Issue 5, Volume 92 by Arcata High Pepperbox

The Pepperbox

March BOX BRIEFS

March 7th: Board Meeting @ Arcata High School March 2nd: Sophomore Dance March 26th-28th: Spring Production: Rent! April 2nd: SAT Registration deadline for 5/2 Test April 10th: End Term 5 Want to advertise or buy a mail subscription to the Pepperbox? Email Business Manager Zane Clarke at pepperbox@nohum.k12.ca.us !

EDITORIAL STAFF Fiona Murphy Editor-in-Chief Stella Walston Managing Editor ZoĂŤ Reiss News Editor Martina Mapatis Feature Editor Jake Knoeller Sports Editor Kein Mazzotti Deputy Sports Editor Bailey Ives Life Editor Ruby Langdon A&E Editor Jack Taylor Opinion Editor Will Oviatt Photo Editor Isabel Wedll Online Editor Zane Clarke Business Manager Marisa Mendosa Art Director Zelda Geren Social Media Lilli Bowman Grpahic Artist Isabella Kellawan, Skaidra Pulley Copy Editors & Kamari Brown

REPORTERS Diego Bazan Caledonia Davey Thalia Godinez River Kiener Marisela Montoya-Tejeda Levi Robbins Tommy Robinson Gabriel Sanchez Emilio Silveira Tyler Vizenor Natasha Youravish Kelsey Atkinson-Hatch Orion Smith Iris Mahony-Moyer

The Pepperbox would like to thank Western Web, based in Samoa, for printing at-cost. Western Web supports student journalism throughout Humboldt County and has made publications like the Pepperbox possible for decades. We appreciate their dedication to Western Web keeping print media alive.

IN THE BOX Trump Flag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 BSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Basketball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Bromance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Conspiracies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Controversies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 First Impressions . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Beauty Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Hobbies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Hot Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Flag Opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Plus Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Mack Graduation. . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Parking/Prom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Outside Humboldt. . . . . . . . . . . 30

Questions regarding editorial content of the Pepperbox should be directed toward its editors. Opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of Arcata High School.

Adviser Danielle Witten

Behind the Cover

his cover was really just a fever dream that came to me as soon as we started working on conspiracies. The process of making the cover took way too long, turns out cutting out random bits of newspaper and pictures is harder than it seems. Also we did have red thread. But, I personally think it turned out well. I also want to talk about the back cover. This was a last minute change after a class discussion on freedom of speech at school. The original back cover might be repurposed. This cover contains photos I found from the past four years that I thought represented freedom of speech in all its aspects. There is art by Adrian Piper, a photo of the New York Times, many of the protests over the years, and a Trump rally I happened upon in Seattle. -Fiona

Editor’s Box I

am not a Trump supporter. In fact I hate pretty much everything he stands for. However, I would be a raging hypocrite if I did not defend one’s right to free expression. We have free speech on campus, in some ways, it can be abridged but it is not gone. The only times a student’s speech can be restricted is if it causes a significant disturbance in the school environment. Whether Wednesday’s events reached that level depends on who you ask. To some, it meant nothing, others agreed, some were offended, and some were scared. To many, Trump now means much more than politics. I am not the person to decide where the line is for disrupting school activity. I can cite other cases and explain Tinker vs. Des Moines or Hazelwood vs. Kuhlmier, but I also know my audience. The other thing we must consider when discussing free speech is backlash. My staff and I know first hand about backlash from using our voices. I myself have been berated by students, teachers, and administration over my writing and what I allow my staff to publish. When you decide to publicly express views you must be willing to take the criticism. That criticism is another person using their first amendment rights. One of the main considerations I use while reporting is to minimize harm. That is one of the most important considerations when exercising our right to free expression. Words and actions carry weight and one must think before they use them. Whether it is displaying the Trump flag or going after someone who does, those actions have effects. While I encourage expression, I must also encourage deeper thought. As much as I may disagree with Trump supporters, I must defend the right of any person to express any view (as long as it doesn’t fall under Supreme Court exemptions, well except Hazelwood because I hate Hazelwood). Over and over, I benefit from freedom of expression, and I cannot keep that benefit for myself.

- (also) Fiona Murphy We have a website! Go to thepepperInterested box.com for breaking news and in writing more exciting for Pepperbox? content! contact the editor. fmurphy@nohum.k12.ca.us The aftermath of the cover.

Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX

Quotable. “There’s no cocker spaniels on this project, homeslice.” - Adam Pinkerton, in his AP Economics class.

“WTF stands for what the fart, not what Jackie just said.” - Kay Wozniak, teaching the youth proper slang.

“It’s just soap propaganda.” -Carly Lankerani, on hand washing during Corona Virus

“YOU DON’T KNOW YOUR STAR SIGN!?” -Owen Moore, addressing Jeff Mielke in a Pepperbox interview.

“Color television is a gateway drug!” -Kate Oberlander, during an economics activity.

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

The Pepperbox’s

The Pepperbox | Page 5

News

WHAT’S GOOD

Good news column

BSU goes to a summit Thalia Godinez Digital Team

ebruary is Black History month, and to celebrate the Black Student Union (BSU) went to Pittsburgh for a summit. At the summit, the students were able to participate in several uplifting activities including: watching performances, talking to people with similar experiences, and learning how to handle yourself while interShannon Kresge acting with a peace officer. BSU at the summit. “Our students live on a campus where they are completely surrounded by the white majority, and I wanted them to see what a strong community behind them can build them up to be. I want them to be the best kings and queens they can be,” Shannon Kresge, science teacher and adviser to BSU, said. The students who went echoed similar thoughts. “I thought it would be a good experience as a black person who lives in such a predominantly white area to go see some more people of my culture and learn more about it,” Halle Smith, a senior and treasurer of BSU, said.

First ever LatinX Club Isabella Kellawan

Bailey Ives

Ty Vizenor/PEPPERBOX

Copy Editor

he AHS Drama class is soon to present “Rent,” a play, originally a Broadway show that takes place in Manhattan. It has been fit to adapt more into high school standards since it was first performed in the 1990´s. The play is showing the 26th, 27th, and 28th of March and the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of April. Taking place in the 80’s, it revolves around the AIDS epidemic and follows a group of friends following the illness. “I’m playing Angel, a very flamboyant drag queen who has AIDS. The play almost revolves around Angel as, in the play, they are essentially what brought the group of friends closer together. I’m super excited for the role I’m playing, not only because I get to wear some terrifying heels, but also because this play has gained a lot of fame,” said sophomore Amadeus Garcia. “I’m very excited to see how the play turns out, and hopefully everyone enjoys it.” Information about purchasing tickets can be found online at www.tinyurl.com/aairent

Life Editor

ecently, the Arcata High campus has welcomed the LatinX club. For those of you who don’t know, LatinX is the gender neutral term for Latina and Latino. The club is meant to bring more awareness to LatinX culture, and the fact that all people of color experience racism regularly. They are hoping to connect with the Diversity club and the BSU. The club’s president, junior Henny Lassiter, wants to bring people together and connect with other clubs in the community. To her, this club says everyone is welcome and that they’re here to bring awareness to LatinX culture. They meet Thursdays at lunch in room 302.

The Pepperbox | Page 6

News

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Flags and controversey on campus Stella Walston Managing Editor

Jack Taylor Opinion Editor

*The students who wrote this piece do not identify as Trump supporters*

nger exploded in the days following the controversial ‘flag incident’ on the Arcata High campus, raising questions over first amendment rights and political symbolism on public school campuses. On Wednesday, February 26th, a group of students wore clothing supporting President Donald Trump, and flew Trump flags and American flags off of their cars, in support of what they called “Patriotism Day”. During nutrition break and lunch that day, the students drove two cars around the parking lot, each trailing large American flags or Trump flags. Assistant Principal Jim Monge stopped one car and spoke to the student driving. Principal Dave Navarre also spoke to the students involved, but did not speak on record about what he said. After the interactions, the students removed the flags from their cars after backlash from non-Trump supporters. Many students on campus took offense to the display, and were angered by what they thought the Trump supporters were trying to say. On the same Wednesday that the Trump group brought their flags and clothing, the Black Student Union started a run of assemblies meant to educate students on Black History Month as well as microaggressions and appropriation towards black people in society. Some students assumed that the Trump and American flags were in direct response to the assemblies, which the Trump supporters de-

nied. “We mainly did it because people were showing their support for Bernie, and we wanted to show our support [for the president]... we had no idea that the BSU thing was happening. The teachers were very bad at informing us with that information, and we would not have picked that day if we knew,” McAtasney, who is one of the Trump supporters who wore clothing supporting Trump, stated. The information was in the bulletin. However, it was placed in the “faculty” section, which some teachers do not read to their stu-

dents. Some students felt that it was not a coincidence that “Patriotism Day” was held on the same day as the first of three BSU assemblies. “Immediately I thought that they were doing it on purpose because it was like the first time having a meeting for Black Student Union, so I thought they were doing it for [the] intent to get a reaction,” Axeri Ramirez, a junior, said of their actions. Social media exploded with videos mocking and criticizing the students who took part in publicly supporting Trump. One student

Isabel Wedll/PEPPERBOX

Left, Riley Walsh, and right, Morgan Emmons, pose with the American flag in their Trump paraphernalia.

called them “clowns” while others called them “racist”. Junior Riley Walsh, one of the students who drove one of the cars flying a flag, claimed that he received some death threats and was told to kill himself. When Monge stopped the car to speak to the driver, a student ripped a flag off Walsh’s car. At lunch, another student ripped a Trump flag off Senior Mateo Vincent’s car. Some students reacted physically towards the Trump supporters. A student threw Kool-Aid at the car of one of the students who attached a Trump flag and American flag to the back. The events of Wednesday were not contained to the Arcata High campus. Members of the community heard that it was a “White supremacy” event, and one individual called on people to come support the BSU. Terry Uyeki called on people to “show support to the African American students and the observance of Black History Month,” in her email addressed to “social justice warriors”. “We had various reports that we were gonna have, essentially, rallies, on our campus, in support of various causes,” Navarre stated. Several community members did show up to the event, and were invited to stay as visitors of the assembly. However, the student Trump supporters did not mean to incite backlash. According to members of the group, they picked the day because they were celebrating the anniversary of the Fifteenth Amendment, and because they were “feeling patriotic that day.” “We were just supporting our country. It wasn’t a protest,” McAtasney stated. Their claimed intent was not to undermine the BSU assembly, but to show support for the President. It was not perceived that way, though. For some students, espe-

News

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020 cially students of color, Trump, and by association his flag, represents something very different than patriotism. “I don’t think [support for Trump] is a really positive thing to be spreading on campus because of what he stands for. He stands for racism, sexism, sexual assault, and also just like, his name can scare a lot of people who have immigrated to America,” Junior Bella Volz-Broughton explained. Others echoed Volz-Broughton’s sentiments. “America is not that great. There’s a lot of things we need to solve, and a lot we need to fix, so don’t even try that, and also it’s just kinda disrespectful,” senior and president of BSU Nishyra Aaron-Williams said. In an article for Pepperbox (page 26), Madeline “Henny” Lassiter-Chavarria and Ramirez expressed that in seeing support for Trump, they see support for racism and worry that it may create a situation that endangers them. Since Trump’s election, there has been a statistical increase in hate crimes. According to a Politifact analysis of federal data, there was a 17% increase in hate crimes from 20162017, the year following Trump’s election. Controversy surrounding Trump paraphernalia at schools is not isolated to Arcata High. A school in Fresno, California was sued after not allowing a student to wear a MAGA hat because it would make others feel “unsafe.” In North Carolina, a cheerleading squad got placed on probation for displaying a Trump sign at a school event. While students on a high school campus have limited rights, they do have the right to free speech as long as it is not “obscene, libelous, likely to incite material disruption or violation of school rules, or is deemed a ‘true threat.’,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Political free speech does not fall under any of these cate-

gories unless it contains fighting words, which the Trump-supporters were not voicing. “Students have free speech just like anybody else, and the thing that schools have is that it can’t interfere with school activities,” Monge explained. He did not feel that school had been interrupted by “Patriotism Day.” “[School] pretty much ran as normal. We had a few flags, and then we didn’t,” Monge said. With the events of last Wednesday still fresh, how the campus

[School] pretty much ran as normal. We had a few flags, and then we didn’t.

- Jim Monge

moves forward is up to everyone. People involved with the day say that they are planning on having more “Patriotism Days” in the future, but they also say they have learned from this one. Senior Emma Frazzel said that, “We know that some people got their feelings hurt, so maybe next time we won’t put ourselves out there as much. We know that people were like ‘that was too far’, so let’s take a step back, still show our support, but maybe in other ways.” For others on campus, the event simply represented students taking action on their rights. “I think when [free speech] becomes aggressive or like threatening then it’s not okay, but they didn’t say anything mean about any of the other candidates,” Judah Thompson said. Izzy Knife summed up how she feels about not only political free speech, but the issue at large. “I know a lot of people generalize, so when they see the Trump flag, they think about racists and sexism and things Trump has said. but I feel like everyone should be judged individually.”

The Pepperbox | Page 7

The Pepperbox | Page 8

News

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

First ever BSU education assembly Fiona Murphy

Editor-in-Chief

he first ever Black Student Union assembly was held on February 26, 27, and 28. The assembly covered a multitude of topics, including the origins of Black History Month, fashion, culture, appropriation, microaggressions, and the prison industrial complex. The passion among the BSU members was palpable as president Nishyra Aaron-Williams introduced the event. The presentation started with a brief history of Black History Month, which originally started as a week and was only recognized nationally in the 1970s when then president Gerald Ford encouraged the nation to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Treasurer Halle Smith focused on black beauty and fashion in her part of the presentation. Black women are consistently underrepresented in advertising and media. She also explained that when black people are present, the portrayals are racist. “When there are black characters in TV and movies they are constantly put in negative stereotypes like living in poverty, unemployment, violence and drug related crimes,” Smith said. Vice President Bella Volz-Broughton took over to speak about cultural appropriation. “There's many dominant cultures that tend to be especially white people that take part of a minorities’ culture and use it for clout or to gain a profit or even a following,” she explained. “Things that may be worn or used by that dominant culture wont recieve the backlash that a minority culture

will receive if they represent their own culture.” Volz-Broughton stated that one can appropriate a culture without realizing it. She continued to show some examples of appropriation, including Kim Kardashian with a culturally African American hairstyle. “People like the Kardashians have made this a trend by being culture vultures, which is like wearing their hair in cornrows or laying their edges and calling it boxer braids and then getting praised for it. Where, if I did that, or someone with an even darker complexion than I did, they would be called ghetto,” Volz-Broughton continued. She then spoke about the history of slavery, racism, and discrimination in the United States, emphasizing that the majority of Black history what spent in slavery, then facing legal discrimination, and now, fighting other forms of racism. Jackie Garcia took over the presentation to speak about police brutality and discrimination in the legal system. “Throughout history, african americans have been harassed, beaten up, and murdered by police, and many officers who abuse their power are never reprimanded or punished,” she said. She then cited several statistics. “Over 1,100 African Americans were murdered by law enforcement just in 2015,” she said. “Police brutality causes fear and distrust among members of the African American community.” She then explained that while 1 in 17 white men will face jail time, 1 in 3 black men will as well, and while 6.5 percent of the United States population is black men, they account for 40.2% of the prison population. Emilio Zuniga also took the stage

Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX

BSU raises their hands during the “priviledge walk”. to educate the assembly on microaggressions faced by students of color. “Microaggressions occur when a person of one race intentionally or unintentionally voices hostile, derogatory or negative slights or insults towards another group. This happens without you guys knowing,” he said. “People are being disrespectful without knowing it and you need to stop it. We are hurting people, we are discriminating without even knowing. Do you know how bad that is?” Zuniga’s passion was evident as he showed examples of microaggressions such as touching hair, tensing up when a black man walks by, or asking “what” someone is. “How would that make you feel?” he asked. He then called on students to speak up when they witness microaggressions. In an earlier interview, Aaron-Williams said she has experienced “people asking to touch my hair or people not even asking just coming over and floofing it.” The presentation ended with Scout Buendia calling on the stu-

dents and staff to come together as a community in order to be better and support each other. The assembly itself ended as BSU adviser Shannon Kresge facilitated a privilege walk. In this case, students raised their hands when they experienced the given prompt, such as “I have never had to worry about paying my bills,” “I have never been discriminated against because of my race,” and, “No one has ever asked if I’m mixed or ‘what’ I am.” This is the first year BSU, or the school, has held such an event and many students were thankful it occurred. “I think this is important and necessary, and I’m sad it hasn’t happened in the past. I hope it can continue,” Hannah Davis, senior, said. “Black History Month means a lot because it’s a whole month dedicated to the balck people who made a difference in our country and to celebrate black culture,” Aaron William explained. “It gives people an opportunity to learn more about history other than the everyday white history that is being taught in schools.”

Sports

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

The Pepperbox | Page 9

Basketball, better than last year Jake Knoeller Sports Editor

hile it may not have been a stellar season, both the girls and boys basketball teams outshined the previous year. The AHS basketball girls challenged their league a lot this season and made it past a team in their division in the league tournament. Their 3-5 league record this year was a huge improvement from going winless in league last year. This was overall a very up and down season for the team. Their record overall was 13-14. After losing to Del Norte twice in the regular season, they upset them away from home but one of their star players, Jocelyn Bliven, suffered a concussion. They advanced to face off against Mckinleyville, who they beat before, but then lost at home ending the 2019/2020 season

Junior Bella Volz-Broughton mentioned how they lost a lot of players to injury and how big of a challenge that was. A moment that stood out to her was the first time they beat Mckinleyville, as they are a huge rival and “Mack is wack.” Zoie Andre, a junior, mentioned beating Fortuna because they were the only team to do it in league. The girls also enjoyed each other’s company. “Our team had really good chemistry. We all got along really well and I got closer with a lot of people on the team,’’ Andre said. The team will lose two seniors this year, Bliven and Kayla Hamm. The Tigers made a big mark this season, and they will look forward to next year when they will have a team full of seniors at their peak of playing. The boys team ended their season in heartbreaking fashion.

They were down 13 with about 6 minutes remaining in their playoff game at Marin Catholic, and Junior Mason Railsback led them back into a 3 point lead with a minute remaining. Marin Catholic answered with a 3 of their own, and the game went into overtime, where Marin Catholic won 72-66. Like the girls, the boys had improved a huge amount this season. They won 20 games overall, as opposed to only winning 9 in total last season. They finished 2nd in league, as opposed to 3rd last season. “It was a great season, we lit,’’ said Junior Marcus Bensen. “We met all our goals.” They were definitely successful in tournaments and not just league. “We made it to the championship games in, like, every single tournament we went to,” said Aidan Atkins-Salazar.

Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX

Tatum Carlin dribbles down the court in WAIBT.

The team chemistry was very good for the boys, just like the girls. “We definitely got along. A lot of us were just friends outside of basketball too, so that made it fun,’’ Atkins-Salazar added. Niko Zambas, a senior, said the team chemistry was “great off the court,” but they needed growing on the court. “Tyus stealing my ball before every game,’’ Zambas said when asked about a memorable moment. Tyus is coach Dusty Scofield’s son. The team only loses four seniors and will have an old and hopefully successful team next year. Zambas, Jacob Stoker, Jack Taylor, and Garrett Hall had outstanding final seasons, all making a huge impact for the team. Freshman Brandon-Bento Jackson was a consistent starter at the point guard position and will only get better in the coming years. This team is looking very good for the future.

Garret Hall during AIBT.

The Pepperbox | Page 10

Feature

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Arcata High’s bodacious bromance Isabel S. Wedll

Online Editor

mongst the Social Sciences’ “Dream Team,” there are tres amigos that blossomed into a satiric bromance. They are Owen Moore, Adam Pinkerton, and Jeff Mielke. But what do people think about this bro squad? An outsider’s perspective on the bros exposed a whole new side. “They don’t have much in common.... besides their knowledge and teaching career. They definitely care about each other on deeper levels,” Riley Mosher said. But moving on from that anecdote, it’s time to focus on the gaggle of goofy guys. Let me just say this in advance, I am sorry Sirs Moore, Pinkerton, and Mielke if I misquote any of you. Moving on from that, it was truly interesting to observe the interactions between these three teachers. When asked what historical figure each of them would be, Moore’s immediate response was “Matthew McConaughey” while pointing to Mielke. “I’d say he’s more of a Brad Pitt,” Pinkerton said. This shifted Moore’s attention to Pinkerton. “Michael Collins,” Moore assigned firmly. “Is it because I’m Irish?!” Pinkerton said in an offended tone. “How is Michael Collins an insult?” Moore responded. This led to a roasting session in which Pinkerton and Mielke ganged up on Moore to decide his figure while making Italian jokes. “Well, you are like John Adams,” Pinkerton said. “And Napoleon,” Mielke added. Laughter erupted from all parties within the room. Mr. Moore was offended that his colleagues decided he was similar to this unremarkable president of the U.S. and

Mr. Pinkerton, Mr. Mielke, and Mr. Moore posing for a photo. to a French military leader. But as he thought about it, he sarcastically agreed with his bros. When altogether, Moore described his group like, “[The] three psyches of Hunter S. Thompson minus the drugs of course.” The room calmed as the bros waited for the conversation to shift to the next topic; why did these men decide to become social science teachers? Each of their answers perfectly represented their personalities. Moore (a World, U.S., and English teacher) responded with a quote from George Bernard Shaw, “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” “[I] enjoyed studying present politics and understanding why the way they are,” Pinkerton (AP) Economics/Government teacher) said. Mielke, in his way, decided to interrupt and blurt out his answer. “For the money and the fame,” the world history and economics/government teacher said. “I thought ‘what would make me the most fa-

mous in my small town.’” The discussion then shifted to what everyone was waiting for, is this friendship really a bromance? “We’re not like Kim Jong-Un and Trump,” Moore said. “We insult each other to let you know that we care,” said Mielke. “[We] actually enjoy spending time with each other,” Pinkerton said. Mr. Moore then responded with, “I actually don’t like these people I have no one else to hang out with.” Of course, he meant to keep up the persona of insulting each other. But the last, and in my opinion the most important, question I asked was, “Mr. Moore, would you bring Mielke and Mr. Pinkerton to Italy?” “If they are paying, yes,” he replied smugly. This resulted in tipping the boiling pot of chaos this interview already was over the edge. But at the same time, it became a serious discussion. “We all pay our own way,” Pinkerton said. “Who makes the itinerary?” Moore

Isabel Wedll/PEPPERBOX

responded. “You do,” Pinkerton suggested. “Ehh I don’t know about that,” Moore contemplated “Why would he make the itinerary?!” Mielke chimed in. The conversation just kept taking turns ending with one accusing the others that the bromance is only worth a free trip to Italy. “He’s a bromance denier!” Mielke said while Mr. Moore was being iffy on the idea of taking the bros to Italy. “The bromance is priceless,” Moore responded. But Mr. Pinkerton had had enough, “That’s it the bromance is dead.” Overall what I can take away from this interview is, oh my god that was insane but extremely entertaining. It was like reality tv but with no scripts, just pure friendship, and comedy. Thank you, Mr. Moore, Mr. Pinkerton, and Mr. Mielke for letting me witness the wonderful bromance that was formed in the hands of Arcata High’s Dream Team.

The Pepperbox | Page 12

Conspiracies

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Conspiracies: Cool or caustic? Bailey Ives

Definitely a lizard person

o write this article I have gone into the depths of the internet to find some of the most bizarre, unrealistic conspiracies, and what I have found is that the people that come up with them have no evidence, they’re just asking “what if?” Our generation especially seems to like to question everything. Why can’t we just leave things alone? The other generations seem to have predisposed judgements about our generation because they hear the conspiracies and think that our generation questions everything. It seems to them that we are obsessed with death and the end of the world.

At first conspiracies start out as a joke or an idea/belief of one person, but some people take them seriously. That's what scares me. They can get really weird and dangerous really quickly. November 18th, 1978 showed the world what can happen when conspiracies are taken too far. 900 people killed themselves in a murder suicide under the direction of one man in the Jonestown Massacre. It started out as a suggestion that the world will possibly end, but it just turned into a cult like thing. That kind of thing really freaks me out. They get taken too far.

Conspiracy theories also devalue things. Take the moon landing for instance, it was a really cool thing. Some guy went up to space and walked on the moon. If people say that the moon landing didn’t happen that erases all the effort the scientists put into sending him up to the moon. People worked incredibly hard to make that happen and now y'all are just gonna ignore their work. Like, now scientists are saying that it might be possible to live on Mars, how can we move to Mars if we’ve never landed on the moon? There’s a conspiracy that sug-

Jack Taylor

Fighting for truth

n today's world, sometimes we need to laugh, and conspiracy theories can offer great humor and relief; there's something comically absurd about you and your friends connecting that the reptile base on the dark side of the moon (which is really a hologram) controls bigfoot, who is secretly working for the FBI and the church of scientology. (If I mysteriously disappear after this article, you guys will know that i'm onto something here.) There's also something inherently entertaining about watching people who actually believe this stuff try and make some unreal points. If you want to simultaneously laugh, while also being concerned for humanity’s future, watch some flat earth videos on Youtube. And while they may not lay into the range of full out, ”the moon

Will Oviatt/PEPPERBOX

Noah Waterhouse challenges those who don’t believe conspiricies. isn't real, reptile people run the fortable version of reality where planet” conspiracy theories, there all “truths” are final is to be giving is a need to be skeptical in the us the ultimate diservice: that of world that we live in today. While allowing complacency. Question obviously the earth isn't flat, there (almost) everything. are still valid reasons to be skeptiYes, there is obviously a dark cal of what authority tells us. sort of rabbit hole that you can Many truths that have come out fall down. The basis of most conover the years would have seemed spiracy theories is that it involves like the ravings of some crazy lu- using a couple of things that seem natic if you had predicted them as sort of rational, and then twisting they happened. facts and conventional, rational Humans are skeptic by nature, logic in order to paint a picture. If and to allow ourselves to lose this you aren't able to sort facts from gift by the bleak monotony of nonfacts, the clear picture could modern life and fall into a com- become convoluted, and you could

gests that we are living in a simulation and that life is a video game/ dream. This I think is the most outrageous conspiracy theory out there. It is ridiculous to think that everything you experienced, every up and down is going to disappear as soon as you wake up. It’s not. This is real life. Conspiracy theories seem to be a kind of outlet for people who are not happy in their outside lifes. They make your life a little more interesting and mysterious. Whether they’re something for you to joke about or actually make you ask yourself what is real and what’s not, they exist and sometimes they do more harm than good. I’m not saying that using your imagination or questioning things is bad, but when you take that too far it's pretty bad. be the next person that argues in instagram comments about how “if the earth was really round, why wouldn’t the people in australia fall off?”. That is the unfortunate downside of conspiracy theories. Many logical, intelligent people have gone down the rabbit hole, letting themselves believe what isn't true. If you find yourself doing this, then perhaps it's time to take a long, hard think about what you really believe, and think about things rationally. And, at the end of day, we each subscribe to our own personality on conspiracy theories. From the middle school girl convinced that her friend is really trying to steal her boyfriend of three days, to the president of the United States conveying that climate change is an elaborate hoax created by the Chinese, we are naturally curious, and we subscribe to these beliefs because they satisfy our curiosity and skepticism. And maybe, just maybe, there are lizard people.

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Conspiracies

The Pepperbox | Page 13

OOOOOOH “Big Media” Scary Fiona Murphy Person who understands news

here is no “Big Media” conspiracy. Boom, I said it. Now, I could go on and on about the history of press in this country and the inherent distrust that comes with it, but that’s really not fun for most people to read about. Instead, I will just jump into the nonstop rant I always have entangling my mind whenever someone says “the media.” Over and over, I hear people refer to the media as some singular mass. As if it is one small group of scheming oligarchs that control all the newspapers and all the TV programs and all of the radios and all of the apps and all of the magazines in the United States. If a media organization runs a story someone disagrees with, it becomes a plot. A plot to discredit a presidential can-

Fiona reads the opinion section.

didate, a plot to destroy a career. This pattern is not isolated to one side of the political spectrum. Yes, Trump is very anti (some) media, but I hear nearly identical sentiments from the far left. First, I want to address the idea that it is all done for ratings and clicks. Get this: you can’t have media without people who consume it. So yes, ratings and clicks are a consideration when organizations run stories, because, if the story doesn’t get seen, it is not a story. One must also draw a line between opinion articles and literally everything else. Pretty much any media organization will have both. The opinion section is not part of a scheme to sully one person or thing or whatever. The section will most definitely have opinions you don’t like, because other people have other opinions. The other consideration that might blow your mind is that the opinion section is completely separate from everything else. People who write

there are not writing your news. It has its own labelled section for a reason- nobody is claiming that it's unbiased news. Here’s another bit of important information: money has very little play in what stories are printed. Yes, newspapers run on advertising money, but no, it does not control what stories they run. The advertising team is a whole different world from the newsroom. Harvey Weinstein’s company used to advertise extensively in the New York Times. Who broke the story on his sexual harassment and assault? The New York Times. Use your brain. The people who write for most newspapers DO NOT answer to adverstisers. There is also a difference between actual, credible news sources and things like blogs, talk shows or obviously skewed publications. Jennifer Berube taught all of us how to tell the difference. Breitbart is not news. The View is not news.

Fiona reads the news section. Fiona knows the difference between opinion and news and doesn’t complain that the media is trying to brainwash her.

It is up to you to tell the difference and not whine when someone says something mean. I have met a substantial amount of journalists who work for large media organizations. I have read and researched this life for a pretty long while. Each person I have met, or read about, has had one thing in common: a love and passion for the truth. Media organizations run on people, real people, who make individual choices. Yes, sometimes people mess up, maybe they run a story that doesn’t properly represent the situation, maybe some opinion slips into a news article. These are human mistakes, not a damn conspiracy to twist the truth. The media is not trying to brainwash you (for the most part). Yes, there are gross, angry, untrustworthy areas of media, but the vast majority is comprised of people who signed up for sleepless nights and impossible decisions because they want to tell the truth.

Photo courtesey of FIona’s Mom

The Pepperbox | Page 14

Conspiracies

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Fog, trees, mountains, and killers? Zelda Geren

Watches Buzzfeed Unsolved

umboldt county is a bubble. We are about three hours in any direction to any other major cities, and that drive is a hard winding one. This fact makes a gorgeous local for hiking and adventuring, but it is also a perfect candidate for illegal activities. We are known for our drug market and our per capita crime rate is shockingly high in relation to many other counties in California (although that's mostly referring to property crime). With countless forests, six rivers, and ocean, there is an abundance of unexplored or uninhabited areas, as well as towns few outside of the area would know about. While Humboldt has a small-town feel, there are enough people in town for killers to go unnoticed and fly under the radar. Seems like the perfect place to hide if you ask me. I see so many places throughout my day that could easily be home to someone or something that doesn’t want to be found, and there's no way I, or anyone else around here,

would ever find it. Humco is fairly isolated now, but just imagine how it must've been a few decades ago. A rural, beautiful bubble with plenty of places to dump bodies and of course lots of weed. Robert Durst is an infamous NYC real estate heir who allegedly killed three people and hid out in Trinidad for several YEARS. While he was never charged for the murder of any of those people, he is the suspected killer and drew enough attention to become the subject of HBO’s documentary series The Jinx. With the number of unsolved cases around here, having a known killer in the area makes an easy answer for unanswered questions. So, when a sixteen year old Eureka High School student disappeared in 1997, Durst was quickly a suspect, although he was never charged as a body was never found. If he was ever found responsible for this death, maybe he is responsible for some of the other disappearances that have happened up here since then. His trial is coming up for the murder of his wife and he no longer resides in Trinidad, but it makes you think

about who else might be using the rural landscape to keep out of the public eye. In 1998, a man walked into the Humboldt County’s sheriff’s office with a severed breast in a plastic bag in his pocket and confessed to killing four women. His name was Wayne Adam Ford and he is one of the more infamous Humco killers. He confessed to killing the four women and disposing of their body parts in various locations around the state. I couldn’t get any more information on where exactly. There are a few examples of serial murderers living in the hills of southern Humboldt. There was a couple who moved there and killed several people, believing they were hunting witches and ridding the world of evil energies. While they are the only confirmed serial killers I could find from Sohum, there are hundreds of missing persons.

Anyone who has seen Murder Moutain on Netflix or has taken note of the large number of missing persons in Sohum probably assumes there are lots of murders in the area. This conspiracy hasn’t been proven one way or the other and Murder Mountain has some issues by local standards but the large number of missing persons leads locals to suspect something going on. Personally, my money is on a serial killer. So many people move to Humboldt in search of trimming jobs or others related to the weed, imagine how easy it would be to pick up victims in Garberville. Half-desperate trimmigrants would probably go about anywhere you told them they could work. Sounds like a murderer’s dream to me. Also miles and miles of forest to dump bodies in. Just saying, a serial killer could do a lot worse than Humco.

Courtesey of Murder Mountain

Murder Mountain brought eyes to the disappearances in HumCO

The dense trees could be perfect places to hide bodies.

Pepperbox 2018

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Conspiracies

The Pepperbox | Page 15

Space: Real, fake, simulation? Tommy Robinson Reliable source of information

hen you look up at the stars each night, do you believe what you see or is it just a government projection? Is space fake? Are birds real? Maybe not. They could be drones controlled by the government spying on our every move, recharging on telephone wires. Literally any basic logic would say that space is real but you never know, right? To be honest though, space could be fake. It could all be fake and we could be living in a simulation created by

our future selves to save the human race. Many scientists have toyed with the idea that we are living in a simulation, including the GOAT Elon Musk who extensively talked on this subject while on Joe Rogan’s podcast. "If you assume any rate of improvement at all, then games will be indistinguishable from reality, or civilization will end. One of those two things will occur," Musk said. "Therefore, we are most likely in a simulation, because we exist." If you can comprehend the idea of us existing in a simulation you probably don’t think that space isn’t real. Most space deniers seem to think that there is a grand conspiracy behind space

which includes everything from the Cold War to reptilian overlords including the likenesses of Hilary Clinton or even the Kardashians. Is seeing believing? I guess not. The stars are just really big glow in the dark bouncy balls placed by the reptiles. The sun is a giant fleshlight installed by the reptilians attached to the sphere around the flat earth. The moon is obviously made of cheese. It looks like cheese, so it's probably cheese. Space is probably not fake but you can never know until you go. I hope space is real so that Elon can send me to conquer Mars, but if it isn’t and the world is controlled by reptiles or we are living in a simulation, that's cool too.

Is Area 51 an alien hotspot? The government doesn’t want you to know

Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX

A possible moon simulation.

Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX

Writing by Gabe Sanchez Art by Lilli Bowman, Marisa Mendosa and Fiona Murphy

The Pepperbox | Page 18

Controversies

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

The fantastic, very good water Ruby Langdon

Pro-Spicy Water

ater is lovely, it’s refreshing, nice, and you need it to survive. Sparkling water is just taking that essential drink of life and giving it new, fresh pizzazz. Sparkle is one of the most vivacious things you can add to your life. Adding that to something as essential as water? Absolutely genius. My poetic exposition sets up my opinion pretty clearly: I think bubbly water is wonderful. It’s more exciting than regular water but not as crazy as soda. It’s not sweet or sugary and the flavor isn’t too intense, but that’s because it’s not supposed to be a soft drink. It’s sparkling water. It’s its own thing. I’m not a violent or eccentric person, but I like the excitement that all those little bubbles bring to my water.

I just do not understand when people say it hurts or is nasty. There is nothing gross about it! It’s just fizzy and has a little bit of flavor. How can it be too bland yet still be “too aggressive” at the same time? It doesn’t hurt, you're just a baby. I cried during the Muppet Movie, and yet I’m not so sensitive that I think carbonated water is attacking my mouth. It’s just a little bit of carbon dioxide in your water. It's fun and sparkly! Bubbly water is healthier than soda and it’s far more exciting than regular water. People will try to convince me that it’s destroying my teeth because of the slight change in pH, yet it’s been proven by the American Dental Association that your teeth know water is just water even if it’s carbonated. The acidity is so slight it doesn’t ac-

tually do anything to your teeth, so if that’s your point, it’s invalid, and you are wrong. There are so many misconceptions about sparkling water being bad for you, but it’s not. In fact, it’s recommended for travel. The increased acidity level actually kills bacteria, so for brushing teeth and

Marisa Mendosa/PEPPERBOX

drinking on trips it’s slightly more sanitary because water contamination isn’t uncommon during travel. Obviously, it’s not an incredible magic difference, but it’s still pretty cool. “In many ancient cultures, people believed that bathing and drinking sparkling water would help cure diseases,” shared David Treybig on Five Guys Facts. In my experience writing this article, I’ve found that the carbonated water haters to be far more aggressive than those that like it. I definitely don’t think that people who dislike bubbly water are human scum. I understand that they don't want to embrace it for what it is; they’re either expecting it to be soda or plain water. Not everybody has to like it, but just please don’t suck the joy out of my life just because I want party water.

The no good, very bad water Marisa Mendosa

Hates Pizazz

ater is one of the best and most refreshing drinks. The moment when you open your water bottle and take a sip is one of the best feelings ever. But imagine craving a nice cool glass of water and someone hands you a can of bubbly water: the opposite of refreshing. It is, as junior Sabrina Wilson calls it, “Angry water.” It’s true that sparkling water can be a healthier alternative for someone who drinks a lot of soda. But is it necessarily a good alternative? If you want to find an alternative for water or soda, seeing all of the bubbly water options can be overwhelming. There’s seltzer water, club soda, sparkling mineral water, tonic water, and many more. They’re not always even

Ruby Langdon/PEPPERBOX

healthy alternatives. If you choose club soda, there are 94 milligrams of sodium per 16 ounces of liquid, according to livestrong.com. Bubbly water is a silent source of added sodium that is unnecessary for one’s health. Carbonation also has its side effects. The extensive carbonation in

bubbly water can cause bloating. In addition, it can also cause abdominal pain and gas. And when you drink a soda, you anticipate all the bubbles that go through your system. “Carbonation tastes like angry little men biting and kicking your mouth with an appalling amount of energy,” Wilson adds. “Regular drinking water is pure and refreshing and doesn’t overwhelm your taste buds like bubbly water does,” Junior Meiwan Gottschalk explains. “If you want to bring me bubbly water, ask me if I want bubbly water, and I’ll say no.” Additionally, bubbly water comes in plastic bottles or aluminum cans. Buying bubbly water produces an excessive amount of waste that water from the tap avoids. (Also don’t buy bottled wa-

ter, tap is fine.) Some people believe hating bubbly water is irrational, an invalid opinion. When you are expecting the cool thirst-quenching flow of water, but the excruciating pain when the carbonation explodes in the back of the throat, it is the absolute worst. You expect happiness and instead get pain and death. Bubbly water and soda? What’s the difference you ask? A LOT! Sugar, mainly. But I’m aware of the amount of sugar in a soda. If I reach for a soda instead of water, I’m going for the sugar, not the carbonation. “It's disgusting, it's bitter!” Wilson describes it. “It’s like soda but without all the good stuff!” When choosing a drink, regular water, soda, juice, literally anything but bubbly water is a better option.

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Controversies

The Pepperbox | Page 19

Post death albums: Painful or perfect? Zelda Geren

Knows Music Things

Gabe Sanchez

Also Knows Music Things

hen an artist dies, what should happen to their music? A question asked by many but with no simple answer. Should the music die with the artist? Or lived on? Here’s what we think... Are you in support of post-death album releases? Zelda: Not really. If the artist wanted the music to be released, it would have happened or have been in motion at the time they died. I think a lot of the time it’s for the benefit of people other than the artist which is disrespectful. Gabe: I think that almost any artist would want their music to go to their fans so I am in support, keeping in mind there are circumstances that would change my opinion. Have any of your favorite artists died/are there any albums or music released after their death?... How do they make you feel? Zelda: A lot of artists I love have died fairly recently. I’m not gonna say I don’t listen to the post-death releases, because I do, but many of those songs were probably never intended to be released. For example, XXXTentacion’s first release after his death, in my opinion, sucks. The most recent release of his, I actually love a lot of the songs, but many of them were taken from SoundCloud meaning that he already released them. The same is true of Lil Peep, the songs that I have loved for a long time on SoundCloud and YouTube are available on Apple Music now, which is great, but somewhat unnecessary. If we're talking about Mac Miller, I was very sad when he died and I heard a rumor that he was working on a follow-up album to Swimming when he died. The fact that Circles was released is far from an issue in my mind because he worked on it and he wanted it to be released, not some family member or producer making the decision after he died. Gabe: In the case of an artist like the beloved Mac Miller, the music that was released after his death was music that he intended to re-

lease and it ended up being an amazing album. With an example like XXXTentacion, I agree with Zelda, it was not necessarily music that he meant for the public to hear. It was music that was arguably put out for profit which is absolutely the wrong reason to release a dead artist's music. If you were an artist what would you want to happen to your music after you die? Zelda: Any projects I was working on I would want finished by my collaborators and the money should go to them and my family. Other than that, I wouldn't want any of my other music out. Gabe: If there was music that I was in the process of making or was waiting to release to the public, than that's where I would want it to go. I would also be okay with someone trusted finishing something that I may have started, but the one thing I would not want is for someone to release music that I was not planning on releasing or use my work for their own profit. Who gets the money from the release of the music? Zelda: The family and other artists that collaborated with them on that music BEFORE they died should get the money. Gabe: The money should go to their family. Are there any circumstances in which your stance on the subject changes? Zelda: If the artist intended for a project to come out, and their death interrupted the release or completion of the project then it should be released, otherwise I think it should not be released at all. Gabe: If the music is being released for profit instead of for the artist, then it should not be released at all. In my opinion the only music that should be released is that which the artist intended to release prior to their death. Album covers courtesey of their respective owners

From top: Falling Down by Lil Peep and XXXTentacion was released posthumously and is now Lil Peep’s highest charting single. Circles was released after Mac Millers death in 2018. Pearl by Janis Joplin, also posthumous, was number on Billboard 200 for nine weeks.

The Pepperbox | Page 20

Controversies

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Astrology: Awful or artful? Will Oviatt Scorpio

ou know how they used to use stars to navigate the earth accurately hundreds of years ago? Well astrology is kind of like that, except instead of navigating, it’s trash. And then instead of accurately, it is an even larger, glistening, pile, of (Fiona wouldn’t let me finish this). In true substance, there’s nothing wrong with practicing your faith in astrology. whether for recreational purposes, or the “useful” aspects of it. Everyone’s entitled to engage and believe in whatever. I won’t deny that. Even if it’s sucking on toes. However, astrology is incredibly dumb, and that’s not an opinion. Astrology is factually inaccurate and disproven. It has been debunked a plethora of times, and serves only to make breadsticks feel unique/special because they’re an “Aquarius”. We sat down and spoke in preparation for this column with a couple local astrology enthusiasts. And it revealed that while disagreeable, the majority of the planet-cult is quite pleasant and normal. There is an absolutely despicable minority of the community though. Individuals that will judge people strictly off signs, and people that will justify their awful behaviour with planetary alignment. “Hey Brittany, I just burned down a house because I’m an Aries, lets go do tarot cards to predict my sentence”. Ok, I’m kidding there, that’s too extreme. Obviously that’s something a Scorpio would do. Personally, I wouldn’t want to go

anywhere near myself either, but when someone won’t interact with me because I was born at the end of October, that’s a bit insane. People will say, “But oh, this sign totally perfectly encapsulates me.” Well first put down your caramel frap, and then realize that the signs are so vague, that they can apply to anyone. Example, the first definition of Cancer says they’re “self protective”. Are you telling me the rest of the signs will willingly hurl themselves off a bridge? That would get

Are you telling me the rest of the signs will willingly hurl themselves off a bridge? me on board with astrology, but I think almost EVERYONE is self protective. Then follows the suck up attributes. “Libras are great listeners” Like yeah, if a sign said that I was “capable of being loved” I would probably convince myself it was real too. But ultimately it’s people valuing anything that can give them individuality, ignoring that it’s just how they want to feel. I would like to emphasize that this is about the minority of the community, almost every believer I know is delightful, and the ones that aren’t are that way for completely unrelated reasons. Just have a little common sense before you go basing your whole life off where the starts happened to be on your birthday.

Martina Mapatis Pisces

ust be mindful not to get talked into dating someone because you feel sorry for them, sweet Pisces!”, the Cosmopolitan Snapchat discover story advises me. I’m a strong-willed person, not a push-over who gets talked into things, so I reject that advice. Why I thought something on Snapchat would be reputable, I don’t know. Do you? If so, your view on astrology is most-likely skewed. Astrology is the study of the position of astronomical bodies and how they interact with each other. These interactions are thought to affect peoples’ personality, feelings, and environment, based on when they were born. To give a few examples of the science of it, there are some key astrological terms. Natal charts map the stars and planets at the time of your birth, houses are the 12 sections divided from the natal chart, the cardinal points, the houses that most affect your personality, houses 1, 4, 7, 10. A zodiac sign is based on the month and day of birth. You have your sun and moon sign and your ascending and descending sign. There’s even a way to answer a specific question by composing a specific natal chart through horary astrology. Granted, it is a pseudoscience, but also an actual study of the planets and the stars that is taken very seriously by many people, including myself. It may come as a surprise, but astrology is more than an old Arcata woman that smells of incense, and practically lives in long skirts, those patchwork hoodies, and

Keens. Many believers fit into this stereotype, but it’s most likely because those who are open minded accept and advocate for other freeform or unconventional systems. I consider myself one of the non-stereotypical believers. I’m not the type to plan my weeks around what false suggestions are written in the media or reject possible relationships because Venus isn’t rising in December. I like facts: math and science are receivers of my utmost respect. Most of the time my actions depend on logic instead of emotion, despite the fact that my sign is supposed to do the opposite; so I acknowledge that not all aspects of astrology are completely accurate. Many feel that their personality doesn’t match the attributes of their sign. They’re probably only focusing on their sun sign, the one that people most refer to when talking about their zodiac. If you found a website or someone that could put together your entire birth chart, you’ll find that you share many similarities with the prediction. Birth charts can include your personality, mood, how your childhood was, what people in your life are most important, struggles that you have or will come across, where you will be successful, etc. People I’ve known have been surprised at the accuracy of their birth chart, even to the point where it evoked emotion. It can be pretty interesting, to see how accurate predictions made by the stars can be. We just need to keep in mind that the ways knowledge is spread and by who can be a misrepresentation of the knowledge itself. Wow, look at me, my insightful Pisces is coming out.

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

The Pepperbox | Page 21

Controversies

Dealing with the death penalty Caledonia Davey

Reporter

ontroversial topics rampage our everyday lives in America. Families are split down the middle by screaming matches over which football team to cheer for, which singer deserves a Grammy, and which president to vote for. More than one divorce has been directly caused by what box a significant other checked on the 2016 ballot. Almost every single conversation revolves around yay or nays on universal health care, border walls, war, and so much more. And everyone, even Grandma Betty, has an unwavering stance on one of the two sides. For the most part, I also take stances on these topics. An opinion is very easy for me to form because of the world I have grown up in. I don’t know if I have ever been anything other than a progressive leftist because almost every person that surrounds me and has influenced me also has that same mindset. For the most part, the controversial issues of our country have seemed not so controversial to me because I have been conditioned to think a certain way, and find certain things important, and have never once questioned my own opinions. However, one controversy still remains within my mind. The death penalty. The death penalty has been a point of serious argument for years, and has yet to be agreed upon. It seems most arguments coming from either side are pretty logical, making it extremely difficult for one side to persuade the other into agreement because, essentially, both are right. So what are the arguments? Those who want to keep the

death penalty around have two main arguments. First, it’s plenty cheaper for taxpayers to fund the death of a criminal instead of funding their life sentence, which of course requires funding food, healthcare, and so on to keep them alive. This, to some extent is true. According to the Los Angeles Times,

gument that for many families of victims of murder, the death penalty gives them closure and makes them feel like justice has been served. Those who oppose the death penalty argue that first of all , you can’t take it back. People are sometimes thrown into prison for crimes they didn’t commit and when the

Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX

Is the risk of killing a wrongly convicted person worth ridding the world of predators? the drugs used in execution cost about $84, while according to the Vera Institute of Justice, taxpayers pay about $31,000 per inmate, per year. With 162,000 U.S. inmates serving life sentences right now, that’s a lot of money. The other argument has to do with justice. An eye for an eye. Many people believe that if a person commits heinous crimes, like murder, they should recieve a sentence that equates to the severity of the crime. There is also the ar-

punishment of death is present, innocent people can be executed for crimes they didn’t commit. In 2004, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the murder of his three daughters. After he was killed, further evidence proved he was indeed innocent. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 167 former death-row prisoners have been exonerated of all charges and set free since 1973. That is 167 people who were wrongly convicted and

would have been executed if they had not fought for better legal representation that more aggressively fought for their innocence. Second, there’s no humane way to kill. Evidence appears to be mounting against lethal injections, arguably the most humane way to kill. In 2006, Angel Nieves Diaz’s execution took over 30 minutes and two injections. Doctors claim that it is likely he felt pain, but they do not know for sure. Until this summer I had been leaning towards the side of keeping the death penalty. I always thought of murderers as monsters, almost sub-human. To me, to be human requires the possession of humanity. To an extent, I still feel that way. I also still feel that humanity can’t be reinstilled in a person through the rehabilitation processes of prison. However, the fact that innocent people have been and will continue to be executed leads me to question my original leanings. Over the summer I watched a docuseries on the Central Park Five, a group of black teenage boys who were bullied by racist, white cops into pleading guilty for a crime they did not commit. This plea landed one of the boys on death-row at just sixteen years old. After decades on death-row, he was finally exonerated. However, he could have just as easily been executed before they found evidence proving his innocence. He could have been executed for a crime he did not commit simply because of the racism that still resides in our country. That is a possibility I personally am not willing to let live. To me, certain criminals do deserve the death penalty. However, because of the possibility for human error in correctly identifying a criminal, the death penalty is too dangerous to keep around.

The Pepperbox | Page 22

Feature

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

What is HumCo: 1st impressions Iris Mahony-Moyer Reporter

umboldt County is an undeniably awesome place to live. You can’t beat the views, living between the redwoods, and the rocky California coastline. However, when you live less than three miles from the place that you were born, it’s easy to take it all for granted. And can you blame me? My first impressions were formed as an infant. It’s hard to maintain the same enthusiasm when you’ve had a lifetime of it. I have always felt I was denied the experience of getting to see Humboldt for the first time. What would I think about the Plaza residents, the Kinetic Sculpture Race, or Larrupin if I hadn’t grown up with them? To really get in touch with the Humboldt first-timer experience, I decided to live vicariously through

Iona Mahony-Moyer

$1 $7 $7 losbagels.com

some newcomers. Senior and exchange student Catherina Nina, who goes by Nina, hailing from Indonesia, was accustomed to a city environment, so the rural, natural setting of Arcata was different for her. When asked what the biggest difference between Humboldt and her city, Surabaya, she said enthusiastically, “Trees!” The landscape around us plays such an important role in the lives of most Humboldt residents, and that was especially noticeable for the newcomers. Junior Thomas Spengler, a student on exchange from France, noted that where he is from, outdoor recreation is not as emphasized. “We don’t really go outside very much,” he said. Senior Zander Whalen, who moved to Humboldt as a junior, described that the way people interacted with nature in Kentucky was much more, “male dominated, going out, doing crazy things and conquering nature,” than simply being a part of it. Aside from the physical climate, the political climate was also an adjustment. Whalen noted that since moving here, the biggest differences he has encountered have been “the weather, the political views, and the social climate, even within just our peer community.” Both Nina and Spengler echoed that, saying that what stood out to them most about many people here was how liberal and open minded they were. For many people, Northern California means San Francisco, so it's always interesting to hear what people’s expectations were before moving to Humboldt, which is essentially as far North as you can get (Del Norte County is fake). In Nina’s case, she was definitely visualizing something more like the Bay Area, and was taken by

surprise by how we basically live in the country. However, when Whalen visited here for the first time, he described it as seeming like “THE California.” The style, the weather, and the “loose” attitude embodied the California spirit he had imagined. It is hard to escape the weird and uniqueness of Humboldt County. Spengler, a gifted musician, loves the artistic community that exists here. He specifically talked about going to the Sanctuary, a non-profit creative center aiming to “connect people with resources, experiences, ideas, and each other.” This type of relaxed environment, where you can go to a small concert, make a ceramic bowl, or learn about Côte d'Ivoire, Africa, through dance, is definitely a special one. One might argue that you haven’t truly lived in Humboldt until you’ve played hacky sack with the plaza people, had a stranger streak past you in the middle of winter, or seen weed growing out of the sidewalk. Whalen told me the strangest thing he’s seen was “a very large man, holding a crate of tomatoes, with no clothing on, I think with a pipe in his other hand, just walking around.” Pretty par for the course around here. Not surprisingly, there was also a common theme in the weird experiences. Junior Linda Carlson, from Seattle, Washington, recounted the time she was shopping, and having a man behind her, “with no teeth, smoking a joint, in the Walmart checkout.” I will forever be surprised when meeting people who just come here to vacation, but always have to remind myself that however you end up here, whether you came on exchange, moved for work, or simply wandered in, it's a pretty great place to be.

A&E

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

The Pepperbox | Page 23

Beauty icons, inside and out

decided to write this piece to give credit to people that make Arcata High an enjoyable Thalia Godinez place. Digital Team I chose these people because they are fun, stylish, and have very outgoing personalities. I asked the people around me and we agreed on these three, because to be an icon you have to leave a memorable impression on others and these people definitely do.

Zander Whalen, Senior @zvnderwhalen:

Zander is an amazing photographer and fashion icon extraordinaire. He completely agrees that he's an icon, replying “of course,” when asked. When questioned as to why, he explained that he isn’t from here, which gives him a different perspective. He describes his aesthetic as young, foreign, and, “white trash, like Elizabeth Grant. If they know they know, keep that in there!” His icons include Lana del Rey, “crazy people,” and his closest friends. He aspires to “be comfortable,” job wise, and become a photographer and work with people he likes.

Madeline “Henny” Johnson, Junior:

A super kind and honest individual that likes to help others. She both agrees and disagrees with the title of icon because “she can be in some ways.” She wants to do something related to writing, whether that is a rapper, or a journalist, in the future (tragically she is not in Pepperbox, but maybe someday). She describes herself as, “loyal, bad- in the good way, aggressive, kind and funny.”

All photos by Thalia Godinez/PEPPERBOX

April Cedargreen, Sophomore:

April is a super optimistic, fun- loving soul! “Hell yeah! I’m an icon,” she said when I asked her if she agreed upon being labeled as such. She’s really nice which she believes puts her on this list. She describes herself as “feminine, fabulous, icy and like weirdly protective.” She really wants to be a flight attendant because, “they are super cute.”

The Pepperbox | Page 24

A&E

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Habits and hobbies of Arcata High Lilli Bowman Graphic Artist

veryone has some sort of hobby that most people don’t know about. Some may be stranger than others. Here at school I learned some interesting stuff about people I know and just met.

Maya Mircetich, who is basically always updating me with music, told me, “I have to listen to music [an album] three differet ways to help me decide if I actually like it or not,” she explained, “I have to listen to it in the dark with the lights off with headphones, in the car, and in a social setting.”

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Seth Simmons has been seen around Arcata High riding his 5 foot unicycle, but was eventually stopped by Monge (of course). Seth told me “I’ve been unicycling for 9 years now, I was actually inspired by spongebob. I started with a

Pheona Worrell commented on a Pepperbox instagram poll where she responded to “What are your hobbies” with “taxidermy”. Obviously I had to look into that one. If you don’t know what taxidermy is, it is preserving an animal’s body usually by mounting or stuffing its body for display. Although her type of taxidermy is different than what you think. “I like to take dead bugs and preserve them in little bottles. I think they look really cool,” she explained. Pheona just started this new hobby in the last couple of months. “ I got the idea from instagram. I just put them around for a nice decoration,” she said.

small unicycle that I’d ride up and down the hall and then to a five foot unicycle and now a 26 inch which is bigger and can go faster.” How far does he stroll on his unicycling rides? “10 mile rides once or twice a month from Cutten into Eureka and the bike trails by the bay and back to my house.”

Photos and art by Lilli Bowman

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Hot bar review Levi Robbins Reporter

wo years ago, Wildberries underwent a massive renovation that included the construction of the now-famous Wildberries hot food bar. Little did the management know that this hot bar would become the destination of the entire Arcata High School student population. Every weekday from 12:20 to 1:00, hundreds of adolescents pour through the westward entrance of Wildberries, all rushing to grab a quick bite of food before class starts again. The cashiers probably fight over who has to take this shift; anything to avoid the 20 person lines that stack up behind each register. How is this grocery store able to attract such a large customer base? The answer lies in Wildberries’ proximity to the high school and their scrumptiously displayed hot food bar. Although the most popular for high school students, Wildberries is not the only grocery store with a hot bar to offer. For this article, I decided to only include hot bars that were within a drivable distance from Arcata High during its lunch period: Wildberries, Murphy’s (Westwood), the Arcata Coop, and Eureka Natural Foods (in McKinleyville). Starting with the closest to Arcata High, Wildberries’ food bar is a sight to be seen. The bar, containing a salad and hot bar, stretches 20 feet across the floor and is a rainbow of fresh veggies and delectable prepared food. What makes the Wildberries hot bar the number one choice for high school students is its easily accessible location and the many hot lunch options that are freshly available. If I had to pick one bad thing about this hot

A&E

bar, it would be the excess grease that can be frequently found in many of the dishes served. The Murphy’s hot bar is of a lesser-known status than its Wildberries counterpart, however, what it lacks in notoriety is made up for by its fried chicken. Fried chicken is something that I am very fond of, and Murphy’s market has rarely let me down in producing the best fried chicken that is available by food bar. One downside to the Murphy’s hot bar is the lack of variety that many of the other food bars have. Before I started working on this article, I was unaware that the Arcata Co-op even had a hot food bar; I soon realized why I had never heard about it before. Compared to the other food bars I was reviewing for this article, the Co-op’s feature is much smaller. It consists of a few prepared dishes and several warm soups as well. One thing I found the Co-op to do exceptionally well on was their soup. Excellently prepared, I found these soups to be the most flavorful and most excellently seasoned out of all soups I tasted for this review. The furthest from school, Eureka Natural Foods (in McKinleyville), is somewhere only driving students can go. However, it seems that students motivated enough to make the trip to this food bar would be rewarded with a superlative array of hot food items deliciously waiting to be scooped into a brown to-go container. Eureka Natural Foods (ENF), although the furthest away from Arcata High, is home to the best food bar out of those I was lucky enough to review. Particularly mouthwatering are the biscuits and gravy that the ENF staff bakes fresh every morning. These biscuits, warm and chewy on the inside, crispy and buttery on the outside, are the perfect start to a day worth spending.

The Pepperbox | Page 25

Eureka Natural Foods

Wildberries

Murphy’s Markets

Safeway

Levi Robbins/PEPPERBOX

The Pepperbox | Page 26

Opinion

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Two perspectives on Trump flags Madeline Lassiter-Chavarria

“

Axeri Ramirez

We just want to support our president!” “Why do other people get praised for being Bernie Sander supporters?” “Just because we vote for Trump doesn't mean we are racists.” “Why don't you support your president as well?” These are frequent comments, said by Trump supporters. “I could stand in the middle of fifth avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day. … I think that the guy is lazy. And it’s probably not his fault, because laziness is a trait in blacks. It really is, I believe that. It’s not anything they can control.” These are all quotes from President Donald Trump. Our president is dividing and separating us. “It’s like we're living in the same building but split into two floors,”Joyner Lucas, a song writer, said. When one votes for Trump, they are supporting him and his views. They are supporting his political ideas because if they don’t, they aren't truly supporting him. So when I see a Trump flag, I see all the racism that our president has brung upon us. I see possible conflict. I see possible white supremacy, a possible situation in which I leave without my life. It's quite interesting how white people say, “It's not about race,” but they are the same ones that benefit from the corrupted system that made them superior. They have zero clue of what it's like to be hated for their skin tone, and yet they want to talk about being hated for who they support! Yes I admit, I fear. White people do too. But, white people won't

ever feel the true fear that people of color undergo because systemically, it's impossible. Last week,we had the first Black Student Union assembly, in which we appreciate the unbelievable courage and strength for people of color, to protest against the white people who are treated as superior. Despite all the injustice and violence they endure, they continue to fight for equality. So, when a truck flew two big flags supporting a man who has made racist comments towards people of color, we felt like it was, “A protest to our protest, what kind of shit is that?” as Lucas said. The people that flew the flags deny any connection whatsoever to the BSU assembly that was occurring that day even though the school has been announcing Black History Month facts everyday, and stated that we were having an assembly for the BSU multiple times. Yet, they still decided to rally. This made it feel like there was a double meaning to the flags. The Arcata High administration’s quote of the year is: “We’re looking into it.” Arcata High students would go to admin first if we felt truly supported. News flash! We don’t. If they believe there is no racism in our school, how in the hell can I trust them enough to understand my point of view. Our school should get their heads out of the damn Milky Way and realize we need help. We need more action done than words. If they’re too scared to do something about it, they shouldn’t be surprised when students take it upon themselves to protect each other. We need more diverse people in our school admin. I’d rather have someone who knows exactly what I feel, than someone who pretends as if they know. We’re not all the same but we should at least be equal.

Riley Walsh

oogle defines “Tolerance” as “the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with” Having a cup of grape soda thrown on me and then flipping me off for having U.S. and Trump 2020 flags on my car seems to be the opposite of tolerance. Ty Vizenor’s article in the January, 2020, Pepperbox, where he interviewed me, noted “If you think they are wrong, debate them, prove them wrong if need be, however, do not attack anyone personally.” From my perspective, personal attacks, even physical violence, against those who hold conservative viewpoints, is common (antifa riots following Trump’s election, riots at UC Berkeley for having a conservative speaker, death threats against a Catholic high school student based on inflammatory news reports that proved to be false, and repeated vandalism of the Republican Party office in Eureka). What would happen to a conservative student for flipping off and throwing a drink on another student flying a “Bernie 2020” flag? All hell would break loose.Conservative students’ decision to have a Patriotism Day was not related to any other activity on campus. Actually, when I had the drink thrown on me, Mr. Navarre had just told me that a BSU assembly was starting, and some students felt disrespected, so I told him I would put the flags away. Then I received the “bird” and grape drink thrown on me while Mr. Navarre was standing there. I don’t believe support of Trump was disrespectful of any minority. Trump pushed and then signed the criminal justice reform First Step Act, which helps many African Americans receive leni-

ency or release for nonviolent crimes (Obama did not push this legislation despite having a super majority). Unemployment for minorities is at or near all-time lows under Trump’s policies. Trump launched over 8,700 opportunity zones to attract businesses into low income urban areas, primarily benefiting African Americans and other minorities. Within two months of taking office, Trump opened a White House office to assist Historically Black Colleges and Universities, provided HBCUs a permanent funding stream, and directed NASA to recruit HBCU students. Trump upgraded Dr. Martin Luther King’s burial site to a National Historic Park. If you disagree with someone’s political views, have a discussion. Our First Amendment protects the right to express differing viewpoints. Be careful of your sources. After the mass shooting in El Paso, Trump stated “In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated.” Yet when the New York Times headlined the related article as “Trump Urges Unity vs. Racism,” it received numerous complaints from left wing commenters and changed it’s headline. The left often quotes Trump’s statement there “were very fine people on both sides” in the Charlottesville protests, but carefully avoid reporting his full statement where he specified: “I’m not talking about the neo Nazis and the white nationalists----because they should be condemned totally.” A recent quote by actor Denzel Washington sums up the problem: “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do read it, you’re misinformed.” If you want to discuss different political viewpoints let’s have a discussion, and not throw a drink on me if we don’t agree.

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

The Pepperbox | Page 27

Opinion

The plus-size fashion problem Stella Walston Managing Editor

am fat. This is not a subjective statement. This is a fact- I am big. I wear plus-size clothes, airplane seats and most school desks aren’t kind to me, and back problems are forever looming on my horizon. I am not and probably will never be skinny. I am, for the most part, okay with this. Society will always be harsh to those who don’t fit into their size two standards, and it’s been that way for years. However, the absolute most disheartening, annoying, angering part of being fat comes in the form of a list. Brandy Melville. Urban Outfitters. PacSun. Hollister. Abercrombie and Fitch. Free People. What do all of these incredibly popular brands who cater to most teenagers have in common? Here’s the answer: they are discriminatory, sometimes size-shaming, and all around exclusionary towards anyone who’s plus-size. I have heard countless arguments defending this fact (funnily enough, none of them came from people who are plus-size. Imagine that), and I’m exhausted of it. “Not every brand can cater to every kind of body.” “There are whole stores for people who are plus-sized.” “Not enough people would buy it to justify a whole plus-sized line.” Hearing this from somebody who has no idea what it’s like to shop for clothes in a world that tells you that you’re disgusting for being physically bigger than other people makes my blood boil. Yes, brands actually CAN cater to every kind of body. Multimillion dollar clothing brands can sacrifice a sliver of their enormous profit so that everybody can have access to

clothes that fit them. Yes, there are stores that cater to plus-size people. Big whoop. Think to yourself for a minute how many clothing

and up. In 2015, 34% of teens said that they buy plus-size clothing. These are not small statistics. I’m tired of feeling ostracized for

brands there are that cater to “normal” sized people, and then think about how many plus-size clothing brands you can name. And the next one makes me really angryyes, actually, there are so many people who would buy plus-size clothing. In 2012, 67% of women in the US said that they wore a size 14

being myself. I’m tired of wearing the same clothes over and over and over because it’s so impossibly hard to find anything in my size. And there’s always a sacrifice- if it’s cute, it isn’t comfortable, if it’s popular, it doesn’t fit, and if it’s comfortable, it isn’t cute. And here’s the kicker- while it’s

Marisa Mendosa/PEPPERBOX

hard to be plus-size in any walk of life, I personally think that it’s even harder to be a plus-size teenager. The brands that cater to our age group (the ones listed earlier) are almost all, unfortunately, antiplus-size. There was a huge controversy that came out about the popular clothing brand Abercrombie and Fitch- who is very, very vocal against plus-size people. “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely," said Mike Jeffries, ex-CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch, in an article written by Salon. This is exactly what plus-size people are fighting against. Imagine walking into a store where people your age are shopping- people who you know and people who really aren’t that different from you- and you are refused the human necessity of clothing that fits you. Not only do they not carry your size, they dislike you as a person. They don’t want you in their store because you, as a fat person, are tarnishing their image. This is an enormous issue, and one that many people aren’t willing to fight. It’s fine and well to say, “that’s awful! Everyone should get equal options!” while reading this, but you’re still part of the problem if you turn around and go shopping at Brandy Melville next week. You’re a part of the problem if you advocate for plus-size fashion and still wear your PacSun tank tops. Even if you aren’t plus-size yourself, this is a problem that demands everyone’s help. Nobody should be told they aren’t allowed to wear the clothes they want because of their body. Ever.

The Pepperbox | Page 28

Opinion

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Outrage over 2020 graduation Zoe Reiss

News Editor

Skaidra Pulley Copy Editor

couple of weeks ago, the entire senior class congregated in the FAB for a presentation about Safe and Sober fundraising. Towards the end of the meeting, principal Dave Navarre mentioned that we would be holding our graduation at McKinleyville High School. This announcement was met with a chorus of boos and angry shouts. Upon seeing this reaction, Navarre asked those who were opposed to graduating at McKinleyville to raise their hands. Almost every single hand in the building was raised. So what’s the big deal about the location of graduation? We have held graduation at McKinleyville before… Four years ago, while the class of 2020 was struggling through P.E. and freshman biology, an announcement was made to the senior class. They were going to graduate at McKinleyville. Some seniors were angered, however, begrudgingly accepted because there was no other choice. Redwood Bowl was being renovated so graduation could not have possibly been held there. Four years later, this year’s seniors are being told the same thing. This time, however, graduating

It doesn’t make sense. It’s weird graduating on another high school’s field. - Eve Ashbrook

at Redwood Bowl is possible with cost as the only hurdle. “It doesn’t make sense,” said senior Eve Ashbrook. “It’s weird graduating on another high school’s field”. Complaints by seniors are mostly due to our experiences at the Redwood Bowl versus at Mckinleyville High. “Past McKinleyville graduations have not been as nice as the Redwood Bowl ones,” said Ashbrook. “[HSU] is super open, often sunnier and there’s lots of room for friends and family.” With this senior class having

Graduating at the Redwood Bowl is tradition at this point. I’m honestly disgusted by the idea of [graduating at McKinleyville High School. - Stone Boyer 216 students, this space will be highly needed to make a comfortable environment for all. “Graduating at the Redwood Bowl is tradition at this point,” said senior Stone Boyer. “I’m honestly disgusted by the idea of [graduating at McKinleyville High School]. They’ve been my rival for the last four years.” We’ve spent four years going to football games at the Redwood Bowl. Much better memories are associated with that field than McKinleyville’s. The experiences that our class has had at McKin-

Courtesey of Wikipedia Commons

A graduation at the Redwood Bowl, AHS students’ dream. leyville High have been when we have gone against our rivals in sports. Tradition seems to be another sticking point for many seniors. “Tradition is important and exciting,” Ashbrook blurted, “I’ve always envisioned graduating at HSU since freshman year.” The topic of aesthetics is also

Mortal enemies doesn’t even begin to describe the significance of the relationship we have with MHS, to end my high school career graduating there is bordering on disgrace. - Connor Olson

extremely important. The pictures and memories from this day that cumulate four years of hard work, stress, moments of joy, and most likely some moments of complete mental exhaustion, will live in memories for the rest of students’ lives. Past Humboldt State graduations have been so sunny that watchers get sunburnt. The last McKinleyville graduation was foggy, rainy, and overall fairly dismal and depressing. The Redwood Bowl has beautiful flowers, is much more protected from the elements, and has better acoustics. The class of 2019’s graduation was fairly foggy with light mist, and was still much more beautiful than the 2017 graduation at McKinleyville. Senior Connor Olson summed up most of the class’ sentiment in one quote: “Mortal enemies doesn’t even describe the significance of the relationship we have with MHS, to end my high school career graduating there is bordering on disgrace.”

Opinion

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

The parking problem

Quinceañeras over prom

Emillio Silveira

Diego Bazan

think that the parking is starting to get really overcrowded. The lot already seems to be full in the morning, so the only other places to park are across the street. The parking lot across the street gets really dirty because there are no trash cans so people just throw their trash in the bushes. I don't drive, but I can see that there's no parking at all when I get to school. People that park far away are most likely to get tardies because it is far from the school. More sophomores are getting their licenses because they’re turning 16 so the spots get filled up fast. This dilemma seems to affect students and not teachers because they have their own spots. Most of the time there's empty spots in the teacher’s lot but the school won’t let students park in that section. McKinleyville High School just got their parking lot re-done and that parking lot is never filled and overcrowded like ours, so maybe we need to redo ours. McKinleyville and Arcata High are in the same district so I see no reason as to why we shouldn't get ours fixed. Or at least try to gradually fix it piece by piece so we won’t have to close it. It's too small and has one exit that takes forever to get out of, especially when its lunch, you'll spend at least 5-10 minutes waiting to leave if you don't get in your car and try to get out the parking lot as fast as possible. People who drive bigger vehicles have a doubly difficult time parking because the parking spots are so tight. The Arcata High parking lot is starting to get full that it starting to get dangerous, especially with all the new drivers in recent months. Something needs to change.

y name is Diego Bazan, Reporter and member of The Pepperbox. I'm a little different than most of you. We might have some similarities like music, food, drinks, friends and family. At school dances, we have music all night just like you guys. But, there are some big cultural differences between Prom and Quinceañeras, and this the second is a lot better. Hispanic people have big dinners with lots of attendees, including family and friends. The music plays all night, non-stop, it’s live music from different bands and groups. It is really expensive, and can be up to $10,000 for five hours which is what my sister’s party cost. Our compadres help pay for it. My dad’s and mom’s compadres put $5,000 each. My mom’s best friend paid $2,000 for the Arcata Community Center.

Reporter

The Pepperbox | Page 29

Reporter

Compared to a traditional American prom dance, our quinceañeras have equally less and more freedom. It is a lot more fun . At a prom, there are principals, teachers and strict parents that want to volunteer. The security is there in your personal business all night. If you leave prom , you can’t go back. The dinner happens somewhere else and you have to pay for it yourself. The good thing about prom is that you get to see your friends having a fun time, making jokes. But, on the other hand, whatever happens at prom everyone knows about it because it is a closed party and there aren’t people from other schools unless they get invited. Really, the best thing about prom is the after party. It’s fun being with your friends at prom, but there are a lot of rules. At the Quinceañera, there are less rules. You get live music with famous bands. Prom is expensive but in Hispanic culture you go to a party and you are showered with music, candy, food and drinks all for FREE! The prom is expensive.

At a Quinceañera, since it’s a birthday, you do have to bring a gift but that’s really the only thing you have to spend money on. For my sister’s birthday, she got $1,600 from all her family and friends. There were people from all over the area, including Eureka, Santa Rosa, San Jose, Medford, OR, Washington, Vegas, and L.A. You meet people from all over. I prefer to go to a Quinceañera over prom because I already have the appropriate clothes to go to the party. I’m not a fan of tuxedos, and if you wear jeans and a dress shirt, it looks like you just don’t fit in. The “Tejana style” - cowboy hats, jeans, boots -is cultural and it is how we connect with our culture and it gives a good presence for your family. Everyone in the family dances, nobody sits down, and at prom a lot of people stand around. Although I like prom and hanging out with my friends, I think our parties are more accepting and welcome everyone with open arms and as one quinceañera. A dream is a wish your heart makes.

Welcome to spring of senior year!

Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX

The Pepperbox | Page 30

Opinion

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

The Humboldt County bubble Kamari Brown Copy Editor

umboldt. A county where the hippies, surfer boys, hipsters, sorority girls, environmentalist, wannabe gangsters, vegans, hicks and tweakers thrive being themselves. When it comes to Humboldt it’s a hit or miss; some people love it and want to stay here as long as possible, and some people would rather die before spending their whole life here. I’m one of those people. There is barely anything to do, it’s isolated, and behind in urban culture. If you are a city person, this is NOT THE PLACE FOR YOU. You will get looked at crazy walking around town in a fashion nova fit looking bad and bougie. One could say that the culture here is almost one of a kind . The farmers market held at the Arcata Plaza with, I wanna say hippies, but y’all will get offended so, ‘free spirits’ hula hooping, meditating, blowing bubbles, bumping some hippie hits and eating all organic everything with wood utensils. It’s for sure not my thing, but I don’t think it should change; it’s peaceful here, not too small, and in the middle of some nature that nobody can deny is beautiful, not even my negative self. I think the world needs more places like this where modest people go to live their best life so they can keep from me. But until then, Humboldt needs to grow in diversity, culture and city life as in things to do. I’m not going to come for your ways of living around here but it’s not hard to tell you guys have it real easy, there aren't any real ghettos. Coming from somebody who knows too much about that

kind of living, you guys are living too nice to have certain people from here talking about they’re from the ghetto, hard and in gangs, LMAO. One of my favorite staff at this school is Eileen Klima, also from a bad part of L.A. I’m glad somebody like her works at this school, especially as a counselor, to give the kids here somebody from the bottom and who’s been through things that give you a whole other type of mindset and who understands what kids are going through. “Living up here has been challenging but very rewarding as far as personal growth, I’ve gotten to get my education, raise my kids and get know the people and the community,” she said. “I like it here better than my hometown, I lived in a really poor section of L.A., there were drivebys, I’ve witnessed one, I could always hear gunshots at night on a regular basis, a helicopter was always on our block several times a night.” The culture between the two places, Humboldt and L.A. is very different. Klima had some thoughts. “It was very fast paced and had

plenty of diversity, which I think is wonderful, a lot more traffic and a lot of stress, a lot of stress. A lot of convenient things, it was so easy to get stuff and so much to do and a ton of stuff and opportunities. It’s sunny most of the time, and it’s pretty relaxed, not too much, but relaxed for a big city. They keep to themselves more than people here, like I’d go a whole day without seeing anybody I knew, unlike here,” she explained. She also saw some benefits to Humboldt. “I love the community down here. I feel like if there was some major crisis lots of people would come together to help each other, where in L.A. I don’t know if that would happen,” she said. L.A. and a ton of other places that are less rural that here are whole different worlds. You people here have a lot of advantages, like not having bulletproof glass over the streetlights so they don’t get shot out, not having metal bars covering all the doors and windows, the metal detectors you had to go through to get into school, being able to go anywhere, day and night time, in L.A. there’s places

the police won’t go, here I can take a walk to the gas station at 3:00 am and the worse thing that will happen is a bum walking behind me and yells, “Hey!” It irritates me that some kids here think they’re hard and gangsta when they’re from here and have never even seen a real ghetto or know what it’s like to have to live that lifestyle for real; Klima is my favorite because she agrees with me on that. “Another thing about L.A., growing up there you learn to be so self protective that it’s hard to let people in, you always gotta be very careful, gotta be aware of what’s going on who is around you and what's happening. You have to put yourself in a certain mindset to go into a big city, it's a feel, it’s a self protection. You kinda feel like you gotta be in survival mode if you're vulnerable you're gonna be a victim,” she told me. The joy I felt when I had this conversation with her was crazy, I finally met somebody who understood what I’ve had to hold in and keep to myself, having to be stuck here where it's a whole other world and community.

Humboldt County, surrounded by sketchy roads and trees, is a bubble.

Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX

The Saltbox The beastly Baja Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Opinion

The Pepperbox | Page 31

Things we’re salty about

The evils of 27.5 and 29

Iris Mahony-Moyer

Hated these since day 1

et me paint you a picture. The Subaru Outback, a mid size hatchback, a perfectly fine car. The creative minds over at Subaru looked at it and thought, “You know? This could be improved upon. How? Open air trunk.” From that, the Baja was born. You’ve seen them in passing, maybe not given them a second thought, but if you’re anything like me, you stopped dead in your tracks, and were awed by this monumental monstrosity. Production of the Baja premiered in 2002, and was discontinued shortly (and rightfully so) after in 2006. The Baja follows the concept of the BRAT, another Subaru “pickup”, which was discontinued in 1994. This car, however, had two rear facing jump seats in the

bed. Sick, right? I think that they would be a welcome addition to many other modern trucks. However, they are the only redeeming factor of this bizarre design. Why would they do away with this fun feature? The bed itself is only 42 inches long, limiting what can really be transported without opening the bed extender, a hatch into the cabin of the car. Kind of a cool idea, but it instantly does away with half of your passenger space, and lets in air and road noise. And for all the Baja owners who choose to put on camper shells? Congrats, you’ve made an abomination even worse. Essentially, you’ve taken a deconstructed Outback, and reconstructed it. In conclusion, the final product is undesirable, and ultimately has little more utility than a hatchback. Boycott Baja.

Jack Taylor Bike man

n the past few years, the mountain biking world has been taken over by an unrelenting and evil force. No, I'm not talking about chlamydia. I'm talking about something far, far worse. The beautiful gold standard of 26 inch tires has been degraded and mutilated by its evil step brothers, the 27.5 and 29 inch wheelbases. For as long as I can remember, 26 inch tires have been what mountain biking was all about. It's the ultimate in performance, looks, and in good times. As far as I'm concerned, all other wheel sizes are just easy cop-outs for lack of riding skills. Yes, my 26 inch can’t “monster

truck” through roots like your unwieldy beast of a 29er, but have you ever considered that perhaps there's some sort of skill involved with picking the right line and simply avoiding the massive rock. It pedals better? Congrats. You've officially entered the realm of being weak. Simply put, 29ers are a cop-out for insufficient riding technique. 27.5 is just a slightly less cowardly way to do the same thing. Not only is performance better on 26, but the fun factor is also so much more. Like many of you. I haven't been genuinely happy since 2012. You know what I was doing back then? Yep, I was doing park laps on my horribly short and heavy 26 inch wheel downhill bike. Perhaps we need more of that. Screw your “high performance”.

Positive saltbox: Lovely letters Fiona Murphy Old lady

etters. No, not the alphabet, while that does slap, I’m talking about actual put-it-in-the-mail letters. They are amazing. Heart stopping. Exciting. First, who doesn’t love getting mail. Don’t deny it, when your grandma sends you a letter its cool. Tearing open the envelope, seeing the goofy card. A joy like no other, even when there isn't money. But there is a whole other world of letters most people haven’t discovered. Or I guess rediscovered. Last year, I started exchanging

letters with my uncle. Long letters about life and death and hopes and fears. Opening those letters were more exciting than opening a letter that might have money in it, and that’s saying something. Those letters became like a journal to me. I am awful at journaling, I never know what to write and NEVER do it consistently, but with letters you have to. You have someone waiting. They are cathartic. There is such a difference between talking to no one and talking to someone. Yeah, that sounds dumb but I think you probably understand. I can pour my soul out to someone and not stress about the response

cause it will take at least a week! There is also a record of your communications and lifetime. Sure, texting is a record, but my texts are not something I would really want my kids reading. Actually, I think that’d be kinda fun. But there’s something special about letters. This summer, I happened upon a trove of letters my dad received over the years. He kept them, organized by person for over 20 years. Those letters are a treasure to me. They came from relatives I never met, and through the letters, I could meet them. Since this summer, my friend and I exchanged letters. The last

letter I received from her she wrote while I was going through a rough time. I got the letter a week later. The reminder of how I had felt and her loving and caring response was absolutely fantastic. Knowing someone loves you enough, not just to talk on the phone for an hour, but to write down that support and mail it is something else. There’s not much else I can say about letters. I love them. I will write pages and pages. Its therapeutic. I like it better than journaling. I highly recommend giving it a go. And I guarantee, your older relative who doesn’t understand phones will love it.