#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.

#3 Delhi Protests: Foreseeable End to Rape Culture?

Rape culture is a part of every society, even America. Many individuals experience the "just world phenomenon," a happening where a person believes that events are just meant to be and those who are victims of a circumstance deserved it in some way. This ties in with rape because many view certain victims as having "asked for it" when they are the victim of a sexual assault, even though the attacker is always to blame for the assault. In societies that are usually captained by male heads, women are often the victims of these injustices. It is a national issue. Protests have begun to take effect though, and in places such as Delhi, Somalia, and Nepal, change is beginning to occur.
On December 16, 2012, a young Indian medical student was brutally raped. A group of men attacked her on a bus and gang raped her for over an hour, even going so far as to using metal poles to penetrate her. She endured internal injuries including the rupturing of her intestines. After they were done, they threw her off the bus and left her to die on a road in New Delhi, one of the busiest cities in India. Violence against women is nothing new in India, though. 1 in 5 women report having either been raped or have experienced an attempted rape, and 57 percent of Indian boys and 53 percent of Indian girls believe that wife-beating is justified. The need for male dominance in what is the called the "cult of masculinity" incites this violent behavior from men and their need to assert their dominance. It isn't about sex, it is about the fierce need to overpower an individual in order to make them inferior. Indian women are no longer accepting these attacks, though. A march called by the city's Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit drew followers as fellow women walked around New Delhi and held a prayer ceremony for the victim. Protesters are now seeking the death penalty for those accused of the crime, and state that the only way to make the streets of New Delhi safe for women is to actually enact punishments towards those who commit the acts.
Change is very good. The fact that the problem is not only being acknowledged but changed is one of the greatest things to happen for women's rights. As cultures begin to grow and society as a whole begins to mature, a change should be seen for those who have little rights. For far too long women have been oppressed by men and have gained a learned helplessness and a feeling that things are meant to be this way, that women are meant to be treated as second class citizens. Men and women are equal though, and the same courtesies and rights that men are able to have should be afforded to women as well. The fact that a country that was led by a patriarchal society has now began to publicly call for change is great, and it has the potential to help bring about change in countries worldwide. Every person should know that as humans, everyone is equal, and once acts such as the one previously mentioned begin to stop, equality will be achieved.


Bhowmick, Nilanjana. "Brutal New Delhi Gang Rape Outrages Indians, Spurs Calls for Action." Time World. Time. 19 December 2012. Web. 2 January 2013.


Botelho, Greg. Singh Shah, Harmeet. Whiteman, Hilary. "Doctor: Young woman gang-raped in India dies." CNN. Cable News Network. 28 December 2012. Web. 2 January 2013.


Wolfe, Lauren. "End culture of rape in 2013." CNN. Cable News Network. 2 January 2013. Web. 2 January 2013.

n.p. "Indian Minister Leads Delhi Rape Protest." Voice of America. Voice of America. 2 January 2013. Web. 2 January 2013.

n.p. "Silent female protest in India capital Delhi remembers gang rape victim." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 2 January 2013. Web. 2 January 2012.

#2 Park Geun-Hye Becomes The First Female President Of South Korea, But Will Change Really Come?

One Wednesday, December 19, something revolutionary happened. South Korea, a country built upon a patriarchal society that still views a woman's most important job as being a housewife, has elected their first female president, Park Geun-hye. Guen-hye, who is the daughter of former dictator Park Chung-hee, beat out a former human rights activist lawyer by the name of Moon Jae-in through her conservative platform that swore to mend the damage caused father's authoritarian rule, as well as the economy. Though the election of a woman into such a high position does appear to indicate the coming of equality, it will be interesting to see if Guen-hye actually creates any legislation to give women rights and put them in a place of power. The majority of Guen-hyes voters were older, conservative men who were still loyal to Chung-hee. Guen-hye's win might pave the road for future steps being taken towards equality, or she might only appeal to her supporters, the male conservatives.
Guen-hye will most likely do very little for Korean women. In terms of reform, Guen-hye's focus is on economic matters rather than civil liberties. It is debatable whether or not she should use her newfound power to aid women - who earn less than the average working man and are still forced to fill the role of the average homemaker - due to the current disparity between the rich and the poor in South Korea. Gender had nothing to do with this election, though. Though the fact that a woman does now hold an extremely powerful position in a society based off of gender norms and male supremacy, Guen-hye's endgame has nothing to do with helping the women of her country. During the election, Guen-hye only referred to women as "housewives and mothers", and even said that she could "train" them to work. Though this could just be an appeal to the common view held by men in the society, as a woman she could have done more in order to change the society's views on women. That is not to say that Guen-hye hates women or feels that they must be powerless, but the question stems from whether Guen-hye will assert this new power in order to create civil change, or if having a woman in a powerful position can even create any change.
As a woman myself, it is quite upsetting to see a country whose view towards gender is stuck in the past. Especially in relation to America, where women's rights at least has awareness, one can only imagine how restrictive the society in South Korea is towards women. The election of a woman may be the thing that brings about radical change, though. Having a positive and powerful female role model will most certainly improve the attitudes of Koreans and display that a woman can get to power through strength and intelligence. It will take a lot of work to change the view towards women in such a constricting society though, and if the issue of women's rights is never acknowledged, the election of Guen-hye will bring minimal reform in relation to women.


Klug, Foster. "Park Geun-Hye Elected South Korea President, But Dictator Father Looms Over Win." Huffington Post. The Huffington Post. 19 December 2012. Web. 20 December 2012.

n.p. "Profile: South Korean President-elect Park Guen-hye." BBC News. BBC. 19 December 2012. Web. 20 December 2012.

Harlan, Chico. "Park Guen-hye wins South Korea's presidential election." The Washington Post. The Washington Post. 19 December 2012. Web. 20 December 2012.

"Ex-Dictator's Daughter Elected President as South Korea Rejects Sharp Change." The NY Times. The New York Times Company. 19 December 2012. Web. 20 December 2012.

#1 An Australian Prank Gone Wrong: Who Is To Blame?

After a prank phone call from Australian radio station 2Day FM, the victim of the call, Jacintha Saldanha, was found dead in her apartment after committing suicide. The prank in itself was relatively harmless; DJs Christian and Grieg called the hospital where Duchess Kate Middleton was residing in hopes of getting a humorous reaction from a nurse. Instead, Saldanha, the nurse who took the call, believed their claims of being Middleton's grandmother and transferred the call to another nurse who divulged information about Middleton's condition. The story of the prank call became widely known in Australia and in other countries as well, and after the news of Saldanha's suicide went public, 2Day FM's show "Hot 30" was suspended and Christian and Grieg are rumored to no longer be employed.
The fact that the station aired Saldanha's reaction to the call without acquiring permission is the issue at hand, for if that call had been made in America, the FCC would have never allowed it to air without written consent of all who were involved. Another question is raised over whether or not Christian and Grieg are the cause of the woman's suicide. Suicide does not just happen. The fact of the matter is that the call itself did not "cause" Saldanha, wife and mother of two, to end her life. Though every bit of information has not been divulged about the case, it is safe to say that if Saldanha committed suicide, it most likely had to do with her personal issues at the time. That's not to say that the public and her family aren't completely within their right to be mad at the station, though. In America, the reason why the FCC exists is so that people are protected. Though people are allowed to video tape and take pictures of strangers, major consequences would come to them if they were ever to broadcast anything without a person's written consent. Privacy of an individual is important, it is something that every human should be entitled to, and Australia either has to construct better laws in order to restrict to broadcasting of certain content, or they need to monitor it better.
Christian and Grieg themselves appear to be very distraught over what has happened. In numerous interviews they have shrugged off questions over whether or not they will continue their career or if they have any future in radio, stating that the only thing that should be discussed is the well being of Saldanha's family. When asked why they aired the call, they brought up an interesting point. Apparently, it was the station, not Christian and Grieg, who aired the phone call. Christian declared that "There are people that make those decisions for us." The DJs are not the ones at fault. They were merely actors who performed what the script made them do. At no point did they ever intend to hurt or humiliate anyone, and they even said that they assumed that they would be hung up on immediately. Some claim that had they not called, Saldanha would still be alive today, but in the case of someone who is suicidal (and Saldanha was most likely suicidal), all it can take is for something to push them off the edge. Maybe the phone call and the publicity was that thing that sent her off, but it could have been anything. She could have committed suicide over any stressful point in her life, and the fact that it was her who was called and not some other nurse is purely coincidental. It is tragic, yes, and the phone call was ridiculous, but two DJs who were doing what many on the radio do-making prank calls- are not "murderers" and did not "kill" Saldanha.
The one point that can be made for the opposing side is that the promise of privacy should always be upheld. Taking away someone's right to themselves is essentially taking away their freedom, and maybe awareness of that fact could potentially alert other countries and stations that protecting the rights of their individuals is one of the most beneficial things you can do for them.

Fickling, David. Sedgman, Phoebe. "Suicide Of Hoaxed Nurse Prompts Cancellation Of Radio Show." Business Insider. Business Insider. 10 December 2012. Web. 12 December 2012.

Grubel, James. MacKinnon, Morag. "Nurse left suicide note, Aussie radio sets up $525,000 fund (+video)." The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor. 12 December 2012. Web. 12 December 2012.

Patterson, Thom. "Aussie DJ scandal: Does radio share the blame?" CNN. CNN Cable News Network. 11 December 2012. Web. 12 December 2012. 

n.p. "Aussia hospital hoax death DJs interview: full transcript" The Sun. News Group Newspapers Limited. 10 December 2012. Web. 12 December 2012.