12 October, 2017
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Sas Elects new officers
Newly elected First Year Class President, Julia Kelly.
By Leta Ames ‘18 Staff Writer
T
he votes are in and it’s time to welcome the newest members of the SAS Officer Board. After a run-off vote, Julia Kelly ’21 will be joining the board as First-Year Class President with 56 percent of the 150 validated votes. Although not in an elected position, Saffia Hassan ’21 also joined the board as Secretary. According to Irene Yi (‘19), the Executive Vice President who oversees the elections, “there was an unprecedented number
Inside This Issue:
of candidates this year”. With seven students running for First-Year Class President and six applicants for Secretary, the campaigns, speeches, and applications were full of new ideas and goals for the coming school year. When campaigning for SAS Board positions, students must maintain respect for one another. All the students ran clean campaigns;in fact Kelly says that the most memorable moment of the race came after the election when she and three of her running mates had a group
Page 2 - YT @ the QRC
Read about the recent removal of former QRC Director Higgins
hug, because it showed, “their kindness and excitement for [her] and [her] new position”. “[I am] super looking forward to getting to know our newest SAS members and seeing what SAS can accomplish now that we have a full board”, SAS President Kelly Peng (‘18) said. Every student is a member of SAS and leadership, the SAS Board, is working this year to increase transparency. “SAS is first and foremost a resource for students, and [SAS leadership hopes] that we can work with one another to push
Page 3 - Op Ed
Exclusive Interview with Professor Genevieve Kaplan
1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont, CA 91711 | Box 839 email: scrippsvoice@gmail.com | Volume XXI | Issue 2
Photos courtsey of sas.scrippscollege.edu
students’ ideas and concerns to the forefront of the minds of our administration and student body”, Yi said. Senate and Programming Board applications closed on Friday, October 6th, so stayed tuned for more updates on who else will be joining SAS leadership. If you’d like to be more involved, there’s still many chances! All SAS meeting minutes are posted online and meetings, which occur on Sunday evenings, are open to any member of the Scripps student body.
Pages 6-7- Islamophobia Anti-Muslim protests mar Scripps luncheon talk
2 • Opinion
Qrc director challengeD “white comfort”
Former QRC Director Dr. Jon Paul Higgins was fired for “insensitive” tweets about white supremacy. Photo courtsey of Chubstr.
By Alicia Goode-Allen ‘19 Community Columnist
M
unroe Bergdorf, the first trans model of L’Oréal’s True Match campaign, was fired last month after mainstream media picked up a post she had written on Facebook. Bergdorf’s post, in direct response to white supremacist actions in Charlottesville, was incendiary—as L’Oréal deemed it—because of the simple words: “Honestly, I don’t have the energy to talk about the racial violence of white people anymore. Yes ALL white people.” Shortly after L’Oréal ended its contract with Bergdorf, Piers Morgan interviewed the Black trans model, DJ, and activist on Good Morning Britain. During the interview, Morgan repeatedly attacked Bergdorf’s statement that all white people are racist; the entire interview centered on this statement. Berdorf responded to Morgan’s attacks by contextualizing her words, by relaying the ways in which all of us have been socialized to understand ourselves as, for example, white, male, and straight. Her words met unhearing ears. It was as though, no matter what Berdorf said, Morgan did not care about her response. When viewing the interview online, I watched
“Jon Paul Higgins, now-former director of the 7C Queer Resource Center (QRC), posted tweets on racism and white femininity this past summer. The colleges deemed these tweets insensitive towards, specifically, queer white students.” Morgan say “…I, as a straight, white, guy who’s not remotely racist, get very offended by [your words],” and saw reflected in Morgan my own nearly identical words and my own very identical fragility. Watching Piers Morgan’s defensive, desperate anger during this exchange felt like watching moments of myself on screen. Morgan and I have both been told by family, friends, and society at large that we are white our entire lives. In subscribing to the story that we are white, both Morgan and I speak the same protective script when that whiteness and its attending privileges are challenged. Bergdorf’s post addressed the foundations of whiteness, historical and current
modes of imperialism, and an intertwined white and class privilege as founded on the “backs, blood, and death of people of colour.” Morgan’s anger to such words was not only protective, but the anger itself meant that the heart of what Bergdorf addressed—a critical analysis of whiteness—was not given any screen time whatsoever. This is no accident. To use James Baldwin’s terminology, those “who believe they are white” will do all they can to maintain that one can be both white and innocent. That one can be white and not be racist. Just a quick peek into the history of whiteness reveals otherwise. Thus, mainstream British media swept a sentence into its fold and disregarded the focal point of Bergdorf’s Facebook post: white supremacists had hurt and killed many in Charlottesville. These actions do not exist in isolation. Piers Morgan, more importantly, did not want to be named a racist. “This is why there’s a problem,” Munroe Bergdorf tells Morgan, “Because you’re taking it personally.” Rather than take Morgan’s words personally, what might it entail to look at her words through a systemic lens? Upon reflection, L’Oreal’s actions seem strikingly similar to those of an institutional presence a little closer to home—the one and only Claremont Consortium. Dr. Jon Paul Higgins, now-former director of the 7C Queer Resource Center (QRC), posted tweets on racism and white femininity this past summer. The colleges deemed these tweets insensitive towards, specifically, queer white students. The College Fix, a conservative, student-run news outlet, had published a piece in which anonymous students indicated they were uncomfortable with some of Higgins’ tweets. The article focused primarily on two tweets, one stating a wariness of “White gays and well-meaning white women,” and a second that read, “…police are meant to service and protect white supremacy.” Mainstream media represented the firing of Dr. Higgins and Munroe Bergdorf in isolation, but the actions of the Claremont consortium and L’Oréal do not exist in isolation from each other. We students are implicated. A student affairs professional right here at home was fired in our name. Allow me to repeat: we students are implicated. A student affairs professional was fired in our name. “White…white…police…white supremacy.” Dr. Higgins’ tweets center whiteness, very clearly. Higgins’ firing comes after a plethora of professors across the country have been reprimanded, shamed, and threatened for their social media posts that address, most concretely, systemic racism.
The question arises: what are these academic professionals and activists challenging? And why are these challenges suppressed immediately? Higgins’ tweets, it seems, are insensitive. After all, one cannot be well-meaning and racist. The Claremont Consortium’s actions indicate the paradox of its work towards, as Dean CollinsEaglin of Pomona noted in an email to current students following Higgins’ firing, “a demonstrated commitment to diversity and community.” Jon Paul Higgins threatened the comfort of those who believe they are white, who must believe they are well-meaning and blameless, with his tweets. The 5 Cs—Pomona, Scripps, Harvey-Mudd, Pitzer, and Claremont Mckenna—will demonstrate a commitment to diversity and community so long as those who fulfill this commitment do not challenge
“The 5C’s... will demonstrate a commitment to diversity and community so long as those who fulfill this commitment do not challenge ideas of race and racism, and, more importantly, do not center a critique of whiteness.” ideas of race and racism, and, more importantly, do not center a critique of whiteness. When I say that I saw myself in Piers Morgan on screen, I do not say that I saw a similar professional role, nor did I see a similar accent, nor even a similar appearance. The whiteness to which I speak has nothing to do with the color of both my own and Morgan’s skin. I speak to a whiteness that creates a story; this story tells me that my sense of being white is not based on racism. But as Ta NahisiCoates states: “Racism is the father of race, not the son.” If Morgan were to acknowledge this, then the scaffolding on which his whiteness—in personal and institutional form—relies, would come crumbling down.” If Pomona and all the other colleges were to dig deeper into Jon Paul Higgins’ critiques and the discomfort those tweets evoked, then we students would have a Queer, Black QRC director that might just destabilize a little of the power of which he speaks.
12 October, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue 2
Features • 3
can I get some
P L E around here?
The Scripps Accessing Mental Health Support Voice Staff
H
Eve Milusich ‘21 Mental Health Columnist
I
Editors-in-Chief Mel Gilcrest Maureen Cowhey Advisor Christopher Dennis Design Editors Gabrielle Garcia Emilie Hu Sarah Wong Copy Editors Priya Canzius Rena Patel Business Manager Anna Liss-Roy Webmaster Emma Wu Shortt Columnists & Staff Writers Leta Ames Janet Asante Priya Canzius Rose Gelfand Alicia Goode-Allen Eve Kaufman Hanna Kim Elena Lev Luena Maillard Eve Milusich Zizzy Murphy Yasmine Razzak Ittai Sopher Priya Thomas Hayley Van Allen Lizzie Willsmore Photographers Emilie Hu Anoushka Sameer
Comments and letters can be submitted by emailing scrippsvoice@gmail.com or by visiting our website at www. thescrippsvoice.com. Please review our guidelines online before submitting feedback. The Scripps Voice is a student forum and is not responsible for the opinions expressed in it.
t goes without saying that college is stressful. Based on the experiences of many warweathered upperclassmen I’ve spoken with (as well as my own experience so far), sometimes this stress is too much to handle alone. Your struggles are valid, as is your decision on how to tackle them. That being said, it’s much easier to do so with help. Even if you’re not actively in a relapse, keep in mind that you don’t have to wait for things to get worse before you can start working to feel better. The Claremont Consortium offers a variety of valuable services, but sifting through them for the right office, the right doctor, and the right phone number, is overwhelming in itself. On a bad day when just getting out of bed seems impossible, completing this search would be Herculean feat. So, if you ever find yourself (or a friend) in a rough spot, with little energy to reach out; here’s a streamlined guide to help bridge the gap between wanting help and acquiring it. Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services (MCAPS) is home to most mental health resources across the 5Cs. Their services can be split into four categories.
Individual Therapy: Monsour offers free short-term therapy for all students, and MCAPS psychologists will treat all mental illnesses. Up to eight sessions can be used throughout the school year, per student. Therapy can be set up by appointment, with the first session as an intake. In situations of crisis, students can always meet with the on-call therapist, even if all eight sessions have already been used. MCAPS crisis line can be used reach the on-call therapist at any time including after-hours. Group Therapy: Monsour offers weekly groups, facilitating peer-support for a variety of issues. Some of these groups are more general, while others offer support for specific issues or needs. Groups are free, and a student can attend as many or few as needed. Particular groups require an initial screening before attendance, and these appointments typically range for 20-30 minutes. In addition to traditional groups, Monsour also offers a more casual drop in “Life-Hack Series” that focuses on common problems that affect student well-being; such as procrastination, insomnia, perfectionism, etc.
Therapist Referrals: Given that Monsour can only provide eight sessions per year, students in need of ongoing treatment are referred to professionals within the nearby community. A listing of these doctor’s contact info is available on MCAPS site, but call Monsour for help narrowing down this list. MCAPS staff can help you find a therapist who will work best with you, considering your preference for gender, race, insurance carrier, and/or walking distance. The deductible fees of a community therapist can potentially be waived using the student insurance policy. This SHIP form can be downloaded from the MCAPS site. Medication Management: Monsour psychiatrists can prescribe medication for ongoing treatments, and they can start patients on medication as well. This MCAPS’ service itself is free, but students must pay for medication not covered by insurance. The wait time for an initial appointment is around 15 days, but gets longer as the semester progresses. Similar to Monsour’s therapy, the first appointment with a psychiatrist will serve as an intake.
While reaching out may still seem daunting, remember that connecting with any of the resources above can make a dramatic difference. Even if you find that Monsour isn’t right for you, support itself can help you get that much closer to a better place. More information about local and on-campus mental health resources, beyond those based in the MCAPS office, will be featured in upcoming issues as well. To schedule or inquire about the therapy, groups, referrals, or med-management described above, call Monsour’s main line at: (909) 621-8202. During after-hours, and in case of a crisis, this number can also connect you to an on-call therapist. MCAPS is found inside the Student Health Center, right next to the Honnold-Mudd Library. For descriptions and meeting times of all the groups running this semester, follow the link: https://www.cuc.claremont.edu/mcaps/ wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/03/cuc_ mcaps_grpswrkshps_Fall207-final-2.pdf For more information on the LifeHack workshop series; its dates, and locations, see: https://www.cuc.claremont.edu/mcaps/wpcontent/uploads/sites/12/2017/03/LifehacksSept-2017-1.pdf
12 October, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Two
4 • Features
why i can’t stop talking about being GAY By Hayley Van Allen ‘21 LGBT+ Columnist
A
year or two ago I was talking with a friend and made a well timed, if slightly overused, gay joke; as one does. My friend, who it should be said has always been very supportive and accepting of my identity, responded by joking, “you always talk about being gay. Imagine if I talked about being straight as much as you did being gay.” To be fair, she also referenced being straight a lot - just without realizing it - but her comment did make me think about why I was so vocal about my identity. I started questioning my sexuality at the end of my freshman year in high school. I like to say that from that point on I just got gayer each year. Sophomore year I identified as bisexual, junior year I started dating my first long-term girlfriend, and by senior year, I identified as gay. The process of questioning and reanalyzing my sexuality is an ongoing process that has shaped me to be the person I am today. If I didn’t identify as sapphic, I wouldn’t have had many of the interests and friends I did throughout high school and
today. The music I listen to, the tv shows/ movies I watch, and even the people I hang out with have been influenced by my identity. At this point, being gay is basically my entire personality. When I meet a new person, they usually realize I’m gay within the first ten minutes of conversation, not necessarily because I “look gay” (although I definitely do),
“If I wasn’t able to love the fact that I’m gay, I would have a lot of trouble loving myself at all” but because I’m literally an endless stream of gay jokes. It’s become so important to me to be proud of how I identify because it’s defined who I am and how I interact with the world. If I wasn’t able to love the fact that I’m gay, I would have a lot of trouble loving myself at all. It’s not that I’m proud of the fact that I’m gay,
to print or not to print? By Leta Ames ‘18 Sustainability Columnist
T
o print or no to print? Which is better for the environment; printing out your readings, or viewing them online? The answer, much like most environmental questions, is that it’s complicated. There are many different factors that influence the environmental impact of something and comparing pieces of paper and bytes of data is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. According to student research at Stanford, reading a paper online uses approximately one kilojoule of energy more than producing a piece of paper. So, if you’re reading something multiple times, it’s usually worth it to print out that page in terms of energy. There are other environmental impacts of both paper and computer readings and there are clear differences in preference, because everyone has a different learning style. I’m going to dive into the impacts of both paper and your computer. When it comes to printing, there’s the actual paper making process, transportation of the paper, and making and maintaining of printers. According to the WWF, the United States is one of the largest consumers of paper products. Conversion of old growth forest to pulp plantations can release stored carbon into the atmosphere and powering the mills that make paper is incredibly energy intensive, leading to greenhouse emissions. Paper production is also very water intensive and pollutants, like bleach needed to whiten paper, can be released into waterways. There are ways for paper to be made sustainably, and using recycled and environmentally certified products is a great place to start. During the life of a printer the ink cartridges used are a large waste concern. Many commercially available inks contain toxic chemicals, that can pollute water soil during production and when disposed of in landfill. According to Rhea Handa, a Scripps senior and employee in the IT department, our ink cartridges are sent to a company that recycles them, which greatly reduces their environmental impact. Another impact of printers is during their production and end of life disposal, something that is a huge concern for all consumer electronics. One way to mitigate the environmental impact of electronics is to avoid
necessarily, but that I’m proud of the fact that I was able to question who I was and come out on top. I’m proud of the fact that the world has thrown all this shit at me and yet members of the LGBT+ community including myself have continued to survive and thrive in spite of it. Discovering and embracing the fact that I’m gay has been so pivotal to my growth as a person and has dictated the way my life has gone since I’ve come out. In no way would I be the same person if I were straight. I’ve lost and gained friends over my identity. I’ve been through some really bad times and some really good times, all because I’m gay. This seemingly small part of who I am has affected every aspect of my life. Of course being gay is part of my personality. It defines me at every level. I am a gay person. That’s why no matter where I am or who I’m with, I can’t stop talking about being gay.
and how it is being processed. As always, it’s better to take care of your products and use them as long as possible before purchasing a new one. Another hidden cost of reading your articles online is the energy needed to run and cool the servers that manage the data you see when you access a website. According to Wired and The Atlantic, Netflix, Facebook, and other large companies have worked to house their servers in areas where energy is produced by renewables, large amounts of energy that power your favorite websites are powered on the grid where energy is produced by burning coal. Long story short, both reading hard copy and online have hidden environmental and social costs. Be conscious of your consumption either way. If you’ll be returning to reference multiple times or reading it closely it is likely better to print, just make sure to print on recycled paper, print multiple pages per sheet, and recycle after use. When using a computer, make sure to minimize your computer use, while working and during study breaks, also be conscious of new purchases and make your electronics last as long as possible before disposing of them properly.
Photograph courtesey of Food & Nutrition Magazine.
purchasing new electronics, so take care of the printers in our dorms and make them last. So, when it comes to your online readings, there’s the energy impact of using a computer, which is included in the energy comparison referenced above; there are also hidden impacts. Most electronics are made in some capacity overseas, releasing emissions when they are shipped to the United States. Additionally, electronics are made with rare earth metals, which like most mining practices have huge environmental costs. According to an investigation done by the Guardian, most of these metals are mined in China and years of limited environmental regulations and high demands for the metals from international companies have put the toxic burden on the people who live near and work in the mines. There has been a push to recycle more of these components, but according to WHO, it is often rural and economically disadvantaged areas around the world take on this recycling in unsafe ways and in turn the hazards that come with it. Before recycling your electronic device, make sure you research where it is going
“Pulp and Paper | Industries | WWF.” World Wildlife Fund, https://www.worldwildlife.org/ industries/pulp-and-paper. Accessed 30 Sept. 2017. Greenbrg, Julia. “Netflix Says Streaming Is Greener Than Reading (or Breathing).” WIRED, 28 May 2015. www.wired.com, https://www.wired. com/2015/05/netflix-says-streaming-greenerreading-breathing/. Accessed 30 Sept. 2017. Kaiman, Jonathan. “Rare Earth Mining in China: The Bleak Social and Environmental Costs.” The Guardian, 20 Mar. 2014. www. theguardian.com, http://www.theguardian.com/ sustainable-business/rare-earth-mining-chinasocial-environmental-costs. Burrington, Ingrid. “The Environmental Toll of a Netflix Binge.” The Atlantic, Dec. 2015. The Atlantic,https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/12/there-are-no-clean-
12 October, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Two
Features • 5
faces of scripps: Natalie bauer ‘21 Interviewed by Janet Asante ‘21 Staff Writer
NB: The happiest moment of my life was when I was a music festival with my best friend from California and I was on his back and we were watching some awful band and making fun of them.
THE SCRIPPS VOICE: What’s your life goal? NATALIE BAUER: I want to work at Pixar. I want to do character design.
TSV: What was the saddest moment of your life?
TSV: How do you think other people describe you?
NB: My mom had a tumor a while back and right after athe surgery, [and] she was really sad and emotional because her hair was falling out and she was concerned about that. She got up to go to the bathroom once and my sister and I quickly went and jumped on her pillow, hid all the hair, and put it in our pockets so she wouldn’t see it and get upset. That was the worst. That was also the day my grandma showed up in leather pants, so that was pretty funny.
NB: Crazy
TSV: What do you most fear in life?
TSV: How do you describe yourself?
NB: I don’t like being sad. When you’re sad for an extended period of time you start to think you will never get better, so I try to constantly have little tiny happy things to remind me that everything is in a cycle.
TSV: What kind of a friend do you like to be? NB: I’ve had several hard times in my life, so I try to help other people get through them. I feel like I’ve experienced all this negativity and I don’t at least try to help someone else get through it, it’s for nothing”
NB: “Crazy and Chaotic Neutral”. TSV: What was the happiest moment of your life? Photo by Anoushka Sameer ‘19.
GOURMET CORNER
Galette!
Pie’s Forgiving, Laid-Back Sibling TIPS:
By Yasmine Razzak ‘21 Food Columnist
W
today we’re making...
ith summer winding down and the holidays approaching, sometimes you just crave the comfort of a warm, homey, heaping scoop of plump strawberries or golden apples and pastry. If you’re like me and have penchant towards impulse buying figs and berries at the farmer’s market because sometimes Frank brunch simply doesn’t cut it, good news–– galettes are for you! (Go to Frank on Thursday dinner! They have a fresh berry bar :) But shhh… Don’t let anyone else know!) For those terrified of the crimping, measuring, and pleating associated with the perfect pie, galettes are a delicious fuss-free alternative perfect for the novice (lethargic, lazy, or workswamped) baker! Basically a hybrid of a pizza and tart, galettes are freeform pies made without a pie-pan or any sort of mold: dough is rolled out flat and then folded around the filling, creating an open-faced dessert that bakes up flaky and golden, with the exposed surface area of the filling creating a heavenly juicy, yet more concentrated fruit center. The best part? It is literally impossible to mess up. Simply roll out your favorite pie crust (store-bought or homemade, no judgment here –– puff pastry also works well) into a generally round shape, mix fruit with cornstarch and sugar, pile fruit into the center of the circle, fold, then bake! Detailed recipe and instructions are as follows:
1. Leave your dough in the refrigerator as long as possible before rolling and shaping. Warm dough becomes flimsy and fragile. 2. Try not to overfill your galette. Keep the fruit flat and compact, and maintain at least a two inch border between the filling and the edge so that it can be folded over. 3. Stone fruits (peaches, plums etc.) generally need more cornstarch than pectin-rich fruits (apples, figs, blueberries, etc.) 4. Don’t worry about any of these too much; baking is supposed to be fun not stress-inducing!
Fruit Filling Recipe Ingredients: 3 cups desired fruit cut if necessary (sliced peaches, apples, strawberries, blueberries etc.) 2-5 tablespoons cornstarch 2-5 tablespoons sugar (to taste) Photograph courtesey of Epicurious.com
Pie Crust Recipe (adapted from Serious Eats, makes one pie crust): Ingredients: 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 ¼ sticks butter, cut into 1/4-inch pats 3 tablespoons cold water Directions: 1. Combine flour with sugar and salt in a bowl. Stir to incorporate. Spread butter chunks evenly over surface. Using two fork or fingers, break butter into flour until the mixture resembles coarse pebbles. 2. Sprinkle with water. Then using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold and press dough until it comes together into a ball. Form ball into four inch disc and keep refrigerated.
Directions: 1. Mix it all together! Forming the Galette! 1. Preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit. 2. Roll out dough to appx. 12-14inch round (it really doesn’t matter!), and place onto parchment-lined baking sheet. 3. Pile fruit mixture into the center, trying to limit gaps between the fruit and keeping the filling flat. 4. Gently fold the excess edges of the dough over the filling, overlapping as needed. Paint with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar (optional). 5. Bake until filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown, 25-35 mins. 6. Let cool for 10 minutes (if you can), then enjoy!
12 October, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Two
6
SPOTLIGHT
Islamophobia Talk At Scripps Marred By Anti-Muslim Protesters Priya Canzius ‘20 shares a personal account of the upsetting events that occurred at the Tu e s d a y N o o n A c a d e m y t a l k o n O c t o b e r 1 0 t h .
Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR, spoke on Tuesday at Scripps College. Photo courtesy of PressTV.
that American culture has been driven by biases and prejudice, and that there have always been criteria in deciding what constitutes a “true” American or a “new” American. He explained to the audience that we all share land together, and we therefore share a future together. After being periodically interrupted by the first man and several other irate audience members, Image courtesy of CAIR Los Angeles. Ayloush stated that no one should feel the need to he last time I cried was on October 10, 2017. It convince others of their humanity, but that it is the was also the first time that someone questioned responsibility of the people who need to be convinced whether or not I was American. Buckle up, readers, to do their own research. because if you haven’t yet experienced racism and isThe man who interrupted originally interrupted once lamophobia, you’re about to. more. He started his phrase with “you people”, referThat afternoon, I had gone to the Scripps Hampton encing Muslims. Room, intending to listen to Muslim rights activist I was rolling my eyes while they spoke, because, Hussam Ayloush speak about CAIR-LA (Council on well, men. But then the un-excusable happened. Just American-Islamic Relations), a group Scripps promot- after Ayloush finished his presentation, one of the ed as a “grassroots civil rights organization [of which men raised his hands and asked, “what’s your stance Ayloush is Executive Director] that has worked with on suicide bombings?” Ayloush, who clearly (and unthe Greater Los Angeles Area Muslim community...for fortunately) had heard this before, responded, “what’s more than two decades”. According to CAIR’s website, yours?” the organization’s mission statement is to “enhance unHell, which had been, quite frankly, toeing the line up derstanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil to that point, broke loose. The man started screaming liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coali- that because Ayloush wouldn’t respond to the question, tions that promote justice it meant he was pro-suicide “Hell, which had been, quite and mutual understandbombing. Which, in this ing.” f r a n k l y, t o e i n g t h e l i n e u p t o t h a t heckler’s mind, seemed to Looking forward to the mean that all Muslims were p o i n t , b r o k e l o o s e .” Director’s talk, I sat in now pro-suicide bombing. the back of the room with other Scripps students and When Ayloush responded that he was, in fact, not prosome people from the greater Claremont community. suicide bombing, the man asked, “doesn’t the Qur’an The talk itself was fairly typical. My fellow Scripps promote lying to the infidel?” students and I noticed early on that a white man - not We all realized at that point that there was no winaffiliated with Scripps - was trying to engage with ning or losing this argument, because it was based on Ayloush as he was presenting. Ayloush pointed out ignorance. Professors tried to intervene. Had he been
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honestly can’t remember what else was talked about, but you’re right if you know it was hurtful and ignorant. It was at this point that I started crying. The talk was over. I walked out, and noticed that some of my peers were crying as well. And then the hecklers came outside and started interacting with us. Schaper followed and berated audience members as they left the Hampton Room, recording their reactions in a 15-minute-long video that was later uploaded to YouTube. Some students stayed behind to challenge his statements about terrorism and Islamic the only one stirring agitation in the room, maybe they law, shouted down by Schaper and his associates. Procould have. But people to my right were protesting that testers surrounded and cornered audience members this heckler had a right to speak, a man behind me was outside, arguing that islamophobia does not exist, and that Christians and Jewish people are the real victims explaining to us how we were being “brainwashed” by this speaker and by Scripps, and people in front of me of prejudice. They questioned why we were fighting for Muslims here, when “good Christians” were being were aghast. killed every day in Muslim countries. “Where is the Another man started angrily shouting about how publicity was for that?”, a Latino man asked us. hate crimes committed against Jewish people are all I, fool that I am, responded, “Why don’t you do committed by Muslims (untrue), and had brought something to fight for them, and we’ll fight for Musalong a few lines from the Qur’an to “aid” his argument. Ayloush tried to explain that one cannot under- lims in this country?” And he stopped, looked right at me, and said, “Because this is my country”. He looked stand the Qur’an without context, and how both the me right in the eye and asked, “is it yours?” Bible and the Qur’an could be interpreted in many I was floored. I was goddamn floored. For any of you ways; he explained to us that groups like ISIS and the who don’t know the answer, yes, it is. I can’t tell if this KKK can rise out of those interpretations. Someone man was questioning me because of what I said, beyelled back, “We’re not talking about the KKK!” cause I’m brown, or because I’m brown and there was Hell, which had already broken loose, was somehow no way for him to tell whether or not I am a Muslim. punishing Scripps students by dropping a few of its whiter inhabitants into the Hampton Room. CAIR is (I’m not, but that should not matter). So I left. I no stranger to controversy and “ P r o t e s t e r s s u r r o u n d e d a n d c o r n e r e d a u d i e n c e left, I cried, and public defama- m e m b e r s o u t s i d e , a r g u i n g t h a t I s l a m o p h o b i a I became so, tion -- their d o e s n o t e x i s t , a n d t h a t C h r i s t i a n s a n d J e w - so angry about the state of our website features i s h p e o p l e a r e t h e r e a l v i c t i m s o f p r e j u d i c e . world. I’m anan entire page They questioned why we were fighting for gry because I’m devoted to “DisMuslims here, when “good Christians” were sure that Huspelling Rumors About CAIR,” b e i n g k i l l e d e v e r y d a y i n M u s l i m c o u n t r i e s .” sam Ayloush gets heckled stating that “because of CAIR’s high profile and very public record of every day because of his job, his religion, and his race. principled advocacy of civil liberties, interfaith relations I’m angry that Muslims in general have to deal with this hatred so regularly. I’m angry that people feel so and justice for all people, a small but vocal group of anti-Muslim bigots has made CAIR the focus of their comfortable in their stereotypical American-ness that misinformation campaign.” This “vocal group” seems to they feel entitled to intimidate and threaten and manufacture blatant mistruths at will. I’m angry that this have found its way to Claremont, despite the best efforts of event organizers. Assistant Professor of Politics, happened, and I’m angry that not everyone was crying. Sumita Pahwa, challenged the protestors by explaining I don’t know what the takeaway is from this, but I do know that we need to consciously include and support that Muslims, in general, have a lower tolerance for all members of our community, especially those who suicide bombings than any other religious group acare most vulnerable to acts of hatred. cording to a study from PEW Research Center. One Like Ayloush said, if we share this land, we’re going of the men (later identified as anti-Muslim blogger to share the future. And here, at the Claremont ColArthur Schaper) gasped and said, “so you mean to say leges, it’s our responsibility to help protect that future. I that some Muslims do support suicide bombings?” To this man, “fewer” Muslims is enough to label an entire only hope that one day, when someone asks “Is America really your country?” anyone of any race or religion religion as, somehow, more violent than others. At this point, we were all at a loss. People were leav- will feel able to say “Yes” with as much certainty as I did, or more. ing, people were shouting, and people were stunned. I
“I’m angry that people feel so comfortable in their stereotypical American-ness that they feel entitled to intimidate and threaten and manufacture blatant mistruths at will. I’m angry that this happened, and I’m angry that not e v e r y o n e w a s c r y i n g .”
12 October, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Two
8 • Issues
POC ISSUES: Interviewed by Hanna Kim ‘21 POC Issues Columnist
north korea roots
W
hen I first introduce my ethnicity to others, I say I’m full Korean. After all, both my parents have the last name Kim! However, nine times out of ten, the person I’m talking to will follow up by asking me whether I am North Korean or South Korean Honestly, at first I thought it was kind of funny, but now that I’ve heard it so many times, it just sounds dull and overused. My grandparents are both immigrants from Seoul, South Korea. They met while taking an English class, both holding aspirations to live and work in the United States. My grandpa was working as an interpreter for an American general and my grandma was finishing up medical school at the start of the Korean War. I always remember my grandma telling stories of her two-week voyage on a small ship to the states, ow she was excited for the new opportunities, but terrified of leaving her war-torn home. They settled in La Jolla, California, where my mother and my uncle grew up. My grandparents have owned an apartment in Seoul for quite sometime now. They go back multiple times a year and admire how their country has evolved into a bustling, technological, and cultural empire, even after the Japanese colonization and the Korean War. They love socializing with new people and taking the subway to explore new neighborhoods. Lately, however, my family has tried to convince them not to go to Korea. There have recently been many relevant current events regarding the United States, North Korea, and South Korea. The encroaching US military threat on the Korean peninsula by the US Navy, and the establishment of ballistic missile defense systems in South Korea has prompted North Korea to retaliate by testing many of its ballistic missiles. While closely following recent news in North and South Korea, I stumbled upon the story of a North Korean defector and immediately both my emotional and intellectual interests shifted from a more macroscopic analysis of the current events to a very human desire to understand and empathize with the storytellers that managed to survive and escape North Korea. After reading many of these stories, it soon dawned on me that while I had became versed in the politics in North Korea, I had little to no understanding on the humanitarian issues facing North Koreans today. North Koreans defectors, like most refugees, defect in search of a better life. For the majority of the population, basic human needs are not met and food security is a national issue. According to BBC, Approximately 70 percent of the North Korean population relies on the government for food aid and 40 percent of the population is malnourished
Photo courtesey of The Daily Dot.
In some ways, aspects of North Korean society resemble the story of the Allegory of the Cave. Both are instances of an almost completely isolated environment under constant control with limited to no access of the outside world. Shackles limit the movement of prisoners in the Allegory of the Cave, while government propaganda and strict enforcement of laws shackle the free will of the North Korean people. The only instances of freedom and happiness are represented through shadows, censored media, and other government controlled methods that only reveal a fraction of the real image. The punishment for being caught outside of the cave is brutal. Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector, described how watching a smuggled copy of the Titanic ultimately made her realize that a world exists outside of her current reality. But if she had been caught watching that foreign movie, she could have been sentenced to several years in forced labor or even publically executed, according to the Huffington Post. Most who try to escape North Korea have to pay Chinese traders and sell their bodies to live in South? Korea as illegal immigrants. They are constantly at risk of being caught, deported back to North Korea, and could face punishments that would not only put their lives at risk, but also their families. Those that are caught and sent back to North Korea may have to spend several years in forced labor and prison camps. I would start by saying that the prison system in North Korea is an inhumane and ancient relic. Prisoners are sent to labor camps where they often were forced to work for 15-16 hour days. Many are fed rotten corn meal, or are forced to eat insects and other animals that they can find. One mentioned how they caught rats, but had to eat them raw as cooking them over a fire could risk alerting the guards. If prisoners were discovered trying to cook their own food, they could become subject to more torture and punishment, according to BBC (North Koreans defectors who have lived as prisoners in these labor camps and escaped discussed how small, seemingly innocent mounds in the labor camp were actually burial grounds for hundreds of deceased prisoners. Perhaps most disturbing was that the hundreds of decaying dead bodies within the ground allowed for flowers
to grow well on top (Hancocks, CNN). I read these stories and think that for me to be able to leisurely discuss current events from the perspective of an outsider while many North Koreans’ sole concern is to survive is such a privileged position to be in. Ever since Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student who was detained for trying to steal a political banner, fell into a coma and later died, North Korea has been one of the centers of the news. His parents spoke out after their son’s death, saying “North Korea is not a victim,” Fred Warmbier said. “They’re terrorists. They kidnapped Otto. They tortured him. They intentionally injured him. They are not victims.” However, reading the stories of North Korean defectors made me realize just how much I focused on the macroscopic issues rather than on the very human realities of the North Korean people. I have thought deeply about solutions and humanitarian efforts that could help temporarily, but honestly I don’t have any suggestions on how to fix the problem without direct military involvement. As a community who is politically well-versed, I hope this article inspires you to look at the news beyond just a surface level perspective, and to instead try to empathize and psychologically understand others’ struggles.
“North Korea hunger: Two in five undernourished, says UN.” BBC News. BBC, 22 Mar. 2017. Web. 13 May 2017. Hancocks, Paula. “Defectors describe horror, heartbreak in North Korea’s labor camps.” CNN. Cable News Network, 29 May 2012. Web. 13 May 2017. Okamoto, Nadya. “The Story Of A North Korean Defector.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 13 Mar. 2017. Web. 13 May 2017. “Starving prisoners in North Korea were forced to eat snakes and rats.” BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 14 May 2017.
12 October, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Two
Features • 9
(500) Days of Summer: How the Media We Consume Hurts Our Relationships By Ittai Sopher, Pitzer College ‘19 Film Columnist
I
first saw Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer, during my early teens and I thought the film was brilliant mostly because of how much I could empathize with the film’s protagonist, Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. After all, we both shared a love for sweater-vests, vintage music, and the ending of the 1967 film, The Graduate. What’s more, we were both obsessed with the passionate demonstrations of true-love preached by our favorite films. So, when Zooey Deschanel's character, Summer, dumps Tom abruptly, in favor of marrying some other dude, I was outraged. “Summer is a jerk,” I thought. However, upon rewatching the film, half-a-decade later, I could feel my cheeks turning red with embarrassment, because, as it turns out, Tom was one of the biggest self-absorbed assholes in recent romantic-comedies. So what did I miss? Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber are very perceptive in their understanding of our expectations as an audience. The writers know that the faceless narrator’s warning at the beginning of the film that tells the audience, “this is not a love story”, will go ignored by most people viewing the film for the first time. The audience is conditioned to believe that Tom is us, and that we should sympathize with his familiar quarter-life work and relationship crises. And many of us will find his almost immediate conviction to make Summer fall in love with him charming. Tom punching a man in the face in order to protect Summer from harassment is supposed to be a grand romantic gesture, and we cheer when Tom dances to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off-esque parade in the streets of Los Angeles. But the problem is that Summer is not the manic pixie dream girl from the movies Tom watches, who is ready to completely alter her own personal dating preferences for Tom’s macho dedication to winning her heart. Summer states very early in the film that she does not want a relationship, and this sentiment is explained to Tom by another woman, after Summer already dumped him, only to be ignored. Summer is never willing to her change her beliefs about relationships, and Tom knows this; he even tells his sister that telling Summer about the strong feelings he has for Summer will potentially “rock the boat”. Tom is probably right, because Summer is honest with herself and her emotions throughout the film. And if Summer knew how deeply in love Tom was with her, she probably would have dumped him earlier to save him the heartbreak and reclusiveness that Tom will go on to experience during the, after Summer dumps him. Summer’s refusal to obey Tom’s relationship standards, is a rejection of the manic pixie dream girl composite, and a wake-up call for heterosexual men who believe that women will whimsically seek the approval of and bind themselves to the hearts of men. Furthermore, Tom’s love for Summer is not built on anything meaningful, as demonstrated by his ability to only list Summer’s physical features and music preferences as justifications for his supposedly deep-love. The very romance that Tom obsesses over for the entirety of the film turns out to be extremely shallow and self-serving. The disconnect between Tom and Summer is clear throughout the film and is a reflection of many of the heterosexual relationships that are depicted in the idealized Hollywood and French New-Wave versions of romance. While the film takes place in present-day Los Angeles, there is a dystopian element to the male characters’ behaviors and attitudes. In fact, the only person that the male characters can think to recruit to
give sound relationship advice is Tom’s pre-teen sister played by Chloë Grace Moretz, who tells Tom that “just because some cute girl likes the same bizarro crap that you do, that doesn’t make her your soul-mate”. This sound advice is juxtaposed with that of the male characters who have an intense inability to understand their own
shortcomings and commit to healthy relationships, directly because of the media that they had consumed for decades. Their normalized sexism and homophobia, (for example, one of Tom’s friends drunkenly assumes that Summer is a lesbian because she doesn’t want to enter a relationship), is partly formed by the male-centric and heteronormative nature of the media that they consume. The film centers around men who live in a world where the media they take part in controls nearly every aspect of their judgement and inter-personal relationships. (500) Days of Summer is a movie about the expectations of consumers in American society. These presumptions are born out of centuries of sappy Valentine's Day cards, brazen male heroes banging on chapel windows to steal back “their girl”, and pop-songs about how a man dying by a beautiful woman’s side is such a heavenly way to die. But the film challenges these assumptions about relationships, by shattering our core conventions about love. n the final act, the film asserts that falling in love is a matter of circumstance and not about grand gestures which ultimately serve to deprive women of their agency. (500) Days of Summer knows that the manic pixie dream girl composite is born out of this misconception. So, Tom is rebuked when he tells Summer, “you just do what you want, don’t you?”. Somehow, to Tom, Summer not falling in love with him was is an awful crime. (500) Days of Summer helped me understand that becoming an adult is about developing empathy. By the end, we can only hope, that Tom understands that Summer not loving him is not an attack on his manhood, but more of just a mere reflection of his inability to communicate or listen effectively. As I reflect (500) Days of Summer at age twenty, I realize that it wasn’t Summer who was the jerk; it was me.
LUE's SEX COLUMN
(this one's a quickie!)
12 October, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Two
10 • Features
Q&A with Professor Genevieve Kaplan Interview by Priya Thomas ‘21 Staff Writer
Professor Kaplan teaches Section Four of Writing 50 at Scripps, “My Story is the World’s Story.” She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz and the Iowa Writers Workshop. Her areas of expertise involve creative writing, poetry, critical thinking and rhetoric, small press publishing, and book arts.
DEAR JANET, So I’ve been feeling very homesick recently, but calling my family just makes me feel more sad because I realize how far away they are. Any advice on dealing with homesickness? DEAR HOMESICK SEMEUSE,
Priya (P): What sparked your interest in literature and creative writing? When and how did you decide to become a writer/professor at Scripps? Professor Kaplan (K): When we first moved to the Claremont area, my husband and I liked to walk through the colleges and explore, especially during the summers when the campuses were all so quiet. One day we stumbled upon the graffiti wall outside Toll Hall at Scripps, and we spent some time admiring the names and drawings and creativity and history there. So amazing! And, so unlike my own college experience (I attended a larger state university) – the idea of such a close-knit community at Scripps really drew me in. P: What is your writing process like? What inspires you/gives you ideas for new material? K: While I do write—and read—quite a bit, I don’t always write every single day and I don’t always feel inspired. So, when I’m in my early drafting processes, I try not to overedit or allow myself to over-think. This early generative excess means that I always have a lot of raw materials -words and phrases- lying around, which I find comforting. And, when I get stuck on an idea or a draft I often turn to the physical form or activity to help. For example, I like to handwrite lines and phrases on small strips of paper and move them around on the floor or on a page; I like to walk by myself and think a line or phrase in my head in time with my steps; I like to make little books and then see how a line or a poem or a paragraph might fit inside them. My favorite part of writing is when I can get past the point where I’m struggling to get the ideas out of my head and onto the page and instead arrive at the place where writing and composing and editing feels more like play. P: Do you have a favorite book or author? If so, who/what is it and why? K: Recently, at my other job -I also work with the Kingsley & Kate Tufts Poetry Awards at CGU-, we’ve been recording faculty, staff, and students reading pieces of Ross Gay’s long poem “catalog of unabashed gratitude” for a collective collage-style audio reading. I’d read his book before, of course, and I’d heard the poet read this poem, but listening to all the different readers who took time to come down to the office to record a few lines for this project has really given me a different sense of the work. Just on its own, Ross’s poem is simultaneously thankful and giddy and contemplative and awed, and it includes swear words and flowers and tea and honey and suicide and mercy and gardens; it is wide-ranging. And then hearing all these voices—and each person coming at the poem with their own background and experience and baggage—engage with his words brought the poem to life in a way that made it somehow even more inclusive and lovely. This week, my favorite book is Ross Gay’s catalog of unabashed gratitude.
ASANTE'S ADVICE COLUMN
Other books I love and often return to are The Complete Prose of Marianne Moore, Susan Howe’s My Emily Dickinson, and Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping. P: What was your major in college? Did your experience there in any way shape your journey to where you are now? Do you have any advice for Scripps students about how to use their undergraduate experience to unlock their interests/make decisions about the future? K: As an undergraduate I started off as an art major, and then I switched to literature after a year or two. I also took a bunch of other classes: language classes Spanish, Italian, Ancient Greek), film courses (Andy Warhol!), Science classes: Geology, Environmental Biology, and whatever else seemed interesting at the time. I wasn’t necessarily good at all these subjects—and in fact I learned that I have zero natural aptitude for learning new languages, and that writing literary essays didn’t translate well to scientific papers—but I really liked being able to think about a range of subjects. I like a lot of things, and I like being able to think about them potentially simultaneously. Literature and creative writing has been great for me because writing can be about anything, subject-wise; practicing (and teaching) the literary arts of reading and writing continually exposes me to new ideas and information. One reason I love literature is because it can encompass pieces of everything. My advice for current students is to be openminded and stretch yourself a bit when you have the opportunity–college is such a great time to explore. My experiences taking a variety of courses helped me to figure out what I was really interested in, and to consider how different subjects can potentially fit together. A certain college major doesn’t necessarily lead to a certain career, especially in the liberal arts, and my varied experiences as an undergraduate led me to some fascinating jobs that I’m not sure I would have considered otherwise. P: Do you have any hobbies or favorite activities you use to relax/unwind? K: This is incredibly nerdy, but I really like Jazzercise. I initially started taking classes as a way to make sure I got some exercise, and it turns out that hopping around to music with a bunch of other fun ladies always makes me really happy. I also like hiking, and I wish that I would drive up into the hills and get outside more often; one of my goals for this fall, as the weather cools a bit, is to explore more of the local trails.
I’m sorry to hear that you feel homesick, as that feeling can be hard to remedy. If calling makes you sad, ask yourself what exactly it is that you miss. I feel that I can only speak from personal experience on this issue, and for me, homesickness is worst when I feel that I’m missing out on important events or milestones. If that’s you, it might help to have someone video conference you in during those times, or fill you in as they’re happening. If your homesickness stems from a fear of being forgotten, maybe care packages from home would help. My mom sends me mail at least once a week, which comforts me and lets me know that I’m often thought of and not forgotten. If cost is an issue, emails work well too! Your feelings of missing home will most likely never completely go away, and that’s okay, as long as you are exercising self-care and coping in a healthy way. Love, Janet Asante DEAR JANET, I read your article on the front page of the Scripps Voice. I think it was very well written, but think it is irresponsible to print an undocumented student’s name on the article for everyone to see. It is very risky and dangerous to do that, especially with the political climate, racism, and people who are very against immigrants. Even if the student consented (which I hope she did), I don’t think it’s a very good idea. Anyone could read this and though I hope this would never happen, a student or faculty member who is against immigration could expose her and could cause her or her family to be deported. Even worse, immigration could come onto campus and start racially profiling and snatching people who may or may not be undocumented. Please acknowledge this risk, coming from a concerned Latina. DEAR CONCERNED LATINA, I can understand the concern that you have for the student I interviewed for the article on DACA. During the interview, I commented on the bravery she not only demonstrated by allowing the interview and name usage, but by being a student on campus every day. Perhaps it was irresponsible of me to accept her consent, and your hypotheticals are not far-fetched. I wholeheartedly acknowledge the risk I took by mentioning her name. There are ways that undocumented students can be protected on private campuses. This was found on the inside Scripps website: “By declaring ourselves a sanctuary campus, we pledge to seek opportunities to protect all members of our community within the confines of the law, especially those who are most vulnerable, from persecution and violation of their human and civil rights. As a sanctuary center of higher education, Scripps College commits to the following: The College will protect the privacy of its students, faculty, and staff, and will not release information about individuals’ immigration status, religion, or other affiliations unless legally required to do so. The College will report the receipt of federal agency subpoenas for private records to affected students or employees unless specifically prohibited by applicable law.” Apologies, Janet Asante
12 October, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Two
Arts & Entertainment • 11
Anya Cooper:
Poetry Column
The New Wave
Part 4
lick clack click clack. The rapid beat of Susie’s heels on concrete echoed through the halls as she led Anya back up from the basement and into a room just below the building lobby. It was a pristine space and the overhead light caught in the polished surface of the wooden table in its center. The table was filled with files and boxes of varying sizes, all labeled with unfinished project names and plans. Susie gestured for Anya to walk in, her black curls glinting like burnished charcoal in the artificial light. Tentatively, Anya stepped across the threshold, slowing scanning around the room, before closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. The air smelt musty like an old-growth forest. The array of boxes and paper suggested the presence of plans and abandoned ideas older than either Anya’s or Susie’s lifetimes. “What is this place?” Anya asked, turning to face Susie. “This is where you will begin your work,” the latter replied, Her heels clicked as Susie shut the door and deftly crossed the room to a large safe obscured by stacks of yellowing papers. Squatting, she reached out and twirled a small dial on the side of the safe, her fingers flying in nimble, controlled sequences until finally there was a click! and the box sprung open, the hinges creaking as the door hit the ground with a resounding thud. Anya looked on as Susie reached into the safe and pulled out a series of files - each one shiny, black, and sleek, with a label in the upper righthand corner - and carried them to the large wooden table, where she set them down in a large pile. “This,” Susie began, “is everything we’ve compiled over the last hundred years about this project.” Beckoning Anya over, Susie lined the files up next to each other in chronological order, the dust layering on each getting thicker with the turning of the years. Softly, Anya reached out and ran a finger down the cover of the nearest one, mesmerized by the shiny spiral her index finger left on its cover. Blinking, Anya looked up at Susie, who had her brown eyes fixed intently on Anya’s face, her curiosity burning brighter than the heat of a kerosene lamp. “It’s all here,” Susie began, turning and clicking her way down the row of files. “We have ocean level records dating back almost one hundred years, preliminary plans for an interlocking system of submarines, rough sketches of ocean floor bases that were never finished, we have it all.” Anya felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she glanced over the familiar array of designs, unfinished blueprints half hurried drawings of semi-formed ideas, and was suddenly filled with A burning desire to create, to build, to forge so many new ideas the world of her imagination was unrecognizable upon their completions, an emotion she hadn’t experienced since the accident. “This is breathtaking” Anya whispered, brushing a coppery curl out of her eyes as she bent down to decipher the label of a particularly old file. “I haven’t shown you the best part yet,” Susie replied, the corner of her mouth twitching into a smile. From beneath the files and folders of the last century, Susie uncovered a battered leatherbound notebook, its pages crinkled and worn at the edges like a raggedy moth’s wing. Anya shifted over to see it, craning her neck around the glare from the polished wooden table so she could decipher the name written on the cover.
Sam
Charlie Cooper, it read in the small unmistakable handwriting of Anya’s Gramps. Anya’s hands trembled as she reached over to trace the outline of Gramps’ name, her fingertips grazing the ink marks in trepidation. Gently, she lifted the book from Susie’s hands, breathing in the musty scent of aging leather as she turned the pages, each one filled with the careful, tiny script of Gramps’ hand, accompanied by page after page of drawings and designs. “How did you get this?” Anya whispered, her voice catching on the last word as she thumbed through Gramps’ meticulous work. “Your grandfather worked for us, many years ago,” Susie began, her solid timbre ringing starkly through the silence. “During the Climate War, he designed shelters for us, ones that could withstand all manner of wind, rain, and ocean water. He worked in our emergency department as a troubleshooter and was the one we called if all else had failed.” Susie paused and looked at Anya, who still stood bewildered with the leather journal in her hands. Leaning forward, Susie locked her intense brown eyes on Anya, “His work was kept secret for years,” she continued, her voice softening slightly. “By that point, we knew the rising oceans were unstoppable, that there was no reversing this change. The levels would continue to rise, the politicians would continue to deny and blame each other, and meanwhile half the world’s coasts were rapidly disappearing into the sea.” Susie reached over to flip the pages of Gramps’ book, stopping at a particularly dense cluster of writing and sketches. “Charlie designed these small pods so that populations near the flooding coasts would have a place to live until they could be resettled. They’re rudimentary really, just a small closet for a kitchen, a waste pump, and a section with beds, but they bought us time while we found new places for those families to settle.” Anya’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “But, I thought the first climate refugees didn’t appear until about twenty years ago?” Grimly, Susie shook her head. “Official reports will tell you that, but our numbers – the ones politicians still refuse to acknowledge are the real ones – indicate climate refugees first arrived about sixty years ago, after the first wave of natural disasters hit.” “But I still don’t understand,” Anya began, brow furrowed, her lips pursed in perplexity. “If the situation is as dire as you say it is, it’s far too late for these pods Gramps designed. The only possible way to keep people safe without overcrowding on land would be some sort of underwater base, and that’s highly un-” Anya’s voice trailed off as she watched a subtle grin begin to unfold across Susie’s face, alighting on each cheekbone until even her dark eyes seemed to glow with excitement. “No, Anya,” she responded, her voice calm and even as a new piece of silk. “I think you do understand. Charlie built pods, he bought us time. And now,” Susie reached out and gently laid a hand on Anya’s shoulder, which had begun to rise and fall with the quickening pace of her breath. “Now, Anya, we need you, the best engineer we could find, to build us an underwater base, the Noah’s Arc of climate change. We need you to build a new home for the human race, so, once the ocean levels overwhelm the Earth – which they will, eventually – we can still survive.
I’m high for her. I still can’t believe she’s gone. I still want her to be here. My faithful side is occupied with hoping for her return. My rational side accepts her never returning. How can so much of me know what’s impossible? I miss my friend Sam.
Purpose Pick something to live for and die. You ever felt purposeless, Or that life is some kind of purgatory? An in-between process One side is nothingness The other side is heaven. Why should I care and why does anything matter? I could pick something. It’s easy to obsess over any given metric, You can become the best
What do you call a really good Japanese teacher? Senseitional.
Pun Column
By Lizzie Willsmore ‘19 Staff Writer
C
By Janet Asante ‘21 Staff Writer
What’s another name for skinny royalty deep in thought? Thin king. What do you call a new book? Novel.
12 October, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XIX • Issue 2
By Elena Lev ‘21 Staff Writer
12 • Arts & Entertainment
8 Rose’s Reading Recommendations 8 IF YOU LIKE: Hunger by Roxanne Gay
YOU SHOULD READ: Tender Points by Amy Berkowitz (content warning: chronic pain and sexual violence)
By Rose Gelfand ‘21 Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Goodreads
IF YOU LIKE: 2pac, Biggie Smalls, Chance the Rapper, Noname, Childish Gambino, or any rap/hip hop/poetry really
YOU SHOULD REaD: Dated Emcees by Chinaka Hodge This is the first book I’m recommending in this column because Chinaka Hodge is, in my opinion, one of the best and most underrated poets of this generation. Dated Emcees is a fierce and brilliant collection of poetry in which Hodge “examines her love life through the lens of hip-hop’s best known orators, characters, archetypes and songs” (taken from the back of the book). As Daveed Diggs says, “she writes with the grace of a dancer, the bars of a rapper, the heart of your best friend, and all of the swag and soul of Oakland.” Women are so often left out of the hip hop narrative, and Hodge’s poems not only express hip hop history, but they also give voice to this rarely heard side of the experience. For instance, in sex on a tour bus she writes about being lovers with a famous artist, jokingly calling herself a groupie. In the poem she realizes “it is always going to be us. me titties uneven and fatter than the girls in the front row and you ravenous for me anyway. (56)” As a culture, we devour the stories of famous men and the experiences that inspired their art, but rarely do we get to hear the point of view of the person the art is about. Rarely are the muses and girlfriends and side chicks given the opportunity to speak, but Hodge picks up the pen and gives these experiences voice, turning the gaze back on the male artist. Chinaka also plays with form in a seemingly effortless fashion with poems like small poems for Big an elegy/poem for Biggie Smalls comprised of 24 haikus, one for each year he lived, and 2pac couplets with one line for each year he lived. In Dated Emcees, hip hop is intimately personal. It is a mother, an uncle, a brother, a friend, a lover and a self all in one. Hodge explores herself and the world with striking honesty, navigating love, loss, humor, black womanhood and more. (Also even if you aren’t a fan of hip hop, I promise you will love this book. IT IS SO DAMN GOOD)
In Tender Points, Amy Berkowitz brilliantly weaves a story of trauma’s physical effect on the body and what happens when patriarchy intersects with health. She simultaneously explores her experiences with developing and naming fibromyalgia, grapples with the memory gaps of her history with sexual violence, and confronts the myth of female hysteria and discreditation of female pain. While Berkowitz’s writing centers on her own experiences, she speaks with a collective voice. She writes in sporadic bursts, layering the narrative with anecdotes, quotes, metaphors, and experiences and then weaving them back in later sections. This book explores how nonlinear healing from trauma is, and so in this way the form matches the content perfectly. By the end of the book, sexual violence, gender, and physical pain are all melded into each-other, inseparable in their messiness, shame, and ubiquity. However, Berkowitz unearths some of that shame, giving voice and legitimacy to the intimate struggles of so many whose suffering goes unspoken and unnamed. I highly recommend this book to people living with chronic pain and/or working through their own healing processes of any kind and/or want to learn more about how health and gender intersect and/or just want to read some really good prose.
Photo Courtesy of Emily Books
Photo Courtesy of Button Poetry
IF YOU HATE: What capitalism makes people do for money, the commodifcation of art
YOU SHOULD WATCH: “Written to be Yelled at Trump Tower During a Vigil for The NEA” by Sam Sax For every installment I’ll include a poem or collection that is accessible for free on the internet, cause let’s be real, books are expensive! I don’t want to explain/spoil this too much, since it is just a single poem that you can watch immediately, but I will say Sam Sax is one of my favorite poets of all time. He somehow manages to write poems that hold up both on the page and on stage without needing any sort of translation (those who write for both know how incredibly difficult this is!). I heard this poem for the first time and immediately wanted to listen to it on repeat for days. Sax articulates all the mixed feelings that come with being an artist in a money driven world. He writes: I’ve got a government approved sadness / I’ve got a government approved debt / I got a government who wants my loved ones filled with bullets / filling prisons / it’s sick / how money is always disturbing the dead / always making us declare our lives against the price of oil / but still, you gotta pay to live /
Tune in next issue, for more Rose’s reading recs!
12 October, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XIX • Issue 2