The High 65 by The High

THE HIGH EDITION 65 | APRIL 7, 2017

ALL THE LETTERS (pages 3 and 4)

Illustration by Manon Libine

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Ruby Griffiths DEPUTY EDITOR

Edward Fraser

FINDING THE LINE Can a teacher be too nice?

WACKY WEEK Has it lost its meaning?

LIFE AFTER ISL The ghosts of classes past.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

feel like an old woman on her deathbed saying final goodbyes, preparing for her next life as a deer or a mouse or a bat. I’m an old monarch passing on her dusty crown, tarnished scepter, and Tess McGill dress sense. I reminisce upon the years of spent youth, naivete, and untamed belly laughter. I wonder upon the future generations of rulers. This deathbed is a light room where I’m outstretched, inert, on a large bed with voluminous white duvets. Wizened hands fumble the sheets, reading the creases. It’s a chamber of isolation where I’m left only to confront memories. I am an old woman leaving behind the imprint of memory on leaves of the past. Nothing left but pages of our words -in the form of email promises and printed prose. As I sit, I wonder if it was enough; if I squeezed enough juice from the lemon, or if I turned all the taps off before I left. Those leaves are stained with echoes of times when we listened to each other talk until 7pm, and when we, as a team, confronted the essence of what we do by challenging our writers and illustrators. We have thought about the importance of what we do, and what we send out to the school community. I have learnt, from my position, the tangible force of the printed word. On a Friday morning the gravid production ends and leaves us simultaneously exhausted and proud. I now think back to the silent five minutes every Thursday. Those moments are when we drink tea, put on a record and gorge on greasy pizza. We are an odd bunch of misfits, jocks, geeks, and art freaks who lose our labels and cliques in this underground club. More than obssesive editing, straightening InDesign guidelines, and pages in fours, our special moments are what fall through the cracks: the gossiping, giggling, and gasping for breath. Thursday will always be my favourite day of the week.

RUBY GRIFFITHS Editor-in-Chief

FAREWELL TO THE EDITOR

his issue of The High contains more than ten thousand words. But each month, before going to print, thousands more are written or spoken: in discussion meetings every Thursday, in comments made by editors on the margins of each article, or in lengthy email threads that punctuate the rhythm of our publication process, from brainstorm to print night. This newspaper is a collective process, but there is one key person who has been putting method to our madness for the last year. Ruby Griffiths joined us in Year 11, one week after the start of term, as she struggled to find the room where we met. We were initially deceived by her quiet, unassuming stance, and her initial article choices: playlists and movie reviews. But soon we learnt that we had acquired a powerful weapon for our arsenal, as Ruby started taking on topics of feminism and sexual identity that challenged some of the core assumptions of the pastoral system at ISL. When Ruby took over the role of Editor in Chief a year ago, she set herself and the newsroom a new mission: to inspire a rekindled passion for journalism, and to seek out stories that were relevant, well-researched, and could lead to change in our school. She led and she nagged, she encouraged and pleaded, she got mad and she got proud. The result has been evident if you have been following our latest issues: our articles have more heft, our stories carry more punch, and our writers are becoming journalists. We are, in summary, a better newspaper than we were twelve months ago; thanks, undoubtedly, to the work of all our members new and old, but also fundamentally thanks to the impulse that Ruby has given us. Students come and go; editors get appointed and then graduate. Much as though I am aware of this inevitable circle of life, it still hurts a bit to see such fantastic writers, leaders and human beings leave for pastures greener. You got us home safe, Ruby; now it is our time to continue walking without you at the front.

RAFAEL RIBAS

GAY MEANS HAPPY

magine a world where you are discriminated against for being heterosexual. Imagine being asked, “When did you choose to become straight?” Seems unreal, doesn’t it? High school is already an environment in which most adolescents feel self-conscious and uncomfortable, without having to feel even more unwelcome for being a part of the LGBT community. At this point in our lives, each and every one of us is trying to find our purpose, discover who we are, and simultaneously explore paths for the future. So why do we choose to make this adversity even more challenging for certain people? Considering that ISL is an international community, where we are encompassed by an exquisite array of cultures, religions, and sexualities, some may expect a greater feeling of open-mindedness. When ISL students of the LGBT community were asked if they believe ISL is supportive of them, one answered, “You can’t generalize. ISL, especially being an international school, has so many different people of different cultural backgrounds and religions, so everyone has a different opinion. Sometimes, even if people believe they are not being homophobic, they are.” With cultural diversity being a key value enforced in the ISL community, one may expect that we would be more accepting and understanding towards various communities. So what do people in the LGBT community actually expect from ISL? One student said, “Well, considering we are in an ‘international’ community, expecting people to always be open-minded is ironic; there are going to be people who accept [the LGBT community] and people who don’t – it’s a part of the spectrum.” Another stated that, “ISL is open enough, but they could address more topics. For example, with the sexual education programme, they address heterosexual sex as if it is ‘normal,’ and then unnaturally force LGBT sex into the curriculum.”

Amara Sarao explores our attitudes towards LGBT people

In many ways, we use invective language without realizing so. A student even mentioned that, “A lot of the time, [they] hear people in [their] year using homophobic slurs, and they’ll use it as an insult; and although they may not mean it, by using these terms as an insult, it reinforces a negative attitude towards these words and gay people.” There are, of course, myriad impacts on the LGBT community of such negative expressions; however, some have suggested that the effects of these views are contingent on your self-confidence and your willingness to express yourself to your heart’s content.

protect their masculinity, and often seem to believe that homosexuality is emasculating. Society appears to put more emphasis on masculinity being a dominant force in the social norm; therefore, possibly putting more pressure on sustaining their masculinity. But who are we to judge? Coming out is an intimidating task for many in this modern day society, and even more so in high school – which is why it is vital that the ISL community, although already more respectful than many high schools, further develops its tolerance towards and integration of the LGBT community.

Conversely, taking a look at the opposing view, we see that expression for those who do not assert “pro-LGBT” views, may not be as simple. A student who is not “pro-LGBT” said, “I most likely have these views because of the I way I was raised, not only in terms culture, but also in terms of the traditions and values in my family. I may lose certain respect for a person close to me if [they were in the LGBT community], but I would never encourage discrimination because that is simply wrong.” Nevertheless, we never truly consider whether or not the ISL community suppresses these views and thus, inhibits the ability for everyone to express themselves. The same student commented that, “If someone asked for my opinion, I would express it, but I would never initiate such a conversation. In terms of social and political expression, the expectations [at ISL] are quite clear, and some may be excluded for having different viewpoints, but this doesn’t always restrict expression.” Another debate that has emerged is about the dichotomy between the experiences of male and female members of the LGBT community. It is commonly assumed that it is easier for a girl to reveal her sexuality than for a boy. The most prevalent reason being that girls tend to be more comfortable with physical contact and affection; whereas men tend to feel the need to

Moreover, there seems to be a polarization of personalities inside and outside of school. Being a part of the LGBT community sometimes means acting differently around your friends versus your family. Many students who are a part of the LGBT community have either come out to their families or their friends; in numerous cases, the two are mutually exclusive. It is devastating that someone may feel that they are unable to reveal their true selves to the people they are closest to. One student said, “It’s not so much the disapproval and disowning, because I know that [my parents] will accept me; I just feel like, as their child, I owe them something, and this just feels like a setback.” Many adolescents fear rejection; it is simply one of the daunting things: to think that your support system could turn on you for something you cannot change. It may even feel like they are losing trust in the people who raised them, the people they grew up with, the people who shaped such a significant part of their lives. This is why it is crucial for us to be the support system they need, to make this integration easier on them, not harder. Many people seem to think that being a part of the LGBT community is a choice, but as one student put it, “If it were a choice, I wouldn’t choose to be a part of a minority, or choose to be discriminated against.”

LGBT EDUCATION

ealth, social equity, and the development of a country have always been linked to education. However, LGBTQ+ rights arguably seem to have evolved less compared to women’s rights, racism and many other inequalities present in the world. It is evident that society’s overall acceptance of members belonging to the LGBTQ+ community has been widely improved in the past couple of decades, as more and more countries are legalizing same sex marriage, implementing non gender conforming bathrooms and overall improving awareness of the LGBTQ+ community, which has been raised through science and pop culture. However, things still aren’t perfect for members of this community. It’s concerning that some people might express their discomfort and disapproval

by verbally and even physically abusing people for being different. But if LGBTQ+ rights have improved so massively in the western world, why is it still seen as wrong and inappropriate by many? Why is it impossible for some gay couples to hold hands without the fear of being verbally or physically hurt? Why is it that the media connotes the word ‘transgender’ with something negative and unwanted? The real issue here is that almost all educational systems fail to actually make students stand up for something they believe in. Today most people are in favor of women’s rights and are against racism, so when advocating for these issues you are not alone. However, when advocating for LGBTQ+ rights there are suddenly less people by your side, and more people are against you. In addition, homophobia is also en-

GREEN SHOOTS

t’s always easy to get lost in the cycle of school life. To sigh as the crossing guard lets five cars go by before you, sit in the same chair every homeroom, sigh once more as you push your chair in, and drift around from building to building as mechanically as your computer mouse hovers over your schedule. On the following morning, the same happens again, and by the end of the week you have a hard time differentiating between your Monday and your Thursday. For me, this passive, unsatisfactory mood tends to increase in parallel with the amount of layers I have to wear. Returning home with squelching snow boots or an umbrella bent by the wind, the hard winter fruit is hardly ever a satisfying snack, and the grey light coming in from the window beckons procrastination. But that’s enough about the cold. Because the sun arrived, a whole week

of clear skies and summer weather, and the birds started chirping in this premature spring. Free from scarves and furry coats, everyone at ISL seemed rejuvenated, walking around with their heads held high and a newfound confident pace— or perhaps feeling this way myself, I was under the impression that everyone else felt the same way as well. But it really did seem to be the case, and along with the flowers on the trees in front of the north campus, a whole lot more seemed to be blooming at ISL. Not only did the melted snow allow for outdoor sports to begin once more, but events such as the BFG, student-led TEDx talks, and the EVAM weekend were sprouting from every corner of the school. In a style quite similar to that of Boris imploring Habib to finally give a speech during assembly, everyone suddenly seemed to have the willpower to do

Leonardo Morosini graved in many adults’ brains. Because of this while it might only be slight, some parents and teachers will show their discomfort and disapproval of LGBTQ+ community. Therefore, because parents and teachers are the moral compass of a child, he or she will be conformed to believe that discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community is fine. However, this sad truth was also true for women during the time of the Women’s suffrage movement and for people of color during the American Civil Rights’ movement. This goes to show that there is hope for the LGBTQ+ community in the future. My last request is for both teachers and students: to inform yourselves and then others about this issue, even though it might be scary and uncomfortable at first because at the end of the day if you want equality you need to fight for it.

Giovanni Raiteri what had been hanging over them for a while. With the year thirteens’ examsand departure from school- crawling ever closer, the sun’s contagious energy seemed to have picked exactly the right time to reach our planet. This of course until the sudden return of the cold weather fogged up everything I wrote about above once more. So I came to the conclusion that if the mood of diploma students were to be plotted on a graph, it would without doubt be a periodic function, and if it were to be plotted against the air temperature, it would without a doubt show a positive linear relationship. Anyway, with this useful knowledge at hand, let’s hope the sun decides to drive the seniors for this final stretch before their graduation. As it comes and goes, let’s cherish this positive energy, and make the most of our school days as opposed to letting them slip by unnoticed.

STAYING WITHIN GRADE BOUNDARIES

SL prides itself on the friendly and supportive learning environment it fosters for its students. If you’ve been here longer than just a few days, you’ll often notice teachers and students chuckling amongst themselves both in and outside of the classroom. For a lot of students, having this sort of relationship with their teachers can be extremely supporting and nurturing in their own academic development. It is clear how many faculty members of ISL actively encourage student learning, and many teachers will use their wits in efforts to achieve this very goal. However, as supportive as these relationships may be for some students, they may also have adverse effects on others. There is a fine line to be drawn between a professional sense of familiarity and an inappropriate sense of intimacy between staff and students. It is no secret that each student is unique in their own learning styles. Not only do the teachers at ISL have to accommodate for the differences in the types of learners they’re teaching, but they also must adjust their behaviour according to the age of the students to whom they are speaking. When speaking about the use of classroom humour, ISL’s DP Coordinator and English teacher comments: “With certain-aged students, it just can’t be done because they aren’t as sophisticated yet.” Furthermore, he explains that in teaching students of younger age groups, “[he tries] not to use sarcasm at all.” A worry that he has for these younger students is that they may be unable to fully grasp the comedic nature of some of what he might say, and the risk-factor of them taking offense to something greatly surpasses the rewards of having a good-humoured class environment. With that being said, he is also well aware, and a strong believer of the many positive outcomes that such an environment can create. For the older students of ISL, he is keen on establishing an environment where “students feel free enough so that a good joke can be had.” The school guidelines, detailed in the Staff Handbook, are quite specific in their own policies with regards to student-teacher relationships. ISL aims to ensure that teachers are able to use their own professional judgement in controlling the language they use within school-settings — both to discourage pejorative language and encourage positive language. Furthermore, boundaries are made clear when it comes to physical contact and intimacy between staff and students. Taken directly from the Staff Handbook: “Over-familiarity should be avoided, along with sarcasm and “talking down” to students.” Paradoxically, where ‘talking down’ to students is discouraged as it might indicate a hierarchical power dynamic between staff and students, teachers should also abstain from over-familiarity with their students. Therein lies the thin sliver of grey that ultimately leaves the magnitude of familiarity entirely to the teacher’s own professional judgement.

Edward Fraser and Fredrik Falk

Mr. Ribas, technology integrationist and physics teacher, has set out his own clear moral code when it comes to establishing an environment where students will both feel comfortable in cracking the occasional joke while also keeping their learning at the forefront of their priorities. “I like to have a good atmosphere in my lessons, and I think humour helps to achieve that.” If you’ve ever had the opportunity of being one of Mr. Ribas’ students, you’ll be well aware of his quick-wits and care that he shows for his students. In fact, within his classroom, he tries to make sure that there is “not much of a step between staff and students, and [he thinks] that dynamic helps with [establishing a good learning environment].” Herein lies an example of a teacher who not only disrupts the traditional hierarchy between teachers and students through his own humour, but is still able to maintain the sense of respect that teachers deserve. For him, when using humour within a school-setting, it is important to maintain awareness and sensitivity for his students’ well-being; because the reality is, sometimes certain students just don’t respond well to this type of humour. As positive as good student-teacher relationships may be, it is important to fully comprehend the negative effects they can have on a student’s motivation for learning. Unfortunately, “while familiarity is good, it can be overstepped,” comments one DP student. For both teachers and student alike, wanting to maintain supportive and professional relationships with one another, this DP student offers a few pieces of advice: firstly, state your stance on the boundaries of classroom humour at the very beginning of the year, and most importantly, be consistent in your behaviour thereafter. Secondly, the jokes, especially the sometimes-underhanded comments made by both students and teachers, should be mutual so that the same level of humour can be used by both parties. And finally, never use humour at the other person’s expense. Conversely, another student explains how a lack of familiarity between students and teachers can have its drawbacks, too: “where students feel less comfortable to express their own sense of humour, they can become less cooperative with one another, and the learning and teaching processes for certain students and teachers can be hindered.” Overall, it’s important for both students, and especially teachers, to remain conscientious that sometimes over-familiarity can adversely hinder students’ learning environments, instead of promoting academic development, which is one of the school’s top priorities when it comes to its students. As Mr. Roberts says, “the most important thing is that the atmosphere in the classroom is safe and conducive to learning.” And it is our duty - as students and teachers within the ISL community - to nurture that into fruition.

HARDLY WORKING HARD

n recent times, I’ve come to the realization that the notion of commitment has a grey area between being willing to commit and actually performing a task. When committed, one often finds joy throughout the process and never looks back to regret a single decision they made on the way. However, willingness is the notion of having enough incentive to perform a task, while one does not necessarily need to find liking in the task. Commitment has become a prime topic when discussing factors that affect one’s social behavior, whether it is talking about one’s love life, work life, or even their private life. However, the question remains the same: where do we draw the line between willingness and commitment? Although it is possible to argue that the act of committing is a natural instinct that all of humanity are cursed (or blessed) with, at this point in time it is an impure form of social construction. A very current example of this is the “Millennial question” as described by Simon Sinek in a viral video which has been viewed nearly six million times. In the video, he argues that the millennials (anyone born after the 1980’s to the early 2000’s) are difficult to work with as they tend to have little willingness and commitment in the work space compared to previous generations. Although the lack of willingness and the incentive to perform tasks can be blamed on being spoiled during childhood, increasing use of social media and impatience as Sinek suggested, this lack for commitment can be a measure of how much society expects us millennials to commit to the given task. Although I agree with parts of Sinek’s argument, it may come as a surprise that no one is perfectly happy and that we are a generation that operates on emotion and purpose. By putting us up against models created by previous generations, as opposed to creating something new that works for the current generation, it will most likely result in developing less incentive to

do anything. Due to society’s mishap of conceiving the idea that commitment is equal to willingness, people of my generation are having trouble finding proper incentive to work in the models created by previous generations.

It is impossible to commit to anything if it does not bring you joy

I, for one, tried committing to something short-term when our homeroom teachers suggested a “30-day challenge” where we attempt to keep one thing consistent for 30 days. This can range from eating healthy, playing an instrument everyday or even something as simple as setting a sleep schedule. As my friend and I live near school, and with a basketball tournament coming up in 2 months time, we decided to consult with our coach to see if we could practice every morning in the school gym for the next 30 days. To be successful, we had to wake up an hour earlier than we usually do and force ourselves out of the house to walk to school for a considerable amount of time. We ball out for the next hour and, finally, try our best to make it in time for homeroom, which is easier said than done. The 30 day stretch may’ve been the most exhausting time of my life as towards the final stretch, my friend and I were contemplating what our effort ultimately equated to. Was all of this worth it? What does it matter for the team if it’s just us (and occasionally a few others) practicing extra? Is ball life?

Genta Hemmi is committed to writing a good article Although we had all of these burning questions in mind, all was forgotten afterwards as we finished what we had committed to do - and the moment we finished was probably one of the best sensations we’ve ever experienced. Personally, my ability to commit to anything is pretty much non-existent as I often find myself losing interest in things I decide to commit to. This includes: all of my new year’s resolutions, various extracurricular activities, and something as simple as keeping my room tidy for an entire week. In fact, I’ve only been committed long term to basketball - and even then I don’t think I would’ve continued if it wasn’t for my mom nagging me to go until I eventually started liking it. As I look back, I remember myself placing a warm towel on my forehead to fake a fever on a school day to skip going to basketball. How ridiculous is that? I went as far as skipping school to miss the thing I currently love the most. Even worse, it took me 5 years to dedicate just 30 straight days of my life to one thing. Commitment often falls into two categories of long-term and short-term commitment. It often starts short and ends up being long term depending on how much you like it. Hence, it is almost impossible to commit to anything long-term if you don’t have the element that brings you joy in the thing you commit to. This, coupled with the pressure society exerts on our willingness to do anything, it’s a hard time to accomplish anything in life. However, despite my rant on playing ball for 30 straight days, I can say with confidence that I enjoyed every moment when I held the ball in my bare hands. Perhaps the complaining came from all the steps that lead me to holding that ball. Or maybe, I’m just a basic millennial that sucks at committing.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

ndoubtedly everybody reading this article knows about the Lunchtime Lectures – it is hard to avoid the posters hung up every week and the notices and assemblies promoting them – but nonetheless I will give a very brief overview to refresh everybody’s minds. The Lunchtime Lectures are a series of talks that ISL teachers (and most recently students) have been running throughout this past few months. Organised and run every week by Mr Lloyd, they take place every Friday during our lunch break and cover a wide range of fascinating topics that are presented very entertainingly. With the very first student-presented lectures taking place this month it seems an appropriate time to reflect on the presentations so far. There has been a very positive response to the Lunchtime Lectures as a whole. They have had a great turnout among the teachers, many of whom have become regulars, and those students who have seen them have enjoyed them immensely. Rashid Baxter, a student who has attended nearly every one of the lectures states: “I enjoy finding out what my teachers are passionate about, and always leave a lecture learning something new. Plus they’re really entertaining to watch.” That being said only a limited number of students turn up to each of the

talks, with more teachers often turning up than students. “A lot of staff have turned up,” says Mr Lloyd, on this matter. “It would have been nice if student engagement was a bit better. That’s the thing that’s been a little bit disappointing, but other than that I’d say [the lectures] have been successful.” It is definitely a shame that many students have not turned up to the lectures. Apart from being very entertaining, they share a lot of useful experiences with students. “When I first came up with it I thought the students this would really benefit are the students who are at the stage in their life where they’re beginning to think about their futures,” says Mr Lloyd. Certainly if I was hoping to pursue a career in music, or acting, or screenwriting, then the lectures we have had so far, respectively Mr Hunter’s, Mr Fessler’s and Mr Humphrey’s would have been a huge help for me, as they all have priceless first-hand experience of what being in one of those industries is like. You may have noticed the pattern with the three teachers I just mentioned. For those of you who missed it, they all support the title of ‘Mr’ at the start of their names. Out of the approximate 20 lectures so far only four have been conducted by women. It has not gone unnoticed by people either. “The first few lunchtime lectures were almost exclusively male,” said one regular listener to the lectures, although it is clear that nothing was really meant by this fact. “The people I very initially approached happened to be men,” explains Mr Lloyd. “I don’t think that was deliberate, it just happened to be that people like Mr Humphrey, Mr Baumgarten and Mr Parry, who I knew had the kind of interests that might attract people to come to the lectures, were men.” He finishes by saying, “It’s definitely been a slightly uncomfortable aspect of it,” and we can leave the issue at that. The far larger issue surrounding the Lunchtime Lectures is the lack of stu-

Joseph Nobs has a plan for Friday lunchtimes

“I always leave a lecture learning something new.”

dent involvement. Possibly with the introduction of student presenters this month we will see an increase in student listeners coming to support their peers, but already many words of wisdom have been wasted on a small minority of regular students. “You might never have an opportunity to talk to someone who has written screenplays,” say Mr Lloyd. “You might never have an opportunity to chat to someone who has tried to make a career in music, and to really get the most of the people around you. Both for peers and staff this is a great opportunity to find out a bit more about the world and engage in some topics that aren’t just everyday curriculum stuff with rubrics attached to them.” I highly recommend the Lunchtime Lectures to anybody who does not mind spending half an hour of their time expanding their minds during lunchtime on a Friday. Some lectures are undoubtedly more entertaining than others, but everybody will get something out of each presentation. They certainly challenge your critical thinking skills and make you more knowledgeable. They are also very different from lessons and are definitely not just more school. They are always discuss interesting subjects and are better organised than most lessons. So the next time you have nothing on during lunchtime on a Friday and the topic you have seen advertised around the school even moderately interests you then give the Lunchtime Lectures a chance.

YOUR BODY IS XLENT

ody shaming can definitely be one of the the more controversial topics of discussion, whether it’s determining how far the limit of ‘too harsh’ is, or deciding who we are or aren’t ‘allowed’ to shame. The influx of automatic hate based on a person’s exterior isn’t incredibly recent either, but I’ve found that although there has been a huge improvement with body positivity among overweight people, ‘skinny shaming’ has become more of a problem, especially through social media. If you have any form of social media, especially one like Instagram, you’re probably familiar with some of the #transformation and #throwback posts circling around your feed about a couple times a week. You might think nothing of these, maybe have a brief moment of joy for them, or even wonder why all these similar and definitely repetitive posts are clouding up your Explore when you’re just trying to find a good picture of those new fancy smoothie-bowl things. In my experience on social media, I have seen a lot of the many-sided responses to these types of posts, but what has intrigued me most was the reasoning specifically behind what people choose or choose not to support. The acceptance and support of women in particular with various body sizes, specifically ‘plus-size’ or overweight women, seems to have generally changed for the better throughout the years. Many companies like Always and Dove are moving towards including a wider range of body types, sizes and ages of women in their ads and clothing companies are also beginning to alter their size constrictions to encompass better the average woman coming to buy their clothes. Although much more positivity is being spread towards that side of the body shape spectrum, I feel like this has somewhat dragged expectations in the opposite direction. The encourage-

ment of embracing larger sized women in common beauty standards unfortunately made more room for ‘skinny-shaming’ among women. I myself have admittedly taken part in one of those conversations about ‘she’s way too skinny and has no shape, it’s not pretty at all’ conversations in my lifetime and it’s not helpful for anyone because honestly, if “women come in all shapes and sizes” then why is it so bad that there are girls who are naturally thin since thicker women are now so admired?

The acceptance of women with various body sizes seems to have changed for the better. And this doesn’t just go for private conversations among friends. Take Nicki Minaj for example. She seems like a pretty badass woman who knows what it means to love your body. As long as you’re black. And have a huge butt. I mean have you heard ‘Anaconda’? Her harsh and violent attack on women can barely be disguisable; she literally says “f*** the skinny b*****s in the club”. Well, sorry to those millions and millions of women, I guess Nicki will never appreciate you as much as she orders you to appreciate her. You could argue that this attitude was just for a song and it was purely marketing to get people’s attention, but

Anne-Marie Rusu thinks that beauty comes in all sizes even train companies are getting hate for what type of people they use in their advertisements. Canadian based TTC recently put out a campaign called ‘we move you’ featuring ballet dancers from the National Ballet of Canada. I personally thought the ad was beautifully done, but others, not so much. Jill Andrew, an apparent ‘social justice warrior’ ultimately concluded people used in ads should always represent their average target audience as to not ‘leave anyone out’, but what really surprised me most was when she said “the images send the wrong messages about what healthy, confident humans should look like.” I honestly thought that this was just utterly wrong. I mean, being a dancer myself, if you’re not in a healthy physical and mental state, you definitely can’t last a day in training, let alone a 4-hour show. I think that although there are many sets of unspoken rules for a lot touchy topics, body shaming is one of the grayer areas and even though everyone has their opinion, you can’t always get to one unanimous decision since it’s so different from person to person. It’s honestly not only about what side of the ‘the right’ body image we’re on, or who we’re allowed to shame for their exterior. No two people will ever be the same, so we shouldn’t be treating whole social groups on one, basically irrelevant, deciding factor like the shape of their body.

BODY OF EVIDENCE

do not like my body. This is something that I have felt since Year 8, when my developing body was no longer ‘chubby’, but fat. A combination of hitting puberty and the changing mindset of myself and my peers made me come to the realisation that I was, in reality, fat. This is not, however, going to be an article that consists of me whining for the sake of whining. This is whining with a specific message in mind, so I can whine as much as I please! Most of the time when I’m eating on my way somewhere, or eating a snack instead of lunch, I immediately think that people will start judging me. I’m not sure why, and I feel stupid for thinking it, but some part of me just inevitably jumps to the conclusion that because I’m fat, people will think that I feel no remorse, or am doing nothing about it. It’s not a great feeling, but I’ve been working on it. School trips tend to quickly turn unpleasant, as I often get to experience my equivalent of a public humiliation, the hike. Whilst many of you express dislike towards the hike for its pointlessness, or the sheer tiring factor, it is one of the worst things I can live through, and I dread every moment of it. I always end up at the end of the line, lagging behind and always being the last one to the group’s various break stops. Getting out of breath the second we start doesn’t always feel great, and it’s even more difficult when I try to hide it to seem like I’m not that unfit. Any activities with special equipment or helmets take extra time for me because their sizes might not always fit, and if they do, it’s always the tightest fit possible. And some things are just plain uncomfortable unless you’re used to them (read: mountain biking) because it’s not something I’d usually try to do. P.E. has also been one of the classes in which I feel like I stand out. Things we do that are genuinely fun can quickly lose their value when I get tired trying to keep up with everyone, just to enjoy the game. I always spent my P.E. classes trying to stay behind and not get called out. I think after a certain point I just stopped trying and just went with whatever was easiest, which ended up just being running when the teacher was looking and making lots of noise to seem really involved. On the other hand, I had loads of fun in P.E. just enjoying myself without thinking too much about academics or homework – it was just exercise for the sake of exercise (except for the dance unit, which was just bad). I have a gym membership that I use when I feel like there won’t be that many people to judge me in the gym hall. As much as others try to convince me otherwise, it is difficult to believe that anyone doesn’t judge me for my appearance, when I so clearly judge people for theirs, setting my standards to their levels. But for me, judging people by appearance isn’t a negative thing unless I apply it to myself. I don’t

Nikolay Zhurov chews the fat even consider it to be something significant, as for most people it’s just considering that I like the way they look as a human. For myself though, it’s always in comparison to others. Even people I’m comfortable with, even though it might be a small, innocent thought, it’s almost always there.

I immediately think that people will start judging me. About half of the time on public transport, if I don’t feel comfortable in my clothes on the particular day, or if I’m just having a bad day, all I can feel are the mostly non-existent stares of those around me. At times when I feel down, I feel like I immediately fall back into being uncomfortable with my body. Of course, sometimes people stare. That’s true for almost everyone though. Sometimes you just space out when looking at someone, maybe thinking about their headphones and then just trailing off. It’s difficult to know for those we’re staring at, though. As negative as this seems, things have gotten better. Something I have learnt over the past couple of years is the fact that no matter what I look like, so long as I stay true to myself (however cynical and sardonic that may be), there will be people who appreciate me for who I am. At my internship over the summer, I was initially embarrassed when meeting people as I thought I didn’t look good in a dress shirt (joke’s on me – I look killer), but the kindness of the people at the job was overwhelming. For my first experience in the ‘real world’, I felt absolutely no judgement from people based on my appearance. Those who showed interest did so out of interest for my personality (and high class visage, obviously). After that, it wasn’t so difficult to single out those who seem to really care in the school and in my life. I didn’t feel like people were forcing themselves to like me, and that my appearance came in the way of my relationships. I don’t mind if people bring it up as a joke, I do it all the time. Self-deprecation is one way of coping with it. So long as the deprecation stays a joke, I can deal with myself a little better each time. So, I’d like to thank all of those who look past how I look: my family, my classmates, my teachers, my friends. Whether or not you really care, if you even just make it seem like it, it doesn’t matter to you, it won’t matter to me. Whether you like the way you look or you don’t, try to think of those who like you for you, no matter what you look like. I do not like my body. But I like myself enough to change that.

TEDX @ ISL

e’ve all asked ourselves questions we can’t answer; it’s part of being human. It’s one of those things that sets us apart from all other animals, except for maybe dolphins. We’ll never truly know what those bastards are thinking. Are they laughing with us or at us? Fortunately, the TEDx talk at ISL asked better questions, with answers we could actually figure out. The intrepid speakers for that evening consisted of Jacob Foster, Shardul Bansal, Amanda Bris, Constance Gleron, Marc-Antoine Manzoni, and Boris Büschle-Bello. The night covered a range of topics: from some very current questions, like whether your upbringing determines your wealth, to some timeless ones like why we are here, to ones we may have to ask ourselves in the not-too-distant future, like if we will ever be forced to give rights to robots. If we don’t, will we be plunged into war with our applianc-

es Maximum Overdrive-style? Or if we do, will they integrate into our society and end up with us electing a president whose great-grandfather was a Toyota Prius? We could ponder this for hours. Other, more existential questions were raised too. Can a child living in poverty be truly happy? Was John Lennon right when he sang “Money can’t buy me love”? Our very own Jake Foster discovered the answer from working with Crossing Bridges, an organization built on making connections with the less fortunate. The whole segment told a powerful message on the virtues of community service. Other talks focused on the informative aspect, like shedding some desperately needed light on North Korea, courtesy of Amanda Bris, or exploring how personalities change when people speak different languages, as per Constance. It was one of those ideas that seem simple, but you only realize them when

Nick Jennings somebody else points it out for you. Classic. While on the topic of classics, why are we here? This unending question was reopened by Marc-Antoine, who walked us through the many perspectives on the meaning of life, including Taoist, biological, absurdist, and Abrahamic perspectives. To wrap up the evening, Boris enlightened us on the (hard) truth of success: You barely have any control over it. We always knew that we had next to no chance of being the next Bill Gates, but Boris gave us a handy equation to use: Time of birth + Place of birth + Hard work + Luck = Success. Good luck punching that into a calculator though, since you can only control one of those variables. All in all, the evening was full of questions raised, a few lessons learned, but mostly more questions arising as a result.

Y13 ART EXHIBITION

very year, the IB art students spend their time cooped up in the art rooms working on their projects in the dark, spending their spares expanding their creative minds while outsiders wonder what goes on in the IB art room. The IB art exhibition marks the finale for the art students, and allows them to reveal what they have been working on over the past two years. This year, much like every year, ISL saw some astounding artwork from all students, with a huge variety of themes, materials, and ideas. From small intricate pencil drawings to pieces that managed to cover an entire wall, this year’s IB art exhibition did not fail to raise the bar in art standards. We even got to see works done by our very own editor: Ruby Griffiths, Ruby based her work on the shapes and form of the female body, using themes of “fragility, sensitivity, sexuality and power.” Using as few lines as paint as possible, she was able to fully capture the entirety of the female body.

Her use brush work showed movement and flow, enabling her to perfectly take the viewer on a journey through the architecture of the body, and effectively guiding them through its development. One piece that was impossible to miss, was Stefan’s great wall piece, where he used tape to display an alternate possibility of looking at a wall. The extensive piece reached around four meters tall and most definitely captured the attention of the audience. The idea of his work was to “take a space and then you put something there so that then the viewer can look at it in a way that’s unexpected and make the see the space in a different way.” Most definitely an eye catching piece that gave the viewers something different to admire that night. On the contrary, A great focus of the night was Arthur Masure’s intricate pencil work, where he used fine detail to display the chaotic and minutiae architecture of cities and iconic buildings. Much like a Where’s Waldo? book, it

Lyndon Kwan

would take hours for one to fully appreciate every aspect of his work. Furthermore, his much larger work on the young Tanzanian boy allowed him to capture the emotions of the boy, and Arthur’s own experience being in Tanzania. The IB art exhibition always lets us answer the long pondered TOK question, “what constitutes as art?” This year, the piece that allowed us to do so was brought by the infamous Miguel Angelo Lopez, with his painting of the word “Yes” but replacing the letter “e” with an “i” to write “Yis”. Miguels justification for the meaning behind his piece was “For me, yis is a way of showing excitement or simply a happier way of saying yes.” This year’s exhibition displayed an assortment of pieces, all exceedingly creative. The crowd was left in awe and admiration. With jaw-dropping works with great beauty in their entirety, it is definitely safe to say that this year’s exhibition was a massive success.

GO, BUGGY, GO

know that I am going to be hated by a lot of people for this. Students, teachers, parents and the like, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person who thinks like this. I can’t be the only one who doesn’t like Wacky Week. So, without further ado, the reason Wacky Week is not very fun for me.

Lewis Martin is out of wack

I think people have taken the whole concept of Wacky Week and made it some big competition. “We need to win. Winning is all that’s important.” That is something that you will have heard of the past week. In my first year, I had no clue what was going on. All I knew is that people were screaming at me, telling me that I needed to buy a costume for some performance thing. I was but a naive child and decided that I wasn’t going to waste 40 francs on a random costume I would wear once and then proceed to throw out. Boy was that a mistake. Wacky Week is meant to be fun for everyone, but it has to be a very specific type of fun. If you do not have fun the way you’re meant to, then you will be made to. I will never forget the day when the winners of Wacky Week were revealed during an assembly, and our year lost. Not only was a riot held in the assembly hall, calling the system rigged, but I was blamed because I didn’t want to wear a costume and that lost us points. I was intimidated, and to make matters worse, I was shunned for my “lack of effort.” You know maybe I just dislike wearing costumes or spending my money for something that I don’t even want to do? Nah he just doesn’t want to be happy so we need to shun him to show that we have fun.

Now, I don’t hate the original concept of Wacky Week itself. Yes, it has plenty of flaws the way it is now, but what I can’t stand is the pain for those of us who don’t want to do participate. It’s a fun, goofy week where you can dress up with your friends and have a bit of fun. That’s all well and good, but I think there has been some corruption as the years have passed. It may have started as all gumdrops and rainbows, but from what I’ve experienced in my two years at the school, it’s a lot different. It has become a competition where everyone has to prove that they are the best at having fun, and if you don’t join in, you will be chastised, ridiculed, and treated like you are the scum of the earth. I think people have taken the whole idea of Wacky Week and turned it into a bastardisation of its former self. The whole point of Wacky Week is the option to dress up and have fun. The key word being: “option.” You have the option to dress up, or the option to not dress up...and be shunned for the next week and a half. Wacky Week, the way it is now, has a huge conceptual flaw. The whole ‘competition’ aspect of Wacky Week was a huge mistake. Of course people are going to take it seriously, they need to prove that they are better than everyone else. ronic, isn’t it? It’s a day of dressing up and having fun - except there is a literal checklist of things that are “fun,” that you must complete to show that you can have fun.

The problem of Wacky Week has gotten so far that the teachers had to put out an email just to tell people to not take it too seriously. People have to be reminded that the whole point is to have fun. “Oh yeah we are not competitive, you’re just lazy!” It’s clearly an issue but the teachers want to keep Wacky Week because “it helps the school spirit.” Do you think that having people yell at one another helps the school spirit? Would not teaching people that not everything is a competition and good sportsmanship improve the school spirit more than Wacky Week? Nah I guess not. This extends into a much bigger issue. People begin to think that just because people don’t want to do something “fun” they just don’t want to put in effort or be happy. People have different tastes for “fun” and you shouldn’t force people to do something they don’t want to do because it’s fun for you. Things like trips week, where people are forced to go and do things they don’t want to because it can make people “bond.” I felt no closer to anyone after that trip except after holding myself after I had been scared to death after being forced to go over a canyon when I have a fear of heights. People need to calm down about Wacky Week and think about the whole point of it. It’s a fun week where you can muck about with your mates, not a competition for who has the most fun. So if you are one of the people who heckles people for not participating, take a step back and think about their perspective.

MEATING OUR NEEDS

eganism and vegetarianism are becoming more popular, as more and more people choose to adopt this lifestyle. In the past decade, the number of vegans in the UK rose by 350%. Whether these choices are made by conviction, because of one’s taste or health, or even because of its rising popularity on social media is debatable, but a sure fact is that the issue of whether our current practices of regularly eating meat are truly sustainable for our planet’s future are being spoken about with more frequency.

We can all afford to be more aware and conscious about what we eat, where the food is from, and how it has been produced I’m not here to tell you to become a vegetarian or a vegan. I’m not a vegetarian, and I’m definitely not a vegan. However, I’m writing this article because I think we can all afford to be more aware and conscious about what we eat, where the food is from, and how it has been produced. Buying “bio” food is the first thing that normally assures that the animals you eat have had good, ethically correct lives, and that the plants you eat are the most natural possible. Very often you see news of animals such as chicken or pigs raised in cages piled onto each other, having never seen sunlight or grass their entire life. Cows are fed with chemicals so that they grow fatter and fatter, or produce more milk. These horrendous acts of torture occur, reflecting the enormous demand for meat in our consumer society. Non-bio plants have usually been hugely sprayed by pesticides to remove any ‘natural’ germs. However, adding these chemicals makes the plant much less natural and full of artificial germs. The food served in ISL’s cafeteria mainly comes from Suter Viandes, a butcher based in Geneva, and LéguFruits. Suter Viandes is dedicated to only buying meat from competent producers, who do not mistreat animals. Also, the “bio” lamb that we eat has had an ethically correct life, it is not mistreated, and it is raised in pastures. However, a lot of products are not “bio” in ISL, because not all “bio” products are sold wholesale.

Maëlle Jacqmarcq has a bone to pick Buying “bio” food is the first step, and this rule should absolutely be followed by everyone who reads this article. The problem with “bio”is that it does not guarantee the animals’ humane death. Regularly, scandalous videos of what happens in slaughterhouses come out, causing general public outrage. Animals are blinded, hung by their feet, made to bleed to death, or watch their imminent death as they see animal after animal before them get killed. In France, slaughterhouses are checked to prevent such atrocities about once every fifteen years. Although that seems like a nice plan for regulation, if they have been checked recently, slaughterhouses know they are free to do what they want for at least a decade. There’s nothing much we can do about the way animals are killed, apart from spreading the news, making it a known, repulsive topic, or eventually stopping meat consumption. However, something we can do to create a more sustainable food system is to be conscious of the threat that buying food from far away is. For example, if you buy chicken from Brazil or South Africa instead of Switzerland or another nearby country, it’s probably because it’s cheaper. However, the environmental cost of making food travel across the world is huge: tons of petrol needs to be consumed to bring your chicken to Switzerland. In fact, the breeding of animals is the first man-made cause for greenhouse gas emissions, before even transport causes. In general, our school can be congratulated for the effort it has made in predominantly buying local food;whenever possible, no meat is bought from outside of Switzerland, and the origins of most products are even displayed above the pasta counter in the cafeteria (go have a look!). Of course, fruits like bananas and pineapples are not from Switzerland, but the cafeteria manager wants everyone to know that buying local food is an important principle ISL always tries to follow. She explained that buying products from Switzerland not only benefits the Swiss economy, but also the quality of its products which is known to be superior to that of other countries. Even if the ISL cafeteria does a good job in buying bio, local food, there needs to be a more widespread knowledge of the threat that non-bio food has on the world’s sustainability, and the harm it does to animals, plants, and even human bodies. Sure, buying “bio” food is more expensive, but from this price comes quality. Becoming vegetarian sure helps to reduce meat consumption and help the food we eat have better quality. However, it is the extreme. What we need to do now if we don’t want to go all the way to changing our lifestyle is to buy whenever possible “bio”, local food because it really does make a difference, reduce bit by bit our meat consumption, and be more aware of what is in our plates everyday.

LIFE BEGINS AFTER 13

f you ask any Year 13 how they are feeling about their lives, university related or stress level, you will most likely get an answer along the lines of: “I’m alright” or “I’m still quite nervous about which university I’ll get into” or just “I hate the IB”. For the year 13s, the last few months have been quite interesting, with different deadlines for university applications, final TOK essays, and finalizing all of the IAs. At the same time, we have also had the added stress of hearing back from the universities and hearing whether or not we would be living in our parents basement for the next year or actually being able to move out. Putting all of that, and more, together, it would make sense that the year 13s feel the way we do. Yet, we definitely should not think that we’re the only ones. Many graduating classes have come before us and many will follow. After having asked some ex ISL students who graduated anywhere between 2013 and last year, there is a bit less to worry about than you would have thought. First of all, for all of those who are looking forward to leaving ISL for reasons other than working, you might want to rethink your view on the times you’ve had here and take into consideration that even some of the alumni that thought they would leave ISL and look back at their time and be happy leaving, ended up being very grateful for the time they have had and the friendships they have made. Moving on, of course everyone hopes to end up in their top choice university, and following the field which they had imagined themselves studying. However, sometimes things don’t go to plan, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Quoting a student from last year, to answer the question ‘Are you where you thought you would be?’ he said “No, however it should not be taken negatively”. Furthermore, a student who graduated in 2013 said “I took a four year course instead of a three, so maybe I assumed I would be in full time employment by now, but as university

is coming to an end, I am already doing what I wanted to do and I am employed.” These are just two examples but it just goes to show that if for some reason you don’t end up going where you would have expected initially, things might actually have changed for the better or you’ll just get back to your initial idea later in life.

The IB provided me with a wide set of skills that I still use today

But rest assured, every single one of the alumni has said that in terms of workload at university, “The workload is so minuscule comparatively, and focuses so much on how to write an essay, that once you’ve faced the IB it can be laughable at times.” Of course, don’t get too comfortable since the workload will pick up again as you move through university. By your last year compared to the IB, “it matches, if not, exceeds the workload, intensity, quality and expectation”. For some of you, this would be hard to believe, but ISL and the IB do prepare you well in terms of managing stress and workload.

Stephanie Braunius talks to the ones who got away. As one alumnus said “The IB provided me with a wide set of skills that I still use today. Apart from the subjects I took that prepared me greatly for university - yes Mr. Foley, I still do micro and macro; no Mr. Ribas, I don’t do relativity - the program gave me the chance to interact with others and learn to test my limits in a way that I probably would not have learnt elsewhere. So yes, I think the IB did impact my life positively in so many ways.” One more thing, don’t think you’ll be able to keep in touch with all your friends from ISL. Generally speaking, the alumni did keep in touch with their closest friends, and even then, with the amazing nature that we as international students have, we will be living all over the world. For some, they’ve ended up in the following situation “Most people went to London like me but for the others they will come visit every other month. I go to New York a lot too so if I’m not in London i’ll be socializing with my friends over there.” In any case, making friends at university is a lot easier than you might think, according to these alumni. Finally, year 13s, don’t worry. This article may seem quite cheesy, but this time, it is the genuine truth told by ex Year 13s, and not your parents or your teachers. So focus your stress on the final exams coming up instead of the years to come, since you’ll clearly be able to handle it.

THE SOUND OF LONDON

Sophia Scokalo sings the praises of the music trip

his past month, part of ISL’s choir and concert band went to London for four days of music and team building. The trip commenced with a smooth transition from Geneva to Gatwick, with anticipation building in all of us as we approached central London, where our hostel was located.

students, and the choir, almost double that. We ran through both of our songs, Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton, and a medley of Highlights from Porgy and Bess, the opera. All of the time and energy we had spent practicing, paid off in this virtual fireworks display of sound that echoed in the room.

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to sing and perform with so many other students.

As we returned to our designated “ISL” area, we were all still soaking in the experience, buzzing with anticipation for the concert that evening. Within a few hours, more and more students filed in from every doorway of the venue, and excited chatter grew into a symphony of it’s own. Needless to say, the three IB students that were on the trip, promptly fell asleep, and took a well deserved two hour nap with the free time we had before the concert. A couple of the other students dozed off too, the travelling and excitement in the atmosphere was all a little overwhelming at times. But once it came to the concert itself, no one was more awake than the people sitting in that concert hall, audience and performers alike. There was an electric pulse that seemed to beat in time with the music, and connect to every person in the room.

The next day, we got the opportunity to do a walkabout the city before we went to Graveney School for an afternoon of team building and rehearsals. Unlike ISL, Graveney is a British public school with 2,000 students just in their secondary section. The school itself was massive, and for some of us, it was quite the change of both atmosphere and scenery. The Graveney students were both talented as well as welcoming, and it was a different experience entirely to hear all our practice come together and merge with the band and choir. Afterwards, we took the tube to get on the London Eye. Luckily for us, the weather was warm and sunny, which allowed us to see the beautiful city skyline. In one of the London Eye pods, the choir was happily singing one of our favorite warmups, and enjoying the surprising acoustics of the bubble-like room. The next day was also filled with warm spring weather and music flowing in and out of the halls, like a current of electricity. More rehearsing and at the end of the day, a mini concert for the year 7 students of Graveney School. But not just a few year 7’s, there were almost 300 in a single year group. We got the chance to perform our choir pieces as well as slip in a few soloists and group performances here and there. Marc Ribas performed the classic Superstition, originally by Stevie Wonder, with Jam Nation, which was needless to say a hit. Some of the Graveney students also performed solos, all of which were varied and it was nice to see the passion for music is clearly alive, just like it is here. Monday morning, we did a Duck Tour, which was essentially this large yellow amphibious truck that could also go into the water, as well as another rehearsal, and the opportunity to watch the fantastic musical Wicked. The next day, we had a massed rehearsal at Royal Festival Hall. The venue was huge, beautifully designed, and the acoustics were just incredible. All in all, the concert bad must have been around 70

The experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it was truly a unique experience to sing and perform with so many other students. There were many other numbers, including a student lead medley of Singin In The Rain, and a theater piece entirely created by students from a hearing and speech impaired school. The level of talent was inspiring. We also got the chance to watch the second half of the concert, which was mostly comprised of numbers performed by primary students. These were of the same standard, and they had the audience on their feet, singing, clapping and dancing along to some Mamma Mia and Michael Jackson. That night, when all was done and we were walking back to the hostel, most of us sang our hearts out… We weren’t ready for the whole experience to be over just yet. All in all, the trip was an experience that, for all of those who went, was incredible. Many laughs and memories were made. It definitely left a brighter sound in our hearts, and the memory of a song in our minds.

BUTT OF THE JOKE

umour is essential within a person: a good joke can turn a mood around dramatically and make everyone just feel that bit better. Just a bit of banter. We have all been in situations when we couldn’t stop laughing about something. However, is there a limit to things that we can joke about? Now, of course a lot of people would say: “Yes, you shouldn’t offend people etc etc! That goes against all my values blah blah”. The typical liberal, rainbow, unicorn fluff, even though we all know that the funniest jokes are the ones that are slightly dark and , sometimes , slightly offensive. Jokes, despite being quite a simplistic thing on the outside, bring with them an interesting question: do we have the right to offend? Jokes come with an extra dimension when compared to other forms of speech: if one makes a joke the intent is not to harm, but instead to entertain, even if

the joke is considered slightly distasteful. However, recently, humour and jokes have come under great attack by self proclaimed social justice warriors as they “propagate stereotypes and are not politically correct.” When this happens I plead you to pull out your trump card (hehe) and say: “Shut up! We have free speech, p*ss off.” Now, for all of you who are going to burn my page in the yearbook because I disagree with your opinion, hear me out. Jokes are integrally different to speech, and the intent behind things should always be taken into account. One has the right to be offended by whatever they want, but people should not crucify others for making jokes. An interesting example of this is Stephen Colbert, generally seen as a funny guy who was made out to be racist in 2014 after tweeting about the “Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orien-

Floris Van Lieshout tals”,mocking an attempt of the Washington Redskins to win over the native american community by establishing a charity for “original americans”. Nevertheless, the concept of intent is really important in this case. Was he preaching hate speech? No, he was mocking something, through the use of humour. Branding something as “Racist, sexist, or something-phobic” is a very easy thing to do and is the defense mechanism of most overly PC SJW’s. Now, of course, real speeches which embody all the aforementioned points should always be called out since they can’t be defended under freedom of speech as one is simply preaching hate with full intent. Furthermore, the context in which the joke is said should also be taken into account;taking jokes out of context makes it very easy to label the joker as insensitive. Don’t take jokes with your mates out of context.

READ. LISTEN. WATCH.

WATCH: MARDAANI

very eight minutes, a girl goes missing in India. Based on true events, Mardaani is the story of Indian Crime Branch investigator Shivani Shivaji Roy. After involving herself in a case regarding a kidnapped girl, Shivani begins to unravel a nation-wide network of underground child trafficking activities, and becomes determined to put an end to it. This relatively recent Bollywood film, performed in Hindi with English subtitles available, has been revolutionary in promoting women’s rights in India. A word of warning: Mardaani is not a film for the faint hearted, featuring sharp warnings for violence and rape. If you can handle it, however, you will find it a bold, shocking, and empowering exposé of India’s dark underbelly; this is a film you won’t easily forget.

LISTEN: ALICE ISN’T DEAD

he first season of this podcast by Night Vale Presents consists of ten twenty-minute episodes, blending horror and mystery with elements of love and humor. Featuring inhuman serial killers, towns literally lost in time, and a particular omelet, Alice Isn’t Dead is the story of a young truck driver traversing the vast expanse of American highways, in search of the mysterious wife she had believed to be dead. Each episode features a mix of recorded tapes from the young woman, addressed to her lost wife, tapes that flit between times as she reflects on her past and begins to uncover the present. Give this brilliantly-crafted mystery a listen, and, I guarantee, you will be on the edge of your seat the whole way through, as you and the narrator experience the hidden world that lies behind everything you thought you knew. And it all unfolds in the wide, wide emptiness…

Suhasini Mehra

READ: THE TRUTH

n this installment of Terry Pratchett’s famous Discworld series, William de Worde is the unfortunate and quite accidental editor of The Ankh-Morpork Times, the country’s first investigative newspaper. It was bad enough that he’s had to deal with industrial dwarves, a vampire with a suicidal passion for flash photography, and a farmer who insists on publishing images of his erotic vegetables - but now he’s wrapped up in a secret plot to assassinate the patrician, armed with nothing but several faulty typewriters and his notepad. Facing off against terrifying villains, such as a heavyset thug who gets high on soap and likes to critique fine arts, can William and his company get through the next month without experiencing death, destruction, or Dibbler’s special sausages? Perhaps. A quote from the Ankh-Morpork Times: ‘‘The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret.’’

FAREWELL YEAR 13 Find the first names of all the students in the graduating class of 2017.