC News. ABC News Network, 9 December 2012. Web. 07 March 2013.

Winter, Caroline. "Gay-Themed Ads Over the Years." Businessweek. Bloomberg, 28 February 2013. Web. 07 March 2013.

Wong, Curtis M. "Gay-Themed Ads Are Becoming More Mainstream." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 06 March 2013. Web. 07 March 2013.

"Kindle Paperwhite Commercial." Fargo Moorhead News, Sports and Weather. Forum Communications, 06 March 2013. Web. 07 March 2013.

#6 Georgia & Warren Hill: Was the Right Decision Made?

Tonight, prisoner Warren Hill was granted a stay of execution. Sentenced to execution in 1990 for killing a fellow inmate after having killed his girlfriend, Warren Hill has been the topic of many conversations in regards to his mental health. Due to the Supreme Court decision in 2002 which specified that the execution of the mentally disabled was unconstitutional, Hill has actually been granted a stay of execution more than once. His doctors in charge of the mental evaluation have changed their opinions about whether or not he should be classified as mentally retarded twice now, and their statement was that their evaluation in 2000 was "rushed" and therefore inconclusive. The shaky foundation to which the defense had built their claims from begs the question whether or not this new "evidence" can even be used.
The problem with classifying Hill as mentally retarded is the subjective nature of the standards. Georgia law states that mental retardation must be proved "beyond a reasonable doubt," but where can the line be drawn in relation to mental health? Those who believe that Hill should be executed cite testimonies from his family where they described him as "head of the house" and a "father figure," and others argue that a low I.Q. isn't enough to prove that someone is mentally retarded. All of those claims are arbitrary, though. Just because someone appear to be handicapped does not mean that the evidence supporting their mental health should just be thrown out. While it is understandable that one could have an issue with the way the evaluation was handled, the fact of the matter is that Warren Hill is mentally retarded. He has an I.Q. of 70, and has been through numerous updated evaluations, all of which have concluded that he classifies as a mentally retarded individual. Morality issues aside, if the man is classified as mentally retarded, then it is against the law to execute him.
Now, there is still the issue of whether or not that qualifies under Georgia law. As said before, two different people could believe that different evidence proves mental retardation "beyond a reasonable doubt." One person in charge of the case could review the evaluations and state that Warren's low I.Q. isn't enough, while another thinks that is all it takes to prove it. The issue here isn't whether or not the mentally handicapped should be executed, but that specifications need to clearly be drawn out to avoid issues like these. This case has been drawn out for over twenty years. Some of that could be in part due to the changing laws and amendments, but most of it has to due with the fact that "beyond a reasonable doubt" is hard to measure. It is phenomenal that the case is finally coming to a close, though. The law is being followed and an unjust ruling is not being carried about. Hopefully this final ruling will cease future attempts to change his sentence, lest there be more doubt thrown into the case after all this time.

Associated Press. "Court issues temporary stay of execution for Georgia inmate Warren Hill." Fox News. Fox News Network. 19 February 2013. Web. 19 February 2013.

CNN Staff. "Georgia inmate guaranteed last-minute stays of execution." CNN. Cable News Network. 19 February 2013. Web. 19 February 2013. 

Pilkington, Ed. "Warren Hill guaranteed stay of execution." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. 19 February 2013. Web. 19 February 2013.

"Warren Hill Execution Stayed: Georgia Death Row Inmate Spared In Last Minute Decision." HuffingtonPost. The Huffington Post. 19 February 2013. Web. 19 February 2013.

#5 HBO's Girls: Realistic Interpretation or Self-Indulgence?

One of the most controversial shows today is HBO's Girls. The show is based around four girls trying to make it in New York. Lena Dunham, the show's creator and lead actress, wrote the show intending to display the real lives of young people trying to make it through adulthood. She states that she wrote the show and characters based off of her own experiences. All of this seems like a recipe for a good series. There is a lot of controversy following it, though. Every main character in the show is white and rich, and the first season only displayed around three to four POC, all of them stereotypes. When asked to address these criticisms, Dunham acknowledged that these claims were based in truth, but only added a black character in the second season for two episodes. With all the flack that the show has been getting, it begs the question: Is the show itself a singular case of misrepresentation, or is it just indicative of all television today?
It's hard for me to answer questions like this. I am a full, bonafide white girl. I live a privileged life, and there has never been a time where I felt like my race was a problem. But even I get a bad taste in my mouth when I think of a show that is supposed to be representative of my generation that only displays white people. Dunham says she writes about her life, a life in New York (one of the most diverse cities in America), and yet she doesn't have a single person who isn't Caucasian in her life? Not even an acquaintance or a coworker? As I said before though, this might just be similar to most shows today. Even though most shows have POC characters here or there, most are tokens in the cast. Though I think Girls is deserving of its criticism, I think the main problem is that unless you're a white, you won't be represented.
I might be white and I might be represented in terms of race, I feel like I know a little bit about how it feels to me misrepresented. Look at female characters in the media. Most fall into the archetypes of stupid, rude, or weird. It's rare that you find a show with well-rounded female characters who talk about more than boyfriends. It's even more rare to find powerful black women on shows who aren't all just 'sassy', and forget about ever finding an Indian or Middle-Eastern woman. The point is, our world isn't white. It is true that there are places in America that are largely dominated by white people, but every state and every city is made up of people of every color. If Lena Dunham really wants to make a show that is representative of our generation, it should star more than privileged white women.


Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem. "Girls Just Wanna Have (White) Fun." The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post. 31 January 2013. Web. 10 February 2013.

Johnson, Megan. "Lena Dunham And Her Mother Address "Girls" Criticism." BuzzFeed. Buzzfeed. 7 February 2013. Web. 10 February 2013.

Joseph, Adi. "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has tough criticism of HBO's 'Girls.'" USA Today. Gannett. 1 February 2013. Web. 10 February 2013.

McEwen, Lauren. ""Girls": Taking a real step towards diversity or just answering critics?" The Washington Post. The Washington Post. 14 January 2013. Web. 10 February 2013.