Deciding on culture Lee explains difficult decision

Words by | John Lee

I’m Korean. That being said, I am also an American.

Both Koreans and Americans have their own respective cultures. This presents the question: Which one do I choose to live with?

Any Korean-American male approaching the age of 18 has to deal with this dilemma. We’re obliged to choose between a Korean citizenship and an American one. In other words, embrace our heritage, or avoid serving in the Korean military for nearly two years. #freeBTS.

Eventually I’ll have to decide on one over the other, but the decision will never be easy. What’s left for me to do is to look at each culture and try to pinpoint which one speaks to me more.

Korea’s culture is likely the more unfamiliar of the two. By my own research most people associate Korea with K-Pop. They wouldn’t be wrong, but there’s a lot more to it. For example, Korea is also known internationally for its food, music, and art.

But just like any other culture, there are some underlying negative traits about being a Korean (although some can deem K-Pop as pretty negative).

Arguably the biggest one: toxic positivity. Koreans usually expect only respect from other Koreans, especially within smaller communities in the U.S. From my experience, that respect comes in the form of expensive gifts, positive reinforcement, or acts of service.

Of the three, gift giving can end up being the most detrimental to Korean individuals. The amount of respect shown through giving gift how grandiose or expensive the gift is just as important to create a healthy and welcoming environment.

Another step that teachers can take to help their students’ mental health is being aware of the warning signs. Many times, a change or struggle in mental health is not undetectable, and it can present itself in numerous forms. Changes in quality of work, classroom behavior, and withdrawn communication are all signs of a mental health struggle. By educating themselves, or even having training courses in mental health, teachers will be aware and able to reach out to those who need help.

Mental health is not a small, isolated problem. With over half of students experiencing some kind of emotional distress or anxieties, it is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately. Thousands of online sources are at anyone’s fingertips to educate themselves on the epidemic of mental health problems.

This process isn’t exclusive to just the adults either. In fact, as soon as you can support yourself financially, you are expected to do the exact same thing when meeting another Korean.

This ends up being pretty harmful to the one obligated to partake in this tradition, because it could definitely hurt you financially to spend money that you wouldn’t originally spend on a number of expensive gifts. It doesn’t help that making an excuse to not buy something is also deemed as disrespectful, especially if you’re meeting that person for the first time, or the first time in a long time.

At this point the question for me is whether or not I’m willing to sacrifice my ethnic culture for a different one that I was born into, or to accept the flaws of my heritage.

It’s obvious that each of these two options has their highs and their lows. As of right now I won’t be able to make a decision. Luckily for me I don’t have to. I have just around three years left until I really have to decide, I’m going to use all the time that I can possibly get.

Unequal Discipline:

Words by | Emma Mayhew

Have you ever had to experience the violating procedure of getting dress coded because your tank-top straps were smaller then two finger widths? Or that your shorts weren’t longer than your fingertips? Bad news is, even if you haven’t experienced something along those lines, that the aforementioned discrimination extends far beyond Pittsburg High School and even extends into the political field.

On January 11, 2023, the Missouri State House of Representatives updated their dress code, specifically for female politicians, according to the New York Times. The update was as simple as just forcing women to wear a jacket of any kind, such as a blazer or cardigan. However, the controversy extends beyond just the fact that women are being forced to wear a simple jacket over their outfits.

The issue with this is simple: why are adults wasting their time policing a sexist rule in such a prestigious setting? The dress code never had any updates for men, and only focused on women’s attire. This issue is something that many women have had to face in this society, which is the judgemental

Mayhew expresses thoughts on dress codes

and predatory stares a woman gets when her tank-top straps are ‘too thin’ or her shorts are ‘too short’. There is a standard dress code in society, and especially in schools. Although I can understand not wanting to see a lot of intimate areas on people’s bodies in schools, are my shoulders really that distracting? So distracting that I have to be publicly reprimanded in front of an entire class or hallway? I, along with many, believe this issue stems from the inability to teach those who would be distracted by my shoulders or my shorts being too short to simply not look. Wear whatever you want, that is nobody’s place to judge, but how does it make sense for the boys at schools to be able to wear cutoff shirts with holes cut in the sleeves down to their hips but for the girl with her midriff showing more than two inches to be the one who gets in trouble?

PHS’s own dress code explicitly states that abbreviated tops (tube tops, crop tops, bralettes) muscle shirts or spaghetti straps will not be permitted, clothing advertising drugs, alcohol, tobacco, firearms or profanity will not be permitted, and sexually suggestive/double meaning clothing and accessories will not be permitted. I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve seen explicit things promoted on shirts worn at this school or seen the infamous wife-beaters being worn all throughout the school by men. However, it is typically more enforced towards women and for the bare minimum offenses. Staff of PHS have commented how they leave the enforcement of these dress codes to school administrators, because they feel that it isn’t ‘too distracting for a learning environment’. Some students are more developed compared to others, so this has a direct influence on the enforcement of the dress code. Students of PHS have commented online that when wearing the same shirt as another student, normally the one to get reprimanded first or at all is the more-developed student. This discrimination has had direct effects on students’ confidence or enjoyment at school.

My point is that the dress code in both Pittsburg High School and in the adult world is very discriminatory and there needs to be either equal discipline or the lack of a dress code.