With the release of three vaccines for the COVID-19 variant, the Coronavirus pandemic is finally starting to look up. However, the pandemic has thrown the disparity between economic classes into full view. Vaccines are taking longer to get to those of a lower economic status, especially outside of Western countries, such as the United States and those in the EU. Countries unable to afford COVID vaccines are all relying on the same international fund to supply them, but it will take much more time and money for these nations to see a vaccination rate on par with the United States.

The New York Times masthead proudly proclaims that "All the News Fit to Print," which serves to remind its consumers that they are committed to impartiality. Following a wave of police killings of black men, Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK) wrote an opinion piece, which was featured in an issue of the Times, claiming that the US military should be deployed to quiet the civil unrest in the country. The release of Cotton's opinions sparked horror for readers and NYT employees as they felt his language could lead to further violent outcry. The Times apologized days after the op-ed's publication. Critics of the new's organization think that readers should know the positions their elected officials hold and that their response reveals liberal bias, which is not impartial reporting.

The release of Bird Box immediately had people comparing the story where people had to go blind to survive to how blindness, and disability as a whole, is perceived in society. Bird Box's actors and actresses are not blind, and can easily misrepresent what living with blindness is really like. Many people see an issue with casting an actor who does not belong to the group that the main character of the story belongs to. It also sparked a challenge where people wore blindfolds to do everyday things, which was interpreted as lowering blindness to a game. Others see no issue with it, as acting is the ability to portray something that you are not.

Cities across the United States have turned to hostile architecture to curb the homeless population within their cities. Hostile architecture is anything that makes a place less hospitable, such as spikes under an overpass or ridges on a bench to prevent sleeping. These are seen as a quick fix and could potentially benefit businesses by making the cities seem cleaner and potentially deter crime. However, the architecture does nothing to help the homeless, actively taking city funds that could be directed towards helping these people better their lives.

The arrival of postmodern art has brought with it many controversial pieces of art. Some of these art pieces have included physical harm to people, the death of animals, and the destruction of ancient art. These led to an international debate over what is art and what should be limited. If art is limited, it could potentially protect certain thoughts, ideals, or even people and animals. However, if art is limited, it restricts the avenues that artists can use in order to convey a message.

Students applying for college are not submitting their race at higher numbers than ever seen before because of its consideration in admittance. Proponents of not including race into acceptance consideration believe that these factors stereotype and discriminate against certain groups, such as Asian-Americans, whose race can be harmful to their acceptance. Those in favor of race-based admittance believe that it allows people to further express themselves and allows universities to understand their applicant pools.

Dogs have long existed as man's best friend, and with 48 million American households owning a dog, they will continue to hold this title. However, because dogs are typically pets instead of workers, people have started to question the need for purebred dogs. Purebreds are genetically predisposed to certain conditions that lower their quality of life. Purebreds are, however, still used for many necessary reasons, such as guide dogs, protection, and hunting. Not all purebreds are guaranteed to have genetic conditions, and if breeding is done away with, these dogs will no longer be born to be adopted, having no life at all.

It has become more common than ever to share or borrow accounts to different streaming services, such as Netflix or Hulu. It is estimated that this account sharing is costing these streaming services over $2.7 billion dollars. Many of these shared accounts are families where children have become adults and kept using their parents accounts. These companies wonder if they need to enact stricter restrictions to limit this sharing, which to them constitutes stealing.

James loves to host parties at his house to celebrate with friends or coworkers, and alcohol is almost always involved in these parties. He believes that alcohol can be used to make people feel better, make conversation flow, and allow for more intimate relationships to form. However, the many risks involved, such as inappropriate jokes, undesired sexual contact, and even the potential of drunk driving.

African countries, including Rwanda, have effectively banned the importation of secondhand clothing in order to protect the industry and integrity of their citizens. In Rwanda, secondhand clothing can be found for so cheap, potentially free, that it has devastated the textile industry. Not only has it had economic impact, but it also forces Western dependence upon Rwanda because of their inability to produce their own clothing and the threats against Rwanda for banning these imports, such as being excluded from a U.S. trade deal.

In many poorer countries, such as Nigeria, people will seek to earn a medical degree in order to better their chances to immigrate to richer countries like the United States. This causes "medical brain drain," which is the act of medical professionals leaving their home country for better living conditions. This can be problematic, as it leaves countries like Nigeria without necessary healthcare workers, worsening the medical needs of the nation. Still, these doctors are seeking better lives for themselves and their families, taking advantage of the immigration system of richer nations.

Universal basic income or UBI is a guaranteed stipend provided by the state to its people. Ex-presidential candidate Andrew Yang wanted to provide citizens a monthly 1k. Supporters say that this would give the people a safety net when considering and taking financial risk, as well as pursuing their personal goals without worrying about poverty. Others argue this by saying that providing income to those who don't put enough into earning it is unfair to the ones that do, since indirectly these are the people who would be funding the UBI. Should the UBI have more specific terms on who receives it? Is this unfair to those who work hard for their financial success?

WorldPride planned to be held in conjunction with NYC's annual Pride festival. Lots of LGBTQ members saw this as just a way for companies to profit off of a group that they don't even agree with or truly support, so there was an alernate event held. Many companies provide sponsership to events like these, meanwhile they contradict themselves with also aiding other entities that are anti-LGBTQ, giving members of the community a reason to believe the companies are solely here for their own profit. Although, as these events become increasingly popular, it gets harder and harder to refuse any help from mega-corporations. Should the mega-corporations financial aid enough in this social justice movement?

Blackface is when a white actor assumes a black identity for means of humor. In the 21st century, it has taken more of a digital form, like GIFs, memes, videos, and etc. However, this humor is often seen as extremely offensive, especially when the character is playing to the negative stereotypes of African-Americans. Some people don't see it this way, and claim that shunning blackface puts a barrier around the grounds of humor, segregating what comdians and actors alike can do based off race. Should white people be more thoughtful in their use of humor involving a black person? Should digital blackface be banned all together, or will that be too restricting.