#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.

#4 Beyonce Knowles: Role Model?

It is a simple fact that Beyonce's performance at the Super Bowl was amazing. Her performance was wild and crazy, using 120 dancers, a 10-piece female band, and many backup singers; not to mention countless people who worked on the lights, choreography, sounds, etc. With the reuniting of Destiny's Child and Beyonce's all-star athleticism,  Beyonce's performance easily placed itself atop the top best Half-Time performances of all time. There has been much debate over the show, though. People either rave about its greatness, or criticize her sensual moves and revealing uniform. The truth is, Beyonce's performance was sensual. She writhed and moaned and displayed herself to millions of people, and it was phenomenal. Those who criticize her performance say that it's not good for a woman who has so much influence and power over growing girls to be acting in such a way, but her performance wasn't done to attract the attention of a man. It wasn't bred out of self-consciousness or the need to prove something to someone. Beyonce is a role-model because she is confident in herself and her sexuality. The point isn't that every single person has to dress in a leather leotard and shake their hips, the point is that women and girls are supposed to be comfortable in their selves and their sexuality. Whether that means never exposing a single inch of your skin or showing yourself off to millions of people, the message is to be happy with yourself and do whatever makes you comfortable.

Let's not forget the fact that Beyonce's stage was only inhabited by women. Her band, the Sugar Mamas, sparked interest with audiences. We need performers like Beyonce because an all-female band still sparks interest. Male-dominated bands get no special attention for having all-male performers because being a man is the norm. Of course male singers would only have male guitarists and pianists. That's normal. It's not normal for an all-female performance to appeal to all people, not just girls, and that needs to change. There aren't a lot of opportunities for girls in events like the Superbowl. It's not like they can all of a sudden employ ladies to play on the teams, are there is a serious lack of female commentators. The only place for a woman in the Superbowl is to be an object in an ad or to be a tall, sexy cheerleader. For Beyonce to perform and steal the show, she has effectively established herself as a role model for all. 

(Beyonce's Performance)

Frere-Jones, Sasha. "America's All-Female Popstar." The New Yorker. Conde Nast. 4 February 2013. Web. 10 February 2013. 

Hare, Breeanna. "Beyonce Takes to Super Bowl stage with Destiny's Child." CNN. Cable News Network. 4 February 2013. Web. 10 February 2013.

Kaufman, Sarah. "Beyonce brings the power of women to Super Bowl stage." Twin Cities. Pioneer Press. 4 February 2013. Web. 10 February 2013.

Perez, Ashley. "What Beyonce's Half-Time Show Really Meant for Women." Hello Giggles. Hello Giggles. n.d. Web. 10 February 2013.

Rivas, Jorge. "But What About Beyonce's Band?" Colorlines. ARC. 4 February 2013. Web. 10 February 2013.