Anti Semitism SPRING ISSUE Resistance Style KPOP Schutte Hunger Big Sean Detained COVER
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PUNCHING NAZIS
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ON THE DAY OF DONALD TRUMP’S INAUGURATION, Richard Spencer was punched in the face during an on-camera interview. Spencer, the founder of the term ‘alt-right’ and vicious advocate for white nationalism, is widely considered the leader of the neoNazi community in America. In light of the election’s outcome, Spencer shouted, “Hail Trump!” at a conference in Washington as his supporters rose their arms to a nazi salute. The video of Spencer taking a blow to the head quickly spread across media outlets, spawning the question: Is it okay to punch a Nazi? Many arguments in support reference Captain America and Indiana Jones attacking Nazis, claiming it’s “the American way”, while opposing arguments insist that engaging in violence against Nazis makes one “no better than them.” Both of these approaches are faulty. To compare modern-day resistors to figures in popular culture ignores the many real-life heroes, such as Simon Wiesenthal, a death camp survivor who devoted his life to tracking down Nazis and bringing them to justice, or Vidal Sassoon, the now-successful hair stylist who spent his teenage years fighting Nazis in the streets of East London to combat the fascist movements following World War II. Moreover, comparing those who violently expel bigotry and terror from our country to anti-Semites, racists, and xenophobes is disrespectful. Neglecting to acknowledge the fundamental differences between fascist and humane ideologies reduces protesters from motivations to mere actions. In January and February alone, there have been over 50 bomb threats to Jewish centers in the United States. Anti-Semitism in America is nothing new, but is already rising sharply under our new national leadership. With President Trump encouraging his supporters to attack dissenters and appointing noted anti-Semites to his administration like Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, it is easy to see why neo-Nazis feel emboldened. They are being validated by our government. In fact, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, the White House released a statement that avoided mentioning Jews. Instead, the writing referred to the victims only as “innocent people”, and, in response to public backlash, the White House doubled down on its statement, asserting that they “took into account all of those who suffered.” This unwillingness to identify the Jews as the primary victims of the Holocaust harrowingly mirrors the way leaders around the globe spoke in the decades following the massacre. By excluding Jews and anti-Semitism from its statement, the Holocaust is treated as a common crime rather than a genocide. The White House denies the Holocaust as an act of targeting any specific ethnicity, perhaps to avoid comparison between past governments and the targeting tactics this new administration promotes, such as the Muslim ban and Mexican Border wall. In attempting to universalize the Holocaust, the White House employs an ‘All Lives Matter’ rhetoric that, as we’ve seen, has never been about protecting all lives, but instead promotes taking attention and power away from members of minority groups. As Elie Wiesel said, “I have learned that the Holocaust was a unique and uniquely Jewish event, albeit with universal implications. Not all victims were Jews, but all Jews were victims.” The White House demonstrated no better sensitivity in the following weeks. During a joint press conference with President Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli journalist Moav Vardi asked how the administration would comment on the rise in anti-Semitic incidents during the President’s campaign and after his victory. Trump responded by boasting about his electoral college win, and only addressed anti-Semitism by listing the Jewish people he knows. During the following day’s press conference, Orthodox Jewish reporter Jake Turx began to ask what action the administration would take in response to the bomb threats rattling Jewish communities, but was interrupted by Trump, who called the reporter a liar and told him to sit down, finding this a “very insulting question.” CONTINUES ON PAGE 2:
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~SOCIAL RESPONCE ~ (PUNCHING NAZI'S: CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1) Although Turx explicitly prefaced his concern by noting that he isn’t accusing Trump or his staff of being anti-Semitic, Trump took the matter personally, declaring that he is “the least anti-Semitic person that you’ve seen in your entire life.” Turx tried to finish his question, but was silenced by Trump. “Quiet, quiet, quiet.” Just days later the Chesed Shel Emet cemetery in Missouri was desecrated, the tombstones defaced and overturned. Jewish cemeteries bear great historic significance, as the relationship of the Jewish people and death is one soaked with politics and persecution. This horrid destruction in a place of peace and rest cements the alt-right’s devotion to Nazism as they uproot and dishonor Jewish lives. Whether through slaughter or vandalism, after centuries, their goal remains constant: erase Jewish existence. I lost members of my family to the Holocaust. I was named for one of them. How dare anyone compare me to a Nazi for defending my country against these very people? How dare anyone advise me to fight hatred and ignorance within the methods they deem appropriate? To condone only peaceful protest is to celebrate compliance. Confrontational and abrasive measures have been at the forefront of every American fight for civil rights, and to intentionally ignore this is to revise our nation’s oppressive history. The political system we are living in must be disrupted, and such a shift requires force. The readiness to rebel and the ability to survive are essential aspects of the Jewish identity, as they are the history of our people. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the man whose name I bear, a man who paid the ultimate price for committing to who he was in a world that saw him as an other. It is every American’s duty to not only honor those who lost their lives dreaming of a freer world, but also to pave a freer future in their memory. The freezing of the U.S. refugee program hits all too close to home for Jews, as America’s disdain for refugees once cost six million of our lives. The practices of fascism are all too recognizable to us, as we learned over and over again how the Nazi party created unity through a common enemy, silenced the press, rose to unprecedented power, and began their extermination of every ‘undesirable’. Perhaps the most important lesson Judaism has taught me is that while pacifism is sacred, violence is often necessary to preclude an evil from occurring. There are unsettling patterns emerging and developing throughout America, and they are a call to action to every individual that values freedom. So, please, punch a Nazi. Punch a Nazi and do as so many prisoners couldn’t. Punch a Nazi and engage in the purest, rawest form of refusal. Punch a Nazi as if your life depends on it, and as if the welfare and dignity of our society depend on it, because I guarantee you — they do. ACTIVISM IS IMPORTANT HERE AT PRATT. Whether it takes the form of students typing out justicefueled Facebook rants or organizing a collaborative screaming session at the Cannon, many Pratt students are involved in political activism. But most significantly, perhaps, Pratt students express civic rage and angst through their art. Seeing students explore political ideas in their creative work is what led Pratt professors Ann Holder and Caitlin Cahill to create the new minor in Social Justice/Social Practice now being offered at Pratt. Pratt has a distinguished history of activism. Both faculty and student organizations regularly interact with the community and take part in larger movements working to address injustice. In 2014, Holder and Cahill organized a seminar for faculty to discuss “structural injustices and… the articulation and creation of possible interventions, whether that be through art-making, design or architectural practice.” From discussions at the event, the organizers learned that faculty often did not have the space to discuss such issues in relation to their own work. Students have also been clamoring for a forum in which to explore the intersection between activism and creativity. Holder and Cahill explained over email, “We wanted to create a minor that was available to anyone at Pratt, and enabled students to combine required credits in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, with their studio practice, whatever that was for particular students.” The development and implementation of the new minor took place at around the same time that the Black Lives Matter movement was gaining traction nation-wide and Holder and Cahill also helped to organize the first Teach-In on campus, which was a great success. This led them to realize that social justice matters were pressing and time-sensitive. The minor was approved that same spring.
WORDS BY TREVOR WHEELER
THE PRATTLER
Social Justice & Social Practice
Of course, all of this took place before it was known how the 2016 presidential election would play out. “These developments make the minor all the more urgent, and we hope useful for considering the best ways to resist #45,” wrote Holder and Cahill. The professors aim to help students think and take action on civic matters, all in conjunction with the community. They believe this minor can help students become more involved. An important matter that they’re worried about, and hope that they can educate against, is the “pretend world” that they believe this country is attempting to go towards. They expressed that this is “a nation that was white, male, heroic, independent, prosperous and “great,” in other words the fantasy of a nation that never existed.” This minor, they believe, can create an environment for students to work with real issues that will affect change positively in the face of this, if not new, then newlyreinvigorated worldview. “Art and design are critical to issues of social justice,” they wrote. “We hope the minor will give students tools for articulating their practice, for connecting to issues of crucial importance and for putting forth their ideas and their work with confidence.” Cheered on by the overwhelming majority of young people who are not content with the current political climate and are looking for ways to voice their feelings, Holder and Cahill are working to create an environment in which they can foster solidarity and build a community in order to take action. They want students to identify what is important to them and work with the world at large, in whatever field they have chosen. Holder and Cahill are excited to begin actively recruiting. The administration, faculty, and students have all been greatly receptive to the addition of this curriculum, they report. This is a step towards a better future, and towards an active involvement in creating that, and it couldn’t be going any better, it seems.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MINOR IN SOCIAL JUSTICE/SOCIAL PRACTICE PLEASE CONTACT CAITLIN CAHILL AT CCAHILL@PRATT.EDU AND/OR ANN HOLDER AT AHOLDER@PRATT.EDU
~SOCIAL RESPONSIBLITY ~
not WORDS BY A PRATT STUDENT
ILLUSTRATION BY ALI LEE Secondly, everyone on the platform, myself included, was absolutely keyed into the event; but none off us full acknowledged our notice or intrigue. On November 21, de Blasio made his We Will Not Comply speech at Cooper Union. The statement to pull from the whole very left-leaning and campaign like speech—including a hopeful, potentially tear-jerking soundtrack underlaid in the officially released video from the Mayor’s office—was that New York City is a powerfully diverse city and as New Yorkers, we will come together to make sure that none of Trump’s hate seeps into actually policies or policing. I don’t think it was insincere, but it certainly over-promised. The first time I saw the speech, I watched it with a chuckle noticing immediately the embedded sap, but I agreed with his closing statement, “Nothing about who we are changed on election day. We are always New York.” Up until this point, I agreed. We, New Yorkers (even new or short term ones like college students) have protested and supported our city as much as possible. Pratt students and neighbors have been posting status warnings about immigrant check-point set ups in local neighborhoods. But the fact that of check-points at all seem to reveal de Blasio’s impassioned statement as mostly empty and everyone’s lack of immediate response or aide on the Subway on Thursday morning left me feeling concerned and similarly empty. I didn’t do anything either. I have no idea what happened to that man, I just know he didn’t make that first G train. Maybe he made the next after showing the police proper identification and hopefully them apologizing. Or maybe, they found something in his bag. I don’t know if being a “New Yorker” in this current political climate is something to be proud of or if we’re just going to be “New Yorkers” about events like this, meaning ignore it to the best of our ability because we have a train to catch. For me this incident raised a few important questions, but mainly where the point exists that social response breaches into an over-response. If anyone had whipped out their phone to start filming but that man turned out to actually be doing something illegal that response would have been a mistake. How do we make these decisions about when it's appropriate to protect those around us.
THE PRATTLER
ON THURSDAY MORNING AROUND 9:00 AM I ENTERED THE MYRTLE-WILLOUGHBY DOWNTOWN SUBWAY PLATFORM ON MY WAY TO WORK. —a subway platform that is always diverse both racially and economically. It is not unusual thing to have a police bag-check at the station, it usually happens two or three times a month. I have never been approached by the police for a bag check and from what I can remember I have never actually seen anyone asked to have their bag searched on the way into the station. But on this Thursday morning, I noticed a young hispanic man, maybe late twenties. The man walked in and stood a few feet down from me. I noticed him because I liked his backpack. It was the same Manhattan Portage one my friend has but in a different color. I briefly looked up, thought, “Oh look, it’s Andrew’s bag. I like it in black more than red,” and looked back down to the crossword. About a minute and a half later not one, but both of the cops from the bag check station came on and said to the man (not-so politely), “Sir, you need to come back to the bag check and show us your ID and let us go through your bag.” He was immediately flustered and began asking the cops (very politely), “Am I being detained?” The cops circled him and started walking him towards the stop without saying anything, he continued to ask whether or not he was being detained. At this point, everyone on the platform was watching, or at least noticed—as the man became more and more upset. The cops continued to walk him back towards the bag check. I didn’t hear them acknowledge his questions or direct him further. I think one of the cops maybe said something along the lines of, “If you don’t co-operate, yes, you will be.” He went with them and then did not come back before the G arrived and everyone on the platform got on. A few different elements of this event over the course of the week have reentered my mind. First, the way that subject of the informal debriefing spoke and appeared hardly spelled “immigrant.” The only potential implication was that he was hispanic.
BUST
~CAMPUS~ At the end of the day, I Decided doesn’t mean much. Sure, it’s number one on the “Billboard Top 200” chart. Sure, “Bounce Back” is all over the radio. But it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. We are talking about a rapper who was supposed to learn from Kanye West, an artist that has pushed the genre to new heights. But what we get is a below-average Drake album, at best. Look at Kanye’s other proteges: Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, and Chance the Rapper. They have actually broken boundaries in hip-hop. Big Sean can’t say the same. He may be the most boring rapper that is actually popular, and looking at his track record, it doesn’t seem like he’ll ever break that.
BIG SEAN
AFTER FORCING KANYE WEST TO LISTEN TO HIM FREESTYLE, Big Sean was signed to West’s GOOD Music label and recognized as the established rapper’s new protege. In 2011 Big Sean dropped his first album Finally Famous, which received lukewarm reviews. The two records following Finally Famous became obsolete and quickly fell off of the charts. During his career Big Sean has shown his ability to write astute one-liners and he proves to be exciting and distinctive in features. But his solo work often falls flat. Big Sean’s solo rhymes are corny and his hooks are unmemorable. “I Decided,” Big Sean’s fourth studio album, released this past February, is Big Sean’s best album. But, like Big Sean’s other albums, his music is still cloying and unexciting. The album starts off with “Light,” a track that discloses the essence of the world through Big Sean’s eyes. He speaks about bettering himself, bettering his culture, and the consequences of fame. It’s a good start and gives a sense that Sean may be on his way to an insightful project. “Ye found a pro, guess I’m profound in this bitch” is the perfect example of a cliched line, but it embodies the charm the loyal Big Sean fans enjoy. After “Lights” the album begins to spiral downward. “Bounce Back” is the single off of the album, and it’s about as good as a Big Sean song could be. There’s funny line play, the same flow he always uses, and a catchy hook.On the track, “No Favors,” Eminem has a guest performance and it sounds as if he is recording his verse in a locker room. Big Sean continues to sound like an off-brand Drake, struggling his way through singing verses. Big Sean is not Riff Raff or Rae Sremmurd. Big Sean is a cheesy rapper who thinks he’s on his way to a rap revelation. “Owe Me” talks about his previous girlfriend letting men “tastes what’s mine.” It’s tacky, even for him. “Sacrifices,” towards the end of the album, is a decent song. It features Migos and has a bit of experimentation in that the artists perform together. Migos can’t do anything wrong right now, so I’m not totally surprised that it’s good. It has a playful beat and the clever ad-libs Migos are known for.
WORDS BY SAGE KELLEY GRAPHIC BY ALI LEE
THE PRATTLER
the Crave College Crave WORDS BY ANTONY BAFFO GRAPHICS BY TERESA CHEN
COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE TYPICALLY the last people one might consider as “hungry in America.” Yet, as the income gap has grown, there is a growing number of college students who go hungry. Last week, a national report documented the severity of the problem. Four campus-based organizations – the College and University Food Bank Alliance, the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, the Student Government Resource Center, and the Student Public Interest Research Groups – surveyed college students on food insecurity in 12 states. Food insecurity, the lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food, is common at colleges and universities across the country and it potentially undermines the educational success of an untold thousands of students. In their report, the groups surveyed almost 3,800 students at 34 community and 4-year colleges across 12 states, including in New York State. This the 44% broadest sample to date. The report, titled, “Hunger on Campus: The Challenge of Food Insecurity for 56% College Students,” found that over 20 percent of those surveyed had the very lowest levels of food insecurity, First-generation and 13 percent of students at community colleges students were homeless. While the report represents only a snapshot of the situations of those surveyed and not the general student body, it is consistent with other analyses on this topic. The investigation of those surveyed provides a useful window into the experience of food insecure college students. 45% • Consistent with prior studies, this report also documented 48 percent of respondents reporting food insecurity in the previous 30 days, including 22 percent with such low levels 55% of food security that they qualify them as Students with parents “hungry.” who attended college • Food insecurity occurs at both two-year and four-year institutions. Twenty-five percent of community college students qualified as having very low food security, compared to 20 percent at four-year schools. 57 percent of Black or African American students reported food insecurity, compared to 40 percent of nonHispanic white students.
25% 75% Two year institutions
20% 80%
22%
Four year institutions
52%
48%
All college students More than half of all first-generation students (56 percent) were food insecure,compared to 45 percent of students who had at least one parent who attended college. Financial aid programs appear to be insufficient for college students going hungry. According to the report, three in four food insecure students received some form of financial aid. More than half (52 percent) received Pell Grants and nearly 40 percent took out student loans during the current academic year. So what can we do? In this case, true activism starts when policymakers examine the problems of hunger and homelessness among college students. There is a real need to address these concerns through creative measures, such as making it easier for students to access financial aid, food programs, and offering housing and meals to needy students. No person should ever have to worry about how they’re going to get their next meal. Unfortunately, that situation is the reality for far too many of today’s students. For more information, contact: Trevor Wheeler, Hunger & Homelessness Project, or NYPIRG
43%
57% Black/AfricanAmerican students
40%
Non-Hispanic white students
60%
food food secure secure low low food security security food very low food security
Schuttes
~GOODBYE~ INTERVIEW BY KELSIE PUSKAS PHOTOS BY AARON COHEN
& Ladders
AFTER TWENTY-FOUR YEARS as Pratt’s president, Dr. Schutte will be stepping down at the end of the school year. The Board of Trustees will soon be choosing his successor. In order to learn more about what it is exactly that the president does, and to learn more about Dr. Schutte's time at Pratt, I met asked him a few questions about what it means to be Pratt’s president.
In your eyes, what is the biggest role of Pratt’s president? The biggest role is to oversee the total institution, to steer the institution, to provide guidance and direction for the institution, and to celebrate the institution. What would you say was your proudest achievement during your time as Pratt’s president? I grew the enrollment at Pratt, I moved the institution from about 2800 students to almost 4800 students. I did it over a period of time and I did it carefully and very selectively. We just didn't jam more students into Pratt. The second thing is that we did a lot of campus planning. Campus master planning from the standpoint of the grounds and the building sites. We did a
lot of planning in regard to restoration. We did a lot of building restoration. Building’s were in really tough shape because the buildings were late 19th century and a number of them didn't have work on them and you could be sitting in a classroom as a student and there'd be a roof leak right down beside your shoe so we had to do a lot of fixing. I also was very very strong about preservation and restoration. I believe that because we had so many historic buildings that we had to respect those buildings and regard those buildings so we did a lot of research on our facilities from the standpoint of their exterior facades and that was important. We could have demolished those buildings, we could be started from scratch and then we built a number of new contemporary buildings and having the contemporary with the historial, to me was quite exciting. We worked hard to create a welcoming campus where you felt good, where you could sit on the lawns, where you could really engage and you could relax. We opened up the buildings to almost all buildings 24 hours a day and before they were closed shut at 8 or 9 at night. One of the things that I had a great joy at developing was starting the sculpture garden, There was nothing here and so to invent the concept of a sculpture garden for bringing in good outdoor sculpture pieces from around the country from well known artists was great fun. We’ve got now about 85 pieces which is a good number and to manage that number and also we have some fun with the sculpture garden because the pieces come in and for 2 to 5 years the slip out quietly and you never really know that they’re slipping out because one piece slips out and another piece slips in and so it isn't a kind of complete exhibition. Just within the last week we have been moving some select pieces from one place to another because we’ve decided that another place might be better for that piece and we’ve wanted to do some thinning and we’ve also had a few pieces leave but we’ve got a couple of big famous pieces coming in within the next few weeks. So there's always movement which I think is exciting. So I would say the sculpture garden is significant and we now have thirty-five, thirty-six buildings on campus it's unheard of for an art school to have this number of art and design and writing and architecture school to have this number of facilities for all our students and I think that to me that's phenomenal and the fact that we are in ny city and the fact that we are in a kind of a garden spot of New York city and the fact that you can roam all over Manhattan and Brooklyn and come back to Pratt and relax in your slippers or whatever is to me great.
We also had a community surrounding pratt, a neighborhood that felt sort of estranged, so I worked hard to open our doors and to have a strong relationship with our neighborhood and that took place in many ways. I was very involved with taking a street, that you know of, called Myrtle Avenue that was a mess and bringing that street into more life. Taking a street that had row after row of empty stores and broken windows and rehabilitating it and bringing the neighborhood in with me to help develop and help shape it and to make it a st as it is today where you can go on it and buy and feel safe. Even the benches, we invented that, we said why not have people be able to go on myrtle avenue and sit on benches and relax so i went over to the industrial design department at pratt and knocked on their door and asked them if they would help us design benches and they did so our benches that we designed to prototypes of sre currently on myrtle avenue and so that was kind of fun. There’s just no end. I’m also involved with the Brooklyn Arts council which is a major part of the community. It is a major visual arts non profit group and we service and support artists.
THE PRATTLER
What is the average day for Pratt’s president? The average day, wow. Today, my day began at 5:00 when I got up this morning [to swim]. I was in the pool at 6:30 and swam for about an hour and 10 minutes. Then I went to an 8:30 to 11:00 meeting with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce at a special morning panel session with five of the congressional representatives in this area of Brooklyn.. The hall was packed, it was at MetroTech, NYU Engineering school and each representative gave his or her own little bio and then talked about concerns and issues. There were some questions coming from the audience and that was an active conversation. Then I went to Pratt and forgot that I hadn't had breakfast, then I had two telephone meetings, then a strategic planning meeting, and then I had two more telephone meetings, meetings with two staff people. Then after this (interview) I am having a 4:00 meeting with four or five people to discuss our facility in Manhattan, we’ve received a major gift and were going to be making some changes in that building and we’re having a discussion meeting about how we’re going to be making those changes and that sort of thing. At 8:00 I have to get into a tuxedo because the Remembrance Society is meeting which is a Brooklyn group that has met for forty or fifty years and you become a member of that, and I’ve been a member of that since I’ve been at Pratt and they have lectures and supper. There's a lecture tonight dealing with music and they have it at different houses in Brooklyn. Tonight its at my house, so I introduce the Pratt house and what it is and the Pratt family and Pratt institute and then the meeting begins. So that starts at 8 and will probably go until 10:30.
What are your hopes for the next president, and for Pratt’s future in general? That the school will continue on this path of achievement and reputation and that they choose a president that doesn’t relent. Do you have any advice for graduating Pratt students? They should continue to serve and help others and their communities. Take what they have learned and expand on that. Give and accept assistance from Pratt, use their services, come back and visit, and never stop inventing and creating. Your presence on campus is positive and open to all by-passers, do you think that reputation in passing is important? Absolutely, I want to see and interact with and talk to people because that’s important and because that says that this is a friendly, open, and interactive president. It would be sad to see people not acknowledge others. Sometimes when I go to the pi shop for lunch or dinner I’ll try to sit with students. Do you have any plans after you step down from your role as Pratt’s president? I am still heavily engrossed and involved with Pratt so I have not had much time to think about it. I am taking on the role of President Emirates which means that I will still be an active member of the Pratt community. President Schutte is takes great pride in helping others in general. I know that the Board of Trustees will be doing their best to find the perfect replacement.
~CULTURE~
THE PRATTLER
WORDS BY PAIGE HAVENER PHOTOS BY AARON COHEN DRAWINGS BY TERESA CHEN
and the Differences between United States and Korean Culture For international students, moving away from one culture, and coming to another can cause an interesting mix of cultures and ideas. Being from another culture can give you a fresh perspective on culture in america, as well as your own culture. At what point do the cultures mix or clash, and how does the overlap manifest itself? Kpop is a large aspect of Korean culture, and plays a role in how Korea is presented to other countries. This interview is with four Korean students at Pratt (Jenny, J.B., Olivia, and Monica) who have experienced both Korean culture and American culture. How strongly do you identify with Korean culture versus American culture? Olivia: They’re pretty different because they're different paces but I feel like I fit at the middle right now because all of my teenage years have been here and all of my elementary years when I was in canada. Jenny: I feel more Korean even though I’ve lived here for six years. I go back to korea every summer. JB: I’m comfortable with and I like American culture, but if I calculate every single thing, I’m more Korean. Monica: Even if I’ve lived here a while, my parent are hella Korean. Honestly i feel like i’m more Korean than American. I’m still trying to fit myself into American culture. Especially in recent years, do you think kpop has become the “face” of Korea to the rest of the world? Jenny: I didn't realise it until I came to college. After I came here, there are so many asians and Americans who know about korea. It was cool because I’m able to talk about kpop and Korean cultures with them. It never happened in high school. JB: Yes I think it is. Korean media focuses so much on how popular kpop tis in western culture which is why I know that there are people who like kpop. Do you feel that Kpop accurately represents Korean culture as a whole? Where does it fall short? Olivia: I think kpop in a sense is part of a really big culture now. Jenny: I feel like it does but not in a good way. In kpop all the dancers are good looking and good a singing and dancing. Those things make the expectations higher. I don’t think it's a good thing. Being all pretty and being perfect is becoming a problem in Korea. Americans or other asians don’t realize that. JB: No I don’t think it represents the whole culture accurately, not at all. How do body image expectations vary from here to korea? Jenny: Attitudes. My parents are really conservative. Even though I’ve been living here for six years, especially my dad, he never accepts the guidelines that he has built. If I go outside of them he doesn't approve of that. You have to think about what you wear a lot. I have my own expectations but it's so different from my parents expectations. JB: I think there’s a whole lot more social pressure in Korea then there is in america. You have to follow the majority of the population. I wouldn’t wear this outfit in Korea. Monica: Korea goes way overboard with that. Nowadays it’s all about plastic surgery. If you go to korea, everyone looks the same because they’re all fixing things up. They all want that same face. I kind of understand, but why would you want to look the same? People see that and think “Hey I want that too” which is why so many people get plastic surgery, but I personally don’t like it. How does Korea view their own appropriation from other cultures? For example, Koreans imitating American Hip Hop? Olivia: From a Korean perspective, in hip hop for example, Koreans think Korean hip hop is different that ‘real’ American hip hop. Hip hop originated from america but Koreans put their own spin on it. Some people think Korean hip hop is not real hip hop. Some people think i has to sound like American hip hop to be real hip hop. So they always fight with originality.
Jenny: I think American culture is idolized a bit. Even though we try to imitate them, we can never be like them 100% because we’re so different. People are trying to respect, for example, rappers, but some people criticize it because they say they don’t have their own aspects. Some people say it's more comfortable to heart Koreans rapping because not all Korean people can understand American rap. Many Korean rappers try to follow American rappers, just in their own style. JB: I think American culture has been idealized from a long time ago. So that positiveness towards American culture is from a long time ago. They think of the American dream and Hollywood. Recently Koreans have started to focus again on being Korean and keeping their own culture. How do you feel about non-Korean people being interested in Korean culture? Olivia: Actually I would say it’s kinda great as a Korean. They’re interested in our culture so I’m kind of glad that we have people who are really interested. As a Korean it feels good. Monica: It's surprising when I’m talking to my other cultured friends and they know more than I do. I came across a lot of people like that and to me it’s pretty cool. There’s no shame in that. It's like me trying to know more about American culture. What is one thing you want people to Know about Korea? Olivia: People ask me if I speak chinese. Koreans have their own language for sure. Monica: Foooooooood. Yo I go to Korea for food. Literally food. Food food food. We have the best food there. Even my western friends love the food when they visit. JB: One time I hteard Obama talk about how the education system in Korea is better [than the American education system] and I was laughing so hard because i don’t think he understands how students are restricted. The Korean education system is very intense.
~TECHNOLOGY~
Image in
the Age A grey area exists in this Tort law; it is only enacted in the event of a civilian opening a civil suit against the use of the image. Leeway exists which tends to exempt public figures and politicians. As a Pratt undergrad I feel there is in all of us, to a degree, the desire to influence at any scale and to be a figure for someone. Anyone. Since viewing “Rogue One” I think most about how this new art form could be used to manipulate the images of unwilling individuals . In 2015, a commercial came about starring the late Audrey Hepburn. I view Hepburn an icon of womanhood, femininity, and strength. The commercial, however, is for Galaxy Chocolate, a candy typically advertised towards female audiences. Whether or not it is intentional, it seems that the ad’s creators aim to use Hepburn’s status as a symbol of female empowerment to persuade women to purchase chocolate. Another example that has yet to come to pass, but a scenario I fear, is the slander or mischaracterization of minority figures. “Selma”, a powerful film depicting the trials of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was directed by an African-American woman Ava DuVernay, an appropriate choice to depict the civil rights hero. On the other hand, “Hidden Figures”, a 2016 film telling the true story of a group of African-American women working for NASA, was directed by white male Theodore Melfi, which may be why the film received such mixed reviews. Looking forward, lets say Hollywood produces a Malcolm X film in which the decision is made to digitally re-create his likeness. This leaves a window open for someone to represent him who has no appreciation for his contribution to the American public. It could allow individuals who have negative views of his contributions to control his image. Technology is a nearly impossible train to stop, but as this science develops, lawmakers and creators must pay attention to the ethics of how this powerful but potentially dangerous new method is used.
Reimaging
WORDS BY ANTHONY BAFFO IMAGE BY SPENCER SELIGMAN
THE PRATTLER
of
IN THE REALM OF THE ARTIST, money is unfortunately the port key into exploration. These days, artists working in the Hollywood studio system are able to create imagery that was previously unimaginable. The astronomical budgets of blockbusters such as “Fast 7”, “The Hunger Games”, and most recently Disney’s “Rogue One” have granted filmmakers the ability to recreate and manipulate the images of human beings, whether they’re alive or dead. What are the legal and ethical constraints that shape how this new technology is used? In all 50 states, studios with pre existing contracts are able to manipulate the images of actors for varying periods of time after their deaths. California, which is the reference point of most courts of law, does not allow for a person's image without a previous contract to be manipulated for 75 years after his or her death unless permission is granted by the individual's estate. British actor, Peter Cushing, who played General Grand Moff Tarkin in the original “Star Wars”, passed away in 1994. Disney has not yet disclosed the details of the contract to recreate Cushing’s image from his performance in “A New Hope” since the previous contract was owned by lucas films but the studio has disclosed that permission was granted from Cushing’s estate to use his image in the next installment of the “Star Wars” series. The technique in creating these images is relatively simple. It can be understood best as a photoshop makeup job. In the case of General Tarkin, Guy Henry acted as a stand-in during the actual filming. Henry’s facial structure is similar to Cushing’s so effects artists were able to overlay the deceased Cushing’s face onto Henry’s and make continuous micro-adjustments until they were nearly undetectable. The same process took place in “Fast 7” using Paul Walker's brother as his stand-in. This raises an ethical question: Who is now credited for the performance? Should Henry be nominated for an academy award or should Cushing be nominated, in the afterlife? Or should it be the effects artist? On its most basic level, the “right of publicity” exists in two ways in the U.S. It is held up contractually by federal law as well as an implementation of tort law state by state (a natural right or civil wrongdoing). Each one of us has the right to dictate the use of our own likeness and unequivocal identity. This law protects a person from a third party commercializing her or his identity by recognizing every citizen’s visage as a personal trademark. But in the film industry, contracts often dictate that an actor’s image can be used and manipulated by the franchise copyright holder and throughout the entirety of the franchise. So why should we be concerned about such rights as they aim to protect the individual unless those rights are knowingly signed away?
Dressing Down Pratt
~STYLE~
WORDS BY TREVOR WHEELER, PHOTOS BY AARON COHEN
STYLE, COMFORT, FIT AND FORM are the primary aspects of fashion. Style is ephemeral and fluid. I come from North Dakota, where residents aren’t known for their fashion sense, and the following are my observations since I arrived at Pratt. When I arrived at pratt, though, I saw people dressed in fashions that seemed straight out of the 60s and 70s. A friend of mine, clad in a fringe jacket and cowboy boots, proudly proclaimed that she always dresses western-style. A girl in my studio class wears dresses that seem better suited to another century. These styles are all considered to be fashionable and trendy right now. Fashion majors are encouraged to dress amazingly every day, to put effort into their appearances. A friend of mine in the department swears that she’s the only fashion student who wears sweatpants. But I fail to see the fault in wearing sweatpants. Where do we draw the line? What is the difference between fashion-forward and backward? And what defines “fashionable?” This school seems to be dominated by those whose goals are to be trendsetters rather than followers. Where I come from, it is unlikely to line up a group of guys and find more than a single brand of jeans between them. But, perhaps because this is an arts school and one with a large fashion program, Pratt is a nexus for fashion creativity. Students trawl the aisles of thrift stores, brag about how cheaply they bought their newest shirts. Paint splatters on a pair of jeans mean effortless superiority; repurposed clothing is ingenious and intriguing; an overabundance of rings on one’s fingers adds an air of mystique. In my hometown, jean jackets were short, form-fitting, and bejeweled. They were often part of a girl’s formal ensemble. Here, they’re boxy and unisex. “They’re a fashion staple,” people tell me. I bought one the other day, more for the novelty of the purchase than anything else. Developing one’s own style is a claim to freedom, a protest, an affirmation of individuality. The right to dress oneself a specific way is a value that many students at Pratt hold dear. I describe myself as an outsider, but perhaps that is something of a mistake. Anyone, at least in the world of fashion, would most likely refer to themselves similarly. Because we are all individuals. And the way we dress is just one of many ways we express that.
TOP LEFT: HAILEY OSTENFELD & ABBY CUFF, FRESHMAN TOP RIGHT: MO$H MALI, SOPHMORE FAR LEFT: ?????? BOTTOM RIGHT: JIHOON SONG, FRESHMAN BOTTOM LEFT: STEFAN MAIER, FRESHMAN
~LETTERS FROM US~ This our ninth and final issue art directing The Prattler—and thank god we’re done. Sure it’s been a really fun ride. We were able to watch something we created spread throughout campus. We’ve had many donuts, a little pizza, late-night thai deliveries, and even a few beers. And yes, there were growing pains too. We learned a lot about each other, about our friendship, and our ability to collaborate as driven creatives. Through three editors, 4 advisors, classes, no classes, and clubs, we’ve managed to stick together as a team to try to make The Prattler more central to campus life. We reimagined The Prattler as a collage of Pratt voices speaking about news relevant to the Pratt community. But the beauty of The Prattler is its ability to change shape with each new editor and art director. It’s as if these past nine issues are the nine months of childbirth; except that we are the surrogate parents now handing off our child to the next set of art directors, as they raise this baby as their own. Which is good because we hate changing diapers. Ali just straight up hates babies. Now, like many of our peers, we look ahead to graduation—and hopefully jobs—racing against the ever formidable senioritis. Live lasagna and pasta, Spencer Seligman & Ali Lee
ART DIRECTION: ALISON LEE & SPENCER SELIGMAN EDITOR IN CHIEF: EMILY OLDENQUIST ADVISORS: ERIC ROSENBLUM & CHRIS CALDERHEAD
ALL CONTENT GENERATED BY THE AMAZING PRATTLER CLUB MEMBERS.
SUBMIT TO THE PRATTLER! EMAIL US WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS AT: THEPRATTLER@GMAIL.COM MEETINGS THURSDAY 8:00 PM, FISHBOWL