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Tuesday November 27, 2018 vol. CXLII no. 107
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ON CAMPUS
BEYOND THE BUBBLE
Scholars discuss social progress
Passengers left behind due to Dinky replacement By Hannah Wang Senior Writer
By Karolen Eid Contributor
A month after the hearings for then-nominee to the Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh, scholars discussed implications and the future of democracy. On Monday, Nov. 26, members of the International Panel on Social Progress held a panel on their recent report, “Rethinking Society for the 21st Century: Report of the International Panel on Social Progress.” The event’s panel comprised social science professors who discussed issues including inequality, development, and religion through a lens of challenges and improvements to modern democracy. The panel included John Bowen of Washington University in St. Louis, Leslye Obiora of the University of Arizona, and University professors Philip Pettit, Marc Fleurbaey, and Eldar Shafir. The event was moderated by visiting journalism lecture and NPR international correspondent Deborah Amos. During the discussion, Fleurbaey spoke about the importance of social media as a public good that can advance democracy. He explained that it should be monitored by civic organizations, watchdogs, and democratic in order to “guarantee its independence both from business interests and also from government intrusion.” See PROGRESS page 2
COURTESY OF ANDREW WONNACOTT ’19
Students standing in the aisle of a packed Dinky bus on Nov. 20, the day before the 2018 Thanksgiving break officially began.
The buses that have been substituting for the Dinky since Oct. 14 are leaving commuters behind and causing them to miss their train connections, due to their maximum capacity of 63 people in comparison with the Dinky’s 119. Students who spoke with The Daily Princetonian said the problem has been especially bad at the beginnings and ends of breaks, when more people come to the station at once, with extra luggage. On Sunday, Andrew Wonnacott ’19 observed students being left behind as his bus pulled away from Princeton Junction. And the previous Tuesday, the bus he boarded at Princeton Station was completely packed with students and their luggage, all heading
to the airports for Thanksgiving break. According to an NJ Transit statement, the Dinky is one of multiple trains that have been “temporarily discontinued” or undergone “changes of origin/destination” in order to facilitate the federally mandated installation of Positive Train Control equipment on the NJ Transit rail fleet. “Students who board [the buses] are subject to crowding and discomfort,” Wonnacott said. He said he saw that at times of peak usage, many passengers were “left behind to wait for the next bus, which creates a cascading effect.” Geoffrey Mon ’21 described a similar experience when traveling home for Thanksgiving. “All the seats were filled, and people had to stand in the See DINKY page 2
ON CAMPUS
Dining halls will not serve romaine lettuce until CDC updates warning By Roberto Hasbun Staff Writer
Students at the University will have one less leafy green option at the dining halls, until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) releases new information about the nationwide E. coli outbreak in romaine lettuce. “We won’t know when we will be able to serve romaine lettuce again,” said Rick Piancone, the executive chef for Rockefeller and Mathey dining halls. “We are waiting for CDC notice.”
In April, the CDC issued another official warning telling consumers not to eat romaine lettuce. But that warning didn’t affect the University, because the contaminated lettuce was outside the dining halls’ purchasing zone. Piancone said the dining halls are replacing romaine lettuce with spinach and other types of lettuce. He also said he’s surprised by how big the outbreak has become. Since the outbreak was identified by U.S. government officials on Oct. 8, 13 people have been hospital-
STUDENT LIFE
ized, including one individual who suffered kidney failure, according to The New York Times. On Nov. 20, the CDC released a food safety alert, advising U.S. consumers to refrain from eating any romaine lettuce. People were told to dispose of any romaine lettuce they had in their fridges, and retailers were told not to sell romaine lettuce. In response to the CDC warning, the University decided to take drastic measures.
“Campus dining stopped serving romaine lettuce on Tuesday, Nov. 20, the day the CDC released its warning, and has not served it since,” Deputy University Spokesperson Michael E. Hotchkiss said. Linda Recine, the assistant director of purchasing for Campus Dining, is communicating with sellers to inform them that the University will not be buying romaine lettuce, according to Piancone. Jeanna Joseph ’21 was surSee LETTUCE page 2
ON CAMPUS
Rhodes scholar Reed ’19 is brilliant, Epstein discusses generous with her time, say peers Harvard lawsuit
By David Veldran Contributor
Kate Reed ’19, known for her humility and love for learning, is one of four University students to receive a Rhodes Scholarship this year. Reed concentrates in History with certificates in Latin
American studies and Spanish. Though she has no family from Latin America, her interest in the region’s history, culture, and politics is profound. “For me it started with language,” she said. “I went to a high school where Spanish was just a normal class that we took, and so I came into Princeton
By Allen Shen Contributor
One of the nation’s foremost constitutional legal experts would repeal Title VI of the Civil Rights Act in order to solve the quandary that is Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. “Well, I say, what you do is to repeal [Title VI], and then Harvard can do pretty much whatever it wants,” Richard A. Epstein, the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Law at New York University (NYU) School of Law, said in a lecture Monday, Nov. 26. Epstein is best-known for his libertarian and classical
See EPSTEIN page 2
ON CAMPUS
Man exposes himself to graduate student By Oliver Effron Contributor
The Department of Public Safety wrote that a man peered into a graduate student’s window while exposing himself at Lawrence Apartments late Monday evening in an email to
In Opinion
Today on Campus
Columnist Noa Wollstein enjoins the Tigertones to stop performing the Disney hit “Kiss The Girl” and contributing columnist Braden Flax critiques identity politics as an intellectual dogma. PAGE 4
4:30 p.m.: The Program in American Studies presents “Rebooting Jewish Television: Transparent, Streaming Media, and Foundation-Backed Culture”. McCormick Hall 101
liberal views on constitutional legal matters, and in addition to his professorship at NYU, he is the director of the Classical Liberal Institute at NYU School of Law, the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law Emeritus and senior lecturer at the University of Chicago, as well as the Peter and Kirstin Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a conservative-leaning think tank based at Stanford University. Epstein is widelyknown for his writings on classical liberal interpretations of legal texts, most notably for his 1985 book
the campus community. The suspect — described as a white male in his 40s, approximately five feet eight inches tall, and wearing a dark-colored hoodie — has not been located at the time of publishing. “We have no further informaSee LEWDNESS page 3
WEATHER
COURTESY OF PRINCETON.EDU
Kate Reed ’19 is one of four Princeton students to win the prestigious Rhodes scholarship this year.
pretty fluent. I started to get involved in the Latin American immigrant community here.” Throughout her time at the University, Reed has worked with immigrant populations. She helped create an ESL-adapted history class for immigrant students, and she taught at El Centro, a program that provides free English classes to adult immigrants in Trenton and Princeton. She was also president of the Princeton University Language Project (PULP), which provides free translations to non-profits, libraries, and schools. Describing her work at El Centro as “unquestionably, the best part of my life at Princeton,” Reed says that the experience played a major role in her decision to study history. She also credits several classes and teachers at the University with inspiring her enthusiasm about Latin American studies, leading her to realize that “this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” Reed noted that classes such as “U.S. Imperialism in the Caribbean”— with her favorite professor, Robert Karl — and “Colonial Latin American History,” with professor Vera Candiani, were instrumental in her academic path. This year, her favorite class is called “TranslaSee REED page 3
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The Daily Princetonian
Tuesday November 27, 2018
EPSTEIN
impact will be very unpredictable. “Both of these guys, each of them libertarian, and each of them kind of emotionally committed to the colorblind principle,” Epstein said. “So, you don’t know which impulse is going to come out.” The lecture took place in 222 Bowen Hall on Monday, Nov. 26, at 4:30 p.m. Epstein spoke in the Annual Walter F. Murphy Lecture in American Constitutionalism of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, cosponsored by the Program in Law and Public Affairs, and funded by the Bouton Law Lecture Fund.
Mon ’21: Nobody knows Richard Epstein: Title VI of Civil which bus is the right one Rights Act ought to be repealed DINKY
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aisle, but there were still people at the station when [the bus] left,” he said. Mon added, “there is always an air of uncertainty at the Dinky station now, because no one knows which bus is the right one. Some of the people who got left behind probably didn’t even realize it was the ‘Dinky bus.’” Even students who do make it onto the intended bus are not guaranteed to catch their train. The buses operate under a shifted version of the original Dinky timetable, leaving the University 15 minutes prior to the old Dinky departure times to compensate for their more roundabout route to Princeton Junction. Despite this, the buses frequently run behind schedule because of the extra time that it takes to squeeze as many passengers on board as possible. “We waited while people put suitcases on their laps and jammed closer to each other, and departed at least 10 minutes after we were supposed to depart,” Wonnacott said. He said that as a result of this delay, he ended up missing his connection at Princeton Junction altogether. Mon also recalled the bus leaving “at least five minutes
late,” on the way both to and from Princeton Junction. Despite all of students’ observed problems, NJ Transit told The Daily Princetonian on Monday that the current solution is the best option. “Replacing the Dinky with a bus service is the most reasonable solution available to us as we work on installing the PTC,” said Jim Smith, director of media relations at NJ Transit, echoing the NJ Transit statement. “We understand that these changes have an impact on people’s lives,” he added. Smith provided no additional information about how NJ Transit plans to address the Dinky bus issue. Instead, he said NJ Transit will continue to “work closely” with the community to address customers’ concerns. Wonnacott proposed the usage of the University-operated TigerTransit buses as a supplement for the Dinky buses during times of peak usage, specifically the 693 and 701 lines that already operate to Princeton Junction to service University employees. “This would matter a lot at the beginning and end of winter break, when many more students will leave campus with much more luggage,” Wonnacott said. The Dinky is scheduled to resume operation mid-January 2019.
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Takings: Private Property and the Power of Eminent Domain. Epstein said he has “very mixed emotions” regarding Harvard’s lawsuit, which has gathered controversy across the country. “I essentially have still taken the view that every private institution should be allowed to choose the composition of its faculty, [staff, and students],” Epstein said. However, Epstein said that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits institutions from doing that, which is why he argues that
Title VI should be repealed. “If you read the Harvard briefs, it is unmistakable that there is a kind of cultural superiority by Harvard,” Epstein said. He claimed Harvard has expressed a mentality which seems to convey the idea that the entire admissions process is a complex system of operations. Harvard doesn’t believe that Washington fully appreciates that complexity, according to Epstein. When asked about how the confirmation of Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh may inf luence the outcome of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, Epstein said he thinks their
Walton: I will be wary of lettuce if it appears soon LETTUCE Continued from page 1
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COURTESY OF PEXELS.COM
An E. coli outbreak was linked to romaine lettuce.
prised by the impact of the outbreak on the University. She said she will now be more cautious when she eats on Nassau Street and will avoid salads that include romaine lettuce. “I hope that the CDC is able to address the outbreak soon,” she said. “I am glad that the University has stopped offering romaine in light of the current scare,” Julia Walton ’21 said. “But even after the current scare is over, romaine should still not be an option in the dining halls. I would be wary of romaine lettuce if it appears again soon.”
ALLAN SHEN :: THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Professor Richard A. Epstein spoke about the impact of anti-discrimination laws.
Pettit discussed challenges to American beliefs in democracy PROGRESS Continued from page 1
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Pettit discussed challenges to the American belief in democracy presented by the controversy of the recent Supreme Court appointment of Kavanaugh. “The politicization of this process has served to undermine, I think, the belief in the independence of the judiciary,” Pettit explained. “These are all such egregious examples of the violation of traditional norms and patterns.” Pettit also criticized the idea that there should be debate between liberalism and democracy which implies that
the two concepts are “antithetical” to each other. At the end of the talk, Obiora, who is of Nigerian origin, said, “As an outsider in the United States, what really I find most perplexing is that the country that goes to war to export democracy to other places hasn’t even figured out how to cultivate the fundamentals to really get the people to think about what democracy really means.” Obiora also presented the need for shift of focus from financial resources to sociocultural resources in understanding the true potential for development in Africa. Obiora believes that this shift will “allow African agency to become more than just a fig-
ment of our imagination.” Bruno Maguida ’21, who attended the lecture, found the panelists’ research and proposals to be an interesting and beneficial foundation. “There is definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution to the problems we have in society,” Maguida said, “but I think it looks like a really interesting starting point to have like 10 or 15 social scientists agreeing on what they think are the interesting points to look at when you think about allocation policy or democracy.” The lecture was held at 4:30 p.m. in Robertson Hall and was co-sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School and the University Center for Human Values.
KAROLEN EID :: THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Members of the International Panel on Social Progress discussed the future of democracy.
The Daily Princetonian
Tuesday November 27, 2018
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Reed intends to pursue Ph.D. in modern Latin American history REED
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tion, Migration, and Culture,” taught by professor Sandra Bermann. Robert Karl, assistant professor of history, praised Reed in an email to The Daily Princetonian. He noted that, already as a freshman, Reed “stood out as the sharpest thinker and best writer in a class of almost 50.” “I recall sitting down at the end of the semester with the course’s two preceptors to review a sampling of final essays by each other’s students,” he said. “We did not know whose
essays we were handed, but halfway through reading one of the ones in my pile, I knew from the originality of argument and clarity of writing that it had to be Kate.” Karl added that the most substantive comment he made on Reed’s junior paper, on the Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes, was to tell her to cut two-thousand words so that it would fit the submission requirements for a peer-reviewed journal. He reports that “A Contracorriente,” a major Latin American studies journal, will publish her paper next year. Reed’s senior thesis is about
Mexico in the 1970s. She says it explores “different imaginings of development and democracy … and the promotion of a decolonial project.” Though Mexico and other Latin American countries had been independent for over a century at the time, these countries, Reed noted, were “still allying themselves with countries that had only been decolonized in the wake of World War II.” Her research delves into the evolutionary patterns Latin American countries exhibit after colonialism. But Reed is not only known for her intellect; several people
Similar lewdness incident occurred in September along the towpath LEWDNESS Continued from page 1
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tion to report other than that our officers are actively investigating the case,” said Assistant Vice President for Communications Daniel Day at the time of publication.
The Communications Center for the Department of Public Safety deferred to Day for comment. A similar lewdness incident occurred in September, when a man wearing a white surgical mask exposed himself to a female jogger along the towpath. Last May, another incident oc-
curred on the towpath. No suspects have been apprehended. Anyone with additional information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Princeton Police Department at (609) 921-2100, the Department of Public Safety at (609) 258-1000, or leave a confidential tip at tipline.princeton.edu.
close to her admire the kind of person she is. “An extraordinary friend,” said Newby Parton ’18 GS of Reed, highlighting her generosity in helping him both learn Portuguese and finish his senior thesis. Parton is a former head opinion editor for the ‘Prince.’ “No matter how busy she seems to be, she always makes time to help her friends through their personal or academic trials,” Parton wrote in an email. Chitra Kumar ’19, who has roomed with Reed all four years, wrote to the ‘Prince’ that she has never met anyone as dedicated or inspiring. She recalled that Reed would spend time with ESL students outside of the scheduled class time and that she would make study guides for the students she tutored. “[S]he’s the kind of person who’ll be there for you if you’re having a rough day, even if she’s stressed out about her own work,” Kumar wrote. “Words can’t begin to describe how proud I am of her.” Karl also spoke to Reed’s character, emphasizing that she is “empathetic, careful, [and] dedicated to those around
her.” He noted that, after finishing her junior paper draft, Reed offered critical feedback for the essays “of every other member of the class.” He added, “Having her as a student has been one of the great privileges of my time at Princeton.” The oldest of four, Reed enjoys running, baking, reading, and going on hikes with her family. She’s a fan of chocolate chip cookies and lasagna, and loves the thought of falling asleep “lying on the couch with a huge novel and a cup of tea.” Still digesting the news that she’s a Rhodes Scholar, she plans to cherish her free time “hanging out friends and watching movies” before leaving for Oxford. Reed plans to study at Oxford for two years and pursue the Masters of Philosophy in Development Studies. This, she said, looks at the economics, politics, and history of underdeveloped or developing regions, investigating “how we conceptualize that line between developed and underdeveloped.” Intending to pursue a Ph.D. in modern Latin American history, Reed hopes to be an educator and historian.
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Opinion
Tuesday November 27, 2018
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Dear Tigertones, please stop singing “Kiss The Girl” Noa Wollstein Columnist
E
ven when gently crooned by an animated crab, the song “Kiss The Girl,” from the Disney hit “The Little Mermaid,” is more misogynistic and dismissive of consent than cute. By performing the song multiple times each semester, the Tigertones elevate it to an offensive and violating ritual. No matter how “great the tradition,” this canonical Tigertones tune should be struck from their repertoire. No matter how “great the tradition,” this canonical Tigertones tune should be struck from their repertoire. Its lyrics raise some serious issues. The premise of the song, originally sung in the Disney film The Little Mermaid, is that the male Prince Eric, on a date with the beautiful female Ariel, should kiss her without asking for a single word to affirm her consent. Despite the fact that an evil sea-witch cursed Ariel’s voice away, making verbal consent impossible, the song is clearly problematic from the get-go. Removed from its cushion-
ing context of mermaids, magic, and PG ratings, the message comes across as even more jarring. Lyrics such as, “It’s possible she wants you too/There’s one way to ask her/It don’t take a word, not a single word/Go on and kiss the girl, kiss the girl,” and “she won’t say a word/Until you kiss that girl,” unambiguously encourage men to make physical advances on women without obtaining their clear consent. The song launches a heteronormative attack on women’s right to oppose the romantic and sexual liberties taken by men, further inundating the listener with themes of toxic masculinity. In trying to motivate Eric to kiss Ariel, the crab, Sebastian, makes use of lines such as, “Looks like the boy’s too shy,” “Don’t be scared,” and “It’s such a shame, too bad/ You’re gonna miss the girl.” Such expressions imply that not using aggressive physical action to secure Ariel’s sexual submission makes Eric weak — an irrefutable scaredy-cat. Applied outside of the realm of the movie, these statements suggest that masculinity is contingent on domination of women. This attitude can cata-
lyze violent tendencies toward, and assault against, women. Yet, the lyrics of this song are not the primary reason why the Tigertones must immediately cease to perform it. The a capella group must stop singing the song because, whenever they render it, the Tigertones call one male and one female audience member up to join them. They then proceed to sing and dance with the “volunteers,” who are often pressured to join the singers by their friends’ cheers and the unrelenting appeals of a Tone, and attempt to goad the oft-reluctant pair into kissing. The hypothetical issues brought up by the song’s lyrics come to fruition as unacceptable conduct in the Tigertones’ performances. The singers reinforce the heteronormativity reflected in the words of the song by selecting one male and one female audience participant. The fervor with which the all-male Tones press the man to kiss the female subject eerily amplifies the song’s assertions of toxic masculinity. The absence of opportunity for the chosen woman to protest at a Tigertones show mimics the song’s acceptance of the wom-
vol. cxlii
an’s lack of consent to being kissed. I have seen a queer student brought on stage have to uncomfortably push away her forced male companion. I have heard of unwilling girls being subjected to their first kisses. I have watched mothers, who have come to see their child’s performance, be pulled up to the stage only to have tension generated between them and the kid they came to support. There is no way to guarantee that the random people picked from the audience are members of a happy couple who both want to act out a very public expression of affection. Too many people have felt uncomfortable and violated by this practice to continue its justification on the basis of popularity or tradition. The fact that it has continued as long as it has is disturbing. The Tigertones may not be asking the girl if she wants to be kissed, but I am asking them to stop singing this song — now.
editor-in-chief
Marcia Brown ’19 business manager
Ryan Gizzie ’19
BOARD OF TRUSTEES president Thomas E. Weber ’89 vice president Craig Bloom ’88 secretary Betsy L. Minkin ’77 treasurer Douglas J. Widmann ’90 trustees Francesca Barber David Baumgarten ’06 Kathleen Crown Gabriel Debenedetti ’12 Stephen Fuzesi ’00 Zachary A. Goldfarb ’05 Michael Grabell ’03 John Horan ’74 Joshua Katz Rick Klein ’98 James T. MacGregor ’66 Alexia Quadrani Marcelo Rochabrun ’15 Kavita Saini ’09 Richard W. Thaler, Jr. ’73 Abigail Williams ’14 trustees emeriti Gregory L. Diskant ’70 William R. Elfers ’71 Kathleen Kiely ’77 Jerry Raymond ’73 Michael E. Seger ’71 Annalyn Swan ’73
Noa Wollstein is a sophomore from Plainview, N.Y. She can be reached at noaw@princeton.edu.
Calling out callout culture: the deceits of identity politics Braden Flax
Contributing Columnist
A
s University students, we are called upon to evaluate the epistemological merit of contending claims. Interrogation of one another’s assertions, we are told, makes for a more robust and vibrant dialogue, one in which we can thrive individually and collectively as scholars and as citizens. This process of systematic investigation, while there is much to be said in its favor, is not without its f laws: For a great many reasons, conclusions are all too often drawn and articulated that are not the most defensible ones based on the available evidence. To acknowledge this defect is elementary. How we choose to address the gap between what we should conclude and what narratives we choose to advance constitutes the foundation of the problem at hand. Identity politics, among the proposed resolutions to this problem, is well-intentioned but unsustainable and undesirable. When addressing so volatile a topic as this one, it is helpful to lay out some disclaimers, so as to reduce misapprehensions as to what I might be referring to. It seems to me that identity politics contends a great many things, yet it is only the boldest among these assertions that distinguish it and cause me to question its efficacy. I would not dream of disputing, for instance, the premise that our personal experiences inform our impressions, judgments, and opinions of the world around us, nor would I claim these insights to be in any sense bankrupt or unworthy.
Furthermore, I am keenly aware that individuals have, through no fault of their own and in spite of their best efforts at resistance, been forcibly lumped into groups that, on the basis of one trait or another, have been systematically invalidated and marginalized. The justification for this state of affairs, carefully formulated in professorial prose, illustrates the need to respond, since the interests of those who benefit from social inequality inform the fallacious, merit-obsessed orthodoxy that rationalizes the status quo. Identity politics manifests in a fashion very differently from how I’ve depicted it so far. In my explanation of this dynamic, I want to be expeditious in my descriptions: I am very far from relishing the thought that I might be misconstrued as an ideological stalwart of the political and cultural right wing. Rather, it is through my critique of identity politics that I hope to fortify the rhetorical armaments that are to be mobilized in opposition to a tide of reactionary activity. Identity politics is ineffectual because it divides and fragments us. Disagreement is inevitable in political discourse, yet the presuppositions that underpin the particular logic of identity-based thinking demonstrate it to be a discursive wilderness. This is seen, first and foremost, in the dismissal of another’s views based on an evaluation of how oppressed they are by the system that, in the context of the conversation, is on the chopping block. The suggestion that a white male has nothing worthwhile to say about politics by virtue of his “privilege,” for instance, invalidates the participation of an otherwise heterogeneous group and fails to address the actual argument at hand. As intersectional crit-
ics are correct in pointing out, being part of the least oppressed group insofar as concerns one vector of experience does not imply that one is not marginalized along some other dimension of life, as it is constrained under a system of multifaceted oppression. To cement this proposition into place, we need only refer back to the ostensible mansplaining colonialist that can be caricatured on the exclusive basis of his race and gender. I fall into both categories, yet I am neither contemptuous of women nor indifferent to the suffering imposed on much of the world by the infiltration of Western, and particularly American, capital and control. This may be because I have other means of accumulating brownie points in the desperate frenzy of the oppression Olympics; I am, after all, part of other communities whose members are, collectively, at significant cultural and institutional disadvantages. A more likely scenario, though, is that people’s points of view are not predicated solely on the parts of their identities that their opponents choose to exploit in order to silence them. In the same way that the dismissals described above have virtually nothing to do with the actual argument, so too is the elevation of other contributors inadequate to the task of establishing a durable claim about whatever is discussed. Their voices are introduced because of credentials assigned to them on the basis of acceptable impressions of their group experiences. In the elucidation of this point, I’ll take a less standard route. Rather than making an epistemological case as to the lack of an obligation on the part of an individual to consider the words of another as gospel, I’d like to assume the claim of the marginalized
participant to be utterly unpalatable, anywhere to the left of center. Every woman who opposes abortion, every African American who is an apologist for slavery and its institutional successors, and every young person who buys into the ideology of their own inadequacy and disempowerment helps to prove that people are allowed to speak not for their identities, but for their opinions. Whom do we cite when discussing the affairs of another group? The people we agree with, of course, just so we don’t have to take the primary responsibility for the position. Identity politics manifests on and off campus and is utilized across the political spectrum. Liberals, and anyone to their left, do so at our peril. I have no interest in the electoral success of the Democratic Party, the organizational expression of the liberal approach. Yet, I cannot help but observe that the pursuit of identity politics is counterproductive for them, since it alienates many constituents. What concerns me far more than that, though, is the potential for identity-based thinking to infect the left (specifically, the academic left). Let’s strive not to dismiss others based on identity, but rather to engage with their arguments. Let’s not assert our own entitlement through an arbitrary hierarchy of historical injustice. Rather, we should make the effort to conceptualize one another in the full complexity of our being, which cannot be done through a narrow assessment of our marginality bona fides. This will, admittedly, be difficult. But it has the virtue that it just might work.
trustees ex officio Marcia Brown ’19 Ryan Gizzie ’19
142ND MANAGING BOARD managing editors Isabel Hsu ’19 Sam Parsons ’19 head news editor Claire Thornton ’19 associate news editors Allie Spensley ’20 Ariel Chen ’20 Ivy Truong ’21 associate news and film editor Sarah Warman Hirschfield ’20 head opinion editor Emily Erdos ’19
Braden Flax is a sophomore from Merrick, N.Y. He can be reached at bf lax@princeton. edu.
T HE DA ILY
Whatever your talent, the ‘Prince’ has a place for you.
associate opinion editors Jon Ort ’21 Cy Watsky ’21 head sports editors David Xin ’19 Chris Murphy ’20 associate sports editors Miranda Hasty ’19 Jack Graham ’20 associate street editors Danielle Hoffman ’20 Lyric Perot ’20 digital operations manager Sarah Bowen ’20 chief copy editors Marina Latif ’19 Arthur Mateos ’19 Catherine Benedict ’20 head design editor Rachel Brill ’19 associate design editor Charlotte Adamo ’21 cartoons editor Tashi Treadway ’19 head photo editor Risa Gelles-Watnick ’21
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Tuesday November 27, 2018
Opinion
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The future is scary. Go meditate. Morgan Lucey
Contributing Columnist
A
lmost halfway done with my last year at Princeton, I’ve found myself getting more stressed. That’s an unusual statement; most of my friends would likely say that my baseline of self-imposed anxiety is already relatively high. But still, I’ve found my stress levels rising above that baseline, for several reasons. I’ve been stressed about whether I took full advantage of my four years here, stressed about whether I’m doing everything I need to be right now, and stressed about what lies beyond the celebration of Reunions and graduation. I don’t think I’m the only one who has felt this way, particularly among the senior class. Thus, I urge my peers to turn to the same method I have to combat stress:
mindfulness, especially surrounding our current environment and all that it has to offer. A dear friend and I recently had a conversation regarding the extreme amount of anxiety about the future that comes with the approach of the second semester of senior year. She repeatedly mentioned how important she felt mindfulness was in combatting this anxiety. I didn’t understand this at first; how could meditation help me figure out where I’ll attend law school next year or get me to start writing my thesis? But I was misunderstanding her point: Mindfulness does not fix these problems, but it can help one realize that these problems are not allconsuming. Though they are important, there is a lot to be grateful for at this moment, if only we can take the time to notice it. This is where mindfulness comes in, as it provides the tools necessary to appreciate and understand our environment. Mindfulness is defined as
“the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something” by the Oxford English Dictionary. Often, it is used to describe a state of meditation, in which one tries to tune in with their body and their thoughts while blocking everything else out. Thus, I have always thought of mindfulness as an intense yoga class or sitting and meditating for an hour. Though these practices are under the umbrella of mindfulness, so is simply walking to class without listening to music or not looking at your phone every time it buzzes. The term “mindfulness” refers to the capability to tune in to the details of your own state and your environment in order to better understand them. It is easy to let the constant stream of emails or deadlines dictate our moods or schedules, in a way that interferes with this capability. Nonetheless, I have found that putting these sources of stress aside for even a few minutes at a time allows me to take in the things I
love most about Princeton: the way the leaves change in the fall, the architecture of the Firestone rotunda, the incredible sunsets at 5 p.m. throughout the winter. When one takes the time to notice the small details that make up these experiences, it is amazing how easy it becomes to appreciate the experiences as a whole. Mindfulness also means sitting down with a friend and being present in a conversation. I might not have attended every interesting talk or student event throughout the past four years, but I can at least listen to the perspectives of those around me and try to understand them. This is just as important to taking advantage of the opportunities Princeton offers as any lecture. Maybe this means putting aside stress about impending final papers for an hour or so, or simply turning off my phone during the conversation. This may not seem like mindfulness in the same way that sitting to meditate does, but these interactions might be
their own form of meditation, one that is just as impactful. There is science behind this: meditation has been shown to increase longterm resiliency to stress by increasing the connectivity between certain regions of the brain. Though the study focused on stereotypical meditation, I believe that the finding would apply to the forms of mindfulness I mentioned above. By being more mindful and present about our current environment, perhaps the future will not seem as terrifying. We will not ever be able to understand everything in the world around us, particularly the ambiguity of the future. However, with mindfulness, we can appreciate the things we do understand: our own bodies, our own thoughts, and all that the environment we are lucky to be a part of offers. Morgan Lucey is a senior neuroscience major from Scottsdale, Ariz. She can be reached at mslucey@princeton.edu.
how to spot a chemistry major Ellie Shapiro ’21 ..................................................
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Tuesday November 27, 2018
Sports
page 6
{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } MEN’S BASTKETBALL
Cannady clutch in men’s basketball comeback win over Monmouth By Jack Graham
Associate Sports Editor
Three-and-a-half games into the Princeton men’s basketball season, things were already looking grim. Trailing 27–20 at halftime against Monmouth (0–7 overall), Princeton (2–2, 0–0 Ivy League) was continuing an abysmal shooting stretch, going 4 of 17 behind the arc, and was at risk of giving the 0–6 Hawks their first win. Then, senior guard Devin Cannady demonstrated why everything might turn out alright. The senior guard knocked down four three-pointers in the last five minutes of the game to lead the Tigers to a
60–57 win. “[Cannady] didn’t shoot the ball well in the first half, but he stayed with it, and his teammates found him,” said head coach Mitch Henderson ’98. “He had composure the whole game.” Cannady, who missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury, returned in the team’s Nov. 21 77–66 loss against Fairleigh Dickinson (3–2) and has provided a muchneeded spark to the Princeton offense. He has scored 21 points in his first two games back, shooting 9 of 16 from three. Besides Cannady and senior guard Myles Stephens,
who is averaging 17.5 points per game, Princeton has struggled to find contributors on the offensive end. Junior Jose Morales, sophomores Sebastian Much, Jerome Desrosiers, and Ryan Schwieger, and first-years Ethan Wright, Drew Friberg, and Max Johns have all received significant playing time, but none have emerged as a consistent third scoring option behind Stephens and Cannady. First-year guard Jaelin Llewellyn, a four-star recruit, has yet to make his debut due to a foot injury, but Princeton will likely need him to take on a major role upon his return. Prior to the season, Hen-
derson highlighted the defensive end as the area in which Princeton would need to improve most to have a successful year. Holding Monmouth to 57 points represents the team’s most successful defensive effort of the season, and Henderson credited junior center Richmond Aririguzoh for anchoring the Princeton defense with his shot-blocking abilities. “I thought our defense carried us,” Henderson said about the Monmouth game. “Our offense was bad, but we won the game on the defensive end.” One highlight of the nonconference schedule came in the season opener
against Division III DeSales (3–3) when Stephens scored his 1,000th career point in a comfortable 85–51 win. “Coming in freshman year playing 10 minutes a game, I didn’t think that would happen,” Stephens said. “It’s a nice little milestone to check off your list before you leave a place like this.” Princeton will continue its nonconference schedule Wednesday when it travels to Bangor to take on Maine (0–6). The team returns to Jadwin Gymnasium Saturday afternoon for an NBC Sports-televised matchup against George Washington (1–5).
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Senior guard Devin Cannady was named Ivy League Player of the Week after his performance at Monmouth.
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