December 2020

IHS TATTLER DECEMBER 2020 | VOL. 128 | NO. 4

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EDITORIAL

IHS Students: Take Responsibility for your Classroom Environment

BY THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD

“D

oes anybody want to answer this question?”

Silence. Five, ten, fifteen, thirty seconds pass. The teacher stares nervously at their screen, asking, pleading, begging for a savior—for a student to unmute themselves and explain the answer to the simple question. After a full minute passes, the dejected teacher stares into a screen full of colorful avatars: a cartoon bulldog, Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory, baby Yoda, bitmojis, and of course, the dreaded default letters. Overcome by awkwardness, the teacher reluctantly says the answer, but their despondent heart longs for some reprieve.

Unfortunately, similar scenarios have come to dominate the virtual classroom. The challenging conditions of online learning have led to a drastic decrease in participation, which forces teachers into the position of not only instructors, but facilitators of all classroom interaction, in a classroom that is not physically there for them to command. Therefore, it is paramount that students take responsibility for their classroom environment where it cannot be naturally formed. Teachers are already forced to work harder than ever before, as they have to cater to two different groups of students at once, redevelop their curriculum to fit the constraints of hybrid/online learning, and moderate a classroom where their reach is extremely limited. As such, it becomes nearly impossible for a teacher to create a productive class environment without student proactivity.

The simplest way for students to lighten the burden of the teachers and make the classroom environment more productive is to turn on their cameras. According to survey data collected by the IHS Student Representatives to the Board of Education, out of 164 respondents only 14 percent of students always keep their cameras on during class, while a further 48 percent responded that they keep their cameras on “for some classes.” In addition, 27 percent of respondents said they keep their cameras on only when a significant portion of the class has their camera on, and 14 percent responded that they never have their cameras on. While to an adult it may seem a no-brainer, there are a multitude of reasons students tend to keep their camera off. Fifty-three percent of respondents to the survey cited being “uncomfortable showing their face” as a reason they keep their cameras off. Another 39 percent of students cited that other people not turning on their cameras as a reason for keeping their cameras off. This is completely understandable, as it is easy to feel vulnerable when someone is one of only three or four faces on the screen. However, much of the awkwardness that comes with keeping one’s camera on would dissipate if a larger portion of the class did the same.

There are other reasons that students keep their cameras off that are not so easily fixed. Twenty-seven percent of respondents cited anxiety or panic as the reason they keep their cameras off.

For some, being visible to the class in Google Meet triggers high levels of anxiety and panic, leading the student down a spiral of anxiety that greatly reduces their ability to participate and focus.

Moreover, 27 percent of students responded that keeping their cameras on in Google Meet slows down their Chromebooks to the point of dysfunction, forcing them to either keep their cameras off or use an agonizingly slow, lagging computer for the duration of class.

Google Meet also offers a convenient solution for those who share a workspace with family members or other people who are moving around in the background. In the most recent Meet update, we now have the ability to blur our backgrounds or even choose a green-screen style picture background. Unfortunately, this may slow down some people’s computers, but is nevertheless a decent option. With all of these factors in mind, mandating that students keep their cameras on would be inequitable. There are some situations in which cameras being off is inconsequential such as when doing work or independently watching a video.

Yet, it is vital that students who are able keep their cameras on as much as they can-especially during periods of discussion and instruction both for the sake of their teachers’ sanity and for the benefit of the classroom environment.

Hand in hand with keeping one’s camera on comes verbal participation. In many classes, only a few people (often the same few people who keep their cameras on) participate voluntarily.

Teachers then have to figure out how to encourage participation.

To increase participation, some teachers have introduced participation as a grade, while others have adopted cold calling. However, these things can be anxiety-inducing for students, and many teachers choose to do neither, meaning that when students don’t participate voluntarily, everyone loses. In addition to meager participation in class, silent break-out rooms are also prevalent. In break-out rooms, it is even more important that participation and conversation be initiated, yet without the teacher, the responsibility must be picked up by the students in order for the time taken out of the class to be productive. While the use of the chat may seem easier, verbal participation should be prioritized, as, similar to the use of cameras, the more people verbally participate, the more comfortable people become with participating and the better the classroom environment becomes.

It certainly seems that online learning is here to stay, whether we like it or not. Thus, it is crucial that we treat it not as a placeholder, but rather as our primary method of education for the foreseeable future. We, as IHS students, should do all that we can to make our online learning environment as productive as can be, and aid each other and our teachers in making the online classroom a place that feels like a real classroom.

NEWS

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Staff 2020 – 2021 Editor-in-Chief

Anna Westwig ’21 editor@ihstattler.com News Editor Katie Lin ’22 news@ihstattler.com Opinion Editor Jinho Park ’22 opinion@ihstattler.com Features Editor Frances Klemm ’23 features@ihstattler.com Arts Editor Louisa Miller-Out ’22 arts@ihstattler.com Sports Editor Rohit Lal ’22 sports@ihstattler.com Literary Editor Adowyn Ernste ’22 literary@ihstattler.com Back Page Editor Ethan Carlson ’21 backpage@ihstattler.com Center Spread Editor Dorothy Hamilton ’21 centerspread@ihstattler.com Copy Editor Heewon Ahn ’21 copy@ihstattler.com Photography Editor Hannah Shvets ’23 photo@ihstattler.com Graphics Editor Aidan Hayward Toland ’22 graphics@ihstattler.com Layout Editor Jacob Yoon ’21 layout@ihstattler.com Business and Advertising Adam Saar ’22 business@ihstattler.com Webmaster Alexander Yoo ’21 web@ihstattler.com Distribution Manager Mollie Abelson ’21 distribution@ihstattler.com Archivist Raia Gutman ’22 archivist@ihstattler.com Faculty Advisor Deborah Lynn advisor@ihstattler.com

Teachers and Students Share Opinions On IHS Learning

By MONTY ABED

A

s IHS reopens its doors to students, the eccentric schedule has sparked many diverse perspectives. Whether they attend school online or go in-person, students and teachers alike are facing problems and experiencing a chaotic year. Interviews conducted with a range of teachers and students who interact with different grades and hold different positions provide varied insight and one consensus: this year is a struggle.

Ms. Burke, a Geometry teacher and support professional, elaborated on the pros and cons of instructing remotely as a teacher: “I believe that virtual learning is going well so far. My students seem to be understanding the material. I have good attendance, punctuality, and a high turn-in rate for assignments. I’m struggling with connecting to my students, since most have their cameras off or don’t feel comfortable asking questions, or making conversation over video conferences.” Not being able to connect with students personally through virtual learning is an issue shared by many teachers. Further, the awkward, impersonal setting consisting only of several small screens combined with Wi-Fi issues explains the lower student participation in a virtual classroom.

Mrs. Mellander, an “in-person” teacher, Cover illustration by Jacob Yoon The Tattler is the monthly student-run newspaper of Ithaca High School. All currently-enrolled students at Ithaca High School are welcome to submit writing and photographs. As an open forum, The Tattler invites opinion submissions and letters to the editor from all community members. Email submissions to editor@ihstattler.com or mail letters to: The Tattler 1401 North Cayuga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Send submissions by December 3 to be included in the January issue. The Tattler reserves the right to edit all submissions. All articles, columns, and advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of editorial staff.

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teaches a wide range of subjects including Humanities 10, English 10, European Literature, Journalism, and War in Literature. Having experienced both virtual and hybrid learning, she emphasized how everyone is all in this together, no matter what path each student takes. She said that whether you are in-person for two consecutive days or virtually attending classes, all students and teachers are struggling and experiencing difficulties. Clearly, unity not only gives us power, strength, and courage, but it is also needed and essential for our adaptation to such extreme circumstances.

Isaac Smith ‘23, an athlete, experienced in-person learning for one week before deciding to transfer to the all virtual option. When asked why, Smith simply replied, “In-person school sucks because there are barely any teachers there, and I didn’t get to see the majority of my friends.” According to Smith, a good solution would include modifying the last name system that assigns in-person students to specific days, catering more to student preference: “Even though it would be hard to get all your friends on the same day, I think it would be essential to overall class enthusiasm.”

Lily Dean ‘24 shares a more positive viewpoint, saying, “I liked being able to see my friends. Also, going to school got me into a schedule, although one of my peers had COVID-19 and therefore I had to quarantine, which sucked since I missed Halloween. Overall, it was a great experience, since I got to meet some of my teachers, and the pros outweigh the cons.”

After listening to these opinions, it is evident that although students and teachers are all experiencing this new standard of learning a different way, many are facing similar tribulations and ordeals. As of Monday, November 9, IHS reopened after shutting down for about two weeks to stay cautious, and students and teachers alike wonder what the future has in store.

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NEWS

Anti-Semitism Persists In Ithaca

By HANNAH SHVETS

T

hroughout the last week of October, anti-Semitic vandalism and hate speech have spread over Ithaca, remaining mostly underreported and barely mentioned on social media. The first incident occurred on October 19-20. Outside of a local business owned by Patti Jacobson, a Jewish chiropractor, a sign that read “End White Silence” was spray-painted with a slur for Jewish people. According to the Ithaca Journal, Jacobson said, “The sign is referring to the complicity of white people like me not saying something about the horrible things that have been happening to people of color –– now more than ever. When you see something you have to say something. As a Jew, we’re really, really taught that –– it’s caring for your neighbors, loving your neighbor as yourself.”

On October 25, a Moosewood employee reported a poster he found glued to the restaurant’s window, showing a photograph of Anne Frank’s face posted onto a model in a bikini, complete with offensive headlines, including, “How to be Jewish and Miscegenate in 2020 and Why It’s Important,” referring to the common and vile stereotype that Jewish people only intermarry. The stereotype exists to exclude Jewish people, attempting to other an entire group of people to justify racist and anti-Semitic prejudices. The poster’s use of the image of a young girl murdered at the hands of Nazis as an attempt at humor is seen as inappropriate and insensitive by many.

This was not the end of the anti-Semitic incidents in Ithaca, which is commonly thought of as a progressive bubble. Jewish-owned businesses like Sunny Days have been vandalized with Celtic crosses, a symbol that originated from Christianity but has been adapted by Neo-Nazis and KKK members as a symbol of hate towards Jewish and Black communities. At the Back the Blue Rally on Saturday, October 24, a man who called himself a Proud Boy was seen wearing a similar symbol on his jacket.

The Proud Boys, a far-right nationalistic group founded by Gavin McInnes, see themselves as the enforcers of the right wing, and believe in using violence. They are known to disagree with Antifa and left wing protestors. McInnes has no shortage of controversial and problematic statements from his career in the media, including making a video for Rebel Media called “10 Things I Hate About Jews,” and even arguing that maybe Jewish people “were ostracized for a good reason.” It seems to be no coincidence that anti-Semitic graffiti skyrocketed in Ithaca at the same time members of an anti-Semitic organization came to town.

The mayor of Ithaca, Svante Myrick, tweeted on October 27 that Jewish homes have also been vandalized with similar anti-Semitic symbols, and the Ithaca Police Department (IPD) took a suspect of the vandalizations into custody the same day. The IPD reported finding evidence of crime in the suspect’s home, such as more hate posters and numerous items consistent with explosives, including fuse wire, caps, a timer, tubing, and an undisclosed amount of a powdered chemical. Police officers also

found rifle parts at a separate, undisclosed location. The IPD was assisted by the New York State Police Department and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

It is suspected that the offender had more violent plans that were interrupted by his arrest. The suspect remains unnamed and in custody, with the latest public news of the case released on October 30, with charges of hate crimes and awaits their trial.

After this string of incidents, Congressman Tom Reed spoke about these anti-Semitic attacks. His comments were seen as quite vague by reporters at the Ithaca Voice, and he continued to switch over to discussing how he had personally been intimidated when a rat in a noose was left outside his house and bricks were thrown through the windows of a campaign headquarters in Corning.

These displays of hate, especially combined with the stress surrounding the presidential election and the global pandemic, have greatly affected local Jewish students. Students have gathered together in clubs around Ithaca to discuss their personal experiences with anti-Semitism at Cornell University’s Hillel, a religious organization, Ithaca College’s Jewish Student Union, founded by Jordan Stecker, and Ithaca High School’s very own Jewish Student Union, founded by Sam Shvets. The IHS Jewish Student Union has been continued by me (Hannah Shvets ‘23), and began weekly meetings November 15 over Zoom. Anti-Semitism is a long-lasting and ever-present issue that is often left unaddressed and minimized by news outlets, and in times like these, residents of Ithaca are encouraged to come together and support marginalized communities.

NEWS

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Yemen Conflict: An Overview and Current Effects of COVID-19

By MOUNIR MORA-KPAI IMAGE BY KHALED ABDULLAH FROM REUTERS

O

Saudi airstrike kills civilians in Sana’a, Yemen

ver the past year, the COVID-19 outbreak has been a devastating force to nations all over the world, narrowly sparing only countries that took swift and decisive action. The pandemic has had an especially overwhelming impact on Yemen, currently experiencing what the United Nations (UN) coined before the pandemic the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, which has now been in a state of a bloody civil war for six years.

The deadly conflict began in 2011, when the Arab Spring, a wave of protests against dictatorship across the Arab world, inspired Yemenis to protest Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen’s long time President. One of the biggest protests came from the Houthis, a minority Zaydi Shiite movement originating from northwestern Yemen. Saleh was forced to give power to his former Vice President, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. This transition of power to Hadi was unsuccessful, as Hadi failed to maintain stability in the region. As mentioned in an article by BBC, “Hadi struggled to deal with various problems including militant attacks, corruption, food

insecurity, and continuing loyalty of many military officers to Saleh.”

The Houthis rebelled once again after the UN sponsored attempts to form a plan outlining the future of the country. Extremist groups like Al-Qaeda and Daesh took advantage of the widespread instability in the country to make territorial gains.

Further complicating matters, the Houthis, who previously had made attempts to topple former President Saleh, formed an alliance with him and his substantial military support, lacking their own military resources. Together they successfully took over the capital Sana’a and eventually forced Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia, where suspicion arose that Iran was supporting the rebels and spreading their influence in the region. In response, a coalition was formed to construct a blockade around Sana’a and begin an airstrike campaign aimed at flushing the Houthis out.

Since then, the conflict has gotten more violent and complex as international players have begun to pursue their own interests in the region. BBC adds that “the conflict escalated dramatically in March 2015,

when Saudi Arabia and eight other mostly Sunni Arab states—backed by the US, UK, and France—began air strikes against the Houthis, with the declared aim of restoring Mr. Hadi’s government.” These nations have supplied weapons and intelligence to Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia has become the US government’s largest arms buyer.

As the conflict becomes more complex and more sides have emerged, Yemen’s civilians are bearing the consequences of years at war and human rights violations.

Amnesty International, a human rights non-governmental organization (NGO), has documented 42 Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeting civilian areas by “hitting homes, schools, hospitals, markets, mosques, weddings and funerals,” killing hundreds of men, women, and children.

Amnesty has stated that Houthis have excessively shelled and used imprecise weapons in residential areas, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths. In total, airstrikes have killed and wounded around 18,000 Yemeni civilians.

Prior to the war, Yemen had already been one of the poorest Arab countries, but the seemingly endless conflict has decimated the country. Without a stable government and surrounded by constant violence, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that 24.1 million people in Yemen are in need of humanitarian or protection support. With the first confirmed COVID case in April, the pandemic has added yet another existential threat to Yemen. Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher Afra Nasser states that UN epidemiological predictions estimate 16 million Yemenis could be infected by COVID. While the current number of confirmed cases is around 2000 (with about 600 deaths), it is impossible to know the actual figure with the limited testing capacity. With 17.8 million Yemenis in need of safe drinking water and sanitation combined with malnutrition and millions of suspected cholera cases, Yemen is the ideal breeding ground Continued on page 6

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NEWS / OPINION

Yemen Conflict: An Overview and Current Effects of COVID-19 Continued from page 5 for the virus. To make things worse, the HRW has described that “The Houthis have severely hampered and diverted international aid in areas under their control,” as well as hid the impacts of COVID-19 in their territories.

Doctors and medical supplies are spread extremely thin. As described by Nasser, many medical professionals have fled Yemen fearing their safety because “parties to the conflict have targeted not only medical facilities but also medical personnel, as health workers have been threatened, injured, abducted, detained and killed.” As seen in an article by the Brookings Institute, 20 percent

of the 333 districts in Yemen have no doctors, and there are only 500 ventilators and 700 intensive care unit beds. Due to loss of UN funding, “30 of 41 major UN programs in Yemen will close in the next few weeks if additional funding is not available.” In short, conditions are desperate. To create a sustainable solution, the war in Yemen must stop being fueled by outside powers. However, bystanders at home can also help by donating to the Yemen fund of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and by writing to respective Congressional representatives. concerning the US involvement in this crisis.

What’s Next for the Democratic Party?

By WILL THOMAS

J

oe Biden will be the next President of the United States. Although this is likely not news to anyone, it still bears repeating. Further, despite the presidential victory, the Democratic Party saw disappointing results in both state and local elections. As a result, Democrats look unlikely to seize a Senate majority, and have even lost some of their House seats.

These losses are shocking to Democrats, who were confident about their chances of winning, especially once the pandemic started. Democratic Senatorial candidates Cal Cunningham (NC), Sara Gideon (ME), and Doug Jones (AL), all officially lost races that they were favored to win. It is worth mentioning that Jones was only favored to win in two polls, but Cunningham and Gideon were portrayed as likely winners.

Further, in Georgia, there are still uncalled Senate races. Senatorial candidates Jon Ossoff (Democratic) and Raphael Warnock (Democratic) will go into runoffs against David Perdue (Republican) and Kelly Loeffler (Republican), respectively. With those elections expected to lean towards the incumbent Republicans Perdue and Loeffler, the Democrats will likely be unable to flip the Senate. With such disappointing election results, the Democrats should wonder: what caused these results?

As I mentioned previously, Democrats lost seats in the House: specifically, many moderate candidates lost their seats in close races. Although it’s impossible to make a blanket claim that moderates are unpopular in today’s climate, the loss of many moderate candidates shows a clear failure of moderates to unite the left and win over voters from the right.

One of the most obvious takeaways from these election results is that split ticket voting, the practice of voting for candidates

from different parties on the ballot, is not working. In states that Republicans won, a fervently Republican supporter base was able to usher their victories. This means that Democratic candidates couldn’t match the vast Republican turnout with their own supporter base or turn enough moderate Republicans to win. However, this illustrates that the Democrats must play a careful balancing act; they must seek to inspire their own supporters while still attempting to draw out moderates.

Biden’s victory, perhaps, is illustrative of his ability to appeal to a variety of voters. Biden drew over moderate Republicans and solidified the Democratic base. It is important to note that Biden greatly benefitted from the incompetence of his opponent, Donald Trump, who provoked outrage from both moderate Republicans and the entire left. Thus, although Biden’s brand of politics consolidated moderates and progressives, this union seems unstable at best and practically unsustainable at worst.

In the next election, we can guess that the Republicans are going to try to move more moderate to try and gain back the voters who defected to Biden. The question then becomes: what will the Democrats do in response?

The Democrats need to make a move in response—they can’t afford to get complacent here after the long and taxing campaign they just ran. They need to move left. Young progressives are going to be the new base of the Democratic Party soon, and the party needs to energize them and get them to vote. There isn’t a future for the party in denying the progressive wing a voice—there isn’t a future in the status quo. The arrow of history has been moving left for a while now, and the Democrats can ride with the arrow or get shot by it. That’s how they can win.

OPINION

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Abolish the Electoral College

By LOUISA MILLER-OUT

T

he election of 2016 left many of us wondering why the candidate who was ahead by nearly three million votes still lost. How does it make sense that, in one of the world’s leading “democracies,” someone can become president without popular support? The aftermath of that election was dominated by feelings of despair for the majority who felt their votes made no difference.

A stressful four years later, many Americans spent the 2020 election season biting our nails as we constantly refreshed our browsers, desperately hoping to win those crucial “swing states.”

For me, it was a time of profound reflection on our supposedly democratic elections. Clearly, we choose our leaders through convoluted processes, and I wondered who those systems serve.

Once I looked into it, I was shocked that such antiquated institutions still exist.

The system that facilitated the nonsensical 2016 outcome is known as the Electoral College. The Electoral College is a convention of 538 people who meet once every four-year election cycle to cast their state’s ballots for the next president. A state’s representation in the Electoral College directly corresponds to the number of Congresspeople (Members of House and Senate) from that state. This policy of representation is problematic. While one of the two branches of the U.S. Legislature, the House of Representatives, has representation for each state proportional to its population, each state gets two Senators regardless of population size. This results in a person from Wyoming having approximately 70 times the influence in the Senate as a Californian. If that sounds unfair to you, it’s because it is. In present-day America, every vote counts, but some count considerably more than others.

Was this inherent inequality part of the Founding Fathers’ vision? Well, actually, yes. The Electoral College is a rusted relic conceived early in the development of a young and tortured America. At the 1787 Constitutional Convention, the Connecticut Compromise gave rise to the bicameral or two-branched legislature that we have today, as well as the proportional representation in one house and not the other. States with larger populations evidently benefited from proportional representation, but states with smaller electorates demanded equal representation regardless. That same year, the Three-Fifths Compromise was passed, stipulating that enslaved people would be counted as three-fifths of a person for both representational and fiscal purposes. Consequently, the votes of people in states with larger enslaved (and therefore disenfranchised) populations carried extra weight, as those states had oversized numbers of representatives for their actual electorate. This is strikingly similar to the modern phenomenon of prison gerrymandering, in which incarcerated (and therefore disenfranchised) people are counted as residents of the areas in which they are imprisoned, inflating the voting power of the few residents of those areas who can actually vote.

We’ve since repealed the Three-Fifths Compromise, for obvious reasons. But for some reason, the inequality created by the Connecticut Compromise persists. States with small populations

are still overrepresented in government and voters from smaller states have more power. If we were to take steps toward true democracy, disproportionate representation would be entirely eliminated. A decisive step toward this vision of true democracy would be to abolish the Electoral College.

One of the reasons a candidate can become president without popular support is the winner-take-all nature of the electoral system. All electoral votes from a state are promised to whichever candidate obtains a majority of votes in that state. This means that even an incredibly narrow state victory can result in a major shift in electoral totals. If a candidate were to win in California by a mere 1 percent margin, they would already have 55 electoral votes towards a decisive majority of 270. Two states split electoral votes, but even with this policy, the issue of proportional representation still exists. If electoral votes were split according to the percentages of the vote each candidate received (as they would be if electoral votes were split in states), there would still be a discrepancy between a state’s population and its number of representatives, and voters in thinly populated states would still hold disproportionate power.

The winner-take-all system is part of why “swing states” are so crucial to electoral outcomes and why candidates routinely ignore states who usually vote strongly one way or another while on the campaign trail. If a candidate wins in any state that doesn’t split electoral votes, any percentage of the vote the losing candidate received will be effectively wasted. Therefore, most candidates decide that it isn’t worth the effort to campaign in a state where their opponent is strongly favored. However, even a slight victory in a swing state can warrant a major advance, and as such, candidates heavily campaign in swing states. However, if we were to abolish the Electoral College, candidates would be forced to win over voters all across the country, not just in six or seven “swing states”.

Another risk of the Electoral College is the possibility of electors voting for a candidate who did not win a majority in their state. Throughout history, there have been 157 of these “faithless electors,” and there’s little to no penalty for them voting as they wish and defying the will of the people of their state. This brings up a broader issue with the Electoral College. It concentrates too much power in the hands of a tiny group of people—people who have their own identities, biases, and political ideologies.

The elections of 2016, 2000, and others exemplify that the current system does not always result in a president chosen by the people. This in itself is an insult to democracy. Some may say that the current system doesn’t result in mismatches too much of the time, but even one four-year presidential term can wreak absolute havoc on a nation’s infrastructure. A president can cause damage that outlives them. In addition, the idea of switching from the Electoral College to a popular vote has popular support—61 percent (or about three-fifths, coincidentally) of Americans are in favor, according to a 2020 Gallup poll.

Continued on page 8

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OPINION

Abolish the Electoral College Continued from page 7 Implementation of a nationwide popular vote has never been easier to achieve. The best known legislation for accomplishing this is the National Popular Vote Compact, which 15 states, including New York and the District of Columbia, have already signed on to. These states have 196 electoral votes, 73 percent of the way to the electoral majority they need. If just a few more states enact this legislation, it will have real political weight and the remainder of the nation will be forced to reckon with the legitimacy and

relevance of the current electoral system. All throughout history, the Electoral College has ostensibly served little purpose except to disenfranchise certain populations and elevate others, tweaking the political balance to favor elites who lost popular support ages ago. The Electoral College is a vestige of an America we’re still struggling to leave behind, and must be dispensed with if we are to make strides toward true democracy.

Unpopular Opinion: Tacos Are Better Than Pizza

BY MANU BOSTEELS

A

ccording to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll, the most popular food chosen by Americans to eat for the rest of their lives is pizza, which garnered the support of 22 percent of Americans.

Clearly, 22 percent of Americans have never had a taco.

It’s difficult to quantify the ‘goodness’ of anything— food is particularly challenging to assess. However, there are some differences between these two foods that establish the taco as supreme.

The crucial difference is variety.

Yes, pizza has different toppings, different cheeses, different sauces, but what ultimately defines a pizza is the dough. A pizza will always be a doughy, bready concoction, regardless of what you put on top. Pizzas are defined by their dough; pizza without dough is not a pizza. However, tacos are defined by what you put in them. Yes, they are wrapped in a tortilla, but the most important part of a taco is what’s inside.

The very language used to describe a taco differentiates it from a pizza. You call it a “taco de cochinita pibil” (slow-roasted pork taco), not a “taco con cochinita pibil” (which would translate to taco with slow-roasted pork). The things you put on a pizza are toppings—layers of food added on to a (dough) base.

As a result, the difference between two kinds of pizza, say, a pepperoni pizza and a Margherita pizza, is noticeable, yes, but almost negligible. A pepperoni pizza has dough, tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. A Margherita pizza has dough, tomato sauce, cheese, more tomatoes, more cheese, and basil. Even new trendy changes, like pesto pizzas or white pizzas, add a measly singular difference that fails to balance out the similarities.

Yet, the difference between two kinds of tacos is enormous.

One type of fish taco has cod, sour cream, tomato salsa, cabbage, avocado, and Tapatio sauce, and is, of course, wrapped in a tor-

tilla. A taco al pastor has shawarma-style pork (this style of taco was invented by Lebanese immigrants in Mexico), pineapple, cilantro, lemon juice, and is wrapped in a tortilla.

The point is, the difference between two tacos can be much more apparent and varied than between two pizzas; this makes tacos a better food because you can eat a different kind of taco every day and not get bored. Tacos are not limited to a given set of flavors, but rather, any flavors can be combined and recreated within a taco. The same cannot be said about a pizza—you can only go so far with a pizza, but the possibilities are endless with the versatile taco.

Tacos are not only wonderfully adaptable and diverse, but they are also a food you can enjoy without worrying too much about adverse health effects.

According to healthline.com, one slice of Pizza Hut Pepperoni Lover’s Pizza contains 460 calories, 26 grams of fat, and 900 grams of sodium, or 38 percent of your recommended daily intake. Keep in mind that these are statistics for one slice. How often do you eat just one? On the other hand, a Chipotle steak taco (which, for starters, is not the healthiest option) has 228 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 376 grams of sodium, or just 16 percent of your recommended daily intake.

I recommend the series Taco Chronicles on Netflix, which does a fantastic job of describing the important role of tacos in Mexican life and the variety of tacos eaten. A word of caution: if you’re anything like me, the series will cause intense taco craving.

And if you still aren’t convinced, consider a re-read, you must have missed something. In all seriousness, tacos indisputably outshine pizza. And sushi. And hamburgers. And hot dogs.

But that’s a topic for another time, preferably after lunch (tacos, of course).

OPINION

9

Thoughts From A Fifteen-Year-Old On November 7

By FRANCES KLEMM

I

don’t remember Obama being elected—I was three in 2008, and seven in 2012 —but I do remember an America with Obama as President. I also remember having a theory that whoever my parents voted for automatically won. This theory was disproved by Donald J. Trump.

Everyone remembers November 4, 2016: everyone has a story to share about the moment they finally realized America’s fate. It was the first election when I was aware of what was going on. I didn’t know what made my parents hate Donald Trump so much, but I did know that all of my teachers were crying, my mother was crying, and that something was really wrong.

My generation has been raised in Trump’s America. We don’t know another President—we haven’t been around for one. During this time, we’ve watched him ban Trans people from the military, cage and neglect children in border camps, blame a global pandemic on China, watch 200,000 Americans die with no plan, and call fallen soldiers “losers.” During these four years, I have woken up and expected the worst from the President.

When I watched the presidential debates this year, it seemed like America was shocked by their behavior, and for a second, I was incredibly confused. As someone who grew up in Donald Trump’s America, this is the only way I knew a President to act.

Talking to my friends, they each echoed my view. Isn’t this what America expects from a President? Isn’t this how debates are supposed to go? Isn’t this how Rose Garden speeches are supposed to go? Isn’t this how oval office briefings are supposed to go?

For the rest of my life, this will always be my first example of a President. Today, November 7, I woke up and I learned that Biden was pronounced President-Elect. Yet after phone-banking for him, writing 50+ letters for him, and talking about this election for the last two years, I don’t feel like celebrating. Maybe it’s because of the emotional rollercoaster that I have been through or maybe it’s because Donald Trump has not yet conceded, but I can’t even imagine dancing out in the street right now like the people I’m seeing in the news. Yesterday, I watched a video of people celebrating after Obama’s win and I cried because everyone seemed so innocent.

Maybe some got to live in that imaginary world of a fair and equitable society for those eight years, but Trump slashed through any idea of that. Today, when people celebrate, I don’t want them to feel like they did after Obama—I don’t want them to feel content with a Democrat in office. I don’t want people to see this as the end—it is only the beginning.

I hope that for the kids who will see Joe Biden as their first President, they will see a President who is faithful, a President who listens to the people. I hope they will see a President who tries to represent every single American and vows to keep every

American safe. I hope that we will see Climate Action and the Green New Deal instituted, that there will be free healthcare access for every single American, that children separated from their families at the border can find their parents again, that the concentration camps at our border will be eliminated, that harsher restrictions on guns will keep kids in schools without the fear they will be gunned down, that American cities will take down Police Unions. I hope that they will see money getting poured into Native American reservations. But most of all I hope that America doesn’t give up—I hope that America does not become comfortable just because we have a Democratic President.

The reality is that this will be a very long hard fight, and as of right now, we have simply picked the lock to the first of many many doors. We cannot just build back: we have to build back better. Perhaps we had Trump as a President just so that we could realize just how corrupt our country really is. He shines a flashlight on every gash. Perhaps Trump’s presidency was there to inform us that having a Black President fixed very little, that Obama only placed bandaids on America’s wounds. Right now, hours after Joe Biden’s announcement as President-Elect, I can only hope that we learned something, anything.

In the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency, when he instituted the Travel Ban, there were protests in Washington that hundreds of thousands showed up for. I remember listening to an interview with an immigration activist—she was talking about how grateful she was that so many people showed up to protest.

The moment that stuck with me was when she said something along the lines of this: “There’s never been this amount of people protesting about immigration and I think people’s rage at Donald Trump has led them here, but I can only hope that when Trump is no longer President, people will keep showing up.” I don’t remember her word for word, but what she said stuck with me, and I’m reminded of it today.

I hope that Americans won’t stop fighting. I hope that they won’t forget about the issues they cared about so heartily in the Trump years. We have to keep in our minds that the Trump years happened, that Donald Trump was our President, and that we have to fight as hard as we can to get as far away from that as possible.

Thus, it’s not the fact that Biden is President-Elect that’s holding me back from celebrating today—it’s the realization that Trump was once our President. Joe Biden will be sworn in January 2021, yet he will still be governing in Donald Trump’s America. I’ll end with this Chris Rock tweet: “Oddly I don’t feel like celebrating. I feel like Tom Hanks towards the end of Cast Away. I’m really happy the ship came but I don’t want to party. I just want to take a shower, cut my hair, eat a shrimp, find Helen Hunt, deliver my last package, and figure out the rest of my life.”

10

OPINION

Misinformation on Social Media is a Pressing Problem

By MUKUND GAUR

S

hould social media companies moderate their content, and if so, how can they best limit the spread of misinformation?

On October 15, Twitter and Facebook limited the spread of a New York Post article, which claims that Hunter Biden introduced his father, Joe Biden, to an energy executive in Ukraine. Further, the article asserts that Joe Biden later pressed the Ukraine government to fire a prosecutor for investigating companies.

In response, Facebook decided to limit the spread of the article in question, but Twitter went further. Twitter prevented users from posting links to the New York Post article and pictures of the alleged emails that the New York Post provided (although these restrictions were lifted shortly after). These actions were in response to private information in the article, and the possibility that the emails provided may have been hacked. Twitter and Facebook’s actions, however, were met with anger from conservatives, who claimed that they were suppressing conservative voices. These accusations, accuracy of the New York Post article aside, brought up a problem which has been silently wreaking havoc: misinformation on social media.

Before looking at the spread of misinformation on social media, one must recognize that Twitter (and other social media giants) are not, as many have stated, a true public forum. In a public forum, a user can state whatever they want, however they choose to say it, and it cannot be censored. However, on Twitter, users must abide by the Terms of Service (ToS), and these terms clearly state: “We may also remove or refuse to distribute any Content on the Services, limit distribution or visibility of any Content on the service, suspend or terminate users, and reclaim usernames without liability to you.” As a result, Twitter reserves the right to control distribution of content on the platform, and therefore they are within their ToS to censor the New York Post article, or any other content.

Social media giants are often pulled in front of Congress for censorship and moderation of their websites. However, many lawmakers fail to realize that it is extremely difficult for social media companies to fight misinformation. Twitter, Facebook, and other social media companies have spent years developing extremely advanced algorithms with one purpose: to spread information as fast as possible. When misinformation is posted on social media, the algorithms begin to do their work, which is to spread content. The algorithms themselves can’t take down misinformation, and so when they spread information as they are built to do, they don’t discriminate between inaccurate and ac-

curate posts. When Twitter finds a tweet which has been flagged, they have to undo the work of their own algorithm that has been spreading the tweet, and by then, much of the damage has already been done.

Due to the nature of the problem, it is one of the most prevalent in our digital age, and as such, it is essential that companies take steps to stop people from using their products in a harmful manner. One of the key problems preventing progress on this issue is a lack of cooperation between the government and social media companies. The government doesn’t have access to key algorithms and data that social media networks have, and social media networks face partisan backlash from lawmakers when they try to increase moderation, or decrease moderation. The solution to this problem is simple: more cooperation between government officials and social media companies.

Others responsible for the compounding of misinformation are recommendation engines and user interfaces. For example, when a user logs into Twitter or Facebook, an algorithm decides what to show them which best matches their interests. However, this is problematic, because these algorithms have no ethics filter, and sometimes lead people astray. For instance, Twitter’s algorithms are known to link those viewing pseudoscience posts to political conspiracies such as QAnon, even when users haven’t shown interest in politics. When these algorithms are implemented, they must be done so with filters which prevent faulty guidance, and they need to take into account the authenticity of a post. This can be looked into with numerous factors, including the past history of a poster, or the keywords in a post. If a user has a history of spreading conspiracies, algorithms shouldn’t feed that information immediately to other users even if they show interest in conspiracies.

In conclusion, misinformation on social media is a serious problem. The problem has been made all the more difficult to solve with the creation of highly advanced algorithms tailored to spread information as fast as possible, and as these algorithms will only get faster and more advanced, social media companies need to change their algorithms to more strictly filter misinformation or create other algorithms capable of finding misinformation at the same rate that it is being spread. Overall, with cooperation between the government and social media companies, careful moderation of algorithms, and swift action against problematic posts, the problem of misinformation on social media can be solved.

OPINION

11

I Love Milk

By JINHO PARK

M

y mom used to say, “Jinho! Drink some milk! Don’t you want strong bones?” When I was a toddler, I would nod in agreement. At that age, I was educated by the leading health experts of the time, SuperWhy and Caillou, who told me that you couldn’t be healthy without some milk.

Once I got a bit older, I would argue with my mom about the health benefits of milk. Scientists online told me that there is no conclusive evidence that links bone health to milk intake. When I tried to explain this to my mom, she laughed, said that I was right, but poured me another glass.

After a few years, I began to drink milk habitually, and I started to like it too. I liked milk because of its versatility—milk can be cool or warm, refreshing or comforting, frothy or still. On a sultry afternoon, a cold glass of milk can alleviate the suffocating heat.

On a frigid morning, a frothy mug full of milk can lend warmth to the cold that seems entrenched in your hands. After eating a spicy pepper, milk can restore your sanity.

Milk complements everything: a pain au chocolat, a salad topped with vinaigrette, a comforting bowl of doenjang-jjigae.

Milk soothes as it warms you, refreshes as it cools you, pleases as it caresses you.

Fans of the other truly iconic beverage, water, would assert water’s superiority over milk. But instead of as rivals, I prefer to think of milk and water as an inseparable couple. As water refreshes us with its vapidity, milk comforts us with its intensity; as water enchants us with its clarity, milk seduces us with its versatility; as water sustains our lives, milk fulfills it.

The verbosity aside, milk reminds me of dear moments.

As a child, I was asthmatic and prone to illness. My mom, concerned that I would be weaker than other kids, cared for my health in every way that she could. She fed me a Korean diet of rice, vegetables, fruits, and proteins; never once did she feed me

a single ounce of processed food. She encouraged me to pick up sports, spend copious amounts of time outside, and read novels.

She made me sleep for long periods of time. When she was particularly worried about my health, she would feed me ginseng, a Korean medicinal root, hopeful that it would improve my health.

Her endearingly nonsensical insistence on my milk consumption, too, was an example of her fixation on my health.

In the past, I used to think her concern was paranoia, especially when considering my current health. My last asthma attack was in 2nd grade, and I haven’t carried an inhaler with me for over 7 years. When I play soccer, I run up and down the field with just as much enthusiasm as my friends. I rarely get sick, too.

I used to think that I was healthy in spite of my mom’s attention and care, but recently, I have begun to wonder whether I am healthy because of it. It’s a conjecture that can neither be proven nor disproven, but it has made me much more grateful for my robust health.

When I drink milk when I’m with my friends, they give me a questioning stare: despite its ubiquity, very few people have milk as their drink of choice. With the growing outcry against animal cruelty, people will likely become even more reluctant to consume milk. Perhaps in the near future, milk will become an antiquated beverage, a beverage only consumed by the quaint.

Regardless of whether milk is popular or not, I will continue to drink milk religiously. I will appreciate its versatility and treasure its creamy texture. I will remember that SuperWhy and Caillou, usually infallible in their moral and scientific instruction, misinformed me about the bone-strengthening qualities of milk. But most importantly, with each glass of milk, I will remember the fretting concern with which my mom worried for me, the fervent intensity with which she cared for me, and the adoring warmth with which she loved me.

Revisiting Roe v. Wade

By SIRAN “JAY” JIA

I

n 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in an 7-2 decision that a woman had a constitutional right to abortion, a right protected by the due process clause of the Constitution. This decision, Roe v. Wade, was a victory for pro-choice advocates, but it left pro-life advocates determined to fight back. For the pro-life movement, Roe v. Wade was not a permanent decision set in stone. Its reversal was possible, and worth fighting for.

Today, the overturning of Roe v. Wade is not just a distant possibility; it’s a very real option that a conservative Supreme Court could take. So how did we get here? What did Roe v. Wade do, how did it affect the right to abortion, and what would its possible overturning even mean for our community?

Back in 1969, Norma McCorvey, known pseudonymously as “Jane Roe”, attempted to get access to abortion services in the state of Texas, she found them denied to her, as abortion was ille-

gal unless the mother’s life was in danger (state laws varied at the time, abortion was for example legal in New York state since 1970, three years before Roe). With the help of lawyers Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee, McCorvey filed a lawsuit against her district attorney Henry Wade in federal court. This case was eventually appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled, in McCorvey’s favor, that laws could not restrict a woman’s right to abortion, at least in the first trimester (first three months) of pregnancy. In another decision in 1992 (Planned Parenthood v. Casey), the Supreme Court added that restrictions on abortion were allowed, as long as they didn’t place an undue burden (a burdern that is too severe or that is illegitimate) on the woman seeking abortion.

Roe v. Wade has been in effect for over 47 years now, but the Continued on page 12

12

OPINION

Revisiting Roe v. Wade Continued from page 11 nation still hasn’t come to a consensus on the decision. For a long time, pro-life movements have fought to get Roe v. Wade repealed, and now it appears that their efforts could be vindicated by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Before being confirmed to the highest court in the land in October of 2020, Barrett was part of an anti-abortion rights group, gave a lecture to her school’s pro-life club, and added her name to a statement critcizing Roe v. Wade’s “barbaric” legacy . In the past as a judge of the Seventh Circuit, she’s voted in favor of a law that required parental notification when a minor seeks abortion. Barrett did not state whether or not she’ll help overturn Roe during her confirmation hearing, but did signal that the decision could be revisited by the court. All of the evidence suggests that Justice Barrett’s vote could be the deciding vote that strikes down Roe v. Wade.

Should the Supreme Court decide upon an abortion case in the future, and should the conservative justices be united with the pro-life movement, Roe v. Wade would cease to be. But what would the Ithacan community without Roe look like? To find out, I contacted the Planned Parenthood of Greater New York regarding how recent developments in the Supreme Court could affect abortion rights in Ithaca and the rest of New York state. When asked whether or not Planned Parenthood would still be able to provide abortions in the future, the organization replied: “It’s important to note that in 2019, New York proactively

enshrined the protections of Roe v. Wade in state law with the passage of the Reproductive Health Act, making abortion care safe and legal in New York despite federal interference.”

The organization also stated that Planned Parenthood, including the Planned Parenthood Ithaca Health Center, would provide “safe, legal abortion care at health centers across the country — no matter the threats or attacks on access to care.” Their assurances aren’t naively optimistic: even if Roe v. Wade was overturned, New York’s state laws, specifically the Reproductive Health Act, means that abortion would still be a human right, at least within the confines of the state. However, this doesn’t mean that abortion won’t be criminalized in other states, and it doesn’t mean that the state laws can’t be overturned. Still, Ithacans and other New Yorkers should feel relatively secure in having the right to abortion; after all pro-lifers make up a minority in New York state, with only 34 percent of New Yorkers being pro-life, compared to 62 percent pro-choice, according to a Marist Poll. The proportion of pro-life to pro-choice is also extremely similar in the New York Assembly, the lower house of the state legislature, meaning that laws restricting abortion are unlikely to be passed anytime soon.

Justice Barrett’s appointment signals a turning point for this country no matter what happens to the right to abortion in this nation or this state. While Ithacans right now can feel secure in their right to get an abortion, we also shouldn’t get complacent.

If federal laws could change so radically, there’s nothing stopping state laws from following in the same direction.

Evergreens and Toilet Bowl Brushes: A Short History of Christmas Trees

BY MANU BOSTEELS

W

here did the tradition of chopping down an evergreen to decorate it with tinsel and lights originate?

The myth goes that Saint Boniface, an English missionary sent to Germany in 732 CE to convert the pagans to Christianity, came across a sacrifice taking place in front of an oak tree.

According to TIME and Encyclopedia Britannica, Boniface was so horrified by these blasphemous acts that he cut down the oak tree right in front of them, and the legend goes that a fir tree spontaneously grew there.

Regardless of the truth of this myth, Encyclopedia Britannica explains that the ritual started in what is now Germany during the Middle Ages. On December 24th, evergreen trees were displayed and decorated with fruits in celebration of the feast day of Adam and Eve—originally called ‘paradise trees,’ these evergreens were meant to represent the Garden of Eden. It is said that Martin Luther, figurehead of the Protestant Reformation, was the first to decorate a tree with lights. The first evergreen market popped up in the 17th century in Alsace, where they were sold as Weihnachtsbaum (German for pine tree—try saying that ten times fast!) Judith Flanders writes in her book Christmas: A Biography of a tree in Strasbourg which was decorated with sweets, roses, and apples in 1605, the first recorded instance of an evergreen tree kept inside and decorated.

It was then German-born Prince Albert and his wife Queen Victoria who familiarized the British with the idea, and in 1848, “an illustration of the royal family around a decorated tree appeared in a London newspaper.”

Interestingly, Encyclopedia Britannica also reports that the tradition was not accepted by the masses in the United States when German settlers first introduced it. In fact, Christmas as a holiday was rejected by some Puritan communities because of its relation to paganism. Christmas didn’t gain traction in the US until the early 19th century, and the first trees appeared in the 1830s.

Because of the obvious environmental impacts of the tradition, changes were made to the original concept. It was in Germany first that, as Amy Tikkanen writes, alternatives to evergreen trees were explored. Some trees were constructed out of goose feathers, and in the 1930s, a manufacturer of toilet bowl brushes is said to have constructed a tree out of surplus material. The idea caught on, and today, plastic trees or otherwise artificial decorations are used more often than real trees; 82 percent of trees in 2018 were artificial, TIME reports.

The Christmas tree has come a long way—from evergreens to toilet brushes to the modern plastic conifers we decorate today— and in that time, it has established itself as the ultimate symbol of the Christian holiday season.

FEATURES

13

A Conversation With SAINT KID

By JINHO PARK

IMAGE PROVIDED

K

ii Kinsella ‘22, better known as SAINT KID, is a talented singer, songwriter, producer, and musician who has recently enjoyed success for his singles such as Hold Me Down, Problems, and Every Night. As someone who occasionally listens to Saint Kid’s music, I was curious to learn more about his musical journey. We scheduled a time to talk, and the following exchanges are some of the best moments of our conversation.

Jinho Park ‘22: Tell me a bit about yourself.

SAINT KID: I was born and raised in Ithaca. Both my parents make music.

Right after I was born, my mom had a tour in Japan, so I was backstage with a guitar case. I feel like it’s impossible to separate me from music, it’s something I

SAINT KID, pictured above live and breathe.

sic?

JP: When we think about Saint Kid, we think about Saint Kid, the musician. But do you have any other interests? What else do you do?

SK: In full transparency, I don’t balance it all. It’s a constant struggle—keeping all of my commitments is hard. So I think about what my priorities are. I’m not thinking about college right now, and the second I graduate, I want to go and make music full time. But it is a constant struggle of what really benefits me. Music and school are like two different lifestyles.

When I was doing shows it was even more difficult to balance the two. I put on a show at the Haunt, October 18 last year, and when I organized that with Anthony Kannon, and I was selling tickets in the bathrooms. It was fun, but there was definitely a lot of time management involved.

SK: I’m really into fashion. I’m really into the idea of modeling, and how styles have changed through time is fascinating. But since school and music take so much time, I don’t find myself doing other things very often. It’s like the school day ends, and I’m already putting guitar down on a track and when I’m not working on making music, I’m responding to emails or getting features for other artists done. I’m really busy between music and school, so I don’t have time for much else.

JP: How do you balance school and mu-

Continued on page 14

14 A Conversation With SAINT KID Continued from page 13 JP: Do you see yourself as someone who likes to experiment, like to switch things up?

SK: One thing that I will always avoid is getting put in a box. I feel like someone’s going to expect something of me, and I’m gonna do the exact opposite. I do really like to branch out, do different things.

I want to make a little of everything. I would rather be talked about as a rockstar, than a specific genre of artist, effortlessly switching between those lanes. I’ve got a ton of music coming out soon, and I’m excited because it’s all different.

JP: How do you want people to enjoy your music?

SK: Obviously, I want to make music that people can relate to, or music that helps people through whatever they’re feeling, but I make music as a way I can vent, or get things out. My entire life I’ve made music to cope, so I’m just grateful that there are people out there that like it. I always want to be dynamic—I want to be dropping different music all the time.

JP: Where do you get inspiration from your music? Is it from real life?

SK: I definitely draw inspiration for all of my music from events that happened in my life, between my experience growing up or aspirations. I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from romantic aspects of my life. I talk about romance—heartbreak or falling in love. That’s something that’s in a lot of my songs. A lot of them are about my struggles with relationships or commitment—but that’s just where I’m at. I try and tell a story, and so it’s interesting listening back and thinking: this was the start, this was the middle, this was when it started to get bad. It’s like a story, you know—that storytelling is what music is all about.

JP: Describe your process of making and writing music.

SK: I write all of my own stuff, and I produce most of it too. My Voice Memos have a ton of ideas on it, like hundreds of guitar chords or melodies. Most of me making music is me going up to the studio, and saying what’s on my mind, and whatever I’m thinking about that night

FEATURES is what comes out. I like prewriting, and I used to prewrite a lot—up until Every Night, everything was prewritten. But now I find it hard to sing about a feeling that I don’t have anymore—I had it a few days ago, but I don’t feel it now, you know? So now, I just pull up to the studio, and I have long sessions, where I just put down melodies and lyrics. I’ll take the best parts and put a song together. Sometimes I’m working on a song and nothing comes, and I move on.

JP: Who else is in the studio working with you?

SK: I’m so grateful for the community in the studio around me. My engineer, David Brown, he records all my stuff—he’s the first one that hears anything that comes out of my mouth. He’s honest. If something isn’t as good as it can be, he’ll tell me. It’s great to have people around you who can be honest. But in the studio, I like to keep it a small group—there’s usually not more than 4 people around.

JP: What does an average day look like for you?

SK: An average school day… I wake up around 8:30. I shower, and then I join my first class. The second school’s over, I’m making music until 9, and then I do some homework until 12. Then I wake up and do it all over again.

JP: Who are your favorite artists right now?

SK: Post Malone, Dominic Fike, Brent Faiyaz, The Weeknd.

JP: Describe the Ithaca music community.

SK: I think the Ithaca music community is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

The community is full of talent. It has a lot of opportunities. If the right person finds this area and the talent here, it’s over, you know? I truly believe we have a ton of talented artists in the community. The coolest thing is the unity. We all support each other, we all work with each other, we hype each other you know. We’re all connected in some way, through features, shoots, or sessions. There’s a really strong sense of unity.

JP: I noticed that you’ve been dropping singles instead of longer projects (EPs,

albums). What’s the reasoning behind that?

SK: I think it comes down to the fact that I’m changing so rapidly that by the time I had a project together, my sound would have changed. I have enough music to release five albums, but I don’t want to be put into a box or defined by my first album. I want to release singles because they give little glimpses as to who I am.

Eventually, of course I’ll drop an album, but I’m sticking to singles right now.

There’s also the whole issue of attention spans: nobody has got the time nowadays to sit through a whole album. Especially with TikTok and how social media is influencing music, singles are definitely the way to go in terms of marketing.

JP: As a highschool musician, there’s definitely a lot of stigma associated with that. How do you deal with the criticism?

SK: I’m aware of the stigmas, but I don’t let the talk bother me, from either end.

There could be people hyping me up or people saying I’m trash, but I just do what I need to do. If I start listening to the critics, then I’m not going to feel as confident. If I listen to the people who always say I’m great, I’m not going to work as hard and I’m going to get comfortable.

I can always get better at what I do.

JP: What is performing on stage like?

SK: For me, it’s the best feeling I’ve ever had. Being on top of stage, people singing your lyrics, being able to show people what you got, your art. It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had. What goes into it makes it special too, running my set twice a day, making sure my mindset is right before the day of.

JP: Where do you want to go when you’re older?

SK: I wanna go to L.A. I know people there, but also that’s where the industry is. It’s the energy I’ve always wanted and appreciated. It’s like everybody’s going somewhere, and they’ve got somewhere to be. And I’ve got somewhere to be too. I like the pace of bigger cities. Just being in a big city and making music—that’s what I want.

Make sure to check out SAINT KID’s new single, “Location”. Out now on all platforms!

ARTS

15

Emily in Paris: Très Cliché, Très Charmant

By MAYA BLANCHARD

I

t seems like every time I go on Netflix these days, they’ve come out with a new obscure, eight-episode original TV show.

It’s always a risk to watch these shows; will they be a hidden masterpiece or a waste of time? Will they hook you in and then inexplicably get cancelled after one season? Sometimes you strike gold with shows like Stranger Things, Queen’s Gambit, and Orange Is The New Black. But sometimes… you end up with Emily In Paris.

Upon reading the description of this show, Emily In Paris sounds like it follows the plot of every Hallmark movie ever. Emily Cooper, a young upstart marketing executive from Chicago, moves to Paris to provide an “American perspective” at a new branch of her firm. From this description, you can imagine the shenanigans, romance, and life lessons that ensue throughout the course of the season. You might recognize Lily Collins, the actress who plays Emily, as Snow White from that 2012 movie Mirror, Mirror (also, notably, she is Phil Collins’s daughter). Everyone else in the cast is relatively obscure, but the casting director definitely considered attractiveness when filling the parts. Lucas Bravo, the actor who plays Emily’s main love interest Gabriel, is going to get some major heartthrob recognition from this role.

He isn’t the only featured view; as the show was filmed on-location in Paris, there are some truly stunning shots, and the overall cinematography is commendable. Landlocked Americans can live vicariously through this girl from Chicago who gets to lead a life everyone dreams about: treating a foreign country as their personal playground.

Emily is a perfect example of what we all secretly wish to be: the Main Character. Even though she is a foreigner in a city where she doesn’t speak the language, everything always seems to go her way. The Parisians that she meets throughout the show are portrayed as staunch and rude, until she eventually wears them down with her “American charm”. There are several episodes where the plot follows this basic pattern: (1) Emily is excited about a new client.

(2) Her boss tells her not to mess it up.

(3) Emily says something quirky and American that makes the client storm off because they are rude and French.

(4) Emily stalks the client all over Paris until she can corner them at the ballet or a fancy restaurant and give her motivational speech about how America is full of small-town dreamers who never give up.

(7) The client decides to let her firm represent them, the company profits, and all the silly French people realize that Emily the American was right all along.

This sequence of events bothers me because it perpetuates an idealistic view of American superiority, implying that we are the best country and everywhere else has to learn to be more like us.

Of course, the show wouldn’t be complete without some love-triangle action thrown in. There is obvious chemistry be-

tween Emily and her neighbor Gabriel in the first few episodes, so the writers stoke the flames by introducing Gabriel’s gorgeous longtime girlfriend Camille, who happens to be the extremely nice and helpful girl that Emily met on the streets of Paris an episode earlier. Camille is so painfully oblivious of the tension between Emily and Gabriel that she keeps pushing them together in a misguided attempt to kindle a friendship. She has endless trust in both of them, which is how they get away with kissing each other passionately not once, not twice, but three times. Gabriel doesn’t do anything to discourage her either—in fact, he was actively pursuing Emily from the get-go despite his relationship status. Emily tried to take the high road and cut off interaction with him, but as soon as he and Camille called it quits in the last episode, they didn’t even wait a day before jumping into bed.

It is worth mentioning that literally every man Emily interacts with falls in love with her, but she only wants the one she can’t have. This is a common trope in TV because it keeps the audience hooked; no one is interested in a stable, uncomplicated romance.

We viewers end up hating ourselves because we too wish that good, sweet Camille would go away and let the sexual tension be alleviated. Even worse is that neither Emily or Gabriel seemed to think they were doing anything wrong by treating Camille like disposable furniture.

As we’ve seen with Camille, every other character in the show besides Emily purely exists to drive the plot. She has two male friends who provide comic relief by following her around the office making snide remarks and dirty jokes. Her best friend is a woman from China who speaks perfect, unaccented English and only exists to give relationship advice and complain about her rich dad to make Emily seem quirky in comparison. At this point, you’ve probably guessed that Emily’s boss is a sexy, older woman with a permanent scowl that hates everything she does because it’s too “American”, but occasionally falls victim to that irresistible Emily charm. When you can switch out one side character for another and still have the dialogue make sense, all hope for variety goes out the window. If the show had a complex main character, this sloppiness could be redeemable, but Emily’s only defining personality trait is that she can’t speak French.

Now that I’ve gone through all the reasons Emily In Paris is subpar, I have to admit something; I enjoyed watching this show. I like the larger-than-life archetypal characters, the artisan French cafes, and the cobblestone streets. The fashion choices are bold and intriguing, and I even laughed out loud at some of the jokes. Yes, it has its obvious flaws, but isn’t a little cheesiness desirable sometimes? I think I speak for the majority when I say we are craving a break from the real world right now, and gritty, artistic shows like Grand Army or Black Mirror hit a little too close to home. Emily in Paris is the perfect mix of vibrance, silliness, romance, and heartwarming success that will provide you with some extra serotonin during these stressful times, and I recommend giving it a try—if not just to have something trivial to make fun of.

Meet Your Student Government Officers for the 2020-2021 School Year

By DOROTHY HAMILTON

One the biggest issues that the administration tries to address each year is its level of communication with the student body. Studentelected officers can help bridge the gap. While each candidate provides a campaign statement before elections each year, it’s always beneficial to learn more about their goals and plans for the school year. I sent out an email to each class officer, representative to the Board of Education, and Student Council officer, asking them two questions: What are your biggest goals this year for IHS as a student government officer or representative? and How do you think COVID has changed the role of student government and representatives at IHS, and how are you adapting to this change?

The following responses provide a brief overview of what you can expect this year from the classmates you elected this fall. *responses have been briefly edited for length/ clarity*

Manny Deol

President of the class of ‘21 “Hi, my name is Manny Deol, and I am happy to be your senior class president this year! I am excited to work with my fellow officers to give seniors the best year possible. COVID-19 has caused us to move to a virtual platform for most activities, events, and fundraisers, but it serves as a reminder of how much more important our unity is in these times. We will still have frequent class activities, like game nights and class meetings, so seniors feel that their voice is being heard and they are getting the final year of high school they desired, despite these unforeseen circumstances. The other officers and I are doing our best to ensure iconic senior events, like Casino Night and Prom, are being prepared for in the event that they can take place. This year, I am striving for class unity and fun in general, and am excited to see what the rest of this year has to hold! Seniors can count on their officers!”

Saba Weatherspoon Vice-president of the class of ‘21

“As Senior Class Vice President, one of my biggest goals this year is to make IHS a more inclusive community for everyone. The monthly newsletter we are planning to have about students’ experiences with racism for instance will shed light on some of the things happening at IHS. I believe this is one step in the right direction. Another one of my goals is to have fun (and safe) class events, such as drive-in movies and a virtual casino night.

COVID has definitely changed the role of student government to be even more crucial than ever. So many things are up in the air and it’s pretty difficult to keep up with all the updates. Because of this, there is more of a need for student officers like myself to be a bridge between administration and students so that everyone is in the know. I’ve been adapting to this change by using the Senior Class Instagram page more, something that a lot of seniors have access to, to give updates about things like fundraisers and senior portraits. I think this is something that’s very helpful, especially since our emails are already bombarded with information on a daily basis. We also have a Canvas page, which is something different from past years, but is great for keeping the information we send out organized. COVID has also pushed us as a student government to become ten times more creative. We cannot just have a simple bake sale or something of the sort as a fundraiser, so we have to think of alternatives that both virtual and in-person students would be able to take part in. For instance, instead of selling chocolate bars in school like student groups have done in the past, we are planning a Gertrude Hawk Chocolate sale that involves virtual ordering and delivery in February and March. Class activities are also challenging to plan, but I’m very lucky to be working with a set of great class officers and advisors and I know that together we will still make the most of this year for all seniors. We’ll keep you posted on other activities we have coming up!”

Gigi Weislogel

Secretary of the class of ’22 “In the past couple of years, I’ve noticed the lack of communication between elected class officers and the other students. That’s what really made me want to run this year, to improve the communication so that every student in the class of 2022 knows what their class officers are planning for them. This year we are achieving this through our class Instagram page, emails, and through Town Hall meetings, where we can directly ask students what they would like to see happen this year, and poll them on their interest level in certain events.

Another goal that I made for this year is to successfully fundraise. Another pattern that I saw in past years is the lack of fundraising. The junior class enters this year with little to nothing in our class account, and that needs to

change if we want to plan and execute events that cost money. This year we have been planning quite a few fundraisers including the Chipotle fundraiser, and a snow shoveling fundraiser.

I think that because COVID-19 has taken away so much of the high school experience and social life, it is up to the class officers and representatives to think of ways to bring people together, whether it is socially distanced or virtual. I think now, more than ever, it is important to plan class events that a wide range of people would want to come to. So far, I think we have been successful in doing this, but we still have a lot of people to reach. Because COVID-19 can be so isolating, I think it is important to try and include every student in the class of 2022 in events so that they feel seen, and so they can have fun!”

Alice Burke

Secretary of the class of ‘23 “Hey, IHS! My name is Alice Burke and I’m the Sophomore Class Secretary. This year, it is especially important that, as officers, we promote class unity and try to help students create meaningful connections with each other despite the barriers that everyone faces due to COVID-19. This involves utilizing virtual ways of interacting with students, and means we have to plan more events through Google Meet or Zoom. Although there is a steep learning curve that comes along with this new way of hosting events, the Sophomore Class has already hosted a successful Virtual Game Night, and I’m sure that we will have even more success in our virtual events in the future!

Another of my major goals this year is to make sure my class is well-informed at all times. Communication is vital for the success of our school, and it is something

I specifically want to focus on as the Sophomore Class Secretary this year. Also, I want to help my class create a space that is inclusive and equitable to all, and I will prioritize this value when voting on and planning for any events. I believe in the success in all of my classmates, and I want to advocate for everyone―and this means facing the inequality that is still present at IHS. I am not claiming that this will solve discrimination at our high school, but I will firmly stand against any unfairness that may stem from the Sophomore Student Officers.

In short, I am extremely thankful to have been elected as the 2023 Class Secretary and given the chance to create a better school year for my classmates. I look forward to the rest of the year and what it may hold for us all!”

Lelia Shaffer

Secretary of the class of ‘24 “I’m Lelia Shaffer, and I am the secretary for the Freshman Class. As secretary, my biggest goals are to maintain a positive and uplifting attitude, effectively communicate with my peers, and unify the whole school, despite some students being virtual and some being online. Since I haven’t gone to the high school before this year, I’m not sure exactly how student government would be like in normal circumstances, however, I definitely know it has changed with COVID.

It is difficult to connect and communicate with people primarily over emails and Google Meets, and it is even more challenging when some people are entirely virtual, and there are two different in-person cohorts. I’m adapting to these changes by learning about the many online tools available to us, thinking about how we can create a new normal for student leadership, and most importantly, collaborating with my peers and staying positive during these COVID times.”

18

Alexander Yoo

Representative to the BoE “The most overarching goal for me this year as an IHS representative to the board is to establish a more systematic and replicable standard. Over the past few years, this position has been wildly variable, more so than other student government positions, in my opinion.

I think establishing such a basis would extend the work we’ve done beyond the threshold of a few years.

Some of my more immediate goals are to figure out the best way to get student input (we recently tried surveys, Instagram, and Canvas, thinking about trying an anonymous note box) and to address some of the more common problems like improving the classroom/ learning situation on both ends.

I think COVID, in a way, has actually helped this position improve. It’s been easier to match schedules and meet online versus in-person, which has made planning and taking action a lot easier. The representatives are a group, all equals, and you get a lot from that, whether it be input, ideas, or providing different strengths, something you can’t harness as well if you don’t get the opportunity to talk things through as much. Not only that, this year being unique as it is, there are a whole new crop of problems that students want addressed, giving us more relevance to the Board and building admin, who want to know about anything that they might be missing during the numerous transitions.”

Emma Zanen

Representative to the BoE “We want students to feel comfortable reaching out to us if they have a concern, a question or really anything else. We are representing the Ithaca High School student body and we take that role quite seriously.

Before every board meeting, we meet separately to plan out our presentation. We have conversations about what is relevant and important for the board to know.

We recently sent out our first surveys about student experience in Online vs. in-Person Learning. When we send out surveys like these to the student body, we use the results from those surveys to present to the board.

We also send them to the admin team so they can better understand student experiences. We take detailed notes during board meetings so students don’t have to go to a two hour board meeting to know what is going on (they are linked in our instagram bio, @ihsrepstoboard). After we present, the board is open to ask questions and respond before the meeting continues. So far board meetings have talked about the capital project, healthcare switches, sports updates, racism in the district and a couple other topics, but our main focus is teaching during COVID. We hear teachers in different schools and grade levels share about their experiences, their teaching strategies and what is working for them or not. The meetings are long but extremely informative.

I would say our biggest goal, in general, is to act as a bridge between the student body and the Board of Education. The BoE wants to hear from students about their daily experiences and this has become even more crucial during COVID. We, as student reps, recognize how challenging this school year can be for many students and teachers alike. We want to get student feedback, communicate students’ experiences to the

board and provide possible solutions. We have recently started having meetings with the administration team to hear from them and have a more direct impact on what school at IHS looks like. It is our biggest goal, during COVID, to provide the administration and the BoE with student feedback to guide decisions that will make education better for students and teachers alike.

COVID has definitely changed our roles as student representatives. It feels as though our role is almost more important now than ever before. Things are changing on a weekly basis as educators figure out better ways to teach and the admin team is finding better ways to organize schedules and keep everyone safe. There is just a lot going on right now and student input is so crucial in making these changes more productive and meaningful. Education as we know it has been perfected through centuries of practice, trial and error and now suddenly, we are thrown into unprecedented circumstances. We are learning how to adapt as a school and the only way we can do that effectively is acknowledge every piece of the puzzle.

We represent the student piece. In order for us to make innovative changes that accommodate people’s needs, we need to know what people are struggling with, what they wish they had, what is working for them or what isn’t, etc,. We are adapting to these changes due to COVID by trying to give students opportunities to reach out to us or provide their feedback (by answering surveys). We are looking into alternative ways of reaching out to students through different platforms. We aim to make the information we have accessible while encouraging students to ask us questions through our instagram or through email.”

19

Willow Lewis

Student Council Vice-president, ‘21 “I think that this year, a lot more than previous ones, student government and officer positions will need to be oriented towards communication with peers and building class communities. Already there have been a lot of confusing decisions and unclear changes that leave IHS students frustrated with the amount of information they’re receiving and the means by which they are receiving it. Of course, the administration is doing its best to keep everyone updated despite how fast everything is changing, but I think that student government officers can connect with students in a way that administrators can’t. It’s not only important for us to keep students at IHS informed, but to use our roles to express the concerns of students back to administration, keeping an

open line of communication between the two groups.

On top of that, I think that fostering a sense of class and school community is going to be a difficult but important task to accomplish this year. With almost everything virtual, it’s easy to feel disconnected from your classmates. Sitting in front of a screen just isn’t the same as sitting in class with friends. Officers need to find innovative and new ways to connect students, whether that be through simple game nights or through social justice. I really hope that as officers, we are able to keep students engaged in the school communities they are already a part of, as well as helping create new, virtually oriented communities of students.”

Yann Sylvester

Student Council Treasurer, ‘21 “My biggest goal for the student council is to have student council representatives elected and to hold a meeting where we can discuss fundraisers, school activities, and facilitate communication between the school and the student body.

COVID has certainly shifted the role of student

government and representatives at IHS. So much of what we normally do has been put on hold. Projects that we had discussed last year such as large event based fundraisers now seem unsafe to execute in their original format. Adapting to public health and safety protocol will be crucial for the student council to successfully function moving forward.”

Jade Gordon

Student Council Secretary, ‘21 “My biggest goals this year are improving communication and resources for all students. I think that by connecting the administration to the student body, we can make every voice heard and help students make it through these unprecedented times. If students have an outlet for their questions and concerns, we can pinpoint prominent problems and fix them efficiently.

Because of COVID, meetings and outreach is much

harder, as well as the distribution of resources. Especially during these times, I think it is essential that students have access to what they need to excel, whether that be food, textbooks, or other school supplies. Now that we can’t easily distribute these types of things in school, I hope to do some book/supply drives to benefit the community, as well as online forums for people to voice their opinions on what they need.”

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ARTS

SAINT KID Music Review

By JINHO PARK

SAINT KID, pictured above

K

nown for being a musician in a school full of students, SAINT KID is not afraid to be different—he is not afraid to act like a professional musician, even though he is still in high school.

He performs at local venues, releases singles frequently, and posts his song lyrics on Genius. As I listened to his music, it was immediately evident that SAINT KID is not your average highschool rapper— even from a quick listen, it is obvious that his melodies, lyrics, and production are far above what we expect from most highschool musicians.

His vocal delivery sounds focused and deliberate. His ability to sing accurate pitches immediately places him above the crowd of Autotune artists that have unfortunately become popular over the past few years. He is also capable of conveying different feelings: his songs capture feelings such as delight, desperation, and despon-

dency.

Intriguingly, much of SAINT KID’s music is thematically romantic. His most popular tracks, “Hold Me Down”, “Problems”, and “Calling”, all focus on distinct aspects of the romantic experience. On the track, “Hold Me Down”, SAINT KID sings about his emotional reliance upon a partner, as he asks her to hold him down. On “Problems”, SAINT KID sings about his inability to trust his partner due to their struggling communication. “Calling”, too, is about trust and commitment issues: “Why she never call me // she say that she love me // why can’t she be honest,” Many of these romantic themes are repeated. Specifically, ideas about attachment, trust, commitment, and self-worth in a romantic context are explored thoroughly from SAINT KID’s perspective.

His emotions come through as raw, powerful, and unadulterated. If you follow his

songs chronologically, his discography feels like a diary, like a collection of specific moments in his life where his emotions overpower his soul and fill him with the desire to sing how he feels.

However, although his romantic lyrics do feel heartfelt—SAINT KID’s performances certainly convince the listener of the sincerity of his emotions—they lack complexity. His lyricism frequently resorts to the usage of romantic clichés.

“Sale”, one of his most heartfelt songs, is an example of such lyrical naivete. Instead of exploring his emotions with original lyrics, he chooses to rely on clichés as a crutch: “Life goes on repeat,”, “I’ll treat you so much better baby,”, “I think you can fix me,” His production (SAINT KID produces most of his own music) can be questionable, too. Some of his earlier works would definitely benefit from a greater focus on SAINT KID’s voice rather than obtrusive instrumental backing tracks. His past few singles, however, have been much more intelligently produced—and they sound much better for it.

SAINT KID is clearly a talented musician, and his ability to write, perform, and produce his own music will certainly separate him from the majority of modern singers, who are limited to simply performing. He is versatile and skilled at coming up with good melodies. He is also clearly improving—SAINT KID’s recent singles sound levels above the music he made a year or two ago.

Some of his songs, “Hold Me Down”, “Calling”, and “Location” specifically, are genuine hits. They sound good enough to be playing on a radio station—and catchy enough to blow up on TikTok. If you haven’t listened to SAINT KID’s music before, I recommend that you give it a chance—it is definitely worth a few minutes of your time.

ARTS

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The Odyssey Bookstore: Paradise for the Mind

By LOUISA MILLER-OUT

O

ne gloomy Sunday afternoon, I crossed the street from Press Bay Alley, turning the collar of my wool coat up against the wind. A beautifully decorated chalkboard had attracted me to a small bookstore in a semi-basement, tucked beneath a robin’s-egg-blue awning. As I stepped inside, grateful for the shelter and warmth, I was greeted by glowing bookshelves, more exquisite chalk art, and the obligatory sanitization station.

Ambient light streamed through the ground-level windows, but the chatter and bustle of pedestrians faded away when I walked in the door. It felt as if I’d stumbled upon a perfect little corner of the world, untouched by the neverending stress of everyday life.

In that moment, I was sure I could have stayed for hours or days, blissfully buried in the stacks.

Located at 115 West Green Street, the Odyssey bookstore was opened in June of this year by Laura Larson, who seeks to unite the Ithaca community by creating a space where people can share their unique interests, voices, and opinions. She’s also a lifelong bibliophile and wants to help others find their next favorite book.

To this end, the store boasts an impressive selection of reading material, ranging from romance to self-help, the latest medical research to political theory, fantasy to social science to classic plays and beyond. This variety furthers their mission to create as inclusive and diverse a space as possible, with something for readers of every background.

Immediately on my right as I walked in was the fantasy and sci-fi section, which was figuratively calling my name. First, I picked up a copy of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, a classic that I’d been wanting to read from an author I liked. Then I found a graphic memoir by one of the funniest and most candid authors I’ve ever read, Allie Brosh. I loved her Hyperbole and a Half, so I had a feeling I’d love Solutions and Other Problems as well (I was right). As I was leaving the section, a glint of copper in my peripheral vision pulled me back to the shelves. I had spotted a book whose cover bore a striking similarity to that of Circe by Madeline Miller, a beautiful retelling of Greek mythology. The title embossed on the matte black cover was familiar too: Piranesi.

This Susanna Clarke novel was seemingly named after Giovanni Battista Piranesi, an Italian Classical artist whose work I fell in love with at first sight and have been intrigued by ever since. He was an archaeologist and architect who created spectacularly detailed etchings of both Rome and imaginary carceri, or prisons.

His immaculate use of chiaroscuro (light and shadow) rendered his artwork absolutely breathtaking, populated by intricate citadels, creeping vines, and towering ruins in eerie light. After reading the book’s synopsis and noting the mentions of a labyrinthine

house, scenes of ethereal beauty, and a perfect ending, I felt compelled to take this one home as well, and I absolutely couldn’t put it down.

I stopped into the nonfiction section as well, and immediately located the shelves devoted to science. Within seconds, I had chosen yet another classic by a favorite author, The Selfish Gene.

I was thrilled to add another Richard Dawkins book to my collection as the witty evolutionary biologist’s work never fails to delight me and expand my mind. After that, I had to exercise some self-restraint lest I go bankrupt buying every book in the store.

As I checked out, I ruminated on the fact that in less than twenty minutes, I’d found four books that I couldn’t wait to read, three by authors I knew and loved, and a new one that I ended up adoring. Besides, the atmosphere was incredibly inviting, a haven for every type of reader. If not for the plague and time constraints, I would gladly have sat in the cozy annex for hours, devouring page after page. To anyone for whom reading sparks joy, and even to anyone who has never understood why some people love books so much, I implore you to check out the Odyssey bookstore. They truly do have something for everyone, and the vibes are immaculate.

22

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ARTS

Party Favors by Sir Chloe: A Review

By SILVER VINCENT-FARIS

I

ndie rock band Sir Chloe has become something of an internet phenomenon over the past year. Their first song, Animal, debuted on February 28, 2019, and blew up on various platforms. The most prominent platform was TikTok, which has helped many indie artists launch a career. When their song Michelle gained traction for POV (or point of view, a technique used to tell a story in a short video) on the app during the summer, I and many others knew it would only be a matter of time before they released an EP or album. This came on October 23, in the form of an EP titled Party Favors. It’s short, only nine songs, but evokes deep emotion.

tiful and heartfelt, and good for falling asleep to.

Squaring Up The album starts out strong in this first song, which is about rejecting unwanted advances from a stranger. I particularly like this song because of its strong beat and funky guitar line, and I think it’s an excellent song to hype you up for whatever life throws at you.

Wrath Wrath is my personal favorite song from the album and vocalist Dana Foote’s favorite song to perform, she says in an interview with Unpublished Zine. It sounds vulnerable, expressing that it’s harmful to bottle up emotions. Wrath has extremely cool instrumentation, with only guitar at the beginning and instruments building up to a really strong chorus at the end. It’s good for guitar players.

July July is a bit of a sad song. Even though it’s upbeat, it sounds nostalgic, with a touch of yearning for the past. Vocalist Dana Foote sings about having to say goodbye to a relationship, and says about the song “I enjoy the philosophy of turning pain into strength and a positive, proactive call to action,” in an article by Sacks & Co. It’s good for crying about your past.

Animal Animal is about unrequited love from the other person’s point of view, and the pressure to be in a relationship even if you don’t want it. The chorus suggests that they are instinctual and perhaps harsh with the line “Make me behave like an animal.” This is one of the most vocally powerful songs on the album, because it unleashes a rage about societal norms in such a beautiful way.

It’s superb for screaming at the top of your lungs when you’re home alone.

Untie You A slower song, Untie You has incredibly cool guitar, and talks about the fear of losing someone. I think this song is really beau-

Easy on You Easy on You is one of the slower songs on the album, talking about having shown someone mercy. It’s inferred that the subject could be a parent in the line “Please stop knocking at my door/You’re so loud, you’re always yelling at me.” The chorus says “Coming for blood this time,” suggesting that they are tired of having to deal with this and finally going to take their rage out on something. This song is perfect for your teen angst breakdown.

Too Close This song is similar to Animal in that it sounds empowering, the speaker being fed up with the lies of the person they sing to. It’s another incredibly powerful song, with strong vocals and a cool guitar line, perfect for learning your self-worth.

Sedona Sedona sounds like it could be about lost love, an addiction that you keep going back to. The titular town, Sedona, is a small town in Arizona, and I think it could be referenced as a temporary getaway from the world (and the addiction). I don’t love this song, to be honest, but it’s great for doing homework.

Michelle This is definitely my second favorite song, another slower one.

This is the friends-to-lovers slow burn everyone needs, with the subject (Michelle) being painted as cruel and a “monster from hell” for being so impossibly beautiful and out of reach. This song is perfect for yearning.

LITERARY

25

Missing Me

By Louisa Miller-Out We’ve spent hours upon hours clearing out the attic, and if I see another dusty old table or broken snow globe I think I’m gonna explode. I never wanted to do this in the first place. I should have known it was a trap when my parents asked me if I wanted to; that was never a question, but an order. This has got to be the most boring room in the entire house, hence cleaning it is the most tedious task imaginable. Thankfully, we’re almost done.

“I’m gonna make one last trip to the car, and then we can head out to get some lunch,” my mom calls as she heads down the stairs with an armful of hideous porcelain cherubs. Their heavily-lashed eyes stare back at me as I watch her descend. I dust my hands on my jeans (it is so infernally dusty here), and take a final look at our handiwork. The room is almost bare, save for a few boxes of things we thought were better left behind. The rays of the midday sun stream through the tiny window, turning previously-invisible dust particles into dancing specks of light. The hardwood floors are mostly clear, but I can’t help feeling there’s something not in its proper place. After all this monotonous labor, I’d be livid if we forgot anything, so I take a lap.

Rounding the corner of the cardboard citadel, I spot a red ribbon protruding from behind a box. I pull at it and feel it tear. Eventually I’m left holding a two-inch segment with a ripped end. Is that really all? What did I rip this from? I shove the box aside, but there’s nothing behind it, just the wall. I kneel to inspect the molding and notice a few threads poking out of an otherwise inconspicuous crack. With the aid of my dusty fingernails, I pry at the section of baseboard. It’s reluctant to move at first, but eventually I manage to release the panel, revealing a pitch-dark hidden compartment behind it.

Suddenly the attic isn’t so boring. I shine my phone flashlight into the aperture and it reflects off half a dozen leather-bound photo albums. I retrieve them and peer in once again to see if there’s anything more. There’s only one object left, different from all the others and thus more intriguing. It’s a blue and white gingham book with a red ribbon around it—a red ribbon that’s been torn at one end. The inscription on the cover reads Baby Book. But I already have a baby book, and it’s one of the first things we moved to the car.

I remove the rest of the ribbon and lift the upholstered cover.

The first few pages just contain grainy pictures of my mom when she was pregnant with me. She looks as if she’s about to burst, and I was born prematurely. Imagine what could have happened if it had been a few more days. I turn the page, wondering what made my parents want to keep this book hidden from me. The next picture is of my mom in a hospital bed, presumably minutes or hours postpartum. She’s holding a tiny bundle—me. My dad’s standing by the side of the bed, holding what looks like a rolled-up towel.

I skip a few pages ahead to reveal a picture of a picnic in a grassy field. Though the photo’s not the best quality, it takes my breath away. There are two toddlers sitting on a blanket, with the same face, the same curly hair, the same laughing eyes. Either one could easily be me, but I’m not sure which one it is. The picture could be a mirror image if not for the fact that my mom’s on one side and my dad’s on the other.

But I’m an only child.

Silvae Solae

By Louisa Miller-Out I remember what I uttered On that evening in the garden When the moon shone bright as ever When the roses turned to stone And against my lips you muttered “Dance with me, I beg your pardon” And we took on that endeavor But I ended up alone I stood there and I stuttered Like the jester stood in Arden And you thought you were so clever As you killed the seeds we’d sown The heart that once had fluttered It began to slow and harden And I undertook to sever All the vines that we had grown

Snowglobe

By Ella Avgar I trudge along. Wind and snow surround me. The path shakes and I slip, moonlight disappearing. But, in the sky, there is no moon. Only two large, twinkling eyes.

The shaking intensifies.

26

LITERARY

Pass It Along Column

By Alice Burke and Tania Hao There was once a man named Harold Norman. Despite his wealth and lifetime supply of expired pickles, Harold was unhappy. He was finally free, and yet the ghosts of his past were always with him, hovering over his shoulder. Harold had tried everything to rid himself of his demons: therapy, travel, art, journaling, exercise, extreme haircuts… Nothing ever seemed to work, though, and Harold remained trapped in his own head, thinking about the days when he was a young, foolish boy living in his parent’s basement―or rather, dungeon―in their home on one of the South Sandwich Islands, off the eastern coast of Argentina.

You see, Harold had a troubled childhood. Forever chased by the evil Council and their obsession with his turquoise stone, Harold was never safe. His parents had to hide him inside their basement so he could keep his stone from getting into the Council’s hands, who would use its enormous power to wreak havoc on the Islands of South Sandwich and obliterate the home that Harold had grown up loving.

For fifty years, Harold hid himself and the stone in his parents’ dungeon, neither seeing the light of day, until one fateful night when everything changed and Harold’s life was blown apart.

“Mr. Norman?” a woman’s voice jolted Harold out of his thoughts and he blinked, trying to remember where he was.

The therapist, Lily, smiled at him through a thick layer of red lipstick. “It’s your turn. Would you like to share something good that happened this week?”

“I’ll pass,” Harold grumbled. He’d already found out that human therapy wasn’t going to help with his problems, but because he’d signed up for the twelve-week support group (it was cheaper than signing up for single-week sessions), he had to come to this thing every week … for the next three months.

Lily rolled her eyes and moved onto the next person. Harold slouched in his chair. What he wouldn’t give to be anywhere but here. He should have known better than to sign up for Talk Therapy. Humans loved to talk about their feelings, but where he came from, they had centers for spiritual healing that would heal both the mind and the heart. He imagined the wisps of purple mist that surrounded them in the caves, the calming green light of the glowworms above them, the sweet, smoky incense smell…

He shook himself, forgetting for the second time that day who and where he was. He could not think about his old life.

He needed to remain Harold Norman, or else everything he had sacrificed to protect his family would have been for nothing.

Harold watched with disdain as Lily moved on to the next person in the therapy group. What was he even doing here? He knew that he didn’t belong, and yet, here he sat, in the bright yellow plastic chair that continued to bruise his tailbone week after week, pretending to be engaged in the pointless conversation around him when he knew that his mind was elsewhere.

Out of the corner of his half-lidded eyes, Harold saw a sud-

den flash of purple light and felt a blast of frigid wind blow over him. He sat up in alarm, and with sweaty hands and a racing heart, stared at the woman who had materialized just a few feet away from the circle of chairs. No one else had seemed to notice the sudden appearance, but why would they? Only he would be able to see Lady Addilyn, the wicked leader of the Council who had ruined his life all those years ago.

Harold shook, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He was at a loss of what to do. Should he run? Try to speak to Addilyn?

Attempt his own space jump back to the safety of his home in South Sandwich?

Lady Addilyn opened her mouth as if to speak, but Harold had already jumped out of his seat and sprinted for the exit.

His feet slammed against the hard tile floor of the room as he wrenched open the door and rushed into the hallway, only looking back long enough to see Lady Addilyn begin to pursue him, her figure a foreboding cloud of dark robes and swirling black hair.

Harold heard the surprised cries of the therapy group behind him, the clatter as some of them stood up to try to catch up to him. None of them noticed the witch chasing him or the expression of undiluted terror on his face. This woman was the only person in the world who could make Harold Norman run.

He slammed open the back door of the building and raced for his car, but Lady Addilyn caught up to him before he could get in. He pressed his body against his car, trying to stay as far away from her as he could.

“I don’t have it!” he squeaked. “You took it, remember? What else do you want from me?”

Addilyn crossed her arms. She was still terrifyingly beautiful, with dangerous dark eyes that could flay him alive if he stared at them long enough. Harold suddenly remembered when they were both teenagers, hanging out with Lady Addilyn—who was just Addy back then—by the beach, watching the sun set, sharing coconuts and careless kisses. Everything was so simple back then. No turquoise stones or Councils to rip them apart.

“I never said anything about it,” she said.

Harold scoffed and crossed his arms as well. “Then why did you come? To threaten me? Blackmail me? Kill me?”

“No, Hereweald,” she said gently. Harold couldn’t hide his shock. It had been decades since anyone had called him by his non-human name. It sounded strange spoken in human tongue, but he sort of … liked it. Though that couldn’t make up for the fact that she’d betrayed him, stabbed him in the back in every possible way, made him feel pain like he’d never felt before.

“Then why are you here?” he spat.

Harold watched Addilyn take a deep breath. “I’ve left the Council. I want to help you.”

“What?” Harold stammered, incredulous. “Why would you do that?”

Addilyn stared at the broken pavement of the parking lot, tears gathering in her eyes. “Fiona is gone, so I have no reason

LITERARY

27

to be with the Council anymore… You’re the only person I care about who’s still alive.”

Harold was stunned. Fiona, the beautiful red-haired girl who had stolen Addilyn’s heart from him all those years ago? She was gone? She was… dead?

Harold wanted to tell Addilyn he was sorry about Fiona, that he still cared for her as well, but his mouth couldn’t form the words. He knew he might never be able to forgive her for telling the Council about his secret dungeon lair and the turquoise stone he had hidden there, but still he longed for the familiarity they shared, the feeling of belonging to something.

Slowly, Harold looked into Lady Addilyn’s dark eyes. They were shadowed, haunted, and dull, lacking even a spark of deceit in their depths. Harold could feel himself wanting to trust her, wanting to spiral into her eyes and be held by her gaze for the rest of time.

Without realizing he was speaking out loud, Harold whispered, “If you really want to help me, then fine. But we’re going to be taking down the Council and stealing back my turquoise stone, once and for all.”

dusty furniture and half-finished oil paintings which all seemed to feature shades of turquoise. “A huge six-story mansion and you don’t even bother decorating? At least half the rooms I just saw were empty.”

“Thanks to you, I had no one to share them with.” Harold didn’t mean to be snippy with her, but it was completely her fault he had been away from his family for the past fifty years, hiding in the human world.

Addilyn bowed her head and sat down at the table. “Now what?”

A pile of notebooks, each a different color, lay on the sofa—a gift from his old therapist, who insisted that writing things down could help him work through his pain. Harold picked up a red one and put it in front of Addilyn, then selected a large sheet of poster paper and spread it out on the table as well.

“Now,” he said, “You’re going to tell me about the Council’s headquarters, I’m going to draw a map, and we’re going to make a plan.”

“All right.” Addilyn opened the notebook and selected a pen from the desk drawer. “What do you want to know?”

“This is how you live?” Addilyn had a smirk on her face as Harold led her into his office. Her expression of mingled pity and amusement had stayed on her face all throughout the car ride and as he showed her his home. He watched her look over his

The Pass It Along Column is a collaborative, ongoing column featuring new writers each month. If you’re interested in contributing to the next segment of the story, email literary@ ihstattler.com or come to the next Tattler Writers’ Meeting!

Writing Prompts

By Adowyn Ernste • Write a poem or short story about something that disappears so gradually that its loss isn’t noticed until too late.

• Write a climatic scene from the perspective of a side character who has no idea what is going on.

• Imagine a secret era in history that isn’t recorded in the geology books. What was the world like in this forgotten time?

• Write a short story or a poem in an elegant setting that includes: something that you ate for dinner last night, a randomly-chosen word from the dictionary, and an adjective that you would use to describe your best friend.

• You look out the window and see the silver glint of something metallic eating at your birdfeeder …

• Write a poem about something that moves slowly yet steadily on.

• You’re erasing a question from your homework. But to your surprise, the paper you were writing on, the table underneath, and even the surrounding light and air have been erased from existence!

• Write a dramatic story that includes as many clichés condensed together as possible.

• While hiking on a familiar trail in the woods, you discover a brambly path that you could have sworn wasn’t there before...

• “Huit” means eight in French, so it follows that the French huitain form follows a pattern of eight. Try your hand at this fun yet simple poetic form!

• It consists of a single 8-line stanza • Each line has 8-10 syllables.

• The rhyme scheme is: ABABBCBC

28

LITERARY

Dear Lover

By Raia Gutman On the twelfth of December, It will have been eight months.

I ceased more than I started eight months ago — Stopped pretending I don’t desire you like the tides Reach for the moon… gave up my silly charade of Amicable friendship.

There are things I didn’t tell you but you know anyhow, That I like purple flowers and that “Wild Geese” is my favorite poem.

I didn’t know your father’s name until last month, But the lines on your palms have been etched in my mind for years.

We’re doves, the both of us, Looking for a branch to land on, And this summer it emerged from the fog…

Our birthdays, six days apart, Spent on the cot on my back porch.

A boathouse in August, that secret drawer in my desk Where I keep your letters, our Polaroids, and you know what else.

Summer to fall; Our daydreams of being a historian and a Mad scientist, living together among old books And years-old German liquor.

Mugs of tea and winter sweaters and Sleeping in the same bed with the warmth of Your fingertips on my shoulder, my back, my stomach At once.

When I read your first letter, I realized I didn’t expect anyone to love me so much, In that specific way, to write me a letter.

I didn’t know my primal urges took the shape of Ink on folded paper, that what I was protecting myself from Was more remnants of you, that I always Anticipated the fall. But here we are on the cliff And we are upright, not falling.

What I mean to say, always, And what I sometimes manage to say, Is that I can’t imagine a world in which I do not love you.

LITERARY

29

Excerpt from Lady Lazarus

By Raia Gutman On Wednesday, we went to a state park, and again, Rhiannon was in my group. Reaching a cliff ’s edge after an hour hike, I noticed the fragility of life. With one false step, I could descend back into dust, carried by wind and misted with the water’s current before splitting my head on the rocks. My eyes lingered on the verdant, overhanging cluster of trees and deep brown cliffs surrounding the waterfall. Its contrast struck me—the cliff was silent and still while the water rushed violently and urgently; each moment new water plunged down into the pool below. The wind, birds, and water were all loud, but our voices could not be heard. Rhiannon studied the scene with her back to us. I wondered what was running through her mind while she gazed out. Did she wonder what end she would meet if she stepped over the edge?

The daily walks exhausted me, and I sunk into bed gratefully each night. The nights were getting cooler, and

by November, I exchanged my shorts for sweatpants and wool socks. When she was at meals, Rhiannon read poems by the Romantics to our table, but mostly to me. Natasha found Robert Burns’ “To a Mouse” hilarious, especially with the Scottish accent she used. I especially liked Shelley’s “England in 1819”—I admired his fury and snark.

In Euro, as we liked to call it, European Stories, the Romantics wrote, worshipped meandering rivers, and scorned the Enlightenment. If a Romantic landowner had a river on his property, and it was straight, he would hire someone to make it meander, Barnes said. This seemed ridiculous. Hypocritical. If I were a Romantic, I thought, I would live in an old, abandoned barn in the countryside, with a broken-down fence and a winding path up a hill to get there. Vines would creep up the sides, and weeds would grow among blackberries and wild strawberries.

Barnes was right; Rhiannon was well-suited to Romanticism. Of course, she criticized this, too; the focus on the individual was dangerous, they romanticized strife, they were unrealistic. But through her complaints, it was evident she enjoyed Romanticism. Her eyes were glued to the screen when Barnes projected a Blake painting, tracing every muscle in the evil angel’s body and the chain that bound him to some out-of-frame hell.

Out at the Edge

By Lily Grover Out at the edge, Where the stars barely shine, Some say there’s a door.

I have heard of a door, One that’s not quite ornate, With tracings of gold, But with light seeping through The cracks at the floor These small golden rays They tasted like daisies The sweet crunch of an apple, The purest of joys.

They brought sadness and sorrow Of memories lost, Of perfect summer days And dark starry nights Of moments that had passed In the blink of an eye Shut out like a light They were gone.

But this door led the way Some say To a place Where these memories go

Then a ray travels far enough, In perfect sync with the universe, And it touches your thoughts.

You might cry.

You might laugh.

But the door is always there In reassurance That though life might change, Small things stay the same.

30

LITERARY

December Haiku Contest This month’s winner:

Haiku

By Alice Burke Like raindrops on glass, My thoughts are tiny and slow, Too small to think straight.

Haiku Haiku that Teaches You How to Write a Haiku

Haikus are pretty but mine make no sense at all grasshopper sandwich

By James Robertson

Haiku

First, five syllables Then seven more syllables And five syllables

The Storm of the Horse

By Emma Pollock

By Anna Fulbright I have so much work I don’t feel like doing it I need help. Save me.

Haiku

By Fiona Kennedy

By Jackson Yaggie

Racing free among The clouds, thundering hooves beat Rhythms to the earth

November was hard Especially for the Boyz Nuts are very good

Haiku

No Regrets

By Carla Martinez

By Leann Zhu

Gleaming graceful snow Landing softly on the ground Slowing time and space.

Keep persevering.

In the end, you’ll thank yourself.

Mission: Successful

PENULTIMATE

Surrealio

By Ethan Carlson

31

December Sudoku

November Solution

Remember Those NewYear’s Resolutions From Last Year? Well, How Did You Do?

The Coolness Spectrum Cool Canceled January Regents

By Ethan Carlson Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21): It’s not very easy to be a better person in this social climate. Am I right?

Leo (Jul 23 - Aug 22): I have actually been practicing all year and I can say with confidence that I am gud at speleng. Damn it.

We still “technically” have snow days

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19): I learned Spanish, only because I had to.

Virgo (Aug 23 - Sep 22): Oh I’ve read SO many political news articles. My new resolution is to read none next year.

Teachers not assigning homework over breaks

Libra (Sep 23 - Oct 22): I have spent half of this year in my bedroom, you tell me if I get enough sleep.

Dr. Fauci confirms Santa is immune to COVID-19

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18): Well I lost SOME weight, but mostly from not using a 30-pound backpack.

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20): I feel like I have too much time on my hands to exercise!

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 19): I flossed, and I instantly regretted it.

Taurus (Apr 20 - May 20): Somehow I’m drinking MORE coffee.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20): What’s the point of making resolutions if you never leave your house?

Cancer (June 21 - Jul 22): What’s… a book?

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21): ...And the year before that! And the year before that! And the year before that! And the year before that! And the year before that! And the year before that! And the year before that! And the year before that! And the year before that! And the year before that! And the year before that! And the year before that!

Wait, it’s already been a year?

What did I miss?

Zoom holidays

Dust coming out of the heaters

Local midterms

The Cold

Unclear ICSD communication

Uncool