Jess Lahitou

Jess Lahitou

Bio

Jess is a literature lover, former teacher, new(ish) mother, and politics junkie. Currently in Miami, this Colorado native is embracing the culture shock. Art Basel? Wynwood? Ropa Vieja? Yes, please.

Jess Lahitou Articles

Why are female-voiced bots responding so passively - or even gratefully - to sexual harassment?

Sexism Programmed Into Bots Like Siri? Yeah, It's True

Digital assistants such as Siri are not people. Yet, the way these female-voiced bots are programmed to react when being sexualized or sexually harassed paints a pretty bleak picture of how Silicon Valley organizes its values.

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Remain calm, everybody. Delgates got this.

Why Nominating A Primary Candidate Is NOT A Democratic Process

Watching recent cable news talking heads chat about the prospect of Trump/Cruz/Clinton/Sanders being “denied” the Republican/Democratic nomination, you would think that entertainment media is run by 5th graders. (Although... That WOULD explain a lot.)

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Given their unfair and potentially exploitative access to the personal life details of millions of voters, in an ideal world, social media tycoons wouldn’t run at all. (Image Credit: Instagram/@zuck)

Is The Next President Coming Out Of Silicon Valley?

Americans deserve to vote without being unwittingly “nudged,” “tweaked,” or otherwise manipulated by those with the most power and most incentive to do so. Ergo, any candidate from Silicon Valley needs to be treated with an excess of skepticism.

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Change demands more than just protests.

How To Start A Revolution: Think Small

If I’m just online screaming, what am I not doing in physical reality?

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Besides a cough, Clinton seems to be doing just fine. (Image Credit: Flickr/Gage Skidmore)

Hillary Clinton Health Crisis: Not Much To See, Folks

Both Clinton and Trump should be more forthcoming about their physical health, but the controversy surrounding Clinton's fitness for office looks largely media-driven.

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" out of that mouth comes the same caveman rhetoric that Berlusconi peddled years ago."

History Repeats: Donald Trump And Berlusconi's War On Feminism

Trump’s stratospheric rise in public polls has got me thinking about the possibility of him actually being elected and what that would mean for American women. And I can’t help but be reminded of the similarities between Trump and the former Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi.

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(Image Credit: By TechCrunch via Wikimedia Commons)

John Oliver's Non-Tribute To 2016 = Post-Election Catharsis

If you're one of the seven people in the universe who foresaw Donald Trump's victory and were prepared for the events that went down — can it be ju

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My mom has been an invaluable mentor — not just to me, but to many of my friends.

A Mother's Wisdom: Why Everyone Needs A Mentor And A Friend

Back in my early twenties, I struggled financially. But more so in that much-mocked Millennial quest of “finding myself,” I made a number of questionable decisions.

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No trigger warnings in here.

Are We Too Triggered?: The Challenge Of Creating “Safe Spaces” On College Campuses

Students at the University of Missouri and Yale have recently grabbed media attention for their protests against administrators and professors who fail to create a safe space for them on campus. In the latter, an email questioning the prudence of restricting Halloween costumes stirred uproar, causing this video of a student publicly berating her professor to go viral.

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Sinking to new lows as POTUS. (Image Credit: Flickr/Gage Skidmore)

Donald Trump's Speech To Joint Session Of Congress: A New Level Of Egomaniac Emerges, Hidden Under Rapturous Applause

This is the first time I’ve seen a sitting president “spin” a clear military defeat to save his own ego, and use a bereft and heartbroken wife in order to get away with it. Disgust is not the right word. Horror, maybe. Disbelief and revulsion crashing into each other.

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