The High 76

THE HIGH E D I T I O N 7 6 | O C TO B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 8

VALUES FOR MONEY

Illustration by Minnie Lowin

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Hannah Besson DEPUTY EDITOR

Suhasini Mehra

STUDENTS WHITE & TEACHERS SYLLABUS

GUNS GUNS GUNS

Spilling the tea

Shots fired

Colour blind

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LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

T

he High has always prided itself on its ability to voice and highlight injustices in our community both big and small. Some have said that the injustices brought to light in past issues have become repetitive and consequently brushed off; we would have to agree. For that reason, we are glad to say that in this month’s issue, the concerns presented—such as a lack of diversity in our history and English curriculums, as well as in the socio-economic status of the students at ISL—have rarely if ever been addressed (not for lack of necessity). Whether you agree or not with the stance that the articles in this issue take, it is important that we open the dialogue on them.

We know that many of these more controversial articles can spark disagreements between classmates.

We do not seek to change this; rather, we encourage it. Disagree with us! We often disagree with each other. But we would ask you to carry that disagreement forward. Discuss with one another, debate, even argue—and if you really feel strongly about it, write an article or a Letter to the Editor and we will print your argument. It is only through this, after all, that we can broaden our viewpoints, change our preconceptions, and understand each other better.

Hannah Besson and Suhasini Mehra

TABLE OF CONTENTS Money problems Trips week Sports coaches White history Dress code Disabilities Author diversity Teenage drama Students and teachers Boybands / Airpods Horoscope / Spotify North Korea / WTF Guns Human enhancement Fandom Disney movies Colin Kaepernick

03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

With that said… enjoy the first issue of the year!

EDITORS Joseph Nobs Maddie Johns Pia Tiwari Raquel Muzquiz

Khwaish Vohra Eleanor Payne Vlad Saksin Artémis Faulk-Antonakis

INTERNATIONAL DAYS IN OCTOBER 1: International Day of Older Persons and World Habitat Day 2: International Day of Non-Violence 5: World Teachers’ Day [UNESCO] 9: World Post Day 10: World Mental Health Day [WHO] 11: International Day of the Girl Child 13: International Day for Disaster Reduction and World Migratory Bird Day [UNEP]

15: International Day of Rural Women 16: World Food Day [FAO] 17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 20: World Statistics Day 24: United Nations Day and World Development Information Day 27: World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 31: World Cities Day

3

VALUES FOR MONEY

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et us take a look in the mirror. As wealthy individuals, we will have a disproportionate amount of financial and political power in comparison to the majority of the world, meaning that the potential for making real social change rests in our hands. While some of us insist that “we are all rich, since we go to ISL”, others maintain that not all of us are. Our families, who pay (or whose companies pay) over thirty thousand Swiss Francs each year for private education, can be classified into the wealthiest 20th percentile of Switzerland, while some even rank much higher.

Is there an ISL principle for collective responsibility?

As the children of wealthy parents, we have to face a great number of expectations that can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. Many of us strive to succeed in life and accomplish the same feats that our parents have in order to maintain our current standard of living. But this only forces us to follow exaggerated ambitions, creating a highly egocentric and self-serving attitude that leads us to ignore those who need our help. As I discussed in my speech on economic inequality in June, a number of studies have already explored the negative effects that wealth can have on individuals. In particular, they found that wealthier people exhibit negative personality traits and a disregard for social principles more than poorer individuals. Paul Piff’s reputed study at UC Berkeley, for example, found that the richest individuals showed much more tendencies to break the law than the poorest individuals, partly because they sometimes perceived that they

were above the law. Another of his studies found that the richer individuals displayed more arrogant, self-centered and condescending behavior towards poorer individuals. Additionally, a recent survey in the U.S. found that richer households were ironically less generous than poorer households, giving less money to charity as a percentage of their income.

Here I like to think of “moral illness” as a good metaphor to look at certain people’s lack of moral and ethical principles. Simply put, it’s the detrimental behavior of a person who lacks the fundamental values of a society. Why would this be relevant to us? There seems to be an interesting dynamic between the more and less wealthy students in our school, even being highlighted as a social hierarchy by The High in the past. A student from Year 13 notes that “rich students are more disliked here than in other schools”, pointing out a critical attitude towards students that “show off” their wealth.

This may be happening because we have high standards for our peers, who may display toxic behaviour as a result of greater wealth. However, we are only concerned with their actions towards us, and fail hold our peers accountable for their obligations to other, less fortunate individuals.

Our school tries to promote individual responsibility, based on values of honesty, respect, self-control, equality, and care and concern, but is there a principle for collective responsibility?

We have a significant responsibility as wealthy and privileged individuals to use our opportunities and successes to help those who have less than us.

CAS attempts to introduce this idea through service work, but for some students, volunteering may simply be a matter of ticking the box. Studies have repeatedly shown that richer people tend to have a lack of empathy for others, especially for those in difficult circumstances. “I don’t empathize with people who face struggles,” confesses a friend. Another student admits, “I am

Vlad Saksin suffers rich people problems not a good person at heart.” Fortunately, some students are able to identify these issues, but there is clearly a weak reinforcement of the principles that our school holds so dear. Empathy is among the most vital skills that permit us to socialise and form relationships, while generosity is an essential obligation for all members of society.

Some of our peers are motivated to spend thousands of francs on designer clothes and lavish, exclusive parties, not spending nearly as much money helping less fortunate individuals. Although we all live in excess, we should be able to hold each other responsible for this behaviour. Some students prefer spending their time finding solutions for poorer individuals with their skills and wealth. We should all take example from those of us who are selfless and altruistic, rather than those who are selfish and narcissistic. As a classmate cynically points out, “rich people aren’t rich because they are nice.” The role of scrutinizing wealthier individuals is one that less affluent students take on, and from this position, it’s easy to criticize unnecessary spending and consumerism. Of course, there are people poorer than all of us who can equally highlight our hypocrisy.

A more optimistic opinion from the crowd assures that “we don’t realize the extent of our potential and how much support we could bring to others.” Our incredible living standards come at the expense of other people’s hard work.

With wealth, you inherit a stewardship to take care of those who aren’t as fortunate as you, and some of us have already taken up these responsibilities.

Instead of praising financial success and evaluating each other based on our parents’ accomplishments, we all need to promote our own positive contributions to the well-being of others. Our focus should be on building a healthy society, rather than breeding egoism.

It may be easier said than done, but you can start by telling your friend that those Off-Whites aren’t worth it.

4

WEEK IN, WEAK OUT

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eptember trips week can mean many different things depending on who you ask. It can be a chance for old friends to see each other again after a summer of travelling, or simply as one more week of vacation.

However, one of the most important aspects of trips week is the opportunity it gives new students to make friends and find out more about their new community, away from the restricting environment of school. This is accomplished through various activities that allow the students to establish more trust with each other. Trips week was implemented with good intentions, but does everyone think completely positively about these trips? To find out, I conducted a survey of the high school.

Years 10-13 were sent a survey asking a few simple questions, such as “How did you find this year’s trip to be? If you answered horrible (the worst option), why did you think so?” and “Do you think trips week is necessary?” There were 139 total responses, and the overall feeling about the trips was enjoyment.

61.9% of the respondents thought the trip was great, and 31.7% thought it was good. It wasn’t 100 percent satisfaction, but the vast majority view trips week positively. 89.9% of these respondents also said that they did believe trips week was necessary. So it seems clear that most of ISL likes trips week.

One of the few complaints was that the trips get very repetitive after year 8, which does hold some truth. After Rome, the trips for years 9-12 all involve the same formula: traveling to somewhere in the Swiss mountains and doing activities there all week. Apparently, the Year 11 trip used to be different. It was a water based activity week in Bordeaux, but it was changed a few years ago due to the fact that adverse weather could ruin the entire week very easily. After a while, it’s understandable how some people who have been at ISL for years could get bored with virtually the same kind of

Salim Markabi is out tripping

Photo by Aidan Kirby

trips each year. To find out more about trips week and to get an opinion from a staff member on the results of my report, I interviewed Mr. Kirby.

“ISL has been around for decades, and trips week has been a part of ISL for the last 20 years, at least,” according to him. I decided to ask him one of the questions that I had been wanting to get an answer for from someone involved with trips week: what is the core intention of trips week, and why was it implemented in the first place? I had always assumed that it was just about welcoming new students, but was there any other reason? Mr. Kirby told me there were two primary reasons for trips week being created. The first one was, in fact, to welcome new students in a more relaxed environment outside of school, and also so they could meet people outside of their homerooms, so the trips week was for the new students, to a degree. The second reason was that hopefully pushing the students to try new things they might not be entirely comfortable with and to rely on each other more “would put them in a better position to face the challenges that come later in the year.”

The trips are also meant to bring a degree of education in. It’s easier to see the link with some trips more than others. “In other year groups, the education is more about Switzerland. It’s supposed to be about giving students a better idea of Swiss culture, a better understanding of the country we’re in.

When asked what he hoped the most

the students got from trips week, he replied “I think if they come back having had a good time with their peers, and if they’ve made different friendships than the people they normally associate with, then I think it’s been a success.”

Finally, I asked him “Do you believe trips week is necessary?” His response was “I think there are lots of things we do that aren’t completely necessary, but they are valuable. If you took trips week away, we would still produce students who fit a lot of the Learner Profile and would be well equipped for the world, so I don’t know if it’s an essential part, but I do think it’s important because some students don’t spend much time away from their families and their parents and it does actually help people to get along with people they might not normally spend time with. I see a lot of people overcoming fears and challenges on the weeks, and also see students talking and socializing on the trips in a way you don’t normally see them when they have their phones. So for those reasons, I do think it’s quite valuable.”

So all in all, ISL students and teachers alike seem to like trips week, which means there isn’t any danger of it being removed anytime soon. To the few people who had a negative view on it in the survey, or really to anyone who had something they didn’t like about it, I advise they bring it up to a member of Student Council, so their suggestions can be heard and considered.

5

SOCCER MOMS AND COACHING DADS

I

t is an exciting time when the new year starts in your sports team. Emotions are running high with the anticipation of your first match, everybody’s chatting about their exciting summer, and, more times than not, complaining about how they have not done any exercise and now are so unfit they can hardly keep up at trainings. New players come, and everyone scouts them out to see what they can bring to team for the upcoming year, but most of all, the team is happy to be back together and playing the sport that they love.

I am sure that this is a very familiar picture to most of you, but wait, a lot of you may have been missing a very important influence for the season to come…

Your coach! I know, to some of you, this may be stating the obvious, but for others, you may be surprised at just how influential your coach is going to be over the next season. I’m not just talking about how well constructed their training sessions are or how prepared you feel as you enter your first competition, but the relationship that you as an individual form with them on and off the field, court, track or whichever apparatus you perform on.

Although it sounds cliché, you win and lose as a team, and your coach is a very real part of that. They attend as many of the trainings as you do and have invested a lot of time into, trying to make your team the best athletes entering any tournament. Coach-athlete relationships need to be a two-way street. It requires a level of openness, trust, and communication. This will not only lead to an enhancement of team spirit and a winning attitude, but can also result in a higher level of personal growth- which is beneficial not only for your sport, but also as a life skill in general. If your coach is focused only on winning, and you seem to be only the tools he or she wields to obtain that ultimate goal, you may already see how that is going to be a problem.

Poppy Harrison runs twenty laps

Another set of people that are involved in the team, perhaps less directly, are the parents. They may not appear crucial to a healthy team relationship, but even if they are not at every training (or maybe they are), they are a vital turning point. They are the people who have heard you rant about all your trainings and maybe even your coaches. In an ideal world, they are the people who have encouraged their young athletes to stick with it through thick and thin.

They are the people who support their child and give them the perfect mixture of praise and constructive criticism.

who partake in ISL sports, and they too, feel that the importance of having a good relationship with your coach is undeniably influential on the results your team produces. “Our coach is sometimes inconsistent, one moment he is giving you praise, but the next he is tearing you down… it’s not great for your self-image,” explains an anonymous member of a varsity sports team.

The player goes on to describe how she sometimes finds it difficult to perform to her best ability when she feels pressured not to let the team or the coach down.

Parents can cause the central issues in relationships within sports teams.

Through shouting unhelpful “advice” from the sidelines, or living vicariously through watching their child play, they can form bad habits and make their child a tough team member or a difficult athlete to coach. By over-inflating their child’s ego, they have done nobody a favour. By putting way too much pressure on their child’s shoulders to outperform everyone on the field, teammates or otherwise, they have caused nothing but a frustrating, over-competitive atmosphere.

Gaia Denis, an invaluable player to the basketball and volleyball team discusses the impact of the parents. “They’re really encouraging,” she exclaims.

She, too, thinks that when parents understand the support that their child needs, it can really improve their enjoyment of the sport. “It depends a lot on the child,” she says. It’s true, some players crave the praise that they receive from their parents, while others are content as long as they play the best they thought they could, regardless of what their family thinks. “So long as there is a balance,” Gaia concludes after a moment of thought.

“Our coach is sometimes inconsistent” So we approach the tireless triangle of relationships in a sports team; the relationships between player, coaches and parents.

“I think the coaches are really active and engaging,” says Tindra, a year 12 student on the ISL tennis team. “They bring a really good team spirit,” she continues as she reflects on her time in ISL sports. This is a sentiment that can be felt across many of the students

Obviously, as a coach it can be difficult to maintain a good balance between having a strong and friendly relationship with your players and making sure that there is a high level of professionalism that pushes the athletes to give their best performance. Mr Printer, coach of the varsity basketball girls says, “It can be tough because you want to get the best out of them.” Clearly, this is a challenge that a lot of coaches may face, however at ISL, it seems that they are successful in keeping a solid relationship. After all, as Mr Printer puts it, “The number one thing is that they enjoy coming to training and that everyone enjoys the sport.”

6

WHITE HISTORY YEAR

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he IBO aims to promote “international-mindedness” in its students. So, naturally, we, at ISL, understand the importance of diversity and perspective. Providing History teachers with “a great deal of freedom to choose relevant examples to explore with their students” is one way the IBO goes about achieving its ideals, but the reality behind this statement is dubious. And does this statement really translate into reality? Well, let’s find out.

As suggested by its eponymous title, ISL is an international school—not just on paper, but also in the diverse mix of nationalities and ethnicities filling our corridors on a daily basis. We are a microcosm of an ideal world, but for an environment as delightful as ours to be sustained, there must be mutual respect, if not understanding, within our community, and our school education is pivotal to the formation of these gems.

By their very natures, this is especially relevant to our Language and History curricula. Due to immigration and colonialism, the two languages we study the most—French and English—have become full of ‘foreign’ influences, and History itself is all about the way different people and events around the world influenced each other.

However, as you will be reminded throughout this article, and perhaps the school day, ISL is a predominantly white (or ‘Caucasian’, if this word is more palatable to your ears) European school, located in Europe, and thus, much of what we learn becomes filtered through a European perspective. The students who hail from ‘some other place’—save the Americans perhaps—are a minority: not just in numbers, but also in our representation in the curriculum.

Our History curriculum is not entirely bland: we do learn about nations out-

side of Europe, and not just in the context of Ancient History—the IB Diploma Program, in particular, delves into the history of South Africa, South America, and minorities in America in more or less as much detail as that of Europe.

And yet, even these often focus on the actions of white people and sources written by white historians, despite the fact that they may be of different nationalities and perspectives.

Actions of white people and sources written by white historians Of course, this can be argued against by saying that these topics are impossible to discuss without the inclusion of these actions and perspectives, which is no doubt true, and by the fact that teachers generally have a formula to follow when teaching: they can choose which general “topics” to study, but there are textbooks besides this, just as there are for economics or other sciences. On the other hand, the DP History class cannot be said to affect a majority of students, as there are only a dozen or so students that take this course. One also cannot help but wonder if the class would not be more popular if it focused less on recent history and more on ancient history or other periods which we often study before the DP. Which brings us to the class which is available to many students: the PYP and MYP. It is undeniable that there tends to be a European focus in our Humanities, and History is perhaps

Pia Tiwari and Heloise Coubat the most important of these areas. We spend only a small amount of our time in Humanities lessons learning about history, and it is natural that this means we do not learn as much about other cultures and perspectives as we perhaps should.

Unfortunately, the results of this are visible in our otherwise respectful environment. We do not wish to be ‘hypersensitive’, but some amongst us cannot help but be aware of some gaps in our attitudes and our education. A recent example, perhaps, saw the hard-working Chinese student being indirectly told, in an assembly no less, that he’s just out to steal the decent white folks’ jobs and education. Does the video explicitly state this? No. Does it come from the clear viewpoint that ‘you’, the viewer, are white, and that these foreigners are a threat to your job security? Most certainly. It may have been interpreted differently in its original context, but it was, at the very least, tone-deaf to show it at our school.

Moreover, it seems a day cannot pass without caricatural accents and unfunny, racist jokes gracing our ears.

When you, an Indian, are told by a white American that their superior skill in handling chopsticks is ‘ironic’ because they are better than an ‘asian’ well, there is nothing left to say then, is there?

The simple point we aim to make here is that we would like to see more of us represented in our classrooms. We understand that such change takes time, and it’s difficult, particularly in the IB where not all material is suitable— equality and good grades don’t always go hand in hand. But if, be it three generations from now, the minorities at ISL feel like they matter in our school curriculum, then isn’t it worth it?

7

CHAUVINISTIC SHOULDERS

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lut.

What does that word mean to you? According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is ‘a woman who has many casual sexual partners.’ While this is the word’s literal definition, many people today use it outside of this context. Today, it has been adopted as a way of slandering someone’s name, offending, and putting them down. However, this word is generally targeted at women, while men are seemingly unaffected. Even the men who catcall women in the streets are devoid of judgement because ‘men will be men’ but when a woman wears clothing that shows skin, she’s a slut. Many may be thinking, ‘But the same thing happens to men’ when, in reality, it really doesn’t. For example, a study published by the University of Michigan showed that girls who sext are called sluts while boys who do the same remain free from judgment, or are even deemed ‘cool’.

Similar things happen when a woman dates lots of people compared to when a man does. As mentioned previously, if a man has numerous ex-partners, other boys would find this an amazing feat, an act that should be praised. They might be called a ‘player,’ but that word is nowhere near as negative or harmful as slut. In fact, there is no equivalent derogatory word for men as there is for women. However, if a woman has had just as many former partners, she’s a slut. She is a girl that is ‘easy’ to get with and has low standards -meaning she’ll go after anyone and, if they show any interest, date them.

Dress codes that are enforced in places like schools and workplaces have put pressure on women and girls to dress in a way that isn’t ‘slutty.’ This is because girls and women are not allowed to wear certain things and are required to cover up in order to prevent boys and men from getting distracted. While this might not be the reason stated, it is definitely one. This can be blamed on the patriarchal nature of society which, for a while now, has put an emphasis on men and their needs. This can be seen when teenage boys or men Illustration by Jade Tan

Mark Besson and Coline Coubat have received no jail time, despite raping young girls or women, because ‘it would ruin his future’ or ‘she was asking for it.’

Thankfully, at ISL this is not the case, as the ISL dress code is gender neutral and generally allows students to wear what they want. This is supported by a quote from Mrs Secker, stating ‘the teachers are very clear that, that message should never be given to a girl; because the behaviour of a man or boy is not the responsibility of a girl or a woman.’ However, this does not mean that students at school are not called sluts. Men are allowed to walk around in public with shirts off or unbuttoned, but women who wear pieces of clothing deemed too tight, show off their legs or shoulders, are called sluts.

Women should not have to change how they dress in order to make sure men are not distracted, and they should not be ashamed or afraid of wearing certain clothes. If men feel distracted because of a woman’s shoulders, bra strap, or legs, then what is abnormal is the fact that they cannot control themselves. Society should not pressure girls and women to dress as they deem appropriate just to make sure men are not distracted, but instead, put pressure on men to control themselves.

A video went viral after an assistant director in the United States told students that they weren’t allowed to wear athletic shorts for their sports classes. The fact that a rule like that is in place isn’t surprising, however, what the assistant director says afterwards is appalling. ‘If you really want someone to blame, blame the girls. Because they pretty much ruin everything.’ The sexist comments did not end there. He proceeded to mention Adam and Eve from the Bible, explaining that even back then, women were always wrong and should be blamed. What’s even worse is that despite all the complaints from parents throughout the community, the school board member Rhonda Thurman concluded that there were other events that mattered more at the moment. She defended the video as well, stating that it was just a joke. The fact that people are still defending these type of claims is the most shocking.

To find out more about the reactions to the word ‘slut’, a survey was sent out to high school students and the results were surprising. For example, according to a survey that was sent out, 92% of students have heard other students being called sluts. Furthermore, 51% of the students answered that they had been called a slut before. Out of the 41 who responded “yes” to the question if they had been called a slut at school, 32 had been called slut at a school (this one or a previous.)

‘It’s interesting that there’s even a notion of what a slut looks like, because it’s not about clothing, it’s about behaviour.’

- Mr Spinks.

8

DIFFERENT ABILITIES

D

o you know who Lizzie Velasquez is?

Probably doesn’t ring a bell.

What about the 17 year old girl who was labeled “the world’s ugliest woman” in a viral YouTube video?

Does she ring a bell?

Last week, during our counselling session, my class was shown a TED talk on how we define ourselves, given by a very inspirational woman. She talked about her life, and all of the obstacles she has had to overcome to be where she is now. She shared experiences she had in school, when no other kids wanted to be her friend, or even be associated with her, only for the way she looked, and she spoke about a particular YouTube video that completely changed her life. However, she did not let any of this define her. This young woman is Lizzie Velasquez.

Before the video began, our teacher asked us the same question I asked: Do you know who Lizzie Velasquez is? I think only two people said yes. However, as soon as the video started, and we saw her, she was instantly recognised.

Not one person in the room laughed or made a derogatory comment, but I’m sure some of us felt bad for her.

At least I know I did. And that’s what disturbs me. Why did I feel that way towards her?

Some may say it’s because I’m ignorant.

But I think it’s something else.

In ISL, as well as in many other private schools, we, the students and the staff, are only surrounded by people that are similar to us. Despite variety in our religions, nationalities and genders, we do not see or interact with many students with severe disabilities during school hours. The school’s bubble of, what we would consider, healthy and “normal” students has caused us to be

shocked at the sight of someone that looks slightly different, and in this case with a visible disability. Mr Guillet, an ISL teacher with a son with Cerebral Palsy said, “We are so unaccustomed to living with people with disabilities in ISL that when we see one, we turn another way and pray to God that nothing like that ever happens to us.” And here is where we go wrong.

“We pray that nothing like that ever happens to us”

However, changing this in the ISL community is not that simple. In fact, Mr Foley was very keen on the fact that “those responsible for the [school’s] admission will always look very carefully at ways in which they can include these people.” But because ISL is a private school, disabled students lose the right to have someone with them during all of their lessons for free. Instead, parents need to finance this on their own. “Being a non-profit school, with the fixed resources we have, we have to decide how to spend them, and if it were in the budget we would be more than happy to offer the support they need”, said Mr Foley. However, it would be too expensive for the school to hire separate subject teachers for only one student. This may cause parents to enrol them in public school, like Mr Guillet did.

But it’s not just about what the admissions office can do, it’s also about what the students can do to include disabled people into our community. As Mr Foley put it, having kids at ISL who “don’t want to do anything with people who look so different to [them]” and “make [them] feel weird” may be disappoint-

Raquel Muzquiz ing, but it is also one of the main reasons why ISL should enrol more disabled students.

So, how would our attitude towards disabled students change if we had them in our school?

We would realise that they are just like us.

Disabled people are the same as all of us, and we could say that we are all disabled in some way or another. “For blind people, they’re disability is that they cannot see, but for me, my disability is that I don’t speak Chinese, for example,” said Mr Guillet. “Living with them on a daily basis would enable us to learn from them and learn how to be more accepting of people around us.”

We are wrong to approach them with a pessimistic attitude. When we talk about what it means to be blind we say that it’s someone who can’t see, but we don’t say that it’s someone who has an enhanced sense of touch and hearing.

We always tend to talk about the negative aspects of disability instead of the positive. This goes back to Lizzie’s TED talk about how we define ourselves.

Despite her extremely rare disease that prevents her from gaining weight, she chose to define herself as someone who can eat as much as she wants and not as someone only characterized by her unique appearance.

9

THIS IS NOT LIT

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f the 29 authors whose works are used by the English department throughout the MYP and DP, 11 are from Western Europe, 12 are from North America, 3 are from Africa, 2 are from the Middle East and Asia, and 1 is from South America. This not counting the poetry collections, which are listed only as having “various authors”.

Think about that for a moment. Of 29 authors, a whopping 6 are people of color. Bit of a startling statistic in an allegedly international school, isn’t it? In order to better understand how this happened, I spoke to Mr Lloyd, head of English. He told me that books are chosen based on student interest, and richness of language and content, along with a healthy dose of IB requirements. Mr Lloyd also made it clear that books in the DP need to be compatible with the exams. The idea that only Western books suit IB exams is concerning in its own right, but that’s an issue for another day. I will concede that stakes in the IB are very high, so it’s okay to have less diversity for the sake of a stable curriculum that lends itself easily to exams. However. Such a sacrifice is only acceptable as long as a solid foundation of intercultural awareness has already been created in the considerably lower-stakes MYP. Which, clearly, it has not, considering that only 2 of the 14 authors read in the MYP are non-white. But why is author diversity so important? When I brought this issue to my Caucasian friends, many of them were confused as to why I was so upset. There are several reasons. Let me walk you through them.

Most obviously, it allows for a greater understanding of other cultures and their perspectives. More than that, an understanding of the other students at ISL—specifically, minority students. Yes, everyone, we exist. And it’s important for the majority students, the Caucasian kids, to understand us, in order for ISL to function as the all-inclusive community it so dearly prides itself on being. But even this argument prioritizes the experience of the Caucasian majority, and that is part of the bigger reason to increase diversity—because it’s not all about the majority and what they need to learn. It’s about the minority, and their ISL experience. Because increasing author diversity also increases the likelihood that any given student will be able to study a book by someone from their country, or at the very least their general ethnic region. After two years at this school, I cannot say that I have ever studied a book here written by an author from any part of Asia, let alone my South-Asian ethnic sphere, and, after seeing the booklist, I know that I never will. Don’t let the percentages lull you into thinking that ISL is rife with all the diversity of a rainforest.

The truth is that there is a tiny minority population here. It’s easy to feel lost when your people are never represented in the classroom. And if they are, it’s often in a negative light: poverty in Africa, sexism in Asia, corruption in South America, and on and on. Why can’t we show the beauty of our

Suhasini Mehra reads in colours countries, too? Why don’t we get to hear the teacher explain the brilliance behind the writing of an author from our slice of the world?

You may argue that it’s not about that. As a friend told me recently, perhaps we ought to focus on the famous, important English books that dominate the field of literary study.

But fame and supposed importance are exactly why school should have fewer of these books, and more of the others.

All of us are going to grow up and be continuously exposed to all those quintessential English Literature books, and all those other incredible books by people of color are going to be swept away under the rug, where they’ve always been.

School makes reading compulsory, and therefore school is exactly the right place to expose students to these authors and their brilliant work, so that they’re at least a little bit aware of the world of literature that exists outside of the Caucasian circle. And that’s the final reason to increase diversity. Exposure. Exposure to a whole world of incredible literature. We are missing out on so much when we’re just focused on the West. There is an immense diversity of books out there, many talking about some extremely important global issues that tend to get brushed under the rug because they’re not so prevalent in Western society, all of them masterfully written—‘Malice’ by Keigo Higashino, ‘No Longer Human’ by Osamu Dazai, ‘Eleven Ways To Love’ by a selection of Indian writers, and ‘Interpreter of Maladies’ by Jhumpa Lahiri, to name just a few from my own continent.

Mr Lloyd told me that it’s difficult to make changes to the curriculum. It takes the whole team to decide which books to include. Every teacher has to read every new book and design all of the learning resources and assignments. One couldn’t go and change the whole booklist overnight. However. Changes can happen, and if it takes a long time, well, that just means that we have to start now, so that future generations understand cultural perspectives outside of the Western Caucasian sphere.

Maybe those generations wouldn’t think it’s acceptable to play a video that refers to hardworking Chinese and Indian students as “China People” and “India People” in an international school assembly—because, let’s be real, replacing “people” with “Mark” doesn’t much obscure the racist sentiment hiding behind the noun.

The purpose of the English department is to provide students with a range of rich literature. There is so much of that outside of what is on the curriculum—why not embrace it, and enjoy the very best literature from all over the world?

That’s what English is about, in the end—the appreciation of really good books. Isn’t it?

10

NOT MY CUP OF TEA Kaia Grabowska opens the curtain

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owadays, we are often caught in our social media life, and the internet can be overwhelming.

That is exactly why I thought: Why not take a break for the weekend? Delete all the apps on my phone and just enjoy my time with nature and homework. There is nothing happening on the internet, right? Well that is what people say. While taking my break from social media I did not expect to miss anything. Monday was the day when I came back to my artificial reality as well as to a very real school.

Three hundred unread messages. New drama emerged.

Everyone gossips. That is what I, as well as most people I know, think. The internet agrees as well, it seems. The school has been always known as a place in which drama, gossip, or tea, (the new term these days) commonly occurs. But truthfully, drama is everywhere, not only in school. According to a social psychologist Laurent Bégue, 60% of conversations between adults are about someone that is not present.

Surprising? Maybe worrying?

Gossip is everywhere and everyone.

But why does it exist? The anthropologist Robin Dunbar has a theory that “gossip is an evolutionary factor of our brain.” He thinks that language appeared because of the need to spread gossip. However, this is a rather controversial statement. We cannot doubt that gossiping has existed for forever, from the moment when the first groups emerged, from the moment they begun hunting, from the moment people living together in caves wondered, why is he always sitting in front of the fire and why is he always eating all my favourite apples from our apple tree.

People have been attracted to drama for ages, but why? Why do we secretly love gossiping that much? I decided to interview some people from our school and ask them this exact question. A girl from Year 11 told me that “gossiping is

a common interest in between people.”

Another girl favored the aforementioned reason by saying, “It is a way to relate to others if you do not know somebody very well.” Their statements are immensely true as it is psychologically backed up that sharing dislikes makes us feel closer to each other than sharing positive thoughts. Gossiping is common when meeting new people, as it is a way to bond by demonstrating shared values and your unique sense of humor.

People have been attracted to drama for ages, but why?

There are also some darker theories relating to our unstoppable interest in drama. On an everyday basis we are expected by the society to always act nice, optimistic and energetic, but being always perfect and smiling can be overwhelming. Social conformity can be a cause of negative energy accumulating in us. Gossiping is considered a way to release this energy. People often wonder where the interest in celebrities and the whole drama associated with them comes from. As one boy I talked to said, “People are very intrigued in other people, especially when it is about a celebrity.” There is nothing bad in being endlessly curious about others, it is completely normal. That is why not knowing everything about a certain situation makes us feel insecure. We want to be familiar with everything; that is very human. Sometimes we spend hours looking for new drama. Reading all articles about him and her breaking up and what will happen with their new born child. Gossiping can contribute to

development of some very useful skills such as investigating and researching.

But some people lose themselves in other people’s lives. We all do to some extent. We are constantly observing those perfect people, going on perfect trips and meeting with other not less perfect people. It is so easy to forget that the only thing we - the fans usually see is what others want us to see. I said usually because sometimes we get to know an aspect of others life’s we are not supposed to. People love those moments. The real drama moments. As one girl told me “if (gossiping) is talking something bad about people then it highers your self esteem”. Looking at misfortune of others makes us, often unconsciously feel valued.

On a daily basis we go to school or work, and the feeling that we have not done something is ubiquitous in our lives. There are so many things to do, always. Our brain operates at the highest speed most of the time. Drama is a way to do something so brainless that even relaxing. We all need it from time to time. We all need to, every now and then, create those crazy conspiracy theories about what in his life leaded to him releasing such a controversial song. However, it is important to remember that gossiping, as everything, is not always good. It can be both harmless and very harmful. Maybe we need to gossip, maybe gossiping is just human nature. But we can choose what to gossip about. So let’s choose wisely.

Illustration by Quentin Bachelot

11

THE FIRST RULE OF SCHOOL CLUB

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here is always that one person that seems to annoy you no matter the context. Maybe it’s their narrow mindedness, what they’ve said about you in the past or even worse - just the way they act - making you want to smash your head against a wall out of exasperation. Lucky for us, as we go to ISL and not GEMS, there are more than eleven students in our school, meaning that the people making you want to flee to another country can easily be avoided. But wait - what if it’s a teacher? Just like us, teachers are human beings who can go out and party, who maybe own a cat and who have feelings. And because we cannot really control how we feel, what do you do if a teacher does not like you or vice versa? Whether you are a teacher or a student, this is important as you see those people at school almost EVERY SINGLE DAY. Nobody wants to spend most of their days, months or even lives around people making them feel miserable or angry, right?

One student was left frustrated by one of her teachers who unfairly dress coded her: “some teachers just dress code certain girls for what they wear and others not” because for “some of the girls, teachers just give up”. This same student, who was wearing what she considers “a normal t-shirt” was “quite awkwardly” approached by a female teacher telling her that it was “really ‘inappropriate’ when it clearly wasn’t”.

When asked what she did as a response this, she replied by revealing that “in that moment, [teachers] put you in a really uncomfortable position where you don’t really know what to do or say”. This left the student “shocked (…) and confused” by what had just happened and just said, “okay”. However, when asked about what advice she would give to others finding themselves in the same situation, she encourages them to politely “ask the teacher why [they were dress coded]” as she doesn’t even think that “teachers know why they are dress coding the students”. By not having a clear dress code, it’s up to the teachers to determine what is considered ‘inappropriate’ and what isn’t. So by allowing these blurred lines, does ISL encourage institutionalized misogyny? Where some girls are put on a pedestal for their ‘trendy’ and ‘edgy’ style while others are told that their bodies are inappropriate?

Another student discussed their experience when being repeatedly put down by one of their homeroom teachers.

When asked how the teacher would act around them, the student vocalized that their teacher would “always stand behind me to see what I was doing (…) and was alway [suspecting] me of doing something wrong”. This went as far as the teacher pedantically commenting on the student’s work by condescendingly asking them “why did you do this? Why did you do that?” After contemplating about how they felt about the situation at that time, the student remembered that they “felt like he took [them] for an idiot”. Keep in mind that ISL puts emphasis “on a family environment”, suppos-

Leonardo Morosini puts the tea in teachers

edly not a dysfunctional one. It came to a point where the student said that they “did not have the courage to talk in class because [they were] scared of being taken for an idiot”.

The worst experience was during homeroom, where all students had to reflect on the service they did that year. It got bad when the teacher put the student on the spot, in front of everyone, “pointing at me with his finger and… [asking] me why I was lying”. Ironically, that student had completed five service activities that year… This student did not do anything about their bothersome teacher as they “didn’t feel like it was serious enough to be reported”. However, looking back at it, they would advise others to “talk about it because I didn’t talk about it and I know that it ruined a large part of that school year for me”.

As expected, teachers can also face bad behaviour in the classroom. One teacher stated that “it’s important not to judge student behaviour on the surface” as a student that is acting out may do it because of problems, at home, with themselves or socially at school. Instead, the teacher believes that “rather than getting angry”, it is best to ask the student why they behave like this as “there is usually a reason” for everything and this approach enables teachers and students “to move forward constructively”.

However, teachers can have it tough too. One teacher mentioned that “arrogance, answering back and insolence” while “questioning authority” are some of the worst situations that can happen in ISL. These are things that we’ve all either done ourselves or seen happen in the classroom. This same teacher advises others to stay calm, “not to feel threatened” and “to not take things personally [as] teenagers go through a very rough time”. However, when bad behaviour gets in the way of a teacher’s ability to teach, they still cannot resort to any form of “practical consequences” to assert their authority and make students stop behaving badly. Instead, teachers just have to ignore it or use their “sense of humour” by being “very cynical and sarcastic” to make students understand that what they are doing is wrong. The only consequence would be for teachers to get in touch with the students’ “parents [or] homeroom teachers and… hope that the consequence would be a conversation… about what is an acceptable demeanor… [and] why it’s essential to respect your teachers.”

However, this teacher believes that ISL should allow more practical consequences. Even though ISL thinks of the “interests of the students” first (which to say the least is expected for ISL’s price tag), “positive behaviour can turn itself against the teacher” as they may not feel like they have any “credibility and legitimacy in front of their students”. More importantly, during the interview, the teacher also emphasized that there have been occasions where “ I haven’t felt supported [by ISL] in front of students.” So if lack of support is a feeling shared by both students and teachers - who is to blame?

12

BROCKHAMPTON

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ip syncing, cringey dance routines and awful hairdos. Sound familiar to you? For a group of youngsters from Texas, USA, this is all remotely foreign to them. Instead these thirteen budding musicians are hoping to make a change to our modernising society by crushing stereotypes and breaking social taboos.

Brockhampton are a culturally diverse music group consisting of many ethnic backgrounds ranging from Caucasian to African-American, Ghanian, Middle Eastern and Mexican. They, believe it or not, are said to have met on a Kanye West fan forum.

This group of up and coming artists are not your average boy band. They are rappers. R&B can also be seen running through many areas of their albums. Brockhampton’s continually growing fanbase adore how they

are able to engage their listeners with their funky, unique and abstract sounds but also with their relatable lyrics. Rapping about everyday issues like racism, mental health and sexuality is their trademark. Despite some of their hits containing some explicit language they still manage to tackle issues constantly surrounded by social stigmas.

The song ‘FIGHT’ talks about how racism within the African-American community is an everyday occurence for many: “And when I grew up I learned what racism was ….. And like my teachers would say “Little black boys have a place in the world” Like hanging from trees Or dead in the street like I seen on TV”

AIRPODS

A

irPods. We’ve all seen those white tampon-esque gadgets hanging off people’s ears.

They’re starting to be seen more often in school, like a white plague.

For those of you unaware of this contraption, AirPods are Apple’s new bluetooth earphones with prices starting at around 170 CHF. According to Apple’s website, this hefty price is justified through the AirPods’ “clearly high quality sound, with rich, high-quality AAC audio.” As gimmicky as that sounds, Apple sold 14 million units in 2017.

The projected sales for the end of 2018 are between 26 and 28 million units. In fact, AirPods are selling at such a fast rate, it is reported that Apple is having supply problems, as there are more orders for AirPods than expected: they already make up 26% of wireless headphone sales.

AirPods do have their limitations, no matter how ‘cutting edge’ Apple

Jaina Patel This is a part of the world that media tend to discard. Why? These guys are only trying to make their mark on society!

Brockhampton still choose to refer to themselves as a ‘boyband, not a ‘rap collective’; as tweeted by one of the members, Kevin, back in August 2017.

Even though this is the case their listeners are starting to think of them as so much more than most of the mainstream boy bands dominating the music industry today. Fairytale love stories and heartbreaks are a thing of the past with these guys challenging the stereotypes associated with the average boy band. Individuality is what makes them stand out from the crowd and it is all thanks to their growing publicity that they are able to remain so fresh and current.

Tanvi Anand claims they are. Their functionality is limited on Android devices: they can’t be paused automatically, and the Siri function is disabled. This is probably Apple’s way of making us invest in the inescapable Apple Ecosystem.

Even though the school has a “no headphones” policy during school hours, once the final bell rings, they come out of their hiding place. In fact, I counted 8 pairs of Airpods in the North Campus lobby alone. From my small sample of 8 students, 7 were males in High School and 4 of the 8 students purchased it themselves.

One student, who was gifted a pair of AirPods said, “To be fair, if we consider the size and the fact that they are wireless, they are an exceptional pair of headphones.” He also stated that he would not have purchased them with his own money as he thinks the price is quite steep. Bill Yang, another student who bought a pair of AirPods with his

own money, remarked that “the quality of the sound is the best I’ve ever heard from a pair of earphones. It’s really good. It’s definitely worth the money.”

This isn’t surprising as polls elsewhere show that 98 percent of AirPod users are satisfied with their purchase.

However, the sound quality probably isn’t the reason why people bought them in the first place. It has to be the appeal of these earphones. It’s all about the style. Vogue had an article with the headline “Are Apple AirPods the New Earrings?” Celebrities are being spotted wearing them; they’re seen as fashion accessories, not headphones.

Whatever your opinion on these earphones are, we’re going to see a whole lot more people wearing them in the future, and as Apple prepares for world domination, we all might be forced to buy a pair ourselves. That is, until a new generation of AirPods come out… then we’d have to buy those.

13

HOROSCOPE Libra (September 23 - October 22): Happy birthday season Libras! This month is about putting yourself first. So, set yourself some birthday resolutions that you’d like to implement into your life!

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21): This year has brought much change, so use this month to restore your emotional and mental state. You may also be feeling like you hate everything you own, so treat yourself to something new before you start your new birth year.

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21): Although you’re very independent, you should let other people in, especially during the challenging 6 weeks ahead. Also, beware, an ex could surface and you may have to deal with a forgotten conflict.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19): This month, you should be feeling “in the zone”, as a professional victory is on the horizon and your hard work will show in the coming months. Also, don’t

be afraid to take a social-media break, it’s healthy!

Aquarius (January 20 - February 18): This time of year is prime time for you, Aquarius. Step out of your comfort zone, make new friends and be spontaneous! Relationships may hit the speed bumps, so remember to take things one step at a time.

Pisces (February 19 - March 20): This time of year isn’t your time to shine, so get your head down and do the tasks that require your full attention. However, don’t be afraid to reach out to people if you need help.

Aries (March 21 - April 19): Focus on your close relationships and, if they’re bumpy, work on improving them. Don’t forget that you always go further with the support of others, no matter how independent you may be.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20): It’s the time of year to declutter, so set some time aside and create a steady routine. This

MUSIC TIME!

Eleanor Payne month is also a good time to start a new habit, such as clean eating or regular exercise.

Gemini (May 21 - Jun 20): Love is in the air this month! It’s also a peak time to let your creative juices flow and immerse yourself completely in the moment. However, don’t forget to step back and take a deep breath.

Cancer (June 20 - July 20): You’re feeling nostalgic, so make this month all about family. Focus on the most personal parts of your life.

Leo (July 23 - August 22): October is a very lively and social month for you, so make the most of it! Put your emotions to one side and allow yourself to focus on your goals.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22): This month brings you the confidence and courage to be able to speak the truth.

Use this to get the things off your chest that have been burdening you. You’ll feel much better afterwards!

Illustration by Jade Tan

14

THE GREAT LEADER

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orth Korea is certainly one of the countries most lacking in human rights, with complete government, media and border control, and around 100,000 people held in prison camps. The Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un is almost synonymous with North Korea, but there are aspects of the man that are often inevitably overlooked by Western media in the face of the state he represents.

Kim Jong-un was likely born in 1983 to then-dictator Kim Jong-il and one of his mistresses, Ko Young-hui. He spent his early life in Switzerland, and was educated at the International School of Berne. In 2010 he began to be educated as his father’s successor back in North Korea, and a year later he assumed the position of dictator.

Kim Jong-un is often seen as deranged and angry, but in contrast to his predecessor he is mild-mannered and

pleasant. His Swiss classmates even remember him as being funny. Certainly, he has a history of taking violent measures, famously executing his uncle Jang Song-thaek in 2013, an act that labelled him as a tyrant by Western media. But what is often overlooked is the probable coup that his uncle and his co-conspirators were planning in order to overthrow him. Jang Song-thaek was sidelined by Un after being a key advisor to his father, and it is not a stretch to believe that he wanted to regain his lost power.

Similarly, unlike Kim Jong-il, the current Supreme Leader genuinely seems to want to help his country in a more meaningful way. Il was in power for two decades, and in that time he managed to severely mess up the country, and put it in the state it is now. It will take time for Kim Jong-un to undo this mess, but in some aspects he has al-

Joseph Nobs ready done a great deal in improving the country. An example of this are the agricultural reforms he carried out to “put food on the shelves” of the Korean people. Moreover, the nuclear missile program was designed specifically to put the United States in a situation where it would be open to negotiations with North Korea, and the recent KimTrump summit shows that it clearly achieved this. Through these negotiations, Kim hopes to gain the necessary funding to improve his country’s economy.

Which brings us to the present day. Will Kim Jong-un use his newfound American funding to fuel his extravagant lifestyle, or will he invest it into slowly dismantling his father’s laws and opening relations with the rest of the world?

The answer is not as obvious as you might expect.

WTF

Hannah Besson

WOW

THINK

FUNNY

Shaquille O’Neal, who had a professional basketball career that lasted over 19 years, only scored one three pointer out of a total of 22 attempts.

He scored his one and only professional three-pointer on February 16th 1996 in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. His couch Brian Hill commented, “I wouldn’t call him a good 3-point shooter, let’s put it that way… He could get the ball up there on the rim, but he wasn’t going to make too many of them.” The lesson? You don’t have to be the best to be the best.

Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have recently created an artificial womb that worked successfully on fetal lambs who undergo similar stages of development as human babies. The bag is filled with artificially-made amniotic fluid and a machine controls gas exchange through an umbilical cord. The eight fetal lambs showed normal development and, while human testing is many years away this technology, is promising and has the potential to save many premature babies in the near future.

Until the 1970s, U.S. cities had an “Ugly Law” that prohibited those considered “diseased, maimed, mutilated, or deformed in any way, so as to be an unsightly or disgusting” from appearing in public. Chicago was the last to let this law go, repealing it in 1974.

Illustration by Minnie Lowin

15

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT

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h boy! I sure do love the Second Amendment of the US Constitution as it protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. And that makes me so exceedingly happy because I obviously adore guns.

Of course, I do not find it outrageously and atrociously absurd that my fellow American people continue to accept such an outdated law. Guns are a form of self-defense. If somebody were to break in, this beautiful weapon would come in handy and protect you in seconds. And don’t you worry, this gun is not just on display for the whole world to see. It is said that most citizens have a special and hidden safekeeping to ensure this object is out of reach. However, I do say most. Of course, some do not take into account the fact that children are able to easily access guns in family households. It’s not like more than 75% of guns used in suicide attempts and unintentional injuries of 0-19 years old were found to be stored in the residence of the victim.

Guns are our beings’ most prized possession. There is no need for gun control. ‘I shouldn’t have to go through a multitude of background checks just to get a handgun!’ And to whoever said that, I agree! Gun control is invasive. Firstly, it attacks our human rights and it goes against our beautiful Second Amendment. But of course, it’s not like school shootings and massacres also don’t violate our human rights by killing people... But that’s why teachers should have guns!

It’s not like that would be worse. If a student were to start shooting, the teacher should just shoot back at him, right?

It’s not like that would traumatize the teacher, right? Also, see-through backpacks. Genius. That’s not an invasion of privacy at all. At all. Whoever came up with that concept was so thoughtful. But you know what could help even more? To educate kids about guns from a young age. Because then, they know how to use one wisely! Of course, they’d be taught about the safety that is needed around guns, but that’s not as important as how it functions.

However, do you know what the biggest issue is? Mental health! Oh gosh, mental health. It’s not like kids aren’t going through enough already. Since mental health is becoming an important element to watch out for, more and more people are pushing for required background checks before gun purchases. Why should people have to wait two weeks to buy just a small handgun that could potentially kill multiple people? People should be able to get it right away when they ask for it. I mean, what’s patience? Never heard of it. The United States of America should simply gather all the people that have mental health issues and give them stricter rules. That would be so easy, no? Assemble everyone in the US that has a gun and bad mental health, so easy right? It’s not like 1 out of 5 individuals suffer from poor mental health. And guns are not the problem. I mean as the NRA loves saying “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.”

Moreover, I read this article that recommended a page that

Ally Hatcher unloads

said ‘more gun control is unnecessary because relatively few people are killed by guns’. They proclaimed that the biggest cause of death in the US is heart disease, thus making gun control irrelevant. Isn’t that just pure logic? Since gun-related-deaths are not the biggest cause of death, there’s no need for gun control. Hurray! It doesn’t matter that 21 weeks into 2018 there had already been 23 school shootings where someone was hurt or killed. And you may ask, “does that average out to be one shooting a week?” Well, yes. Yes, it does.

But as long as we have our guns to protect ourselves, that’s all that matters!

Also, if I had to recommend some great scenes involving gun use from a tv-series *ding ding ding* Thirteen Reasons Why is the winner. The second season of this popular drama, which is typically watched by children and teenagers, demonstrates a situation where two friends bring a bag filled with guns to school. And you might say, “That’s horrible! Why would they show such a thing?”, but just you wait. It gets even better. They did this in response to bullies at school. But wait, wait, I’m not done. One of the students in this school chooses to step in front of the gunman as a heroic gesture, stopping him from taking any fatal action. A miracle! A hero! Now, if that doesn’t encourage a school shooting and deaths, I don’t know what does. Even after the thousands of school shootings that have happened so far in beautiful America, one of the most popular shows of 2018 had to show it in such a great way for its viewers. People may argue, but this encourages standing up to your bullies and to be brave. This is a tv show. With actors. They can’t actually die. But we love a good old tv-show that promotes great behavior with guns!

To the great NRA,

“You might as well stop now because we are going to outlive you” - David Hogg, a survivor of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Parkland, Florida

Illustration by Joseph Nobs

16

ENHANCE MEN Ellie Parsons is ready to be upgraded

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rofessor Patrick Aebischer, former president of EPFL, gave a talk on September 27th about technology and how it’s changing the world to a crowd of professionals in various fields and some seemingly out of place ISL students of Design Technology and Computer Science at the Lausanne palace. After eating excessive amounts of free food and initiating a few pathetic attempts at networking, we eagerly listened to various topics about technology and the future. Genes as commodities, cracking the code of consciousness and how the arts and humanities are the subjects we should be teaching in school. But arguably the most interesting segment of the talk was about genetically modified humans and the dangers they could bring. The elimination of genetic diseases, armies having infrared vision, and augmented memory were just some of the possibilities of this not so distant future. After all, optimizing humans is not a foreign concept and we’re all familiar with the costs that come with it. Aebischer described the greatest consequence, however, as being forced to make a new definition of self; will we lose what makes us, us?

Does this mean that these enhancements won’t just be an extension of who we are, but will completely change what we call human? I was able to interview ISL’s own Mr Spinks, who assisted in organizing tickets to this talk, about his views on the topic.

In the talk, Mr Aebischer brought up the idea of human enhancement. As a Design teacher, I was wondering what your opinion was of this?

I suppose you have to regard human enhancement as a spectrum. And at its simplest level and it’s wonderful level and at its ethically sound and morally sound level. It’s getting fillings in teeth, it’s getting prosthetic limbs, the physical side of it.When we go beyond that and we start thinking about implanting and personality changing aspects. then it opens up this whole ethical problem because you’re disrupting the natural

balance of personality.

He brought up the idea that all of these things will account to an eventual need to create a new definition of self. Do you think that the consequences will be so high that there will be a need to completely redefine what makes us human?

I’d like to think not. But I think, ultimately, a lot of these technologies end up solving other problems that will arise concurrently and I think that when you look at genetically modified food, for example, ten years ago people were saying, “Oh no, it can’t happen and we’re against this,” and the whole tide has turned now. I think people realise that there are massive social benefits to GMOs, so something similar may well happen. I hate the thought of people being able to enhance their memory and their ability, cognitive ability, through any kind of gene therapy or implant like putting an extra sim card in your brain. But I think that it’s probably inevitable. Do you know what the difference is between taking medication for some kind of mental illness which affects the way you think and affects your ability to cope with everyday tasks and taking something that makes you better at coping with things you’d like to cope with? I’m not so sure.

It’s evident today that humans are changing.

Yes, and the way he spoke about it being inevitable.

I agree that it’s inevitable, but it just depends really where the scientists stop. Right now it’s okay; we’re at the start of seeing these things and they’re not omnipresent. But when everyone is optimized, it’s difficult to tell when enough’s enough. If we evolve our brains to the point where they’re infinitely better than they are now, are we going to be the same species? Have we sped up evolution for ourselves?

It’s like an enhanced evolution, isn’t it?

And the point that he made about being able to read each other’s thoughts, that was really scary, because if you get to that point social interaction is… it’s a concept I can’t really get my head around. People talking to each other and knowing what one another are thinking would be an incredibly transparent society. So, it would probably change the way we think, it would adapt wouldn’t it? And probably in my lifetime, which is scary. I kind of hoped that I wouldn’t see things like that.

And definitely in my lifetime.

17

FANDUMB Elif Civelekoglu is not a Belieber

F

andoms: the fans of a particular well-known person, group, team, etc. considered a distinct social grouping. Pretty accurate. They are fun to be in, there are websites with hundreds of articles dedicated to them, and hey, who doesn’t like to speak about their favorite celebrity or series? Also, it’s just fun to read posts about whatever the fandom is about and view fanart made by the many fans of the particular fandoms. However, especially with the larger fandoms, there is an almost toxic characterization of the idols.

Now think of this scenario. You listen to a song. You like it. You check who it is made by, and listen to other songs made by this artist. You realize that you like this artist, and after a while start developing your own personal opinions about which songs you like the most. Later, you start to see and follow other people that are also a part of this fandom. After a while, you start seeing some things. Some people overreacting when someone comments on something that the idol did wrong, excusing their questionable behaviour, and just taking things too far.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens. Perhaps the most infamous example that fall into the ‘excusing questionable or downright illegal behaviour’ category is the Logan Paul Controversy. Just to give a quick summary about what happened, while he was in Japan, Logan Paul went to the Japanese Suicide Forest that is named after the amount of suicides that take place there. Logan decided to stray away from the track and found the body of someone who had killed himself. And proceeded to upload it to YouTube, for his 8-14 year old fans to see. Of course, he got the backlash after this, which is normal. After all, it was an utterly disgusting thing to do, and like any other star who has made a “dumb mistake”, he made an apology video, stating that he is “a good guy who made a bad decision.” Now, despite the fact that he per-

sonally edits the videos himself, giving him at least a couple of hours to decide that perhaps his audience consisting of mainly children and not to mention the parents that will have their SON’s body shown on social media may be horrified and/or emotionally damaged after watching the video, he still chooses to play the victim card. One might have expected another backlash, which did come, but with it so did the videos and posts by the fans asking for people to stop hating on him.

There is an almost toxic characterization of the idols

When interviewed, an anonymous student commented on the possible effects that the “toxic fans” can have on how others view the fandom as a whole and commented that “In a fanbase, there are going to be toxic fans and it’s really sad because a lot of people judge a whole fanbase on these toxic fans.

It’s not really like that, but there are a few fans like that but we can’t exclude them.” This is true, as many people do have the impression of the crazed fangirl who knows everything related to their fandom and wants to marry one of their idols, even though they a higher chance to get struck by lightning twice. A possible reason for this may be due to the attention that the “toxic” minority receives as no one outside a fanbase wants to read the posts of someone talking about their theories for what the next album is going to be about.

As the anonymous student explained: “It is normal to want to have a platonic relationship with your idol, like, you want to be good friends with them. But

you don’t know that much about your idols, so it’s really weird when someone is like, ‘Oh, I love them and I want to marry them!’ Like you only know them through social media.” I, along with others, agree. After all, the pop industry IS an industry. They cannot show the more ‘human’ sides of the idols, as they are supposed to be people that are perfection personified. While the more 3-Dimensional idols do tend to have more fans, it is only if their flaws are ‘acceptable’, such as being clumsy.

To conclude, the root of the problem is not necessarily the fans themselves. It is the way that the idols are represented as such great people that are capable of no wrong.

Finally, it is okay if you are part of a fandom, and if you are not. You may be extremely involved in that fandom, going to all the concerts, cons, etc. It is also alright if you really like a certain idol.

However, be aware of the fact that you do not know them on a personal level, and that they are their own person.

After all, most people choose to only show a certain side of themselves to others, and this is to the extreme in the Hollywood industry, as if one messes up, millions will see it. Sure, it is normal to want to meet your idol and become friends with them, but stay realistic about it.

18

PRINCESSEXISM Artémis Faulk-Antonakis disses Disney

W

ho doesn’t know Disney?

This film company released 56 films since its first, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1937.

Disney has had a big impact on hundreds of millions of people, adults and children. Their immense success comes from interesting storylines, re-making classic tales, and effective marketing strategies. In 2016, Disney earned 22.45 billion dollars in media revenue, making it the second largest media company in the world after Alphabet, the owner of Google. In 2018, Disney was the most profitable Hollywood film studio, for the fourth year in a row.

They must be doing something right!

Sadly, however, like the overwhelming majority of films, Disney’s ones are often sexist, include gender stereotypes and are often racist too, despite many movie companies making more effort recently.

Given that it can be a controversial topic, is it possible to objectively determine if a film is sexist or not? A tool that we can use to evaluate the portrayal of women in fiction is the Bechdel test. It was invented by Alison Bechdel, a cartoonist. She wrote a comic strip in 1985 titled “The Rule”, where a woman is talking to another, saying that she only watched films that met a certain set of criteria: 1) If the movie features at least two named women 2) If they speak to each other 3) If they talk to each other about something other than men.

People have since adopted this technique to analyse films and it’s quite popular to loosely measure how women are depicted in them. It should be very easy for a film to meet these three simple rules, right? However, only approximately 45% out of a total of 41 Disney films passed the Bechdel test, 9 of those only passing dubiously. This is lower than the worldwide average of 57.7% which is already not very encour-

aging. Amongst the films that didn’t pass the test are The Lion King and Bambi. Recently though, Disney and many other film companies have made efforts to include more women protagonists, with films such as in Inside Out and Moana.

Is it possible to determine if a film is sexist or not?

In another recent study, this time analysing how many words were spoken by different characters in 30 Disney and Pixar films, 73.3% of them had a majority of male dialogue. In addition, only 22% of films feature female characters who speak more than males. Also, in terms of the amount of dialogue, the majority (82%) of films have male characters in two thirds of the top three leading dialogue-rich roles. For female characters, this occurs in 18% of films.

Going beyond both the Bechdel test and dialogue analyses, it is interesting to examine how women are physically portrayed in Disney productions: They

tend to be stereotypically feminine, generally with prominent eyelashes (even on non-human characters!), be unnaturally thin and wear Hollywood-style makeup. They are also usually dressed in impractical “feminine” clothing, often in shades of pink, that is revealing and shaped in a way to further exaggerate their already enhanced female features.

Disney is not the most sexist media company, nor the worst, but it has a bigger impact than most due to its popularity and size. Generations of children grew up watching the company’s movies and series. As stated previously, the company has made some improvements in their latest films, but some older Disney productions are still very popular, such as Disney princesses, whose attributes travel through the ages, through spin-offs and through merchandise. Perhaps the company should take responsibility for influencing perceptions of gender and unrealistic love in today’s world and consider the role their movies play in making these stereotypes “normal”, while anchoring gender inequalities deeper into our society. Now, you have some analytical tools. Put your favourite movies to the test!

Illustration by Eve Kurt-Elli

19

CALLING KAEPERNIKE

A

t the beginning of September, the biggest sports brand in the world, Nike, released their most recent video commercial to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their extremely popular motto: “Just Do It.” However, this recent campaign was no typical advertising campaign due to the presence of one extremely controversial former American athlete: Colin Kaepernick. Even though many world-renowned sports figures, such as Serena Williams, were shown in the video, it is Kaepernick who stood out and created turmoil - not only in the United States, but, soon after, at a global scale.

Colin Kaepernick gained popularity in the United States because of his breathtaking performances as a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, an American football team in the nation’s most prestigious league, the NFL (National Football League). His career for the Bay Area team started in 2012, after playing extremely well at the collegiate level for the University of Nevada, in Reno. In the middle of the 2012 season, the young quarterback took over the job as starter and was surprisingly able to lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl, their first appearance in the final since 1994. At the beginning of the 2013 season, the 49ers put their faith in Kaepernick and made him the starter as he led them to the NFC Championship game, just one game short of back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.

Sadly, this would be Kaepernick’s last successful season. For the next two years, he would lose his usual consistency as a passer and be forced to become a backup for San Francisco.

However, this relative success, which Kaepernick enjoyed for a couple years, never made him anything special in the eyes of most Americans. This completely changed in 2016, as Kaepernick ignited an unbelievable amount of controversy as he chose to kneel on one knee instead of standing during the na-

tional anthem before the first game of the season. He defended his actions by stating that he did this in order to show his disagreement with racial mistreatment in the United States and pointed at the many unjust details of everyday life that people of color had to live with.

The following months for Kaepernick were of mixed reactions from people all over the world. One of the most impactful and positive responses came from other NFL players, who followed suit and started kneeling during the anthem, adding fuel to the fire of controversy. In addition, Amnesty International awarded Kaepernick with their “Ambassador of Conscience Award” for 2018. However, the critics were also aggressively pessimistic, as Kaepernick received many threats and negative messages. The most notable person who criticized Kaepernick’s kneeling was none other than American president Donald Trump. He first expressed his anger towards the American football player with a series of tweets when the kneeling became a hot topic. But as other players started joining the movement and the National Football League did not suspend them for this act, he went to social media again, saying “The NFL has decided that it will not force players to stand for the playing of the National Anthem. Total disrespect for our great country!”

Keeping in mind the history and past which Colin Kaepernick carries with him, it is easy to understand why his appearance on the newest Nike commercial is a huge development in the world of sports and politics. The main message which comes along with the video is simple, but extremely motivational. A picture of Kaepernick’s face is shown, with the message: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” Poppy Harrison was one of many to be impressed by the video, saying that it is “powerful, self-empowering, but most importantly inspirational.” She added that “it may go down

Tom Secheyron just does it

“Believe in something.

Even if it means sacrificing everything.” in history” because of its controversial aspect. Just like Poppy, Juan Pablo Lopez Rojas had not seen the video until I showed it to him, and his reaction was similar to his classmate’s. He told me that the video “provides a life lesson and message: believe in something and ignore the non-believers.” The reaction from the two Year 12s was not at all surprising, as millions of people around the globe have shared the commercial on social media, supporting the company and its risk-taking strategy.

The support has been immense, but the backlash just as powerful. Many who support Trump’s views regarding the subject did not hesitate to boycott the company and posted videos showing Nike gear being burnt or shredded to pieces. The American head of state himself used Twitter as a means of communication once again, angrily tweeting: “Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts.” As usual, his stance on the subject at hand is affirmative and bold.

Despite these mixed reactions, it is interesting to notice the amount of controversy which Colin Kaepernick caused by simply kneeling during the American national anthem. He believed in something and sacrificed everything, and now the world has taken notice of racial injustice in the USA.

20

THE LAST LAUGH

Jade Tan

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