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6/8/2026

by Fiona

Cross-Cultural Communication in the Age of Texting

You send a text. Ten minutes pass. No reply. Half an hour later, the message is still sitting there unanswered. Naturally, you start overthinking. Did you say something wrong? Are they losing interest? Or are they simply busy? Meanwhile, somewhere else in the world, another person is staring at their phone for an entirely different reason. They are worried because the reply came too quickly. To them, answering within seconds appears desperate, almost as if the sender has nothing better to do. The same action, which is replying to a text, has produced two opposite interpretations.

The Political Divide in South Korea: Comparing the Progressive and Conservative

6/6/2026

South Korea is known for their rich culture and traditions but they are also a nation known for the complicated divide of their governing political parties. South Korea’s political system is largely dominated by two major political parties: the Democratic Party of Korea (더불어민주당) and the People Power Party(국민의힘). These two parties represent very different political ideologies and visions for the country’s future.

Is Female “Liberation” Through Clothing Just Another Form of Objectification?

6/1/2026

By Rebecca

At the 2026 Coachella Music Festival, performers such as Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae, and KATSEYE appeared on stage in stylish and revealing outfits.Their outfits share a common feature: a degree of skin exposure and the emphasis on curves of the female body. Increasingly, displaying more of the body has become a prominent trend in contemporary women's fashion. At the same time, such clothing is often framed as a statement of bodily autonomy, an assertion that women's bodies should not be subject to public judgment or evaluation. In a way, women try to earn bodily autonomy and liberation from the existing system through clothing.

Beyond "Laziness": The Clinical Reality of Functional Impairment in Mental Illness

5/27/2026

By Rainliy

When an individual struggles to initiate a task, finish a project, or even get out of bed, society is quick to deploy a familiar, morally loaded label: lazy. This societal stigma dismisses a profound medical reality. For those suffering from severe mental illness, the inability to perform daily tasks is rarely a behavioral choice or a character flaw. Instead, it is a measurable clinical symptom rooted in distinct neurological deficits.

Beyond the Coachella Controversy: Performance, Expectation, and Gendered Interpretation

5/27/2026

By Allen

When audiences attend the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, they often expect excess. The festival has gradually become associated with elaborate visuals, carefully rehearsed choreography, surprise celebrity appearances, and performances designed to dominate social media feeds within minutes.

"My Culture is not your Costume"

5/26/2026

By - Gunveen Kaur

Hailey Bieber's custom YSL look for the Met Gala recently sparked a debate online, with users arguing whether the draped scarf is yet another case of South Asian cultural appropriation. While some people defend the outfit claiming it to be 'high fashion', South Asian commentators took to criticizing the look, exclaiming that the look heavily mirrors traditional Indian attire. However, it is important to understand that the debate is not about the source of the inspiration, but the lack of credit that South Asians have long demanded.

The Anxious Generation, Digital Minimalism, and Gen Z’s Analog Rebellion

5/26/2026

By Howard Wang

Introduction

Recently at a multi-lingual club meeting, I had an eye-opening conversation with a Swedish student named Sander. When I asked if we could exchange Instagram accounts, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an old-school "dumbphone" featuring a shattered screen and a physical keypad. I was genuinely shocked—not just because he did not use social media, but because he is a Computer Science major.

Archive: Li Guang-Hui—A Soldier Without a Voice

5/26/2026

By Kelly

In Chang Chao-Tang's documentary, Archive: Li Guang-Hui (檔案：李光輝), the subject himself utters not a single word, nor does he show the slightest sign of genuine happiness. Li Guang-Hui was an Ami aboriginal soldier conscripted into the Takasago Corps during the Japanese colonial period and sent to Southeast Asia, where harsh military conditions drove him to desert and to seek refuge in the Indonesian forests.

The Bnei Menashe: Identity, Evidence, and the Politics of Return

5/26/2026

By Kanan

In April 2026, more than 250 people from the Kuki and Mizo tribes of northeastern India landed at Ben Gurion Airport as part of a government-funded Israeli program to relocate their entire community, some 5,800 people, from the Indian state of Manipur to Israel by 2030. They are known as the Bnei Menashe, a community that claims descent from one of the biblical Ten Lost Tribes, and Israel has accepted that claim as sufficient grounds for immigration and, after formal Orthodox conversion, citizenship.

Does a Platonic Relationship Exist Between Men and Women?

5/23/2026

By Catherine

Humans are social beings who naturally seek connection and companionship with others. However, one question has long been debated: Can men and women maintain a purely platonic friendship without romantic or sexual involvement?