1 April 2022
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After 25 Months of Anticipation, The Motley is Open for Business tions, such as a special theme and giving managers the opportunity to work
Photo by Ellen Hu '24
By Lindsay Ravetz ‘25 and Belen Yudess '25 Staff Writers
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et your alarms, get your flex ready, and don your most extravagant floral apparel because the moment you At 7 p.m. today (April 1), the Motley is reopening its doors and reclaiming its title as the heart of Scripps College. This journey has not been easy. There have been several obstacles that former Motley employees have overcome to make this reopening a possibility. This includes the limited number of returning managers, ever-changing COVID-19 protocols, and general product and equipment issues. Thankfully, The Motley has had a team of dedicated and outstanding Scripps students who have worked countless days and nights to ensure that this day would come. Therefore, it is important to recognize this year’s Motley team, starting with co-head managers Madeline (Maddie) Moore ’22 and Camila Mejia ’22. Not only have Moore and Mejia established themselves as an unstoppable duo, but they have also become closer friends in the process, proving that the sense of community created
by The Motley is back and better than ever. this experience has been] becoming best friends with Camila,” said Moore. “I just think we complement each other really well.” Mejia agreed with this sweet sentiment. “Honestly, I would not be able to do this without her,” said Mejia. Although Moore and Mejia have spearheaded this process, they contribute their success to the unwavering commitment of their staff. “I think it's just been super awesome to slowly see our team build into a full team,” said Mejia. “We have our baristas who I'm so excited to meet and … it's been so incredible to have the support team of our managers — that was such a game-changer.” Moore also sung the praises of the newly hired crew. “I'm really excited about our team,” she said. “And just echoing what Camila said, it was amazing to see everyone step up to the plate and it is a testament to their love and care for the space and the community.”
’22] has been facilitating all of the training and she's helped by our barista leads,” said Moore. “Diya [Pereira ’22] and Katherine [Ward ’22] basically are the point people on the barista team that are there to act as a liaison between baristas and the managerial team and also help facilitate community within the barista team.” As such a strong team, The Motley staff has been putting their heads toopening night since 2019. The coffee shop has many opening night tradi-
players on the managerial team that have been essential in bringing expertise from past experiences working at the Motley. “Uma [Nagarajan-Swenson Photo by Ellen Hu '24
IN THIS ISSUE Andrea Ritchie Announced as Commencement Speaker
This year’s theme will be regrowth, with floral and garden themed decor. Moore also shared other aspects of opening night that will make the occasion extra festive. “We are going to have some entertainment,” she said. “I believe we're going to have a band and Without a Box is also going to be performing. So lots of exciting stuff.” The Motley will be open to all 5C students and will also be selling merchandise, so make sure that you and your friends are ready to rep The Motley! As mentioned earlier, the grand opening will be from 7-10 p.m. Going forward, the cafe will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Although The Motley will have many of its renowned coffee and non-coffee options, they will not be serving blended drinks. Additionally, they will not be selling bagels or pastries, but packaged snacks (including pink chocolate bars) will be available. This day is the culmination of nearly a year’s worth of work. While Moore and Mejia, along with the rest of the Scripps community, await the grand opening with great excitement, these feelings are accompanied by nerves due to the pressure of rebuilding The Motley with such high standards. No matter what opening night looks like, the Scripps community is deeply grateful for all of the hard work The Motley team has done to re-open such an important piece of the college’s history and future. “The Motley is anything but perfect,” said Moore and Mejia. “We just do our best. That's our motto.”
Scripps Presents PEN Out Loud
"Love, Strangers, and Friends" Student Art Exhibit
I'm Stuck in the Scripps Bubble and I Hope This Gets Me Out
1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont, CA 91711 | Box 839 | scrippsvoice@gmail.com | Volume XXX | Issue Six
Andrea Ritchie Announced as Commencement Speaker for the Class of 2022 -
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By Jihae Oh CMC ’24 Staff Writer The AASP sponsors this semester
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Feature • 3
In-Person Scripps Presents Events Return with Julissa Arce and Aida Rodriguez in Conversation “You’ll learn some things, and I hope that it makes a lot of us uncomfor table because I talk about a lot of uncomfor table truths,” she said. “But I also think that if we’re ever going to make this country truly be a place for all of us, we probably need to get a little uncomfortable.” Scripps Presents in collaboration with PEN Out Loud will return with future events in the fall 2022 semester. You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation is now available for purchase on Amazon and other major bookstores.
By Ellen Hu ’24 Editor-in-Chief
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n March 22, Scripps Presents partnered with PEN Out Loud and the Huntley Bookstore to feature author Julissa Arce as she spoke about her newly released book, You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation. Arce was joined by comedian Aida Rodriguez onstage as the two conversed about her work. Arce is a bestselling author whose previous works include My (Underground) American Dream and Someone Like Me (Alguien Como Yo). In addition to being an author, she is also a speaker and political commentator who shares her experience as an undocumented immigrant who achieved great success on Wall Street. This was the first in-person Scripps Presents event hosted since the college shut down in March of 2020. After two years of virtual events, Garrison Theater was filled with students and Arce’s supporters. The event was also live streamed through Youtube for audience members who were unable to make it in person. Upon entering the stage, donning a bright dress and floral headband whose shades matched her book’s rosa mexicano-colored cover, Arce was met with a round of applause. She began the program by reading an excerpt of her new release; the last line, “America might never love us back, so we must love ourselves,” rang powerfully with Arce’s audience. You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation was released on the same day of the event and her visit at Scripps
College marked the first stop on her book tour. The book interweaves A r c e ’s o w n e x p e r i e n c e s a n d reflections with a detailed history of Mexican-American international relations and the assimilation that came with it.
“If assimilation truly offered us belonging, then maybe it would be a different story. But it doesn’t.” The focus of this work is the concept of assimilation, something that is reflected in Arce’s title. Derived from an anecdote documented within the book, Arce explained how she was told she sounded like a white girl as a teenager. While the words were meant as an insult, she had taken it as a compliment since she had tried so hard to imitate white mannerisms in an attempt to fit the narrow definition of “American.” In the end, however, she realized that assimilation, and the feeling of belonging that was supposed to come along with it, was a lie. “I feel like I gave up a part of my soul when I was assimilating because it really to me is that deep the things we are asked to give up,” Arce said. “And so if assimilation truly offered us belonging, then maybe it would be a different story. But it doesn’t.” She described assimilation as the process whereby one sheds themselves of things that make them who they are for an illusion of choice. She emphasized how this is a lie. “We have also believed that we can find belonging, that we can find protection, in whiteness and in
Photo courtesy of Scripps College
proximity to whiteness,” Arce said. “I know that I thought that, maybe unconsciously, but I did.” She pointed to the history of Mexican Americans in the United States as a way of understanding assimilation and this ethnic group’s relation to whiteness. After diving into a brief history of the MexicanAmerican War, Arce described how the outcomew of the violence resulted in a time when “Mexicans, who were not white, were getting citizenship when only white people could.” Yet, the whiteness that came with citizenship was never codified. “We sort of were just swept under the rug of whiteness and it never really worked out in our favor,” she said. While the book focuses on the Latino, specifically Mexican, populations, Arce was very clear that this book is meant to speak to everyone. She specifically spoke to non-Latino allies who were in attendance.
1 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Six
Below is a description of Julissa Arce’s new book, You Sound Like a White Girl, courtesy of Macmillian Publishing: In this dual polemic and manifesto, Julissa dives into and tears apart the lie that assimilation leads to belonging. She combs through history and her own story to break down this myth, arguing that assimilation is a moving finish line designed to keep Black and brown Americans and immigrants chasing racist American ideals. She talks about the Lie of Success, the Lie of Legality, the Lie of Whiteness, and the Lie of English – each promising that if you obtain these things, you will reach acceptance--you won’t be an outsider anymore. Instead, Julissa deftly argues, these demands leave her and those like her in a purgatory – neither able to secure the power and belonging of whiteness nor find it in the community and cultures whiteness demands we leave behind. Here Julissa offers a bold new promise: Belonging only comes through celebrating yourself, your history, your culture, and everything that makes you uniquely you. Only in turning away from the white gaze can we truly make America beautiful. An America where difference is celebrated, heritage is shared and embraced, and belonging is for everyone. Through unearthing veiled history and reclaiming her own identity, Julissa shows us how to do this.
Photo courtesy of Scripps College
Feature • 4
“Lovers, Strangers, and Friends”: A Living Exhibit By Belen Yudess ‘25 Social Media Manager
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curator is someone who is able to visualize a scene that doesn’t exist. They turn a blank space into a collision of life and color. No matter how different the individual pieces are, when brought together, they tell a story that is unique to each viewer. Marina Shishkina ’25 highlighted the art of curation during her recent gallery showing, entitled “Lovers, Strangers and Friends,” which took place on Feb. 26. This space featured insightful 2D, 3D, and conceptual art that highlighted the unity of the body, mind, and soul. Primarily, it cultivated a special and rare sense of community amongst strangers, old and new friends, and lovers of all kinds. “I would consider this curation and this whole event a piece of my artwork because it’s all about the people that came, the people that met each other, the music, and the experiences that they had — all of that within itself is art,” said Shishkina. “Art doesn’t need to be this 2D sculpture, there’s just more to it.” The idea for this exhibition began at the beginning of last semester when Shishkina noticed the absence of a formal art community at Scripps and the 5Cs. A self-designed curatorial studies major, she wanted to create an environment that allowed others to share their passion for art, regardless of their chosen style. The initial inspiration for this undertaking came a few years ago from an unlikely source: a friend’s dad. “We were talking about me wanting to be a curator, and he was like, you should curate my living room. I have all these pictures. If you want to be doing something, literally do it tomorrow, do it right now,’” she said.
“Originally, this exhibit examined the connectivity between two souls, two minds, and two bodies.... I decided to re-center it to bring attention to the [Ukrainian] invasion my family and friends are going through.” - Marina Shishkina Shishkina proceeded to arrange his photographs and realized her love for the behind-the-scenes nature of art curation. “I just need to do this,” she said. “I can curate anything whenever I want. I just need to start and document it.” The next step in this process was to showcase their work. Luckily,
Photo Courtesy of Marina Shishkina ‘25
Shishkina already had a running list semester classes. After establishing a program of 17 people, Shishkina noted the impact that the two conceptual artists had on demonstrating the diverse nature of art. “Brian’s work was a performance art piece,” said Shishkina. “He dyed his hair to match a painting that was being sold and shown in the gallery. It was really awesome. He ended up performing two of his rap songs and then taking off his durag and showing off his hair, and Amanda had recorded an audio recording that people could come and listen to in their headphones. And it was this really intimate conversation between her and her boyfriend in bed, it was a separate medium that you don’t see every day.” Shishkina also included a bar where attendees and bartenders alike were shown that art is not only a medium to admire, but one that can be experienced as well. It’s a place where people can have informal or genuine interactions that they never expected or knew they needed. “It’s this really important connection between control and letting go [and] you have to balance those two out, like in the perfect medium to have everything [when running a bar] go very smoothly,” said Shishkina. Shishkina’s goal was to cultivate an environment that allowed people to feel present in the moment while appreciating the creativity that was
around them. She said that along with the bar, the addition of student performances and a DJ were essential in drawing interest to the event. “The music and the bar were mimicking New York City gallery opening vibes… a bar and music and a DJ is… a way to attract people,” said Shishkina. “These are college students. To get most people to come, you need to make it a fun event.” Although this event was important to Shishkina as an artist, it took on a whole new meaning when the unimaginable occured three days prior
deliver a message about the power of appreciation during times of tragedy. “The worst thing I could [have done was] cancel this show and be sad about not following my dreams,” said Shishkina. “I was able to leave for America and I was able to be free and live in this country and study all these beautiful things. The best thing I can do is to keep learning here and keep trying to thrive so I can bring goodness into the world.” “I want to thank my team – my friends, who held my hand while putting on this show together: Sophie
Photo Courtesy of Marina Shishkina ‘25
to the show: the attack on Shishkina’s home country, Ukraine. “There’s actual war and bombing happening next to my home — next to my apartment,” she said. Shishkina had family in Kyiv when the invasion began, and heavily debated whether she should proceed with the gallery. After much deliberation and support from her team and fellow contributors, Shishkina not only carried on with her plan, but was able to raise nearly $2,000 for Come Back Alive Ukraine, an organization that provides essential supplies to the armed forces of Ukraine. That night also allowed Shishkina to Photo Courtesy of Marina Shishkina ‘25
1 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Six
Feldman, Caroline Tuck, Esther L. Cohen, Giulia Bellon, Josh Wolters, Tjaard Van Loben Sels… Please make All the proceeds in this show will be donated to Ukraine,” said Shishkina.
“I believe that we will leave this hell holding hands together.” - Marina Shishkina She encourages anyone who is interested in art or curation to approach her in order to continue to build the art community within the 5Cs.
Opinion • 5
OSTs: The Musical Adventure You Should Experience By Isabel Li ’25 Staff Writer
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s someone who does not enjoy conventional pop music and instead prefers lyricless orchestral soundtracks, I am quite used to the hesitant looks and slow nods when others ask me about my music tastes. Understandably, a piece of music without the poetic lyrics of a song may seem quite dull. However, despite the common association of wordless music with boredom, the emotional and memorable nature of soundtrack music played in movies and TV shows makes it something worth listening to on its own. By soundtracks, I am referring to the lyricless background OSTs (Original Soundtracks) of films and series, from Disney to Netflix. It’s the recurring leitmotif that plays throughout the main character’s journey, be it heroic or tragic. It’s the tune that brings chills of anticipation or pulses of fear in key climactic scenes. Most significantly, it’s the unforgettable combination of a melody and harmony that lingers in your mind long after you’ve finished a movie — a song forever connected with dynamic feelings and well-written plots. Although you may be unfamiliar with specific background OSTs,
there are many lyricless OST tunes that are well ingrained into pop culture. Some include “Hedwig’s Theme” from the Harry Potter franchise, “The Shire” from Lord of the Rings, and the main themes from Star Wars and Jurassic Park. These selections are incredibly memorable and popular due to their catchiness, repetition throughout the films, and sheer melodiousness. However, these title themes, often the first selection in a soundtrack album, are only the tip of the iceberg. Within each film’s full soundtrack score lies a long list of OSTs for various scenes throughout the action and adventure — there is simply so much more to discover if you dig past the opening music and listen to the scene-specific tunes. Take the recent popular Disney film Encanto, for example. Besides the catchy Hamilton-esque songs like “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” or “Surface Pressure,” the full movie soundtrack includes the beautiful goosebump-inducing title sequence “Abre Los Ojos,” the disobedient and humorous song “Bruno’s Tower,” and the tensionfilled action melody “La Candela.” Even though these specific wordless themes garner little attention in the main hype of Encanto, each piece of music is incredibly underrated, incorporating
the plot’s complex emotions and effectively channeling them to the audience through instruments. Naturally, the OSTs encompass a vast range of styles that convey different emotions; in other words, there is always bound to be a piece within your favorite movies that suits your state at any given moment, making soundtracks an incredibly versatile genre to listen to. Listening to a movie’s backgroaund soundtrack also means appreciating all the talented composers and musicians in the industry. Frequently, composers are given a strict time constraint to create a new score of music to be played in a certain film, which means that many of the OSTs are works that have been composed in an impressively short time. Additionally, the orchestras that play and record the music are often sight-reading, playing the complicated music within minutes of reading it for the first time. With the need for metronomic accuracy and precise intonation, the level of skill required to perform these works is simply awe-inspiring. The most fascinating aspect of listening to film soundtrack music, however, is that it allows me to live in the moment and make mundane activities feel more adventurous. After all, OSTs are played throughout the highs and
lows of a character arc, so listening to one while doing the simplest of activities gives me the impression that I am embarking on a journey as well. One of my favorite OSTs to listen to is from The Queen’s Gambit, with a series of over 40 different pieces in the full soundtrack. The music’s overall melancholy and wistful piano tunes, especially the ones played during the show’s chess matches, creates a romantic and introspective ambience and helps me concentrate on the task at hand. Surprisingly, movie or show soundtracks are quite accessible on most music apps and many of them are completely free to listen to on Youtube. Better yet, it is possible to create playlists of OST pieces from different films or shows that evoke a similar emotion; by indulging in a variety of emotional melodies, you can re-experience the ineffable joys, sorrows, thrills, and sheer beauty of movie music created by many talented and lesser-known composers across the globe. So, think of your favorite shows and films throughout your life. Search up their OSTs on YouTube or Spotify. Then, immerse yourself into an adventure, live in the moment, and appreciate the sheer musicality of these beautiful, underrated works.
Check out Isabel’s Recommended Soundtracks:
The Queen’s Gambit
Star Wars
The Lord of the Rings
Jurassic Park
Harry Potter
Encanto
1 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Six
SPOTL
Satire • 6
Opinion: The Scripps Fire Alarms Need to Get Under Control
Guest Writer
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cripps is training us in apathy and distrust of emergency protocol, and if (God forbid) there’s ever an actual fire in one of the dorms, at least 10 of us aren’t getting out in time. If any of you have ever had the pleasure of living in Frankel, Routt, or Senior Routt, you’ll know the semi-regular, rhythmic, atonal screech of the fire alarm. Midafternoon, mid-essay, midnight, interrupting your last-minute cram sesh, your nap, or your shower.
“It wasn’t even smoky! It was just – it was like, a hot pan. The air was 100 percent clear. The air
The first couple times, it’s concerning! You grab your things an d evac u at e to J a c qu a an d patiently await the headcount. But, eventually, it gets old. You grab your laptop and walk to Seal Court or a friend’s dorm to avoid getting fined for not evacuating. You take that extra minute to find the right pair of shoes, finish typing that quote, or to condition your hair. I’ve spoken to two students, each playing a role in setting off one of the fire alarms. “It wasn’t even smoky! It was just – it was like, a hot pan. The air was 100 percent clear. The air could not have been clearer,” one student claimed. “The air was as clear as a summer
day,” her roommate interjected. “If I had turned on my phone, the air quality would have been clearer than it would’ve been outside!” Another student, responsible for a separate occurrence of the fire alarm being set off, shared a similar sense of incredulity. “I was cooking an egg and all of a sudden the fire alarm went off for three buildings,” she reported. “My singular egg, which I didn’t even overcook, disrupted the afternoon of dozens of students. The Senior Routt Apartments weren’t intended to be kitchens. They just added a little stove to a room. I think the fire alarm is simply too close.” This is a serious problem, and I’m not the first to notice it. Back in her days as a freshman staff writer, Head Design Editor for The Scripps Voice Annika Ragnartz ’22 expressed the same concerns in her article “Fire the Fire Alarms.” Her article acutely identifies this issue, amplifying the voices of frustrated students who have been vocal about the problem since my freshman year. Now, back from our pandemic-instigated hiatus from campus, the problem still remains in 2022. I intend to continue the discussion in hopes of prompting change now, when our fire alarm-related fears are merely dark hypotheticals. It pains me to think that it will take a real emergency, a real failure of Scripps infrastructure, or a serious injury to a member of our community for this problem to be seriously addressed.
P.S. You might be wondering: what happens to the food that sets off the false alarms? This section of the article, featuring a previously unreleased student conversation, is for you. “Mention the pot stickers. Mention how they were gooey in the water ’cause I had to leave them and I didn’t like that.” “Did you eat them?” “I did eat them.” “Did you like it though?” her roommate prompted. “It could have been less gooey. It would have been less gooey if the fire alarm hadn’t gone off.” “Why didn’t you just microwave it again?” inquired Annika Ragnartz, o r i g i n a l f i re a l a r m c r i t i c a n d champion of truth.
“To make the food hot again is triggering,” replied the egg maker. “IT IS — you’re so right about that,” agrees the pot sticker maker. What about the egg? Pictured: The Egg. Ruiner of afternoons, catalyst of fire safety fatigue. The student reported that she did not eat the egg, because it got cold during the evacuation. Plus, the embarrassment of setting off a fire alarm that disrupts dozens of busy peers is pretty unappetizing. Her roommate, free from this shame, ate the egg and gave us a statement on the experience. “It was simply an egg.” She reports.
1 April 2022 • The Scripps Vo
LIGHT
Satire • 7
“A Day in the Life of a Conservative at Scripps”
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wake up every morning bright and early at 7 a.m. sharp. Unlike my roommate, who needs a trigger warning before her alarm goes off, I roll straight out of bed and open the windows to breathe the fresh, free air blowing in from Simi Valley to the west. I light a few candles at my Ronald Reagan shrine to thank him for sending the nice Republican air so that I don’t have to smell the burning stench coming from Los Angeles (I hear that Antifa burns the whole city down every week or so for government handouts). Most Scripps students exercise by doing mental gymnastics to justify communism, but I go for a daily morning run through the land of my people — Claremont McKenna. I stop at the Hub on the way back to exercise my God-given rights with other free thinkers; we don’t wear masks while buying our
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hot coffees (got to stay away from the Homosexual Agenda). On my run, I meet up with my best friend Reighfyl. She’s a Pitzer student, so she suffers even more than I do. All she did was write “All Lives Matter” on the Free Wall and the vegans nailed a dead squirrel to her door, so now she goes out in a disguise that covers her natural platinum blonde hair. Every single person in my Core 2 class has blue hair and pronouns, so they hated me before I even said a word on the first day. It’s all a big cover for Critical Race Theory, of course — it doesn’t take a genius to notice that “Core Two” sounds just like “CRT.” I emailed Project Veritas to see if they wanted to do an exposé, but I haven’t heard back. I’ve decided that the only way to get an A in this class is to make my final project a performance piece. I’m going to have people line up on Jacqua Quad and make them sob that they’re sorry for being white while actors dressed as some of
the worst politicians in American history (Barack Obama, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, and Mitt Romney) threaten them with vaccine syringes. My professor hasn’t responded to my email asking why “the female ones” wasn’t an appropriate answer when she asked for my pronouns, but this will definitely impress her. At lunch, the lines are long but I’m in and out quickly, because I’m the only person in line for a real meat burger at the grill station and for dairy milk at the coffee machine. (Reighfyl and I tried veggie burgers and oat milk once on a dare, but we both had to be hospitalized for allergic reactions to all the oppression.) SAS never got back to me about adding “liberal tears” to Malott, but luckily I have a friend undercover at Oberlin, and she sends me some monthly, so I’m never thirsty. I have my Chemistry class at 1 p.m., and luckily they haven’t managed to make science “woke”
yet, so the rest of the afternoon is a breeze. Reighfyl and her boyfriend and I meet up for dinner in the Village — we like to patronize the local businesses who bravely defy L.A. County’s vaccine mandate, even if we had the shots forced on us ourselves. We tip our waiter a whole 10 percent as thanks for not looking for handouts all the time from the mutual aid orgs on campus. After dinner, Reighfyl’s boyfriend goes back to CMC and she walks back to Pitzer, which leaves me alone as I head to my dorm. It’s dark out, and I like to listen to the parties as I walk through campus. It always gets me thinking, after spending a day being so oppressed for my right-wing views. After al l , t he s e g i r l s and s o- c al l e d nonbinaries hate Joe Biden, think our parents should pay fewer taxes, and want the government’s hands off our bodies. Maybe we’re not so different after all.
Opinion • 8
Netflix Needs To Be Stopped
By Alyssa Wend ‘24 Copy Editor
I
t’s a trend we’ve all witnessed in young adult content: the main character girl falls in love with a seemingly unattainable boy, whether he’s her best friend’s brother or Mr. Popular at their school. The first book or movie typically follows the forming of their relationship when — oh no — they have to fake-date to throw off some other generic guy or hide their relationship from everyone else. Then, the sequel creates conflict between the couple while introducing what I call “the sequel guy”: gorgeous, romantic, and conveniently already interested in the main character even though this of him. The audience undergoes the grueling experience of watching the main character slowly become interested in the perfect new guy, while knowing that in most cases she’ll kiss him just to end up with the original man.
The main character repeatedly choosing her toxic relationship with a white guy instead of the second love interest is damaging to the representation of POC in the media. This is a repeated pattern in both young adult books and movies, but only in Netflix adaptations does an additional piece of the pattern appear: the sequel guy is almost always a person of color. While representation in the media is much needed, how characters of color are portrayed and what roles they play is also important. The main character repeatingly choosing her usually toxic relationship with a white guy instead of the second love interest is damaging to the representation of POC in the media. Adding onto this damage, even when Netflix does choose to cast actors of color in their hit movies, the actors chosen for these roles have suspiciously Eurocentric features. I mean, in The Kissing Booth 2, you can’t tell me that Noah, played by Jacob Elordi, and Marco, played by Taylor Zakhar Perez, don’t
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
look eerily similar. The irony with the main character constantly going back to her original white love interest is that they… suck. In The Kissing Booth 2, Noah disregards how Elle, played by Joey King, may feel about his close friendship with Chloe, played by Maisie Richardson-Sellers. Furthermore, he continues on to pressure Elle into applying to Harvard instead of her original dream school just to be closer to him.
When this is the plotline that defines countless movies, what is this telling the audience? Also, Noah’s main character trait in the first film is having extreme anger issues, but this fact is magically forgotten in the sequel with no explanation. Maybe this is to make him more likable in comparison to the new guy? But I will never forget him slamming his hand on his car and yelling at Elle for her to go with him — unsurprisingly, this unnerving moment was not really addressed in the first film either.
In To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, Peter Kavinsky, played by Noah Centineo, shows similar manipulative tendencies when John Ambrose, played by Jordan Fisher, shows up. While Peter had valid concerns regarding the fact that Lara Jean, played by Lana Condor, never told John that she and Peter were dating, Peter never fails to surprise me by how horribly he goes about confronting these issues. Not only does he ‘mark his territory’ over Lara Jean, but he also brings up John’s old insecurities to gain the social upper hand. With all the problems in these toxic relationships, there is no clear reason why the main character constantly goes back to protagonists initially gives the sequel guy a chance, but always insist in the end that they only feel friendship for them. While this is a valid way to feel about someone, you have to wonder: when this is movies, what is this telling the audience? The lesson learned becomes, “don’t worry about all the toxic things your white boyfriend does in your relationship. Choose him over the perfectly nice new love interest who isn’t a horrible person and who you liked for most of this new movie.”
The irony with the main character constantly going back to her original white love interest is that they...suck.
Image Courtesy of Netflix
That isn’t to say that these main characters don’t have their own issues — Elle constantly pushes the boundary of how bad of a character you can be — but the target audience of these movies are often young and female, people who are meant to relate to or put themselves in the place of the main character. What needs to be further acknowledged is that both Netflix’s Kissing Booth 2 and To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You are book to movie adaptations that mostly follow the plot of the original works. Yet, the choice of casting often perpetuates the romantic rejection of characters
1 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Six
of color. This is damaging to an audience of POCs, as in this limited representation, these characters are only seen as not being good enough. In both books, the second love interests, Marco (named Levi in the book) in the Kissing Booth 2 and John in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, are white. In the movies, both of these characters are played by actors of color. Even in non-book adaptations where they have more liberty over the storyline such as Tall Girl 2, Netflix chooses to follow the same pattern of casting a POC as the sequel guy.
If Netflix continually recasts characters in book-to-movie adaptations with actors of color, why not cast them as main characters? Netflix is deliberate in making these casting decisions. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before ended with an additional scene introducing John Ambrose, here played by Jordan Burtchett — a white actor, at Lara Jean’s door with the letter written to him and flowers. Given this reveal, fans were surprised when, a year later, trailers instead showed John Ambrose played by Jordan Fisher, a multi-racial actor known for his past roles on Disney Channel. the reason behind this recast, but emphasized the amount of effort they put into this decision. I loved Fisher as John. His charming performance brought life to the movie and Fisher showed more main character level acting than the actual main character, Peter Kavinsky. Unfortunately, given his rejection by Lara Jean, Fisher only appeared in one movie. With this on-screen rejection, the potential of his great character went out the window. This pattern begs the question: if Netflix continually recasts characters in book-tomovie adaptations with actors of color, why not cast them as main characters? After all, the decision to bring more actors of color into hit Netflix movies while not pushing them to the sidelines is long overdue.
Opinion • 9
Toxicity in Wattpad Stories and the Genre of Fanfiction By Anne Friedman ’25 Staff Writer
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here are two kinds of people: those who had their Wattpad phase and those who lie about it. Whatever the case, most people can relate to searching through the vast selection of content on many works and many of them are bad — whether it’s because of the writing or plotline. Bad writing isn’t the real problem. Wattpad and fanfiction provides writers with an opportunity to be creative and practice crafting stories with already fleshed out characters. It’s a space to perfect the art of storytelling, and bad writing is just part of the process towards improvement. The bigger issue is the problematic content and plot that these spaces produce. The problematic content creates an unattainable and unrealistic idea about love, relationships, and partners while also validating red flags. It creates a positive feedback loop where readers internalize these toxic ideas, thus creating new content with the same ideals and repeating the loop. Most of the stories I encountered featured a female protagonist in high school who then fell in love with a boy and her whole world changed. (These relationships were mostly white and heteronormative, which is another issue to discuss.) The male love interest varied from
the girl’s brother’s best friend to the bad boy to the most popular boy who was supposedly unattainable. There was also fake dating to real lovers and guys pushing and pushing until the girl said yes. There were always trials and tribulations, but the girl always got the boy and her happy ending. Some of these scenarios perpetuate unrealistic expectations of an ideal partner, which is the case for the character Kat in Euphoria. Kat breaks up with her boyfriend because while he is nice and supportive, he isn’t the tough bad boy Kat imagined in the People also then expect that they should be dating in high school and then beat themselves up when they aren’t. They expect the prince charming or bad boy to fall at their feet, kicking off a perfect life. The unrealistic expectations of romance and life cause people to be disappointed and angry with themselves because, unsurprisingly, life doesn’t mimic books and movies. Furthermore, people begin to tolerate horrible behavior because they believe putting up with it is worth the fairytale happy ending. One of the biggest tropes I’ve seen being overprotective of the girl and thus isolating her. The reasoning in the books is always: “He just wants to protect me,” “He cares about me,” etc. These books validate problematic
behavior, spreading the message that it’s okay when they mean well. The books are also scattered with bullying, cheating, and other violence that they validate, thereby illustrating to the readers that it’s okay for partners to act certain ways in real life, when in reality, it is extremely problematic and harmful behavior. Another issue with many of the Wattpad and fanfiction stories that I have come across is the romanticization of trauma. Many characters deal with parents dying when they are young or being victims of abuse. Some characters have depression, drink or do drugs extensively, self-harm, and more. It is important to talk about mental health, trauma, and addiction, but in a positive and educational manner. Stories discussing these issues are more meaningful when the writers know what they are talking about, have done their research, and reason. Including these topics in stories for clout romanticizes mental health and trauma. People then begin to think they need to have a traumatic backstory or struggle with mental health in life because otherwise their life isn’t interesting. Furthermore, the uneducated portrayals of mental health diminish it as an actual real life matter that many people deal with and the struggles people face. For these reasons, it’s okay to occasionally indulge in stories with problematic content for fun when aware of its issues and impact.
Photo Courtesy of Business Insider
1 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Six
However, the issue arises when the content is internalized and when books cause other people to internalize and be impacted by it. Additionally, I feel that when the books and ideas are taken out of context is also when the issue of toxic tropes arises. Netflix recently brought to the big screen three Wattpad series: The Kissing Booth, A Través de mi Ventana (Through My Window), and After. While both The Kissing Booth and A Través de mi Ventana are original stories, After It’s exciting for those authors to have their work published and then brought to the big screen. I assume that production companies look at the most popular books to then turn into movies because they know they have a following. However, the built-in audience of these narratives shouldn’t overshadow the worrying implications of their plots. Companies need to examine the content of the stories and think about the effect it could have. Is the content something they want to promote and stand by? While Wattpad’s problematic content isn’t great, people who frequent Wattpad are aware of the types of stories that characterize the site. The plots aren’t the most realistic or portray the best values, and are written by people who want to share their stories and improve their writing. Removing Wattpad novels from the original platform forces new consumers to absorb the stories without understanding the environment that shaped them.
Photo Courtesy of Wattpad
Feature • 10
For Some Reason, I watched the New Ice Age Movie By Eleanor Dunn ‘24 Staff Writer Editor’s Note: Contains spoilers for The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild s I sat down to watch The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, I had much to consider. Primarily, what I, as a grown woman, was doing with my life. I also wondered if this franchise, which has grossed over $6 billion, could hold up on movie number six.
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when I was five years old, and it seems that since then, there has been a reliable stream of increasingly creatures as they laugh, love, and against all odds, live. I wondered how these characters might have grown along with me and my generation — what of our struggles might play out in this animated world of prehistoric climate change and impending decimation? How would director John Donkin use this perfectly positioned platform to make sense of a changing world for his younger audience as they grow up? Given these ambitious questions, I am to blame for a great deal of my disappointment with this film. But its 20 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes tells me that I am not alone. The movie begins with the motley
be having major relationship issues), a saber-toothed tiger, a sloth, and two possums. Trouble begins for our original squad when the possum brothers, Crash and Eddie, decide they are sick of their mammoth sister Ellie’s constant nagging. They sneak off while everyone underground world of dinosaurs.
Here is where I started to really lose my grip on reality, so bear with me. In the lost world, their weasel friend Buck saves them from dinosaur jaws. I don’t know how to say this, but Buck… slays? He has a British accent and an eye patch, giving major Captain Jack Sparrow vibes. The primary conflict outside the multi-species family drama takes place in this borderline psychedelic world of dinosaurs. There is a triceratops named Orson who has
with a complex weather system? What kind of example is all of this setting for the target audience? In the end, although the whole original family squad comes to help, Crash and Eddie decide to stay with Buck in the lost world, revealing this whole saga to be nothing other than a coming-of-age story for the possum brothers. I appreciated the bittersweet, going off to college vibe of this ending, and see how it might resonate with the parents and
Photo Courtesy of Disney+
a huge and visible brain that he was bullied for as a young dino. It is truly disgusting. This self-proclaimed genius has decided that as revenge, he will kill all the mammals in the underground dino world after Buck and his mammal squad worked so hard to establish diversity and inclusion at the watering hole. Crash, Eddie, Buck, and a zorilla named Zee must take down Orson and his army of raptors. They do so, largely through spitballs and Zee’s skunk-like spray. The plot left me with a flurry of questions. Why was it so easy for four rodents to defeat this so-called genius triceratops and his army of dinosaurs? How is there a full underground ecosystem of dinosaurs
babysitters dragged to the theater for this one. But I found this ending too far removed from the titular adventures of Buck Wild, therefore an unsatisfying conclusion that leaned on easy sentimentality to avoid reckoning with the shit-show of a plot. There are some issues with this absurd plot that never reach resolution. For absolutely no reason, the mammoth couple Ellie and Manny seem to hate each other in the sitcommy heterosexual married couple way that is neither endearing nor refreshing. Also, again for seemingly no good reason, Zee is serving the MOST unrealistic body standards for zorillas — please just
April Horoscopes By Isabel Silva ’24 Horiscope Columnist
fierce, but you do not need to argue with everyone you meet. However, you will win every single argument. Taurus (April 20 - May 20) is over. It is time to get out of the hibernation mindset. Go take a walk outside. Gemini (May 21 - June 20) different personalities you have created are starting to get mixed up. Maybe take up journaling. Cancer (June 21 - July 22) world does not revolve around you
Leo (July 23 - August 22) feel sad that all of the attention is not on you right now. But it will be. Keep doing your morning affirmations in the mirror. Virgo (August 23 - September 22) according to plan? Well, that sucks. Just relax, and please get at least eight hours of sleep tonight. Libra (September 23 - October 22) but… you do not have to be good at everything. Pick one thing and excel at that, and no that does not include flirting with everyone. Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)
Stop crying and go paint something to express your feelings.
air of intrigue will continue either way.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
S a g i t t a r i u s ( N ove m b e r 2 2 December 21) conversationalist and speak your mind. Be careful about what you say to your Cancer friends, they’re starting to take it personally. Capricorn (December 22 - January 19) you know that it’s okay to laugh and make jokes sometimes…? Aquarius (January 20 - February 18 this week. I know you like to go with the flow, but that thing you were going to do “next semester” was due four weeks ago. Pisces (February 19 - March 20) I want you to think long and hard about your actions that you have taken during this past month… that’s all.
1 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue 6
look her up. One of the most incomprehensible plot holes is that every animal in this movie besides the T. rex and the raptor army can speak. Why? Where do they and with what standards? I imagine Donkin relishing this opportunity to play God, arbitrarily granting and withholding the right to expression. Despite all of these pitfalls, the me back to the imaginative and childlike wonderment I felt viewing of leaves in this world for Buck’s eye patch and Zee’s tool belt. The rodent crew also use bamboo shoots as straws and even make a sailboat from a dinosaur skull and a giant leaf. The remarkable thing about this movie is the complete absence of feeling it left me with. I would go so far as to say it left me in a stupor, a dreamlike state of detached confusion. Maybe the over-detailed hairs swayed in hypnotic rhythm, maybe the too-long frames of the wide, unblinking eyes of the characters contributed to this trance. Either way, the appealing color palette and satisfying use of plants for home decor, weaponry, and clothing could not quite distract from tired tropes of marriage and unequal distribution of emotional labor in family systems. It had a feeble and easily defeated villain with a gross looking head. The animation was unsettling at best, a mind control tactic at worst, leaving me worried about the iPad generation I’m sure it appeals to, wondering where we all went wrong.
Farewell Visit Rebecca Allen ’25 Staff Writer I hate saying goodbye Because I know that I will see you again But also that this could be The last time. I think about this As I watch while you eat Lunch beside me. I look at your glassy eyes, The same color As the stormy ocean Beneath your window. Your fish breath Advises me about my future And tells me to call You soon. As I drive to the airport The windows are open, The palms swaying above, Tears well And I miss you already Even though you aren’t gone yet
11 • Feature
I’m Stuck in the Scripps Bubble and I Hope This Gets Me Out
By Belen Yudess ’25 and Ellen Hu ’24 Social Media Manager and Editorin-Chief
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he other day I was talking with one of my friends, another Scripps student, about cross-campus dining and how strange it was to see men in Malott. Our conversation led us down a rabbit-hole and we soon realized that most of our friends at the 5Cs were women and most of those women attend Scripps. We both came away from that conversation with the same conclusion — we need more friends from the other 5Cs. This is what I call the Scripps bubble: an anomaly that has impacted many students this year. Based on conversations with other Scripps students I know, it seems to and sophomores. It’s not surprising given that sophomores started their college careers in a virtual space where most cross-campus interactions occurred during Zoom class. First years entered a campus ripe with restrictions aiming to reduce crosscampus infection rates. Yet, this hasn’t stopped many students from getting to know people from the other 5Cs. I have friends who spend almost all of their time catching up with a full contact list of people from each of the campuses. I look to them as living proof that making non-Scripps friends is possible, so what am I doing wrong? I would like to note that this does not mean I don’t have any friends
who aren’t Scripps students. I swear I do — there just aren’t that many of them. While I am by no means an expert in making friends, I’ve consulted some of my more extroverted pals who have managed to pop the Scripps bubble. Here are some of their key pieces of their advice: Scripps organizations, but there are so many other groups that bring together members of all of the colleges. The extremely well-attended of the fall semester only proves my point. opportunities for forced social interaction with people from other campuses, which many people (includmake for several opportunities to introduce yourself to someone you may have a friend-crush on. Even better, the occasional 5C mixer gives you a broader pool to draw from when deciding who to probably not going to remember every person you say hello to while you’re there, but at least you’ll be able to recognize a friendly face every once in a while. Is forgetting someone’s name mere seconds after you met them a real anecdote from my own life? It 100 percent is. Don’t tell the person whose name I can’t remember, though. CMS Intramural sports are another great way to expand your social and athletic horizons! Although you may not run into a Sagehen at your intramural dodgeball match, there are various Athenas and Stags who
are possible best friend material. The CMS recreation team offers a wide range of options, from the classics such as volleyball and soccer, to more unique selections, like innertube water polo or ultimate frisbee. Whether you have been training for that green intramural champs long sleeve your whole life, or simply need another way to procrastinate on a Thursday night, just sign up for a random team. Of course, you can’t forget about the innate opportunities provided to you as a student: cultivating a set of classroom buddies. I have found classroom interactions to have a higher percentage of success stories. Bonding over a lack of chemistry knowledge, trying to psych ourselves up to get through Spanish class, and attempting to excavate knowledge from dense chapters of media theory have all brought me closer to students from other colleges. Suffering is a key bonding factor that you may need to embrace. When it’s time for the inevitable small groups portion of your class and you all plot the best way to avoid being called on by the professor, don’t pair up with the fabulously dressed Scripps student. Throw caution to the wind and introduce yourself to the Pitzer student — aka your key to obtaining Pit-Stop coffee and pastries. Use this time wisely, and make sure to talk about your shared interests in thrifting and succulents to create a sense of trust. Then, casually suggest continuing the conversation at The Pitwith your peach mango smoothie (with almond milk of course). Not
1 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Six
only have you secured entrance into the forbidden land, but you also made an ally for the ruthless participation battles that will arise in the future. Don’t let your social spirit end with your class, bring it with you to the dining halls! With cross-campus dining almost in full-swing, it’s only logical to take advantage of the new opportunities and put yourself out there. as Malott taco nights, you don’t even need to leave campus to build this new sense of community. Talk to the Pomona student behind you in line — that way, the next time you venture to their neck of the woods you can say you have a Frary/Frank friend. Never underestimate the power of alliteration. Or the next time you order your caramel frappuccino — this time with oat milk — from Muddbucks, don’t just mindlessly scroll through Instagram while you wait. Engage in some conversation about Mudd’s most notable feature: the West sailboat! What happened to the boat? Where did it come from? Who were the masterminds behind this addition? Did it ever exist, or was it simply a caffeine and stress induced hallucination? How I Met Your Mother sums this socialization tactic up best: “boats, boats, boats.” While the Scripps bubble is comfortable, there are so many ways to pop it. Sure, some of them might take a little inner-hyping-up to happen, and the adrenaline rush of being one of the few souls to make it out of Malott with cold brew, but getting to know members of the other 5Cs is worth it. Well, at least I hope it is.
Arts and Entertainment • 12
Suitcase Savvy: A Travel-Friendly Look-Book Maddie Moore ‘22 Fashion Columnist
gotten worse.
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icture this: you are a British person about to take the tube to go to a pub (or whatever British people do). However, upon entrance to the station, you notice a girl in a pink leopard print coat sweating buckets as she attempts to lug a 50 pound (or ahem, 22.6 kilogram) bag Upon locking eyes with the girl as she pauses to breathe, you note an expression of deep, deep regret written all over her face. *Record scratch,* *freeze frame,* *stare into the camera.* Yep, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I ended up in that situation. My name is Maddie Moore, and I am not a savvy traveler. No matter how far I am traveling, no matter how long the trip, I consistently overpack. From bringing three books in my backpack “just in case” (do not ask me if I have ever opened one), to bringing a large My Melody stuffed animal to Wisconsin “just because” (she wanted to see the snow, okay?), it is a bit of a seems that with age I have only
learned my lesson — it only took 22 years. For some reason, I thought it would be an excellent idea to take my entire wardrobe with me on a 10 day vacay across the pond. (Okay, okay, I know the reason; I had to have the of London!) My friends protested, my family cried, “but Maddie, why on earth would you take that much stuff,” “but Maddie, if you take 50 pounds of clothes on the way there, won’t your bag be overweight on the way back?!” “but Maddie, you can’t possibly wear 15 skirts in 10 days, it’s mathematically impossible!” But alas, my hubris took no heed to their warnings. But don’t you worry, dear reader, because you see I got what was coming to me as I hefted my 50
Photos courtesy of Sarah Shurtz
Sarah Shurtz ’22, Las Vegas, NV “When packing for trips I make a very detailed list beforehand listing what days I am doing what and the weather each day. For this trip I was going for around 10 days with only enough space for one carry on of clothes so I really had to think through what I needed to bring. I listed out the days I was going and the main activity of each day, then packed accordingly!”
only to realize there was a 15 minute walk and another elevator-less staircase ahead of me, I vowed that the days of my overpacking were over. I must become a savvy traveler. So with that, I asked some lovely friends to teach me how:
Photos courtesy of Isha Singh
Isha Singh ’23, Chicago, IL & Orlando, FL “Pack light loose layers that can add on top in case of weather changes, especially for trips like Orlando to Chicago.”
Photos by Maddie Moore
Photos by Maddie Moore
Maddie Moore ’22, London, England “Please help me! I have an overpacking problem.”
Photos courtesy of Mia Fenyak
Mia Fenyak ’25, Portland, OR “My number one packing hack is to leave extra room in your suitcase on the way there so you can enjoy buying gifts for friends and not worry about my biggest jacket on the plane, of course!”
Anneliese Palacio ’23, Miami, FL: based on the weather every day.”
Photos courtesy of Anneliese Palacio
Happy Travels!
xoxo, Maddie
12 November 2021 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Two