OPINIONS
8
Losing meaning to materialism
Our consumer culture distracts from what really matters during the holidays. Joy Francke
mihsislander.org
‘Unfounded Assumptions’
with humor editor Spencer Klein Make MIHS’s bathrooms great again
staff writer
For many MIHS students, winter is holiday season. Whether that means the two most commonly celebrated by students, Christmas and Hannukah, or less common ones, there are several traditions associated with each. Unfortunately, materialism often detracts from the holiday ideals of generosity and charity. A shared custom among the diverse array of holidays is receiving and giving gifts. For Christmas, many children wake eagerly on December 25 to unwrap presents waiting under a festively decorated tree. For Hannukah, children receive a present each night of the eight day celebration. Other holidays involve gift distribution, including Kwanzaa. Receiving gifts is just one traditional element of these holidays, but it has instead become a focal point for many. “When people say their favorite holiday is Christmas, it is often because of the presents,” says sophomore Polly Schaps. This aspect of the holidays is not necessarily negative; exchanging gifts is a fun and and simple way to show appreciation for family and friends. However, some kids develop an excessive fixation with the amount of gifts purchased for them. This obsession remains true for not only
young children, but high schoolers too. “Sometimes students focus more on presents rather than all of the other components of the holidays,” said Eden Voss. Furthermore, Mercer Island’s competitive, upper-middle-class culture places an immense amount of pressure on parents to buy their children the top item on a wish list, and corporate advertisers only add to the pressure by bombarding consumers with unrealistic scenes of families celebrating with mountains of presents. This unfortunate obsession over material items takes away from the spirit of giving and communi-
ty. Giving a gift to others, whether in the form of a material gift or time spent together, is abundantly more fulfilling than receiving an item that will be irrelevant in a month anyway. There is nothing wrong with feeling excited about getting a long-awaited present; but the problem comes when that excitement suppresses a will to give to
others. Mercer Island is a largely high-income, well developed, and relatively safe town. Though every household faces different circumstances, many Islanders are very privileged, and giving back to those less privileged is imperative, especially during the holiday season. Consumerism and materialism should never stifle the spirit of charity and community.
There are many cleaning products used to “freshen up” restrooms — Febreze, Lysol, and whatever they use in retirement homes to keep the smell of death at bay. Vape is not one of these products, yet I see it in MIHS’s restrooms more than I see people washing their hands. Bathrooms are meant to be a place of peace, yet I can neither do my business nor reset my chi when there’s some sophomore blowing vanilla exhaust on the nape of my neck. “I like vaping in the bathroom because you can inhale microscopic bits of airborne fecal matter and exhale heretical mist,” said the sophomore in question... probably. It is for this reason that I propose a new initiative: vape-free bathrooms. To kill this trend, we must examine its roots and why it is so popular. After all, whenever I walk into a bathroom and see four or five jocks huddled in the corner, French-kissing a fancy pen, praying that Kelly doesn’t walk in, I think, “Man those guys are cool!” And just to be clear: I’m not bashing vape. I think it’s really cool
Spreading gender pronoun awareness in the classroom Annie Poole staff writer
If teachers aim to foster an inclusive classroom for everyone, ignoring or assuming preferred personal pronouns renders them unable to attain an essential objective to the educational process. Gender non-binary students are often overlooked in the classroom. Assuming gender pronouns based on appearances can cause students to feel disrespected, dismissed, and alienated. “It’s so invalidating, it’s like who you are doesn’t matter. Every time someone uses the wrong name or the wrong pronoun, it’s like they are saying they don’t care how you identify,” said a co-president of the Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) club, Artemis Kim, who gets misgendered many times a week at school. When students feel ostracized in this way, the educational process is
disrupted and students can no longer feel comfortable participating and engaging during class. “It really takes you out of the classroom. There’s just that moment of complete distraction and it stays with you for the rest of the day or a lot of the times longer. It just makes it really hard to learn anything,” said Kim. This problem stems from the lack of education teachers and students receive regarding gender identity and gender pronouns. Confusion comes from misunderstandings of the differences between biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual identity. Biological sex is determined medically and anatomically at birth, whereas gender identity is based upon how individuals internally view themselves. Gender expression is how individuals want others to view them, through things such as clothing and manners. Although gender ex-
pression is often related to gender identity, it does not have to. Sexual identity is not limited based on gender identity, and refers to a person’s romantic and sexual interests, attractions to others, or the lack of attraction. Understanding the differences between these terms may be confusing at first, but is the most important step in understanding decisions regarding identity and to be respectful. During the freshman and sophomore health class, commonly known as Image, there is a brief lesson about sexual orientations and gender, but there still seem to be misconceptions surrounding this topic. Student apathy toward this issue must be fixed. They need to realize the damages it causes to their peers when they refuse to understand the people around them. Teachers also have an obligation to set examples for their students and emphasize an inclusive tone from
the beginning of the year. “I am constantly trying to make sure that my classroom is inclusive and I have to keep changing things,” said MIHS Drama and English teacher Daniela Melgar. This year for the first time, Melgar put out a “getto-know-you” survey on Schoology, and included a space for preferred personal pronouns. This made sure that students felt comfortable telling her their pronouns in private, or had the option to not put anything if they did not feel comfortable. They were not forced to come out with how they identify in front of the whole classroom, which can be daunting. This idea came after a breakout session run by the QSA for teachers, but is not commonly used enough in MIHS classrooms. “[The norm of educational sessions run by queer students] places the responsibility of educating all the teachers on us; that should
not be my job,” said Kim. Teachers should be held accountable for understanding how their students identify so as to uphold inclusive values for students to see. “Adults were all raised and educated by the dominant heteronormative narrative, so we are trained with those pronouns. We are trained to make assumptions based on what we see,” said Melgar. “We should constantly be unlearning and relearning.” Making mistakes is inevitable, however it is better to ask first, and not assume based on appearances. Teachers must also acknowledge when they make mistakes, and ask their students to hold them accountable. Personal pronouns may seem like a small preference, but they represent a much larger identity. Someone who is non-binary is forced to make many binary decisions every day. There are only male and female locker rooms, and
if you want to play dragon, just don’t do it in the school bathrooms. It’s hard to use a urinal when there’s a cloud of sin floating around your head — and no, I’m not talking about the cloud of academic dishonesty allegations I’m currently facing. If you too want to make a difference, I’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how to deal with those students who decide to make the 200hall bathroom even worse. 1. Ask to take a hit, or a drag. Make sure to use language that they understand. For example: “Hey squadfam, can I finna be taking a drag off that dabulous lit pen?” 2. If you use correct wording (throw in some accolades about Supreme products for a higher chance), they should hand you the pen. Make sure not to hold it in a way that could incriminate you. See picture for example. 3. Swallow the vape pen whole. Not only does this eliminate the mist-menace from our already beleaguered bathrooms, but it’s also a massive power move. 4. Return the vape pen about 24 hours later.
teachers often divide students based on their gender. Techniques that teachers use to make students switch up groups or partners for an assignment should no longer be gender-based, because not everyone identifies as male or female and may not want to be put in the position to choose. Cisgendered people need to also act as allies and offer their support to these students who are often marginalized. “The biggest thing they can do is be an advocate for other people,” said the other QSA co-president, Hannah Sidney. “You have to find those people who are willing to empathize and then teach those people who aren’t willing.” Further educational opportunities for teachers and students must be implemented to tackle confusion and misconceptions about gender identity; only then can Mercer Island High School can be an inclusive place for everyone.