DOPE Magazine - Western Washington - The Social Issue - June 2019 by DOPE Magazine

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THE SOCIAL ISSUE

JUNE | DOPE MAGAZINE

FROM THE EDITOR A

t 13 years young, Rylie Maedler is becoming the vocal medical cannabis advocate that the global cannabis community needs. When she came to visit DOPE headquarters in Seattle from her home state of Delaware, we were blown away – she is a young, graceful and talented woman wise beyond her years. In 2013, Rylie was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive bone disease of the jaw, AGCG. After hundreds of tests and visits to the doctor, Rylie’s family opted to treat Rylie with cannabis-derived cannabidiol or CBD. The results were astounding. Rylie’s bones started regenerating, her seizures stopped, and she began to get her life back. Today Rylie is the face and brains behind a 501c3 non-profit, Rylie’s Smile Foundation and has been instrumental in passing medical cannabis legislation in Delaware – giving more access to kids and families in need of medical cannabis. Her story is one of courage and perseverance in the face of much push back — the exact kind of cannabis story we need to tell to strengthen our social fabric.

Our resident investigative journalist, Bruce Kennedy, shares his experience as a field producer during the Tiananmen Square protests of the late eighties, which occurred thirty years ago this month. Despite the wretched conditions, the protestors rose above and sacrificed their lives in an effort to enact change and protest oppression. Kennedy’s time in Beijing left him riddled with anxiety — he has since used cannabis to combat his PTSD. This story is one of social significance and a great addition to our annual social issue here at DOPE Magazine. We discuss China’s social incentive system through their enactment of social credit scores. As the world’s most populous country, China is

using Big Data’s surveillance capabilities to reduce its citizen’s public worth. Are we at risk of the implementation of social credit scores? Modern Chinese history expert, Pamela Crossley, thinks so. We meet up with YouTube sensation and sexologist Shannon Boodram, known more intimately by her followers as Shan Boody, who discussed with us the relationship between sex and social media and how the internet is a neutral playground. Boodram calls for more discussion and education on how we teach both young and old to use the internet properly and why our ability to distinguishing between a reliable and or unreliable source is as imperative now than it has ever been in the age of fake news. We speak with cannabis branding experts on the fetishization of cannabis in marketing strategies. We all know that sex sells but where, if at all, does it belong in today’s medical and recreational cannabis markets? As the industry aims for inclusivity, social equity and diversity it is our responsibility as consumers to decide what marketing tactics we will accept and which we will reject from a lens of social responsibility. As always thank you for picking up this month’s issue of DOPE Magazine. This month, we ask you to think critically about the ways you engage with not only social media but your social networks off the screen.

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EFENDING UR LANT VERYWHERE As a lifestyle publication, DOPE Magazine is dedicated to creating purposeful, relevant conversations. We’ve built a steadfast framework of inclusivity when speaking about gender, race, class, politics, family and culture—with the ethos DEFEND. At DOPE, we don’t just defend our plant, but our people, patients and planet. Our highly curated content continues to focus on those who maintain a relationship with— and advocate on behalf of—cannabis. While cannabis remains the central theme of our brand, it is our belief that creating conversations about real people and relatable experiences is the best way to normalize the role that cannabis plays in society. Our aim is to continue to illuminate issues that deserve our attention and must be addressed if we wish to both promote and create change. We are grateful for your time, we welcome your feedback and are ever appreciative of your participation and dedication in creating positive, lasting change in the cannabis community.

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ylie Maedler, age 13, is the youngest CEO in the cannabis space, heading the charge of her research and development company Rylie’s Sunshine – dedicated to creating safe and affordable cannabis oils for kids living with debilitating illnesses. When Rylie and her mother Janie show up to the DOPE Magazine headquarters, Rylie is pulling her carry-on luggage across the bumpy sidewalks, wearing a big toothy grin from ear-to-ear. The elastics on Rylie’s braces are bright blue — blue denim is the international ribbon color symbolizing hope for the more than 7,000 small rare disease communities around the globe, she later explains. The blue bands symbolize her dedication to bringing awareness to rare diseases, but the braces themselves are a reminder that she is lucky to have her teeth at all. In 2013, Rylie’s face began to swell, and her teeth began falling out at a rapid and suspect rate. Rylie thought, “’Yay! I’m going to be rich with tooth fairy money,’ but I could tell my mom wasn’t excited for me. She looked scared, and she got even more scared when my face started looking different.” She had contracted a rare, destructive bone disease of her jaw. Janie decided it was time to head to the doctor. Weeks passed, and hundreds of tests were per formed. The diagnosis was aggressive giant cell granuloma (AGCG). The disease’s cause is unknown, and it tends to rear its ugly head again and again in patients despite treatment attempts. This type of granuloma is thought to have only been found in very few people worldwide … to call it rare is almost an understatement. In Rylie’s case, AGCG also resulted in debilitating and painful seizures. At the time of diagnosis, the Maedler family was faced with few options for treating Rylie. One option was FDA-approved Denosumab, which is used to treat patients with bone cancer, bone loss, osteoporosis and giant cell tumors of the bone. The other option was Interferon, whose mechanism of action is not only complex but not well understood. “Interferon can cause lupus, an autoimmune disease,” Janie points out. Plus, AGCG is so rare that there is not much research or evidence to suggest that either of these treatment options would work. After careful consideration and an abundance of research, Janie, Rylie’s mom, decided decided that they would try treating Rylie with cannabis-derived cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant. “My doctors thought I wouldn’t have teeth or I would be deformed for the rest of my life after I got my surgery … but my mom was looking up things to do, and she saw cannabis. Cannabis popped up a lot [in her research], and she thought, ‘Well, I’m willing to do anything for my daughter.’ So she decided to try it, and it ended up helping my bones regenerate, and all my bones have regenerated.” This is where Rylie’s journey into the world of cannabis as medicine began.

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CHOOSING MEDICAL CANNABIS ACTIVISM

Very soon after making the decision to treat Rylie’s AGCG with CBD cannabis oil the family witnessed results. “Shortly after taking cannabis oil, my pain started going away, my bones started regenerating, my seizures decreased a lot, and the roots of my teeth started growing back!” Rylie smiles. “Which made me smile even though my teeth were so loose and crooked! Thank God for braces!” Rylie takes non-psychoactive CBD and THCA either through a pipette or in capsule form four times each day. “I don’t smoke [cannabis]. I don’t get high,” she remarks. When Rylie learned that the medicine she had been taking was not available to other sick kids she was saddened and disheartened — and then, motivated. “I knew I wanted to become an activist after I found out what my medicine was and why people were against it. I still didn’t understand why people would be against something that helped me so much, and I wanted other kids to be able to have it so they can get better and start feeling better and have a happier life. So, I decided to speak for medical cannabis and educate others about it and kind of get rid of the stigma of it,” Rylie shares. In January of 2015, the Rylie’s Smile Foundation was formed. The 501c3 non-profit aims to “bring the smiles back to sick children and their families by helping them achieve a better quality of life.” The foundation provides health education, technology devices and advocates for more treatment options for sick children all while supporting the research of less toxic therapies on a global scale. “So my foundation, we advocate for better access, support research of less toxic therapies and we help families financially. We go to different families, we talk about medical cannabis and how it’s good … how it can help their kids,” Rylie shares with the confidence and acumen of a woman twice her age. “We try to let people know [about the] stigma. It isn’t real because it’s a real medicine, it’s not just some drug that people use to get high, you know?” The non-profit not only promotes medical cannabis education it fundraises as well. “I want it [Rylie’s Smile Foundation] to focus on medical patients because they really need it and it’s hard to get medicine that’s affordable and good quality because a lot of times I used to get medicine that had mold in it and it was still expensive and it would just cause more problems for me,” Rylie says with concern in her voice. Rylie’s non-profit work led to the establishment of Rylie’s Sunshine in July of 2017. Rylie’s Sunshine works with one cannabis producer to create whole-plant botanical oil that is reliable, safe, natural and clinically tested. The botanical oil blend is an MCT oil that’s non-GMO and tested for both purity and potency. The company has a team of medical experts available for one-on-one consultations for those curious about using variations higher in CBD, THC and THCA as a treatment for serious pediatric illness.

“RYLIE HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN EXPOSING THE NEED FOR MEDICAL CANNABIS FOR PEDIATRIC PATIENTS IN DELAWARE, AND HER VOCALISM IS BEGINNING TO BREAK DOWN THE NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS THAT YOUTH HAVE TOWARD MEDICAL CANNABIS ON A LARGE SCALE.”

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POLITICAL ACTIVISM

You would think that being the youngest CEO of a cannabis non-profit and the founder of a CBD company dedicated to providing whole-plant medicine to patients in need would quell Rylie’s thirst for activism. But you’d be mistaken. Rylie has also made it her mission to change the laws surrounding medical cannabis in her home state of Delaware. In June of 2016 after months of hard work, Delaware Senate Bill 90, more commonly known as Rylie’s Law unanimously passed the Delaware House landing on the desk of Governor Jack Markell for approval. The passing of SB 90 made it possible for those under 18 with qualifying conditions to legally use medical cannabis to treat a myriad of conditions including PTSD, intractable epilepsy, Dystonia, muscle spasms and cancer to name a few. Rylie was instrumental in the passing of SB 90 and children and their families in Delaware can now safely and legally choose to use medical cannabis as a treatment option. “So the first law I made was Rylie’s Law, and it was to allow kids to be able to take medical cannabis. And then my next law was to make it legal to have cannabis on school grounds because at the time I had to walk all the way off of school grounds just to take my medicine,” Rylie points out. “I would be singled out, I would miss things in class, kids would be like, ‘Hey Rylie, why do you always leave school?’ and I knew that there were other kids who had it worse. [These kids] had oxygen tanks or wheelchairs, they wouldn’t be able to go out in thunderstorms or rain, and they wouldn’t be able to take their medicine like I could.” Rylie wanted the playing field to be equal for all kids — thus the inspiration for Rylie’s Law Part II was planted. A seed that couldn’t be stopped. Rylie and her mom Janie worked hand-in-hand with Delaware Senator Ernie Lopez (R-Lewes) in the passage of Senate Bill 181, giving qualified medical patients the ability to legally take their medical cannabis while on school grounds or on a school bus. While the bill requires the administering of medical cannabis to be done by a parent or legal guardian, it remains a win for cannabis legislation and sets the groundwork for further cannabis legislation in Delaware and beyond. Despite all of Rylie’s successes, Delaware is still facing an uphill battle when it comes to medical marijuana legislation. “We have a lot of conservative people who have influence here [in Delaware]. Most are powerful medical establishments and doctors. We are working so hard to remove the stigma and validate medical cannabis as a viable option for patients,” Rylie shares. “My goal is to work with these doctors and companies, not against because I want them to treat patients with medical cannabis. I don’t want them to put up walls and think of it as a recreational drug only.” Every single law that Rylie’s foundation has put forth has been met with resistance. “I try to remind people of the ‘why’ and the reason we need to work together on this, not against each other … because in just a year or two we will be back at Legislative Hall probably working together again to improve the laws more.” Rylie states. “It has been a true test of patience for every patient in our state and my heart goes out to the families. They keep me going.”

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DARE TO BE VOCAL

In 2017, Rylie’s Smile Foundation spearheaded a petition to pass severe autism as a Qualifying Condition for Pediatrics. The petition contained 263 pages full of information about autism as a diagnosis, how it affects the quality of life, letters from families, letters from medical professionals and supportive research. Rylie and her supporters believed that pediatric autism should be on the list of qualifying conditions for access to medical cannabis in Delaware. “There are a lot of people in my family and that I know who have autism. Cannabis helps with autism so much, so we thought it should be legal for them,” Rylie emphasizes. The petition review process was long and arduous as the state wanted to pass it as an “Autism with aggression only” law. Rylie’s Smile Foundation asked for more testimony from parents, convincing the state that autism affects the quality of life of all children on the spectrum not just children showing signs of aggression. This petition was approved, and severe debilitating autism was added as a qualifying condition after much debate in December of 2017. Rylie has been instrumental in exposing the need for medical cannabis for pediatric patients in Delaware, and her vocalism is beginning to break down the negative perceptions that youth have toward medical cannabis on a large scale. “At first when I was in third grade when we told the public that I was taking cannabis … at first, a lot of parents were trying to keep their kids away from me or saying, ‘She’s a bad influence, stay away from her.’ As time went on, people become more accepting of it and right now, everyone in my school is very supportive, and they all know that medical cannabis is good and they know how much it’s helped me and all that,” Rylie adds. But Rylie has been active in changing her school’s drug prevention curriculum as well. At 13, Rylie is going through a drug prevention program at school. Many of us remember Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” program of the ‘80s and ‘90s – it seems that not much has changed on the drug education front in the last two decades. “Okay so the videos they show in school, they’re all from the ‘90s or late 2000s … they’re not up-to-date, and we have so much research that shows that medical cannabis helps people so much and it’s a real medicine, yet the videos all claim that cannabis causes more problems like [cannabis] causes you to be insane. And they use scare tactics to try to keep people away from it,” Rylie critiques. Rylie would like to see a curriculum that is more up-to-date – a curriculum that is inclusive of not only recent cannabis research findings and testimonials but one that is more in touch of the way that students her age learn and internalize new knowledge. “We want to promote harm reduction [curriculum]. We want to teach others to not experiment with cannabis or mix cannabis with other substances. We want to educate others and help them learn how to use [medical cannabis] safely,” Rylie remarks.

“IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THE SITUATION TO CHANGE FEDERALLY, BECAUSE IF WE CHANGE IT FEDERALLY [THEN] ALL THE STATES WILL HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE MEDICAL CANNABIS LEGAL. RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FROM EVERY STATE WANTING TO DO THINGS IN THEIR OWN WAY, WHICH TAKES LONGER [TO GET ANYTHING DONE OR PASSED].”

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WHAT’S NEXT?

Currently Rylie, her family and supporters are working diligently on expanding Rylie’s Law. When Rylie’s Law first came to be it had about four qualifying conditions on the list and children could only be approved by certain specialists, which limited the law in many ways. Many children who could greatly benefit from medical cannabis for their diagnosis have yet to be able to attempt treatment with it. SB24 allows doctors to recommend medical cannabis for diagnoses that are not on the current qualification list. Further, the pediatrics sector will no longer be limited to the five specialists currently allowed to provide medical cannabis recommendations. The Maedlers hope that this will improve circumstances for those patients who have rare diseases or serious quality of life issues. “I’ve seen how involved Rylie gets in the legislation aspect of things. She understands more than most adults and even more then some legislators I believe,” shares Janie Maedler. “She knows how actions can be perceived, she knows what can make a bill go south in the media, she knows how to approach an opposing legislator and turn their vote. The hardest part is that I know she has a time clock in her head and she feels that patients are suffering while bills are being challenged or amended, so that is her biggest stress but part of the process. She has a unique way she works on future legislation and refrains from publicizing much of her efforts until [the job is] done. She is very careful about what she vocalizes to the media before a law is passed, and she does most of her work in person with legislators. She is very old school.” In addition to her work in Delaware, Rylie has been globetrotting and spreading her vision for the future and testimony of medical cannabis around the world. From CannaTech Sydney to CannaTech Tel Aviv she’s been welcomed by crowds and brought tears to attendees’ eyes. Her perspective as a patient, lobbyist, activist, CEO and well-adjusted teen give her an undeniable edge. When she talks people listen. Cannabis is fortunate to have a dedicated, resilient and passionate medical cannabis proponent on its team.

FUTURE RYLIE

Rylie has big plans for her future. When she’s not doing typical teen stuff like “hanging out at the beach or pool,” snuggling with her cat or playing piano, she’s planning future interviews in hopes of spreading cannabis’ message at a feverish pace. “I want to interview researchers, possibly celebrities about what they think about cannabis, their experiences and what they know [about cannabis]. I just want to interview people, get to know them, their experiences … everything. I think it would be cool to interview others,” Rylie emphasizes. On that list? Snoop Dogg of course. Rylie also hopes to see cannabis removed from the list of Schedule I substances and legalized on a federal level. “It’s important for the situation to change federally, because if we change it federally [then] all the states will have to work together to make medical cannabis legal. Right now, we have different government officials from every state wanting to do things in their own way, which takes longer [to get anything done or passed],” Rylie describes. In coming years, as Rylie continues to hone her skills as a political activist and global cannabis advocate she will undoubtedly make waves and move the pendulum of cannabis stigmatization in the right direction. At 13, she has done more for cannabis legislation and activism than most of us could hope to accomplish in a lifetime. Rylie is a force, and we can’t wait to see where she takes us next.

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A R T I C L E CS UE CL T UI OR NE

ARE CHINAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW INCENTIVE SYSTEMS A DATA-DRIVEN DYSTOPIA? 32

WRITER | JEFFREY RINDSKOPF

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emember that “Black Mirror” episode where society’s hierarchy was determined by social media-style star ratings, an average of the score everyone you interacted with from day-to-day gave you? When the protagonist’s score has nosedived, she finds herself stranded on the roadside hollering at speeding cars as drivers whizzed by too put off by her one-star status to lend a hand. She becomes undesirable, almost invisible, a non-person. Like many “Black Mirror” premises, this science fiction is distressingly close to reality and getting closer. Only as conceived, the real-world equivalent will be based on not just the perfectionist whims of one’s followers, but on the goals of an authoritarian government ruling over the world’s most populous and economically powerful nation. Last year, Chinese courts banned 23 million would-be travelers from purchasing flight or train tickets based on their low “social credit” scores (SCS). Earlier, in 2017, anticensorship journalist Liu Hu found himself suddenly cut off from traveling on planes, buying property or taking out loans while in the midst of seeking legal redress for a charge of “fabricating and spreading rumors.” “ There was no file, no police warrant, no official advance notification,” he told The Globe and Mail. “What’s really scary is there’s nothing you can do about it. You can report to no one. You are stuck in the middle of nowhere.” Hu was among the first to suffer consequences owing to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s most ambitious social management project to date, which aims to numerically rate all 1.35 billion Chinese citizens on a single unified scale by 2020. First announced in 2014 and deeply rooted in party history, this mandatory and overarching social credit system still exists only in theory. There are currently more than 40 individualized opt-in systems operating in villages and big cities across China, run jointly by local governments and private data-collecting companies such as Sesame Credit (affiliated with payment platform Alipay) and Rapid Finance (affiliated with mobile messaging app WeChat), though the lines between these services and federal SCS trials are being increasingly blurred. The systems utilize millions of data points on participants’ daily habits – collected via smartphone surveillance, facial recognition cameras, or community “watchers” – to assign them an evolving, publicly available trustworthiness rating based on evaluation

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by government bureaucrats and/or secret algorithms. Socially positive behaviors like picking up litter or donating to governmentrun charities earn a higher score and preferential treatment in booking luxury hotels or renting apar tments; socially negative behaviors like counterfeiting or jaywalking can cost points and block access to high-end retailers, loan applications or public transit. The Chinese government’s stated goal in nationalizing surveillance-based credit scores is to create a “culture of sincerity” that will “allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step.” A professor of history at Dartmouth and author of “The Wobbling Pivot: China since 1800,” Pamela Crossley writes in an email that the system’s unstated goals are “conformity, surrender of privacy, and competition among citizens — as they would be in any country that applies such a system.” As SCS schemes expand, they’re assigning hard and fast points values to more and more morally neutral behaviors – from buying diapers (that’s good) to frequent videogaming (that’s bad) – based on biased assessments of whether or not a given activity upholds state power. Limiting social mobility and amplifying existing inequalities

by design, they ’ve already aided in the Chinese government’s ongoing internment and public erasure of Muslim religious minorities by incentivizing citizens to report on public prayer and other Islamic practices to authorities. Since all companies with a Chinese business license were given their own 18-digit social credit code in 2018, blacklists have also been used to crackdown on illegal social organizations including trade unions, nonprofits, foreign-funded NGOs and any political groups that don’t adequately prioritize CCP values in their charters. They’ve also been used to successfully coerce international airlines and other companies into showing Taiwan as part of China on in-flight maps, adopting the CCP ’s version of truth by the threat of sanction. It’s a sign the system is already fulfilling its secondar y objective o f s t r e n g t h e n i n g C h i n a ’s “d i s c o u r s e power,” a task extending far beyond its borders and potentially inter fering with other nations’ sovereignty. So far reactions to SCSs by those affected have ranged from indifference to outright enthusiasm, likely because they fill a genuine need for accountability shared by many developing economies like China’s, where bank accounts and credit histories are still a novelty. In a 2018 survey of 2,200 Chinese

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citizens, 76 percent said mutual mistrust between citizens was a problem, and 80 p e rc e n t e i t h e r s o m ew h a t o r s t ro n g l y supported commercial social credit systems, in which more than 80 percent were already enrolled. “ You tell people it’s a game of merit accumulation,” Crossley explains. “As with any game, it works so long as people believe that the rules are reliable.” So far, the CCP has succeeded in keeping public perceptions of unfairness and the number of people severely impacted by social credit low, but one of the system’s many Catch-22s is that the most critical and victimized voices naturally become those least likely to be heard. While officials extoll the 3.5 million people and companies who’ve paid outstanding taxes or debts thanks to social credit, average citizens ingeneral seem willing to make the tradeoff between less privacy and greater security navigating the commercial world, especially when believing they’ll reap the glamorized benefits of social credit rather than its hidden costs. If this isn’t starting to sound familiar, you haven’t been paying attention. As Crossley notes, the Chinese SCS system is “derived from American practices,” with the advent of central planning and “a political index that is at most only suggested in American ideas of credit worthiness.” Between FICO ratings, social media rankings and commercial reputation sites, most Westerners have already acquiesced to being judged by many opaque, algorithmically-defined scores, so what’s to stop a concerted government-private sector effort from consolidating them into just one? We already know average Americans are more than willing to sell a maligned group of fellow citizens like drug users, welfare recipients or immigrants down the river if they think it means preferential treatment for them and theirs. While most operate under the illusion that our surrender of personal info to private companies couldn’t possibly precede mass data collection and abuse – as with Cambridge Analytica and Russia’s role in 2016 elections – Google’s Chinese equivalent Baidu and other tech players are already kowtowing to Beijing’s social credit development, human rights violations and all. Opaque digital algorithms are increasingly replacing human judgment in determining our deservingness

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“THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT’S STATED GOAL IN NATIONALIZING SURVEILLANCE-BASED CREDIT SCORES IS TO CREATE A ‘CULTURE OF SINCERITY’ THAT WILL ‘ALLOW THE TRUSTWORTHY TO ROAM EVERYWHERE UNDER HEAVEN WHILE MAKING IT HARD FOR THE DISCREDITED TO TAKE A SINGLE STEP.’”

for everything from public housing and job openings to home nursing care visits and American citizenship. “ They condition people to respond to externally-imposed values (usually connected to conformity) and turn them into the agents of mutual discipline and sur veillance,” Crossley writes of algorithmic judgment and social credit systems. “They also empower internet platforms and financial institutions in much greater degree than governments, leading to gradual displacement of public accountability by private financial objectives.” In spite of our natural human efforts to simplify, every action exists within a personal and sociocultural context no one algorithm or other system of judgment can fully consider. We say justice is blind like it’s a good thing, but if the same scales become responsible for punishing not just major transgressions but even minor moral lapses and norm violations, we’ll be undercutting innovation and doling out a lot of punishment without regard to its human costs. Moreover, any mandatory, surveillance-based system of social ranking will inherently lessen freedom of choice by making governments and private data

collectors third parties, enforcing observers, in every interaction. As on social media platforms, the knowledge of being observed will inevitably alter and homogenize both our behavior and how it’s perceived so even spontaneous acts of kindness will begin to seem performative and transactional. To avert this Or wellian future, global societies need to become much more proactive in strengthening democratic safeguards and limiting cooperation with Chinese social credit expansion, as well as relying less on data-mining companies and credit scoring systems on an individual level. “If we don’t do anything, then one day a corporation or a government institution will pull all the information from different data banks together and come up with a social credit score,” Gerd Gigerenzer, a director at Berlin’s Max Planck Institute for Human Development, put it bluntly to Der Tagesspiegel. “At the moment we are investing billions in digital technologies when we should be investing just as much in digital education so humans are aware what algorithms really can, and cannot, do.”

HOW TO MAINTAIN A GOOD SOCIAL CREDIT SCORE China’s social credit systems evaluate and score citizens and companies on so many data points it can be difficult to keep track of which behaviors will earn you points, and which will cost you. To help you remain an upstanding, prosperous, and high-scoring citizen, follow our key. STEER CLEAR OF SUCH BEHAVIORS AND YOU’LL BE PRIVY TO REWARDS LIKE

PUNISHED BEHAVIORS INCLUDE

Traffic violations

Spreading rumors

High internet speeds

Taking drugs

Walking dogs without a leash

Deposit-free car and housing rentals

Cheating at online video games

Free access to gym facilities

Not paying taxes Smoking on trains

Occupying reserved seats

Associating with people with low scores

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Special waiting areas at airports and train stations Better foreign exchange rates Skipping hospital waiting lines

HISTORY 40

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n image stays with me, 30 years on, of a chaotic nighttime scene in Beijing: yelling, explosions and the silhouettes of thousands of people moving around while a young man, shot in the abdomen, is carried past me by several people into a makeshift medical tent staffed by university students in Tiananmen Square. I prefer to not engage in first-person journalism, but I have my own narrative about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and cannabis. Considering this month marks the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, and given how stressful these times are, that story is now worth sharing.

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Days and Nights in the Square

Thirty years ago, while working as a field producer for an international TV news network, I spent nearly a month in Tiananmen Square, talking with students, protestors and others involved in the anti-corruption, pro-democracy demonstrations there. I witnessed the optimism of those demonstrators firsthand, and spoke with many of them about their hopes that they would be able to change their government in a positive manner. The students and their supporters were living in squalid conditions in the Square, surrounded by the trash they had accumulated (although there were some attempts at cleanup). There were only a handful of public toilets nearby and they had become foul, stinking, awful places due to overuse and a lack of maintenance. Most of the demonstrators who stayed in the Square — and there were thousands if not tens of thousands of them at any given time — slept on or under plastic sheeting. Later someone donated several dozen popup tents. Despite the wretched conditions there was still a sense of purpose among most of the demonstrators I spoke with, at least at first. I remember one young student telling me in English that he had waited his whole life for this moment. One evening, not too long before the massacre, a group of university art students arrived in the Square and set about building what became known as the Goddess of Democracy Statue. During that event I remember smiles and cheering from the crowds watching the statue rise up into the night sky. As the days and weeks drew on, however, there was a mixture of boredom, dread and squabbling among the demonstrators ahead of an anticipated government crackdown. Some people were expecting something along the lines of what happened in South Korea several years earlier – when police used tear gas and clubs to break up anti-government protests in Seoul. So, what occurred in the Square during the brutally violent repression on those demonstrations by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops, starting on June 4, 1989, shocked, and angered not only many Chinese but much of the international community.

DEFENDING OUR PLANT EVERYWHERE

Vivid Scenes I remember entering the square around sunset that evening and feeling like someone had kicked over a huge ant’s nest. One of the largest public squares in the world was filled people moving around quickly, angry and tense. For some time PLA armored personnel carriers (APCs) had been charging down avenues surround the Square, chased by students, as they scouted out the situation. At one point in the evening, tracer bullets were fired skyward, somewhere south of the Square, as an apparent signal by the PLA to begin their operations. We were in the center of the Square, at the obelisk called the Monument to the People’s Heroes, when people came running up to us. They said the military was heading towards the Square and shooting wildly as it came. Numerous people, they said, had been killed. Thirty years on and I still have these vivid, hallucinatory scenes engraved in my mind: An APC, stopped and set afire by the demonstrators, burning near the portrait of Chairman Mao. Demonstrators commandeering a bus and trying to set it across Chang’An (“Eternal Peace”) Avenue in the northern part of the Square, in a failed attempt to block PLA troops and equipment from advancing.

The Odessa Steps Time slowed down for me as the shooting intensified. Several times bullets whizzed by low, over our heads. At one point I remember watching a double-line of PLA troops, the bayonets on their rifles shining in the light of the fires and street lamps, run into position along the eastern side of the Square as they attempted to cut off fleeing students. I was reminded of The Odessa Steps, a famous sequence from the esteemed Soviet silent film “Battleship Potemkin.” In that sequence the citizens of Odessa, who’ve turned out to cheer on a rebellious naval vessel, are massacred on steps leading down to the waterfront by Czarist troops. It was that vision of impending bloodshed that prompted me to tell my video crew it was time to leave. They refused, saying there was still much more for us to cover. So I took the videotapes we had shot up to that point and left the Square, using the darkness and chaos in my favor. After bribing a motorcyclist, who drove me through units of PLA troops and clumps of bystanders gathered on the darkened Beijing streets, I made it back to my network’s headquarters, where I reported on what I had seen. About a day later, while working with another crew on a nearby hotel balcony, I was eye-witness to a now-historic scene: of one man single-handedly stopping a line of tanks on Chang’An Avenue. At the time I thought I was about to witness a man getting crushed, and was amazed when the armored column stopped and then tried to maneuver around this lone individual. Later on, I was arrested along with my film crew for violating martial law. After being held by public security officials for several hours, and watching a man who came to our defense being beaten up, we were forced to write confessions. Our gear was also confiscated. The sense of dismay deepened. Sources told us that a PLA army group had rebelled following the massacre and was on its way to fight the troops in the Square. We were also told Chinese security forces were coming to arrest us and seize our equipment, which set off a mad scramble to hide all our gear with friendly people and organizations around Beijing. But neither of those scenarios occurred. As the government crackdown intensified, it became clear that most foreign journalists would be unable to continue their coverage of this story. We were sent home soon after.

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Anxiety and Nightmares Months after returning from China, my wife said my personality had changed. I initially dismissed her observations but, as time went on, I knew she was right. I had nightmares about tanks. I would become angry, irritable and even panicky for no specific reason. And while that irritability and anxiety diminished, it would return fullforce when I returned to China several times later on work assignments. During my time in broadcast news, I avoided cannabis. It was illegal in the state where we lived. I also needed a high level of focus at work and I had a family to consider. But in 2014, after moving to Colorado and obtaining access to legal cannabis, I tried marijuana again for the first time in years and found that it helped with my insomnia and some of my free-floating anxieties. Only after speaking with experts in the field while researching articles did I realize that I had been experiencing classic symptoms of PTSD.

What is PTSD? The American Psychiatric Association (APA) defines PTSD as a mental health condition that affects people who have witnessed or lived through a traumatic event, such as a serious accident, a natural disaster, a terrorist attack, war, combat, violence, abuse or criminal assault. Its symptoms, according to the APA, can include “intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings” about that traumatic experience, even long after the event. While much has been written about PTSD and combat veterans, the disorder is not limited to those in the military, and can occur in anyone. The APA says about 3.5 percent of U.S. adults suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD, and an estimated one in 11 people will reportedly be (formally) diagnosed with PTSD during their lifetimes.

How Cannabis can Treat PTSD

A Veterans Administration-funded study currently underway in San Diego looks at how cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating chemical compound in cannabis, might be used along with psychotherapy to help military veterans with PTSD. Medical researchers have been examining how cannabis might have real promise as a

potential treatment for PTSD for several years now. In 2013, a study by researchers at NYU’s Langone Medical Center found a connection between the number of cannabinoid receptors in the human brain (known as CB1 receptors) and PTSD. The NYU study’s lead author, Dr. Alexander Neumeister, said understanding the biology behind PTSD could help scientists focus on specific medications that could eventually treat the disorder. That line of research is supported by Sue Sisley. An Arizona-based medical doctor and researcher, Sisley recently completed a federally-approved and groundbreaking t h re e - ye a r - l o n g c l i n i c a l s t u d y o n h ow m a r i j u a n a a f f e c t s P TS D s y m p t o m s i n military veterans. “CB1 receptors are located throughout what we call the emotional center of [the] brain, (an area) that is heavily populated with CB1 receptors,” she tells DOPE. “When people smoke THC-rich cannabis, the molecule binds to CB1 receptors and possibly causes a suppression of adverse, negative memories. It seems to dampen those memories.”

Still not enough research Anka Vujanovic, a clinical psychologist, associate professor and director of the Trauma and Stress Studies Center at the University of Houston, said she’s not surprised that the chemical compounds in cannabis look promising as a potential PTSD treatment – as well as a treatment for epilepsy, pain and other conditions. But she acknowledges that there’s still not enough research being done about cannabis and PTSD. “There are so many chemical compounds within cannabis,” she says. “The studies that we have are messy because we don’t have a clear picture of what strain you are using, what are the chemical compounds from that strain, what are the potential therapeutic effects of those specific compounds.”

Cannabis in the Toolbox I’ve been lucky. My PTSD symptoms from 1989 have, for the most part, faded away. And I’m thankful that I was able to understand what I had been going through in Tainanmen. And while I’ve relied mostly on exercise and a set of understanding friends and family since then to help me work through my anxieties, I’m thankful that cannabis has been part of my mental health “toolbox” when I needed it.

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FEATURE 50

DEFENDING OUR PLANT EVERYWHERE

itting in an Oakland bar in July 2013, Alicia Garza was incensed. George Zimmerman had just been acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter (a lesser charge) in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The incident would forever change race relations in the U.S. – but in that moment, Garza was processing the verdict. Scrolling through her Facebook feed, she observed many blaming black Americans, refusing to face or even acknowledge the racism that infects so much of the country. She decided to express her feelings in a manner typical for her generation: posting on social media. Garza’s post, “A Love Note to Black People,” ended with a simple conclusion: “Our Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter.” Patrisse Cullors, Garza’s Facebook friend who organized antipolice violence groups in Los Angeles, replied to Garza’s message by converting the phrase into a hashtag: “#BlackLivesMatter.”

"ONE THING WE HAVEN'T HAD MUCH OF A CONVERSATION ABOUT IS HOW IT'S [SOCIAL MEDIA] BEING USED TO BULK UP THE POWER OF A CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT IS NOT INVESTED IN THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE." – PAROMITA SHAH, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR THE NATIONAL IMMIGRATION PROJECT OF THE NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD With this simple online exchange, one of the most influential activist groups of the 21st century was born. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement quickly spread to other networks and became part of the zeitgeist, receiving dozens of accolades and awards – plus criticism and scorn. If not for the power of social media, an organization as significant as BLM might not even exist. Unfortunately, online networks aren’t just fertile ground for creating and growing important cultural movements: they’re also places where opponents of change can spew negativity while safe behind their keyboards.

Black Lives Matter highlights the unifying power of social media to expand the collective consciousness of social justice. According to numbers from a 2018 Pew Research Center report on social media, over half of all Americans report using social media to promote a social or political cause or find information about rallies and demonstrations. But social media also comes with well-known downsides: haters and trolls have free reign to intimidate, and the information shared is often misleading or totally false. Perhaps most disturbing is the unwillingness of major social networks to regulate either factor. DOPE Magazine spoke with several organizations created to promote social justice by advancing equality for people disadvantaged because of race, citizenship status and religion. While they all agreed on the importance of social media in advancing their causes, they also used specific examples to explain how the benefits don’t always outweigh the drawbacks.

ORGANIZING THE CAUSE AND ITS ENEMIES Courtney Sebring is a Content Strategist at the Black Youth Project 100, a member-based organization working for freedom and justice for black people. She spoke of how BYP100’s New York chapter catalyzed the removal of a statue honoring Dr. J. Marion Sims, a 19th century gynecologist who advanced his field but also experimented on black female slaves, often operating on them without anesthesia. Women from BYP100 raised awareness of Sims’ dark history with a dramatic protest in the summer of 2017. “The post went super viral on Facebook after the New York chapter took very powerful action,” Sebring says. “So many people cared about this action and felt seen.” Their demonstration also drew media coverage from major outlets including The Washington Post and Essence. The following spring, the city moved the statue honoring Dr. Sims from Central Park to his gravesite in Brooklyn. But organizing through social media can also expose a group to people who don’t agree with their cause, and the consequences of that can go far beyond negative comments. Ani Zonneveld, founder and president of Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV), says she received insults and threats on her life after conservative Muslims found out that she – a woman – was going to be leading a prayer at an upcoming MPV conference in Malaysia.

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THE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD OF SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISM

“A right-wing organization basically took that and Googled me, found [information about] me leading men and women in prayer ... so they went berserk,” Zonneveld shared. “It really riled up the hate. There was a lot of death threats towards me ... like her blood is halal – you know, purposable.” Activists aren’t the only ones subject to trolling. According to Pew, 41 percent of Americans have personally been subject to harassment online, and two-thirds have witnessed others being digitally harassed. People with malicious intent don’t have to resort to explicit attacks – social media makes it easy for information to be weaponized to advance a specific agenda or ideology. It’s now known that over ten million tweets and Facebook updates from Russian troll farms were published in the lead-up to the 2016 election, to spread fake news designed around contentious issues like gun rights and racial violence. Information can also be harnessed against people at a much more individual level. The National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIP-NLG), a Boston-based organization, provides technical and legal assistance to community-based immigrant groups. Associate Director Paromita Shah says it’s not uncommon for police investigators and prosecutors to use social media to force people into narratives that fit their case. “One thing we haven’t had much of a conversation about is how it’s [social media] being used to bulk up the power of a criminal justice system that is not invested in the rights of the people,” Shah says. “All that data [from social media profiles] can be used to turn out a profile really quickly, and it’s usually not used to paint generous pictures ... I see it being used to make people look like somebody they are not, used to turn a young man hanging out with friends to look like he’s in a gang or someone who is breaking the law.” Data from Facebook’s annual transparency reporting shows that government requests for information on users nearly quadrupled between 2013 and 2018, growing from 11,000 requests between January and June 2013 to 42,466 requests between January and June of last year. Police surveys report that four in five departments use social media to help solve crimes. Social media has collared many dangerous criminals, but as the reach of these networks increases, mistakes and wrongful accusations involving digital perceptions of people are also on the rise.

WHERE'S THE REGULATION?

Most believe that social media networks are dropping the ball when it comes to regulating and policing those who harass social justice organizations online. After receiving threats on her life, Zonneveld was stunned at Facebook’s response: “We complained to Facebook, and then after several days, Facebook wrote back and said ‘Well, it seems like it’s a very lively and invigorating conversation’,” she says. In her opinion, verified organizations that do positive work should receive priority status when reporting harassment – almost like a blue check mark for complaints about intimidation.

Sebring agrees. “It is crucial for these platforms to not allow content that furthers harm to us to remain public, and to listen when the people reporting it are the people experiencing that risk of harm,” she says. If the networks continue failing to regulate themselves adequately, signs point to government intervention sooner rather than later. When asked on a podcast if tech’s selfregulation era should come to an end, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says “it probably should.” Activist groups online face another big challenge: converting digital sentiment into real-world action. The rise of social media has made it too easy to click a button to “like” or “share” a post promoting causes in which a person believes. You’d think that these actions are a gateway to real-world involvement in activism, but data shows the exact opposite. A study in the Journal of Consumer Research showed that expressions of public support for a social cause online were correlated with lower levels of subsequent donations of time and money. We know that correlation does not equate to causation, but it is grounds for further study.

"THERE WAS A LOT OF DEATH THREATS TOWARDS ME ... LIKE HER BLOOD IS HALAL YOU KNOW, PURPOSABLE." – ANI ZONNEVELD, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF MUSLIMS FOR PROGRESSIVE VALUES

WHAT'S NEXT FOR SOCIAL MEDIA? Two huge events this year look poised to re-shape the narrative about social media. In March, parts of the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand were broadcast live on Facebook, first by the shooter and later by fans and supporters. Facebook was widely slammed for allowing the video to be live-streamed for 17 minutes and re-shared multiple times. On Easter Sunday, a coordinated wave of bombings in major cities of Sri Lanka killed at least 250 people. In order to prevent the spread of misinformation and “false news” stories, the government banned the use of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube and Snapchat for over 24 hours. Locals criticized the drastic move, but others viewed it as a dose of much-needed regulation for tech companies that appear too arrogant to do it themselves – an op-ed by Kara Swisher, published in The New York Times two days after the ban, put it succinctly: “Sri Lanka Shut Down Social Media. My First Thought Was ‘Good.’” Clearly, social media will continue to serve an important role in the spread of activism and causes designed to promote social justice, but there are still major strides needed in the regulation and monitoring of these sites before groups promoting positive change can leverage their true power.

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PROFILE 56

DEFENDING OUR PLANT EVERYWHERE

SHAN BOODY WEIGHS IN ON SEX AND SOCIAL MEDIA WRITER | ANDREA LARSON PHOTOS | COURTESY OF STORIES OF: WOMEN

& BRANDON BARNHART

hannon Boodram, better known as Shan Boody is an open book – especially when it comes to talking about sex. As she neared the end of her high school years in 2010, Boodram and her now-ex-best friend formed “those girls are wild” – a blog / YouTube channel that gave Boodram the know-how and wherewithal to use the social fabric of the internet to launch her career as a sexologist, therapist and all around badass sex educator. In 2011, “those girls are wild” featured an interview with Chantelle Brown-Young. At 17, Brown-Young now better known in mainstream media as Canadian supermodel Winnie Harlow shared her experience and wisdom surrounding her skin condition Vitiligo. Harlow would later be discovered via Instagram by none other than Tyra Banks catapulting her career via the twenty-first cycle of America’s Next Top Model. “those girls are wild” ultimately retired with the demise of Boodram and Andrea Lewis’ friendship, but Boodram’s penchant for being first on the scene and appetite for giving the middle finger to the status quo have since led to her success as a published writer, YouTube sensation, host, producer, ambassador, advisor and sex therapist. As it’s our Social Issue, what better time than now to have a frank discussion with Boody on sex’s place in social media. What follows is a play-by-play on our discussion designed with Boomers, Millenials and Gen Z in mind. The day that we speak, Boody is running errands … oh and it’s her birthday to boot. “My book was like, due today,” Boody laughs, “The word due is such a loose term because it’s been due 18 times … but today was the last day I had to make changes.” Boody is leaving the UPS store after dropping off her changes and is on her way to the bank to get money for rent. She’s a normal chick, with normal errands, leading a quite abnormal albeit avant-garde professional life.

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“SOCIETY’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS SEX IS REALLY NARROW IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY HAVE AS VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF SEX. FOR EXAMPLE, OUR PORN IS SO CARTOONISH, WITH REALLY BIG DICKS AND REALLY BIG BOOBS…”

THE INTERNET RESPONDS TO YOU! ON ITS OWN, IT’S NEUTRAL.

Boody has been talking about sex for over a decade and in that time has witnessed the myriad of ways that social media has played a role in the differing cohorts; from Boomers to Gen Z. “What’s fascinating is that we’re having this conversation in general. [Social media] is catered towards what you look up, what your interests are.” Boody confirms. Depending on what you’re searching for and search terms, in general, can lead to gripping information and sources or as Boody puts it, “misogynistic, abusive, negative and incorrect information.” What results is the internet’s response to the user (you) and what you’re looking at, Boody reiterates. “The goal, obviously, is that people are using [the internet] for what it’s supposed to be … a source of infinite information. It is a barrier-free place where you can finally ask the questions that you wouldn’t have had answers to [pre-internet],” Boody asserts. Boody points to the notion that the internet is a truth-seeking space where many inquisitive minds will land if the education they are offered, through their parents or a K-12 curriculum, isn’t satisfying their thirst for knowledge. This may be especially true when it comes to questions about sex. Many curious minds may also turn to online pornography to understand sex. Are social media and porn as teacher problematic? Having been educated in Ontario, Canada Boody went through the province’s HPE Curriculum or “sex ed.” program. In Ontario, sexual health education is broken down by grade. The program was approved under a liberal-leaning government and according to Boody, “By grade seven, you were taught about masturbation, oral sex … and how to do those things safely.” Since then the more conservative-leaning government has replaced that curriculum. You will see similar movements away from “liberal” sex education curriculums in the U.S. as well. With a “two steps forward, one step back” approach to sex ed. curriculum, more tweens and teens may be turning to the internet, and by default social media, to fill in the gaps. Boody believes that the internet is making up for these gaps, “…but you have to hope that people are on the right sites that actually provide factual information.” Boody believes that a curriculum geared toward “educating yourself on the internet” is crucial and that it should be instilled in youth by caregivers and parents as well. “As a parent or a caregiver for any youth, you can’t assume they’re getting the answers, A) from school or B) from the internet. You have to provide them with a base of information and discernment,” Boody posits. “Obama said

at the end of his last speech that ‘we can disagree on opinions, but we shouldn’t be arguing facts,’” Boody paraphrases. “We are in a time and place where we do argue facts and you see that in the sex education community, so it is scary from that standpoint. You still have to trust major journalistic publications … you still do have to go back to the people who are legally accountable to provide the truth.” The takeaway here is that while the internet is neutral insofar as the information available will tell the story you seek, we must continue to educate all generations on the importance of research methodologies and an ability to discern a reliable versus unreliable source, fact from fiction, integrity from deceit. Diversification and discernment in selecting your sources of education will leave more people in a place to better understand the truth about safe sex, our bodies and our relationships as a whole. “I’m 34 years old and so my experience in it [the internet] is so drastically different from somebody who’s 13 or 14, who doesn’t have discernment, a circle of support, a base of self-confidence and a general idea of who they are,” Boody notes. This also parlays into the internet’s vast and often nasty call-out culture. “For an older person … you do have a base understanding that call-out culture can be an opportunity to start important conversations,” Boody states optimistically.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND PORN. EXPECTATION VS. REALITY.

Social media acts as a supremely effective catalyst for rekindling old friendships and staying in touch with those that you may have otherwise drifted apart from. That said, social media is responsible for creating unrealistic expectations when we talk about the quality and quantity of our relationships, intimate and otherwise. At what point do these expectations become unhealthy? In 2016 a survey of over 2,000 Americans highlighted our tendency to feel lonely. The poll conducted by the American Osteopathic Association reveals that 72 percent of Americans experience loneliness, and regularly. One-third of those polled stated that they feel lonely at least once per week. How can that be? A quick perusal on your Instagram seems to convey the opposite message: an infinite scrolling reel of social gatherings, bedecked happy hour cocktails, kittens and flaw-erasing filters are testimonials to our never-ending pits of joy and elation … right? According to Dr. Jennifer Caudle, assistant professor of family medicine at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, “Loneliness is ‘an invisible epidemic’ masked by people’s online personas, which rarely reflect real emotions.” “I think social media tends to give off the impression that everybody is super connected, has tons of friends, feels very included and doesn’t feel lonely,” Boody intonates, reducing her voice to a whisper. She goes on to say that a lot of people simply don’t feel included or connected. Having 3,000 or 300 friends can mirror intimacy and connectivity when in reality many social media users don’t have those close interconnected relationships. Boody quickly and naturally turns this conversation into one about sex. “When I was growing up all my [sexually active] friends were claiming that they were orgasming so many times [during sex]. Ultimately repeating what they heard in porn,” Boody states.

DEFENDING OUR PLANT EVERYWHERE

“THE GOAL, OBVIOUSLY, IS THAT PEOPLE ARE USING [THE INTERNET] FOR WHAT IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE … A SOURCE OF INFINITE INFORMATION. IT IS A BARRIER-FREE PLACE WHERE YOU CAN FINALLY ASK THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU WOULDN’T HAVE HAD ANSWERS TO [PRE-INTERNET].”

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“Then something switched. People were like, ‘I’ve never come during sex.’” The response from people was like “Oh my god, me neither.” Boody says, “That was the starting point when things could start getting better. When we started to get more cliteracy … you know literacy with the clitoris.” Honest conversations can help us decipher between what is feasible and what is unrealistic especially when it comes to relationships and sex. Boody’s YouTube channel is streamlining this process. It’s a place where people of all generations can go to hear honest discourse and feedback on intimacy, friendships, pleasure, safe sex, the list goes on. “We’re all pretending that everything is great. ‘I’m like, so awesome. I’m so connected. I have so many friends.’ Then we start being honest. ‘I’m actually feeling really lonely.’” Again, this is where diversifying your educational resources comes into play. “Society’s attitude towards sex is really narrow in terms of what they have as visual representations of sex. For example, our porn is so cartoonish, with really big dicks and really big boobs,” Boody notes. She goes on to say that the persistence of this imagery and the abundance of this imagery makes us uncomfortable with visuals that don’t match what we see in porn. It makes us feel shameful too – especially about our own bodies. Opting to search for visuals and imagery that more closely mirror a plethora of different body types and genitals will lead to a sex-positive journey. “The only opportunity [that most people have to see a vulva] is in porn and the diversity there is just so ridiculously small, and I say small as pun intended because it is the small lips, the small vulvas, the small clitorises.” This again reiterates Boody’s notion that the internet is neutral. What you search for and what you seek is what you get. You have the ability to change the channel. “If you don’t like what you’re seeing and it’s not reflective of who you are and how you want to be celebrated, you have to start making an effort to change the pages you interact with and to unfollow the ones that are perpetuating a standard that doesn’t make you feel good,” Boody reiterates. “That’s the beauty of the culture that we’re in. There’s so much out there. It’s not like before when you had 20 channels on TV, and you had to pick one that was kind of close to you. There are billions of options out there … billions of people you can connect with, mediums that you can find community on. So why not seek out the ones that make you feel good about yourself?” Does this mean that you should eradicate the channels that challenge you and make you uncomfortable? I can’t help but wonder if this advice could lead to a narrowing of the mind. Boody extrapolates further mentioning acclaimed emcee Killer Mike’s Netflix series, “Trigger Warning with Killer Mike.” In the program, Killer Mike talked about an incubation period, of sorts. “Killer Mike believes that black kids should go to all black schools up until a certain age. [His reasoning is for kids to] gain confidence, to gain a sense of kinmanship, [to realize that they are] powerful, important, valuable … to get that sense of self before they start interacting and integrating [with other races and cultures].” Boody makes mention that race is not her area of expertise but notes, “I do think everybody in life should be trying to form a base, a central idea of what their morals are, what their values are, what their self-opinion is, and once you have that you should be like, ‘Okay, now I wanna challenge [those ideas] in healthy ways that feel good for me and be open to the world.” “The goal shouldn’t be, I’ve found my comfort zone, let me stay here forever. The goal should be, I found my comfort zone, now I know where my home is, but I still have to leave my house once in a while if I expect to get anywhere in this world,” Boody states signing off.

WEBSITE

THESTORIESOFWOMEN.COM

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SHAN’S RECOMMENDED READING ON SEX, INTIMACY AND RELATIONSHIPS

JUDGE THIS COVER BY BRITTANY RENNER

This behind-the-scenes look at the author’s life is both raw and witty. A tale of 7 men and 7 lessons … the beginning of Renner’s liberation.

THE STATE OF AFFAIRS: RETHINKING INFIDELITY BY ESTHER PEREL

Why do people cheat? Why does an affair hurt so much? Can an affair ever help a marriage? The author weaves together real life with psychological and cultural analysis. Fasten your seat belts readers.

BAD BOYFRIENDS BY JEB KINNISON

Fairy tales of love, those most often kept alive in the Western world, keep us choosing the wrong types of people to begin relationships with. Learn to read red flags and discover something about yourself in this practical guide filled with study materials and plans of action.

THE ETHICAL SLUT

BY JANET W. HARDY & DOSSIE EASTON After two decades, and three editions, this book’s dive into polyamorous lifestyles is still relevant. Poly pioneers and poly millennials alike will find this a useful guide to love, sex and intimacy beyond the limits of conventional monogamy.

Shan Boody and Whitney Bell of “Stories of: Women - A Vulnerability Variety Show.” Boody emceed the LA-based Stories Of: Jealousy in 2018 at the historic Regent Theater.

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EDITOR’S CHOICE

WRITER | ANDREA LARSON

PHOTOS | COURTESY OF NEW HIGHS CBD

NEW HIGHS CBD FULL SPECTRUM HEALTH AND WELLNESS

ew Highs CBD founder Sarah Remesch is the thought leader behind the company’s dedication to promoting female-run businesses in the cannabis space while simultaneously supporting products that promote health and wellness above all else. New Highs CBD produces luxury CBD tinctures, all supported and backed by third-party testing facility EVIO Labs, ensuring that their products are tested for potency and purity before arriving at your doorstep. With the rush of CBD products flooding the market, it’s important for consumers to know where their CBD is coming from and that the product they’re ingesting is both safe and effective. Made from two simple ingredients — MCT coconut oil and CBD-rich hemp grown in Oregon — these tinctures contain less than 0.3 percent THC, ensuring they provide the health benefits of CBD without the intoxicating high associated with THC. The oil is full spectrum, meaning it’s food-grade, CO2-extracted hemp oil safe for ingestion or topical application, and makes a great addition to your favorite culinary dishes.

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DEFENDING OUR PLANT EVERYWHERE

CULTURE 64

DEFENDING OUR PLANT EVERYWHERE

ex sells. A lot of people in any industry will drag out this tried and true mantra to justify any number of sexualized advertisements that to some would seem more at home on PornHub than on a billboard above a busy city street. When the line between sexy and sexist seems paper thin, it begs the question, is there a place for sex in cannabis culture? And if so, where does it belong? A 50-foot billboard looms over Los Angeles; the image is a familiar one. Sexy lady, not much in the way of clothing, leaving the onlooker eating from the palm of her hand. At first glance, this sign could be selling anything. Victoria’s Secret lingerie? The new cheesydouble-whatever from Carl’s Junior? The 2020 Audi fresh off the lot? It is an advertisement for none of the above. It’s an ad for a cannabis vape cartridge. No words, just tits and product placement. And for some in the cannabis industry working to make it a more inclusive, safe place, ads like this could be viewed as an insult to their hard work. “When we talk about inclusivity and diversity and representation we are not just talking about women. We’re talking about the social equity piece, diversity as it relates to race, gender, identities. Dan Bilzerian, who is like the height of heteronormative white male, is an embarrassment frankly,” says Anna Duckworth, co-founder of Miss Grass. Duckworth and Kate Miller, co-founders of Miss Grass a woman’s guide to cannabis, recently called the Goop of cannabis by W Magazine, weighed in on sexist marketing with Cheddar online. From Dan Bilzerian’s lingerie models selling vapes on billboards all over California, to Altai Edibles’ stunt a few years ago of using a model’s body to display an array of meats, the days of senseless and bizarre marketing tactics don’t appear to be numbered just yet. The industry is young, and like many nascent industries its marketing strategies will have to mature with the arena. “It’s really a huge disappointment to see [Bilzerian] try to align with the cannabis industry, specifically where the cannabis industry is going,” Duckworth says. “When we are talking about inclusivity we are not just talking about women. We’re talking about the social equity piece, diversity as it relates to race, gender, identities,” Duckworth continued. Duckworth and Miller want to make sure there are more women represented not only in advertising but in cannabis culture. “There are no women represented in the zeitgeist

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- in pop culture, any sort of film, entertainment, television, we never see people like us smoking weed,” Duckworth says. These sexy advertising campaigns have been met with disappointment by those in the industry who see it as a tasteless obstacle on the path toward progress. Enter David Paleschuck, an experienced marketing and advertising manager who has worked with the likes of MasterCard, Mountain Dew and Microsoft. His book “Branding Bud” explores the complex relationship between cannabis product, branding and consumer. “The way I look at it, there [are] nine categories of cannabis brands. A few of those are counterculture, influencer and novelty brands (like the overtly sexual brands),” says Paleschuck. “It’s really all the same stuff, but it’s about how we associate ourselves with things and what we choose to surround ourselves with that gives us the cues of who we are,” he says. “It’s not only context, it’s also intent. There needs to be some fun introduced to it, so you realize it’s actually not real. Maybe we need to make things overt, so it is overly obvious and silly, almost like professional wrestling. It’s so over the top that it has to be fake,” says Paleschuck. According to studies conducted by Eaze, the cannabis delivery company, women now represent 38 percent of cannabis consumers, a number that has doubled in the last year. Women represent a large number of cannabis users and are encouraging the market to reach them effectively. Some brands attempt to make the gap and succeed, while others do not try at all. They have a market and instead of expanding into new territory, choose to stay with their tried and true consumer base. Cannabis pin-up Kitty Kitty Bang Bang and #GanjaGlam babe proudly uses her sexuality to promote her brand. A cannabis influencer, model, actress and singer, Kitty Kitty Bang Bang makes the case for equally empowered and sexy women in the cannabis marketing field. Sporting pink joints, ‘50s glamour and self-confidence Kitty is the poster child for sexy marketing gone right. In a post from Kitty’s Instagram she sums it all up, “Remember it is possible to be a multifaceted woman! Be classy + a freak. Be spiritual + a bad bitch. Be fierce + compassionate. Be a Queen + smoke weed!” San Francisco based cannabis branding company Cannaverse has over 30 years of industry knowledge to help their clients navigate cannabis culture and branding. Co-founders Dan Ager and Chris Leonard lend their branding knowledge to the conversation. “As the market gets more saturated it’s really getting down to consistency. What we’re doing as an agency is doing our best to gain trust in the consumer,” says Ager.

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When erotic images of famous women were first used to sell soap in 1885 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., a soap manufacturer, it worked in a big way. Since then companies from every field have been reaching to connect sex and a product, whether it’s soap, burgers or cannabis. “ What it really comes down to is best practices and a quality product, so you don’t lose that trust in the consumer,” says Leonard. But perhaps staying true to your message is the key. Leonard says authenticity in branding will help bridge the gap between brand and consumer. As the cannabis industry goes through a sexual awakening, with inclusivity and respect at the forefront, the road to a woke future may be bumpy. But with active participation from everyone in the industry, it may just avoid a backslide into Carl’s Junior carwash-burgereating territory, where ‘sex sells’ is a blanket excuse for female objectification. “I think the industry has to mature a little bit and see where it all goes,” says Paleschuck. Sex may sell, but so do honesty, creativity and innovation. It doesn’t take sex to sell a great product; it didn’t take lingerie to sell the iPhone. The industry is begging for creativity, whether that creativity is sexy, comedic, artistic, or wellness-inspired, let’s do it with a healthy dose of perspective. If the industry can foster an environment where cannabis culture can connect to underrepresented people, then the mutually beneficial relationship between cannabis and consumer can get stronger. Paleschuck says, “When you sail, you never go in the direction you want to go in, you go way to the left and way to the right, and you eventually make your way to where you wanted to go. In sailing, it’s never a straight line, and that’s kind of how society is too.”

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#SCOUTEDBYDOPE

WRITER | ANDREA LARSON PHOTOS | JORDAN SWENSON

SUMMER’S HERE BECOME ONE WITH THE SUN

HAUS OF KARYN ROLLING PAPERS Kim, a stylist and designer hailing from NYC and Daryn, an entrepreneur based in Miami (they’re the creative types) had a baby. Thus, Haus of Karyn was born. These two badasses offer up some of the most coveted of all rolling papers. We tested them out and not only do the papers burn evenly and clean they come in an assortment of options just in time to celebrate Pride Month. If you’re fancy AF, get yourself a pack, or hell, buy a whole damn box!

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LADY JANE Pesticide, additive and solvent-free, Lady Jane’s vaporizer pens and tinctures are a great addition to your stress reducing or beauty routine. I personally keep my Lady Jane CBD oil in the fridge to drop into my morning smoothies or rub on my hands and face as a moisturizer. The co-founders of Lady Jane had a mission: enjoy life, laugh a little more, stress a little less, tackle anything that comes their way and empower those around them to do the same. Ladies, mission accomplished!

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MARY JANE SWIM This perfectly dusty pink suit is soft, comfortable, fully lined and sewn from a fast-drying poly/lycra blend 4-way stretch fabric. Durable, cozy and stylish! The team at Mary Jane Swim offer an assortment of swim and activewear collections adorned with our lovely plant. Be sure to check out the team’s newest line of accessories – Seven Leaflets which includes fanny packs, towels and day bags. Happy beaching babes!

PIPED BOTTOM $30.00 PULLOVER TOP $30.00 GYM/DAY BAG $35.00 WEBSITE MARYJANE-SWIM.COM IG @MARYJANESWIM

THE GIANT WEED LEAF POOL FLOAT Who doesn’t need a giant weed leaf pool float with a cup holder? Exactly.

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DOPE SHOTS

DOPE PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

CHECK OUT THE WINNER OF THE DOPE SHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST! WANT YOUR WORK FEATURED IN THE PAGES OF DOPE? BE ON THE LOOKOUT EACH ISSUE FOR YOUR NEXT CHANCE TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK.

CONGRATULATIONS,

ZACHARY JORGENSEN “It’s all about the details. This macro shot is compiled of 30 images stitched together. As a cannabis photographer, I get to work with these beautiful plants every day and it’s my ultimate goal with each shot to capture every ounce of detail.”

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VANILLA BERRY PIE NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S PIE

ust like pie at a family gathering, Vanilla Berry Pie from 1937 Farms is the perfect after-dinner treat. This indica-dominant strain grows large, deep purple buds heavily encrusted in trichomes which give the bud a frosted appearance. With a very earthy, sweet and berry smell, the taste of this flower lingers a bit on the tongue after inhaling. This strain may leave you feeling seriously lazy — its effects hit the head almost immediately and slowly creep into the body. Be careful smoking this stuff during the day … it left me feeling the need to nod off mid-afternoon.

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EDIBLE

WRITER | JEFFREY RINDSKOPF

PHOTOS | JORDAN SWENSON

DOOZIES ADULT FRUIT CHEWS NATURAL, CHILLED-OUT EFFECTS

hese gummy edibles are flat-out delicious. I enjoyed two flavors, Juicy Peach and Sour Cherry, and in both cases knew immediately they contained real fruit juice before I even checked the ingredient label. Both had a lingering aftertaste somewhere between sweet and tart — perfectly reminiscent of the respective fresh fruits they’re based on — and a chewy (not tough) texture that’s easy on the jaw. Neither Doozie hit me decisively (which probably says more about my tolerance level than the product itself), but the body and mind-relaxing effects came on gradually over the next 90 minutes. The gummies made for a nice, mild way to end the workweek, with manufacturer Green Revolution’s all-natural, Clean Green Certified bona fides evident from taste alone.

PRODUCED & PROVIDED BY GREEN REVOLUTION

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10 SERVINGS PER PACK

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CONCENTRATE

WRITER & PHOTO | STEINFARM

LAMB’S BREATH SUGAR CRYSTAL

A DAYTIME BOOST FROM BLUE ROOTS CANNABIS COMPANY

amb’s Breath sugar crystal from Blue Roots Cannabis Co. is a pleasant but powerful wake-and-bake or early afternoon concentrate that will kick consumers in the head with its seriously heavy sativa effects. The nose on this concentrate is on the earthy side with strong notes of pine and slightly sweet tones. I made the mistake of dropping a fat dab of this sugar into my banger fairly late at night, which kept me up later than I expected, fully charged with a boost of creative energy. Now, as I write this review in the morning with my cup of coffee — pro tip: it’s the perfect pairing for this concentrate— I find myself taking an extra dab or two and slowly drifting off into the creative recesses of my mind

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21+

Multiple locations to serve you! Camano Island

1137 SR 532 Camano Island, WA 98282 360-629-3480

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Pullman

70 Saltspring Dr, Ste 120 Friday Harbor, WA 98250 360-317-1417

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8142 WA-14 Lyle, WA 98635 509-767-0039

Maple Valley

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8529 52nd St. SE Snohomish, WA 98290 425-263-9972

Kelso

1717 NE Andresen Rd Vancouver, WA 98661 360-984-3904

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200 Suzanne Lane Mount Vernon, WA 98273 360-488-2923

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650 Llama Ln, Ste B Goldendale, WA 98620 509-773-0700

budhut.net This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children. Marijuana products may only be purchased or possessed by persons 21 year of age or older.

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THE NOVEL TREE DEEPLY ROOTED IN HIGH QUALITY BUD

“WITH PLENTY OF WOOD, PNW THEMED ARTWORK, AND AMAZING FOREST THEMED DISPLAY BOXES SHOWING OFF ITS PRODUCT, THIS IS DEFINITELY A SHOP I FIND MYSELF SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN JUST BROWSING AROUND.”

THE SHOP

THE PEOPLE

Grown from the seed of an idea to create a cannabis café in the Pacific Northwest, The Novel Tree in Bellevue, Washington has blossomed into a booming recreational and medical cannabis shop catering to the needs of the Greater Seattle Area’s East side. In fact, Founder Allie McAboy says this was the only shop in the state offering patients a standalone medical facility with a private consolation room and shielded booths, where patients can discuss their needs with product specialists in a more private manner. The recreational side of this shop does not lack, either. Designed and built mainly by the family that makes up The Novel Tree, it’s “a good thing Chris (McAboy’s co-founder and husband) comes from a family of very handy men,” she says with excitement. This is a shop I could find myself spending time in just browsing, with plenty of wood, PNW-themed artwork, and amazing forest themed display boxes showing off its product.

It’s refreshing to feel welcomed when walking into a shop selling a product often stigmatized in a professional city like Bellevue. However, the warmth of greeting one gets while walking into The Novel Tree is only matched by the warm buzz that their products induce. With a background in hospitality and customer service, specifically in Bellevue, McAboy knows what her customers want as well as how to give it to them. From the moment you walk in the door, you are greeted and directed to the next available budtender, who will spend the time with you to find the exact product you are looking for.

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THE PRODUCT You might have been wondering what makes a recreational cannabis shop different from a medical cannabis shop; the product is the same. Product Manager Jeff Acres told me that the difference — at least in The Novel Tree’s case — is that they work closely with their partners and require the signing of an affidavit to ensure that the producers and processors are meeting OMRI-certified integrated pesticide management practices. This benefit bleeds into the recreational side of the business, as they both carry the same products, ensuring that all customers of The Novel Tree are getting high-quality products for their hard-earned cash.

ADDRESS 1817 130TH AVE NE SUITE B BELLEVUE, WA 98005 (425) 867-2700 HOURS: MON-SAT: 9AM-11PM SUN: 9AM-9PM WEBSITE NOVEL-TREE.COM INSTAGRAM @THENOVELTREEBELLEVUE TWITTER @THENOVELTREE FACEBOOK @THENOVELTREE

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WRITER & PHOTO | STEINFARM

HARMONY FARMS

CULTIVATING BALANCE FOR THE COMMUNITY.

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THE TEAM I’m not sure if the folks at Harmony Farms realize how in-tune they are, or if it is simply a product of the company’s ethos built-in, but one thing I do know is that it is certainly no ruse. I met with General Manager Kurt Naumer, Director of Sales Ryan Hill and Sales Executive Chris Foltz for a tour of their facility that felt very much like hanging out with old friends. I was curious to see what the team had accomplished over the past four years. With sustainable systems like reuse pots and community-minded tactics in place — such as bringing on a former Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board employee as Director of Compliance — Harmony Farms is at the forefront of shaping this young market into the booming industry it is capable of becoming.

THE PLACE Located in Lacey, Washington, Harmony Farms is an inception style, “building-within-a-building” grow with roughly 11,000 square feet of canopy housed in a massive 34,500 square foot warehouse. The inner structure’s top floor, a carbon copy of the lower, is currently being used for R&D and housing mother plants. The bottom floor houses 17 single-strain rooms with state-of-the-art LED lighting technology that Harmony actually had a hand in developing. The conditions within the facility were extremely consistent throughout; It felt like I had been touring an open-air grow even though I was inside of a building, itself inside of another building! Also located on the bottom floor is the CO2 extraction lab which has recently adopted the ability to run ethanol extractions.

“WITH SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS LIKE REUSE POTS AND COMMUNITYMINDED TACTICS IN PLACE — SUCH AS BRINGING ON A FORMER WASHINGTON STATE LIQUOR AND CANNABIS BOARD EMPLOYEE AS DIRECTOR OF COMPLIANCE — HARMONY FARMS IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF SHAPING THIS YOUNG MARKET.”

THE PLANTS With single strain grow rooms, Harmony Farms has the ability to cater to the specific needs of the strains themselves. This lends itself to growing not only the best bud but growing the best bud for its specific benefits. With a perpetual harvest and a bank of over 50 strains, Harmony Farms is constantly pumping out new genetics along with longtime staples. Recently introduced to their lineup of bud are 510 threaded cartridges and Airo Pro cartridges. Harmony has also recently released one-gram cartridges as well as High Terpene Extract cartridges for an extra flavor kick.

WEBSITE INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

DOPEMAGAZINE.COM

HARMONYFARMSNW.COM @HARMONYFARMSWA @HARMONYFARMSWA

PRODUCT

WRITER & PHOTO | VICTORIA GREENER

ON THE MEND WITH LA MEND GET RELAXED WITH A CBD PATCH

Friday night after a long week of work felt like the perfect time to pop on a Be Calm patch by La Mend — within minutes I felt the tingle of mint working its magic. While THC can cause anxiety in some people, CBD is well-known to have the opposite effect; giving people relief from daily stresses and even joint pain. This Be Calm patch is a perfect combo of menthol and 15mg of CBD. Also, La Mend has three other hempinfused patches; Nite Nite, Hangover and my favorite, Period. Have you ever looked forward to that time of the month? Neither do I. But now I’m looking forward to giving the Period patch a try.

PRODUCED & PROVIDED BY LA MEND

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PROVERDE LABORATORIES ProverdeLabs.com

THEGOODPATCH.COM @THEGOODPATCH @MYGOODPATCH $12.00 DEFENDING OUR PLANT EVERYWHERE

CULTURE 92

DEFENDING OUR PLANT EVERYWHERE

magine yourself somewhere secluded, engaging in what’s widely considered the most solitary and least stimulating of all media forms: reading. When you come to a passage that resonates, voicing something you’ve felt in the past but didn’t have words for, you pause and look over it again, savoring a feeling of connection with the author and characters not unlike the bonding moments we seek from face-toface interactions. Marcel Proust called this “the miracle of communication in the midst of solitude;” Peggy Mason, professor of neurobiology at the University of Chicago, calls it a social act. She coauthored a 2017 research article that proposed a new definition of sociality as any behavior or biological process that’s influenced by the presence of others. “The idea that you could do something that’s not social is more theoretical than realistic,” Mason tells DOPE. This expanded definition is designed to bridge the disconnect between researchers studying human biology with those studying other animals, and counters the “implicit assumption,” characterized in the article’s introduction, “that we are somehow outside of biology.” The same assumption of exceptionalism – that we are static beings who affect the world, but are not affected by it – underlies our casual treatment of media consumption as more-or-less the same as being alone. But under the new definition, going out to a party and staying in to binge a Netflix series are both social activities, since our decision to do either depends on other people, either a desire to be with or avoid them. “That takes away the value judgment that people make on being social,” Mason says. “We’re all social in the way that works for us.” With media, we also inevitably depend on social considerations such as coworkers’ recommendations or Spotify playlists to guide what we consume, whether we’re keeping up with the cultural conversation or consciously going against it. Then there’s the fact that no matter what song, book, show, or website we choose to peruse, there will always be a person, or more likely many people, on the other side of that content with their own agenda. In art, it’s usually to make you see a subject as the artist sees it; in advertising or propaganda, it’s motivating you

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“WHAT BEGINS AS AN ESCAPE FROM SOCIAL ANXIETY CAN ALSO END UP REINFORCING IT, AND ONLINE OR FICTIONAL FRIEND GROUPS CAN BECOME JUST AS TOXIC AS REAL ONES.” DEFENDING OUR PLANT EVERYWHERE

to buy whatever’s being sold – a crucial distinction, but also an increasingly fuzzy one in the age of sponsored content and integrated product placement. Millions of awkward teens and grownup media junkies stand as a living testament to the power of movies, books, music and other media to socialize and offer scripts for better relating to the complex world around us. Media psychology studies provide further evidence that uplifting movies and news stories inspire compassionate behavior more than pleasurable movies or negative news stories, which respectively inspire popularity-seeking and suspicion instead. Preferred characters and creators become like one-way friends and mentors, while communities of likeminded fans help us feel understood and accepted in ways those in our physical surroundings might not. What begins as an escape from social anxiety can also end up reinforcing it, and online or fictional friend groups can become just as toxic as real ones. Hilarie Cash, the cofounder and chief clinical officer of reSTART, the nation’s first inpatient facility for internet and gaming addiction, says these effects “are very much determined by how much time they spend there, isolating and insulating themselves from real world social experiences.” While media consumption is inherently social, it’s no substitute for unstructured, face-to-face interaction, and those who use it as such almost invariably wind up anxious and depressed. Our brains develop neural connections based on what we spend time doing. In a nation where the average citizen spends 11 hours daily interacting with media and screens become children’s babysitters at an increasingly young age, there’s legitimate concern that our media consumption is taking away from valuable time learning to be alone with our thoughts or navigate real-world social difficulties. This phenomenon may be contributing to an unprecedented spike in adolescent mental illness. While Mason’s updated definition may free researchers from moral judgments of good and bad in studying human sociality, for parents and others trying to distinguish between socially helpful and harmful media sources practically, the best metric to go by may be moderation. “It’s content, amount of time and age of exposure,” says Cash. “These are the variables I think make all the difference.” Motivational speaker Jim Rohn famously summed up the remarkable influence of social relationships by saying we become an average of the five people we spend the most time with. Considering our brains make no clear distinctions between real and imaginary, it follows that we’d similarly adapt to whatever media environments we spend most time immersed in. It’s frightening to think how many of us might be unconsciously assuming characteristics from even guilty pleasure obsessions, like the vacuity of Kardashian-style reality TV, the ceaseless social comparisons of Facebook or the vitriol and 280-character attention spans of Twitter. None of this is to scaremonger about any particular type of media, though many such platforms are “persuasively designed” like gambling to get us hooked on the neurochemical release getting more likes and retweets provides. As with drugs, it’s important to stress the line between media use and abuse and to consider how both the form and content of what we consume can affect us, or even interfere in younger viewers’ development. Just being mindful of the inescapable nature of social influence can have an impact. Mason herself explains the positive outlook that comes from realizing how someone’s social context, media or otherwise, can be even more important than their own preferences. “I have a lot more sympathy for people,” she says. “I don’t play the blame game; I look at things and try to figure out why someone’s fundamental desire to help was thwarted. Probably not because they’re evil people, but the situation was simply not conducive to them helping – so we can do something about that situation.”

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FEATURE 98

DEFENDING OUR PLANT EVERYWHERE

n the 10th century A.D., Chinese Emperor Li Yu allegedly became entranced by a female concubine twirling on the petite tips of her toes. As word of the emperor’s affinity spread, more women began binding theirs and their daughters’ feet to conform, so by the mid-17th century, it had become a sign of lowly status for females not to have their feet permanently crippled into gangrenous four-inch hooves. Originating from the emperor’s preference, Chinese foot binding was a social norm that stayed in place for almost a millennium, despite inflicting enormous individual pains with negligible collective benefits. In many ways, this isn’t unique. Humanity’s natural penchant for conformity may have made us Earth’s dominant species by sparing us having to learn everything through trial and error, but it’s also been implicated in many of history’s greatest tragedies, letting entire populations turn a blind eye to needless suffering. As social animals, our behavior is guided not just by our own personal disposition and instincts but also by our expectations of how others would behave and judge behavior in similar situations. Social norms are those behaviors that are causally determined by group expectations, real or perceived, which arise in “mixedmotive games,” when there is a conflict between one’s self-interest and the communal well-being. This inherent tension helps explain why even the most harmful and unnecessary of social norms, like foot binding, can be so difficult and time-consuming to stamp out. Difficult, but not impossible – Cristina Bicchieri, a University of Pennsylvania professor and author of “Norms in the Wild: How to Diagnose, Measure, and Change Social Norms.” Bicchieri has devoted her academic career to defining and measuring the impacts of social norms, so we can more easily abolish arbitrary ones. One common stumbling block, according to Bicchieri, is trying to change a norm from the top-down, through legislation or other legal interventions alone. “Nothing is further from reality than that,” she says. This is why the War on Drugs failed and arguably where America’s Civil Rights Movement stalled, ending racism by the letter of the law but leaving the underlying norms in place. Nor is it enough to merely publicize the widespread harms of a social norm, which can reinforce the behavior by sending the message that it’s common and not judged too harshly. “You have to give people motives on how to behave differently,” Bicchieri explains. “Just giving them information has never worked. In a country where corruption is systemic, you don’t want to say 99 percent of people pay bribes or accept bribes, or you normalize that behavior.” Dislodging a harmful one isn’t as simple as convincing individual community members that the behavior doesn’t make sense. The community members must be convinced that enough other people whose judgment they value disagree with the norm to make abandoning said norm worth the anticipated social costs of defection.

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This is because, as social animals, people base participation in norms on established group expectations rather than personal preference — humans tend to shy away from any behavior that might result in their being ostracized or morally judged. Changing a social norm means intervening within someone’s “reference network,” our brains’ theoretical structures for determining whose opinions matter and how much in guiding our behavior from moment to moment, based on personal factors as well as situational context. “When you drive on a street in San Francisco, your reference network is everyone else driving, walking or bicycling on the street in that moment,” explains Bicchieri. No matter how abhorrent we may find a norm, if enough people in our relevant reference network engage in it and judge it acceptable, the power of comparison and social expectation will usually be enough to silence our concerns. In contrast, probably no amount of pushback from sources outside one’s reference network will be enough to dislodge an accepted social norm —hence the notorious futility of online echo chambers. “The internet gives you an enormous ability of getting information, even if it is completely crazy, that confirms what you’ve decided to believe,” Bicchieri says. “So, the reference network will become all people who hold those beliefs and will villainize the people with different opinions.” While the prominence of visible community leaders — like, say, an emperor — in more reference networks lets those leaders exert disproportionate influence on establishing and enforcing social norms. In contrast, leaders are rarely well-positioned to get rid of norms. Dissolving a norm comes down to people on society’s periphery, socalled trendsetters, who tend to be less sensitive to social consequences and also have a higher degree of perceived self-efficacy. In other words, people who think they’re hot shit. When enough trendsetters visibly abandon a social norm without suffering consequences, others in their reference network adjust their expectations of social stigma and gradually follow suit, leading to a tipping point of behavioral change throughout the community. The issue then, Bicchieri says, “is to create a culture of openness,” that encourages trendsetters and diminishes the backlash they receive. While group deliberation may be effective in smaller communities, the best way to scale up those societal interventions is through media like film and TV shows, which dislodge norms faster by providing far-reaching trendsetting models, especially when supplemented with discussions that confirm others in our reference networks are changing expectations as well. “We have enormous amounts of data now showing that, for example, soap operas [when] well done can really change people’s behavior permanently,” says Bicchieri. Successful examples of this include the telenovela “Simplemente Maria” which promoted literacy classes in Peru, and the radio soap “Tinka Tinka Sukh” which led Indian villages to abandon child marriage and dowry practices. This is what a modern movement like #MeToo is striving for on an unprecedented and increasingly polarized global scale — both in abolishing the old gendered norms of sexual secrecy enforced by victimshaming and installing new ones of sexual accountability enforced by harasser-shaming. Whether or not that change sticks depends on how consistent punishment is for transgressing the new norms, what media models we have for positive behavioral change, and who more people count among their reference networks – Brett Kavanaugh or Christine BlaseyFord, Donald Trump or Stormy Daniels?

DEFENDING OUR PLANT EVERYWHERE

HOW TO CHANGE A SOCIAL NORM IN THREE STEPS Psychology and philosophy professor Cristina Bicchieri helps us break down the crucial steps for dislodging a social norm:

1. DIAGNOSE THE BEHAVIOR First one must accurately distinguish a social norm, as opposed to a custom when a habitual behavior is determined by personal preference, or a descriptive norm when there’s no conflict between the expected social behavior and our self-interest – like driving on the right side of the road. “It’s not just the presence of expectations,” Bicchieri says, that distinguishes a social norm, “but the fact that these expectations have a causal effect on behavior.”

2. LOCAL INTERVENTIONS The next step Bicchieri prescribes is conducting trials of different types of interventions on the local level. Community deliberation can be a great way to start changing the expectations of social reward or punishment that enforce a norm within the relevant reference network, encouraging trendsetters.

3. INTEGRATED INTERVENTIONS Communal discussion alone will fail in the face of national or globalized reference networks, so Bicchieri recommends integrating with legal and media interventions. Though punitive laws only work to change behavior when supported by social norms, they can be used to create economic incentives or give trendsetters a platform for denouncing harmful norms, while the media offers salient models for the other rewards of more socially positive behavior.

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TECHNOLOGY

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YOUTUBE: LIVING AND DYING BY ITS KILLER ALGORITHM

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DOPE Magazine 1,902,456 views

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ing Charles I was publicly beheaded in 1649 for inciting civil war in England. A witness recounts “such a groan by the thousands then present, as I never heard before and I desire I may never hear again.” When the royal family regained government control 12 years later, Charles II tried his father’s executioners with furious vengeance. Oliver Cromwell, who led the vote for Charles’ execution and then later died of malaria, was dug out of his grave and beheaded. Charles II’s rage consumed every judge, jury and clerical attendant who consummated Charles I’s execution, with one notable exception: the masked executioner. YouTube, one of the internet’s largest social media platforms, operates according to teachable moments in the disastrous fallout surrounding the death of Charles I of England. When YouTube must punish a creator, YouTube avoids entanglement in concrete systems of rules, provides critics with no center for complaints, and prosecutes the offending party without delay. YouTube works like the masked executioner.

“WE’RE THE PEOPLE WHO GREW UP ON YOUTUBE, WE ARE A LITTLE BIT OLDER NOW, AND WANT MORE ADULT HUMOR, CONVERSATIONS AND CONTENT.” – AREND RICHARD CEO, THE WEEDTUBE.

THE HISTORY OF DEMONETIZATION ON YOUTUBE (2012 - 2017)

SU BSCRIBE DO P E

YouTube began ousting its own creators in 2012. When the term demonetization first blipped on the internet, commenters mocked it: “demonetization … yes, a word they insist on using,” reads one online comment from 2012. YouTube creators receive a share of revenue generated by ads running before their videos. Demonetization refers to YouTube withholding some or all of that money from video creators for offending the platform’s Advertiser-Friendly Content Guidelines. Demonetization threatens the livelihood of creators who live off ad-revenue shares. Demonetization marked YouTube’s evolution beyond an online video repository. The transition spurred advertiser investment, but when YouTube began policing its ad-friendly content guidelines an enormous swath of the video content on YouTube suddenly became controversial. Though YouTube publishes almost no operational data, it’s widely speculated that the platform was not profitable for years and it’s easy to understand why: From 2009 to 2015, the hours of video content uploaded every minute exploded from 15 hours to over 300. The smooth functionality of a platform supporting that much data transfer and streaming is an extraordinary achievement by itself, and advertiser revenue keeps it running. YouTube is beholden to its advertisers as their main financial income. In order to satisfy backers, the platform’s content guidelines forbid content that’s controversial, sensitive, suggestive, violent or otherwise inappropriate. Because of historically lax enforcement, a tremendous amount of YouTube content has always been in violation of the rules’ strictest interpretation. The standard of enforcement changed drastically when, in 2017, the Wall Street Journal exposed a history of anti-Semitism by popular YouTuber PewDiePie, whose channel has 92 million subscribers. Quickly thereafter, The New York Times reported on paidadvertisements running before religious extremist content in clear violation of YouTube’s ad-friendly content guidelines. The platform’s failure to discern ad-friendly content spooked away major advertisers such as AT&T, Verizon and Procter & Gamble. In response to media scrutiny and free-falling ad sales in Q1 and Q2 of 2017, YouTube unleashed the hounds on its own video content creators: the algorithm went live in the event that would later be known as the Adpocalypse.

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CONTEMPORARY YOUTUBE (2017 - 2019)

YouTube’s newly activated algorithm began demonetizing creators’ video libraries faster than they could say “PewDiePie!” Beyond demonetization, creators’ channels were assigned strikes for content breaching YouTube’s Ad Friendly Content Guidelines. Controversially, the algorithm often assigned these strikes in quick succession, even overnight, and targeted channels’ entire video libraries, some of which contain thousands of videos. The first Adpocalypse purged hundreds of accounts and thousands of videos. Arend Richard, CEO of The WeedTube, was once a prominent YouTuber with over 120,000 subscribers. When Adpocalypse initially struck other segments of the YouTube creator community, “WeedTubers” realized their livelihoods were in danger. Surely enough, accounts featuring videos with cannabis smoking were demonetized and/or assigned strikes, seemingly at random. Richard calls YouTube a “bad company with a great platform … they’re all algorithm and no people skills.” Creators like Richard understand and appreciate YouTube appeasing advertisers, but understandably want more insight into YouTube’s decision-making process. The Adpocalypse re-engaged advertisers but upset creators who felt and still feel in 2019 that YouTube has failed to address its lack of transparency, dialogue and grievance process. The company appears content to meter cold justice without accountability, just like the masked killer of King Charles I. Is it ethical in the age of information to conceal policy enforcement information and impose demonetization through an algorithm that is both unaccountable and nearly incontrovertible? Further, YouTube’s deft accommodation for angry advertisers proves the company’s capacity to deal with problems. Negligence of creators’ concerns suggests the platform is uncaring or otherwise preoccupied. One wonders what algorithmic operations YouTube, owned by Google’s umbrella company Alphabet, perform beyond scanning text for potential demonetization. Demonetization distracts from an important question: what is YouTube really up to? Haunted by the specter of the algorithm, jaded creators are moving on.

THE WEEDTUBE: A KINGDOM FOR THE CREATORS

After the first Adpocalypse, Richard knew weed-smoking culture was not long for YouTube. By the time the second — and more severe — Adpocalypse purged YouTube in November 2017, Richard’s team was already working on a solution. The WeedTube would provide a community-friendly video platform, safe from external influence, where advertisers and creators have more rein to produce the content audiences want. Richard misses YouTube — but things have changed — and he never wants them receiving another monetized cent from all the communities they’ve snubbed. The fundamental problem that’s led to the creation of The WeedTube, Richard explains, is that YouTube has chosen allegiance to its advertisers’ vision of appropriateness. Legacy creators are growing up: they prefer more adult humor and topics, and YouTube refuses to accommodate their audience’s changing tastes. “We’re the people who grew up on YouTube, we are a little bit older now, and want more adult humor, conversations and content,” Richard says. Richard envisions The WeedTube, which launched its app on April 20th of this year, adopting all of the creators and business opportunities YouTube has rejected. Niche platforms periodically grow to define their genre. As a former YouTuber, Richard knows what his co-creators and audience want, and he expects The WeedTube to grow into the next big thing.

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TIMELINE OF DEMONETIZATION

4:20 / 7:10

2006

2014

MARCH 2017

APRIL 2017

Google Purchases YouTube for $1.65 Billion

YouTube Valued at $40 Billion

Adpocalypse

Weedpocalypse — “not advertiser friendly” content demonetized

DEFENDING OUR PLANT EVERYWHERE

NOVEMBER 2017

MARCH 2018

MAY 2018

Adpocalpyse II (270 accounts closed; 150,000 videos erased; 625,000 comment sections closed; 2 Million videos demonetized)

TWT founded

Youtube Valued at $100 Billion

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