EDITORIAL

In a document leaked by Politico on May 3, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to overturn the 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade. This landmark ruling stated that abortion rights were to be federally protected, resulting in all 50 states having some level of abortion legality. The official vote to overturn Roe v. Wade has not yet occurred in court, but if it does, the choice to permit abortions or not would be surrendered to individual states. In some states, it is guaranteed that the personal right of access to abortions would be severely limited. In addition to attacking private rights, this potential decision highlights the dangerous, unilateral power of the Supreme Court to freely interpret the Constitution. 13 states such as Texas have trigger laws that would immediately criminalize abortion — and in some cases make it equal to homicide — if Roe v. Wade is reversed. Many others like Arizona do not currently have these laws, but are projected to follow suit (National Public Radio). The National Broadcasting Company also reports that along with banning abortions, several states like Idaho are looking to ban birth control methods such as Plan B. Severely limiting people’s bodily autonomy like these actions threaten to is unjust and deserves to be condemned.

But perhaps most importantly, overturning the abortion rights protected by Roe v. Wade would put the U.S. on a slippery slope regarding the excessive power of the Supreme Court to decide what is constitutional. Despite the system of checks and balances, the judicial branch is the only section that had any effective say in this decision. The Supreme Court’s ruling overruled the executive branch, where President Joe Biden emphasized his belief that somebody should choose if they want an abortion. It is true that the legislative branch had a chance on May 11 to codify abortion rights, but failed to reach the requisite 60% majority in the Senate to do so, with only 49 of the 100 Senators voting in favor of it (Consumer News and Business Channel). However, this chance does not mean the legislative branch had any meaningful power — with 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats currently in the Senate, it is highly unlikely that a 60% majority would be reached regarding any divisive matter among parties.

The alarming consequences of this singular power is apparent in the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Justice Alito implies that any ruling “not deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and traditions” and to which “the Constitution makes no reference” should be abolished. What constitutes a value as “deeply rooted” in the U.S. is incredibly subjective, and establishing that as a standard for court rulings is dangerous, particularly for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals. For much of American history, marginalized communities have had their identities denied by government institutions. LGBTQ+ rights are certainly not enshrined by the Constitution, and samesex sexual conduct was only decriminalized by the Supreme Court in 2003. Basing rulings on societal ideals of the 1700s is absurd considering how quickly civil rights advanced in the past century alone. As systemic inequalities are recognized by society, constitutionality must adjust accordingly.

Therefore, youth-led movements are currently working toward protesting this decision. Generation Ratify, an organization that focuses on achieving gender equality, coordinated school walkouts in Virginia, and a protest in Malaga Cove on May 14 featured many local students. These movements must continue in full strength to block the reversal of Roe v. Wade and show that the Supreme Court can no longer use their unilateral power to enforce archaic social norms.

THE PEN PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL

27118 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

EDITORS IN CHIEF Jeremy Kim Audrey Lin

MANAGING EDITOR Nomi Tsogmagnai

HEADS OF DESIGN Shai Becker Sakura Sasaki

HEAD OF BUSINESS Makayla Lui

ADVISER Jaymee DeMeyer

PUBLICITY PUBLICITY MANAGER: Victoria Rhodes WEBSITE MANAGER: Savanna Messner Rodriguez

OPINION EDITOR: Zahra Habib WRITERS: Leigh Fitch Angelina Wang

NEWS EDITOR: Juliette Lin WRITERS: Aarushi Chaudhari Clara Reckhorn

FOCUS EDITOR: Alena Rhoades WRITERS: Hannah Corr Brian Park

STUDENT LIFE EDITOR: McKenna McCallister WRITERS: Jacelyn Chen Tessa Kang

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/SPORTS EDITOR: Josie Kwak WRITERS: Jenna Long Neha Sambangi

GRAPHICS Hana Fujii Kiara Lee Jihee Seo Lynn Takahashi Brooke Vo

ADS Hana Rivera Priya Thakor

“The Pen” is the student newspaper produced by the advanced journalism students of Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. It is published eight times per year. Advertising inquiries may be directed to Head of Business Makayla Lui at (310)753-9550. Copyright © 2022

COVER DESIGN BY SAKURA SASAKI

MUSK’S MASTER PLAN FOR CONTENT MODERATION

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk recently announced his plans to transform the social media company Twitter, once he buys it for a proposed $44 billion. Musk aims to increase Twitter’s annual revenue and boost usership. He also intends to take Twitter private, meaning the company would no longer have to report its financial information or changes to the government. He accuses Twitter of currently having excessive content moderation and political bias; he plans to undo Twitter’s current regulations and thus create an unregulated platform that he believes would help preserve free speech. However, content moderation creates a safe environment for users; although it is not a perfect system, it allows people to receive accurate information more often than not (The Conversation). Without content moderation, Twitter could potentially become an untrustworthy platform and fall into disuse.

According to the Pew Research Center, about 70% of Twitter users get their news from the site. Instead of traditional news outlets — which are typically extensively fact checked — people use Twitter or other forms of social media as an important source of information for current affairs and politics (Frontiers in Psychology).

“Everyone our age gets their information from social media,” freshman Rhys Ota said. “[Its influence is] especially evident with [Musk], as his posts about economics influence the market. [When Musk] tweeted about Dogecoin, [it] resulted in its [stock] price increasing drastically.”

With Twitter’s heavy influence, it is important that the app’s content is moderated so people can receive accurate information before making decisions. If Musk removes all content moderation on Twitter, more false information than facts will be spread (The Conversation).

Musk also believes that people should not be banned on Twitter, and to him, that includes reversing the ban on former President Donald Trump, which began after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Twitter permanently banned Trump because the two tweets he posted that day violated Twitter’s Glorification of Violence policy.

“I disagree with a lot of things Trump has said and done as president,” sophomore Pradyuman Raja said. “[However], I do not think that it is a justification for banning him from the platform. The fact that [Musk] wants to unban people from the [political] left and the right will benefit the platform.”

While some consider Trump’s banning as Twitter silencing the voices of people on only one end of the political spectrum, Trump should remain banned from Twitter due to his selfish intentions and negative influence on his followers. Trump was banned for a reason — he incited great violence with his platform largely because he lost the 2020 presidential election. The people he addressed on Twitter were then motivated to storm the Capitol, causing injuries for about 140 law enforcement officers (New York Times). Even though some argue that Trump being banned on Twitter violates his right to free speech, keeping him banned will benefit society more than harm it.

Ultimately, what Musk plans for Twitter might not happen. On May 13, Musk tweeted that his deal with Twitter has been placed on hold until more details about spam and fake accounts emerge (Twitter). However, he did add that he is still committed to the acquisition of Twitter because if he backs out of the contract now, the company can sue him for up to $1 billion (Consumer News and Business Channel). If he does follow through with his changes, Twitter may become an untrustworthy and unreliable platform.

“[Many] people make claims that what they say is fact, but it turns out they [do not show the full story].” Economics and Advanced Placement Economics teacher Allen Aronson said. “If [information on Twitter] is more in the middle and we get to the truth of topics instead of [having] selective research, I am okay with [Musk’s changes to Twitter].”

INFLATION IN THE STATIONS

With the ongoing war in Ukraine, many families in the U.S. have suffered economic losses (New York Times). Specifically, the Russia-Ukraine War has caused a drastic, nationwide increase in the price of oil due to the U.S.’s reliance on Russian oil. This led to an increase in gas and electricity prices as well as worsened inflation in California (ABC10). The average price per gallon of gas in California was $3.61 in 2021, but as of May 20, is $6.02 (American Automobile Association). California is also facing its highest inflation rate in 31 years at 6.6%, which is up 1.5% from last year’s rate (The Orange County Register). Beginning May 10, the Biden-Harris administration has set forth a plan to lessen inflation and lower the deficit nationwide, stating that they plan to build complete energy independence and lower energy bills by calling on Congress to pass clean energy tax credits. Passing them would encourage taxpayers to buy electric vehicles and produce electric power. This would have benefits like helping them save $500 on their utility bills. However, many sources, such as the New York Times, state that the administration’s plan may not be enough to lessen the struggles of average families. Senior Riley Leongkaye believes that many more problems will arise due to the current issues with inflation.

“I fear what consequences these price increases will have for other aspects of life,” Leongkaye said. “Not only are they making it difficult for families to meet their basic needs [in the present], but they will also affect other prices down the line as goods and services generally get more expensive.”

Increased prices of basic necessities have caused difficulties for all Californians, but are especially devastating for lower-income households with budgets that are already strained (Washington Post). According to the Public Policy Institute of California, families whose incomes have not risen by 8% over the last year to account for the rise in prices have suffered a dramatic loss of purchasing power. This situation raises questions over the U.S.’s over-reliance on outside sources of oil. The strategy of importing more oil than what is being produced has become especially questionable during the pandemic, with the shortages and difficulties in shipping logistics it induced. This issue has become highlighted during the Russia-Ukraine War, as the U.S. cannot depend on the oil it usually imports from Russia due to its ban on Russian oil as a sanction. Russian oil accounts for 8% of all U.S. oil imports, making it a major contributor to the oil the U.S. consumes. Since California’s energy supply largely comes from the burning of natural gas such as that from Russia, the state requires sufficient natural gas to power everything requiring electricity (LA Times). California can remedy its current dependence on natural gas by switching to renewable energy sources. However, this solution would take many years to implement; until then, California’s energy deficit will not recede (LA Times). Senior Vanessa Niu believes that phasing into sustainable energy sources is important, but not an immediate solution to the problem.

“It would be ideal if our state could become entirely dependent on renewable energy from solar panels and wind farms, but I do not think we have reached that point yet,” Niu said. “Making this switch would take a long time, but it would be the best way to reduce the burden of having to pay for increasingly expensive gas and electricity.”

Beyond switching to renewable energy entirely, individuals can implement innovative solutions to reduce their energy consumption. According to the Department of Energy, some recommended ways of doing this are purchasing energy-efficient appliances and electronics, using lighting sparingly and reducing the number of appliances that are always on. These steps can allow homeowners to save on electricity bills during this period of increased prices. Calculus, Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 teacher John Buda feels that individuals have power in this situation.

“We have to persevere through this crisis despite these circumstances,” Buda said. “I would advise people to limit unnecessary spending and, for example, walk or bike instead of driving if they are able to. Though it is a difficult situation, I think there is nothing to do but keep a positive perspective and try to keep your bills [and spending] to a minimum.”

5

NETFLIX’S SUBSCRIPTION STRUGGLES

On April 21, Netflix announced that it had lost 200,000 subscribers since the beginning of 2022. This rapid decrease of subscribers began in March after they suspended their service in Russia to protest its invasion of Ukraine. Later, Netflix stated that they would join other streaming companies such as Hulu, Home Box Office (HBO) Max and Disney+ by halting all future projects and acquisitions in Russia. They had four Russian originals in the works, including a crime thriller series by Dasha Zhuk, which was shooting but has now been put on hold (Variety News). Suspending services in Russia could potentially lead to an overall decrease in viewership along with a decrease in revenue. Sophomore Natasha Kohli agrees with the company’s decision to suspend their services in Russia.

“I see banning Netflix in Russia as globally beneficial because it protests [Russia’s] full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” Kohli said. “Action needs to be taken to protest [Russia’s invasion] in [both] small and large scales. Netflix suspending themselves in Russia brings us closer to combatting the RussiaUkraine conflict.”

Another factor contributing to the drop in subscriptions is that around 100 million households watch Netflix for free using other people’s accounts by sharing passwords. The company confirmed in January that they will soon require people to pay if they choose to share their password with people outside of the original account subscription. (Personal Computer Magazine). Netflix signaled that they would do this by first alerting account holders whose passwords are being used by other households. Next, they would require subscribers to pay an extra $3 per month to allow someone else outside their household to access their account. This Add an Extra Member feature is currently being tested out in other countries like Peru, Costa Rica and Chile. People who currently use a shared password will be allowed to transfer their personalized information to either a new account or a sub-account, a separate account created through the Add an Extra Member feature, letting them keep their viewing history and recommendations (Consumer News and Business Channel). Sophomore Sofia Deek thinks the measures Netflix is taking are insensitive towards people who cannot afford their own Netflix subscription, and ineffective for the company long term.

“I think the Add a Member Feature is disadvantageous for the account holder because they would have to pay extra money for the [person] who is borrowing their account, which seems counterintuitive,” Deek said. “ I think Netflix should not be notifying people who share passwords and ask for money from them. I have shared my Netflix password with my friends and it is mutually beneficial for all of us.”

Another way Netflix plans to combat the loss of subscribers is by offering a cheaper, ad-supported subscription, since giving consumers who would like to have a lower subscription price and tolerate the advertisements another option could be helpful. This installment is most likely to occur in one or two years without the use of data-tracking and ad-matching according to Hastings. As of now, the company’s Standard Plan is $15.49 per month, so an ad-supported plan would most likely be around $8. Netflix also has a Basic Plan, which does not provide high-definition streaming and is $9.99 per month, so an ad-supported plan for this could possibly be around $5 (Personal Computer Magazine). Sophomore Brindha Srivatsav believes that Netflix offering an ad-supported plan has both beneficial and disadvantageous aspects.

“An ad-supported plan is a good idea on [Netflix’s] part because it is good marketing and it gives people with lower incomes easier accessibility to Netflix,” Srivatsav said. “However, if a company is potentially offering a $5 plan, then it cannot be good quality. So, once people sign up for the plan, they might cancel their subscriptions due to how poor [the quality] is. At that point, [Netflix] will end up back where they started.”