IMAGE VIA OHIO UNIVERSITY Every year around this time, the number of Google searches containing two words rapidly increases: cultural appropriation. It’s a topic that gets flung around intellectual groups and news stations, but whose parameters have inevitably fallen into the dust. Halloween comes, and with it arrives the barrage of headdresses, long silks, and other ethnic costuming promoted by the clothing industry. So, at what point does that little girl’s kimono become ra

IMAGE VIA REUTERS Over the past few weeks, Bridge the Divide has turned its focus on religious divides that exist globally. In the BTD: Converge conference we ran a panel discussing different ways people are divided both between different religious groups and between religious and secular groups. As part of an ongoing attempt to increase interfaith dialogue and understanding a group of ambassadors have joined to share their thoughts and experiences regarding religion. Christi

TED EYTAN VIA NEWSWEEK On Thursday, July 21st, 2016, Paypal co-founder and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Thiel took to the stage of the Republican National Convention, delivering an emphatic speech aimed at praising the virtues of now-President Donald Trump. The uniqueness of Thiel’s presence came by means of the fact that he is an openly gay man, a rarity at the famously right-minded convention. Even more interesting was his endorsement of Trump, a point he justifies in

Most people are familiar with Hasbro’s popular children’s toy, Mr. Potato Head. Whether you’re an avid Toy Story fan, or encountered upon product in your childhood, most can recall the various arms and legs, noses and mustaches, that created the appeal of a destructible toy. Other companies have similarly followed suit, with Mattel’s famous Barbie Doll equipped with thousands of various removable outfits to date, as well as Polly Pocket’s removable hairstyles and body parts a

At this point in the American election season, we’ve undoubtedly all seen it- blaring statistics lighting up the screen of the TV; patriotically hued posters in the periphery of our subway ride home; the peeling “I Voted Today” stickers on passing shirts in the wake of the preliminary rounds. The right to vote is quite possibly the foremost attribute to the American government system, something akin to the opening notes of the national anthem. And yet, time after time we are