The Polygon: December/ January 2020-21 Issue

POLY PREP’S Student Newspaper VOL. CVI ISSUE III

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POLYGON

December/January 2020-21 Issue

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The Electoral College Debate: WHAT DO STUDENTS THINK? A debate has arisen about the relevance of the Electoral College in the modern age BEATRICE LARKIN STAFF WRITER

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any Poly students have passionate stances on the relevancy of the electoral college. When interviewed, Poly students expressed their feelings about both the relevancy and fairness of the Electoral College system.

Most of the students interviewed felt like the current system is unfair.

Senior Talia Marash said, “the voice of the people is not directly translated into the presidency. The Electoral College system allows for the ‘well-educated elite’ to make decisions for the larger population, which was a purposeful decision that the founding fathers made as they did not trust the opinion of the average voter.”

Marash connected these points by stating, “I think that now we do not face the same barriers as education and information is widespread, so we are stuck with this antiquated electoral system that does not directly represent the needs nor the opinion of the people.”

Junior Ryantony Exuma expanded on this point, “the Electoral College is inherently undemocratic because the Founders designed it in a way to ensure that the voters they considered to be uneducated and ignorant would not make rash decisions.

While we have amended some of it, the Electoral College still stands and the candidate voted for by the majority of voters oftentimes is not elected due to the system like in 2000 or 2016.”

This point about the system being founded with the wrong ideals was one of the primary anti-Electoral College arguments. Students against the Electoral College tended to also agree that votes counting more in certain states more than others is problematic. This is often the differentiator between being for or against the Electoral College.

Sophomore Noah Greenberg said that, “although a popular vote may seem logical, it would leave the election down to three states; New York, California, and Texas. This may be the majority of the country but it is not expressive of the entire country.”

Sophomore Alida Lissak argued the opposite: that the Electoral College is not expressive of the views of the people.

Lissak said, “my biggest issue is that in all except for two states, whichever candidate has the higher percentage of votes gets all the electors from that state.”

Sophomore Hannah Crowley summed it up by saying, “certain people’s votes count more than others, which is not democratic, and democracy should be the number one priority in the US.” To elaborate on the point of citizens’ votes being counted for more or less than others, it is due to proportionality. The ratio between the number of electorates and the population is different in every state, giving votes in small states a bigger say.

This was a prominent issue in determining the validity of the system with certain students, one gave an example of why she

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS A cartoon highlighting the debate over the use of the Electoral College in presidential elections felt it was unjust.

Marash stated, “if there was a direct ratio between the population and the electoral college, for every one elector Alaska has, California would have 54. This means that Alaska’s population has three times the influence in the electoral college than that of California, although it is about 34 million people smaller.”

Greenberg disagreed with this, saying that, “The need for the Electoral College does not just give a “voice” to the small states, it provides a diversity of thought from all parts of the country in Congress.

Junior Josh Spector agreed with Greenberg with the idea of keeping small states relevant: “candidates would not be campaigning in smaller states that are considered battleground states including Iowa, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire.

Without the Electoral College, these states

NYC VACCINE DISTRIBUTION What is Governor Cuomo’s plan for vaccine distribution within New York State and the city’s public school system?

JORDAN MILLAR STAFF WRITER

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ith COVID-19 cases rapidly increasing, a push for a nationwide vaccine is now underway. In New York State, the distribution of this vaccine has already begun. According to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, the state has already received over 87,750 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, most of them dedicated to medical staff.

In the coming days, an additional 80,000 doses will arrive. Right now, as we are in just Phase 1 of vaccinations, which strictly prioritizes healthcare workers, nursing home residents, and workers. If vaccine supplies proceed, Cuomo anticipates that Phase 2 of distribution should begin in late January of 2021, and will then prioritize essential workers and members of the general public who are most at risk, specifically those that have underlying medical conditions. However, the vaccine has not yet been approved for children, so it may be several months or even a year before anyone under the age of 16 can take it.

The governor also announced that the state has a Vaccinate New York Campaign and website, to provide the public with information about any upcoming or sudden changes in the vaccine administration plan. To make sure that all New Yorkers are able to have access to the vaccine, regardless of cost, the Department of Financial Services has also issued a directive to New York health insurers to

immediately cover, without cost-sharing, approved COVID-19 immunizations and administration. As of now, the state has additionally established Regional Vaccination Hubs, led by local hospital systems, which will work with community leaders to develop regional vaccination networks.

Despite Governor Cuomo’s seemingly thorough distribution plans, many members of New York State have their own hesitations when it comes to taking the vaccine. According to Cuomo himself, an estimated 49% of people are either skeptical or unwilling to take it, which makes distribution very difficult. At least 75 to 85% of people need to be vaccinated in order for the state to hopefully combat the virus and eventually return to normal life. But many do not trust the safety of the vaccine, as it was seemingly developed in such a short amount of time.

As for New York City Public Schools, the distribution plans for both students and teachers have not been mentioned yet.

Sarah Zuercher, Director of Health and Well-Being at Poly stated, “We aren’t sure yet where and when people in the Poly Prep community will get the vaccine, but we will work closely with the New York State and City Department of Health to understand the options and we will communicate those options to our community. We also are not yet sure if the vaccine will be required for school employees and students.”

would be ignored.”

However, junior Ryantony Exuma stated, “Biden is still not campaigning in Vermont, and Trump is not campaigning in Utah. The needs of small states are still coming second to those of larger states because of how few votes the small ones have.”

To summarize, the anti-Electoral College students’ opinions can be summed up by Marash’s statement, “The Electoral College should be abolished because its mere existence is antithetical to the democracy it was founded to protect, and it instead implements a system where the election is never a direct reflection of the opinions of the American public.

The pro-Electoral College argument was summed up by Greenberg’s argument: “the Electoral College should be kept with some reform.”

Ten Things to do in the 15 Minute Passing Period SIDNEY ROTHKIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

1. Watch 15-60 Tik-Toks 2. Play with your pet 3. Take a 15 minute power nap 4. Watch approximately 3 of David Dobrik’s vlogs 5. Listen to the song Mistletoe by Justin Bieber approximately 5 times 6. Watch an entire episode of Spongebob with 4 minutes to spare 7. Make whipped coffee or any beverage of your choice 8. Listen to about a third of Harry Styles’ album Fine Line 9. Do one of your homework assignments 10. Run a mile

THE POLYGON

DECEMBER/JANUARY NEWS

PAGE 2

MAKiNG HiSTORY:

A Look at Biden’s Cabinet Picks

Biden’s cabinet picks could potentially introduce unprecedented diversity to the White House, but some still wonder if it is enough MARTA BALIKCIOGLU CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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s promised in his campaign, President-elect Joe Biden is beginning to assemble one of the most diverse cabinets in U.S. history. As he prepares to take office in January, Biden is beginning to create a list of nominees for his Cabinet that will “look like this country,” in an attempt to unify America.

Beginning with the appointment of Kamala Harris as his vice president in early August, Biden began building his administration with diversity in mind.

For the first time in history, there is a Black and Indian woman as vice president, and Biden’s term had barely even begun In the last few months, Biden has been rolling out recommendations with hopes that his nominees will gain confirmation from the Senate. However, there is a run-off election for the two seats in Georgia, which will determine if Republicans or Democrats win control of the Senate. Georgia’s election, which will take place two weeks before Biden’s inauguration, will determine a lot for Biden’s presidency. Without Democrats taking Georgia, Biden will have a hard time pushing his agenda,

which includes getting his nominations confirmed.

For the time being, however, Biden continues to announce selections for his administration. Lloyd Austin is Biden’s nomination for the Secretary of Defense and would be the first Black person as the director of the Pentagon. For the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Biden named Xavier Becerra, who would be the first Latino to lead this department. Biden nominated Avril Haines as the Director of National Intelligence. Haines would be the first woman to ever be in this position. Alejandro Mayorkas, who is to be the Secretary of Homeland Security, would be the first Latino and immigrant in this posting. The appointee for the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, Cecilia Rouse, would be the first woman of color in this position. Katherine Tai would be the first woman of color to be a U.S. Trade Representative., and Janet Yellen, who was nominated to be the Treasury Secretary, would be the first ever woman to undertake this role.

Evidently, there are many groups of people represented by Biden’s nomi-

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS Lloyd Austin, who was confirmed as the first Black Defense Secretary nations for his Cabinet.

When asked what she thought about Biden’s Cabinet nominations thus far, junior Carly Pyles said, “I think it’s great that we can already see Biden following through with his pledge to nominate a Cabinet ‘that looks like America.’

Hopefully, he maintains the same perspective as he fills the remaining positions. There is still a lot he can do to increase minority representatives in his Cabinet with his last several picks. Minority voters had a large role in helping Biden secure both the Democratic nomination and the presidency, and they deserve to be represented to the fullest possible extent.

However, many are still pushing for increased diversity that will provide more than just representation.

Senior Abby Myer says, “Diversity

in government is the first step to ensuring that the voices of Americans who have historically been marginalized are adequately heard and protected, and that policies take into account that diversity.

However, citizens should be conscious of the fact that a cabinet that is diverse on face is not an inherent indication that cabinet members will be advocates for the groups they are a part of, or that having a more diverse cabinet necessarily means a more progressive cabinet.”

Senior Danielle Fischer seems to echo the overriding sentiment about Biden’s Cabinet picks saying, “It’s definitely progress from what we had before, he tried to actually make his cabinet look kind of like the country, but I think we need to see more where he takes us in the future to decide if it is enough.”

A COVID-19 Holiday Season The POLYGON Students adapt their usual holiday traditions to an unprecdented pandemic year

EMMA SPRING MANAGING EDITOR

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ithout a dinner table filled with family members or a packed legacy gym covered with festive decorations, this holiday season will most certainly be lonely and disheartening.

The holiday season is typically a time of togetherness, but the pandemic has forced another idyllic holiday to be celebrated safely in the confines of one’s home, over Zoom, and without loved ones from out of town.

Freshman Levi Stein said, “Usually during the holidays, I visit my cousins in New Jersey, but because of the circumstances this year, I’ll be celebrating with my immediate family to stay safe. Instead of being in person, we can see them over FaceTime and still laugh and celebrate together.”

Similarly, junior Scarlett Beard said, “Because of the virus my family has decided to stay home for the holidays. We might see a little extended family if everyone quarantines properly, but that probably won’t happen. I’m upset, but safety always comes first.

We must work together as a community to control this virus.”

Lockdown has undoubtedly been an obstacle in communication and fun holiday events, but people have been finding ways to cope, staying optimistic.

Senior Zoe Tzivas said, “Usually we host Christmas Day at my house and have the whole family over to exchange gifts and eat tons of food, but now it looks like it’s just going to be me, my mom, and my dad this year. It might be a good thing though because instead of the chaos of running around to clean the whole house and prepare all the food, it’ll just be a nice, low-key day to spend quality time with my parents. I think because of how stressful life is at the moment, a simple, peaceful day with family is the best way to celebrate the holidays.”

Poly’s own celebration, an entertaining event before the beginning of Winter Break, will occur virtually.

Typically at Poly, the half-day would include performances by Harmonics, A Cappella, a teacher choir, and even a faculty band. Ugly sweater contests, a visit from Santa and his pet-elf, and, of course, a screaming rendition of “The 12 Days of Christmas” are some of past years’ highlights and traditions.

Virtually, the event included performances by the Harmonics, Blue Notes, Tower Singers, and Concert Choirs, as well as reflections by students and faculty on their holiday traditions.

“While the assembly wasn’t as amazing as it would be if it were in person, we made the most of it, and was the perfect replacement for one of my favorite Poly traditions,” said junior Soph Cimmino.

Moreover, New York City is still hard at work to honor annual traditions. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, after some leaf extensions to fix a tree that seemed like it was done with 2020 like most New Yorkers, is still on display, and the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop will occur virtually.

While it might not be the traditions most are used to, they will provide New Yorkers with reminders of joy and hope for the new year.

Even after nine months, the worst of COVID seems to just be starting, still the spirit of the holiday season can still be found, virtually, in New York, and at home.

Whether it’s sitting at home with a warm cup of eggnog, or driving through the lights in Dyker Heights, the holidays can still happen safely. The frost across windows, the sweet smell of pine, the smoky comforting smell of blown out candles, the silver flash of tinsel, and the joyful sounds of “Jingle Bells” will all still exist, so relish the comforting senses of the holidays with the family around you.

Editors-in-Chief Elizabeth Bentsianov, Honor Seares, Emily Ng

Emma Spring.........................Managing Editor Tessa Marker.................................News Editor Carly Pyles..............................Opinions Editor Hailey Tobman.........................Features Editor Samantha Rodino............................Arts Editor Shepherd Dzina...........................Sports Editor Benjamin Mansfield......................Copy Editor Thalia Glyptis............Online Managing Editor The Polygon is published at least eight times a year by the students of Poly Prep Country Day School. We welcome both letters to the editor and guest opinions pieces of interest. All submissions should be emailed to polygon@polyprep.org and must include the author’s name. The Polygon reserves the right to edit all submissions for spelling, grammar, and length. Letters should be no longer than 200 words, and opinion pieces should be no longer than 750 words.

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THE POLYGON

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DECEMBER/JANUARY OPINIONS

Trump’s Final Days in Office:

Would You UNDO COVID-19?

The Historic and Deadly Insurrection on Capitol Hill EMMA SPRING MANAGING EDITOR

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n January 6th, 2021, an insurrection occurred on Capitol Hill.

Four years of hate, conspiracies, and lies spewed by Donald Trump to power his ego culminated in the insurrection. In the last several weeks before Biden’s inauguration on January 20th, Trump displayed the worst of his lawlessness, a level many of us have long feared. It began with a phone call to coerce officials in Georgia to change the results of the election.

“I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes.

Give me a break,” Trump told Republican Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s Secretary of State.

Trump’s attempt to undermine the moral principles of America finally became a reality, as we witnessed the greatest assault on American democracy since the Civil War. Thankfully, Trump failed, and our systems of democracy remain intact, albeit with serious injuries. Images of people flooding the halls of the Capitol with guns, zipties, and a Confederate flag flooded the internet. Rioters smashed windows, trashed offices, and overran the Capitol, as Congress rushed out of their chambers. The insurrection interrupted a meeting certifying Joe Biden as the next president. The outgoing president, sitting idle, fueled the flames of the rioters.

Before the riot developed into a full blown attempted-coup, Trump and his associates held a rally to “stop the steal” of the election by the Biden administration. “You have to show strength,” “fight like hell,” “let’s have trial by combat,” are just some of the insinuating language spewed by leaders at the rally.

The situation quickly escalated, as Trump supporters swarmed onto the steps of the Capitol building. With few police enforcement to counteract the number of protestors, a stark contrast to the officers decked out in military and riot gear last June for the Black Lives Matter protests, rioters shattered a window to the building.

The chamber paused their meeting, and soon police officers pointed guns from inside the House chambers with face masks protecting themselves against the coronavirus.

Trump, meanwhile, remained silent for two hours, only tweeting a “remain peaceful” message with an added “I love you,” as people cheered on with flags bearing his

If given the opportunity to take back the entire past year, potentially undoing the signifanct social and scientific advancement that accompanied the deadly pandemic, would you?

HAILEY TOBMAN FEATURES EDITOR

I VIA CREATIVE COMMONS Photos from the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol name.

As 2020, a year battered by record-setting wildfires, rampant inequality, and COVID-19 came to a close, there was optimism that 2021 would be a year of rebuilding. Yet, six days later, the surrealism resumed.

I felt, somehow, a disconnect with Washington D.C..

Watching the event unfold through the television and social media, I struggled to believe that this was actually taking place. At that moment, the Capitol, the center of America’s government, was being taken over. I was living while history was unfolding. A day that will be in the history books in 20 years. But I was not there. I could not see it firsthand with my eyes, smell the cold air around the Capitol, or hear the sirens as I did for those dreaded first months of the NYC pandemic. Feeling such a distance from the event, people shouted “fake news!” at reporters narrating simply what they saw occurring.

From bottom up, Trump has conditioned people to believe anything. He has ingrained an unfathomable level of distrust. Distrust that will prevent people from taking an imminent viral infection seriously or from taking a world-changing vaccine, all while threatening the very function of our government. When we need healing and peace, Trump promotes violence and chaos.

Is America great again? President Joe Biden echoes the somehow hidden, profound reality: “This is the United States of America.”

ANTI-RACISM:

f you had the option, would you choose to undo COVID-19? Would you choose to stop COVID in its tracks after that fateful day in November 2019 when the first case popped up in China’s Hubei Province? Erase the past year with its 1.3+ million deaths, 67 million cases worldwide, and countless others affected by the virus?

This past year has been one of loss and colle tive sorrow, but also of tremendous personal growth.

The collective trauma of COVID-19, like other mass tragedies, has begotten incredible change in many aspects of society from the Black Lives Matter movement to increased awareness around climate justice to individual character growth. Historians ask that we don’t ask what would happen if a certain event didn’t occur, but it’s simply impossible not to ponder what our world would look like without COVID-19.

The pandemic seems to have been the driving force behind the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, as well as the incredible technological advancements that we have been forced to create and utilize in this era of social distancing. Pfizer-BioNTech produced a vaccine for COVID-19 in record time and dozens of new software programs have been developed for remote working.

With all of the social and technological advancements over the past year, it seems impossible to fathom a world without COVID-19; we owe our growth to this pandemic. Despite all of the evidence in favor of keeping COVID-19, and letting the sequence of events proceed as normal, I cannot seem to value personal and societal growth over 1.3 million (and counting) deaths. If given the option, I feel obligated to get rid of COVID-19 and would have faith that all of the change, for the good or bad, would happen organically.

The Older Generation of Activists vs. the Neo Civil Rights Movement SELAH LLUNGA-REED CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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y mother, a low income Black girl, was born in Oakland, California, in July of 1971. Only seven years earlier, the Civil Rights Act was passed. Only four years after that, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Twenty years after her birth, Rodney King would be brutally beaten by the Los Angeles Police Department, resulting in mass outrage and rioting. All this is to say that the United States was very much still in the throws of the civil rights movement. I daresay that to this day, the same civil rights movement continues, perpetuated by the younger generation of activists. My mother is a pessimist. She says that however happy-go-lucky Gen-Z kids are about pushing positive social change, the truth that has been a constant since the beginnings of our country will remain: racism rules. This cynical belief is shared by many members of the X and Boomer generations, as these adults have bared witness to, or even partaken in the ongoing fight for Black rights in America.

Ever since the murder of George Floyd in the Spring, along with the failures in our justice system in regards to the cases of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, there has been a resurgence of protesting and general advocacy surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, especially bolstered by a younger generation of Americans who are just starting to grow into their roles as politically active members of society. Social media campaigns have proven to be wildly valuable in the spread of information to teenagers and

young adults. Every shade on the political spectrum -- from cerulean blue to scarlet red -- has found a way to grow a following of adolescent, impressionable people using the world wide web to their advantage.

Education of young people through a platform to which they will be receptive gives the future generation of leaders a massive advantage. This is because we are privileged enough to be able to start learning about the world, and where we fit into it, in some of our most definitive years - our teenagerhood.

This rapid spread of information also has a dark side to all its benefits , as does anything else. It often results in misinformation, performative activism, and extremism. For instance, there has been a massive rise of white-supremacist, farright Twitter users, who are being locked in an echo chamber of their own backwards views simply due to the way the Twitter algorithm operates. On the other hand, there is a growing culture known casually as “Hello Kitty says ACAB” on Instagram and TikTok, which is a reference to young, predominantly white and female users who use the slogan “All Cops Are Bastards” and the greater BLM movement as part of a neo-punk, cutesy aesthetic, rather than truly taking part in driving change. Thus, for all the arguments that we, as proud Gen-Zers, can make supporting social media politics, older, more doubtful community members can argue against us.

As demonstrated previously, there is

room for a wide range of political views to bed fed by the internet, and many facets of American bipartisan politics have found a platform within our young generation - one of the largest of those facets being politically left, semi-socialist adolescents. This growing group of activists (or online activists) is responsible for many of the organized displays of resistance and protest that stand as the continuation of the Civil Rights Movement of generations before. There seems to be an optimistic, ambitious, and distinctly juvenile approach to the longstanding issue of Black rights in this country as younger people step into leadership roles.

Personally, I took part in the marches over the summer, as well as smaller acts of involvement in various liberal movements, such as boycotting brands, signing petitions, and trolling Trump rallies.

Though I feel driven to rally for change, and have high expectations for the future of the movement, I am indulging myself if I consider myself a civil rights pioneer.

The truth is that older generations of activists and Black Americans like my pessimistic mother have been fighting for these very rights since the first glimmers of the Civil Rights Movement came about; the fact that we are younger, louder, and have smartphones at our disposal does not necessarily make Gen-Z capable of enacting huge, lasting change.

While Gen-Z spits fire at politicians, marches in the streets, and spreads slogans like ACAB on the internet, Gen-X

and Boomers sit back and worry for the political image of the BLM movement, and the actual reception and application of the changes activists call for. Just last week, my siblings and I engaged in a heated dinner table debate with my mother, who refused to be convinced of the legitimacy of teens’ spiteful approach to dismantling systems of oppression, because in her cynical eyes, it had all been done before, and hadn’t worked. Other older Black people, including former president Barack Obama have expressed concerns at how the BLM movement is marketed to politicians, and whether or not our so-called ‘extremism’ is truly productive. And as much as I’d like to stand my ground, and entertain the optimistic, blazing way my fellow Gen-Z activists see the future of the Civil Rights Movement, I can’t help but take what some of our older counterparts have to say to heart.

The future of the movement is unclear, but must be strong. Maybe the only way to ensure that strength is to listen to the past.

As the entire country transitions into this new era of a fresh presidential administration, we must all consider our roles in our various echo chambers, and the ways in which we will break out of them. Maybe the way to start breaking those walls down is to listen to past generations of like minded individuals so that we can further improve the Black Lives Matter movement, and create lasting change for all marginalized communities in the United States.

THE POLYGON

PAGE 4

DECEMBER/JANUARY OPINIONS

Holiday Shopping During a Pandemic Due to COVID-19, there has been a large increase in online shopping, negatively impacting small local businesses

ANTHONY PFAFFLE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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ot long ago, at a time when there was not a pandemic, department stores were flooded with shoppers during the holiday season. Limited capacity and social distancing for indoor shopping have forced millions of people across the country to revert to shopping online.

Under these new circumstances, corporations have altered their focus from the indoor shopping experience and have shifted to cater to online orders.

“It’s no longer about products, pricing, and promotions. It’s to prepare, perceive and then pursue,” said Michael Brown, a partner at consulting firm Kearney’s consumer products and retail practice. “We know consumers are going to increase their e-commerce shopping. As a retailer, how do I get that into their hands in a cost-efficient manner?”

The largest online shopping site, Amazon, announced Thanksgiving Day consumer sales grew 22% compared to last year to $5.1 billion and Black Friday sales jumped a similar amount to $9 billion.

Cyber Monday raked $10.8 in sales, a 15% increase compared to 2019, becoming the largest online shopping day in U.S. history. In total, the early holiday shopping season has grossed $106.5 billion in sales, an increase of 27.7%.

But what does this mean for department stores that typically flourish during the winter holidays? Macy’s reported a quarterly same-store sales decline of more than 20%.

According to CNBC, Digital sales grew 27%, but those gains weren’t enough to offset losses at its stores. And with a predicted resurgence in closing stores in the nearby future, Macy’s has had to temporarily close down many of its branches.

The scene of empty stores with holiday decorations makes for a less than spirited holiday season. Though it isn’t only large corporations who have been affected by COVIDovid-19. Local businesses have either been struggling to survive or have closed permanently. During these difficult times, it is vital for consumers to support stores

in their community. If you are looking for a captivating book to read over break, or to give to someone as a gift, you should stop by the Community Bookstore located in Park Slope. To find out more about local businesses near Poly or to support them, visit the Poly Prep Small Business initiative. Although the festive holiday consumer feeling may be lost, the most valuable gift this season is spending time with family in addition to the vaccine. The Pfizer and Biontech vaccine was approved by the FDA on Friday, December 10. According to the New York Times, the first raft of 6.4 million vaccines will be distributed within 24 hours of authorization and will be distributed to health care workers and nursing home residents. The substantial aid from the vaccine will help uplift the disenchanting feeling of a lost holiday season and gives everyone a chance to look forward to feeling joyful. Until then, remember to keep persevering and look out for a package at your doorstep.

Secularization of The True Spirit of(Christ)mas The Christmas Should the religous celebration of Christmas be a part of mainstream American culture?

SHEPHERD DZINA SPORTS EDITOR

As capitalism has largely transformed the celebration of Christmas, should all people, reagrdless of religion, be able to take part in the holiday season?

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020 years ago, the first Christmas was celebrated by some shepherds, a few animals, and a couple in love. They were celebrating the birth of God and man, all in one, lying in a meager manger. The king of kings was born into the lowest of the low. He traded his throne in heaven, for a feeding trough on earth, all to fulfill his mission as the prophesied messiah, savior of the universe for all those who believe. On that first silent night, the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh came from the 3 wise men.

Today, symbols of gifts and a festive winter dominate Christmas celebrations. Christ has all but been forgotten by the majority of Americans as the number of skeptics continue to climb. The children’s tale of Santa Claus has replaced the truth found within Christ. The cultural obsession over materialism has engulfed the immaterial treasure to be found in heaven. The celebration of family gatherings, although not inherently wrong, has taken over the celebration of the birth of Christ.

Even though current American Christmas celebrations have very little to do with the original Biblical meaning of Christmas, there is still a push to eliminate even the mainstream celebration of the holiday because of its Christian roots. This push is slowly eroding Christmas into just a time of festivities. We see this taking fruition in cultural norms, like the replacement of “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays.” Christmas celebrations have gone from reveling in in the glory of Jesus’ virgin birth, to a thin Biblical veneer over a materialistic holiday, and are heading towards just a holiday season. Although I do see this future sadly taking place, I still think their fight to destroy Christmas is ill-fought. Their logic is that because Christmas is inherently a Christian holiday, by definition, it is not inclusive to non-Christians and therefore should be removed from mainstream culture, politics, schools, and public places altogether. This argument is extremely short-sided.

If you take this train of thought to its logical conclusions, society would have to remove everything with Judeo-Christian roots and values. This would mean eliminating the Declaration of Independence (“endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,”) international law (influenced by the natural law), around one fifth of the hospitals (religiously affiliated), and quite possibly most importantly: objective knowledge.

This may seem like a shock or a large transition from an opinion on why Christmas should remain Christmas, but in reality, this is simply the logical conclusion of the argument that “we need to remove Christmas from the public because it is Christian.” The very basis for knowledge is founded upon a logical interpretation of information, whether that information is in the form of data or physical observations of the natural world. Without logic, you cannot have knowledge. In a public removed completely from the Bible, there is no fundamental basis for why logic should exist. Logic is transcendent (if humans were not here it would still exist), non-material (same here and in China), and is atemporal (same 1000 years ago as today). It is impossible for a universe composed of purely matter, space, time, and our consciences to produce a set of laws inherently outside of those natural confines. Therefore in this Godless universe, there is no logic, so there is no possible objective knowledge to be had. This leads you to not actually know if you got up in the morning, put on your clothes, or if you are even reading this article right now. There is no fundamental basis for logic, so everything is subjective. You cannot be certain about anything. This is obviously absurd, as that in it of itself is a statement of certainty.

It may seem crazy, but removing Christmas and Christ from American culture results in complete absurdity.

The celebration of Christmas was never meant to be a jolly fun time celebrating the snow, eggnog, and seasonal songs, but a time of celebration for the savior of the universe. It is time to restore our celebrations back to this and turn our country’s course from its current path towards absurdity. The materialistic Christmas we have now is bad enough, but it would become catastrophic if the Bible and Christianity were completely stripped from public society. It is time to put Christ back into Christmas and the Bible back into American culture.

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS Rockefeller Center’s Annual Christmas Decorations

BEATRICE LARKIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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here is no doubt that Christmas is an incredibly important holiday in regards to the religion of Christianity. The miraculous story of Jesus’s birth is an extremely significant event in the eyes of the Christian people. Except for Easter, it is arguably the holiest time of the year for Christians.

This does not change the fact that many people that celebrate Christmas are atheists, or only attend church around the holiday. 81% of non-Christian Americans celebrate Christmas which tells us something else about this widespread holiday.

Odds are, when the majority of people think of Christmas, people do not think of going to church. Even Christian people, such as myself, will think of opening presents or decorating the tree. And while decorating a tree does have a Biblical meaning, many do not know this.

It is my opinion that for these reasons, non-Christians should be able to celebrate Christmas. Using the example of decorating the tree as a template for my argument: it started as a tradition rooted in religion, but now the connotation is no longer religious. The same rule goes for how the holiday is celebrated in the present day.

While going to church is undeniably a religious act, that is the only truly religious part of the holiday for most Christians. It is quite easy to celebrate Christmas without that aspect.

It is somehow acceptable for atheists, or Christians who do not practice the religion to celebrate the holiday, but not other religions from celebrating. People of other religions would not go to church if they celebrated the holiday, but many Christians or atheists do not either. A multitude of people are already celebrating Christmas devoid of the religious aspect, so people of other religions should be able to as well.

There should be no stigma for a Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, or a person of any other religion engaging in activities such as decorating a tree, opening gifts, and sharing a meal with their family. While many actively religious Christians may disagree, the fact of the matter is that many people who celebrate Christmas do not celebrate the holiday religiously at all.

The holiday evolved from being a day rooted entirely in religion to be about presents, Christmas morning, and decorating a tree. This transition has been driven by the evolution of capitalism.

This evolution is neither a good nor a bad thing, but it is why people should be able to choose to what extent they want to include religion in their celebration of the holiday. They can go to church or not go to church if they are Christian, or celebrate in any manner of their choosing.

It does not seem just to keep traditions that do not have religious connotations to many from non-Christians because they can celebrate the commercialized, capitalist aspects of the holiday as opposed to going to church.

The holidays should be a time for people of all backgrounds to come together, and there should be no shadow on a person’s happiness from being left out of the primary non-religious aspects of the holiday.

THE POLYGON

2020

DECEMBER/JANUARY FEATURES

PAGE 5

IN REVIEW

BY THE NUMBERS...

594, 359 Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in New York City 474, 794 Vaccinated NYC Residents 53.4% Voter Turnout in NYC

> 2,900,000 New Yorkers Voted

TESSA MARKER NEWS EDITOR 2020 has definitely been a year. The Covid-19 pandemic has reshaped everyone’s lives in unimaginable and unenjoyable ways, a tense presidential election dominated the news cycle, wildfires engulfed the West Coast over the Summer and more. So, in case you’ve forgotten all the crazy things that have happened this year, here’s a look at 2020, the bad and a little bit of good.

1. Wildfires in Australia burned a record 47 million acres of land, displaced or killed 3 billion animals and resulted in the deaths of at least 34 people.

2. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped down as ‘senior royals,’ the 1st to ever do so.

3. Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant and 7 others were killed in a helicopter crash.

4. President Donald Trump was impeached on the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, the 3rd president to ever be impeached 5. Parasite, directed by Bong Joon Ho, won 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, marking the 1st time a non-English-language movie has won the award.

6. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health organization on March 11th. There have been at least 72,000,000 cases worldwide.

7. “Murder Hornets,” also known as Asian Giant Hornets, were seen for the 1st time in the continental United States.

8. Gen Z started making memes about World War 3 after President Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

9. The Tokyo Olympics are postponed until 2021, marking the 1st time the modern Olympic Games have been postponed not during a major war.

10. A video of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officers who suffocated him for 8 minutes and 46 seconds sparked outrage and led to nationwide protests.

11. A 17-year-old from Florida allegedly hacked the Twitter accounts of Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Joe Biden and Kanye West.

12. The highest ever temperature in the Arctic Circle, 100 F, was recorded in June.

13. John Lewis, a 33-year member of the US House of Representatives for Georgia and leader of the Civil Rights Movement passed away.

14. Hajj, an annual pilgrimage to the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the holiest sight in Islam, was effectively canceled for the 1st time in modern history.

15. A huge accidental explosion in Beirut killed 190 people.

16. California reported the largest wildfires, 471,000 acres, in state history 17. Chadwick Boseman, star of Black Panther and 42, passed away at 43-years-old.

18. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the 1st Jewish woman and the 2nd woman to serve on the Supreme Court, passed away at the age of 87.

19. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the 2020 presidential election. Biden will be the 46th President of the United States and Harris the 49th Vice President. Harris will also be the 1st woman, the 1st AfricanAmerican and the 1st Asian-American person to hold the position.

20. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for administration on people 16 years and older.

THE POLYGON

DECEMBER/JANUARY ARTS

PAGE 6

Grammy Nomination UPROAR

From the Weeknd to BTS to Fiona Apple, this year’s Grammy Awards are filled with snubs.

SIDNEY ROTHKIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

DECEMBER/ JANUARY PLAYLIST

T

he Annual Grammy Awards are an indicator of success within the music industry. As usual, the Recording Academy released their nominations a couple months before the awards themselves. Once these nominations were announced, many people became upset and enraged. Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, or more famously known as The Weeknd, was not nominated for a single Grammy. This sparked outrage in the music community. Celebrities like Drake, Elton John, Kid Cudi, and Tinashe displayed their disdain with the Weeknd’s Grammy snub on social media.

In light of this situation, celebrities such as Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, and Halsey shared how from their experiences they see the Grammys as a corrupt award show. Halsey accuses the Recording Academy of taking bribes, while Nicki Minaj tweeted that in 2010 she had “7 songs simultaneously charting on Billboard & bigger first week than any female rapper in the last decade- inspired a generation. They gave it (a Grammy) to the white man Bon Iver.”

This outrage in the community led to the CEO and/or the interim President of the Recording Academy to release the statement: “We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can

Walking in a Winter Wonderland Bill Crosby C’est La Vie The Killers Dance, Baby! boy pablo Last Christmas Wham!

Santa Baby Eartha Kitt Bluebird Gus Dapperton K-Pop Band BTS

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

empathize with what he’s feeling. His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone’s admiration.”

There is also a lot of speculation that The Weeknd may not have been nominated because of an ultimatum involving his Super Bowl performance.

Although the terms of the ultimatum are not public information, many think that it has to do with him losing his performance opportunity at the Grammys, and his nominations. The Weeknd has taken his no nominations one step fur-

ther by tweeting that “In my opinion zero nominations = you’re not invited!”

All in all, the Weeknd has had a very accomplished year with winning seven awards from various award shows, his Album After Hours being on the Billboard top 200 for 4 weeks, his song “Blinding Lights” hitting the Billboard hot 100, and many more iconic milestones. His not being nominated for a Grammy has left the music community speechless, him in despair, and the Recording Academy a target from his whole fanbase.

CORSETS? AGAIN?

Shows about royalty, such as Bridgerton and the Crown, have been extremely successful. Why?

THALIA GLYPTIS ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

C

orsets, cameras, Daphne, Diana — the elegant life of a princess enchants us time and time again. I google “Princess Diana outfits,” only hoping to achieve an ounce of her signature style. It’s fascinating that, although I already know almost everything about her, I’m still glued to the screen each time Diana came onto The Crown. This is the same with Daphne Bridgerton, “diamond of the first water” and gorgeous debutante in Shonda Rhimes’s Bridgerton. Like many young women, I remain fascinated by female royalty.

In retrospect, it begins with our childhood obsession with Disney princesses. The idea of running down a corridor in a Victorian dress is too good of a reality to be true. Poems, movies and other shows continue to solidify this regal aesthetic in our minds.

However, our obsession has evolved. Viewing the life of a princess is gaining insight into the intimate life of a powerful family. (SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD) Although Diana never runs away from her love in a Victorian dress, we are exposed to the griminess of their relationship. Charles continues to have an affair with Camilla, a woman he was in love with before him and Diana were married. He justifies cheating by arguing that Diana doesn’t really love him either, claiming that she’s more obsessed with the spotlight than their marriage. Diana isn’t a saint either, for she has a string of liaisons throughout their marriage. This dysfunctional relationship, although dramatic, would not be as interesting if they had not been royalty. Viewers love to watch that just like ordinary people, even the royal family has difficulty in relationships and love. It humanizes them, bringing them down from their pedestal and toward the audience.

Although set in distinct eras, one feels a similar sense of understanding while watching Daphne Bridgerton. Bound to a man she loves but finds mystifying, the two fluctuate between hatred and love as

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS A scene from the new show Bridgerton which shows a lady getting ready for a ball they battle through “dating” and the first weeks of their marriage. Meanwhile, the town gossip column Lady Whistledown writes to London that their marriage must be radiant and exciting. Clearly, she did not know what was happening behind closed doors.

Even before marrying her love, Daphne realizes that her society does not value unmarried women. While modern society has changed and is different, there is always the lingering expectation that a woman needs to marry.

People like Diana and Daphne represent our untouchables. Living on silver screens, they are perfect beings, free of flaws. Television shows like Bridgerton and The Crown, however, share an intimate view of the deceivingly perfect. No matter how powerful, beautiful, or eloquent you may be, we all suffer the same doubts, experiences, highs, and lows.

And sure — admiring their fashion sense is always nice too.

Leave Me Alone IDK HOW Harmony Hall Vampire Weekend Therefore I Am Billie Eilish Stargazing The Neighbourhood Lisztomania Phoenix Skin and Bones Cage The Elephant

Photos from

THE WINTER CONCERT

VIA @POLYPREPARTS Students record their performances outside to create a safe Winter Concert experience

THE POLYGON

. DEC/JAN 2020/21

ESPORTS AT POLY

New eSports Team has success in spite of the pandemic Poly launches a new sports team that is capable of surviving the pandemic

SEANNA SANKAR STAFF WRITER

T

he HSEL brings seamless, easy, and rewarding esports competition to your school. We educate high schools about the fundamental ingredients to a program’s success. We aim to ensure your club is maximizing its potential and reaching every student possible.” says the High School Esports League official website.

Primarily, eSports is competitive video game playing.

Although gaming isn’t generally thought of as a competitive sport, it shares many similarities with your traditional sport. Within the grand scheme of eSports, it requires loads of teamwork, discipline, communication skills, hand-eye coordination, and ambition when practicing and training to improve one’s skill set. eSports has made it clear that it is no less serious than any other sport, as it requires time practicing when not in league games, even including team practices.

More than 3,100 schools and over 100,000 students compete each year around the country as a part of the HSEL’s eSports community. Some of their most popular games include Rocket League, Overwatch, Super Mario Smash Bros: Ultimate, NBA2K21, Madden 21, Fortnite, and more!

Esports started at Poly solely due to student demand as a large number of students came to Michael Rosenberg, Poly’s A/V & Tech Support Specialist, asking to form a team to compete in the HSEL’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive league.

“I told them I would help advise them. The rest is

history. Right now we have Counter Strike and Rocket League teams, but will be continuing to expand and add more teams in the Winter and Spring seasons.” said Rosenberg, also referred to as the Head of eSports.

As the eSports team works to operate a successful method of coaching and practicing, they currently have a private discord server set up to interact with other teams as well as getting to know teammates on a personal level.

Unlike many other sports who unfortunately had to cease their practices amid the brewing pandemic, eSports was able to prevail with the advantage of its players being able to practice from any location. Players can easily plan accordingly, ensuring plenty of time for practicing outside of normal schoolwork time. In comparison to your “ordinary” sport, eSports also teaches a great deal of time management.

Rosenberg said, “Our Rocket League team actually came in 2nd place last season! As in 2nd place in the league which encompasses teams across the country. Our first season competing our Counter Strike Team came in around 80 something and last season they ended up in 16th place so quite a big leap. This season both our Rocket League and Counter Strike teams have made it to the playoffs, with RL in 1st in the country and CS in 8th. I’d say these are all huge accomplishments for a team so new, but we’re continuing to strive to be the best in the nation, and we’re almost there!”

On Friday, December 18th, Poly’s eSports team

Sarah Fuller: “Let’s Make History” First woman football player in the Power 5 makes her debut

ALIDA LISSAK CONTRIBUTING WRITER

O

n November 28, a helmet, bobbing up and down, made its way onto the football field at Vanderbilt University reading: “Play Like A Girl.” She confidently ran out going right to her position as kicker. Moments later, she took a running start, and then her skilled foot collided with the football shooting it as far as possible while simultaneously kicking down barriers for women in sports. Sarah Fuller, a goalkeeper for Vanderbilt University’s female soccer team, became the first woman to play in the Power 5 conferences (other women have played college football, but not in the five major conferences.) The Power 5 conference is made up of the five major football conferences: Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference, and Southeastern Conference. When she completed a kickoff to start the second half of the game, she sealed her name in history forever.

Fuller is a senior and as she was on her way home to Wylie, Texas for Thanksgiving, her assistant soccer coach gave her a call. He told her that she was being offered a spot to be the kicker for Vanderbilt’s football team. Without hesitation, Fuller jumped right in and gave it her all. Fuller’s helmet quote - “Play Like A Girl” - references a non-profit she supports which helps women in sports and STEM. While Vanderbilt lost, it was a huge win for all women across the country.

Since this was the first time a woman has played in a major college football game, there was a lot of backlash directed at Coach Derek Mason saying he only put Fuller in to become famous and make the headlines. In an interview following the loss, Coach Mason, when asked if Fuller was put in just to make headlines, commented, “Listen, I’m not about making statements. This was out of necessity.” Mason was completely truthful, as coronavirus quarantines had taken out all his kickers. Fuller was his best option, and in the process Mason made history, but in reality, it was just a byproduct of COVID-19.

When ESPN reporter Eliza Orlins asked Fuller in a post-game interview what she hopes was conveyed through her involvement, she said, “I just want to tell all the girls out there that you can do anything you set your mind to; you really can and if you have that mentality all the way through, you can do big things.” Sarah Fuller indisputably became an inspiration to all young girls out there who hope to follow in her footsteps.

While this event was a completely positive one, Facebook users had some negative things to comment under Sports Center’s post announcement of Sarah Fuller as the kicker. One read, “I hope she made the team some cookies too!” Another read, “Lol. Knock her cleats off.” These sexist comments went ignored by Fuller as she continued to persevere and show everybody exactly what she’s made of. Fuller posted on Instagram a day before the game and a comment underneath read, “So proud. My 9-year-old daughter is telling me how she argued with a boy at school that a girl could play football and he kept saying no… thank you for shattering that ceiling for her and all the girls like her looking up to you today!” Fuller inspired women and girls across the country to start breaking down the barriers standing in their way by showing that anything is possible. While there was some misogynistic backlash, the beauty of this moment will never be forgotten and neither will Fuller. On November 28, Sarah Fuller kicked a football into the world stage, shattering the glass ceiling for women in football.

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS Professional Rocket League Match won the Fall Major Finals in Rocket League, a wonderful step up from their second place win last season.

In the HSEL, the 2020 Fall Major offers 8 weeks of regular season matches for 12 different games across all PC & console platforms. As Poly won first place, each player will receive $1,000 in scholarship money!

HSEL also offers a new 2021 Winter Challenge which Poly’s team will be competing in. This new challenge consists of 3 weeks of regular season matches for 11 different games across PC & console players in a leaderboard style format, meaning competitors can play each game up to once per day to fight for a place at the top of the leaderboard. This coming winter season all high school students, who have an active Battle Pass whether they are part of a school team or joining solo, can compete for bragging rights, quest prizes, and up to $500 in scholarship money during the tournament’s season from January 25th to February 12th, 2021.

COVID LINKS TO HEART PROBLEMS IN ATHLETES Beware of COVID-19-related heart problems even in the athletic and healthy EMMA SPRING MANAGING EDITOR

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inally, it’s game time. You’re about to walk on the field for the first time since March, but suddenly you have an aching pain in your chest. I’m a young athlete… this can’t be a heart problem. But wait, did you have COVID-19? Are you, an athlete, at risk of COVID-19-related heart damage?

While it’s still very early to determine the long-lasting effects of COVID-19, many have reported an increased rate of myocarditis, a sometimes fatal condition that causes inflammation of the heart muscle even in a previously healthy young athlete. Both the Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez and Indiana offensive lineman Brady Feeney have developed myocarditis and were shut down for the season, as many more athletes are diagnosed.

The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published that of 100 patients who had recovered from COVID-19, there was “cardiac involvement” in 78% of the patients and 60% had “ongoing myocardial inflammation.”

Soon after, Dr. Curt Daniels’ preliminary study of Ohio State University suggests that close to 15% of college athletes who recovered from COVID-19 had myocarditis, albeit mostly mild or asymptomatic cases.

While most cases of myocarditis resolve on their own, if left untreated or undiagnosed, myocarditis can cause heart damage, arrhythmias, and even sudden cardiac arrest - all of which is exacerbated by strenuous exercise, a daily routine in every athlete’s life. In fact, athletes with myocarditis must stop intense physical activity forweeks or even months until the condition resolves.

Many don’t know how COVID-19 will affect people in the long term, but Penn State’s director of athletic medicine, Wayne Sebastianelli, suggests that myocarditis may pose its own set of risks, especially in high-performing athletes. With just a little stress on the heart, cardiac output and oxygen consumption can decrease, leading many athletes to find themselves not training as hard or performing their best. Under such conditions, it can feel like running a marathon with a nasty cold.

Until new research is published to learn more, the NBA, the Big 10, and some other colleges will conduct mandatory cardiac screenings for all athletes who recover from the virus. The link between COVID-19 and myocarditis is alarming, so before you run onto the field feeling invincible as a healthy young athlete, a lot of uncertainty still remains as to whether you are really safe from the ever looming virus.