The Society B-Side

An illustration of a hand holding 7 playing cards above a poker table. The text above the cards reads "The Society B Side"

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the chaos of modern life. Between a 24-hour news cycle and an ever-present social media landscape, our incessant consumption of information makes it necessary for us to stop and reflect. Art is a natural place for this meditation, as art itself is a reflection of our society. 

Living in a society can mean different things to different people. To some, it means having a community to rely on; to others, it implies exclusion, isolation and strife. To us, these two definitions work in tandem. 

Art and politics, too, are inherently connected. When viewing them together, we can learn more about the world around us and, almost more importantly, ourselves. Society exists at the nexus between art and politics in their many forms. Now more than ever, we have to find what exactly the relationship between them is.  

In exploring this relationship, seven Arts writers and six Opinion writers collaborate to create a special crossover B-Side composed of calls to action, political insights and personal reflections on societal status. We present to you, the Arts x Opinion Society B-Side.

Managing Arts EditorsZach Loveall and Cecilia Ledezma can be reached at zloveall@umich.edu and cledezma@umich.edu. Editorial Page Editors Lindsey Spencer and Zhane Yamin can be reached at lindssp@umich.edu and zhane@umich.edu.

Digital illustration of a playing card on the table with Uncle Sam and a teenager gaming on the face.
The US military’s youth recruitment tactics: Video games want YOU
Digital illustration of a playing card on the table with Selina Meyer and Trump on the face.
What ‘Veep’ tells us about American politics
Digital illustration of a playing card on the table with a frat boy and someone scrolling on their phone on the face.
Filming in public: PledgeTok and the bystander effect
An illustration of the King of Clubs playing card resting on a poker table. The figures in the card depict Julio from "Y Tu Mama Tambien" wearing a crown on one side and Tenoch from "Y Tu Mama Tambien" wearing a crown on the other.
Growing up in transition: From PRI to MAGA
An illustration of the Queen of Hearts playing card resting on a poker table. The figures in the card depict Isabelle from "I Saw the TV Glow" wearing a crown on one side and Owen from "I Saw the TV Glow" wearing a crown on the other.
‘There is still time’: Transgender hope amid Trump’s re-election
An illustration of the King of Hearts playing card resting on a poker table. The figures in the card depict Willie Nelson in a recent hippie-like outfit wearing a crown on one side and Willie Nelson in a country outfit from "Redheaded Stranger" wearing a crown on the other.
Country music splits hippies from rednecks, Willie Nelson unites them
An illustration of the Queen of Diamonds playing card resting on a poker table. The figures in the card depict Carrie Bradshaw wearing a crown on one side and a serious-looking female journalist with a notepad and wearing a crown on the other.
The plight of the female journalist