Volume 107, Issue 6

The Spectator

“The Pulse of the Student Body”

The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper

The Race Issue Features

OPINIONS

“A Voice From the <1 Percent” and “Statistically Insignificant”

In this issue’s Voices, seniors Lucian Wells and Stephen Nyarko discuss what it’s like to be Native American and African American at Stuyvesant. see page 7

Volume 107 No. 6

Stuyvesant: A Model of Model Minorities

Junior Matteo Wong elucidates the harmful nature of the stereotypes that characterize Asian-Americans as a “model minority” and discusses ways of fighting them—even from within an institution that represents the model of an AsianAmerican success story.

December 13, 2016

Unconscious Separation: Racial Segregation in Our Friend Groups

NEWSBEAT Nancy Ko (‘13) has received a Rhodes Scholarship for her studies of Jewish History and the modern Middle East. students received Best Delegate awards at the Model United Nations conference from Friday, November 11, to Sunday, November 13 at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Six

By Alec Dai, Danielle Eisenman, Elizabeth Lawrence, and Emily Xu with additional reporting from Raibena Raita

The Science Olympiad team placed fourth at the Cornell

Science Olympiad Compe-

In the classic 2004 film “Mean Girls,” two high school students show a new student a map of the cafeteria’s sacred arrangement of cliques. Each clique has a label. To name a few, there are the preps, JV jocks, Asian nerds, cool Asians, varsity jocks, unfriendly black hotties, and sexually active band geeks.

At Stuyvesant, things are a little different. It’s not a typical high school like the ones you see in movies. Social groups are not nearly as straightforward. While labels for cliques do exist (like “white squad,” “Queens squad,” “Slav squad,” and many others), the cliques themselves are often less rigidly defined than their names suggest. Many people float

tition from Friday, December

2, to Saturday, December 3, in Ithaca, New York.

The Speech Team placed seventh in the team sweepstakes at the George Mason University Patriot Games National Invitational on Saturday, December 3 to Sunday, December 4. Senior Alec Dai was the national champion in Original Oratory, while senior Liam Elkind took third place in Dramatic Interpretation and first place in the Round Robin in Dramatic Performance.

Six students won speaker awards on the varsity level at the Princeton Classic Tournament from Saturday, December 3, to Sunday December 4 in Princeton, New Jersey.

from group to group and some groups flow into one another.

What is immediately apparent, however, is that people tend to stick with people who share their ethnic backgrounds.

The small numbers of black, Latino, Native American, and multiracial students prevents groups made up exclusively of students with these backgrounds from forming. These students are often mixed into groups that, for the most part, are either predominantly Asian or predominantly white. And, among the white and Asian students, there exist countless sub-groups.

The causes of this de facto segregation are complex, and they extend far beyond the walls of Stuyvesant. What follows is an exploration of this phenomenon, along with possible reasons for its existence. continued on page 8

Sports Analytics Elective to be Offered Starting Spring 2017

stuyspec.com

Deconstructing Race at Stuyvesant

By Grace Cuenca, Nusheen Ghaemi, Chloe Hanson, and Pazit Schrecker

Seventy-two percent, the proportion of Asians at Stuyvesant, is a number that gets thrown around quite often in conversations relating to our school. But the number is misleading in its representation of Stuyvesant as a cultural monolith. Stuyvesant students trace their origins to over 70 countries around the world, some having moved to the U.S. in their lifetime, and some having never visited their ancestors’ countries. As we walk through the halls, some of us see students with the same color skin as our own, or students with family from the same part of the world as our families. Some of us do not see someone of our race on our daily walks from class to class. Either way, for most of us, race is more than just a box to check on a standardized test.

The Spectator conducted a survey via stuy.edu e-mail to explore the backgrounds of our peers, and hear their stories and opinions on how race affects our experiences at Stuyvesant. Five-hundred and ninetytwo students responded. Here are the results.

A Breakdown of the 72 percent 68.3%

25.4%

7.5% 1.6%

2.1% Central Asia

South Asia

Southeast Asia

James Young / The Spectator Mathematics teacher Dr. Bernard Feigenbaum, above, will be teaching a new elective next spring.

their own models to evaluate issues and make decisions that corporations and sports teams care about, like buying a player or opening up the stand.

Dr. Feigenbaum, whose passion for the subject of sports analysis began when he was a student himself, has been pushing for this course since last spring. However, no further action to implement the idea occurred until Principal Eric Contreras approved the course after Dr. Feigenbaum suggested it to him.

“I am very excited to teach it,” Dr. Feigenbaum said. “That’s [the] area that I really enjoy—the application of math to real world problems.”

The course could potentially

open up professional opportunities for Stuyvesant students. Recently, the Staten Island Yankees contacted the Stuyvesant Physical Education Department looking for a student intern who could do analytical work for them. More and more, teams are focusing on the value of analysis, and the class will focus on these areas.

Many students have already heard about the new class either through online course selections or flyers around the building, building enthusiasm. “Stuy students are generally good at math, but a lot of us are passionate about the sports we play too,” junior Joey Chen said.

“It’d be cool to see the two combined.”

East Asia

Other

continued on page 3

New Printing Station Opened On Second Floor

By Shameek Rakshit and Sasha Spajic

By Chloe Doumar, Clive Johnston, and Jessica Wu A new math elective, Mathematical Analytics of Sports, will be offered beginning next semester.

The course will be open to all students who have completed Algebra II/Trigonometry and have a math and overall average of at least 85.

There will be only one section, and mathematics teacher Dr. Bernard Feigenbaum will teach it.

While the curriculum is not yet finalized, the course will aim to use math to answer questions that arise for sports players or sports team managers.

One aspect of the course will be determining the mathematical strategy behind sports.“Should you go for one or two extra points in the football game if you score a touchdown?” Dr. Feigenbaum raised as an example.

Asset valuation is another aspect of the course, which entails examining the value of players, what salaries they should be earning, and how much a team is worth.

The course may also explore other dimensions of sports, including ticket and food pricing.

The elective will strive to teach the students how to analyze various situations in sports on their own from scratch, rather than simply memorizing analyses that have been previously done. Dr. Feigenbaum plans to supply the students with the skills needed to create

see page 17

A new printing station was opened outside Room 209 for student use in early November.

The center, which currently has three computers and one printer, is open every day from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.. By mid-November, students were able to print wirelessly from their own personal devices.

Calls for a separate printing station began four years ago when the sixth floor library was under renovation and students were able to use temporary printers on the first floor. When these printers were closed after the renovation, a new problem arose. “After its renovation, more students would use the library.

The librarians couldn’t get all the students in the library during the period because many students who needed to print took up a lot of the space,” Assistant Principal of Organization Randi Damesek said.

“There [were] a substantial number of issues in the library.

People who were trying to get in could not get in,” Student Union (SU) Vice President Tahseen Chowdhury said in an e-mail interview. “There was a lack of staff at times, and it created issues for students who just needed to print something.”

The SU approached the school administration in June 2016 about setting up a printer in a different part of the school.

“They first proposed the idea of printers in the Student Union room and eventually settled for a station by the bridge,” Coordinator of Student Affairs Matthew Polazzo said.

Unlike previous years, Chowdhury and Senior Caucus Vice President Max Bertfield continuously pressed the administration to implement the new system, facing many difficulties along the way. “Searching for funding and convincing the school and the administration was the hardest obstacle when it came to getting this done, but when we showed them the problem and how this would change/affect the atmosphere, the administration got on board,” Chowdhury said. The school has provided all funding for the current setup of the printers, though it monitors its investment into the station, limiting students to print eight pages at a time.

The SU and the administration have added additional features to the new printing station. “[Bertfield] and [Senior Caucus President Laszlo Sandler] proved to me that we could share a printer with all the stuy.edu emails, continued on page 2

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 2

News New Printing Station Opened On Second Floor continued from page 1

through Google Cloud Print, so [the SU] funded a prototype, and it worked well,” Chowdhury said.

“Overall, the printing stations have definitely reduced the flow of traffic in the library,” librarian Jonathan Cheng said.

Students similarly voiced their enthusiasm for the estab-

lishment of the station, no longer having to worry about issues of entering the library. “The station’s been working fairly well, and I think the students appreciate it,” Chowdhury said.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and NASA

WORLDBEAT Former Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro died at age 90 on Friday, November 25. Cuba declared nine days of mourning until his funeral, on Sunday, December 4.

Administration Pursues Annualization of All Core Classes

China’s foreign ministry says that it has lodged a complaint with the U.S. after President-elect Donald Trump spoke to the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen. The U.S. broke off diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979 (recognizing mainland China), and this call is believed to be the first time that a U.S. president or president-elect has spoken directly to a Taiwanese leader since then.

The Department of the Army announced on December 4 that it would reroute the Dakota Access Pipeline. The decision comes as a major victory for protesters like the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, who have been protesting the original plan’s threat to a local water supply and sacred Native American sites.

The French town of Publier has been told to take down its statue of the Virgin Mary to comply with a national ban on religious symbols in public spaces. Since 2010, when France became the first country in Europe to prohibit Muslim veils in public spaces, there has been concern about freedom of expression being curbed.

Wildfires in the Great Smoky mountains in Tennessee have resulted in the death of at least three people and the evacuation of thousands of others, while buildings in nearby towns have been destroyed.

Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz announced that he is stepping down as CEO of the chain on Thursday, December 1. He

joined Starbucks 30 years ago and transformed it into a global brand.

Schultz will become executive chairman in April.

Julia Lee / The Spectator

President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters went to court on Friday, December 2 to prevent election recounts in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The recounts were requested by Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who believes that they are necessary to ensure that voting machines were not hacked, even though there is no evidence of hacking. Stein ended her recount effort in Pennsylvania on Saturday, December 3.

By Shameek Rakshit and Julian Rubinfien The administration will attempt to annualize all core subjects—social studies, foreign language, science, and mathematics—for the Spring 2017 semester.

As a result, students will have the same teacher for both semesters.

The assistant principals are aiming to keep individual students’ schedules the same for both semesters as well, meaning that the order of their classes will not be altered.

The administration has attempted to annualize all classes for years, but has been unsuccessful due to complications created by classes that are only offered for one semester a year. “[Annualization] is not a 100 percent. It is never going to be a 100 percent in a school like Stuyvesant, but it’s a goal,” Assistant Principal of Mathematics James Johnson said.

Currently, Advanced Place-

ment, Advanced Topics, honors science, honors mathematics, and all English classes are annualized.

The administration believes that course annualization will make the transition from the fall to spring semester easier for both students and teachers. “Anytime you switch classes in the middle of the year, they lose time. Coming to a new class and [learning] new rules can lose up to a week of time of instruction,” said.

At Johnson’s previous high school, the High School of Art and Design, all classes are annualized. “I found that things got much more organized and simplistic [when] we didn’t have [to] go through a change in early February,” Johnson said. “We [could] just move ahead.”

Teachers are evaluated using the Danielson Framework, where portions of a teacher’s ratings are based on their knowledge of and communication with students and their ability to create a suitable environment in the classroom. By

annualizing classes, teachers are given the chance to perfect their skills and possibly achieve higher results.

As of last year, the student body was divided over the issue. In a survey conducted by the Sophomore Caucus, 51.4 percent of sophomores were in favor of annualizing their classes while 48.6 percent were not. In The Spectator’s schoolwide survey last February, 50.6 percent of students were against annualization while 49.3 percent were in favor.

Ultimately, the administration will move forward with its plans.

“I think it makes sense instructionally that you are able to understand a student’s development and strengths and weaknesses over the course of a year,” Assistant Principal of Social Studies Jennifer Suri said. “You spend a lot of time trying to get to know your students and seating and Delaney cards. You’re able to develop skills more effectively if you [have] the students for a full year.”

Language Department Hosts Stuyvesant’s First Cultural Film Festival

By Nishmi Abeyweera Stuyvesant’s first International Film Festival took place from Thursday, November 10 to Tuesday, November 22, in the Murray Khan Theater. Hosted by the Language Department, it showcased movies in six different languages, with English subtitles to assist students who were not fluent in that particular language. Admission was free for all students and staff.

The movies shown were “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” (1988), “The Bicycle Thief” (1948), “The Road Home” (1999), “The Hidden Fortress” (1958), “Sophie Scholl: The Final Days” (2005), and “The Class” (2008). The movies were a mix of both modern and classical films, and were chosen by six foreign language teachers: French and Spanish teacher Anna Montserrat, Italian and Spanish teacher Pasqua Rocchio, Spanish and German teacher Gabriele Dehn Knight, Japanese teacher Chie Helinski, Mandarin teacher Fan Guan, and French teacher

Manuel Ramirez.

Sophomore Julia Lee went to see the first movie shown at the festival, which was titled titled, “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.” The movie is a Spanish romantic comedy that tells the story of a woman who embarks on a journey to discover why her lover has left her. The film is set in the 1980s in Spain, which was a time of rapid economic expansion in the country.

“It was fascinating to see everything I’ve heard and read in the classroom, in the movie. One of my favorite parts in the Spanish film was when the main character threw her telephone out the window out of frustration,” said Lee, pointing to one of the movie’s most famous scenes.

The movie was chosen by Montserrat. “I chose a movie that was important [...] in the [19]80s in Spain. The director, [Pedro Almodóvar,] is really well-known.

I watched all of [his] movies when I lived in Spain, and this [movie] was one that I really liked,” Montserrat said.

The Italian movie, “The Bi-

cycle Thief,” was shown on Friday, November 11, and was chosen by Rocchio. The classic film portrays the story of a father and his son, searching war-torn Italy for a stolen bicycle that may help the father secure a newspaper delivery job.

On the following Thursday, November 17, students went to see “The Road Home,” a famous Chinese romance drama that tells the tale of a young woman falling in love with her teacher and their relationship with their son.

“I was interested in learning about Chinese culture and seeing a movie in my [native] language, so I went to see ‘The Road Home.’

I think it helped me understand [...] older Chinese culture better,” sophomore Crystal Wang said. “It was also easier to relate things [back] to that time since the medium was film.”

The next day, students enjoyed the famous Japanese comedy, “The Hidden Fortress.” Helinski deliberately chose the film, as it was director Akira Kurosawa’s most successful movie. This story revolves around two peasants who

join a defeated clan and are taken up as soldiers.

Dehn Knight chose a German film titled, “Sophie Scholl: The Final Days,” which was featured on Monday, November 21. The story takes place in Nazi Germany and depicts the last days of a young girl who is a part of a non-violent, anti-Nazi resistance group. “It is a powerful movie. Even though it is not recent [...] it shows another part of Germany during the time of Hitler. It shows that there were also nice people [during that time]. It is also a real story with important lessons for students,” Dehn Knight said.

The entire festival ended on a more light-hearted note with “The Class,” a modern film that depicts the life of a middle school French teacher and his experiences with his students. “It was very appropriate, [since] it was about a French teacher and his class and [was] filmed in Paris, [which is] very similar to New York,” Ramirez said. “I’ve shown large clips of [the movie] before in class. I was also connected to it, as it was written by a French teacher.”

Assistant Principal of World Languages Ernest Oliveri played a major part in the creation of the event. The Language Department thought that a new event was necessary to accommodate the changes that had occurred within the department.“We have a new course [Spanish Films] and the new [Assistant Principal] that is very excited about film,” Montserrat said.

This was the second of two recent events hosted by the language department, with the first being the Dias de los Muertos celebration, which was organized by several Spanish classes. “[The events] have a very important value to [the department] and will help [teachers] touch upon different topics with students that [they] don’t get to in the classroom,” Montserrat said.

Many more events like these are planned for the upcoming year. “[We plan to have] an Italian poetry contest, Japan Day, Chinese Spring Festival, and Culture Food Festival,” Oliveri said. “We are going to be a very busy department.”

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 3

News FBI Computer Scientist Talks Cyber Security at Stuyvesant Students gathered in the computer science Dojo after 10th period on Tuesday, November 15 to attend a lecture on cyber security given by Lena Loewenstine, a computer scientist for the FBI New York Cyber Division. Loewenstine spoke primarily of cyber hacks that she investigates and solves.

Loewenstine was assigned to be a facilitator of the Stuyvesant Girls Who Code club by the National Girls Who Code organization. In her role, Loewenstine teaches and assists the students in the club. She was invited to the school by Stuyvesant’s branch of the Girls Who Code club.

The lecture was open to the entire Stuyvesant community and aimed toward girls interested in computer science.“We think it’s important to encourage girls to enter this severely male-dominated field. Hearing from someone who actually works for the FBI about cyber security is a rare opportunity for anyone, so we think that everyone at Stuy would benefit from this talk,” senior and Girls Who Code President Sarah Yoon said.

Loewenstine began the

Janet Zhang / The Spectator

By Chloe Hanson and Mai Rachlevsky

Girls Who Code organized FBI computer scientist Lena Loewenstine’s visit. The club’s co-presidents, Sarah and Stephanie Yoon, pose with vice-president Chloe Delfau and club members.

lecture with a general discussion of the Cyber Division of the FBI, which investigates national security and federal crimes.

She then talked about the steps hackers take to reach their goals, which may include more simple things, like password cracking, and viruses, which, once downloaded and run, can install malicious software (Malware) on a computer. The most sophisticated types of hacking, according to Loewenstine, are DDOS attacks,

where botnets, a large network of private computers, attempt to take down a site by crashing it. The most common type of hacking is phishing, where hackers intend to steal sensitive data, like credit card numbers or social security numbers, from private companies by posing as a legitimate entity.

Loewenstine then went into the different procedures that the FBI uses to combat attacks. For example, a common way of identifying hackers is through computer

forensics. Every detail and action on a computer is saved, and using this data, the FBI can piece together a suspect. “Even if you clear your browser history, every URL you’ve ever typed is still saved,” Loewenstine said in the lecture.

Loewenstine also highlighted the fact that cybercrime has become a much bigger problem in recent years. “In 2011, which is the last date I could find, bank robbery resulted in a loss of 3.89 million dollars per month. Last year,

Internet fraud cost 89 million per month,” she said. “It’s much harder to make sure every nook and cranny in a system is secure when a hacker can just find one opening and get in.”

Loewenstine concluded the lecture by discussing the status of the FBI’s Cyber Division as a whole.

“Cybercrime is kind of a new thing for the FBI, so a lot of the agents don’t actually have technical background. So they rely heavily on the computer scientists. We’re trying to get more people interested,” Loewenstine said.

Yoon believes Loewenstein’s lecture was effective in doing just that. “[The lecture] exposed them to another field within computer science that they are able to enter should they choose to work in computer science as a career,” Yoon said.

The Girls Who Code club is planning on having more speakers come in the future. “We’re planning to have a guest speaker from Morgan Stanley give a talk on tech [and] software engineering in a banking context, her career and experiences as a woman in the field, and the opportunities Stuy students have working in [computer science] in general,” Yoon said.

George Daughan Discusses American Revolution with Stuyvesant’s History Students

By Nishmi Abeyweera and Mai Rachlevsky

Author and historian George Daughan spoke about his newly published book “Revolution on the Hudson” on Thursday, November 10. The talk was given to juniors and seniors taking AP U.S. History and AP Government in Lecture Hall A. The event was primarily organized by AP U.S. History and AP European History teacher David Hanna.

Daughan is an award winning author and naval historian who has published many historical books including “1812: The Navy’s War” and “If By Sea: The Forging of the American Navy,” which won the Samuel Eliot Morison award for naval literature.

The lecture corresponded to the topics that students were learning in their classes at the

time. “Daughan covered the Revolutionary War more extensively than what we could have covered in a few class periods, and I found that helpful. I feel like I have a deeper understanding of the topic now,” junior Nadean Alnajjar said.

In particular, Daughan discussed the destructiveness of the battles that occurred in the Hudson River Valley. “The main idea of my talk was to point out that, like so many wars, this one was unnecessary. By fighting the Americans, instead of negotiating a settlement with them, the British king fought an unnecessary war, got tens of thousand[s] killed on both sides for no reason, and lost,” Daughan said in an e-mail interview.

Daughan explained that the war could have been avoided with better negotiations by Parliament.

However, the British king of that

time, George III, was unaware of political realities and wrongly thought that force could solve the problems in the colonies.

He went on to emphasize that New York was a crucial battlefront during the Revolutionary War. Many famous battles, such as the Battle of Saratoga, which is often cited as a turning point in the war, were fought in New York.

Daughan also talked about his experiences as an author and historian. “He explained research and writing in more broad terms and this got the students’ attention.

It’s one thing to have a teacher [explain this to you] and another to have an author who has sold millions of copies tell you,” Hanna said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for students to ask historians directly about their motivations and methods. [Students] don’t really understand how the [writing] process works. Writers [seem to]

almost live in another realm, [but] they’re just regular people that are interested in expressing themselves in writing.”

Daughan formatted some sections of his talk into a question and answer format to interact with the students. “Student reaction, judging from their attentiveness and outstanding questions, was very positive,” Daughan said.

After the lecture, Daughan donated three copies of his books to the school. One was given to the school library, another to the Social Studies Department, and the last one to Hanna’s class. “I enjoyed talking at Stuyvesant enormously and will certainly come again. The whole experience was wonderful. The students were impressive,” Daughan said.

Hanna had been previously acquainted with Daughan. “[Daughan’s book] was published in the same year as my first book,

which was also about the War of 1812. He wrote comments for the book jacket,” Hanna said.

Hanna had reached out to Daughan and had asked him to come give a talk about his new book, as well as his experience as an author. “We both had new books coming out last June, and we had exchanged e-mails about it. It just so happened that he was coming to speak at the New York Yacht Club,” Hanna said. “He doesn’t normally get to talk to younger people, and [this] was a way to reach another generation.”

The Social Studies Department hopes to continue exposing students to the work of authors and historians in the future. “I think they’re terrific,” Assistant Principal of Social Studies Jennifer Suri said. “It’s a great opportunity for the students to meet scholars in the field that they’re studying.”

Deconstructing Race at Stuyvesant continued from page 1

What is your ethnicity?

African American

2.5%

Asian

Caucasian

Hispanic or Latino

Middle Eastern

2.5%

3% 0.8%

Pacific Islander

0.8%

Are you of mixed race/ethnicity?

Yes 14.4%

31.1%

Native American

Other

14+86A

72%

According to the NYC Department of Education 2015-16 Demographic Snapshot, 27.1 percent of New York City public school students are Black and 40.5 percent are Hispanic, while at Stuyvesant, these students comprise a small minority (five percent of our sample pool). And while only 15.5 percent of students citywide are Asian, at Stuyvesant, our numbers have them at 72.0 percent of the population.

2.2%

continued on page 4

No 85.6%

“I have trouble with my identity because I don’t know whether to class myself as Asian or white, I am mixed.”

—anonymous East Asian-Caucasian student

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 4

News Deconstructing Race at Stuyvesant continued from page 3

86+8+6A Do you identify as American?

What immigration generation are you?

5%: At least one of your grandparents immigrated to 17% You were born in a the U.S., but you and your different country and imparents were born in the U.S. migrated to the U.S.

No 8%

7%: At least one of your greatgrandparents (or earlier ancestors) was born in the U.S.

2%: Other

59%: Both of your parents immigrated to the U.S. but you were born in the U.S.

Stuyvesant students share much more in common in terms of their families’ immigration histories than in terms of race: 86 percent of students have at least one immigrant parent or are immigrants themselves. This, however does not stop the same percentage of students from identifying as American.

Other 6%

Yes 86%

10% One of your parents immigrated to the U.S. and one was born in the U.S., you were born in the U.S.

The Role of Race in Clubs and Extracurricular Activities Which type of club is most important to you/ do you devote the most time to?

73.8% African American

88.4%

Asian Caucasian

69.5%

Hispanic or Latino 55% 41.8% 24.6% 96%

83.3% 5.3%

14.7% 10.5%

11.6% 2.2%

1.1%

0%

Arts

Humanities

Community Service

Culture

16 percent of total responders

15.4 percent of total responders

16 percent of total responders

4.1 percent of total responders

“We don’t have direct quotas, but to say that we don’t consider diversity (after qualification) would be too idealistic.” —anonymous Caucasian student “I think being South Asian could affect this, but because a lot of my personality (my voice, the way I dress, my interests, the fact that I’m articulate and loud and outspoken...) is ‘white,’ I sort of pass as white, so I don’t face a lot of the implicit and unconscious racism that peers who look like me might.” —anonymous South Asian student “Race dictates many things in real life, but in Stuyvesant race is a non-issue so I doubt it would be a problem here.”

—anonymous East Asian-Caucasian student “No, I think everyone at Stuyvesant has an equal chances to attain leadership status in a club, regardless of race.”

—anonymous East Asian student

4% 0%

8.3% 8.3%

0%

0%

0%

0.8%

Sport/Physical Activity 4.2 percent of total responders

77+21+2A

0.8% STEM

22 percent of total responders

Do you think your race affects your chance of rising to a leadership position?

Other 2%

Yes 21.3%

No 76.7%

56 out of 129 Caucasian students have leadership positions in at least one club.

(43.1 percent) 133 out of 373 Asian students have leadership positions in at least one club. (35.7 percent) *It should be noted that data on African American and Hispanic students is not statistically significant due to the small number of these students at Stuyvesant.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 5

News Deconstructing Race at Stuyvesant Race in the Classroom

What subject(s) have you taken AP classes in?

Caucasian

Asian 36.4%

Social Studies Mathematics

21.6%

Foreign Language

16.4%

English

20%

Art/Music

24.7%

Science

28.6%

Caucasian students took significantly more history AP classes than Asian students, while Asian students took more science AP classes than white students.

Social Studies 25.5%

Mathematics 15.8%

Foreign Language

25.5%

English 5.4%

20.1%

Art/Music Science

77+19+4A

Do you feel a difference in the way teachers of your race treat you versus the way teachers of a different race treat you?

Have you had any teachers of the same race as you?

No: 25.2 percent of surveyed students have never had a teacher of their race at Stuyvesant.

Yes

50%

56%

Other 4.4%

46.5%

Yes 19.1%

30.2% 24%

25%

23%

No 76.5%

3.4% A math teacher

An English teacher

A social studies teacher

A science teacher

A foreign language teacher

A art/music teacher

“Some STEM teachers (especially Asian ones) have expected more from me, and I suspect it’s due to race.” —anonymous East Asian-Caucasian student “I feel like many teachers remember my name really early on if I’m one of the only white people in the class.” —anonymous Caucasian student “Being that I have had no teachers in the school who are of the same race as I am, I cannot explain such experiences.” —anonymous South Asian student “I personally feel no difference in the way I’m treated. Race really doesn’t affect my relationship with my teachers. If it had, it has probably gone away; that much I can tell from the conversations I’ve had with my teachers. A student’s evaluation here is primarily influenced by their performance on a holistic scale.” —anonymous East Asian student

Other

“I’ve had various teachers have various reactions to me but they’ve all made implicit or explicit references to my race (not in a bad way, necessarily).” —anonymous African American-Hispanic or Latino student “I’ve noticed huge differences in the way I’m treated as a Muslim white guy versus a very American white kid [...] I don’t think I’ve ever benefited from my race in a classroom setting [because] I’m very obviously not a typical white kid and that comes across in the way I act, the way I dress, the way I speak and even my name. I think teachers, especially white teachers, are generally more inclined to give the Western European white kids good grades than they are to Eastern European or [first generation] white kids.” — anonymous Caucasian student “It feels more comfortable around a teacher of your race. It might be because they understand more about your culture and background as opposed to a teacher of a different race [than] you.” —anonymous East Asian student

The Countries We Represent

Page 6

The Spectator â&#x2014;? December 13, 2016

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The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 7

Features

A Voice From the <1 Percent Growing up in Brooklyn, I’ve been exposed to almost every culture. This city truly is the melting pot of the world—and yet, it’s still a struggle to connect with people who identify as Native American.

Even in a city as diverse as New York, at every school I’ve attended, I’ve found myself to be the one Native kid. Stuyvesant is no exception. In an environment primarily driven by the college admissions process, my ethnicity is viewed as a weapon I use to get ahead. Casual racism is allowed to flow freely and goes largely unnoticed.

It still amazes me how many times I’ve had the exact same conversation with different people. It begins with a question about why I have long hair and quickly diffuses into a barrage of questions regarding the legitimacy of my heritage.

The classic, seemingly innocent question, “What part Indian are you?” always strikes a chord. I am forced to curb the urge to channel my anger into sarcasm, responding that only one finger on each hand is Native. Instead, I explain how my grandfather was adopted off the Seneca reservation by a white family just performing their civic duty to save a savage heathen.

At this point, the listener chooses to validate my heritage by assuring me that I am, in fact, Native American enough. However, this gracious concession is clearly disingenuous and often followed up by either a racist joke or a comment about going to Dartmouth.

Personally, I prefer the racist jokes.

While the conversation unfolds, I think about how much easier it would be to just say I’m from Park

Sarah Chen / The Spectator

By lucian wells

Slope and have the man bun be instantly justified without question.

Yet, each time, I begrudge the frustrating and boring conversation in an attempt to prove that my people still have a place in today’s society.

To deny my heritage would be equivalent to killing my already suffering culture. Even the most progressive people I know try to tell me that I am white and shouldn’t pretend to be something I’m not.

This, to me, echoes centuries of systematic eradication of Natives and, in reality, is just a modern day

reprise of “Kill the Indian, save the man.”

My own experiences are unique, and I don’t pretend to speak for the entire diverse Native population.

However, I feel it is tragic that, in today’s social climate, where political correctness is everything, Native Americans are so casually and regularly oppressed.

It takes gross human rights violations before people care enough to toss out a #NoDAPL on social media. Natives are shamelessly used as mascots for professional

sports teams that play on stereotypes of savagery and violence.

Tribal patterns are used in fashion with no regard for their meaning or importance in Native culture.

Celebrities dress up in headdresses with no understanding of the cultural appropriation they are condoning. The only other stereotypes are about unfortunate vices that have been imparted on the Native population and now plague reservations.

Unfortunately, at Stuyvesant, we are barely taught anything

about Native American culture or society beyond the Trail of Tears, and even that is glazed over along with everything before colonialism. The curriculum suggests that indigenous people are no longer around, and, when we represent a fraction of a percent of the student body, it’s easy to believe. I’ve read exactly one short story by a Native author during my four years at Stuyvesant. To my disappointment, it was about a drunk Indian. There’s much more to the story, but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth to read about an unfortunate stereotype without balance from any cultural positivity.

All racism aside, the single most annoying thing that I deal with is the skepticism. Nobody has their ethnicity challenged like Native Americans. Nobody goes up to an Irish guy and demands to know his pedigree. Too many people believe that the only reason to call oneself Native is so that they get into college. The idea that there’s no other value to our culture is beyond offensive and undermines the generations of struggle to preserve it.

I have always been extremely proud of my heritage, and I’ve worked hard to immerse myself in Native culture. Attending powwows and spending time on reservations has assured me that my pride is well-placed. In a world where corporations own the planet and misogynists are allowed to become political leaders, it’s easy to lose faith in society. It always grounds me to revisit Native American values, such as respect for women and our mother Earth, traits which are, unfortunately, at a deficit in the United States.

Statistically Insignificant Stuy is a numbers game.

We’re 3300 of the million high school students in the city. We all took a test, got an ID number, and go about our 10-floor, 300-classroom school every day thinking about the tests and homework that constrain our academic lives. We’re 74 percent Asian, 20 percent white, 3 percent Latino, and 1 percent black.

We all know this, but for some perspective, here are some comparisons from the Class of 2016: there were six times as many students that only came to school 90 percent of the time than there were black students, and there were more students in the Class of 2016 who never passed their Physics Regents than there were black students.

Currently, there are barely enough black students to fill a single classroom, and that has been true for the entirety of my time at Stuy.

As a black kid, my experiences over the past three years regarding race at Stuy haven’t been great. In freshman year, it started with the classics like, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be good at basketball?” and “Who’s your favorite rapper?” to which my respective answers are “No,” and “Probably Kanye, he’s a genius.” These jokes are certainly a little off-color, but the really annoying part is that they’re constant and not very good.

If you’ve just met me and want to make a joke, please come up with something less casually racist and more original than those mentioned above. We’re all smart kids; just put in a little more effort for a first impression.

As I got older, however, it became harder and harder to brush off these comments. I started having more and more serious con-

Sarah Chen / The Spectator

By Stephen Nyarko

versations around the dinner table about proper etiquette when with police and how to dress and where not to run after the sun went down.

My parents were laying down these rules not just because I was getting older, but because of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown and Eric Garner and Tamir Rice. The resounding message was that it didn’t matter whether you were right or wrong, because if you weren’t twice as careful as everyone else, you might be dead.

So, when I got to school and heard, on multiple occasions, kids

laughing in the hallways or bathroom about saying “Nigger-ia” instead of Nigeria, or when I was called “black enough to get into college but not black enough to get shot by the cops,” it became harder and harder to just brush it off. These are some of the worst examples, but slightly racist offhand comments are frequent and constant in my time at Stuy. But they aren’t the things that bother me most.

What truly worries me about Stuy is the widespread tendency to use statistics and big data and impersonal measurements to back

up racist comments. If I’m having a semi-serious discussion about race in the halls or on the bridge or in class, laying out how my own personal thoughts and experiences have shaped my opinion, one of the most common responses I’ve gotten is “[insert racist comment here], just look at the data: [insert probably true but not helpful and very vague statistics here].” In discussions about affirmative action, it’s usually, “Black people aren’t as smart, just look at the data. They have low average SAT scores.” In discussions about police brutality,

it’s usually, “Black people are more likely to be criminals, just look at the data. There is a disproportionate number of black people in jail.”

This is not to say that I don’t appreciate the value of statistics. They can be extremely helpful when the sample sizes are large enough. But at Stuy, statistics from other sources aren’t very helpful for day-to-day discussions.

As The Spectator found in their freshman surveys, there simply aren’t enough minority students for it to be “statistically significant” data, or for the statistics collected on a national level to be more valid when applied to Stuyvesant than an individual’s anecdote. Statistics offer an enticingly easy way to justify not thinking that hard about other people’s experiences, and they provide an easy but faulty alternative than simply having a conversation.

What I would encourage everyone to do is take a moment, slow down, and think about the words that are about to come out of your mouth. I am in no way advocating for policing your speech, but I would like to see a little more thought go into the things we say and do at Stuy and in the wider world. It isn’t about being politically correct; it’s about showing some thought and respect for the feelings of others.

Because, no matter how you justify it or how much you think it’s a joke, racist generalizations or stereotyping or prejudice can at best be an annoying joke to put up with, and at worst a constant reminder that racism is still alive and well, even at a place like Stuyvesant.

Perhaps if we put as much effort into thinking about what we say as we put into studying for biology tests, we could make Stuy a more welcoming place for everyone.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 8

Features Unconscious Separation: Racial Segregation in Our Friend Groups continued from page 1

Where Friendships Start Some of us, like senior Jonathan Mikhaylov, started high school with friends from middle school. Mikhaylov went to Mark Twain Middle School, which is widely considered as a “Stuyvesant feeder school” because of the large number of students it sends to Stuyvesant each year.

Mikhaylov’s middle school friend group, which he described as relatively diverse, eventually dissolved into various groups that are more ethnically homogenous.

One thing that accounts for the creation of new friend groups is each student’s commitment to academics, Mikhaylov said. He noted that he has stayed closer with friends from his classes because he sees them daily. Freshman Thomas Chen also said he is mostly friends with students from his classes.

Students also get to know each other through extra-curricular activities, where they spend hours together after school and bond over common interests.

“The football team was the first group I was close to,” senior Michael Joh said. “I was forced to be with them every day. Eventually, I grew close with them.”

Similarly, Grace Quispe (‘16) made most of her friends in the two clubs to which she devoted most of her time: the Stuyvesant Theater Community and Aspira, Stuyvesant’s Hispanic culture club.

Additionally, commuting draws people together. Some students’ journeys can be up to 90 minutes long. This gives them ample time to bond with their train buddies.

“I made my core friend group based on commuting,” Mary McGreal (‘16) said. “I take the LIRR [Long Island Rail Road], so it takes me a very long time to get to school.” One day at the beginning of her Stuyvesant career, McGreal approached a girl from one of her classes on the train platform, and this girl subsequently introduced McGreal to all of her friends.

The train serves as a staple in the social lives of many students. “The first friends I met were through the same train, and we still take the same train every single day,” said senior Han Nway Oo. “Because you get so much work at Stuy, the train serves as a transition in between the school and home stages,” a junior student pointed out.

Mikhaylov said his subway commute home has strengthened his friendships with one friend group in particular: his “Russian squad.” Every day, the members of this group take the train to Barclay’s Center before transferring to either the Q-train or the D-train, because they all live in a part of Brooklyn (in neighborhoods like Bensonhurst, Sheepshead Bay, and Kings Highway) heavily dominated by the Eastern European immigrant communities to which they belong.

Mikhaylov’s situation illustrates that, when students make friends on their commutes, they often befriend people who live nearby, and these students often share their racial and ethnic backgrounds.

New York City is racially segregated across the boroughs. White students are associated with Manhattan, while East Asians, South Asians, and Eastern Europeans are associated with Brooklyn and Queens. The neighborhoods within these boroughs are often dominated by certain ethnicities. Many students live in ethnic enclaves, such as Kensington (predominantly Bangladeshi), Brighton Beach (predominantly Russian), and Flushing (predominantly Chinese).

Because at least some friend group segregation can be accounted for by New York City’s segregation, it likely comes as no surprise that no one reported actively avoiding other students of races. However, the majority of students reported that most of their friends do share their racial backgrounds.

Junior Sophia Azaraev is white, and most of the friends she made at Stuyvesant are white, as well. But that’s not why she befriended them.

“They were usually the first people to talk to me,” she said. “I usually become friends with the people who approach me first.”

Freshman Samina Zaman concurred. It wasn’t race that drew her to her friends. “You find common ground, and that’s how you bond and develop a strong connection,” she said.

Zaman, however, does believe race can play a significant role in making friends. “A majority of people, when they are first making friends, tend to approach people of their own race because they feel like they will find some common ground,” she said.

“It’s easier because of culture, tradition, and religion—because you can relate,” said junior Rachel Sah. Sah bonds with her fellow Korean friends over their shared affinities for Korean dramas and food, as well as going to Korean church.

“I just feel more comfortable around people who like the same things as me, and that just so happens to have a certain race attached to it,” Sah said.

Mikhaylov said his friend groups are more often brought together by ethnicity than by race. “I don’t think race makes that much of a difference,” he said. “But a lot of Russians are brought up the same way. We’ve watched the same movies. We know the same characters from everything.”

He and his friends are also brought together by common concerns deeply rooted in their culture. “We talk about what we’re up to at the gym, or who got the most recent haircut,” he said. Speaking of his Russian friends, he said, “They’re very conscious of their appearances.

It’s very much a Russian thing to do. In Brooklyn, they’d rather have a great car that they can show off to everyone than have an amazing apartment that no one would really see. The car would make everyone say, like, ‘Oh, he has money.’ It’s about showing class, that you’re doing better than the other immigrants that came to the U.S.” Charlotte Ruhl, a white junior, attended predominantly white elementary and middle schools. “And I live in a predominately white neighborhood, so those are the people that I’m used to socializing with,” she said. “Those are the people I went to when I was trying to make friends.”

In class, however, it seems that the racial divide lessens. “There are some people I have a lot of classes with, and they are Asian or they are black, and we’ve become friends,” Ruhl said.

“But I don’t really spend a lot of time with them out of class.”

Senior Judy Li—who is Chinese, but part of a white friend group—described this, as well.

“I definitely have a lot of Asian friends in my classes, but I’m not friends with them outside of school,” she said.

It is these outside-of-school friends who students consider to be their real friends. Outside of school is where students can choose people to spend time with and truly get to know one another.

“Asian parties are more chill. They don’t do as many crazy things. You’ll just see an occasional beer and that’s it. But once you go to a white person party, they go crazy.” —Michael Joh, senior What Does Everyone Do For Fun? Senior Niels Graham often shops at J. Crew with one particular friend group. The members of this predominantly white group are male, live in upper Manhattan, and come from upper middle class backgrounds.

“A larger disposable income makes it easier to treat shopping as a luxury rather than a necessity,” said Graham. “It’s very easy to stop into a J. Crew and buy an extra shirt, even if you already have a similar shirt at home.” He noted, however, that he would not be nearly as inclined to “stop into a J. Crew” with friends of a different socioeconomic background.

Senior Matthew So said his friends’ socioeconomic backgrounds also occasionally affect what they do when they hang out. “There’s one group of my friends who can eat out whenever they want to, and another group of friends who can’t afford to do that,” he said.

Every friend group spends Friday nights differently. Not only is there variation in the amount of money spent on each activity—some groups are more likely to favor a chill night in, while others prefer a raucous night out.

“We watched Netflix or played GarageBand or hung out at someone’s house and slept over,” said McGreal, who had mostly Asian friends during her time at Stuyvesant. She contrasted this with what her white friends did. “They are like, ‘Friday night is our night to go out on the town,’” she said.

While Asian friend groups are associated with more tame activities, such as shopping and eating in restaurants, white students are associated with party culture, which usually entails drinking alcohol, doing drugs, and hooking up.

“Someone from Asian crew might only go to, like, five frees, while white people go constantly,” said Eli Lleshi, a white senior who has been a part of both primarily Asian and primarily white squads.

Graham said the frequency with which students host and attend frees usually has to do with how often they have a free house. The richest parents— often white, and born in this country—are the most likely to leave town.

Not every white student’s main activity is partying, however. Azaraev socializes with her friends by “watching movies, doing homework, or talking about our lives,” she said. And not all Asian students refrain from more taboo activities.

But it seems that hardcore party culture tends to be dominated by white people. “Asian parties are more chill,” Joh said. “They don’t do as many crazy things. You’ll just see an occasional beer and that’s it. But once you go to a white person party, they go crazy.”

The typical high school stereotype that students who party are perceived as popular is, to some extent, true. “Especially in high school, the general atmosphere around popularity is who goes to the parties,” said senior Richard Lin. The definition of “popular” in this case isn’t being well-liked or having the most friends. It’s about being the most notorious.

After a massive party like SAP or Homecoming, many people know about it and talk about it, bringing more attention to the partygoers. But people who socialize in a more private, less wild way are rarely on the gossip radar.

“No one’s going to talk about a bunch of 16-year-old girls watching ‘Pretty Little Liars’ in their pajamas. That’s just not interesting,” McGreal said. “But people will talk about how this person hooked up with that person, or this person went to this party. People are more interested in these stories because they can relate to them less.”

So, if people who party are perceived as “cool,” and the people who attend more parties are white, the white group has a “cooler” vibe.

Senior Sosonia Ma became aware of this reputation after her sister gave her advice about starting high school. “My sister was like, ‘Go to high school and make friends with white people, and you won’t have anything to worry about. You’ll be more social, you’ll have more friends, you won’t have bullies,’” Ma said. However, when Ma got to high school, she befriended mostly Asian students. “I was shy as a ninth grader,” she said.

Shyness is another factor in the separation of the two races. “I’m more cautious around people who I think party more often,” Sah said.

A Korean alumna, Joyce Lee (‘16), discussed her reasoning for not befriending some white students freshman year. “It wasn’t just the fact that they were white, but the fact that they partied,” she said. “I didn’t associate with people—whether they’re Asian or not, whether they live in Queens or not— who do that stuff, just because I didn’t want to participate in that.”

How We’re Raised It’s not simply a matter of basic physical differences in skin color or eye shape. Students gravitate toward those who have been raised with similar values, and parents from different cultures tend to raise their children differently.

Timid vs. Outgoing Lee discussed how the way she behaved tended to clash with some white students’ behavior. “In Korean culture, parents bring you up to be subservient toward elders and authority instead of outspoken,” she said. “White children, but also upper-class children, are raised with the sense of entitlement to stand up to authority, to speak their opinion, and to take the system and work it in their favor.”

Li said the same of Chinese culture. She observed that Chinese families tend to be quieter than white families. “I’m the most outspoken person in my family,” Li said.

Li described going to an amusement park each summer with her family and being the only person to ride on roller coasters. “No one actually does anything because it’s too dangerous,” she said. “They’re really closed off.

They don’t like to do anything that’s outside of their comfort zones.”

She also talked about how, when she was growing up, her mother told her to always respect what a teacher says, even if it’s wrong. “Because, when it comes to Asian culture, older people are more respected, and that’s the way it goes,” Li said. This explains the stricter, more rigid roles parents play in Asian families.

White people, on the other hand, seem to be more outspoken. Senior Michael Holmes, who is black and Latino, has socialized with both white and Asian groups. Of white people, he said, “They are more outgoing and outspoken about things. Asian people—not to be stereotypical—are more timid in terms of expressing themselves.”

continued on page 9

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 9

Features Unconscious Separation: Racial Segregation in Our Friend Groups continued from page 8

Strict vs. Lenient Asian parents, specifically those who immigrated to this country, are known to be stricter. They want their children to succeed, and are either unaware of or disavow the idea of being more lenient with their kids.

Lin described how his mother gets angry if he stays out too late. And he understands where this firmness comes from. When he was younger, his mother worked at a restaurant, and she had to take him with her so she could look after him. “I had to sleep in a broken freezer because hours would get late and my mom didn’t want me going home alone,” Lin said. “It’s stuff like that that you don’t want your children to have to deal with.”

To help Lin avoid these obstacles in life, his mom pushed him to work. “Instead of drinking or going to parties, you go home and study, go to Harvard, and get a job,” he said.

“The fact that we are first generation meant that there was more pressure to succeed, but also that we were more sheltered,” Lee said. “We were raised to think of partying in a negative light and to focus more on school. Our social lives are different because of that.”

Mikhaylov said the children Eastern European immigrants face pressures that are similar, but also different. “If your parents grew up here, they’re more lenient, because they’re like, ‘Oh, I did that and I was fine,’” he said. “But immigrants, like my parents, are like, ‘Don’t do this. Don’t do that. What if someone blames this on you? Then, right away, your whole life is ruined.’ They’d rather be more conscious than have to deal with the

consequences later.” For this reason, he said, his Russian friends are more likely to only attend the big parties, like Homecoming and SAP, instead of going to weekly frees.

Joh’s situation is different in that his parents simply aren’t aware of the fact that Stuyvesant students party. “My parents don’t think anyone in high school drinks or smokes,” he said. “They’re very in denial about that.”

Some South Asian parents are stricter than East Asian parents, or at least believe that they are. Senior Tasnim Ahmed, who is Bengali, noted a distinction between herself and her East Asian friends. “I’m pretty restricted compared to my East Asian friends,” she said. “Something my Bengali friends and I can all relate to is that our parents don’t let us stay out that late. My parents say things like, ‘You’re not Chinese. You can’t do all the same things they do,’” Ahmed said.

Another aspect of this disaffection from party culture is religion. Islam forbids drinking and drug use, so many Muslim students do not participate in those activities. Senior Jannat Hossain, who is Bengali and Muslim, said that, while her parents are not controlling when it comes to school, they are strict about illicit activities, which are against her religion.

“Since a lot of us are Muslim, we don’t drink alcohol,” she said. “We’ll get apple cider in shot glasses and act like we’re doing that. But we still have a lot of fun.”

Hossain also acknowledged that there are Muslim students who drink and do drugs. “I know a lot of them are males, so we may have

been raised differently,” she said. Muslim boys often have fewer restrictions than their female counterparts do.

Houssain also mentioned that the South Asian students who participate in these activities are generally not in the same social circles as the South Asian students who do not.

White parents, on the other hand, are known for being easy-going with their children. They may let them stay out later at night, be more understanding about lower grades, and forgive their children for spending a night out drinking.

“My white friends are much more likely to tell their parents exactly where they are, while my Asian friends are more likely to say, ‘I’m just hanging out,’ Graham said. “The word ‘partying’ is much more a part of the white lexicon.”

Senior Lowell Weisbord is white, and his family has been in America for many generations. His parents are more at ease with teenage party culture in America. “My parents are not okay with me making poor decisions, but I know for a fact that my parents did stupid things,” he said. “I was raised in this culture where certain means of socializing are socially acceptable.”

Holmes described what he observed when visiting a white friend. “His family dynamic is different,” he said. “He has a different demeanor towards them. It’s more of a laid-back, informal kind of attitude that they have.”

It is not simply that white parents are more at ease with their children being out

“I know people always associate me with the white kids.

And I don’t like that, because I’m not white. I’m Asian.”

–Judy Li, senior The Outliers Not everyone in every squad is of the same race, and not everyone has a single racial background.

Two non-Asian interviewees who are friends with mainly Asian people reported that there were times when they did feel the difference.

McGreal described how, freshman year, she experienced a Korean culture shock. “I tried to immerse myself in Korean culture,” she said. “I just really wanted to be a part of them.” Though she gave her best efforts (and even tried to learn Korean), the racial divide was still apparent.

For example, her friends would tease her for wearing Ugg boots, which are associated with white girls. “The discrepancies in our cultures is apparent and talked about more frequently than I would have liked,” she said. “But I did not feel excluded or uncomfortable. My friends were very accepting of me.”

Holmes also mentioned how, occasionally, he feels the distinction between his race and his friends’ races through references or ideas he cannot grasp. But he doesn’t feel separated. “I think I’m just open to accepting things,” he said. “I try not to be close-minded.”

The more controversial outliers are the Asian students in the white squads. Part of this has to do with the fact that Asians are more likely to be otherized in society, where white people outnumber people of color and always have.

Freshman Hiro Kimura noted that speech can make these differences especially apparent. “If you’re the only one talking off-kilter, it might seem weird,” he said, referring to students who have accents because English was not their first language. “But if everyone else is speaking this way, and you’re the only one not, it’s less weird.”

It is not simply that these people feel the cultural difference in their friend groups. It’s that others perceive them as whitewashed, which means they left behind their cultures to assimilate into white America.

“White” seems to be less of a race and more of an image. People who “act white” are defined by white stereotypes.

Li said white people are seen as outgoing, fearless and personable, while Asians are categorized by their timidity and introverted behaviors. Li sees herself as nothing like this Asian stereotype and said this is part of the reason she has mostly white friends, though it’s not a consciously racial matter. “I talk to people who are as outspoken as me, and they are usually white kids,” she said. “I’ve grown up always making white friends because I’ve been a social person all my life.”

Li finds it very hard to find friends of her own race because of her label of being whitewashed. “Asian kids don’t usually want to be my friend,” she said. Li is seen as a betrayal to her own race, but, to her, it’s all a matter of personality. And being called whitewashed stings. “I know people always associate me with the white kids. And I don’t like that, because I’m not white. I’m Asian.”

A white person in an Asian squad does not have to deal with similar situations. “There is a difference between be-

ing the only Asian person in a room and being the only white person in a room,” Lee said. In America, white is the norm and people of color are seen as “others.” It’s acceptable to Americanize the “others.” But it’s weird to see things the other way around.

“Non-Caucasian girls who hang out with the white girls are considered whitewashed,” McGreal said. “Am I Korean-washed? What does that even mean?”

An Asian in a white squad is assimilated, and it’s noticed because it’s an infiltration of the norm. On the other hand, a white person is already accepted as part of the norm, so it takes a lot more than hanging out with people of color to reverse that.

And perhaps this contributes to why the Asian students at Stuyvesant tend to socialize within their own race.

Befriending white people draws attention and criticism.

Lee feels that this attention is perhaps why she wouldn’t naturally go up to a white person. “When I walk into a room of white people, just as I know that I’m the only Asian person, they would notice that I’m the only Asian person,” Lee said.

It is also worth noting that not all students are only white or only Asian. Some are also black, Latino, and/or Native American, and some students are both white and Asian (or any mix of any other races). People who are both white and Asian are called “halfies” at Stuyvesant.

Even though Stuyvesant is famously 74 percent Asian, most halfies here identify with their white backgrounds more than their Asian backgrounds. Graham and So, who are both half-Chinese, attributed this in part to living in America, where being white is the norm.

Kimura, whose Asian half is Japanese and Korean, said he primarily identifies as white because of the negative stereotypes associated with being Asian. “If you asked me if I’d rather be born completely white or Asian, I’d say white,” Kimura said. “Because no white person ever gets called a ‘chink’ on the subway.”

Graham added that most of his friends at school are white, and also, “I just look so white,” he said.

However, So’s appearance makes his racial background more ambiguous. White people are more likely to think he is Asian, while Asian people are more likely to think he is white, So said. And people’s perceptions of him are not limited to his appearance.

“When I’m with a group of white friends, I’m like the ‘Chinese specialist,’” So said. “When we go to Chinatown, I order for them. But when I’m with a group of Chinese friends, they order for me. To my white friends, I’m infinitely more Chinese than they will ever be. But to my Chinese friends, I’m only half as Chinese as they are, and I’m infinitely whiter.”

So is an outlier in more ways than one. “Nobody is the same race as me, and nobody lives near me, either,” said So, referring to the fact that he lives on Staten Island.

He, however, is not ostracized by his differences. “It’s just forced me to be more social,” he said.

late—many white parents can afford to be more at ease in general. Families that have been in America for generations—and a lot of these families are white—have had time to establish themselves. They have built up money and attended American colleges. Life is often relatively easier for students who have grown up in these kinds of families.

This creates an aura of privilege that further divides the cultures.

“This is not just a Caucasian people thing,” McGreal said. “It’s an American thing.”

This helps explain why certain people are drawn to each other, even if they’re of different races. When Lleshi first came to Stuyvesant, she befriended Asian students. Her parents immigrated to America from Russia.

“While I can’t relate to being Asian, I can relate to the struggle of being a first generation child,” she said. “And that’s something that, when I hang out with white people, they don’t get.”

Those with stricter parents who might not be first generation also bond with first generation students. That is how McGreal found herself befriending mostly Asian people—her parents are strict.

It goes the other way, as well. Non-white students with more relaxed parents, or parents who have been in this country for generations, are likely to fall in with white students.

“There are some students who have more freedom, because their parents are not first generation immigrants and have grown up with these American ideals, and that makes them a lot more free,” Li explained.

When the Worlds Collide For the most part, single-race squads rarely fraternize.

And when they do, the atmosphere can be tense.

Lee described a party to which the host had invited a number of different cliques. “It was a very interesting party to be at, because there were all of these different squads there,” she said. “And it was very uncomfortable.”

This type of party was uncommon. “Freshman year, once you’re divided into your freshman race groups, you’re not really going to intermingle because you’ve found your friends already—unless you have a falling out with them,” she said. “But if nothing happens to sway that natural equilibrium, you’re just going to stay there. And you’re not going to have parties where you invite other people.”

In response to a hypothetical situation where raciallydefined crews had to mix, Lleshi responded, “Oh, it would be awkward. It would be extremely awkward.”

So agreed that attempts to mix groups are largely unsuccessful. He often tries to bring his squads together, only to be reminded that, “It never works,” he said.

There are times, however, when these groups occasionally intermingle. For example, during SING!. “During SING!, people talked to people that they wouldn’t normally talk to. Because of that, there are crossovers,” Lee said.

“Instead of drinking or going to parties, you go home and study, go to Harvard, and get a job.” –Richard Lin, senior Is this an Issue?

Getting to know people solely of our own races is considered negative, especially in New York City. In fact, it’s the antithesis of our city. Weisbord recalled something his friend’s (white) mother said after she met many of her son’s (white) parents: “All the parents tried to raise their kids in diverse NYC, and, last night, we realized that all of the kids they’re friends with are exactly the same.”

However, this isn’t an imposed segregation, so the morality of the issue is blurry. If this happens so naturally, can it be so wrong?

“Naturally, people with similar backgrounds, and that includes similar races, will group together,” Lin said. He does think, however, that it would be beneficial if the races mingled more than they do. “Everyone wishes that everyone could be friends with everyone, and that’s entirely possible,” he said. “We do have Asian people who are friends with white people. But I do think it would be nicer if it was more heterogeneous.”

Though people nonchalantly used labels such as “white squad” or “quiet Asians,” it was clear that they were not at ease with the segregation among social groups. In interviews, people were often flustered, constantly backtracking, and pausing to develop their thoughts. The sheer number of times we heard the phrases, “um,” “like,” and “I don’t know,” indicates how difficult it is to discuss race at Stuyvesant.

Though it is a tricky issue, it’s not something to shy away from. By starting these conversations, we can make progress.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 10

Features Taking Advantage of the American Opportunity: Stuyvesant’s Immigrant Stories By archi das and Sachi Patel

Lumi Westerlund / The Spectator

An Unexpected Change of Pace: Carmen Benitez on Immigrating From Australia

“Lest we forget.” This phrase may mean nothing to the average American, but it holds significance for junior Carmen Benitez.

Born in the Philippines, Benitez moved to Australia at the age of four and lived in Sydney. Growing up in Sydney, Benitez attended public schools ranging from a Catholic school to a selective high school similar to Stuyvesant. This was until very recently, when, in 2013, Benitez’s father decided to immigrate to America for the sake of business convenience.

Her father had been traveling fre-

quently to New York for his work in real estate.

“My parents were like, ‘Hey, there’s this school called Stuyvesant and you should think about applying because we may move to New York soon,’” Benitez said.

She took the late intake SHSAT with two weeks of prepping during the preceding July.

There were low expectations amongst the family. Her dad had promised to not call her until he received confirmation, because he didn’t want Benitez to have false hope every time he called.

So when Benitez received a phone call from her father the Saturday morning a week before the first day of school, she was shocked to hear that she had been accepted to Stuyvesant. “I was half asleep,” she said. “I screamed and ran downstairs to my mom. She was on the phone, and I made her hang up and talk to me.”

In short, her Stuyvesant acceptance determined her immigration. “No one had any plans for moving here,’” Benitez said.

Her mom had to stay in Australia with her brothers for three more months, because they didn’t have any plans for Benitez’s siblings to

live in America.

However, Benitez had visited the Big Apple before. On vacations, Benitez visited the city every year for six years. During this time, she stayed in New Jersey with her uncle and drove in through the city to New York.

“It was July, so all I remembered was that it was so hot. It was like the hottest place I’d ever been,” Benitez recalled her first impression of New York. Coming from someone who spent their life in Australia, this is not an overstatement.

Now with three years of New York living experience under belt, Benitez appreciates the finer distinctions between Sydney and New York, such as public subway transportation. New York’s subway system is much more efficient and accessible than the transportation options in Sydney.

“In Sydney, the stops are so far apart that you’d take a stop and then you’d take a car to the next place you want to go,” Benitez said. “My parents had to drive me everywhere, so I couldn’t go anywhere. I can go wherever I want now.”

One of the key characteristics

we often look for in someone who has recently immigrated is an accent. Surprisingly, Benitez barely has one and can easily pass as American-born in conversation.

She said this is because her parents were taught English with an American accent in the Philippines, so she grew up listening to that accent.

There are, however, some words she pronounces differently. For example, instead of saying “aluminum,” she says “aluminium.” “It’s really weird because even now―I’ve lived here for two and a half years―I still say a word that I never even thought sounded different and someone will just stop me and be like, ‘Oh, that’s right. I just remembered you’re Australian. Your accent sounded weird on that word,’” Benitez said.

Nonetheless, people can often guess that she is from another country. However, they tend to assume that she is Asian or Hispanic. She doesn’t mind these assumptions, because she is Filipino, and perceives guesses of her ethnicity as Hispanic a compliment.

She considers her nationality

to be a great conversation starter.

“I tend to try and bring it up early in a conversation, mainly because I think it makes me sound really cool, and I’m like, ‘If I say this, they’re going to want to be my friend forever,’” Benitez said.

Benitez noted the ways Australia had an impact on her life.

Since she spent the majority of her life there, most of her memories come from Australia. There are little things that she still does in her everyday American life that are picked up from Australia. “It’s the stuff I like to eat. It’s not even good food. It’s frozen meat pies that I like to microwave,” Benitez said.

But those frozen meat pies make her feel a sense of nostalgia.

It will take some time for Benitez to become accustomed to the traditions in America. “In Australia, Veterans Day is called Remembrance Day. You wear a red poppy and the phrase is ‘Lest we forget,’ and you play a trumpet song,” she said. “For me, it was weird to not be saying ‘Lest we forget’ on Remembrance Day, because it’s just what you do on Remembrance Day.”

Escaping Corrupted Culture: Tymur Kholodnyak on Immigrating From Ukraine Having to walk to the supermarket to grab some eggs or milk can be a chore. But digging through and crawling under a resort fence in order to buy groceries makes a trip to the supermarket feel like a luxury. Granted, the two experiences are not entirely the same, but the different circumstances that surround this everyday norm speak volumes. And, for junior Tymur Kholodnyak, the circumstances of his life in Ukraine that made day-to-day life so difficult were what pushed his family to start a new life in a different country.

Before Kholodnyak immigrated to the United States in 2005, he grew up in the city of Zaporozhye, an off-the-charts polluted industrial powerhouse in Ukraine where plants constantly dumped harmful chemicals into unsanitary areas.

Kholodnyak described Ukraine as having a negative atmosphere, in which corruption, violence, and crime prevailed.

“I have a love-hate relationship with my culture,” he said. “I think it is a culture that is propelled by greed and arrogance.” His father for instance, was able to graduate college by bribing his professors with liquor and chocolate, delicacies after the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Repub-

lics (U.S.S.R.).

Kholodnyak’s family immigrated to America in order to escape a life of poverty. Prior to immigrating, his father worked at an electrical station, while his mother stayed at home as a housewife. Affording food was a struggle. “Meat was expensive,” Kholodnyak said. “They couldn’t afford to buy enough meat for all of us, so they gave all they had to me.”

The inability to afford meat caused many Ukrainians to resort to growing their own crops in gardens that they would purchase in town, since the soil in Ukraine was fertile and rich in nutrients.

But Kholodnyak’s family did not always live so poorly. In fact, in the early 20th century, the Kholodnyaks were immensely powerful and connected to the government. In 1917, Kholodnyak’s great-great-grandfather, who was a revered doctor, owned one of the largest estates in central Ukraine and served in the czar’s Royal Guard as an officer.

After the Communists established their authority in Ukraine, however, conflicts between his ancestors and the government led to the seizure of their estate and the execution of the patriarchal members of his family.

The conflict began when Kholodnyak’s family sheltered

Jews during the Russian pogroms.

Harboring Jews at the time was not a crime. However, when one of the harbored Jews betrayed the Kholodnyak family by revealing to the government Kholodnyak’s great-grandfather’s anti-communist opinions, the communists snatched away his family’s wealth, possessions, and estate, and turned his estate into a hospital.

Kholodnyak’s family eventually won the lottery for a greencard.

Acquiring a green card is normally a difficult process, because, every year, the United States only offers a certain amount of greencards for certain countries.

Like many immigrants, the Kholodnyaks struggled adjusting to American life. Kholdoynak’s father came to the United States a month or two before his mother did, with only $500. During those months, he slept in a onebedroom apartment in Borough Park, Brooklyn, with 10 other immigrants, who were also attempting to escape poverty and create a better life. His father trusted no one in that apartment. Refusing to buy anything unless it fit into a backpack, his father feared someone would steal from him at night.

For a while, the Kholodnyak’s financial situation continued to stay in lower class. Since his par-

ents’ bachelor’s degrees weren’t considered valid in the United States, Kholodnyak’s father was forced to work in construction in order to support them. Meanwhile, his mother juggled between receptionist duties, working as a Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) doctor, and doing schoolwork at community college. “My parents couldn’t afford to pay for class pictures in elementary school,” Kholodnyak recalled.

But the Kholodnyak’s intense labor soon paid off. “Every six to 12 months, we would buy a new apartment and move up in the world,” Kholodnyak said.

Throughout the years, the Kholodnyaks explored various Brooklyn real estate, as they moved from a studio, to a one-bedroom apartment, to a nicer one-bedroom apartment, to a three-bedroom apartment. Now, his father is able to make a healthy living with his own construction company, while his mother is an actuary for a major actuarial firm.

Prior to the Ukraine War, Kholodnyak visited his birthplace frequently, where some of his extended family still reside. “I remember not being able to tell anyone that I live in the United States, because it would put us at risk,” he said. More specifically, the Kholodnyaks would become

a target for theft and bullying, as Ukrainians generally tend to dislike privileged people.

During these visits, Kholodnyak’s American relatives often attempted to bring other relatives into the country, reminding Kholodnyak the importance of leaving no family member behind.

“It’s really beautiful what a strongbonded family would do for each other,” he said. Currently, his grandparents live with him, while his uncle lives with his family in Miami, and his closest aunt decided to move to French Canada with her husband after studying and mastering French in a year.

Thanks to his upbringing and dynamic history, it’s not surprising that Kholodnyak appreciates America differently from most.

“Most Americans don’t understand what it’s like living a life like [that of my ancestors],” he explained. “I see a lot of people who are spoiled and waste the opportunity that they have.”

For Kholodnyak, immigrating to America came with sacrifices, paranoid fears, and little room to make mistakes. But it also came with a clean slate and freedom, a golden opportunity that outweighed all costs. “Being an illegal immigrant in the United States is better than being in Ukraine,” he said.

Kaia Waxenberg / The Spectator

A Transatlantic View: Megan Waters on Immigrating from England

Growing up in London, sophomore Megan Waters lived by the seaside, attended a selective school, joined the sailing club in her school, and of course, ate fish and chips. “It was basically the exact same as it is now, but much more relaxed, because I didn’t live in the city,” Waters said.

But when Waters’ mother’s

work in journalism and her father’s job in the movie industry prompted an environment change, Waters immigrated to New York in the seventh grade.

Initially, Waters protested the immigration because of the change of environment. “In June, we came over for a weeklong trip, and I hated New York,” Waters said. She lived in an apartment in the Meatpacking District in Manhattan. “It smelled so bad, the trash in the sidewalks,” she said.

Waters also had difficulty assimilating into her new middle school. She said, “Everyone would be like, ‘Oh, you’re British,’ but there would be nothing after that.” Fortunately, Waters grew to love the city as she made more friends and became accustomed to New York through walks in the park.

Waters didn’t know what to expect from her first experience in America. “I thought I would go

shopping every day, the typical New York stereotype.” she said.

She picked up these stereotypes through movies and expected high school to be straight out of High School Musical.

Stepping off the plane, Waters also noticed another hallmark of New York: pizza. “I remember getting off the plane and noticing a pizza place,” Waters said.

“You can buy slices here, but, in England you have to buy a whole pie.” Waters’ love for pizza, especially Hawaiian pizza, was satisfied with this new revelation.

According to Waters, the stereotypes rang true for the most part. New Yorkers had their signature accent and high school looked a lot like the ones in movies. “It’s heavy pace, but I like it,” Waters said.

Due to how recent the immigration was, Waters still has a distinctive British accent. “Everyone is like, ‘Oh my god, you’re British?’ I get that a lot.” Waters

said. The attention was a blessing and a curse. Though Waters is aware of people’s genuine interest in her culture, being stereotyped was unavoidable. “People would be like, ‘Can I have some tea and crumpets?’” Waters said.

Waters noted the differences between living in England and living in New York. For her, the major difference was in how people dress. “Teenagers in England dress up and put so much makeup on. People glam up. Thirteen year olds look like 18 year olds,” Waters said. “Here, it’s a lot more relaxed and edgy, because it’s so much more diverse.”

She also noticed the small discrepancies. “In England, we have these big supermarkets that everyone goes to. They’re called Tescoes and Sainsbury’s,” Waters said. “I remember moving here and my parents going, ‘Where is the local supermarket?’”

According to Waters, in New York, everyone is more indepen-

dent and less connected. “You would always sit down at seven o’clock and watch ‘Eastenders’ [a popular TV series in England], and everyone in the country would watch this. It’s a routine,” Waters said. “Here, it’s more like everyone does their own thing.”

Waters and her family still preserve their culture by celebrating British holidays. In England, on November 5, there is a holiday called Guy Fawkes Night to celebrate Guy Fawkes, an English revolutionary from the early 17th century, and his attempts to disband Parliament. “We set up fireworks sometimes. Every Sunday, we have a roast dinner: potatoes, chicken, Yorkshire pudding,” Waters said. Waters said she doesn’t regret making the change, because New York has so many new opportunities.

Plus, she thinks New York “smells way better now than it did before,” she said.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 11

Features Why Their Parents Voted For Trump

By Sophie Watwood When asked to describe the “typical Trump supporter,” you may think of someone who is one or all of the following: white, male, doesn’t possess a college degree, is working class, or lives in a rural area. But these aren’t a hard-and-fast rules. Trump’s supporters come from all classes, genders, races, and religions.

Considering Trump’s history of anti-immigrant comments, along with the unsavory things he has said about China, Trump has unlikely, but significant support from the East-Asian-American immigrant community.

We spoke with four children of such supporters, some of whom are supporters themselves.

Alvin Ye, Sophomore

Anonymous, Junior Do you know why your parents voted for Trump?

Okay, you should know that I’m Christian, because I think that was, like, 90 percent of the decision. It was more not Hillary than for Trump, because of how Hillary is very strong on same sex marriage and transgender rights. They’re very conservative, my parents, and, because we’re religious, and Christianity says no to gay rights, my parents were like, “We cannot vote for someone who advocates for them.”

Your parents supported Trump?

No. I mean, at first, they didn’t, but later, I convinced them and they started supporting Trump.

Back then, they didn’t really care.

What did you say to them? What did they like about him?

And you don’t agree with them?

I asked my mom why she supported Clinton, and she said, “Because she’s a woman,” and I asked my Dad, and he said, “Because your mom wants me to.” So, I told them that Donald Trump is not only for rich people—he’s for both small and big businesses, which could help us, because we’re middle class.

Do you think your parents are racist?

Do your parents own a small business?

Yeah, I’m definitely more liberal.

No. Actually, they do say prejudiced things about black people, but that’s the most they’ve done. I don’t know what you know about our culture, but it’s not exactly prejudice—it’s just the way they were raised.

Can you elaborate?

They say a lot of things. There are words they use in Chinese that degrade black people. And they also associate black people in America with crime. But they’re fine with people from Africa. And I really don’t understand that, and I’m very against it, especially because I know so many people who are black who are amazing. I just don’t fight with them about it.

Where do you think that comes from?

Definitely how they were raised. It’s not like they were taught, “Hate black people, hate gay people,” but most people in China are conservative, and they also all have the same biased point of view. It’s rare for someone to think differently and advocate for that difference of opinion.

Is their culture traditionally homophobic?

At my church, I wouldn’t say anyone is homophobic. It’s more about being Chinese than being Christian. Chinese cultures are more against homosexuality because Christians are still taught to love everyone no matter who they are or what they do, and we just sort of frown upon homosexuality. But Chinese people just sort of hate. With Christianity, there’s not really prejudice—it’s not Christian to be racist—because it’s not in line with our views.

How

do you think the culture is different for young from how it was from your parents?

Asian-Americans

It’s very different. It’s honestly the best of both worlds, because we get that serious, studious need to do well in life, but our liberal views are really expressed in our lives. The way my parents see things and the way I see things is very different, especially in New York City, because our classes and our friends are very liberal. Also, I was born in Texas. I lived in Oklahoma too. No one really talked about politics in second grade, but it influenced my parents, because they were faced with a lot of republicans.

Is

your opinion on gay rights different from the one you grew up with culturally?

No, but, they could still be affected the policies. You know how trickle-down economics works?

You decrease corporate taxes, and that helps keep our economy inside America. Look at the last eight years. They had really high corporate taxes, and that’s why big businesses left America. And what have the last eight years done for us? Increased our debt to three times that of Washington to Bush combined. We want Trump, who will increase tariffs and create a more self-reliant America, because that will help our economy, which, in turn, will help my parents because they’re not that rich.

Does your political philosophy have anything to do with being Asian?

No. Trump disses China a lot, right? You would think I would support Hillary Clinton, but I really don’t. Race has nothing to do with it. Some people say that Trump is racist, but, if you look at the things he says, it’s taken out of context. Like, the Mexican thing? In context, he was simply talking about the dangers of Mexican immigration, but the media just cut out the parts where he said, “Mexicans are rapists.” In reality, he was just overexcited. He should have watched what he was saying. He’d never really mean that if you watch any of the speeches.

How do you feel about his human rights opinions?

Like, gay rights? Trump doesn’t have an opinion on gay rights. He could go either way. But he has said that he can’t change it anymore. Gay rights are already here. In his rallies, he held up a rainbow flag. That angered some of his supporters, but he still did it. It’s not that he necessarily supports gay marriage, but he’s not against it, either. It’s really his economic policies that I’m focused on, considering that he’s a pretty successful businessman, and you sort of have to trust him.

Were you against Hillary, or was it just that Trump’s policies were more attractive to you?

This is going to be really controversial, but I feel like Hillary Clinton and everything she does is just bulls-t. She’s paid to support everything. Her stances on fracking and marijuana? Those are all influenced by companies paying her. A fracking company paid her, and then randomly, out of nowhere, she was like, “I support fracking.” Trump doesn’t take money. Even now, with his salary, he rejected a $600,000 salary for $1 a year. We know he’s not influenced by money, while Hillary Clinton is.

Carson Wong, Senior Your parents supported Trump?

For the most part, yeah.

Most adults in my church frown upon homosexuality, but I have friends who are bi, and I can’t stand them not being happy, but I don’t know. I try not to think about it, because it’s the difference between what I want and what I should do. My whole life, I was raised with this thought, but I don’t understand why they can’t be happy.

Were they very adamant about it, or…

Was it more anti-Hillary, then rather than pro-Trump?

Do you know what their reasoning was?

It wasn’t just anti-Hillary. They did recognize some of Trump’s policies as something that could be good for the country. They thought he could help with America’s debt, and that he had a more straightforward political path than Hillary.

Chloe Huang, Freshman Why do you think your parents supported Trump?

I’m not sure, because they’re always Democrats. They voted for Obama. Even for governor, they voted democrat. But they agreed with the things Donald Trump said.

They liked that he wasn’t politically correct, and that he talked about actual problems, like illegal immigration. I remember when they first saw him on TV, they kind of laughed because he’s a reality star. But when they listened to him, they agreed.

What did they find appealing about his policies?

They agreed about the border because they think we should get rid of illegal immigrants, and people should come here legally. They like that he’s willing to solve it, while other politicians didn’t really talk about it.

Are your parents immigrants?

Their parents were.

Where were they from?

My mom’s parents came from Vietnam and my dad’s parents came from Taiwan.

Are your parents pretty liberal?

I’m not sure. Sometimes they are. Sometimes they are not. They support gay marriage.

Were they at all appalled by his humanitarian policies?

I don’t think they knew about his humanitarian policies. They were mostly focused on his economic policies. And they also just didn’t like Hillary Clinton. If there was another candidate, a better one, they probably would have voted for the democrat instead.

Did you feel similarly?

Kind of neutral. I don’t know enough about it to choose.

Do you think that it has to do with their culture?

I don’t think it was racist. But, in Asian culture, you’re supposed to follow the rules and follow laws, so my parents are for that. When Donald Trump said that he was for law and order, they liked that. But that’s it.

No, of course not. I don’t think anybody is super set on one candidate or the other. It’s just that, when you look at the political climate, it’s which candidate would be better for them. But they’re not that set, no.

A lot of workers here are really disillusioned, and my parents were among them. They believe that Hillary Clinton doesn’t represent the working class. My parents aren’t affluent or anything. They’re both hanging around the middle class, and they both work. That’s what’s driven them towards Donald Trump. It wasn’t that he was guaranteed their champion, but he was a guarantee of a better future.

Do you agree with them?

Yeah. If given the choice, I’d vote for Trump.

How do they feel about his social policies, in terms of human rights?

I assume you’re asking about his Muslim and Mexican policies, the ones that cause more uproar.

Yeah.

So, here’s the thing: it’s one of the most prominent issues that people attack him for and that people debate about. But, for my parents, I don’t think it was an issue. They are more interested in his other policies—that made up for, if not justified, his other policies. It’s more about the economic side.

I get that he’s a rich businessman worth billions of dollars, and that’s not something the working class can relate to. My parents are looking for something immediately in front of them. Something that’s present. If you vote for a candidate who can represent the working class, that will be very apparent in policies—before racial policies and even building a wall. Those aren’t things that affect my parents.

Do they feel, as minorities, that this sort of thing bothers them?

Of course, as a minorities in this country, all of us are worried about any sort of racism. It bugs them a little bit, but it does not take precedence over what impacts them first hand and what influences their ability to provide for their family.

Are your parents racist?

There’s obviously going to be overt racism in every culture. Asian culture does have some of that, but I don’t think my parents are racist. They might have something subconscious, but I don’t think they discriminate by race.

Do you think Asian culture had something to do with the way that our parents voted?

I’d say so. A lot of Chinese culture focuses on having a strong leader. That’s probably what factored in this election. There are a lot of Chinese Trump supporters, I would say.

How come?

Part of it is the strong leader, but a lot of it is that China is a communistic system, and a lot of Chinese don’t believe in socialist policies. A lot of them are more self-interested. They want to provide for themselves and their family, because a large part of Chinese culture is about the family. You’re supposed to provide for your family. You are supposed to stay in contact with your extended family. You’re supposed to have a strong relationship with them. So, when it comes to voting, they’re not focused on the entire national community, or the international community, or the Hispanic community. They’re focused on what can help them, and what can help their work be valued.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 12

Features Finding a Community: Cultural Clubs at Stuy

By Cathy Cai, Vincent Jiang, and Shameek Rakshit

Stuyvesant’s cultural clubs give students the opportunity to explore cultures that they have grown up with, or are entirely new to them. They can enrich their spiritual selves, or even just their curious spirits, by attending meetings full of people who are eager to learn, or simply looking for a home away from home.

The Muslim Student Association (MSA) The Muslim Student Association (MSA), one of the largest culture clubs at Stuyvesant, stands as a paragon of unity and tolerance.

But perhaps the most curious aspect of the MSA is not be the nature of the club, but the nature of its meetings. The last meeting, for example, was gender-separated. The girls occupied a biology room on the seventh floor, while the boys occupied a physics room on the eighth. To the average Stuyvesant student, this may seem unconventional, but to the MSA members, this is only appropriate.

“The gender-separated meeting is a new thing that started last year,” said sophomore Afia Anjum. “We talk about gender-sensitive issues, like sexual harassment on trains, let’s say. There are some things you just can’t talk about to guys.”

However, not all of their meetings are divided this way.

Typically, the meetings are discussion-based, with a list of topics sent out on Google Forms beforehand. A couple of people speak about it, and the people in the audience ask questions about other opinions of the same topic.

“We talk about prophets,” said senior Gazi Ohi. “We talk about mental health awareness. We talk about various problems in society.

It’s to generate knowledge. Today we’re talking about relationships and it’s not just something you can talk about to the girls.”

Although some discussion topics are secular, MSA is a club built from religious foundations. “First

and foremost, it has a prayer,” Ohi said. “That was the original purpose of MSA.” For Muslims, praying five times a day is mandatory, with the timing based on the position of the sun. Yet, because one of the prayers is in the middle of the school day, the school developed eighth period religious lunch, when devout Muslims pray in a special area on the first floor.

one there, but started prayer anyway. “It was towards the end of the period, and I was just finishing up when these seniors came up to me and said, ‘As-salāmu ʿalaykum,’ which means, ‘Peace be upon you,’ to which I replied with the customary, ‘Waʿalaykumu s-salām,’ Elsharawy said. “He told me, ‘We pray at the end of the period, not the beginning. You should

“MSA isn’t just about religion. It’s our spirituality, our faith, and our relation to one another. There’s no other place where you can talk about your religion while talking about the book you’re reading in English class.”

— Sabah Islam, senior This setup is also one way MSA gains new members. Junior Mansour Elsharawy recalled when he was first introduced to MSA. During the open house, Angel Colon, the SPARK advisor, introduced him to the various cultural clubs, BSL, ASPIRA, and MSA, but not knowing what MSA stood for, Elsharawy did not pursue the club. He did, however, ask for religious lunch.

The first day of school, he went downstairs, didn’t see any-

come tomorrow.’”

It became a habit for him, and, at some point, a senior told him about the MSA interest meeting.

“Honestly, I joined MSA because of how friendly and approachable the leaders were,” Elsharawy said.

However, Ohi emphasized that, although, first and foremost, MSA is a religious club, its functions are not limited to Islam alone.

“There’s also a thing of culture,” senior Sabah Islam said. “A

lot of us are Bengali or Pakistani or Indian or Egyptian or Arabic, so we’re just a group of people from a lot of different cultures. That’s a lot of information we can share with each other.”

Another major aspect of MSA is the Muslim Inter-Scholastic Tournament, or MIST, an annual competition Muslim teams from all over the country participate in. From New York, this includes schools like Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, and some Islamic private schools. Everyone comes together in a three-day weekend to participate in different competitions.

“Whichever category you connect to, you’ll find your place,” said sophomore Anika Hashem.

Categories include art, both 2-D and 3-D, fashion design, spoken word, improv, fashion design, debate, math, science, basketball, and much more.

“Our club is a family, especially during MIST,” said Anjum.

“Everyone helps everyone. If you need help with your competition, you just hit someone up, and they’ll help you with it.”

Stuyvesant’s MSA, with the team name “Noor al-Stuy,” won first place in both the regionals and nationals, and as an overall school. “It is a Muslim tournament, but most competitions are not only secular, but non-Muslims are also invited to compete,” said Islam.

Another prize Noor al-Stuy took home last year was the award for the most diverse team. An example of a non-Muslim member is junior Sally Chen, who was on

the Stuyvesant team last year, and won first place in graphic design.

“Our club is open to everyone,” said Islam. “You don’t need to be Muslim to join. Actually, some people join MSA just so they can participate in MIST.” All the members emphasized the concurrent sense of unity and acceptance. “After the 9/11 attacks and Islamophobia, we needed a group that could raise awareness of our religion,” said Ohi. “That became the main purpose of MSA, to allow tolerance and diversity within Islam.” MSA includes members who avidly practice Islam, and those who may just believe in Allah or some being out there.

The identifying factor of MSA is the sense of community. Islam explained that, because the media is saturated with Islamophobia, and the news stories seem to constantly find the negativities of Islam, the Muslim youth population needs role models to look up to.

It’s a group of Stuyvesant students all with something in common, all wanting a small mentoring system where they can talk freely about the issues in their lives. Alumni come by and advise the members to cherish this huge family, because, when they leave this school, they may not find it again.

“MSA isn’t just about religion,” said Islam. “It’s our spirituality, our faith, and our relation to one another. There’s no other place where you can talk about your religion while talking about the book you’re reading in English class.”

The Japanese Culture Club (JCC) Japan is known as a producer of anime, a popular pastime for many—judging by the amount of manga in the school library. But, at the same time, Japan is also a vast country made up of people with a unique culture. And that is what the Japanese Culture Club (JCC) aims to reveal to the student population.

JCC is currently led by copresidents Liz Lee and Naotaka Kinoshita and co-vice presidents Shun Bitar and Cameron Dong.

On most days, the leaders set

up a presentation on various aspects of Japanese culture, such as movies and festivals, along with recommendations of where to experience them for themselves, such as restaurants nearby where members can try Japanese cuisine. They often have more involved activities as well, such as games of Jeopardy revolving around Japan.

For most members, the reason for joining had nothing to do with race or ethnicity. In fact, most of the members are Chinese

or Korean, not Japanese.

Instead, the prospective members were interested in the culture. Some enjoyed the language, and are taking Japanese in addition to joining the club.

Others were drawn in by anime or manga, but had their horizons broadened.

“At first, I was just interested in anime and stuff, but when I got in, I started seeing everything as interesting,” sophomore Emily He said. “I never knew about this, so I kept on getting more and

more interested in different movies, food, and all that other stuff.”

The club leaders are happy that more people are expressing interest in learning about Japanese culture. Dong feels it is important to show that Japan is more than just anime and manga, and many of the members share the same sentiment.

The members of JCC enjoy relaxing during the meetings, and feel that they themselves have changed for the better. He, for example, has been inspired to

take the time to learn Japanese, though she said she isn’t very good at it.

Dong also feels that the club inspires people to be more openminded about other cultures.

“When people say, oh, Chinese people eat dog, they don’t really think of the culture behind it or the need for these type of actions,” Dong said. “You have to understand different parts of it, and it helps people be more open-minded about different types of people.”

Students of Color In Tandem Students of Color In Tandem, a coalition between Black Student League (BSL) and Aspira, Stuyvesant High School’s Hispanic culture club, aims to create a welcoming community for Stuyvesant’s African American and Hispanic students.

“The main purpose of this club is to promote diversity at Stuy and to bridge Hispanic and Black voices with the school administration,” BSL president Nina Uzoigwe said.

To achieve this goal, the club expands its outreach to potential students in middle schools across the city. “We talk to kids in middle schools in less developed areas and tell them about the SHSAT and how to prepare for it,” Apira Vice President Anna Pacheco said.

“We also tell them that Stuyvesant isn’t just full of Asians. After all, we go there, too.”

The club members also talk to fellow Stuyvesant students and introduce them to BSL and Aspira. “Members of all races are welcome,” Uzoigwe said. “Not just Black or Hispanic students.

We want people in Stuy to expose themselves to different cultures and become more socially sensitive.”

Of the club, Pacheco said, “It’s like a community. We can talk about our problems, and, since it’s not too big, everyone knows each other.”

Much of the passion and motivation behind Students of Color In Tandem stems from the personal experiences of its members and how each of them deals with attending Stuyvesant.

“I came from a school that was 100 percent African American,” Uzoigwe said. “Coming here and being the only African American in my year was a huge transition for me.”

“This is a place for you to connect to other people of color,” senior Rhys Suero said. “There is a very distinct experience that we, as people of color, share that other races don’t understand.”

“This is like a comical safe space where we can be ourselves and where we don’t have to censor ourselves or suppress our identity,” junior Sienna Johnson added. “A lot of people in my middle school discouraged me when I said I was going to Stuy. But after coming here, I realized that there’s a section of people looking to connect with me and let me know that there’s a reason we are here.”

The students agreed that Stuyvesant has a more welcoming atmosphere than other schools in the city, despite a lack of diversity.

“Everyone’s generally accepting and no one judges you based on your race or religion,” junior Venus Nnadi said. “People might say racist things here and there, but

I don’t think anyone means any harm. That mostly comes from ignorance. We have a common goal to succeed and so we focus on that instead of racial differences.”

“Obviously, there’s a diversity problem at Stuy,” Pacheco said.

“It’s a huge culture shock coming from school that’s predominantly Black or Hispanic to an Asian dominated school where every-

ments about affirmative action,” Pacheco said. “Since everyone is so competitive, if someone thinks that you’re getting an advantage because of your race, they’re going to make comments.” Uzoigwe agreed and said, “Now that I’m a senior, people are starting to make those comments, even though they might not mean it.”

Nevertheless, the club

It’s important that we see everyone as equals. We need to explore our differences to come together.”

— Angel Colon, SPARK counselor

one is so competitive so obviously you’re going to feel uncomfortable. The environment in Stuy, however, with all the guidance counselors, culture clubs, and SPARK make this a much more welcoming place.”

The students did, however, acknowledge that more work needs to be done to make students aware of the impact of their words. “The biggest challenges are the com-

members do not feel that such incidents or the lack of diversity should deter students from attending Stuyvesant. “We have many incoming students who aren’t sure about coming to Stuy because they don’t know if they’ll be able to assimilate into the culture,” said Uzoigwe. “I feel really upset when people consider trading that kind of security for education so we show them that there

is a place where they can feel at home.”

After the discussion, the members began their scheduled meeting. The setting was very informal and began with a discussion about the recent controversial address by the cast of the Broadway show “Hamilton” to vice presidentelect Mike Pence. The environment was fun and argumentative as the students began talking the merits of musicals and then about the nation’s political climate.

In the midst of the laughter, SPARK coordinator Angel Colon walked in and joined the conversation. All smiles and support, he explained what supporting Stuyvesant’s diversity clubs meant to him. Colon discussed white privilege and the recent increase in hate crimes across the country before tying his thoughts back to his experience with promoting diversity in Stuyvesant.

“This is my twelfth year at Stuy,” Colon said. “It’s been 11 years of taking multiculturalism and diversity to where it is now.

We’ve had our dark times, from Facebook postings to swastikas on desks, but we’ve come far. Our motto is ‘Stuy Unity, One Stuy’ because there are over 70 nationalities represented in our school and it’s important that we see everyone as equals. We need to explore our differences to come together.”

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

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Page 13

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 14

Editorials Staff Editorial

Stuyvesant’s Race Issue To those who are familiar with our school, hearing the words “race issue” and “Stuyvesant High School” together in one sentence can only mean one thing. And for those who aren’t as familiar with the school, all it takes a pie chart

of students over others.

Outside the classroom, race is also a significant factor. Our friend groups often self-segregate based on race, even if unintentionally, as discussed in the article titled “Unconscious Separation” on page 1. This

Stuyvesant students come from incredibly diverse backgrounds— something the “72 percent Asian” statistic often obscures—but this does not prevent biases and stereotypes from dictating our social, extracurricular, and academic lives. depicting Stuyvesant’s racial demographic to point out the obvious problem that exists within our institution: at Stuyvesant, Black and Hispanic students are represented by under four percent of the total student population. Citywide, they make up just under 70 percent of the public school system.

The underrepresentation of African American and Latino students in our community poses larger questions about educational inequality throughout our city. Within our own community, this circumstance excludes important voices and viewpoints. But some deeply embedded feelings about race at Stuyvesant extend beyond the lack of representation of African American and Hispanic students. Through the articles and surveys in this issue and the student anecdotes accompanying this editorial, we hope to shed light on the nuanced and multifaceted nature of race issues at our school.

What we discovered again and again in these articles and survey responses was that students across all races feel constrained by the stereotypes projected upon them. This occurs in the classroom, where teachers have created uncomfortable situations by treating students of different races differently, whether consciously or not. This is perhaps a result of the disparity in the racial demographics of teachers and students: a quarter of students at Stuyvesant have never had a teacher of their own race, according to our survey, and have reported cases in which teachers seem to favor certain types

same pattern can be observed in clubs and other extracurricular activities; a quick look at the masthead to the right of this editorial reveals that 14 out of 34 of the members of The Spectator’s Editorial Board are white, while the other 20 are people of color or mixed race. These numbers are hardly representative of our school,

backgrounds. But there are students who feel that, in the eyes of others, their identities have been bound to their race, and it is our duty to ask ourselves why our community makes them feel this way, and what we can do to make our school life more inclusive.

Within our school community, the worst thing that we can do is pretend that race does not exist and that it does not matter. On the contrary, we should embrace our different backgrounds, and be open to learning from and interacting with those who are different from us.

Often, we frame race around ourselves, caring more about explaining our own perspectives to our peers than listening to theirs. Our ideas about being the targets of racism overwhelm our abilities to see the struggles of others, and to learn about their lives. Instead, we should take steps toward recognizing that our communities are not exclusive, and that every experience deserves to be heard and accepted, something that requires actively working to put aside biases.

In some cases, we may also need to forgive and accept forgiveness for past transgressions. When we grow aware of the deeply-rooted racial tensions within our school, it is

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A Note to Our Readers: A quarter of students at Stuyvesant have never had a teacher of their own race, according to our survey.

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 opinions@stuyspec.com

Do you want to reflect on an article?

Or speak your mind?

Write a letter to the editor and e-mail it to opinions@stuyspec.com or drop it in The Spectator box in the second-floor mail room. where only about 20 percent of students are white.

Stuyvesant students come from incredibly diverse backgrounds—something the “72 percent Asian” statistic often obscures—but this does not prevent biases and stereotypes from dictating our social, extracurricular, and academic lives.

In many cases, this division occurs unintentionally, and without harm or consequence: our identities, after all, are defined by our values, and our values are influenced by our racial

Often, we frame race around ourselves, caring more about explaining our own perspectives to our peers than listening to theirs.

important not to indulge in hateful rhetoric but rather to constructively unite.

Another way to consider the existence of the race issue is to pay closer attention to microaggressions towards underrepresented minority students.

The tactless comment about affirmative action or discrimination in college admissions, the idle assumptions about one’s talents or strengths based on race, the disturbing ease with which we reduce our peers to mere caricatures, have no place in an institution prized for the highest educational mission. We must come to see that if we surround ourselves only with people of the same race, with the subconscious aim of drowning out other voices, we are perpetuating racism.

Tackling an issue as complicated and nebulous as the one we have observed at Stuyvesant can seem futile at times, but we cannot make progress if we do not focus on each small step, or if we fail to recognize the significance of these small acts. Stuyvesant, though racially skewed, is still incredibly diverse; it’s time that this ceases to be a source of division.

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.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 15

Opinions Do You Think There is a Race Issue At Stuyvesant?

We reached out to our fellow students to see how race affects their experiences at Stuyvesant. The responses, some of which are featured here, stand testament to the vast diversity at Stuyvesant, both in terms of race and in terms of experience. Read all of the student anecdotes on our website, www.stuyspec.com.

Leighton Blackwood, senior

Jane Rhee, sophomore

I never realized what “one percent black” meant until my first weeks at Stuy. I had heard a few stories about the surprising demographics of Stuy from middle school friends, but numbers are one thing. There’s something about jumping from a middle school that was 92 percent black in a 90 percent black neighborhood to a school where you could go for hours without seeing another black students that numbers just can’t express. I felt like I was the most conspicuous person in Stuy, but at the same time I felt completely alone. I was a pretty shy person at the time, and I was honestly afraid of rejection. After 14 years surrounded by only black culture I really didn’t know what to expect, and for my first few days at Stuy, I waited with bated breath for a racist incident or to be rejected.

Thankfully, I didn’t experience the rejection or blatant racism that I was waiting for. I was surprised to receive the complete opposite from my first friends here: a group of seniors who went out of their way to meet the giant freshman sitting alone in the corner of the cafeteria. They helped me overcome much of my initial loneliness and discomfort, and thankfully most of my experiences at Stuy have been as positive the ones that I have shared with them. However, my overall experience as a minority here has been far from perfect.

I still vividly remember when during lunch later in the year, a fellow freshman came to the table that I was sitting at to request change for a $5 bill. I had 5 ones in my wallet, and I offered to exchange them with her. I pulled out my money with one hand and reached out to take her bill with the other, but she pulled her bill back slightly, and seemed a bit hesitant. When I asked her why she looked nervous, she apologized, explaining that her parents had taught her to never trust black people. We’re friends now, and I hold no hard feelings against her, but at the time, I had never felt so humiliated in my life.

Throughout my years here, I have experienced many microaggressions, most from people saying, “you’re not black” or, “you’re the ‘whitest’ black person,” or for one reason or another. On several occasions, I have been reminded of the negative stereotypes surrounding my race through comments from others such as “I don’t know if her mother would approve” (referring to my romantic interests in an Asian peer).

However, my positive experiences here as a student have outweighed my negative experiences as a minority.

I have made many amazing friends here, and I have interacted with people from many different cultures - an experience that I would have missed if I had stayed within the bubble of my own community. My 3.5 years have been amazing, and if I had the choice to do this all again, I would still choose Stuy. I just hope that one day, the demographics of Stuy can become more balanced to reflect the amazing diversity of our city.

A race issue at Stuyvesant exists if you deny that it does. We go to school in this alternate world where the minority becomes the majority for seven and a half hours every day. But I find no comfort in being surrounded by peers whose skin color matches mine.

As a part of this often nameless, silent body of Asian-Americans, I can either accept the stereotypes that are fed to me or to consciously fight back. I need to raise my hand more often, love the humanities, and have an opinion in politics. I need to tell my friends that I’m not good at math or that I don’t enjoy playing the violin. Some of these are true while others aren’t, but unless I categorize myself as “different,” I become just another Asian passively accepting the status quo.

Grace Cuenca, junior Since entering Stuyvesant as a freshman, there hasn’t been a single moment I can recall in which I felt discriminated against because of my race. No teacher, friend, or classmate has ever thought less of me because of my Latina descent. In fact, even before my first weeks at Stuy, I was already receiving emails from ASPIRA. I knew that although Hispanics weren’t the dominant race, the school went above and beyond to make every Hispanic feel safe and included.

Most people can look at my face or my name on the attendance sheet and conclude that I’m Hispanic without a second thought. Without asking me directly, most people are unaware of the Japanese side of me. It’s like a little secret that I let people in on, but only when they ask. Although the way I look isn’t something I can change, I do want people to realize there’s often more than meets the eye. Not every Asian you meet is Chinese and not every Hispanic you meet is Mexican.

Nusheen Ghaemi, junior Stuyvesant appealed to me because it was so much bigger, so much more diverse, compared to my middle school. For me, my race has never been a problem at Stuyvesant. People usually aren’t able to place me and I suppose that helps me escape the Asian stereotypes. Nonetheless, I don’t really notice the race issue in Stuy since I’ve met more people of different races than there were at my middle school; I’ve even found someone else who is PersianChinese, something I thought would never happen in my whole life. People usually suppose that because I’m ethnic and a more unique mix that I have something interesting to say about race. In all honesty I haven’t experienced any racial discrimination apart from the one racist stranger on the street. I acknowledge its very prevalent existence but I don’t feel it on a personal level.

Carmen Benitez, junior Being an ethnic minority in Stuyvesant isn’t something that you notice a lot of the time, at least that’s how I feel. Most of the time I don’t notice any difference between me and my friends, but there are moments where I am reminded that I didn’t grow up in America, I grew up in Australia. It’s small moments like on Veterans Day when I felt the need to post “Lest we forget” on Facebook and wear a red poppy because that’s what people in Commonwealth countries do for what we call Remembrance Day. Being an ethnic minority at Stuy is something you forget most of the time until something small reminds you that you’re just a little bit different. For me, most of the time it’s the sudden laughter of friends when I’m speaking because I’ve pronounced a word differently from them. I don’t feel like it sets me apart in a bad way, it just makes me a little different, it means I bring something different to the table.

Layla Ashe, sophomore Going into Stuyvesant as a wide eyed, bushy tailed freshman, I was not intimidated by the massively dominant Asian population, despite the fact that I was—for the first time since elementary school—going to be a minority. I recall my fellow middle school classmates jeering at me to “represent,” when the news of my acceptance to the esteemed high school reached them. Now, as a forlorn, haggard sophomore, I regretfully acknowledge that my initial optimism was a little misguided. Let me be clear: Stuyvesant is filled with some of the brightest, sweetest youths I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. But the product of having a population dominated by one ethnicity is that the environment itself tends to become culturally homogenous. Most students are from the same cookie-cutter Asian families (parents with strict standards, always being sent to prep school, etc). My upbringing was much more casual, with my decision to attend Stuyvesant being my own, and not that of some overbearing parent, and thus, by default, I already have barriers isolating me from the general community. It’s not that I haven’t been able to make friends here, but the environment cultivated in Stuyvesant is a far cry from that of say, my middle school. There, there was a rich blend of African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, etc. Human beings come in many different flavors, and I’m grateful that I was able to experience that for a small period of my education (I was a minority in my elementary school as well). Still, although I admit it is a bit lonely being a minority, I’m also in a strange way grateful that I’m not particularly rooted in any culture or community. Yes, technically I’m half Ethiopian and half white, but I’ve had people tell me here that I don’t fit into any particular racial category, and there’s a reason for that. As the New York Times put it, “race is just a social structure.” They’re just labels that we use to satisfy the human desire to divide people into different social categories. How do you define a black person? Or a Jewish person? Our perception of what distinguishes these ethnically and social groups has constantly changed over the years; we just don’t realize it. I see this reflected in myself, because although I’m half Ethiopian, my family and friends claim that the way I act is perceived more as “Asian” than “Black” (what can I say? I love my anime). My cultural ambiguity is a result of the fact that I borrow from so many different cultures, ESPECIALLY the Asian community now that I attend Stuyvesant, and while this is one of the reasons why certain members of my family were intimidated by this school, I honestly don’t find myself caring at this point. My racial identity is, and always has been, fluid (as I think it is for everyone) and the kindness and intelligence of the kids in this school has been more than enough to overstep any pre existing “racial boundaries.”

Adi Kapoor, senior Edwin Estrada, senior

Michael Holmes, senior

Going to Stuyvesant High School was probably the most unique experience I’ve ever had. More unique than traveling overseas, or playing a grandmaster in chess. I came from a school in east Harlem, a combined middle and elementary school. Being a minority never came up, because everyone who went to school with me all were from the neighborhood. That’s not what made me stand out; what did was my ability to excel in school and reach the top of my classes.

Going to Stuy changed everything. I expected things to be tougher, a lot tougher, and I knew not only would I not be the smartest, but I’d stand out like a stick in mud, and not be familiar with anyone. In order to combat this, I decided to join a sport, and what better sport than football? Joining was a great choice, and to this day, I don’t regret it. Not only did I get to know so many people, before school even started, I joined a community and found a place where I belonged. Of course, that didn’t change the fact that I was a minority, but that didn’t matter when I had friends to greet in the hallways as I passed by. As for my classes, the majority of my teachers were welcoming and were only concerned about me doing well in class. After four years of getting to know people, I have to say that the majority of people are friendly and accepting, and any negative comments involving ethnicity are only minor jests, not worth my time. Being a Stuy student, not just a minority student in Stuyvesant has been great for me, because race isn’t important to the people I interact and communicate with, it’s who I am as a person.

I wouldn’t say there are any major racial issues at Stuyvesant. There may be cliques based on race, but it’s not uncommon to see multicultural groups of friends. However, I have witnessed somewhat unintentional racist remarks being that I am half Black and half Hispanic growing up around a vast majority of Asians. People make comments about how “weird” my hair is, to how I’m too “light skin” to be considered black. Some of the more common comments I hear are “you don’t act black” or “you are the whitest black person I know.” I am aware of stereotypes placed upon the black community, yet it bothers me greatly when generalizations are made on individuals because of such stereotypes. It also bugs me when I am labeled as acting “white” when deviating from a stereotype. Such claims don’t affect me as much as they would other colored people, the reason being that I have put up with it for most of my life. A similar point to be addressed is that when I ignore a racist remark or pass it off as nothing, I do not speak for colored people as a whole. There are those who are offended by such statements. I have often felt inclined to speak up against racist remarks, but my desensitivity to these situations prevent me from doing so. While racism may not be a major issue at Stuyvesant, it is still present whether intentionally or not. I believe some people should be more careful as to what they say, as they may not be as fortunate to come across someone as carefree as I am.

I haven’t experienced true racism since middle school (other than occasionally being called Muhammad, Paco, and Juan), however I have noticed a lack of Indians at Stuy.

When I first came to Stuy over 3 years ago, I was surprised by the sheer amount of “brown” people. Coming from a middle school with virtually no South Asian students, it was a nice change. However I found it odd that every single person I met was either from Pakistan or Bangladesh. Teachers have always assumed that I am from Bangladesh, often asking me to read a passage written in Bengali or identify a historical figure from the nation. I was surprised with the strong Islamic cultural presence at Stuy, and I enjoy seeing such an embrace of different cultures. In fact, I feel as if there are more Muslim presence at Stuy than at Vidya Shilp - a school I had attended in India. This has an interesting effect as I’ve found myself with more Muslim friends in the United States than I’ve had in all my travels. As far as the idea of a “race issue”- at least in this context - I don’t think my Stuy experience would have been any different with the inclusion of more mainland Indian students. However I do take issue with the definition of Asian. Often times when people refer to Asians they refer to the “traditional” sense of the word.

Essentially that means if you are from China, Japan or South Korea - you are Asian. Then you’ll hear them say “Oh wait you’re technically Asian too, right?” In addition to attending school in India, I attended an International School in Singapore where the word “Asian” held little meaning at all.

People were Indian, Chinese, or Singaporean but rarely ever Asian. However here people’s unconscious use of the word eliminates over 1 billion people from its meaning - but that’s just my two cents.

Anonymous, sophomore Being Filipino isn’t exactly anything new to me, it’s been like that for my entire life. In Stuy, though, it’s much harder to even find one other Filipino, as opposed to finding 3-4 in middle school, and already knowing a good number of them. It’s not that bad, I love getting to meet other people, but there’s always that awkward moment when I want to make a cultural reference but nobody really would ever get it, or be able to 100 percent relate or understand. Not to mention it’d be easier not to have to repeat the pronunciation of Tagalog, Filipino, or Pilipino (there’s a difference, by the way) words or names. While yeah, I love getting to introduce others to the culture and all that, it’d just be nice to be understood as completely as if I was talking entirely in English about literally anything in American pop culture.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 16

Opinions Do You Think There is a Race Issue At Stuyvesant?

Adam Wickham, senior

Payton Gallagher, senior

My racial experience as an African-American Russian Jew has been one of surprises, discomfort and then acceptance.

I live on the Upper West Side and I went to a private school on the Upper East Side from Kindergarten through eighth grade. I’d grown up among American Jews and WASPs, with very few interactions with African-Americans or Russian Jews outside of my family. My neighborhood is mostly American Jewish. Coming into Stuyvesant, I was surprised how the culture, politics and the values of the the Upper West Side are almost polar opposites with those of Brighton Beach and other parts of South Brooklyn.

At Stuyvesant, I had to come out as Black. I’m light skinned, have blue gray eyes and currently a lot of curly hair. Oftentimes people assumed I was just Upper West Side Jewish, from Delta or Anderson. Some people were surprised, one person laughed in my face, someone else asked me to buy him drugs and most people didn’t care too much.

Mostly due to insecurity, I came to care too much about asserting myself with the black perspective in many of my humanities classes, and I definitely wrote too much about race. Stuyvesant and its stark segregation among friend groups, extracurriculars and even subway stops, really bothered me, and I didn’t really feel that I could comfortably fit in with one group.

Luckily I’ve changed. Now a senior, I have had opportunities to meet people of different and similar backgrounds, from across the country. I don’t really feel alienated anymore, and I have accepted that I will never be in an environment where I can be part of the majority. Stuyvesant is an alternate reality and race has just been one part of my experience here. At first its manifestations shocked me, but now I’m used to it.

The other week in class, my teacher announced we were going to look at a case study of a crime, and put up a slide show. The first slide was a title page with a picture of a male person of color filling up about half of the screen, and the first comment my teacher made was, “Now, he looks like a bad hombre!”

I want to say I was surprised, but the sad thing is that I wasn’t. I looked around the room for half a second and met a few other people’s incredulous looks and then said, “Yo, that was mad racist!”

He tried to brush it off and continue the lesson, realizing he messed up, so I stood up and yelled, “Yo, that was mad f—ing racist!”

Immediately, he asked me to leave the classroom and talk to him after class because he didn’t appreciate the language I was using in his classroom. I responded by saying I didn’t appreciate the language he was using in my classroom, and I was gonna go wherever I wanted, and then I went to Ms. Damasek’s office. There, I was told I maybe could have done something about what he said had I not cursed, but, because of the language I used, I couldn’t do anything of consequence.

I don’t think anybody in the class would have said anything if I hadn’t; I think most Stuy kids are often too afraid of damaging their grade to stand up to a teacher over questionable things they say. But I was overcome by a fear that this was going to be let slide.

There are no black or Hispanic kids in my class, and teachers can’t be allowed to feel comfortable making offensive remarks behind people’s backs. To let that happen is to assume that classes full of the top students in the city are okay with racism. Teaching a class about criminal justice procedures and making fun of the people most targeted by the cops?

I believe it’s an almost common marker of Stuy classes that the teacher will make less than commendable comments, especially in the Humanities department, and kids in the class will look around at each other, like, “That wasn’t really okay, but we aren’t going to say anything to the teacher because it’s not really hurting anybody in the room.”

This is most harmful because teaching potential future politicians and leaders—people who will have an impact on the world—that slurs can be brushed off is dangerous and needs to be stopped. It’s also a marker of the rise of racism and prejudice across the country. Now, more than ever, we need to be vigilant about our place of privilege here at Stuy and the language and beliefs we promote.

The racial disparities in Stuyvesant hardly need be pointed out to anyone who has stepped foot inside the building. We almost take this for granted now, when there’s clearly something twisted about it. I know the problem is larger than just Stuyvesant; the system is obviously flawed and needs to be fixed on a larger scale, as de facto segregation between New York City schools spreads across all of the boroughs.

However, as a community of kids who pat ourselves on the back for being super-smart and at the top, it is insidious for us to be in such a cultural bubble; we should be doing everything we can to pop it and bring up controversial subjects in classes that are mostly taught by white adults. Students should not have to feel that they are endangering their academic success by speaking up when a teacher says something that they aren’t comfortable with, and I think: 1. A system needs to be implemented that allows students to report problematic behavior from their teachers with assurance of administrative backing, and students need to be provided with a safe space to discuss negative experiences with teachers, as well.

2. We need to raise awareness at Stuyvesant of the racial disparity in both the student body and the faculty, and the problems these disparities create. A much more common talking point should be made of such a large elephant in the room.

Ahmad Alnasser, senior I never really considered that a race issue could present at Stuyvesant, mainly because being somewhere like New York City means you are able to see just about every race within a 40-minute train ride. However, just because there isn’t a race issue does not mean that race isn’t present in everyday life.

I’ve noticed my ethnicity playing a large role in my daily education.

Whether it’s a friend asking me how my “people” spend the holidays, or a classmate asking me a string of questions about my cultural practices the day after an Arab man set off a bomb in Chelsea, I wear my “Arab-ness” like a t-shirt.

Despite all of this, however, I don’t think a race issue does exist at Stuyvesant. It’s more about how much we know about the world around us. I have, at one point or another, found myself making broad generalizations about someone else, and, while I’m not proud of it in the slightest, I know where it comes from. It stems from a lack of exposure to different people and cultures, so one begins to take everything on eye-level.

This is why Affirmative Action in college campuses helps keep racism to a minimum. When one is able to interact with people from different places, the prospect of harmfully misunderstanding someone is greatly diminished.

At Stuyvesant, we aren’t given the luxury of having as much racial diversity, but as a school we can supplement that with education. I have no problem with being open with my background, but there definitely times where I feel misunderstood, or alone in school. Overall I don’t think there is a race issue at Stuyvesant, particularly because of our city’s racial diversity, and the potential for our students to look past a face and focus on the person behind it. Only with education and diversity can any potential issue in the future be prevented.

Katherine Sanchez, sophomore I had one particular experience last year as a freshman that will likely continue to linger in my mind as much as I’ve tried to push it aside, especially in the years to come. In my first month at Stuy, an upperclassman asked me where I was from giddily, playing with the ends of my curly hair between her forefinger and thumb. I responded eagerly and, without a tinge of hesitation, said, “I’m Dominican, why?” The second the word escaped my lips, her fingers recoiled, as if I had the plague or something.

With a firm nod and a slight wave, I never heard her again—except for when I got a message on Facebook saying “affirmative action much, lol?”

Of course, I’ve come to realize by now that these types of people at Stuyvesant are so minuscule in amount, but it’s likely this will come to stick by me, far into the application process senior year.

Nadine Jackson, sophomore I identify as an African-American student. Stuy is a good environment to be a minority in. The students here are not here to make fun of me for my race or anything; we’re all here to be these crazy competitive kids, who are just trying to succeed. Maybe I stand out because of my race, but I don’t feel like it influences my school life, nor does it influence the people around me. That being said, it’s a bit sad sometimes to be the only black student in my class, or to realize that there’s only eight of us in the entire grade. I just want for there to be diversity in our school, because it’s a great place to be, and, so far, I’ve had a wonderful experience here.

Lois Wu, sophomore I’m an Asian girl who plays the piano and enjoys art. Super specific description, right? As we all know from the mass of Asians we see swarming across the Tribeca Bridge, or, the beloved “Stuy” Bridge, Stuyvesant High School is more than 70% Asian.

I didn’t always go to such an Asian school. I attended a middle school that also lacked diversity, but in the opposite way. I went to a small private school that was made up of mostly white kids, where I was maybe one of ten Asian kids in a class of about 60.

I could have stayed there for high school, but I wanted to go somewhere bigger. When I was deciding where to go, Stuyvesant’s lack of diversity was a turnoff. Yes, my middle school also lacked diversity, but they seemed to be actively making strides to change that. They offered financial aid to those who could not make the $40,000 tuition and the principal of the middle school went around to each grade to give us talks about how they were increasing financial and racial diversity in the school. The large tuition would always be a limiting factor in increasing the diversity in my middle school, but at Stuy, people were limited by something entirely different: one score they got on one test in the beginning of eighth grade. Sure, everyone at Stuy has earned their place by getting a relatively high score on the SHSAT, but this lack of diversity is still a problem. Perhaps we could implement a system that determines high school admissions like college admissions, or maybe based on Statewide test scores, but it is definitely something to think about.

Raisa Karim, senior While I haven’t experienced blatant racial bias, I have felt unconscious and unspoken bias, which I am guilty of having as well. For example, there is the notion of brown people, especially brown girls, as not being athletic.

If I fail to do a certain gym requirement, I blame it on my race and how my parents, unlike other Asians and Caucasians, never enrolled me for swimming lessons or the like.

I was the first girl from the Muslim Student Association to try out for volleyball. I remember enthusiastically pulling on my favorite socks and packing my water bottle that morning. However, I was greeted by girls who had formed cliques from the past few years: I was the only brown girl there. I was wearing sweatpants, not compression shorts. I was wearing a loose volunteer shirt, not a fitting volleyball shirt. You couldn’t see my ponytail flouncing around either.

After a point, I was happy that I was told to go home because the environment was just so foreign. I had anticipated that my dressing differently wouldn’t matter. Wrong. It strained my confidence. I sulked home that day with bruised arms. Still, I didn’t regret trying out. I broke a boundary that day.

It is because professional and sports dress codes violate a Muslim girl’s dress code that many hijabis don’t feel the will to participate in such activities. As of late, professional dress code has acknowledged Muslim clothing so it is not as unusual to wear slacks. However, because a lot of these fields remain predominantly non-Muslim, hijabis still don’t feel comfortable and don’t take as much initiative as they could.

When they do, they end up like me: president of three clubs, where the attendance of each club meeting is three people. Laugh if you will; it’s not funny, though, especially if you know your club can have just as much potential, if not more, than a club that has been running for the past decade or so. It’s disheartening that the only ones who are willing to participate are those of my ethnicity. Where is the diversity? How will the diffusion of ideas occur to foster a proper learning environment?

It is when we deliberately separate ourselves that the terms “brown club” and “white/Asian club” manifest. It doesn’t matter who we are or what racial denomination we fall under. We need to step out of our comfort zone for the sake of diversity in society, which will lead to more efficient solutions in the future.

Sammie Paul, junior The fear of being the voice of all black people at Stuy is real. I often have to think through my responses to micro-aggressions in classes to not fit the stereotype of the “mad, black woman.”

If I get offended by a joke that perpetuates racist ideologies and stereotypes, I am told to lighten up or that I must learn how to take a joke. The race problem at Stuy stems from the problem of entitlement. If you are not a part of the group that is being made the punchline, you do not get to decide if it appropriate or not.

The race problem at Stuy is very well-avoided. Everything is taken passively or addressed once and done. There are so many ideas of the reason African American students have such a low demographic in the school and many of this ideas are simply untrue. I’ve been told it’s due to African American students being lazy, not being smart enough, or not caring, yet all of those standbys are a broad generalization of a group of people that put all of us into one category that we do not all fit in. There are lazy black kids just as there are lazy white kids and Asian kids and Latino kids. Lazy is not owned by a race, nor is any other attribute.

Many people make broad generalizations about things they know nothing of, from conversations about education to hair styles and types. I have been told that there shouldn’t be a [Black Students’ League] from students have have never stepped foot in BSL. Many people judge with no basis for their judgment.

Everyone is entitled to their educated opinion. However an opinion based on stereotypes and racially charged ideology does not count as educated. Many students have made comments with no grounds other than stereotypes, especially in conversations about the SHSAT and the college process.

I just wish that they would come to a BSL meeting and speak with us. I wish people who have so much to say in class arguments and discussions would take the time out of one of their days to come talk to people who have had these conversations their entire lives. I wish people would be willing to have these conversations non-confrontationally.

Stuy heavily lacks dialogue and that is so important to bring any group of people further, especially in an environment like ours. There are so many brilliant students of different backgrounds here, and we are missing valuable opportunities to learn from each other, to experience new cultures, and be exposed to topics and conversations we would never be able to have had we stayed forever in our little bubbles.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

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Opinions

Jessica Wu / The Spectator

Stuyvesant: A Model of Model Minorities

By matteo wong My Asian-American friends are always proud to explain why they dominate Stuyvesant. “It’s the hard work our Asian parents make us do, that’s what makes us good at school.” Stuyvesant, with a predominantly Asian student body, represents the success of Asian immigrants in the United States. The Asian work ethic is on full display: smart, studious, and humble, Stuyvesant’s Asians are a perfect model minority.

However, we should not be so quick to accept the model minority label, which is a misleading and insidious term. “Model minority” first entered common vocabulary in 1966, in a New York Times article citing the success of Japanese-Americans—a “positive” stereotype. The model minority stereotypes Asian-Americans, particularly East Asians, as humble and assimilatory, which supposedly allows them to succeed in America’s meritocracy.

Stuyvesant seems to be living proof of the model minority—it is filled with hardworking Asian-

Americans who are on a trajectory toward success. Many Asians at Stuyvesant buy into the notion that as a model minority, they are destined to succeed on the academic level. And at a glance, Asian-Americans should feel flattered for this recognition of their hard work.

The model minority, however, is a myth: statistics are used to present Asian-Americans as successful, but a closer look reveals that Asian-Americans aren’t as economically well-off as many believe. For instance, proponents of the model minority myth cite that Asian families have above-average annual incomes, which ignores how Asian immigrants tend to live in cities, such as New York, with proportionately higher costs of living.

Many immigrant families at Stuyvesant and throughout the city also have more working family members per household, which makes family-based income averages misleading. The NYC Poverty Research Unit did an in-depth investigation in 2013 and found the Asian-American poverty rate to be 25.9 percent, over 10 percent higher than that of white people in the city.

Additionally, though AsianAmericans have higher rates of education than their white counterparts, we do not necessarily receive the same returns on education, illustrated by underrepresentation in leadership positions; a study by Ascend, an AsianAmerican professional group, found that while Asians make up 27 percent of professionals in Silicon Valley, only 14 percent of high-level positions are occupied

by Asian-Americans. And within the broad category of “AsianAmerican,” smaller groups like Hmong people or VietnameseAmericans face far higher poverty rates and much lower rates of education. But beyond being false, the myth of the model minority is also harmful.

For starters, this myth projects a degree of immunity over AsianAmericans, when in reality, we are still the targets of severe hate crimes,

Tina Lim / The Spectator

from highly public racism like James Watters’ FOX broadcast, to more personal attacks, like the one launched at Michael Luo of The New York Times. Since we are a model minority, racism against

Asian-Americans isn’t taken seriously.

The model minority also harms other racial groups, such as blacks and Latinos. When Asian-Americans are framed as successful and assimilated, blacks and Latinos who are not able to perform as well academically are seen as failures, and even inferiors, while the institutionally racist barriers they face are ignored.

Furthermore, there are no “positive” stereotypes. Humble can quickly become submissive and assimilatory can be translated into inferiority. The model minority myth makes white people feel safe by generating the belief that Asian-Americans, as individuals, are not better than white people—in fact, they are worse.

They are academically successful because of their Confucian culture, not their intelligence, and their scholarly upbringing trades off with being outgoing and original. The diversity and creativity of Asian-American individuals is ignored, replaced by a monolithic and docile image of the model Stuyvesant student: quiet, studious, and socially incapable.

Though Stuyvesant does represent success for many AsianAmericans, we should not allow that success to be attributed to the model minority stereotype.

A white friend of mine once told me we can only combat the model minority myth by calling Asian-Americans unintelligent.

I was outraged. Combating the myth doesn’t begin with new stereotypes, it begins with being vocal.

I’ve seen Asian-Americans at Stuyvesant never speak a word

to a teacher, and I’ve also seen them be quiet in the face of much more awful stereotypes than the model minority, from “chink” to “slanted eyes.” It doesn’t need to be that way, because we aren’t submissive, for model minorities—we’re allowed to speak up, and we should speak up, both in the classroom setting and against racial injustice.

Breaking down the myth also involves awareness. The myth of the model minority is powerful because of its pervasiveness.

Particularly at Stuyvesant, many Asians feel superior because they are at a top high school, and there is cultural pride in Asian success.

Though we can and should feel proud of our individual accomplishments, we should not attribute our personal success to being Asian-American. On the other hand, this doesn’t mean we can’t be proud of our Asian heritage, but Confucian standards of studying shouldn’t be the focal point of our pride.

Beyond personal beliefs, we can also explain this stereotype to our parents and grandparents. There is huge pressure on the shoulders of the children of immigrants to establish a stable footing in American society, and much of that causes older family members to want us to fulfill the stereotype of a model minority; we need to explain why the myth is dangerous.

Yes, the Confucianism inherent to many Asian cultures emphasizes academics. No, that doesn’t mean we are just docile and studious. Each person, as an individual, chooses their own path—Stuyvesant may be an Asian-American success story, but it should not be a poster for the myth of the model minority.

Xin Italie / The Spectator

The Other Asians

By RANIYAN ZAMAN “You’re not Asian.”

I blinked, then stared. “What do you mean, I’m not Asian? I’m from Bangladesh, you can find it on any map—” “No,” my friend argued.

“Asians are, you know, Chinese or Korean. You’re just brown.”

I was left wondering, unable to comprehend how my skin color denied me of the right to call a continent my own, to link my heritage to a geographical location, and attribute to it a term that is supposed to be representative of a multitude of national identities, rather than a select few. That incident, which took place during my freshman year, was the first of many encounters I’ve had, usually with a White or East Asian student trying to convince me that my South Asian heritage doesn’t qualify me to

use the term “Asian” to label my ethnicity. It’s also representative of a larger mentality that exists in Stuyvesant: an assumption that Asian means East Asian—Chinese or Japanese or Korean.

Distinguishing between East Asians and South Asians pays homage to the vastly distinct experiences members of either ethnicity have in America. It is essential that South Asians are recognized as Asians rather than being relegated to “just brown,” but this shouldn’t imply that South Asians and East Asians have similar standards of living or face similar levels of prejudice in America—yet so often, it does.

One can begin to understand the South Asian-American experience by looking to South Asians at Stuyvesant. Students of South Asian (including Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander) descent are largely overlooked when inschool and out-of-school polls attempt to gather data about the Asian population at Stuyvesant. South Asians are not seen as “real Asians,” but, ironically, are told to identify as Asian on official surveys and legal documents. But because the word “Asian” is mostly associated with East Asians, the importance of the included South Asian demographic is diminished.

Information on Stuyvesant’s South Asian population is notoriously difficult to find, partially because, contrary to popular belief

outside of Stuyvesant, the South Asian population itself is not all that large. A 2014 Spectator Staff Editorial estimated that South Asians make up only 10 percent of the Stuyvesant student body, while The Spectator’s 2016 Senior Survey, which received responses from a little more than a fifth of the grade, reported this number at 15.5 percent. Few other estimates exist.

This lack of differentiation leads to ignorance of South Asian culture. For example, people are much more likely to know about the Lunar New Year than they are to

Klaire Geller / The Spectator

know which holidays South Asians typically celebrate, such as Eid or Diwali. Eid was only recognized by the Department of Education as a school holiday last year and Diwali still isn’t, despite being celebrated by 600,000 New Yorkers. Meanwhile, Ramadan, the month long Muslim fasting holiday, is largely ignored by the public school system. This poses a problem from many students, who struggle to keep up in Physical Education and with an unrelenting workload. Many teachers and students at Stuyvesant still know little to nothing about Ramadan, Eid, and Diwali.

Issues specific to South Asians are often dismissed, with the public points to statistics more relevant to East Asians. The LA Times painted Asian-Americans as hugely successful, commending rapid growth, having comfortable income, and achieving academic excellence in 2012. However, the Borgen Project noted that the LA Times failed to scrutinize differences across Asian-American subgroups. South Asians not only face some of the highest poverty rates in the U.S. and rely on food stamps more heavily, but they also suffer in greater numbers from depression and PTSD than Asian-Americans as a whole. With reports of Asians’ overall success obscuring the struggles of South Asians,

South Asians are not provided access to necessary resources and support networks. South Asians’ hardships are, instead, overshadowed by the relative prosperity of East Asians.

South Asians and East Asians are often lumped together when it comes to crime statistics, but South Asians are increasingly likely to be victims of hate crimes, as noted by President Barack Obama in a 2013 speech. Much of this prejudice can be assigned to another factor: religion. The Hindu and Sikh communities are often targeted either due to their skin color or to a mistaken assumption that they are Muslim; an FBI report revealed that hate crimes on Muslim-Americans surged up 67 percent in 2015, second only to the spike of Islamophobia seen in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Following Donald Trump’s election, reports of vandalized mosques and attacks on Muslims have accumulated.

The plight of South AsianAmericans must be underscored and addressed, but the support that Muslim representative Keith Ellison has received for a possible nomination to chair of the DNC, as well as Indian-American Kamala Harris’s election to the Senate, stand as slim beacons of hope. Acknowledging that “Asian” is an identity that belongs to a myriad of nationalities is the first step to building an America where South Asians receive the respect they deserve, whether on Washington’s Congress floor or Stuyvesant’s half-floor.

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The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Opinions My Encounter with the “Dark Side” By david hanna

Stephen Bannon, President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial chief strategist and Senior Counselor.

The cover image of “Knights of the Sea,” published by history teacher David Hanna in 2012.

History teacher David Hanna’s most recent book, “Rendezvous with Death,” which was published last June.

The election of Donald Trump to the presidency has catapulted a number of figures with controversial opinions and affiliations into the national debate. None of these members of Trump’s political team is more controversial than Stephen Bannon. Bannon, a former naval officer and investment banker for Goldman Sachs, has, in recent years, been a prominent voice at the Breitbart news website. He has been accused of using his position as a platform to further the agenda of a group known as the Alt-Right, which aims at a restoration of white nationalism in the United States. There are striking similarities between this movement and the “Know Nothing” Party of the 1850s, with the important exception that the Know Nothings never won a general election.

Bannon left Breitbart late last summer to become an advisor to then-candidate Trump’s campaign. He has now been named as “chief strategist” for the incoming administration. Senator Harry Reid, among others, has prominently criticized this move, accusing Bannon of being “a champion of white supremacists.” It remains to be seen whether president-elect Trump will stick with his choice, or yield to the voices calling for Bannon’s removal from the inner circles of power. For his part, Bannon gave an interview to The Hollywood Reporter on November 18 outlining his agenda and political philosophy. His emphasis in the interview was on a robust economic nationalism, not race: “Like [Andrew] Jackson’s populism, we’re going to build an entirely new political movement… It’s everything related to jobs.” He insisted that his role was as the administration’s purveyor of “Darkness” (his choice of words) the person who would use uncertainty and fear like Darth Vader (his example) to push the administration’s agenda, and keep its opponents off balance. I have watched Bannon’s rise with great interest. I had never heard of him until early last summer, and even then knew very little. Yet I had the experience of having spoken with Bannon directly.

Last June, when my new book, “Rendezvous with Death” was released, my publicist put together a promotional campaign. I gave interviews, wrote articles, and spoke at various venues. One of the interviews was with the radio station operated by Breitbart news. The only thing I had ever

heard about Breitbart was earlier in the spring when a female reporter for the website claimed she had been physically accosted by Donald Trump’s then-campaign manager at an event in Florida.

My publicist said that it would be a great opportunity to reach millions of potential readers at what she characterized as a conservative counterpart of The Huffington Post. The interview itself was pretty ordinary. Bannon demonstrated some knowledge of history (which, in my experience, journalists are not often very informed about) and had claimed that he had read both my new book, and my first book on the War of 1812.

He didn’t ask me any questions regarding contemporary politics or race relations, and I had no reason to anticipate that he would do so.

Basically, I just talked about the book: a story of a small group of Americans who joined the French Army in 1914 to fight the Kaiser’s invading army, and in so doing helped defend France and civilization itself, in their view. The summer rolled on, and I watched with alarm as Donald Trump was nominated by the Republican Party as its candidate for president. Then, in August, I read about Stephen Bannon joining Trump’s campaign, and his connections to the Alt-Right. This movement’s racist positions were disturbing.

It seemed strange that the person I had spoken with could support these types of views. He seemed so ordinary. I recalled how he had claimed to have read my books, and this also struck a discordant note.

Both of the books that I have written include passages that are very critical of America’s historical record on race. They also both emphasize the heroic contributions of African Americans during the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793, in the ultimately-doomed defense of Washington against the British in 1814, in the fight against Germany in the trenches, and in the skies over France, in 1914-1918. One of the main figures in my new book is the light heavyweight boxer, Bob Scanlon, of Mobile, Alabama, who became a close friend of poet Alan Seeger.

He had made his way to Paris at a time when being black in America meant always having to live with the threat of mob violence just beneath the surface of American society. France, and Paris specifically, had given so much to Scanlon. He enlisted in the Foreign Legion in August, 1914, to repay

A portrait of Thomas Cromwell by Hans Holbein the Younger

this debt. Furthermore, the title of the fifth chapter in “Rendezvous with Death” is written in Arabic because it immortalizes a famous battle in Artois in 1915, in which the Americans fought side-by-side with Muslim soldiers from North Africa in a ferocious assault on Vimy Ridge. The Arabic printed on the chapter heading translates as “No Fear, No Pity”: the unit’s motto. I wondered how Bannon could be the rabid racist he was being depicted as in the national media if he had, in fact, read my books and genuinely enjoyed them as much as he seemed. These two things just did not go together.

Perhaps he didn’t ever read my books. It’s been the rare journalist that I’ve encountered as an author, who has actually read one of my books. His enthusiasm might simply have been a courtesy to my publisher. Regnery History is, for the most part, a mainstream popular history list (it currently has a New York Times bestseller in a book called “Sgt. Reckless,” a true story about America’s version of “War Horse”). However, its parent company, Regnery publishing, is a conservative press that publishes more polemical books.

I first became aware of Regnery History when it published Ronald Utt’s War of 1812 book, “Ships of Oak, Guns of Iron.” For a book on what is a relatively obscure topic for most readers, it did quite well. I thought the edition that they had come out with was very handsome. As an author of what was, frankly, a competitor book, “Knights of the Sea,” I have to admit I was a little jealous. When my agent received an offer from Regnery History for “Rendezvous,” and was able to get them to come up a bit, I took it. Reflecting back on the interview now, I think the possibility certainly exists that Bannon incorrectly assumed that I was a conservative author because Regnery publishing is the parent company of Regnery History. In fact, my publisher submitted my book to the Conservative Book Club hoping to reach a wider audience.

From a marketing perspective this made some sense, since my new book is one that could appeal to both liberal and conservative readers. It deals with the polarizing topic of U.S. intervention in World War I (particularly as it related to the Seeger brothers, Charles and Alan), but it does not deal with any contemporary issues that polarize our country. Though I see nothing wrong with having a conservative political philosophy, my own politics lean more toward the centerleft. In fact, on education and labor they are decidedly far left. So it is fair to say that Mr. Bannon made an incorrect assumption. And yet, I wonder.

One of the things that is abundantly clear in the Hollywood Reporter interview is how wellversed in history Stephen Bannon is. He has more than just a passing interest in it. How someone who is accused of spreading such vile views could endorse books with black and Muslim heroes is a riddle to me. I never met Bannon face to face, we conducted the interview on the phone, but I would be lying if I now claimed he was some sort of ogre. He wasn’t. He was a gracious and enthusiastic host. We want our villains to be sinister all the time, but the reality is they can be knowledgeable, even charming. I must say, I found his final comments in the interview that he gave very interesting indeed.

In trying to explain how he envisioned his role in a Trump administration, he said he would be like “Thomas Cromwell in the court of the Tudors.” As NPR’s Kai Ryssdal remarked, it’s certainly worth noting that Cromwell, Henry VIII’s political “hatchet man” was executed once he’d exhausted his usefulness to the king.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

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Queenie Tang / The Spectator

Learning About The Other America

By ANNIE FENG Before two summers ago, racism was simply a word for me. I was too young to really understand racism before I came to New York from Canada, and before that from China, and New York did not teach me much on the subject.

Here, it was normal to share the city with people who were nothing like me. That was what made living here enriching and educational. The person next to me on the New York City subway could come from half a world away and have a life story worthy of an epic novel. The city’s sheer diversity is something that I, like many New Yorkers, often take for granted, but I was recently reminded that New York is an anomalous bubble in the United States.

I learned this firsthand when I visited Missouri, somewhere not known for its diversity but for its barbecue (which was, in fact, delicious and artery-clogging). Heartland America largely lived up to its stereotypes. I was first shocked by how flat it was compared to lower Manhattan, where the skyscrapers blot out most of the sky.

In Missouri, I could see straight into the horizon and almost ev-

erything was a vibrant shade of green. I regularly encountered deer, rabbits, and insects.

Summer in a town with more cows than people and a puzzling number of cowboy churches is very different from summer in the city. It’s nice having strangers actually smile and greet you as you pass by, instead of resolutely avoiding all contact. But culture in the heartland is also uniform.

This uniformity is not necessarily a bad thing. People are friendlier when their circles are small and full of people just like them. However, uniform cultural identity also makes room for ignorance of other cultures, which can lead to bigotry.

Over the course of these Missouri summers, which I mostly spend volunteering at a hospital and forgetting everything I’ve learned at Stuyvesant over the past year, I was exposed to blatant racism. People told me to speak English and then were surprised when I did so without an accent.

One lady grabbed my shoulder and told me that I didn’t belong in her country.

But the people who reacted hatefully towards me were relatively few compared to the number of people who demonstrated that rural hospitality could be better than the anonymity of a city. More often, people just didn’t seem to know what to make of me. As a result, their first assumptions were completely based off of stereotypes. A woman once came up to me and unabashedly said in the slow voice that people use to speak to toddlers, “You probably work at a nail salon, right?”

She likely did not mean to offend me by saying this. Perhaps I’m the second person with skin different than hers that she’s ever seen in her life, and the other person happened to be the lady at the nail salon. Many of the people

I met during my time in Missouri had likely never interacted with anyone culturally different from them beyond ordering Chinese takeout. The way that they spoke to me was not outright hateful, but it certainly did not make for a comfortable conversation. Telling me that I drive well for an Asian girl, for example, makes for a rather backhanded compliment.

In this election, we have seen a tremendous revolt against “PC culture,” as if mutual respect has somehow become a burden. I couldn’t understand this until I talked with people who were either awkwardly walking on eggshells around me or insulting me without realizing that they were doing it. Being politically correct is seen as burdensome for them because it is not something that they are used to, and being attacked for it feels unfair.

Communities that are completely homogeneous find a sort of unity in their similarities and do not always respond well to what they perceive to be the “other.” This is where the problem begins.

One particularly loud argument that frightens many people is the one against immigrants taking jobs. Immigrants are easy scapegoats because, when resources are limited, communities band together against competition from perceived outsiders.

Immigrants are something concrete that can be blamed and hurt, while the vast changes at work in the global economy are intangible and are therefore more difficult things to revolt against.

Technological developments and the changing nature of the economy have put Americans who have been here for generations out of jobs and have made many of them angry.

This has resulted in two very different Americas, one of big city New York and the other of

small town Missouri. As different as they seem, we must not reject the possibility of understanding the “rural America” that “urban America” believes to be ignorant. On the whole, these people are not less intelligent or morally inferior; they simply come from a different, more homogeneous background.

When liberals talk about the right, they often consider the vocal, hatred-spewing minority a representative sample. But the fact that a very small portion of Trump supporters are white supremacists does not mean that everyone who voted for Trump is racist, uneducated, or a rabid Bible thumper. To make this claim is to make a strawman argument that ignores any chance of growth

monizing Trump supporters or losing hope and moving away is unproductive. Reconciliation is important. This election has been heartbreaking in many ways, including demonstrating the prevalence of racism in American society, but it needs to be addressed in a practical manner. No matter which party you belong to, racism is an issue that must be dragged into the light and discussed. It is up to the people and the press to investigate policies that are discriminatory and that role is more important now than ever.

But just talking to people who do not share your political views in a more respectful manner is a step in the right direction. Exposure to different cultures and belief systems is important, even if

Perhaps this election has focused both Americas on their own pain so much that we no longer care about the other side that we hurt.

or collaboration.

Many of the people I met in Missouri were very nice. The lady who taught me how to drive gave me a hug and congratulated me on getting my license. I never said anything to the lady who asked if I worked at a salon, but I now wish that I had stopped to explain the look of frustration on my face.

That had been a teachable moment, and it is my fault that I let it pass.

The country needs to grow and heal. This means that no one should be fleeing to Canada. De-

it’s something as minor as teaching someone how to say hello in a different language. I’ve heard it said that pain is a blessing because it teaches us how we hurt other people. Perhaps this election has focused both Americas on their own pain so much that we no longer care about the other side that we hurt. We need to look past self-righteousness to see the other side as people before we see them as a political party. We must remember that we are all capable of inflicting pain and feeling it.

Xin Italie / The Spectator

Silence At The Dinner Table

By OLIVIA KUSIO “Do you like Asian people?”

If I had been in New York City that summer, I would have never been asked that question.

But in that moment, I was in the small Polish town of Dzierzoniow, braiding my ten-yearold cousin’s hair on the couch in her living room. She asked me this question so nonchalantly that she could’ve been asking if I enjoyed soccer or coffee. I wasn’t in New York anymore.

While my sister and I were born in New York City, both of my parents are from Poland.

Ever since I was little, they’ve attempted to infuse as much “Polish-ness” into the both of us as possible. Due to this ambition, most years, we spend two to three weeks of the summer

in Poland. There, I am with my Polish family every waking moment. The few weeks in Poland of my past summers contain some of my most cherished memories.

But, this year, the family time was tinged with tension and confusion. More than ever, I noticed many of my family members saying unsettlingly racist things in everyday conversations. And it wasn’t unintentional racism, which is occasionally apparent even in New York—it was blatant, unapologetic racism that sought to deliberately bring down minority groups. This year, in particular, I was completely taken aback by the hate my family could feel towards people they had never even met.

Sitting at the dinner table at my grandparents’ house, my grandfather asked about my life in New York. I talked a bit about the city and my school, and I mentioned that he should visit soon to see everything for himself.

“I hear [that] there are a lot of Blacks and Muslims there. You know, I don’t need that at this point in my life.” These words came out of the mouth of the little old man that woke up before everyone one else in the house to feed the kittens milk every morning and the guy that left extra baskets of raspberries on the neighbor’s doorstep for the sake of good neighborliness.

Shocked and irritated, I prepared to launch into defense

mode. But I looked across the table and saw my parents giving me a stern look. It made me think twice about what I was about to say. I knew that if I were to argue about how openly offensive his statement was with a table full of family members that held similar beliefs to his, I risked losing their respect and trust.

It is very easy for them to write someone off as a “crazy American liberal” for having different views than them. My family members are both confident and stubborn in the way that they see the world, and simply contesting every racist remark that they made during the two weeks I was there would not have changed their views in the slightest.

But it felt wrong to throw away what I stood for just because I wanted to appease my stubborn family members. I finally had the opportunity to take a stand against racism and bigotry. Yet with my family, I failed to rise to the occasion.

Part of the reason for this was that, in the moment, I couldn’t formulate a way to explain my views without creating a “Polish family versus American family” dynamic at the dinner table. It was extremely difficult not to release all my frustration into the conversation, further polarizing our ideas and preventing constructive discussion altogether.

Ultimately, I have to remember that my family members are

good people, who happen to be racist due to the uniracial environment in which they live in. In Poland, racial tensions are high due to a deep fear of the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe, and my family has fallen victim to the circumstances of their home and surroundings. They believe that pushing foreign people and ideas out is the only way to salvage the safety that they are afraid of losing.

Our separate circumstances have shaped us differently, but beneath it all, it’s important to remember that we share similar values. My grandfather and I share a common belief in the importance of kindness and helping others. It is easy to feel hatred towards an idea of a person, but I know that if someone were to place my grandpa in the same room as a person of color for an hour, his compassion would override his preconceived notions. Though constructing such an encounter is unlikely, sharing my own positive experiences with individuals of other races can resonate with his fundamental morals.

Though most of my family members will likely never share my experiences, and my encounters with people of different races are strikingly different from what they would expect, connecting my experiences to their values can help build understanding between us and change their negative opinions.

In the sensitive post-election

political climate, applying this approach is even more imperative in keeping our country united. In order to ease the destructive “Trump America versus Anti-Trump America” mindset among both conservatives and liberals in our country, Americans must seek to empathize with each other’s experiences.

Not only is it important to begin these conversations, but it’s critical that these conversations are productive and meaningful. And by remembering the values that link us together as Americans, we can make our beliefs more relatable and comprehendible to those that oppose them. By sharing our strikingly different experiences in this vast country, we can better understand the problems in America that are foreign to us, offering us the unique opportunity to work together to fix them.

I’m going back to Poland this year, and I’m determined to have productive conversations with my family in order to build understanding. I’m hopeful that sharing our experiences will make my family dynamic more honest and consequently stronger. Chances are, those two weeks in Poland won’t change my family members’ views completely.

But now I think that attempting to understand and change their opinions may be just as valuable as succeeding in doing so. Ultimately, the one most destructive force is silence—especially at the dinner table.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 20

Opinions

Kaia Waxenberg / The Spectator

Renewing America Part 2: Subcultural Solidarity

By Stiven Peter When visiting the poorest neighborhood in New York, you will see a misery that goes beyond economic aspects. Its inhabitants are plagued with crime, sexual exploitation, fatherlessness, divorce, and violence. The sheer brutality and ugliness of the lives of so many Americans is shocking.

In my previous article, “Renewing America: A Paradigm Proposal,” I proposed that the U.S. needs to adopt a decentralization paradigm, which would empower local institutions to address the complex array of welfare problems, economic mobility, and educational opportunity. However, this proposal only covers an economic solution to combating the poverty and stagnation in lower and middle-class America, and now we must turn to culture.

One cause of the desperate state of working class America is the collapse of family culture. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 1955, 4.5 percent of children born were to single mothers. That number had grown to 41 percent in 2015. This drastic increase has contributed to increasing childhood poverty as single parents are unable to provide for their children as well as a married couple. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, nearly half of children raised by single mothers live in poverty, compared to only a tenth of children raised in a two-parent household.

Simply put, the family unit is the fundamental unit of order, support, and guidance that children need.

Another cause of collapsing family culture is expressive individualism. Expressive individualism is an ethic that tells people to live out their deepest desires and most authentic selves. Consequently, cultural norms and obligations that constrain selffulfillment or limit people’s ability to define themselves are declared anathema. One may call the age we are living in an age of authenticity, in which traditional standards and norms that inhibit a person from being true to himself or herself are done away with.

This loosening of standards has primarily been seen in the sexual sphere with the acceptance of no-fault divorce, sin-

gle parenthood, abortion, and same-sex marriage. Sociologist Charles Murray, in his book Coming Apart, notes that the elite in society have absorbed this moral change while they themselves maintain traditional family structures. Their nonjudgmental attitude toward nontraditional marriages, meanwhile, has caused the poor to suffer greatly. For example, Murray notes that the majority of out-of wedlock births have come from the poor. Moreover, there is a sharp increase in drug use, suicide, and sexual exploitation in these neighborhoods due to a lack of strict norms.

Thus, expressive individualism, while freeing moral norms, hurts the poorest of our society who rely on moral norms to maintain their economically struggling family.

Moreover, this expressive individualism fuels identity politics, in which individuals emphasize their differences and distinctiveness from everyone else, dividing Americans into categories based on race, class, and gender. Take, for example, a white working class man who focuses on his distinct white identity and tends to group himself primarily with whites.

The result is a group characterized by a difference, leaving it unable to relate to the rest of society. Such a situation is present at Stuyvesant: many tend to identify with those who share a similar race

The paradigm of decentralization would tackle these problems by promoting local solidarity and cohesion. This model mitigates the effects of social decay and division not by federal consolidation, but by inviting individuals to be active members of their local communities. In other words, this model does not ask what government should do to create social cohesion, but rather asks what

fracturing society. Many social conservatives, alarmed at the astounding rate of moral decay, are determined to institute their views at the federal level by primarily overturning Roe v.

Wade, the Supreme Court case which legalized abortions until three months, and Obergefell, the case that declared same-sex marriage a civil right.

A paradigm of decentralization would recommend that in-

Expressive individualism, while freeing moral norms, hurts the poorest of our society who rely on moral norms to maintain their economically struggling family.

you should do. You should join Red Cross. You should join your community board. You should get more involved in church or synagogue. You should spend more time with your family and neighbors.

To be sure, these mediating institutions exist. There are healthy families in the U.S., particularly within immigrant and religious groups. There are civic organizations committed to making n e i g h b o rh o o d s safe, raisi n g t h e

stead of abstracting their moral vision to the federal level, social conservatives would do best by living out their morals of strong families, faith, hope, love, and charity locally. For example, a pastor and a group of parents can commit to building a church together, devoting themselves to healing their hurting neighborhoods by encouraging stable marriages, supporting struggling families, and healing drug addiction. By adopting this paradigm, social conservatives can foster subcultures that invite those broken and hurting due to poverty, crime, and exploitation to a richer view of humanity, improving our society.

In this way, a decentralization model resists the temptation to create a mainstream conservative culture from

Yujie Fu / The Spectator

or religion, creating cliques and clubs that are separated from the rest of the school.

Emphasizing differences and overturning cultural norms leads to a loss of cohesion within communities. People are less inclined to identify with their neighbors and rally around them in times of crisis. In his book, “Bowling Alone,” sociologist Robert Putnam documents this loss of social cohesion by noting the loss of membership in civic organizations such as religious groups, labor unions, Parent Teacher Associations, Red Cross, and Boy Scouts.

members of a group different, fighting for special recognition, benefits, and standing. The decentralization model seeks to create communities that embody universal human truths and virtues that are best for everyone. Truths like the importance of family and virtues like selflessness, prudence, hope, faith, and love. Cultivating these virtues within us, our friends, and family creates communities

poor, defending the weak, and fighting addictions.

There are religious groups that, from faith, do good works to improve the lives of those around. There are schools that build character and teachers committed to fostering passion in their students. Organization like Food Bank NYC or Big Brothers and Sisters of NY do excellent work renewing our community.

Today, most political activists want to use the federal government to address our

a fracturing culture, similar to what happened in the ‘50s, by focusing on specific communities. It also resists expressive individualism by fostering social groups that involve dependence on those around you and are orientated toward human flourishing.

Moreover, this paradigm offers an insightful alternative to identity politics. Identity politics tends to highlight what makes

that are diverse and united.

My immigrant culture, for example, immersed in American values, has resulted in me embodying the universal virtues of fortitude and perseverance.

Consequently, I am able to unite myself with my neighbors since they also share those virtues. I retain my identity as an immigrant, but also use it as a point of embrace rather than exclusion.

This approach works by finding points of commonality between people and using them as starting points for genuine relationships and groups. These groups would involve people who share different backgrounds, but also be unified in that they are driven by something that transcends their differences. A good example is the very Red Cross in our school. Its members are of different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds, but all are united in their commitment to community renewal.

As espoused in this and the previous article, the decentralization paradigm seeks to fix the social a n d economic architecture of the country through empowering mediating institutions. As government funnels its resources to the local level instead of the federal and removes bottlenecks to economic mobility, individuals create new communities that embody universal virtues benefiting the entire community.

I have proposed a formal solution to our problems. However, I have not offered a material solution.

That is, I have given a structure, but I have yet to fill that structure with the right beliefs and presumptions about reality.

What exactly are these universal truths and virtues? What is good? What is justice? Now, it is to these larger questions of morality, good, justice, and virtue that I turn.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

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Opinions

By JANE RHEE and ELIZA SPINNA Texas State Representative Betty Brown raised a furor when she addressed voter identification legislation in 2009. She told Ramey Ko, a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans, that voting could be made “a lot easier for [Asian-Americans] and poll workers [...] if [AsianAmericans] could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with.”

In this statement, Brown made her stance on “non-American” names clear. For one thing, her use of the word “American” implies that someone who does not have a name such as John, Mary, or Bill cannot be considered a “true” American. She also suggests that a name is just a word, something that you fill out on forms to identify yourself, without any deeper meaning. Yet Brown is mistaken on both counts.

Every year on the first day of school, many teachers preface their first roll call with an apology for “butchering” names. In one hand, they hold the attendance sheet, and in the other, a pencil to mark down the five or six students whose names they will ultimately shorten, simplify, or change completely. Brown would likely support this practice, claiming it is more about generating efficiency than forcing immigrants to assimilate.

However, this practice is more appropriately attributed to subconscious biases. Forcibly changing immigrants’ names or calling them insensitive terms is a common manifestation of these biases, which are usually never explicitly vocalized but rather implied. When people are exposed to attitudes from a young age that tell them that being a white American is “normal” and that being an immigrant is not, they

What’s Your (American) Name? tend to believe them.

But if the United States is built on a combination of immigrant cultures, it is irrational to encourage people to completely leave behind their culture, starting with their names, in order to become more “American.” While immigrants have historically changed their names, the classroom should not be reminiscent of Ellis Island, where families were forced or heavily encouraged to change their names by immigration officers.

Even those who do adopt a new culture, however, are ridiculed.

Terms like “banana” and “twinkie,” which are used to describe Asian-Americans who are deemed too white in the way they act, while too Asian in their traditions and heritage, are derogatory and backwards, and prove that it is impossible for immigrants to win the namegame.

culture being widely celebrated at Stuyvesant, students still feel pressured to leave behind part of their identity.

Some students believe that name-changing is convenient for their teachers and peers and are not troubled by the pressure

apparently more popular option.

On the other hand, other students are upset by this practice.

They dislike the pressure they experience to change their names, viewing it as a way of subconsciously pushing the idea that anything foreign is unwelcome.

A junior, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “I never go up to a teacher on the first day and give them a nickname. I’ll only give them one if they ask.” He went on to explain, “It’s like I’m a different person at school than at home [when my teachers ask me to use a nickname, because] my family and friends all call me by my real name.”

Often, these students aren’t vocal about their dislike of some teachers’ name-changing because it is brushed aside as a trivial problem. When asked if he had talked to his teachers about this, the junior said, “I don’t think they care about [my name] either

Karen Lai / The Spectator

On paper, official name change requests in New York City have been declining. Douglas S. Massey, a Princeton University sociologist, attributes the trend to a wave in immigration and the Civil Rights Movement, calling them catalysts for “group pride.”

However, not much has changed within the classrooms of Stuyvesant High School. Despite Asian

to change their names. “I have a Chinese name, but I choose not to use it because it is impractical to remember and say,” sophomore Kevin Zhang said. “I’m not at all bothered by the fact that I am encouraged to use my English name.” Zhang treats the issue matter-of-factly: there is a demand for using one name over the other, and thus he chose the

way.” In many cases, students feel like changing their name means changing who they’re supposed to present themselves as, while “some teachers use names as just a temporary word, nothing else,” he said.

Some students even consider changing their names legally.

Sophomore Rohan Ahammed, frustrated that many of his teach-

Jessica Wu/ The Spectator

The Dangers of White Activism

By MATTEO WONG “What Chinese people need to do is speak up.” My friend, who is white, gives me a long, serious stare. He sees nothing wrong with his words. “I’ve been studying Mandarin for five years,” he continues. “I know what I’m saying.”

But he doesn’t. He doesn’t understand that “speak up” implies that Chinese people are submissive by nature, or that speaking Chinese doesn’t translate into the experience of being told to open your eyes.

I don’t claim to be an authority of Chinese-American communities; I’m half Italian. However, I have experienced severe racism, and as a result I identify as a person of color. Moving toward racial justice and discussing what race

means in America have become central to my life.

Often, I find my white friends trying to lead these discussions.

They usually have good intentions and are never trying to be malicious. Nonetheless, there is a barrier between us, as white people can’t fully understand the experience of being racialized. As a result, good-intentioned white people are often inadvertently destructive in trying to become involved in the struggles of people of color.

Misunderstandings between white people and people of color are a huge source of the problem.

When trying to do good, white people will unintendedly reproduce racism. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” by Harriet Beecher Stowe, is often cited as playing a major role in promoting anti-slavery sentiments, and it was written by a white woman. However, the novel also reinforces sweeping generalizations about blacks, from being emotional and childlike to more overtly racist stereotypes, like the “pickaninny” and “Uncle Tom.” Stowe’s book, which was widely read and very influential, had a huge impact on how white Americans viewed black people and helped fuel racist attitudes following the end of slavery.

Some would argue that there are sensitive, intelligent white people who have brought about positive changes. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” for instance, is cited to show how Beecher Stowe

understood the struggles of slaves and her book was necessary to abolish slavery. White allies, or so the argument goes, can bring the oppression of people of color into the public eye and are necessary to implement reforms. Often, this is not the case, such as in the case of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Even if a white person creates a change, the underlying message is that people of color need white allies, establishing a new racial hierarchy in which people of color have a debt of gratitude toward whites.

Movements like Black Lives Matter are criticized for being overly disruptive in their protests and needing the guidance of white outsiders; such criticism paints minority-based movements as inferior.

Moreover, the efforts of white activists tend to accomplish very little. Despite this, white people still view themselves as champions of racial justice to justify their privilege. The campaign “KONY 2012,” for instance, was led by the activist group Invisible Children, which was headed by a white male. They had an admirable goal, to bring down the warlord Joseph Kony, but their campaign failed and missed many of the systemic problems in Uganda, such as poverty, which are unrelated to Kony. However, by publishing a video on the internet and pasting posters throughout the country, white activists made themselves feel better about their privilege without taking any real

action. The message was, “We have done our part; we are no longer complicit with racism.”

But Invisible Children has done close to nothing since the KONY 2012 campaign, and the state of Ugandan affairs has not improved.

Furthermore, when speaking about the oppression of people of color, white people have no personal connection to the pain.

Instead, they appropriate the suffering of marginalized groups to serve their own goals. When Trayvon Martin was killed, Eve Ensler published “Boys With Tender Hearts and Big Dreams in Their Hoodies,” comparing her struggles as a white woman to the shooting and using the article to promote her personal organization, One Billion Rising. She took the death of a black person and used it to fundraise and focus people’s attention on white problems.

I do not claim to understand the pain of the black community. I am half-Chinese and half-Italian.

The racism I have faced is distinct from that faced by Chinese and African Americans. However, I do understand the pain they feel, and I know what it’s like to speak out against racism: it is extremely difficult. When people of color fight for racial justice, they engage in a collective struggle.

Though Chinese Americans and blacks have different experiences, we can identify with each other’s stories.

ers refused to learn to pronounce his Bengali last name, has “seriously considered legally changing last names, or converting it into a more pronounceable version,” he said. He ultimately decided against it, however, because he wanted to retain his cultural heritage—his name is a reminder of his family’s background.

The pressure to name-change, whether it is explicitly stated (a teacher asking for an “easier” name to use) or subconsciously expressed (a teacher calling on students with “easier” names more frequently) often affects how comfortable immigrants feel in the classroom.

Every student has the right to feel comfortable in class and the freedom to choose what they are called. This is not to discourage Asians or anyone else from using a different name if it is their genuine desire to do so, but it should be a socially and academically acceptable option to retain one’s given name. In many cases, students simply feel as if they have no choice. That freedom to choose should be restored.

Additionally, teachers should be discouraged from assigning Western-sounding nicknames just to make things “easier to deal with” because it’s disrespectful to the student and his or her culture.

They should be actively making an effort to pronounce all names correctly, even if that means carefully and respectfully talking to a student after class about the correct pronunciation of his or her name.

When teachers take the step towards creating a more inclusive environment through simply trying harder to know and pronounce names, they project the idea that everyone is welcome to participate. While this will not reverse implicit biases that people have grown up with, it is a step towards making Stuyvesant a less racially divided place.

White people cannot. They can read long lists about racist atrocities, whether it be the death of Trayvon Martin or Vincent Chin, without pain, and without memories of past racism rising up. White people can self-reflexively acknowledge their privilege, claim that they have aided antiracist struggles, and then stop before taking any steps toward material change. People of color cannot afford to do nothing.

What, then, can white people do? Acknowledging privilege is important, but it is only the first of many steps. White people should not be entering the spaces of people of color and proclaiming their ideas. Instead, they should move out of the way, and listen to what people of color have to say.

They can raise awareness of racism within white communities, but not outside of them. For instance, a white person attending a Black Lives Matter rally should listen and try to expand their perspective, but not speak with any sort of authority.

Though I identify as a person of color, I am also half-white. I know my place is not to lead racial justice conversations, but to aid them; my place is to try to relate my experience to my white friends and get angry when they are inadvertently racist; my place is to listen to other people of color and relate my experience to theirs, so I can help fight against the racism that pervades our lives.

Page 22

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Page 24

Arts and Entertainment Representation Insights

By Shruthi Venkata Senegal has introduced to me an entirely different lifestyle: of teranga (hospitality), togetherness, and flexibility. I’ve learned some Wolof (the most widely spoken local language) and immensely improved my French. I’ve made excellent culinary discoveries, from thieboudieune (fish and rice) to maffe (a peanut sauce, often with okra, served with rice and meat) to ngalakh (a cold soup with peanuts, coconut, and bananas). I’ve had the hit songs “Be Careful” by Youssou N’dour and “Wuyuma” by Viviane stuck in my head for weeks.

I visited the largest mosque in West Africa in Touba for the annual holiday Grand Magal on November 19 to commemorate the marabout Serigne Touba (a religious leader for the Mourides, a populous sect of Islam in Senegal) and others, and walked among disguised children in the street on Tamkharit, the Muslim new year.

And it troubles me to think that, if I hadn’t come here, I might have gone on for years without knowing 90 percent of what I just discussed.

If we take the average American adult, as I say based on the experience I had when sharing the news of my exchange, they most likely wouldn’t know where Senegal is (it’s the westernmost country, in the north of sub-Saharan Africa) if they even know it’s a country in Africa.

Senegal’s misrepresentation comes mainly from its absence in American education and media.

You probably know the general whereabouts of Luxembourg despite its tiny area and population of 543,000 people, but knowing about Senegal, a country of 14.3 million people, is another story.

You might be able to identify a French name, but if you heard “Mame Diarra Bousso Niang,” you’d probably have no idea about its origin.

Senegal has practically no mention in American history books. Why should I know that under the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the oprichniki carried dog’s heads, if I may have graduated from high school not knowing

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Greene works for Google’s Computer Science Education in Media team, where she strives to change the narrative of computer science as it pertains to women and girls, black people, Latinx, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented communities.

She set out to do “something big and beyond the status quo.”

In the first episode Sabrina Harris, an ambitious, but slightly awkward black woman played by Maya Washington (Youtube sensation ShamelessMaya), moves in with a group of young coders to the “God Complex,” a luxury

By Forgetting About Senegal, We’re Missing Out

that the language Wolof, which is the majority language among many Senegalese languages (Pular, Serer, etc,), exists in the present day? Ignoring these millions is an injustice done to them and to us alike.

One could argue that Senegal hasn’t played a large role in world history, but it’s important to remember its history of colonization (by France until the late 20th century) and its role in the slave exchange (i.e. from Gorée Island in Senegal, slaves from all over West Africa were exported to Europe and the Americas due to it being one of the westernmost points of Africa, its proximity to the

Christine Jegarl / The Spectator

Americas and Europe, and its shark-infested waters to keep slaves from escaping).

The lack of knowledge is a problem, but a relatively minor one. The problem is that when people don’t know, they surmise its image from an extremely incomplete image of Africa existing in the media. A few days ago, a friend asked me what Dakar was like, and said he imagined a savannah with animals walking around behind me. It becomes ingrained in the mind when parents say, “There are starving children in Africa.” There are starving children in Africa—and also in the United States—but, needless to say, that would be the wrong image of a continent of over 50 economically and culturally diverse countries.

People always asked before I went if I would have WiFi and how technology would be here. Most families have normal WiFi just like in the United States. Senegalese alumni of the Kennedy-Lugar YES exchange program were Senegalese students placed in cities

and towns across the U.S. While there, they had been asked where in the country of Africa they were from and if they lived in a normal house, because an image of huts and farms came to mind.

There are huts and farms—in the interior villages, as in many other small villages around the world—but Dakar is a pretty normal city with restaurants and cafés, hectic roads, colorful public transportation (i.e. TATA, Dakar Dem Dikk, Car Rapides), large signs and lit billboards, and businesses open all day and night.

While, unlike New York, it has palm trees, sand everywhere, incredible heat, sheep in the street, little traffic control (very few walk signs and traffic lights or even stop signs), a litter problem, and a friendlier social dynamic despite its large population, the cities feel comparable.

While Africa has an image of widespread poverty in the media, that doesn’t apply so much to Dakar. In fact, it’s much less likely that anyone will go hungry with the one-for-all, familial attitude and eagerness to welcome people into their home.

The quantitative economy of a country, per capita income, and measures of development are what many people here consider an Occidental value that cannot be an accurate way to represent them.

When everyone has this idea of the entirety of Africa, that carries onto their interactions with Africans, whether it be simple, ignorant remarks said to the children of Senegalese immigrants, or harmful decisions like investing less in Senegalese businesses.

The notion of a uniform Africa needs to be destroyed, because that generalization couldn’t be falser—it’s as diverse as the other continents in language, culture, economy, religion, and more.

While it’s nearly impossible to effortlessly see the accurate image of Africa in American media, it’s important to take the initiative to find it and to give African news, literature, music, and culture its fair share of attention, whether it’s reading an article on mbalax dance, or choosing books from the Movement of the Negritude for pleasure reading.

Album Review of “A Seat at the Table”

by Solange

By Karen Chen

Sit, Listen, and Observe “A Seat at the Table”

Solange is not the same as her sister. In the Solange-Beyoncé dynamic duo, Solange is Beyoncé’s stylistic opposite, a breath of subtlety and richness in contrast to Beyoncé’s immense power and pop. While Beyoncé constantly places herself in the spotlight, Solange often goes overlooked.

But, having grown up together, both advocate for the same ideals, from feminism to black lives.

After her second EP, “True” (2012), many believed Solange was marking the end of her music career and turning to focus on other endeavors such as her black culture blog, Saint Heron.

However, in her third full album released on September 30, 2016, “A Seat at the Table,” Solange redefines herself as an artist and brings her black culture and experiences to light through what seems to be a series of monologues and conversations set to music, as if you were sitting at the table, discussing with her.

In comparison to “True,” Solange brings a new sense of focus to her work. Every song is crafted with a purpose. Her soulfunk sound seeps consistently through each song through her slow, heavy background synth and bass beats in accompanied by light, jazz-like piano elements.

Her airy voice allows for a mysterious healing power in her music as she explores the confusion and reality of being a black woman in today’s society.

Her album is its own work of art, as she depicts a series of journeys. Beginning with “Rise,” which establishes a meditative trance in the lyrics, “Fall in your way, so you can wake up and rise,” Solange transitions into the more existentialist thoughts of “Weary,” crooning, “I’m going look for my body…

And do you belong?” before

dispassionately singing of the distractions she undertook to avoid what she would learn to be unavoidable pain, having “slept it away, sexed it away, read it away” in “Cranes in the Sky.” Dispersed throughout her own personal testaments of pain, Solange includes clips of her family and friends speaking about their raw experiences, which she titles as “Interludes.” Her father tells of having been one of the first black students to attend a school in the South with the threat of the KKK, getting spit on when entering, having felt “lost and angry for years.” Solange weaves such moments into her album effortlessly, building off recurring themes of anger and misunderstandings.

Her pain is further highlighted as she ends lines pointing out the specifics of the black struggle on strained, high notes, but through such clear expressions of emotion, the background instrumentals drain out, and what lingers in your mind is her voice speaking such essential messages.

From detailing microaggressions to dismantling “White Lives Matter” rhetoric, Solange’s album serves as a form of a documentary not only for her family’s struggle, but for the general black community’s struggle. In “Interlude: This Moment,” Devonte Hynes states, “If you don’t understand us and understand what we’ve been through, then you probably wouldn’t understand what this moment is about,” reminding the listener of one of the purposes of Solange’s album—to raise awareness.

In the turmoil this year has generated, Solange’s “A Seat at the Table” brings a personal element to the political chaos with a soothing call to see the crude reality.

Fahim Rahman / The Spectator

Google Web Series “God ComplX” Makes History With Diverse CS Nerd Representation apartment on L.A.’s Silicon Beach.

The wordplay in the title and the apartment’s nickname is derived from the term “God Complex,” a common way to describe coders who believe their God-like computer powers make them feel more powerful than they actually are.

Reid Masterson—the apartment’s owner and an arrogant, but insecure white man—closely matches the traditional image of a coder. He would probably fit right in with the cast of HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” unlike Sabrina and her roommates, including an interracial lesbian couple and a black Muslim man trying to keep his charity app afloat.

While the plot focuses on the unlikely romance between Sabrina and Reid, one of

the show’s best qualities is how it subtly promotes diversity in the tech industry. In “God ComplX,” it’s normal for women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people to work in the tech world.

Washington and the rest of the carefully chosen cast shot the entire series for only six days at Youtube Space L.A. The closeness that emerged from a cast and crew on such a tight shooting schedule showed in their chemistry

Yujie Fu / The Spectator

on screen. Together, they made something revolutionary.

In an interview with director Morenike Joela over Instagram, she said, “We didn’t base our casting all on racial stereotypes or identity, but instead on the personality of the character. Instead of ‘white, blonde mid 20’s,’ we listed characteristics: eccentric, insecure, shy, aloof. Other than our main two characters, all others were listed as ‘any race.’ This opened the door for actors who would or could respond to the casting call.”

Such casting proved effective. I was lucky enough to attend the private screening of “God ComplX” at Google’s NYC Headquarters in October along with high school students from local non-profit organizations like Black Girls Code and Black Girls Rock. All of us, no matter what we were interested in, were inspired and enamoured with the idea of pursuing computer entrepreneurship that night.

This web series could not be more relevant to our school.

Stuyvesant prides itself in its computer science community, but, up until two years ago, every computer science teacher was a white male. (While still all white, there are two women now.) Boys also still outnumber girls in the higher-level computer science classes.

The message in “God CompleX” is one we should all be wary of.

“I want young girls to know that they can pursue any career that they’re passionate about and not be intimidated if it’s a predominately male career,” Joela said. “I’m one of few women directors and am able to work with the best of them. People may doubt you, but don’t doubt yourself. Show them what you’re made of and they will change the way they think because you were so awesome at your job!”

Warning: The cliffhanger ending of Episode 10 will both shock you and obliterate you emotionally.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 25

Arts and Entertainment “Vietgone,” A Love Story Defying Asian Stereotypes

Theater Review of “Vietgone”

By Winnie Kong Most of Stuyvesant was in class. The rest—English teacher Sophie Oberfield and her two Asian American Literature classes—were off to to see “Vietgone,” written by Qui Nguyen, at the Manhattan Theatre Club.

Nguyen is known for his unique use of pop culture and multimedia in his works, as revealed in his award-winning plays, “She Kills Monster” and “Soul Samurai.” However, his recent play “Vietgone” is different.

It is a war story overshadowed by a love story.

“Vietgone” obtained its title through a paronomasia of “Viet Cong,” the North Vietnamese Communists, and it takes place in the year 1975 during the fall of Saigon, the rise of the Viet Cong, and the increase of refugees in America. Five actors are casted to play 18 different characters.

We are told at the beginning of the play by the character playing the playwright, Qui Nguyen, (Paco Tolson) that “Vietgone” is a story about a “completely made up man,” Quang, and a “completely not-real woman,” Tong.

However, it is a true story of how Nguyen’s parents met.

Then, the actors appear.

Nguyen introduces us to the different styles and syntaxes of English that will be used in play.

Quang (Raymond Lee) and Tong

(Jennifer Ikeda), the main protagonists, will speak in fluent English with some slang.

As a play about the Vietnamese people, some characters speak with the stereotypical broken English with heavy accents.

The Americans, or the white people, continuously spurt out random and what are often regarded as classic American words: “Yee-haw! Get ’er done!

Cheeseburger, waffle fries, cholesterol!”

While not historically accurate, Nguyen uses this technique to place Western and Asian identities on the same pedestal, since the white characters are also incapable of forming coherent sentences in English.

The first scene opens soon after the explanation.

Quang and his best friend Nhan (Jon Hoche), are on a motorcycle heading to California and making their plan of going back home to Vietnam a reality.

The chronology then reverses to illustrate the events leading up to the present moment, starting in the mid-

dle of the Vietnam War, where Quang is a South Vietnamese pilot and Tong works for the American Embassy, with both of their occupations allowing them to escape and be relocated to the same refugee camp in America.

The love story between Quang and Tong unfolds when he comes to her room looking for her mother, but the love story ends up being lust at first sight when she asks him to take off his clothes. Tong does not embody the stereotype of the submissive Asian woman, and instead flaunts her sex drive. Quang and Tong continue to hook up, but Tong makes their relationship just about sexual pleasure, a way to erase the pain and guilt she feels for leaving her brother in Vietnam.

Carrie Ou / The Spectator

It is strictly lust until Quang declares his love for her. By having Tong reject him, tell him that love is “bullshit,” while simultaneously beginning to rap about her childhood and what it means to be a “girl” and “woman” in Vietnam, Nguyen is able to insert commentary on the representation of women in Asian culture.

In an intense scene, Quang and a Redneck Biker (Paco Tolson) end up in a fight, where they “go full-on kung fu madness on each other,” and Quang defeats the biker and his backup ninjas.

To highlight such action, Nguyen utilizes visual art resembling pop art in the set. During the fight, a projection of comic book illustration of the fight plays in the background, exaggerating both characters’ movements.

Nguyen ends “Vietgone” with the playwright and his parents (Quang and Tong) in old age. The playwright asks his father (Quang) to tell him about the Viet Cong and the Vietnam War. At first, his father refuses to

talk about it, saying that it is better to forget. When the question of whether American contribution to the Vietnam War was a wasted effort is asked, it forces the audience to realize that there is another side to every historical event. Quang speaks about how, because of the Americans, he is alive, and that any effort isn’t a wasted effort.

“Vietgone” conveys to its audience that being a refugee and an immigrant can be heartbreaking and despairing at times.

However, through letting go and finding love, one will keep thriving and continue to live their life to the fullest. “Vietgone” is a play that denies Asian stereotypes and stresses the fact that Asians, too, can be and are sexy, powerful, and dominant.

As an Asian American, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by the roles each actor played. The entertainment industry continously desexualizes Asian men and still casts white actors to play people of color.

Asians are exploited by Hollywood, cast as the stereotypical immigrants speaking broken English, while Caucasians are romanticized and considered desirable and sexy.

However, “Vietgone” proves these standards wrong, featuring Asian leads being just as capable and competent as white leads.

Get a Life: The Cultured Edition

Events Calendar ONGOING

10

Saturday

Art Show “Kerry James Marshall: Mastry” @ The Met Breuer

Concert “15th Annual NewSong Music Showcase & Competition Finals” @ David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center

Art Show “Francis Picabia: Our Heads are Round so Our Thoughts can Change Direction” @ Museum of Modern Art

Festival “The Great Northeast Cheese Fest” @ Flushing Town Hall

play “A Christmas Carol” @ Merchant’s House Museum

18

13

Tuesday

sunday

Film Screening “Collateral Beauty” @ Select Theaters

“Unsilent Night” “Collateral Beauty” @ Washington Square Park

Pop-up Market “Columbus Circle Holiday Market” @ Columbus Circle Play “Party People” @ Anspacher Theater until 12/11/2016 Concert “Mariah Carey, All I Want for Christmas is You” @ Beacon Theater until 12/17/2016

december

Art Show “The Art of the Qur’an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts” @ Arthur M. Sackler Gallery ART SHOW “A Revolutionary Impulse: The Rise of the Russian Avant-Garde” @ Museum of Modern Art

16

friday

Art Show “Marilyn Minter: Pretty/Dirty” @ Brooklyn Museum Art Show “Pipilotti Rist: Pixel Forest” @ New Museum Play “Dead Poets Society” @ Classic Stage Company until 12/18/2016 Ballet “Nutcracker at the New York City Ballet” @ David H. Koch Theater

9

Friday

Art Party “Unravel” @ The Whitney Museum of American Art

11

Sunday

Concert “Merry Tuba Christmas” @ Dante Park

Film Screening “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” @ Select Theaters

21

wednesday

Film Screening “Sing” @ Select Theaters Film Screening “Assassin’s Creed” @ Select Theaters Film Screening: “Passengers” @ Select Theaters

Page 26

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Arts and Entertainment Film Review

of “Hacksaw ridge”

By tj westfall Mortars blast behind you as you weave your way through bullets to screams of pain from across the battlefield. You hastily step on the helmets of your fallen brothers, diving into a gray, bloodstained trench. “Medic, you gotta get me out of here. I’ll make it,” one soldier says as you realize both his legs are gone. As you give him a shot of morphine, more screams for a medic pierce the bullet-filled air, and you shake your head. “You’ll be okay,” you whisper, and leave for the next soldier.

A scene like this accurately portarys the gravity of war, and Mel Gibson’s back to make it happen. Gibson’s latest film “Hacksaw Ridge” is a dramatized version of the true story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a conscientious objector who joins the army due to his conflicting views of violence and patriotism. With the rest of the army looking down

Theater Review of “The Every 28

Hours” Plays

By Eliana Kavouriadis A man lists names of the people of color who were killed by law enforcement. The list seems to go on forever, and each new name is recited with equal weight. Some names, like Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, and Tamir Rice, have become household names. Others are less well-known to the American public. Some names remain entirely unknown, and are instead acknowledged among the “unknown tens of thousands, unknown hundreds of thousands, unknown millions” whose deaths have gone unnoticed by the public eye.

A chorus of voices cries “unknown” sporadically from all sides of the stage, creating an eerie image of the invisible deaths that occur approximately every 28 hours. Amidst the overlap of names and “unknowns” cried from every corner of the stage, someone cries, “WILL THIS EVER F-ING STOP?!”

This is the question that the “Every 28 Hours” plays chooses to end on. The performance’s powerful, empowering send-off is a final reminder that the purpose of these plays is not to entertain, but to educate. The 80 oneminute plays portray a variety of scenarios with a focus on police brutality.

The featured plays were written by prominent playwrights and activists from around the country who are active in the Black Lives Matter movement. Since the writers come from a variety of regional, cultural, and professional backgrounds, each play is unique in its structure, tone, and content.

“Every 28 Hours” was first performed in Ferguson, Missouri— the town where Mike Brown was killed—and it continues to be performed by theatre companies and activist groups around the country.

The plays, divided into nine acts of seven or eight plays each, cover a wide range of topics, some of which are heavier than others. A play depicting microaggressions could be followed by a play of an innocent man getting tortured and murdered by the police. Also, some plays are more dialogue-driven than others, and

Mel Gibson Brings out Brutality of War (and Racism) with “Hacksaw Ridge”

on him, Doss stands by his pacifist ideals against the threat of imprisonment, and eventually is led into World War II as an unarmed combat medic.

The pacing of the film was unremarkable at best. The film opens with a gory five-minute war scene that sets up the viewers for the rest of the film, but it follows it up with an hour of pre-war drudgery. Gibson stuffs a bunch of film genres into this hour of screen time, taking cliché romance and childhood memories and placing it with court trial drama questioning Doss’ unusual combination of ideals. When Doss is finally shipped off to Hacksaw Ridge, Gibson gets the chance to do what he’s known to do. He relentlessly throws scene after scene of carnage on the screen, with Doss scurrying in between trying to save people.

Garfield’s portrayal of Doss was a refreshing change after being associated with SpiderMan for so long. The southern accent, filled with stammering

Sarah Chen/ The Spectator

and smiles, was unexpected, but made sense after an interview of Desmond Doss himself before the credits. Garfield does an excellent job pushing the reality of Doss’ heroic feat, forcing the viewer to constantly remember that this story happened just 70 years ago. Doss isn’t some sort of superhuman that saves the world from disaster. Rather, he’s just an everyday man who bravely sticks to his values both on and off the

battlefield. Garfield pulls this off well, playing an awkward but resilient young man hammered by the cruelty of war.

Though Gibson does a decent job at fleshing out the characters prior to the war, he doesn’t omit the racism felt by wartime America towards the Japanese. The nameless enemies that scream battle cries as they charge into the American forces? Japanese soldiers. Also, Gibson omits any sort of Japanese personification, save for the end of the film when the Japanese leaders commit suicide after their defeat. Gibson treats the Japanese as a sort of nameless mass, an invasion of savages that the Americans must face off.

One of the defeated soldiers from a previous failed attack on Hacksaw Ridge tells Doss’ force that the Japanese are “animals,” and that they’re almost impossible to kill. It’s true that racism was widespread during the war and Gibson had a right to put it in the film, but “Hacksaw Ridge” represents the Japanese as too inhuman for

a true story.

Gibson’s portrayal of the Japanese in “Hacksaw Ridge” is over-the-top, but it doesn’t detract from the overall viewing experience. It’s important to keep in mind that the time this story takes place is during World War II, when tensions with the Japanese were extremely high in America.

With internment camps detaining the Japanese during the events of Hacksaw Ridge, it makes sense for Gibson to make the characters act this way toward them. Viewers might be shocked by the characters’ treatment of the Japanese, and rightfully so.

But, in his classic “I don’t care” way of directing, its clear that Gibson went straight for what he wanted in the film, sticking to the realm of “based on a true story” as closely as possible . Regardless, it’s a relief to see that after his unsightly, drunken behavior years before, he’s ready to redeem himself, and Hacksaw Ridge is a good start.

Every 28 Hours: Using Theatre as a Mobilizing Platform a few even have comedic elements.

One of the funnier moments of the show is in “The Gray Area”

by Chisa Hutchinson, a Black Lives Matter protester asks an advocate of All Lives Matter movement “Do you crash wellattended funerals and shout ‘ALL DEATHS MATTER’?”

However, another play, “Inheritance” by Elaine Romero, is a dark slam poem about police brutality in the Latin American community that contains bone-chilling lines like, “There’s Indian in my veins. I know because I was raised in an ocean of tears.”

The stark contrast in the tone and style of each piece makes for many awkward transitions, but the underlying purpose and meaning in each play remains uniform.

Although each play has a slightly different message and stylistic intent, they all share one common goal: communicating the problem in our justice system by amplifying voices that are often silenced.

Every play in “Every 28 Hours” is a piece of artwork being put to a greater purpose by propelling the message of the Black Lives Matter movement. Each of these plays showcases the personal, emotional elements of stories that usually get little to no recognition beyond a brief statistical mention in the news. We see these stories in the context of people’s everyday lives, from the woman who frantically tells her son to stay away from playing with toy guns to the woman who watches her friend get shot by a policeman.

From the directorial choices made in the New York showcase at the Labyrinth Theatre on November 7, it was evident that there were efforts to connect with the audience on a personal level.

The plays were staged in a small, intimate theater with few, if any, set pieces. Audience members sat on all four sides of the room.

None of the actors wore costumes. Instead, they work their casual, everyday clothes to bridge the gap between the actors and the audience members. Whether or not one was a performer was unimportant, because first and foremost, everyone in the room was participating in the fight for justice.

The acting, too, felt intimate due to the nature of the tight per-

Vivian Lu / The Spectator

formance space and the heavy material the script dealt with. The actors were unpaid, and most of them volunteered because of their passion and dedication to the movement. This passion was evident in their performances, as the acting was effective in conveying the message and nature of every play.

Not only was the acting itself personal and resonant with the audience, but after the show, the actors stepped beyond the realm of acting to administer a discussion with the audience about the issue and the movement.

Everyone was first asked to talk to the person next to him or

her, actors and audience members intermingling. One man talked to me of the crippling fear of the police pervading his community, and how he regularly hears horror stories of people being tortured or shot. A 91-yearold man told me that he had seen a lot of change in his lifetime, and that he hoped that this movement will one day make immense change as many others have before it.

Soon, the floor shifted to people who had lost their loved ones to law enforcement. One audience member spoke of his 13-year-old son being shot while he was playing with an unrealistic toy gun. Although this happened over two decades ago, the father of the late boy told the story with fresh tears in his eyes.

“He was a good boy,” he choked, “honor roll and everything. And for him to just get shot like that.”

Several similar stories were told, and activists spoke of the importance of the movement to them. One activist shared her experiences with the police as a butch black woman. An actor shared an account of the paralyzing fear he felt when he was stopped and frisked for no legitimate reason.

The discussion further brought faces and stories to the facts, figures, and political statements that are associated with police brutality. The people dying are not numbers: they are friends, family members, and the future talent of this country. They are a reflection of you and me, yet they have been violently murdered by the very people supposed to protect them.

Due to the nature of race relations, non-black people often view the Black Lives Matter movement as far removed from their own lives. However, every person,

regardless of their race, is affected by racially-charged deaths at the hands of the police, because the tragedy of loss and brutal murder is universal. Moreover, sudden tragic deaths affect the entire communities of the people who were killed.

As powerful as the “Every 28 Hours” plays were, it was this discussion that truly created a palpable, mobilizing energy in the room. People cried for the losses of their loved ones and for the loved ones of the person next to them, and this vulnerability created a sense of togetherness among strangers.

After, I had a lengthy discussion of my own with an actress from the show. She told me how she prefers stage acting to film acting because when she stands onstage, she directly delivers the story to her audience. She likes to feel their energy and reactions to her performance as she is performing.

Her reason for choosing a career in stage acting over film acting rang especially true for this particular performance, where she was not only able to interact with an audience, but she was able to deliver a greater message.

She was able to cry out to her audience that something needs to be done about the hundreds of people falling victim to police brutality every year.

“Every 28 Hours” uses a theatrical platform to educate and mobilize people in the Black Lives Matter movement by bringing situations to life in a way that only theatre can do. Theatre also has the power to bring people closer together, and the “Every 28 Hours Plays” not only successfully utilizes that power, but it uses theatre to bring people closer to the movement.

When the final play ends with the rhetorical question “WILL THIS EVER F-ING STOP?!” It leaves the audience thinking. It leaves them toying with the question that is asked at every Black Lives Matter protest. It’s a question that, for now, has no concrete answer. The answer to the question lies in the will of the American people. Police brutality will continue for as long as the American people let it. It is up to us to end it.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 27

Arts and Entertainment of “Loving”

By Julia Arancio It’s a hot summer night in 1958 Virginia. Mildred and Richard Loving sit hand in hand on the ledge of their porch. Mildred slowly lays her head on Richard’s shoulder.

It’s a scene that’s endearing, but filled with conflicted emotions. There are crickets chirping in the background, but everything else is silent.

This is the opening scene of Jeff Nichols’s movie, “Loving,” starring Joel Edgerton as Richard and Ruth Negga as Mildred. Like the rest of the movie, this scene captures the quiet longing of Richard and Mildred’s love story.

The two are deeply in love and intend to marry at all costs, but there are many barriers in their way. Mildred is pregnant out of wedlock. Richard is poor and fatherless. Above all, Mildred is black and Richard is white, and they wish to marry in a state that embraces Jim Crow laws and marriage segregation.

Mildred and Richard decide to marry anyway. But they are arrested after their judge declares, “Almighty God created races white, black, yellow, malay, and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And, but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages.

The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” Soon, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) takes on their case and eventually brings it up to the Supreme Court.

Nichols does a stellar job as director. The movie is based on a

Television Review of ”Eyewitness”

By VictoriA Huang

Combine a triple homicide with unrequited love, and you get “Eyewitness,” a crime thriller released on October 16 through USA Network.

Although “Eyewitness” is based off a Norwegian show, “Øyevitne,” it has its own spin to it. Instead of the series taking place in Norway, it takes place in upstate New York, where city boy Philip Shea (Tyler Young) moves when former city cop Helen (Julianne Nicholson) adopts him.

There, he meets Lukas Waldenbeck (James Paxton), the high school golden boy, and they immediately hit it off. However, the plot thickens when they witness a triple homicide while getting intimate in a secluded cabin.

They manage to escape, but the murderer catches a glimpse of them. Because they’re both

Loving: When Race and Love Collide true story, and Nichols doesn’t allow any distractions to come in the way of his raw storytelling.

Nichols gives us just enough background to know what’s going on, but the history behind “Loving” is second to its themes. The movie is compelling because although it discusses important historical events, it doesn’t feel like a history lesson.

Quietness plays a large role in the movie. Nichols captures the quiet of a Virginia summer by having long periods of narrative with no dialogue. He fills this space with the sounds of a summer night, filled with crickets, wind, and trees rustling. He also uses the country stillness to show the simplicity of the Lovings’ love story. There is no flash to their lives, so there is no unnecessary action or dialogue.

Instead, the filmmaking mirrors the modesty of the Lovings life.

Nichols uses simplicity to show the Lovings were just two people who wanted to live their lives in peace.

Nichols also makes the choice to start the movie in the middle of the narrative. We enter right as Richard is about to propose to Mildred, and we get no background on how they met or why they started dating—creating a sense of curiosity.

Though we wonder how this odd relationship came to be and why Mildred and Richard stayed together for so long, we are forced to ignore our curiosity and just understand that their relationship exists and will continue because they love each other infinitely.

One of the most impressive aspects of Nichols’s directing is his ability to take the viewer back in time. The costumes and the sets are

incredibly detailed. Even the plates gether on their sofa, capturing a in the Lovings’ kitchen are relics of mundane moment filled with joy the 1960s. Although the design of and love. the movie is strong, it doesn’t call Throughout the movie, Nichattention to itself. It focuses on the ols zooms in on little moments little details, like the kitchen uten- that show the deep connection sils or the television programs on between the Lovings. They laugh TV. Like the rest of the movie, it has together. They sit in jail and cry a quiet strength to it. together. Richard’s arm is almost This attention to detail cre- always around Mildred, and she ates the sense of the rural calm in often sits on his lap and hugs him.

Virginia, but also feels the enor- They are almost always shown next mity of the Supreme Court case. to each other, and sometimes their The viewer is struck with a sense bodies are so close that they seem of uneasiness about the Lovings’ to merge into one. relationship. We root for them and Edgerton has an especially their love, but we can never quite standout performance. Richard is shake the feeling that somea bricklayer weighed down by the thing unorthodox responsibility of causing is stuck in their his family’s troubles. marriage. We Edgerton is constantly are placed in hunched over and his the shoes of eyes squint with a their neighguilty anxiety. bors and As their Sutheir fampreme Court ily, believcase draws ing there closer and is someattracts thing unsetmore and tling about more attheir intertention to racial relationtheir humble ship. lives, Edgerton Despite that, shows Richard’s the movie does a growing agitation Yujie Fu / The Spectator great job of making and his distrust of Richard and Mildred’s love story everyone he meets. honest. Richard shies away from Richard evolves from a loveany media attention and Mildred struck puppy dog to a defiant rebel is often shown performing normal to a depressed breadwinner unhousehold activities. til the case ends. The problem of One of the most compelling being able to provide for his famscenes in the movie is when a ily, legally and financially, clearly photographer from Life Magazine weighs on him. Richard sees the (Michael Shannon) spends a day racial problems that surround him with the Lovings. He photographs but he has no way to deal with them Mildred and Richard laughing to- and therefore feels responsible for

his inaction. All of these emotions are never outrightly stated and are instead conveyed through Edgerton’s subtle acting.

Arguably the stronger character, however, is Mildred. She lives as a housewife and is clearly fed up with being racially oppressed.

For a long time, however, she does nothing, feeling like she’s already stepped out of her place by marrying Richard. She is the more political of the two, and although she cares little about the racial issues outside of their household, she is the one who contacts the ACLU and arranges for their case to be heard.

Negga’s portrayal of Mildred is one of the most beautiful aspects of the movie. She says little but her big brown eyes convey profound emotion. Negga gives a real humanity to her character and shows her conflicted nature through small movements and telling expressions.

Perhaps the most striking aspects of the movie is how timeless it seems. Although the racial divisions seem distant from our daily lives, the love for another person and the desire to get married are overarching themes that impact all of us. This makes the Lovings’ love story immortal in its simplicity— it’s the story of two people who fall in love and face the roadblocks that try to prevent their future. It’s a classic love story, one with no borders, date, or race.

When their lawyer asked Richard if he had any messages to relay to the Supreme Court, he simply replies, “Tell them that I love my wife.”

Eyewitness: An Updated Twist on a Classic Thriller in the closet about their sexualities, the boys decide to keep this as their little secret. However, the murder eventually catches up to them when Helen, Philip’s adoptive mother, takes over the case.

Now, the boys have to deal with the pressure of knowing what really happened while also avoiding the killer.

The plot is compelling, but it lacks suspense. You already know who the murderer is, so the rest of the series is just a game of cat and mouse. The FBI can’t seem to catch the guy, and with each episode, they stray further and further away.

There are also many subplots that help contribute to the feeling of “Eyewitness” being a small town soap opera. One of the FBI agents’ sisters deals with her husband’s death at the cabin, and the show also explores the drama of drug dealing.

There is also the subplot concerning Helen and how she deals with being Philip’s new foster mother, as well as the subplot of how the murderer deals with the FBI. Although these plotlines involve different characters, they become intertwined and they all lead back to the big murder case.

While multiple subplots confuse the main plot, the quality of the acting makes up for it.

Paxton portrays the inner fight between his impulses to come out and being happy with Philip or to stay in the closet to save his reputation. His chemistry with Young onscreen is undeniable. You can feel their passion whenever they connect. When they cry, you want to cry; when they laugh, you want to laugh, too.

Something particularly special about “Eyewitness” is its use of calm scenery and faded, bleached colors. This helps shape the mood

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of a suburban, washed out town in the outskirts of New York City.

The most interesting part of the show is its LGBTQ+ representation. While primarily a crime and mystery drama, the series also centers around two gay teenagers. Philip wants to come out of the closet soon, but Lukas doesn’t, partly because of his homophobic father and also because of his popular status at high school.

Philip is prouder of his sexuality and hopelessly in love with Lukas, willing to do anything to help Lukas, who does not want to come out yet. This creates a wedge in their relationship. Add in the murder and their relationship becomes even more strained.

“Eyewitness” is different in that it shines the spotlight on Philip and Lukas instead of having them as a side plot to score representation brownie points.

It’s a relatable show for the

Fahim Rahman / The Spectator

Film Review

many teens currently closeted or struggling with their sexualities. It comforts them to know that there are other people dealing with similar struggles and raising awareness.

“Eyewitness” has all the elements of a classic rural crime drama, but takes a stance to show that the LGBTQ+ community should not be its own subgenre in the television industry, but instead be incorporated into any drama or comedy.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 28

Arts and Entertainment Theater Insights

By Nusheen Ghaemi Something unusual occurred in the Richard Rodgers Theatre on November 18.

Vice president-elect Mike Pence joined theatergoers to watch “Hamilton: An American Musical.”

Pence’s entrance was met with booing, clapping, but overwhelmingly booing, and the flash of cellphone cameras. After the show, the cast addressed Pence.

Pence began to exit the theater when cast member Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays vice president Aaron Burr in the play, stopped him and said, one VP to another, “Vice president-elect Mike Pence, we welcome you and truly thank you for joining us at ‘Hamilton: An American Musical.’”

It is not often that the cast of any musical or play will address an audience member so directly, especially one surrounded with so much controversy. Yet, the cast took that risk to share what it felt was an important message, and rightly so.

Dixon clarified before his speech, “There’s nothing to boo here, ladies and gentlemen. There’s nothing to boo here. We’re all here sharing a story of love.”

He went on, “We, sir—we— are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights. We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us.”

The speech was not directly aggressive. Rather, it was a simple plea for the new administration under president-elect Donald Trump to keep in mind the “inalienable rights” upon which our

Mike Pence Called Out at “Hamilton” country was founded and the importance immigrants have played in our country, despite his previous aggressive rhetoric towards minorities.

After Trump’s victory, both liberals and conservatives spread hatred on social media and in real life. The cast’s speech was an admirable attempt to speak out against all this negativity that has evolved throughout the election season and to remind people that they were speaking out of love and concern.

But it wasn’t just the cast taking a stand that night. During the show itself, spectators also made clear their feelings toward Trump and Pe n c e.

“Hamilton” is a widely popular musical with enthusiastic fans, but that night it seemed that the enthusiasm and passion was heightened.

Many of the lines resonated more strongly than ever with theatergoers due to the current political situation, compounded with the fact that Pence himself was there.

When Marquis de Lafayette and Hamilton sang, “Immigrants, we get the job done,” the audience gave a standing ovation.

King George’s song “What Comes Next?” also evoked an astounding response, especially the lines, “Do you know how hard it is to lead?” and “When your people say they hate you/Don’t come crawling back to me,” which sounded that night like direct jabs at the Trump-Pence administration. This

of “Here” by Alicia Keys

It is the hub of modern civilization. A holy place where, every year, people from across the nation gather together as millions more watch from the comfort of their homes. A veritable mecca for people of all races, genders, and sexualities that have one thing in common: an unusual appreciation for music videos.

Year after year, MTV’s Video Music Awards (VMA’s) never fail to be a source of excitement. Fights are had. Kanyes are booed. Red carpet looks are either applauded or utterly annihilated by the press.

This year’s big splash, however, was made not by an outrageous look, but a natural one, as Alicia Keys stepped onto the carpet in a black and red dress, braided hair in a high bun, and completely makeup-free. Keys’s glowing face stood out amongst the heavily contoured assortment of celebrities. Keys’s look, although criticized by some, was overwhelmingly celebrated by the news and on social media.

Soon after her appearance at the VMA’s, posters sprang up all across the country, featuring Keys, again makeup-free and surrounded by her huge cloud of hair, a release date, and the album title “HERE” in plain white letters.

With her first studio album in over three years, Keys certainly hasn’t been absent from the public eye during her hiatus from music making. From the VMAs to giving birth to her second son Genesis, to becoming a judge on The Voice, the world has been awaiting the sequel to Keys’ last album, “Girl on Fire,” which spawned several hits and sold over 1.2 million copies worldwide.

“Here,” released November 4, 2016, and preluded by the singles “Hallelujah” and “In Common,”

Taylor Choi / The Spectator

whether he thought it was an appropriate venue, rather saying “I’ll leave [it] to others.” Trump called the theater a “safe and special place” where statements such as theirs are unwelcome––slightly ironic statement considering how he wants to make America a less safe place for many of the minori-

ties represented in “Hamilton.”

Trump’s policies are directed at making it harder for immigrants to come to the United States. This includes building a wall on the Mexican border, suspending the issuance of visas to countries without an adequate vetting process, and deterring immigrants from coming to the United States looking for jobs and benefits.

The cast of “Hamilton” represents those minorities who came to America through immigration, and they tell a story about an immigrant who literally changed the way our nation works today.

Who better to take a stand against these types of restrictive policies and ideals?

After all, “Hamilton” isn’t called “an American Musical” for nothing. The show is a story of perseverance. It follows a “bastard, orphan, son of a whore, and a Scotsman dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean” as he becomes a “hero and a scholar,” not to mention one of our founding fathers.

The “Hamilton” cast embodies American beliefs every night on stage, making their comments relevant to the current situation.

Furthermore, “Hamilton” has certainly been in the spotlight since its Broadway debut, and the cast took advantage of this position to promote an important political message.

The creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, also purposefully cast a show about America’s white founding fathers with an unprecedentedly diverse cast, not only for the show’s concept, but also for Broadway.

The theater is no doubt a special place, but it can also be a platform for change. Musicals and plays can open up public dialogues about sensitive social or political issues. In examples of recent musicals, “Rent” (1996) explores the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the ‘80s and “Allegiance” (2012) describes the experience of Japanese-American internment during World War II. Further back than that, “The Crucible” (1953) uses the Salem Witch Trials (an ugly part of our history) to expose another ugly part of our history that was going on at the time: the Second Red Scare (194757) and McCarthyism.

It is not often that the cast of a show should take such a direct stance, though the content may do so. This does not mean the “Hamilton” incident is necessarily a model to be followed by other plays.

The more important takeaway is that the cast was simply exercising its right to free speech and given other context that also validates their actions.

“Hamilton” in itself makes a political statement about the founding of our nation by portraying it through the life of an immigrant rising through the ranks by merit––an opportunity that has been identified with America throughout its history, yet one that Trump wants to take away.

The cast deciding to comment on our current political situation is warranted, seeing as almost every night they delve into telling a story that celebrates America’s diversity and its inherent values of freedom and opportunity.

Unadorned and Unembellished: Alicia Keys’s New Style

Album Review

By William Lohier

has developed a new meaning to fans about American ideals.

In reaction to Dixon’s speech, Trump reverted to his usual outlet: Twitter. He posted two tweets reprimanding the Hamilton cast for “harassing” Pence, calling them “very rude,” and demanding them to “Apologize!”

While Trump was furious, Pence himself said he “wasn’t offended” by the comments, but declined to say

immediately distinguishes itself from Keys’s other albums with its soulful, gritty, and surprisingly elevated sound.

Largely produced by Keys’s husband Swizz Beatz, “Here” has the classic Alicia sound driven by a piano line, but combines other elements, as well. From old school hip-hop-esque beats to acoustic guitar, the album showcases Keys’ talent and stylistic variety while time remaining unmistakably hers.

Similar to Keys’ recent decision to forego makeup, the album, while by no means perfect, marks a stunning transition from the clean, soaring Alicia vocals of the past, and something newer, grittier, realer, and certainly undergoing a change.

Keys has a way of combining a kind of ethereal sound at times, with a New York, down to earth, realness that would seem at home blasting out of a car window, or coming from the mouth of an angel. The raw sound and concept of this album is due in part to the bare bones production and the heavy oldschool New York beats, but also in a large part to Keys’s voice.

While we’ve all come to love her soaring vocals in songs like “Girl On Fire” and “If I Ain’t Got You,” in “Here,” Alicia gives up some of that control and instead opts for a more soulful and bluesy sound, experimenting with the grit and breaks in her voice that feel more intimate,and comfortable

than Keys’s previous albums.

The album opens with a short poem-like interlude written and produced by Keys and accompanied by piano chords and synthlike strings. The interlude immediately raises some eyebrows with unimpressive rhymes and lyrics (like one comparing Keys to Nina Simone) that at times seem questionable.

Regardless, the interlude sets the stage for an album that features hip-hop, soul, R&B, spoken word, and rap that blend and interact to form true “poetry from the streets,” a subject touched upon later in the album. After the less than stellar introduction, Keys launches into “The Gospel,” a New York ballad filled with electric energy, fast lyrics, and a driving beat and

also featured in a 20-minute video of the same name, released with the album on Youtube.

From there, the album opens up “Pawn it All”—a beat-driven song about struggle and hustle in which the “yeahs” and “uhs” at times feel like stand-ins for actual lyrics. Keys then embarks on the acoustic “Kill Your Mama,” a song lamenting climate change.

It’s safe to say that the middle of the album is the strongest. After a rocky beginning, the funky hip-hop standard “She Don’t Really Care_1 Luv” mesmerizingly gives Keys’s take on life as a black girl. “She Don’t Really Care_1 Luv” also features some of best lyrics in the album in the chorus “She grew up in Brooklyn/ She grew up in Harlem/ She grew up in Bronx/ She know she was a queen/ But she don’t really care.” These lyrics at once reach out to black women all over the world, touching on the subject of “black girl magic,” and acknowledge the profound apathy and disillusionment of black women at a system historically rigged against them.

The album peaks in the soaring and pained “Illusion of Bliss,” a ballad about addiction. Preceded by a short introduction from the perspective of an addict, “Illusion of Bliss” takes full advantage of the cracks, gravel, and soul in Keys’s voice. While the intensity is somewhat dulled by harmonies in the middle of the song, it stands out both technically and emotionally as one of the highlights of the album.

The end of the album, while

less memorable than the middle, is still strong. Including the songs “Blended Family,” a sweet song about Alicia’s childhood and growing up in a biracial family, “Girl Can’t Be Herself,” a salsa-y anthem bemoaning the social pressure to wear makeup, and “Holy War,” the last song on the album, and another dazzling showcase of Keys’s powerful, soulful voice and range.

The album is pieced together by semi-successful interludes that range from conversations to poems to subway announcements that both introduce the songs and inject realness and life into the album.

These interludes give a sense of flow to the album and also ground it in the comings and goings of New York as well as the people who inhabit it.

“Here” is certainly Keys’s most socially aware album to date. As discussed above, Keys tackles issues from makeup to climate change.

This huge range of topics as well as a range of styles, however, leads to a lack of cohesiveness throughout the album and it is songs like “Kill Your Mama” that sort of fall flat.

Keys’s vocals certainly bring the album together, but unlike the recent Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar albums, there doesn’t seem to be a cohesive concept in the production or subject matter of the songs, giving the album a disjointed quality.

It is this range of topics, however, that also adds a sense of earnestness to the album. Having listened to it once, you immediately get a sense of who Keys is as both an artist and a person and what’s on her mind. In “Here,” what binds the album together as strongly as Keys’s vocals is Keys herself. As an artist, she is present, and raw, and telling her truth, something that, while unsuccessful at times, lends a realness and earnestness to the album that is distinctly her.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 29

Arts and Entertainment Television Insights

Understanding My Blackness Through “The Boondocks”

By WILLIAM LOHIER In sixth grade on a school trip to the Cloisters, two of my friends and I gathered in a field next to the museum and joyfully chanted as we broke down in laughter, “Slavery works!”

Now, while we did get some strange looks from passersby (three black kids who appear to be advocating for slavery isn’t something you see every day), this was not a Klan rally. We were not burning crosses or making a statement about race or slavery.

We were just laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the statement, which was made by Uncle Ruckus, a deliciously satirical character in Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim cartoon, “The Boondocks” (2005-2014).

After being introduced to the show by those two friends, who had attended a predominantly black middle school before transferring to my predominantly white middle school, I consumed it with a voracious appetite, watching episodes that were uproariously funny, but also had a knack for making poignant, concise, and hilarious statements about race in America that, as a sixth grader, I had never been exposed to before.

The show, originally based on a comic strip that appeared in newspapers in 1999, was converted into a loosely related animated TV series by Aaron McGruder. The show gained critical acclaim for its witty satire and often controversial views of pressing race-related issues in America.

The show follows two young brothers (both voiced by Regina King): Huey, a self described leftwing revolutionary karate master (a reference to the Black Panther Party cofounder Huey Newton), and Riley Freeman, a young wannabe thug from Chicago. The Free-

Theater Insights

By jenna Bawer and eliana Kavouriadis From marriage proposals to deadly duels, things you would expect to see in a telenovela are commonplace in a theatrical improv scene. However, instead of being the climax of a well thought-out story, in improv, these outlandish events are rash decisions made on a whim. These decisions, among others, are the basis of improv (short for improvisational theater) itself: every element of a story or piece is purely improvised and takes shape right before the audience’s eyes.

Improvisation is an age-old component of many genres of music, dance, and theater. Operatic ornamentation in arias from the bel canto era is improvised, as are the riffs of jazz solos and freestyle rap music. Many contemporary dances are improvised before they are choreographed, and dance improvisation has recently taken form as a genre of its own.

Improv comprises a large part of modern performance art. The organic creation of ideas on the spot leads to a unique and refreshing authenticity that adds a new layer to any performance.

Modern theatrical improv took the natural, on-the-spot element of performance art and shaped it into an art form of its own. Known for its fast pace, quips, and its simple rule of acknowledging your scene partner and further building the scene (also known as “yes, and”), improv has wowed audiences of all ages from around the world.

Improv began as a series of games that were meant to be played in drama school to sharpen the skills of young actors. Actors often use improv to hone specific acting skills, even before scripted performances.

Performing in an improv scene teaches them how to react to anything in a way consistent with their character and scene. If somebody goes off-book, the actor will have to improvise so the audience will assume the flub was intentional.

Improv can liven up a story, so directors will often allow room for

man brothers move in with their grandfather, Jebediah Freeman or “Grandad” (voiced by John Witherspoon) to the peaceful, and predominantly white, neighborhood of Woodcrest.

There, they meet a hilarious assortment of residents from Ed Wuncler, a billionaire tycoon who owns the Freeman house, to Uncle Ruckus (no relations), a black man who claims he’s white but has re-vitiligo (the opposite of what Michael Jackson had) that causes his skin to become darker every year. Uncle Ruckus despises all black people.

These characters, all wellhoned tropes of real life people, are what drive the episodes forward.

While the show has no overarching plot, each episode features the same characters in ridiculous situations that often allude to, or directly reference, real life situations, TV shows, or people.

There is huge variety in the devices the show uses to convey humor. Many episodes are direct jabs at specific people. One such episode is “Pause,” which follows the Freeman family as Grandad is cast in a theater group run by Tyler Perry parody Winston Jerome— and then the group turns out to be a homoerotic cult.

Other episodes like “Attack of the Killer Kung-fu Wolf Bitch,” in which one of Grandad’s many love interests turns out to be a psychotic kung-fu master, are funny simply for their outlandish premises.

Most episodes, while still hilarious, touch on more profound subjects. For example, the episode, “The Fundraiser,” follows Riley as he attempts to make money through his school’s chocolate fundraising campaign. Riley ends up starting his own business recruiting local kids to sell chocolate before eventually coming into conflict with other candy companies.

This episode draws clear parallels

to the drug trafficking industry and gang violence—but in a wildly funny way.

McGruder, despite receiving much praise for what is truly a candid, hilarious assessment of black life, has also received criticism for his often controversial views or plotlines, as well as his casual and constant use of the word “nigga.”

For instance, the episode, “Hunger Strike,” where Huey organizes a protest against BET and their plans to destroy the black community, was taken off the air by Cartoon Network over fears it would provoke a lawsuit from BET. In 2006, Reverend Al Sharpton, offended by the episode “Return of the King” in which Martin Luther King Jr. returns from the dead, released a statement asking Cartoon Network to “apologize and also commit to pulling episodes that desecrate black historic figures.”

McGruder has also received criticism for his personal views, including his belief that the U.S. government was involved in the 9/11 attacks and his jabs at figures such as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, late singer Whitney Houston, and black conservative

Larry Elder.

However, when McGruder left the show before the start of its fourth (and final) season, giving full creative control to Cartoon Network, many felt that “The Boondocks” lost its satirical edge. It’s true that, while the fourth season does have some of the moments that are at once hilarious and profound that define “The Boondocks,” the line between well-honed satire and offensiveness often became blurred.

Additionally, some episodes in the fourth season seem to draw on previous seasons for content, touching on themes that McGruder had already addressed.

Despite the controversy, “The Boondocks” remains relevant even today in our current political and social climate as a means to discuss, unpack, and disseminate race-related issues that still plague our country. With an uptick in hate crimes and incidents of racism in schools following the recent election, it is essential that shows like “The Boondocks” not only provide a comic safe space, but create a platform for discussion of many issues that continue to plague America.

For example, “It’s a Black President,” an episode released shortly after the beginning of Obama’s first term, discusses the various reactions of Woodcrest residents to the first black president, capturing their poignant viewpoints on the social and racial discussions that surrounded the election and that are still very relevant today.

To me, “The Boondocks” is more than just a TV show. Growing up as a person of color in a predominantly white neighborhood can be tough. I felt like I was missing out on experiences that had defined the childhoods of many of my black friends and, somehow, that made me “less black” than them. It was through shows like “The Boondocks” that I was able to connect with not only the characters, but with my friends.

Without realizing it, discussing the latest episode of “The Boondocks” with my friends was helping me connect with them while at the same time allowing me to become better versed in the complex and often deep rooted social and racial issues that plague our country.

The Magic in the Madness of Improv it in the plot of a show or a movie if the actor can handle it. Robin Williams threw in several of his own jokes in the movie “Aladdin” when playing Genie, including the famous line “If you wanna court the little lady, you gotta be a straight shooter, do ya got it?”

Because of his success, the Broadway adaptation maintains the flexibility in the role. The original Broadway actor for Genie, James Monroe Iglehart, was a member of a hip-hop improv group called Freestyle Love Supreme, and he used his skills to give fresh zingers every night.

The art form took flight in the mid-20th century, when groups specifically dedicated to it, such as The Second City in Chicago and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCB) theater in New York and Los Angeles, formed, garnering interest in major cities.

Since then, many more improv theaters, schools, and groups have sprung about in different locations, and the art form continues to grow in popularity. Improv groups are now commonplace at colleges and high schools, since they are an opportunity for young people to discover their comedic talent.

Improv schools and theaters are often considered the main training grounds for comedians who aspire to be cast members of “Saturday Night Live” or long-running comedy series like “The Office.”

Former “Saturday Night Live” star Kristen Wiig began her career as an improviser with the L.A.-based Empty Stage Comedy Theatre and The Groundlings. Wiig is certainly no anomaly. Many other famous comedians, including big names like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Jane Lynch, were improvisers before their big breaks, a large percentage of whom performed with UCB and The Second City.

However, the art form is not only popular with people who aspire to have long-running careers in comedy. Many improvisers are neither comedians nor actors. The skills acquired from improv could be applied to other areas of theater

or even traditional workplace settings.

The on-your-feet thinking that improvised performances consist of could help anyone from doctors to lawyers to business analysts make quick, smart decisions in high-stakes situations. Studies have shown that improv training can strengthen skills in listening and observation, creative thinking, and decision-making. Improv has also been shown to improve one’s confidence and social skills. Social anxiety patients often take improv classes as a form of therapy.

It is this element of improv that makes it so prevalent in the performing arts, and a useful tool not only to actors, but to writers, as well. Improvised situations can be fleshed out into a coherent story.

For example, the Broadway musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” originated as an improvisational play called “C-R-E-PU-S-C-U-L-E.” The finished musical (polished by composer William Finn) retains improvisational elements by changing the words for guest spellers every other night and altering political references to stay topical.

When the STC performed the show last year, senior Lillian Carver and alumnus Jeremy Elkayam (‘16) improvised several lines as the hosts of the bee. One notable example of their improv was when the structure of the show was interrupted by senior and Scripps National Spelling Bee winner Arvind Mahankali correctly spelling words the show intended him to misspell. For the show to progress, Elkayam had to falsely accuse him of misspelling “floccinaucinihilipilification.”

However, usefulness aside, improv would not be what it is today if it weren’t fun and easily accessible. A selection of popular improv games are played in various theater settings, all creative outlets for developing new stories and characters or for pure recreation.

An improv game that’s popular among professional improvisers and school-aged children alike is “Freeze.” While a group builds a scene together, a person outside of

the scene yells “FREEZE!” and taps someone out of the scene, assuming their physical position and beginning an entirely new scene.

As games like these are played as team building activities across the nation, improv attracts more people of all shapes, sizes, and interests to the art of theatrical improv. In New York City alone, improv theaters continue to pop up, and older theaters such as the UCB and the Magnet Theater continue to grow and flourish.

At UCB East Village, improv shows and tournaments are held almost daily, and in late November, we attended a three-on-three improv tournament with a variety of teams competing to see who had the funniest chops.

One group in the semifinals was largely unsuccessful at getting laughs. Given the obscure topic off “Lyndon B. Johnson,” they only referenced the topic once in their time, during a bit set in Linden, NJ. The three performers clashed with each other often, confusing each other and causing awkward stumbling as they struggled to get ahold of the current scenario and demonstrated how difficult improv can

sometimes be.

However, other groups smoothly and hilariously portrayed a variety of settings, from a shiva call to a parent-teacher conference to an infomercial. The scene set in the parent-teacher conference was particularly notable, as the team was outlandish yet confident and consistent in the scene they had developed.

They diverted from their given topic of “lactose intolerance,” instead developing an entertaining parent-teacher conference scene with a divorced teacher and a loud paralegal couple. They turned their ad-libbing and knee-jerk reactions into legitimate points in their story.

One example is when one partner hit the other when she revealed that they had robbed a bank. The wacky tone and bizarre over-thetop movement engaged the audience throughout.

The show was only one example of the breadth of the improv talent in New York City, let alone the United States. As the art form continues to gain popularity, it will continue to bring more talent and fresh ideas into shows like the ones at the UCB Theatre.

Page 30

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

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Page 31

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 32

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

Confessions of a Humor Writer

By Gilvir Gill and Kenny Lin

Since the dawn of time, Humor writers have faced the immense difficulty of finding inspiration for articles. “We’ve tried everything from creativity pills to ancient article dances,” said junior and Humor writer Kenny Lin. Writer’s block was creating a wall more formidable than that of Donald Trump’s imagination.

In the midst of this drought, the gods answered our prayers.

Between Brexit, Trump, and former Humor editor Laszlo Sandler running for Senior Caucus, there was a new round of inspiration to fuel the subpar satirical material produced by the department.

While this has helped produce content for readers, some writers have taken it too far. Junior and Humor writer Gilvir Gill has not written a proper satirical piece in five months and has not written a good article ever.

Instead, in an exclusive interview with himself, he came clean about stealing his material from the real news.

The interview was intense and deeply emotional. Regretfully, the interview could not be published on account of both the interviewer and the interviewee being ashamed of each other.

Gill started the interview by asking Gill if he had used real quotes in his article, “Election In Review.” Gill then confessed and explained his reasoning.

“Ever since I started copying

the real news, there was a 300percent spike in readership,” he said. “Six people read my article and that just blew my mind.

Before that, I was lucky to have someone other than my mom read it.”

Gill talked about other things he had plagiarized since joining the department last March.

For instance, in the application process for Humor, he had copypasted The Bee Movie script in the section that requested applicants to write their own article. In his article, “Summer in Review,” he mentioned the U.K. voting to leave the E.U. and J. Cole going platinum without features— events that actually happened.

In fact, J. Cole went platinum twice! This was a violation of the fictional charter of The Spectator’s Humor department, which mandates the invention of fictional news to maintain the department’s integrity as the number one source of satire on The Spectator, which has been hotly contested as a result of certain Opinions articles.

Gill’s frequent co-writer and Humor editor Shaina Peters, however, did not discover Gill’s plagiarism done on account of her living under a rock. “I looked at what he wrote about Brexit and thought: ‘Hey, that’s pretty funny.

I wonder how he came up with something that ridiculous,’” she said. “But then, a couple weeks after the article got published, I received a distressed bonfire relay message from a fellow rockdweller in Britain.”

Trump Resigns: Supporters Claim “Election Rigged”

By Michael Xu In a stunning course of events, president-elect Donald Trump has formally renounced his victory on Election Day, as he calls for the Electoral College to be disbanded. Trump made his announcement from Trump Tower, with tickets sold at a starting price of $25,000.

“I like to keep my options open,” Trump declared. “Being president for at least four years seems like a bore. Having the nuclear codes and not being able to deploy them would be really frustrating, especially when I see minorities—I meant enemies, not minorities.”

Trump’s surprise announcement followed long weeks of protests from Tr u m p’s

core supporters who claimed that “the election was rigged.”

“Everyone was saying how Trump was going to lose, yet he won,” an anonymous Trump supporter said. “This election must have been fixed by the dirty Russians. We can’t accept the election results in any way, shape, or form, even if they’re legitimate.”

Many rallies occurred nationwide demanding the ouster of the president-elect on the basis of the intrinsic unfairness of the Electoral College. Trump’s words in 2012 captured his sentiment. “The Electoral College is a disaster for democracy,” Trump tweeted during the 15 minutes a day he was allowed by his managers to use Twitter, albeit supervised.

The new president has not been determined yet, but Trump expressed his strong conviction of electing Vermin Supreme. Trump has called him “a man of good judgment, especially in his plan to defend against the inevitable zombie apocalypse.” His advice to Supreme? Build a wall.

Cien Huang/ The Spectator

A Sampling of Trump’s Favorite Bible

By Angélique Charles-Davis “Nothing beats the Bible,” Trump explained with a chuckle at a rally months ago.

Upon a closer analysis, however, it has been made readily apparent that Trump’s personal Bible contains more than a few annotations.

The following are excerpts from the Donald Trump Version of the Bible (DTV) that has been guiding our president-elect since the very beginning. It is on sale at the official Trump merchandise store for $999.99, with a holiday sale price of $666.66.

“The Lord spake unto the Donald, ‘Thou shalt not let thine southern neighbors enter thine lands.’

‘Thou shalt build unto thine southern border a great wall of endless height and girth that marketh thine Holy separation.’

‘Thou shalt telleth thine hombres that they must bringeth thine offerings to erect thine Holiest of walls, for this beeth in thine hombres’ best interests.’

‘Thou shalt not let countrymen of the Muhammedean faith infringe upon thine land, for they are of a strange and dangerous nature.’

‘Thou shalt not allow thine Orient neighbors to infringe upon thine trades and thine crafts.’”

[Psalms 4:17, DTV] “And the Lord bestowed unto the Donald three women and spake, ‘Thou shalt not steal, but thine wife may borrow.’

‘Thou shalt covet thine own offspring and each and every female that prowleth upon the Earth, for thou art famous, and thou cannest.’” [Exodus 20:5, DTV] “And the Lord spake again unto the Donald, ‘Changeth thine judgement with every statement thou maketh, for having one clear opinion that changeth not is unfavorable in the eyes of the Lord.’

‘Thou shalt not exercise political correctness, for this bringeth weakness in thine nation.’

‘Haveth not respect for thine opponents, for thus bringeth maturity, whence thou mustest possess none.’”

[Genesis 2:19, DTV] “Thou shalt rest not ‘til thine countrymen bear strong resemblance to thou in color, in gender, and in creed, for no greater sin exists than variety in thine population.’”

[Proverbs 20:4, DTV] Nathaniel Unger/ The Spectator

Stuy Student’s Prefrontal Cortex Has Had Enough

By Kai Hin Lui As junior Brian Gao rushed into the library to start writing an essay that was due the previous period, his prefrontal cortex finally succumbed to the immense pressure that it had tried to juggle for 17 years. Saying it was completely exhausted and overwhelmed by its strenuous workload, Gao’s prefrontal cortex admitted that if the student continues his chaotic ad-hoc scheduling, it will soon be unable to manage anything.

“He just never writes things down,” the higher-order structure of the brain that was responsible for executive function and planning complex cognitive behavior said. “He expects me to remember everything he’s supposed to do.”

Gao’s prefrontal cortex stated that it could use some help from his hippocampus and basal ganglia, which are tasked with the formation and retrieval of memory, but it noted that many parts of his brain are unable to communicate with one another. Several have been offline and disconnected from the rest of the nervous system for many years.

“Every time I try performing a recall procedure, I’m totally alone,” the prefrontal cortex said. “I’ve kept trying to get something down to the hippocampus for months, but I haven’t received a signal back. I think he’s had retrograde amnesia ever since September, which would explain why he keeps

forgetting that he’s not in freshmen geometry anymore and that he doesn’t have first period free and that he actually has to attend school.”

Gao’s prefrontal cortex added that his owner has become less and less attentive in class, and he has no interest in giving correct answers to the questions on his tests.

class, he gave a presentation on how Chef Boyardee was America’s first president. And then in physics, when the teacher mentioned the right hand rule, his hand shot straight into his pants!”

“The most I can do is plead to his primary motor cortex to keep him away from Facebook and prevent him writing down

“Oh God, what is he doing now?”

—Gao’s prefrontal cortex

“There’s just nothing I can to do make something coherent out of the disjointed mess of information in his brain,” the member of Gao’s brain responsible for intelligently guiding his actions and controlling his impulses wailed. “Any normal student would at least receive some satisfaction when they pretend to be intelligent, but he doesn’t derive pleasure from anything!” the exasperated prefrontal cortex exclaimed, noting that the neural circuits in Gao’s nucleus accumbens, which processes reward and motivation, had shriveled up and died.

“I can’t control his mouth or his hands, either! During history

anything morbidly embarrassing,” the beleaguered prefrontal cortex sighed. “But I don’t think there’s anything I can do. By now, all of his erratic thoughts and actions are probably ingrained in his reflex arcs.”

Suddenly, Gao—clearly frustrated—reached for his phone and opened up his Facebook app. “Oh God, what is he doing now?” the prefrontal cortex moaned as it expressed a profound sense of dread about whatever Gao was trying to type into the Facebook post. “Jesus, he enabled caps-lock on his phone. Everything’s misspelled, and he’s not slowing down to get the language right.”

The Spectator â&#x2014;? December 13, 2016

Page 33

Art The Art of Diversity

Tiffany Leng Adam Wickham

Fareeha Tabassum Emily Lee

Nikita Borisov Annie He Klaire Geller

Cien Huang

Sally Chen

Fahim Rahman

Caption Contest Each issue, we provide an ambigous 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.

Nathaniel Unger/ The Spectator

Justin Banner/ The Spectator

Page 34

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

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The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 35

Sports Boys’ Fencing

Girls’ Basketball

In Blowout Victory, Phoenix Jump-Start Season

Undefeated in Regular Season, Fencers Finish Third at Championships

By Jared Asch and Simon Carmody The Stuyvesant boys’ fencing team, the Garden Snakes, ended its postseason bid this year after tying for third and losing the tiebreaker to Hunter College High School in the City Championships on Saturday, November 19.

During the regular season, the

division, which is one of the three different types of swords used.

Last year, Stuyvesant came in second place overall, only behind Brooklyn Tech.

Coach Joel Winston has played a key role in the team’s success over the years. “Mr. Winston is always looking ahead to prepare his fencers for the final tournament and for the years ahead of them,”

Garden Snakes continued their undefeated streak from last year, going 10-0.

The past couple years have marked a slight dip in the fencers’ dominance. They won the championship from 2006 to 2014 and came in first last year in the épée

senior and foil captain Jian Ting Gao said.

As to what went wrong, senior and épée captain Lucian Wells said, “[Our fencers] faced several very unconventional fencers who made it extremely hard to score clean touches.”

Girls’ JV Volleyball

Warriors Continue Winning Ways

By Simon Carmody With a 5-1 record, the Warriors, Stuyvesant’s junior varsity girls’ volleyball team, finished the season second in the division, with their only loss coming against Hunter College High School in their first game of the season. The Warriors had the opportunity to play Hunter two more times, in the Cardozo tournament and the Bayard tournament, defeating them both times.

In the junior varsity league, teams look to prove themselves in tournaments, and the Warriors certainly did. They ended up finishing second in both end-

of-season tournaments, which were citywide, consisting of public and private schools. .

In the last four years the Warriors never finished below 5-1, with an undefeated stint in the 2014-15 season. A lot of pressure fell onto the two captains, sophomores Victoria Gorelik and Chewon Lee, to keep the winning records coming and they responded in a big way.

Gorelik led all of PSAL in kills, and was second in digs, with 15 and five respectively, and Lee was third in assists with seven. These two stepped right into their predecessors’ spots and helped the team continue its winning ways.

The team as a whole showed a high degree of dedication. “No one on our team missed more than two to three practices the entire season,” Lee said. Meeting together everyday led to a strong degree of understanding between players.

With this season over and sophomores moving up to varsity, players who were on the bench this year will need to step up, but coach Howard Barbin is not worried. “[Sophomores leave the team] every year, and every year a new player steps up. I have no doubt in my mind someone will next year.” he said.

continued from page 40

while, on offense, the team continued its hot shooting. Lau finished the game with 20 points and three assists, Kirshenbaum with 15 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, and Archer with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Coach Vincent Miller took away many of positives from the game. “We made our jump shots, put back our shots we didn’t make […] and defensively we held them to only one point in the second half,” Miller said. “We tried a 1-3-1 defense and it looked really good,” he said, referring to a setup in which one player is at the top, three are in the middle, and one is at the rim. “The other team scored twelve against our previous defense, but this held them to just one point.”

Archer believes this team is capable of sustaining the solid play. “This game was a great way to show what we’re capable of in the future. Hopefully, if everything goes as planned we can continue this momentum into the rest of the season.”

Last season the team went 13-2 and ran away with a division title. Led by Alexis Kushner’s (‘16), with an average of 12 points and 11 rebounds per game, the team was impressive.

This year, after losing Kushner and three other seniors, the underclassmen on the team will have to step up, but Miller believes they can provide help off the bench.

“We have a lot of up-and-coming players that can pitch in and give good quality minutes,” he said.

Senior and co-captain Tiffany Ng believes team chemistry will play a major role in the success of this year’s team. “The combined skills of the returning and new players are helping with the loss of the seniors,” she said.

Lau believes a key factor will be confidence, and this game could set the tone for critical games later this season.“It’s the confidence

Caitlin Chao / The Spectator

“They faced several very unconventional fencers who made it extremely hard to score clean touches.”

—Lucian Wells, senior and épée captain

Though it wasn’t the season that some were hoping for, it was still a successful season for the team. “Our season went extremely well. It seems to be taken for granted at this point, but maintaining 10-0 seasons for as long as this team [remembers] is extremely difficult. We go up against some of the best fencers in the country and still come out on top,” Wells said.

Wells and fellow senior Lowell Weisbord led the team in touches, or hits. Despite their success this year, the Peglegs know that they will need to continue working hard to do well in their, division, which is becoming more and more competitive.

“The underclassmen will need to really step up if they want a championship,” Wells said. “We only accepted four new people onto the team this year, and of those four, three started in matches and even played in playoffs.

Provided everyone stays focussed and works hard in the off season, I believe they’re in good shape for next season.”

Kaitlyn Duong takes a practice shot.

where we are unafraid to be aggressive, to shoot the ball, and to drive,” Lau said. “I know these girls want it really bad and we will put in the work to continue what we’ve started.”

The bench will have to play a major role if the team wants to have another deep playoff run, and it looked strong in this game.

Junior Joan Ngai had three solid baskets off the bench and freshman Selene Kaehny played tight defense and recorded three rebounds and three assists before fouling out. If these players, along with the rest of the bench, are able to provide key stops and shots while the starters are resting, the team will have a very good chance of continuing its success.

After an outstanding start, the Phoenix will no doubt look to continue their hot play over the next few games. With the return of sophomore Ruby Gary, currently injured, the team will become even stronger and look and to capture another division title.

With an overall outstanding effort in the first game of the season, the team seems poised to maintain its dominance in the PSAL.

Race in Sports

By Ronin Berzins With the beginning of organized sports in the U.S. rooted in a time of pervasive racism, many teams possess racist names or logos, which linger as ugly relics of the past. The Washington Redskins, for example, a team in the National Football League (NFL), adopted their name in 1933, in an attempt to distinguish themselves from their baseball counterparts in Boston, who shared the same name. Over the years, they developed a large and loyal fanbase, while also facing criticism over their team name and logo, which to this day, they have not changed.

The term “redskin” is thought to have originated somewhere in the 18th century. Though there is debate over its origin, popular theories state that it was created because people thought that the Native’s skin had a reddish tone, or that it was referring to the bloody scalp of a Native American. In the 18th and 19th centuries, people began using it derogatorily. Because of its of-

The Redskins’ Racism

fensive origin and derogatory use, it is widely considered a racial slur.

Perhaps worse is the Redskins’ logo, which depicts a Native American with feathers and dark red skin. Though perhaps less offensive than the Cleveland Indians’ logo, which depicts “Chief Wahoo,” the Redskins’ logo also promotes stereotypes of Native Americans.

Considering the low level of exposure most Americans have to Native Americans, this type of stereotyping can do real damage to people’s views of Native Americans, and contributes to the ignorance many Americans have about them. Based on the offensive nature of the Redskins logo, as well as its harmful effects, it seems clear that the Redskins should change their name.

Team owner Daniel Snyder, however, has firmly opposed this. “As a lifelong Redskins fan, I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it’s all about and what it means,” he said. Defenders of the team name have said that

the name is meant to honor Native Americans, and to give them broader recognition. They have also quoted a recent poll done by the Washington Post, which found that nine out of 10 self-identified Native Americans do not find the name offensive.

However, this same poll has

been called unscientific and inaccurate by social scientists.

Moreover, Native American groups have been protesting against the name for over 40 years, which further calls into question how accurate this poll was. Thus, whatever the intent of the Redskins, their

Christine Jegarl / The Spectator

name does make Native Americans feel “honored.”

However, the tides are turning against Snyder and Washington’s name. Several court cases have ruled against the Redskins, and their trademark had been taken away because of its disparaging nature. Courts have ruled again and again that the name Redskins is offensive, and in 2016, the Supreme Court decided it wouldn’t take up the Redskins’ appeal on their trademark case.

The Redskins have been in Washington for over 70 years, and fans have developed an emotional attachment to the name, regardless of its offensive nature. However, some things are simply bigger than the tradition of a football team’s name.

What should take precedence here is the the respect for a culture that is hundred of years old, rather than the traditions of a relatively recent team in football history.

Page 36

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Sports Girls’ Volleyball

James Young / The Spectator

Vixens Defeated in Quarterfinals

Senior and co-captain Chloé Delfau tips the ball over the net.

By Sam Merrick and Muhib Khan The Vixens, Stuyvesant’s varsity girls’ volleyball team, were ecstatic following the end of their regular season. Their victory against Bard High School in the last game of the season secured them a first place spot in their Manhattan A league, and earned them an undefeated record for the first time in three years.

With 12 wins, the Vixens were the seventh seed for playoffs, in which the top three teams from each league compete for the championship.

Lab Museum United finished the season in second place, behind Stuyvesant by two wins, and Seward Park High School finished in third place with a record of 8-4. This season was expected to be a tough battle between the top three teams in their Manhattan A league, but

Stuyvesant dominated.

Stuyvesant’s first playoff match was on November 8, against the 26th seed: Hillcrest High School. Hillcrest— from the Northeast Queens A league—was no match for Stuyvesant, as the Vixens won both sets by a margin of 18 points and 14 points, respectively. “We played a very strong offense, which ultimately led to a very satisfying win,” senior and co-captain Chloe Delfau said. Delfau had eight aces and served for 18 points herself, proving to be a big force in the first postseason victory.

The Vixens prepared for a more difficult matchup just two days later, against the 23rd seed, Seward Park High School.

A frequent opponent, Stuyvesant played Seward twice during the season, and won two sets to none both times.

The Vixens were determined not to rest on their laurels for

this game, however. “You can’t look too far ahead and try to anticipate which teams you’ll play next, because you can’t get there unless you actually win the game you’re in,” Delfau said.

With a great turnout in the third floor gym, the Vixens’ last

came back on top with a score of 17-15 with junior Kristina Kim serving. This success gave the Vixens confidence, and they went on to outscore Seward 2518 in the second set, with sophomore Alexandra Archer serving for nine consecutive points.

Over the course of the game, senior and co-captain Maddie Ostergaard had 14 assists, proving herself instrumental to the team’s offense. The spectators were delighted, and the team celebrated another playoff victory.

On November 15, the Vixens were set to play their third playoff game against Midwood High School. After making the championships twice in the past three years, Midwood would be a difficult opponent for Stuyvesant.

In addition to this, the Vixens went into the game feeling the pressure of making semifinals, and that showed in their attitude for the matchup. “We said we’d try to at least get a set off of them,” said junior Kristina Kim, acknowledging that the team had expected a one-sided game from the outset.

Despite the challenge, the Vixens had a strong offense, and capitalized on ball possession. “We definitely took advantage of situations and tried to get as many kills as we could,”

“I’m so happy about the season, the team, and all of the memories we made this season.”

—Maddie Ostergaard, senior and co-captain home game was well-attended by players’ friends and family. Stuyvesant and Seward Park battled back and forth during the first set, but Stuyvesant

Delfau said. However, the team simply lacked consistently good serves, and failed to defend the opposing side’s serves.

Even with their efforts, they lost both sets to Midwood, ending

Stuyvesant’s playoff streak.

“We let the high stakes get in our heads and prevent us from playing the way we all know we could have played,” sophomore Talia Kirshenbaum said. “Something we could have done better during the whole season and in the last game especially was just being confident in ourselves.”

With the season over, Ostergaard and Delfau will be leaving the team in the hands of the remaining members. “We’re going to have to deal with losing [the captains], who are amazing leaders and impossible to replace,” Kirshenbaum said.

However, the team has a large number of juniors and sophomores on the team, many of whom already see regular playing time, which will make the team’s adjustment easier.

In the coming season, the team hopes to work on its defense’s consistency. “Some games, we will take a huge win against a stronger team, pushing as hard as we can and earning every point. The next game, we’ll lose to a team that we could have put up a much greater fight [against],” sophomore Hanah Jun said.

Coach Vasken Choubaralian noted that he will “continue to study the sport to build [his] repertoire of drills and teaching techniques,” he said, but is proud of the girls’ work this season. “What went well was the progress the team made in both individual and teamwork,” he said.

The playoff defeat did not overshadow the victories of the season—both on and off the court. The captains reflected on their four years at Stuyvesant with joy. “I’m so happy about the season, the team, and all of the memories we made this season,” Ostergaard said.

Delfau agreed. “I hope that in the years to come, the team will only get closer.” she said.

National Basketball Association

Have the Knicks Really Improved?

By Samuel Stamler Last year, during the 20152016 season, the New York Knicks had a dismal record of 32-50, a record that landed the team 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings. Going into the 2015-2016 season, the Knicks were hopeful to secure a playoff spot using all-star forward Carmelo Anthony, rookie big man Kristaps Porzingis, and team president Phil Jackson’s triangle offense.

However, the Knicks were missing startable players at nearly every other position.

Their starting point guard, Jose Calderon, averaged a mere 7.6 points and 4.2 assists per game, even though he played significant minutes last season.

Robin Lopez, the Knicks’ starting center, and Arron Afflalo, the Knicks’ starting shooting guard, did not perform well either.

The Knicks had some life off the bench with forward Derrick Williams and guard Langston Galloway, but neither were able to propel the the team

back into games. Thus, it was not a surprise that the Knicks missed the last playoff spot by 12 games.

Going into this season, the Knicks made it a priority to improve their starting lineup, especially their starting point guard. The triangle offense calls for significant ball movement and Calderon was not helping the Knicks in that department.

The main issue that must be resolved is communication.

The team had a number of options to remedy this problem, but the Knicks elected to trade for the injury-prone former Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose. In the process, they traded away Calderon, Robin Lopez, and backup guard Jerian Grant while also receiving shooting guard Justin Holiday.

The Knicks continued to fill out their starting lineup by signing center and New York native Joakim Noah and shooting guard Courtney Lee. Additionally, they signed the former starting point guard for the Detroit Pistons, Brandon Jennings, and international phenoms Willy Hernangomez and Mindaugas Kuzminskas to fill out the rest of the bench.

Leaving free agency, the Knicks had a good roster on paper, but many issues still loomed over the team. Three of the five starters have had concerning injuries: Anthony, Rose, and Noah. In addition, Rose missed most of the preseason because of a rape allegation in Los Angeles. Without their floor general available to work out the team’s kinks in the preseason, no one knew whether or not the team would be able to be able to work as a single unit in time for the season opener. And with the hiring of a new coach, Jeff Hornacek, the start of the season proved unsteady for some of the players that had been on the roster

during the previous season.

The concern over a lack of communication seemed to be justified after the Knicks’ rough start. The Knicks are ranked within the bottom third of the league in defense even though defense was a focus during free agency. However, the team’s defensive coordinator, Kurt Rambis, who was the team’s head coach during the 2015-16 season, has been able to limit the number of defensive errors recently, and it has resulted in the players finally reaching the .500 mark, for the first time since October 29.

Even though the Knicks are not where they want to be in the standings, the team continues to tighten up its play both on offense and defense.

After splitting back-to-back close games against the Charlotte Hornets, the Knicks can feel confident that they can compete with contenders in the Eastern Conference in the future. Besides the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Eastern Conference lacks teams that truly stand out from the rest, so the

team may end up competing for the fourth or fifth seed in the playoffs.

Looking ahead, the main issue that must be resolved is communication. Almost every game, either Anthony, Rose, or Porzingis carries the team in terms of scoring. In fact, they are the only players on the team averaging double-digit points per game. This was a problem for the Knicks last year, when players like Anthony or Porzingis would hold the ball and not run the offense.

Such a style of play tends to be ineffective because most of the shots taken end up being highly contested by the defense. If the team possesses a pass-first mentality, they may be able to create more open looks to the basket. However, this year’s team currently does not have the chemistry to consistently generate quality shots.

This kink should get worked out over time, but if the team fails to overcome this obstacle, they will be no different than the unsuccessful 2015-16 New York Knicks.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 37

Sports National Football League

NFL Second Half Assessment

By TAHSIN ALI Heading toward the final quarter of the National Football League (NFL) season, fans have witnessed a year few could have predicted. Several rookies have taken the league by storm, and teams like the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys have risen from mediocrity and exceeded expectations. Other pre-season favorites like the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers, two teams who were the best in their conference last year, have struggled to enjoy success this year.

This season, teams are showing us that defense wins games. In the American Football Conference (AFC), the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Denver Broncos are

uted 12.5 sacks, which leads the NFL. Other key contributors include cornerback Aqib Talib, and safety Darian Stewart, who have three interceptions each.

The Denver defense has been able to successfully put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and teams will not want to face this defense during big games.

One team that has been performing at a high level after having a losing season last year is the Oakland Raiders. At 10-2, the team not only has a better record than the Broncos but, are first in their division and tied for first in their conference, a stark contrast to last year’s performance when they were 7-9, good for only 10th in the conference.

Raiders’ Quarterback Derek Carr is an MVP candidate in just

At only 25 years old, Carr’s strong performance has many believing that the Raiders will finally have a legitimate chance at the Super Bowl, after missing the playoffs for 14 years.

8-4. Despite the retirement of future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, their dominant defense, among the best in the league, has carried them forward. Twelve games into the season, they boast 36 sacks and 23 forced turnovers, both good for first and third in the league, respectively. Last year’s Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP), Von Miller, has contrib-

his third year in the NFL. He has thrown for 3,375 yards and 24 touchdowns this season, and even threw for over 500 yards in an overtime win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At only 25 years old, Carr’s strong performance has many believing that the Raiders will finally have a legitimate chance at the Super Bowl, after missing the playoffs for 14 years.

Only one team has remained at the top of its division for eight years: the New England Patriots (10-2). This year in particular, their extraordinary success comes off as a surprise. For the first four games of the season, they went 3-1 without their future Hall of Fame starting quarterback, Tom Brady, who was out due to suspension for being involved in the 2015 “Deflategate” scandal, in which players allegedly deliberately deflated footballs during the game. Despite having to put their third string quarterback in the game, the team was able to win against tough opponents. This is clear indication of how complete the team and now that the team has their best player back, they are a serious contender for the Super Bowl.

Brady has been having a career year. Despite missing four games, he has already thrown for 2,470 yards passing and 19 touchdowns, considered by many to be in the running for MVP. In the National Football Conference (NFC), the Dallas Cowboys (11-1) stand at first place despite having to rely on rookie quarterback Dak Prescott in the wake of longtime starting quarterback Tony Romo’s injury. Prescott, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft, has thrown for 2,974 yards and 19 touchdowns, and only two has interceptions. The team has also relied on rookie and running back Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott, drafted fourth overall in the 2016 NFL draft, has rushed for a league-leading 1,285 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Both players have been huge contributors to the success of the Cowboys, and are both in the mix for the

Boys’ Basketball

Last year’s team struggled extensively throughout the season with a lack of depth and athleticism, finishing the season 1-13. “What went wrong last year was that I simply wasn’t able to take my starters out. The team was not in great shape, and this led to our struggles in the game,” Coach Philip Fisher said. Fisher, a former physical education teacher at Stuyvesant who retired last year, has decided to continue coaching basketball this year.

As a result of this weakness, the Rebels often found themselves falling behind near the end of games, exhausted after the first half.

However, the team appeared to be better conditioned and more prepared in their game against Seward Park, as well as in early scrimmages and nonleague games. Players off the bench like Gillow and junior Nicola Manfredi have proven that they are able to contribute and provide depth for the team.

Both made an impact against Seward Park, with Manfredi pro-

With Norman’s departure, the Panthers have struggled to create turnovers and enjoy the dominance they did last year.

ceed through their potent offense. Led by quarterback Matt Ryan, who is second in the NFL in passing yards with 3,813, and third in passing touchdowns with 27, the Falcons have one of the best offenses in the league, and are tied at the top of the NFC South with a 7-5 record.

On the other hand, there have been several disappointments this year. Last season, the Carolina Panthers seemed nearly unbeatable, going 15-1 in the regular season before losing in the Super Bowl to the Broncos. This season, they have struggled to find that success as their efforts have led them to a measly 4-8 record, putting them last in their division.

Quarterback Cam Newton, last season’s MVP, is not performing to the level that is expected of

him, as he has thrown for only 2,614 yards and 14 touchdowns through 12 games.

Reasons for the drop off in production for the Panthers include the offensive line struggling to protect Newton, and therefore has not had nearly as much time to make decisions as he did last year. On the defensive side of the ball, the team lost a lot of its key players. Cornerback Charles Tillman and defensive end Jared Allen both retired. To add onto that, one of their best players last year, cornerback Josh Norman left the team and signed with the Washington Redskins. With Norman’s departure, the Panthers have struggled to create turnovers and enjoy the dominance they did last year.

The Arizona Cardinals have also fizzled following a very successful season, and have also left people wondering what happened to a team seemingly stocked with talent.

With a 13-3 record last year, the Cardinals were considered by many to be the most balanced and complete team in the NFL. However, this year they possess a 5-6-1 record, and do not appear to be the same team they once were. Injuries have certainly been a cause for this, with quarterback Carson Palmer and safety Tyrann Mathieu sidelined throughout the season.

At this point in the season last year, the Panthers were still undefeated, and the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos looked like they were heading downhill. With a mad rush for the playoffs on the horizon and the postseason to follow, the NFL still has a lot more in store for the remainder of the season.

Girls’ Bowling

Neck and Neck, Runnin’ Rebels Lose First Game to Seward Park, 41-43 continued from page 40

Rookie of the Year and MVP awards.

While many teams have relied on their defense to lead them to victory, the Atlanta Falcons have been able to suc-

viding five points off the bench, and Gillow making several key defensive plays in the second half to keep the momentum on the Rebels’ side.

During scrimmages earlier in the season, the team came out strong but did not play to its full potential. “We got complacent with a bunch of decent shots, or the first open shot we find, but we needed to continue to run our offense to try [to] get even better shots, such as open layups,” co-captain Michael Feinberg said.

The team worked hard on fixing these mistakes and getting ready for the season. This has seemed to pay off as the team has gone 2-1 in nonLeague games, which included a win against rival Brooklyn Technical High School. After suffering a 43-75 defeat in the last game of the 2015 season to Brooklyn Tech, they entered the game as clear underdogs, but were able to come away with a 47-27 victory. “It felt great to shut up a packed house,” Fisher said. “The team was focused and mentally ready for the game. We were able to execute our gameplan and use it to our

advantage.”

Another strength of this Rebels’ team is its experience. There are seven returning seniors, including Lange and Feinberg, who both enjoyed successful individual seasons last year.

Feinberg averaged an impressive 18.9 points per game, which ranked 47th in the city in scoring. Lange had a strong season as well, with 9.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. “It’s great to have players who know the system and can be leaders for the team,” Fisher said.

The work has been paying off, as Fisher noted that this group of players was one of the closest he’s seen in years. “Team chemistry is very important, and this group has that on and off the court. The seniors have welcomed the juniors with open arms and made the transition to varsity a lot easier,” he said. “They have been working hard during practice and push each other to keep up this success.”

“Overall, we looked a lot stronger compared to last year and we’re expecting to make a run for the playoffs,” Lange said.

Stuyvesant’s Bowlers Make Semifinals Appearance continued from page 40

she was a valuable asset to the team. The Peglegs won by an incredible 120 points, knocking New Utrecht out of the playoffs.

In the following game, however, the Peglegs were also eliminated. They lost in all three rounds to Tottenville High School, another Staten Island powerhouse, on November 18.

“It was an off day for almost the entire team, and we didn’t do the best we could have,” senior Ashley Chong said. “It probably had something to do with the lanes, since the other team didn’t do as well as they normally do, too.” The semifinal game did not take place at Whitestone Lanes, where the Peglegs held their practices and league games, but at JIB Lanes, a less familiar venue.

The overall successful season was filled with individual accomplishments as well. Eight of the girls made it to Borough Individual Championships: juniors Tina Chen, Valerie Ng,

Sonal Parab, and Emily Lee, and seniors Jasmine Lee, Sosonia Ma, and Chong and Tong. If this wasn’t enough, Chong, Ng, and Tong then progressed to the City Individual Championships.

The season was successful both on and off the bowling lane. “I would say that this team has bonded a lot, more so than last year. Being together during practices as well as traveling to games and back home gave us more of an opportunity to be with one another,” Chong said.

Looking forward, the girls hope to continue their winning streak. However, eight of their integral bowlers are graduating this year. The team is only eighteen people, and the remaining ten will have to step up to lead the team to another success. “I am confident that the team will continue to do well. Our juniors have worked really hard and are super great bowlers. Our newest members this year have also shown great improvement,” Chong said.

Page 38

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Sports Race in Sports

Why Kaepernick Kneels

By Max Onderdonk San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has raised a furor in recent months in refusing to stand for the singing of the Star Spangled Banner, a protest against the racial inequality present in the United States. But the National Football League (NFL) itself is no exception: from the executives down to fans, bigotry and discrimination infiltrate the sport.

In the 2015 NFL season, the issue of race became very noticeable when quarterback Cam Newton won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

As an African-American, Newton was one of only five black starting quarterbacks at the beginning of the 2015 season.

He created a new norm in the minds of players and fans alike, which many were unwilling to come to terms with.

Even while leading the Carolina Panthers to a 15-1 regular season record and a Super Bowl appearance, Newton faced harsh criticism throughout the season. His celebrations made him “too flashy” to be a leader; at one point, ESPN analyst Skip Bayless said, “I’ve talked so much about the maturation of Cam Newton, I thought in this case it was a little beneath him to celebrate like a diva wide receiver would.”

Meanwhile, several quarterbacks have become famous for their celebrations. Aaron Rodgers, for example, has made his signature “championship belt” celebration a key marketing tool for State Farm. Meanwhile, Newton had to answer criticism for a short celebration in the end zone, instead of being praised for leading his team to its ninth straight win.

Another common criticism is the lack of leadership by Newton. Following a tough Super Bowl loss, Newton, with the hood up on his sweatshirt, was reluctant to answer questions, only softly mumbling responses. After a few more questions, he got up and left, clearly distressed. The media lashed out

at him, claiming that he wasn’t cut out to be a leader. He was labeled too-easily-rattled and a sore loser. However, six years prior, when Newton’s opposing quarterback, Peyton Manning, lost to the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV, he didn’t bother to shake hands with the opposing quarterback or coach, something that was barely reported on. Neither Manning’s legacy nor leadership were ever questioned, and when he retired he was hailed as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, and an unmatched leader of his team.

Newton is just one example of a player who has been treated differently because of his race. On the Seattle S e a -

university and played football], and they’re like, ‘oh man, that doesn’t even make sense, that’s an oxymoron.’”

He called out the use of the word “thug” as worse than most other insults. “The reason it bothers me is because it seems like it’s an accepted

field persona is very charming, the same could be said about Sherman, as he is active in charity work and makes plenty of mainstream appearances to give people reason to like him.

From all-pro to philanthropist, J.J. Watt and Richard Sherman are very similar, except for one thing, and that is that Watt is white, whereas Sherman is black.

Racism in the NFL goes beyond just portrayal by the media and fans, however.

Following domestic violence charges, former running back Ray Rice was rightfully suspended for the entire 2014 NFL season, and after handling his case, the NFL set strict rules

Christine Jegarl / The Spectator

hawks’ road to the Super Bowl in the 2013 NFL season, all-pro cornerback Richard Sherman was often referred to as a “thug” by both the media and opposing fans due to the fact that he often played hard and trashtalked opponents. He was especially criticized after calling opposing wide receiver Michael Crabtree a “sorry receiver” in an interview.

In response, Sherman said, “I’ve fought that my whole life, just coming from where I’m coming from. Just because you hear Compton, California, you hear Watts, you hear cities like that, you just think ‘thug, he’s a gangster, he’s this, that, and the other,’ and then you hear Stanford [where Sherman attended

way of calling somebody the N-word now,” he said. “It’s like everybody else said the N-word and then they say ‘thug’ and that’s fine. It kind of takes me aback and it’s kind of disappointing because they know.”

Rather than being recognized as the talented cornerback that he is on the field, and the intelligent Stanford alum that he is off the field, Sherman is known as “loud and cocky,” or “another arrogant diva.”

On the other hand, players like defensive end J.J. Watt are well known for their trashtalking on the field. Despite this, Watt is one of the most loved and respected players in the league. Though his off-the-

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for the punishment of domestic violence offenders in the league. Former defensive end Greg Hardy was suspended for ten games (later reduced to four on appeal) for domestic violence after the NFL requested a further investigation when the state dropped charges against him.

However, after New York Giants kicker Josh Brown was arrested for domestic violence charges in May 2015, the league did nothing to pursue the case.

The NFL conducted no further investigations as they did with Hardy, and with the lack of evidence they suspended Brown for just one game in 2016. However, after a Deadspin writer uncovered legal documents from

Brown’s divorce trial, a journal was found with the details of how Brown abused his wife.

It’s very clear that the NFL mishandled Brown’s case, as it was looked at in a very different way from Rice and Hardy’s cases. Rice’s case was somewhat similar, but he was suspended the year after the incident, and for two games initially. After further evidence was released, he was suspended for the remainder of the season, and he hasn’t played since. Hardy’s case is a better comparison, because his case was looked at after the new domestic violence policy was instituted in 2014. Hardy was initially put on the exempt list in 2014 by the Panthers, which meant that he could be paid, but wasn’t allowed to participate in team activities.

Before the 2015 season, Hardy was investigated by the NFL for two months after his domestic violence charges were dropped in North Carolina. He was subsequently fined for the first 10 games of the 2015 season, and this was later reduced to four. For Brown, however, the NFL took no further actions to investigate his case, despite the fact that he was convicted by a judge, before his ex-wife refused to cooperate in a jury trial.

It seems, then, that race is the underlying difference between Brown’s case and Hardy’s, and to some extent Rice’s.

Much like it is in our country as a whole, racism in the NFL seeps through every crevice: from fan and media portrayal of players to systemic racism among the executives. The next time you watch a game and hear the announcer compare two black quarterbacks with different play styles, or see an unfair ruling such as Brown’s, take a second to think about where that comes from; if every fan, reporter, and executive does this, we can get one step closer to fixing the core problem.

The Spectator ● December 13, 2016

Page 39

Sports Racial Makeup of Stuyvesant’s Sports Teams

53+41+3A Stuyvesant Atheletes’ Ethnicity

By Dean Steinman and Max Onderdonk with additional reporting by Tahsin Ali

3%

The Spectator Sports Department surveyed 301 student-athletes to assess the racial composition of the school’s sports teams.

Students were asked with which teams they participate and with which ethnicity they identify. Below are the results for teams in which at least 50 percent of the athletes responded to the survey.

3%

53%

41%

Asian

White

Hispanic

Black

46+54A45+45+10A 85+50+ 10+5A 50A 11+78+11A 20+65+96A36+59+5A54+37+9A68+27+5A25+75+A 100A53+41+6A60+33+7A26+68+3A56+44A 47+44+36A60+35+5A56+38+24A50+42+35A17+73+73A 81+19A65+35A94+6A100A70+11+8A Girls’ Volleyball

Girls’ Tennis

Girls’ Table Tennis

10%

5%

Girls’ Softball 11%

45%

46%

54%

10%

Girls’ Swimming

11%

50%

50%

45%

85%

Girls’ Soccer 6%

9%

Girls’ Lacrosse

Girls’ Indoor Track

5%

20%

78%

Girls’ Gymnastics

Girls’ Basketball

5%

9%

25%

27%

36%

37%

54%

68%

59%

65%

Girls’ Bowling

75%

Girls’ Cross Country

Girls’ Outdoor Track

Boys’ Baseball

7%

6%

3% 3%

100%

53%

41%

Boys’ Basketball

26%

44%

33%

56%

60%

68%

Boys’ Cross Country

Boys’ Football

Boys’ Indoor Track

5%

6%

Boys’ Outdoor Track

4%

5%

2%

3%

47%

35%

60%

Boys’ Soccer 8%

3%

38%

17%

3%

50%

56%

42%

44%

74%

Boys’ Swimming

Boys’ Table Tennis

Co-Ed Cricket

Co-Ed Golf

Co-Ed Stunt

6%

19%

8%

11%

35%

100%

65%

81%

11%

70%

94%

December 13, 2016

Page 40

The Spectator SpoRts Boys’ Basketball

Stefan Engquist / The Spectator

Neck and Neck, Runnin’ Rebels Lose First Game to Seward Park, 41-43

Junior Michael Gillow looks to pass the ball in a game against Seward Park High School.

By Tahsin ali and ARIEL MELENDEZ The Runnin’ Rebels, Stuyvesant’s boys’ basketball team, enjoyed an exciting start in their first league game of the season. They faced Seward Park Campus, a team they lost to twice last year by margins of 37 and 20 points, so going into the game, the Runnin’ Rebels were

underdogs.

In the first quarter, the team struggled running their offense, and trailed 13-5. However, the momentum changed in favor of the Rebels, as they came out with more intensity in the second quarter, when they held Seward Park to only five more points, while scoring 10 themselves. The quarter ended on a high mark with senior and co-

captain Tobias Lange scoring a contested layup as time expired. Lange would score a total of 13 points over the course of the game.

At the halfway mark, the team had received unexpected and welcome support from the home crowd. The packed gymnasium brought constant energy with chants yelled in unison and intense noise every time Seward Park went to the free throw line. “The energy of the crowd definitely fired up the team in our comeback attempt,” junior Michael Gillow said.

At the start of the third quarter, the Rebels were down by three. The team members were running the offense smoothly, making smart passes and getting good shots, and on the defensive side, they played with a lot of hustle. They outscored Seward Park 14-8, bringing the score to 29-26, with Stuyvesant in the lead for the first time that game.

But the game was still close, and Stuyvesant and Seward Park remained in fierce competition until the final seconds. The game came down to a missed shot at the buzzer, which allowed Seward Park to keep its 43-41 lead. Despite the loss, there are many positives to take away from the game, which the team can build upon going forward. continued on page 37

Girls’ Bowling

Courtesy of Kevin Li

Stuyvesant’s Bowlers Make Semifinals Appearance

Emily Lin bowls for a spare in a match against the High School of Fashion Industries.

By Nikki Daniels Bowling is not mere recreation for the Peglegs, Stuyvesant girls’ bowling team. The girls practice every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with league games on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays at Whitestone

Lanes, in Queens. Advancing to the semifinals in playoffs, an unprecedented feat for the Peglegs, their dedication certainly paid off.

Led by a core of upperclassmen, the Peglegs went undefeated in their regular season.

They managed to beat a past ri-

val, the High School of Fashion Industries, in two games during the regular season. The first game, toward the beginning of their season on October 7, was a 2-1 win for the Peglegs. On October 26, after the girls progressed and gained more experience, they beat they swept the High School of Fashion Industries in three rounds, winning 3-0.

In the playoffs, they beat the Michael J. Petrides School 2-0 in the second round, a notable accomplishment. The Michael J. Petrides School is located in Staten Island, home to many accomplished bowlers.

Advancing to the quarterfinals, the team beat New Utrecht 2-1 even after one of the strongest seniors on the team, Elissa Tong, was hurt by a New Utrecht bowler. Irked by loud cheering from the Peglegs, the player allegedly dropped a bowling ball, which can weigh between six and sixteen pounds, on Tong’s hand as Tong was reaching for a ball.

The girl was not suspended from the game, as with tensions already running high, the Peglegs did not want to start any trouble. Tong, though shaken up, was still able to bowl, and with a season average of 162.83, continued on page 37

CALENDAR

DECEMBER

9

Friday

Girls’ Basketball vs.

H.S. Fashion Industries Home: Gym

14

wednesday

Boys’ Swimming vs.

George Washington Home: Pool

13 tuesday

Boys’ Varsity Basketball vs.

Eleanor Roosevelt H.S. Home: Gym

Boys’ Wrestling vs.

Bayard Rustin Educational Complex Home: Gym

WRAPUP The Pirates, Stuyvesant’s boys’ swimming team, defeated James Monroe Campus 51-35 in their first meet of the season on December 1. Stuyvesant dominated in the 200-yard medley relay, with its two teams swimming 39 and 37 seconds faster than James Monroe’s best relay team.

Stuyvesant’s boys’ table tennis team, the Titans, swept Millennium High School 5-0 in its first match of the season. The Titans have gone undefeated the last two seasons, and won the last four PSAL championships. This win marked their 31st consecutive regular season victory.

In its second round of the playoffs at an away game, Stuyvesant’s boys’ bowling team, the Spartans, lost to Tottenville 3-0.

The team, however, hosted the first playoff game in multiple years in the first round of the playoffs.

Girls’ Basketball

In Blowout Victory, Phoenix Jump-Start Season

By Jeremy Rubin As the final horn sounded on December 2, the Stuyvesant girls’ basketball team, the Phoenix, walked triumphantly off the court with a 73-13 victory over the High School for Economics and Finance.

The Phoenix started off strong and never looked back, leading at the end of the first quarter 21-8.

Sophomores Ally Archer and Talia Kirshenbaum had eight and seven points in the first, respectively, to lead the team early. Archer looked especially impressive, as she finished with a total of nine offensive rebounds and connected on many

looks under the basket throughout the game.

At halftime the score was 3712, with junior and co-captain Shannon Lau setting the tone defensively. Her constant pressure on the ball-handler and stellar reads of passing lanes led to many easy transition points on the offensive end The Phoenix continued their onslaught for the rest of the game.

Their defensive intensity increased and did not allow a single field goal the second half, and gave up only one point on a free throw. Meancontinued on page 35