A Bee's-Eye View from the Clouds

Latest posts

  • The Erosion of Expertise: Why We Trust Influencers More Than Scientists

    There was a time—not long ago—when having a degree, years of experience, and a peer-reviewed body of work meant something. When we turned to doctors for medical advice, climatologists for climate science, and historians to explain history. Now? We’re in an age where a TikToker with a ring light and a well-timed lip sync can

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  • My Top 5 LGBTQ TV Characters Who Are More Than Just ‘The Gay Best Friend’

    Because we deserve more than one-liners, fashion advice, and tragic story arcs You know the character I’m talking about. The sassy, sidekick stereotype that exists solely to deliver a zinger, offer unsolicited dating advice, or cry on a couch before getting promptly written off the next season. The Gay Best Friend™ — trademark pending, but

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  • The Art of the Anthem: How Katy Perry Creates Pop Hits That Define Generations

    How One Woman Made Me Believe I Was a Firework, Even When I Was Eating Taco Bell in Bed at 3 A.M. Some pop stars make music. Katy Perry makes moments. Whether you were scream-singing “Roar” during a breakup, blasting “Teenage Dream” on a road trip, or quietly crying to “Firework” while pretending it was

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  • K-pop Feels Like Homework, Not Entertainment (Sorry, ARMY)

    Look, before anyone sends me a death threat written in glitter gel pen and choreographed in 17-part harmony—this isn’t a hate piece. I promise. I have nothing but respect for the sheer effort K-pop stans put into their craft. Truly. But somewhere between my third attempt to memorize all 14 members of a group whose

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  • The Real Cost of Building Walls: Immigration and National Identity

    Somewhere along the border between two countries, a child stares through slats of steel, wide-eyed and sunburned. A few miles away, an American citizen posts a meme about “illegals” stealing jobs. One is seeking hope. The other is clinging to fear. And between them stands a wall—concrete, metal, ideology. It’s sold as protection, but like

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  • The Impact of Gentrification on Urban Communities: Analyzing Displacement, Economic Divides, and Possible Solutions

    Gentrification is one of those words people throw around without always grasping its full weight. On the surface, it sounds like progress—new coffee shops, revitalized parks, an artisanal candle store on every corner. But underneath the buzzwords and fresh coats of paint lies a harsher reality: longtime residents being pushed out, cultural roots being paved

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  • Clueless and the Style of 90s Teen Movies: A Love Letter in Knee-High Socks

    Some movies don’t just exist—they define. They walk into pop culture wearing a plaid skirt, holding a fluffy pen, and suddenly the entire decade wants to talk like them. That, my friends, is Clueless. A movie so iconic it made being a rich, self-absorbed Beverly Hills high schooler look… aspirational. Somehow, it’s both a biting

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  • TV Through the Ages: How Our Favorite Shows Mirror the World We Live In

    When I was a kid growing up in West Texas, TV wasn’t just background noise—it was the main event. It taught me how to dream, how to laugh, how to roll my eyes, and—maybe most importantly—how to spot the underlying dysfunction in every “perfect” family sitcom. It was a babysitter, a teacher, a mirror, and

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  • Why Marvel Wins the Storytelling War: Complexity, Chaos, and Heroes That Bleed

    Let me start with a confession that might get me banned from Comic-Con faster than yelling “Martha” during a Batman Q&A: I think Marvel tells better stories than DC. Period. Not louder stories, not flashier stories—better. Grayer, messier, more complicated, more human. Now, before DC stans launch into their rehearsed counterarguments about legacy and mythos,

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  • The Power of Grassroots Organizing in Political Change

    You ever notice how the loudest voices in politics don’t always come from podiums, boardrooms, or blue-check Twitter accounts? Sometimes, they come from the folding chairs in a church basement. Or the back of a taco truck. Or a text thread of five pissed-off moms who’ve had enough of book bans and bad school lunches.

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