December 2021

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EDITORIAL

IHS TATTLER DECEMBER 2021 | VOL. 129 | NO. 4

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EDITORIAL

The Overcommitment Epidemic

By THE TATTLER BOARD

“O

h my god, I have sooo much to do tonight,” your friend groans. “First I gotta get through school, then I have a club meeting, then practice until seven, and then I have to somehow do all my math homework and finish my essay.”

“Oh yeah, I have a lot of work too,” you reply.

“I haven’t gotten more than six hours of sleep all week.”

“I wish I got six hours of sleep, you’re so lucky!” they whine as they power-walk to their next class. Suddenly, you feel guilty for not burdening yourself as much as them, even though you’re already dragging yourself through life in a sleep-deprived haze. You’ve been finishing your homework at one in the morning and don’t even remember the last time you got to watch Netflix or play Animal Crossing.

An epidemic of overcommitment and competition plagues students at IHS, infecting their interactions and free time. Many students feel the need to constantly compare themselves to their peers and strive to perform better than them, resulting in an unhealthy, hyper-competitive environment. It should be noted that not all students here are desperately overworked— some students with full schedules enjoy being busy and do not feel overwhelmed. However, the pressure to compete with others is universally imposed everywhere, from academic settings to social media platforms.

Attending a high-performing school in an Ivy League town only contributes to the phenomenon of overwork, creating added pressure on students to do well. IHS sends dozens of students to extremely selective colleges each year; it even started as a preparatory school for Cornell.

U.S. News ranks IHS in the top five percent of high schools in New York State for AP participation and proficiency in reading and math. The competitive atmosphere leads many students to pack their schedules with the most difficult courses possible in an effort to appeal to colleges, taking extra APs and often forgoing study halls and lunch periods to cram in more classes.

This can elevate students’ stress levels as they are forced to rush from period to period without time to decompress or eat lunch.

Moreover, the added pressures of homework and extracurriculars can make it exceedingly difficult for these students to find time to see their friends and release their pent-up stress. Because

their commitments take up so much of students’ lives, academics and activities are often at the forefront of their minds and dominate their limited social interactions. Hallway conversations leave them resentful at their peers for doing more than them or contemptuous of those who do less. Students evaluate themselves through this twisted competition: Who takes the most AP classes? Who gets the least amount of sleep?

Who has the fullest schedule? These metrics say little about students’ value as human beings, yet too often, they are equated to their worth.

One of the most harmful consequences of overcommitment is its negative effect on students’ health, both mentally and physically. The resentment and stress that results from competition is extremely detrimental to students’ self-confidence and perception of self-worth.

Students force themselves to fill their schedules to the limit because they believe that it makes them “better.” They whisper to themselves, “The more you do, the more you are worth, the more you are loved.” This belief which is so prevalent in the environment at IHS leads teenagers to believe that they are worthless or stupid if they do not overwhelm themselves. Furthermore, constantly pushing themselves to the breaking point is destructive to students’ physical health.

Students often brag about going through the school day on five hours of sleep while ignoring the consequences: the Cleveland Clinic asserts that chronic sleep deprivation is associated with high blood pressure and depression. Far from functioning optimally, most students slog through each day, relying on caffeine and other addictive stimulants for energy, trapping them in a vicious cycle of dependence and sleep disturbance. Getting the recommended eight to nine hours of sleep a night could significantly improve students’ health and their capacity for learning. Overcommitment robs students of precious time they could spend asleep, consolidating memory and repairing their brains and bodies.

Filling every waking moment with school, extracurriculars, or endless amounts of homework leaves little room for socializing and self-care.

Teenagers should be hanging out with friends, unwinding with books and creative projects, and spending quality time with their family (and pets!) during their last few years of living at home. They should be exploring their interests

Editor-in-Chief

Jinho Park ’22

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EDITORIAL and developing their personalities, but too many are watching their formative years pass by, trapped on a treadmill of endless commitments. Often, teenagers find themselves too fatigued by the end of the day to dedicate mental effort to passion projects, and trying to spend time on self-care only results in feelings of guilt for taking a break. The constant desire to be productive consumes the time students need to replenish energy and do the things that make them happy. This contributes to the ubiquitous burnout among high school students that dominates hallway conversations as they rush between classes. Teenagers have so many things to do and so many places to be that they no longer have time to just be themselves.

Social media also contributes to students feeling the need to overcommit or compare themselves to their peers. How can it not, when their Instagram feeds are highlight reels of others’ achievements, filled with college acceptance videos, productive morning routines, and sports wins? This is not to say that students shouldn’t post about their accomplishments. However, in the midst of scrolling, it’s nearly impossible to remember that what people present on social media isn’t everything. The impulse to compare oneself to content on Instagram or YouTube is often inescapable because users see only a tiny sliver of other people’s lives containing only the moments the poster deems good enough to share. It’s easy to feel that one isn’t doing enough, because each social media user likely scrolls through tens of accounts on a daily basis and compares themself to all of them simultaneously, momentarily forgetting that they are only one person.

“Grind culture” is another worrying social phenomenon in which people glorify the notion of working themselves as hard as they possibly can without sufficient rest. This messaging can exacerbate students’ existing feelings of guilt for taking breaks.

In a society that seems to value monetary output above all else, anxiety and feelings of low self-esteem can proliferate when one feels like they aren’t being productive enough, a phenomenon that begins in schools like IHS and continues long into adulthood. However, the truth is that everyone has bad days or weeks or months, long stretches devoid of motivation, and moments where life just doesn’t measure up to their expectations. Extenuating circumstances such as major life events or family emergencies can also set students back, leaving them unmotivated and feeling behind. During these hard times, it can be beneficial for teenagers to stay away from social media accounts that make them feel inadequate or present a heavily curated, unrealistic version of life that distorts their view of reality.

Students have been living under this metric for so long that they have become blind to what it really is: misguided and incorrect. Worth is not determined by how much someone does or how much money they make. Doing “more” or “less” than someone else does not change anything about oneself. Only when students can see this parasite for what it is can they defeat it. Students must be kinder to themselves and allow themselves to rest when their minds and bodies tell them to do so. Self-compassion and self-care, not meaningless competition, will give them the energy to reach their fullest potentials and truly live their best lives.

Take Sex out of School(Tool)

By THE TATTLER BOARD

For clarity, this statement is operating under the standard definitions of sex and gender: sex is a biological category that is assigned at birth based on physical attributes such as chromosomes; gender, on the other hand, is an identity that can be fluid and reach far beyond the binary of “man” and “woman.”

W

hen a student joins the district, their personal information, as supplied by their parent or guardian, is added to SchoolTool. This includes the student’s address, emergency contacts, first language, date of birth, and “gender.” It is notable that other information gathered by the school, such as racial identification and free/reduced lunch status, does not appear on SchoolTool, but gender is always displayed. If a parent or guardian does not select one of two options, male or female, they are met with a red error message reading, “Gender is required.” The question that remains is, Why? Why is gender required?

In June 2021, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a policy to advocate for the removal of a sex designation from the public portion of birth certificates. According to AMA Board Chair-Elect Sandra Adamson Fryholer, M.D., designating sex as male or female on birth certificates “perpetuates a view

that sex designation is permanent and fails to recognize the medical spectrum of gender identity.” While 48 states allow people to change the sex designation on their birth certificate to reflect their gender identity, only 10 offer a gender-neutral designation.

Removing the designation altogether would protect transgender and gender nonconforming individuals from discrimination and the need to appropriately amend their birth certificate, which they may not even be able to do in their home state.

This topic is relevant to IHS students because of the regressive policy of our student information system, SchoolTool.

Before we address this question, it’s worth discussing the language used in this designation. Information on a student’s gender is supplied by their parent or guardian upon registration.

SchoolTool does not specify whether this field refers to the gender assigned at birth (equivalent to sex) or the gender with which the student identifies. Either way, SchoolTool maintains that this information must be shared and displayed, and changes can only be made after a student and their parent or guardian fills out a “gender change” form, which also offers only two options: male Continued on page 4 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 9 to be included in the January Literary issue. The Tattler reserves the right to edit all submissions. All articles, columns, and advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of editorial staff.

To read The Tattler online, visit our website at www.ihstattler.com.

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EDITORIAL / NEWS

Take Sex out of School(Tool) Continued from page 3 and female. Students who do not identify with their assigned gender but have not shared this information with their parents are unable to change how this designation is shared with their teachers, and students who identify with a gender other than male or female—or no gender at all—are unable to reflect this in SchoolTool or other official school documents. It is unclear whether the district wishes to document the sex or the gender of each student. If they wish to document students’ sexes, there’s no reason for the section to be available for all to see—it’s not necessary information and can affect how teachers perceive the student’s gender. If they wish to document students’ genders, there must be at least one option that recognizes the diversity and complexity of gender identity beyond the outdated binary.

While information on an individual’s sex designation is still collected and submitted through the US Standard Certificate of Live Birth form, according to the AMA’s policy, this information should only be used for medical, public health, and statistical purposes. ICSD may indeed use a student’s sex designation for similar reasons. For example, it may be useful to document the proportion of females versus males in high-level science and math classes over the years to monitor sex segregation in STEM. However, the district would have to consider that this information is not accurate in every case, as there are intersex and transgender students at IHS that such a study would overlook. In terms of medical use, though it is true that sex can be relevant, a situation in which it is needed at school is unlikely. Nevertheless, the New York State Department of Education mandates that this information be reported to them by each school.

If the only reason ICSD may need information regarding a student’s sex designation is for district statistics such as those displayed in each school’s annual profile, what purpose does it serve in SchoolTool? Who needs to see it? While this information about any student is available to most district employees, it specifically appears on the SchoolTool-generated sheets that substitute teachers use to submit attendance records to the school.

Students’ gender designations are of no use to any of the adults students encounter at school, especially if the only options are the binary male or female. The M or F designation on substitutes’ attendance sheets can also be harmful to students who are transgender or questioning. This designation, no matter the context in which it is viewed, creates room for preconceptions about students’ attributes, experiences, and preferred pronouns.

The Tattler Board reached out to Lynn Klankowski—the ICSD Evaluation Officer of Data, Assessment, and Professional Development—who explained that the district is required to report students’ gender to the New York State Department of Education, but that it is feasible to hide the field from the student profile screen. Before making this change, Ms. Klankowski says the department would “need to engage in a conversation with building and district leaders and staff to examine the potential impacts of such a change,” which is a conversation that she will be facilitating in the future. She also mentioned a new feature that will be available in 2022, giving students the ability to report their gender as non-binary to the state. However, this isn’t a perfect solution—as long as the gender designation is viewable on student profiles, there is opportunity for students to be misrepresented and face discrimination.

The Tattler Board asserts that eliminating this information from view on SchoolTool is an essential step to making

the school a safer and more welcoming place for transgender, intersex, and questioning students. In the school setting, a student’s sex or gender is of use only to data collection officers, such as Lynn Klankowski, who communicate this information to the State to satisfy the Department of Education’s requirement.

Other than this, it is up to students to inform peers, teachers, and staff of their gender identity if they so choose. Instead of relying on this information on SchoolTool, teachers may choose to collect chosen names and pronouns via a confidential questionnaire that also acknowledges students may not be open with their parents about their transgender or gender noncomforming identity. Teachers themselves have no need to see the box in which every student in their class has been placed while taking attendance each morning. With this change, Ithaca High School can take one step closer to creating a safe environment for all students, no matter their gender identity.

COP26: A Climate Conference

By CAEDMON SETHUPATHY

T

he 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, better known as COP26, has just ended, and new terms for climate change policy have been agreed upon. During early November, delegates and leaders from all around the world gathered together to discuss the impending consequences of climate change, and what a global response should look like. Similar events have taken place in the past, most notably the COP21 in 2015, which resulted in the adoption of the Paris Climate Accords. However, despite the pledges agreed upon in Paris, fossil fuel emissions have skyrocketed to all time highs over the past five years. COP26 had a similar purpose to the one six years ago: create a space for the international community to come together and adopt a holistic and agreed-upon approach to tackle climate change. The stakes get higher every year that passes, and the overall ineffectiveness of the Paris Accords has led to pressure for COP26 to be much more productive then its predecessors. Thus, this highly publicized event has drawn large amounts of criticism for not living up to expectations. Although several key pledges were proposed and garnered large amounts of support, complete lack of interest in negotiations from countries like China and Russia made progress much more difficult.

One of the most highly reported-on climate change response plans made at COP26 is called the Global Methane Pledge.

Designed and presented by the European Union and the United States, the pledge calls for a 30 percent reduction in global methane emissions over the next 10 years. A total of 103 countries agreed to the pledge, but the top three methane emitters, China, India, and Russia, all refused to support it. In fact, both Russian and Chinese leadership refused to even attend the summit. This is likely because both China and Russia are not complying with the UN’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Another key pledge proposed was a plan to quickly phase out the use of coal (which

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NEWS

is still responsible for 37 percent of electricity and 46 percent of carbon dioxide emissions globally) over the next 10 to 30 years.

The speed of the transition would depend on the economic status of the country, with poorer ones getting more time to phase out.

Again India and China did not agree, and this time the U.S. did not sign on either. However, the U.S. proposed another pledge which would allow them to continue to use coal but mitigate emissions with carbon capture and other recent inventions that aim to reduce the negative environmental impacts of fossil fuels.

Current political tensions are fostering distrust among the global community and leading to a breakdown in productive negotiations over climate change. The U.S. and many European powers point the blame at nations such as India and China, who are currently burning the most fossil fuels. In response, these nations argue that if you consider total emissions over the course of history, the primary culprits are actually the U.S. and Europe.

They say that countries like the U.S. have gotten their chance to industrialize and it’s only fair that developing nations get theirs.

Poorer countries also argue that since they are badly equipped to handle the effects of climate change and have contributed the least to it, wealthier nations should give them financial help.

As the economy minister of Fiji puts it, “Up to 60 percent of [natural] disaster related deaths continue to occur in vulnerable countries. That number will rise, potentially exponentially.” Back in 2009, some underdeveloped nations were promised a total of 100 billion dollars to help them recover from and plan for the effects of climate change. The money was supposed to be paid by 2020, but so far nowhere close to that amount has been given

up. The UK made another related pledge at COP26 in which they promised to give a substantially smaller sum of 400 million dollars to poorer countries in the near future. Only time will tell if that promise comes to fruition.

In addition to the criticism of political holdouts and the lack of unity among those who were in attendance, claims of discrimination at the conference have surfaced. There were reportedly no sign language interpreters present and the venue was not wheelchair accessible. The energy minister of Israel, Karine Elharrar, was unable to attend the first day of the conference due to there being no way for her to enter the premises. Elharrar has muscular dystrophy and must use a wheelchair. This lack of accessibility for people with disabilities has sparked a lot of criticism and controversy. There were also claims that the logistics were deeply flawed; detractors cite the lack of multiple entrances for the many guests as a severe problem at COP26. Diplomats were left waiting outside for hours just to get in.

All in all, while the conference brought up key issues (though these were already fairly well recognized) and fostered a modest amount of international cooperation among certain nations (such as a surprise deal between China and the U.S. to work together more on solving climate change in the 2020’s), key players on the global stage largely refused to cooperate with one another. While this continues, poorer countries feel taken advantage of by richer nations and feel that they are being asked to do an outsized amount. Unless global leaders put aside political differences to work together for the one shared goal of defeating climate change, progress will never be achieved.

New York Elects New Officials, Including Mayor Eric Adams

By RAIA GUTMAN

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n November 2, 2021, more than one million people in New York City and over two million people statewide cast their ballots in local and state elections. In New York City, Eric Adams won the mayoral race, defeating opponents Curtis Silwa (Republican Party), Catherine Rojas (Party for Socialism and Liberation), and William Pepitone (Conservative Party). Incumbent Bill de Blasio was ineligible to run due to the term limit, as he had been in office since 2014. The 2021 primaries, held in June, were the first New York City mayoral election primaries to use ranked-choice voting in place of plurality voting. Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank candidates by preference, using their second-preference choices to choose a winner when their first-choice candidate is eliminated. On the other hand, plurality voting, the most common voting system in the United States, simply declares the candidate that receives the highest number of votes the winner. Eric Adams defeated his opponent Kathryn Garcia in the Democratic primary, and won the general election with 66 percent of the vote. Adams is a former police officer, inspired to reform the force from the inside by a violent encounter with police in his childhood. He served as an officer

for 22 years and co-founded the advocacy group 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, before retiring with the rank of captain in 2006. Adams began his political career in the 1990s with the ultimate goal of being elected New York City Mayor. In 2006, he was elected New York State Senator and served four terms until 2013, when he was elected Brooklyn Borough President, representing the 20th Senate District. Adams has run into public criticism throughout his career, including for associating with Louis Farrakham—leader of the Nation of Islam and notorious antisemite—making controversial and potentially antisemitic remarks, and for voting against the expulsion of a fellow senator from the legislature after he was convicted of assault against his girlfriend. However, Adams has also been praised for his opposition to the NYPD’s “stop and frisk” policy, his support of marriage equality, and his protest of the murder of Trayvon Martin. Adams’ 2021 campaign for mayor prioritized public safety, public health, and the economy.

New York City elected a Public Advocate as well: incumbent Jumaane Williams, a Democrat and former member of the New York City Council from the 45th district. The Office of Public Continued on page 6

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New York Elects New Officials, Including Mayor Eric Adams Continued from page 5 Advocate was created in 1993 and functions as President of the City Council and first in line to succeed the mayor. Jumaane Williams has served as New York City Public Advocate since 2019 and ran a “grassroots” campaign with a progressive agenda centering issues of housing, criminal justice, and workers’ rights.

Williams was elected to the New York City Council in 2009, defeating incumbent Councilmember Kendall Stewart with an endorsement from the Working Families Party, and was reelected in 2013. In 2018, he challenged incumbent Kathy Hochul—who is now the Governor of New York—in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor on a platform of anti-corruption, affordable housing, and criminal justice reform. Williams lost to Hochul by less than seven percentage points.

The third major office put to an election in November was New York City Comptroller, a far older position than Public Advocate, established in 1801. The Comptroller, elected citywide to a four-year term, is the chief financial officer of the city and the chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. Democrat and community planner Brad Lander will take the place of incumbent Scott Stringer, who was ineligible to run in 2021 after two consecutive terms but challenged Eric Adams in the Democratic primary for Mayor of New York City.

Lander won 69 percent of the vote, besting Daby Carreras (R), Paul Rodriguez (Conservative), and John Tabacco (Libertarian).

He was endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren, and the Working Families Party.

Five ballot initiatives—proposals presented to voters regarding legislation—also appeared on the statewide ballot, voted on by more than two million people. The first, a proposal to amend the apportionment and redistricting process, failed by a margin of 12 percent. The second, proposing adding an amendment on the right to a clean environment, passed with 60 percent of the vote. The third proposal was to eliminate the 10-day voter registration requirement, which would open the state up to legislation allowing same-day voter registration. The fourth proposed to authorize “no excuse needed” absentee ballot voting in place of the current requirement to prove inability to be present for in-person voting. Both voting-related ballot initiatives failed. The fifth proposal was concerned with expanding the jurisdiction of the New York City Civil Court to hear and decide claims of up to $50,000 rather than the previous $25,000, and passed. These were the statewide results—all five proposals were approved by the majority of voters in Tompkins County.

The Tompkins County election results are significant as well.

County Legislators, 11 of whom ran unopposed, were elected across 14 districts. Nine Democrats and four Republicans were seated. The closest race was between Michael Lane and Thomas Corey in District 14 with a margin of just 20 votes and Corey in the lead. Lane, a Democrat, ran for reelection, having served six terms as a legislator between 1994 and 2021. His campaign focused on recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting the police, and keeping taxes low. While Corey, a Republican, agrees with Lane on policing and public safety, his emphasis is on business, small government, and returning the county’s reserve money to taxpayers.

A unique feature of the 2021 Tompkins County general elections was the Ithaca Solidarity Slate, a coalition of three progressive candidates centering issues such as affordable, low-income

housing, a free T-CAT system designed for the working class, and the Ithaca Green New Deal. As candidate Maddie Halpert said, it is “born out of community organizing in Ithaca and local grassroots movements.” The Ithaca Solidarity Slate won two victories in Ward Two and Ward Four, seating Phoebe Brown and George Defendini on the Ithaca Common Council. Their third candidate, Maddie Halpert, lost the Ward One seat to incumbent Cynthia Brock, who took home 69 percent of the vote.

In addition to the County Legislator and Ithaca Common Council races, nine towns in Tompkins County elected supervisors, clerks, councilpersons, and highway superintendents. The elected town supervisors were Mark Witmer in Caroline, Joel Gagnon in Danby, Jason Leifer in Dryden, Stephanie Redmond in Enfield, Donald Scheffler in Groton, Margaret Johnson in Ithaca, Joseph Wetmore in Lansing, Michael Allinger in Newfield, and Katelin Olson in Ulysses.

Yin and Yang, made with a compass by Felix Stroock

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NEWS

New COVID-19 Pills Could Lead to a More Equitable Virus Response

By MUKUND GAUR

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hen the first vaccines for COVID-19 became available, there was hope around the world that the virus might finally be overcome. That hope rapidly disappeared for most of the globe as wealthy countries snatched up absurd numbers of the new vaccines—the United States bought enough vaccines to immunize its entire adult population three times over. Although the folly of these initial vaccine-grabs rapidly became clear and wealthy countries began donating vaccines to those without, many countries are still left with severe shortages of the extremely expensive vaccines. COVAX, a global vaccine distribution program backed by the World Health Organization, had only distributed 240 million doses in 139 countries by the beginning of September 2021, which pales in comparison to their goal of two billion doses by the end of 2021. With widespread vaccination an impossibility for many poor countries, many are left just as they began—with masks, social distancing, and quarantine as their few tools to stop the spread of the virus. But now, a new hope is on the horizon for these countries: COVID-19 pills.

A COVID-19 pill is exactly what it sounds like: a pill that helps treat and reduce the severity of a COVID-19 infection. These pills are not vaccines, meaning that they do not prevent infection before it occurs. Two pills have been developed, one by the pharmaceutical company Merck, and the other by Pfizer, which also produces a vaccine. Merck claims that their pill can reduce risk of hospitalization or death by 50 percent when administered to patients, and Pfizer claims that their pill reduces this chance by 89 percent when given within three days of symptoms, and 85 percent when given within five days of symptoms.

There are both benefits and downsides to these new pills.

Among the downsides are that the pills are not preventative, so they do not provide the high resistance to COVID-19 that vaccines do. Vaccines are also more effective at preventing hospitalization or death. However, the pills can be easily mass-produced, and unlike vaccines, they do not require complicated transportation schemes and specific temperatures for storage. Pills would also be much easier to administer and distribute than vaccines.

The versatility and effectiveness of these pills, as well as their relatively low cost, has inspired hope among many countries without the resources to obtain large numbers of vaccines. The problem of wealthy countries snatching up pills is still frustrating many, as countries such as the United States have already attempted to buy up large amounts of the supply of pills despite already possessing a surplus of vaccines. Merck has introduced a new plan to offset this, particularly unconventional for a pharmaceutical giant. The company has given a royalty-free license to a United Nations backed non-profit organization that would allow developing countries to cheaply mass produce the pill themselves. Although this patent-pool agreement excludes some countries in Latin America and some middle-income countries,

it has been hailed as a success. Merck itself has been scrutinized for pharmaceutical access in the past, especially regarding H.I.V. drugs in the 2000s.

This agreement is a contrast to vaccine giants Pfizer and Moderna, who have refused to allow countries to produce vaccines themselves, citing quality concerns and complexity of vaccine manufacturing. Activists claim that the billions of dollars of profits that these companies stand to gain cast doubts on the validity of these arguments, but it is unlikely that vaccine companies will budge, leaving their life-saving products out of the reach of billions of people and increasing the urgency and need for the pills across the globe.

Although COVID-19 pills could prove to be extremely useful in the global fight against the virus, they are still treatments, not a prevention for the disease. The inequity in the global fight against COVID-19 has cast doubts on the for-profit models of the Western pharmaceutical industry, and it will require global cooperation for us to reach the fastest and surest way to end the pandemic: widespread access to vaccines.

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OPINION

Required Courses? I’d Rather Hit The Buffet, Thanks

By CLARA WEBER

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omething we’ve all experienced as high school students is the hassle of course selections. It always comes earlier than you think it will, before you’ve even begun to think about your plans for the upcoming year. You’ll usually get a speech from your guidance counselor about your current grades, your teachers’ recommendations, and your remaining course requirements. That last bit is typically the killer. At IHS, there are almost too many courses to choose from in all subjects, yet the actual list of possible courses is much smaller, especially for ninth and tenth graders. By junior or senior year, some of us already have an idea of what we’d like to pursue in college, or just in life after high school. Having to prioritize courses to fulfill graduation requirements can be unhelpful or even a hindrance to students who already have post-graduation plans.

Here at IHS, we have to complete a certain number of credits in Math, Social Studies, English, and Fine Arts, including individual required courses (Participation in Government, Economics, Health, and P.E.). But what if we didn’t have to? In Germany, for example, they have a much more flexible school system. Their elementary and secondary school equivalents are relatively similar to ours, adding a few deviations at the secondary level, but at the high school level, things really start to change. There’s the Gymnasium level, which is purely academic and generally tracks to university education; there’s also an option that completes the essentials of a high school education. Finally, there’s the Fachoberschule (FOS). FOS are trade schools, usually following some regular high school experiences, that are tailored and tracked to allow students to immediately enter a specialization in the workforce after their schooling. Students can do apprenticeships with skilled tradespeople, and get real-world experience in their selected trade, preparing them for solid careers later in life.

Of course, some tracks and schools require certain grades to get into, but most of these options are completely up to choice, giving students the opportunity to customize their own education to their interests. While we do employ a certain level of defacto tracking here at IHS, it often has the opposite effect.

It lessens the options and opportunities available to students, either strongly pushing advanced classes, or discouraging them (sometimes on no discernable basis). Our defacto tracking system has also been observed to be highly discriminatory, defacto tracking disproportionately white and East Asian students into AP courses. Other students of color have reported being blocked from advanced courses through unnecessary testing and evaluation. Some changes have been made in policy to try to rectify this, but because those changes were made too late to affect any of us, current IHS students could have started with the defacto tracking system in 6th grade.

Although having requirements for graduation is unavoidable if graduation is to keep its meaning, they should be much more flexible than they are now. Students who want to pursue arts or music in the future should be able to opt out of math classes that won’t be useful to them, and students looking to go into STEM

careers shouldn’t be required to take irrelevant Fine Arts classes.

Universally, students should have more control over their own education, regardless of teacher recommendations or evaluative tests.

As a senior, I don’t see myself being very useful in making these changes, but for the rest of the student body, take this as an opportunity for some thought. This year, think about whether the courses recommended to you by your teachers are the best fit for you. Consider taking more advanced courses if they’re in subject areas you’d enjoy. Remember that maybe advanced courses aren’t necessary for you, even if they’re recommended. Take a closer look at the course catalog, because who knows, maybe you’ll find that the class you’ve been wanting to take actually does fulfill that requirement, or that the class you’ve been dreading isn’t actually necessary. You know your own interests better than anyone else, and given the veritable sea of course options at this school, it should be possible for you to not only get what you need from your education, but enjoy it as well.

Cold Calling: The Bane of my Existence

By KATIE LIN

I

rummage through my backpack for something I haven’t lost, stand up to get a tissue for a nose that isn’t runny, and drink from my water bottle for a throat that isn’t dry—absolutely anything to make myself look busy. I’m in class, the teacher has begun the terrifying practice of cold calling, and I desperately have to make myself not look like a candidate. My heart rate tricks my body into thinking I’m at a full sprint, and I can feel myself descending into panic mode. The three seconds while the teacher silently decides who to pick on feel like the longest of my life, and I would rather be anywhere else.

This slew of emotions is all too familiar to me. As a typically introverted person, cold calling has plagued me with insurmountable dread for years. It makes me insanely nervous, and turns my brain into a blank board that has been wiped clean—no thoughts or ideas to be seen. It’s almost like when someone asks you what your favorite book or movie is, and in that moment, you instantly forget everything you’ve ever read or seen. Not only this, but cold calling can easily cause me to flip from liking a class to dreading it every day, feeling like I have a bright target on my back. My biggest issue, though, is it makes me feel like an idiot, as I scramble like a fish out of water, searching my brain

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OPINION for an answer that runs farther away from me by the second. As my mouth utters a never-ending “uhhh…,” the embarrassment is all I can think about for quite some time after class has ended.

For reasons I disagree with, teachers are often drawn to cold calling. For example, some believe it keeps students engaged.

The student athlete who slept three hours last night might be less encouraged to doze off, and the distracted kid may daydream just a little bit less, kept alert by the thought of having to spontaneously answer a question. Teachers tend to think it’s an effective way of keeping a student’s attention. Additionally, they may believe it contributes to a fair classroom atmosphere, because more students speak and share their answers, as opposed to a select few dominating the entire conversation.

In actuality, my personal experience has led me to conclude that these supposed benefits are rarely true. While cold calling is, in theory, supposed to focus my attention on learning, all my energy actually goes toward feeling overwhelming worry, as I devote myself to praying to some strange deity in the sky that the teacher doesn’t pick me. Instead of being excited to learn and apply my knowledge, I feel forced and panicked, and the sheer anticipation of cold calling turns me away from ever being eager to step into the classroom. For me, the practice instills a feeling of guilt: if I don’t know the answer to a question, instead of my first thought being to try to understand the topic and ask a clarifying question, I jump to immediate concern that my shameful lack of knowledge will be exposed to the entire class. While I recognize

that cold calling has given me more opportunities to speak, the negative feelings far outweigh the good.

I believe there are a few things teachers can do to create a more comfortable space for students similar to me. First, teachers could send out an anonymous survey to students at the beginning of the year, asking them how they feel about cold calling. Teachers could then cater to classes as a whole, mentally noting which periods would benefit more from a volunteer-based or cold calling system. However, because this might hinder the interactive structure in which more extroverted students thrive, teachers could also simply make it clear that individual students who feel uneasy with cold calling can talk to them personally.

Students could request to not be asked to respond on the spot, which would result in an environment where they feel more welcomed and accepted.

Whether the cold calling entails having to solve a problem, answer a question, or share a homework response from the night before, it is an unforgiving system for students who prefer absorbing material quietly and asking questions when necessary, and favors those who are more open and extroverted. To cultivate an environment in which every student feels safe, and build confidence rather than tearing it down, beginning with mutual teacher-student understanding and catering to different learning styles is an excellent starting point—and one that would give me no reason to suddenly take a bathroom break during class to frantically dodge a question.

What We Can Learn from the Events of November Ninth

By DOVE WILLIAMS

N

ovember 9 was one of the most frightening days that many of us at the high school have experienced. A combination of the threats sent to students the night before, the lockdown, and the administration’s poor communication with ICSD families led to fear and distrust that lingered long after the initial issue was resolved. The IHS administration’s handling of the situation, as well as their hesitation to acknowledge the role they played in it, does not inspire much confidence in their leadership skills or their commitment to the students of this school. As soon as the school knew about the threats made to students on Monday night, they should have done everything in their power to make sure that parents, teachers, and students were aware of what had happened so they could act accordingly.

Instead, much of the student body only heard about the threats on the morning announcements the following day, and even then, it was just a vague message about the need to “stick together during a tough time.” In addition, the conspicuous police presence at the high school that morning caused by the calls was alarming to many students.

I’m sure that nearly all of us have experienced a lockdown at some point, and while they can be a pain to endure, they usually don’t come with the sense of dread that this one did. For many of us, there was a substantial period of time where we weren’t sure if we were going to make it home that night. Much of that uncertainty was the product of a profound lack of communication

between the administration and students, parents, and teachers.

That day could have been significantly less traumatic if we were aware of what was going on and whether we were in any danger.

Something I learned the day after the incident, as I sat in my English class and debriefed what had happened, was that the school does not do lockdown drills for fear of traumatizing students. I was stunned to hear this, because adequate lockdown drills would have absolutely prevented much of the panic that ensued after the lockdown was announced. The school has not done lockdown drills in years, and the protocol for them is not posted in every classroom. We have not received lockdown drill information of any kind in any class. Even more concerning is the fact that many teachers have not been trained how to respond in case of a lockdown either.

As members of a generation that has grown up bombarded with news about gun violence and school shootings, we are largely desensitized to them. This kind of violence is a reality of the world that we live in right now, and we need to be prepared for it to happen. We’ve done these drills since elementary school and there’s no reason we should stop now. At the very least, teachers and staff should know how to respond in case of a drill, and there should be a procedure for these events posted in every classroom. On November 9, even the most basic lockdown protocols weren’t followed by the administration—instead of coming to each classroom and unlocking the door, the end of the lockdown Continued on page 10

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What We Can Learn from the Events of November Ninth Continued from page 9 was announced using the PA system. This is potentially very dangerous, as we have no idea what’s happening on the other end of the PA, and whether the order to lift the lockdown is being coerced.

The final thing I’d like to address—and the thing that I think the administration has the highest obligation to do in the weeks and months after the incident—is making sure that the students and teachers are mentally, physically, and emotionally well. The school’s top priority should be ensuring that its students are safe and healthy. It’s absurd to suggest that after such a traumatic event, students and teachers should resume instruction without mentioning or discussing what happened. Many of us will be processing the trauma from that day for a long time, and if all the district does for us is send us some links to its general resources page and an article called “Talking to Children About Violence:

Tips for Parents and Teachers,” it demonstrates a serious lack of care being paid to the mental health of the student body. You would be hard-pressed to find a single student who feels that the resources provided by the administration are adequate to deal with a situation of this magnitude. Hastily throwing together an IHS Connects video where Mr. Trumble briefly mentions how proud he is of us for sticking together in such a tough time simply doesn’t cut it. The longer we put off dealing with the trauma that we experienced that day, the harder it is to overcome. The administration can’t keep dragging their feet, because the longer this goes on, the worse it will get. They need to prove to the student body that they care about us and our health, because so far, we’re unconvinced. Not only do they have the power to do everything they can for us, they are obligated to.

Hall Monitor: Which letter of the alphabet represents you?

By RAIA GUTMAN

Bella Antes ‘22: “A because my last name starts with it and I’ve always had a connection to it.”

Alicia Long ‘24: “C because I’m Chinese.”

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Luke VanDeMark ‘23: “Z is not used a lot, but it’s a nice and unique letter. It makes a nice sound on the tongue.”

Madison McFall ‘22: “S because I’m strong for what I’ve gone through in life.”

Laila Lima ‘24: “S because S has a very soothing shape and it flows very well and I’m a very go-withthe-flow person.”

Izzy Githler ‘23: “V because I like morse code and it’s really cool in morse code.”

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In All Seriousness: Behind The Tattler Sociology

By NATALIE PATRONE

H

umor is an important part of the lives of teenagers.

Whether it governs who you follow on social media, or which teacher you like the best, it is undeniable that humor plays a major role in the way we act. When an IHS student wants to read a funny story or see a silly artwork, it is unlikely that they would reach for the latest edition of The Tattler, but this doesn’t have to be the case.

In recent years, The Tattler has increased its volume of critical, current events-related, academic, and literary pieces. While it still contains wonderful comics, horoscopes, and Backpage delights, the overall humor-quotient has decreased. Why? In the past, The Tattler has showcased many different types of humor: clever, dark, absurd, obscene, etc. In fact, The Tattler started off as mainly dominated by the literary section and various gossip and joke columns. Here are some excerpts from past Tattler editions to show a sample of the beautifully diverse hilarity that older issues of The Tattler hold.

February 1929: “Ceaser Pompey Hannibal Artz, Who was a kleptomaniac of parts, Stole beeswax or rifles, Great things or trifles, But his specialty in thieving was hearts.”

October 2013: Dear Darwin, My longtime roommate has gotten out of control. She has done highly disturbing things in the past, but this time she has gone too far—she has left her dead grandmother in the refrigerator! I like her a lot, but I am feeling the need to move out. What should I do?

With limitless forms of accessible media at our fingertips, the need for humor in The Tattler has decreased. We as a generation, also have more access to news and information that is incredibly serious and important to share. This change in the lifestyles of teenagers over time is reflected in The Tattler.

Over the years, we have become increasingly less lighthearted, and this is shown in our school publications. Whether it is that we have less to be humorous about, the rise of more accessible humor in the form of social media, the result of the institution governing us, or even something else entirely, the reason isn’t that we don’t want some comical aspects in our lives. The Tattler is IHS, and IHS is ultimately made up of its students. The scholarly news articles and meaningful poetry are wonderful and indescribably important, but who doesn’t want to just open their school newspaper and laugh out loud sometimes?

May 1920: She—“What is worse than raining cats and dogs?”

He—“Hailing taxicabs.”

April-May 2012: “You need no horoscopes or advice this month; all of you with out honey are thoroughly doomed. Those with honey will not fare much better.

I had told the foolish young backpage editor not to mess with the power of the stars through flippant horoscopes… But last month, I knew the Gemini horoscope would cause trouble: ‘Have you ever wondered if all of the IHS teachers could possibly be disguised grizzly bears?’ It seems the editor did not understand the ability of horoscopes to retroactively change the past But he learned...oh, yes, he learned...”

September 2008: Senior: How many cans of paint do you think it’ll take to redecorate H-courtyard?

The Rose by Ruby Zawel

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From the Archives: Excerpts From The Tattler Issues of Yesteryear Curated by ALICE BURKE

D

Days like this could never come To a world not steeped in June.

In the fields the wild bees hum, Soft whispering breezes croon― Sweet and mellow, old and rose, Fair from its dawn until its close.

Read more online at https://tattlerarchive.wordpress.com/

Saw you ever such a day?

All the world is in a flame, Gold and russet, scarlet gay― Nature’s self is clothed again In a cloak of living fire For vanished Summer’s funeral pyre.

Note: The current Tattler does not necessarily endorse the opinions published in historical Tattlers.

All the seasons flitting past, Each one lovelier than the last!

eep within the halls of IHS, at the end of the E-wing, one can find a very small, very pink room. This room is hidden to most—the number of students who have stepped foot in the room can be counted on a single hand. Although small and overlooked, this room holds some of the most enticing and unknown secrets of our school. For within these walls lies four average-looking filing cabinets that contain the annals of IHS Tattler history, dating all the way back to 1892. Here follows a small selection.

December 20, 2006 “Floral Arrangement” Floral Arrangement A gutted florist spilling out over azalea carpets Seedless islands eviscerated in hygienic hollows Barely rising to dilute the acid in their hands, they edge towards bleak theatres of needles.

My face is a detachable nest of wasps egg white and insincere like the sand I stained as I sharpened the stereo heart that was plainly a nocturnal one.

Without panache I shake off the shallow deal the square pulse He sighed, another rainy day in New York.

December 1927 “THE YEAR” Was there ever such a day?

Winter lays his gentle hand, Silent, stretching still and white, Over all the slumbering land, Fluttering down like Autumn’s ashes, Covering Summer’s saddened grasses.

Never yet was night like this: April comes with silver moon, Lying like a maiden’s kiss On the stream that far too soon― It houses now the tragic loon― Will pave the golden road for June.

“Golf According to Shakespeare” Cursed be the hand that made these fatal holes!―Richard III. What subtle hole is this, whose mouth is covered with rude-growing briers?―Titus Andronicus.

In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words.―Julius Caesar.

I’ll see what hole is here.―Titus Andronicus.

Here’s that nothing shall drive some of them to a noncome.― Much Ado About Nothing.

Put up your iron.―Twelfth Night.

He knows the game. How true he keeps the wind―Henry VI. Why, these balls bound!―All’s Well That Ends Well.

I’ll call for clubs.―Henry VI. But make you ready your stiff bats and clubs.―Coriolanus December 1976 “On West Coast Slang” The list below includes some of the slang currently being spoken on the West Coast.

AIRHEAD: a person who never listens to what you’re saying; someone who’s always up in the clouds.

BASIC: obvious, easy, no sweat GOAT ROPER: cowboy GRODY: gross LOW RIDER: an older car that has had its body lowered to hug the ground MOTHER WUMPIN’: huge JAM: go, take off JAMMING: working hard, moving fast Continued on page 14

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From the Archives: Excerpts From The Tattler Issues of Yesteryear Continued from page 13 PUNCH YOUR LIGHTS OUT: beat you up, work you over RASTY: cross between raunchy and nasty TOO COOL: really far out UNREAL: amazing, fantastic (applied to girls, as a compliment) WANG: idiot, moron All of these words are not being used everywhere on the West Coast, but generally they are known to a fair amount of people.

December 20, 1996 “Teacher Feature” Name: Steven Weissburg What you do: Harass teenagers Age: The sum of my current age and the year of my birth is 1996.

Astrological Sign: Leo 1. If you got a different job, what would it be? Drive a fire truck.

2. What is your favorite word, and why? “Pop-quiz.” I like the sound of it, kind of like a ricochet. I like the reaction it gets. It’s a good word. I say it whenever I can.

3. Should something be done about the smokers outside on the sidewalk in the morning? A firehose. Or a city ordinance. Honestly, if someone wants to injure their health and acquire bad breath while enriching a bunch of greedy, perjurious corporatists, I say this is America and God bless. However, I’m plenty tired of running the gauntlet on the Cayuga Street bridge.

The arrogance and irresponsibility of the smokers involved is matched only by the hand-wringing indifference of the administration.

4. What subject, other than math, required for a high school diploma, is most important? English. It’s nice to be able to talk good, you know, and like, read stuff.

5. If you were going to get a personalized license plate for your car, what would it say? I find license plates to be an inadequate form of personal expression. I believe random numbers and letters are more interesting.

6. What one thing would you change about this high school if you could? I’d install self-flushing toilets. Honestly, every new administration has found occasion to assemble the teachers and have them fill reams of newsprint with their answers to this very question. Ultimately the paper is stored somewhere and forgotten until the process is repeated by the next administration. I’ve lost my credulity. Self-flushing toilets would be a big step forward, as far as I’m concerned. Otherwise, leave me alone.

7. Do you believe in superstitions? I have a black cat who often crosses my path as I’m walking under ladders or stepping on cracks. Nothing much seems to come of it. However, I do have a great respect for Murphy’s Law and a related mistrust of inanimate objects. Keys, I know, will often transport themselves to obscure locations and glasses can become invisible. That’s why I like numbers; they’re predictable.

December 17, 1931 “VIEW POINTS: Peace” The echoes of the angel’s song―“On earth peace, goodwill toward men”―have never died away. The desire for peace surely is in everyone’s heart but the question is―how can we get it?

There is a man today in this world, who has a vision of peace, and is trying to carry it out. Mahatma Gandhi is one of the best examples of how we can acquire peace. His campaign of non-resistance is slowly gathering strength, and Gandhi’s ambitions for India may soon be realised. All without a drop of blood shed!

Is not a Secretary of Peace as necessary to our government as a Secretary of War? Think how much could be done in a peaceful way with the $6.70 every man, woman, and child in the United States gives yearly for war, which amounts to $2,361,000,000.

Two thousand years have rolled by, and still men do not heed the angels’ song. In the words of the poet, Edmund Sears, “And man at war with man, hears not the love song which they bring; oh hush the noise ye men of strife―and hear the angels sing!”

December, 1968 “Improbable History” In line with this column’s policy of offering idiotic interpretations of non-factual events, we bring you this month the true story of the unpublished report submitted to Dr. Graves regarding school improvements. The three man investigating team from Cooke, Cooke, Knasi & True, Inc. suggested several changes in the IHS building structures. The need for fewer classroom windows was at the top of the list. Hopefully this would improve the attention span of 4th period students who presently are driving chemistry and English teachers to distraction with their concentrated viewing of the pass-the-bod and other noon hour spectacles. The present plan is to reduce the windows during the winter before the spring bod-passing season. It appears too late to keep students from checking the winter sky for any sign of a school-ending snow.

A second suggestion was for a new “school spirit room” to be opened for those who do not wish to attend the pep rallies. Football co-captains Tom Paar and Kevin Filley have been asked to preside at the opening ceremonies. The administration hopes to have the room ready in time to boycott next year’s football team.

The football team has challenged the boycotters to a football game anytime, anyplace; the boycotters have not been able to agree on a suitable event to which to challenge the football team.

A third suggestion was for a supervised smoking room where students might smoke without harassment. The head of the consultation team stated, “The present situation with students having to sneak smokes and then hurriedly tossing away their cigarettes to avoid detection is a definite fire hazard.” There

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would be no penalty for smoking in the room except for marijuana cigarettes, whose use would receive half a demerit, one week of detention, and an interview on CBS TV. The team also suggested an addition to the library where students might do their math homework. This room could also be used for lunch hour detention and free a classroom for more productive purposes i.e. sitting there locked up, like most other classrooms 4th period.

Another suggested expenditure was $2.98 for a lock for the computer room. This may prevent students from running up

$1200 computer time bills. It will also free the room for the use of those who really need it, the faculty, who are falling behind the students in computer programming skill. A more expensive soft drink machine to replace the present one, whose only advantage seems to be that the company pays the school to drink the machine’s contents. (Note: this column is not funny, this is because the last column which was not well received in the cafeteria, resulting in one hungry author.)

The Logistics of Language

By ELLA AVGAR

O

ver the years, researchers have struggled to answer this question: does the language you speak change the way you think? Some have claimed that yes, differences in words, sentence structure, and tense ultimately change the way you view the world; others have vehemently disagreed, arguing that there is no evidence that supports this notion of differences in thought. While it is hard to prove that variations in language relate to differences in thought—given our inability to see the thoughts of others—it can be noted that a language forces you to categorize and express concepts differently, altering the way you view the world in nuanced ways.

Imagine someone asks you where the bathroom is. An English speaker might reply, “the door on your left” or “right behind you.” For someone who speaks Guugu Yimithirr (an Aboriginal language found in North Queensland, Australia), relative direction is irrelevant. Instead of using words like left and right, they use words like north, south, east, and west to describe locations in the world around them. At any given moment, a native speaker of this language knows exactly which direction they are facing thanks to an internal compass honed since birth.

English expresses location in relation to the speaker, while Guugu Yimithirr expresses location through exact direction. Studies have shown that this type of thinking increases navigational skills and spatial awareness. So, to answer the bathroom question, a native speaker of a language that uses cardinal directions might reply: “Just east from here.” Both speakers of English and speakers of Guugu Yimithirr understand direction and

know how to voice location, but the ways in which they think about these concepts are nuanced. Guugu Ymithirr offers a contrasting perspective on direction: the idea of directions as absolute and unchanged regardless of where a person is in relation to the object that differs from the egocentric nature of English, which describes locations based on the position of oneself.

These linguistic differences emphasize the importance of preserving native languages so that certain concepts are not lost.

Similarly, the language you speak changes how you categorize the world around you. Russian, for example, has a word for light blue and a word for dark blue. While English places all shades of blue under one umbrella term, the Russian idea that light blue and dark blue are distinct divides the color in two. When you think about it, the dark tint of deep ocean waters is vastly different from a pale sky on a sunny day; in English, however, ‘blue’ is a perfectly fine adjective for both settings. Russian speakers are always differentiating between light and dark blue because they have different names.

This linguistic difference does not drastically change the way English speakers and Russian speakers are seeing the world, but it does make one think about how certain labels we have are quite arbitrary. Why don’t we just call pink ‘light red’?

In addition, language can change what you are forced to think about. This can be seen in the way gender plays a large role in many languages. In Spanish, the use of the articles la or el before a noun indicate whether objects are feminine or masculine. This way of seeing objects and talking about them makes gender constantly relevant. Similarly, while someone

in English might say they talked with a teacher, a Spanish speaker would have to indicate whether they talked with la profesora or el profesor, bringing the gender of the teacher into the conversation. Many Spanish speakers are leading the way towards implementing gender-neutral conventions within the language to represent all gender identities. It is interesting to view the way the structure of a language changes what must be brought up when speaking and the way the language must evolve.

Lastly, there are many words found in other languages that don’t have direct English translations. A vast array of words that describe concepts that take many words, maybe even sentences, to describe in English. A few of my favorites include: hygge, a Danish word that encompasses the feeling of hanging with loved ones, good food, and general coziness; culaccino, the Italian word for the stain left on a surface from a glass of cold liquid; and psithurism, the Ancient Greek word for rustling leaves. The way concepts are expressed, whether as multiple sentences and descriptive words or as a single word that explains the whole concept, changes based on the concept and language being referred.

Language is an extremely powerful tool that we use to express ourselves every day.

While the language you speak does not limit your ability to think about concepts found in other languages, it does slightly change the way you relate to the world around you. In dissecting the words and structures of languages, we can better understand other perspectives and ideas and learn new ways to express ourselves.

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Check Your Source: The Origin of ... Christmas Trees

By ADDIE HOULE-HITZ

I

Victorian Christmas art, image provided by author

have a very clear memory of when I was eight years old, asking my father why the “Christmas colors” were red and green.

When you think about it, this is never really touched upon in any specific way. The green is said to represent the “eternal life of Jesus Christ,” but also represents the evergreen tree, which is what he told me. The evergreen stays green all winter long, a symbol of perseverance—why then, do we proceed to cut it down? Shouldn’t we be doing the opposite? If anything, wouldn’t it make more sense to plant trees if this is the case?

In reality, many celebrations and traditions surrounding Christmas stem from the Germanic, Pagan holiday of Yule. Later, Yule was reinvented by the Christans, resulting in the term “Christmastide” and eventually, “Christmas.” Most Christmas traditions in many parts of Europe are derived from the practices surrounding Yule, and “Yule” is even in these modernized practices names. A tradition that has specifically led to the induction of the Christmas tree into holiday ritual is the Yule log. As the Yule log burns, we can rid ourselves of misfortune in the past year by counting the sparks. Also, if it burns all the way through to the twelfth night (January 6), it is said to signal a prosperous new year. The Christmas tree was purported to be holy because it was green all year round. In many Germanic countries it would be burned as a sacrifice, the current practice of which is now known as the Yule log.

In 16th century Germany, the act of chopping down, keeping in your home, and decorating a Christmas tree emerged. Devout Christians would cut them down and put candles in the branches which were said to represent the stars above the evergreens at night. However, since the evergreens were still considered very sacred by many, chopping them down was only done by extremely dedicated Christians. Those who were not extremely religious would create pyramids resembling the trees out of a different kind of wood (the species is unknown); if those trees were unavailable, evergreens got the axe.

This practice continued; but in the 19th century, Christmas trees were seen as strange in the newly “discovered” Americas.

The first record of one on display was in a German house in Pennsylvania in 1830. Since Christmas trees were a German tradition, it makes sense that Germans were the ones who had them; almost all other settlers viewed Christmas trees as a symbol of Paganism. Christmas was deemed a “sacred event” and things such as Christmas carols, Christmas trees, or any joyous celebration was said to be making a mockery of it by the Puritans. It wasn’t until Queen Victoria of England released a drawing of herself and her family (pictured on the left) that Christmas trees were truly accepted by the Americas. By the 1890s, Christmas trees in both America and Europe were very common, although Europeans preferred their trees to be small (roughly four feet) and American trees often reached all the way to the ceiling.

In the early 20th century, Christmas trees were fully popularized. While most German homes still used traditional decorations such as stringed popcorn and gingerbread, others began to use homemade decorations. When electricity was introduced to the general public, Christmas lights replaced the candles one put in the boughs. This allowed for Christmas lights to stay on as long as one wished, and got rid of the continual fear that something would catch on fire.

Today, the use of a Christmas tree—or something resembling it—can be seen around the world. In North America and most of Northern Europe, pine trees are still chopped down and decorated in the homes of those who celebrate. In warmer climates, however, pine trees are not as accessible and changes have been made to the practice. For example, in Brazil, Christmas technically falls during the summer, so trees are often decorated with little pieces of cotton to represent falling snow. In China, the small population of people who celebrate Christmas often do so by decorating artificial trees with paper chains, flowers and lanterns. These are referred to as “trees of light.”

Although Christmas trees initially started as a Pagan tradition, the practice has diffused throughout different cultures around the globe. While the green in the colors we associate with Christmas represents the “eternal life of Jesus,” it also represents the pine tree, and its history.

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Red is Still Making Us Cry Nine Years Later

By LILY NEWTON

Cover art for Swift’s re-recorded Red album, courtesy of Spotify

O

ver the years, Taylor Swift has changed from country to pop, from curly hair to straight. Many have followed along with her through these changes, serving as loyal fans, or “Swifties.” Her debut album, Taylor Swift, was released in 2006 when the singer was only 16 years old. Swift’s following five albums were produced and released under Big Machine Records. The masters of her first six albums have since been sold

by Scooter Braun, who acquired ownership of her old record label after Swift’s contract ended. Describing the events as her “worst-case scenario,” Swift was forced to lose the rights to her music prior to 2019’s Lover. Thankfully for us, instead of being defeated, she retaliated in the best way possible. Swift decided to re-record her albums to regain control and rights over her music, starting with Fearless (2008), releasing what she called “Taylor’s Version” in April. On November 12, she released Red (Taylor’s Version).

Red debatably marked a turning point in Swift’s career, serving as her second most commercially popular album (1989 being the first). In Red, there is a noticeable change in the type of music, transitioning the artist from the country of her first three albums to a more pop sound. That being said, the album still heavily features guitar and acoustic elements. The original (non-deluxe) album is composed of twenty-two songs, whereas the re-recording features thirty. Included is a 10-minute version of “All Too Well,” a song confirmed to be about Swift’s relationship with actor Jake Gyllenhaal. Although one album is better than the other, the contrast of the two serves as a reflection of

how Swift has changed over the years.

The original studio album of Red is a bit slower and more emotional than its re-recorded counterpart. Red was written at a very specific point in Swift’s life—the album came after the end of her three-month relationship with Gyllenhaal, when she was 21 and he 30. Breakups are difficult in general, but if Red (specifically the “All Too Well” short film that accompanies the re-recording) is any indication, they had anything but a healthy relationship. Now in a happy relationship, that emotion and post-breakup feeling is a bit harder to convey. Similarly, Swift is significantly older now and has had more time to mature, discover her sound, and develop her voice. Even though the two versions are practically twins of each other, these more subtle changes can be noticed if you’ve listened to the original enough.

In addition to “All Too Well,” some of the special inclusions on Taylor’s Version are collaborations. “Nothing New (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” featuring Phoebe Bridgers sounds almost made for Bridgers to sing. Lines like, “Lord what will become of me, once I’ve lost my novelty” and “Will you still want me when I’m nothing new” seem to have a deeper meaning below the surface. The song seems like a commentary of the two female artists, asking what happens when they’re no longer of relevance.

“All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” was one of the best things I’ve ever heard. The imagery in the lyrics and the perfect layering of sounds just creates a truly fantastic piece of music. While in general the re-recorded album seemed to lack some of the emotions of the original, “All Too Well” certainly did not have this problem. I will be listening to that song on repeat for weeks.

After the release of the album, short film, talk show interviews, and a Saturday Night Live musical guest appearance, it is safe to say Taylor Swift isn’t going anywhere. If anything, her new content has only propelled her further in her career.

In the midst of all this, she has managed to reclaim her music and reclaim who she is—and if we get a few more albums in the process, you won’t hear me complain.

Fall Sunset by Ella Keen Allee

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ARTS

Thoughts on Marvel’s Eternals

By CLARA WEBER

A still from Marvel’s Eternals, courtesy of CNBC Possible spoiler warning: a valiant effort was made to avoid spoilers in this piece, but if you’d like to be extremely safe, make sure to watch Eternals before reading!

O

ne of the sensations in the world of pop culture in November, Eternals is a revolutionary project for Marvel’s cinematic universe (MCU). Aside from the incredibly intricate plot, which I can’t get into without spoiling the entire movie (yes, really), Eternals dives deep into questions of identity, duty, and family. The movie breaks several Marvel stereotypes and patterns, creating a story unlike much of the studio’s mainstream work.

If you’ve heard one thing about Eternals, it probably has to do with the abysmal ratings the movie has gotten, being rated lower than both Thor: The Dark World and The Incredible Hulk. Quite honestly, I think these ratings are nonsense. As Eternals was publicized as breaking out of the Marvel “box,” it’s unreasonable to expect that it adhere to the formulas and commonalities of other Marvel successes. This is one of the troubles with immediate reviews for mainstream movies: critics see movies to criticise them, not to enjoy them. Something to be said for these reviews, however, is that Eternals was significantly more “touchy-feely” than any other Marvel movie, and for those seeking a gritty action-adventure film, it may have been a disappointment.

Despite Eternals being quite different from most other films in the MCU, it’s definitely worth the watch. Unlike many action and adventure movies that have one non-white character, one female character, or really one character that breaks the norm for the individual film, Eternals features a team diverse in appearance, ability, and personality. The movie respectfully includes several different cultures, inserting the film’s main characters into these cultural narratives without egregious whitewashing or colonialist perspectives.

One thing that really struck me about the film was how little this diversity was addressed in the film itself. Typically, in similar movies, characters labelled as “different” have some type of monologue or flashback scene that “explains” or “justifies” their characteristics, usually just a show to the audience saying, “Look how inclusive we are!” In Eternals, however, the character Makkari’s deafness isn’t excused by some injury or other incident.

It’s barely even explained, and the rest of the characters interact with her normally, either speaking as usual or incorporating ASL along with their dialogue. When we see Phastos with his husband and child, there’s no moment of awkwardness or hesitation among the rest of the Eternals. There’s not even a discussion of how he and his husband met, and Phastos’s dedication to his family’s safety is the main subject of these scenes.

This non-acknowledgement makes the inclusion of these characters and scenes feel much more genuine. There’s no drama around them, and they’re just accepted as normal, which is how diversity should be portrayed. It shouldn’t be revolutionary to have a character that isn’t straight, white, male, neurotypical, or anything other than Hollywood’s “norm,” and when they are included, they shouldn’t be treated as special or as an accomplishment to be applauded just for existing.

Even aside from the amazing characters and personalities in the film, the story and its many intricate plotlines were impeccably executed. Although there was no shocking curveball that changed all of my expectations, the story wasn’t wholly predictable. I firmly believe that if a plot twist is mind-bending and totally unforeseen, it’s been executed wrong, so being able to reflect back on the film and understand the various surprising paths the movie took was extremely satisfying.

Overall, Eternals was, in my opinion, an example of a thought-provoking adventure done right. Its deviation from the exposition-action-exposition formulas Marvel is so fond of was refreshing. Every character was far from two-dimensional and thought through, and the progression of the relationships between them seemed utterly natural. Usually, walking out of a Marvel movie, I’m arguing with my friends or family about what happened in this particular scene, or what they really meant with this one moment, but with Eternals, everything was so cohesive that the only conversation was about how nicely this sequence was done, or what we thought was going to come next for the characters. This movie was the perfect door-opener for the inclusion of more diversity and creativity on the part of the mainstream film industry, and I sincerely hope that door stays open and that more studios, directors, and executives choose to walk through it.

ARTS

19

Milk Fed: A Dysfunctional But Riveting Read

By RAIA GUTMAN

Cover of book and photo of author Melissa Broder, courtesy of Petra Collins Trigger warning: This book deals heavily with eating disorders and body dysmorphia; accordingly, this review mentions these topics.

I

found Milk Fed on a search for lesbian romantic fiction. I never read many reviews before checking out a book for myself, but I couldn’t avoid reviews describing the book as erotic and funny. The combination intrigued me. I struggle taking romance novels seriously enough to enjoy them and often prefer to be surprised by a romantic subplot in an otherwise engaging book. But, cliché as it is, I was attracted to Milk Fed’s cover, as well as the details I picked up while browsing the Tompkins County Public Library’s catalog. When the book reached my bedside table, I took a look at the inside cover and found out that the main character was struggling with an eating disorder. Indeed, as I started reading, I was bombarded with a detailed description of everything the main character ate in a day and each meal’s calorie count. It was intense, but I was hooked.

As I read on, the story made several other impressions on me.

First, I was surprised to read the loving way the main character described her food. Despite restricting it so much, it truly sustained her—physically, emotionally, and sensually. I had never thought of people on restrictive diets as enjoying food, but thinking about it more, it made sense. Depriving yourself of food makes you crave it, and craving food, if you have the fear of binging and gaining weight, is a threat that can only be quelled by restricting your caloric intake. In this book, food is described not only lovingly but erotically, vividly, and luxuriously. Similarly, the sex in the book is treated indulgently—some readers say grossly—without a hint of shame on the part of the author. These two features are tied together by their equivalent effects on the characters’ senses of guilt, pleasure, fear, and desire.

Melissa Broder’s authorship is highlighted best in her writing of Rachel, the main character. She has all the flaws and mishaps

of a person we know, or even of us in our dark and embarrassing memories. She is also vulnerable and lovable, clearly still the little girl whose mother taught her to diet. She is recognizably Jewish, especially to a Jewish reader who has her brand of cultural secular Judaism in common. Rachel is written in a manner so open and raw she truly does not seem like a character.

I was surprised to find that the book was, in fact, funny. I am always wary of books that claim to be funny, especially those about comedians. Months ago I read a young adult novel about a high school student who joins the improv club at her school, and it was terribly unfunny. In Milk Fed, too, the main character is a comic. However, I am grateful that the author chose not to milk (no pun intended) any laughs out of her stand-up performances, and rather infused the rest of the story with subtle humor. Most of the humor comes from the vivid way Broder describes characters that mildly annoy both Rachel and the reader: the exhaustingly PC “feminist” white male boss, the NPR-enjoying co-worker who mentions obscure Scandinavian films to impress those around him, and the CW zombie drama star who takes himself and his acting way too seriously.

A lot of the book is quite heavy, if only in subject matter.

Rachel’s eating disorder is described in gory detail, and there are consistent flashbacks to all the ways she was traumatized in her childhood by a cruel, equally troubled mother. The explicit sex scenes, too, are funny and genuine. Nothing is idealized in this book, and the intensity is equal throughout, so as not to suggest the author views any one theme as deeper or heavier than any other.

Besides Rachel’s relationship with disordered eating and related relationship with her mother, the third plotline of the novel is her love affair with Miriam, the woman who serves her frozen yogurt. It starts when she serves her for the first time and disobeys her request to fill the cup only to the top. Although this bothers Rachel, she begins to like Miriam, who is Jewish like Rachel but much more observant, belonging to the Orthodox sect.

Miriam introduces her to a Chinese restaurant, where Rachel watches her fully enjoying her food and is given permission to do the same. The essence of the two women’s relationship is the making and breaking of rules. Miriam, as an Orthodox Jew, has rules that her family follows in accordance with Jewish law—no turning lights on or off during Shabbat, no eating meat and milk in the same meal. She also has rules she imposes on her sexuality after getting caught with another girl when she was younger.

It takes persuasion for her to dare to try again, this time with Rachel. On the other hand, Rachel has rules about food. Their relationship is mutually challenging in that it leads Rachel to more or less abandon her diet restrictions and Miriam to open herself to loving a woman.

Milk Fed is appropriately titled. Not only does it deal with all the nuances of daughterhood, nurturing, and dairy, but also reflects the taste in your mouth when you reach the back cover: smooth and soothing with a hint of wildness, like it was taken straight from the cow.

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ARTS

Tattler Holiday Music Playlist: Songs for the Season!

By ANNEKE WITTINK

T

he December issue of The Tattler is out, and winter break is right around the corner! Here’s a playlist of all the best holiday jams, curated by my sporadic taste in music. For this playlist, I limited myself to 11 songs and tried to include representation of different religious beliefs. Happy listening!

“Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses Starting off strong, we have one of my favorite songs for the holidays (the guitar riff at the beginning has my heart).

“8 Days (Of Hannukah)” by Sharon Jones & The DapKings This is a song that I just learned about this year, but it will definitely be going on my personal holiday playlist. The horn section absolutely carries the chorus, and it’s my favorite part of the song.

“two queens in a king sized bed” by girl in red This song was a bit of a stretch, but it does reference Christmas, so it was a must-add.

“Main Title (From Elf)” by John Debney & Hollywood Studio Symphony Ending our list on a happy note, with the theme song of Elf! Elf is one of my absolute favorite holiday movies ever, and Will Ferrell is a comedic mastermind. This film is definitely worth a watch (even if you don’t celebrate Christmas), and I promise you will enjoy it.

Happy Holidays!

“What Christmas Means to Me” by Stevie Wonder This is a song I hear nonstop on the radio in December, and for good reason. To me, it embodies the spirit of the holidays and always puts me in a good mood.

“HOLIDAY” by Lil Nas X Say all you want about this man, but this song is a bop.

“Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by John Lennon & Yoko Ono I consider this song to be a Christmas classic, and it just gives off the vibes I want this holiday season.

“I Am the Grinch (feat. Fletcher Jones)” by Tyler, the Creator This is for all the anti-holiday people out there—I know who you are. Honestly, even if the holidays are your jam, this song can be appreciated by everyone.

“Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano This is an absolute earworm of a song that always gets me in the holiday mindset.

“Kwanzaa-Uomja-Uhuru (Swahili) [First Fruits of the Harvest-Unity-Freedom]” by Sounds of Blackness Being in Chorale myself, I love choral music. The drums in the song also add a really nice touch, and once again, the horn section really comes through.

“The Chanukah Song” by Adam Sandler This song was a shoo-in on my list because not only is Adam Sandler an iconic Jewish movie star, director, and fashionista, but he is also a talented musician and songwriter! This man deserves more hype.

Scan this code to listen to the full playlist!

CENTERSPREAD

21

ICSD’s Equity Report Card: Key Takeaways

By FRANCES KLEMM

I

n March of 2021, ICSD released their snap shot of grades, AP enrollment, graduation and more from the pandemic school year (2020-21). The data is released to the public annually during January of every normal year. The new data suggest that the pandemic may have resulted in increased gaps between subgroups on key indicators of student success. There is a gap in almost every category of IHS’s analysis of education between male and female students. For the first two quarters of the 202021 school year (the only quarters we have access to at the time being), 61.9 percent of girls got As compared to 50.0 percent of male students. 40.4 percent of girls enrolled in AP courses compared to 32.5 percent of male students. In the class of 2020 (the most recent graduation data) 89.2 percent of female students graduated compared to 84.5 percent of male students. In short, male students are following a nationwide and decade-long trend of falling behind in the classroom setting.

Participation in the FRPL (Free or Reduced-Price Lunch) program is often used as an (imperfect) proxy for students living in poverty. Another major gap in student success at IHS is based on participation in the FRPL program. 33.1 percent of FRPL students received As within the first two quarters of the 202021 school year compared to 64.7 percent of non-FRPL students.

District Evaluation Officer, Lynn Klankowski, does recognize that FRPL status doesn’t always accurately reflect a school’s number of students who are living in poverty. FRPL status, though used by the state to measure students in poverty along with the district, tracks poverty status by the families who apply and are accepted to the program, if both are not done, a student who is in fact living around or below the poverty line will not count as FRPL. And as suspected, gaps between racial groups are common across indicators as well. 53.8 percent of Asian students enrolled in an AP course in the 2020-21 school year compared to 39.4 percent of White students, 23.7 percent of Hispanic students and 9.9 percent of Black students. The pandemic has widened the graduation rate gap between racial groups: there was a 2.5 percentage point gap in 2019 between graduation rates of Black and White students and a 14.2 percentage point gap in 2020.

In response to the gaps between racial groups, The Tattler reached out to the student group I-RISE, the primary student-run association in support of racial equity and justice at IHS. I-RISE is dedicated to, “a focus on social justice and reform and targets to make change for students of color not only in the district but in the community,” according to I-RISE leader and IHS Junior, Fatou Fatoumata. In response to the recent ICSD Equity Report Card’s gaps in AP enrollment and graduation for Black and Hispanic students, I-RISE hopes the district will “focus on students who are struggling to be in class and struggling to connect and learn from their teachers.” The student group’s statement to The Tattler reads, “Additionally, there is a stigma around the type of kids that are ‘built’ for advanced placement,

and that being in an AP class means that you’re set to be successful. That stigma only further shields students from enrolling in these courses.” I-RISE cites a student-teacher disconnect and the system of teacher referral into higher level classes as a reason why students of color could be falling behind. “The district has taken some steps but, changing policies so that they are anti-racist is crucial, and it also begins with students, teachers, and admin receiving a bias check.”

As for the district’s solutions to these gaps, The Tattler sat down with Lynn Klankowski, an ICSD Evaluation Officer and one of the creators of the ICSD Equity Report Card. “Our data definitely connects to what we see on the state and national level,” Ms. Klankowski says. As for Ithaca’s response and solutions, Lynn Klankowski urges students to visit the “Learning Forward ICSD’’ page on the ICSD website (under the header, ‘Teaching and Learning). Learning Forward is a three-year program at ICSD with the goal to, as described by the website, “reverse the legacy of racism and establish communities built on love and joy.”

Ms. Klankowski hopes that if students of color and from different marginalized identities can see themselves in the curriculum, it will increase engagement, “which would hopefully increase student success.” So one of the major initiatives with Learn Forward is curriculum redesigning and centering student voices of color in that process.

Another big element to the program Ms. Klankowski talks about actions is by students that are labeled as behavioral issues, “not because there’s actual, ‘behavior’ going on but because there’s misunderstanding,” the Evaluation Officer explains, “Because our district is majority white along with our educators, this often creates a cultural disconnect in the curriculum.” Ms. Klankowski shares that another one of the main goals of the program is helping the district’s majority white teachers recognize how students of different identities may interact differently so that teachers could potentially see responses and interactions coming from students with different backgrounds and cultures in a new light, or at least of one that would require less discipline and reprimanding. The goal is “To create a space in the classroom that really allows all students to see themselves as belonging there, a space that values them.” The program is hoping to close gaps between the subgroups of students listed earlier and as Ms. Klankowski says, relies heavily on district data like the ICSD Equity Report Card to do so.

Flip the page to look at more data from the ICSD Equity Report Card!

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CENTERSPREAD

Know Your School ICSD Equity Report and Summary Curated by FRANCES KLEMM As an ICSD student or staff member, you may or may not have heard of IHS’s Annual Equity Report card, found by googling “ICSD Equity Report Card," and containing data on graduation, enrollment, participation in AP and Honors classes, and more from 2014 to present. However, the newest release of data does not include enrollment, out-of-school suspension rates, or chronic absenteeism data (all present in earlier years) but instead a look at pandemic-specific statistics.

The data provided by ICSD is a way for the district to be open about how the financial status, racial identity, and sex of students can play a role in different parts of their experience at ICSD. If you access the website, use the bars on the left-hand side of the page to look at how the data changes when only FRPL students, Male, or Black students are represented in the data. All data in the following graphs is directly from the ICSD Equity Report Card 2020-2021.

What Type of Internet Access did IHS Students have in the 2020-2021 School Year?

Reliable but Slow Access

District Provided Hotspot

Cellphone Based only Access

No Reliable Access

District Provided ISP

Reliable Access to High Speed Internet

0

500

Unknown Access

1,000

1,500

Attendance of In-Person vs Virtual School by Percentage

In Person Learners

Virtual Leaners 0%

20%

40%

60%

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Meals Served by ICSD during the Pandemic Number of Breakfasts Served Number of Lunches Served

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

y nu

ar

r Ja

em be

r

ec

Days IHS Planned on Being Open for In-Person Learning vs. Days Actually Open for In-Person Learning (2020-21)

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em be

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ov

ob O ct

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Days IHS Hoped to be Open

Days IHS was Actually Open Grades of IHS Students from the Past 3 Years October

Percentage of Students Who Received an A in a Class Percentage of Students Who Received a Failing Grade in a Class

60%

40%

November

December

January

20%

Febuary

Q

Q ua

rt e ua r 1 20 rt 1 Q er ua 2 8-2 20 0 rt 19 1 Q er ua 3 8-2 20 0 r 18 19 Q ter ua -2 4 2 0 r Q ter 018 19 ua 1 -2 20 rt 0 19 1 Q er ua 2 9-2 20 0 rt 20 1 Q er ua 3 9-2 2 0 rt 0 19 20 Q er -2 ua 4 20 0 r 19 20 Q ter -2 ua 1 2 0 rt 20 er 02 0 2 -2 20 0 20 21 -2 0 21

0%

March

0

5

10

15

20

Graphics by YASMEEN ALASS

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ARTS

The French Dispatch: A Dialogue on Wes Anderson’s New Film

By RUBY LaROCCA and MANU BOSTEELS

A still from director Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, courtesy of NPR Please note: If you’re reading this, you will definitely benefit from having watched the movie. Wes Anderson’s new film is complex and multifaceted, and renders reviews difficult to follow without some prior knowledge of the movie. However, there will be no major “spoilers,” and we recommend a viewing regardless.

T

he French Dispatch (TFD) concerns the eponymous New Yorker-esque French Dispatch magazine, a foreign bureau of a fictional Kansas-based daily paper. The film is structured into four distinct sections—dramatizations of the articles within the magazine’s final issue. These sections, aside from being part of the magazine, have little in common. We encounter the characters primarily in the French, fictional town of Ennuisur-Blasé and depart only briefly to Kansas. The time period is not specified, but the film is heavily nostalgic of late 1960s France—art, student riots, and, of course, cuisine.

Manu Bosteels ‘24: Hey Ruby. Let’s jump right in: was Wes Anderson’s new film TFD worth a nine-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival?

Ruby LaRocca ‘24: Well, I’ve been excited about the release of TFD for over a year—not only because of my Timothée Chalamet obsession, but also because I’m an aspiring journalist, and the film was billed as a love letter to long-form journalism, to publications like the New Yorker. However, when I went to see this film I was inspired—but only to write a critical review of it. How about you?

MB: I would have to agree. I had really high expectations for this movie, and I cannot say I was impressed. The new film is by no means bad, but it is quirky to an excessive extent. Especially during the last “feature,” the story seemed to drag out unnecess-

arily as Anderson fit in as many strange whims and eccentricities as possible—I was falling asleep, which is something that never happens. Anderson’s idea of a movie created as a “love letter to long-form journalism” is interesting, but movies aren’t designed to work in the same way as long-form prose. The attention and patience you exercise when reading the New Yorker aren’t there when you go see a movie, and vice versa. This needs to be reflected in both movies and long-form prose in order for either to be successful. A rather obvious comparison is that you can start an article, leave it, and come back three days later and be just as interested. No one watches a movie for three days, however.

Wes Anderson didn’t build his reputation making films that were purely “intellectual,” for lack of a better word, so this movie threw me off by being so heavily artistic as opposed to entertaining.

RL: Exactly. A successful New Yorker article takes you down a meandering, digressive path—and eventually, you end up in a place of true profundity. At least, that seems to have been the intention of the film. But TFD’s separate storylines, I think, ultimately failed to lead us to those beautiful moments that may have provided meaning to the rest of the film. And like a New Yorker article, the film begins in the middle—the French Dispatch is already established. Then the figures are introduced.

And each section, mimicking an article, contains evocative elements. Many New Yorker pieces begin with an analogy, or a vignette—something that is not the thing itself, not the subject of the piece. For example, in the first feature article of the film, we watch a smock-clad artist painting a nude model; when the session is complete, they each disappear behind a changing screen; they reappear, the artist in a straitjacket and the model in a police uniform; and we realize they are not who we thought they were. It is my favorite moment in the film.

MB: I totally agree. The intention to create something thought-provoking and sentimental is clear, and for some people, this is enough. Our theater audience started clapping when the movie was over, so the movie clearly has fans. For me, the cinematography is interesting at worst and beautiful at best, so there are definitely certain redeeming aspects to the movie.

Unfortunately, these bright points don’t do much to discount the sluggishness and density of the movie as a whole. It was plain slow, to the point where a sub-two-hour film seemed to last much more.

RL: Yeah, I thought the movie was over three hours long! Not a good sign. Coming away from the film, I thought it seemed like a parody of a Wes Anderson movie. Over the course of his career, Anderson has developed certain “devices”; in this film, it seems as if he employs all of them, all the time! One device is Ander-

ARTS son’s use of narration. In TFD, there is a striking overabundance of narrators—not narration, but the actual number of characters who serve as narrators: the preface spoken by Angelica Huston, the tour of Ennui by Owen Wilson, and then the three sections by their respective “writers.” Five narrators prove to be too much for the film to handle. It is an interesting exercise to try and write several different writing styles that are not your own; however, apart from cadence, accent, and inflection, the narrators are reading work that sounds just like the previous author—the language is indistinguishable between writers. Perhaps, of course, this has been the intention all along; perhaps Anderson recognized the “formula” of many New Yorker articles (using analogy, starting in the middle, wandering along, and ending with a revelation), and decided to entertain the idea of a formula by making all the voices sound the same. How has Anderson used narration in his previous films?

MB: The Royal Tenenbaums, for instance, employs Alec Baldwin’s voice to explain certain aspects of the story while allowing for independent character development; the story moves on without narration in certain points, and it doesn’t feel as if the narrator is explaining every scene one-by-one.​There is real dialogue that is natural and similar to every other movie. TFD is like a bad Rick Riordan book, changing characters so often that it is impossible to keep track of them all. Suddenly, I would realize that the voice that had been droning on, explaining rather than showing the events of the movie, actually belonged to an entirely different character. Everything is so forced and prose-like that, regardless of whether or not it is intentional, the movie seems half-baked. Even in prose, it’s important to show readers what’s going on and not just narrate the events as they happen. It seems like TFD is so loosely held together that it needs narration just to make sense as one cohesive film—the other Wes Anderson films that employ narration do so much more successfully.

RL: The overwhelming abundance of celebrity cameos has the same effect on the film that the constant narration does—characters are not permitted to develop. Plainly, there are too many famous actors. The volume of cameos is overwhelming, and each actor only gets a few lines in the entire film. Unfortunately, some films depend on cameos when the plot is weak, especially if the director has already been established and actors are keen to work with them—it takes some pressure off the screenwriter, if you know what I mean. So many films these days employ the use of celebrity appearances to bolster the quality of the movie; I think it’s a real symptom of a celebrity-oriented culture and shows the decline of character-driven drama. For example, in both Denis Villeneuve’s new film Dune and TFD, there is so much talent but all the actors are jumbled together and quashed (not that Dune was intended to be a character-driven drama). The effect is that no single performance is truly memorable, which is a shame.

MB: Then again, I think Dune actually has a better celebrity-to-good-acting ratio, if that even exists, whereas the acting in TFD is good—but not as good as it should be given the fame of both cast and crew. I was also disappointed that Anderson’s mainstay cast members, particularly Bill Murray and Owen Wilson, got relatively less time than other actors, even in a film where the entire cast is afforded a pathetic amount of screentime. Those of us who are fans of Anderson’s previous work (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, for instance) were excited to see

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see these names on the cast list and bummed at their lack of presence in the film. I don’t want this to seem like TFD is awful, though. What do you think went right?

RL: I think it would be ungenerous to discount the costuming, cinematography, and set design of this film. TFD contains meticulously arranged shots, the occasional really funny moment, and some lovely visual stimulation. However, the “twee-ness” of it was absurd—like, every squirrel has a corduroy jacket. For a general audience, to be “twee” is to be excessively or affectedly quaint or sentimental. Wes Anderson’s previous films are easily characterized as being twee, but to a watchable and enjoyable degree. In TFD, the twee quality is captured by set design and costuming, which are hyper-nostalgic and meant to evoke that feeling of writing for the New Yorker on a typewriter in a French garret apartment. It used to be that Anderson was aware of the comedic quality of his aesthetic, but he is no longer making fun of it—he’s given over to it and hermetically sealed himself inside the twee room.

MB: Yeah, exactly. He’s become quirky, and in the annoying, “I’m not like other guys” sense of the word. After watching the film, rather than being a love letter to journalism, TFD seems to be a love letter to Wes himself, and all the “devices” and quirks that, as you described, he fits in everywhere. I found this profoundly bothersome; I myself am no Wes Anderson expert, but enjoying a movie shouldn’t rely on your prior knowledge as heavily as TFD does. You shouldn’t need to have a special interest in Anderson’s quirks to like the film, but their quantity is so staggering that, in fact, you do.

RL: I completely agree with your analysis. There comes a point when a director becomes so entwined with their own style that the films they produce fail to be a single, independent piece of art. The film becomes a portrait of the devices, tricks, and little darlings of the creator, and are often dependent on a familiarity with the director’s entire oeuvre. In the past few years, I’ve noticed this phenomenon develop in the new work of some of my favorite directors, such as P.T. Anderson and Christopher Nolan.

Anyway, another thing I think we should talk about is the notion of a fictitious composite character based on biographically true people. Creating a composite character involves layering the attributes and language of multiple real people to create a fictional persona. It’s an interesting thing to try, and Anderson gives multiple attempts over the course of the film. When speaking about this device with my dad, he mentioned a writer who used to write for the New Yorker in the 30s, Joseph Mitchell, who wrote composite characters. Fascinatingly, his work was presented as journalism, not fiction, and his audience was convinced of the reality of his characters as individuals—even though they were actually a blend of different people’s attributes, styles, and language. It was kind of a scandal. I wonder if Anderson was inspired by Mitchell and wanted to use the film to explore the relationship between real and fictitious people; I think he must have been aware of this, but I’m not sure his composite characters are as successful as Mitchell’s.

The clearest example in the film and maybe the one most accessible to the audience is the character of Roebuck Wright, Continued on page 26

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The French Dispatch: A Dialogue on Wes Anderson’s New Film Continued from page 25 played by the actor Jeffrey Wright. The character could be called a composite, but he is maybe more easily understood as an evocation, one that is clearly meant to be of James Baldwin. But where is Baldwin in all this? Just as in any other Anderson film, clothing plays a part: Wright’s clothes (a simple black suit and tie with a white shirt) remind us of Baldwin’s outfit of choice; his hair; his voice, cadence, and intonation; the fact that Baldwin spent many years in France—all cemented when James Baldwin is cited by the director’s thank yous at the end of the film.

However, there is certainly no Baldwin in the content of Wright’s language—his lines center on the art of “police cooking.” I felt quite alienated by this character. Anderson reduced Baldwin, that remarkable, literary genius, to a frivolous food reviewer who remembers every line he’s ever written. But here’s where it gets complicated: Wright isn’t really Baldwin, so who are we to object to how he is portrayed? It is not meant to be a biographical representation of the man, but an evocation. Yeah, I’m really interested in this idea, as you can see [chuckles].

MB: I mean, I’ll be honest: I never considered the connection between Baldwin and this character, but I think that just goes to prove that there was nothing in the actual content of his speech that would foster this connection. It goes back to the idea of this movie’s cast being so incredibly full of talent: Timothée Chalamet, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Lea Seydoux, Frances McDormand—and hey! Anderson found a way to stick James Baldwin in there, too. And sure, we can say that this character is just meant to be an evocation of Baldwin and not a perfect representation of him, but I think it is wrong to try this concept with someone like Baldwin. Given his depth and wit, and especially his field, I can’t help but think it problematic to stick him into your movie haphazardly, regardless of your purpose.

Now, if the composite character was focused upon someone like, I don’t know, John Mulaney, then we’re discussing something entirely different. As you said, Ruby, Roebuck Wright as a character reduces Baldwin to hair, voice, cadence, and intonation, and Baldwin is the wrong choice for that. Frankly, concerning the movie as a whole, I think Wes Anderson stacked the odds against himself in choosing a topic like this, and tried to coax a truly captivating and relevant plot out of it. There are bright spots for sure: Owen Wilson’s bike ride/monologue that tours audiences around Ennui is great, and funny, too. The scene you mentioned, Ruby, with the artist and the model turned criminal and police officer is masterful as well.

RL: Yeah, I think it is less of a film and more of an experiment or an exploration into what it means to be fictional, real, and what it means to be a journalist. It is a nostalgic, very insular film; it is interested in itself. TFD is a perfectly packaged piece of art that pays homage to Anderson’s obsession with France, with himself and his style, and the people who inspire him.

MB: Insular is a great word to describe TFD. If you are in any way outside of Wes Anderson’s realm of interest, this movie will disappoint you. Give it a shot anyway, though, because you never know. And go with a friend so you can chat about it afterwards.

Speaking of, thanks for chatting with me, Ruby, and we’ll continue this another time.

Love on Tour: The Harry Styles Live Experience

By HANNAH SHVETS

Harry Styles on Harryween, October 30 at The Madison Square Garden (1), taken by Hannah Shvets

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arry Styles, a singer who represents both childhood nostalgia and freedom of gender and sexuality expression, began his Love on Tour in the US with a spellbinding performance in Las Vegas. From there, Styles traveled all over the country, performing every few days while I lived vicariously through people on TikTok. In no universe did I imagine I would get to see him perform; seriously, who has a thousand dollars to just pay at the drop of a hat? Nonetheless, Twitter proved to be my friend, and I found myself at the October 30 Madison Square Garden concert. The common phrase that “Harry Styles concerts are like New York Fashion Week” proved to be completely true— the outfits in the arena were impeccable. Everyone looked so radiantly happy, and it was genuinely heartwarming. Although I wasn’t able to get seats in the pit, the experience was no less magical because of the huge screens showing live footage in some of the best quality I’ve ever seen.

Typically, Styles has Jenny Lewis start his shows, and comes on stage around 9:00 (one hour after the official start time). For the two performances on Halloween Weekend, the performers who opened for him were Madison Cunningham and Orville Peck. At first, I was disappointed, because I came for Styles and not two artists I had never heard of in my life, but the overall experience truly helped contribute to the environment by getting

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ARTS everyone excited and helping the audience members feel connected to one another. Madison Cunningham, 25-year-old singer and songwriter, may be relatively unknown at the moment, but is definitely going places. With her exceptionally talented background musicians, Cunningham had us singing along for the 45 minutes she was on stage. The following singer was less of a hit for me; by then I was restless to hear the person for whom I had actually come. Orville Peck, a Canadian country musician known for never showing his face, had good music that many people in the audience seemed to know, but it wasn’t really my thing.

Finally, at 9:30, the long awaited moment came. The arena went dark and erupted into cheers, and phone screens flickered through the 820,000 square foot building. In typical Styles fashion, everyone was kept on their toes whenever the lights brightened and someone on his team ran out instead of him. A voice began reading the first lines of the poem “Style” by Charles Bukowski, and the screens lit up with the usual ginormous bunny silhouettes on an array of colors—possible easter eggs for Styles’s next album—as the first notes began to play. When he finally skipped on stage, I thought I would go deaf from the amount everyone, including me, screamed. As it was the day before Halloween and the official event name was “Harryween Fancy Dress Party,” Styles dressed up as Dorothy from The Wizard of the Oz, with a basket, stuffed animal Toto, and bright red cheeks. The performance lasted 90 minutes, during which he interacted with the audience, sang fan favorites like “Golden,” “To Be So Lonely,” and “What Makes You Beautiful,” and did his dancey dance. The energy there was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before—the lights changing with the beat, music coming from all directions, screaming and dancing, and best of all, Styles’s smiling face on the huge flat screens.

As per usual, he interacted with fans closest to the stage, one notable conversation being one he had with a fan named Bella, holding a sign that said, “It’s my birthday!” He quickly recognized her from an earlier show where she also claimed it was her birthday (her actual birthday is in June), and the audience burst into laughter as Styles proclaimed he would never be able to trust again. Although I’ve always been a fan, until that night I never realized just how kind and calming his presence is: from his dancing with a pride flag in a little blue dress to the way he talked to fans like they were long lost friends, he radiated the feeling of safety all night long.

The very last song he sang was “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” sticking to the Wizard of Oz theme and bringing many people to tears as their lifetime idol sang a song so many of us associate with our childhood, and one first performed by Judy Garland, widely known as the ultimate gay icon. No one wanted the night to end. As I was leaving, I saw swarms of fans carrying their falling-apart feather boas and laughing through tears as their makeup smudged. On the subway, I heard someone say that it had been the best night of their life, and life now seemed to have no purpose. Me too, girl, me too.

It may all seem overdramatic, but people’s obsession with Styles makes sense given how long he’s been performing and his constant openness, love, and support for the LGTBQ+ community. Many fans in the audience had been to his first show over ten years ago, when One Direction was still around. For young (and old) people around the world, Styles is like a childhood friend with whom you grew up. As for me, although I was definitely a big One Direction fan in the early 2010s, the primary reason this 27-year-old British man means so much to me is his comfort

in his own masculinity, and courage to step out of traditional gender and sexuality norms and live life unlabeled. Seeing him go from the timid (closeted), teenage, “womanizer” boy to his current self, running across stage with various pride flags at every concert, wearing dresses, feather boas, and everything in between, is comforting in a way little things in this world are. My one thought in the weeks upon returning was, “When can I go again?”

Harry Styles on Harryween, October 30 at The Madison Square Garden (2), taken by Hannah Shvets

Little Visitor by Ruby Zawel

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Amy Winehouse Songs I Highly Recommend

By AITAN AVGAR

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ver the summer, I was in search of new music. I was exhausted from opening my Apple Music and staring at the same library of songs and albums, longing for something I had never heard before, something exciting. After weeks of scouring my “if you like this artist, you would also like” recommendations on streaming services, scrolling through YouTube music reviews, and questioning friends on what they were listening to, my search felt hopeless. I was resigned to the fact that I discovered all the music I would ever enjoy, and would have to keep shuffling through the same artists I had been listening to since eighth grade. Then, I was introduced to Amy Winehouse.

It took only a few seconds for me to be captivated by her raw, silky vocals. I dove into her discography, watched recordings of live performances, and listened to the original versions of songs she covered—although they were never as good. I would add her songs to my playlists, click shuffle, and then skip through just to hear her.

Winehouse, a British singer and songwriter, is best known for her wide vocal range and genre-bending sound. At the 50th Grammys in 2008, she took home five awards, tying the record for the most wins in a single night and the first British woman to win five Grammys. Winehouse is considered one of the greatest voices of her generation, and has developed a massive fan following around the world. Sadly, in 2011, after battles with addiction and depression, Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning, and her exponentially-rising music career was cut short.

If you are interested in discovering her music for yourself, here are some of my favorite Amy Winehouse songs that I highly recommend: “You Sent Me Flying / Cherry” In the first part of this two-part track, accompanied by soulful piano and eventually drums, Winehouse delivers a performance that puts her beautiful vocal runs on display. She sings about how her attempts at flirtation went unnoticed by a man she admired. In part two, the piano fades, and Winehouse plays and personifies her guitar, Cherry, as she sings about how it is her “new best friend.”

“I Heard Love Is Blind” In this two-minute jazzy ballad in which Winehouse attempts to justify an act of infidelity to her partner, she sings, “Don’t overreact, I pretended he was you,” and “It’s not cheating, you were on my mind.” The horns give the track a more soulful sound filled with confusion and regret.

“Tears Dry On Their Own” One of Winehouse’s more popular songs,​​“Tears Dry On Their Own” slowly builds as it progresses. It samples Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and gives off a distinctly “Motown” feel. She recounts a relationship she had in

which the man walked away, and how she was left to cope with her sadness.

“Rehab” An upbeat tune in which Winehouse refuses to listen to the people in her life’s insistence that she enter rehabilitation for her drug and alcohol addiction. Tragically ironic considering Winehouse’s death, “Rehab” can be interpreted as an expression of autonomy, or as a call for help.

“Back to Black” In the titular song on her album Back to Black, Winehouse delivers an unsettling performance filled with foreboding piano and eerie percussion. Winehouse sings about the end of a relationship and the aftermath that caused her to plunge into the depths of her depression, or “go back to black.”

“The Girl From Ipanema” A cover of the classic song by Antônio Carlos Jobim and most famously sung by Frank Sinatra, Winehouse takes a different approach with a fast tempo and sporadic drums. Her version of the song also features some scat—the singing of onomatopoeic, nonsense syllables often used during improvisations.

“Mr Magic (Through the Smoke)” “Mr Magic” is a song highlighted with lively saxophone solos accompanied by simple, deliberate drums and guitar. Winehouse tells the listener about her drug use and how it helps quell her bouts of depression, singing, “And you always give me stress free point of view.”

“Valerie” A cover of a song by The Zutons, Winehouse’s version of “Valerie” quickly became a love anthem. The warm guitar and rattle of maracas bring Winehouse’s vocal acrobatics and control to the forefront. It makes you want to sing your heart out along with her, and will most definitely be my most listened to song of the year.

Scan this code to listen to the full playlist!

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Vinyl Resurgence

By EZRI RUBENSTEIN-MILLER

A poster for Ithaca’s own Angry Mom Records, courtesy of Angry Mom Records

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oday, when we want to listen to music, we can just slide our phones out of our pockets and instantly stream almost any song we want to hear. However, fifteen years ago, Spotify and Apple Music didn’t exist. People mostly listened to their music using physical media such as compact discs (CDs), tapes, and vinyl records. Although streaming services are now the most convenient and affordable music listening option, recently, one vintage audio format’s popularity has had a major comeback.

Vinyl record sales have been steadily increasing since 2007, as stated by the Neilsen music report, and have surged in the past few years. According to Statista, in 2020, 27.5 million vinyl LPs (long playing records) were sold in the US, a rise of 46 percent from the previous year. Who is spending money on records, and why, when they could be streaming their music?

Seven, a long time staff member at Ithaca’s own Angry Mom Records, said that since the store first opened twelve years ago, they’ve noticed a significant demographic change in who is into buying vinyl records. “When we first started out it was just serious collectors, people who kept [on] collecting records from the 80s and 90s.” Located in the basement level below Autumn Leaves bookstore at 115 East State St on The Ithaca Commons, Angry Mom is a haven for music lovers. It’s an awesome place to buy and sell records, CDs, and tapes, and also a place to hang out and flip through their massive collection of new and used albums.

When Angry Mom opened, CDs were the primary physical format for music releases, and vinyl sales were at a low point.

Seven observed that, at the time, record collecting was more of a niche interest, and people would often be surprised that anyone still had any interest in records. Seven told me that, a decade or so later, “Now everyone’s into it. It’s just not a weird thing anymore,” adding, “Now, people are buying too much vinyl. There’s actually not enough supplies [to keep up with the demand].”

Recently, there have been issues with vinyl production, causing some artists to have delays in releasing their new music on vinyl. According to the New York Times, “Consumption of vinyl LPs has grown much faster than the industry’s ability to make records. The business relies on an aging infrastructure of pressing machines, most of which date to the 1970s or earlier and can be costly to maintain. New machines came along only in recent years, and can cost up to $300,000 each. There’s a backlog of orders for those, too.”

Many artists including Harry Styles, Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Ray, and Taylor Swift have been releasing their new recordings on vinyl as well as streaming platforms, and are selling hundreds of thousands of vinyl copies in addition to achieving millions of streams. Swift’s Evermore was the first album in US history to sell 100,000 vinyl copies in one week, and reissues of classic albums like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours and Michael Jackson’s Thriller were also at the top of the 2020 vinyl charts.

MRC Data, a provider of music sales information, has said that sales of vinyl LPs rose 108 percent in the first six months of 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people, myself included, turned to music for comfort. In the absence of live performances, people missed many aspects of being a music fan, and for some, buying vinyls was a way to have a tangible connection to the music that they could hold in their hands. Seven explained that Angry Mom has benefited from the pandemic economy: “It’s been great. People are held up in their houses for a year with all this extra time and money, in some cases to spend on records. For us it’s just been great, business has never been better.”

Listening to vinyl records is definitely not the cheapest option for listeners. In 2021, a new vinyl album can cost anywhere from $20 to $45. You also need equipment to listen to your albums, such as a turntable, amplifier, and speakers. Compare that to a monthly unlimited streaming subscription, which averages $10 a month for an individual plan. So why do people choose to spend more on vinyl? In the age of digital media, there is a special and appealing aspect about having something physical to accompany the music, something you can display in your room or have on your shelf. The experience of going to a record store and flipping through albums is unmatched, and some music that has never been made available on streaming services can only be heard on records. “It’s just cool to have something to show your friends,” said Seven. “You can be like, ‘hey check this out!’ Some people say it sounds better, but that really depends on what your system’s like. It’s that thing that fills that hole in our souls that we need.”

While streaming is more financially beneficial for listeners than buying vinyl, for artists and record labels, it’s the opposite. According to New Musical Express, in 2020, Apple music paid artists an average of $0.00735 per stream and Spotify paid an average of $0.00437 per stream. If a song has one million streams on Spotify, the artist would only earn $4,370. This makes it nearly impossible for any artist to make a living through streaming revenue, whereas with vinyl, artists end up with significantly more profit. Purchasing vinyl or any other physical media is a great way to support your favorite artists, and a way to have a far more intimate listening experience.

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ARTS

“All Too Well” the Short Film: Blondie Strikes Again

By HANNAH SHVETS

Poster for Swift’s short film accompanying the 10-minute version of “All Too Well,” courtesy of Buzzfeed

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he hold Blondie has on all of us has proven to still be standing strong. At 7 PM on November 12, Taylor Swift graced us once again with her immeasurable talent with the release of her short film All Too Well, accompanying the 10-minute version of the re-recorded song. As deserved, the video hit number one on Trending for Music on Youtube almost immediately.

Directed by Swift herself, the short film is split into seven parts: “An Upstate Escape,” “The First Crack In The Glass,” “Are You Real?,” “The Breaking Point,” “The Reeling,” “The Remembering,” and “Thirteen Years Gone.” From the start of the almost 15-minute long video to the end, it’s a rollercoaster of emotions, leaving you thinking, “what did I just watch, and how am I supposed to ever feel happy again?” That might seem dramatic, but I urge each and every one of you to watch the short film, preferably more than once, and pay attention to the little details to really feel the full effect. Nothing Taylor Swift does is by accident; the woman’s mind works in insane ways. By rewatching this over and over again and scouring the internet for fan theories, I present the most noteworthy elements in both the video itself and the

Before delving into all the easter eggs Swift has left for us, it is necessary to recognize all the amazing and talented people who helped bring this film together. The cinematography is breathtaking, thanks to photographer/cinematographer Rina Yang, known for her work on music videos for Dua Lipa and Sam Smith, shows and movies such as Bohemian Rhapsody and The End of the F***ing World, and much, much more. Every shot is beautiful, and the lighting, colors, perspective, angling of the camera, etc. all come together to make an award-worthy film.

Actors Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien star in the short film, playing “Her” and “Him,” respectively. Their 11-year age difference makes all the intimate scenes vaguely uncomfortable, but just like everything Swift does, that too serves a purpose.

Both actors do a spectacular job; their chemistry is, although unsettling, amazing, and their portrayal of the ups and downs of relationships with all the ugly fights and gaslighting are done phenomenally. Although O’Brien has already made his name in the acting world, Sink is still relatively new to the industry. While mainly recognized from “Stranger Things” and “Fear Street,” both created by Netflix, after this short film, I have a feeling Sink has many memorable roles and awards to come.

The album has always been speculated to be primarily about Swift’s relationship (and breakup) with Jake Gyllenhaal, one of her more despised exes. As expected, Swift did not let us down with her subtle—and not so subtle—digs at Gyllenhaal throughout “All Too Well.” The first thing I noticed was how young Sink looked, and how weird it was to see her kissing someone of O’Brien’s age. While Sink is currently playing teenagers in movies, O’Brien played teenagers over a decade ago. But of course, this casting was very deliberate. At the start of the relationship, Swift was 20 and Gyllenhaal was 29. Although legal, it’s an uncomfortable age difference. 20 is just the beginning of adulthood, whereas 29 is when many people begin to start families. The maturity gap (and the power imbalance it created) is glaringly obvious. At the time, many fans didn’t see this age difference for what it was; by replicating it in her film, Swift really shows us how unsettling it should have been 10 years ago. To further make the point stick, Swift gives us, in my opinion, one of the best lyrics of her career: “And I was never good at telling jokes, but the punch line goes, ‘I’ll get older, but your lovers stay my age.’”

Sink’s casting seems very purposeful: she’s young and mostly plays teenagers, and that combined with her bright red hair conveys youth and innocence to audiences.

One of the very first shots is the iconic red scarf scene, in which she leaves it “there at your sister’s house.” Fans speculate the scarf is more than just an inanimate object, and that it represents Swift’s virginity, which, although an outdated and patriarchal concept, feels like something important for many young women because they can “never get it back.” Just like the red scarf in the lines “but you keep my old scarf from that very first week, ‘cause it reminds you of innocence, and it smells like me,” she can never get it back. Other lines that point to this theory include, “After plaid shirt days and nights when you made me

ARTS your own…all I felt was shame and you held my lifeless frame,” and “I’m a crumpled piece of paper lying there.” These lyrics could refer to the common theme of “purity” used to shame girls into abstinence, and could be supported by the ring Sink wears throughout most of the film, perhaps representing a purity ring.

As if many die-hard viewers didn’t already hate Gyllenhaal enough, the fight scenes in the film solidified that he is the devil incarnate. The interactions between the two characters seemed too real—for those who have been in a toxic relationship, the gaslighting phrases he used were oh-so-typical, and hit close to home. After each fight, just like in many abusive relationships, O’Brien’s character would apologize to her repetitively, say “I don’t want to fight,” and turn back into the “sweet guy” he was before the angry outburst. Furthermore, in the scene where

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they’re in a car together and he gets out to begin yelling into his phone, the angling of the camera makes Sink’s side profile look eerily like Swift in paparazzi photos taken in 2010, where Gyllenhaal seems to be yelling at her. If being verbally abusive and a little bit of a pedophile didn’t get you on the Jake hate train, consider the lines, “And I was thinking on the drive down, any time now—He’s gonna say it’s love, you never called it what it was,” and “You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath.”

Damn Gyllenhaal, what did you do to this poor girl?

There are so, so many other easter eggs and theories that could be discussed, but for now, I’ll end with the Pablo Neruda quote this beautiful short film started with: “Love is so short, forgetting is so long.” Thank you Taylor, for sharing this art with us. You never disappoint.

An Interview With Mr. Treat, the IHS Jazz Band Director

By CAEDMON SETHUPATHY

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ichael Treat is the director of the Jazz Band here at IHS. I myself play in the Jazz Band, and it is highly educational and fun. We learn how to play in different styles of jazz ranging from swing to funk, and get to let loose with improvisation. Mr. Treat is an exciting teacher who adds a great deal to our IHS community, and deserves more recognition for his work with our students. This interview is meant to help people get to know this fantastic teacher, and hear his advice for learning an instrument or suggestions for which artists to listen to. Enjoy!

Caedmon Sethupathy ‘25: For how long have you played jazz, and how did you start?

Michael Treat: I was first introduced to jazz in 7th grade (1995). I had a music teacher who was very inspirational and was himself a great trombonist.

CS: What about jazz do you love? What about it excites you?

MT: I love listening to jazz because of the rhythmic and harmonic energy, as well as the expressiveness that each improvising artist brings to it. I love playing jazz because of the possibilities that exist in the art of improvisation, and because of the comradery that takes place between the musicians, both musically and personally.

CS: What is your favorite style? Do you have a favorite artist?

MT: I love jazz from all periods. The hard bop era of the late 1950s has always been one of my favorites. I don’t think I could say I have a favorite artist, but Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Cannonball Adderly, and Bill Evans are definitely some of my favorites to listen to on a regular basis. Everytime I hear a recording by any of these artists, I experience it differently than I did the time before.

CS: How long have you been directing the IHS Jazz Band?

MT: This is my 9th year directing the IHS Jazz Band.

CS: How did you come to direct it?

MT: When I was offered the job directing band at DeWitt Middle School, I was also offered the opportunity to direct this IHS Jazz Band. It is an enormous privilege to have both jobs.

CS: Where did you first teach before DeWitt Middle School (if anywhere)?

MT: This is my 18th year teaching instrumental music. I previously taught in the Kingston City School District and the Elizabeth Ann Clune Montessori School of Ithaca.

CS: What are the songs the Jazz Band is looking to perform for its first concert this year?

MT: We are going to perform an arrangement of Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage,” an arrangement of Thad Jones’s “Tow Away Zone,” and Sammy Nesitco’s arrangement of the blues standard “Alright, Okay, You Win.” CS: Why did you pick those songs?

MT: I picked these tunes because of the variety of styles, and because they are good fits for our ability level, but contain challenges to help us grow as a band. They also are good vehicles for making use of our large and great rhythm section (two keyboards, guitar, electric bass, upright bass, and drums).

CS: Do you have any tips for aspiring musicians?

MT: Listen, listen, listen to music as much as you can. Embrace all styles. There is great art to be found in all genres of music.

Take opportunities to play with people who have more experience than you, and be warm and welcoming to those who have less experience than you do. This is an art form that we are never done learning. There is always room to grow.

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ARTS / SPORTS

Abandoning Racist Mascots: It’s About Time

By LOUISA MILLER-OUT

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ast year, the NFL’s Washington Football Team announced that they’d finally be abandoning their former name, which was a racist slur for Indigenous people. The Cleveland Guardians, formerly the Cleveland Indians, did the same. And they’re not the first notable teams to do so; myriad permutations of “Indians,” “Savages,” and other mascots based on offensive racial stereotypes have been deserted by the likes of the Dartmouth College football team and the Philadelphia Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors). In fact, racist team names, logos, and mascots are splattered across the pages of countless schools’ histories. Considering that this country was built on the dispossession, genocide, and exploitation of Indigenous people, one can hardly be surprised. But that doesn’t make these schools’ choices any less repulsive. Sports mascots are often animals or occasionally a general category of person, like vikings or buccaneers. It’s simply dehumanizing and disrespectful to shoehorn a variety of Indigenous groups, real people with distinct cultures and traditions, into one heavily stereotyped depiction to be paraded around at sporting events. Furthermore, the logos that

accompany these names are often crude caricatures of Indigenous people based on racist stereotypes, often sporting tomato-red skin and features distorted beyond human proportions.

One notable example is the Cleveland Guardians’ former mascot “Chief Wahoo,” a rather horrifying caricature they’ve recently removed from their uniforms.

Besides the overtly racist imagery that still pervades American sporting events, non-Native people using Indigenous culture for their own financial gain is inherently problematic. Yet the appropriation of Indigenous images is lamentably common, both in sports marketing and the fashion industry. In an ongoing manifestation of settler colonialism, non-Indigenous people constantly strip Native symbols and creations of their cultural significance and sell their twisted, empty husks.

Even more egregious is the way that Native traditions have been bastardized and reduced to stereotypical chants to be performed at sporting events. One such mockery of Indigenous folks is the “tomahawk chop,” a striking down of the arm like an axe done by fans of the Atlanta Braves baseball team, which the National Congress of American Indians has called harmful and

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SPORTS dehumanizing. Yet sports fans continue to gleefully partake in these degrading rituals without regard to the people they’re hurting, the people whose stolen land lies under their precious stadiums.

Racist iconography must be completely eradicated from sports culture, with one important exception: numerous schools in tribal communities feature team names such as Braves and Warriors. However, their athletic events don’t feature racist caricatures on banners or bastardized versions of Indigenous chants.

Instead, many of them incorporate specific tribal songs and traditions into their game day rituals, preserving the sanctity and cultural meaning of these activities. Non-Indigenous people have no right to police Indigenous self-expression. We have a responsibility to listen to Indigenous people when they speak out about the ongoing forms of oppression that they experience under the settler-colonial U.S. regime, and modify our behavior in order to further justice for the people who have suffered unfathomable losses at the hands of colonizers.

The Situation With Team Rooms

By LILY NEWTON

A

n important part of playing any sport is being prepared.

Showing up ready to practice, both physically and mentally, can be a challenge. With the proper tools and resources, this can be made easier. Traditionally, team rooms have been available in the past for student-athletes to store their belongings and change before practice. To many, the rooms have also provided an important refuge, giving students space to mentally prepare for the school day and transition back to sports at the end of the day. This year, these spaces have not been available, inconveniencing student-athletes in many ways. Trying to find someplace to change before practice has become very difficult.

Due to COVID-19, access to gym locker rooms and school bathrooms have been restricted and are frequently locked. For the cross-country team, this problem became almost unbearable.

In hopes of further understanding the situation, I spoke with a member of the team.

One of the main grievances with the loss of team rooms is that it is not universal. Unlike other teams, the football team has been given access to a team room this year. The athletic department reasons that they need to store equipment, but other teams have the same need. Many have had negative responses to this decision, with the cross-country team member saying, “Every team needs a place to store their equipment, whether it’s a helmet, a hockey stick, or a pair of running shoes. The decision to grant access to only the football team and nobody else seems like favoritism.” The current situation for the cross-country team is school bags, instruments, and any other possessions are left outside while the team practices. Their belongings are then exposed to weather conditions as well as potential theft. Athletes are forced to bring trash bags to protect their items in case of rain. The situation was discussed in a meeting between Samantha Little, the Athletic Director and head of the Athletics Department, and captains of the cross-country team. “The cross-country captains did have a meeting with Samantha Little earlier in the school year, however that meeting was unhelpful.” Although the team was provided with a separate space to store their possessions, it was not sufficient. The team was also told the lack of team rooms was due to security and staffing issues, and not COVID-19 as previously believed.

When asked about how having team room access would strengthen their performance as a scholar-athlete, the student responded, “Part of being able to transition efficiently to practice isn’t just physical but there is also a mental aspect. Going to a

team room after a long day of school can give scholar-athletes a chance to mentally reset and become adjusted in a more familiar and less stressful space than, for example, an AP Calculus classroom.” These rooms also provide a space for teammates to bond, coordinate, and “form greater camaraderie.” Coaches previously have posted announcements in the rooms, and they have provided the space for spirit days to be coordinated with a team before the start of school. The team explored other spaces to store their belongings inside but was unsuccessful in finding a new location.

In response to the question of if having a team room benefits student-athletes’ mental health, the athlete responded, “Absolutely.”

Arising from this situation is a disconnect and distrust between the athletic department and its scholar-athletes. Students are cautious of further approaching staff about the topic, afraid of being given a flat out “no.” The solutions offered by the athletics department have been insufficient for the scholar-athletes, furthering their feelings of distrust. When asked by students, general staff responded that they do not know why certain facilities are locked, highlighting major communication issues.

In my final question for the student-athlete, I asked if there was anything else they would like to say on this issue or convey through this article. In their response, they stated, “It is our hope that by expressing our opinions through this article regarding the attitude and demeanor of how the athletic department is treating and communicating with its scholar-athletes, there will be some reflection and introspection on their policies and practices within the department.”

Sleeping Kitty by Hannah Shvets

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LITERARY

Useless

By Natalie Patrone Alice Elliott was the most incompetent person you could ever have the pleasure of meeting. She had no specific hidden charm or talent, and might even be regarded as rather cold.

She was easily forgettable, and overall not fit to be the main character of anyone’s story. The way that she effortlessly moved around the world was so unremarkable that it was a thing of wonder. This utter normalcy seeping from Alice was the main reason that The Ghost had adored her so much.

The Ghost floated around the halls of the empty house that she had died in, and Alice, unaware that she had company, was in the kitchen, working on some culinary project that was destined for the food disposal. The Ghost was just waiting for the gurgle of the sink or the shattering of glass. Alice couldn’t cook. That much had been evident for a while now.

Alice had moved into the house a few months ago, and The Ghost had learned a few key things about her housemate in the short amount of time since first meeting her. For one, Alice was a walking tornado, set to destroy everything in her path. Secondly, she was the most graceful and quiet tornado to ever have graced the earth. Lastly, The Ghost couldn’t stand to look at Alice’s face. It was too much.

Alice had a habit of not smiling. The Ghost rationalized that it could be hard to smile when she had nothing to smile about. She did smile, though, during the few times that The Ghost had shown up and helped with the household chores.

If Alice was in a good mood, she might flash a toothy grin at The Ghost, and she would almost feel her heart beating again.

Alice’s smile truly was a shining, beautiful thing to see, and it led to The Ghost’s last revelation about this strange person who had entered her world: Alice was not afraid of her.

Many people were naturally terrified of ghosts. Alice might have been horrified by the undead somewhere deep down, but she didn’t show it whenever The Ghost showed up to fix what she had broken. Maybe Alice had just figured out that The Ghost meant no harm to her, or maybe Alice had seen the looks of awe and adoration that The Ghost had shot her.

Maybe it was a combination of both, mixed in with a healthy sense of pity.

Crash! A metallic clang and a cacophonous shatter sounded from the kitchen, and The Ghost flitted through walls towards the concerning sound. The kitchen wasn’t easy to find, but The Ghost had lived (and died) in this cold home and knew how to navigate it in the most efficient way possible. The Ghost didn’t need to turn, thanks to her incorporeal nature. In fact, if you had asked The Ghost which direction was left, she probably would have a hard time responding.

It was funny that she had forgotten her right versus her left, and yet she had memorized the patterns flaming inside Alice’s brown and beautifully ordinary eyes.

The Ghost arrived in the kitchen to find the stove covered in some red viscous liquid, the remnants of a glass bowl practically thrown around the room, and Alice in the center of it

all, frowning with consternation at the mess she had created.

The Ghost sighed, not conveying the point of disappointment she had tried to muster. She could never be disappointed around Alice. This frustratingly incompetent human being had made that feeling entirely impossible.

Alice had noticed The Ghost’s presence at this point but hadn’t acknowledged it with anything more than a subtle nod of her head. The Ghost smiled and laughed in a manner that was more of an exhale. Alice still didn’t look at her, and The Ghost tried to ignore the sour feelings blooming inside her chest.

“You’re not supposed to use glass bowls on the stovetop,” The Ghost said lightly. Alice only huffed slightly, still staring at the gigantic mess. The Ghost continued, adding, “It seems like I might need to walk you through the process of fixing the stove.”

Alice had picked up a rag at this point and was wiping away the supposed food. The room was uncomfortably silent once again. Living alone her whole life, The Ghost was no stranger to silence. Now that Alice was here, though, silence was a second death. After the majority of the red fluid had been removed, Alice grabbed a broom to collect the shards scattered across the floor. It was then that she finally spoke.

“I’ll call on you when I start to do it. I think I need a break,” Alice said in a level tone. The Ghost might have sunk a few inches into the floor. Alice turned away again and resumed the process of cleaning the disaster.

“The only time you talk to me is when you need something,” The Ghost said in the lightest voice she could muster, but the watery undertones shone through. Alice didn’t bother responding, though. The Ghost took the hint and glided away into the dark empty.

Stupid idiot of a ghost! How could she think that Alice could care? The feeling of rejection could’ve brought immense amounts of blood to her cheeks if she was alive. From anger, sadness, or embarrassment, The Ghost would never know. Thankfully, The Ghost was just a projection, and therefore didn’t need to worry about blushing, or crying, or any of the other telltale signs of humanity. Oh, how badly she wanted to be able to cry, though.

The Ghost looked down at her hands. The fingertips had already disappeared, fading away into thin air. The Ghost knew that this meant she was being forgotten. It was painful to know that even being so close to someone, she still could fade away. Alice wouldn’t let her die a second time, though.

There was no way that someone who The Ghost had adored so wholly could not possibly return even a raindrop of the oceans of feeling that The Ghost could draw on. This thought kept The Ghost’s faith alive.

Night approached, and The Ghost traveled to the attic, where she resided. On some nights, the moon would cut through the cracks of the ceiling boards, creating knives of

LITERARY light through the dusty air. It was beautiful. The cold obviously didn’t bother The Ghost, either. Through the silent hours that Alice was asleep, the world stopped turning. What mattered anymore, now that the sun had retired to bed? The Ghost looked down at her faded fingers one more time before resuming her nightly task of keeping the bats company.

Funnily enough, the bats were nowhere to be found tonight, leaving The Ghost without purpose once more. ______ The next morning, The Ghost didn’t do much. She didn’t leave the attic with the rising sun like she was used to. She didn’t peruse the early morning gardens, and most importantly, she didn’t check on Alice. Her hands were gone. She was painfully aware of the gradual fade that had occurred over the last eight hours. She was going to die. Again. And who knew what was waiting for her after this?

A small cruel part of The Ghost wanted Alice to go with her too, but she shut it down as soon as the thought crossed her mind. Alice deserved a full and beautiful life, no matter how the selfish side of The Ghost felt. The Ghost would never, ever, do anything that would make her Alice unhappy. And it didn’t matter anyway―Alice had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with The Ghost. The latter’s rapidly vanishing form was enough evidence to support this miserable truth.

The Ghost had to leave the attic at some point. Not now, though. She needed more time to process everything. Her wrists were gone now, too, and she convinced herself that if she stared hard enough, she could see her essence creeping away. The Ghost, immersed in the intent watching of her arms, failed to notice Alice walk up the stairs and into the attic. The last step creaked under Alice’s weight, and The Ghost turned around.

“Oh, there you are. I guess I’m free now if you want to help with the stove. I should get that working,” Alice said in the cheery voice only she could muster on a morning such as this.

The Ghost nodded, and Alice pulled out her garishly adorable smile, before turning around and heading down the narrow staircase once more. The Ghost couldn’t resist now. She had to follow this strangely unremarkable person wherever she went. The Ghost floated downwards at a slight diagonal to the kitchen. It was no surprise that The Ghost beat Alice there.

This was good, though. It gave The Ghost time to inspect the damaged stove―and her own feelings.

The stove was obviously in horrible condition. The red liquid and several other unidentifiable substances were clogging the gas pipe. It was an easy fix, though, so it would be done quickly. The Ghost didn’t know if this hurt her or made her rejoice. (Lie. She was hurt. Everything hurt.) The Ghost, lost deep in thought, didn’t notice when Alice walked into the kitchen. If you asked The Ghost if Alice could ever possibly sneak up on her a week ago, or even a two days ago, she would have laughed. Now, Alice was two for two. It was just one of those days, The Ghost guessed.

“Alright. So what seems to be the issue?” Alice asked with a clinical tone. The Ghost froze for a moment, and Alice looked

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up at her, breaking the trance that The Ghost had fallen into. “Um, it seems that the red sauce clogged up the system pretty well. Don’t worry, it’s really easy to fix. All you need is a toothpick or something,” The Ghost said, matching the tone Alice had used. Alice nodded and fished around the drawers, most likely looking for a toothpick. The Ghost looked down at herself, noticing that her erasure had sped up: not only were her forearms completely gone, but the lower half of her body had faded as well. That was fast, was all The Ghost could think at the time. Alice, oblivious, hummed a tune while shuffling through drawers.

After an unusually long time, Alice triumphantly turned around with a singular toothpick in hand, looking proud of her effort. The Ghost could not repress the small giggle trapped in her throat. Alice shot a glance at her.

“Are you mocking me?” she asked. The Ghost shook her head violently.

“Quite the opposite,” was all The Ghost could manage. Alice hummed in thought, and The Ghost felt a grin creeping up her face. Maybe she could be normal after all. This sense of bliss continued as Alice turned to face the offending stovetop.

The Ghost did the same, instructing Alice on the best way to clean the clogging debris so that the gas could flow freely.

“Here?” Alice asked, pointing at a random spot.

“No, over here, where the burner holes are,” The Ghost corrected, floating over Alice’s shoulder. Alice nodded, and dug out a lump of crystalized red sauce. She wiped it off with a look of mild disgust on her face, and The Ghost almost forgot the boundaries between them. They were just two people cleaning a stove together. And then Alice had to ruin it.

“You know, I wish you could hold stuff too. Then maybe you wouldn’t be so useless around here,” Alice said casually, as if she wasn’t shattering The Ghost’s fragile world.

“Sorry, what did you say?” The Ghost asked in astonishment. Alice didn’t just say…that, did she? This time, The Ghost was certain that she could feel parts of her slipping away, and she was right―now, The Ghost was just a floating abdomen and head. Alice didn’t notice the sudden change in appearance, it seemed, because she continued speaking the sad truth.

“I mean, you just kinda float around. Maybe you can walk me through how to clean a stove. Google could probably do that too. And faster.” Alice said, still picking debris from out of the burner holes. The Ghost had stopped functioning at this point, but Alice just kept going. She wasn’t really talking to The Ghost anymore.

“Isn’t it strange that I’ve been here for three months and I don’t even know your name?” Alice asked. The ghost tried to protest, but even she couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter, anyway. The Ghost’s vocal cords were all but gone now. Alice laughed softly to herself.

The ghost was barely a face at this point. She could feel particles upon particles drifting away and disassembling. The Ghost wanted to scream out, to ask for kindness again and again. She desperately wanted to hear Alice compliment her or even just acknowledge her existence, but the object of her Continued on page 36

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LITERARY

Useless Continued from page 35

affection wouldn’t even look away from the food waste she was so studiously picking apart. Despairing, The Ghost disintegrated further with each second.

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re even real at all,” Alice finished, and The Ghost finally cracked. She looked up to the ceiling in defeat, knowing that her time was up. With nothing more than a soft sizzling sound, The Ghost fully left the world and drowned in the nothingness. Alice didn’t look up at the strange quiet sound. She just kept picking away at the waste stuck in the stove.

In all of Alice’s unremarkable existence, there were countless moments that made her like everybody else: her inability to do anything perfect; her passable looks, wealth, grades, and disposition; and her wish to not stand out in the first place. Not one of these skillfully-performed acts of mediocrity outshone the actions of that early morning, when Alice did the most mundane and human thing imaginable: she stopped caring. The silence in the kitchen was only dampened by the faint and joyful humming of the woman who killed a memory.

Restriction

By Aliza Proulx I stumble through the forest, blinded by the leaves. Branches slice my skin, bugs pierce my eyes. The only noise is the pounding of my own footsteps, the rustle of the trees, the wind howling. All I can hear is myself: feet slapping the ground … lungs gasping for air … my thoughts, mind, heart—

And I slow from my sprint. For these woods have no outlet.

Keep going, and you will die. Your body can only take so much, can only run for so long. It will fight to keep going, tapping into its reserves to stay alive. And your mind, distorted and twisted, will believe that the only way is forward.

Unable to see anything else, it consumes me. I want to escape, I want to breathe. But I can’t find the way out, and as the woods thicken, I lose sense of the world.

Turning around slowly, I begin to retrace my steps. But I am acutely aware of the uphill gradient, the slope that had kept me going for so long. It’s so easy to slip back, and to escape, you must find the strength to go against the wind that still howls in your ears, the bugs that intercept your vision, and the branches that poke whenever they can. But as the forest thins and the wind subsides, I begin to see glimpses of the open field that awaits me.

This land of nonsense and nothingness, it invited me in without asking my permission. It didn’t care that I was busy.

It didn’t care that I had plans. But the further in I went, the deeper the forest became until it was all I knew.

Nature Up Close (1) by Ruby Zawel

LITERARY

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OBLIVION

By Addie Houle-Hitz She could see the corners of her vision turning fuzzy. The tingling sensation had returned once more as she clutched her journal in her hands. She was allowed one form of documentation, one chance to rewrite her life every seven years.

Oblivion had started before she was born—that’s what she had written, at least. The words in her small leather book, scrawled in what she assumed was her mother’s cursive until she was old enough to take hold of it herself. It came every nine years, and at the age of 18, Arya only had one under her belt.

It started as a way to give a clean slate, a calmer, easier way to forget your past grievances, but she knew better. She knew it was a way for higher-ups to not have to worry about records being taken of them. She knew that if they controlled the one piece of media, which they did, there would be no record of the crimes they had committed. They had the right to censor whatever they wanted from the people’s records—after all, her pages were full of thick, black lines covering certain sentences from view after the yearly cleansing.

Arya’s hands began to tingle, as if a thousand pins were pricking at her. She ran her fingers over the small chip that was placed in the back of her neck. It was customary to put them in now. You could be imprisoned if you didn’t as soon as the baby was born. No one really knew how they worked; so much wasn’t questioned these days. All that she knew was once every nine years a quick shock would be sent to the entire population. If you had an exemption, they simply did it with injection, but it was much less accurate in what was erased. They never erased your name, your age, where you lived—although they always urged you to write it down just in case. Arya could have sworn she

knew someone who had forgotten how to eat. They had slowly wasted away into nothingness.

When Arya opened her eyes again, she expected to feel different, but she felt nothing. Had she calculated her time wrong? She looked at the clock on her wall, five minutes past when Oblivion was supposed to hit. Five minutes was all it was supposed to take. Arya prepared herself for a wave of pain; she prepared herself to not know what to do when she woke; she prepared herself for the unbearable unfamiliarity of her mother’s face, of her father’s laugh—it never came. She sat in her bed waiting for her chip to buzz, like it did in the movies they showed at school; the sound they were taught not to fear. It never came.

She ran to her mirror across the cold, wood floor of her bedroom. The familiar pulsing light beneath the bottom of her hairline had slowly faded, like a squashed lightning bug. Arya watched, entranced, as the green light’s blinking that mimicked her pulse slowed to a stop. Everything went silent. She heard her mother rise from her creaky bed on the floor above her and open the drawer where her journal was kept.

“Mama!” she cried. Heart in her throat, Arya tripped over herself to get to her mother’s room, her journal long abandoned on her bedside table. She flung open the door to her mother’s room.

“Mama, my chip, I think something is wrong, I—” the words couldn’t come out fast enough. The room was spinning.

Her mother looked up at her with a vacant stare, her hair pulled in a tight bun so that Arya could see the pulsing green light beneath her hairline. She held her journal in her lap.

“Who are you?”

Self-Help

By Raia Gutman I. How to Forget Change the sheets. Cut your hair. Wonder if their mother asks why they never ask to go to your house anymore. Wait for the urge to listen to the music they tried to show you. Be cautious when it doesn’t come. Cancel your Spotify membership just in case. Know you’ll read the letters eventually, but not now. Erase their handwriting. Shut the drawer. Lock the room and let it grow cold.

staring. Catch yourself staring instead.

Look at their house every time you pass it. Remember how the floors felt under your feet and the morning light behind your head. Remember their curtains, their basement, their bath mat better than yours.

Realize you have so many little things and no one to tell about them. Remember how lonely you are at night and wet the pillow with this memory. Try to recall what it was like to be seen. To be known. To be loved. Doubt you will ever be again.

II. How to Remember

III. How to Move On

Write a letter and only cry once. Let this be your second-tolast allowing of all that’s there. The last will be when you read the letter they write back. You expect to cry. There will be no letter, and there will be no last time, but you will cry anyway. The second-to-last will stretch on, and on, and on, and never end. Think about them when you wear the sweater they liked to take home.

Wonder if it’ll make them remember, too, and try to catch them

Repeat the first two steps over and over, out of order, until you can’t tell which you’re doing today. Forget what’s in the desk drawer and open it to remember. Remember too much, and wonder how they made so many living, breathing things to give to you and stopped loving you anyway. Know it’s your fault you’ll never properly forget.

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LITERARY

Bright Moon

By Tania Hao August 24, 1977: Guo Ming Yue I wrote a letter to Mama today, telling her all about the airplane and the university and my roommate. She told me not to worry about her, to focus on my studies here, but I think she secretly hopes I’ll write to her often. I know she gets lonely at night, by herself. I hope she works in her garden while the weather is still warm, to distract her when she feels alone.

Uncle Liu promised me he would visit her and bring food to her when she’s too tired to cook, which makes me feel better, but the guilt still overwhelms me sometimes. It’s a strange mix. One moment, I’m feeling excited at finally being in the country of freedom, doing what I’ve been dreaming about since I was a child, and the next, the weight in my chest is so heavy I can’t breathe. I’ve felt guilt before, but never like this. Each bout of it leaves such a hollow feeling that I can barely take it. It’s selfish of me to leave her, even to study. Am I any better than Baba, then, leaving her like that? I should have stayed. I could have gone to the university in the city.

Why did I come here? That night before the airplane left, when she knelt in the moonlight and wept, choked sobs echoing in the empty room—why didn’t that change my mind? I went to her and cried with her but I still left. Why did I leave her? What have I done?

September 9, 1977: Zhou Feng Ming Yue left eighteen days ago.

I’m trying not to worry. He gets so anxious about me worrying, the least I can do is worry less, but it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Even now, I still catch myself thinking about preparing for his next weekend visit before I remember that it will be a year before I can even hear his voice again.

But I’m sure he’s fine. He’s always so clever and resourceful. I still remember how he once took a bottle of water and rigged it with some string and a stick so it would water his tomato plant. The thing failed and drowned the plant, but Ming Ming just took it down with a shrug and moved on to his next project. I’m sure he’s fine. I’m sure he’s fine. I’m sure he’s thriving in America. If I think it enough times, maybe I’ll start to believe it.

When I told the tomato story to Liu Liang today, we laughed harder than we needed to. He tries to hide it, but I can tell that he is taking this as hard as I am. We spent the afternoon eating sunflower seeds and talking about Ming Ming. After Liang left, I made tomato and egg noodles, but they reminded me too much of Ming Ming and I couldn’t eat them. I haven’t cried this hard since he left. My bright moon, all grown up, leaving because I can’t give him what he needs.

It was silly, really, so much anguish brought on by a bowl of noodles. I hope he writes to me soon. I don’t know how long it will take for a letter to get here, but I will wait as long as I need.

September 19, 1977: Guo Ming Yue I’m so excited I’m out of breath. My new American friend brought me to his home today and I saw a telephone.

The base was smooth and pale green, with a shiny dial in the middle and the actual phone resting on top. I even touched it. My friend, Mike, probably thinks I’m crazy now, but I don’t care. What a thrill! An actual telephone. I asked Mike if he uses it often and he said he calls his parents every night with it. I couldn’t believe it. We’ve all heard of the Western telephones, but for some reason, I never thought it could actually be real. I can’t wait to tell Mama and Uncle Liu: Here, you just press some buttons and you’re talking with your family! I wonder how long it will take for us to have telephones back home. Telephones in every house in every village, so that even in America I could speak with Mama. We could even have dinner together, all over the phone.

But right now, all I can do is wait and hope and pray that my letter is safe and on its way home. Maybe it’s already there. Maybe Mama has read it already. Maybe she’s writing a reply right now. I hope she is. I need something to hold onto.

I can’t go through a day at school here without wishing I was home. Everything here reminds me that I don’t belong here. I can barely choke down the food. The professors speak too fast to follow and my textbooks are even worse. I don’t even understand engineering anymore. I fall asleep each night feeling stupid and hopeless. I wish I could speak with Mama, but all I can do now is remember her unwavering strength and just keep trying.

September 27, 1977: Zhou Feng Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I think the villagers pity me; at least four of them invited me to have dinner with them and their families. I declined, wanting to stay at home and wait for a letter, but now I think I should have gone with them. Liu Liang came around a few hours ago and brought some moon cakes and dumplings. He said the post office had closed by the time he finished his work, so I’m holding out hope that a letter from Ming Ming is here, and I can read it soon.

Liang’s dumplings are still sitting on their porcelain plate.

I should try some, out of courtesy to him, but I can’t. I look at the meal and all I can think of is Liang and his wife and his son, sitting around the table, making dumplings together. Like Ming Ming and I used to do. Does he know, does his wife know how lucky they are, to be able to see their son every day? The families in the village, who are now finishing up their meals, warm and full and happy—do they know? Do they cherish their children, knowing they could leave at any time? I wish I had known, before, the pain that comes with the inevitable parting. I wish I had clung to those precious moments tighter before they slipped away. Now they’re gone.

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LITERARY The moon is round and bright and orange now, shining high over the trees. Oh, my son, my Ming Yue, so far away.

Are you, perhaps, looking at this same sky that I am now, so many miles across the world? Or are you still sleeping, waiting for the sun to rise on the other half of the globe? Are you

thinking of your mother and your home on this day meant to celebrate family and harvest?

Wherever you are, I love you, my bright moon. Please come home soon.

Bad Liars

By Natalie Patrone Addie Tonight was the same as every night. I sat on the living room couch and stared at the pattern in the upholstery while my mother screamed and shouted. I wasn’t paying attention to the wicked words being mercilessly thrown at me. I just felt numb to it all. I caught a few words, though. Ungrateful, useless, and of course, liar. Nothing out of the ordinary. I sat there and took it all in stride, absorbing the blows. She continued screaming with a supernatural fervor and passion.

Then, as it did every time, her voice lowered, her words distorted, and she morphed into a tall pillar of flames. Even if I expected it to happen, I froze in terror of the storm that was in front of me. She then swallowed me into a painless and bright oblivion. It’s always at this moment that I wake up, sheets clinging to my shaking limbs. My breath is racing and my room is much too dark compared to the blinding light I have just escaped from. My heartbeat fills the room like a bass drum. I’m not sure if it’s from the intensity of my blood pumping, or from the contrast of the absolute silence that surrounds it.

I decide to do one of those exercises to calm down. I start with breathing in and out, counting five things I can see. I am able to see very little with only the early morning blue glow from my window, but I am able to perceive the spot on my wall that was shaped like Portugal, the half-full glass of water on my bedside table, my legs curling under my body, my halfopen closet door, the circular carpet resting in the middle of the floor, and a picture frame that contains a grainy photograph of a time that I can’t remember. An easy time.

I breathe in and out again, counting four things I hear.

This one’s difficult too in the early hours of the day, but I count my breath and heartbeat, the analog clock ticking rhythmically, and the slight breeze of wind brushing up against the window. I then move on to three things I can feel, and this one’s easy. The clammy sheets enveloping me, the sweat running over my forehead, and the hot pillow against my head. Then, acknowledging two things I smell. Sweat and morning air is enough to satisfy that. Lastly, I think of one thing I can taste, which is the faint twinge of toothpaste that still clings to my tongue.

I feel better now. Not fully. The claws and fangs of the dream still dig into the edges of my flesh. They don’t hurt as much now, though. They’re uncomfortable reminders of reality, but at least I can breathe. If I had to guess, it’s probably 3:00 a.m. right now. I’ll have to get up in three and a half

hours, so I should probably go back to sleep. I begrudgingly pull the sheets back over my shoulder and close my eyes, counting sheep or something.

Janet I’m really concerned about my daughter recently. I never really understood teenagers. They care too much about the little things, and that’s how they end up stuck with bad grades and not practicing their instruments. The big things in life. Addie’s been … distant. She’s stopped talking about her classes at the dinner table. Ever since first grade, she always gave me a play-by-play of every class period and every single experience she had. She seemed so bright then, and now she just seems like she’s collecting dust. I see it in her eyes. She’s falling.

I’m thinking about how she’s probably asleep right now, dreaming about whatever teenage girls do, and happy to take a break from the world for a bit. I’m sitting on the couch in the living room, holding a glass of cranberry juice that’s half empty. The lights are dim and warm, clashing with the cold blue glow from outside. It’s three in the morning, and I can’t sleep. Partially because of guilt, and partly because of the fact that I’m too tired to close my eyes.

Am I a bad parent? Addie keeps concerning me with her behavior. Recently her grades have been slipping. I saw her report, but she isn’t talking to me about it. Maybe she doesn’t feel comfortable talking to me about it? Impossible. She and I always talk to each other. About everything. She wouldn’t hide anything from me. I take a sip from my juice. It’s much too bitter for my taste. I take another sip.

I look at the pattern in the couch fabric, thinking about the silence that would swallow the room if Addie was here now.

I would try to spark some conversation, obviously. Maybe I’d ask how the violin was going. She would shrug and continue to pick lint off of the couch upholstery, most likely. She probably wouldn’t even be listening. This thought makes anger swell up to my chest. What did I do to deserve this treatment?

I should get an apology for this attitude Addie is giving me. I take a sip from my glass. Still too bitter. Another sip.

Continued on page 40

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LITERARY

Bad Liars Continued from page 39

Addie I get to sheep 154 before I give up. Every time I get closer to sleeping, I wake myself up again. I don’t want to go to sleep. I don’t want to even have the possibility of facing whatever my sick subconscious has to offer this time. I feel the cold tendrils of terror curling up my spine as my eyelids get heavier. I hadn’t evaded sleep like this since the beginning, but one nightmare per night is enough, thank you very much.

I snap my eyelids open quickly for someone who’s so tired.

The air is already lighter than it was before. I try not to blink, in fear that if I do, my eyes will stay closed, so I just stare off into the distance instead. This lasts long enough for my vision to become blurry and spotted. It could be fifteen seconds or years, and I will never know. When I break out of this blank state, though, I start to realize how tired I was. I slowly blink.

No, I tell myself. I am determined to sit this one out.

I toss and turn, thinking about everything and nothing.

What I’m going to eat for lunch tomorrow, when I should do my laundry, why my breathing sounds so loud, etc. I also don’t know how long that goes on for, but by the time I’m done, my room is even lighter again. This comforts me. I know that soon I can go to school and half-pay attention to all of my classes, and be able to push down everything until I feel normal. Not the most healthy coping mechanism, granted.

Not even the most effective. It is the only one I have mastered, though.

It’s not only hard being afraid of your own mind, it’s painful. The scenarios that my subconscious sadistically conjures while I sleep hurt so much because they could easily be true.

Not the flaming monster thing, obviously, but the emotion.

The way that I don’t even try to shelter myself from her scathing blows. The way that her screams of agony and disappointment ring in my ears after I wake.

I just stare into the darkness for a while. I don’t know how long I did so. It was long enough for dark shapes to start flitting across my vision and for my eyes to start watering. I don’t know why I don’t want to go to sleep. It’s just a nightmare. It’s childish to run from it. Maybe I don’t want to experience it because of its closeness to reality. It’s more of a reflection than a fantasy. It still seems infantile to lose sleep over.

I try closing my eyes again, and imagining a good dream.

I haven’t had any of those for a while. I try to think of things that make me happy. All I could picture, though, was my mother’s face, twisted with obvious rage, hate, and most hurtful, betrayal. With great effort, I lift my eyelids and shoot my arm out from under the covers, grabbing my phone off of the nightstand and unlocking it. Who needs sleep anyway?

it’s probably better if I stay away from that stuff so late into the night. I’m sitting up in my bed, white downy blankets curling over my legs. I can’t fall asleep feeling like this. Feeling nothing. I just can’t get this thought out of my head about Addie. I feel like I haven’t done anything wrong, so why do I still feel this crushing sense of guilt?

Even when I call her name and she turns her head, she doesn’t seem like she’s looking at me. It’s almost as if I’m occupying the space that she’s looking at. Her eyes are blank.

Maybe I’m overreacting. It could just be exhaustion, with all of the homework she has. That’s probably it. Good thing she’s getting some sleep now, then.

I don’t know what to do with myself. I set my glass down on my nightstand and press my palms to my eyes. The pressure makes black shapes dance against my eyelids. It is almost painful, but it doesn’t hurt enough to make me stop.

The shapes are moving more frantically around my eyes now, and I think about how even when I close my eyes, the world moves too fast for me.

I try to picture Addie laughing, looking at me with bright shiny eyes and a wide smile. The image fades to reality. I can only picture her as tired, blank, and the scariest of them all, ashamed. I don’t know when I stopped being able to picture her as someone who’s happy and full of life. The stone of guilt in my gut rolls over. I give out a short sigh. Everything I’m thinking is irrational. The chances of Addie feeling like this because of me is close to zero, honestly. But why do I still feel like it’s all my fault? I don’t try to understand anything anymore. The world never makes sense at 4:00 a.m. anyway. I let out another percussive sigh, and grab a random magazine off of my nightstand. Who needs sleep anyway?

Janet I have moved into my bedroom now, still cradling my cranberry juice in my hand. I wish I had something stronger, but

Nature Up Close (2) by Ruby Zawel

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LITERARY

Mercurial Morning

By Louisa Miller-Out Winter has clamped its harsh jaws on the grass Biting wind screams through my hair Cars vomit foul black fumes of exhaust And twigs snap like bones underfoot But look how the golden sun drenches the trees Dripping leaves, crimson and gold Sink to the street with a delicate flutter Like butterflies speckled with soot Every joint cracks as I slog up the hill Claws of ice dig in my skin They shatter and splatter the morning with blood My mouth fills with iron and fright

Untitled

By Alex Jordan

Now, 5 million Deaths, no return to normal.

Find a new path, now.

But look how the frost all atop the world glitters Crystals that bask in the light Sparkle like pearls in the dazzling sun The world looks impossibly bright

My Almost Name

By Adam Saar I would be about the same height, But ginger-haired I would still be an athlete, But a runner, rather than soccer player I would have grown up in Illinois, But end up in the same Hebrew School class My father would still be Israeli, But my mother would not My first name would be constantly mispronounced, But maybe my last name wouldn’t anymore I would have very similar political views And I would be a good friend of mine For if my mother hadn’t decided I “looked like an Adam” I would be Aitan.

For more information on the Literary Issue, scan this QR code!

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EDITORIAL

Weird Predictions For December

By Jinho Park Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21): Beware an individual with glasses, blue eyes, and dark hair in the IHS parking lot—they may render you debilitated.

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19): You’ll receive a parcel that makes your heart leap with joy. The only appropriate way to celebrate this occasion will be with excessive amounts of bubble tea.

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18): Your future depends on the way your next chocolate bar splits. Your existence will surely be influenced by the number of breaks in the chocolate, so be sure to choose your snacks carefully.

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20): You’ll accidentally drop your case-less phone down a whole flight of stairs, yet your screen magically won’t shatter.

Now nobody will ever convince you to finally put a case on your phone.

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 19): Writing for The Tattler Literary issue may be paramount to your continued happiness. Submissions can be sent to editor@ihstattler.com by December 9!

Taurus (Apr 20 - May 20): Consider dancing with a streetlight when it’s late. The metal surface may lead you to fascinating discoveries, such as what strange, sticky substances cling to public surfaces.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20): You will develop an affinity for greenery right as Ithaca’s trees have lost all their leaves. As you wander around Ithaca in December, you’ll be struck by how vapid a world without green truly is—and

you’ll watch all of David Attenborough’s documentaries to return to the vibrant world of your dreams.

Cancer (June 21 - Jul 22): Despite your best efforts, at the next family reunion, you’ll sit right next to your weird cousin who’s always talking about The Principles of Communism and the negative effects of eating salad before other courses.

Leo (Jul 23 - Aug 22): You will encounter an individual with a Google Drive so organized that your crazy mess of folders and documents will shrink with shame. Even though you reassure yourself that you’re not that messy, you’ll find yourself reorganizing all your files into cute folders that don’t make you any more productive.

Virgo (Aug 23 - Sep 22): After skipping two gym classes, your physical health will deteriorate to the point that you can’t even walk more than two steps. You’ll now live in your bed, and you’ll be tended to by doting family members during the holidays.

Libra (Sep 23 - Oct 22): After hearing Christmas songs on repeat since October, you’ll fly into a fury the next time you hear “Jingle Bells,” berserkly attacking everyone in sight.

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21): Great fortune and prosperity awaits you this month. You’ll experience all of life’s greatest pleasures: time with loved ones, beating all your siblings in the annual holiday Monopoly game, and hearing the IHS bell ring for the last time in 2021.

The Coolness Spectrum Cool :) @ihs_compliments Snow Day Caluclator Lunch in the Fishbowl Ski Season Breaks Driving To School In Winter Unattached Music Building Winter Allergies Homework Over Breaks Unplowed Roads School on December 23

Cover photo by Michael Niessl on Unsplash

Uncool :(