Volume 107, Issue 3 by The Stuyvesant Spectator

Election Coverage

The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper

Features

OPINIONS

Peter vs. Segal: Moderating a Political Debate at Stuyvesant

The Elections We’ve Ignored

Ready for one more debate? Junior Isaac Segal and senior Stiven Peter debate the liberal and conservative sides of this election’s hottest issues. see page 6

Volume 107  No. 3

Junior

ect, “Bridging the Empathy Gap Between Web Developers and Users.” Smith-Salzberg worked on his project over the summer at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering school through the ARISE program.

Mathematics teacher Stanislav Kats and Computer Science teacher Yulia Genkina were accepted into the three-year Math for America program.

StuyPulse, the Robotics Team, held a demonstration at the Maker Faire on Sunday, October 2 for over 150 children in attendance. Japanese teacher Chie Helinski and the Advanced Placement Japanese class participated in “The Technologies of Peace, U.S.-Japan Youth Summit for Peace” on Friday, September 16 at the United Nations Headquarters.

SU Cabinet The New Student Union Cabinet, under SU President Matthew So and SU Vice President Tahseen Chowdhury, has been chosen:

Chief of Staff: Winston Venderbush

Executive Delegates - General Operations: Nick Chan, Jiaqi Gao, Vicky Wu, and Selina Zou

Executive Delegates - Human Resources: Carmen Benitez, Asim Kapparova, Tymur Kholodnyak, and Sofiya Tsenter

Chief Financial Officers: Niels Graham and Adi Kapoor

Budget

Directors: Rohan Ahammed, Andre Castro, Danny Gendler, Dylan Kim, Kevin Li, Jonathan Mikhaylov, Sosonia Ma, Stiven Peter, Amanda Piasecki, Ben Platt, Kevin Song, Warren Su, Patricia Tan, and Lucy Zhang Club & Publication Directors: Chloe Delfau and Paulina Ruta

Communications Directors: Michael Espinosa and Astrid Malter

Information Technology Director: Kathy Lau School Leadership Team Representative: Asher Lasday

see page 9

By Nishmi Abeyweera and Ryan Kim

stuyspec.com

Two Overnight College Trips Planned for Class of 2018

The first of two junior overnight college trips will be taking place from Friday, October 28 to Saturday, October 29. Two college trips marks an increase from last year’s single college trip in April, and a return to the number of trips from years prior. This year, the fall college trip accommodates 150 students. The group will be visiting Harvard, Yale, Brown, Quinnipiac, Clark and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Director of College Counseling Jeffrey Makris organized the trip, alongside Junior Caucus President Pallab Saha and Vice President Abie Rohrig. Planning for the second trip, which is intended to take place next spring, is set to begin after the fall trip. Planning for the tours is an extensive process that often begins near the end of the preceding school year. In addition to planning for hotels and transportation, the school must also coordinate the tours with all six colleges. “Initially, for setting up, it’s really connecting with the colleges and finding times when they can host us, when they can do info sessions, space for us to speak, trying to coordinate arrangements for meals, that sort of thing,” Makris said. Financial aid was also available for this year’s college trip. “This year we doubled our aid budget,” Makris said. Though the trip cost $195, students who qualified for free or

reduced school lunch were subsidized by the College Office. “Funding has never really been a problem that the college office has had and the fact that they were able to subsidize for people that have free or reduced lunch is really big,” Saha said. The increase in the number of trips was largely a result of being able to start planning earlier. Since Makris did not officially become a Stuyvesant employee until September 2015, planning of the 2015-16 overnight college trips was delayed, resulting in only one spring trip. The Junior Caucus helped initiate planning for this year’s trips by beginning communication with Makris immediately following their election in June. “Over the summer [we] were in contact with [Makris] and we checked in with him every two or three weeks, and eventually the college office took care of most of the contact with colleges,” Rohrig said. The Junior Caucus’s role in planning also entailed surveying the members of the junior class about which schools they wanted to visit and communicating their feedback to the College Office. “We were mostly just [...] serving as the middleman between the College Office and the Class of 2018,” Saha said. So far, the Junior Caucus has not faced any obstacles. “Early on, Makris sort of gave us the go for the first college trip, and since then we’ve had a healthy relationship and good communication back and forth. The college trips [filled]

Chloe Delfau / The Spectator

Caleb Smith-Salzberg’s research project won second place at the NYC Media Lab annual summit for his proj-

Editors Asher Lasday and Blythe Zadrozny urge readers to follow and vote in the congressional elections, even if they aren’t as seductive as the presidential election and all its melodrama.

October 17, 2016

NEWSBEAT

“The Pulse of the Student Body”

Director of College Counseling Jeffrey Makris is working to coordinate two overnight college trips for the Class of 2018.

up within two or three days, which is insane. The fastest it’s ever been in history,” Rohrig said. “We always know that there are going to be a lot of students, but you can only take 150 students, and there are 450 that would like to go,” Makris said. Both Makris and the Junior Caucus agree that the trips are a great experience for students and are helpful in the college process. “This is something kids want. They want to see schools [and] be away with their friends. We see the educational benefit, and we get to interact with them [...] when it’s hard to [normally] get to know them,” Makris said. Markis does not see an increase of trips beyond two per year in the near future. The administration has had difficulty finding 10 teachers to

take days off in order to chaperone students on these trips. Funding and lack of interest may also become an issue if the number of trips becomes too excessive. “Two is plenty. Two is great [...] but we work hard here [...] and we can’t expect our staff to keep giving up their time,” Makris said. However, the Junior Caucus has a different idea regarding the increase in trips, and hopes to secure three overnight college trips this year to allow a greater number of students an opportunity to attend and for students to see a greater number of colleges. “We are confident that we can [increase the number of trips]. It is something we put in our platform, [...] and the relationship we have with Makris now [...] makes it achievable,” Rohrig said.

Administration to Revamp Research Program By Giselle Garcia and Selina Zou After a decline in the number of Intel Science Talent Search semifinalists from Stuyvesant over the past several years, Interim Acting Principal Eric Contreras is seeking to improve the program by supporting research training opportunities and increasing student exposure to research. The competition, now known as the Regeneron Science Talent Search following a change in sponsors, is widely recognized as one of the nation’s most prestigious science research competitions for high school students. While Stuyvesant boasted 13 semifinalists in 2012, 10 in 2013, and 11 in 2014, those numbers dropped to two in 2015 and three in 2016 following the departure of research coordinator Dr. Jonathan Gastel in Spring 2013. The research program briefly shifted hands to physics teacher Rebecca Gorla and then to biology teacher Jason Econome in Fall 2014. Lack of a permanent research coordinator has taken a toll on Stuyvesant’s network of labs and research mentors. Dr. Gastel’s connections to labs at Columbia University, the City College of New York, and New York University, among other institutions, made it possible for students to contact and work with qualified scientists.

Students could take advantage of these opportunities by being part of the ninth and tenth period research classes, commonly called “Intel Class.” While the program used to have multiple sections for different disciplines like biology and physics, it has since shrunk to a one-period class taken by few students. “[The Intel class was] a structured environment to help students like me to devote time to finding a lab,” 2014 Intel semifinalist Alvin Wei (‘14) said. “[It] was very helpful for setting the platform to do so.” The program also offered students individual guidance. “The research coordinators [had the time to] work with students one-onone,” Brian Wei (‘14) said. “This was really important, especially in cases where students weren’t entirely sure how to approach a research project or weren’t sure of what they wanted to do.” The administration under former Principal Jie Zhang tried to increase the amount of time a research coordinator could devote to his or her duties in a long-fought battle that began under Dr. Gastel. Though this was, in part, successful, the number of students choosing to join the program has still decreased. With November 16, the deadline for submissions to this year’s Regeneron contest, rapidly ap-

proaching, there is little time to transform the quality of students’ research for this year’s competition. Despite this, Contreras hopes to do the most he can in this limited amount of time by working with the Alumni Association (AA), Parents Association (PA), and his cabinet. “I’ve asked [the AA] if they could provide past alumni who were finalists and semifinalists or alumni who are currently in research as professionals,” Contreras said. “Science research is about connecting people. Part of this is letting students know [...] there’s an entire network of alumni that will support them.” To ensure that students receive personalized attention, Contreras has worked with Econome to better organize all participants. Together, they are working on drafting a document containing the information of all participants, summaries of their work, and mentors. In doing so, he hopes to make it easier for students to connect with alumni, as well as meet with students personally. “I’d like to have individual conversations with [the students], so I can help them form connections or give them guidance, if it’d be in their interest,” Contreras said. Contreras additionally aims to ensure that staff members have adequate resources to support their students. “I want to make sure re-

search coordinators don’t feel isolated in their support for students,” Contreras said. “We’re starting by supporting Mr. Econome [in attending] the Regeneron training out-of-state this coming month. He’s also going to attend a symposium held by the Department of Education where research coordinators can share their ideas.” Contreras plans to work with the AA and PA to cover the funding necessary to send staff to these sessions. Regarding long-term plans, Contreras would like to focus on increasing student interest in the research program. He is working with Econome to set up an annual event in which Regeneron participants can present their work to underclassmen who are interested in the program. “The goal is to increase the excitement about research,” Contreras said. “Let it be regenerative so that the discussions create excitement and a passion for research for the underclassmen.” To expand the research program, he is also considering adding humanities research classes, if enough student interest exists. Contreras’s main focus, however, is looking at the possibility of creating a summer program or sophomore class, in order to excontinued on page 3

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 2

News

Elections

Red, Blue, or In Between: Exploring the Political Identities of Stuyvesant Students By Anne George

At the heart of the election season, with history classes driven by political discussion and political drama dominating the media, the election has become a hot topic in our school. The Spectator conducted a survey via stuy.edu e-mail and our Facebook page to explore the political identities of students at Stuyvesant. Five-hundred and ten students responded. All optional answers are omitted in correlations. All results reflect the beliefs of the responders, rather than the entirety of the Stuyvesant population. All responses were submitted anonymously.

Background of Student Responders

What are your thoughts on Obama’s presidency?

What race are you?

60 percent of the students Other have parents who were 12 percent of students born in another country, have parents who were Black or but were born in U.S. them- both born in the U.S., African selves. American just as they were.

“Obama failed the country on his policies of compromising. We had soft line foreign policy and allowed countries like China and Russia to take advantage of us. China won’t even roll out the red carpet upon Obama’s visit, and Obama still met with President Xi. Even our closest Southeast Asian ally, the Philippines, saw its president badmouth Obama. [...] Obama’s failed foreign policies will lead to the rise of opposing powers like China and Russia.”

16 160

Caucasian

347

Asian

Of the students who generally support the Republican Party, 51.6 percent are of Asian descent. 12 percent of students have one 16 percent of the students are parent who was born in another country, but were born in U.S. immigrants.

Which party do you

Green Party

Democratic Party

“It was an overall good presidency that was overshadowed by a donothing congress that intentionally blocked reforms that could have benefited millions of Americans. His foreign policy in Syria and Iraq was, like [that of] most American leaders, a failure and cost innocent people their lives.”

Of the immigrant responders, 69.5 percent support the Democratic Party.

“The [second] worst president in US history, displacing Jimmy [Carter]. It is a shame that the first black president did more to racially divide the country than any other president in history. His narcissistic behavior and unparalleled stupidity has left the country more divided and desperate than ever.”

Of the students who have at least one parent who was born in another country, 82.1 percent support the Democratic Party.

“Obama’s presidency has brought about many good things such as the legalization of gay marriage and the death of [Osama] bin Laden. However, it has also brought about many bad things such as the somewhat questionable way that we exited the Iraq War that arguably was a factor in the formation of ISIS. When Obama was elected, he was a change candidate and was supposed to create a sense of unity in a racially-divided country. However, racial tensions in America are at an all time high in terms of visibility, with the increased media focus on police brutality based on race.”

generally support the most?

Libertarian Party

“Obama did well as president, and despite the Republican controlled legislature at the end of his second term, he was still able to pass various laws and conduct various operations while president. While others pass off Obama’s presidency as horrible due to his decisions during the terrorist crises, it was not Obama’s fault entirely, but the fault of the time period and moment in which he was president.”

All student responders who have parents who were born in the U.S. and were born in the U.S. as well support the Democratic Party.

“Our generation is supremely lucky to have come of age with a man like Barack Obama in office. The unwavering humanity with which he approached every situation, no matter how grueling, is something that will stick with us for the rest of our lives, impacting the way we view and treat others. If not in these times, hopefully future generations will realize how fortunate we were to have him as our president.” Responses have been condensed for clarity.

Republican Party

What impact does politics have on your daily life? “Politics, particularly the race of 2016, has had a fair bit of impact on my life. The decisions that politicians claim to make, and do make, dictate the way in which we live our lives in this country. A president can single handedly destroy a great nation through bad policy and decisions, and while the people can do little to change that, they can change the people who they elect into power. Politics has taught me how diverse ideas are in the United States, and how people can think very differently about the same issue based on how they were raised, where they grew up, and the general ideas present in the time period.” “Politics dominates everyone’s life, whether or not they know about it. It [is] not important to show off how much you know about current events, but knowing the general idea of what is going on in government is incredibly important, as it could change the lives of you or your loved ones.” “Honestly [I] do not really think about it that much unless it pertains to me in some sort of personal way, like my religion, race, gender, age, and sexuality.” “Not much right now, since I’m an underage student in the care of my parents. However, these choices will affect me later in life, so I discuss it very often with my parents to convince them to see from my point of view.”

62+19+A

Do your political views match those of your parents?

Among Asian students, 57.6 percent have political views that agree with those of their parents, while 69 percent of students of Caucasian descent have similar political views to those of their parents.

Other 19%

No 19%

Yes 62%

How informed do you feel about politics?

8.8%

3.1%

18.6%

31.0%

25.5%

12.9%

I feel confident about commenting on politics around my peers. Unconfident

“It impacts who I [become] friends with and the discussions I have, and I feel like my sureness about politics makes me more confident in general.”

4.5%

Responses have been condensed for clarity.

Very Informed

Uninformed

“National politics doesn’t directly affect my life, but who we put in office changes the tone of our country as well as demonstrates how certain situations will be held on national and [state] levels, so I think it indirectly has a heavy impact.”

“It’s mainly only a debate topic, I rarely am affected by the issues I feel strongly about, but I enjoy debate.”

62 percent of immigrant responders agree with their parents’ political views while 79 percent of students whose parents were both born in the U.S. agree with their parents’ political views.

Very confident

10.8%

18.0%

27.8%

23.7%

15.4%

Only 10 percent of students of Asian descent feel very confident commenting on politics around their peers as opposed to 48 percent of students of Caucasian descent who feel very confident. continued on page 3

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 3

News Red, Blue, or In Between: Exploring the Political Identities of Stuyvesant Students continued from page 2

My political views are affected by my religious views.

16.7%

13.3%

9.4%

5.7%

Donald Trump supporters are a minority at Stuyvesant. More than 90 percent of students would vote for another candidate. 13.75 percent of students of Caucasian descent would vote for Donald Trump.

4.1%

My political views are affected by my race. Highly affected

Unaffected

31.2%

15.7%

14.9%

21%

What issues do you think the next president should focus on alleviating? “The divide of Americans between Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives.” “Becoming more isolationist rather than imperialist, which the US clearly is right now, with over 600 military bases outside of the country. I don’t have a problem with imperialism, but my problem is that the U.S. feeds its population the propaganda that they are invading countries for the purpose of ‘freedom, liberty, and democracy.’ [...] The citizens of America eat that up. I’m not against war, but I’m against blatant propaganda.” “You can’t simply make a bucket list of problems that the president should solve. That’s because most of these problems are ingrained in the system; they benefit the elite bankers and corporate leaders who ACTUALLY run the country. [...] After all, America is an oil-hungry war machine. [We need] a true president who cares for the people.”

11.8%

5.5%

What is your stance on abortion?

80.2% of students are pro-choice. Do you support the legalization of marijuana?

55.7% of students support the

legalization of marijuana for medical use only.

Responses have been condensed for clarity.

Other 18.4%

Donald Turmp 9.4%

Do you support the legalization of gay marriage?

88.4% of students support the legalization of gay marriage.

Do you believe

affirmative action programs are necessary?

52.5% ofaction students believe that affirmative programs are necessary. Only half of the students of Black or African descent believe that affirmative action programs are necessary.

“[The next president] should focus on bolstering the public school system nationwide. While Stuyvesant is all well and good, there are many schools even near Stuy that are drastically underfunded.” “The next president should focus on alleviating inequality in all forms in the country. It is unfortunate, and quite disgusting, to see people still hold true ideas which belong in the 1800s. [...] If the president can focus on equating the image of minorities not only in the workplace, but in the minds of Americans, then we can truly achieve proper equality.”

Hillary Clinton 72.2%

A 19 + 9 72

Highly affected

Unaffected

50.8%

If you could vote, who would you vote for?

Should the U.S. accept refugees for Syria?

Who won the

presidential debate?

74.7% of students believe the U.S. should 88.8% of students believe that Hillary Clinton won the first presidential debate of 2016.

accept refugees from Syria.

Administration to Revamp Research Program continued from page 1 pose students to research before junior year. This is already the norm at some high schools such as the Bronx High School of Science, which offers a four-year sequence of research courses. (Seven Bronx Science students were Intel semifinalists last year.)

“I got involved with the research program early on at Bronx Science, which has been a hugely valuable experience,” Bronx Science junior Ilana Duchan said. “With the guidance of the Bronx Science research program over this long stretch of time, students have the ability to intensively hone their skills and take inspiration from their mentors’ work to develop their own re-

search project.” Past research students hope to see a similarly-modeled program come to Stuyvesant. “Contreras should prioritize finding a supervisor who is passionate and devoted to the success of Stuyvesant students throughout the entire process,” Alvin Wei said. “[This includes] helping them find a lab, teaching [them] how to write a re-

search report, and demonstrating good examples of presentations from previous years.” The research program at Stuyvesant will hardly be transformed overnight, but the new administration regards its improvement as a major priority. “Many of our students will be the innovators of tomorrow. [But] even if they don’t decide to pursue research, the

skills and the lifelong lessons that it teaches you can make you better at any other profession,” Contreras said. “There’s the famous story of Thomas [Edison], and how it was the 10,000th attempt that made the lightbulb work. Imagine if he quit at the 500th try. Research teaches that if one way doesn’t work, you have to find another way.”

ADVERTISEMENTS

ACADEMIC SUMMER PROGRAMS IN THE WORLD’S GREATEST CLASSROOMS:

Ivy Global SAT

Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews, Paris, Montpellier, Barcelona, Salamanca, New York, Los Angeles, Boston

Free Seminars

WWW.OXBRIDGEPROGRAMS.COM EMAIL: info@oxbridgeprograms.com TEL: +1-212-932-3049

Ȉ Getting Into Top Colleges Ȉ How to Write Winning College Essays Ȉ Leadership Development for High School Students ivy.gl/stuyseminars

Classes

Ȉ 99th Percentile Instructors Ȉ Small Classes Ȉ Real Practice Tests ivy.gl/stuyclasses

New York, NY

Recent Matriculations Brown University (13) Columbia University (13) Cornell University (22) Dartmouth College (17) Duke University (3)

Harvard University (29) Princeton University (18) UPenn (15) Yale University (15)

And many more...

College Application Help and Essays

Learn more about our consulting services and 1-to-1 essay help at ivyglobal.com/consulting

info@ivyglobal.com

White Plains, NY

1-888-588-7955

Boston, MA

ivyglobal.com

Silicon Valley, CA

The Spectator â&#x2014;? October 17, 2016

Page 5

"#$%%$&!'&$(!)**$&+!,-./01$-!2$+3!'&$(/&/34)0!40!56/%%!7&)8(!5$33409+! "#$%%$&!'&$(!4+!/!(&)8-!1):+()0+)&!)*!3;$!538<.$+/03!5($13/3)&!! ! ! !

SAT CRASH COURSE

Location: Kweller Prep Parker Towers Building 104-40 Queens Blvd Suite 1C, Forest Hills NY 11375 (QB & 69 Ave)

Must Register Online by December 15th 2016 at www.KwellerPrep.com Tuition: 5 days: $500

Class Format: Diagnostic Test Plus Detailed Review 5 Classes/ Morning or Afternoon 6 Hours Each Class

Contact: 1 (800) 631-1757

Class 5: Friday, December 30

Class 4: Thursday, December 29

Afternoon Session: 2:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Class 3: Wednesday, December 28 Class 2: Tuesday, December 27

Prep for the January 21, 2017 NEW SAT

Morning Session: 8:00 am to 2:00 pm

Class 1: Monday, December 26

WINTER BREAK- NO SCHOOL !

Monday, December 26, 2016- Friday, December 30, 2016

WINTER BREAK- NO SCHOOL !

Morning Session: 8:00 am to 2:00 pm

Class 1: Monday, December 26

Prep for the January 21, 2017 NEW SAT

Class 2: Tuesday, December 27

Afternoon Session: 2:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Class 3: Wednesday, December 28

SAT CRASH COURSE

Class 4: Thursday, December 29

Contact: 1 (800) 631-1757

Class Format: Diagnostic Test Plus Detailed Review 5 Classes/ Morning or Afternoon 6 Hours Each Class

Must Register Online by December 15th 2016 at www.KwellerPrep.com Tuition: 5 days: $500

Location: Kweller Prep Parker Towers Building 104-40 Queens Blvd Suite 1C, Forest Hills NY 11375 (QB & 69 Ave)

Class 5: Friday, December 30

! ! ! "#$%%$&!'&$(!)**$&+!,-./01$-!2$+3!'&$(/&/34)0!40!56/%%!7&)8(!5$33409+! "#$%%$&!'&$(!4+!/!(&)8-!1):+()0+)&!)*!3;$!538<.$+/03!5($13/3)&!!

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 6

Features

Elections

Peter vs. Segal: Moderating a Political Debate at Stuyvesant By Sophie Watwood This debate has been edited and condensed for clarity. Isaac Segal, a strongly liberal junior, and senior Stiven Peter, the self proclaimed “theological conservative/Calvinist-protestant, right-leaning humanitarian/ traditionalist-conservative,” know each other. And despite holding many contrary opinions, they seem excited about being brought together for a debate. “Are you guys friends?” I ask as we first sit down. “We’re friends on Facebook.”

Sophie Watwood: Where do you think your main influences and biases come from? Stiven Peter: For me, definitely faith and religious traditions. There are also a lot of intellectuals that I base my ideas on. Isaac Segal: I really started looking at the views I have today when I started debate. I got on the policy debate team at Stuy. There are a lot of people that I read about when I joined debate [who discussed things] ranging from critical gender and race theory to high theory philosophy to things like Marxism and how it intersects with all that, and I thought it was really interesting and shaped a lot of my political views when I tried to apply these concepts to the things in public policy.

things like welfare, people aren’t incentivized to work to get out of Welfare if they can, because it’s not a lot of money, but it’s enough for people to survive. I think that food stamps are good. Programs that bring education to underprivileged communities are so important to making sure they can get a job later. Those things are all key in moving people out of the bottom of the economic equation. SP: I think that if we look at the policies Segal is referring to, they were all proposed during the Great Society and New Deal. Those programs presuppose a bit of a social coherence or stability of sorts for them to work. I think right now those programs won’t work, because they are using the same logic as the past, but the past isn’t the same as now. Take for example Medicare and Medicaid. With Medicare and Medicaid, the president is expanding their power, expanding their bureaucracy, and even more now to take care of other problems that arise, but bureaucracy is dysfunctional, and I think that there are better ways to provide for the poor than relying on the federal government, which is so far away and abstract that it couldn’t possibly understand what is needed on a local level. There needs to be a more

ing that there is no difference between male and female or at least to downplay that difference. I think there is a huge difference, and I think we need to move back from treating women the same as men, and I think there needs to be gender roles. I’m a huge fan of gender roles because you can’t create a society without gender roles. IS: I’d have to disagree with Stiven on almost everything he just said. I think that the wage gap is very real and has been shown by multiply studies to be about 78 cents to the dollar. I think it has to do with blatant sexism of men in power underpaying women, more than women’s preferences. When it comes to women’s issues such as abortion, I think that it is the woman’s choice. SP: In all cases? IS: There are way more cases than the woman’s life that are completely justified. Rape and incest are perfectly reasonable cases to give up the baby. I also think that it is always going to be the woman’s choice of what happens to her body and until the baby is out of her body, it is still part of her, and it shouldn’t be within anyone else’s jurisdiction to decide what she can and cannot choose to do if she feels

IS: Yes.

trying to solve racism, and things like body cameras have done a lot to bring awareness to the problem. I think that it’s not an individual policeman thing; I think that the police system as an institution has a sort of incentive to arrest more people because of quotas, and I think that a lot of the time, this kind of larger structure in the police’s larger structure is complacent with things like anti-black violence. I believe that these incremental reforms are the real solution.

SP: But I believe that there exist moral standards outside of the woman, that the woman should not be autonomous. IS: Women should not be autonomous, Stiven? SP: Yes. Even men. IS: You don’t think people should be autonomous?

SP: But do you agree that revolution isn’t the answer?

SP: I think people should be bound to their community, to their tradition—

IS: I think that I as a white person cannot make that claim for black people.

IS: Sure, and if someone’s tradition does not to adhere to your values, then why should they be bound to them?

SP: Well, I don’t know what I am— I’m Egyptian—but I would say I’m against Black Lives Matter’s revolutionary impulse and that the steps to fixing it are incremental reforms.

SP: But I believe that there exist certain standards as a society, and as a society, we exist to recognize those standards and adhere to them.

IS: I can’t speak for you, but I know that as someone who has not experienced the violence dealt to the black community, I cannot make the claim for them whether or not revolution is the best answer. I don’t have the mentality of someone who has been oppressed their entire life and is tired of incremental reforms.

IS: Yes, but that’s your belief, and I believe that people are able to make their own beliefs about how the world works, and that’s the difference between conservatism, where you conserve old beliefs, and liberalism, where you are able to expand on them.

Should gender neutral bathrooms be a requirement of New York City schools?

What needs to be done for America’s environmental

SP: No.

policy in order to attack the problem of global warming?

IS: Yes, and as Stiven knows, I’ve advocated for them in the past.

IS: The Clean Energy bill would probably be a good idea to get that running. Things like solar power are a lot safer alternatives to oil. All the fracking that has been happening recently is contributing to environmental problems. We need to move climate change up to higher priority in politics when we’re dealing with things like foreign policy so that we can have better cooperation with places like China, which has some of the highest emissions along with the U.S. It’s a good idea to forefront it as opposed to putting things like the economy over it, because in the long term, it will probably destroy us all.

IS: I am going to have to agree with Stiven on some points and disagree on others. I disagree that the economy should come before the environment, but I do agree that alternative forms of energy are probably the best idea.

How should the government be dealing with the poverty and health care crisis in America? IS: I think that universal health care is going to be the best answer, especially for those stuck in the Medicaid gap. It works in places like Canada and Europe, and in those situations pharmaceutical companies are less incentivized towards marking up profit because in order to make a profit at all they have to be affordable for the government. When it comes to poverty, with

IS: And we’ve had long arguments about this.

Ting Ting Chen / The Spectator

SP: I’m opposed to that based on a very nihilistic view or very doomsday-apocalyptic view. When you talk about climate change you also have to talk about the jobs. I do agree that there is harm in what we are doing, but the effect o capitalism is its destruction of the environment and human lives. So we can move towards helping the environment and using the environment more wisely and more prudently through investing in clean energy, but as I see it right now, oil still gives you the best bang for your buck, and so that is what companies are turning to. But we are going to need to turn toward nuclear energy and other forms of clean energy, and that’s going to be the future.

SP: And I against.

Junior Isaac Segal (left), an outspoken liberal student, and senior Stiven Petter (right), a well-known conservative within the school, debate this election’s issues.

local focus on solving the problem of poverty through the Church and charity, which play a more important role. IS: But can the Church handle expanding their programs to the point that they would completely replace the government? SP: They have, yes. The people closer to you know better for you than the government. We have to work on a communal level, and that governs.

Where do each of you stand on women’s issues, such as the pay gap and abortion law, and what can be done to solve them?

SP: I deny that the wage gap exists. I think that the pay gap is a result of women’s preferences and choices. I believe that there are inherent differences between males and females and that they influence their general choice, preferences, and those result in a wage gap. They earn the same, but the total wage payment in on average is disparate. I don’t think if you look at a single credible economist that they would say that there is this massive wage gap due to sexism. I tend to be against abortion in all cases except if it’s the woman’s life, because I believe in the dignity of the baby right after conception. On other issues, I think it is clear that we need to move away from the egalitarian routine of say-

it is going to negatively impact her life. It shouldn’t be up to a bunch of old guys. I don’t believe that traditional gender roles should be forced on people. If we live in a society where gender roles don’t exist, those who want them are always free to adhere by them, but other people don’t have to be forced into a binary. SP: A distinction here: Isaac believes that there is no difference between the genders and that the genders are this fluid spectrum that depends on how you relate to society. I believe that there are essential gender roles and that we lose part of our humanity when we don’t adhere to those gender roles, or at least a basic difference between being male and being female. So I’m going to ask you a series of questions. Do you believe in infanticide? Is it morally permissible to kill a baby? IS: No, it’s not a good idea. SP: How about the day before it is born? Is it morally permissible to abort? IS: Yes. Somewhere halfway through the second trimester it would become morally contradictory for some people to do so, but I still think that it’s not for us to decide, even if it’s “morally wrong,” it’s not for us to decide. SP: It should be for the woman’s conscience?

So moving on, how is the government intended to deal with police brutality towards the black community? SP: My fundamental organizing system is religion, and religion says that there is sin and that sin is a constant. We also have a certain view that humans are innately sinful and that means that no matter what we try to do, either reforming the police system of reteaching social systems, there will always be sin. I also believe that racism is a refined form of sin that is trained, that is influenced by education, influenced by our environment, and that means that the problem of racism is something that we can ultimately work to solve, but it cannot perfectly be solved. We have to dispel this idea of a utopia. I think we have to have this notion that what the police do is bound up with the community. A lot of conservatives will say, “That’s just one policeman.” Yes, but that implores the police system to say that “this is not who we are” and to punish that officer for not acting in line with their standards. IS: I think that, up until the very end, Stiven was avoiding the question. I don’t think that the problem with police brutality is only a problem with racism. I don’t think government policies are trying to solve all racism. I think that incremental reforms are actually possible in order to enact real change with issues in police brutality without directly

SP: You can’t be transgender. I do not believe it. It’s inconceivable for a man to become a woman. Taking a bunch of hormones does not make somebody female. Making an orifice does not make somebody female. These are fundamental parts of our body which we are to use towards our intended goal. It’s telos. IS: I disagree with our bodies having telos in the first place. SP: Telos because of objective morality as given by God. Religious centering again. It’s very centered. You may disagree, but you cannot say that I’m not consistent. I’m very consistent.

How do you feel about the recent decision by the

Supreme Court to make same-sex marriage a right across the country? IS: I believe that it was a perfect decision. Actually, I don’t think there’s enough going on, and I think that we need to combat everything going against it from the right side of the political spectrum. (Peter dabbed in favor of the far right, sending Watwood into a fit of laughter that cut Segal off ). SP: I would say that the widespread acceptance of LGBT was a sign of the moral corruption of our age, and I think it’s only possible in a society that is as privileged as we are, and I believe in marriage, one man and one woman, and in monogamy. No matter how traditional it is, it is the fundamental building block of society. The conversation did not end at that. From here, the discussion fell into a debate over whether or not romance could have a goal outside of reproduction and if the human body has a presupposed goal. In the broader sense, it became a debate over whether or not humans have the autonomy to choose a purpose beyond the biological. But with lots of shouting.

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 7

Features

Elections A Libertarian Alternative By Alexandra Wen Getting home after a long day and seeing another article about Hillary Clinton’s past scandals comes as no surprise. Neither is seeing another outraged tweet about something Donald Trump said or an outraged tweet by Trump himself. The clash between presidential candidates can become nauseating, but with Democrats and Republicans as the overwhelmingly dominant parties, it’s hard for alternative groups to gain much attention. Yet, for some students at Stuyvesant, the frustration with America’s major-party candidates is significant enough to push them toward a third party: the Libertarian party.

A Desire for Compromise Junior Greg Huang often finds himself switching between the Democrats and the Republicans. “I believe that the Democratic Party is too liberal, while the Republican Party is too conservative,” Huang said in an e-mail interview. “So sometimes, like in this election, [I] support a thirdparty candidate.” Whereas Huang dislikes Trump and sees Clinton as untrustworthy, he found Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson’s platform to make “perfect sense,” he said. After researching the party, Huang found the most appealing parts of Johnson’s platform to be Johnson’s belief in the rights of individuals, a belief that manifests itself in his policies supporting internet freedom and the legalization of marijuana.

Likewise, senior Alex Serbanescu was looking for a “solution to bipartisanship,” he said. Becoming “tired of having to agree with Democrats half of the time and Republicans the other half,” he said, he searched for a compromise. Leaning socially liberal and fiscally conservative, he also realized that the Libertarian Party was for him. Some Libertarian supporters, like senior Michael Espinosa, initially supported one of the main party’s candidates. Espinosa supported Republican candidate Marco Rubio, because he saw Rubio as young, fresh, and “full of energy,” he said. Despite not being a moderate, Rubio portrayed himself like one, which also appealed to Espinosa. When Rubio dropped out, Espinosa explained that he didn’t want to support Clinton because of some of her controversial actions. And, he said, “If I’m casting a vote for Donald, it would be against my will.” Sophomore Elisey Goland’s Libertarian support all began after one particular holiday party. “It started at a Thanksgiving dinner, when my relatives were bashing the Democrats and my Democrat neighbors were bashing the Republicans,” he said. “So I thought, ‘Maybe there are better options,’ and did some research. That’s when I found out

about the Libertarians.”

“Sometimes the party doesn’t act reasonably.” Though the Libertarian Party was a preferred alternative to the Democratic and Republican parties, neither Huang, Serbanescu, Espinosa, nor Goland agreed with all of its poli-

Sarah Chen / The Spectator

cies wholeheartedly. Huang for example, heavily disagrees with Johnson’s stance on coal-fueled power plants. “I strongly believe in renewable and/or clean energy, and statistics have shown that coal is one of the dirtiest ways to generate electricity,” Huang said. “There are cleaner options.” Espinosa opposes Johnson’s plan to eliminate the income tax and replace it with a consumption tax. “If I was making a decent living, and there’s no income tax and only consumption tax, I would probably try to limit my consumption as much as possible,” Espinosa said. “I support a flat tax, so everyone gives up a third to 30 percent of their

income.” Sometimes Serbanescu says he finds it hard take some of the Libertarian Party’s beliefs seriously. For example, he disagrees with the party’s belief that global warming is a hoax or an issue not significant enough to warrant action. “I believe in compromise more than I believe in libertarianism, to be honest,” Serbanescu said. “And sometimes the party doesn’t act reasonably.” Then there are the topics which the party is split upon. The Libertarian Party is divided on abortion rights, which Goland finds off-putting. “I wouldn’t get rid of the debate between [pro-life and pro-choice],” Goland said, “but I would argue for a more prochoice policy.”

The Echo Chamber While Huang usually conceals his support for a third party, Espinosa, Serbanescu, and Goland are open about their political opinions. Serbanescu talks about his beliefs on social media and in school to “avoid being drowned out by liberalism,” he said. Espinosa and Goland, in addition to vocalizing their support, have also attended some of Johnson’s appearances at town hall meetings. In making themselves heard, the three students face frequent attack. Within Stuyvesant’s com-

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, COSTA RICA, CUBA, ECUADOR & THE GALAPAGOS

sustainablesummer.org

munity, where the vast majority of students are liberal, it’s harder for alternative opinions to be accepted. “Really, [Stuyvesant] is kind of an echo chamber,” Goland said. “Everyone says and believes the same things. If you’re conservative, everyone’s like, ‘You must be a racist. You must be a sexist. You must be a homophobe.’ And that’s just not how it works.” Huang personally considers himself to be a moderate, but because of the community, he finds himself to be more on the “extremely conservative” side of the scale, he said. Most students are “mainstream liberals,” Espinosa described, where they support financial regulation and social reform. However, financial reform policies can differ between socially liberal students, because “some might be more moderate and inclined to support the Libertarian policy of just fiscal conservatism,” he said. Neither Huang nor Espinosa believe that there are any other Libertarians in the school aside from perhaps one or two, though they predict that there may be students in the school who are Libertarians but do not vocalize their beliefs. The young Libertarians are aware that if they were able to vote for a third party, they would be considered as casting “throwaway votes.” But the students still see a vote for the Libertarian Party as worthwhile. “The only throwaway vote is one that you don’t cast for your beliefs,” Espinosa said. “They’re never going to be popular until people start voting.”

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 8

Editorials Staff Editorial

Our Take on the 2016 Presidential Election

The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper

“The Pulse of the Student Body”

Too Many Memes, Too Little Thought E DITOR S

C HIEF

Danielle Eisenman* Sonia Epstein* N ews

E di to rs

Anne George Julia Ingram* Blythe Zadrozny F ea t u r es

E di to rs

Alice Cheng Geena Jung Elizabeth Lawrence O p i n i o ns

E di to rs

Zora Arum* Asher Lasday Nalanda Sharadjaya* S p orts

E di to rs

Karen Lai/ The Spectator

Nadia Filanovsky Max Onderdonk Dean Steinman h u mo r

E di to rs

Alec Dai Shaina Peters Please address all letters to:

Everyone, at least in our community, can agree that this year’s elections are entertaining. We all know the size of Drumpf’s hands and love to speculate about the contents of Hillary’s emails. The election has trickled into every crevice of our everyday lives. But our generation, specifically, has also transformed the way we talk and think about politics by creating memes out of election-related content. Moments after Bernie Sanders tweeted a photo of himself watching the presidential debate, for example, the photo became a “sad meme,” which instantaneously went viral across the Internet. It was an example of how we, as “the meme generation,” have translated the presidential election into a language widespread and understandable to us: humor. The casual web surfer would be amiss not to notice the barrage of election content online. With every debate or controversy comes a flash of social media activity. New hashtags emerge with every development. Our Facebook newsfeeds are filled with Vice Presidential Debateinspired observational comedy. Every Snapchat story shows the

As “the meme generation,” we have translated the presidential election into a language widespread and understandable to us: humor. candidates decked out in deer facepaint or dog noses from popular filters, their words made incomprehensible by the “voice

changer” feature. While shows like “Saturday Night Live” have made satire out of the elections for decades, this theme has expanded with programs like “Full Frontal with Sa-

together, while sweeping aside the finer points of the debate. Humor makes a complex (and terrifying) election more innocuous, allowing us to forget its stakes. Of course, humor has

345 Chambers Street New York, NY 10282 (212) 312-4800 ext. 2601 letters@stuyspec.com

Arts & E n t e r t a i nmen t E di to rs

Karen Chen Liana Chow Liam Elkind Photo gra phy E di to rs

Nancy Cao Xin Italie Kaia Waxenberg Art

D i r ec t o r s

Yujie Fu Christine Jegarl Vivian Lin L ayo ut

E di to rs

Xinyi Gu Tina La Michelle Lin Co py

E di to rs

Fionna Du Kate Johnston Zoe Orlin B u s i ness

M anage r

Evelyn Gotlieb* Web

E di to rs

Sebastian Cain Haley Zeng F ac u l t y

A dv i s E r

A Note to Our Readers: A sudden interest in politics from a young demographic of future voters is certainly encouraging, but the sensationalist way that we receive and share elections related material makes us question whether our interest is actually thoughtful and authentic.

mantha Bee,” “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” With clips from these shows, rather than from news broadcasts, appealing more widely to young people, we wind up extracting our basic understanding of politics almost exclusively through a thick coating of bias and humor, rather than from more detailed and objective reporting. A sudden interest in politics from a young demographic of future-voters is certainly encouraging, but the sensationalist way that we receive and share elections-related material makes us question whether our interest is actually thoughtful and authentic. The online posts we see spread through our high school community rarely contend with the policies and ramifications of each candidate, focusing instead on entertaining moments or insignificant mannerisms. For example, the #FreeLesterHolt trend was little more than something we could all laugh at

its place, and it is to be expected that, as high school students, we will be attracted to it. A video of Clinton dabbing will spread faster through our community than an informative article about policy, simply because of what most of us value at this stage of our lives. For many of us, this is only the second presidential election cycle that we can recall in detail, and we don’t yet have the broad perspective needed to understand political nuances. But as young adults who will soon depart from the insulated world of high school into a world more clearly and directly affected by the outcome of these elections, it is time that we start paying attention to policies and their consequences. It is time that we start being thinkers, rather than mere consumers of quick laughs. We have be to skeptical of the information coming at us from all directions—on Facebook, on television, and from our peers—so we can make our own informed decisions at the voting booths in the years to come.

The Spectator will now accept unsolicited Op-Ed pieces written by outside students, faculty, and alumni. These columns, if selected, will be published in The Spectator’s Opinions section. Recommended length is 700 words. Articles should address school related topics or items of student interest. Columns can be e-mailed to specreaderopinions@gmail.com.

Do you want to reflect on an article? Or speak your mind? Write a letter to the editor and e-mail it to letters@stuyspectator.com or drop it in The Spectator box in the second-floor mail room.

VOICES Would you like to share a personal narrative with the school? Whether it’s an essay you’ve written for class, or a piece you’ve been working on by yourself, if it’s in first-person and it is nonfiction it could get published in The Spectator’s issue-ly Voices column! Send your stories into voices@stuyspec.com, or email us with any questions or concerns you have.

F o r t he

Rec o r d

• Xin Italie was credited for taking the portrait of English teacher Dr. David Mandler for the Issue 2 article, “’The Cemetery Responds!’ Dr. Mandler on Publishing His Newest Book,” but it was actually taken by Cammy Wong, not Italie.

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Elections

Page 9

Opinions

Elena Sapelyuk / The Spectator

Feminism Is Not With Her

By Eliza Spinna Women are a minority in government. Roughly 18 percent of U.S. mayors, 12 percent of governors, and 20 percent of Congress are female. These numbers look even more dismal when compared to those of other countries; Sweden boasts the highest percentage of women in government with a 9:11 ratio of female to male officials. Finland and Denmark trail closely behind. Therefore, it comes as a relief to many feminists that Hillary Clinton is the democratic presidential nominee. The benefits of a female presidency would be tremendous. A female commander-in-chief of a powerful nation would be a role model for girls to look up to and would help send the message globally that women are as competent as men. It’s also theorized that, if a woman took a seat in the Oval Office, it would pave the way for more women in positions of power on a local level; Nichola Gutgold, a professor at Pennsylvania State University, testifies that the “physical manifesta-

tion of a female president would [encourage] women to get into politics.” Clinton is a proud feminist. Her website boasts that she has “fought for women her entire career.” In many ways, this is true: during her time in government, Clinton has prioritized policies promoting equal pay and maternity leave. She was a proponent of the creation of the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. Her speeches at the UN on women’s rights have inspired activists globally. During this year’s presidential race, she has garnered endorsements from outspoken feminists and feminist organizations, including Lena Dunham, Beyoncé, and Planned Parenthood. But, while she has been a warrior for women’s rights politically, Clinton is not always an ideal ally for women. Rather, Hillary’s personal life reveals that she often lets the feminist movement down on key issues. Clinton’s website states, “to every survivor of sexual assault: you have the right to be believed.” However, on the topic of sexual assault, Clinton’s words and actions are incongruous. Juanita Broaddrick, a nursing home administrator from Arkansas, claims to have been raped by Bill Clinton in 1978 when she was a volunteer for his campaign for governor of Arkansas. Broaddrick has also said that Clinton threatened and silenced her after

Broaddrick was harassed. Clinton denied Broaddrick’s accusations when pressed to comment, and her only substantial response since was “everyone has the right to be believed until they are disbelieved based on evidence.” But in the 38 years since the allegations were made, no concrete evidence disproving Broaddrick’s claims has surfaced—which should be grounds to believe her, according to Hillary’s website’s statement. Apparently, Clinton thinks that it is acceptable to pick who should be believed based on her political agenda. She preaches that since rape is a sensitive subject and difficult to prove in court, every alleged survivor has the right to be trusted on their word. So, if her personal morals mattered more to her than her political image, Clinton would hear Broaddrick out.

Christine Jegarl / The Spectator

This is not the first time that Hillary Clinton has been accused of working against sexual assault victims. In fact, she personally aimed to discredit the women who came forward against her husband with accusations of harassment, from Monica Lewinsky to Connie Hamzy. The New York Times reported that Clinton insulted these women publicly, calling Lewinsky a “narcissistic loony toon” and saying of Hamzy, “we have to destroy her story.” Beyond defaming these women, Clinton tried to silence them. According to Carl Bernstein’s award-winning book “A Woman in Charge,” as Clinton’s husband ran for president, she pushed to obtain sworn statements from women with whom he had allegedly been sexually involved. In these statements, the women were supposed to claim that the rumors were false in order to protect Bill’s image. As a public figure, she should have separated herself from the scandal as much as the media would allow rather than loudly and blindly fighting for a man who had been involved romantically and sexually with an intern (whose degree of consent was questionable) while in office. Clinton additionally defines herself in light of her husband’s presidency, rather than through her own achievements. During the presidential debate on Tuesday, September 27, she bragged about his economic accomplishments as if they were her own and has said she’ll place him “in charge of revitalizing the economy.” While this is probably a political move to attract her husband’s

fans, Clinton should be running as herself, not as the third term of the Bill Clinton presidency. Defining herself in relation to her husband implies to the world that women must ride on the coattails of men to obtain positions of power. Feminists are right in that Hillary Clinton would be a role model to younger generations. But she is not the ideal role model. A Clinton presidency would send young girls the message that the only way for women to be elected is if they push other women around and use the men in their lives to climb their way to the top. In this particular election, running against a candidate who has made countless remarks criticizing women’s appearances, has few policy ideas on feminist issues, and is unabashedly and crudely sexist, Hillary deserves some leeway. On Friday, October 7, The Washington Post released footage of presidential candidate Donald Trump boasting about sexually assaulting women. This was the last straw for many prominent Republicans, especially republican women, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, who both promptly called for Trump to terminate his candidacy. The demeaning attitudes and offensive behavior exhibited in the footage demonstrated that Trump’s election would send a far worse message to young girls, and to all the world, about the way women should be treated. Certainly a Clinton presidency would be far better for the feminist cause than the alternative. But Hillary’s actions are still unacceptable, and it is important to call her out on them.

The 2016 Elections We’ve Ignored By Asher Lasday and Blythe Zadrozny Eighty million people tuned in to watch the first presidential debate, an event that has quickly moved to the forefront of the American psyche. The race for the White House has invaded every aspect of our lives, from Facebook newsfeeds to history classrooms, and it’s not hard to understand why. With one candidate who has played a central role in America’s political scene for decades and the other who has only recently

left the world of reality shows for that of politics, it can be hard to direct one’s attention anywhere else. Unfortunately, this isn’t a new phenomenon. For years, the presidential race has captured the hearts and minds of the American people, while congressional races have been largely ignored, in spite of the greater power Congress has. It’s time both voters and the media realize the short shrift that has been paid to congressional elections and change their ways. At the crux of our prioritization of the presidential race over congressional ones is Congress’s dilu-

Vivian Lin / The Spectator

tion of power. While it is completely true that the executive is less powerful than the legislature, the president still holds more far more sway than any one senator or representative. Voters who are not overly concerned with politics might see greater importance of voting for president, as opposed to voting for a member of Congress, who is ultimately unlikely to be the one person who shifts the party balance in a house. However, the same logic that applies to voting, in general, applies to voting for Congress. Although your vote is unlikely to be the one that elects your preferred candidate, who in turn is unlikely to make the difference in the party controlling their house, the status of voting as a collective action makes it crucial for as many people to participate as possible. Further, if one does happen to be the deciding vote in the presidential election, or who will control a house of Congress, the house would have a much, much greater impact on national politics than the presidency would. In spite of all these responses to our natural dispassion for Congress, it’s important to remember that this is far from the only reason voter turnout rates are so low for congressional elections in comparison to presidential elections. The most visible reason for the presidential race’s overshadowing of down-ballot candidates

is that of the media. News media caters specifically to the presidential election, stirring feelings of deep political angst in many viewers. By creating a spectacle of coverage surrounding the election, news companies are able to draw in viewers and make huge profits off advertising. In 2012, CEO and President of CBS Leslie Moonves said, “Super PACs may be bad for America, but they’re very good for CBS.” This continues to be true today, with an unnamed Republican strategist telling U.S. News, “Viewership translates into ad buys. The more viewers you have—the more online clicks and shares—the more profitable news becomes.” Taking this into account, it becomes clear that news companies have an incentive to make the election as big of a spectacle as possible. This spectacle is much more easily created with the presidency, where coverage can focus on two polarizing figures, as opposed to the more nebulous political parties that inhabit both chambers of Congress. Unfortunately, both obstacles to greater public focus on congressional elections are challenging to overcome. Voters might be encouraged to participate in congressional elections if they were more informed about the importance of Congress. At times, it is hard to remember that although the president has a great amount of power, they still simply en-

force the rules Congress makes. This principle of governance should be made clearer to voters through outreach campaigns by public networks like CSPAN, PBS, and NPR. The challenge of private media overcovering the presidential race at the expense of covering congressional races is similarly formidable. Media organizations remain focused on profit, which comes from viewership, and, in the status quo, it seems a given that presidential politics will attract more eyeballs than congressional elections. In order to level this playing field, news companies will either need to change the way they cover the presidential election, focusing more on policy and less on semi-scandals and drama, or find a way to make congressional races, for lack of a better term, sexy. Despite the difficulty associated with inspiring greater interest in congressional elections, it is crucial for the health of the U.S.’s democracy that actions are taken. Voter turnout for midterm elections hit a 72-year low in 2014, and Gallup notes that Congress’s approval rating has hovered in the mid to high teens for the past four years. By further engaging citizens in the political process for what is the most important governing body in the nation, representation at the national level would become much more accurate, and government, in general, more successful.

Page 10

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Elections

Opinions

Xin Italie / The Spectator

Twilight of American Politics: Mapping the Journey Toward Stagnation

By Stiven Peter This summer, I took a bus to Indiana and abandoned New York City’s bustling urban environment to drive pastoral Appalachia. Yet, despite the locations’ vast differences, residents of both areas agree: the future of the U.S. is grim. A Marist poll finds that 68 percent of adults believe the country is on the wrong track, and not without warrant. The U.S. economy is sluggish: 2004 is the best economic year this millennium, meaning the economy has not had a year that good in 12 years. The family structure, which is the building block of any society, has collapsed; the census reports 43 percent of children live without their fathers. In the book, “Lost in Transition,” sociologist Christian Smith documents the difficulties facing emerging adults, and concludes that adolescents lack firm direction in life. The cultural effect of drifting in youth is already seen in soaring suicide and drug overdose rates. While there may be reasons to rejoice at the events of the past decade, the sluggish and broken state of our society ultimately leaves

many pessimistic about the future. Faced with societal pessimism, many long for a return to normalcy: a country where hard work produces a comfortable life. Yet, the options offered by current politicians give little hope for such a future. For one thing, both major parties envision the best future for America as a return to the past. Democrat Bernie Sanders campaigned to extend FDR’s New Deal and LBJ’s Great Society, intending to end economic inequality by expanding welfare; democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has adopted the same tone. The Republican Platform, meanwhile, calls for a glorious return to the 80s: economic freedom and pervasive religiosity. Moreover, Republican Donald Trump markets himself as a president who can restore America’s greatness, nodding to former president Ronald Reagan. These policies are the mainstream political options the U.S. faces, which speaks to nostalgia’s grip on society. The grip is tight because in their time, those policies helped Americans felt the nation was on the right track, fulfilling the American dream of success and opportunity. However, it is unlikely that this return will enable America to face its current problems; these policies are contradictory at their core, and the reason for their success is their historical context. To see this, we must analyze the history of current Democrat and Republican platforms. Modern political, economic, and social lines began to emerge during and after the second world war, and that is where we begin this historical analysis. During the war, the federal government’s role in people’s personal

lives expanded dramatically. From New Deal programs to corporatism, U.S. government took control of the economy. Rugged Individualism was replaced by national solidarity as New Deal programs were implemented and war raged on. The government also worked with the media to unite families and workers for the war effort. In short, the social, cultural and economic policies of the federal

in his emptiness. “Catcher in the Rye” depicted adult life as phony. The efforts of scholars and artists would result in drastic cultural changes: Against the cultural stability of the nuclear family of the 50s, the 60s were characterized by the sexual revolution, which repudiated the cohesive nuclear family in place of authentic romantic relationships. This started a process of

Economic liberalism is bad for the economy as it separates people as individuals, which creates a vicious cycle that perpetuates stagnation.

government promoted social cohesion. This unity continued into the 1950s. The nuclear family, with the breadwinning father and housekeeping mother, was the social norm. Economically, Social Security became integral to American life. Political parties had minimal differences in policy. It was from this highly cohesive society that the U.S. began to unwind. Scholars, academics, and professionals began to attack the culture of conformity. For example, the play, “Death of a Salesman,” criticized the emptiness of conformist culture. The protagonist, Willie Loman, struggles as a salesman for success and acceptance, but ultimately commits suicide

Yujie Fu/ The Spectator

cultural fracturing that would continue to be marked by increasing drug use, broken families, and sexual promiscuity. Economically, however, the U.S. was still highly regulated. The decade was marked by inflated wages, high taxes, regulated business, and unionized workers. Despite this, the U.S. was still economically prosperous because of its success during World War II, and despite the social upheaval of the era, the culture was not completely fractured because it had only just begun to unwind. LBJ’s Great Society embodied the dichotomy of economic solidarity and cultural liberalizationThis dichotomy is the goal of contemporary liberals. However, the combination of government policies, global circumstances,

and cultural dynamics that led to this era—the restraints of World War II and the U.S.’ success during the war—cannot be replicated today. In fact, the programs generated by the Great Society remain largely unchanged and have become dysfunctional because of their inability to adapt. Medicare, for instance, suffers from a massive bureaucratic structure that creates huge inefficiency. Additionally, the social fracturing started by the 60’s has continued to present, resulting in the cultural problems before us today—high suicide rate, rampant drug abuse, and fatherlessness. A return to the Great Society cannot work because its very policies contributed to our current problems. On the other hand, conservatives see the Reagan Era as America’s prime. This time was marked not by cultural liberalization, but economic liberalization: price controls on petroleum were lifted, federal income taxes decreased, and budget cuts to social programs were implemented. Republicans also sought to restore the social order; action groups like the Moral Majority fought cultural liberalization by mobilizing the Christian Right. This attempt failed as the divorce, abortion, and out-of-wedlock birth rates continued pulling the family structure apart. While Republicans thought this was the best path to recover from the frenzy of the 60’s and 70’s, it only created temporary economic prosperity amidst continuing social decline. Moreover, economic liberalization drove economic inequality, which furthered social fracturing. As people became more detached from each other, they found it harder to cooperate and instead focused on sharp distinctions between each other. In the case of free market policies, it is the rich who get richer, and the poor who get poorer; the middle class is hollowed out in the process. The poor become more detached from the workforce and eventually stop looking for work. We are seeing this process play out today in labor participation rate of 62.6 percent, the lowest since the 70’s. The conservative dichotomy of economic freedom and cultural conformity is unstable, and the conditions conservatives idolize are what created the same stagnant economy and broken culture they hate. Today, America is trying to find a balance amid a half century of rapid economic and social change. Attempts to fix society by returning to past policies fail because those very policies created our fractured society. Therefore, what we need is not a right wing reply to the left, but a rejection of current political categories altogether. To face the current challenges we have today, we need to take a different approach to politics compared to the current unstable dichotomies. This new politics must seek to find a way to unite our social architecture and yet not revert to the government’s dominance in the 50’s. It must be a solution that finds a balance between the poles of consolidation and individualism.

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 11

Opinions

Elections The Voter Identification Frustration By Dora Gelerinter Many of us have immigrant parents who came to the United States to take advantage of American opportunities, among those the right to vote. Our mothers and fathers will have their voices heard this November in a way that they might not have had in their home countries. Before the Civil Rights Era, their voices would not have been heard in America either. Prior to the Civil Rights Movement, institutionalized discrimination against minority groups at the voting booth was a common practice. For example, the infamous 1964 Louisiana Literacy Test asked unanswerable questions like “Draw a line around the shortest word in this line” in order to prevent prospective African American voters from qualifying. We’ve come a long way since the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which attempted to ban discriminatory voting practices. Still, the consequences of such procedures have left their footprints. Accusations of unconstitutional and discriminatory rules exist today surrounding highly controversial voter identification laws. Voter ID laws exist in 32 states, while the other 18 use alternative methods of confirming voters’ identities, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In particular, Texas voter identification laws, largely regarded as the strictest in the country, have recently come under intense scrutiny for propagating racial discrimination. Though we, as high school students, don’t have

the right to vote yet, the problematic voter identification laws in place today will still have discriminatory implications when we gain that right unless Americans raise awareness of them and try to effect change. Before 2013, Texas voters could show forms of identification that didn’t necessarily have photos on them. Then, the law that came into effect in 2013 redefined the list of acceptable IDs, narrowing it down to just a handful of items. These are: a U.S. Citizenship Certificate with a photo, a U.S. passport, a military ID card, a concealed handgun license, and a state driver’s license or ID card. Recently, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law is a violation of the Voting Rights Act. Specifically, it reportedly discriminates against African American, Hispanic, and lower-income voters. According to CBS News, “Elections experts have testified that Hispanics were twice as likely and blacks three times more likely than whites to lack an acceptable ID under the law. They also said lower-income Texas residents were more likely to lack underlying documents to obtain a free state voting ID.” It is not difficult to see why these voter groups would lack some of these acceptable forms of identification. For example, people with driver’s licenses usually own cars. Lower-income voters would be less likely to be able to afford a car, and therefore, less likely to own a car. They also would be less likely to have money to spend on a trip

abroad, and therefore be less likely to possess a passport. Economic barriers also make it more inconvenient for these minority groups to obtain an ID. Prospective voters have to find the time and money to

ing did not fall on deaf ears. A lower court has been assigned to the task of ensuring that all of the 600,000 registered voters in Texas who lack an acceptable ID will still be able to vote. And PBS Newshour reports that

Vivian Lin / The Spectator

acquire any necessary documents, such as birth certificates, and then to acquire the ID itself. This is unrealistic and burdensome for Texans who are constantly working to support their families. As Jim Malewitz of The Texas Tribune notes, “For some people, even traveling to the nearest Department of Public Safety office can be difficult.” Fortunately, the court’s rul-

“Federal courts will eventually decide whether Texas drafted its law in a way that was deliberately discriminatory or simply had that effect.” While we await these decisions, it is important to consider how history can be further prevented from repeating itself. Though it is currently not required, I believe that Texas should once again be included

in the list of states that require federal approval to pass election laws. Texas has a long history of racial discrimination, so its voter regulations should be especially closely monitored. It’s not easy to determine if rules and regulations have discriminatory effects. Therefore, the more screening methods we have, the lesser chance exists that there will be backlash and less government money will be wasted on dealing with that backlash. In addition, the number of acceptable IDs should increase because a broader list would accommodate many African American, Hispanic, and lower-income voters. It is absurd that a concealed handgun license is adequate identification, whereas a college ID is not. Opponents of constructing a broader list argue that voter fraud will be a greater threat if the list is expanded. However, voter fraud occurs incredibly rarely, and even less often in person. Unless we institute reforms such as these, November’s election will not embody the equality this country was founded upon. Speaking up and speaking out against discrimination is the least we can do.

Jessica Wu/ The Spectator

How to Represent the Underrepresented

By Evan Lieberman With his arms outstretched and a chummy smile plastered across his face, Tim Kaine debuted as the Democratic VicePresidential candidate, shouting to the roaring crowd, “Bienvenidos a todos!” The general election cycle was in full swing, the candidates had been chosen, and the “hispandering” season officially began. Kaine’s bilingual theatrics provoked quite some excitement, but there still remain many cynics, who condemn it a ploy for Hispanic voters. Others argue it was an ineffective method to reach out to Spanishspeaking communities. A Univision study cited countless times in the following weeks determined that only 26 percent of Latinos say their vote would be affected by whether the candidate speaks Spanish. A 2000 California House race in which a white man beat out a Latino man in a largely Hispanic

district was described by the LA Times as proof that Hispanics will choose policy over ethnicity and culture any day. Given that almost half of the current Hispanic electorate is composed of millennials, most of whom speak English better than Spanish, it would appear that Tim Kaine’s linguistic prowess won’t prove significant for the Clinton campaign. However, despite the accusations of “hispandering” and the seemingly indifferent reaction by Hispanics, a politician’s ability to speak Spanish would make him or her a far more effective representative for the Hispanic community. The most critical job for politicians in a democracy is to connect with and represent their constituency. To fulfill this role, candidates must understand the culture, philosophy, and mentality of their constituents. Without this connection between politician and citizen, officials cannot effectively carry out the will of the people, and democracy cannot properly function. The politicians of today are faced with a daunting task: maintaining this essential relationship despite the cultural and linguistic differences that separate them from many of their potential voters. In a job as important as the President of the United States, where the population numbers some 300 million strong, it seems odd that the one who holds this role may be unable to speak the language of almost one-sixth of their constituents. A politician who does not speak Spanish is at risk of failing to represent the populace.

To fully understand the deficiencies faced by many gringos in Washington, one must understand the connection between language and the culture, society, and psychology of a people. While the debate still rages in linguistic circles, the popular concept of linguistic determinism theorizes that language determines human thought. Thus, people who speak different languages think and see the world differently. The separation between Spanish speakers and their rep-

they value and what they do.” One could argue that although this essential connection between language and culture exists, learning a language isn’t necessarily the only way to understand a culture. As Wardhaugh explains, however, subtle societal and cultural intricacies are hidden within the word choice and grammatical structure employed by speakers of a language. Therefore, these intricacies wouldn’t be accessible without an understanding of said lan-

To fully understand the deficiencies faced by many Gringos in Washington, one must understand the connection between language and how one thinks. resentative advances beyond mere words. It is a misunderstanding of epic proportions. The relationship between language and one’s society and culture is so cardinal that it is impossible to fully understand a culture without speaking the language. Ronald Wardhaugh, a professor of Sociolinguistics, explains this connection as such: “The culture of a people finds reflection in the language they employ: because they value certain things and do them in a certain way, they come to use their language in ways that reflect what

guage. They exist only within the structure of that specific language, and therefore die in translation. The only way to fully understand another culture is by learning the language, meaning politicians from Hispanic districts who don’t speak Spanish possess a fundamental ignorance of the communities they mean to represent. The most important quality gained when a foreign language is acquired is the culmination of the cultural and societal understanding: empathy, or emotional understanding. Empathy is the quality that denotes an

honest and effective politician. An empathetic politician is not one who represents their district solely to maintain their post, but does so because they passionately wish to aid the community. The rarity of the empathetic politician, however, can be attributed to the high level of knowledge of the constituency that is required. Therefore, when Hispanics elect a Spanishspeaking representative, they are choosing someone with enough of a cultural and societal understanding of the community to represent them with empathy. If this election has taught us anything about politics, it is that politicians have grown too isolated from the citizenry. The mistrust of elites and the swarming chaos of populism reflect the fact that Americans of today simply don’t believe that their representatives work for the good of the district. These wounds go even deeper within the Hispanic community. A Hispanic-American is 20 percent less likely to vote than their black and white counterparts. Their abysmal political participation displays a loss of trust in the system. The dire conditions of many Hispanic communities today demand an effective, empathetic politician. Only an empathetic politician who speaks Spanish will be able to rebuild this trust. Only an empathetic politician will be able to solve the poverty and crime that plague many Hispanic-American communities. It’s time we stop dismissing politicians speaking Spanish as “hispandering” stunts and start realizing that learning Spanish is part of the job.

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 12

Arts and Entertainment

What Do Celebrity Endorsements Mean to the Election?

Election By William Lohier It has happened to all of us. We were watching “Game of Thrones,” “Scandal,” or some pirated version of “Frozen” on a sketchy website when Jennifer Aniston walked perkily onto a white set proclaiming: “Pure and crisp, like from a cloud!” With her blonde hair and sparkly blue eyes, Aniston convinced the world that regular water was not only dumb, but inhibiting our potential to do better. Be better. The solution? A nice, bubbly Smartwater! I was intrigued. If I bought Smartwater, would I have more friends or better grades? Would I become Jennifer Aniston if I just opened up one of those sleek, sexy bottles and took a sip? This mentality is exactly what makes some products endorsed by celebrities so successful. A principle called the “halo effect” states that when something or someone we look up to is associated with an organization, this tends to influence how we view the organization as a whole. For example, in 2008, just before Rihanna’s Grammy awardwinning single “Umbrella” was released, executives at Totes Isotoner signed a contract with the Bajan singer, not only paying her to advertise their products, but also promising to introduce a whole new line of Rihannathemed umbrellas. After the song was released, Totes saw a huge in-

crease in sales and called the collaboration “invaluable.” However, what is the place of celebrities when it comes to politics? This election has seen a slew of celebrity endorsements at a time when celebrities, through social media, have had a growing presence in our lives. It has been proven again and again that celebrities can drastically impact sales of products, but, as we’ve seen in recent years, they may have more of an impact on the outcomes of elections than we think. Celebrity endorsements have existed since the late 18th century when Wedgewood, a British pottery company, gained royal endorsements as a means to increase its value and the perceived quality of its products. Since then, celebrities of all sorts have been called upon to advocate for products in return for exorbitant sums of money. This endorsement also provided a basis for thousands of celebrity endorsements since. The early 1920s saw what is recognized by historians as the first celebrity endorsement of a presidential candidate: the endorsement by various film stars of then presidential candidate Warren G. Harding. These endorsements opened the doors for countless other celebrity endorsements of presidential candidates. Today, in an era of extreme partisanship in our government, most celebrity endorsements have few obvious impacts. How-

Election

Elections

ever, celebrities are influential people and can impact elections in subtle ways such as increasing voter turnout or fundraising. A prime example of a celebrity endorsement having an impact is Oprah Winfrey. A veritable goddess of marketing, during 2007, Oprah’s empire was at its peak. However, despite her influence (sales of “Anna Karenina” and “Love in the time of Cholera” were boosted by over 10,000 percent after they were added to her book club), up until 2007 she had never openly endorsed a presidential candidate. This changed during the 2008 election, when Oprah openly placed her support behind presidential candidate Barack Obama. A study conducted by researchers from Northwestern University found that Oprah’s endorsement not only increased voter turnout, but also campaign contributions and Obama’s popularity among Democrats with one in four Democrats saying Oprah’s endorsement made it more likely that they would vote for Obama. This year’s election has proven to be one of the most tumultuous and tabloid-worthy elections to date. And, just as both candidates polarized the general public, celebrities were also quick to take sides. Most celebrities tend to swing liberal. The Hillary campaign, in particular, is awash with the endorsements of a very diverse group of influential, A-list celeb-

rities, including Morgan Freeman, Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé, and George Clooney, among many others, who advocate and contribute significant amounts of money. While the Trump campaign has a significantly whiter and older celebrity base, he’s still snagged the endorsements of many notables such as Kid Rock, Mike Tyson, and Azealia Banks. Trump’s campaign has also come under fire for not denouncing the endorsement of white supremacist David Duke. Endorsements can impact the celebrity as well. When two candidates are as polarizing as Hillary and Trump, a thoughtless endorsement can end a career. For example, when the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks denounced George Bush before the invasion of Iraq, the Dixie Chicks faced outrage from their fanbase (largely Bush supporters), received death threats, and faced a boycott of their music as well as serious financial repercussions. We all like to think of ourselves as free thinkers, especially when it comes to politics. And it’s true that most celebrities do not have a noticeable impact on elections in terms of convincing voters to vote one way or another. And we may never again see another Oprah. However, celebrity endorsements impact campaigns in many other ways. For example, while a celebrity likely won’t convince a Democrat

to vote Republican or vice versa, celebrities can influence which candidate people choose to represent their party by campaigning and informing people about a candidate’s ideas. Furthermore, donations and fundraising by celebrities allow candidates to air more ads and hold more events. Celebrities can even affect voter turnout. When getting voters excited, a Clinton rally is much less exciting than a Clinton rally featuring Katy Perry. As we approach election day, it’s unlikely that a single celebrity will have an obvious impact on either campaign. However, people constantly in the public eye hold a lot of power in our society. Recent months’ proliferation of celebrity tweets and Facebook posts advocating for or bashing both Clinton and Trump show that celebrities feel the need to try and make our country a better place. Furthermore, the fact that many people notice and respond to these posts shows that celebrities can have a real impact on how people think about issues that matter to them. So while celebrities may not be at the front of people’s minds as they head to the polls in November, that doesn’t mean they won’t have any impact on the upcoming election. Whether it be celebrity branding or celebrity endorsements, we should keep in mind how celebrities have influenced our opinion so that we can make choices that are ours.

Your Guide to this Election’s Best Political Impressions By Sophie Feng

Many words can be used to characterize this election cycle, including harrowing, unprecedented, and shocking. However, one word in particular stands out: entertaining. The candidates have been fodder for many magazines and tabloid newspapers, occupying the public’s attention and inspiring countless memes, jokes, and parodies. In particular, many comedians have found that their words and actions are just begging to be imitated, leading to many entertaining segments usually found as parts of sketches on late night TV. With that, we take a look at the best political impressions of this election’s political candidates.

Jimmy Fallon as Donald Trump “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” Fallon, the host of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” offers up an impression complete with surprisingly accurate hair and an orange-face (with extra effort given to reproduce the pale circles around his eyes). This look alone is funny, but the effort given to recreate Trump’s customary tone of voice and habit of raising his arms to speak, as well as the references to Chris Christie and Melania Trump’s plagiarism, truly establish it as a memorable parody. Fallon even enlisted the help of the real Donald Trump for a sketch in which he interviews himself. Angel Zheng / The Spectator

The Dalai Lama as Donald Trump “Good Morning Britain” While being interviewed by Piers Morgan, the Dalai Lama did an impromptu impression of Donald Trump that, while only a few seconds long, still proved to be memorable. The Tibetan monk and global figure of peace briefly pokes fun at Trump’s hair and mouth (which he describes as “small”), as well as imitates Trump’s manner of speaking by loudly smacking his lips.

Larry David as Bernie Sanders Darrell Hammond as Donald Trump

Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton

In a role he has been repeatedly coming back to as an SNL cast member (since the ‘90s, in fact!), Darrell Hammond portrays Donald Trump through his habit of childishly insulting while simultaneously condescending those around him. The element that really makes this impression scarily accurate is his mastery of Donald Trump’s mannerisms, including his resting pouty expression and his congested manner of speaking.

SNL cast member Kate McKinnon’s impression of Clinton won’t offend even hardened Clinton supporters, because the things McKinnon makes fun of Clinton for (her drive for success and her sometimes failing attempts to reach out to the youth) are things we all irrefutably know to be true. It’s only made better through McKinnon’s perfect imitation of Clinton’s voice and sneaky pokes at the Lewinsky scandal and email investigation.

“Saturday Night Live”

“Saturday Night Live” Perhaps comedian Larry David does such an effective Bernie Sanders because of his already strong resemblance to the former presidential candidate (the bald spot, the glasses...need I say more?). David only needs to build on this foundation to create the most accurate impression of Sanders, which he accomplishes by mocking his often forceful manner of speaking and pointing, as well as his self-described “political revolutionary” views.

Jay Pharoah as Ben Carson “Saturday Night Live” As another SNL recruit, Pharoah’s impression of Carson isn’t funny because it’s impressively true-to-life, but rather because of the character that he makes Carson out to be through his impression. Pharoah’s deadpan voice makes you feel like you’re listening to the politician himself, yet his squinty eyes and gestures (such as cocking his head to the side) portray Carson as unsettling and almost creepy.

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Arts and Entertainment

Elections

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” takes place 19 years after the events of the original seven books, but still grips the reader with the same thrill and excitement. This two-part stage play was written by Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, with surprisingly minimal input from the original author of the franchise, J.K. Rowling. The play first premiered on July 30, and its rehearsal script was released a day later. In “Cursed Child,” the reader gets to focus on Albus Potter, Harry’s son, and his struggle with facing an unwanted legacy, but it also manages to give adequate attention to the past. “Cursed Child” has already done very well, selling two million copies in two days. And the reason is clear: it’s extremely well written. To start off, it takes the universe that was already set up by Rowling and uses it to further develop the characters and their relationships between family and friends. Let’s look to our title character. Fans know plenty about Harry Potter. They’ve practically grown up learning of his rebellious nature and unwavering loyalty. They know him as a student, a friend, and a hero. But they don’t know him as a father. Thorne kept Harry consistent as a character. Harry’s willingness

Election

to do anything to save the son who wants nothing to do with him and standing up to friends and enemies alike, reminds the reader of his loyalty and gives a new paternal side to him. Thorne also does a good job introducing new characters. Albus, the protagonist, could’ve easily come off as bratty and unlikable, with a seemingly irrational hatred of his own father, but we’re able to see his inherited fierce loyalty through his friendship with Scorpius and his desire to escape from not his father, but his father’s legacy. Scorpius Malfoy, son of Harry’s enemy Draco Malfoy, gives something unique the story. He has a certain naiveté to him that’s never really been seen in a Harry Potter book. Unlike how Draco was set up to be someone to hate in the first seven books, Scorpius is the complete opposite—very sweet and likeable—especially as Albus’ only true friend. The play focuses less on the magical aspect of Harry Potter, which was something that would have left readers in awe and wonder. But, by focusing more on familial relationships and friendships, the play is able to connect to the reader on a much deeper level. As good as the play is, we also have to ask: is it too much of a good thing? It’s been 19 years since the publication of the first book of

the series and about nine years since the last book was published. There are franchises that have gone on longer, but many believed the Harry Potter series was concluded with the seventh book published in 2007. As a result, the sudden announcement of a new addition was surprising, but not necessarily in a good way. There have already been spinoff books and stories, many of which can be found on the Pottermore website, and it has even been confirmed that a spin-off movie called “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is in the works. But that’s exactly what they are—spin-offs. “Cursed Child,” despite the significance it aims to hold, is just a spin-off, and thus can’t gather as big of an audience as its predecessors. After the creation of so many spin-offs, it could be valid to say J.K. Rowling should’ve left her fictional universe be. Seeing that the original series consists of seven books and eight movies, all the spin-offs that came afterwards serve no true purpose besides utilizing the series’ fame to sell more, especially since Rowling has no other plans to actually continue the series itself. The unnecessary continuation of a good series can lead to its downfall. “Cursed Child,” however good it may be, can and will always be viewed as just another spin-off and not a work truly com-

Get Pumped for Presidency

Perhaps inspired by Katy Perry’s song, “Hot n Cold,” Donald Trump once said, “It’s freezing and snowing in New York—we need global warming!” This presidential election has certainly been interesting, so let’s take a look back at some of the candidates’ most notable words. This playlist is a collection of quotes and corresponding songs to keep the election’s momentum going.

Emily Wu / The Spectator

Harry Potter and the Cursed Add-On

Books By Lily Yan

Page 13

parable to the originals. What’s worse is that if “Cursed Child” wasn’t as good as it turned out to be, the entire franchise could have been affected. If I could say anything to Rowling on this matter, I’d say: Create

Food

whatever you want to create. No one has the right to stop you, but be careful; if your future works are even the tiniest bit lackluster, there are great implications concerning the success of the whole franchise.

Cheap-Ass Food Food Gallery 32 By CRYSTAL KU 11 W 32nd St., New York, NY 10001

If you’re low on money, head to Food Gallery 32. This food court serves four cuisines—Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Taiwanese—and doesn’t stick to traditional dishes, but instead offers a variety of Korean fusions. There are nine vendors at this Korea Town establishment and the portions are huge.

Mama’s Taiyaki

$3 for one regular sized, $5 for eight mini-sized

Christine Jegarl / The Spectator

This irresistible Japanese fishshaped snack is filled with sweet, piping hot custard or red bean filling to complement the golden brown waffle.

“I will build a great wall—and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me.” —Donald Trump “Wonderwall” Oasis Rock “I support marriage for lesbian and gay couples. I support it personally and as a matter of policy and law, embedded in a broader effort to advance equality and opportunity for LGBT Americans and all Americans.” —Hillary Clinton “Same Love” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Hip-hop “What is Aleppo?” —Gary Johnson “Ignorance Is Bliss” Ramones Rock “I never said that.” —Donald Trump “Love the Way You Lie” Eminem Hip-hop

Courtesy of Yelp

Mama’s Pocket Bunns “I was down there, and I watched our police and our firemen, down on 7-Eleven, down at the World Trade Center, right after it came down.” —Donald Trump “American Idiot” Green Day Rock “If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle.” —Hillary Clinton “***Flawless” Beyoncé R&B “My IQ is one of the highest —and you all know it!” —Donald Trump “Crazy=Genius” Panic! At The Disco Alternative “A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.” —Hillary Clinton “I Knew You Were Trouble” Taylor Swift Pop

“You want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not secretary of state; I am. If you want my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I am not going to be channeling my husband.” —Hillary Clinton “I Dare You” Bea Miller Pop

Unlike regular steamed buns, Mama’s Pocket Bunns are fluffy, soft fold-over buns shaped like half moons. Inside the folds, they hold delicious caramelized and marinated beef and freshly chopped cabbage and carrots. Courtesy of Yelp

“I am greatly honored by the endorsement of Senator Cruz.” —Donald Trump “Time to Pretend” MGMT Alternative “There is no formula that I’m aware of for being a successful or fulfilled woman today.” —Hillary Clinton “BO$$” Fifth Harmony Pop

Jin Jja Roo’s Jajangmyeon $6

Courtesy of Nicholas Chen

This hearty Korean-Chinese fusion consists of thick wheat noodles smothered in a salty black bean sauce. The noodles are served with spicy kimchi, savory miso soup, and sweet yellow pickled radish (danmuji). In other words, it’s a complete meal with a balance of flavors.

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 14

Arts and Entertainment Crossword: Election 2016 ACROSS 1. “Feel the ____” 2. Their convention was in Cleveland 3. This hot topic appeals especially to younger voters 7. Debate moderator 10. Forecast of the election outcome 12. Trump’s running mate 13. Subject of Bill Clinton’s biggest scandal 15. Decides constitutionality of new laws 16. Runner-up for the Republican nomination 17. The Great ____ of Trump 19. Clinton’s running mate 20. AKA the Affordable Healthcare Act 21. Runner-up for the Democratic nomination

DOWN 1. City in Libya that proved to be trouble for Clinton 4. A not-cool name for an undocumented immigrant 5. Trump accused Clinton of “playing” this “card” 6. Happened on September 26 8. Donald Trump still hasn’t released his 9. “Get out the ____” 11. When conceding, Cruz compared himself to this president who also failed at first 14. Bernie is a “Democratic _________” 15. Has 100 seats 18. Clinton, if elected, will be called “_____ President”

ANSWERS FOR ISSUE 2 Down 1. MRMORAN 2. BATTERY 5. PETER 7. ESCHOOLDATA 9. DROWSY 11. DRAFTING 13. FOUR

ONGOING

Saturday

Friday

Art Show “Jerusalem: 1000-1400: Every People Under Heaven” @ The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Concert “Staten Island Jazz Festival” @ Snug Harbor Music Hall Festival “Fall Crafts in Chelsea” @ 21st Street between 8th and 9th Avenues

Play: “Oh, Hello” @ Lyceum Theatre

Saturday

Album Release Bon Jovi’s “This House is Not For Sale” @ iTunes

Festival “Boo at the Zoo” @ Prospect Park Zoo until 10/30/2016

Art Show “Open House New York” @ Various Locations until 10/16/2016

Musical “Falsettos” @ Walter Kerr Theatre Art Show “No Limits: Zao Wou-ki” @ Asia Society

Across 3. PYTHON 4. PEGLEGS 6. PHYSED 8. SENIORPRANK 10. ARTHISTORY 12. LIBRA 14. THIRD 15. CHELSEA 16. ANGEL

Get a Life: The Cultured Edition

Calendar

October

Art Show “Who Shot Sports: A Photographic History” @ Brooklyn Museum Musical “Jersey Boys” @ August Wilson Theatre Art Show “Public, Private, Secret” @ International Center of Photography Musical “Spamilton” @ Triad Theater Art Show “Tony Oursler: The Imponderable Archive” @ Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College

14 Friday

Album Release Gucci Mane’s “Woptober” @ iTunes Album ReleasE Two Door Cinema Club’s “Gameshow” @ iTunes

20 Thursday

Food Tasting Japanese Noodle Night (New York Slurpfest)” @ Astor Center Festival “LGBT Film Festival” @ NewFest until 10/25/2016

23 Sunday

Food Tasting “NYC Treats Sweet Bazaar” @ Grand Bazaar NYC, Uptown

30 Sunday

Festival “Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Flotilla” @ Charles A. Dana Discovery Center

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 15

Art Comic

Adrian’s Inferno: Chapter 2

continued on page 16

The Spectator â&#x2014;? October 17, 2016

Page 16

Art

to be continued...

The Spectator Comic Board

Editors Yujie Fu Christine Jegarl Writers Christine Jegarl Daniel Tam Artists Alisa Chen Christine Jegarl Rachel Zhang

Caption Contest

Each issue, we provide an ambiguous cartoon or image in need of a caption. You, the reader, can submit your caption to www.tinyurl.com/SpecArtCaption. We choose two finalists and their captions will appear in the following issue along with its respective image.

Joyce Gao / The Spectator

Vahn Williams / The Spectator

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 17

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 18

Humor These articles are works of fiction. All quotes are libel and slander.

The 1788 Presidential Debate

Go Ask Alec!

By Michael Espinosa

Benjamin Franklin: Welcome, la-

Christine Jegarl / The Spectator

dies and gentlemen, to the first debate for President of the United States. I’m Benjamin Franklin, and I’ll be moderating tonight’s events. Make sure to tweet on your carrier pigeons using #Debate1788. Let’s meet our candidates. First up, the man who got an F in English, because he didn’t want the British to win: George Washington.

Dearest Alec, In today’s increasingly polarized political spectrum, many people are not voting for Mr. Trump or Mrs. Clinton, as they have found a ticket that embodies their political ideals to a greater extent. Recently, a third candidate has been gaining popularity. He belongs to the Clown Party. What are your thoughts on this year’s elections and the candidates? Kind Regards, Laszlo Sandler Dearest Laszlo, I strongly believe that the top three candidates really embody the fundamental ideals of America. Mr. Trump resonates with a majority of Americans, allowing sexism, racism, and anti-everything liberalism to continue to grow. These aspects of our country have long been around and

Best, Alec Dai

Trump Supporters Report Getting Woke By Michael Xu Donald Trump supporters across the country have been experiencing an extreme malady: getting woke. The Trump campaign describes getting woke as an intense mental metamorphosis that causes an acute awareness of discrimination and suffering. Trump has also claimed that Hilary Clinton is severely affected and unfit for the presidency, describing her belief in equality and progress as symptoms. Getting woke has been an infectious phenomenon. An early victim was Ted Cruz, the former Republican presidential nomination candidate. Shortly after he supported Trump, Cruz started spreading powerful vitriol across the Texan telegraph network. “Abortion is a woman’s right! Less walls, more bridges!” one of the messages read. Cruz has since admitted himself to a Planned Parenthood clinic, where he has started his “Abort Trump” movement. Almost surprisingly, Trump’s poll numbers have spiked since the unfortunate epidemic of getting woke began. With the current trends, Trump will confidently carry California on Election Day. “Illegal immigrants face extreme societal pressures to

cross the border based on capitalistic demands,” one anonymous Trump supporter with a #BernieOrBust tattoo said. “We should build Trump’s wall to curb capitalistic greed.” Many suspect that Trump’s bankruptcies were undertaken as a form of protest against the concept of money. “I think Mr. Trump is the candidate for African Americans,” another supporter in KKK garb said. “He has toured black neighborhoods and has talked to black ministers, so I am positive that he will advance their causes.” Trump has been described as a strong candidate for Muslims, as his anti-immigration stances are founded upon a belief in the superiority of Muslim homelands. Trump has also won over many women supporters. His love for his wives Ivana, Marla, Melania, and now for his daughter Ivanka show a deep “passion” for women. Perhaps most telling are Trump’s words. Trump has long professed his love for China, the poorly educated, his protesters, women, the Saudis, Israel, blacks, and Mexicans. Trump has repeatedly mentioned his dedication to minorities in his stump speeches from Alabama to West Virginia.

John Adams.

how about you take the next question? How can we trust you to be faithful to the country when you’ve shown you can’t be faithful to your wife?

Hamilton: Uhh...pass. Jefferson: And to think this man

is running for president. The only thing he’s running is out of time.

Adams: Not to mention a man running for pres—

Franklin: Oh, you’re his little

Franklin: Next up, everyone’s

Adams: We’re cousins.

you think you have the right to speak?

Franklin: So you’re here in his

Adams: I do until you address me

favorite member of the Adams family, it’s Samuel Adams. Trump strives to help revive such feelings in America. Mrs. Clinton also resonates with a lot of Americans. She plays to the deeply rooted ideas of lying, treating everyone equally, and laughing at republicans and hoping they will die. However, anybody remotely reasonable in America seems to be going for third-party candidate, Mr. Clown. Mr. Clown appeals to Americans’ deeply rooted sense of fear. Unlike the other two candidates, however, Mr. Clown actually takes action and does what he says he will do. The other two candidates are all talk, but Mr. Clown actually has the guts to walk, and walking he does: straight into the woods with a machete. After analyzing the major candidates above, it has become clear who the best candidate will be: Obama. If FDR can be president for three terms, why can’t Obama? #EqualityForALL

Adams: Again, Mr. Franklin, I’m

Franklin: Okay, Mr. Hamilton,

George Washington: Outgunned and outmanned no longer!

By ALEC DAI and Laszlo Sandler

from Mr. Hamilton. Candidates have also agreed that there will be no accusations of connections to the English crown or premarital sex. Without further ado, let’s start this debate. The first question is for Mr. Samuel Adams: How can we trust you to lead our nation since you have shown your violent tendencies, such as organizing the Boston Tea Party?

John Adams: It’s Jo— Franklin: Up next, we’ve got ev-

eryone’s favorite bastard orphan: Alexander Hamilton.

Alexander Hamilton: There’s a

million things I haven’t done, but being president won’t be one of them.

Franklin: And finally, the mar-

vel of Monticello. Give it up for Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson: Good eve-

ning, gentlemen. Just last week I saw a very successful harvest back home. After reaping the rewards of a very successful planting, I hope to now plant the seeds of a brand new nation, governed by the inalienable ri—

Hamilton: Yeah, keep ranting,

we know who’s really doing the planting.

Franklin: The candidates have

agreed to the following rules: each person will have 30 seconds to answer each question, hopefully without any interruption

brother?

place?

Adams: No, I’m here, because I’M the one running for president.

Franklin: Great. This question is for Mr. Jefferson: How will you implement the ideals you included in the Declaration of Independence into your presidency?

Jefferson: Well, I intend to fight for the common man and to prove that every man has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and I believe that I’ve started this fight with the Declaration of Independence, and I hope to continue that as presi—

Hamilton: Tell that to Sally Hemings.

Washington: Son, you should not be speaking up to your superiors. Don’t interrupt Mr. Jefferson.

Hamilton: Call me “son” one

more time! War’s over, George. I’m your right-hand man no more.

Washington: That’s a shame. I use my right hand a lot.

Franklin: Samuel Adams! Do

by my name.

Franklin: Sam Adams? Samuel Adams (from the audience): I’m over here, Ben!

Franklin: I thought you were running for president.

Samuel Adams (still from audience): You think I want to get involved with this?

Franklin: Very well then. General Washington, how will has your judgement as military commander prepared you for the job as president?

Washington: I think my military

background makes me the best candidate on this stage. I’ve had to make tough decisions with little knowledge of the outcome, and I’ve had to put up with some very colorful men.

Franklin: That’s all for tonight folks. You can follow me on SmokeSignal, I’m @BFranks. Up next: are the British really coming? A brand new episode of Better Call Paul starts right now.

Russian Hackers Leak Trump’s Tax Returns By Kai Hin Lui A team of Russian hackers under the pseudonym “LESTER_ HOLT” has claimed responsibility for hacking into Donald Trump’s tax returns. Trump’s secretive tax returns sparked controversy after he refused to reveal to the American public exactly how much money he spent on spray tans and hair gel. “We have determined that over Trump’s 30-year career in business dealings, he has given the IRS $500 in Monopoly money, a cafeteria food voucher of $7, a plastic mold of the Trump Towers, and two gambling chips from the Trump Taj Mahal,” the team of hackers said. The hackers claim that although they are currently deciphering the rest of Trump’s tax filings, they are having trouble because all of the pages start on Chapter 11. Trump’s tax returns have come under national scrutiny after he adamantly refused to reveal them, citing an audit.

“The audit process would not have been as harrowing had Mr. Trump filed his 1040 documentation like a normal person,” a spokesperson for the IRS said.

Daniel Tam / The Spectator

“However, Mr. Trump chose to transcribe his tax records onto the back of a diploma from Trump University. Regrettably, we were unable to read the invisible paper of the diploma.” “The IRS has been harassing me ever since I received a small loan of a million dollars!” an outraged Trump said. “I’ve asked them very politely to cancel my subscription to their services, but they keep sending me their spam.” According to the Russian hackers, Trump has filed many pieces of dubious information on his forms. Trump has tried claiming the American people as his income dependents on multiple occasions. “A lot of people rely on my money. A lot,” Trump yelled. “You have my doorman, you have my chambermaid, you have my bellhop, you have my butler, you have my rooftop gardener, you have my three wives, and many other married women.”

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 19

Humor HUMORBEAT Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has won an Emmy for his performance in the critically acclaimed “2016 Presidential Election.”

Mr. Garfinkel Said I Still Couldn’t Curse in The Spectator, Even Though The New York Times Did On Its Front Page By ALEC DAI So I told him to F!@$ off.

The iPhone 12, made by taping two iPhone 6s together, has rendered the iPhone 7 obsolete.

The lack of a headphone jack in the latest iPhone has left many headphone plugs partnerless and musically frustrated.

The National Association of Creepy Predators has endorsed Donald Trump.

How To Rig an Election By Gilvir Gill and Ved Patel Winning an election can be hard, especially if you happen to be a “democratic socialist” who’s been around longer than the Soviet Union itself or if you are a sane conservative. Or if your name is Jill Stein. When in doubt, many people consider rigging the election as a means to their end. Today, we will be showing you the proper way to illegitimately turn the tides of an election, in just four simple steps. Step 1: Try to Win Fairly Before resorting to underhanded tactics, first try to win using legitimate techniques. Come up with a catchy campaign slogan such as “Vote Maszlo” or have a thought-

provoking campaign logo such as the sexually suggestive TrumpPence logo. Get people to volunteer as “election observers” to prevent the election from being rigged by going to Democrat-heavy areas and intimidating people from voting. Step 2: Ask the Professionals Before continuing, talk with people who have successfully rigged their own elections. Members of Stuyvesant’s own Student Union can tell you all about computer “glitches” and promising positions for support. George Bush also comes to mind, with the Florida recount controversy that left former Vice President Al Gore searching for a job on the Internet he invented. You might also want to consult the likes of Richard Nixon and also the

fellow from Equatorial Guinea who managed to win with 103 percent of the popular vote. Consider implementing an arbitrary voter ID law. Reports have indicated that requiring voters to have a membership card with a local white supremacist chapter has raised Trump’s polling numbers by 129 percent.

ning the election, then there is one other approach. There are a few basic measures you can take. Always use the right to bear arms to your advantage. People may or may not have a few tricks up their sleeves, or, more specifically, on their belt buckles.

Step 3: Choosing Your Party Make sure that you are running as either a Democrat or Republican. It does not matter if your ideals or lack thereof are not compatible with either party. If Donald Trump can do it, so can you! Step 4: The Second Amendment Method If you have tried every other step and are still not close to win-

Are We Hunter Yet?

Jenny Gao / The Spectator

Constantly Comparing Ourselves to Better Schools So We Can Feel Relevant By BEN CHAPMAN At least you don’t have a fight club.

The Spectator â&#x2014;? October 17, 2016

Page 20

Bobby-Tariq Learning Center Directed by Columbia University Graduate

Special Offer for SAT 2 Classes

(Each class 4 hours) from (.BSDI 1st to April 30th) Only New Student

Subject SAT (SAT-II)

Full Crash Course (7 Classes)

for only $700.00 (Each Subject)

Subject : Math-2, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, US History BEST WISHES FROM

76-01 Roosevelt Ave, Jackson Heights, NY 11372 PHONE : 917-775-4549, 646-600-2471, 646-508-1910

Md. Akhter Hussain 2ZQHU Chairman

Eng. Kukhon Uddin (Bobby) Columbia University Graduate CEO

Tariq Hussain &RUQHOO 8QLYHUVLW\ &HUWLILHG President

Rahana Begum 2ZQHU Director

Email: tutoring@bobbytariq.com

www.bobbytariq.com

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 21

The Spectator ● October 17, 2016

Page 22

Sports Boys’ Soccer

Peglegs Fight Their Way Toward Playoffs By Ronin Berzins and Tahsin Ali The Peglegs, Stuyvesant’s boys’ soccer team, continued their playoff chase Friday, September 30, when they defeated Julia Richman Educational Complex under an onslaught of rain and wind. This win marks their second victory against Julia Richman. Stuyvesant is currently in second place in their division, trailing Martin Luther King Jr. High School (MLK) by two games.

“We started out the season well. We hit a little bit of a slump after we lost to MLK,” said senior and co-captain Niko Cruz-Marsted, referring to a loss against Frederick Douglass Academy, which they are set to play in a rematch on October 14. “But we picked it up and got two very important wins this week,” he said. The Peglegs’ 4-2 record puts them one game ahead of Frederick Douglass, and two games ahead of Washington Irving High School. To make the play-

offs, they must be a top three team in their division, and in order to do so, they must maintain strong play throughout the rest of the season. “There’s a very good chance that we’ll make it. We’ve really been clicking in the past few games, especially the midfielders connecting with the forwards,” Cruz-Marsted said. Cruz-Marsted, for example, has been working well with senior and co-captain Laszlo Sandler. Cruz-Marsted currently leads Stuyvesant’s divi-

sion with eight assists, while Sandler leads the Peglegs with five goals, two short of leading their division. “As a team we played incredibly well. We definitely have momentum moving forward,” senior and co-captain Noah Fichter said. Fichter currently has three goals, tied with junior Sunny Levitis. “We all agree that this was our best overall performance as a team,” Levitis said. Fichter praised the cohesion of the team’s work. “Ev-

eryone on the field played their part, [Levitis] scored two goals, but I think the people who built up those plays did very well too. “As a team we played incredibly well despite the terrible weather,” said Fichter, referring to the recent game against Julia Richman. The Peglegs are now in an ideal position to secure a playoff berth. “The usually-strong teams are playing a lot worse than usual,” Levitis said. “We can go pretty far this season.”