Editorials

“So magnetic it’s almost obnoxious”- ranking Taylor Swift’s 1989 (TV) Vault tracks

On Oct. 27, Taylor Swift released her fourth album rerecording– “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” Originally released in 2014, the new release allowed Swift to own the legal rights to the album, which sold over a million copies almost a decade ago.

According to Forbes, Swift “vowed to regain control of her music after Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings controversially acquired her back catalog in 2019 and later sold it to a private equity firm.”

Swift described the selling of her masters as a “worst-case scenario” in a post on her official Tumblr account from 2019.

Since losing control of her first six albums in 2019, Swift has re-recorded and released her “Taylor’s Version” albums: “Red (Taylor’s Version),” “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” and the newest, highly anticipated “1989 (Taylor’s Version).”

To read more of the Lanthorn Staff’s editorial, click here.

NY opens path for prison reform and others should follow suit

On Nov. 16, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation that will offer a “clean slate” to up to two million people with criminal records in the state.

According to the New York Times, under new legislation deemed the “Clean Slate Act,” convicted criminals “who complete their sentences and remain out of trouble for a set period — three years for misdemeanors, eight for eligible felonies — will have their convictions sealed.”

While this legislature does not include the possibility of automatic conviction sealing for offenders of more serious crimes including sex crimes, murder and most other Class A felonies, the new law should open doors to several members of the community and offer them a fresh start.

This is a huge step forward for some degree of reform to the U.S. criminal justice system, which we feel is something strongly overdue in United States. However, the Clean Slate Act, we feel, is a progressive move towards acknowledging the prisoners’ human rights.

To read more of the Lanthorn Staff’s editorial, click here.

Columns

Domestic violence is not funny, Matt Rife

“Comedian” Matt Rife is rightfully under fire for clips in his new Netflix stand-up “Natural Selection” surrounding domestic violence. 

For context, Rife said he entered a restaurant and the hostess had a black eye. He said he knew where the black eye came from, insinuating that someone purposely had given that to her. He then went on to make a joke about how he didn’t want someone with a black eye representing the restaurant, and she needed to go back to the kitchen so no one saw her. If that wasn’t already offensive and insensitive enough, Rife then continued on and made a joke saying if she knew how to cook in the kitchen maybe she wouldn’t have gotten the black eye in the first place.

Many people did not find this “joke” funny, so Rife quickly received backlash from viewers. After being under fire, he posted a public “apology” on his Instagram story stating, “If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told — here’s a link to my official apology,” which included a link to a medical site that sells helmets for persons with disabilities. Not only is Rife poking fun at domestic violence victims, but he is also blatantly making fun of people with persons with disabilities. Instead of doing the right thing by apologizing and taking accountability for his actions, Rife created a bigger problem.

To read more of Maddie Zimmerman’s column, click here.

How to lose a guy in 10 days

I am sure we all know and love the movie “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” In the film, there is a hilarious dynamic between Andie Anderson (played by Kate Hudson) and Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey), both of whom have hidden agendas of their own.

While the movie primarily focuses on the relationship between these two main characters, I was always fascinated by the article Anderson originally intended to write but that she never really got to finish. Instead, she wrote an introspective piece revealing more information about herself than anything else. Yes, it was the perfect way to conclude the movie, but I couldn’t help but wonder what a modern-day list could have looked like had she written it.

So, I decided to create my own. Below is a list of things to get rid of a guy in 10 days or less. Disclaimer- this article is purely for fun and based on a movie I love, so try not to take anything too seriously.

To read more of Hope Leinen’s column, click here.

The complexity of a cartoon about a talking horse

“Bojack Horseman” is a show about a talking horse with a human best friend, a cat manager and a golden retriever co-star. One of the most ridiculous shows I had ever heard of until I found out that these cartoon characters deal with deep human issues like depression, heartbreak, death, addiction and so much more.

The six-season Netflix show with Will Arnett and Aaron Paul was completed in 2020, and Bojack Horseman is a series of complexity and sarcasm, to say the least. On the surface, it appears to be an immature adult cartoon. But after giving in to my own curiosity and binge-watching the entire show, I discovered that it is so much more than just that.

To read more of Chloe Schram’s column, click here.

Companies should not abruptly force a mandatory back-to-office policy

Working remotely or doing school from home is something we all collectively see as normal now, despite it being very weird years ago. In 2020, when we were all sent home for COVID-19 lockdowns, there was a lot of learning and navigating happening. We all had to find a way to make things work the best we could on very short notice. Now, working from home isn’t a foreign concept and has even become the preference for many workers for various reasons. This is a new normal for many workers, and they have gotten comfortable with their new schedules and work situations. Things, however, may be taking a turn in this next year, as 90% of companies plan to implement return-to-office policies by the end of 2024. Of the companies that plan to implement back-to-office policies, 30% say their company will threaten to fire employees who don’t comply with in-office requirements.

To read more of Sam Nowotnik’s column, click here.