The Current Spring 2022 Edition by M3 Group Publications

SPRING 2022

221 W. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48933 Phone: 517.203.0123 Fax: 517.203.3334 Publisher Tiffany Dowling Account Managers Megan Fleming Liz Reno-Hayes Melissa DeMott Senior Editor Kate Birdsall Graphic Designer Grace Houdek Content Manager Lacie Kunselman Project Coordinator C Rose Widmann Writers Alex Meister, Annie Dubois, C. Rose Widmann, David Seddon, Julita Fenneuff, Kristian Wayne, Quan Nguyen, Sovann Hyde Editors Bianca Bucholtz, C. Rose Widmann, David Seddon, Harrison Nelson, Jillian Bell, Julita Fenneuff, Justice Curry, Lacie Kunselman, Lucas Polack

02 SPRING 2022

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR By Julita Fenneuff

Dear Reader, Welcome back to The Current! As with all our issues, this one is packed with all the love and care we could possibly provide. We’ve been saying for months now that we must all get used to the “new normal,” but none of us are too sure what that normal is. As students at MSU, we’ve juggled hybrid classes, ever-changing safety guidelines and lots of confusion from all ends. Still, we made it work, and a lot of that is thanks to the great team we have here. We created this magazine at the end of fall semester after The Current became a haven for all of us. This semester, our team had hard conversations, but we had fun ones too. We dredged through the pessimism of the COVID-19 pandemic and the existentialism that comes with it. We discarded discussions about the specifics of our content in favor of ones that covered the bigger picture, the issues that matter more than misplaced modifiers or serial commas. We learned a lot about each other and ourselves, in and out of the classroom. And of course, we learned more than we expected about writing and editing for a publication. Spring is a season of new life and growth, and after all the challenges the pandemic has thrown our way, we’re all ready for that. Still, we recognize that it would be naïve to hope for anything but the unexpected. And as we adjust to the ever changing, ever elusive “new normal,” we will continue to fill The Current with pressing, relevant and entertaining articles. Our team works tirelessly to bring you the excellent pieces and visuals we always do, and we continue to strive for the best version of this magazine. Every article topic was hand-selected by its author, taking great care to include all the things that matter to each of us. These pieces break the mold of The Current in the same way that this cohort broke the mold—and we hope you’ll love it. Thank you for supporting the Current. We appreciate all of you. Stay safe, and stay cynical, but stay determined. The uncertainty of the future can’t crush us if we don’t let it. Julita Fenneuff

ADVERTISING INFORMATION Call 517.203.3333

Interested in supporting this publication through advertising? Julita Fenneuff is a senior majoring in public and professional writing with a minor in Spanish. She currently writes and edits for Sherlockian.net. In her spare time she enjoys reading, listening to music and spending time with her pet bunny.

Give us a call at 517.203.3333 or email at mary@m3group.biz The Current is published seasonally by M3 Group, Lansing, MI. All rights reserved. © 2022 M3 Group No part of this magazine may be reproduced whole or in part without the expressed consent of the publisher.

CON TEN TS 10

How the MCU Changed Does Art Need To Come the Superpowered Game With A Warning? It’s been over a decade since the MCU’s debut, but the films are still rewatchable and fresh

The use of content and trigger warnings in the artistic world has become a topic of strong debate

Movies in 2022

Movies are coming back as pandemic restrictions lift; take a look at the trends for 2022

A Foray into Final Fantasy XIV

Take a closer look at one of the most popular MMORPG gaming titles

Big Tech is Watching You

The Great Lakes are in for a Crude Awakening

Is Your Phone Killing You?

There’s a ticking time bomb in Misinformation on the internet the Straits of Mackinac, and is creating myths about it goes by the name of Line 5 radiofrequency radiation

It’s Time to Expel the Schoolgirl Trope

Watching the Watchmen Examining the rising demand for police reform in the United States

Critical Race “Theory” Social Media Stars or Truth Saving Boxing?

There’s nothing sexy about Unpacking Critical Race a schoolgirl outfit Theory in 2022

Influencers are booking boxing matches, and it’s surprisingly popular

The Light Revolution

LEDs are the modern light Advertising companies are source that have taken over bedrooms, vehicles profiting off of seemingly and cell phones mundane information

Transhumanism

Transhumanism has been proven possible since people are already capable of using technology to upgrade humans, even if that’s just in the form of pacemakers or prosthetics

Peeking at Anime in the U.S.

Anime has experienced a boom in popularity and profit in the US in the last ten years

THECURRENTMSU.COM 03

HOW THE MCU CHANGED THE SUPERPOWERED GAME It’s been over a decade since the MCU’s debut, but the films are still rewatchable and fresh By Kristian Wayne The Marvel Cinematic Universe is arguably the most successful franchise of the past decade. The MCU began with “Iron Man” in 2008, which soared higher than most comic book adaptations. In fact, the MCU is revolutionary in many aspects and has provided a formula that other filmmakers have tried to follow but failed to replicate. Marvel’s first big budget project started strong with the 1998 movie “Blade.” It had a $45 million budget and made a revenue of $131 million. Though “Blade” has just a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it scored 78% with audiences and built the character a fanbase and a place in pop culture. Then came more popular characters that audiences were already more familiar with. Sam Raimi’s 2002 film “Spider-Man” had a budget of $139 million and grossed $821 million worldwide. It has a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and was well received by fans. It went on to have two more sequels. In 2000, Bryan Singer’s “X-Men” had a budget of about $75 million and grossed $296 million. It was rated 82% by Rotten 04 SPRING 2022

Tomatoes. It’s worth mentioning that the “X-Men” movie franchise had the most installments prior to the MCU, with a handful of bad ones that critics and fans agree they wouldn’t see again. The very idea of the MCU began with a lesser known Marvel character that only comic book fans knew: Iron Man. The 2008 film “Iron Man” had a budget of $186 million and surprisingly grossed over $585 million worldwide. The first film in the MCU was a success, and it promised something that fans were dreaming to see: a live-action universe of superheroes that was faithful to the comics. Four years later, “The Avengers” premiered in theaters in 2012. It had unprecedented success with a budget of $225 million turned into a whopping $1.5 billion in ticket sales worldwide. In doing so, it beat out all other movies made in 2012 and remains the third highest grossing film in the MCU franchise. One of the undeniable effects of “The Avengers” is the ensuing popularity of the MCU. Demographics that previously did not know about the comic books became familiar

with characters from these films. It was no longer just “comic book nerds” talking about Iron Man and Thor. Now, anyone could talk about their favorite superheroes with cool kids, average joes, athletes and parents alike. There was no longer a stigma about knowing Marvel material. These heroes became as familiar to everyone as Darth Vader or Superman. The success of the Avengers film determined the future of all the MCU properties. It made continuity an attraction to fans and one of the most crucial aspects of the franchise. Continuity meant consistency, and the creation of a brand across the films. With that brand, Marvel created a formula that all their films now follow. Michigan State University professor Julian Chambliss, a media historian who has published research on superheroes in American culture, spoke about this formula. First, there must be a villain who causes chaos. “What is driving the heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is often a sense of trying to restore stability; trying to restore security, which resonates with Americans who are fearful of terrorism,” said Chambliss.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 05

“So the fact that almost all of the villains in the MCU are terrorists,” he said, “sort of fits very neatly with the contemporary sense of the challenge raised by asymmetrical warfare or chaos agents that are driven by destructive ideology.” That trait was made a precedent in “Iron Man.” Chambliss said that the MCU version of Iron Man draws inspiration from Warren Ellis’ 2006 reboot of the Iron Man comics. Iron Man’s original origin story involved the Vietnam War, but it was updated by Warren Ellis for a more modern take: the hero’s story begins with terrorism instead. Second, MCU movies must feature action sequences. These highly intense scenes are professionally choreographed and always lead up to the movie’s final climactic CGI battle. The final battle is always set up to be the spectacle of the film, such as the CGI war in “Avengers: Endgame” or more recently, the ending of “Shang-Chi and the Legend

of the Ten Rings.” Not only are these fights intended to be well-choreographed, but they are also meant to be visually captivating, hence the CGI. Finally, and most notably, there must be humor. In the first Avengers film, the scene of Hulk battering Loki was to provide comic relief from all the tension of the invasion. “Ant-Man” had the entertaining scene of Scott’s friend Ernesto explaining his source of information for the heist they were planning to pull. Since the debut of Spider-Man in the MCU, funny quips have been a defining trait of the character. Humor has been used throughout the MCU to connect audiences to its heroes. The Marvel Cinematic Universe also successfully sticks close to the comic book material. Chambliss provided an explanation of how the storylines are put together in the films. “So when you look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you often are getting a kinda

simplified origin story in the first film,” he said, referring to the MCU’s typical strategy for introducing characters. “And then an amalgamation of sort of historic storylines woven through the rest of the films.” The MCU is also more successful in grounding characters in reality. Iron Man has aged better than Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man. It could be because the MCU has done a better job at maintaining the essence of the comics while modernizing it. The same can’t be said for Sam Raimy’s 2002 “Spider-Man.” The scene where Spider-Man is introduced to Green Goblin has tropes that feel silly—like the shot of Tobey Maguire running in slow motion as he rips out of his civilian clothes to change into his SpiderMan suit. Or how him shooting webs to save people from incoming debris [while dressed as a civilian] goes unnoticed. MCU costumes are mostly comic book accurate with some adjustments to make them look more contemporary and realistic. Captain America’s suit in “The Avengers” is still blue with the same patriotic shield and wings on his head as in the comics. The costume designers just opted to have the wings designed into his helmet rather than sticking out awkwardly. Thor’s costumes also closely resemble his comic book version, except he only sports his winged helmet for one scene in “Thor: Ragnarok.” The MCU’s producers exhibit more bravery and clever design choices than its predecessors. In the “X-Men” franchise, Bryan Singer’s preference for leather suits over the iconic costumes have only left fans dying to see comic-book accurate depictions

06 SPRING 2022

of the mutants. Now, considering the MCU’s willingness to give Spider-Man his signature animated eyes, Wolverine may one day sport his blue and yellow costume. The successes of the films have also affected Marvel properties in other mediums. Comic book characters began to take after their film counterparts. Comics were made in continuation of the stories told in the films. New Marvel cartoons began airing on television, and there was also an increase in toy sales. Despite the MCU’s innovations and successes in superhero films, critics have become frustrated with the directors’ repeated use of their formula, most prominently the humor.

In his review of 2021’s “Black Widow,” critic Deacon Steven D. Greydanus suggests that humor compromised the film’s serious themes about human rights violations. “It would be one thing if ‘Black Widow,’ directed by Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland, faced up to the horror of Natasha’s past with real moral seriousness,” said Greydanus. “But this is a Marvel movie—written by ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ screenwriter Eric Pearson … so instead of moral seriousness we get quips and jokes.” The YouTuber and movie critic Jeremy Jahns also referenced the same issue with the film. “The movie also does a thing that frustrates me about MCU movies in general: the fact that they always deflect with jokes. Jokes are great. Humor is fine. It can actually add to the experience of enjoyment, but when there is

clearly a scene that could’ve benefitted from letting the drama marinate and go to the next step but they don’t and just crack a joke; it’s just frustrating.” “The Eternals” is one of the franchise’s most recent movies and more experimental entries. It is an epic that contains more dialogue scenes, character study moments, less action and longer runtime. It received a 47% score from Rotten Tomatoes; however, the audience score is 80%. Multiple critics point to conflicting artistic visions between director Chloe Zhao and the MCU directors in the production of “The Eternals.” Movie critic John Wenzel suggests that Zhao’s talents were limited by the MCU’s brand. “An Oscar-winning director (Chloé THECURRENTMSU.COM 07

Zhao of 2020’s ‘Nomadland’) and exciting ensemble cast are no match for corporate demands in the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe,” he said. Jahns also gave a review of “The Eternals.” Though overall it’s clear that he gave what most would consider a good review, he had a similar take as many of the film’s other critics. “It’s a very MCU-ified movie about immortals who inspired mythology,” he said. “But still has that ‘MCU DNA.’ Is that code for there’s a super CGI beatdown in the end? Kinda—yeah.” He also referenced the franchise’s overuse of humor in earlier entries again, noting that it was better executed in “The Eternals” than others. “Brian Tyri Henry was more subtle with his comedy, which I liked … Usually, MCU comedy is COMEDY!” Chambliss understands the critic’s complaints but suggests that they misunderstand the goal of the franchise. “I think part of the Marvel ethos is humor, so the people who are critical about the kind of humor in Marvel fail to grasp that they are deliberately making what marketing people—what an advertising person— would call a four-quadrant film.” 08 SPRING 2022

He explained that four-quadrant films are supposed to appeal to everyone in the family, which explains the franchise’s consistent PG-13 ratings. The MCU is more than familyfriendly; its target audience is the entire family. Kevin Feige, the production manager of the MCU, isn’t focused on creating a masterpiece that showcases the full scale of the director’s talents. His goal is to make sure that the entry in the franchise doesn’t disappoint the target consumers. This limits the potential of all entries but maintains consistency and delivers what fans expect in ways that still manage to be interesting. The fact that the MCU is a franchise is a very important detail to keep in mind. Franchises, no matter the industry, abide by the same rules: they deliver the same product or service that regular customers expect. A fan of the Alien franchise would expect the latest entry in the franchise to have xenomorphs and horror because they are defining traits of the franchise. Fans of the MCU expect humor, chaos and a visual extravaganza. No one visits McDonalds expecting five-star hand-battered nuggets; they visit expecting McNuggets, and if they’re fresh, the customers are pleased enough to go back. The same can be said for the MCU: if a film’s story is fresh enough, fans will be pleased enough to go see the next product. Customers of franchises expect certain things to be consistent, so it makes innovation riskier. Despite the perceived downfalls of the MCU, it still remains the most successful film franchise in history. The DC Extended Universe films “Man of Steel” to “Wonder Woman 1984” are Warner Bros.’ attempt to replicate Disney’s

success with Marvel. However, Zack Snyder’s early departure from the production of 2017’s “Justice League” caused the dreams of a DC universe with continuity to burn in a bat-shaped dumpster fire. The combination of the lighthearted MCU tone with Snyder’s dark cinematography was a failure in the eyes of critics and fans alike. It received a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 69%. After the release of Zack Snyder’s version of “Justice League,” fans called for a continuation of what they dubbed the “SnyderVerse.” Snyder’s cut scored 71% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 89% with fans. Though it has been over a decade since the MCU’s debut with “Iron Man,” the films are still rewatchable and fresh. They made superheroes something everyone in the family could love. The billion-dollar franchise provides a formula that fans and casual movie-goers can’t seem to get enough of. Its success has spanned an impressive 26 films over the course of 13 years, deserving the right to be called revolutionary. Though all good things must come to an end, the MCU doesn’t seem to be losing any steam.

Kristian Wayne is a senior studying creative advertising and journalism. He spends his time writing, taking photographs, and working as the head of advertising at MSU Telecaster’s Giraffehouse. He currently interns at WKAR for the social media department. He is a song-writer, copywriter, actor and creator who hopes to practice freelance photography and creative media. Instagram: @chillonk_

THECURRENTMSU.COM 09

Warning

10 SPRING 2022

DOES ART NEED TO COME WITH A WARNING? The use of content and trigger warnings in the artistic world has become a topic of strong debate By C. Rose Widmann Content and trigger warnings are phenomena that have become more prevalent in society in the last five years. CWs/TWs allow audiences to consume content after being made aware of what it contains so that those who may be sensitive to certain types of content can opt not to consume it. But the use of content and trigger warnings in the artistic world has become a topic of strong debate. According to the support group The Mix, content warnings are used to note content that might be potentially distressing for some audiences, while trigger warnings note specific pieces of the content that might cause a trauma reaction. There are also warnings for technical inclusions that may cause a medical alert, such as flashing lights or loud noises. Warnings can be found on the individual pieces or at the entry points of the artistic space. While these warnings appear to be good practice for internet content, they have been controversial when applied to art in most mediums, like film, studio art and theatre. While some argue that warnings make the

art more accessible and allow audiences to prepare themselves, others believe that art should be shocking and surprising to have maximum impact on the consumer. Both sides have complications. It can be hard to define what content requires a warning. Violence, death, discrimination, combat, consent and sex usually warrant content warnings and trigger warnings if graphically depicted. But in breaking those general categories down, gray areas begin to appear. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has been traumatic for many people who had the virus or lost people to it. Even if the disease didn’t physically affect someone, there could be mental or psychological impact from isolation and quarantine. Art reflecting the pandemic could invoke a trauma response for some consumers, so a content warning could be used. Since there’s a wide range of art that can define itself as reflecting the pandemic, should all pandemic art be given a content warning? It’s up to the artist and/or the venue to decide.

“While I don’t have many personal triggers, I do very much appreciate TW’s/CW’s. No one should have to unexpectedly confront their sensitivities, no matter the context,” artist and art consumer Sean F. Libiran (he/him/his) said. “I do feel like individual warnings per piece can be distracting and also dampen the impact of the piece, which is unfair to both the artist and the consumer. I think a blanket statement at the beginning of a showcase is plenty, to give patrons the chance to decide whether or not they want to continue. That being said, I’d definitely change my tune if someone still had a painful or triggered response in spite of the initial blanket warning.” In most artistic situations, it makes sense to have the content and/or trigger warnings posted at the entrance or at ticketing. But there is always a possibility that the warnings will be missed or that the venue will not prioritize posting them. It then falls to the individual artists to ensure that proper warnings are given for their content. At a recent production of “Wendy and the Neckbeards” at Michigan State University, THECURRENTMSU.COM 11

CW:

trigger and content warnings were prioritized by the director and Department of Theatre due to the play’s subject matter and language. A large sign was posted at the entrance to the theatre, and the house manager ensured that everyone entering understood the warning. Warnings were also included in the playbill and online. These were appropriate, as misogynistic language and threats of violence were prevalent in the play and could have invoked strong reactions from the audience. Art consumer Abby Stevens advocated for venues maintaining a commitment to content warnings: “Personally, I think [the need for warnings] depends on content. If it’s in a gallery or performance space, I think it’s the responsibility of the hosts to assess the art 12 SPRING 2022

they are hosting and provide warnings at entrance/purchase, and, if possible, physically separate potentially triggering art so someone in the exhibit can enjoy part of it and avoid parts they don’t wish to see. Or people who are unexpectedly triggered can have ways to easily remove themselves from triggering materials and still enjoy the exhibit.” Segregating potentially harmful materials is a technique employed by many museums and galleries, adding a layer of warning besides notices in programs or at the entrances. But those kinds of warnings are harder to mimic in online formats, shifting responsibility to the artist for creating content warnings for their art. “I think this involves communication on the part of the artist about what their art is, and in other environments (like online exhibits and portfolios that the artist hosts) it is entirely the responsibility of the artist,” Stevens said. “Art definitely needs content warnings.” But not everyone agrees that warnings are appropriate. The main argument against giving warnings in artistic settings is that it removes the element of surprise from whatever is being consumed. Many art projects take months or years to create, and the artists involved are invested in making an impact on their audience. “The best art is often the art that makes one the most shocked and disturbed. It causes one to reevaluate their reality. With the use of CW’s, where is the element of surprise?” said art consumer Andrew Jones, who maintains that medical warnings should be issued, but

not warnings that give away the substance of the artistic content. Michael Paulsen wrote an article on content warnings in theatre for The New York Times after the Denver Center Theater Company gained national attention for giving their production of “Vietgone” content warnings. The theater has taken a stance on valuing their customer’s mental health while visiting the space, and they have a team craft warnings for every show that needs them. Paulsen interviewed Emily Kent, marketing director for the theatre, who said, “Some people want to have their buttons pushed, and some people do not; this is about empowering the customer to decide what’s right.” Immersive theatre is a particularly difficult topic in regards to warnings because the nature of the performance is to have the audience embedded in the art. If the art could be potentially triggering or overwhelming for audiences, they have a right to know what they’re getting into. At the same time, immersive theatre productions can be so complex and intricate that it’s hard to capture every single detail in the content warnings. “The intimacy and unpredictability of immersive theatre requires its practitioners to engage in conversations around consent well beyond basic content and trigger warnings,” Bostonbased director Blair Cadden said in an essay on consent in immersive theatre. “After all, in many immersive works, individual audience members witness different scenes from one another and in different sequences. In an event with this many possible permutations, it is insufficient (and maybe even impossible) to

TW:

preemptively inform participants about every scenario they might encounter.” Amanda Berg Wilson, who directed a 2017 immersive version of “The Wild Party,” was ambivalent about adding content warnings to her show at first, arguing that the immersive nature of the piece should allow for natural experience. “I don’t love telegraphing too much about the show,” she said. “I want everything about the piece to be experienced in real time.” “The Wild Party” has instances of sexual and physical abuse that could be triggering

for audiences, especially in an immersive environment. The venue and production company pushed for content warnings to be included in the interest of audience safety and ultimately won Berg over. However, her argument that theater should be experienced in real time is common among other leaders in the industry. “We have a generation coming of age that expects to be protected from discomfort, and a lot of companies succumb to that,” Susie Medak, managing director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre said. “To me, it’s a frustrating trend—what’s the point of experiencing art if you don’t expect to be surprised?”

Berkeley Rep. doesn’t provide any content warnings, but patrons are advised to call the box office to discuss any content concerns they may have. And while it is possible to call the box office or producers for more information about any art event, that may not be the most accessible practice for consumers. “Folks should have a chance to discern if they can safely consume art and ideally have an opportunity to talk with someone who can clarify the reasons for content warnings,” Quill B. (they/them/theirs), an artist and art consumer said. “[Warnings] can be vague to avoid giving away things, but if someone needs to know more for their safety and THECURRENTMSU.COM 13

TW:

well-being, they should be able to get that info, regardless of whatever ‘shock value’ the artist wants.” They went on to advocate for audiences of all abilities. “People say that warnings for things that are just mentally/emotionally distressing aren’t necessary, and while I understand their perspective, it comes from a place of privilege. We live in a society in which people with stigmatized mental illness or disability (especially if they’re also people of color) are often met with violence when in distress.” Even if the art itself doesn’t do physical harm, “that doesn’t mean creating a distressing scenario won’t carry the risk of physical harm for people involved. Warnings are a necessary first step in making art spaces safe for diverse communities,” Quill B said. The art world is already in fierce competition to get patrons in the doors. Making those doors as barrier-free as possible is a logical 14 SPRING 2022

step in generating traffic, and part of keeping art accessible is ensuring that it doesn’t trigger or surprise audiences in a bad way. But whether it is the responsibility of the artist or venue is still unclear. “I think it depends on what exactly the art is showcasing, but I also think the burden falls on the place showing the art, not the artist,” art consumer Roderick Bullard said. “The artist is sharing their art and perspective on life, and if they are sharing something that is coming from a very vulnerable place, I don’t want to make them name and share that in a gallery setting when the host of the exhibit can handle that.” But online art is another matter. “I think when it’s shared on social media, that’s a little different,” Bullard said. “There is no one to add that disclaimer for them, and there is a higher likelihood of someone accidentally being triggered by something that they would never intentionally seek out. Some

things can slip through filters based on the algorithms of social media, so the artist has to be more involved in limiting the unintended consequences of sharing their art.” While content and trigger warnings are still far from being commonplace, they benefit the arts community by making all forms of art more accessible. In some cases, they do take the element of surprise away from the art, but they also provide peace of mind to audiences who want to enjoy the art they are patronizing.

C. Rose Widmann (they/them) is a first-year M.A. student in arts & cultural management at Michigan State University and a graduate assistant at The Cube. This is their second semester with The Current; their earlier article “Creating Something Out Of Nothing [...]” inspired further interviews on creativity during COVID, produced as a selection for the 2021 CAL CREATE Grants (going live Fall 2021). When not writing grant proposals or playing Planetside 2, C is competing for both the MSU club fencing and club gymnastics teams. IG: @C.rosewidmann

CW:

THECURRENTMSU.COM 15

MOVIES IN 2022 Movies are coming back as pandemic restrictions lift, take a look at the trends for 2022 By Alex Meister Due to the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, movie theaters across the nation were closed, and movie fans were limited to watching new movies on streaming applications such as Amazon Prime, Hulu or Netflix. On Sept. 25, 2020, Governor Gretchen Witmer signed Executive Orders 2020-183, which amended the Michigan Safe Start order to reopen movie theaters and performance venues starting Oct. 9, 2020. But many are still hesitant to get back in the seats. Though theaters have opened back up, there is still a massive decrease in the number of movie-goers compared to the years prior. Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel,” starring Adam Driver and Matt Damon, made only $10.5 million in its first four weeks. This dulls in comparison to one of Damon’s pre-pandemic movies “Ford v. Ferrari,” which made over $30 million on its opening weekend in 2019. One of the many reasons people have been hesitant to return to the theaters is in protection of their health and well-being. Because theaters are indoors and involve large crowds with poor ventilation, this puts movie-goers at a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19. Many people see movie theaters as a risk without much reward, especially

16 SPRING 2022

when movies can be watched in the comfort of their own home. Those comfortable with returning to movie theaters should still take certain precautions, which includes wearing a mask during movies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made it clear that masks limit your chances of contracting COVID-19. CNN medical analyst Leana Wen said it is important to call the theater ahead of time to figure out the protocols that they have in place. Her advice is to “look to see what kind of protocols [theaters] have for physical distancing. Ideally, there is at least 6-feet distance between you and other individuals. If that’s not possible, I wouldn’t go unless you’re vaccinated.” Another reason movie theaters have fallen in popularity is the surge of streaming services. While COVID was at its peak, people were forced to watch everything on streaming services or cable television, which has led to streaming services growing and increasing their content. According to ScreenRant, the market for streaming services has grown by 37% in 2020. Netflix saw a 24% increase in revenue from 2019 to 2020 and another 20% increase from 2020 to 2021.

It wouldn’t be surprising if this number continued to grow, especially if these streaming services invested more money into content that is well received by the audience. As seen in recent releases, many people would prefer watching a movie at home for the reasons of comfort, saving money, safety or even just the ability to pause for bathroom breaks. Theaters are currently in a losing war with streaming services. Film production has also decreased during the times of the pandemic, which has led to movies being postponed and in some cases canceled completely. For example, “Avatar 2” was originally set to be released Dec. 17, 2021, but now is set to be released a year later on Dec. 16, 2022. Making a movie takes a lot of people and human interaction that simply couldn’t be done during the pandemic. However, there are currently many movies in the making and planned to be released next year in 2022 to get excited about. For superhero movie fans, 2022 is shaping up to be an amazing year. Expected in March, Robert Pattison will be taking over as the new Batman, and many fans are excited to see one of America’s favorite superheroes back in

critics and fans, being nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards. Back in 2009, James Cameron’s “Avatar” was released in theaters. It was beyond popular and critics loved it. “Avatar” was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won three: Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design and Best Cinematography. With Cameron’s eye for highquality visual effects and movie design, “Avatar 2” has fans hoping for more of the same.

action. The story is set to lock in on a younger Batman while he discovers corruption in Gotham City and tries to take down the Riddler, an infamous villain from the “Batman” comics. A feature film of another DC comic book superhero, the Flash, is also set to be released in 2022. This is exciting for fans as they get to see a new and improved Flash in action on the big screen. Other highly anticipated installments in the superhero world releasing in 2022 are “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” Outside of superhero flicks, 2022 is also looking like a big year for action movies. The “Mission: Impossible” series, starring Tom Cruise, is back again for the seventh time. And when it comes to action, it’s hard to not think

of Keanu Reeves as John Wick. “John Wick 4” is expected to be released in 2022. Next year will also bring a slew of movie adaptations of video games. Uncharted, one of the highest-selling video game franchises of all time, is bringing in Tom Holland for their 2022 film. Another popular video game series, Tomb Raider, is set to release their second movie in their reboot series that kicked off in 2018 with Alicia Vikander once more fulfilling the lead role of Lara Croft. Gamers can also look forward to a movie version of Minecraft and the release of “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”. Some Academy Award-winning films are set to have sequels this year. One of the most anticipated films of 2022, “Knives Out 2,” brings back the ensemble cast of Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis and more. The original film was highly received by movie

A sequel to the Edgar Wright film “Baby Driver,” is slated for next year as well. While the first film had an all-star cast including Jaime Foxx, Jon Hamm and Ansel Elgort, not much is known about the plan for the sequel. However, the original film won three Academy Awards, and with the original’s Rotten Tomatoes score of 92%, expectations are high for the sequel. Other movie releases planned for 2022 worth mentioning are “Halloween Ends,” “Morbius,” “Night Has Fallen,” “Cleopatra,” “Fighter,” “Ambulance,” “Creed 3,” “The Intern,” “Django/Zorro,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Jackass Forever,” “The Division” and many more. 2022 is looking like an amazing year for movies, and movie lovers deserve it. There’s a lot to look forward to coming to theaters soon— fans should keep up with their local theater’s guidelines in order to keep themselves safe as they make their return to in-person movies. Alex Meister is a fifth-year undergraduate student with a major in professional and public writing and a minor in film studies. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching movies/shows, playing games and writing in his free time.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 17

THE GREAT LAKES ARE IN FOR A CRUDE AWAKENING There’s a ticking time bomb in the Straits of Mackinac and it goes by the name of Line 5 By Annie Dubois Operated by Enbridge, a Canadian-owned pipeline company, Line 5 is an oil pipeline that runs through the most ecologically vulnerable area in Michigan and is almost 20 years past its structural expiration date. Each day that the pipeline continues its operation, the threat of environmental devastation in the Great Lakes grows. It is no longer a question of if the pipeline will rupture, but when. Line 5 was built in 1953 and was only intended to withstand 50 years of wear and tear. The pipeline has already been struck twice by anchors and shut down several times due to hail storms and winter conditions. A spill—which is inevitable, given the current conditions of the pipeline— would be challenging to contain and could devastate the Great Lakes, Michigan communities and Michigan’s economy. Each day, Line 5 carries 23 million gallons of oil across the Straits of Mackinac. In a best-case oil spill scenario, Enbridge would be notified immediately of the spill, shut off the pipeline, and at least one million gallons of crude oil and natural gas would surge into the Great Lakes. 18 SPRING 2022

Even the best-case scenario would cause long-lasting environmental damage, which is compounded by the fact that little is known about cleaning up oil spills in freshwater areas. According to an article published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, “the implications of potential spills for freshwater systems and their surrounding environments remain uncertain. Because many methods for cleaning up oil spills were developed for the ocean, we also do not know which are most effective in freshwater systems.” With little known about freshwater oil spill clean ups, the state of Michigan is utterly unprepared to contain and combat the effects of an oil spill in the Great Lakes. According to David Holtz, Communications Director of Oil & Water Don’t Mix, a coalition working to shut down Line 5, “the most oil that could be recovered in the best-case scenario is 30%. That means that all of that area, which is a migratory bird area, Native rice farming area and fish population area, all the

biological community structure of the Straits of Mackinac would be damaged.” For Indigenous communities in Michigan, this ecological damage threatens their treaty rights, established by the 1836 Treaty of Washington. According to an article published by NPR’s Michigan Radio, “the Indigenous Anishinaabe people—Chippewa and Ottawa peoples— signed the Treaty of Washington and ceded nearly 14 million acres of territory to the settlers, or 40% of the state of Michigan. This land included the northwest area of the Lower Peninsula and the eastern portion of the Upper Peninsula. In return for signing, the treaty guaranteed the Anishinaabe peoples reservation lands and forever access to all natural resources, including fishing and hunting rights.” There is no way for Anishinaabe people to survive on natural resources destroyed by an oil spill. For years, Indigenous communities in Michigan have been advocating for the shutdown of Line 5, and all 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan have written

THECURRENTMSU.COM 19

20 SPRING 2022

to the Biden administration, urging the government to revoke the presidential permit for Line 5. However, on Nov. 9, The White House confirmed that the Biden administration does not plan to take action on Line 5. “If a resource that a treaty right depends upon is destroyed, you almost have a causal chain effect where the treaty right was violated, the resource was destroyed, and then the way of life—the very existence of Indigenous people—is also then destroyed,” Whitney Gravelle, chair of the Bay Mills Indian Community, said in an article published by Michigan Radio.

An oil spill would not only cause irreversible environmental damage but would result in the shutdown of all intakes of valves for drinking water for every community close to the spill, like Mackinac Island and St. Ignace. Shipping and boat traffic would also cease immediately. “The impact of closing shipping in the Mackinac Straits is about 50 billion dollars because it’s a major shipping area,” Holtz said. “Everything that goes to Chicago goes through the Straits.” Michigan’s tourism industry could also be hit with a similar economic disaster. According to the Michigan Economic

Development Corporation, in 2020, tourism consumption contributed $20.5 billion to the Michigan economy. The tourism industry also provides one out of every 30 jobs in the state. An oil spill would forever change how Michigan’s tourism industry operates. Tourists won’t visit Mackinac Island if there is no clean drinking water. Beachgoers won’t splash around in waters slick with oil. An oil spill wouldn’t just be contained to the Straits of Mackinac, either. University of Michigan Water Center researcher Dave Schwab found that more than 700 miles of shoreline in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron THECURRENTMSU.COM 21

would also be impacted if Line 5 bursts. The study also found that nearly 60% of Lake Huron’s open water could be affected by the oil spill. With a vulnerable structure and undeniable evidence of an impending disastrous oil spill, Enbridge’s continued operation in Michigan is unnerving. The company’s questionable occupation was finally addressed by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Nov. 13, 2020, when she revoked the 1953 easement that Enbridge used to operate Line 5. The termination gave Enbridge until May 2021 to cease operation of Line 5 under the Public Trust Doctrine to protect the Great Lakes. Public trust doctrines address the issue of ownership over public common spaces like beaches and lakes, establishing that the public owns and governs public spaces. In the case of Michigan’s freshwater, “The Great Lakes belong to all of us. It’s in our DNA,” said For Love of Water Executive Director Liz Kirkwood. “We know that those waters that surround us, that bathe us, that nurture us underneath our feet, are inalienable rights for all.” Enbridge disagrees; the company defied Governor Whitmer’s orders of a shutdown and continues to pump oil through Line 5. The company escalated the pipeline battle by invoking a 1977 treaty that states Canada and the U.S. must allow natural gas and crude oil to flow between the two countries. Enbridge and the state of Michigan are now locked in a court-mandated mediation that could last months. 22 SPRING 2022

There’s plenty of information about Line 5 that Enbridge would like to keep hidden from Michigan residents—so much that the company spent over $6.9 million on persuasive advertising to bolster support for the pipeline. Billboards across the state claim economic downfall or pipeline safety, but this is a smoke and mirrors pantomime. Despite these false advertising claims, there are valid concerns about the pipeline’s role in supplying propane to homes in the Upper Peninsula. Enbridge claims that Line 5 supplies 65% of propane demand in the U.P., but this is only a fragment of the full picture. According to Oil and Water Don’t Mix, The U.P. actually has 86 potential propane sources besides the resources from Line 5, and only 19% of homes in the U.P. use propane as a heating source. Michigan is fully prepared to survive without Line 5—the state already has a comprehensive five-step plan for propane security when the pipeline shuts down. Enbridge would like Michigan residents to think that Line 5 is a crucial operation, but the pipeline’s benefit to Michigan is relatively fabricated. According to The Michigan League of Conservation Voters, only 10% of the oil and natural gas that runs through Line 5 ends up in Michigan. The rest makes its way back to Canada or is exported to Asia. Enbridge also only employs 116 people in the state of Michigan. These messages aren’t scribed across the interstate highway because Enbridge doesn’t want the public to know that Michigan assumes all the ecological and economic risk for Canada’s profit.

Line 5 isn’t the only negligent operation Enbridge has carried out in Michigan, either. In 2010, Enbridge’s Line 6B pipeline ruptured into the Kalamazoo River, spilling more than a million gallons of oil, resulting in the largest inland oil spill in history. The company was required to pay $61 million in civil penalties for their laxity, which displaced families from their homes near the spill. The situation as it stands is this: the Great Lakes are occupied by a fallible oil pipeline that is operated by a company responsible for the country’s largest inland oil spill. Michigan assumes a massive ecological risk for Canada, who uses 90% of the oil and natural gas that flows through that pipeline. Line 5 will close eventually, but whether that’s due to a rupture or a manual shutdown is still at large. It’s clear that Enbridge will wait until they are responsible not only for the largest inland oil spill in history, but also the largest freshwater oil spill. Michiganders don’t have the luxury of waiting because while oil refineries and pipelines can always be replaced, the Great Lakes cannot.

Annie Dubois is a fifth-year undergraduate student with a major in professional and public writing and a minor in digital humanities. She currently works as a communications intern for the College of Arts & Letters’ Marketing Office and for the Provost Office at MSU. She enjoys reading, cooking, boxing and biking around campus in her free time.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 23

24 SPRING 2022

IS YOUR PHONE KILLING YOU? Misinformation on the internet is creating myths about radiofrequency radiation By Quan Nguyen Much of society today relies on the use of wireless technology, whether it be radar, satellite or even Wi-Fi through a router. Since the radiofrequency waves produced by these devices are not easily observed, talk of their effects and radiofrequency radiation, or RFR, often spreads misinformation. Much of this misinformation has sparked confusion on RFR effects, including the impression that radiation of all electromagnetic waves causes health issues like cancer. Radiation is present in almost all places—not as the more commonly known radiation in nuclear physics, but as electromagnetic radiation from many natural sources and manmade electronics. Electromagnetic radiation is divided into two categories: ionizing and non-ionizing. Ionizing radiation comes from electromagnetic frequencies, or EMFs, as shorter wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum. These are more commonly associated with nuclear sciences and radioactive materials—that is to say, dangerous radiation. On the other hand, non-ionizing radiation stems from EMFs with longer, less threatening wavelengths produced by Wi-Fi routers, cell phones, FM radio and most wireless devices. With many discussions surrounding these

wireless devices, the National Cancer Institute said that “there is currently no consistent evidence that non-ionizing radiation increases risk in humans.” While the connection to cancer is still unsupported, misinformation continues to spread and provoke users of wireless devices. For example, a Facebook video from May 2021 by Environmental Health Trust titled “Wireless Radiation From AirPods” brought concern to thousands of viewers. A device was used to measure the radiation emitted from an AirPods case, which peaked at 800 millivolts/meter, and elicited comments like, “I prefer my brains remain unfried.” The video has since been fact-checked and flagged as false information by Facebook. Ionization, in terms of electromagnetic radiation, removes electrons from atoms and molecules by absorbing mass-less particles called photons, which carry an amount of energy inversely proportional to wavelength; short-wavelength ionizing waves, like X-rays, carry high-energy photons. This process could potentially harm human cells. “If a photon has enough energy to ionize an atom, it also has enough energy to disrupt molecules,” said Daniel Stump, Ph.D., a Michigan State University professor and high

energy physics theorist. “Sometimes, biologists call this mutation.” This is why living organisms experience biological changes when exposed to sunbeds and radioactive waste like nuclear fallout and why X-ray patients sometimes wear lead aprons to prevent side effects. By contrast, long-wavelength non-ionizing waves do not have enough energy to strip electrons from atoms and molecules. Computers, microwave ovens and cell phone towers fall under this category. However, the photons can cause molecules to vibrate and rotate, creating thermal radiation. So, a more imminent concern of RFR is the production of heat, which may still cause some damage to humans. Ultraviolet radiation, most commonly emitted by the sun or tanning beds, can be either ionizing or non-ionizing. Most sunlight that reaches Earth is non-ionizing, but the heat can cause surface damage known as a sunburn. Even “the highestenergy UV rays don’t have enough energy to penetrate deeply into the body, so their main effect is on the skin,” said the American Cancer Society. In this case, skin cancer is possible. One step further up the electromagnetic spectrum from UV rays are X-rays. Peng THECURRENTMSU.COM 25

years and still yield inconclusive results on the EM radiation’s potential link to cancer. It has only shown an inexplicable correlation to fatigue and headache and thermal radiation. A type of non-ionizing EMF, microwaves, are responsible for heating up food in microwave ovens.

Zhang, an MSU professor with a doctorate in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences, said, “If you go to a very high frequency, for example X-rays, then because the frequency is so high, it’s much, much higher than the interacting frequency of the body. Then, the wave just passes through.” This is why X-ray imaging works and is safe in small doses. Stump also explains that potential damages from X-rays should not be completely avoided. “The body does have the ability to repair damages, so if you have a low enough dose, the danger of getting cancer from that is very small,” he said. “So, we accept that risk because sometimes the danger of not getting the X-ray information is worse than the danger of getting cancer.” In terms of EM radiation, people have been exposed to non-ionizing waves for over 50 26 SPRING 2022

“The reason why our microwave ovens can heat a glass of water is because the molecules of the water are not symmetric,” said Zhang. ”When you shine microwaves into the water molecules, you make the water rotate because the microwave is oscillating. You can imagine: that will make this water molecule rotate back and forth very frequently, and that physical rotation creates heat. So imagine now you put that microwave into a human body.” While heat is not a unique product of microwave radiation alone, this example shows that non-ionizing waves’, particularly microwaves’, best trait is heating polarized molecules. Since humans are largely composed of water, the worst that is likely to happen is burns. In understanding how these microwaves work, it is easier to understand why devices like cell phones or Wi-Fi routers are not likely to cause any bodily harm. Wireless technology has become a much larger part of society with children receiving phones at earlier ages and smartphones encouraging Bluetooth headphones with the absence of a headphone jack in newer models. It is understandable why one might worry about constant exposure to RFR.

Bluetooth and wireless earbuds/ headphones are among the most worrisome RFR emitting devices. These devices are in close proximity to our bodies and often worn for hours at a time, especially for podcasters, musicians/audio engineers and people with long commutes. Many of these concerns came to light after Apple removed headphone jacks on the iPhones, which led to the growing usage of AirPods and other Bluetooth headphones. However, AirPods emit an acceptable amount of RFR. The Federal Communications Commission sets regulations called SAR values, which limit the specific absorption rate or the rate at which human bodies absorb RFR. In wireless devices, this rate is set at 1.6 watts per kilogram. According to the multimedia news provider Reuters, AirPods measured at 0.071 W/kg for one earbud, and 0.095 W/kg for the other.

Combined, these devices are well within regulated SAR requirements. Perhaps the biggest concern with RFR is with phones, which have grown to be an almost necessary part of society. “You hold the cell phone right up to your ear, so [that it] is very close to your biological tissues,” Stump said. “So, [phone manufacturers] limit the transmission power, but it has to be high enough that the radio waves can reach the cell tower.” While it may sound problematic, cell phones are also required to meet the FCC’s exposure regulations and follow SAR limits. Ultimately, the Food and Drug Administration says that frequent exposure to nonionizing radiation is “generally perceived as harmless to humans,” as most devices are tested and limited for the safety of users. Completely avoiding EM radiation is nearly impossible with cell phones, Wi-Fi, cell towers and wireless earbuds nowhere near shutting off. While not necessary for living, most wireless non-ionizing devices offer convenience and quality of life for the average user. If it helps a user’s peace of mind, they can use wired headphones or speaker mode for phone calls or turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when not in use. Much research determines RFR is not damaging, but there is a heavy emphasis on inconclusive answers. Despite the past decades of observing radiation, scientists cannot confirm or deny RFR’s involvement

in cancer. Much like smoking and lung cancer, it can take decades to determine if a smoker has lung cancer; a person who has smoked for one year may not show any symptoms at all. The future of wireless technology, although surely to continue advancing, has unknown effects on people’s health. “It probably will be more of a problem in the future, I guess, depending on how things change,” said Alisha Phan, an MSU student studying medicine. “Now things are becoming more wireless; things are becoming more convenient. Maybe there’s something that makes it more efficient that probably may

harm people, so that might be something imminent in the future.” For the time being, understand that the misinformation spread about RFR is largely due to confusion and a lack of education about different radiations. People should enjoy the technology of wireless devices and trust the science.

Quan Nguyen is a senior studying professional and public writing. He also currently works as a technical writer and aims to continue with that career path. When not writing, he plays guitar, plays video games, longboards or messes around with tech stuff.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 27

WATCHING THE WATCHMEN Examining the rising demand for police reform in the United States By David Seddon “I can’t breathe.” Three simple words that have changed the American landscape forever.

said. “If there was a campus shooter, yeah, I’d want someone to respond to them.”

to them, to train them for shootings, for tactical technical scenarios.”

On May 25, 2020 police officer Derek Chauvin murdered Minnesota civilian George Floyd, who was accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd was handcuffed and left helpless as Chauvin held his knee against Floyd’s neck, seemingly ignoring his pleas for mercy.

Alex clarified that they continue to see the need for law enforcement in the United States; however, they still have issues with the police.

In his speech, he discusses how warriors only focus on combat and how this leads to police officers misunderstanding their role and responsibility to the communities they serve.

This act would play a significant part in the Black Lives Matter protests that took place across America the next several months. While the movement existed before Floyd’s death, the frequency and public support of these protests would grow considerably over 2020, even as a global pandemic made it harder for people to assemble. Rallying cries of these protests came in several slogans including, “All Cops are Bastards’’—often shortened to “ACAB”—and “Defund the Police.” Many of these statements may seem radical to some, but others, such as Alex, who has chosen to remain anonymous, feel they are encompassing of the movement. “I think cops do some important things, and I don’t want to pretend that’s not true,” they 28 SPRING 2022

“Policing itself as an institution is problematic and racist … It’s like, why do we need cops when they don’t care for people?” Alex said. “[They] particularly don’t care for poor people, people struggling with mental illness, people struggling with drug addiction, people struggling with housing, etc. [It] just kind of falls back to like, ‘Damn, what if you just replaced a lot of police officers with emergency responders, social workers, etc? Who are trained in a way that’s designed around caring for people?” This, for many, seems to be one of the big reform ideas behind protests against the police. Despite the well known motto of “To Protect and Serve,” many officers don’t see themselves as humble civil servants. Dean Crisp, who served as a police chief for over 30 years, gave a speech titled “How The Warrior Mindset Shapes Law Enforcement,” in which he said, “One of the things the police officer is absolutely equipped with is what we call a ‘warrior mindset’ … because as soon as a police officer is brought in, we start to talk

“In reality, it’s the job of the police officer to protect the constitutional rights of all people,” Crisp said. “Sometimes a warrior mindset can be a ‘us and them’ mindset. That’s the last thing we need from the police.” However, a warrior mindset might not apply equally to all people. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly seven in ten of officers believe that “some or most of the residents of the areas they patrol share some or most of their values.” This statistic might seem encouraging until it’s framed in reverse: Roughly 30% of the polled police apparently believe that the majority of people in the areas they patrol share practically no values with them. And even believing that most people share your values doesn’t necessarily prevent one from acting with a warrior mindset. Of course the warrior mindset might be very hard for many police officers to escape,

THECURRENTMSU.COM 29

especially when violent enforcement of the law is perceived as a large part of the job. A potential solution can be seen in the city of Madison, Wisconsin. On August 26, 2021, the city of Madison officially launched a new program known as the Madison Community Alternative Response Emergency Services or simply, Madison CARES. This program creates a team consisting of a paramedic and someone trained in mental health. The hope of this program is that it’ll allow the city to have safe, specialized responses to

30 SPRING 2022

non-violent mental health crises. Normally, the police would respond to these emergencies, but police officers, who might be untrained for such situations, could potentially escalate it into further harm. A national adoption of this program could hopefully reduce the number of unnecessary deaths caused by police officers. However, some evidence suggests that this wouldn’t be enough and could be easily undermined. This was what happened to the “Policewomen” movement, which properly started with the first designated policewomen in the early 20th century.

In 1998, Dorothy M. Schultz published “Invisible No More: A Social History of Women in U.S. Policing.” Schultz served as a police captain before pursuing her doctoral degree, giving her both an academic and real-world understanding of policing. In her essay, she discusses the development of policewomen as a concept, which started with Prison Matrons, women who intervened in the prison system after noticing systemic abuse of female prisoners. Schultz states that these early policewomen didn’t see themselves as simply fulfilling the same roles as their male counterparts.

“Nor did they view policemen—usually of a lower class and education level than theirs—as their equals,” Schultz said. “Although they did stress the need for cooperation with male personnel, they also eschewed the most obvious trappings of policing. They were vehemently opposed to uniforms and most chose not to carry firearms even if permitted to do so.” This might make them seem like an early progressive form of policing, and while this might be true, this system was far from perfect. These women, often well educated and from well-off backgrounds, were concerned with the moral degradation of poor or underprivileged women. This, however, sometimes led to these women focusing more on controlling what offended their views, rather than enforcing the law. Schultz said

they were “as much social controllers as they were social workers.” However, this role has changed overtime, and it was the push for equality in the police force that undermined this early police reform. Women who wanted to succeed and gain recognition in the police force abandoned their previous roles and instead adopted the roles of their male counterparts. “By the late 70s and early 80s, women were joining the police force for the same reason as men,” said Schultz, which removed a potentially beneficial aspect to policing. Now, that potential needs to be reintroduced at a granular level. Of course history doesn’t necessarily repeat itself, but the potentiality is important to note

when thinking about the future of policing. The risk of incremental change is that it can be reversed, potentially even in the name of social progress. This is the mindset of those who want to create radical change. As Alex said, “We live in a society that feels that it needs to police people only because of conditions created by not caring for people.”

David Seddon is a second-year undergraduate student with a major in professional and public writing and a minor in Chinese. A big fan of fantasy and sci-fi, David can often be found playing games, reading books or working on his own self-published books in his free time.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 31

32 SPRING 2022

A FORAY INTO FINAL FANTASY XIV Take a closer look at one of the most popular MMORPG gaming titles By Sovann Hyde From 1973’s Empire to the present’s innumerous multiplayer titles such as League of Legends, Among Us, World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV, gaming has been a social activity since its creation. It’s a great way to connect with friends and strangers. Final Fantasy XIV is known for its amazing community, even having won “Best Community” at the Golden Joystick Awards 2021. World of Warcraft, on the other hand, is known for having one of the more toxic communities in gaming. Asmongold, a streamer who predominantly streamed WoW, often talked about how toxic it was. However, he recently switched to FFXIV and was amazed by how supportive and positive the community is. This shows that toxicity is not an inevitability.. On Asmongold’s YouTube channel, Asmongold TV, there is a video of him getting into the second expansion of FFXIV, Heavensward. Magitek armors line the road to Ishgard, and the cheers of players can be heard as real fans and friends are there to greet and congratulate Asmongold. His stunned face says it all when he sees the mounts and players that have come together to create this event. All he can say are iterations of, “Oh my god.” An event of this magnitude may seem like it would be reserved for popular streamers and YouTubers, but it isn’t; it’s for everyone. Seth Parmer, a writer for Parallax Media, IGN and the Gamer, recently took the dive into

FFXIV. After joining a Free Company, playeroperated organizations for newbies and veterans, he got right into the thick of things. After completing A Realm Reborn, Parmer was on his way to the Foundation, which is the first area in the Heavensward expansion. When he arrived, he was greeted by his friends and FC members. They were congratulating him and cheering his efforts on. Parmer said, “This community is responsible for many heartwarming moments for me personally already, but this may very well be at the top of the list.” “Sprout” is a term for newcomers to FFXIV, but they are not left to fend on their own. They are nourished by other players and the game itself to flourish and become flowers. Questions are encouraged, and players help each other with strategies and tips. Red Light, who has been playing FFXIV since August 2020, is one of those players that experienced the kindness of others when he first started and then wanted to do the same for other newcomers. When his friends join the game, he does everything he can to help them. Whether that means being an in-game Uber to help them get around to their quests or helping them clear content, he does it all. However, his friends aren’t the only ones he helps out. Light often helps sprouts out and gives them all the assistance he can. In fact, he created

a linkshell, a chat group for players who may not be in the same Free Company or in a party, for several sprouts that he met. Red Light said, “Long story short, I found a couple of new players who were just starting out the game, and I created a linkshell for them as a way for them to come ask me for help if they ever need it or if they have questions because they can easily use the linkshell to contact me. … Sometimes I’ll be doing a duty and I’ll see the linkshell pop up, ‘Hey Red do you have a second, I need your help with something.’ And I’ll be like, ‘Oh yeah sure, give me a second, lemme finish this’, and then I’ll head over and help them anyway I can.” Light does this because he received the same kind of help when he was first starting out and now wants to pay it forward. “Because I’ve been in their situation, I like to help out the new people because it feels like I’m putting it forward, like someone’s helped me in the past before, and I want to help somebody in the same position, and then hopefully the people that I helped can do the same thing for new people as well,” said Light. This mindset is exactly what makes FFXIV such a welcoming game with an amazing community. Gamer Soleil Iseterre also assists other players for a similar reason. She has been playing since September 2020 and said, “The 14 community is known for being really nice, especially to new players. And it kind of really touched me when I was a sprout. THECURRENTMSU.COM 33

negative reactions), griefing (using the game in unintended ways to harass others) and intentionally inhibiting the performance of one’s own team.”

And so I kind of want to return the favor but also help other new players. … And also, I’ve met online mentors [veteran players who are supposed to offer help to new players] in the game. And I will just say, ‘They’re really cool.’ And I was like, ‘Damn, I want to be like that.’” A particular experience that stood out to her was when she and her friend Arietta Bellas were farming, or running the same trial repeatedly for loot, for Heavensward mounts. FFXIV has a tool called Party Finder where players can put up that they are looking for parties. Bellas and Iseterre put up a Party Finder advertisement for the Heavensward farms, but they had just done the Diamond Weapon (Savage) Trial, so their Party Finder was still set to that by accident. The party was already full once they realized, so they apologized and let everyone know. Most left, except one person who stuck around. “He just stayed to help us. And after, Ari[etta] got his mount, and he’s like, ‘Hey, do you want to keep going? Because I know you haven’t got it.’ … He kind of insisted we kept going. And I think later we 34 SPRING 2022

also invited him to our Discord server and like, he also helped us clear Diamond. So yeah, that was one really interesting encounter. I still have him on my friends [list].” One of the huge aspects of the game are Job Quests, which unlock skills and become one’s official job instead of just a class. As a new player, Parmer did not realize it worked like this. However, a stranger on Twitter took the time to explain it to him, even inviting Parmer to his Discord server. Parmer said, “That allowed me to learn a bunch of new abilities and become a Dragoon! It was beneficial and something I probably would have gotten frustrated with down the road, but the community proved wonderfully helpful once more.” However, there is a dark side to the glowing positivity called toxicity. Rabindra Ratan, an associate professor in Media & Information at Michigan State University, defines toxicity as including, “sexual harassment, hate speech, threats of violence, doxing (publicizing others’ private information), spamming, flaming (strong emotional statements meant to elicit

An area that often attracts toxicity are dungeons within massively multiplayer online games. Dungeons are instanced areas where a party of players go into to fight monsters and clear an objective. In WoW, if a new player messes up, they often are targeted by other players. Christopher Saxon, a long time player of MMOs, explains his experience in WoW with new players, “Random [players enter] a dungeon, get a new player that doesn’t know anything, they mess up and cause a wipe, or isn’t doing enough DPS, whatever it may be. What’s the first thing to happen? Instant vote kick initiation.” This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for Saxon to see happen; it happened a lot on the server he was on. It was rare for someone to help that newcomer, whether it be by explaining mechanics, how to play or other helpful tips. However, in FFXIV, players love helping each other. “Instead of complaining about me, the other players actually encouraged and helped me learn the game,” said Saxon. Parmer =had similar experiences. “When the squad wipes, and we have to start a boss fight from the start again, there is never anyone shouting or pointing fingers at another player. Instead, they are giving strategy or words of encouragement to players who felt it was their fault.” When Iseterre was running a dungeon, she was amazed by a mentor that she met. She said, “He just kind of spit out the

mechanics like an encyclopedia, and it was really helpful. I was really impressed.” That mentor needed no prompting to explain the mechanics to people. It was such a smooth experience for Isettere and left such a positive impression on her that she remembers it to this day. There is also a mentor system where novices can chat within the game, which is designed to help new players. The novice chat is essentially a place for sprouts to get help from veteran players. In theory, it seems like a good system, but it has become a running joke within the FFXIV community about how unhelpful mentors can be. Oftentimes mentors want to clear content and go fast. On social media, memes about mentors are plentiful. On a Reddit thread, an anonymous user said, “Not to say all mentors

are that way of course, because I’ve run into a lot of awesome mentors who were very helpful and actually EAGER to help. But for every mentor like that, you have 10 crappy mentors who just want to do speedruns and get pissed if they have to offer help or guidance.” It is more of a status symbol than an actual title that says they will help. Of course, there are mentors that are amazingly helpful, welcoming and encouraging, but it seems there are more who aren’t.

There is no clear cut reason for why mentors have such a bad reputation. Light has one theory on why many mentors may have stopped trying to help others. He says, “On paper, having the mentor symbol and status is meant to say, ‘I’m here to help, and I’m knowledgeable, and I’m here to be your big brother, big sister.’ But in reality that doesn’t always happen.” Players aren’t always receptive to feedback, and it can put off mentors and players who try to help.

Light knows about the running joke within the community surrounding mentors and talked a bit about that subject. “These mentors are like a joke or just a status, going, ‘Hey, I’m, I’m supposed to be knowing more than you. You’re supposed to be asking me for help.’ And a large majority of the time the mentors are just making a fool of themselves like bad advice or just being bad at the game in some aspects,” Light said.

Even though mentors are often regarded as a joke within the FFXIV community, there are many mentors who work towards breaking that stigma. They help other players, offering advice, explaining mechanics and anything else they can do. Iseterre said, “For me, I’ve actually never really come across any bad or rude mentors. I do remember meeting some really helpful mentors.” THECURRENTMSU.COM 35

Iseterre does agree that it is more of a status symbol, though. She said, “I think generally in a community, it’s treated more as a status because the crown looks so cool.” Her issue with the mentor system is that it isn’t always intuitive. “You’re supposed to ask this person with a crown for advice. I don’t think that’s intuitive. I didn’t know what those crowns mean. I didn’t know they’re supposed to be people who can help me.” The mentor system is not the only aspect of the game that has issues. Iseterre says that stalking is a problem within the game due to how the friends list system works. You can put a user on your blacklist, but Iseterre explained that the list is single-sided—the blacklisted user can still find the player on their own friend list and know where they are and if they’re online. “The thing just basically does nothing,” she said. “There’s something messed up about that. I think the community has been kinda complaining and pushing the [developers] to address these problems, but they haven’t really done anything about that yet.” Toxicity is also more prevalent in hardcore content. With tensions running high and people wanting to clear, things can get heated. Light said, “Once you start heading into more hardcore content, that’s when the game stops—I want to say—holding your hand, essentially, and starts to really force you to sink or swim in a sense. … But there’s also plenty of times when people just flat out leave or they don’t say anything. And I’m assuming some feelings are gonna get hurt because of that. It’s definitely towards more when you start doing the harder, much harder content; that’s your biggest area that’s prone to toxicity, negative behavior.” 36 SPRING 2022

As with all games, FFXIV isn’t perfect. However, the overall positivity outweighs the negativity and dominates the toxicity. In response to the hardcore content negativity, Light said toxicity is “very hard to find once you start doing some of the more broader aspects of the game, like the casual content, the main story.” Even when he does harcore content, Light said he finds more players who try hard to be positive when things do go wrong. “Some really try to stay positive when you’re with them if something negative happens and the progression towards the boss isn’t going well—I guess the best case scenario would be for everyone just to politely say, ‘Sorry, we’re just going to disband this and try another time.’” Another aspect of FFXIV that helps foster its amazing community is its development team. It seems intuitive that the developers of a game would care about what they’re creating, but that is not always the case. With FFXIV, it is a different story. Light said, “It’s the developers of the game that really influenced

the community as well. The [developers] are known for being really receptive and being really interactive with the community and stuff. And I feel like that’s ... only just helped the game as a whole.” Light, like many other players, feels that the game has been shaped around positivity. “The game is designed in such a way that it promotes, for the most part, positivity, the way the player commendation system works. … [The developers] take harassment extremely seriously, and they will act on it, which is really nice to hear. … It’s nice to play a game that the developers really discourage negative behavior in such a way. It only promotes positivity, and in the end, it’s basically, ‘Don’t be a dick,’ and you’ll be fine.”

Sovann Hyde is a third-year student majoring in professional and public writing. She hopes to work in the publishing industry after graduation. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing and playing video games with her friends.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 37

IT’S TIME TO EXPEL THE SCHOOLGIRL TROPE There’s nothing sexy about a schoolgirl outfit. By Julita Fenneuff The sexy schoolgirl is a trope many are unpleasantly familiar with. An unfortunate piece of pop culture that appears in music videos, movies, TV series and more, the sexy schoolgirl has been the center of male fantasies for longer than anyone can remember. The use of ‘sexy’ in conjunction with ‘schoolgirl’ feels uncomfortable for many— and it should. However, there are enough people tempted to look a bit closer when they see those two words together. And for decades, many people, mostly men, have created media that portrays a young girl’s school uniform as something with inherent sex appeal. Sexy schoolgirl attire generally involves a short pleated (preferably plaid) skirt, a button-up that’s covering very little, and knee- or thigh-high stockings. Bonus points for ponytails or double French braids, Mary Jane shoes, suspenders, a cardigan or glasses. Despite the fact that these are all accessories that young girls wear as real school uniforms, the entertainment industry has packaged and sold the idea that teenagers and full-grown women in these outfits are something to be sexualized. One of the most popular examples is Britney Spears in the 1998 music video “Baby One 38 SPRING 2022

More Time.” In it, Spears wears a button-up shirt styled similar to a bikini top, a pleated skirt and thigh-high stockings, in addition to getting the aforementioned bonus points for double French braids and a cardigan. At the time of the video’s release, Spears was the same age as a schoolgirl, at just 16 years old. Since she came into the spotlight, Spears has been ove-sexualized, even at such a young age. “Baby One More Time” was her introduction to the pop scene, and its success led to the public’s sexualized perception of her for her entire career. Spears has since clarified that both the idea for the video and the infamous outfit were her idea, but it’s important to remember—she was only 16. She was too young to consent to anything sexual, including the objectification of her own body. Many fail to recognize how damaging the “Baby One More Time” video was and continues to be, both to Spears and pop culture in general. The video is often hailed as “iconic” (Teen Vogue called it “the greatest video of all time”) and has been credited for bringing back, or at least revitalizing, the naughty schoolgirl trope. But why is that a good thing? Why is a 16-year-old girl dancing in a provocative uniform in a school setting considered so

iconic? It’s not. It’s a fetishized ideal made to sexualize young girls, yet it continues to be seen as a respected piece of pop culture. As many have probably noticed, the sexy schoolgirl trope is popular in music videos. Sunmi, a K-Pop idol who has been in the industry for nearly a decade, is seen wearing sexy schoolgirl attire in her recent music video for “You Can’t Sit With Us.” The video’s concept is centered around high school, as indicated by the “Mean Girls” inspired title. In the video, 30-year-old Sunmi wears a plaid skirt, suspenders, thigh-high stockings and a white button-up tied Britney Spears-style. Her women backup dancers also wear tight, cropped polos and gray pleated skirts. She continues to wear this outfit in a choreography sequence where there are more than a couple up-the-skirt shots—enough to make anyone with a conscience uncomfortable. Compared to the women wearing sexy and minimal-coverage uniforms, the men wear a loose button up, vest and slacks. It fits loosely into the school uniform concept, but it’s nowhere near as sexualized as the women’s attire. There’s clearly a different standard the

women are held to, and it’s as if the creatives behind the video decided that the women had to be as sexualized as possible for the school concept to work. For men, that wasn’t the case. Music videos are popular when it comes to exploiting this trope, but they’re far from being the only medium that does. Video games are notorious for catering to the male gaze and oversexualizing feminine characters, so it’s no surprise there are schoolgirl tropes found in games, too. In Resident Evil 4, originally released in 2005, Ashley Graham is the president’s daughter and plays a key role in progressing the plot of the game. Despite being a 20-year-old university student, she is clad in a green plaid skirt that’s presumably too short to be practical. Throughout the game, the players have the option of looking up her skirt in certain scenes, which feature moments of recorded dialogue, including, “Hey! What are you looking at?!” and “You pervert!” At one point, there is an up-skirt shot shown shortly before Graham climbs on a jet ski and asks the protagonist if they can put in some “overtime” together. It appears as though the game developers were fully aware of the implications of these moments yet chose to include them anyway. The game was remastered and re-released as a VR game in October 2021, and players were quick to notice that the upskirt shots and suggestive language surrounding Graham (as well as some other questionable language) were removed. However, she still dons that

short plaid skirt, which is just as weird now as it was in 2005. With Hollywood’s historical tendency of exploiting women, it’s not surprising that they, too, partake in the usage of the trope as a selling point. Similar to Spears, actress Megan Fox was identified as a sex symbol from a young age and has been outspoken about her experiences and struggles with being used as a sex object in the film industry. In the 2014 live action “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Fox portrays April O’Neil, a reporter who must wear a myriad of outfits and disguises to get the information she needs as a reporter. At one point, while trying to recover a foiled plan, O’Neil spots a gaggle of women dressed in provocative schoolgirl outfits. She decides to become one of them, changing into a plaid pleated skirt and tying her white button up to reveal her stomach. The camera pans from the hem of her skirt to her chest before finally showing her face again. O’Neil uses this outfit to let her sex appeal distract others from her mission. The song that accompanies this nerdy-tosexy schoolgirl transformation is “Blown” by DNCE, whose opening lyrics are, “I’ve been stalking you for so long / You watched me be just as strong / It feels right bein’ wrong.” Other questionable lyrics include, “The less you show, the more you get / It doesn’t matter if you’re feelin’ it” and, “I know you act like you don’t want it / Girl, I know you need it.” The lyrics are reminiscent of the infamous song “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, a song that has become synonymous with rape culture and perpetuates the idea that consent doesn’t

matter if a man thinks a woman “secretly” wants him. While the song may just have been used for the opening line about stalking (which is an appropriate title for what O’Neil is doing as she tracks down her target to get the information she needs), the lyrics align frighteningly with one of the key parts of the schoolgirl fetish: the idea that the subjects dressed up in this attire may seem docile and innocent but are secretly dying to succumb to their sexual urges. This idea is actually a key aspect of the two main facets that stem from the schoolgirl trope, both of which take the fetish a step further by adding another identifier. Enter the Catholic schoolgirl, followed by the Japanese schoolgirl. The Catholic schoolgirl, obviously, has strong ties to Catholicism. The uniform is arguably THECURRENTMSU.COM 39

the inspiration for all other sexy schoolgirl uniforms, while the Japanese schoolgirl aesthetic typically relies on the sailor suit. Both of these tropes rely heavily on the destruction of innocence. Those who enjoy the Catholic schoolgirl trope enjoy the added layer of religious guilt. Catholicism often preaches abstinence, and what’s more enticing than what someone can’t have? The Catholic church’s lengthy history of sexual misconduct and abuse goes hand-in-hand with the fantasy of a secretly raunchy, sexually stifled Catholic schoolgirl. It’s hard to decide which came first, but it’s not a stretch to draw a connection between the two themes. 40 SPRING 2022

The Japanese schoolgirl trope is one that has bred a whole subculture profiting off of it. In Western countries, Asian women are notoriously portrayed as being innocent and submissive, making them an ideal candidate for corrupting in the eyes of the male gaze. Both of these practices are harmful to Asian women, and result in their fetishization. These stereotypes are nothing more than generalized ideals generated by primarily men. Yet, people continue to partake in the fantasy that all Catholic or Asian schoolgirls are secret hedonists that just need to be “liberated” in the form of sexual activity. Searching “schoolgirl uniform” on Google will bring up countless photos of adult women wearing short skirts and otherwise revealing

iterations of a typical school uniform, with many of the results advertising “sexy” or “seductive” schoolgirl costumes. It’s not uncommon for women to dress up as a schoolgirl for a “tempting” costume or to fulfill a sexual fantasy. However, the intent of the schoolgirl trope is often debated. While some see it as a wrongful sexualization of women, others validate it as a way to satisfy those fantasies and desires.. If two consenting adults are partaking in schoolgirl-related roleplay, or if a woman wants to wear a sexy schoolgirl costume to a Halloween party, many argue there is no harm to that—it’s just a costume. But many feel the issue is more serious, going far beyond a sexy costume. There

are millions of actual schoolgirls who wear these uniforms in their day-to-day life, for their intended purpose. Whether the uniforms are worn at private schools, Catholic schools or Japanese schools, girls wear these uniforms because they’re required to for their education. Unfortunately, with the fetishization of standard attire for students, these school-age children cannot escape the sexualization that has become synonymous with the outfit. In Japan, there exists a dedicated schoolgirlinspired style called kogal. This outfit intentionally imitates a Japanese schoolgirl uniform with the exception of including a short skirt and, typically, loose socks. Japanese girls who have to wear a similar uniform for school have to deal with the repercussions of this fashion style being normalized, with young girls being propositioned for sex or harassed because men think that their schoolassigned uniform is somehow indicative of their willingness to be sexualized. Kogal stems from joshi-kōsei, commonly abbreviated as JK, which is an entire culture

that has been created around the idea of the Japanese schoolgirl. JK has bred a whole host of problematic practices besides the sexualization of the schoolgirl uniform, one of which is called enjo-kōsai, where men pay teenaged girls and young women for their company. This practice was originally created for men to pay girls to simply spend time with them but has evolved into a sort of under-thetable form of prostitution. JK business is the title given to this practice when it specifically includes schoolgirls, likely a result of the discovery that girls who participated in enjokōsai while wearing their school uniform tended to make more than those who didn’t. But it doesn’t take a special title to have an effect on real girls. There’s no special streetstyle name for those in the West who wear an iteration of the sexy schoolgirl outfit, but that doesn’t change the fact that real life schoolgirls are being conflated with the sexual implications of the provocative version of the schoolgirl uniform. Countless women have recalled first getting unwanted sexual attention when wearing school-required

uniforms, many noting that it was before they were even in their teens. There is a direct connection between the schoolgirl fetish and pedophilia. People may argue that it’s just an outfit, but that outfit is something directly and intentionally taken from real, school-age girls who are wearing the outfit for its original intended purpose. The obsession adult men have with the schoolgirl outfit that’s been so heavily fetishized cannot be separated from real life schoolgirls. The schoolgirl fetish is rooted in pedophilia— the clothes aren’t what matters. The tendency for adult men to prey on school-age girls is not new, and it’s abundantly clear that it was never “just an outfit.” Consider, for instance, how many musical artists have written lyrics about their desire to be with a schoolgirl—and these examples span decades. In 1937, Sonny Boy Williamson wrote a song called “Good Morning, Schoolgirl.” It has since been covered by the likes of Van Morrison and Grateful Dead, earning it the title of a ‘blues standard,’ a song that’s gained recognition for how widely performed it is by multiple artists. The lyrics to the song read, “Good morning little schoolgirl, can I come home with you? / Tell your mama and your papa I’m a little schoolboy too.” At the time the song was first recorded, Williamson was 23. Similarly, the song “My Sharona” by The Knack, released in 1979 is about 26-yearold lead singer Doug Fieger’s obsession with the real life Sharona, who was, at the time, a 17-year-old high school student. The 1985 song “Catholic School Girls Rule” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers was

THECURRENTMSU.COM 41

written about a real 14-year-old Catholic schoolgirl that lead vocalist Anthony Kiedis had “encountered” backstage after a show. The two had a physical relationship (an illegal one, at that, which could be classified as assault because of her age) both before and after Kiedis discovered her age. It’s just one of many examples of stars using their fame to receive sexual gratification from fans. Don’t forget that none of the abovementioned songwriters were ever widely criticized or prosecuted for their obviously predatory behaviors. It’s public knowledge that Fieger was taking advantage of a girl nine years his junior, and Keidis has been open about his escapades with a fourteen-year-old girl. Yet, there was never any public uproar or legal charges, and the two men continued to live their lives. This behavior is sickeningly normalized. The blame continues to fall on the women and girls that are being sexualized. On one hand, adult women who willingly participate in the schoolgirl dress-up practice could be considered to be perpetuating the stereotype. However, these women are often dressing up in such a manner at the behest of a male sexual partner or to satisfy the male gaze. Yes, it is possible for a person to gain empowerment by dressing the way they want and sexually liberating themselves. But the line must be drawn somewhere, and it should be drawn before willingly sexualizing an outfit that underage schoolgirls wear in everyday life.

42 SPRING 2022

The people who aren’t willing participants in their own sexualization are the real-life schoolgirls who this directly affects. The girls who wear these outfits out of necessity are still seen as objects of desire by predatory men. Pedophiles are unable to separate their sexual fantasies from real life. The schoolgirl fetish is just a way to hide depraved urges as just a harmless kink. The blame for the normalization of the schoolgirl trope/kink/fetish should fall on the men who find something inherently sexy about an outfit typically worn by young, underaged girls. However, it’s unfortunately not uncommon for men to blame their sexual fantasies on the women and girls who fit into them, which is why the discussion somehow shifts to women being the responsible party for their own sexualization. So what can be done? This trope is so heavily utilized in pop culture that it would be

ridiculous to suggest avoiding consuming any sort of media that relies heavily on this fetish. However, it is important to be aware and acknowledge how problematic this trope is when one encounters it. Somehow, like they always do, the desires of men have overpowered the safety of women and girls. There’s nothing sexy about a schoolgirl outfit.

Julita Fenneuff is a senior majoring in public and professional writing with a minor in Spanish. She currently writes and edits for Sherlockian.net. In her spare time she enjoys reading, listening to music and spending time with her pet bunny.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 43

44 SPRING 2022

CRITICAL RACE “THEORY” OR TRUTH Unpacking Critical Race Theory in 2022 By Kristian Wayne Critical race theory has been a prominent topic in politics lately. Republicans across the country have made it part of their agenda to oppose critical race theory, trying to pass a bill banning it from classrooms. Barbara Sprung from NPR says conservatives are dubbing it anti-racism. And conservatives like Condoleezza Rice say it “makes white kids feel bad.” In an interview with MSU Today, Dorinda Carter Andrews, a professor and chairperson of the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University’s College of Education, discusses critical race theory and current events surrounding it. “Critical race theory, or CRT, is a framework developed in the 1970s by legal scholars that argues white supremacy maintains power through the law and other legal systems,” she said. “CRT dismisses the idea that racism stems from acts of individuals but rather rooted in a system of oppression based on socially constructed racial hierarchy where white people reap material benefits over people of color resulting from misuse of power.” Put simply, critical race theory is the teaching of the U.S. history of systemic racism—how various parts of society treat people of color and how the past has affected the present disposition of people of color. It studies disparities in medical treatment, housing, food network, education, media representation, the

criminal justice system, etc. CRT explains how the nation’s past affects virtually everything in the present. CRT teaches about how Black women are three to four times more likely to have a pregnancy related mortality than white women because they receive lesser quality medical service. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the disparities can be reduced if hospitals “address implicit bias in healthcare that would likely improve patient-provider interactions, health communication and health outcomes.” The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses also says the health disparity can be attributed to implicit bias—including racism. Implicit bias is the unconscious favoritism toward or prejudice against people of a particular ethnicity, gender or social group that influences one’s actions or perception. According to the American Psychological Association, a study conducted in Social Science & Medicine showed physicians with higher scores of implicit bias controlled more of the patient-physician conversations than physicians with lower scores of implicit bias. In another study, Black patients of physicians with greater scores of implicit bias trusted their physicians less, had less confidence in them and rated their quality of care as poorer.

Critical race theory includes the origins of stereotyping, which is why some college students analyze the film Birth of a Nation in class to better understand the systemic racism CRT aims to explain. Paul McEwan at Muhlenberg College studies the film with his students to observe how such inaccuracies pushed by the media affect reality. “The Birth of a Nation was an interesting example of the historical accuracy argument because it’s a film that no one would watch and say its inaccuracies don’t matter,” said McEwan. Critical race theory explains how the infamous film created the stereotype of all Black men being criminals and rapists, and how it consequently spurred the creation of Jim Crow laws, leading to mass incarceration. It also revisits and explains Black and Asian caricatures in American media to deconstruct implicit biases. Critical race theory teaches the nation’s history of redlining, which consists of discriminatory housing practices and destruction of successful Black neighborhoods. It provides an explanation of Black Bottom, a once prosperous Black neighborhood in Detroit that was rich with business, and the unwarranted demolition of that neighborhood. The setbacks of the Black community are discussed and deconstructed by CRT so that Americans remember lessons of the past in pursuit of a better future. THECURRENTMSU.COM 45

Opponents of critical race theory believe that none of the aforementioned information should be taught in schools because it will make white people feel guilty—or even racist. Blake Masters, who is running for U.S. Senator in Arizona, called CRT “anti-white racism.” On the set of the talk show “The View,” when it came to the subject of CRT, former United States Secretary Condoleezza Rice said she doesn’t want to make white kids “feel bad for being white.” “I would like Black kids to be completely empowered to know they are beautiful in their Blackness. But in order to do that, I don’t need to make white kids feel bad for being white. ...This is a conversation that I think has gone in the wrong direction,” Rice said. As of mid-May 2021, opponents of CRT have managed to outlaw it in schools in Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma and Tennessee. A Washington post article breaks down critical race theory and the current political attacks on the subject: “At least five Republican-led state legislatures have passed bans on critical race theory or related topics in recent months, and conservatives in roughly nine other states are pressing for similar measures. Some teachers have said they worry that the legislation will have a chilling effect on robust conversations, or could even put their jobs at risk, at a time when the nation is embroiled in a reckoning on race relations.” Conservative activist Christopher Rufo is a loud opponent of critical race theory. In March, 46 SPRING 2022

Rufo admitted to intentionally using the term to describe a range of race-related topics to instill a negative association in audiences. “We have successfully frozen their brand—‘critical race theory’—into the public conversation and are steadily driving up negative perceptions,” wrote Rufo. “We will eventually turn it toxic, as we put all of the various cultural insanities under that brand category. The goal is to have the public read something crazy in the newspaper and immediately think, ‘critical race theory.’” Many people are finding the opposition of CRT ridiculous and believe that CRT is only acknowledgement of the United States’ shameful history. In a recent interview with GQ, actor Will Smith commented on the recent political uplifting of Black Americans following the murder of George Floyd and protests against police brutality. “`Critical race theory,’ just call it ‘truth theory’,” Smith said. “The pendulum is swinging in our direction beautifully. And there’s a certain humility that will most capitalize on the moment for the future of Black Americans, without discounting the difficulty and the pain and the emotion.” The New York Times and The Washington Post also argue that if Germany could acknowledge its past—the Holocaust and the country’s willingness to side with Nazi ideology—and even teach about it in schools, so can the United States. In “Germany faced its horrible past. Can we do the same?”, an opinion essay for The Washington Post, Michele L. Norris cites how Germany

confronts its past. Norris is a columnist and consultant for Post Opinions and founding director of The Race Card Project. In her article, Norris explains that Germany’s shameful history is being taught in classrooms and that Germany has taken measures even further to atone. “In today’s Germany, children learn through their teachers and textbooks that the Nazi reign was a horrible and shameful chapter in the nation’s past. Cadets training to become police officers in Berlin take two-and-a-half years of training that includes Holocaust history and a field trip to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. With a few exceptions for the sake of education, it is against the law to produce, distribute or display any symbol of the Nazi era, including the swastika, the Nazi flag and the Hitler salute. It is also illegal to deny that the Holocaust was real.” Germany made it illegal to deny that the Holocaust was real while the United States takes pride in their protection of free speech. However, people are trying to outlaw the teaching of the United States’ history of systemic racism because they “don’t want white kids to feel bad for being white.” Many conservatives vehemently defend their freedom when it comes to displaying Confederate flags or preventing mask mandates, but they are avid supporters of government regulations and limitations when it prevents the spread of ideas they disagree with. To these opposers, critical race theory is wrong, even though it encouraged young white people to protest against police

brutality so that racist and incompetent policeman are held accountable.

in core academic curriculum for public elementary, middle and secondary schools.”

They say CRT is wrong, even though it’s the reason angry people have gotten the government to budge and recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday when what they really wanted were reparations, police reform or defunding, and the conviction of guilty cops.

Andrews says that financially penalizing schools for anti-racist curriculum is “actually a racist move. … It furthers systemic racial oppression in education, disadvantages all children and upholds white supremacist ideals.” She also said it is unclear if these penalizations are constitutional, or “whether they impermissibly restrict free speech.”

They say CRT is wrong, even though it led the government to recognize lynching as a federal crime after 120 years of resistance. But perhaps these people oppose CRT not in spite of these accomplishments, but because of them. These changes brought by CRT are not enough, but they are still progress. If the worst thing someone can say is that white people feel guilty, maybe guilt is a small price to pay. Today’s generation may not be directly responsible for the creation of systemic racism, but they have a responsibility to help dismantle it. Guilt isn’t punishment for being white; it’s a deterrent of ignorance and a force for change that minorities deserve. Even if Republicans in Michigan manage to pass the anti-CRT legislation known as House Bill 5097, the constitutionality of it is unclear. In the press release submitted by Rep. Beeler, it was stated that House Bill 5097 would “prohibit the state Board of Education and local school boards from explicitly or implicitly including a set of statements, beliefs or ideas related to race and gender stereotyping

Keith Kindred, a social studies teacher at South Lyon Community Schools, says that the bill doesn’t make it clear what it will ban. “It is essentially unenforceable,” he said. “If you look at the language that’s being proposed, it’s so vague that no one would agree on some of what the provisions actually mean.” The attacks on CRT are coming after the country’s recent political shifts to combat systemic racism. They came after the protests over the murder of George Floyd and the successes of the Black Lives Matter movement. They came after the term “microaggression” became familiar to most people in hopes of discouraging them from making inappropriate comments and touching ethnic people’s hair without permission like they are test subjects. CRT is the teaching of everything wrong with social dynamics in regards to “race,” a term invented by white people to differentiate themselves from “Blacks” and justify their privilege and dominance over other minorities (not just Black people). Critical race theory is a path to atonement and an explanation of everything that the

soon-to-be-formerly dominant population, the ruling population—white people— have done in the name of race. Now, that condemnable history is conveniently being labeled “anti-white” rhetoric that makes white people feel guilty and should not be taught in the classroom. Maybe that guilt is really a symptom of cognitive dissonance after being exposed to the truth: that society has infected them with lies. That same cognitive dissonance has opposers of CRT convinced that closing their eyes will make the problem go away, so they misdiagnose the problem, reducing it to “misplaced guilt.” They don’t understand that like any illness, things get uncomfortable before they get better. Symptoms let us know that something is wrong and to misdiagnose could be to ignore an infection even more catastrophic—perpetuating the same oppressive social dynamics that made them feel guilty.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 47

SOCIAL MEDIA STARS SAVING BOXING? Influencers are booking boxing matches, and it’s surprisingly popular. By Alex Meister A new trend has emerged in the sport of boxing over the last few years, and its popularity is at its peak. Social media stars on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok have streamed several boxing matches with influencers competing against others in the community, and many people have taken a liking to this. With the interest of the audience growing, stars like Logan and Jake Paul have both secured big boxing matches against professional fighters, attracting bigger audiences than professional boxing itself. With this trend on the rise, some fear that this could lead to the end of true professional boxing for good. Boxing began its rise in the United States in 1920 when Walker Law legalized prizefighting in the state of New York by establishing the New York State Athletic Commission. Representatives from many states then established the National Boxing Association, which began the start of organized fights in the United States. Stars like Jack Dempsey and Sugar Ray Robinson attracted many eyes to the sport during this time. Following World War II, television was crucial to boxing’s success since the low production cost of the events led it to be a major feature. In the 60s and 70s, Muhammed Ali became an icon as he smashed his way to the top of the heavyweight division and transformed the role and image of Black athletes in America. 48 SPRING 2022

Following his reign came the massive popularity of the brash and brutal Mike Tyson, who is known for biting another fighter’s ear off. In the 2000s, boxing was carried by Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, showcasing that the sport of boxing needs superstars for its success. However, both of these fighters are now retired from the game. They left fans wondering who the next big names of boxing would be. Professional boxing is lacking stars and fighters that will get people to buy tickets and tune in to watch. Boxers such as Tyson Fury and Canelo Alverez are both current boxing champions with some name recognition, but these names cannot match the popularity and attention of stars like Muhammed Ali or Mike Tyson. Although mixed martial arts is currently a more popular fighting sport, social media stars are generating a lot of hype for the sport, potentially renewing public interest in boxing. In August 2018, four largely popular names in the YouTube world agreed to box against each other in a livestream, pay-to-watch event. Jake Paul fought Deji, and Logan Paul fought KSI. Because of the popularity of these online personalities and this type of “never before seen” content of amateurs trying to knock each other out, many people tuned in to watch. A draw between Logan Paul and KSI that night led to a rematch in November 2019 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where even more people than before

watched. Other large events have taken place since, such as “YouTube vs. TikTok,” where YouTube stars boxed TikTok stars on a multiple fight card. With extreme confidence in themselves and their business savvy tactics, Jake and Logan Paul have now had fights against professional athletes and fighters. In July 2020, Jake Paul secured a spot on a “celebrity” boxing match that included Mike Tyson in the main event. In the event Jake fought Nate Robinson, a retired professional basketball player. With the majority of the viewers tuning in with hopes of Jake Paul losing the fight, there were over 1 million pay-per-view buys. With a brutal knockout win, Jake Paul turned Nate Robinson into a meme on social media, which only made people hate the YouTuber more. Immediately following his knockout win against Robinson, Jake started calling out anyone who he thought would create a buzz on social media. One of his callouts went viral on Instagram, as he challenged Conor McGregor in a very explicit manner while also throwing insults his way. McGregor is one of the biggest names in the fighting world and because of that, this post gained over a million views in just one week. Though McGregor never responded directly to Jake, this led to many other fighters challenging Jake across social media. Since then, Jake Paul has fought two former MMA fighters who have gained a lot of fame

in their time fighting. Jake went on to win both of those fights, with some people showing respect and others still showing hate. His brother, Logan Paul, has since had a boxing exhibition with Floyd Mayweather, who many consider to be the best boxer of all time. Both of the Paul brothers have made significant amounts of money in their short time fighting and it is not because they are exceptional boxers; it’s because of their large social media presence and fame. Many fighters have discussed Jake Paul and his fights and whether or not they think it is good for the sport. In a recent interview, Anthony Smith, a MMA fighter for the Ultimate Fighting Championship told reporters that he doesn’t hate what Jake Paul is doing for the sport, but he simply doesn’t believe Paul is a high level boxer. “The media thing, I think he’s doing a fantastic job, bringing the pay scale up, been helping other fighters and all that,” Smith said. “I have no criticism here. It’s just his actual abilities that

I have ever criticized.” Smith would like to see Jake Paul fight an actual, current professional boxer before he can give him respect for his skill and ability in the ring. Luckily, Jake Paul was scheduled to fight a real boxer on December 18, 2021 against Tommy Fury, brother of heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury.

Jake Paul, on the other hand, discussed in an interview with Bleacher Report that he believes he is “the best thing that’s happened to boxing in a century, period.” He also said, “I think that the debate started about a year ago—Is Jake Paul good for boxing? I have silenced that, and I don’t think there’s anyone on the other side of the equation.”

Lou Dibella, a boxing promoter and 2020 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, told Complex Magazine, “Does my gut tell me influencer boxing and YouTube and TikTok boxing [is] sustainable? My gut doesn’t really tell me that, but who knows? I’ve got no problem with it, and in a weird way Jake Paul is kind of growing on me a little bit. And I hate to admit that.”

As Jake Paul is now emerging as one of the biggest draws in the sport of boxing, it is hard to argue with him. Even the legendary Mike Tyson told Complex Magazine, “My ego says so many things, but my reality is they help boxing so much. Boxing owes these YouTube boxers some kind of respect. They should give these guys some kind of belts because these guys make boxing alive. Boxing was pretty much a dying sport.”

DiBella went on to discuss why people are watching these fights instead of the best against the best. “Maybe there’s a hole because fighters right now, particularly in the United States, aren’t transcendent sports stars. Very few people know who most boxing champions are.” People want to watch someone they recognize and can cheer for or against, and boxing is lacking that recognition right now.

Furthermore, Jake Paul has been an advocate for raising fighter pay across the board and has brought even more attention to fighting with his foundation that is reviving the sport for the youth. “I have a foundation where we give boxing gloves to as many kids as possible. We’re going around, renovating boxing gyms, getting the young kids inspired to box. I think this sport needs that revival,” said Jake.

Dana White, president of the UFC and huge boxing fan, doesn’t particularly think the same as Smith and DiBella in this regard. When asked in an interview with TMZ Sports what he thought about the Paul brothers boxing professionally, he clearly isn’t a fan. “Neither one of these guys can fight. It’s all a big gimmick, and like I said in a press conference, there’s a market for that. If people are dumb enough to pay money to watch that, I don’t know what to tell you. Good luck to them.” Though White is a fight promoter and sees that money could be made with these brothers, he doesn’t feel that they deserve to be in these fights.

With the rise in popularity of boxing attributed to these brothers, it is hard to ignore their place in the sport. As for the personal opinions about Jake and Logan, they are very mixed and everyone has a right to them. But for huge fighting fans, the Paul brothers may be saving the sport they love. Alex Meister is a fifth-year undergraduate student with a major in professional and public writing and a minor in film studies. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching movies/shows, playing games and writing in his free time.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 49

50 SPRING 2022

BIG TECH IS WATCHING YOU Advertising companies are profiting off of seemingly mundane information By Annie Dubois Behaviors that seem random—choosing to eat Burger King for lunch, for example—are actually quite predictable for global tech companies. In fact, these companies can probably predict that someone will eat a Whopper for lunch before they even feel a pang of hunger. On the surface, someone’s lunch order is mundane information; however, for advertising companies, these predictions are worth gold. The past two decades have seen a significant increase in the commodification of personal information, and collecting this information has only gotten easier thanks to the devices people use every day. Internet users went from innocently emailing in the early 2000s to having their dining decisions influenced by tech and advertising companies. The exploitative collection of personal data for profit is known as surveillance capitalism. Best described by author of “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power,” Shoshanna Zuboff, in an interview for The Guardian, surveillance capitalism is “a rogue mutation of capitalism marked by concentrations of wealth, knowledge and power unprecedented in human history,” that allows surveillance capitalists to “sell certainty to business customers who would like to know with certainty what we do … to tune and

herd and shape and push us in the direction that creates the highest probability of their business success.” Surveillance capitalism leaves no stone unturned in its effort to maximize profit. Mobile phones, computers, web browsers and apps are the key to people’s most private and personal information. Google, for example, may have started as a convenient way to access information online, but people never predicted that Google would be searching them as well. “One of the key goals of the aggregation of data is deanonymization, to understand who is in front of an ad, who is running a search, who is the person consuming information presented by a company,” said Claire Garvey, senior associate at the Center for Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law School. “This is not just [about] our search history or the fact I might have a dog, but it’s about what pieces of information exist out there that create a generalized and highly specific picture about who I am and if I’m comfortable with that picture being created.” Most information is tracked through app and web activity. Each user has a unique device ID, or an “identifier for advertisers” that allows third-parties to track user activity in apps and

websites. This ID is cultivated in part through cookies, which are text files that save a user’s data in order to identify their device. This data can include a user’s login information and advertisements they interact with. The information collected from cookies is then rendered as data, analyzed and sold to businesses who want to influence people’s buying behaviors. “If you think of targeted ads as a big part of surveillance capitalism, a lot of what it’s about is reducing uncertainty,” said Nick Feamster, professor of Computer Science and director of the Center for Data and Computing at the University of Chicago. “Nobody knows what the best model for reducing uncertainty is. The basic fallback plan is to just collect more data. No one knows which features produce the best models to reduce uncertainty, so they collect all of it and figure it out later. The answer is more data, and as we get more technology, it’s easier to get more and more data of more types.” Users make this data collection easy as they amass colossal amounts of data every day. According to journalist and internet expert Trevor Wheelwright in an article for Reviews. org, the average U.S. smartphone user picks up their device 262 times per day. Whether that be to text a friend, scroll aimlessly through Instagram or search restaurants in the area, every tap and text is tracked.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 51

Most of this tracking is unavoidable. Websites usually don’t allow users to view a webpage without accepting cookies. Even if someone doesn’t accept cookies or deletes all previous cookie tracking, other technologies like cookie syncing can still identify their computer. Cookie syncing allows third-party trackers from different advertising companies to adopt data-buying agreements with each other to map user IDs across platforms. This means that even if a user doesn’t accept cookies from one website, another website they have accepted cookies from in the past

can share their user ID if they have a databuying agreement. “The gist of it is, you can delete your cookies, but someone knows you’re back and they put the cookie right back in,” said Feamster. “Cookie deletion is theatre. Two sites can figure out that it’s you, and they can do something called cookie synching and basically link them together.” Location tracking is another method used to extract and analyze personal information. In the example of going to Burger King for lunch, apps like Google Maps can gather

enough location data to realize that the user’s workplace is around the corner from a Burger King. Previously collected data might also show that this person has visited the restaurant every Monday and Wednesday for the past month. It would be convenient, then, for an advertiser to promote a Whopper meal on this person’s Instagram page on Monday morning. Sometimes, though, location-based tracking is an essential feature on an app. Strava, a GPS cycling and running app, allows users to share their running routes with others through the collection of GPS data points. The app would be pointless without this critical design aspect, but this feature backfired when the company released a heatmap in 2017 that visualized over 3 trillion individual data points. These data points were so thorough that they revealed patterns of military personnel on active duty and allowed U.S. army bases to be clearly identifiable. Strava also uses anonymized GPS data to analyze cycling patterns and help city transportation departments improve street infrastructure. It’s hard to argue that improved cyclist and pedestrian safety is a bad thing, and location tracking makes these improvements possible. Although monetization of personal data can sometimes be used for beneficial purposes, there’s still no way for users to audit their data to ensure it’s not being used invasively. These gray areas of surveillance capitalism only make it harder for consumers to create boundaries for their personal information. Contract laws that allow data brokers to sell personal information to advertisers do not include any clauses about individual rights. Although these contracts directly affect an individual’s ability to think and behave

52 SPRING 2022

independently, individual users are not a legal entity and therefore are not protected in legal agreements. This ultimately makes the individual responsible for educating themselves on surveillance capitalism, often with no clear solution. “[It’s important to] stop putting the onus on an individual to protect their privacy,” said Garvey. “An individual person doesn’t understand what these user agreements mean; they don’t understand what it means to accept or reject a cookie. Why is it up to the user to understand all of that and make a choice? Also, what is meaningful choice? Are we giving the end user meaningful choice, or are we essentially

coerced by needing to use the internet? We have to opt into certain types of tracking and data collection in order to use the internet.” To be online is to be tracked, and the extent to which people are being surveilled by their devices is intrusive and inescapable. Users have become comfortable trading privacy and security for convenience, not because they don’t care, but because the very nature of surveillance capitalism is to be opaque yet omnipresent. Even armed with the awareness of surveillance capitalism, there is no clear path out on an individual level. Change must come at a large scale through tech regulations

and the demolition of invasive frameworks. Until then, internet users can maintain healthy skepticism and reimagine what true agency can be in a world where agency is a part of the algorithm.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 53

THE LIGHT REVOLUTION LEDs are the modern light source that have taken over bedrooms, vehicles and cell phones. By Quan Nguyen Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are the modern light source that have taken over bedrooms, vehicles and cell phones. Lighting no longer exists for the sole purpose of brightening up a space—it has found its place in design, technology and even health-related practices. Many are buying into colored LEDs for visual benefits. “It spices up the room for the addition to my gaming setup,” said Chase Scarberry, an avid user of various LED lighting. “It makes me feel less attracted to only the screen I game on as the background lighting equalizes the lighting throughout the room.” Scarberry is not alone in this opinion. In fact, these multi-colored LEDs are becoming more and more popular, and for good reason. Recently, LED light strips have become rather inexpensive. Amazon sells 50 feet of LED strip lights for around $20—compatible with voice-controlled Alexa for convenience, of course. This makes adopting colored LEDs into home interior spaces highly accessible and equally desirable. Subsequently, the low price and brilliant colors have made these strip lights popular with college students. At nighttime, the dormitories on Michigan State University’s campus look like Christmas trees, with nearly every other window glowing some flashy color. The future of lighting will become 54 SPRING 2022

very different, and it is not far-fetched to say colored lighting will become the standard. On the surface, it’s clear that colors offer an aesthetic for curious eyes, but they may affect behavior and moods, too. Lighting solutions store dmlights said that “artists and interior architects have long understood that colours can affect our feelings, emotions and mood. That is why the rooms in a hospital are often green—green calms and reduces stress. Other colours such as red, orange, yellow, blue, etc., have a different effect on the body.” MSU junior Nick Freiburger said, “When I’m in my room at night, I turn on my strip lights so it’s a purply-blue color and it makes me feel super relaxed and calm.” Red light can be an intimidating color and creates a rather ominous atmosphere in a dark room. Comparatively, blue light seems to be favored among light owners. Unique wavelengths of light make different colors, and those with shorter wavelengths that humans can see are perceived as more blue. The longer the wavelength, the redder the light appears. Lights are also no longer limited to cool whites and warm yellows; LED lights often include a red, green and blue diode, or RGB. Adjusting the brightness of each LED color allows for 16,777,216

possible colors. This is how phones and TVs display colors, but RGB has also expanded to lamps, headphones, keyboards, etc. Attributes of colors can be manipulated to convey different expressions. Three factors relate to RGB lighting, one of which is saturation. Saturation is the intensity of a color, where high saturation emphasizes colors for more emotion and low saturation makes them bland. Brightness is the amount of light produced, also correlating to emotion. Hue is a color or shade, which often induces happiness from natural light as opposed to artificial lighting. Many people have certain emotions toward different colors or certain temperatures or light. While alluring, blue light is known to suppress melatonin, the hormone that induces drowsiness. Many device owners are guilty of using their phone or TV shortly before going to bed, minimizing the ability to rest effectively. “It’s hard for me to make a distinction between my phone and activities on my phone keeping me up and just the light itself, but I do notice if I put my phone away, I can definitely fall asleep a lot sooner,” said Justin Tran, an MSU alum studying medicine. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

THECURRENTMSU.COM 55

said, “In the past 50 years, there has been a decline in average sleep duration and quality, with adverse consequences on general health. A representative survey of 1,508 American adults recently revealed that 90% of Americans used some type of electronics at least a few nights per week within one hour before bedtime.” People who have transitioned to electronic books before bedtime are one example of how LEDs give rise to delayed and lower quality sleep. A sleep study analysis from interdisciplinary research and scholarly literature producer ScienceDirect showed that participants who read on light-emitting tablets experienced less evening sleepiness and took longer to fall asleep. They also had less melatonin secretion and were less alert the following morning. Unlike the blue light that phones and laptops produce, red light has been observed to aid in getting quality sleep. Its longer wavelength is much further from ultraviolet light’s wavelength than blue light is, and it is less effective at inhibiting melatonin. Green light holds a wavelength that is in the middle of blue and red, making it less ideal than red for sleep, but better than blue light. Eugen of Lighting Info, a blog on lighting gadgets, said, “While blue light can suppress melatonin for about 3 hours, green light throws it off by only half that is for a maximum of 1.5 hours.” As LEDs begin to find their place in homes and offices, it is natural to worry about the effects of overexposure to artificial lighting. The biggest concern here is excessive screen time. Phones, computers, TVs and other screens emit blue light which is considered phototoxic, chemically causing skin irritation from light.

56 SPRING 2022

“Sometimes at night I’ll have no lights on and just have my computer screen. When it’s like that, I’m like okay, this might damage my eyes or something if I’m just staring at a computer screen without any lights around me on, just the screen light. I feel like that could mess up my eyes,” said Freiburger. Contrary to popular belief, blue light is “unlikely to pose a physical hazard to the retina,” said Harvard Health Publishing. There is no connection to age-related macular degeneration, a type of eye damage, from long-term exposure to low-intensity blue light, but eye strain and headaches may be symptoms. This makes long screen time sessions difficult for people susceptible to migraines and seizures, as most LEDs produce a slight flicker. Flickering is hardly noticeable by the eye but can still have adverse effects.

Children and teenagers’ eyes do not fully filter blue light, making screen time potentially more dangerous for them. Tran said, “Something that I’ve thought about is that since my eyes are fully developed now, I’m not as worried about getting that much screen time, but I know that younger children, they should be out in the sunlight and looking at farther distances so that their eyes can develop correctly, and if they’re just in front of a screen all day, that can really hinder their ability to develop their eyes correctly.” In some instances, blue light during regular daytime hours can be beneficial as it increases alertness and productivity. LEDs can help regulate a schedule and compensate for those missing hours of natural lighting. “It can vary between other people but for me, yes, it does affect my circadian rhythm. The lighting

is basically tricking the brain into thinking it’s still daylight outside even though it could be dark,” said Scarberry.

lack of light is not good for an overall state of happiness. Winter definitely brings the mood down,” said Freiburger.

In more serious cases, blue light dramatically affected people’s lives. Blue lights were installed in 2009 on Tokyo’s Yamanote train platforms in an attempt to reduce suicide rates. Train platforms in other countries have applied the same blue lighting and saw suicides decline by 74% according to ScienceAlert. While there is no fully supported science to explain this, blue light indeed seems to calm and reduce impulsivity.

Winter can be a particularly hard time for people with Seasonal Affective Disorder, a type of depression associated with changes in seasons. This is especially true in Michigan, where the winter days are met with little sunlight, forcing people to switch on the LEDs in the afternoon. Combined with the recent effects of the pandemic, LED lighting uses have increased in numbers in the past few years.

The limbic system of the body, responsible for behavioral and emotional responses, is also affected by the circadian rhythm, a bodily process that regulates a sleep schedule. Disruptions in sleep and schedules can induce sadness and other emotions. “It definitely makes you more depressed and down. I know

Fortunately, light therapy is a common treatment for SAD. Light boxes can be purchased to simulate sunlight and combat SAD by using it within an hour of waking up but should be turned off during the day to not disturb the circadian rhythm. The Mayo Clinic says no prescription is needed but warns that

light boxes are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration for treating SAD. The advances in lighting technology have made LED lighting highly versatile. RGB lighting has turned bedrooms into theatres and is becoming a useful tool in medicine. From lighting up keyboards to treating depression, LEDs have a variety of purposes. As popularity in their usage grows, the most concerning symptom may be the effects on one’s biological clock. If people can resist the urge to stare at their phones all night, LEDs will be a beautiful, colorful addition to the world’s standard of living.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 57

58 SPRING 2022

TRANSHUMANISM Transhumanism has been proven possible since people are already capable of using technology to upgrade humans, even if that’s just in the form of pacemakers or prosthetics.

By David Seddon It is impossible to know the circumstances which surrounded Sir Julian Huxley as he penned an article for “The Journal of Humanistic Psychology” in the late 1960s. Whether it was a bright morning as he sat behind a writing desk or whether it was well after dark on a sleepless night, these details have been lost to time. The words themselves, however, continue onto this day in more ways than one. As an evolutionary biologist and eugenist, Huxley was fixated on the idea of the perfect human. “As a result of a thousand million years of evolution,” he said in his 1968 article “Transhumanism” for “The Journal of Humanistic Psychology,” “The universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its history and possible future.” This article, which has gained notoriety over the years, sparked a philosophical movement and intellectual idea of the same name. Transhumanism explores the idea that humanity could upgrade itself and continue to evolve, not through biological means but through technological ones. One such

example is augmenting human bodies with machine parts to give them new capabilities they have never had as a species before. This idea has been explored extensively by sci-fi authors through a variety of different mediums. From Arthur C. Clarke’s “Childhood’s End” to “Star Wars,” transhuman ideas have been explored and almost accepted as inevitable to some degree. From creators who are excited to see this next wave of humanity, to those who are deeply cynical about giving fallible humans such power, or those who are somewhere in between, there are plenty of examples of transhumanism in pop culture. However, looking beyond fiction and to the real world, what is the world’s relationship with transhumanism? Robert Pennock, philosopher of science with a doctorate and winner of the outstanding service award from the American Institute of Biological Sciences offered a distinctly cautious perspective on the subject. “Huxley focused on the goal of improving our social environment for human betterment,” he said. “Today the term is more associated with

those who conceive of transcending human bodily limitations by enhancing our bodies technologically—turning ourselves into cyborgs, if you will, which is a much narrower vision.” This narrow concept of transhumanism is what he dedicated himself to responding to. However, this wasn’t the only voice which offered itself to The Current. Marissa Brandt, Ph.D, describes herself as a technomediatrix with an interest in cyborg anthropology. She defined transhumanism as “the philosophical and practical effort of. . . [humans] to take control of their evolution.” She wanted to draw a distinction between this kind of evolution and perhaps the standard understanding, saying it isn’t “evolution for all humans, but like a very individualized view of transformation.” Tulip, a fourth year Michigan State University student studying math, computer science and philosophy, focused on the personal element of transhumanism, similar to Brandt’s definition. “[Transhumanism involves] making your own decisions about what your body’s gonna do, and look like,” they said. Defining transhumanism is necessary because without that knowledge, it

THECURRENTMSU.COM 59

is impossible to know what counts as transhuman development. It’s easy to look at transhuman ideas in a science fiction book, but when talking about real life transhuman developments, there needs to be a more consistent understanding of what it includes. “We have prosthetics; we have pacemakers. I guess at some point we have to ask if it has to be something planted inside you,” Tulip said. “We could think of a phone as transhuman, as like this upgrade which lets you talk to people far away.” Definitions are also important because they determine how realistic or achievable a certain goal is. For example, one could’ve come up with a working definition for a spaceship in the 1800s, but it is impossible to build one until the technology for it exists. Pennock seems to argue that this is a just comparison. “Most cyborg-transhumanist ideas far outstrip actual engineering capabilities, and for the foreseeable future won’t go beyond proof-ofconcept,” he said. “That’s probably a good thing. We need the time to think this through.” However, time may not be on his side as transhumanist developments continue in spite of current technological barriers. “Right now, a lot of transhumanist efforts are a little bit more low tech,” Brandt said. “For example grinders, who put magnets under their skin.” To many, it might sound like sciencefiction, but it’s real and happening now. The process, which is normally adopted by communities around biomodification such as biohackers and grinders, involves

60 SPRING 2022

people surgically implanting tiny magnets under their fingers. This is done with the goal of having the nerves grow around the metal as the wound heals. This reportedly ends up giving them a tangible sense of the magnetic field around them, essentially giving them access to new senses. And though this process is relatively affordable with one English company currently offering the surgery for £240, it doesn’t come without complications. “[The surgically implanted magnets] can become infected sites … because our bodies don’t really want to incorporate external things … the points of juncture between the human and the material are often difficult boundaries,” Brandt said. Not only that, but this specific procedure must also be done without anesthesia. There are other boundaries as well. Tulip covered the issue of religion versus transhumanism succinctly. “I think it would be very hard to be religious and a transhumanist,” they said, “because you’re kind of claiming the higher power for yourself.” Some of the most common questions about transhumanism revolve around the nature of humanity and the soul. However, in reality, the real threat of transhumanism may be far less existential. Transhuman developments aren’t often made for purely ideological or philosophical reasons, but rather by military forces. “We are most likely to see these first implemented for military purposes,” Pennock said. “The Department of Defense is already doing such research, such as implants that can release drugs to enhance performance. It will

be longer before augmentation technologies become commercializable.” This idea isn’t unique to transhumanism. When talking about the philosophy of transhumanism, Brandt mentioned Donna Holloway, who wrote a book titled “The Cyborg Manifesto.” In summarizing Holloway’s points, Brandt said “[Holloway] points out that a lot of that technology emerged out of the Cold War and emerged out of military efforts and efforts to try to, you know, control America. So I would say in the long run, sometimes those things do democratize and more people do get access to them.” Ultimately, no one knows what the future holds. While people have access to many technologies scarcely dreamed of a hundred years ago, there have been many technologies dreamed of which ended up proving themselves to be unrealistic. Transhumanism, in the form of turning humans to Cyborgs or uploading brains to the internet, may prove itself to be nothing more than a pipe dream. However, on a smaller level, transhumanism has been proven possible since people are already capable of using technology to upgrade humans, even if that’s just in the form of pacemakers or prosthetics. The future is on the way, whether one likes it or not. David Seddon is a second-year undergraduate student with a major in professional and public writing and a minor in Chinese. A big fan of fantasy and sci-fi, David can often be found playing games, reading books or working on his own self-published books in his free time.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 61

PEEKING AT ANIME IN THE U.S. Anime has experienced a boom in popularity and profit in the US in the last ten years By Sovann Hyde In recent years, anime has experienced a boom in popularity with movies like the “Demon Slayer” anime bringing in $7.9 billion total. The movie “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” was the highest earning film of that year and the first non-Hollywood and non-American film to top the box office in several years. Compared to 10 years ago, this is a huge growth, showing how anime’s popularity has increased. The anime boom hasn’t been random or sudden, however. It started back in the 1980s as anime became more prevalent in the United States with cable and VHS tapes. And, in the 1990s, it started to air on TV, which further increased its overall reach and accessibility. The Sci-Fi Channel, Cartoon Network and Network One incorporated popular anime into their lineup of shows, and Sci-Fi added a “Saturday Anime” block with “Sailor Moon” in 1995 and “Dragon Ball Z” in 1996. Originally, there was a stigma around anime and its potential ties to pornography. “Unfortunately, the prevalence of such titles [hentai and ecchi titles] at local rental shops and a few salacious news reports gave rise to the perception by many Americans that anime was mostly about tentacles assaulting young women,” journalist Lisa Marie Cooper said for Right Stuf Anime. 62 SPRING 2022

This stems from a misunderstanding of anime that started in the 80s and 90s. Ecchi, one type of anime, is suggestive and oftentimes raunchy but not fully explicit while hentai is fully explicit, x-rated titles. With some bad press and rental shops’ decision to place all anime in the adult video section, anime’s sexual reputation took hold. However, this did not last forever. With the advent of the Internet, anime became even more popular with easier access to the content, as well as the increased ability for fans to connect with each other. With this increased popularity, new production companies were formed, and older ones continued to churn out anime after anime, making it more common to see anime on TV. The downside to all this was that it caused an “anime bubble.” Prices became way too high, as did expectations, even for smaller titles. “This led to a glut and subsequent bust that affected not only American companies but Japanese ones that had been counting on American revenues,” Cooper said. Nonetheless, anime continued to gain fans. Tatsuya, a student at the University of Michigan, discovered a love for anime by watching it on TV. “So you got the Saturday morning cartoons, and then sometimes they show Pokémon,” he said. “I’d catch some

Pokémon once in a great while; maybe an episode of Naruto. I knew it existed, but I just kinda thought that anime was like a subset of cartoons for a while. I didn’t realize it was its own separate thing. … I guess I really started watching anime in seventh or eighth grade.” Aisling, a fifth-year student at MSU, had a similar story. Like Tatsuya, she said, “I did not realize I was watching anime when I was a kid. I thought it was just regular cartoons because as a kid you don’t really segregate it like that. You just think, ‘Oh, I’m watching a cartoon.’” Anime went through a lot of changes in the 2000s, especially with the creation of DVDs and Blu-ray discs. DVDs became the primary format since they did not degrade over time and were able to contain extras and other versions. Combo packs of both DVDs and Blurays became common as anime companies took advantage of both formats. “Fans often decide they want to own physical copies of shows they’ve streamed and enjoyed,” Cooper said. “And these fans are more likely to want pricier collector’s editions packed with extras and a nice box to display.” Aisling was passionate about these nice editions, especially if they contained an artbook. That was the decisive point on

THECURRENTMSU.COM 63

whether she would buy it or not. “If it gives me an art book, yeah. Give me the art book. That’s what I want in the end,” she said. Before the days of streaming, these collector’s editions made even more sense. When Tatsuya was younger, he often asked for anime as a present. “I don’t tend to get physical copies anymore, but like, back when it was spotty or you couldn’t really find stuff on any of the big streaming services, I would ask for it for Christmas or something like that,” he said. The 2010s were a more stable time for anime. Expectations were more reasonable, and anime companies were more selective in what they released. But much like the creation of DVDs, the introduction of streaming services drastically changed the anime industry.

64 SPRING 2022

Streaming revenue started making up a large portion of profits in the anime industry as it made anime more accessible. Companies were more onboard with streaming since it solved the issue of downloads being pirated and profits being lost. Streaming could also be restricted by location which means reverse imports were no longer a threat to Japanese executives. They feared this because Japan and North America were grouped in the same Blu-ray region. Tatsuya, like many fans, has noticed this shift to a heavier reliance on streaming as well as how it is becoming more mainstream to show anime movies in theaters. “Demon Slayer,” “ Studio Ghibli,” “Your Name” and “My Hero Academia” have all had theatrical releases with resounding successes. He said, “As far as anime changing in the U.S., I’ve noticed recently more access to it

on mainstream platforms. … When I first was getting into anime, I wouldn’t have imagined being able to go to a showing of something in a movie theater, but now, like the Demon Slayer movie [is] huge. I guess that first kind of started up for me in 2016-ish, whenever I was a sophomore in high school … but they were showing ‘Your Name’ in theaters. And I watched them right after my SAT, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing.’” Fans were so dedicated to anime that they would buy both the dubbed and subbed versions of shows, even though subbed often had a higher price tag. This allowed the anime industry to grow with the influx of money. Prices eventually came down as anime became more mainstream and popular. Subbed versus dubbed is a topic that anime fans have debated over for years. It has died down since the creation of DVDs, but in the

1990s, it was a topic that people felt very strongly about. Due to restrictions with VHS, fans were only able to get either subbed or dubbed, not both. Subbed versions stayed in the original language and had English subtitles while dubbed versions replaced audio with newly recorded English dialogue. Tatsuya noted an interesting point on subbed versions of anime. “A lot of older stuff— 2000s anime—if it’s subbed, it’ll have a translator’s note: ‘This is what the heck they’re talking about,’ which is kind of neat. But then also some [have] light novels or visual novels,” he said. “I just started the Clannad visual novel, and it has an Encyclopedia of references to Japanese culture, and whenever someone makes one of those, you can look it up and see, ‘Oh, okay. This is what that is.’ And then you just have it there for reference all the time, which is cool.”

found in a lot of mainstream retailers such as Hot Topic, which has whole sections dedicated to anime. Even big box stores such as Walmart and Target carry anime merchandise, though the variety they have is not nearly as diverse as Hot Topic. Still, contrasted to the 2000s, it is astonishing to see how mainstream and popular anime has become. Anime has changed a lot since the 1990s, but the growth has generally been positive. Aisling said, “It’s becoming more mainstream, so people have better access to it. And so

more people, by default, are watching it and enjoying it.” The recent success of “Demon Slayer” and all the money it has brought in only further proves that point and shows just how much anime has grown.

Now with DVDs, Blu-rays and streaming, fans have access to both the subbed and dubbed versions of anime. Each person usually has their own preference on which they prefer. For instance, Aisling likes to watch both subbed and dubbed. For her, one of the most important things when choosing are the voice actors. “I chose to watch the dubbed for Hunter x Hunter because there’s a lot of really big names in there,” she said. “Like Erica Horlacker is in it. Christina Mendez, Keith Silverstein—all those people are in that. And I know them from other things, and that makes me want to watch it more.” However, she said she watched “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” subbed because she was in love with Dio’s Japanese voice actor. As a result of anime becoming more popular, anime merchandise can now be

THECURRENTMSU.COM 65