A List That Proves Humanity Isn't Doomed.

We are in a pretty low...low when it comes to stupidity and general awfulness on the planet right now. Some have even go so far as to say that humanity is doomed BECAUSE of our collective idiocy as humans. Some would go so far as to say by the year 3000 Earth will be just like a scene out of Idiocracy. That's terrifying and I hope wrong. 

Here at Alexis, Unwritten, I occasionally like to look on the bright side of life. If you need help looking on the bright side, first listen to the song from Spamalot and then read this list of things that show that our world is not proved, we are good beings and that there are people who in the world who to continue to improve on our condition every day. 

Pink Loves Consent!

"FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture is a creative activist effort to upset the culture of rape and promote a culture of consent. We believe that a more difficult and honest conversation needs to happen in America to face the realities of sexual violence, and we envision a world where sex is empowering and pleasurable rather than coercive and violent. As activists, we are here to force the issue." 

Late last year FORCE members created the website pinklovesconsent.com and fooled a large part of America into believing that in lieu of their usual "Sure Thing" slogan on thongs, VS would be instead selling underwear that said things like "Ask First" and "Consent is Sexy". According to the fake site, the difference was a simple case of the Then and Nows. "Then we loved styles all about rape culture. Now we love styles all about consent!"

About 100 members of FORCE's facebook group were behind the satire site, which caused mass confusion, but an overall positive response. The site went viral with people contacting Victoria's Secret telling them how great they were doing with rape culture awareness and how happy customers were with the new line. And what happened when they found out it was a hoax? They cried out in sadness and are now asking VS to make the consent themed underwear line a real thing. 

So what did VS do? They forced FORCE to take down the website, fearing customers would confuse the satirical website with the actual one. No worries, though. It was later reinstated and now you can see it in all its glory.  

Sarah Palin Visits Small Town in Washington to Give Commencement Speech

 Governor Sarah Palin may not be the favorite of every person in America. But you can't say she doesn't have a big heart. Republic High School's graduating class really wanted Sarah Palin to speak at their graduation and they got her there. While she was criticized by popular news outlets for choosing to go to such a small town to give a speech, Palin did a magnificent job, telling the graduates that the secret to success was to "get off your butt". Her speech was really great, and I'm just going to let it speak for itself.

Way to go, Republic Tigers Class of 2013. Your daring-do got you a really great speaker. I can honestly say I think a lot of you are going places. 

Or at least I hope you are, because otherwise, Sarah Palin wasted a dollar on you.

The Case of the 590.5 Million Powerball and a Cut In Line

 

Crandell and her 10 year old daughter.

If you follow the news at all you've most likely heard about the mother who let an elderly lady cut her in the line to buy lottery tickets and went on to find out that the elderly lady won the jackpot. If I was that woman, I would be kicking myself in the butt and note it as a lesson to never let elderly people cut me in line again. 

However, I am not that woman, and she is not me. However, she IS 34 year old Mindy Crandell and she has publicly stated that she has no regrets about letting the winner, 84 year old Gloria Mackenzie, cut in front of her.  Crandell added that she hoped the money, paid out in one lump sum of 380 million dollars after taxes "truly blesses the family" and that "sometimes it is better to be patient than right. We are teaching our daughter the right thing." 

What a good mom.  

USASF Allows Special Needs Cheerleaders to Compete at Worlds

Every year towards the end of April, all star cheerleading teams level 5 and higher from across the world attend USASF and IASF Cheerleading Worlds at Disney World. Any team below level 5 competes later on in the year at an event known as Summit, which is similar to Worlds except for a lower skill level. This is true for all teams except for special needs teams who, every year, cheer at USASF Worlds. 

And that just makes me melt and feel all happy inside. Because in a world where they will always be treated as different and sometimes less than we who lack that extra chromosome, special needs cheerleaders are made rock stars for at least one weekend. 

In the cheer world there are certain people dubbed "cheerlebrities" who most other cheerleaders look up to and take inspiration from. But I choose to take my inspiration from the boys and girls on special needs teams who work their hardest day in and day out to so they can walk on to the blue mat at worlds and wow the audience of thousands.  

Big G! Little O! Go! Go! 

Angelina Jolie Has a Double Mastectomy

Okay, the title is a bit deceiving. Jolie's double mastectomy is not a good thing as in I would WANT it to happen. However, what is good about it is that instead of focusing all the attention she has gotten after revealing the news of her surgery to talk about herself and how hard it was for her, Jolie is using the media and her new limelight to spread the message that breast cancer does indeed suck and women need to get themselves checked before it is too late. In her New York Times article Angelina Jolie stated "I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent."

"I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices."

Celebrities have a lot of influence in the world, whether we like it or not. I'm just glad that some of them choose to influence the world in the right way.

Boston Marathon Runners Keep Running

When the Boston Marathon was bombed earlier this year, a lot of people were injured. A lot of them needed blood transfusions. And there were a lot of runners still crossing the finish line who ran an extra two miles to go donate blood after running a marathon. I'm pretty sure the Boston Marathon is 25 miles long and the runners KEPT RUNNING after finishing a 25 mile long race, and then gave blood. 

There are things in this world bigger than ourselves. There are people who know that. And because of those people, our world is not doomed. It is bound to get better.