SEPTA Strike

Being a resident of Philadelphia for the past week has been a living hell for some people. Thankfully, all of that came to an end early this morning when the SEPTA strike was finally resolved. While I live close enough to Temple that I can walk to my classes, I was lucky that I didn't feel the full force of the strike like many others in the area. About 800,000 people were impacted by this DAILY.

Apparently, there was a big disagreement over wages and benefits. According to the Examiner, they reached a new 5 year deal. Workers get no pay raise the first year, then a 2.5% increase in year 2 and then a 3% increase for the rest of the years. This deal was apparently the same deal proposed to the union a week earlier. It's been suggested that mounting public dissent and pressure forced them into action.I find it hard to sympathize with SEPTA workers, where people earn up to 24 bucks an hour for driving a bus around.

I'm aware we live in America and that we all have certain rights, but the SEPTA Union totally abused their power. They crippled an entire city for nearly a week, making it impossible for some kids to get to their schools or others to get to work. What's going to happen after this deal runs its course? Is Philadelphia going to have another strike on its hands? It's looking like we're just going to have to cross our fingers and hope for the best.

New York City has what they call the Taylor Law. It prevents strikes by the workers of the transit system. People who strike in New York are able to be punished be either jail time and/or fines. They are still able to work out their contract disputes, but the system remains in business for the sake of the city.

Why can't Philadelphia institute such a law of their own? It would make life so much easier for so many people. I can't see how it doesn't help everyone: workers can still settle contract disputes and people can still get to where they need to go to maintain their living. Philadelphia was falling to pieces: Fires erupted on a train, a worker was ran over by a train, and people couldn't get to their jobs/classes.

Verdict? Speaking from the general public who had to suffer through this all: UNJUSTIFIABLE. Even though everything is back up and running, I'm going to do everything I can to not use SEPTA anymore. I don't want them having any of my money.

VERDICT: UNJUSTIFIABLE

Slutty Halloween Costumes

Now I know I'm several days late with this one, but I got caught up in a bunch of other work and this has kind of hit the wayside. Never fear, faithful readers! It's only temporary, my goal is to update this at the very least once a week. Just with exams, homework, maintaining another blog that I swore to myself I would update daily ( Wreck On Her, ever hear of it? You should check it out here), Justification Station just was on the back-burner for a little bit. After all, I am a college student. I don't want to just sloppily update this because I enjoy these issues, And I like taking my time with these.

So with that being said, hike up your mini skirts, re-adjust your corsets, straighten out your fishnets, and get ready to tackle this very serious subject: Women's Halloween costumes. Not just any Halloween costumes, but the ones where they expose as much of themselves as possible without being arrested for indecent exposure. You know what I'm talking about. But in case you don't...

Now I know exactly what you're thinking. "IAN!? You look at dirty halloween costumes!?" The answer, of course, is no. This just demonstrates how ingrained it is in our world that women's halloween costumes have to be as promiscuous as possible. These images, among many others, popped up after a simple Google Image search of "Women's Halloween Costumes" (image credit: scavangeinc).

This is a tough topic for me to discuss without any bias, since, as a man, I think Halloween outfits can be among the most flattering a girl can wear. However, it makes whoever is wearing these outfits LOOK bad, as in people think "Jesus Christ, why would you ever go out in public looking like that, you slut."

But I take pride in the fact that while most guys are just ogling at these women and not thinking anything about it, I at least am trying to figure out whether this is really justifiable or not. I have now experienced two Halloweens here at Temple, and everytime I see a pack of girls walk by in their costumes, I always question their integrity.

Are they doing it because they know they look good? Because they want to think they look good? Because they want attention? Because everyone else is doing it and they're expected to? Are they going to regret this 20 years from now looking back on it? Etc, etc.

I like to believe that girls go into this knowing that they're going to look and be perceived as a slut, but they go ahead and do it anyway. After all, Halloween is the only holiday where girls can look like sluts and get away with it according to Mean Girls. Women aren't going to look back on this and regret it. If anything, they're probably going to regret NOT doing it because college/early adulthood was the only time they could possibly get away with wearing something like what you see above. In comparison to some men's halloween costumes (another topic altogether), women's costumes are considerably less vulgar, but clearly far more suggestive.

So are these costumes justifiable? If the girls wearing them are aware of how they are being perceived and are doing it anyway just to have a good time: yes, it's totally justifiable. If someone wears them out of blind ignorance and thinks they look awesome (which is what I feel like most people who wear these outfits think): no, not justifiable at all. It's very circumstantial.

VERDICT: CIRCUMSTANTIAL/ MOSTLY UNJUSTIFIABLE

*disclaimer*

I really didn't want to have to say this, but I'm going to anyway so that my ass is covered: I know that not everyone dresses like this. Some pull of very cute and fun outfits that are in no way promiscuous, but the thing is, I'm not judging whether or not that's justifiable, because it's safe to say that the consensus of that argument would be "yes, cute and fun outfits that are in no way promiscuous are justifiable." Right? Right.

brokeNCYDE

*WARNING* Content may be extremely offensive.

I don't even know how to begin here, because I was just so... taken aback by this. My friend was telling me about this band her little (12 and 14 year old) cousins were listening to. You need to experience this for yourself, I don't want to give away too much.

This is brokeNCYDE. After hearing this, a little part of my soul withered away into nothing. As if it doesn't SOUND awful enough, let's take a look at this particular song's lyrics.

"I walk into the club looking kind of sexy now.
I see these shorties in the corner, they started making out.
They pull their panties down, they take their pants off.
Then they started getting freaky on the dance floor.
Shake it mommy give it to me like you need some love.
I got some bottles in the caddy that we can open up.
Let's get drunk tonight, baby we don't have to fuck.
And bring your friend along, maybe we can have some fun.
Let's get freaky now, let's get fucking freaky now. [x4]
I got these bitches all tipsy trying to sex me.
I know they want it, alcoholics are some sex freaks.
This ex and chronic gots me wanting to get messy.
So let's get messy girls, come on let's go get messy girls.
Come on bitch, you know you want this.
That hardcore shit will make you feel the toxic.
Fursachi, Rolex watches.
Bently coups with the 20's droppin.
Convertible top, and the wheels spin.
I can taste that ice when my grill is in.
If you want me baby feel me in.
'cause I don't waste my time with lesbians.
Let's get freaky now, let's get fucking freaky now. [x4]
Liar! [x8]
Oh baby why did you have to lie to me.
I can't play no more games.
These thoughts are slowly controlling me.
You're turning off the flame.
So go baby go baby.
You don't want me.
So go baby go baby.
Come and get me.
So go baby go baby.
You don't want me.
So go baby go!
Come and get me.
Let's get freaky now, let's get fucking freaky now. [x4]"

Upon further inspection, every single song except one is about either A.) Drinking, B.) Being at a Club, C.) "Bitches", or D.) All of the above. I don't think my heart can handle any more lyric-postings, so if you want to see for yourself (which i don't really understand why anybody would want to do that to their self), then be my guest.

This is what kids are listening to nowadays! When I was in 6th grade, I was at least listening to respectable crappy music ( New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, you know, stuff with broad appeal that can be catchy) but I didn't know that music that was this downright offensive even existed.

You know that theory that if a million monkeys were on typewriters for eternity that they would eventually produce the works of Shakespeare? I think that the works of brokeNCYDE are what the monkeys would produce within the first 5 minutes of typing away, and then 5 of those 1,000,000 monkeys decided, "Hey, let's make a band and wail away to this stuff!"

Justifiable? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

VERDICT: UNJUSTIFIABLE TO THE HIGHEST DEGREE

*UPDATE*

Video Album Review: brokeNCYDE

This video review of brokeNCYDE's album has helped me regain faith in humanity. Maybe it can do the same for you.

Leggings for Pants

As I lay out on the beach by the bell tower on Temple's campus on this BEAUTIFUL Autumn afternoon, a number of things catch my eye. It appears there is some sort of gay-rights speech that is about to take place. I could be wrong, although the giant rainbow made of hundreds of balloons seems to be an indicator, as well as the people mingling about the plaza in their shirts that read "Gay? It's okay!"

I digress, this isn't the reason why I'm making my first entry in Justification Station. Laying out here by the bell tower and people watching made me realize something. More and more recently I have been noticing an ever increasing trend that's spreading quicker than the swine-flu: leggings acting as pants!

I'm really digging the knee-pads.

In order for all of us to be on the same page here, the working definition of leggings for pants will be a girl wearing leggings with just a t-shirt/anything that doesn't cover their ass or crotch.

I'm torn, really. On one hand, I love leggings/tights on girls; on the other hand, THEY AREN'T WEARING ANY PANTS! While some may argue that, I ask you this: when you're getting dressed in the morning, do you say to yourself "Gee, I think I'm going to wear pants today" or do you say "I'm going to wear leggings today"? If said "yes" the latter, YOU'RE NOT WEARING PANTS!

What drives me crazy are these girls that are walking around in just a t-shirt and leggings and thinking they're hot shit (I would take a picture if I had my camera to prove it to you, but alas...). This just isn't the case. Sure, leggings show off your legs (if you have good ones), and your ass (if you have even have one), but 80% of the time girls end up looking plain ridiculous. Leggings can be some of the most unflattering things a girl can wear. It's like going outside with no pants on!

Now I love leggings just as much as the next guy... okay, maybe even more so than the next guy... okay, who am I kidding, I love leggings more than most people I have met, but even I can identify when enough is enough. There needs to be some restrictions on this whole leggings-for-pants phenomenon, and they are as follows.

1.If you have an outfit that you would be willing to wear in public without leggings, then leggings are acceptable. If you only wear an outfit because you believe your leggings-as-pants makes it acceptable, you probably shouldn't be wearing it.

2. The half-ass/no-crotch policy: The furthest extent to which someone can wear leggings as pants is if their shirt/blouse/whatever they're wearing covers at least half of their ass and their crotch isn't hanging out when they're standing. That means no t-shirts with leggings. Also, in conjunction with the half-ass policy, if half of your ass is hanging out, please try to keep the VPL's (visible panty lines) to a bare minimum.

If used in moderation, sure, it can be justifiable, but 80% of the time, in terms of straight up leggings for pants and you're not following the above rules, I'm going to have to go with UNJUSTIFIABLE, as much as it pains me to say so.

VERDICT: UNJUSTIFIABLE

Justifiable vs. Unjustifiable

For those of you lucky enough to stumble upon this little gem of a website: Welcome! If life's challenging questions are your sort of thing and you get all hot and bothered over some serious debates, then by-golly have you ever come to the right place to get yourself going. What I'm planning to do here is simple: deciding whether or not the topic at hand is justifiable or unjustifiable (hence "Justification Station").

I don't know if you know this, but I'm all about confrontation, so I'm just going to put everything exactly how it is. You don't like it? Tough beans, home-slice, go start your own blogging contraption. Maybe if you have half a heart and an open-mind, you'll linger around (well, linger as in "hanging around unthreateningly" and not as in "lurking and being a creeper", ya dig?) to see how all of these tough issues I'm going to go over play.

I'm open to suggestions of topics to go over, but remember: THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF.