GL BE UNMASKING MENTAL HEALTH . VOLUME 93 . ISSUE 5 . CLAYTON HIGH SCHOOL. CLAYTON, MO. FEBRUARY 2021.
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antisemitism Isabella Bamnolker, Kate Freedman and Seraphina Corbo explain the rise of antisemitism throughout the decade.
pandemic peer pressure 16
Moriah Lotsoff inspects social manipulation in society based on differing views of the pandemic.
presidential 37 power Alex Slen questions the limit of presidential power.
Jordan Ireland (left) dribbles past Izzy Ross (right) during a girls basketball practice.
PHOTOGRAPHER , MARCI PIEPER CONTENTS 3
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from the editor It’s a little difficult to believe we’ve made it to 2021. Over the past year, the concept 2021 has taken on an almost mythical status: finally the nightmarish 2020 would be over. Well, hard to believe or not, 2021 has arrived. And so far? It’s felt pretty much the same. Dishonesty and hate have found refuge masked as “revolution”. Sickness remains latched onto our communities. Words like peace and unity feel like distant dreams. I am not alone in having waited a long time for 2021 to arrive. This year has been glorified for the simple fact of its existence. 2021 is the subject of nearly 8 billion people’s projections of what 2020 should have been. Except I worry that we have given it too much credit. Putting up a new calendar is not going to save us from fighting with one another. Replacing a zero with a one is not going to vaccinate the entire population, or solve racism. Humans are creatures of routine and pattern. There’s a reason we tell ourselves that we will eat better next month, or that we will stop scrolling through Instagram at exactly 9:00. We like definite beginnings and ends, which is why we challenge ourselves to set resolutions at the start of a new year. So maybe the fact that it’s finally 2021 is not
what’s important. Maybe instead, it’s that we get the chance to start over. To challenge ourselves to seek truth in our news, to be more informed allies, to take better care of ourselves and one another. We are all hurting. We are not okay, and I’m not sure if things will get better. What I do know is that nothing will change if we put our wishes in the hands of a number and hope for the best. This year did not have a promising start. Regardless of your politics, there is something deeply saddening about the images from the siege of the Capitol on Jan. 6. 2021 has been history-making for the better too, though. On Jan. 20, the nation watched as Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first female, first African American, and first Asian American vice president of the United States. Vice President Harris’ election to the position was a bright spot in 2020, and it continues to be this year: for the first time, millions of women, young and old, are seeing themselves represented in the second highest-ranking person in the country. There is hope. The narrative of 2021 has yet to be written. The violence that marked the beginning of the year does not have to define it. After the trauma and fatigue of 2020, it would be easy to settle for a year in which we all just
make it. If things go well, that could be the story of 2021: millions of quiet attempts to recover ourselves and heal each other. But what if this year could be more than that? What if, when the time comes to start rebuilding, we refuse to return to a “normal” that allows 2,462 children to die from gun violence each year, that ignores the 34 million Americans living below the poverty line and that stands by as White Supremacist and NeoNazi groups run rampant? What if standing up to hatred, battling misinformation and seeking peace is enough to tip the scale from chaos to change? 2021 isn’t the light at the end of the tunnel. But in the words of National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, “there is always light… if only we are brave enough to be it.”
emma baum
FEATURE SECTION EDITOR
EDITOR’S LETTER 5
vintage vinyl Vintage Vinyl is an independent and local record store located in the Delmar Loop. Since the pandemic, they have still allowed in-store shopping but have also created an option for curbside pick up.
Photo by Eli Millner
THE RACE TO REPLACE KREWSON Criticism surrounding St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson has caused her not to run for re-election.
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s the country wrapped up one of the most highly contested presidential races in its history, the City of St. Louis has an election for its own chief executive underway. The 2021 race for the Mayor of St Louis, to be held on April 6, 2021, features the city’s first nonpartisan primary election on March 2. The new electoral process comes following the approval of Proposition D in the November general election, the implementation of which abolishes a partisan primary election system. The website representing proponents of Prop D identifies what they consider a key problem with the previous system in the city, which is that most candidates in city offices win a minority of the votes in their primary, and “3 out of 5 voters often prefer a different candidate.” They propose that Proposition D has solved this problem. The ballot measure establishes a system known as approval voting, where voters choose all of the candidates they approve of, then the two candidates with the most approval votes will go on to be in the “run-off,” which decides the winner of the election. Additionally, it allows voters to approve
NEWS 8
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The ballot measure establishes a system known as approval voting, where voters choose all of the candidates they approve of, then the two candidates with the most approval votes will go on to be in the ‘run-off’.
Lyda Krewson
PAUL SABLEMAN, PHOTOGRAPHER of candidates outside of their own party registration, hence the nonpartisan aspect of the election. Amongst those opposed to Prop D, which won with almost 70% of voters in favor, was the Board of Aldermen of the city itself. Current candidate for mayor, Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, co-sponsored the measure, Resolution 61 (2020-21 legislative session), which was sponsored primarily by 21st Ward Alderman John Collins-Muhammad. Resolution 61 cites that Fargo, ND, is the only city in the country that uses the approval voting system; the efforts for establishing the system in both Fargo and St. Louis were funded by the Center for Election Science in San Francisco, CA. The Board claims that “if passed, Proposition D will disenfranchise voters; decrease voter turnout; and will eliminate the democratic party’s stronghold on the City,” and that the measure will force candidates to “raise significant amounts of dollars” should they desire to run, though the Proposition itself did not stipulate any changes to campaign finance law and the Resolution does not explain what effects the Proposition had on campaign costs.
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As a part of the new electoral process, all candidates are required to receive at least 1,170 signatures in order to petition for candidacy in the upcoming election. Tishaura Jones
PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/NEW AMERICA The Resolution did not stop the Proposition from being passed; it simply “urge[d] residents to vote NO on Proposition D.” The City’s website explains: “resolutions express consensus on matters of public policy”; in the case of Resolution 61, “[w]hen resolutions are mere expressions of opinion, they differ fundamentally from laws [...] [R]esolutions expressing the views of lawmakers are limited to a specific issue or event. They are neither intended to be permanent nor to be enforceable.” It should be noted that one of
President Reed’s opponents, Alderwoman Cara Spencer, did not co-sponsor this resolution. The Globe has not received a response, when we inquired if Alderwoman Spencer supported the resolution or opposed Proposition D. Incumbent mayor Lyda Krewson, a Democrat, was elected in 2017, replacing former mayor Francis Slay, to become the first female mayor in the city’s history. Although she is eligible to seek re-election, she has instead chosen to resign, following criticism surrounding an incident that occurred on Facebook Live in June. Krewson publicly broadcasted the names and addresses of residents petitioning for a decrease in the city’s $135 million police budget to be redirected to social and housing services, one of whom was a minor. St. Louis community activist and drag performer Maxi Glamour
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[W]hen resolutions are mere expressions of opinion, they differ fundamentally from laws [...] [R]esolutions expressing the views of lawmakers are limited to a specific issue or event. They are neither intended to be permanent nor to be enforceable. Lewis Reed
PAUL SABLEMAN, PHOTOGRAPHER
Andrew Jones PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Cara Spencer
PAUL SABLEMAN, PHOTOGRAPHER began a petition demanding Krewson resign, stating that the act was “an intimidation tactic.” The city issued a statement in June that Krewson would not resign, however since then she has chosen not to seek re-election. As a part of the new electoral process, all candidates are required to receive at least 1,170 signatures in order to petition for candidacy in the upcoming election. Where the race started with 7 candidates, this new requirement disqualified 3 candidates, Dana Kelly, Lassad Jeliti and Keith Jefferson. Remaining are City Treasurer Tishaura Jones, President of the Board of Alderman Lewis Reed, Alderwoman Cara Spencer and Andrew Jones, the only Republican currently on the ballot.
owen auston-babcock
REPORTER NEWS 9
BIDEN’S CABINET
Biden’s cabinet picks include a selection of diverse and experienced individuals President Biden has worked the past several months to put together a diverse and experienced cabinet. This article will break down Biden’s cabinet picks, the background of these people, and the role they will play in Biden’s administration.
SECRETARY OF STATE: ANTHONY BLINKEN The Secretary of State in the US is the main adviser to the president regarding foreign affairs. This person is responsible for carrying out the foreign policies of the president. Anthony Blinken worked alongside Biden during Biden’s tenure in the senate. Blinken also worked in the State Department under the Clinton Administration. Blinken has been openly critical of Trump’s “America First’’ approach to foreign policy, so Biden’s foreign policy will change the course of American foreign policy with Blinken as Secretary of State.
SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT: MARCIA FUDGE The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development deals with housing and development for the country. Fudge is a congresswoman and will play a major role in the Biden administration’s response to the housing crisis that has been brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. This pick has also received criticism, as Fudge originally wanted the agriculture secretary position and has criticized the tendency for people of color to be only given certain cabinet positions, such as the HUD position.
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SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY: JANET YELLEN
SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS
The job of the US Secretary of the Treasury is to manage the fiscal policies and matters of the country. Janet Yellen is a former professor at UC Berkeley. Yellen served as a chair on the Council of Economic Advisors under Bill Clinton and as a chair of the Federal Reserve under Barack Obama. Biden hopes Yellen’s experience will aid her in getting the economy back on track after the losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Secretary of Homeland Security in the US leads the Department of Homeland Security, overseeing services such as TSA, Customs and Border Protection and Customs Enforcement. Mayorkas was a refugee and comes from a family of immigrants, so his life background will bring first hand experience to this department. Mayorkas will also be focusing on immigration policy and border security.
SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: XAVIER BECERRA The Secretary of Health and Human Services leads the Department of Health and Human Services in the US and advises the president in any matters relating to health. Xavier Becerra is the current Attorney General of California and he will be leading the department that will be responsible for rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine.
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: LLOYD AUSTIN The Secretary of Defense in the US leads the Department of Defense and runs the Pentagon. Lloyd is a recently retired army general and would be the first Black person to run the Pentagon. However, his appointment would require congress to grant an exception to a law that does not allow former military officers to become Defense Secretary within 7 years of active duty.
SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE: TOM VILSACK
SECRETARY OF VETERAN AFFAIRS: DENIS MCDONOUGH
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: PETE BUTTIGIEG
The US Secretary of Agriculture is responsible for overseeing and managing agricultural production, as well as food and nutrition. Vilsack served in the same position under the Obama administration. Biden has been criticized for this pick over Fudge for this position.
The US Secretary of Veteran Affairs oversees the department of veterans affairs, overseeing veterans’ benefits, health care and national veterans’ memorials and cemeteries. McDonough was a longtime Obama-Biden lieutenant, worked as a White House chief of staff, as well as deputy national security adviser. This pick has received criticism, as McDonough did not serve in the military.
The Secretary of Transportation oversees the department of transportation for the country. Buttigieg was the former mayor of South Bend, Indian, and was a Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential election. If confirmed, Buttigieg would be the first openly gay senateconfirmed cabinet member.
ENERGY SECRETARY: JENNIFER GRANHOLM
INTERIOR SECRETARY: DEB HAALAND
EDUCATION SECRETARY: MIGUEL CARDONA
Granholm is a former governor of Michigan and has had experience dealing with the national auto industry. She is a vocal proponent of zero-emissions energy, however, her connections to chemical and energy companies in the past have raised questions and concerns.
The Interior Secretary is responsible for the management and conservation of federal land and natural resources. This pick is historic, as Haaland would be the first Native American cabinet secretary to lead the Interior.
The Education Secretary is responsible for overseeing the education department for the country, which is responsible for enforcing federal education laws and overseeing and assisting with federal education when needed. Cardona is a former teacher and is currently the Connecticut Commissioner of Education, overseeing the schools in the state, which will bring a tremendous amount of experience to this department.
OTHER CABINET POSITIONS: Chief of Staff: Ron Klain Office of Management and Budget Director: Neera Tanden Director of National Intelligence: Avril Haines National Security Advisor: Jake Sullivan UN Ambassador: Linda Thomas-Greenfield Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change: John Kerry Chair of Council of Economic Advisors: Cecilia Rouse US Trade Representative: Katherine Tai EPA Administrator: Michael Regan
ruthie pierson
NEWS SECTION EDITOR NEWS 11
THE RISE IN ANTISEMITISM With reports of antisemitism at an all time high in schools, in the streets and on social media, millions of Jews fear for their lives and the safety of their families.
Neo-Nazis, alt-Right and white supremacists march through the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA., the night before the "Unite the Right" rally, on Aug. 11, 2017
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n Uman, Ukraine, a visibly Jewish man was attacked at a supermarket. In Austria, the head of Graz’s Jewish community was attacked with a wooden club. In Delaware, firefighters responded to a fire at the Chabad Center of the University of Delaware caused by an arson attack. In Boise, Idaho on Dec. 7, nine swastika stickers were placed throughout the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial. Then, as Jewish families celebrated Hanukkah this year, several cases of antisemitism occurred throughout the country. On Dec. 13, a man chanted antisemitic remarks to a father and his son in Miami Beach, Florida. On Dec. 14 in Great Neck, New York, hackers infiltrated the website of the North Shore Hebrew Academy, posting swastikas, slur and Nazi videos. Antisemitism has been on the rise globally, with a surge in vandalism and assaults against Jewish people and places of worship in the past several years. According to the AntiDefamation League (ADL), there were more than 2,100 attacks of harassment, vandalism, and assaults across the United States in 2019 alone, the highest number since the ADL began recording hate crimes in 1979. According to a survey conducted by the organization in April 2020, two-thirds of American Jews feel less safe today than they did a decade ago. For over a hundred years, the ADL has focused on stopping antisemitism by
FEATURE 12
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IT’S NOT MAGIC FAIRY DUST; IT’S EDUCATION. providing education not only to students, but also to educators, community groups, and corporations in an attempt to break down biases and stereotypes. Karen Aroesty, regional director of the ADL, expresses how important education is to reject biases that are socialized in everyone. Many school districts lack a basic curriculum about racism, antisemitism, and in more broad terms, teaching kids to embrace other’s differences. “It’s not magic fairy dust, it’s education,” said Aroesty. Only a little over two years ago, a gunman entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, yelling “All Jews must die” as he opened fire among the congregants. The gunman killed 11 people and wounded six more, making the attack the deadliest killing of Jews in the United States on record. “In all the ways in which the United States
still is the safest country in the world for Jewish people, the most accepting, and the one that provides the greatest opportunity, we still have extraordinary levels of hate and violence that leave folks in the Jewish community understandably anxious,” said Aroesty. These antisemitic attacks are alarming, but unfortunately not a novel concept. Jews have been attacked and persecuted for thousands of years. In the centuries before Christ, the Israelites experienced intermittent persecution for refusing to adopt the religion and worship the ideals of the kingdoms of the Middle East in which they lived. Initially, Christianity was seen as a Jewish sect, as Jesus and the disciples were Jewish. Later, however, Christians began to view Jews as the killers of Christ and a threat to Christians and Christianity. Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation (CRC) in St. Louis, Missouri believes that Jews have been scapegoated for a long time. “We’re a small people so we are easy to pick on. So when Hitler was looking for a scapegoat, blame the Jews, and not only blame the Jews but take their money, or you can take their wealth. That happened during the Spanish Inquisition, with the Catholic Church, and it happened again during the Holocaust. Because if you want to gain power, one of the ways to do that is to define a common enemy and the Jews are an easy scapegoat,” said Talve.
In schools, the history of religion, especially Judaism, is either not taught or not taught in its entirety. Talve stresses the importance of education about history and religion in schools as a way to tackle and prevent stereotypes about Judaism and other religions. “There will be no redemption without truth. There is no healing that can happen unless we first tell the truth about our past.” She went on to explain that the lives of significant historical figures are often complicated, and what one person may view as a noble and holy person may have been a threat to others. “Louis the Ninth was no saint, for Jews or Muslims. The Catholics made him a saint because he fed poor white Christians, but he killed Jews and he killed Muslims and he burned all of our books and he plundered across Europe and Asia to get to Jerusalem. That’s who our city is named for,” said Talve. History classes, especially throughout the United States, are often very eurocentric and place a large emphasis on the origins, development, and reformation of Christianity throughout Europe and the world, whereas the origins and principles of Judaism tend to be overlooked or brushed over quickly, indirectly instilling the idea that Judaism is insignificant in a world largely dominated by Christianity. Stereotypes of Jewish people have existed for centuries, and they have often been represented as caricatures of a prejudiced nature. These stretch from the more egregious stereotypes of Jews as Christ-haters and Christ-killers to more banal injustices that ridicule common features or items associated with Jewishness, such as having a larger, hooked nose, playing the violin or being of shorter stature. Social media is one of the best and worst things to happen to this generation. With the rise of antisemitic remarks on popular apps such as Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok; disgusting remarks can be passed off as dark humor.
“Social media can be scary because things spread so quickly, misinformation can be like a virus. When mean people find other mean people on social media, they feed off of each other and it’s a very disgusting growth that occurs,” said Benjamin Hochman, a columnist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Although most Jewish students at Clayton feel safe and accepted, some students feel as though more should be added to the curriculum regarding antisemitism. “I feel very safe at Clayton High School as a Jewish student. In my experience, Clayton is an accepting community and the students acknowledge each other’s differences in religion. However, I do think we can develop our antisemitism curriculum especially in History courses. Antisemitism spans further than a basic understanding of the Holocaust and our curriculum should reflect that,” CHS student Sophie* said. “I think that antisemitism is taught, alongside many forms of hatred, as something apart of the past which it is not. It is important for people to know it existed long before the Holocaust and still exists today and is getting worse,” said Izzy Erdmann, a sophomore at Clayton High School. CRC was founded in 1984 by 30 people committed to social justice and the city of St. Louis. In 2000, they built their building to continue their commitment to those values. They have experienced threats and harassment in the years since it was built. Talve describes, “There are letters that we get, the hate mail that we get from people who think we’re going to Hell because we’re the wrong religion, people who think we’re not saved and who think we’re not adding to a better world.” Talve argues that as the world becomes more educated and sensitized to the racism that Black people face, it is important to extend that same attitude towards antisemitism. “We are getting good at red flags when it comes to racism because we’re educating
people. We have to do the same thing with antisemitism. When people say, ‘Jews have joint loyalty,’ that is one of those red flags. You have to begin to learn if you want to be an ally.” In addition, some people who live close to CRC have made it difficult for the congregation to coexist. “Our neighbors don’t like anybody who isn’t them. They don’t like Jews, they don’t like people that are Black, they don’t like people that are gay. But they certainly don’t like that we are next to them as a synagogue, and they tried to fight against that when we got the property,” said Talve. When Michael Brown was shot by a police officer in 2014, protests erupted in the streets of Ferguson pleading for justice in the police system of St. Louis. Talve stood with the protesters in the streets for almost a year. She says that the best way to combat antisemitism as a Rabbi is to make sure that everything that you do is done with sense and sensibility towards educating people what the essence of Judaism is. “So that they don’t jump to their own conclusions and so they are forced to understand their explicit and implicit bias. The most important thing that I do is to enter into relationships with people who are outside of my comfort zone. The most important thing that I can do is to show up in places where I can live my Jewish values. Because then, people can’t stereotype me,” said Talve. Talve believes that her being there pushes away the rhetoric that Jews do not care about others, which is a common stereotype. When Talve showed up in the streets of Ferguson to protest the killing of Michael Brown, she cared about the children, about the safety of the streets, and about the Jewish values she holds. “I was there because Jewish values had told me to be there. The fact that I was there allowed for people to not turn the protests into an anti-Jewish rhetoric. That happened. Again and again, there were people who tried to turn
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THERE ARE LETTERS THAT WE GET, THE HATE MAIL THAT WE GET FROM PEOPLE WHO THINK WE’RE GOING TO HELL BECAUSE WE’RE THE WRONG RELIGION, PEOPLE WHO THINK WE’RE NOT SAVED AND WHO THINK WE’RE NOT ADDING TO A BETTER WORLD. FEATURE 13
it into an anti-Israeli solidarity with Palestine. There were reasons to make connections with Palestinian solidarity. But when I was there, we could talk about the similarities of those connections and not allow people to turn it into a anti-semitic event,” said Talve. When you get out of your comfort zone and you let people get to know you, Talve believes that this is how you dispel stereotypes about Jews. When one sees the values in Judaism in a positive light, they are much less likely to be antisemitic. That also has to do with the way that schools talk about acceptance. “Dialogue needs to be taught. How to talk to others. How to listen and understand what those civic values mean. Those values need to be practiced and taught. You get it taught to you in kindergarten, but you unlearn those values as time goes on. So how do we bring people together? How do you teach a common language? How do you teach people to really listen to each other?” asked Talve. Rooting out antisemitism in one’s community also means realizing how normalized antisemitism is. In 2017, Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City was vandalized. A person threw rocks and toppled headstones. Jewish community centers receive threats, swastikas are planted on the sides of city subways, and Hasidic people are taunted and bullied in the streets of New York. Antisemitism and racism are the products of hate and white fear, which has been accelerated by the knowledge that whites have begun to use their long-held privilege and will be in the minority in a few decades. Also, former President Trump’s repeated inability to denounce white supremacy empowered and emboldened white supremacists on a large scale. On Jan. 6, white supremacists and neo-nazis marched into the Capitol. A man among the crowd was wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” shirt, another man wearing a shirt that said “6MWE,” as in 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust wasn’t enough. This was the first day that someone walked into the Capitol flying a confederate flag, a painful symptom of the disease of racism in the United States that has continued since its founding. Likewise, understanding antisemitism is the first step in understanding how to combat it and prevent it. Just as it is everyone’s job to root out racism in schools, universities, and the workplace, it is also everyone’s job to call out antisemitism and stand up for those who are looked over and subordinated in society. As Talve says, “As long as there are these kinds of divisions, there is always going to be antisemitism. It’s when we see antisemitism as the part of a much bigger story that we start to figure out how to live in the promised land together, where everybody has equity, where everybody is seen and everybody has infinite worth, and nobody gets to be called less human than anybody else”. Acceptance and equality will never come without truth and proper education.
FEATURE 14
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I WAS THERE BECAUSE JEWISH VALUES HAD TOLD ME TO BE THERE. THE FACT THAT I WAS THERE ALLOWED FOR PEOPLE TO NOT TURN THE PROTESTS INTO AN ANTIJEWISH RHETORIC.
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Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation Art by Ella Cuneo
isabella bamnolker, kate freedman & seraphina corbo PAGE EDITOR, SECTION EDITORS
VACCINE MYTHS: DEBUNKED The Globe debunks common myths of the COVID-19 vaccine.
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n the age of conspiracy theories and general mistrust of the government, false facts circulate around the internet and country. Americans are getting mixed messages about the 2020 election, our elected officials and COVID-19. With the newly released vaccines, COVID-19 myths are spreading almost as fast as the virus itself. Some of these theories have passed the point of no return and are causing harm to our society and world by convincing people that the COVID vaccines are more dangerous than the virus itself. False information is dangerous, and will cause more COVID-19 fatalities. We try to debunk some of the most common misconceptions here.
MYTH: If I already had COVID-19, then I don’t need the vaccine.
FACT: Just because you have had COVID-19
MYTH: The COVID-19 vaccine will make me sick or give me severe side effects.
FACT: There can be side effects of the
COVID-19 vaccines. You may have heard in the past not to get an Influenza vaccine while you have a fever because of your already weakened immune system. But, if you got the vaccine anyway, you may have felt sluggish, or more feverish afterwards. Because of your already weakened immune system, the effects as a result of the vaccine could have been amplified. Even if you have received a flu shot while you were healthy, you may have felt some flu symptoms afterwards- that is totally normal too. Vaccines such as the influenza vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine can cause side effects, but that is no excuse to not take the vaccine. Think of it this way: if you are scared to receive the vaccine because of different symptoms you might feel, would you be even more frightened to be infected by the actual non-controlled virus? Side effects of the vaccine can happen. You might feel chills, tiredness, a headache, or even a fever, but these symptoms should go away after a few days. After all, you are feeling your body fighting off the mock COVID-19 spike protein. In some instances, however, there have been reports of severe side effects, but it is extremely rare (out of one million doses, only one to two cases might have an extreme reaction.) But, these cases of severe reactions are most commonly older people, so if you are young and relatively healthy the vaccine should not be something to be scared of. In conclusion, the vaccine does have side effects, but these effects are similar to the symptoms you might feel after taking the flu shot every year. Do not be frightened of the vaccine’s effects; be afraid of the possible effects you might feel after being infected with COVID-19.
in the past does not mean you are exempt from receiving the vaccine. Even though you do develop COVID-19 antibodies from fighting off COVID-19, it is unknown whether or not these antibodies will protect you from the virus again. One of the reasons why experts think that COVID-19 survivors should receive the vaccine is because everybody’s body works differently, so there is no way to know how antibodies can protect one person from COVID-19 but not another person. Some people can develop high levels of antibodies so they may not even need a vaccine, while others have an undetectable amount of antibodies. It is recommended that people who have been infected with COVID-19 should get a vaccine just in case. The vaccine’s job is to provide people with the perfect amount of exposure to the COVID-19 protein so that the body can produce the ideal amount of antibodies. It might even be beneficial to receive a vaccine if you have antibodies because the vaccine will boost the amount of antibodies you have that have depleted over time.
MYTH: The vaccine is not safe because of its
MYTH: After you receive the vaccine, you
FACT: The vaccine is completely safe and
will not have to wear masks and social distance.
FACT: There has not been enough testing
to prove if you can still carry and spread the virus after you take the vaccine. While people are going to be eager to bust out of their houses and start living normal lives again, they need to think about the people they encounter. We don’t know if the virus prevents the spread of COVID-19 because the vaccine trials only tracked the vaccinated people who became infected. That means that there is a possibility that people who take the vaccine, become infected, and have no symptoms could unknowingly transmit the virus. Until more research is done, people who have had the vaccine should continue to participate in the same safety protocols as we have had for the last nine months.
fast development and testing.
(Dreamstime/TNS)
MYTH: The COVID-19 vaccine alters DNA. FACT: The COVID-19 vaccine does not
alter DNA. The COVID-19 vaccine is made from mRNA which is different from DNA: the double stranded molecule that holds all of our genetic information. mRNA is a copy of a small part of DNA which holds the instructions your body needs in order to make proteins. It’s purpose is to train your body to fight any given virus like, for instance, COVID-19. When the vaccine is injected into your arm the mRNA gives your muscle cells the information it needs in order to recreate the spike protein that is on the Coronavirus. Your body will then attack the faux Coronavirus spike protein and learn how to defend against it, so if you ever become sick with the virus your body will know how to protect you from COVID-19. The mRNA from the vaccine is not changing your genetic makeup; it is basically just an instruction manual for your body. Also, when the vaccine is injected into your arm, it is not injected into the nucleus of a cell (where the DNA is found) so there is no way that the vaccine can alter your DNA, as it never even touches it.
you don’t need to be concerned with the vaccine’s short development time. Adequate testing has occurred for the vaccine. For a vaccine to be approved it needs to go through Ultimately, don’t trust the rumors and six stages of a developmental/testing process conspiracy theories, trust the scientists. exploratory stage, pre-clinical stage, clinical Scientists around the world have been working development, regulatory review and approval, on this vaccine day and night. They are not manufacturing and quality control. While making this vaccine to hurt or track people and the process usually takes about seven years, it it has been properly developed. The COVID-19 has taken almost one year for the COVID-19 vaccine will end the suffering of millions of vaccine to be approved. Numerous companies people and to bring back the world to a former and organizations have prioritized resources state of normalcy. to shrink testing and development time significantly. Since the vaccine for COVID-19 alexandra hagemeister was such a priority, these barriers did not exist. Even though the creation time was short, the & max hagemeister vaccine still went through all of the steps in the NEWS SECTION EDITOR + PAGE EDITOR approval process which means it is as safe as any other approved vaccine. FEATURE 15
PANDEMIC PEER PRESSURE As the pandemic continues, people have felt societal pressures to participate in social gatherings despite their own reservations about the pandemic.
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oronavirus has infiltrated our society in various ways, and each person has been tasked with determining what the best strategy is to cope. Although the extent to which each person modifies their behavior is a personal choice, the outcome of those decisions can also impact others in a variety of ways. Throughout this pandemic people have been taking measures to stay safe in several different ways. There have been a wide spectrum of responses to what staying safe implies, from only leaving home for work or other essential reasons to going to social events and continuing life as if there is nothing wrong. The disagreement in what is an appropriate response has led to a new phenomena called coronavirus gaslighting. In traditional gaslighting, the victim is made to question their thoughts and sanity. This form of psychological manipulation and emotional abuse can occur in any situation-professional, familial, friendship, or other relationship. An example of gaslighting is if someone you respect tells you that you are remembering something wrong in order to get something they want. COVID gaslighting happens when someone invalidates another’s feelings towards the pandemic or their personal methods of isolating. The purpose of coronavirus gaslighting is to cause others to doubt if what they are doing is necessary or if they are just overreacting or being dramatic. Gaslighting can lead to feelings of severe isolation and other forms of decline in mental health. In the case of COVID gaslighting, these feelings can occur due to the implied narrative that they are letting others down when they decline to visit or participate in a group activity. Feeding into the confusion are our government leaders, who people may look toward for guidance. Many politicians continue to hold group rallies despite warnings of super spread. Some insist that the coronavirus is a hoax and that masks are useless. And while various leaders and role models contribute to this misdirection, sometimes the pressure to ignore the potential danger can occur in our own families, neighborhoods, or peer groups. Dheera Rathikindi, a Clayton High School student, primarily leaves her home for school, to pick up food or for a rare social event, during which she is careful to wear a mask and socially distance. She’s noticed that, even during the pandemic, she has continued to be invited to several birthday parties, holiday celebrations,
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Teen decides to remove her mask to socialize with a friend
MAYA RICHTER, PHOTOGRAPHER picnics and other social gatherings. Rathikindi always wears a mask when around people not in her immediate family, however, this is not always reciprocated by the people at the events she attends. “The few gatherings that I have been to, people don’t really wear masks; they are outdoors but it’s not socially distanced at all,” said Rathikindi. Rathikindi said that when she and others decline to attend social gatherings, they often feel disappointment from friends. “It’s like they are saying ‘why are you choosing your safety over hanging out with me.’ It’s not right to pressure someone who is just trying to take care of themselves and their family.” Although this new form of peer pressure may not be done with a malicious intent, it still can be very harmful to those who experience it. Research on traditional gaslighting has shown that, over time, the mental health impact could lead to increased levels of anxiety, depression and low self esteem, and could contribute to someone always doubting their thoughts or initial instincts. “This form of mental manipulation can be highly damaging, and makes it very
difficult for someone to then be in a trusting relationship. As traumatic as physical abuse can be, emotional abuse can be as or even more destructive, due to the ongoing self doubt and decrease in self esteem,” said Dr. Stone Kraushaar, clinical psychologist residing in the Clayton area. What should you do if you feel like you are experiencing COVID gaslighting? Try to stand your ground and do what feels right to you. If it does not improve, leave the situation or talk to someone close to you. Know that you are not alone. And what should you do if you think you may have been guilty of COVID gaslighting? Think about those around you and remember that everyone is isolating in a way that feels right to them. Respect those who may be taking more precautions. If you are going to host a party (that is hopefully socially distanced and masked), be intentional in not pressuring people to attend. Try to keep in mind that, even if they didn’t go to your party, it doesn’t mean that they hate you, but rather that they are doing what feels safe. In these unprecedented times, we should keep in mind that we are all in this together.
moriah lotsoff REVIEW SECTION EDITOR
coping with covid the Globe explores the impacts of the pandemic on mental health
by: sofia erlin, angela xiao, emma baum, alex cohen, ana mitreva, enoch lai, leo taghert & kirby miller. art by sonali dayal
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i. introduction On April 26, 2020, just a few months into the coronavirus pandemic, front line healthcare worker Dr. Lorna Breen committed suicide. She was only 49-years-old. Prior to the pandemic, she did not have a history of mental illness. But, it’s not hard to imagine how fear, social isolation, economic insecurity, disruption of routine, loss of loved ones and more issues tied to the COVID-19 pandemic can negatively affect mental wellbeing. Dr. Breen was one of the many people to face the mental toll of COVID-19. Not everyone’s mental health repercussions or symptoms are as severe as Dr. Breen’s, but it’s undeniable that everyone living through these unprecendented times is experiencing changes. Social interactions with family and friends are considered crucial to most people’s mental health. However, being close to one another, shaking hands, hugging and seeing each other’s faces without a mask has become a reality we’re no longer accustomed to. We’re not only fighting the virus but the stigma, discommunication and fear that comes with it. No one wants to be uninformed in an era where being uninformed can mean endangering yourself of loved ones. Staying up to date on new precautions and the state of the virus can save lives. But, with information becoming increasingly easy to obtain, misinformation spreads easily and can cause anxiety and unnecessary worry. Chief Behavioral Health Officer, Dr. Jaron Asher said, “Social media is a double edged sword. It’s because of social media and the ability to disseminate information quickly that I believe lives were saved. Without everyone knowing what was going on with the virus, we probably wouldn’t have been able to mobilize as quickly. But on the other hand, ... it can also amplify misinformation, and it can be a way that people kind of exaggerate fears.” When it comes to understanding and limiting social media use, Dr. Asher suggests a personal assessment of one’s own social media use. “If it adds more to your life than it takes away, then there’s no need to really change anything. But if you’re getting stirred up emotionally by social media or it’s kind of taking over your life, like when [you’re] preoccupied with checking it, and it’s constantly on and you can’t unplug then I’d say it’s sort of gone overboard in your life,” he said. When social media use comes to a point of unnecessary emotional interference it’s best to set a time limit to the amount of news and other negative media you consume. Fear is what motivates us to practice the precautions that keep us safe. So, how do we know when we’re being too anxious? “Anxiety is a good alert system… it’s going overboard when it’s impairing your
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functioning. So, we want anxiety to make us make us more alert and aware of risk. But sometimes, that same anxiety is to a larger degree, can become impairing, and people are obsessed, preoccupied, avoiding things that they would normally do,” said Asher. The importance of routine is ever-so necessary during a time where order seems fictitious. Having a routine is one of the best ways to find normality and motivation during this time. Another useful coping mechanism is exercise. Physical activity is shown to have an antidepressant effect and create other positive chemical responses in your body. A 2018 study involving 1.2 million U.S. adults found that people could achieve better mental wellbeing by doing as little as two hours of exercise each week. Being in contact with friends and family benefits everyone involved. When we’re in touch with someone, we’re able to see the signs of irregularities in mental wellness. But, how do we help and console the people most important to us through a screen? Dr. Asher says, “Open ended questions are a great way to start. Because when we ask yes or no questions, first of all, we get yes or no answers, which aren’t very elaborated. And also we sometimes betray our own thinking.” If you’re having interference with your ability to function daily, then it’s best to see a professional about your mental health. Most mental healthcare professionals have started using telehealth to connect with patients. These online sessions have made therapy more accessible for many, since they don’t have to leave their homes to get support. However, slow internet connection or even lack of internet all together, and the lack of a physical connection have made telehealth more challenging. “[My clients] don’t have to carve out time from their jobs, so timewise, it’s great. What,
at least for me, I’m finding the challenges have been with telehealth is for people that have children, or essential workers, finding a safe space to really talk about how the pandemic has had a toll on their relationships. Especially if I’m dealing with dynamics with partners or they’re dealing with something in the home that they really don’t feel safe [talking] about, it’s been a challenge with that,” said St. Louis psychologist Dr. Rimiko Thomas. Another important aspect of mental health during the pandemic is changing our view of self-care. Dr. Thomas noted that many of her clients have been actively practicing self-care and still are experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression. “We [have] this one size fits all type of mentality. Get rest, get exercise, and it sounds great. It really does. But your average citizen can’t connect with that [...] What happens when you can’t go outside to exercise because we’re in the middle of a pandemic or, even if you could, what does that mean for your kids that are homeschooled? I think that the government needs to do a better job of stopping this one size fits all [rhetoric], and really address what self-care looks like,” Thomas said.
ii. students The COVID pandemic dramatically impacted the mental well-being of many Clayton High School students. A staggering number of CHS students have seen a slight or dramatic decline in their overall mental well-being. Many students have cited stress, poor social life, low motivation, previous mental health issues and the grim context of this pandemic as the reason for their declining mental health. “Because of this pandemic, I have gotten a lot more anxious,” said an anonymous CHS student. She explained, “I’m not a person that is productive at home, so when I spend time on things that I feel like I shouldn’t, I would get anxious over it.” Anxiety isn’t the only feeling that students have experienced after living through a pandemic throughout this past year. Sometimes students can’t pinpoint their exact emotions because of this pandemic. Nevertheless, they do acknowledge that their overall mental well-being has declined. When Kirby Miller, a sophomore at Clayton High School, was asked to describe his emotions during this crisis, he said, “Mixed feelings is the answer. In the beginning, when I found out that schools were closing, I was getting a lot of anxiety over hoping that we wouldn’t close down. But then we did and when we were learning independently by the fourth quarter, I was not having it. And learning independently? I couldn’t do that well, I just couldn’t.” A major contributing factor to the mental health crisis among Clayton High School students is the transitions between different modes of learning. These seemingly constant transitions have negatively impacted student’s stress levels and anxiety. Gabriel Monge, a freshman, said, “It’s hard to adapt to online learning, and I think it’s hard for teachers as well.” This is partially due to the idea that teachers have less time to teach, and the original means they had to do this is less effective within the context of a global pandemic. Monge explained, “I feel like some of the teachers and the school are trying to keep the original form of teaching, the form of teaching we are all used to, in a system that won’t work.” Unfortunately, this drastic educational change has emotionally impacted many students including Monge. He explained, “I think what makes me anxious is how the school itself wasn’t able to adapt to the hybrid schedule and that the curriculum and the school and the teachers weren’t able to adapt very well. When this happens, then everything sorts of collapses.” This shift to hybrid and online learning has placed a huge burden on teachers and students,
and has drastically and negatively impacted their mental healths overall. The drastic shift in the way that education is taught has negatively impacted students and their grades. “I’ve seen many of my friends and fellow students that have had their grades drop significantly during the pandemic. So I feel like this is a big burden for both teachers and students. Focusing on studies feels very lethargic and tiring, especially for some kids that have been looking at a computer all day,” Monge said. Some students have had made the painful decision to sacrifice their grades to preserve their mental well-being.
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BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, I HAVE GOTTEN A LOT MORE ANXIOUS. Many teachers have recognized this. An anonymous student explained,“I’m very thankful for my teachers because most of them, no, all of them, in fact, are very generous with their due dates, and I can see how much they cut down [the amount of work] from previous years.” Ultimately, this pandemic has transformed how learning can be done, demonstrating the possibly of online learning. However, this comes at the expense of good grades and mental well-being. Humans are social creatures. Many students have expressed that their mental health is worsening, because they cannot interact with their friends as they normally could. “I miss going out with friends and study time in the afternoon, because we used to do that in
various places and now we can’t do that,” said one student. She explains, “I feel like I definitely have lost a lot of connection with other peers because I have not been able to see them.” Other students have also faced similar dilemmas. Miller explained that “it’s just hard to socialize with people because usually, I can do anything I want with them. But, this whole thing is changing the way I can socialize with them.” While the ability to socialize has not been eradicated due to this public health crisis, it has been impacted in such a way that students feel as though their social life was crumbling away. Many students have expressed their mental state in simple terms. One student said her mental state was “an avalanche crashing down, but it always calms after that.” Other students have described their mental state as exhausted or tired, or mixed. It seems as though the majority of students at Clayton High School would somewhat agree with these statements. This pandemic has been like an avalanche, not just for students, but for people all around the world. This pandemic has been a global crisis, that is tiring and confusing. Despite this crisis, many students have found ways to bear the burdens of this ongoing crisis through different and unique coping mechanisms. Miller said that “The main thing done more was play violin, because I’m in orchestra. So, I’ve been practicing more of that as an activity.” Many other students have found ways to improve their mental health during this pandemic. A large majority of students found that exercising and just getting outside can have a positive impact on their general outlook and mood. Other students have been hanging out with friends (socially distant), while countless others have found new passions, hobbies and creative outlets for themselves. Relaxing, procrastinating and perhaps realizing that grades don’t define them. Students have acquired many life lessons about mental health from this pandemic. An anonymous student said, “[Poor mental health] could really happen to anyone. If you told me last year that I would have a crash down, I would not believe that because I’ve always thought of myself as a positive person, and that I could handle everything. [I learned that] sometimes, it only takes one instance for a person to break down.” The COVID pandemic has weakened the mental well-being of many students. But, at the same time, it has - and will - strengthen the generation of students who are the future of humanity.
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iii. teachers
“I eat my lunch not in my classroom, because I’ve had potentially 50 people in my classroom. [...]. So, I eat my lunch actually in a utility closet. It’s kind of a storage closet, utility closet. And, I eat my lunch there,” said Daniel Glossenger, CHS history teacher. The change to Glossenger’s lunch location is deeply symbolic of the many tough changes he and other teachers have been forced to make this school year. Glossenger teaches one section of Music and American Society and four sections of AP Economics. Because of the morning/afternoon schedule, he would have to teach the same Economics lesson eight times a day. Instead, he has opted for a completely new teaching method. “I decided early on to record everything that I asked my students to do. Every lecture, every practice problem, and every homework assignment. I record myself doing it, and I upload them all on YouTube. Then, during class, I provide a schedule of what I expect students to work on, and I make myself available for one-on-one help,” explained Glossenger. Nearly every teacher has had to adapt their material in some way to work for this year. AP Psychology teacher, Dave Aiello, said, “For things that used to be handouts, I have to either scan them and put them up electronically or retype them. A lot of times I just have to rethink completely how I’m going to do the lesson because of all the restrictions and the fact that I’m still trying to cover the same amount of content in half the class days.” Although many teachers have improved their online lesson plans since first moving to virtual learning, the shift to hybrid has been difficult. “We did a lot of planning over the summer and teachers really had lots of conversations about how to make remote learning better then
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in the second quarter of last year we were just kind of thrown into [hybrid learning],” said CHS English teacher Katie Cooper. In CHS’ hybrid schedule, teachers meet with each of their classes for 45-minute periods every other day. This drastic decrease in instructional time has greatly challenged teachers. Aiello and other Advanced Placement teachers are tasked with the challenge of preparing students for the year-end AP exam in half of the time. Passing both an AP class and the respective AP exam allows students to gain college credits for their course. Students from across the nation depend on these credits to skip introductory courses once they begin college. “I think that the quality of the course that I teach my kids should get them college credit. I really want all my students to be able to get 3s, 4s and 5s, so they don’t have to take an Intro Psych class in college, if they actually want to take more courses. So, I feel that pressure. I had to be very intentional and cut out a lot of activities, topics and lessons that are more of the fun stuff and just really focus on the stuff that I know they’re going to test about,” said Aiello. Dr. Eric Hahn, a freshman World/US History I teacher and former AP World History teacher, works as a College Board consultant over the summer. He travels the country hosting workshops for other teachers, helping them structure their curriculums and AP classes. Along the way, Hahn has met teachers from across the nation, all of whom are handling pandemic teaching differently. Hahn said, “I’ve been around some colleagues, not at Clayton, but teachers that I have been working with, around the world and all of the United States, and some have
breakdowns right in front of us. They’re just feeling like their situation is impossible. Part of it is they’re such good teachers.” Dr. Hahn is new to Clayton this year. However, he arrived with more than 25 years of teaching experience under his belt, previously teaching at Ladue and John Burroughs. This year, Hahn feels that forming relationships with students has been harder than ever before. “I really only feel like recently that I’ve been developing a relationship with some students. And, sadly, it’s not even most students. I think the communication that I’m having with students is great. People are comfortable emailing me, and there’s a little bit of chitchat at the beginning of the class. But, it’s not the normal oh I see your gym bag, you’re on the swim team and how’s that going,” said Hahn. “That takes 15 seconds, but it’s really interesting and in some ways, a necessary and meaningful conversation for better learning. And it’s kind of rare.” While Learning from Home, teachers note that freshmen are significantly more hesitant to turn on their cameras than upperclassmen. The nerves of a new school year coupled with a foreign online learning system have caused many students to keep their cameras off during their Zoom classes. Hahn estimates that about 95% of his freshmen students do not turn their video on. Not physically being able to see their students’ faces, whether it be on a computer or in person, has created a level of disconnect between teachers and their students. This huge change in interactions has been hard on both students and teachers. Aiello said, “So much of why I love being a teacher is because of the relationships I get to form with my students, and not just teaching them, but going to their sporting events, doing the student council activities and doing Junior
Challenge, and all the stuff outside of the classroom that I usually am heavily involved with. There’s been none of that this year. I love psychology, I love film, I love teaching my subject matter, but the real reason I love being a teacher is because of being around a bunch of people.” Teachers worry about their students’ participation, understanding, and most importantly, their mental well-being. Hahn said, “I get concerned about the mental health of students, especially the students who are learning from home. I really don’t know them at all. I mean I know what work they hand in. And that’s about it. We communicate every once in a while, through email.” Brooke Hartmann, who teaches four sections of freshman US/World History I, reiterates Dr. Hahn’s worries. “That’s been the hardest thing for me as a teacher. I feel like I’m failing on so many levels, and a lot of it is because I feel like I can’t build relationships with kids to have difficult conversations, or to know how to push them or to know where they’re struggling or to kind of intuitively be like, oh, they’re having a bad day today. I have no clue,” Hartmann said, “That’s really hard as a teacher, and you feel like you’re doing a bad job, because you get no non-verbal feedback from kids.” Relationships between teachers have also taken a toll. In a normal year, teachers collaborate constantly, bouncing ideas off each other and supporting each other in their endeavors.
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THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS WHERE I FELT LIKE I WAS KIND OF A TEACHER AGAIN AND NOT JUST SOMEONE MANAGING ZOOM ROOMS.
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Aiello said, “Even my colleagues, we hardly socialize. We all are trying to be safe, and we’re all wearing our masks, and we’re maintaining our social distance. But, it just has taken out so much of the joy of being in a field or profession where you’re normally around people constantly, and you’re talking with people and you know about their lives and you know what’s important to them.” Strong teacher-teacher relationships can prevent negative teacher mental health. Jennifer Green, a professor at the Boston University Wheelock College of Education, said, “We know that collaboration is really an important part of a teacher’s job and work and that teachers are more satisfied and effective in their jobs when they are collaborating with colleagues.” The schedules school districts choose to implement also have a large impact on teacher mental health and stress levels. The original hybrid schedule CHS administrators created consisted of teachers teaching both online and in-person students the entire day. This proved exhausting and ineffective for teachers, as they juggled sanitizing desks, letting students in on Zoom, and teaching to two completely separate groups of students all day long. At the start of second semester, the District adapted the daily schedule for Learn at Home students. All students learning from home were moved to the afternoon classes, meaning teachers now only have in-person students in the mornings. Teachers have greatly welcomed the recent change. Glossenger said, “This was the first time in months where I felt like I was kind of a teacher again and not just someone managing Zoom rooms. There was that glimmer of hope, and over the weekend, we got an email that suggested that teachers might be able to get vaccinated in February.” A few months ago, Glossenger didn’t feel the
same. “Two months ago, I was looking for other jobs. And now I’m like okay there’s a light at the end of this tunnel. I can probably make it to the end, probably,” Glossenger said. Glossenger isn’t alone in his sentiments. Many other Clayton teachers have felt anger and frustration, causing them to contemplate other career options. These teachers are part of a growing national phenomenon. In a survey conducted in August by the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers’ union, 28% of educators said the pandemic increased the likelihood of them leaving teaching. Of that group, 20% of teachers with less than 10 years of experience considered leaving, while 55% of teachers with more than 30 years of experience said the same. Much of this teacher outrage lies in the lack of transparency and understanding from school districts. Across the nation, administrators brought teachers back to lead in-person instruction when case numbers were at an all time high. In August, the National Board for
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Professional Teaching Standards surveyed more than 3,000 teachers. In that group, 82% of teachers felt very or somewhat concerned when asked to teach in-person. Deana Tennill, English teacher and the Department Chair, said, “I’ll admit that I am concerned. My family, we’ve made sacrifices, and I know other teachers have too. We didn’t do Thanksgiving, we didn’t do Christmas together with our families, we haven’t gone out to eat. We’re being really careful. And then, students aren’t. Some other teachers aren’t too.” Social distancing has also negatively impacted the mental health of coaches. “The lack of social interaction has been the biggest impact for me. I hold my athletes to the standard that they shouldn’t do anything that would potentially expose them to COVID. So, for me not to follow that same mantra is something that I don’t like to do,” said CHS swim coach Darion Williams. Whenever administration is alerted of a positive COVID-19 case on campus, they send out an email to students, parents, and staff members. For teachers, the frequency of these notices is frightening. Tennill said, “Last night, as we were checking our emails, we got another letter about a COVID case in the high school, and it’s kind of background noise now, because it’s pretty much every day that we get one. I worry that that’s going to lead to even more complacency. And complacency is when we have problems.” While teachers’ fears increase and their stress levels rise, most feel as if they aren’t offered much support. The National Board Survey indicated that only about a quarter of teachers reported that their school/district provides adequate access to mental health support. Teachers have sought out other ways to channel their frustrations. “An Anonymous Teacher Speaks” is a Padlet group serving as a platform for teachers to share their experiences. Created in October, the group already has more than 500 contributors and hundreds of messages from teachers detailing their struggles. However, many teachers recognize that even administrators are depleted. “I think everybody, again from Dr. Doherty
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down, is exhausted. So many of us have been living this every day, trying to plan, and to replan and to make predictions about what’s going to happen, and the uncertainty and everything, and haven’t had a chance to breathe, since March, really,” said Tennill. In most school districts, these administrators are responsible for making executive decisions regarding the school year. Although these decisions often affect teachers the most, many don’t get the chance to participate in any decision making. The National Board survey indicated that 46% of teachers report they were not consulted at all in the decision making process. “We were not consulted on the bell schedule, we were not consulted on when things would happen… Asking for our input is probably one of the simplest things that could be done, but, unfortunately, it was very, very late in the game. We weren’t really asked for input until the end of November,” said an anonymous Clayton teacher. As CHS teachers sit down to eat lunch in utility closets, teach to laptops and risk their lives at work, there’s an overarching feeling of loss. These teachers search for a semblance of Clayton’s past glory. “I don’t feel like a professional anymore. That’s partly because we weren’t really consulted about many of the things that happened over the last several months. Just generally speaking, the feeling that this place is not as special as it used to be wears on me. It breaks my heart. For many years, I always said Clayton was a really special place to work. And I’m not so sure about that anymore,” said the anonymous teacher. Prior to the pandemic, a major teacher shortage had already begun. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the projected demand for teachers has increased drastically, while the projected supply has decreased. By neglecting teacher mental health and discounting teachers’ opinions, qualified and passionate teachers will leave the profession, creating an insurmountable teacher shortage. States will pass legislation to fill this void, lowering qualifications and supplying a class of teachers who are less experienced and knowledgeable in their field. Although teachers are contemplating leaving their profession at increasing rates, most don’t need much persuading to change their minds. Out of the group of teachers who stated that they were likely to leave the classroom, 96% of teachers said they could be convinced to continue teaching. 59% of teachers said a stronger school commitment to health and safety would convince them to stay. 49% said a greater flexibility to teach while supporting their families’ needs would convince them to stay, and 75% of teachers surveyed said they are now working more hours than they did prior to the start of the pandemic. These extra hours are making it more and
more difficult for teachers to balance their work and families. For teachers, time is of the essence. Especially for history teacher, Shauna Aningo, who has six kids. Aningo recently had a baby, making her year even more hectic. She, like many other teachers, has found it challenging to strike the right work-life balance. “The hardest part is [my kids] always ask why are you working, why are you working? So, I don’t know that I always balanced it well, but I definitely try to make myself play some board games,” Aningo said. Hartmann has three kids under the age of six. She said, “The problem with trying to help teachers with mental health right now is we just need more time. We always need time. I think the part that the public misses about what teaching is it’s incredibly complex. The number of decisions teachers make are just so, so vast, and we’re having to do this quickly. Since Covid, it’s as though we are acting with little knowledge or training for what to do next, and we are just trying to anticipate what will come next. That in itself is exhausting.” In November, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued an executive order requiring schools to provide teachers with an extra half an hour of prep time for every day of remote or hybrid instruction. However, few states have followed suit. Another 37% of teachers said additional support that would allow them to teach more effectively in a hybrid environment would convince them to stay in education. This extra support includes mental health resources, updated technology, and counselors. For schools and districts to provide these resources, budgets must be raised. In June, Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced a $450 million budget cut with $123 million being cut from K-12 Education funding. As governors and leaders continue to slash education budgets, it becomes more and more impossible to protect teachers and their mental health. This irresponsible move has disastrous consequences. Professor Jennifer Green said, “Children and adolescents won’t be as likely to thrive if they’re surrounded by adults who are not thriving.”
iv. children “I feel like we have asked kids to really … kind of take on trades or responsibilities that most people don’t take on until they’re in college,” said social worker April Jones. Being responsible to wake up, get ready and learn is now an expectation for many children, despite the fact that this level of discipline and productivity is something many adults are currently struggling to execute. It’s easy to think of kids as highly adaptable and versatile, just like their developing brains. But, just like anybody else experiencing change, there are mental repercussions to life alterations. It’s not new information that children who encounter extreme changes in a short period of time experience withdrawal from learning. After Hurricane Katrina, young victims of the natural disaster experienced a harder time learning and keeping up in school. They also experienced an increase in mental health complications like depression and anxiety. Hurricane Katrina affected New Orleans children’s mental health and learning by introducing immense change through economic insecurity and disruption of routine. The COVID-19 pandemic is alike in regards to its impact on children’s wellbeing. However, instead of children having to be relocated from their homes, children are confined to them. Children are accustomed to spending large parts of their day at school surrounded by friends, teachers and other adults. During lockdowns, they are stripped of this significant support system. This problem can be amplified in single parent households. “Certain parents have been put in an almost impossible situation,” said Jones, “I have worked with some parents that have had to decide that they can’t work in this period of time, because their kids are young. And they don’t … have options in terms of leaving their kid with someone else. And they value their child’s education. So that’s a really terrible decision to have to make. Is it more important for me to make money and keep our family afloat financially? Or is it more important for me to help my child with their education and make sure that, you know, I can stay home and keep them safe?” “Those parents who are able to work from home, it’s still not ideal to devote all your attention to your job that you need to do, as well as pay attention to your kids. That’s kind of a lose lose situation, no one’s going to do great in that atmosphere,” said Jones. For younger children, a lack of attention or support can cause a sort of accidental neglect. Lack of resources can also cause feelings of isolation, and an unfair second-class learning experience. “I do have kids that are going to schools
with a lot of resources. They very quickly got laptops, hotspots, [and] whatever it was that they needed. I have other kids who live in more rural communities... I had kids that were getting packets of papers that the teachers were bringing, and they didn’t have the virtual setup, because some of those rural areas don’t even really have good internet access.” Difficult questions of “why?” are often asked by children, and the pandemic is no exception. But, how much do you tell a 5-year-old about a pandemic that has claimed the lives of over a million individuals? Jones suggests keeping in mind what’s developmentally appropriate and ensuring not to scare the child into a feeling of overwhelment.
Chief Behavioral Health Officer, Dr. Jaron Asher, said, “With kids, that looks a little different than with adults. With adults, we know what functioning looks like. It has to do with work.” Children may not be able to express their mental problems verbally or through their work, so they may turn to physical outbursts like temper tantrums, headaches, and stomach aches. “Play is a very serious and important thing for kids,” said Dr. Asher. Monitoring changes in play or relationships with siblings and friends is recommended. “Most people have an idea of what normal looks like for their children. It’s going to be different for every child, obviously. But, then you can compare any deviation from normal for them and ask yourself whether they need to be seen,” said Dr. Asher.
Another resource for looking at a change in a child’s behavior is their pediatrician. Not only does a child’s pediatrician get the chance to know the child over time, but the pediatrician is a gatekeeper for the specialty mental health services. A pediatrician would be a good first resource to ask if a child needs some help. De-stressing an anxious child can prove difficult and often stress-inducing for parents. “Kids can pick up on parents’ stress, kids can also pick up on parents’ calm, you know, so I think parents really need to be paying attention to their own mental health and their own well being,” said Jones. “Oftentimes, when we’re working with kids that do have some kind of depression or anxiety, we are recommending that they get connected with a therapist. So we usually have a list of therapists that we recommend to kids or that families … reach out to. But, on that same list, we have a list of apps that we encourage people to use … a good majority of them are free.” Another way to help all age groups cope during this time is to establish a routine while working from home. Knowing what will come next in your day can bring a sense of control, ease and purpose to days. Sleep routines are also important. “I have heard from a lot of people that kids have gotten their schedules really out of whack. So, kids staying up on their phones till 3:00 a.m. in the morning then trying to get up at 8:00 a.m. for you know, a class,” said Jones. Maintaining a constant sleep schedule doesn’t only help with being able to stay on track with schooling. It can also help with feeling better emotionally and staying motivated. Everybody benefits from physical activity, whether it’s mental or physical exercise. Both forms of exercise have been shown to improve quality of life. For families that have access to parks or play friendly outdoors, it can be easier for children to be physically active. “If I had children and being outside a lot was not an option, I think I would be looking for things that I could encourage my children to do in the comfort of my own home, even if it’s okay, we’re going to stop and we’re going to do 15 jumping jacks. And, you know, maybe we’re going to pause and do some mindfulness,” said Jones. It’s recommended that if a child’s daily functioning, ability to learn, or ability to maintain relationships with family and peers is being affected, it’s best to receive help. Jones said, “Hope is really more a sense of there is going to be a future reality. Things are going to be better things are going to get back to a place that we realize and recognize as more normal.”
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v. stress We’ve all had moments when we were stressed. Stress is a complicated thing and affects everyone differently. With the current events going on many of us are stressed. But, what does stress do to our brains? When we encounter stressful moments, a system in the brain called the autonomic nervous system is activated. The autonomic nervous system controls a lot of our body physically and mentally. It can change our heart rate, breathing rate and even our body temperature. This system has three parts to it. One of the main parts is called the sympathetic nervous system. Most people know this system as the one that controls the fight or flight response. This part of the nervous system is helpful and can prepare the body and mind for stressful situations. It lets us react very quickly. The autonomic nervous system also produces the main stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol has both good and bad effects. “We need it to be able to cope with threats and stressors, it’s just that when it’s released in either too large amounts, over too long of a period of time, and we can’t shut off that response then it can end up having toxic effects. So by itself, in normal amounts, normal situations, it’s not a bad thing,” said Dr. Deanna Barch, Chair and Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Washington University In St. Louis.
Some negative effects that link back to too much stress include an increased risk of depression. During the pandemic, many people are more stressed than they usually would be. This extra stress is having negative effects on people’s lives. “Think about what things we normally do to reduce our stress. There’s a lot of things we normally do, social interactions, exercise, fun things...We’ve been cut off from a lot of things we would normally do to mitigate our stress, or to reduce our stress. So it’s both that we’re... under increased stress, and we can’t engage in some of the things that would allow us to sort of reduce our stress and to manage our stress response,” Barch said. Stress levels have definitely changed over the past couple of months, because of current events. In fact, this increase in stress can be measured through blood, saliva and hair. “In the context of Covid, hair might actually be a really interesting way of looking at it because hair cortisol is a better measure of long term accumulation over months,” Barch said. “We could take locks of your hair…. and grind them up and extract the cortisol, that would give me an average measure of the cortisol secretion over the past month(s). If we were to have measures of that from a year ago when we didn’t have Covid and measures now when we have Covid and compare them across a bunch of different people we would be able to see if people in different circumstances are
experiencing greater levels of stress and greater levels of cortisol secretion.” Stress affects everyone differently. Some people might find it as an opportunity to distract themselves with exercise or another hobby that they enjoy. Other people curl up and become quiet and sometimes even procrastinate. So why does stress affect people in different ways? This has to do with the HPA Axis. The HPA Axis is a system in the body that controls many important functions including cortisol secretion. “So, there are individual differences in our biology where some people may have a more responsive HPA Axis than others, and that’s just due to genetics. I think it probably does also interact with what other experiences people have had in their life,” Barch said. Your HPA axis can be altered. Because of that, people can have different responses to different types of stressors. The type of environment you are in and what your support system can have a large impact on how you deal and respond to different situations involving stress. Many things are reversible and many things aren’t. Does stress fall into the reversible category? “It’s certainly the case that we can mitigate the effects of stress and depression. I think we don’t know how reversible really long lasting, very chronic severe stress is,” said Barch.
The Globe surveyed 125 CHS students and teachers to evaluate how the pandemic has impacted their mental health. HAVE YOU FOUND WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH DURING THIS PANDEMIC?
HOW HAS YOUR MENTAL HEALTH BEEN AFFECTED BY THIS PANDEMIC?
71.2%
28.8%
it has gotten worse it has gotten better
yes
78.4%
21.6%
no
vi. the elderly As the COVID-19 pandemic has kept people trapped inside their homes and away from their normal lives, a majority of the population is experiencing unprecedented levels of vulnerability and isolation. However, these experiences are not new for older adults, particularly those with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. According to the CDC, 7 million people aged 65 and older, experience depression each year. The true number may be much higher as only 38% of older adults view depression as a true health problem. Many view it as a normal part of the aging process. However, Covid has exacerbated many of these symptoms, as social interaction has been effectively cut off for both seniors and their caregivers. Isolation is more than just a normal part of aging, it is an all encompassing reality. Ashley Stockman is the director of the Adult Day Center at the JCC in St. Louis, which serves seniors and young adults with cognitive impairments, providing a safe place to go and respite care for caregivers. The center switched to an all virtual platform in late March, creating weekly activity packets for their participants to use while they followed along with activities led on Zoom. The staff also facilitated frequent phone calls with participants and their caregivers. By June, the center was able to switch to a hybrid model, offering both in-person and virtual programming. But, there were many challenges to this decision. Stockman said, “That was a really challenging problem, the decision to reopen. My families need it, we need it. But, at what cost? And can I do it without jeopardizing anybody?” Much of Stockman’s decision was influenced by the strain the pandemic has put on both caregivers and those with cognitive impairments. According to the Wall Street Journal, over 15,000 more Americans than expected died with Alzheimer’s or dementia between February and May of last year. Many of these deaths are attributed to COVID-19, but many are not. Stockman described the story of one of the six participants who died this year, but not from the coronavirus. “The caregiver told me, ‘I think being at home made him in despair. He didn’t really have a reason for living anymore, so he just gave up,” she said. Isolation can sap a person’s will to live, especially if that person is unable to understand why they are isolated. “Covid has escalated the frequency of people dying and these are non-Covid deaths. These
are folks to me that without Covid may have had a fighting chance to live a bit longer,” Stockman said. Isolation and depression are existing problems for older adults, but the pandemic has exacerbated these issues significantly. Isolation also takes a toll on caregivers. Caring for an older adult with a cognitive impairment is a constant task. It can be incredibly exhausting to predict and handle the behavior of some who is often unable to communicate or understand, especially if that person is a loved one. Many of these people are also nearing the end of their lives, with caregivers forced to make many difficult decisions for them. The Adult Day Center eases many of these burdens by providing respite care for caregivers and support for families. The Alzheimer’s Association provides services for caregivers as well as individuals living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Harrison Sandis the Care Consultation Manager for the Missouri Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Sand said, “Caregivers are more stressed and many feel much more isolated. And a lot of the resources that they used to depend on are not open right now.” These resources include adult daycares, assisted living facilities and home care aides. Some of these resources are now open, but many caregivers worry about the risk of Covid associated with these activities. They may also face the difficult decision of placing their loved one in an assisted living facility. But, these placements are now fraught with danger due to Covid exposure. Many caregivers also worry that their loved one may believe that they have abandoned them, as visitors are restricted at most facilities. Caregivers, who are often seniors themselves, face a heightened burden due to Covid. According to Science Daily, access to and proficiency with technology are some of the best indicators of resiliency in seniors with regards to the pandemic. Seniors traditionally have trouble with technology. Many seniors struggled to adapt to the newly online nature of their lives, some having mostly avoided technology previously. “Many of our caregivers are not up to speed with streaming and video conferencing. So there was a lot of tech support that had to happen initially,” Stockman said. Many seniors, caregivers and even providers miss the genuine human connection of in person meetings. Sand said, “It’s always more difficult when you can’t see a person. You miss some of what makes someone a person. Connecting with them and fully understanding what they are
going through.” However, much of that connection is missing even in person, due to social distancing and masking requirements. Support groups, education programs and care consultations through the Alzheimer’s Association remain completely virtual, whether on Zoom or over the phone. This technology has many benefits for both organizations; virtual programming opens up opportunities for more caregivers and individuals to participate.
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REALLY CONSIDER LEARNING FROM THE ISOLATION YOU’VE FELT. AND HOW CAN YOU RELIEVE AN OLDER PERSON’S ISOLATION IN THE FUTURE. At the Adult Day Center, participants who are at home are still able to participate in programming five days a week via Zoom. This also allows the center to increase the number of participants it is able to serve. Barriers to programming at the Alzheimer’s Association, such as distance, time and location, have lifted with the shift to virtual programming. People are freer to participate in programs that meet their needs. They may choose to attend programming at a time or date that is more accessible to them because they no longer have to travel. Sand said, “Virtual media is allowing us to reach so many more people that we want to
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reach.” While many people feel disconnected by the world of Zoom and virtual meetings, these technologies can be used to break barriers for those who experience isolation as a constant. With the right support, even a pandemic couldn’t deter 95-year-old Rachel Nelson. She spent over 75 years as a librarian in Ohio and continues to attend Zoom classes and lectures through the senior scholars program at Case Western University. Despite approaching a year of isolation, she credits her good spirits to the frequent phone calls she receives from her family. Nelson said, “I feel very fortunate. Every day I have four phone calls, two from my daughters and two from my niece and nephew. Every day they call to see that I’m okay.”
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Daily connection with seniors is crucial, as staying at home makes days and weeks blend together. Stockman said, “Be there in any way you can be there for a senior at least once a day.” Connecting with seniors frequently is vital. It helps them understand that they are remembered and that people care about them. Junior, Max Hagemeister, and his family have focused a lot on maintaining a connection with his grandmothers, including one in a nursing home. Hagemeister said, “We call her constantly and we talk and catch up because she is not allowed out of the room. She is basically in a prison cell.” Even a simple phone call can help ease the pain of someone who feels very alone.
People can learn from the isolation that they’ve felt during Covid, and understand its effects on seniors even during normal times. It is incredibly important for seniors to have regular socialization, it is a wonderful way to prevent or slow the onset of dementia and other cognitive diseases. Sand said, “Really consider learning from the isolation that you’ve felt. And how can you relieve an older person’s isolation in the future.” Isolation is affecting everyone right now. While many problems affect seniors, particularly those with cognitive needs, we all can take some lessons from this pandemic. Check in on people, connect with them as often as you can. You never know how lonely someone might feel.
vii. people of color Throughout the pandemic, the effects of COVID-19 have been felt unequally. Due to structural inequalities caused by racism, the COVID-19 mortality rates are disproportionately high for Black Americans. As stated by Brookings, “Black Americans continue to experience the highest overall actual COVID-19 mortality rates (80.4 per 100,000)—more than twice the rate of white Americans (35.9 per 100,000) or Asian Americans (33.1 per 100,000), who have the lowest COVID-19 mortality rates. In 2020, more Black Americans will die of COVID-19 than will succumb to diabetes, strokes, accidents, or pneumonia. In fact, COVID-19 is currently the third leading cause of death for Black Americans (APM Research Lab 2020).” The economic impacts of the pandemic have been similarly unequal. According to the University of New Hampshire, in April, the unemployment rate for Latinos was 19% and 16.4% for Black Americans, while it was only 13% for white Americans. The effects of COVID-19 on people’s mental health has been similarly disproportionate. In St. Louis, psychologist Dr. Rimiko Thomas has noted an increase in African American clients during the pandemic. “[After the killing of George Floyd] a lot of clients were coming to me with feelings of anger and also feelings of ‘Okay, what is there to look forward to? If we’re constantly not being taken seriously and this is happening blatantly in front of our faces? What do I do with these feelings? What do I tell my son? What do I tell my daughter?’ [...] I did find that a lot of clients did seek out services because they seriously did not know what to do with the constant trauma that was being witnessed,” said Thomas. CHS swim coach Darion Williams, who is African American, personally felt that the lack of empathy from others affected him most. Williams said, “There’s a lot of people spinning things one way to fit their agenda and spinning things another way to fit their agenda. I think that for me it was just a lot of why can’t you just understand that even if you’ve never had this impact your life that doesn’t negate that it has an impact on somebody else’s?” Jermar Perry is the co-founder of The Village Programs to Access Therapy and Healing (PATH), an organization that provides therapeutic resources and support for Black men in St. Louis. Perry said that they also experienced an increase in therapy requests during the uprisings over the summer. “We saw a spike of people searching our healing and writing circles out and free therapy
out. I think trauma can be having to view [police brutality] over and over and over again [...] seeing that kind of can have a traumatic effect on people too because you’re seeing yourself, you’re seeing the time that you had a run in with the law or the time that your cousin did or somebody in your family did. I think that can be traumatic in a lot of ways,” said Perry. Beyond causing anxiety and depression, trauma has physical impacts on the body. According to Dr. Thomas, trauma can cause appetite changes, restlessness, fatigue, mood changes, emotional outbursts, stress and more. “My clients are taking blood pressure medication that did not have to take it before, I’m seeing a lot of weight changes, weight gain, weight loss. I’m also seeing an increase [in substance abuse problems] as well,” said Thomas. These problems are exacerbated by the challenges of treating them. Mental health resources are often inaccessible for many Black Americans. As explained by the Boston Globe, “According to a 2018 survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, of the 4.8 million Black Americans with mental illness, nearly 70 percent did not receive treatment.” The stigma around mental health, the lack of Black therapists, distrust of the medical field and the cost of therapy all perpetuate this inaccessibility. “When I first sought out therapy, it was important for me to have a therapist who looked like me. Someone who might understand a reference that a different person might not understand or get [...] therapy in general was kind of scary to me. It was those different stigmas around it, all these different things around it culturally,” said Perry. According to the American Psychological Association, in 2015, only 4% of psychologists were African American. This small number of Black therapists combined with a high demand has led to many Black therapists being overwhelmed with requests. “We are inundated with requests for mental health clinicians, especially Black therapists, because we’re in a high need, because society has not really adhered to the needs of people of color and so we’re feeling it more. More needs to be done to check in on mental health therapists,” Thomas said. Another aspect of the inaccessibility of mental health resources for Black Americans is distrust of those in the medical field. Years of abuse from the medical field, like
the Tuskegee experiment and disproportionate maternal mortality rates, have left many African Americans wary of medical professionals. “There’s a total lack of trust between our communities and the medical field for good reasons. What we’re trying to do to kind of make therapy somewhat cool. Our attempt is to knockdown the stigma of it [...] to make it ours in a way,” Perry said. The cost of therapy can be a barrier for many. One session can cost upwards of $60 out of pocket. Those who do have insurance can be stifled because the insurance companies dictate how many sessions they will cover instead of allowing the therapist to determine how many sessions are needed. “A lot of times the insurance companies dictate what we can and can’t do. There are different umbrellas of insurance and it makes it very confusing for clinicians that are trying to work. [For example] I may only see a person for five sessions and it can only be about COVID. [...] This is how come a lot of clinicians are moving away from big insurance companies and doing self pay. But unfortunately, the consumer is the person that gets behind because self pay is really expensive,” said Thomas. Although much more needs to be done by state and federal governments to make mental health care accessible, organizations like the Village PATH are trying to make therapy accessible. “Eliminating the barriers to access is big for us [...] When there’s a client and professional clinician relationship there’s generally a difference in power dynamic. Usually, the person who’s a clinician is going to use their skills and expertise to care for this person. But historically that hasn’t always been the case for Black and Brown people,” said cofounder of the Village PATH Bryant Antoine. The Village PATH is creating a space for Black people in St. Louis to get access to unbiased support that is free of charge. During the pandemic, this support has been crucial. Whether it is going over weekly highs and lows at a group meeting, or a check in text, the Village PATH offers space for its members to share anything going on in their lives. “Therapeutic space is about helping the individual seeking that support. [It isn’t about] guiding them to the answer, it’s to help facilitate healing. [...] We’re all helping each other figure it out,” said Antoine.
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viii. women
865,000 WOMEN CHOSE TO LEAVE THE WORKFORCE IN SEPTEMBER 2020
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Caring for children and aging parents. Battling employment inequity. Neither of these issues were new for women in 2020. In the midst of the deadly COVID-19 virus and its economic outfall, though, the struggles of women, especially those of the Gen X era (born between 1965 and 1980) have been forgotten with alarming ease by the national government, private corporations, and family units alike. While many Americans came face to face with the terrifying reality of being unemployed, women were let go at a higher rate than men. Many of the first businesses to fall victim to the closures that swept the country were industries that are traditionally filled by women; waitresses, maids and hair stylists, among other professionals in the service industry were quickly ruled as “unessential” and furloughed or fired. In a report by the National Women’s Law Center, women accounted for 54% of unemployed service industry workers, while making up only 52% of the industry workforce. The same report found that of the 2 million jobs that were lost in the retail industry, women, who represent 48% of the sector workforce, lost 61% of the jobs. The National Women’s Law Center estimates that the effects of the pandemic have set women’s employment gains back a decade. For women of color, the numbers are even more dire: 16% of Black women were unemployed during Spring of 2020, along with 1 in 5 Latinas. The American Psychological Association names anxiety, depression and loss of satisfaction in life as common results of losing employment. The combined effects of financial insecurity, the loss of health and insurance benefits and a lack of purpose makes losing a job a devastating blow to self-esteem and lifestyle security. This is especially true during a pandemic, when finding a job can be nearly impossible, and reliable support systems are virtually nonexistent. In addition to the millions of women who lost their jobs in 2020, hundreds of thousands more voluntarily opted out of their work. In September, NPR reported that in that month alone, 865,000 women chose to leave the workforce, four times the number of men
who left. A study by the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics could explain why: their research found that 44% of married women are the sole care provider in their family. Experts warn that the loss of these women in the workforce has caused lasting damage; because they are not actively seeking out employment, it will be more difficult for them to return to the workforce after the pandemic. Unable to see anyone outside of their home family, these women are often left with only their children for company while their partner works. A 2018 article about the depressive episodes many stay-at-home-parents experience, stresses the importance of having regular interaction with adults outside the family. When this interaction doesn’t take place, it is easy for stayat-home-parents to start to slip into a spiral of depression. During the pandemic, women also have the added stress of worrying about their aging parents. COVID-19 is most fatal to the age group of Generation X’s parents, and many people in their 40s and 50s are finding themselves having to check to make sure their parents are taking the proper precautions and getting the medical treatment they need, often over cell phone. The possibility of a parent dying without getting to say goodbye has also haunted the generation. Aging Care estimates that 27% of women are the primary caregivers for their aging parents. A study from CARE found that 27% of women reported having experienced increased difficulties with their mental health in the last year. Hartford Healthcare reports that 2020 saw a 41% increase in binge drinking episodes (four or more alcoholic beverages over the course of a few hours) among women. Women are feeling the burdens of the pandemic and there are few safety nets in place to support them. A new year does not mean an easy fix to the problems women are facing. If we ever hope to return to normalcy someday, though, their struggles must be addressed; hopefully, in a way that improves the mental health of women far beyond where it was in March of 2020.
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THE POLITICS OF INEQUALITY
Economic inequality is one of the most pressing political issues of our time.
Members of Occupy San Francisco are forced to move their tents off the grass, left, by San Francisco Park Rangers and officials with the Department of Public Works in San Francisco, California, on Saturday, November 19, 2011. (John Green/Contra Costa Times/MCT)
E
conomic inequality is one of the oldest issues society has faced. From the founding of civilization to the Gilded Age and today, economic inequity has proved to be a divisive issue that has lasted for generations. One of the biggest results of economic inequality is how it plays a role in our political system. So what is economic inequality, why is it so important, how does it affect politics and what can we do about it going into the future? Economic inequality has existed since the dawn of civilization, with a divide between the leader and the ruling class and the rest of the population. Our economic systems have evolved since then through systems such as feudalism, mercantilism, capitalism and communism. However, much of the inequality we see today exists in capitalist systems. In 1776 a relatively unknown Scottish philosopher, Adam Smith, published his magnum opus “The Wealth of Nations”. Smith called for the end of the mercantilist system and advocated for the elimination of tariffs and the creation of free markets. Smith believed that the markets are guided by an “invisible hand” where every person acts by their self-interest. Smith helped to create the modern capitalist
OPINION 30
system focused on the free trade of goods, the ownership of capital, the rewarding of risktaking and innovation and markets controlled by supply and demand. Smith wrote on capitalism at just the right time, as the Industrial Revolution was beginning in the United Kingdom. This time saw a massive amount of technological changes and the creation of modern corporations. With the first steam mills and textile factories, the Industrial Revolution was born. This soon saw the massive accumulation of capital in the wealthiest one percent of individuals. By the end of the 19th century, individuals such as JD Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan and more had billions upon billions of dollars while the people who worked for them barely had any money for themselves. This massive separation of wealth between the richest and poorest people and the often horrid working and living conditions that poor people had to live in promoted German economist and philosopher Karl Marx to write his critique of capitalism. In his book Das Kapital, Marx outlines his belief that capitalism is based on the exploitation of the proletariat, or the working class, by the capitalists and the legal system that hurts the rights of the workers.
Along with fellow economist Frederich Engels, he then goes on to outline in The Communist Manifesto that the history of the world is a history of class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie and that the only solution is a revolution where the workers seize the means of production from the bourgeoisie and redistribute it. In this, Marx offers a solution to economic inequality through violent revolution. Marx believed that the government relies on the oppression of the workers, which leads to the question of how inequality is measured. In 2013, Thomas Pickety published one of the most important books on inequality, Capital in the 21st century. He argues that when r(return on capital) >g (economic growth), wealth becomes concentrated among the top percentile earners and causes economic and social instability, by looking at the return on capital rates and then comparing it to economic growth, we can start to get a picture of increasing inequality. But how do we measure that inequality once it exists? One way to do this is by using what is known as the Gini coefficient, named after Italian statistician Corrado Gini. The Gini coefficient measures inequality from a scale of 0-1. A Gini coefficient of zero would mean all
the wealth of a country is shared equally, and 1 would mean all the wealth is concentrated by one person. Pickety calculated the Gini coefficient for the U.S. and compared it to other countries, as well as modeled it to look into the future. He has the United States in 2010 at .36. Today it is 0.414 according to the World Bank, nearing the very high inequality he forecasted for 2030. This presents the question of how inequality shapes politics. One of the largest reasons for Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 was inequality. Many of his supporters, especially ones from the upper midwest Rust Belt region, felt left behind by the country. They watched the “coastal elites’’ get rich and run the country while they became unemployed as blue-collar jobs moved overseas. This pent up anger, similar to that anger that Marx described, led to revolution in the form of the election of Donald Trump. A similar movement was the Occupy Wall Street Movement in 2011, which aimed to alleviate the power of Wall Street. They again saw themselves as the proletariat who were abused by the bourgeois. That movement helped to bring to the national spotlight Senator Elizabeth Warren, who ran for the Democratic Presidential nominee in 2020. Another example of how inequality influences politics is the rise of Senator Bernie Sanders. In 2016, Sanders called for the elimination of student loans, Medicare For All and taxing the wealthiest one percent of Americans. He proudly calls himself a democratic socialist, Sanders used the same pent up anger felt by the left-wing to help fuel his rise. Many young Americans feel crippled by the cost of student loans and left out by an economic system that seems to reward everyone else but them. Sanders grew a loyal - almost cult-like following because of this message. Today’s young people have had a harder time than most trying to make it in today’s economy. Increasing costs of living in the largest cities, the high cost of college and a more niche job market have all contributed to many millennials left behind. They look to the wealthiest Americans, who seem to be everywhere - especially on social media. This again led young people to vote in massive numbers for progressive candidates such as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. This trend again was seen in 2020. Counties that President Trump won produced just 29 percent of the nation’s economic output, while Biden counties accounted for the remaining 71 percent. This shows that Biden counties have much more economic output and thus are wealthier, while Trump counties have seen a smaller share of income. Trump counties seem to have been left behind by the 21st century. Most of them are mostly agrarian or working class, and many of those working-class jobs have left the country. Which poses the question, where does the future of inequality take us? As more and more jobs become automated, humans are going to become less and less important. This trend is being seen today. Many
of the largest companies in the world by market cap have relatively few employees. Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon don’t need that many people to work for them. While these companies have generated lots of wealth, there quite simply is not a very large managerial class in these companies and much of the wealth is held by a handful of top executives. Also, the rise of AI and automation will lead to a changing job market focusing on technology and programming but many people quite simply cannot be programmers. Andrew Yang a 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate made this issue a large part of the platform calling for a universal basic income of $1000 dollars a month. A rise in automation and a lack of jobs could lead to what is called by Israeli historian Yuval Harari “the useless class.” This group of people will have very little importance both politically and economically
and will have been left behind by society. This, as history tells us, will lead to anger and possible revolution. So what can we do about inequality? There is no one answer to this very complicated question. French economist Thomas Picketty argues for a 90 percent wealth tax on all capital worth more than a billion euros. This would help to limit the spread of dynastic wealth, as well as fund welfare programs. Other solutions include higher estate taxes or some sort of basic income provided to every person. In conclusion, inequality is one of the most important social issues of our time. If this continues to worsen, the future of democracy could be at stake.
alex slen REPORTER
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OPINION 31
PRODUCTIVITY CULTURE: ART AND CAPITALISM THROUGH THE LENS OF CLAYTON HIGH SCHOOL
ella cuneo ARTIST
“Suppose a worker needed to dig a hole,” explained Professor Ian Fillmore, who teaches economics at Washington University in St. Louis. “If he uses just his hands, it will take a long time. But if we give the worker a shovel (which is a piece of capital) then he suddenly becomes more productive.” Productivity, in the traditional economic sense, is a ratio of worker inputs to outputs. If more outputs can be produced with the same inputs (for example, the same amount of time or resources), then productivity increases. But most Clayton students associate the idea of productivity less with labor economics and more with a culture at CHS. Of 59 students surveyed by the Globe, 81.4% reported feeling pressure to be productive from their parents, society, school or peers. “I think that productivity culture is very damaging, because it makes people feel they have to be productive or doing work all the time, but that’s just not realistic for most people,” said senior Madeline Blatt. Despite the unattainability of achieving ultimate productivity at all times, many students internalize the pressures of productivity culture. 75.4% of surveyed students described feeling guilty or bad about themselves when they don’t feel productive. “I feel bad for enjoying things,” said freshman Sam McDonough, who describes themself as an “art kid.” “But I don’t take any art classes, because I want to be seen as smart in school,” McDonough explained. They added that their teachers have never presented art as a viable career path. “As it got closer to high school, art wasn’t discouraged, but it stopped being encouraged,” they said. CHS art teacher Christina Vodicka added that although she encourages her students to recognize the value of art in developing essential critical thinking and creativity skills, she understands where this mentality comes from. “Because many things about art feel subjective, students perceive it as less important than classes that use the parts of their brain they’re more accustomed to using,” she explained. “Or they perceive it as less statusdriven than core classes.” You can’t plug numbers into an equation to find the right answer in an art class. Creating art requires careful observation and awareness of one’s environment, so it’s seen as less “productive” than subjects like STEM and economics. That’s why it isn’t required in school curriculums or widely valued as a career choice. McDonough’s experience is reflective not only of the environment at Clayton High School, but also of national economic trends. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 32,900 jobs in art and design will be lost between 2019 and 2029, with overall employment in the sector declining 4 percent. According to BLS statistics, the highest-paying jobs in the art industry are multimedia entertainment artists/animators and art directors for
product packaging, film, print magazines and newspapers. Floral designers and craft and fine artists earn the lowest median pay of arts and design occupations. These kinds of artists who make art more for the sake of creating it than commodifying it are often looked down on in society for being lowpaid. Because people like floral designers and sculptors aren’t the most productive assets to the economy, they’re seen as low-worth despite the fact that we consume their work daily. “I’ll feel bad for doing art, because I’m not doing homework,” McDonough said. Jobs in the arts aren’t the only ones disappearing. Since the 2008 financial crisis, widely considered the cause of a major spike in wealth inequality, middle class jobs have become increasingly scarce and barriers to obtaining a college education have risen. Research from Harvard Business Review shows that the middle class was hit especially hard by the 2008 crisis, because housing makes up a larger share of middle class wealth and stock ownership is concentrated among the wealthy. Housing prices collapsed, while the stock market made a full recovery. Despite record low unemployment following the Great Recession and before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, job growth didn’t line up with wage growth; employment gains were mainly seen in minimum wage and gig economy jobs. This is how productivity culture began to take shape. The Great Recession hit in December 2007. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, youth suicide rates remained relatively stable from 2000 to 2007 before surging 57.4% between 2007 and 2018. During that time period, widening economic inequality converged with the advent of social media. In 2010, 2011 and 2017, respectively, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok launched. “When we talk about social media and its role in this, there’s tons of aspects of ‘you have more followers than I do,’” said CHS economics and social studies teacher Daniel Glossenger. “And that in itself imputes a certain amount of power and worth. If you have more followers or you have more friends, or whatever. And I think that that also fuels some of this grind culture.” As big tech monopolized and the middle class shrunk, stress, isolation and depression skyrocketed among students. Meanwhile, the cost of higher education also rose dramatically. According to data compiled by U.S. News, tuition and fees over the last 20 years have risen 144% at private universities. Out-of-state costs at public universities have jumped 165%, with in-state costs increasing 212%. In contrast, inflation rose by only around 50% over the same time period. While higher expectations have been placed on students to succeed in an increasingly competitive economy, meeting those expectations has become exceedingly difficult. “I think a lot of students feel the need to get involved in everything because if they don’t, then they might not get into college,” said sophomore Isabella Balmnolker. “Getting into
college and being what your parents want you to be and being what the school wants you to be is just so valued.” Many students, including sophomore Samantha Helmering, agree that the value placed on the college application process creates an environment of constant competition between students. “There’s always gonna be someone that’s better than you, someone’s always gonna have better grades than you, someone’s always gonna be in better classes than you. So you have to do things that will make you stand out,” explained Helmering, describing what Glossenger observes as “a real fear that if they don’t, then someone else will” among his students. “College applications are essentially competition, I mean, who’s the best, who can get into where,” said Blatt. “But at Clayton it’s definitely competitive. Everyone wants to be the most involved, have the best resume. Honestly, I don’t really know where that stems from. I think it’s just been a part of our lives for so long, and especially with the media and everything, where you can just see how accomplished everyone is.”
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“ALL OF THE OUTWARD THINGS DO NOT SHOW THAT YOU’RE ENJOYING THE GRIND. THEY SHOW THAT YOU FEEL SICK FROM NOT SLEEPING ENOUGH AND NOT HAVING FRIENDS.” However, schools like Clayton aren’t likely to address this issue anytime soon. Clayton High School is ranked as the #2 best public high school in Missouri by Niche, with an 86% AP exam pass rate and an average ACT score of 30. The school district places high value on these rankings, as seen in a recent article published on the School District of Clayton website describing an error in the 2021 Niche rankings of Missouri school districts. “When the District discovered the error it immediately contacted Niche,” the article explains before reassuring readers that Clayton remains one of the highest-performing districts in the state. Schools have become so focused on maintaining the label of “high-performing” that character education and counseling for students are neglected in favor of student success. Productivity culture is what ensures that students are successful, and the success of CHS
OPINION 33
students means economic success for Clayton. Good schools attract homebuyers who are willing to pay high property taxes in exchange for high-quality education. “By the time your kid’s going to college you’ve invested 20 years, in some cases, in paying Clayton taxes and paying a higher property value,” explained Glossenger. “So I think there is some belief of, ‘Hey kid, you better not waste this huge investment that I’ve made by going to some no-name school or, heavens to Betsy, going to community college.’” He pointed out, “Kids at Clayton are not dumb. They know that their parents could have afforded probably twice as big of a house in St. Charles, but their parents said ‘No, I really want to live in Clayton and send my kids to that school.’ And so even if their parents aren’t putting that pressure on them, kids know.” The typical Clayton home value is $734,494. The median household income rests at $107,596. Every day, 45,000 people come to work in Clayton’s 3,400 businesses, 10,000,000 square feet of office space and 1,000,000 square feet of restaurants, boutiques and galleries. The strength of these numbers relies heavily on Clayton students’ levels of productivity. Clayton produces high-earning students, therefore attracting high-income homebuyers. Because the city is so economically successful, residents have more disposable income to put back into the economy. Businesses and corporations like Centene have more opportunities for expansion and development. That’s why so many CHS students feel guilty for not being productive. That’s why they feel like they’re in competition with even their closest friends. That’s why they feel like there isn’t an option other than staying on the grind to be successful. It’s because the economy of our community is dependent, at least in part, on our levels of sleep deprivation and guilt. But despite the internalization of grind culture that so many students experience, there are alternatives to sacrificing happiness for production. “Through my freshman, sophomore, partially into junior year, I definitely struggled with that, feeling like I wasn’t enough because I wasn’t as
involved as some of my other peers,” said Blatt. “But then I started realizing this year that it doesn’t matter. As long as I’m enjoying my life, who cares how involved I am compared to the next person?” The idea of conscious non-productivity as a form of resistance has gained prominence in recent years. In her book “How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy,” multi-disciplinary artist and Stanford University lecturer Jenny Odell argues that we can retrain our attention to connect with the world around us and each other; we can learn how to maintain, observe and protect our environments and selves instead of spending all of our time mindlessly producing and consuming. Odell writes, “In a situation where every waking moment has become the time in which we make our living, and when we submit even our leisure for numerical evaluation via likes on Facebook and Instagram, [...] time becomes an economic resource that we can no longer justify spending on ‘nothing.’” Blatt expressed a similar sentiment. “In today’s society, there’s just always something hanging over your head. That’s just part of how it works. You never really finish everything, and even if you do, there’s still always something you could be working on. And so I think that looming feeling just pressures people to feel like they have to be doing something all the time.” Another case against productivity culture comes from The Nap Ministry, an organization that advocates for the power of rest and relaxation as a radical tool for Black liberation and healing. As their blog explains, “We believe rest is a form of resistance and name sleep deprivation as a racial and social justice issue.” The burdens of productivity culture fall disproportionately on Black communities that are commodified and exploited by the economic system, disempowering people of color while advantaging and elevating privileged people like most Clayton students. It’s a system that tells privileged white people that they will succeed if they work hard enough, while disadvantaged people face countless societal barriers to success in a culture that elevates wealth and privilege as virtues of “hardworking” individuals. Productivity is part of white supremacy culture–that’s why it’s so ingrained in majority-white organizations and educational institutions like the School District of Clayton. When it comes to what resistance of productivity culture actually looks like, it starts with a re-examining of how we think about the idea of worth or value. Balmnolker explained that students tend to evaluate their worth in comparison to others. “I see them being super productive and doing a bunch of stuff and I feel like I’m not doing enough, and then I’m like, I’m not getting enough awards, or I’m not doing this, I’m not doing that. I feel worthless, almost,” they explained. We have linked institutional
prestige, capitalist economic value and productivity levels so closely to our identities that we equate how much we are worth to the economy, college admissions and grind culture with how much we are worth as human beings. For example, Glossenger explained that even the language we use to talk about wealth and value, such as describing how much a billionaire is “worth,” fuels this equivalence. Many of us don’t have identities or perceptions of our own self-worth outside of what we consume and produce. We don’t have hobbies or feel like we have time to actually do things that make us happy. Instead, we focus all of our energy on the future instead of the present. Students are inundated with a message that they should strive to achieve great things, dream big and go places–what Odell calls “the rhetoric of growth.” Working towards goals is a good thing, but this mentality makes us feel like we never actually achieve our goals because there’s always something more. We aren’t taught that it’s enough to be happy and content with the present moment, because as consumers we are conditioned to constantly want more and as producers we are conditioned to constantly achieve more. As Glossenger said, “You’re never going to be happy if you’re constantly chasing some sort of dream at the end of all of this awful, terrible work or grind. And I think too often, the young people who I interact with confuse the two, or even maybe somewhat worse, they’ll lie to themselves and say ‘no, I really like this grind.’ And I’m like, no, all of the outward things do not show that you’re enjoying the grind. They show that you feel sick from not sleeping enough and not having friends.” We feel the need to commodify every aspect of our own lives, even our free time, because we ourselves are commodities. “Even when Clayton kids are doing hobbies, it’s so competitive that it’s like varsity, varsity, varsity,” said sophomore Ana Marin. “It’s still not relaxing, it’s still another competition and arena.” The education system has not been built to allow students to discover what makes them happy and what they value, outside of winning competitions, being “successful” and maintaining a high GPA. It has been built to perpetuate a toxic cycle that keeps schools high-achieving and economies like Clayton thriving. Freshman Sophia Lu described this process of going through high school, getting into college and securing a career as “an endless cycle of productivity.” It’s a cycle that is actively upheld by the culture at CHS, and it’s up to us as students to escape it.
ivy reed OPINION SECTION EDITOR
WILL THEATERS SURVIVE? The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a challenge for movie theaters. Will they be able to recover?
Art by Sonali Dayal
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uttered popcorn melts in your mouth as you recline in your seat, lights dimming to immerse you in the 50foot movie screen. Music fills your ears, vibrating through the floor. You lift the fizzing Coca-Cola from your cup holder, ice rattling as you take a sip. You break open the Twizzlers and Crunch boxes and the movie begins. Flash forward to January 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken hold of America for almost an entire year. The United States far surpasses any other country in COVID-19 cases and deaths. In St. Louis, citizens are required to wear masks in public places, socially distance, and quarantine when exposed. While some theaters are open, most movie-goers are not willing to take the risk. To accommodate these conditions, several studios have released their films through streaming services. Disney Pixar’s “Soul” and Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman 1984” were both released on Christmas of last year, through Disney Plus and HBO Max respectively. As I sat in my basement, watching Diana race through Themyscira in the opening scene of “Wonder Woman 1984,” I had the sense my 50-inch television screen wasn’t doing the highdefinition film justice. I missed sharing paper bags of popcorn with my friends, hearing them gasp during plot twists and even having spirited conversations on the ride home. What I realized then is that movie theaters are about more than just seeing a film—they’re about an experience. People go to theaters to get out of the house, bond with friends and have fun. Movie theaters are tied to emotion and memories. At-home movies don’t always leave viewers with the same satisfaction. Unfortunately, the pandemic has left viewers
with little choice. Our limited interaction with the outside world has created a need for at-home entertainment. Film studios have naturally shifted toward more streaming service releases, but controversy has risen from studios planning to stream new movies even after the COVID vaccine is widely available. Warner Bros. recently announced that all of its 2021 films would be released on HBO Max and in theaters at the same time. This announcement shocked many in the film industry. Some fear that with films available to watch at home, the demand for movie theaters will greatly reduce, and they will not make enough profit to survive. At-home films are certainly convenient. Some viewers may enjoy watching movies in their pajamas, but others desperately miss going to theaters. Many fans of franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and Dreamworks would opt for in-theater-viewing over basement-streaming as soon as public health conditions allow. “I feel like going to the movies is a lot better because the experience is completely different than just watching one at home. It’s hard to describe but there’s something that’s so fun about going to a movie theater,” said Anette Martinson, a junior at CHS. One studio that has dominated theaters is Marvel. In 2018, Marvel Studios released “Avengers: Infinity War” in theaters. I remember the Marvel logo flashing across the screen as I sat beside my friends, the way the audience cheered as different characters appeared, the collective booing at the end of the film and the tense anticipation for the end-credits scene. The audience was even
more energized to see the three-hour sequel “Avengers: Endgame” the following year. Being able to share emotions with an audience is a unique feature of movie theaters. Having seen Marvel films in theaters throughout my life, I know that watching a blockbuster film alone at home does not compare to watching it with an audience who cares for characters as much as you. Fans’ love for movie franchises may be what keeps theaters afloat. Streaming services’ original content has recently risen. At an investor’s meeting in December, Disney Plus announced a wide range of shows to be released on the platform in upcoming years. After the success of the Star Wars series, “The Mandalorian,” Star Wars has ten new shows planned. Several Marvel shows are also soon to come, with “WandaVision,” “Falcon Winter Soldier,” and “Loki” all to be released in the first half of the year. Though some viewers expect Disney Plus’ focus on at-home streaming to wipe theaters out, this may not be the case. Marvel and Star Wars fans will have more content than ever before. Instead of repelling fans from theaters, new television series may entice them to go. Disney Plus’ original series will increase popularity and excitement around characters. Shows will tie into films, creating incentive to buy movie tickets. Now more than ever, moviegoers have a responsibility to give back to the homes of so many memories. Those who do not feel comfortable buying tickets during the pandemic can still help local theaters by donating money or purchasing gift cards. Voicing support on social media can also make a difference. The COVID-19 pandemic may have put a strain on theaters, but this does not ensure their demise. After being stuck inside for a year, watching films alone on a small screen in a cold basement, many movie lovers will flock to theaters to see films with friends. Theaters may look different in the years to come, but with so many fans of cinema, they have a shot at survival.
chloe creighton
PAGE EDITOR
COUP CONNECTIONS
Reporter Annie Xiao explores the connection between white supremacy and the riots at the Capitol.
Supporters of US President Donald Trump clash with the US Capitol police during a riot at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)
I
n 1898, a successful Coup D’État occurred in Wilmington, North Carolina, overthrowing the elected local government. As a Nov. 8 election approached, white Wilmington citizens “mobilized”, holding “supremacist rallies and parades” and organizing militias to intimidate black voters. Preceding the election, a Black local newspaper, The Daily Record, ran editorials speaking out against recent lynchings and stereotypes of Black men as violent. White supremacists used these editorials as a pretext to burn down The Daily Record, then Black homes and lynch Black people within the city. Two days later, when the statewide election restored Democrats to power, white supremacists descended on Wilmington’s City Hall, forcing elected officials to resign. The coup resulted in the implementation of numerous Jim Crow laws and new voting restrictions the following year: poll taxes and literacy tests. This event shares an eerie number of similarities to the recent attack on the Capitol. The Confederate flag paraded through the halls and noose and scaffolding set up outside serve
as a rude awakening to America’s deep rooted white supremacy. Both events function on the same principle: using any means necessary to prevent oncoming equality—and the subsequent loss of white privilege. With increasing opportunity for others, white Americans are often forced to reconcile the loss of their American Dream. These recent feelings of anger and sadness parallel those long felt by non-white Americans, yet do not hold the same legitimacy. White opportunity has not been deliberately and continuously impeded. In a piece in The Atlantic entitled “The First White President,” Ta-Nehisi Coates defines the goal of white supremacy as “to ensure that that which all others achieve with maximal effort, white people (particularly white men) achieve with minimal qualification.” He cites Barack Obama delivering the message to Black people that “if they work twice as hard as white people, anything is possible” while Donald Trump counters to white supporters with “work half as hard as black people, and even more is possible.” These opposing messages allude to the power of whiteness and double standards for whites and Blacks in the working class. Coates says,
“Indeed, the panic of white slavery lives on in our politics today. Black workers suffer because it was and is our lot. But when white workers suffer, something in nature has gone awry [...] Sympathetic op‑ed columns and articles are devoted to the plight of working-class whites when their life expectancy plummets to levels that, for blacks, society has simply accepted as normal.” A continual distinction is made between the working class and white working class although whites endure no unique struggles. Only a threat to the white working class and white American Dream garners attention and concern, which Trump capitalized on. In focusing solely on the white working class, “the sins of whiteness itself were, and are still being, evaded.” As white Americans unabashedly demonstrate their white supremacy, they reveal the prevailing power of whiteness and the dangerous results of harnessing such whiteness. If whiteness is continually underestimated, candidates like Trump will continue emerging, oftentimes victorious, and events like the Capitol Hill riot will continue occurring.
annie xiao
REPORTER OPINION 36
THE POWER OF THE PRESIDENCY
The Globe examines the sources and limits of presidential power.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The signing of the Constitution in 1787
I
n 1787 in Philadelphia, the Founding Fathers ratified a new Constitution, replacing the failed Articles of Confederation. In the new Constitution, the Founding Fathers created a country based on the Enlightenment ideas of separation of powers, social contract theory, separation of church and state, and constitutional government. Their words became some of the most influential ever written, creating a new age of democracy across the world. In Article II of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers created the executive branch and the office of the President of the United States. The founding fathers created the office of the president as a compromise between a monarch, as existed in the United Kingdom, and a strong legislature. They wanted a strong leader who could act quickly in national emergencies, but they also wanted a leader whose power could be checked by the legislative branch and later by the judicial branch, as ruled in Marbury v. Madison. The founding fathers leaned more on the side of having a monarch; while they set a term at four years, a president could have an unlimited number of terms provided they were elected. It wasn’t until FDR won four consecutive terms that term limits were introduced by the 22nd Amendment. The limits on presidential power are mostly set by the Constitution in Article II. The president has the power to sign and veto all bills. They serve as the commander in chief of the armed forces, appoint a cabinet, pardon
individuals for federal crimes, and may be removed through impeachment. Those are the general guidelines set out by Article II, though other powers have been accumulated by the president from acts of Congress, the Supreme Court, or unchallenged legal opinions. One of the most discussed presidential powers is the ability to grant pardons. The Constitution in Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 says “He shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” This gives the president the power to pardon any individual, but the question of whether the president can pardon himself is still unknown. Alexander Hamilton in Federalist No. 74 gives some insight into the limitations of Presidential pardon power. “Humanity and good policy conspire to dictate, that the benign prerogative of pardoning should be as little as possible fettered or embarrassed.” Hamilton argues that Presidential pardon should not be fettered and be applied with as few restrictions as possible. This argument would give the President the power to pardon himself. The other argument would be the wording that the founders use: they argue that since they use the word “grant” and that a person can not grant themselves something, a president can not pardon himself. The answer to the question of whether a president can pardon himself is still up for debate, and it will most likely be decided by the Supreme Court. One of the most famous of all presidential
powers is the fact that the president is the commander in chief of the armed forces and has the sole discretion to launch nuclear weapons. This is one of the most dangerous of all presidential powers, as any president can launch the entire United States nuclear arsenal at any target without any real requirements. This has become an issue of contention for many: should any single person have the ability to destroy humanity? Those who believe that the president should be regulated in his ability to launch nuclear weapons would say that there should be some requirements before launching weapons, whether it be consulting the speaker and majority leader of the House and Senate, or consulting the cabinet. This seems like a logical solution to limiting the power of the president to go rogue and potentially end all life on earth. Opponents to this argument would say in the case of nuclear war, every second counts so every lost second debating leads to more death. This is one of the most extreme forms of presidential power, but it is possible in the future that we elect or find a president in office who is trying to end the world and could order a nuclear attack. Another example of presidential power comes from the mysterious PEADs. PEADs, or Presidential Emergency Action Documents, are some of the least known and yet one of
OPINION 37
the most powerful tools that a president can use. PEADs emerged during the Eisenhower administration to help plan for what to do in the case of nuclear war. Since then, PEADs have grown to cover more scenarios that could hinder the government. PEADs, unlike other military actions, do not have to be told to Congress and are classified. Since the creation of PEADs, not one has been leaked or declassified. The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School reports that PEADs have in the past “authorized detention of “alien enemies’’ and other “dangerous persons’’ within the United States, suspended the writ of habeas corpus by presidential order; provided for various forms of martial law; issued a general warrant permitting search and seizure of persons and property; authorized censorship of news reports.” These PEADs can suspend the Constitution and are not regulated in any way. Should a President invoke one of these documents there would be little recourse. These powers have had top military and civilian officials nervous as they speculated that President Trump could invoke these powers to possibly overturn the election. Trump mentioned these powers during the earliest days of the coronavirus outbreak. Newsweek reports that, “Contained in the various packages briefed in the Oval Office during the early months of COVID-19, he says, were discussions of so-called Presidential Emergency Action Documents. A separate presidentiallyactivated code word exists to implement each of some five dozen PEADs—the documents already dispersed amongst various departments and government agencies. Those codes are contained in the same satchel—the so-called “football”—that holds the president’s nuclear
authenticators and is carried by military aides who are always with the president.” The President has these powers and is ready to be used with a moment’s notice. Are we as a country ok with a president having these powers? If we are not, what regulations are in place for the president and what more can we do? One of the most famous cases on the regulation of presidential powers comes from the landmark 1952 Supreme Court case, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer. Youngstown is a famous Supreme Court case that occurred during the Korean War. At the steel mills, the workers were going on strike. President Truman, worried about losing productivity during the war, seized the mill. He was then sued by the owners who claimed that Truman did not have the authority to seize the mill without an act of Congress. The court agreed, they ruled that Truman could not seize the mill without the consent of Congress. While Truman did not agree with the decision he immediately returned the mill. However, what would have happened if Truman decided not to return the mill? The Supreme Court is very good at resolving issues between states when the federal government is willing to intervene, and in some cases forcibly. Take the example of the Little Rock 9, in which Eisenhower ordered the 101st Airborne Division to forcibly integrate the schools, much to the displeasure of the governor. This shows how the federal government can enforce Supreme Court rulings. If a rogue president were to ignore the court there would be nothing to do in terms of recourse for the President’s behavior except for impeachment, but even that is unlikely due to the need of a ⅔ majority to convict in the Senate.
This leads to the most important question: how can we limit the power of the President? The Constitution says the President is checked by the Congress and by the courts, but over time both branches of government have decided not to do much to the power of the president, instead granting the executive branch more and more power. The best way to fix this is for the legislative branch to take more power for itself because, as we have learned from the Trump Administration, we don’t know who will be President in the future and whether they will want to follow the country’s traditional norms and rules. However, the most important check on presidential power comes from the American people who decide every four years who becomes the President.
alex slen REPORTER
Alexander Hamilton
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons OPINION 38
Mysorekar and Patel running their first time trial of the season. Both almost beat their personal records.
THOMAS GUSTAFSON, PHOTOGRAPHER
OFFSEASON TRAINING Seniors Milan Patel and Anand Mysorekar have a rigorous training regimine in preparation for their upcoming track season
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nand Mysorekar and Milan Patel ran 11 miles on Monday, Dec. 14. The next day, they ran another 11. In fact, they ran 11 miles every day that week except for Saturday and Sunday. Sunday is a rest day. On Saturday, they ran 15. In anticipation of their last season of track, Mysorekar and Patel have been running on a near daily basis for the past three months, dedicating themselves to the offseason. A few weeks after the end of cross country, they built up to running 70 miles in a week. This was the longest week either of them had ever run. “A 70 mile week is a lot for a high school kid… generally in the winter you see them do about 30 or 40,” explained CHS Cross Country Coach James Crowe, who has been guiding their training. Running 70 miles is not only a physical task, but a mental one. An 11 mile run with a few stops at traffic lights takes Mysorekar and Patel around an hour and a half. Their 15 mile long run took around two hours.
“It’s really not that hard, because we just jog, but it does take a long time every day,” Mysorekar said. Luckily, training as a pair helps pass the time. “It’s so boring alone. Six miles is okay because 40-50 minutes goes by kind of quick, but an hour and a half is just too much.” But training is worth it. As seniors, Mysorekar and Patel hope to have the best possible last season of track that they can. “It’s our last high school running season ever, so we wanted to get super super good,” Mysorekar explained. They also don’t want to waste time at the beginning of track season rebuilding. “You don’t want to go into the season being out of shape, then waste all of those beginning weeks trying to catch up,” Patel said. This year, both hope to advance to sectionals and then state, running more competitively at meets. “During the regular season, I always want to be competing,” Patel said. “Every time I
step on the line I’m always trying to win.” At the beginning of January, Mysorekar and Patel began speed workouts. Because of their work in the offseason, both of them noticed major improvements from the year before. “Generally, if you run more mileage than you normally have, you get a bump and usually run a pretty fast mile off of that,” Crowe pointed out. In fact, both Mysorekar and Patel almost ran personal records during their first time trial. Since track doesn’t start until early March, training remains their top priority. “Consistency is the biggest thing,” Patel explained. “As long as you’re doing something every day, and you’re being productive 6-7 days a week you’re gonna have results.”
thomas gustafson
PAGE EDITOR SPORTS 39
WONDER WOMAN 1984
Why Wonder Woman 1984 fails to live up to its predecessor.
Wonder Woman (played by Gal Gadot)
PHOTOS FROM WARNER BROTHERS
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hen faced with the success of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, Warner Bros. felt it could do the same with its own properties, and created the DC Extended Universe. The results have been mixed. In 2017, two DC films had recently been released, Batman V. Superman and Suicide Squad. Both films were met with negative critical responses, and the former underperformed at the box office. Then came Wonder Woman. Not only was 2017’s Wonder Woman a great financial success, but it received almost universal praise from critics and audiences. Now, 3 years and 4 DC films later, Wonder Woman is back in her second stand-alone movie, Wonder Woman 1984. Although this time she’s not just premiering on the big screen. The movie is one of the main selling points for the streaming service, HBO Max. Wonder Woman 1984 follows Diana Prince, played by Gal Gadot, now adjusted to human society in the titular year. However, upon the
REVIEW 40
discovery of a magical artifact, she must face the charming businessman Maxwell Lord, played by Pedro Pascal, as he intends to use its power for his own gain. She must also confront her own past, after she summons her old love Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pines, from the dead. Sadly, Wonder Woman 1984 does not live up to its predecessor in almost any way, and marks another disappointment in DC’s catalog. What strengths WW84 does have comes from its cast. Maxwell Lord is a bit of an unconventional villain, and probably the most interesting part of the film. While he does mark one of the few improvements over the original as a far better antagonist, Max Lord’s character runs the risk of going from dangerously delusional to entirely silly. Pedro Pascal’s performance ensures that the character never seems quite too shallow, communicating both the charismatic facade that Lord uses to mask himself and the emotional instability his pursuit of power causes him. Gal Gadot continues to portray a wellrealized Wonder Woman, and is a strong lead even if Pascal steals some of the attention. Kristin Wiig portrays Barbara Minerva, later
the Cheetah, and sufficiently plays the role of awkward scientist turned cat-human hybrid, and Chris Pines the resurrected old flame. In general, there are no truly bad performances in this film. However, besides Pedro Pascal, it is hard to say any of them truly stand out, due to the entirely lacking material that was provided. It becomes clear that the time period in which the film is set does not really matter, and the subtitle of 1984 was simply used because it sounds more interesting than “2”. Besides some flashy sequences involving malls and a few tunes playing in the background, the film could easily be set today with just a few tweaks. This is part of a larger problem of tonal inconsistency. Cheesy action sequences transition to meaningful character moments in the blink of an eye. The plot moves at breakneck speed in some parts, and in other sections it slows to a crawl. The original Wonder Woman knew how to handle its comedic moments and visual spectacle, but also when to let the serious parts sink in and have weight. Wonder Woman 1984 refuses to commit to a single tone. In a way, I almost wish the film committed to the campy tone in the opening. It might have allowed the film not to even try and take itself
too seriously, potentially saving it from many of the embarrassing moments to come. Sometimes it’s best not to over-analyze when it comes to superhero movies, but Wonder Woman 1984 practically dares you not to. For instance, when Steve comes back in another man’s body, we are only momentarily faced with a new actor playing the body Steve inhabits, before Chris Pines regains the role. The movie wants you to forget about this plot point entirely, but the implications are hard to ignore. Is the other man dead? Has his soul been completely erased? Why would Steve end up in this random individual’s body anyway? Is this seemingly all-powerful artifact incapable of returning him to his original form? The movie is not only filled with questionable moments like this, but cheap plot devices and nonsensical occurrences that can overwhelm even the fantastical nature of a superhero flick and delve into the realm of lazy writing. Characters magically appear in places for the sake of convenience. The worst of this is when Diana instantly travels from Egypt to New York, which prompts another character to comment on how fast she traveled, as if that
would make it more logical. The artifact that drives the entire movie, the Dreamstone, simply appears with no lead up, and absolutely no real explanation. The entire plot simply goes from one sequence to the next, with very little logic or connectivity behind it. Wonder Woman 1984’s run time is far too long. This is mostly due to the time spent establishing the characters before the climax begins. But when the movie is over, that time feels entirely useless. The climax itself is so jam packed with spectacle that half of the events preceding it become irrelevant compared to the absurdly grand scale of the climax, which leaves no room for whatever finer details of the plot did exist. WW84 is 2 and a half hours long, and it might not have been nearly as draining if it was just half an hour shorter Speaking of characters, there is a shocking lack of development for all the time invested in them. The most egregious case would be that of Barbara Minerva. We spend a considerable amount of screen time with Barbara, witnessing her insecurities, but also her talent and compassion. Out of those insecurities, she makes a wish on the Dreamstone and slowly
begins losing herself. In a twist that surprises absolutely no one, she eventually becomes the Cheetah, an occurrence that clearly happens so the movie can claim to have Wonder Woman’s most notorious villains. While all this might be quite cliche, it still makes logical sense that Diana would take Barbara down by finding the good in her, finally managing to validate Barbara. Well, this doesn’t happen. We spend so many scenes with Barbara, establishing her personality, finding out who she is, seeing how she changes. And it’s all for absolutely nothing. Imagine most characters following this general trajectory and you might see how this movie can feel like a waste of time. A bad plot is all well and good, but what about the visuals? Surely a movie produced with a 200 million-dollar budget must at the very least have good visuals, especially one that will mainly be watched from a television instead of a movie screen. Well, this is unfortunately not the case, and it all lies with the CG. When Wonder Woman runs, she doesn’t look like she’s going forward, she looks like she’s running on a treadmill with a moving background. Her lasso swings have no weight behind them, instead looking like she’s gliding through the air. While some of the less composited action sequences are actually quite solid, everything falls apart during the final fight scene with Cheetah, owing to the fact that Cheetah looks absolutely atrocious. The scene is clearly set at night for a reason. The vibrant colors of the poster are nowhere to be seen, most of it coming from Diana’s glowing yellow noodle. In the end, Wonder Woman wins. But an inexplicable climax can only be remedied by an inexplicable solution which is less than satisfying. As part of this solution, the movie tries to hammer home a message about the importance of truth and the harm of lies. But when there are zero consequences for anything and no attempt to rationalize the plot’s descent into madness - this is hard to take seriously. Ultimately, Wonder Woman 1984 is a serviceable movie, and might even Max subscription just for a one-time watch. But Wonder Woman 1984’s central theme is seemingly about truth, and the truth is, Wonder Woman 1984 is not a good movie. Now in the same vein of truth, I have to admit that generally, I was entertained. Wonder Woman 1984 is a very easy movie to criticize because of just how glaring it’s flaws are. But despite its numerous shortcomings, WW84 might be worth a watch for those who were anticipating it. But that doesn’t stop it from being a disappointment, with a lot of wasted potential. To paraphrase the words of Max Lord, “The movie isn’t good, but it could be better.”
isaac millians
REPORTER REVIEW 41
PRO: CHS GIFTED PROGRAM While the gifted program has its flaws, a lack of one at the high school fails to provide students with the services necessary to excel in life.
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Tommy Castellano reading a book.
Eli Millner, PHOTOGRAPHER
students who are similarly nontraditional learners. As for the issue of expanding an already flawed program, even with its problems, the gifted program still provides some elementary and middle school students with a vital resource. Over the past few years, the gifted program has been almost entirely redesigned. In order to promote a more demographically representative program, the district has changed the identification process to get a fuller understanding of each student. The district needs to continue to improve its testing methods and the inclusivity of its services to help all gifted students succeed. The changes in the program will take time, though, and in the meantime, gifted high school students are being forgotten. Some students spend as many as seven years in the gifted program prior to coming to the high school. For them, the gifted program is as much a part of their education as an English or science class. The abrupt end to gifted services in high school is disruptive to the academic and mental
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here is no denying that the gifted program at Clayton is flawed. The demographics of the program are not representative of the diverse makeup of the district, the process that leads to a student’’s acceptance into the program has come under scrutiny, and the distinction between students who are identified as gifted and those who are not has been labeled elitist. Recently, the district proposed the idea of creating a gifted class at Clayton High School. With so many issues in the existing program, though, some might question why gifted services should be further extended. Others might wonder whether a gifted program at the high school is even necessary when the high school offers such an extensive selection of AP and honors courses. When discussing these concerns, it is first helpful to define who gifted students are. Gifted students at Clayton are identified through several critical thinking and behavioral assessments. Despite the common narrative that giftedness is just about IQ scores, intelligence is only a small piece of the puzzle. Being gifted does not guarantee a student will earn good grades, and good grades are not necessarily an indicator of giftedness. Gifted students have needs that cannot be addressed in everyday classroom settings. Just as a student who struggles with reading or math would not be expected to get the help they
routines of these students. Instead of cutting them off entirely, a gifted class at the high school could provide students with strategies for supporting themselves once they enter college and the infamous “real world,” where it really is difficult to provide gifted services. So what would a gifted class at Clayton High School look like? There are a lot of paths that the course could take: an advisory-type class, or a more content focused class. Whatever the case, the students who will be receiving the services and the gifted specialists within the district should have a part in deciding the format of the class. The course needs to have specific goals for addressing the specific needs of gifted students. The topic of giftedness, and how to address it holds a certain amount of apprehension. Through the past techniques and prejudices of identifying students, it has been associated with elitism and exclusivity. What the district has to do now is take steps to eliminate any further systemic exclusivity, and work to provide all of its gifted students, regardless of age, with the services they need.
need from their regular classes, gifted students should not be expected, or asked, to get the social and emotional support they need by themselves. It is important to keep in mind that giftedness is not synonymous with academic achievement. This is why AP and honors classes are not sufficient replacements for gifted students. The depth that these classes go into can engage some gifted students’ desire for learning, but simply taking advanced classes does not address the underlying emotional struggles gifted students face. The term “gifted” can be misleading: it glamorizes and oversimplifies the full picture of students who are identified as such, and Clayton is currently in the process of renaming the program. Many gifted students have trouble understanding the intensity with which they experience the world around them, and they often feel isolated from their peers. Perfectionism, high anxiety, and a heightened sensitivity to sound, noise, and smell are all common struggles among gifted students. About 6 percent of students are twice exceptional- they are both gifted and have a learning disability- but many gifted students exhibit characteristics of ADHD. While giftedness is traditionally not regarded as a learning disability, it is important for the unique needs of gifted students to be addressed with the same attention that is given to other
Paul Castellano working at the blackboard.
Eli Millner, PHOTOGRAPHER
emma baum SECTION EDITOR
CON: CHS GIFTED PROGRAM Many people would love to see their kids in the gifted program, but the truth is that a gifted program at CHS would do more harm than good.
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hat does it mean to be gifted? Does it mean that you have better grades? Does it mean that you participate in more extracurricular activities? Or does it mean that your brain simply works differently? The gifted program has been ongoing at the elementary schools and the middle school of the Clayton district for years , dividing 2nd8th grade students using criteria described as, “exceptional creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking in comparison to their chronological peers”. There are now discussions of implementing the gifted program at the high school level. Although this may be seen as a way for brighter students to be challenged, the gifted program has done more harm than help. For many students who tried and failed to get into the program, the rejection severely decreased their confidence in school. Samantha Helmering, a sophomore at CHS, tried to get into the program twice. She was rejected both times. She originally applied because her sister Cavan Helmering, a senior, got into the program. However, the test was not what she expected. “It was honestly so stressful. I felt like I didn’t know the right answers to any of the questions,” said Helmering. She also felt that the test wasn’t a fair evaluation of what she was learning; “In the school system you learn how to memorize stuff, like facts and equations, but the gifted test is like colors and shapes. I feel like it’s stuff that you wouldn’t need to know in real life.”
ERIN SUCHER-O’GRADY, PHOTOGRAPHER The decision to apply for the program also took a toll on Helmering’s mental health, which didn’t improve after she was rejected. “If you see all of the “smart” people in gifted who are in the same classes as you then you kind of think about why you aren’t in it as well and what makes you not as smart.” Even students who did get into the program didn’t feel like it benefited them in the way that they were expecting. Sophomore Sofia Mutis first joined the program in 3rd grade, when she moved to the District. At Glenridge Elementary School, Mutis has a positive feeling about being in the Gifted Program. Mutis says she had more freedom to explore topics she was interested in, as well as engage in a more creative way of learning. However, she also describes feeling superior to her peers who did not make it into the program. Mutis explains that there were certain expectations gifted students were held up to; especially in the sense that students were simply expected to exceed in every subject, which doesn’t hold true to the ideals of “failure acceptance” the Gifted Program advertises. Because she was placed in direct comparison with her peers, Sofia Mutis felt as if she was “superior” and “special” compared to those who did not make it into Gifted, and she felt the tension that was formed between Gifted Students like her and students like Helmering. Mutis continued her enrollment in the gifted program into Wydown Middle School, named Exploratorium, where she was held to very high standards in terms of being able to handle a
heavier workload, advanced communication and presentation skills, and independent study. While nothing appears to be wrong with these skills, Mutis claims that Exploratorium made her feel as if everything should be easy for her, that work that was meant to be challenging to non-gifted students shouldn’t be a challenge for her. Because of this, she explains, she developed terrible procrastination habits which strongly affect her ability to handle the stressful and busy highschool-level workload. There have been many studies done that show the harmful ways that gifted programs affect students. A study done at Florida State University found that although students with higher IQs are able to grasp new skills, it does not help them excel in any skills or activities. They still have to practice and put in effort, just like any other student. Although gifted programs promise an environment for students to thrive and explore their desired interest, it creates a toxic environment. Students who are not picked feel less than their “gifted” counterparts, and students who are in the program feel constant pressure to perform. To ensure the mental wellbeing of Clayton students, the gifted program should not be added to the curriculum.
ruby nadin & carola vaqueiro
REPORTERS PRO/CON 43
STAFF ED: TOXIC MASCULINITY A look into how toxic mascunlinity surrounds our daily lives and what we can do to stop encouraging it.
INTRODUCTION
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merican society continuously pressures men to be overly masculine. This demand for extremely masculine behavior is often referred to as Toxic Masculinity. In a patriarchy, men are presumed to make the money, get the girl and run the world. Power and success are the ultimate goals leaving no room for emotions, let alone femininity. It is a culture in which women are considered lesser and weak, so when a man acts more stereotypically feminine he will be dragged off his pedestal of privilege. The concept of toxic masculinity permeates the American lifestyle, as the concept of a “manly man” is considered the norm.
ADVERTISING
ADS PER PERSON PER DAY 10,000
5,000
20
20
2,500
20 07
STAFF ED 44
between the two. Deodorant, soap and other hygiene products are often split between two feminine and masculine counterparts, offering completely different scents or contents for either gender. The labeling and advertising on the products themselves are just as divisive. The color scheme will often follow the typical societal association of blue for boys and pink for girls. Into the 21st century, this method of advertisement has not ceased. If anything, advertisements have moved closer to the extreme in their targeting and content, due in large part to a relatively new advertising platform: the internet. Even products which would seem to be gender neutral have found their way onto shelves with gendered packaging or branding: Mansize Kleenex, almost identical “guy” and “gal” gift cards. Cans of various drinks now sport labels that they are specifically “for men”, others “for women”. Advertisers are acutely aware that men will want to buy “manly” products. They play off of society’s long-lived habit to construct gender roles to sell more product, or diversify their product to specifically garner the appeal of “the other side”. As a result, we are left with commercials showing muscular men proudly displaying their toothbrush or razor, or doing donuts in their new Ford truck to heavy metal. Commercials
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Digital Marketing experts estimate that, right now, most Americans view anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 advertisements per day. This figure includes through radio, television, in print and digital media, from when we wake up and check our phones to when we finally shut off the TV to go to sleep. It may seem like an outlandish number, and that’s a fair reaction— it’s doubled since 2007, and is ten times what it was back in the 70s. Advertisements play a key role in commercial America, and people often underestimate their pervasive nature in our lives despite their pivotal part in American consumerism. For advertisers, it’s a simple direct relationship: the better the influence your advertisement has on buyers, the more revenue it will generate. The more your advertisement is seen, the more influential it will be. Therefore, as American consumers, we intake almost unimaginable amounts of advertising and product propaganda each day. In theory, advertisements help consumers to stay informed on the new and best products. In practice, many are a mess of toxically masculine and feminine promotion. Since the dawn of our free market nation, sexism has permeated the advertising realm, reflecting the broader views of many. As advertising grew in its scope, ads continued to enforce a somewhat patriarchal agenda. A 1951 ad for Van Heusen ties reads: “show her it’s a man’s world”, insisting that ties are “for men only”. Another from the same era, advertising PEP vitamins from Kellogg’s, boasts that, “the harder a wife works, the cuter she looks,” with the image of a woman holding a feather duster. It is not surprising that such sexist ads were popular and effective in the early to mid 1900s, given the social trends at the time. Even as American society has progressed socially, however, the gendering of advertisements has not ceased. It has only become more subtle. Many products or services remain differentiated by gender, either specifically designated to one gender or split in two forms
which display the epitome of masculinity, the peak of male function. From the earliest age, boys are exposed to this hypermasculinity in between segments of Sesame Street. They are shown what it means to be male in society: toy guns and trucks to intense rock music. While the messages presented by advertising often remain the same, the way they are presented is changing. Television is still the most popular form of media consumption throughout America, but social media services and the internet as a whole is catching up, and quickly. Further, television does not offer the advertising ability given by the much more flexible and personalized internet. The majority of advertising dollars are now spent on online advertisements, at almost double the rate of traditional television advertising— and often show better results. When broadcasting television advertisements, you can somewhat tailor the advertisements to certain demographics– advertisements for toys are shown on children’s channels, food advertisements in between cooking shows– but the capabilities are limited. With the internet, advertisements can be tailored specifically to gender, age, race, and economic status for each individual user. Different advertisements for each platform, web service, and device format. It perpetuates the cycle of product gendering and hypermasculinity in advertising, reinforcing society’s concepts of masculinity and femininity, and making concrete each individual’s understanding of their stance. To return to the opening statistic: 4,000 to 10,000 advertisements per person per day. In a society constructed around gender roles, these advertisements work to reinforce the idea of toxic masculinity– and, for that matter, toxic femininity– and solidify gender’s importance in the consumption of products, services and information.
shane lagesse CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF
MEDIA Social media turns body image into a competition of who can be the most heteronormativity attractive. Men are told not to complement each other on style or looks because recognizing style or looks is considered effeminate or gay. Society, including other men, constantly assume that men who dress feminine are gay. They use gay as a negative because of their homophobic beliefs. That being gay makes them “less of a man”. They are raised to tear each other down. Seeing popular male figures on social media perpetuates this toxic masculinity because more masculine men who will show off their muscles continue to gain more followers and likes. Setting the standard of beauty for younger boys trying to still find themselves. Media also teaches boys that the way to be respected in the workforce is to be rude, cold, and unemotional. It also encourages the
sexualization and mistreatment of women to look more powerful to male colleagues. The TV and Movie industry has been around for years and feeds of gendered stereotypes and toxic masculinity. Two super common stereotypes are the Jock who gets all the girls and the smart guy who gets money and uses his smarts to also get the girl. These stereotypes are bad for men because they set unrealistic standards for how to succeed in life. Perpetuating the idea that guys should not do art, theatre, music, or even creative writing. These are all activities that need people to show their emotions and feelings. Men in movies who do specifically show their feelings often are mocked by other characters which convince the people watching that men should show emotions in the real world. The physically strong, athletic and super masculine characters are all stereotypes
commonly seen as male superheroes on screens, such as Superman, Thor, Batman and Captain America. Captain America/Steve Rogers starts as the underdog, being considered too weak to join the military. However, he gets a strange medical treatment, which makes him stronger. In his new strong form, he can save the world. When a young boy watches this story, he would see the transformation into Captain America by using a risky medical treatment as a success. Steve Rogers became a powerful, respected superhero by changing himself to be more masculine. He got popular by fighting in and risking his own life to fit it. Captain America’s story prompts toxic masculinity stereotypes, and it is one of many movies and shows out there to do the same.
are mutually exclusive. The idea that a woman cannot have a profound interest in electrical engineering while also going out to buy dresses and having an ornate jewelry collection. The concept of there being two types of women erases the multidimensionality and diversity that exists, both in women from different cultures and those from the same culture. Many young girls aspire to be sought-after and desired, both by their male and female classmates. Intense focus is placed on dresses, shoes and makeup, and too often young girls are taught to be liked or accepted, they must adhere to society’s standards of beauty. While competition is generally seen as a men’s domain, when it comes to beauty, women are told they must consistently present themselves in a way that will allow them to outshine other women. This ongoing competition for something as temporary as physical beauty causes animosity between women at school, in the workplace, and even within close friendships. Sometimes, to compensate for what they believe is their own lack of physical beauty, women talk behind each others’ backs and degrade each other. These insults can be
directed at another woman’s outfit, hairstyle, or other physical attribute. Through movies and social media, women are inundated with images of tall, muscular men. This media is often produced by men, and women become submissive to the toxic messages they are sent. Women then perpetuate toxic masculinity consciously and unconsciously. While men on the internet might bemoan women’s exclusive preference for tall men, the blame should not be placed on women, as they have grown up being told height and physical strength are what should be valued in men above all else. Men’s failure to conform to gender norms, especially those in the media and film industry, is met with scathing review and critique. Candance Owens, a conservative American author and political activist, is known for her firm stance on gender roles and expectations. To her, one of the most pressing issues facing the United States is the emasculation of men. Her call, “Bring back manly men’’ came in response to Harry Styles’ Vogue cover and was echoed by conservatives across the internet, triggering a storm of complaints and refutations by supporters looking to vindicate men’s freedom of dress and expression. Just as there is no one way to dress, speak, or act like a woman, there is likewise no way men should have to act to be considered “real men,”- those who are worthy of love, admiration, and respect.
maya goldwasser REPORTER
WOMEN’S SEXISM While much of the focus of toxic masculinity is placed on men’s aggressive and suggestive behavior towards women in society, the roles enforced upon women from an early age also cause them to create unrealistic expectations for members of their own gender. While a woman can declare that she is a feminist and is supportive of women’s choices and rights, she can still have unconscious bias against other women. The media often portrays women as being pretty, having a love of shopping, beauty and self-care and sharing a mutual love of gossip. Movies and TV shows enforce the idea that there are two types of women: one who loves makeup and is dainty, the other who loves sports and engages in “manly” and intellectual pursuits and discussions. The desire to be considered “different” and “special” to attract male attention is instilled in women and young girls; that science, beauty and fashion
seraphina corbo
FEATURE SECTION EDITOR
STAFF ED 45
ath RS
FASHION How would you feel if we told you that the skirt was commonly used for comfort during battle? High-heels for Persian soldiers? That the color pink was originally viewed as the color of the boys? In the 1918 publication of Earnshaw’s Infants’ Department, it read, “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls.” Their reasoning included that pink was a “more decided and stronger color” and therefore more suitable for a boy, while blue is “more delicate and dainty” and therefore prettier for the girl. Why did this change? Well, in the 1940s clothing manufacturers simply decided that blue looked better on boys and pink on girls… and we never changed it. Decades later we still see the same logos and colors assigned to boys’ versus girls’ clothing. Boys like trucks. Girls like fairies. Boys like dinosaurs. Girls like unicorns. Boys wear suits and girls wear dresses. It seems particularly silly that we have assigned pieces of clothing to one gender or the other simply based on whether it is aggressive and strong versus dainty and pretty. Movements have begun to challenge these gender stereotypes in clothing. Rather than conforming to the traditional male attire, famous men have begun exploring new fashionable options. On February 24, 2019, Billy Porter, an American singer and actor, attended the 91st Academy Awards in a tuxedo style dress, challenging toxic masculinity seen in clothing.
Porter said, “My goal is to be a walking piece of political art every time I show up. To challenge expectations. What is masculinity? What does it mean?” More recently, British singer Harry Styles appeared on the December cover of Vogue magazine rocking a Gucci jacket and dress. Styles has been known to embrace more ‘feminine’ aspects of style including brightly patterned suits and, also in the Vogue photoshoot, a Chopova Lowena belted skirt. In his interview with Vogue, Styles said “I find myself looking at women’s clothes, thinking they’re amazing.” So, why does clothing need to have a gender? If wearing a skirt or a dress makes you comfortable, makes you happy, why shouldn’t you wear it? In our modern world, we continue to stick to strict gender conforming fashion norms. Luckily, people such as Porter and Styles have worked to show being masculine does not just mean khakis and a collared shirt. Clothing is meant to show your style, to let you express yourself in a way that is unique to you, don’t be afraid to dress in a way that brings you confidence and joy.
ella cuneo
SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR
WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT Toxic masculinity isn’t only harmful to men. It also creates environments of violence and competition that are harmful to society as a whole. For example, workplace harassment and male-dominated environments have become normalized due to toxic masculinity and the expectation that men should be the loudest and most aggressive people in the room. In an article published in the Journal of Social Issues, researchers from Lawrence University and University of British Columbia created a Masculinity Contest Culture scale to evaluate workplace culture. Analyzed data from surveyed individuals revealed that higher levels of masculinity contest culture correlate with harassment, poor attitudes towards work, ineffective workplace organization, toxic leadership, and low levels of personal wellbeing for employees. “Masculinity contest norms harm organizations and the men and women within them,” the study explains. Women who work in politics as well as offices also experience toxic masculinity culture.
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Women like Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Hilary Clinton have been labeled as too ambitious, unlikable, or angry to hold office. Meanwhile, men in politics are held up and exalted because ambition and anger are seen as admirable qualities within toxic masculinity culture. For example, a former White House spokesman recently defended President Trump as the “most masculine” president in U.S. history, after being asked by a Fox News host whether Twitter’s ban on Trump left the president feeling “emasculated.” As president, Trump has actively championed toxic masculinity culture by defending sexual assault, glorifying militarism and violence, and often taking aim at his opponents by labeling them as weak or small. These attitudes in the political arena and the workplace are a result of deeply-rooted problems in society that start even before men enter the workforce. Toxic masculinity is also a problem in high school culture, especially in extracurriculars like sports and speech and debate where assertiveness is valued.
“I think any girl experiences sexism from guys in debate,” explained sophomore speech and debate team member Alice Wang. “There’s a general feeling that guys can get away with more. Speaking aggressively, getting heated, and etc. I’ve been talked down to before by a guy I was about to debate, like I was a little puppy. Mansplaining is something that I think is really common.” Males are applauded for being aggressive in academic or competitive environments, while their female counterparts are often seen as intense or intimidating. Rape culture is passed off as “locker room talk.” And these environments are fueled by the pressure men feel to base their identities and actions on a toxic standard of what it means to be a man. It’s a standard that hurts and endangers everyone, even beyond the men who are expected to conform to it.
ivy reed
OPINION SECTION EDITOR
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