Volume II Issue IV: October 21, 2016 |
OPINION |
Next online issue: November 4, 2016 |
Donald Trump: A Dangerous Person For President By CAMERON KROETZ
After Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the presidential race in 2015 everyone knew that the nation was in for a wild ride. His racist comments and his infamous calls to build a wall have shaped his campaign, but no one foresaw just how bold he was going to get. Last Friday a tape was released in which one can hear Trump talking about his sexual exploitation of various women with NBC anchor Barry Bush. In the tape Trump mentions how he is able to "grope" and "kiss" women without consent because "[he] is a star." Needless to say this tape has set a firestorm into motion. It is a sad day when the nominee of a major party is heard bantering about sexual assault in a positive light. It’s even sadder is when they are still seen as a viable candidate. Donald Trump has said racist, misogynistic, and insensitive things in the past, but this incident should not be considered a Trumpism; this tape clearly shows that Donald Trump cannot and should not be the President of the United States. Multiple women have now come out and accused Trump of these malicious acts, adding substance to the accusation. These allegations should not be taken lightly... |
The Flaws of Hillary Clinton's LogicBy JASMYN GONZALEZ
There are many who believe the democratic nominee of this presidential race, Hillary Clinton, will be the one to ensure success for America’s future. However, the very opposite is true. It would be a mistake to allow someone like Clinton to be in control of America’s decisions. It would also be very likely for Hillary to make an irrational movement on an issue with great importance, ultimately leading America to their destruction. Hillary has spoken on many of her beliefs and they have proven to strongly reflect the Democratic party’s overall desires. However, there are some beliefs that ultimately are in direct opposition of each other. For example, Hillary believes in gun control. She believes that this may be the answer to bringing down the overall rate of murders in America. Taking away guns from Americans would be a direct violation of the Second Amendment, which would call for a revision of the Bill of Rights, which hasn’t been done since May 7, 1992. If Clinton is willing to strip Americans of their rights and go through all the trouble of revising the Bill of ... |
Column: Through My EyesFocusing on the Benefits of the Arts By SAVANNA PATINO
High school is a hodge-podge of stereotypes and cliques, and for newcomers, it can be very intimidating. Here’s what I have to say about that: Give the arts a chance. Whether it is performing arts or visual arts (or somewhere in between), there are plenty of benefits that come with taking part in it during your high school career. Not only are there many options: band, choir, theatre, ceramics, photography, etc., but each branch of the arts has something special about them. Here’s a quick breakdown from my point of view: Instrumental Music Classes: Whether you have been playing the clarinet for five years or you have never touched an instrument in your life, there is a band or orchestra class for everyone. Here, students learn about music theory and how to play in a more sophisticated way. If you are looking for a challenge, here you will surely get one. Marching Band/ Color Guard: Now this activity takes instrumental music to a new level. While it is time-consuming and challenging, the satisfaction of creating an entire nine minute show in just a couple months and the bond that is formed between everyone in the program makes it all worth it. If you enjoy a challenge to your physical and musical talents and have a fire to compete, this activity may take a lot of dedication, but it is something you will truly enjoy. (To be fair, this may be biased, because I have been a part of the colorguard my whole high school career.) Vocal: I have been a part of plenty of choirs and vocal groups throughout my life, and one thing I can say about all of them is that they have all been a place to let go. Some groups that I have been in were closer than others, but nonetheless they make you feel like part of something. And vocal experience is not necessary to join a beginning class. Anyone who is looking for a place to go to find a group of such different people who all have a common goal (to make music), choir is the place for you. Theatre/ High School League Comedy Sports: This is a program that truly takes everyone. If you have a passion for the stage, auditioning for a play will give you the experience onstage and will challenge you to do your best to create a picture for your audience. If you have a love to perform but don’t want to be in the limelight, there are plenty of roles in the chorus or as a smaller character. But if performing is not your thing, there are always places for people backstage. The stage crew, whether they are painting sets ... Editors Note: This column is also featured in the Arts and Entertainment section this issue.
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Column: Just Speaking My Truth
I Am Not My Hair By LAURYN BEST
I am not my hair
I am not this skin I am not your expectations no no I am not this hair I am not this skin I am the soul that lives within While ‘I Am Not My Hair’ by India Arie ft. Akon is a certified bop for anyone, it serves to spread awareness about an issue many people are not able to understand: having nappy hair in a country where straight hair is the ideal. I have a ridiculously large amount of hair and for most of my life I have kept my hair natural and only permed it once and straightened it two times. So when people expressed disbelief at the fact that my hair was “real” I felt offended. My mom went on to give me an explanation on hairpieces, relaxers, weaves, and the fact that many black women preferred not to wear their hair in its natural state. At first I couldn’t understand it. If that’s the way your hair grows out of your head, why would you want to put damaging chemicals in it or spend hours in a hair shop leaving with a throbbing scalp?
The answer to this is not an easy one for everyone to hear, but it’s necessary. As many issues within the black community do, this problem finds its’ origins in slavery. When slave masters were deciding how to divvy up their “property”, they focused on the physical attributes of slaves. A rule of thumb was the more white they looked (light skin,straight hair etc.), the more attractive thus making them “better” and qualified to work in the house alongside the master. Those with more quintessential African features (kinky hair, dark skin, wide nose etc.) were exiled to the field and considered below their light-skinned brothers and sisters. In this day and age black women aren’t straightening their hair or getting weaves because they want to look white, it is simply more “manageable” and more “professional”. Now at this point some may wonder why it’s still an issue. Get a weave if you want, or wear it natural if you wish right? With increasingly frequent of black men and women with natural hair in the workforce being told to “fix” their hair to fit a professional setting the answer is no longer simple. In the end a black woman or any woman, is the only one with the right to decide what she can and cannot do with her hair. My close friend chooses to relax and straighten hers. That’s her choice. I decided I don’t want to alter the natural composition of my hair. That is my choice. A woman deciding to style her hair naturally or with a weave doesn’t always have to be a political statement or mean she has an ulterior motive. It just means that her particular hairstyle makes her feel beautiful. She shouldn’t be mocked or made to feel that she is less than for her decision whatever it may be. |
Column: You and ISeasons Come and Go By MAYA SANCHEZ
People don’t like change; this is a sentence that we’ve been told time and time again, usually to explain cranky behavior or resistance. In physics, the resistance of change is called inertia. Newton’s first law directly addresses this phenomenon. Everything in the universe, it seems, wants to stick to their old ways. But sometimes those old ways aren’t there anymore, and it’s only when things end do other things get a chance to begin. But sometimes they just end, and that’s okay too. Senior year is a story of endings. The last time you have a first day of high school, the last time you go to homecoming, the last time… you get my point. But while these lasts have come and gone, (there are still plenty where they came from) there’s a certain last -- an ending, a goodbye, no see-you-later-- that affects me in a way that the others didn’t. Time flies when you’re having fun, and golf season always seems too short. It seems to finish just as it’s picking up. A lot of people at school don’t even know that the golf team exists (while we’re on that subject, a lot of people at this school don’t even know that this newspaper, let alone my column, exists), but it does and we’re a family. Sure, golf is a sport where the only enemy is the one in your head. Sure, there are the players on the other team that you have to be aware of and your own players that are standing besides you, but the game comes down to you and your mind. It comes down to the confidence in your shot, the ability to tell yourself that you will make the shot and then actually make it. But golf is a lot more than that too; at least to me it was. It was friendships and laughing and crying at the same time. It was badly rapping to Drake’s Motto on the car ride home. It was spending too much money on frozen yogurt. It was waking up before the sun and complaining about the heat one week and then the cold the next. It was three years that have been kind and sweet to me. ... Editors Note: This column is also featured in the Sports section this issue.
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Column: Aspire to Reach PositivityWhat I Like About Myself By KAYLAN ENGE
I have always had someone tell me that there is something wrong with me from my personality to the way I talk. After hearing other people tell me about what they don’t like about me so many times, I am finally learning to care less about what other people think (even though I’m still improving on that). Here are a few things I have heard: You act different than most people, I liked your hair better before you looked like a carpet head, I don’t like your goofy personality. At the time these statements and comments made me feel like I should change these aspects about me. I remember constantly thinking that maybe my hair did look weird and that I should cut it or that maybe I should stop acting goofy and be more serious.... Column: Learning to Grow UpBelieving in Yourself By JASMYN GONZALEZ
I know that it’s cliché to say that I feel like a nobody and I have no purpose, but sometimes it’s nearly impossible to feel otherwise. Maybe, if I had someone whispering every other second that I am indeed a good person and that I do have a purpose, I wouldn’t feel this way. There are simply many factors that play into these feelings. Being a girl, this is normal but I never thought that these emotions and feelings could be so strong as to make me doubt myself and limit myself to where my potential is crushed and suppressed. I feel like there are many out there who feel the same way as I do and as much as I wish to tell them that this is not true, even if I did, it would have no true effect. One must discover for themselves that they are indeed special and have a purpose in this complex world. I can’t be that person that continues to whisper in your ear and counterparts any derogatory statement toward you. If I did, you would end up using me as a crutch and that wouldn’t help you at all in the long run. However, what can have an effect and a true impact is if you tell yourself that you are indeed special and have a purpose... |