January 2017 Carlmont Highlander

The Highlander ...’til you make it Fake it January 2017 Vol VIII Issue IV

Carlmont High School — Belmont, California

Fake news epidemic spreads Megan Tao

Seventy-two students dead at Calmont’s Winter Formal.

Just kidding.

According to a survey, 30 percent of students prefer Popchips over baked Lays.

Oh wait, just kidding.

Even though the second statement sounds much more plausible and has the credibility of a survey to back it up, it’s still fake.

Most people can’t get information directly from the source, so they use media outlets such as news broadcasts, newspapers, news sites, or even radio podcasts.

“The role of journalism is supposed to mediate information.

Traditional media has editors, publishers, and professional standards that are able to provide services to people about the information. They also fact check and go to multiple sources,” said history teacher Linda Garvey.

The newest addition that most students and young adults use to keep updated on current events is social media.

“The main users of social media are people our age who are relatively naive to how politics actually works.

When you see something you like or are offended by, you’re more likely to share it because it invokes emotion.

I think [social media] is the one way

What is fake news?

Fake news is news that is based off of usually untrue allegations and published with the intent of pushing an agenda that may or not be true rather than factual content.

So how do you identify it?

Read first. Then share.

Check the source. Watch out for recycled stories.

If you care about facts, ignore the blatantly slanted.

Google it.

that fake news does actually spread,” said sophomore Kaylie Moropoulos.

Social media is all about sharing information, pictures, or ideas quickly and to a mass amount of people.

Fake news itself can’t do much harm without social media as its sharing vehicle. It only takes one person to share a questionable article with a clickbait headline on twitter, and before long, 5,000 people have retweeted that. More importantly, 5,000 people now believe in information that is not true.

“Fake news is kinda like clickbait.

Make some crazy story and pass it around the internet,” said math teacher Andy Ramroth.

Huffington Post tested the “clickbait theory” by publishing an article with the headline “Bernie Sanders could replace President Trump with little-known loophole.”

The article had nothing to do with the headline but illustrated how misinformation from fake news had become much more apparent during the 2016 election season. It tests the theory previously stated by using a clickbait headline that people would most likely share without reading the article.

“There was that whole pizza gate scandal with Hillary Clinton that a good percentage of people actually thought was true. I could see how that could affect an election,” said Ramroth.

According to The Washington Post, the increase in fake news during the election season was supported by a Russian propaganda campaign. Their goal was to sway the election in favor of Donald Trump by using social media and networks of websites to spread negative news about Hillary Clinton.

“I think [fake news] had a significant effect on the election. I think it affected the perception people had of the candidates and in some cases how people voted,” said Garvey.

Students learn about the U.S. government in high school so they don’t go out into the world uninformed, but one of the main problems with

See FAKE NEWS page 12

www.scotscoop.com

Twitter: @scotscoopnews

Surface impressions become truths

JORDAN HANLON

Brooke Chang From her Lulu Lemon leggings to her Dr. Marten boots, every part of her outfit comes with its own reputation.

As she walks down the hallway, her peers look at her in awe, aspiring to earn enough money to live as luxurious a life as hers.

Little do they know, she works every day after school and spends every penny she has just to pay for her next outfit.

Many people value appearance over authenticity; choosing to appear wealthy rather than save up their money and actually become wealthier.

In some cases, those who fake wealth by wearing nice clothing gain a higher social status in society and manage to increase their likelihood of achieving actual wealth.

Michael Kraus, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Yale School of Management co-wrote a study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology which showed that wearing clothes that give off a high social status increases dominance as

well as job performance.

Many believe that the effects shown in Kraus’ study stem from the common saying “fake it ‘til you make it.”

Rhea Subramanian, a junior, said, “If you are more confident, you’re more likely to succeed. Therefore, if wearing nicer clothes that you may not be able to afford makes you more confident because of the status it gives you, those clothes could actually be helping you to make your fake wealth a reality.”

Not only does this clothing increase job performance, but it is also proven to increase the probability of one being hired, promoted, or given a raise.

A man wearing a nice, tailor-made suit, when glanced at, has a higher chance of being hired and payed more than the same man wearing an average quality suit, according to a study co-written by psychology professors at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. Some believe that the idea of “dressing to impress” also has a strong effect on the

See FAKE WEALTH page 12

INSIDE THIS ISSUE NEWS CAMPUS COLLEGE FEATURES SPACE LIFESTYLE SPORTS OPINION ABUSE

2 3 4-5 6-7 8-9 10-11 13 14-15 16

Going “green” is going global

Complications of applications

Pioneering outer space

Students spread awareness of world benefits

The ins and outs of the college application process

This generation will be first to venture to Mars

(PAGE 3)

(PAGE 4)

(PAGE 8)

2 NEWS

January 2017

Bay Area housing market skyrockets Residents living in the Bay are forced to find new housing arrangements Hanalei Pham You live in a shack shared with four other people. Yet, your rent is astronomical.

In 2015, the median sale price for houses in the Bay Area was $1.1 million.

According to the California Realtors Association Housing Affordability Index, only 20 percent of residents living in the Bay Area can afford to pay that much for a home.

Belmont Mayor Charles Stone said, “[Today,] you cannot buy a family home without putting $200,000 to $400,000 down as a down payment and signing up for an insanely high mortgage. Even renting has become a challenge with apartment rents in the 3,000 to 4,000 price range. In short, Belmont is quickly becoming a place where Some people who cannot afford the Bay only the very wealthy can afford to buy or Area live in vans parked in the company rent a home.” parking lot, converted shipping containMany teachers have felt the strain of ers, or in illegal rentals. the Bay Area’s housing affordability crisis.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual report, San Mateo ranks as one of the five most expensive rental counties. Consequently, Carlmont has seen multiple teachers leave or consider leaving to more affordable Kiana George, a seventh grader at As housing prices continue to rise, many places.

In 2016, Carlmont English teacher Ralston, said, “Our class is behind. Every people have found innovative, borderline time a new teacher comes in, there is an legal, and sometimes illegal ways to Robert Colvig moved to South Korea.

Jason Liu, a junior, said, “At the end of introduction period, we don’t actually get continue to live in the area. This includes last year, Mr. Colvig explained to us that he to learn any math, and many of our courses living on boats, in the back of trucks, or in was going to move to South Korea. He had are repetitive. Our principal is trying to tents.

According to Business Insider, Pete received a job that paid him enough so that push back the Carlmont math placement he would be able to move back to back to test for the eighth graders because it is D’Andrea, a Google employee, and his the Bay Area in a few years and buy a house unfair for them to take a test when we wife Kara, spent nearly two years living in haven’t covered the material.” a van parked in the company’s parking lot, for his new family.”

In addition to teachers, many students and saving nearly 80 percent of their take-home Karen Goetz, a math teacher at Ralston young adults are pay. Another example is 31-year-old Luke Middle School, concerned about Iseman, who started a business converting has a similar they shipping containers to allow people seeking story.

Goetz “It is nearly impossible as a regular citi- where will live. Under affordable housing to live in them (illegally) resigned from zen of the Bay Area to actually afford a the current for $1,000 a month. her position and circumstances, The San Francisco Bay Area has become moved away down payment on a house.” it is difficult for one of the most expensive rental markets from the Bay young college in the county according to the Federal Area, according Maddy Li graduates to find Reserve Bank of San Francisco (FRBSF). to an email sent Junior a place in the However, affordability is only a symptom from Ralston Bay Area. of the Bay Area’s housing problem; the Principal “I grew up in the Bay Area and I’ve lived underlying issue is the inadequate supply Michael Dougherty when Goetz left the here almost my whole life. But with housing of housing. The disparity between the school mid-year.

Many schools around the Bay Area prices the way they are, I don’t know where housing production and the high level have had difficulties finding and keeping I will live after I graduate from college. It’s of demand has only been exacerbated by teachers as they move, due to high a little scary that I probably won’t be able the booming technology industry and the housing prices and the cost of living. to stay in this area. If I do stay around here, growing population in the Bay Area.

In an interview with FRBSF, Jane With teachers staying for only one or I know that I might have to work multiple two years, or in the case of Goetz, leaving jobs to afford it, and I will likely start off Kim, a representative of District 6 on San mid-year, the students’ education is by sharing an apartment with others,” said Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, said that junior Edison Bai. “in 2015, the Bay Area added 64,000 new negatively affected.

Village Food of Cambodia and Taiwan Phone: (650) 212-7550

Open every day except Tuesday

Address: 4300 S. El Camino Real San Mateo, CA 94403

Mon, Wed - Sun: Lunch: 11am - 2:30pm Dinner: 5pm - 9pm

ISABEL MITCHEL

jobs, most of them in Silicon Valley. But less than 5,000 new homes were constructed.”

From mayors to governors to affordable housing advocaters, many people are trying to find ways to solve the housing problems. California lawmakers have passed legislation for direct federal funding of teacher housing projects, according to the San Francisco Business Times.

“We have approximately 170 units either under construction or in the development pipeline and several potential projects in early stages. We also recently adopted an inclusionary zoning ordinance that requires for-sale development to include a certain number of affordable units,” said Stone.

Whatever the solution may be, steps are being taken to end the housing crisis. For teachers, low-income families who don’t know if they can afford to remain in the Bay Area and college graduates who don’t know where they will be able to live, there is hope that housing might become more affordable.

Stone said, “We understand that the younger generation growing up in the Peninsula is largely facing the reality of not being able to live in the area they grew up in. We’re trying to make policy decisions that allow at least some of you to have a fighting chance to do so if you wish.”

CAMPUS 3

January 2017

Going ‘green’ goes global

Becoming more aware in a materialistic world Celine Yang Imagine carrying around all of the trash that you produced in one day: the wrapper from the protein bar you ate for breakfast, the used napkin, and the plastic water bottle.

That’s what junior Risako Nozaki did. As a member of the Environmental Club, Nozaki participated in Project Green Challenge (PGC).

Each day for 30 days, she and several other members of a team took on various challenges dedicated to becoming more environmentally-conscious. They did more than carrying around their trash, however; other challenges included things like calculating their carbon footprint, finding products that are better for the environment, and implementing what they’ve learned into their communities.

The trash challenge was part of a day dedicated to learning about zero waste: the idea that all waste produced would go to compost or recycling instead of the landfill.

Beyond learning this fact, Nozaki saw the ripple effect that the challenge had on others.

“When they saw the bag [that I was carrying], people were asking me questions like, ‘Why are you doing that?’ Then I heard them talking about the waste that they produced that morning, so it made people more conscious,” said Nozaki.

These were the actions of one individual. At San Mateo High School, a Green Team is actively working to make their school

more environmentally-friendly.

For Sabrina Jin, becoming more environmentally-conscious was a natural choice.

Jin is a junior and president of the Green Team at her school. It acts like an environmental club, doing volunteer activities such as picking up recycling from classrooms twice a week and advocating for greater awareness.

Despite facing the difficulties of restarting a club, the Green Team now has over 40 members who regularly attend the club’s weekly meetings.

Both Nozaki and Jin are students who learned about the importance of being environmentally-conscious and took that knowledge to their schools. While these individuals are a driving force in spreading awareness, organizations also play a large role.

One organization, Turning Green, focuses on spreading awareness through students.

Beyond hosting PGC, Turning Green also organizes other programs focused on raising awareness, such as national college campus tours or promoting healthier food in schools.

As a result of efforts from organizations like Turning Green, environmental awareness is slowly but surely spreading to more people. The effect has transcended to the new level, with several cities making it their mission to encourage conscious behavior.

An example would be San Francisco.

The city itself set a zero waste goal back in 2002, and has the highest waste diversion rate in

the country at 80 percent (only 20 percent of waste goes to the landfill), despite the national average being 34 percent. San Francisco’s success can be traced to the city’s culture itself, which includes aggressive campaigns and strong composting programs.

Despite San Francisco’s accomplishment, normalizing conscious behavior can be a challenge.

Jin said, “We’ve tried to incentivize [conscious behavior]. For example, if you do an action on our environmentally-friendly list such as carpooling, you get points for a prize,” said Jin. All of these individual efforts, whether it be the students in PGC or the Green Team, are working to make their communities “greener.” This effect goes beyond the individual and many organizations, however; the idea of going “green” is a trend that’s growing nationally and globally.

Being environmentally-conscious is no longer a foreign concept for many people. Organic products are now generally known as being better overall, while compost pickup is growing more common in cities. The idea that the traditional three R’s are being revised to five R’s — refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot, in that order — suggests that conventional behavior is becoming “greener.”

While the limits to going “green” have yet to be tested — “Zero Waste Home” author Bea Johnson and her family is known in the zero waste community for producing one mason jar of noncompostable or non-recyclable

Turn off & unplug electronics overnight

Use public transportation, carpools, and foot power to get to school or work

Repair a leaky sink and toilet

Reduce paper usage by printing double-sided Repurpose items such as plastic containers

Donate unused clothing to charities

Use reusable water bottles and mugs

Install a compact flourescent bulb (CFL) to reduce costs & energy

Replace your alkaline batteries with rechargeable ones

Place plants around your home and desk to help absorb indoor pollution ISABEL MITCHELL

trash per year — organizations will continue to inspire change, whether it be the environmental club or the company that picks up your waste each week.

This will take time. For now, change is about compromise with a large impact, such as cities encouraging compost to increase waste diversion or making healthy food with less packaging

more accessible.

Movements like these go back to individuals such as Jin and the Green Team, who are making headway in their school.

Jin said, “Our goal is not just to educate people and make them aware, but to make them passionate. So even if my club has only five people but are really passionate, that’s good enough for me.”

Stage crew works to put on the show behind the scenes Sophie Lynd

The show is about to begin. The audience takes their seats and feelings of nervousness and adrenaline run through the performers’ veins as they take their places.

But the performers are not the only ones feeling nervous.

“Before the show, I always feel nervous but excited to see what magic will happen on the stage and how we’ll contribute to that,” said senior Matthew Bowker.

Bowker is the vice president of the Carlmont Technical Theater Association.

“CTTA is a group of students who volunteer their time to run the lighting, sound, and backstage work for every event that takes place in the Performing Arts Center,” said Carlmont Theater Manager Geoff Horn.

To make every show run smoothly, this group of students is not only responsible for the lighting, sound, and stage work, but also for whatever task comes their way during the show.

CTTA’s Rachel Taube, a sophomore, said the hardest part of working a show is making sure to stay on task while also being fast and on time with cues no matter the job.

From Bowker’s point of view, communication is key during an event to ensure that if something does not go as planned, every crew member is aware and ready to act.

“The hardest part is making sure everyone on crew is communicating properly so everyone knows what’s happening and everything remains smooth and calm to the

SOPHIE LYND

Freshman Andres Raddavero runs the light board and learns his cues during a rehearsal for Carlmont’s winter choir show. audience,” he said.

During the show, nerves from the performers often fade away as their performance is a celebration for their hard work.

But backstage, the crew must remain focused although many of them are familiar with the performing side of the process as well.

While Taube joined choir this year and is experiencing a new side of performances, Bowker said CTTA helps him perform better in his band ensembles.

“You know how to handle the equipment, you know how to get the best sound when performing into a microphone, and you know how things should look when you’re onstage,” he said.

CTTA begins their post-show shut down onstage as the performers greet fam-

ily and friends after their final bows.

“After the final night of a show, the crew begins to strike (clean up) all the equipment we used, which can be things like lighting trees, sound equipment such as microphones, props, and even a large floor used for dance called a marley,” said junior Gloria Capulong.

During this process and throughout the entire show, the crew has countless opportunities to learn new skills under Horn and other crew members.

“We also have ‘shadows,’ which gives new students the opportunity to learn from their peers rather than just me,” said Horn.

By signing up to shadow another crew member, new or inexperienced students have the opportunity to learn hands-on

without feeling the pressure of being in charge of a job during the live show.

However, there are limitations to what all students can do because dangerous equipment is often involved.

Horn said, “During a more complex job I encourage the students to be there and watch the process so that if they ever get a job in this field, they are familiar with the process.”

Learning these new things, along with the cleanup process, often takes a lot of time and effort from the crew.

Capulong said the cleanup process can take anywhere from under an hour to seven hours, depending on the event.

These long hours can be exhausting, but the result is often a unique bond between crew members and Horn.

“It’s a unique opportunity for students to learn behind the scenes, but it’s also an opportunity to make friends and grow. It’s really exciting to see the diversity of the student population come together for one common goal,” he said.

Outside of the performing arts center, CTTA members might not cross paths, but working together for one common goal gives them opportunities to form unique friendships with people they might not encounter on a daily basis.

In addition to learning and making new friends, Horn said he often sees shy students shine and get really excited about the work they do behind the scenes.

“In a classroom, there are opportunities to share an opinion, but you don’t always have an opportunity to take ownership over an event affecting hundreds,” he said.

4 COLLEGE THE COMMON APPLICATION Dashboard

My Colleges

January 2017

Welcome, Joe! First Year

CAID 16728946

Common App

Sign Out

College Search

Financial Aid

Please state your extracurriculars...

Lying your way into college Sophie Penn

“Your accomplishments outside the classroom show what you’re passionate about and that you have qualities valued by colleges.”

College Board

“I don’t think people should embellish their applications; [college] is a new start so you shouldn’t be starting with lies.”

Elanna Vital Senior

Soccer. Volunteering. Babysitting. Improv. Jobs. Girl Scouts.

Maddy Meier, a junior, partakes in a plethora of activities in addition to keeping up her grades in multiple Advanced Placement courses.

“A lot of the things I do are because I enjoy them and am passionate about them, but I don’t think I would be doing as much if it didn’t increase my chances of being accepted to colleges,” said Meier.

Although some students stay truthful to their accomplishments, others decide to embellish in order to increase their chances of acceptance.

But is there any real way to know when one is lying about their extracurricular and club involvement?

Meier said, “People definitely do embellish their activities on applications, but I don’t know that there’s a way for colleges to prevent that.”

A large part of what distinguishes one applicant from another is their personality on paper - colleges want to see what one did outside of their standard academics.

Liam Gunning Junior

there are a lot of clubs we have that get approved at the beginning of the year and never meet, and just do it to put on the college resume.”

For students who don’t partake in activities outside of school, there is pressure to find a way to still stand out on applications.

“Most of my friends do sports or clubs, and I think my grades are okay, but when I was applying to college I felt like I needed an extra push that I didn’t have,” said senior Elanna Vital.

However, Vital had a strong opinion on the aspect of dishonestly when applying to college.

“I don’t think people should embellish their applications; [college] is a new start so you shouldn’t be starting with lies. I feel like colleges always have a way to tell if you’re lying anyways,” said Vital.

According to the January 2017 University of California’s Counselor and Advisory Bulletin, “Students randomly selected to verify information in their application were notified by the end of Dec. 2016... Failure to respond to the request by the deadline will result in cancellation of the application.”

Even with the massive number of students who apply to colleges across the country every year,

there are measures taken to make sure that applications are true reflections of the student.

Guidance Counselor Ross Yokomura said he had one college contact him to verify a letter he had written on a student’s behalf, in which he had said something about the student’s family that was later countered in the student’s own essay.

“That was the only call I’ve ever gotten to verify an application in 19 years [of being a counselor], but it did show me that they really are reading these applications,” said Yokomura.

Although it may be impossible to ensure the validity of extracurriculars listed in every application, there is still immense value in them being listed in applications and taken into consideration.

Vital said, “Even though I didn’t do any extracurricular activities, some people may not be as good at academics, so if they’re good at sports or something that should be brought to light.”

Extracurriculars continue to be a necessary, albeit flawed, portion of the application, as they allow colleges to see the full student, beyond just a GPA or SAT score.

Share your personal statement...

Volunteering for yourself Leea Ivanel

“When I first started volunteering, it was because my mother made me do it. It was just something for college applications.”

According to College Board, “Your accomplishments outside the classroom show what you’re passionate about and that you have qualities valued by colleges.”

Colleges want to see a well rounded student — someone who excels not just in academics, but has interests and involvement in school, team, and personal activities as well.

“Extracurriculars should be pretty important for colleges to take into account because they help judge the merit of a student rather than just their grades. If a student can balance lots of extracurricular activities while achieving good grades and doing well in school, they can use those skills later in life and will probably be successful in college, their future working life, and beyond,” said Meier.

Because there is no real way to validate the accuracy in every applicant’s extracurricular activity, there is the possibility that some students lie or embellish their resume in order to portray a fake yet improved appearance.

Activities Director Jim Kelly said that he had never been contacted by a college to verify a student’s application.

Kelly added that, “I suspect

“I only volunteer because I have to.”

This is a common phrase heard among high school students, so much so that one might think the main motivations for volunteering are college and avoiding angry demanding mothers.

In fact, Liam Gunning, a junior, said, “When I first started volunteering, it was because my mother made me do it. It was just something for college applications.”

Many students are in the same situation that Gunning was in, viewing volunteering as a chore and not as something that they have a personal connection with.

To them, the main goal is writing down the number of hours they spend volunteering on their college applications.

Simply having a lot of volunteer hours might not be the first thing colleges care for, however.

According to PrepScholar, “Most admissions officers said [in a sur-

vey] that they care more about became something I thoroughly what you have done, why you are enjoyed because I could make a doing it, and what you are get- difference in people’s lives.” ting out of it. As long as you can Another reason to make voladequately explain these things, unteering mean more than just they don’t care as much about the checking a box on college applicanumber of hours you spent doing tions is that it can bring happiness it.” into the lives of students.

Even if a student starts volunActually, volunteering does teering with only hours in mind, even more than make students it would benefit them more if they feel happy: it has health benefits actually volunteer too. According for something that to a study done is significant to “I volunteer because by the Corporathem. tion for National I love to interact While Gunning Community with all people, not & originally started Service, those just for college.” volunteering bewho volunteer cause he had to, have lower rates it started to mean of mortality Katrina Talevera more to him as he than those who Senior worked in soup do not. kitchens and was The study involved in building a school in stated that “...the positive effect Malawi with the money he helped of volunteering on physical and to raise. mental health is due to the perGunning said, “The amount sonal sense of accomplishment of hours I did and how it would that an individual gains from his look on my application started to or her volunteer activities.” matter less to me; volunteering Katrina Talavera, a senior, has

volunteered in soup kitchens, homeless shelters, elderly homes, has tutored kids, worked with disadvantaged families, and volunteered at the SPCA, all since middle school. While doing so much volunteering would help her admission into college, that is not her main motivation.

Talavera said, “I volunteer because I love to interact with all people, not for college. It makes me feel so happy, calm, and fulfilled after I help someone who is going through a hard time feel better.”

Overall, volunteering doesn’t have to be meaningless hours spent doing something with the hope of getting into a better college — it can be much more than that.

Kalea Pasion, a junior, said, “In the end, I think people should volunteer because there are a lot of noble causes and organizations that need help, and the end result of helping people is more important in the long run than just doing it for college.”

COLLEGE 5

January 2017

COMMON APPLICATION THE

Dashboard

My Colleges

Welcome, Joe! First Year

Sign Out

CAID 16728946

Common App

College Search

Financial Aid

Financial Aid Resources...

Expenses prevent opportunity Ryan Geronimo

“The college admissions system should definitely look into lowering the application fee or offer more financial aid for those who truly need it.”

Liam Jocson Senior

Each year, a new crop of high school students attempts to get into a good college. But, just the mere step of applying comes with a hefty cost.

According to US News, private college applications cost upwards of $70, while California State University applications have a fixed rate of $55, and University of California applications at $70.

At such a high price, many question whether the price is justified.

Not only do universities act as academic institutions, but in terms of the admissions process, they act in the same manner as a business would. Since there is an abundance of money involved, it is inevitable that colleges act as a business, at least in the application process, as there has been a rise in application submissions, meaning that they are getting money.

Max Lieberman, who is a current student at the University of Colorado as well as a Carlmont alumni, said, “Most universities operate as a business in terms of

admissions. The demand for spots at prestigious schools is incredibly high and will only continue to increase while the supply will stay relatively close to what it is now.

Admissions workers don’t want to read hundreds of applications.”

It is common for aspiring students to apply to several schools since the competition for spots is only rising. Many students are given the opportunity to apply to a plethora of schools.

Liam Jocson, a senior who applied to 17 schools, said, “My grades are not good enough for my family, and I need to feel confident enough about getting into any schools.”

In order to look good for colleges, many students prepare prior to the application process.

In their preparation there is one commonality: the spending of money. Whether it be enrolling in a summer internship, hiring a private college counselor, or getting tutored for the SAT or the ACT, spending money to prepare and apply cannot be avoided for some. The cost to take the SAT is $57, according to the College Board website, while prep classes

such as Kaplan Test Prep range from $599 to $1599, according to Kaplan’s website.

“I took SAT prep classes which did help bring up my score a substantial amount. That should hopefully increase my chances of getting into one of the more competitive universities,” said Jocson.

But, getting the chance to apply to more schools than a single pair of hands can count is not available to everyone. There are people who are not able to afford applying to college and are deprived of an opportunity to gain a higher education and create more opportunities for themselves.

Carlmont special education teacher Kai Orozco said, “The more educated people are, the more informed people are, the better we all are. I think we should do whatever we can to make college accessible for all people, not just for the rich. A lot of times parents can impact the admission of their kids, and I think that is great. But, for the students that need college the most, a lot of times, they are first generation, or the first of their family to go to college, meaning that they could

possibly have a harder time, as they might not get the same guidance that a second generation student would get, as well as the possibility of not being able to afford their education.”

With the increase in the price of applying and a boost in competition, it is unknown whether there will be a possible price increase or decrease in application costs, as there are individuals who do not get the opportunities others are given.

Lieberman said, “I absolutely think the cost of applying should be cheaper. The high price restricts certain students from having an opportunity to apply and potentially get accepted.”

People use education as a means of finding more opportunity. But if people are unable to apply, then there will no one to lead the next generation toward societal progress.

Jocson said, “I definitely think it should be cheaper. The college admissions system should definitely look into lowering the application fee or offer more financial aid for those who truly need it.”

“We’ve received your application” 2043 Ralston Ave. Belmont, CA 94002 650.595.2644

Your dream is our reality

6 FEATURES

January 2017

Bad driving hurts public’s safety The privilege of a driver’s license may be too easy to obtain Jonny Pappas Many people say that it’s too easy to get a driver’s license. They say drivers on the road are not up to the standards that are needed to keep everyone safe.

Eleventh grader Pranay Mohan believes the bad driver epidemic comes from the top.

“The DMV tests should be more rigorous for some people,” said Mohan.

According to a study done by Allstate, 64 percent of people think they are above average drivers, leaving 36 percent to believe they are average or below average.

Based on the Federal Highway Administration, 23 percent of drivers believe they are below average. That amounts to over 48 million people.

“That’s scary. People don’t realize how dangerous cars are until they are directly impacted,” said senior Michael Morris.

Morris has had his license for two years and has not been in an accident.

The United States is in a positive trajectory overall when it comes to traffic safety, as road deaths have gone down dramatically over the last 40 years from about 50 thousand to 30 thousand annually, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

However, the nation is also in a negative trajectory when it comes to the amount of distracted drivers on the road, which has increased.

According to Distraction.gov, “At any given daylight moment across America,

LILY BAKOUR AND ESTELLA LIPPI ISABEL MITCHELL

The cell phone serves as a common distraction to unskilled drivers. approximately 660 thousand drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving.”

By studying an individual’s distractions while driving, one can find out whether or not he or she is a good driver. There are three types of distracted driving: visual, taking one’s eyes off the road; physical, taking one’s hands off the wheel; and mental, taking one’s mind off the road.

In the United States, 1.6 million car accidents have involved cell phone use. That’s 64 percent of all the road accidents in the

United States. Novice drivers tend to engage in secondary tasks more frequently over time, which could be caused by their increased confidence in driving.

“Distracted drivers pose a threat because driving is already dangerous, so something as small as a glance down at a phone could cost someone’s safety,” said Mohan.

The future holds some interesting ideas that may change the way we look at traffic safety and traffic laws all together: selfdriving cars. If implemented, drivers won’t have the need for traffic enforcement in any

way, whether that amounts to speeding issues or even parking tickets.

Carlmont history teacher Linda Garvey has been driving since the early 70’s and has seen many laws broken on the road. She does not think that self-driving cars would serve as the end for transportation.

“I believe that it will come with its own set of problems that we will need to solve,” said Garvey.

The general consensus around self-driving cars is skeptical at best. The idea of putting one’s life into the hands of a computer scares a lot of people.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to completely hand over all the power of driving to a car because technology still faults,” said Mohan.

Maybe self-driving cars aren’t the perfect way to make the roads safer, but they could be a step in the right direction. With no one on the road, there can be no bad drivers; this idea may someday catch on.

However, self-driving cars are nowhere near their full readiness or potential. For now, everyone still has public transportation and new ride sharing companies like Uber and Lyft.

For now, if the United States were to take the 48 million bad drivers off the road, car emissions would drop closer to the levels of Japan and Germany and into the top ten for lowest vehicle polluters in the world, according to Slate news.

No matter how bad people may think other drivers are, all a person can control is how he or she drives.

Technology evolves education methods Jordan Greene Twenty years ago, there was no Shmoop to help you with your homework.

Over the past decades, advancements in technology have shifted the education system in a new direction. New online testing materials, virtual classes, and online homework systems have changed the way students learn, contrasting with their parents’ education.

Their parents are Generation X — those born between the early 1960’s to late 1980’s — and experienced high school without technology. Unlike today, they did not have advanced gadgets such as computers, iPhones, or graphing calculators to help them with questions. If they did not understand an assignment, they had to make the effort to find someone to help them, wheras a question today can be answered with the simple push of a button.

Senior Tania Abbaszadeh believes that the resources available to her and her generation through technology have made students more successful and allowed them to live more stress free lives.

“Technology has made things less stressful for students because everything is online. Being a senior and having gone through the college application process, I saw how technology was useful in that matter. If I ever had any questions ranging from the application process to standardized tests, I could always find the answer,” said Abbaszadeh.

251 Rhode Island, Suite 110, San Francisco 415.896.4393 | eyesonyouoptometry.com

Technology has come so far that some say it has completely changed the way a classroom functions on a dayto-day basis. Teachers use computers in their lesson plans to show videos, play educational games, and use the Smart Board to take notes. In a survey conducted by the College Board and the National Writing Project, almost 75 percent of 2,462 teachers surveyed stated that technology has had a positive outcome in their classroom.

Carlmont English teacher Cindy Shusterman specifically notes how the advancement in technology has shaped education today.

“One of the biggest ways I’ve seen technology influence education is with its new focus on social media. When I was a freshman in high school, I was introduced to email for the first time. I remember sitting in front of a computer and reading an email for the first time and thinking to myself ‘Wow, someone sent this to me over a screen,’” said Shusterman.

Many students feel that the integration of technology into their daily classes has helped them explore material and curriculum at a deeper level. Eli Melmon, a junior, has seen the impact that technology has had on his learning and believes that it has made it easier for students to learn and pay attention in a classroom setting.

“Being a teen in the 21st century, I am so in tune with technology. Using technological tools like Kahoot have allowed myself and other students the chance to interact

with the material we’re learning in a way that we’re used to.

I find that when teachers incorporate the beneficial parts of it into class curriculum, it helps students see and understand the material in a way they can relate to,” said Melmon.

While technology has improved education and learning, it has also placed new stresses on teachers who struggle to understand how technology works. Shusterman admits that being born in an age without smartphones and tablets has hindered her ability to utilize technology to the greatest capacity in her classroom.

“As a teacher, I struggle to incorporate technology into my teaching because it’s something that is still very new to me. I am old school and love writing on an actual piece of paper. I’m also weary of the distraction that it can bring to students during class and don’t want that to affect their learning. Using technology is a balance that I am still navigating, but it starts with small steps like moving towards Google Classroom and taking notes on the computer,” said Shusterman.

The increase in technology in the education system has allowed students to become more successful in school. But, many students still believe that motivation is what will allow them to excel in the future.

“I don’t believe technology has any effect on how successful you will become because all that depends on how motivated you are as a person and how hard you work.” said Abbaszadeh.

FEATURES 7

January 2017

2016 films judged in several ways Armon Mahdavi In 2016, movie goers really got it all: the explosive super hero flicks, the hollywood musicals, and even plenty of riveting independent films.

“I honestly expected 2016 to be a really weak year for movies,” said self-proclaimed movie buff William Cox. “Films such as ‘Arrival’ and ‘Manchester by the Sea’ really blew me away.”

As one looks back on the many films, he or she may inquire what the year’s best film was. But before deciding that, it is important to ponder what defines greatness when it comes to movies.

Many find the determining factor in a movie’s success to be how the film fared in the box office. These are the films that usually gross the most and are big-budget, Hollywood productions.

In 2016, the winners of the box office were “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” making over $510 million, Pixar’s “Finding Dory,” honing in nearly $500 million, and Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War,” gaining just over $400 million.

“Finding Dory” was the long awaited follow-up to the children’s classic “Finding Nemo,” so many Pixar fans were eager to see it upon its summer release.

“I liked ‘Finding Dory,’ but I thought it was nothing compared to the original,” said Alyssa Fine. “I think it made so much money because everyone loves ‘Finding Nemo’ and expected [‘Finding Dory’] to be just as good, but most ended up disappointed.”

Critical acclaim is another factor that people often take in account when deciding the year’s best film. Whether a writer for an esteemed newspaper or a film blogger on Youtube, critics are capable of having a powerful voice when it comes to judging films.

Rotten Tomatoes is a prominent website when it comes to analyzing the critics’ consensus. The site compiles several different reviews from critics and awards the film with a number, signifying the percentage of critics who liked the motion picture.

Some films that received extremely high Rotten Tomatoes scores are “Hell or High Water” and “Zootopia,” which both received a 98 percent.

However, many look at critic’s opinions with skepticism. A study by FiveThirtyEight analyzes the discrepancies between the ratings of different movie sites, showing that Fandango gives a higher rating to a film compared to IMDb and Metacritic nearly 80 percent of the time.

“I usually don’t trust the critics when I am deciding on what movies to see,” said Cox. “The greatness of a film is determined by how it makes you feel, how it affects you as a person; and that is different for everybody. So why would I judge how I feel about a film based on some other person’s opinion?”

For example, “Hell or High Water,” a film by David Mackenzie, came to be a popular independent film, grossing $27,007,844. These numbers have been previously unheard of for a relatively small

SKYLAR WEISS

Redwood City’s downtown century theater shows movies daily. budget film.

In the heart of awards season, some might also find it interesting to see what pictures have been flourishing in the most prestigious of ceremonies. The Oscars, the most well-renowned of the awards ceremonies, is but a month away, but other ceremonies have already established the industry’s favorites.

“La La Land,” a musical love story set in Los Angeles, has been dominating this awards season. The film won eight Critics Choice Awards and won seven Golden

Globes. “‘La La Land’ beautifully portrayed the importance of following one’s dreams rather than pursuing careers for monetary values. It was extremely relevant for me, especially as a senior in high school,” said Blake DuBois.

Many people do not feel that financials, critical acclaim, or awards are good factors in determining a film’s greatness. Movie taste is subjective, and sometimes it is all about how the film influences the viewer personally.

Volunteer Tutors Needed for K-8 students

•Make A Difference

•Help a Child

•Flexible Scheduling

•One Hour Per Week

•RWC/San Carlos Schools

•Community Service

healthycitiestutoring.org (650) 508-7327 dbecht@healthycitiestutoring.org

Galaxies are no longer far far away Lily Bakour

It is confirmed by NASA that humans will reach Mars by the 2030s.

In March of 2015, a man was sent into space. Except this time was different than most.

This man, Scott Kelly, is an identical twin to his brother Mark Kelly. While Scott Kelly was sent to space, Mark Kelly was kept on Earth throughout the duration of the mission so that a change in their DNA could be observed.

In addition to participating in this twin study, Scott Kelly was responsible for conducting everyday operations and experiments for the international space station.

Tyler Woods, an Aerospace Engineer previously employed by NASA Ames Research Center, was involved in researching the way that objects move in space with Scott Kelly.

Woods said, “All over the world, passionate scientists are accomplishing things we could have never imagined four decades ago.�

Ev e r y d ay, NASA is making new accomplishments.

For example, Scott Kelly now holds the record for the longest time an American astronaut has spent in space: 520 days over four missions.

The length of this expedition, almost a full year, was designed to see the changes in DNA between the twins as a part of the Human Research Project. This mission was founded on the need to create the safest techniques and use the most efficient methods while sending humans to space.

Overall, this project is used to learn about and prepare scientists for a journey to Mars,

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JORDAN HANLON

N A S A will send a robotic spacecraft to capture an asteroid boulder and put it in a safe orbit around the moon.

predicted to be sometime in the 2030s with the help of projects such as the one Mark and Scott Kelly participated in.

On NASA’s website dedicated to providing the public with information on the planned journey to Mars, it says, “There are challenges to pioneering Mars, but we know they are solvable.

We are developing the capabilities necessary to get there, land there, and live there.”

Logistically, future astronauts who will be sent to Mars are most likely current high school or college students.

Edward Vendrow, a junior, who is also a twin, said, “It’s so fascinating knowing that my peers could be the ones landing on Mars, and that I could take any part in that. It really makes you realize that we are the future.”

After the return of Scott Kelly, physical biologists, doctors, and scientists at NASA analyzed the quantifiable difference between the two brothers.

It was revealed that Scott Kelly had become two full inches taller.

Along with his growth, Scott Kelly also had brittle bones, weak muscles, a puffy face and legs, a smaller heart, as well as balancing issues similarly to other astronauts that are exposed to microgravity for long periods of time.

However, many people are willing to put their bodies through this in order to travel to space.

“Having any part in traveling to space would be super rewarding and inspiring. Space has always fascinated me, and these new projects, such as the twins’ study, just makes it even more intriguing,” said Matthew Irwin, a senior.

In 2016, more than 18,300 people applied to NASA’s 2017 astronaut class. Only eight to 14 of these exceptional students will be chosen to be trained to travel to space. Astronaut candidates are usually between the age of 26 and 46.

Woods said, “The millennials are the future.

It may seem like it’s far away, but soon enough, your generation will be on Mars, discovering things nobody has ever even dreamed of.”

10 LIFESTYLE

January 2017

Students whistle while they work Listening to music improves study habits at school

AMY FULLERTON

Amy Fullerton Walking on campus, it’s easy to spot the hoards of students meandering through the halls with their headphones plugged in, lost in the music.

Music has become widely accessible to all, allowing students to use it wherever and whenever. Students are able to listen to music while studying or completing homework, jamming out to their favorite tunes or humming to soft acoustic while focusing on their homework.

“When I do homework at night, I like to listen to acoustic music, but if I end up having to do homework in the morning, I have to listen to rap music because it helps me wake up. Music also helps me focus because people won't disturb me if they see I have my headphones in,” said senior Katrina Talavera.

Unknown to many, music has many health and academic benefits that have improved the lives of listeners.

Music is known to increase happiness levels, strengthen learning and memory, and improve sleep, as shown in a study by Harvard University.

“Listening to music relaxes you and can make you feel more energetic. It can also motivate you to keep working, and can push you to work on harder tasks,” said chemistry teacher Felix Gandara-Guzman.

High school is a place known for it’s recurring mental breakdowns and sleepless nights doing homework, creating a stressful environment for some. As the smell of the holidays and summer becomes increasingly apparent near the end of each semester, the grit and nerves of each student gearing up for finals is strong, and students begin to plug in their headphones for a period of intense studying and reviewing.

“Research finds that listening to soothing music can decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety levels in heart patients,” according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

While listening to music can strengthen one’s memory and improve one’s sleep may seem irrelevant to the average adolescent, an increase in sleep time and a strengthened mind have a direct effect on test scores, as researched by the University of Minnesota. This could further help students as the end of the semester draws near and finals become an increasing worry.

For students who have problems studying or performing well on their final, listening to music can help them stay focused and retain vital information needed for taking a test.

According to Florida Atlantic University, “Music is found to help people perform better in high-pressure situations, such as the bi-annual high-pressure event that is finals.”

For students who want to know which genre is the most effective for studying, Classical music has been found to be the best type of music to listen to when studying or participating in lectures, as researched by the Duke Cancer Institute.

While some teenagers consider classical music as monotonous or uninteresting, others believe that listening to classical music helps them focus the most.

“I like to listen to classical music when I do homework because the addition of lyrics in songs distracts me from what I’m trying to work on,” said junior Madison Myers.

Although many students believe that listening to music is necessary in order to remain focused on homework and projects, some believe that music can only be listened to if the work to be done is simple.

“I’ll only sometimes listen to music while I work. If the work I have to do is very attention-grabbing, I won’t listen to music. If the work is something casual that I can just do on the side, then I’ll listen to music,” said sophomore Arjun Grewal.

The benefits of music are endless. While music may be beneficial to one’s health, music can also be a much needed friend when the end of the semester draws near and the tireless routine of studying and reviewing turns into a lifestyle for all students alike.

Silent bullying speaks louder than words Adriana Ramirez Laughing.

Whispering.

Rolling eyes.

In a classroom setting, these actions seem to have become a daily routine.

“There is the occasional ‘you did not get the question right’ laugh or ‘you still couldn’t get that right after all of this.’ I’ve seen that a few times,” said Emily Koda, a senior.

As they become just the occasional laugh, people have ignored the real impact that these actions might have on others.

Apart from laughing at someone for not getting the answer right, some may laugh at individuals who might not share the same opinions as others or might not know how to express their thoughts.

“I think it is really rude because some people are really scared to talk. They are putting themselves out there and people are laughing. They might be self-conscious about it,” said Alyssa Higdon, a sophomore.

Bullying can come in all forms, and this one seems to be continuously overlooked.

One type of bullying is verbal, which includes teasing, namecalling, inappropriate comments, and taunting, according to Read the Spirits. Another type is social bullying, which includes leaving someone out on purpose and embarrassing someone in public.

Laughing and whispering seems to fall into both of these categories.

There is a difference between laughing with other students and laughing at other students.

Koda said, “That is just plain bullying. That is very rude. The teacher should probably address it. If they don’t see it, then another student should address it.”

Another issue is that if a student doesn’t feel comfortable in the classroom environment, then they might not speak up.

David Talcott, a science teacher, said, “One of the big challenges with classroom management is that if students fear they’re going to be judged or ridiculed based on what they think, they won’t speak

and then the whole classroom discussion dies.”

Not only does not speaking up end classroom discussions, it limits students to only say what others want them to say.

“In science, the person who says it is the person who it is named after. Sometimes, for science to work, people need to just take that chance. If people are laughing or giggling, well nuts to them. If the person is brave enough to say it and it’s correct, then they’re validated from the standpoint that they’re right. The people who are laughing are exposed,” Talcott said.

In general, the laughing and the whispering can interfere with a teacher’s plans and how they want to run the class.

“If the teacher can’t rely on the students to behave with character and kindness, then they cannot use the classroom experience and the discussion as part of the class.

[Those who laugh and whisper] essentially prevent the teacher from using techniques that work,” said Talcott.

“The teacher is left with tech-

niques that no one really likes, such as extensive lecturing, lots of homework, and busy work.”

The laughs and the whispers that are heard in the classrooms have turned into typical teenage actions that people have become accustomed to. As a result, these actions are for the most part ignored.

Koda said, “Personally, I would yell at people or [call them out].

People might ignore it because they may think it is not their problem, which is completely wrong because it is their problem.

It’s as if people are stuck in their own worlds and don’t want to deal with other people.”

As people are stuck in their own bubble, they fail to look beyond their own thoughts, not caring about others’ thoughts.

“It’s important [to acknowledge others] because we should all value each other and each other’s ideas. Everyone knows something that you don’t know yourself,” said Higdon.

“Respecting others ideas, even if you think they are completely wrong, is something you should

do. They are probably coming from a completely different place than you and it’s nice to see different opinions so it’s not so onesided.”

As has been said by both students and teachers around campus, no one appreciates the silent form of bullying that occurs in classrooms.

Respecting other people in general starts by looking beyond one’s own bubble. Even in a classroom setting, the smallest things can have an effect on others.

“Playground humor is not that funny for everybody. It’s really not that funny in general. It’s the same thing with drinking and doing drugs: it’s not an accomplishment to do it because everyone can do it,” said Talcott.

“The accomplishment is in being able to choose to not do it if you are confronted with the opportunity...Everyone can be mean.

Everyone has already thought of those jokes. It’s those people that can restrain themselves and show kindness that actually will end up mattering and won’t get left behind.”

Check out our online publication! www.scotscoop.com

LIFESTYLE 11

January 2017

Honoring passed students’ memories Mackenzie O’Connell People don’t realize how many students have died at Carlmont.

Carlmont is a campus filled with thousands of kids, many that students won’t meet before graduation. Students become busy and focused on their own studies and hobbies, making it difficult to meet each other, let alone every student at Carlmont.

Yet all students in a class are expected to make it to graduation. This is not always the case.

Student memorials are scattered throughout Carlmont’s campus in honor of the students Carlmont has lost. The attendance office, Crestview Park in the San Carlos Hills, and the baseball field all include the memorials of those lost through illness and teen suicide.

Though memorials are included at Carlmont, the way the district handles them can be controversial to many. The idea of the celebration of death or suicide can cause certain people to feel uncomfortable. Many parents and loved ones cope with deaths by creating memorials as a message to the students of Carlmont and to remember their student throughout the years.

Principal Ralph Crame said, “Memorials are initiated through family members because we don’t want to overstep our boundaries [by making them ourselves].

If a family member reaches out, we see if it makes sense to develop a memorial and we react in a responsible manner with the family.”

Counselor and founder of the S.O.S. program that copes with life skills Shelly

ESTELLA LIPPI

Memorials for passed students are scattered all around campus as a permanent reminder of the students that Carlmont has lost.

Bustamante supervises a group of those who have lost special people in their lives as a coping method and remembers those the school has lost by contributing photos to a bulletin board in the S.O.S. office.

“As far as memorials, one of my S.O.S. leaders died in a car accident. The parents donated a picnic table, as the mom wanted kids to see her name and ask questions and keep her memory alive. We occasionally have had memorials in the PAC and get together and open it up and talk about the hard time they are going through,” said Bustamante.

Yet teen suicides and death can make many feel uncomfortable, which results in the lack of memorials and remembrance of

one that has died.

The National Association of School Psychologists says, “The national school safety center agrees that no memorial service should be held at school because it places the deceased student in the position of being a role model.”

However, others believe avoiding a service will not prevent the kids from talking to the friend and classmate they have loved.

“I think it’s necessary to have memorials. I think it’s important that we celebrate someone’s lifetime no matter what, and no one can prevent students from knowing.

Everyone has someone who loves them, even if they aren’t here anymore,” said junior Jack Hicks.

The argument to prevent the recognition of suicide and teen death is recognized, but Carlmont’s administration chooses to handle the situation appropriately according to family wishes.

Crame said, “I understand the argument saying it could have a negative effect on our students, which is why we have to be careful and respectful and see where we are honoring them. There are protocols and guidelines in the district that we must follow closely.”

Substitute teacher Gail Lankguish experienced a teen suicide while she was a teacher at Carlmont. After losing the student, she was a key figure to the kids who had lost their friend due to suicide.

Languish said, “The student who committed suicide was well liked and showed little indication of suicide before he died.

He sent messages to close friends saying, ‘don’t forget I love you’ and even left his guitars to his friends. They knew something was wrong and they came to see me and we waited at the principal’s office trying to keep the hope alive. It was a very difficult time — probably the worst day ever at school for me.”

Carlmont aims to make the school a comfortable place for those who experience the loss and remember students as the years go on.

Bustamante said, “I kept a picture of a student who died as a junior and wanted to live so bad but had an illness and lost the battle. I keep her picture to remind myself and others that life is precious and to live in the present in her memory. Make your life have meaning.”

Nationwide Women’s Marches surpass expectations Mona Murhamer Donald Trump is the 45th U.S. president, and women across the country are “grabbing” back.

On Saturday, Jan. 21, an estimated 2.6 million people took part in 673 marches in all 50 states and 32 countries.

The largest march took place in the District of Columbia with an estimated half a million people in attendance.

Women marched in major cities around the world including Sydney, Berlin, London, Paris, and Cape Town.

In San Francisco, one police officer estimated “at least 150,000” people were gathered at the march.

While organizers said the marches weren’t meant to protest the new president, protesters denounced pledges by Trump and the new Congress to cut government-funded social services. The protests were peaceful and resulted in no arrests in the Bay Area by the end of the day.

Many marchers also declared opposition to the new administration’s policies that have now been put into place

that they believe are against women.

According to USA Today, Peter Monks of San Francis“I have a message for Donald Trump: If you think you co attended with his wife and daughters and said he was can bully women back to the 1950s, think again,” said Oak- showing support for women’s issues “to a president who land Mayor Libby Schaaf at the Oakland march. doesn’t seem to recognize or care about them.”

For others, the marches showed that the community “As a white guy, it’s easy to take privilege for granted. It would stand up for each other in feels really important to stand up for times of conflict. civil society when powerful voices are “I feel like it’s about us standing up “It’s about us standing up for lined up against it,” said Monks. for each other and knowing our com- each other and knowing our According to the SF Examiner, the munity is not going to stand idly by. crowd was cheerful and loud despite community is not going to the pouring rain. Women, men, and We’re going to have our voices heard, stand idly by.” so people know we’re not just going children alike carried signs reading to lie down and let this s— happen slogans such as “Sisterhood is Powto us,” said San Francisco resident erful” and “Make America Think Rebecca Kidler Rebecca Kidler in a statement to SF Again.”

San Francisco Resident Gate.

In a statement to SF Gate, Kylea While the marches were aimed Clayton, 15, said, “I’m feeling happy towards protecting and supporting women’s rights, many that so many people can make it today. I think everyone men took part in the rallies as well, adding to the point that in my generation can come together for our rights and get the purpose of these marches was to bring people together. something done.”

Mark Albertson Technology Journalist

Covering the technology industry with stories that keep you informed. http://us.blastingnews.com/editorial-staff/mark-albe

12 FEATURES

January 2017

from FAKE WEALTH page 1 choices that people, especially teens, make while deciding what type of clothing to wear.

Tyrese Lopez, a junior, said, “I believe a lot of my peers care about what other people think of them. Sometimes this causes them to concentrate only on what they wear and the impression it will leave. They don’t care about all the extra effort they put into being able to afford the designer labels.”

Many people also find that they choose their clothing in order to avoid negative judgement and maintain a positive self-image.

“Clothing affects how other people perceive us as well as how we think about ourselves,” said Northwestern University professor Adam Galinsky in an interview with The

New York Times.

From a professional viewpoint, nicer clothing can also show one’s commitment to their current job or one that they hope to have in the future.

Carlmont history teacher Greg Schoenstein said, “I think the way one dresses has a lot to do with professionalism. Dressing nicely demonstrates that you take, or will take, a job seriously. For example, I wear a tie as a way to show that I care about my job and understand its importance. Also, people may think of you more highly if your clothes carry a certain label. ” Many Carlmont students have noticed the effect of judgement about clothing in both their experiences in school and in their extracurricular activities.

“As much as we like to pretend that we judge people solely on character, appearance makes a huge first im-

from FAKE NEWS page 1 fake news is that it misinforms the public.

According to the Huffington Post, precautions such as checking sources and doing more research on the topic of the article can help differentiate real news from fake news.

However, it’s difficult to expect everybody to perform these steps for every article they read.

“I don’t think people need to check the sources of every article they read, but certainly after more controversial articles or articles they plan on sharing. I think people can at least check to see if other news sources are agreeing or if they all are using the same exact source,” said Kyle Jung, a senior.

Ramroth suggests instead of the audience being responsible for detecting fake news, the source and distributing vehicles of fake news should be held accountable.

“It’ll have to be up to individual companies like Facebook and news organizations to just decide they’re going to have to make a concerted effort to get [fake news] off of their publications and it sounds like a lot of work on their behalf, but I think it would be good for America overall if they started doing that,” said Ramroth.

Facebook already begun taking steps to stop fake news. According to the Daily News, they’ve banned phony news sites from receiving advertisement revenue.

John Oliver pointed out on his show “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” that America not only has an uninformed public but a misinformed public, which could be considered even more dangerous.

Whether one thinks of the sources as news organizations that distribute the information or thinks of the sources as people referenced in articles, stopping fake news is hard to be done if only one side is making an effort.

Publishers have the power to mediate the information and readers have the power to share the information. Therefore, the people behind the social media organizations and newspapers need to take responsibility just as much as the readers do.

THE

pression. You don’t want to show up to work looking like you’ve just rolled out of bed because to many, that shows disinterest and laziness, even if you are working hard,” said Subramanian.

By both avoiding negative judgement from others and increasing their chances of a higher status in the business world, many people find that the idea faking wealth by dressing nicely is essential to their personal success.

“People are heavily influenced by labels and appearances. Therefore, faking wealth by using all of your money to buy those types of clothes might just be the best way to actually become wealthy. This is especially true when interviewing for a job or trying to get a promotion because the way you dress affects how you are viewed by others,” said Schoenstein.

HIGHLANDER

Editor-in-Chief Avery Adams

ScotCenter Editor-in-Chief Estella Lippi

Scot Scoop Editor-in-Chief Megan Tao

Faculty Adviser Justin Raisner

Editors Jill Albertson Rachel Borshchenko Jordan Hanlon Connor Lin Mona Murhamer Sarah Tocatlian Skylar Weiss

Staff Writers Lily Bakour Brooke Chang Nicole del Cardayre Ryan Geronimo Nate Godwin Jordan Greene Leea Ivanel Estella Lippi Armon Mahdavi Anya Meredith Isabel Mitchell Jackson Monge Mackenzie O’Connell Jonny Pappas Sophie Penn Hanalei Pham Adriana Ramirez Alyn Seymour Justin Som Megan Tao Celine Yang Nour Zabaneh

The Highlander is a newspaper dedicated to providing Carlmont students, staff, and the community with highquality news, features, and opinion articles. We want to keep our readers informed on important issues ranging from events at Carlmont to international news, and want to engage them with unique stories and images. The Highlander is a publication completely run by the students of the journalism classes at Carlmont High School.

Story ideas are generated by the students and the published content is up to the discretion of the editorial staff.

This month’s editorial was written by Jordan Hanlon and the editorial cartoon was drawn by Skylar Weiss.

SPORTS 13

January 2017

Team tension affects performance Nicole del Cardayre “She’s not even that good I don’t understand why she’s starting.”

“Yeah if anything, you or Rachel should be starting; Becky is so annoying and such a ball hog.”

In a perfect world, every team would be a well-oiled machine.

Every player would agree and work together to maximize their success. However, with the way teams have evolved, petty drama can create division amongst the players, parents, coaches, and spectators.

“As of late, and maybe it is just my team — but I keep getting the same feedback from friends in the coaching community and from the readers of this blog — the prevalence of team drama is just ruining good seasons and good experiences,” said college volleyball coach Matt Sonnichsen.

Because of the variety of players that contribute to every team, a wide spectrum of traits

and personalities are developed: the overachiever, the ball hog, the pessimist, and the leader.

According to psychologist Mark Beauchamp, the distribution of different personalities may indeed influence interdependent behaviors related to group functioning and integration. If athletes work on better understanding their own personalities as well as their peers, the success rate of teams will grow.

“Unfortunately, the old saying that one bad apple can ruin the barrel is correct. All it takes is one dramatic, immature, selfish player to start pushing the buttons of other players to create this chain effect like one ping pong ball setting off all the mouse traps,” said Sonnichsen.

A driving factor of the division between teammates is jealousy. For example, an ambitious freshman who works hard will take the playing time of a starting senior.

“On our team there are definitely kids who are not ex-

tremely fond of one another.

But on the field, we don’t let that interfere with how we play.

The success of our team and the outcome of our games are more important than any feelings we have towards one another,” said junior Harris Branch, who plays on varsity lacrosse.

However, with the girls’ teams, it has been noted that the coaches often show favoritism towards certain players which leads to tension on the field.

“I think that the coach of a team does play a big role; the team’s dynamic is stemmed from the coach. Favoritism is a huge factor because it is one of the main sources of problems on teams,” said junior Shelby Young on varsity volleyball.

According to Youth Sports Psychology, some coaches offer extra coaching on the weekends for a price. Because of this, it was believed that the players who paid extra earned more playing time versus the ones who did not receive extra coaching.

In this scenario, the confidence level of the players who

“Unfortunately, the old saying that one bad apple can ruin the barrel is correct. All it takes is one dramatic, immature, selfish player to start pushing the buttons of other players to create this chain effect like one ping pong ball setting off all the mouse traps.”

Matt Sonnichsen

College Volleyball Coach

are not invited to the extra practices or coaching sessions deteriorate.

“The competition that is stemmed from favoritism creates the drama as there are cliques.

The coaches heavily influence the mentality of the team because when they do pick favorites it is very obvious, and those players begin to stick together thinking they are better than everyone else,” said sophomore Sarah Brown.

According to Competitive Advantage, good coaches treat their athletes fairly. They

should not operate with two different sets of rules: one for the “chosen few” and one for the rest of the team. Coaches who have noticeable favoritism have been known to create tension on their teams.

“As unsupportive as this will sound, I am now leaning towards just moving players off the team that even put a toe across the team drama line. It is tough enough to win high level matches, and to try and do so with a fractured, drama laden team is nearly impossible,” said Sonnichsen.

HOW DOES TEAM DRAMA INFLUENCE THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR TEAM?

Evan Arnow senior

“Sometimes you might not like someone on the team and during a game you become less likely to pass to them or become less likely to communicate with each other.”

Artie Hazelton

Dina Bakour

Theo Korolev

“Team drama can cause individuals on the team to be more focused on that rather than performing well. When the entire team isn’t fully engaged, our team suffers.”

“Drama within friend groups can set the team back. I’ve seen tension between players, and it breaks the connection between them on the field, ultimately hurting the team overall.”

“Team drama between all of us does not influence our performance. Yes, some days we get upset, but once we’re done on the field, everything goes back to normal.”

junior

sophomore

freshman

AVERY ADAMS, ISABEL MITCHELL, NICOLE DEL CARDAYRE

John Linneball Tutoring john@johnlinneball.com (415) 986-7355

14 OPINION

January 2017

Military bases disrupt peace

American troops are no longer necessary in certain countries Nathan Godwin The United States military currently has around 800 bases in countries around the world. These bases range in size from large compounds like Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to small airstrips and radar stations like Diego Garcia in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

These bases are costing taxpayers close to $100 billion each year, according to David Vine, a professor at American University.

For the most part, these bases were set up after World War II when the United States took a role as the leading peacekeeper on an international level. For example, the U.S. set up many bases in and around Germany and Japan.

The United States involvement in the Korean War increased the number of bases.

Then, the Cold War vastly added to the number of bases as America attempted to stop the spread of Communism around the world.

This required the U.S. to be everywhere all at once.

It seems that Americans have accepted that this is the way things are — that we want to pay to keep hundred of thou-

sands of troops stationed in bases all around the world.

Some of these bases are in strategic places that are advantageous to military efforts.

However, about 54,000 troops are still stationed in Germany and about 50,000 troops remain in Japan, according to a report released by the Department of Defense. Both of these countries are now thriving economies and allies, but the United States still holds troops there.

This international presence at such a large scale is unnecessary and could damage international relations.

In a world where the likelihood of war between superpowers has drastically decreased due to the military strategy of mutually assured destruction — which is the belief that if two nations used nuclear weapons on each other, both would be destroyed — it is no longer necessary for America to keep bases within striking distance of every nation. Furthermore, without a superpower enemy, the argument that these bases keep America and its allies safe is hard to support.

Having such a large global net of bases also makes it unsettlingly easy for the United States to launch interventionist wars such as the Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars,

which cost lives and money.

Some may argue that most nations want United States troops in their country and welcome it, but history has shown a different story.

In 2009, Rafael Correa, the president of Ecuador, refused to renew the lease on a U.S. base in his country. He told reporters he would resign the lease if “they let us put a base in Miami — an Ecuadorian base.”

The United States overshadows every nation with its international presence. According to Vine’s book, “Base Nation,” he estimates that the combined number of bases other nations have outside their borders is about 30.

If Russia wanted to open a base close to the United States’ border, there would likely be an international incident, however we still believe we need to be everywhere in the world all at once.

It is time to scale back our military presence.

No longer can we justify the enormous price for the bases and troops in countries that are no longer a threat to world peace.

The world has never seen a nation as powerful as the United States, but we don’t need to flex our muscles anymore.

Celebrities must stay out of politics Justin Som “It needed to be said,” said Robert de Niro in praise of Meryl Streep’s criticism of President Donald Trump at the 2017 Golden Globes.

It really didn’t.

Millions of people get their news from unreliable sources. Americans tend to trust them because they look pretty or are admirable.

This is a problem.

Celebrities cannot be blatantly taken at face value for being credible in politics.

Ever since the end of the presidential election, many people of status have believed that there is a need to speak up against the new president. In barrages of Twitter or Facebook posts, they have professed their disgust for Donald Trump’s actions.

Celebrities often justify their forays into the subject matter by saying that certain issues had to be drawn to the public’s eye.

They claim that since the topic was so ur-

gent, they simply needed to intervene for what is right and not sit on the sidelines.

Such thinking on the part of celebrities is both indulgent and conceited. In their speeches, there is an implication that these stars will divulge some “new revelation” to the public and “speak out against evil.” It implies a hero complex.

Despite the beliefs of the public, these actors, singers, and athletes are not a higher order of citizen. Just like everyone else, they obtain their news from the internet and radio, and they are just as susceptible to being fooled or misguided.

For instance, Jenny McCarthy, former host of “The View,” utilized her popularity in order to draw support for, “Generation Rescue,” an organization that incorrectly believes patients already diagnosed with autism can be cured. They are reportedly the largest anti-vaccine group that exists in the United States.

The group is largely anti-vaccine, and McCarthy believes that children can be cured if they are taken off of vaccines.

“I do believe sadly it’s going to take some diseases coming back into the world to realize that we need to change and develop vaccines that are safe,” said McCarthy in an interview with Time.

The big problem is that these incorrect celebrities draw huge audiences. Their social status gives them an unfair platform to profess their opinions.

This is a danger, not a strength. Because these people are the role models of our society, they have an immeasurable impact on the ideology of their social media following, especially youths.

An example of this can be found in the frequent outbursts of Kanye West.

“I told y’all I didn’t vote. But if I did I would have voted for Trump,” said West at one of his shows in December 2016. “To black people, stop focusing on racism. We are in a racist country, period.”

It doesn’t matter as to whether or not West is right or wrong.

Given that celebrities already greatly influence the young with false standards that

are derived from movies and illicit behavior, it is a necessity that celebrities stay their political influence from youth minds.

Because children and teenagers are much more susceptible to being influenced by their role models, they may inadvertently copy the behavior of their role models.

People attempt to imitate the poor conduct of these stars, and it is apparent that they leave significant impressions in the minds of the public. As much as they deny it, these fans will most likely not fact check their idols because the public assumes that celebrities have a lot of authority.

It is reasonable to admire these people for what they have accomplished, but it is wrong to take their word as a fact.

In light of these attempts at politics by celebrities, it comes to the point where they must simply be ignored. While they may have benevolent intentions in some cases, the fact of the matter is that these people are believed for their face and not their reasoning.

Obamacare needs revision, not repealment Leea Ivanel “We are the only major country on Earth not to guarantee healthcare to all people as a right.”

These were the words of Senator Bernie Sanders, discussing the deplorable state of healthcare in America, a country who claims to be the leader of the world.

America’s healthcare system is broken.

Not only does America pay higher prices for drugs than other developed countries, but it also spends more per person on healthcare than other high-income nations, while having the lowest life expectancy and some of the least successful treatments.

However, the biggest controversy as of late with the U.S.’s health issues is the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, passed on March 21, 2010.

The aim of Obamacare was to implement a universal healthcare system under which everyone would have insurance, regardless of financial situations or pre-existing conditions, such as cancer. It also extended Medicaid and Medicare, two national social insurance programs aiding the elderly and the poor.

The truth is, Obamacare was neither a picture-perfect fantasy, nor was it hell unleashed upon the Earth, as members of either the Democratic and Republican parties claimed.

Obamacare was a shaky, necessary first step in the right direction.

The Affordable Care Act achieved its goal of enrolling 289,900,000 U.S. citizens for insurance, while also allowing individuals with pre-existing conditions to get healthcare, something which was not possible before. It also placed mandates on the minimum amount coverage insurances had to provide and removed insurance caps.

The Act also didn’t fix all of America’s problems — far from it. Under Obamacare, the price of both drugs and insurance continued to rise, sometimes so high there was barely even a point in having insurance.

My uncle, for example, had insurance through Obamacare before he got stage IV cancer and had to be hospitalized for a week.

Despite having insurance, he got bills worth hundreds of thousands of dollars simply for being hospitalized and thousands more for the emergency surgery, which was

only partially covered by his insurance.

Now, unable to work due to his illness, and with his wife in college, he’s left with unpayable expenses both from surgery and for the drugs which keep him alive, which again cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, even with insurance.

In short, while Obamacare did do some good things, it wasn’t exactly the savior of the healthcare system — there are many people and families whose needs are not yet being met.

Still, that does not mean that the Act should be repealed and replaced with a completely new plan, as Presidentelect Donald Trump proposed.

While Trump promised healthcare for everyone, his outlining of how he will do this was vague at best, saying things such as, “lower numbers, much lower deductibles,” and, “It’ll be another plan. But [the people] will be beautifully covered.”

Completely throwing away Obamacare, which took 14 months to pass, would be a huge step back for America — most likely one that would once again leave many without insurance and unable to get medical help.

OPINION 15

January 2017

The Meredith Mindset Anya Meredith “And I believe that good journalism... can make our world a better place.”

-Christiane Amanpour

Social media sexualization As a woman, I should strive to be seen as a sexual object, right?

Because these days, that is what society is telling me.

This shouldn’t be a surprise; the signs are everywhere.

Women are sexualized in media like ads, TV shows, music, books, and movies; and society is encouraging it.

However, media is more subtle when sexualizing women.

Take the New York Times Bestseller “Hunger Games” for example.

In this book, the female protagonist appears to be a strong independent woman, but her constant internal conflict over men reverts back to the archaic idea that a woman needs a man.

The book sends the message to girls that they can be strong and independent, but in the end they’re going to need a man to be truly happy.

Even though people may realize flaws like this in mainstream media, that doesn’t stop them from buying the book, the movie ticket, or the product from the company.

How can society progress when we still buy into media that promotes a negative view of women?

I also notice the sexualization of women at Carlmont.

The way both boys and girls speak about women and their appearances can be shocking.

Now with social media, it is so much easier for people to pick apart women and talk about them rudely.

It is not uncommon to see hateful comments on women’s pictures because they’re “too fat” or “look fake.”

While this is awful to see, one of the worst aspects of social media for women is that it promotes objectification.

It disgusts me to see videos where the “needy girlfriend” wants something like a new purse or money to go shopping so they ask their “manly boyfriend” for money.

On top of the major gender stereotypes, these videos usually result in the man saying no until the woman promises a sexual favor.

The scary part is that people actually think that these types of videos are funny and don’t realize that this sexual favor in return for money or a good is prostitution, not a habit in a healthy relationship.

However, not only is social media a new platform for women to be judged and objectified, but it also sets unrealistic standards for them.

Feminist Club President, Sydney Pon, said, “From what I’ve seen on YouTube and social media, women’s bodies, especially ones with curves, have been increasingly accepted, and trendy.”

Pon added, “I think it’s great that other bodies are being accepted, but it also sets another ideal for women to have. I think any body ideal or trend is toxic if taken out of hand.”

When I see women on social media who are “Instagram famous,” I notice that the comments on their photos about how beautiful they are and how perfect they are give women an unrealistic idea of what they should look like and how their life should be.

Dr Phillippa Diedrichs, senior research fellow at the University of West of England’s Centre for Appearance Research, said, “The more time spent on Facebook, the more likely people are to self-objectify themselves.”

Diedrichs goes on to describe that there is a tendency to seek out negative social interactions in social media, including asking people to comment on how you look, which can lead to body image anxieties.

The Huffington Post has said, “Social media is prevalent in society today, and it has been scientifically linked with causing depression in young girls.”

When they are held at such high standards that the media portrays, women are affected in all aspects of their lives.

I believe that if women continue to be sexualized in the way they are today, there will be major repercussions.

As of now, according to UNICEF, “Approximately 60 thousand adolescent girls die each year as a result of violence and 120 million girls in the world today — about one in ten — have been victims of rape or forced sexual acts.”

I think that this truly has been an effect of media and society sending the message that women are sexual objects.

My fear is that this statistic will continue to rise as these behaviors begin to increase.

Editorial

SKYLAR WEISS

Materialism consumes teens “Money can’t buy love.”

“Money can’t buy happiness.”

A 2002 study published in the journal Psychology and Marketing found that those who chronically doubt themselves and their own self-worth tend to be more materialistic.

For some reason, this generation is drawn to Kim Kardashian’s new boots and care a lot about how much our underwear costs.

The topic of discussion often revolves around how much the new Yeezy’s are and whose parents are willing to buy them.

People often obsess over expensive clothing, even though most people really won’t know the difference between a white T-shirt from a name brand and one that costs $10 from Target.

For teenagers today, materialism is always on their minds due to society and all of the things that they are exposed to.

Snapchat makes “news” websites like Buzzfeed and DailyMail available in the palms of our hands. They often target their articles towards teenagers using celebrity trends and click bait headlines.

Since these “journalistic” websites have been made more available and convenient, it has shaped the influence of pop culture today. For example, Daily Mail and MTV have written full articles on Kylie Jenner’s lipstick.

Although these topics are not considered real news, it doesn’t stop people from reading them and consuming new ideas about certain fads and concepts. Advertising a public figure’s clothing and luxury items only makes people more materialistic, especially young adults and teenagers.

Glorifying clothing and technology through “news” stories does not get any substance across because society is distracted by the physical aspects.

Teens today care about impressing their peers and are more concerned about having nice things to show off rather than being happy with themselves.

According to a 2007 survey by Reuters, “Seventy-one percent of teenagers are materialistic and said that they would be happier with more money to spend on themselves.”

The study also discusses the idea that teens value materialistic items, rather than striving to get a job and earn their success. Their drive depends solely on their wants instead of needs.

The internet is quite literally in the palm of their hands.

Smartphones make it easy for anyone to snap a picture and share it with their peers at any time.

Since the internet is such a normal thing in this day and age, teens and people everywhere constantly use it to show off the popular brands of their clothing or their new

cell phones.

One teenager gets a new pair of shoes, and immediately all of their friends on Snapchat and Instagram are made aware of it. Social media makes it easy to instantly share this information with everyone.

Everyone wants to have the best things or the same things as everyone else in order to maintain their social status.

People in general prioritize style over substance in order to meet the standards of society and public figures around them.

Two years ago, SunTrust Bank did a study surrounding the correlation between money and divorces or ruined relationships. In the study, 35 percent of couples were having issues in their relationship that all revolved around money and income.

The study also showed that 47 percent of people said their partner had spending problems, which correlated with their debt.

The concept of overspending and debt go hand in hand, and they are developed for a number of reasons. However, materialism and consumerism are a large issue revolving around American debt.

With today’s technology, according to CNBC, most people should be able to keep their cars for an average of eight years before having to buy a new one.

In the United States, it is not uncommon for people to buy a new car every two to three years to stay up to date with the newest versions.

Just this year, Tesla came out with an SUV that went out of stock in less than a month. According to Green Car Reports, the Tesla provides just as many features as other fuel saving cars, like a Prius. The only major difference is the upscale appearance of the car, and the hefty price one must pay.

However, the Tesla has been selling more because of its style. In other words, people like the way the car looks more than its electric abilities.

Consumerism is fueled by insecurity, and that insecurity is held within everyone today because of all of the expectations given from society. People make it a goal to show off their wealth.

The consumerist and materialistic mindset have shaped our generation in a negative way. Suddenly it’s important to own Lululemon leggings and Adidas, otherwise it will be very hard to fit in.

Friend groups and couples have become based off of wealth, and money is one of the most important things in life.

This materialistic mindset has consumed the lives and minds of young people and will continue to grow with the spread of technology, especially fake news.

16

Abuse lies beneath the surface “I texted you 20 times last night. Where were you? Why didn’t you answer me?”

“Please don’t leave me. I need you.”

“You’re all I have; without you, there’s no reason to live.”

“If you leave me, I’ll kill myself.”

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 48 percent of women and 49 percent of men have experienced at least one psychologically abusive behavior from a partner.

Actions such as belittling, name-calling, placement of blame onto others for their own mistakes, and isolative behaviors are among signs of a psychologically abusive relationship. “[Aggressors] may not feel in control of their life or their life’s situations. They will manipulate or control others as a way of having some type of control in their life,” said school psychologist Elda Aghazarian.

For Carlmont student Jenny Holmes (name has been changed to protect her identity), her abusive significant other previously had control over her whole life.

“He was too possessive and controlled too much of my life. He made everything my fault and accused me of cheating multiple times, even though I hadn’t,” said Holmes.

Because psychological abuse does not leave visible scars, these behaviors are often overlooked. Instead, they are underestimated as protective, needy, or clingy habits that form out of love.

Psychological abuse is an extensive game of “He Said, She Said,” as there is no physical proof of the abuse. The abuser often manipulates the victim into believing that the problem at hand is their fault.

“They tend to put most of the blame on others. They are not accountable for their own behavior, and that is an early sign to look out for,” said high school crisis counselor Shelley Bustamante.

Psychological abuse can take shape in many different forms, but in every form, it is a manipulation of the victim into feeling at fault or responsible for what the abuser has determined as wrong.

“Gaslighting” refers to the manipulation of a person to the point where they question their own sanity. The aggressor often pushes the manipulation to the point of convincing the victim of something other than the truth. The term stems from the 1944 movie “Gaslight,” in which the main character dims the lights in the house and denies the change in environment to his wife, who he is manipulating into doubting herself and her perceptions.

According to Abuse and Relationships, a website offering information on abusive relationships, “gaslighting” occurs most often when a victim notices something about the aggressor that the aggressor does not want to admit. When the victim brings it up, the aggressor denies what the victim is perceiving to the point of the victim developing self-doubt.

“Generally, individuals who have been victimized have suffered a significant trauma which affects the way they perceive themselves and others. They may use denial as one way to cope. Some [psychological] effects may include reinforcing poor self-esteem and a sense of inadequacy, increased anxiety and depression, and overall feelings of oppression,” said Aghazarian.

On the other side of the spectrum, manipulation manifests itself in the form of the aggressor playing the victim in a behavior known as codependency.

Codependency is described as a relationship in which one person solely relies on their partner for all of their emotional and self-esteem needs, as well as allowing the victim to feel as if their own addictions or behaviors are the victim’s fault.

The victim is also left believing that they are needed, which responds to some people’s low self-esteem. “[Victims] desire the relationship but are not confident of how to start and keep them. They could be drawn to individuals who are assertive and maybe aggressive and want to exercise control. They will follow the lead of the manipulator, as they don’t have confidence in their opinions or abilities,” said Aghazarian.

Another manipulative behavior is the threat of self-harm as a consequence of the victim’s actions.

An aggressor may trap a significant other into a relationship by threatening to self-harm, abuse drugs or alcohol, or kill themself if the relationship were to end. As a result, the victim is left feeling as if the abuser’s life is their responsibility.

“You shouldn’t feel guilty if your significant other chooses to kill themself because, ultimately, committing suicide is their choice. If you are worried they might end their life, you should tell their family,” said Bustamante.

Many people don’t realize they are being put into these situations by their significant other because of the media.

In a society where the media portrays codependency as a quirky trait that everyone should look for in a significant other, signs of emotional and mental abuse are overlooked and seen as desirable.

Television and movie couples, such as Bella and Edward from “Twilight” or Harley Quinn and the Joker from “Batman: The Animated Series,” teach viewers that abusive behaviors are acceptable and romantic.

In “Twilight,” Bella constantly puts herself in harm’s way in order to get a reaction out of Edward, while the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series” belittles and physically abuses Harley, only to follow up with affection in order to lessen the effect.

Audiences are taught to seek out dependent partners, which can often lead to uncovering abusive and manipulative behaviors later on in the relationship.

According to Comics Verse, a comic book website, it is common to be drawn to a “wounded bird” because the idea of taking those who have been hurt and fixing them is often portrayed on-screen and in literature.

However, there are ways for a victim to safely leave a relationship without inflicting harm upon themselves or those around them.

“When it’s time to break up, you should try to do it without any face-to-face contact because it could turn dangerous for you. If that doesn’t work, try to be with someone who can protect you in a public setting. Don’t explain ‘why’ more than once because explanations open the door to the ‘I’ll change’ speech,” said Bustamante.

For Holmes, breaking up with her partner was a challenge.

“He called me every name you could imagine and said I was making up excuses to break up with him. He said that the only reason I was ending our relationship was because I was cheating on him, which I wasn’t,” she said.

In any case, breaking up is better sooner than later because the deeper one gets into a relationship, the more difficult it is to get out.

“Listen to the voice in your head telling you you’re in trouble. If you know it doesn’t feel right, go with your instinct,” said Bustamante.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CONNOR LIN

Mona Murhamer