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OPINIONS
THE MATADOR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014
Attractiveness outweighs lawlessness A n n i e Huang There is a fandom for almost everything on the Web; all it takes is a few people to take interest in something and BOOM, it becomes an Internet sensation. Harry Potter fandom? Of course. Supernatural fandom? You bet. Fandom for bathrooms? Strange, but true. But between you and me, the Web really went off the deep end when it gave birth to a fandom for a real-life teenage murderer. On Feb. 27, 2012, Thomas “T. J.” Lane III shot and killed three male students at Chardon High School in Chardon, Ohio. If you paid any attention to the news, you would recognize that this piece of news is a little more than two years old. How, then, did Lane’s name resurface on the Web? On Sept. 11, Lane, along with two other inmates, Clifford Opperud and Lindsey Bruce, escaped from Allen Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio. Since his escape, the Web has brought his name back to relevancy, unknowingly attracting a plethora of teenage girls to his newfound fandom. Lane, who pleaded guilty to the killings, was sentenced to life in prison without parole during a hearing, during which he wore a shirt with the word “killer” on it and told his victims’ families, “---- all of you,” along with much more explicit menace. Similar to Jeremy Meeks, the alleged criminal who obtained a
modeling contract with his mugshot, Lane was reported to have an attractive face. Lane’s face appeared in fan-made pictures, edits, GIFs, and artwork that exploded across Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other social networking sites. Users, mostly teenagers, have utilized photosets and collages of Lane’s Facebook photos in order to paint him as a tragic figure. One Tumblr post reads, “He’s a bad boy with a tainted heart,” along with a collage of his photos. Alarmingly, a good number of people are upset that Lane is getting such a severe sentence for killing his fellow classmates. In addition, many see his belligerent and disturbing behavior during his court case as “heroic” and “bold,” and created an extremely controversial picture of him in the “killer” shirt in front of an American flag. If there is one thing that has been revolutionized within the 21st century, it is that attractiveness has found a way to outweigh lawlessness. This criminal case is a clear example of how our society’s obsession with beauty clouds our better judgment as human beings. As a result, we fail to differentiate between wrong and right, crime and justice. Not only is the glorification of a criminal disrespectful to the victims, but also to their friends and families. It is one thing to glorify a group of untalented, yet attractive dreamboats, but it is another to unnecessarily obsess over a brutal, psychotic murderer. Illustration by Annie Huang
Homework overwhelms the lives of students C h e l s e a H uynh To do or not to do, that is the question. Depending on the classes and extracurricular activities they have, students can get up to three hours worth of homework and still not have enough time to finish their work. In this case, many may see classwork as a better way of learning. Both have their drawbacks and benefits, but it is crucial for students to have a balance of both, with a greater emphasis on in-class work. Homework is a great instructional tool for students; it serves many purposes, such as reinforcing what they have learned and allowing them to apply their newly acquired skills to new situations. It also allows students to work independently and develop time management skills. However, homework also has its drawbacks. Academic dishonesty is a big problem, and because it is independent study at home, students may have trouble keeping up. Classwork, on the other hand, allows teachers to monitor their students and address any problems or questions. “Now that we’re going toward Common Core, classwork gives us an opportunity to do more of that collaborative work that is emphasized so much rather than homework because homework relies on them to take initiative and get themselves together, [and] it just puts
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Kristy Duong Rebecca Lei Erin Truong Amy Yee Carolina Garcia Amanda Molina Judy Tang Jennifer Thai Annie Huang Ileana Perez Carolina Loaisiga Justin Toyomitsu Cassandra Chen Chelsey Tran Roland Fang Angela Fong Chelsea Huynh Sydney Trieu Katherine Hoong Emmanuel Maresca Ying Chow Anthony Yang Hanfrey Deng Tran Lam Emmanuel Maresca Anthony Yang Vanessa Huang Jennifer Kim
The Matador Bullring How has the blackout affected you?
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It was good because I didn’t have to come to school.” -Aishah Wright , 9th grade
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It was a waste of time because every single time they told us it was fine, it wasn’t.” -Genna Lin, 10th grade
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I felt that it was somewhat interfering with my education; [we] should’ve just gotten the day off instead of being in an environment with no power” -Caleb Molina, 11th grade
Reporters: Alexandra Albarran, Hellgert Almontes, Stacy Chau, Christy Deng, Frank Lieu, Mario Mandujano, Kim Pham, Alondra Valdez, Thomas Wang, Simon Yung The Matador is a public forum for student expression and highly encourages responses in reaction to issues discussed in the paper. Submit comments as a letter to the editor, signed (anonymity is guaranteed if requested), to H-2, or Ms. Kim’s mailbox. The Matador is published monthly by the journalism staff of San Gabriel High School. 1,600 copies per issue are published at American Foothill Publishing Co., Inc. The opinions and views expressed in The Matador do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the school or the Alhambra School District. The Matador and the Alhambra Unified School District do not endorse the vendors advertised in this paper.
a lot more on the students,” Special Education teacher Erik Miller said. It is crucial for students to get extra emphasis on classwork because it allows them to interact with the class and learn from one another, giving them an opportunity to ask questions and learn hands-on. However, the right amount of homework should also be assigned to give students extra practice. Homework should help students review what they have learned in class and study important key concepts. According to a Duke University study in 2006, homework was proven to have a positive effect on student achievement. However, the study also showed that too much homework can be counterproductive for all students. For upper high school students, after about two hours of homework, homework was no longer associated with higher achievement. Homework is necessary for students, but there should be a limit to the amount assigned. Excess amounts of homework in one day can put pressure on students, especially if they have other activities as well; therefore, it can defeat the purpose of homework, which is to help students. “Homework should facilitate classwork,” English teacher Melissa Bishop-Magallanes said. “Homework is essential to make classwork happen, [but] classwork is what I prefer.” A balance of classwork between homework is key for effective student understanding.
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I like the blackouts because we got to go home early and sleep.” -Kent Lin, 12th grade Photos by Sydney Trieu and Stacy Chau
Hot off the ‘Perez’
Ileana Perez “I want to be just like you.” “When I grow up, I want to be just like you.” I have probably heard this phrase over a thousand times, but each time I hear it, I grow more and more terrified. I am not afraid of having a group of kids grow up and become like me; I am afraid of failing to be a good role model to such wonderful kids, and I am sure many people would agree. It is not that I do not like the idea of being a role model to my younger relatives; in fact, I love the idea that I have grown into such an admirable person to them. However, when I hear this phrase, I am reminded of all the pressure I will forever live with. Being the oldest child and grandchild comes with a lot of responsibility, and pressure. It is not like I have to be an absolute perfect human, but I do live with the idea of having to exceed all expectations. I am sure most people in similar positions would agree that there is always the fear of doing one thing wrong and messing up the image that so many look up to. Being the idol of six little kids is difficult, to say the least. Every day, I have to make decisions that will teach them right from wrong. These decisions not only reflect on me, but are also deciding factors in the way that my siblings will grow up. Being seperated from them when I moved to middle school was probably a major turning point in my life. I had always been there for them and made sure everything went as smoothly as possible for them, so when I moved to middle school, I thought I was free from them; however, I soon realized that I was wrong. I realized my decisions impacted them even more because I was now older and went to a new school. They saw me as someone who was practically grown up. Instead of wanting to just do really well in school, they now wanted to participate in choir and National Junior Honors Society (NJHS), which are organizations that I participated in. Entering high school was no different than going into middle school. I joined lots of extracurricular activities because I simply wanted to get involved in organizations that interested me. Little did I know, the kids would all want to become swimmers and future journalists like me. It did not bother me because that told me that I was still an admirable person to them, even though I had made several mistakes along the way. Along with being their idol, I became their go-to person whenever they needed any sort of help. I now give them pep talks and advice, and I help them with almost everything. In addition to my motivational words, I continue doing exciting things to show them that I am still awesome. I do not mind having to show six amazing kids how to choose the right path; to be honest, it is my pleasure. I love helping each and every one of them, answering their questions, and helping them with their problems. I just fear that I will make one simple mistake and everything will go downhill. However, I am not going to let my fear prevent me from moving forward. I will eventually conquer it, but until then, I have decided to do what makes me happy, what helps me to achieve my goals, and what will make my six wonderful inspirations continue to see me as their idol.