The Wasp - Volume I Fall 2018 by The WASP

The American Studies Center Student Journal | University of Warsaw Volume I | Fall 2018 | ISSN: 2450-5676

wasp /wɒsp/ AmE /wɑsp/ noun [C] 1 a black and yellow flying insect which can sting you: There’s a wasps’ nest in that old tree! 2 when translated into the language of the country where the weather is schizophrenic and where even refugees do not wish to go (see: Poland), it becomes an osa – a place where all meanings collapse: Yesterday, I spent an amazing day at OSA! (here: an abbreviation for Ośrodek Studiów Amerykańskich, English: American Studies Center)

LILLA ORLY Editor-in-chief ALEKSANDRA BARCISZEWSKA NATALIA OGÓREK Associate editors PAWEŁ PAŃCZYK KAMILA MARIA WYSZYŃSKA DTP PAULINA STANISZEWSKA PR JOANNA MARCHEWKA Illustration: pages 6, 9, 14, 16, 24, 28 Caricatures: pages 36-39 KAROLINA JAKUBIAK Illustrations: pages 17, 19, 31 AMALIA PODGORSKA Illustrations: pages 26, 34 ANITA MAJEWSKA Caricatures: pages 36-39 MAGDALENA KRZEMIŃSKA Front and back cover MARTA RAPACKA Caricatures: pages 36-39

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Editorial Lilla Orly 4 FICTION ARTICLES Search Without Results The Real Darkness Surrounding H.P. Lovecraft Anna Oleinic Dagmara Pastuszka 6 22 Hand-Me-Down Goodbye Hollywood, Hello Washington D.C. Lilla Orly Dagmara Pastuszka 8 24 A Place for Everybody and Nobody Dominik Kędzierawski POETRY 26 *** The 2018 Midterm Elections and Restoring Voting Rights Karolina Jakubiak Marcelina Przespolewska 14 28 The Mirror Cancel Culture Agata Podbielkowska Teresa Bakalarska 15 30 Renegades Queen of the Sciences Agata Podbielkowska Ada Rachfalska 16 34 Moments of Beauty Agata Podbielkowska 17 Dark Eyes Agata Podbielkowska 18 Binder Teresa Bakalarska 19 The next issue’s theme: TO BE ANNOUNCED We’re still recruiting! If you’re interested in writing for The Wasp, please contact us: thewaspjournal@gmail.com Facebook: facebook.com/thewaspjournal American Studies Center: asc.uw.edu.pl The WASP | Volume I | Fall 2018

I Don’t Know Why You Say Hello, I Say Goodbye Dozens of languages contain a word or phrase used both in salutation and farewell. The famous Italian “Ciao,” for example, has been appropriated by botoxed babes in miniskirts who air-kiss their equally plastic peers upon leaving Urth Caﬀé. The French “Salut” is thrown about by Parisians, usually with the nonchalant wave of a hand that lightly grips a slim cigarette. In Hawaii “Aloha” can be a breezy welcome or a wishful goodbye. Even the Polish language has “Cześć” and “Siema” that are used in situations of casual greeting or informal parting. There seems to be some duplicity in saying hello or saying goodbye, one cannot exist without the other as each holds a component of its opposite; both parties must agree that there is a beginning and an end to the meeting or interaction. Yet, by employing one of these intermediary words, it is as though one acknowledges that there is no real beginning or end to the interactions of two souls—once they have collided their coexistence is never-ending. The Wasp is, itself, both a greeting and a goodbye. At the base of the steps that mark the beginning of the pilgrimage to the dome of St. Paul’s Basilica, is a deity held in stone. There is no room for proper salutation with a buzz of the cemented, crystalline wings. Instead, an immediate farewell must be traded as the journey upon the literal stairway to heaven begins. The articulated sound of each step ricochets oﬀ the narrowing walls that close in ever tighter upon the climber: to God, to God. A chant, a cry, a mission, a parting word: Adieu, Adieu. This issue’s Piece of the Month is a romantic parting embrace by Karolina Jakubiak. Her poem, cryptically titled “***” is a heartstring tug-o-war. A reminder of love to which one may have had to say goodbye, or perhaps an introduction to a love that is yet to come.

Lilla Orly All-nonsense Editor-in-Chief subsisting from printed word to printed word. Enamored by the grim cavities of a too saccharine existence, and tracing half-truths in negative space. Digs meandering routes and gnarly tunes as well as the concept of an ever-expanding universe.

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FICTION

Search Without Results Anna Oleinic

There are some people after who you tend to have an eerie hangover (and that's all). But then, there are those whose lives are so intertwined with yours that they do not cease to leave imprints on your soul. 6

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It seemed that this balcony was created to become the think-tank of the whole world. The view he opened combined three different pictures: a cold and measured urban setting, paradoxical, because of its chaos; a nature scene all at once in harmony; and a third picture personifying the human being as a small heaped room in which there seemed to be no place for breathing… It was thought only here, and it was possible to stop this spiral of thoughts only in an unnatural way. Her, sitting like a child: I could be interrupted only by my thoughts and my artificiality. This artificiality blocked her inner feminine power: while I was engaged in proving to the whole world, and, most importantly, myself, that this was something worthwhile. She tried to break through the wall of my pretended self-sufficiency. Never missing an attempt to break into my inner-self, she dried up constantly looking for the cause of her weakness in herself. However, the reason for this impotence was the lack of symbiosis between my false independence and the source of inspiration flowing from it. Her main female function was deliberately rejected… Fading from the inability to receive her own energy with an embrace; she could not afford to admit to having met the Wrong again. Devoting his time to the Narcissist, who does not need someone who isn’t also narcissistic, she lost her uniqueness, dissolving into nothingness with each meeting, becoming more and more blurred and gray. I liked her legs, in which it was difficult to find the "theory of relativity": they could not be called too thin or too plump. This same relativity was not found in the way she said the word "good," it was too assertive for any theories. That is all… She managed to interest me in this way while, to the majority of my environment, I look with absolute contempt. I was her personal dementor. She thought that only with me she was full of life, that only with me she didn’t waste herself. While in fact, when she stepped outside the threshold of my apartment, she fell into herself and could not stop scrolling in her head, losing her sense of touch with reality. At the other end of the city, in a room without a soul, but instead having flashy red wallpaper, there was a man who needed her inner beginning, her ability to inspire and charge. Mutualism of these two people could grow in a geometric progression, bringing the two either to unprecedented heights, or to oblivion. This was something she could not see because of self-absorption. Nature ordered that the woman be responsible for everything internal while the male be subordinated to the external. A woman is able to find harmony everywhere and flourish from the feeling of being the last piece of the puzzle. If you imagine the world as a ball then the woman, being in its very center, observes everything that it revives. The man is the last layer of this sphere. Thus, theoretically, these two can create a single whole. The irony of life was in the paradox: a magnet pulls women to tie her to wrong. My weakness was my childhood trauma and the lack of acceptance of me by society. I have always been that younger son who sits in the kitchen with his mother while she cooks. No one has ever expected anything large from me, like a choleric elder brother. For my family, I was an individual who would grow to become a mediocre person. But from me grew a personality that no one predicted, a person sewing his own clothes from different flaps of other people's thoughts: I-everything and I-nothing. She also measured people by herself, which made her create the illusion of my homogeneity. However, her nature and my own were different as a view from my balcony: her search for harmony was not in any way combined with my search for truth. Anna Oleinic Allows herself a mess in her closet less often than in her head. The WASP | Volume I | Fall 2018

Hand-Me-Down Lilla Orly

12:31 leered the green digits on the face of Owen’s watch. He threw his arm back down, his hands slapping the grey, suede car seats arythmically. He peered out the window, eyebrows raised to introduce the annually-deepening lines on his forehead to the bleak noon sky. The clouds seemed to taunt him; though sluggish in their movements, the distance covered by the drab, churning masses was light-speed in comparison to Owen’s paltry 10 metres per half hour. He sighed audibly, not for the first time within the last several minutes, causing his taxi driver to incrementally raise the volume of the monotonous rap tape thumping in the car. Owen peered at his driver and then out the window, doing this a few times in a row, the impatient swivel of his head not unnoticed by the Jamaican who’s eyes hopped towards the rear-view mirror every so often. “You said you’re sure that that turn down on Chastings wouldn’t have bypassed this tragedy of a jam?” Owen asked skeptically. “Yes,” replied the driver, his accent indiscernible, but the annoyance towards his disbelieving passenger becoming more apparent by the second. “They started repaving the asphalt on the bisecting road last week. Dead end.” “I checked that on Google maps and it looks green as the Grinch’s ass to me.” “Google ain’t God, brotha,” answered the driver adding a splash of his native timbre, an inclination when speaking—or, rather, suggesting—truisms. “Grass is greener on the other side and all tha’.” “Yeah, I’m not sure that really applies to this situation,” Owen answered. He looked down at his wrist again. 12:33 glowed back. “Look, man. I think it’ll be faster if I just walk, how much for the trip?” “Tawentyy-faav,” the driver responded putting out his hand while his head turned in the other direction, as though he wished to remain ignorant of some shady operation. Owen placed the wrinkled cash precariously on the skyward palm and added a nickel he’d fished out from between the car seats earlier as a tip. “Thanks, later!” Owen erupted, shouldering his rucksack as he jumped out and slammed the car door. Almost instantly, the music inside was thrust to full blast. The lyrics of the shouting men followed Owen as he weaved through the idling cars. “Threw my dice/Made my decisions in the past/Done meddled/So it’s pedal to the metal/ Cuz they on my ass!” Owen thought to himself that this accompaniment could not be less appropriate. As he ambled through the labyrinth, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his train ticket to confirm that his blood and sweat—so far the tears of frustration were being held courageously at bay—were not in vain. But no, 1pm sharp. Tempted to rip the ticket in half with his teeth, Owen let out a cathartic groan and kept shuffling, the weight of his rucksack concentrated on the thin strap digging into his shoulder. He could feel the tender sting of popped blisters on the balls of his feet and shivered under the soft trickle of sweat creeping down his spine. The field of exhaust plumes that rose from the rumbling vehicles burned his throat and made him light-headed. All these minor discomforts and inconveniences wore down on Owen’s already low threshold for increasingly irksome situations. The straw that broke the camel’s proverbial back was the just-opened car door that sent a sharp blow to Owen’s forwardly propelled chest. The wind knocked out of him, hand clutching at blossoming rib cage trauma, Owen huffed as a young woman in plaid cigarette pants exited the contraption that had just assaulted him. “I can’t even begin to express how so freaking sorry I am,” the girl said thrusting her arms forward, hands splayed in a gesture of assuagement. Owen just nodded, his face in a permanent wince as he sidestepped the still open door and kept moving down the alley of cars, heading for the sidewalk to avoid any more human-car collisions. “Hey! Wait up!” yelled the apologetic voice behind Owen. “You look like you’re in a rush. Run-

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ning’s not going to get you far in this city.” Owen slowed his pace, more out of exhaustion than interest in what the grey-blond-headed, nose-bull-pierced hipster had to say to him. “I got sick of the traffic too. Figured it would make more sense to drain the rest of my scooter’s battery actually getting somewhere than to drain my Uber account getting nowhere. If you want, you can hop on the back of my Razor. Where are you headed?” Owen, still speed-walking, looked in consternation as the girl unfolded the two-wheeler and hopped on, keeping pace with him without any exertion. Her smooth movement was accompanied by a pleasant mechanical buzz. The girl looked at him, eyebrows raised, “It’s the least I can do after mauling you.” “Yeah, ok. Main Station,” Owen gave in, the girl halted for a second as Owen positioned his clown feet on the slim metal panel. He placed his hands on the girl’s shoulders, not finding it appropriate to place them anywhere in the vicinity of her torso. And they were off. “What’s your name?” the girl asked, turning her head slightly. Owen noticed the prominent beak-like curve of her nose as she spoke in profile. “Owen!” he shouted back, insensitive to the fact that the girl’s ear was directly within the range of the first penetrative waves of his voice. As she flinched at the noise, their balance swerved slightly. “Nice to meet you, Owen. I’m Dee” she said back, giggling. “Look I don’t want to be rude, but does this thing go any faster?” Owen inquired, sneaking a peek at the numbers 12 and 43 separated by a taunting colon in scintillation. “I’m really burning rubber, here!” she shouted back mock-defensively. Owen, as impatient as ever, grabbed the handlebars and twisted them as far as they would turn. The electric motor spluttered into a slightly whinier tone and they jolted forward. Before they knew it, the tar-chewed-gum steps of the train station were before their eyes. Owen hopped off while Dee still buzzed on. “Hey, wait!” she cried, folding up her vehicle as Owen took the steps two at a time. She pushed dizzily through the spinning doors and tried to find Owen’s frantic shape in the throng of other frantic shapes. Then, she saw him pushing through a turnstile and bolted after him, her own passing much more awkward for the clunky object she held in her hands. Owen was already on the platform searching for his train car, Dee grabbed his sleeve. Owen turned as though seeing Dee for the first time. “That was a bit rude, don’t you think? You didn’t even thank me,” she said with some genuine hurt.

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Owen’s brow furrowed and then he looked past Dee and turned pale. His pupils dilated and the sweat that had been dripping down his face the entire time, now suddenly froze halfway down his cheekbones. “Your name’s Dee, right?” he said, still not looking at her. “Oh my f… yeah it is,” she said in exasperation, putting her hands on her hips. “Could you do me a big favor?” “Another? I think you owe me this time,” she responded, getting ready to turn and leave. “Could you please get on this train with my shit? I promise I’ll meet you at the next stop, I just have to, uh, take care of something in between.” “Are you serious?” she almost yelled. Owen looked at her for the first time since his eyes had locked on something behind her. “Dead. Serious,” he said. Something sincere and frightening caused a stir in Dee. It was for that reason that she wordlessly grabbed the bag and stepped onto the train just as the whistle sounded. The doors shut and the locomotive began to heave. As she found her seat, she looked out the window and scanned the crowd for Owen. There he was, just another grey stain among the other grey stains. He was staring intently at her. Dee thought that he suddenly looked sickly. It might have been a trick of the light but his retinas seemed to lighten as well. Then, she realized he was mouthing something. It took a moment before she understood. His lips curved and shifted: Your turn. An urge told Dee to open the duffel bag. She slowly unzipped the filthy material and peered inside. A familiar tuft of dirty blonde stuck out, attached to a scalp atop the face identical to the one she had just been looking at outside the window. The same forehead, beneath the strained eyes, the large nose, the tight mouth. Underneath the head lay all of the limbs, the torso at the very bottom of the bag. When Dee looked up she was in the back of a taxi.

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POETRY

Piece of the month ***

Karolina Jakubiak

With my eyes closed, I look at you You are the light, Blossoms, Salty breeze, Whispers in the falling leaves. But I see now; The world is golden, Windy, Eye-opening And You became the ďŹ&#x201A;ooding rain, Icy dirt on the streets. I know clearly That instead of the ring, A goodbye is in order.

Karolina Jakubiak Always sleepy, always hungry, and always creative coďŹ&#x20AC;ee addict.

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The Mirror Agata Podbielkowska

I saw a face Pale In a dark Cold I saw a pair of eyes Dark Hiding cloudy skies Rain I kept wondering who this may be Crying Then I realized it was me

Agata Podbielkowska She is like a vampire—she prefers to live at night. Surrounded by candles, with psychedelic music ﬁlling the space, she sits, shrouded in the smoke of the incense. She sits and writes whatever just comes to her mind. And boy, what strange stories they are…

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Renegades Agata Podbielkowska

We came here The evil team To feel the fear Like in a bad dream We are the renegades Trying to open Hellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gates

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Moments of Beauty Agata Podbielkowska

Moments of pure beauty Are not an everyday gift Remember to treasure them That is your duty

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Dark Eyes Agata Podbielkowska

I reached For a glass of red wine And saw these dark eyes Please tell me Are they yours or mine?

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Binder

Teresa Bakalarska

Longer than the shadows (of fingers when sundown) But shorter than a breath (when you take air put it in the lungs) A bit of time of that longitude If it is what I started to call (sometimes it comes if called; this meaning) For a lack of better word (or for insufferable multitude thereof) - Happiness I take it and file away (in a binder; under h) For a moment when (sooner than the shadows) It will be the only thing (faster than a breath) To save me From me

Teresa Bakalarska A human, crisp, professional whiner. Writes everything from poetry through prose to godawful rap lyrics. Thinks that Buﬀ y The Vampire Slayer is the greatest achievement of humanity.

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ARTICLES

The Real Darkness Surrounding H.P. Lovecraft Dagmara Pastuszka

Having inspired generations of creators, Howard Phillips Lovecraft remains among the most popular American horror writers. Stories such as “The Call of Cthulhu” or “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” became iconic and are adored by readers all over the world. Even though his contemporaries failed to acknowledge his genius while he was alive, there is no doubt that H.P. Lovecraft is one of the greatest American horror writers of all time. Sadly, the controversies of his personal life are beginning to overshadow the genius of his works, and it seems like soon his stories might be forgotten by the mainstream audience once again. A broad discussion about Lovecraft's inappropriate views started in 2015 when the World Fantasy Award organizers decided not to use the author's image for the trophy anymore. Their decision came after many writers and readers protesting against Lovecraft being the face of the award, as he was an open racist. As Daniel José Older, one of the nominees, said: If fantasy as a genre truly wants to embrace all of its fans, and I believe it does, we can't keep lionising a man who used literature as a weapon against entire races. Writers of color have always had to struggle with the question of how to love a genre that seems so intent on proving it doesn't love us back. We raised our voices collectively, en masse, and the World Fantasy folks heard us. Today, fantasy is a better, more inclusive, and stronger genre because of it.

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The statue was also criticized by Nnedi Okorafor, former winner of the World Fantasy Award, who later discovered Lovecraft's 1912 poem “On the Creation of Niggers.” She said that she was conflicted because she didn't want to have a bust of a man who held such views in her house, but, on the other hand, receiving the trophy was one of her greatest achievements. Even though so many are attacking Lovecraft, the fans of his creativity are still defending him, saying that he was simply a man of his times. But what exactly were his times? Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1890, during a time American historians consider to be the most racist period after the Civil War. He was a sickly child, which led to him being homeschooled. His family was tormented with many problems. First, the death of his father, then his mother's mental problems. The writer spent his days reading horror stories, especially those written by Edgar Allan Poe, and eventually he started creating some himself. His hometown was very important to him, so it was difficult for the author to leave Providence, but he moved to New York to be with his wife. It was there that Lovecraft's xenophobic attitudes grew. A bad financial situation forced him to move to Red Hook, a very poor part of Brooklyn, where he was surrounded by unemployed immigrants whom he soon started to hate. Lovecraft expressed that hatred in many of his short stories, poems, as well as personal letters which were later publicized. But despite all of that, his writings are still considered to be revolutionary in the horror genre. He created works that would later inspire the likes of Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, and Neil Gaiman. Lovecraft managed to bring to life an entire mythology, that is still widely popular among readers. Whether one agrees with his personal views or not, there is no denying that he is a legend of the genre.

Just like the darkness lurking in his stories, Lovecraft's controversial beliefs are endangering his legacy. As the author of his biography, Michel Houellebecq, said: “Lovecraft's character is fascinating in part because his values were so entirely opposite to ours.” However, today it seems that this fascination is being replaced with condemnation. Soon, H.P. Lovecraft may again be ignored, just like he was during his lifetime, despite having created some of the best pieces of writing fantasy-horror has to oﬀer.

Bibliography Barnett, David. “HP Lovecraft remembered: Plumbing the darkness surrounding the horror visionary, reactionary and racist.” Independent 26 June 2017. Flood, Alison. “World Fantasy award drops HP Lovecraft as prize image” The Guardian 9 November 2015. House, Wes. "We can't ignore H.P. Lovecraft's White Supremacy." Literary Hub 26 September 2017.

Dagmara Pastuszka Second year student of the ASC. Enjoys all things connected to horror, especially the supernatural ones. Spends most of her evenings drinking green tea and watching the E! Network with 5 of her cats.

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Goodbye Hollywood, Hello Washington D.C. Dagmara Pastuszka

You may know Kim Kardashian West as the star of Keeping up with the Kardashians—a hit reality TV series which has been running for over ten years—or maybe as the founder of KKW Beauty, a top selling cosmetics company. Soon, she may abandon her celebrity status and become a full time political reformer, alongside her husband, rapper Kanye West. The reality TV sensation ﬁrst met with Donald Trump in May, 2018. Her goal was to speak on behalf of Alice Marie Johnson, a woman sentenced to life in prison for drug possession. Kardashian became interested in the case after seeing a video about it and decided to advocate for the 63 year old. She was set up to meet with Jared Kushner and other White House oﬃcials together with the members of Johnson's legal team, but ended up having a conversation with the President himself.

The meeting turned out to be a success as Johnson was pardoned only a week later. However, that was not the end of the ﬁght for Kim Kardashian. Three months later she returned to the White House to take part in a listening session dedicated to the clemency process, alongside Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Attorney General Jeﬀ Sessions, and others. On the day of the meeting she tweeted: It started with Ms. Alice, but looking at her and seeing the faces and learning the stories of the men and women I've met inside prisons I knew I couldn't stop at just one. It's time for REAL systemic change.

Kardashian is using her new role as a prison reform activist to help Chris Young, who is also serving life in prison for a drug related crime. Van Jones, a CNN commentator praised her by saying:

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Like his wife, he talked about the prison reform, especially the case of Larry Hoover, a gang leader from Chicago, West's home town, who is currently serving six life sentences. West asked for Hoover's clemency. Despite the fact that the power couple's political As of now, Kim Kardashian West continues with her activity is met with many negative comments from goal to fight for prison reform and protection of former the media, there is no doubt that the both of them prisoners. She receives a lot of support from her hus- are slowly becoming influential figures in Washington. band, rapper Kanye West, who has voiced his desire to Soon, they might say goodbye to Hollywood altogether run for presidency in the future. He has also met with and move to the capital. And, while Kanye West's presPresident Trump recently. idential run is still not certain, it is safe to say that Kim In October, he visited the White House to sign the Kardashian West is not scared of the challenges that a Music Modernization Act, a law that benefits record- First Lady has to face. ing artists, songwriters, and producers by ensuring that they receive payment for licensing of music. After that, the rapper gave a speech in which he discussed many topics. West managed to praise Donald Trump by saying that wearing the “Make America Great Again” hat made him feel like a super hero. Bibliography West has also expressed his plans to run for presiDiamond, Jeremy. “Kim Kardashian at White House for clemency dency, but only after 2024. The rapper has sparked con- review session” CNN Politics 5 September 2018. troversy after he said that the 13th Amendment to the Johnson, Ted. “Kanye West Meets With Trump at White House, Drops Constitution should be abolished: F-Bomb” Variety 11 October 2018. We are working to build support for prison reform, sentencing reform, and fair treatment of people coming home from prison. When you have prominent people like Kim helping voiceless people behind bars, like Chris Young who she is advocating for today, that's incredibly powerful.

I did say abolish with the hat on, because why would you keep something that's a trap door? If you're building a ﬂoor, the constitution is the base of our country, would you build a trap door and accidentally something happens, you fall and end up next to the uni-bomber? You got to remove all that trap door out of the relationship. The four gentlemen that wrote the 13th amendment, didn't look like the people they were amending.

Saponara, Michael. “10 Most Memorable Quotes From Kanye West's White House Trip” Billboard.com 11 October 2018

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A Place for Everybody and Nobody Dominik Kędzierawski

Throughout our lives, it's essential to seek out the one place to which we do theoretically belong. A place in which you feel accepted and embraced, regardless of personal deviations or interests. A place in which you are allowed to just be yourself without any repercussions or derogatory attitudes. Unfortunately, such a place is immensely difficult to find by design. What if there was no essential need to conduct this lifelong expedition? If there exists a place where “everyone would feel accepted [...] there's something for everyone and so is everyone open and respectful toward other people and their culture or belief.” A place based on solemn values—liberté, égalité, fraternité—as true to them as any other place in the world. This place exists. Such an imperfect one, yet the best we can find. New Orleans, Louisiana. “New Orleans is a very friendly city overall, diverse, rich in culture, tolerant, and accepting. Overall attitude is mostly laid back enjoying life, the food, and music. Everyone from New Orleans is a musician and/or chef.” These are the words of a New Orleanian, Gareth, when asked to shortly describe the city he lived in for his whole life. Of course, a vast majority of these notions could be attached to the United States of America as a whole or many of its other renowned cities. It could, that is our caveat. Yet, New Orleans will always defend its position as “the most unique city” in the U.S., and not a single word would be an exaggeration. Things that distinguish the city are inherent to the things that make it a city for everybody—and it is all deeply rooted in the history of New Orleans. French influences are as visible as possible to this day, but the most important heritage isn't the name or architecture. It's one word lingering there from the era of Napoleon: “Liberté,” freedom. New Orleans happened to achieve rapid development in the midst of French and Spanish cultural meshing, along with the slave trade. Despite being the main base for this heinous act of humanity, one light has shined through all this. At the beginning of 19th century, the city could boast about having the biggest amount of free people of color in the whole country. This value grad-

ually rose as Creole people invited more and more people of color, including those from Africa. Therefore, New Orleans became the biggest bastille of freedom. All of them, white or black, indigenous or immigrant, later fought for the city, together, laying the foundation for the tight-knit community New Orleans has become known for. This induced a cultural avalanche. French. Creoles. Spaniards. Haitians. Africans. Irishmen. Poles. Germans. Italians. All these nations had their fair share in developing New Orleans as the biggest city in the South for over a century. They left their heritage too. Despite the eﬀorts of Creoles and governors, the city very quickly became a compound of cultures, rather than a

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federation of little cities, as in the majority of other cities. Whoever embraced the city, was embraced by it. The famous “Southern hospitality” also played an immense part, creating the semblance of an, at times, utopian city. Fast forward roughly two hundred years, and everything is still intact, despite the ups and downs of “Big Easy.” Nowadays, if it weren't for the French Quarter, it would be really hard to distinguish one peculiar cultural inﬂuence. Two hundred years of multi-cultural turmoil created one of the most emulous cultures in the entire world—emulous, illustrious, unique, and…odd. As odd as it gets; weirder than individuals. Learn yourself. But one thing has not changed—embrace the city, then it will embrace you. And one last thing can be said about New Orleans and its people: they have fortitude, such steadfast fortitude. When Hurricane Katrina hit the city, New Orleans was on the brink of becoming a contemporary Pompeii, as 80 of the city was ravaged and only half of the population returned. Even with that, thirteen years later, New Orleans still stands. New Orleans stubbornly strives to be itself, gradually returning to its grace. Please, hear it yourself: “There are still areas destroyed from the hurricane. The devastation was unreal, but there also have been areas that have been gentriﬁed and restored better than they were before the hurricane hit. I was here for the hurricane, it was pure madness for months.” Why, then, would New Orleans be a place for nobody? It's universally thought that the city is a dangerous place. For decades, New Orleans was a city where crime families conducted their endeavors, along with the renowned Carlos Marcello. For years, it was in the top of the crime rankings in the United States. In 2017, New Orleans was the fourth in the country in murder rate. There are numerous stories of robberies, shootings, or both occurring at once. The famous Bourbon Street is, paradoxically, one of the most dangerous places in the city, especially after sunset. Gangs still wander here and there. Even being a city legend may not save you, as in Will Smith's case, when an act of crude road rage took a life. But the city strives to become a safer place. Authorities agreed on implementing multi-million dollar CCTV and safety plans. The murder rate has decreased by over

60 from the 1990s, and Mardi Gras festivities are much safer than, for instance, Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Asking New Orleanians if the city is dangerous, leaves us with this note: “No. NOLA is a very safe place and most people affected by bad crimes usually were somewhere they should not be, doing something they probably should not have been doing. I've lived here most of my life and would recommend it to anyone who would want to visit or live here.” So, overall, being in New Orleans requires that you watch every step and not flash your goods, just for the sake of safety. So, is New Orleans a place for everybody, or nobody? For the very last time, let Gareth share his perspective: ”NOLA is a place for everyone, anyone can make it here in whatever they want to, and there is always someone willing to help you along the way. Like with anything, if you want to find the bad you will, but overall there is much more good to find than bad, here.” And you, dear reader, will hear the same from every New Orleanian. You will hear the same from every person that was there, even for a short moment. But do not let them skew your thoughts. Decide for yourself. Only, please note this: New Orleans will always embrace you. There’s place for everybody.

Bibliography “New Orleans, LA Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather.” NOLA.com, NOLA.com, www.nola.com/?fbclid=IwAR3utfRma239qdlhSJtFSJbHptgDEPd4XfIdRO9qEYXh-l1UAu9KrtSjfF4.

Dominik Kędzierawski Voltaire once said, "The secret of being dull is to say everything. And if you speak as much, you'd better create a lot of new stories to tell."

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The 2018 Midterm Elections and Restoration of Voting Rights Marcelina Przespolewska

In the most recent midterm elections, voting rights made their way to the ballot, and essentially brought more integrity into the political process. Across the country, people approved multiple measures intended to expand the right to vote. The newly enacted initiatives will, in individual states, end felony disenfranchisement, hinder partisan gerrymandering, and ease voter registration restrictions. These reforms come as a tremendous victory for democracy since, indeed, they are already set to make elections fairer in the coming decades. In Florida, for example, residents passed a constitutional amendment restoring voting rights to citizens with felony convictions. Such a measure will automatically reinstate the franchise of approximately 1.4 million ex-felons, concurrently making the right to vote far more accessible.

Before the election, Florida had some of the most restrictive rules regarding felony disenfranchisement. In fact, the state constitution permanently denied voting rights to former felons, only authorizing the governor to restore such rights. The process produced many obstacles for people who sought franchise as they “had to wait at least five years before applying for restoration of their civil rights.” Moreover, the clemency board, in addition to hearing requests “just four times a year,” had full discretion over the proceedings. The persistent effort of advocates, however, led to drafting an amendment and prompting its review by Florida’s highest court. Coupled with the court’s approval, a sufficient number of signatures helped put the initiative on the 2018 ballot, and the majority of voters passed the legislation. This new law will now expand the state electorate by about 10, increasing the political participation statewide. In another attempt to make elections more legitimate, the body politic took on gerrymandering. Michigan voters, for instance, adopted an amendment granting an independent commission the authority to draw electoral districts, simultaneously depriving party legislators from that power. The panel will be composed of “four Republicans, four Democrats and five people who don't identify with either party.” In a like manner, Colorado passed a law which includes a multi-party commission half of which will be “picked by a panel of judges who weigh things like the candidate’s gender and geographic, political and ethnic backgrounds.” Furthermore, Missouri moved to implement “a statistical, nonpartisan model” that will help draw fair district boundaries. Those anti-gerrymandering initiatives are expected to curb the power of political parties to redraw congressional and state legislative districts. Such measures can create a more transparent process, at the same time bringing politics closer to the voters.

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In addition, people struck down many voter registration restrictions. In Maryland, for example, the electorate approved an amendment allowing the residents sameday registration. Until 2013, the registration deadline was set at 21 days before an election. Even though a 2013 law added early voting solutions, eligible voters still had to register days before Election Day. Yet with the new rules in place, residents will no longer be required to register prior to an election in order to vote, and such a system will make it incomparably easier to cast a ballot. Moreover, Nevada passed legislation introducing automatic voter registration for people who apply either for an ID or a driver’s license. This new solution will, too, make the political process more reachable as voting will become simpliﬁed. Too often taken for granted, the right to vote is a cornerstone of any democratic system. Each state should make it easier, not harder, for its people to exercise such an indispensable right. Despite appalling voter suppression, a terriﬁc number of individuals took the issue into their own hands, and the newly passed initiatives will now make elections a little more just.

Bibliography Egan, Paul. “Michigan’s anti-gerrymandering proposal is approved. Now what?” Detroit Free Press, 8 November 2018, https://eu.freep.com/ story/news/politics/elections/2018/11/07/proposal-2-anti-gerrymandering-michigan/1847402002/. Folley, Aris. “Nevada voters approve automatic voter registration.” The Hill, 7 November 2018, https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/415452-nevada-voters-approve-automatic-voter-registration. Hasen, Rick. “Stephanopoulos: The Validity of Stopping Voter Suppression.” Election Law Blog, 14 November 2018, https://electionlawblog. org/?p=102241. M., S. “Why the restoration of felons’ voting rights in Florida is a big deal.” The Economist, 9 November 2018, https://www.economist.com/ democracy-in-america/2018/11/09/why-the-restoration-of-felons-votingrights-in-florida-is-a-big-deal. Peetz, Caitlynn. “Same-Day Voter Registration Approved.” Bethesda Magazine, 7 November 2018, https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/government/same-day-voter-registration-approved/. Powell, Rebecca and Nick Coltrain. “Colorado election: Amendments Y and Z pass, changing the way Colorado does redistricting.” Coloradoan, 7 November 2018, https://eu.coloradoan.com/story/ news/politics/elections/2018/11/06/colorado-election-results-amendments-y-and-z-pass-changing-redistricting-process/1894902002/. “Voting Rights Restoration Efforts in Florida.” Brennan Center for Justice, 7 November 2018, https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/voting-rights-restoration-efforts-florida. Zezima, Katie and Emily Wax-Thibodeaux. “Voters are stripping partisan redistricting power from politicians in anti-gerrymandering efforts.” The Washington Post, 7 November 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/voters-are-stripping-partisan-redistricting-power-from-politicians-in-anti-gerrymandering-efforts/2018/11/07/2a239a5ee1d9-11e8-b759-3d88a5ce9e19_story.html?utm_term=.dd222a4d8bae.

Marcelina Przespolewska A political science nerd, among other things. Ceaselessly contemplates details of policy while drinking unreasonable amounts of coﬀee. Finds her own equilibrium in art and books. And Netﬂix.

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It Woke: Cancel Culture Teresa Bakalarska

Sometimes seeing your name in the “Trending” tab is not something to be excited about. Sometimes it might be better to give up on that trending dream, altogether. In my humble opinion, we’re doing pretty good for ourselves. Last time I checked, The Wasp has not yet been canceled, no one threw us an infamous wasp_is_over_ party nor did we become that one fave of yours that is just problematic (assuming we were your fave in the ﬁrst place). If those elaborate hashtags don’t ring a bell for you just yet, don’t fret! You’re about to be introduced to the phenomenon known as Cancel Culture. It seems almost necessary for everyone who has any kind of social media proﬁle to try to understand this newly emerged social phenomenon, either to save themselves from falling victim to it, or to learn how best to participate in it. We’re going to talk about the simple nature of Cancel Culture, its complicated underlying causes, and even more controversial outcomes.

Canceled

The general principle of “canceling” is fairly simple: if somebody has said or done a problematic thing, they are proclaimed canceled. The general public (mostly netizens) is then called upon to isolate them socially and boycott their work. At its core “canceling” is a tool of social policing. Similarly to other forms of punishment (think: incarceration), it is used to achieve two things: retribution for somebody’s crime and discouragement of similar behavior. After all, ostracizing has always been a popular tool for maintaining social order. We’ve seen “canceling” for quite some time now. Scarlet Letter’s Hester Prynne sleeps with somebody and conceives an illegitimate child? Canceled. Alexander Hamilton has an extramarital aﬀair? Beyond canceled! Visibly, at its principle, “canceling” is not a revolutionary phenomenon, but its contemporary scale and form is the revolution. Living in the 21st century means that every social movement happens on a huge scale, largely thanks to the new media. Weather we want it or not, a huge portion of our social life, with its mechanisms, downfalls, and wonders has moved to the Internet. Daily, millions of social media users are submerged in abundant streams

of information, reacting rapidly, often under the protection of anonymity. There is quite an impersonal nature to many of those movements; we’re always just one drop in the ocean. That lack of personal responsibility gives us unprecedented courage to fight for our beliefs. There’s no denying the fact that socially aware youth (and not only youth) are a force to be reckoned with. Imagine Hester, being shamed not only by the community in her town, but by all US netizens. And not just in the United States: within a couple of hours hesterprynneisoverparty could be trending in Europe or Africa. Her anti-club would expand from a bunch of local kids to thousands of young, disgusted teens. Obviously, social justice advocates of today would not consider Hester’s actions to be wrong. Such is the nature of society, changing its values constantly, but never in the present moment acknowledging even the slightest possibility of change. But, if not Hester, then who would now be considered “cancellable?” Entities that are subject to “cancellation” include not only individuals—all kinds of celebrities, social media influencers, content creators—but also larger units, such as brands, or detached media content like movies or TV series. The reason for being canceled varies dramatically. From being charged with sexual assault, through racist tweets, non-diverse casting, using homophobic language, to producing non-inclusive clothing sizes or publicly using a non-vegan recipe. Just name an offense; someone has already been canceled for that. As different as these causes are, they obviously entail different scales of reaction. Starting from losing social media followings and getting hate messages, through brands being boycotted or someone losing their job, to actual violent revenge. Such a radical reaction actually occurred when a popular clothing brand used a campaign photo, which was received as racist towards black people. The Twitter canceled movement spiraled out of control, ending with several brand stores being attacked and vandalized in South Africa. This incident caused many people to question the nature and causes of Cancel Culture. Where did all that aggression come from? Why now?

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Power

Why exactly are we so eager to cancel people these days? Why is this seemingly predictable social behavior escalating beyond prediction? Well, one factor, which definitively cannot and should not be omitted, is that the era of the Internet finally gave considerable voice to minorities, victims, and their protectors: social justice advocates. The term “canceling,” as almost all contemporary viral Internet lingo, originated on Black Twitter. This is no coincidence. The anger and indignation of canceling comes primarily from the feeling of injustice. When the protection of victims and their retribution are not provided by the law, a self-governing community takes action. Victims and their protectors demand that justice is served, one way or the other. Making somebody “canceled” is one just one form of the punishment. Another reason, proposed by some researchers, is that the question of “cancellation” is a question of power. “The animating crisis of this era is power: the abuse, sharing and stripping of it,” writes Wesley Morris in his article on morality wars for The New York Times. Firstly, commentators argue, “canceling” gives people a sense of moral superiority. Uniting in “canceling” makes someone feel like he is on the right side. After all, that person is fighting against bad people, so that must mean they are the good one, right? Don’t get me wrong, that often is the case. But it can just as well, in connection with unavoidable mob mentality, produce some pretty paradoxical beliefs. For example, an idea that telling somebody to “kill themselves” as a response to their gender insensitive tweet is manifestation of moral superiority. This feeling of moral superiority contributes to the perception of power. When the “canceling” side is winning —making somebody lose following, their job, sales, prestige—every member of the movement becomes a winner. Look, I made that happen. I made that person pay for what they said. And true enough, certain change is made. However, the nature of that change is often temporary, and insignificant for fixing the underlying issue. Many times people are just deluded by the illusion of power.” I personally believe that Cancel Culture, to a certain degree, is a result of an overwhelming feeling of helplessness. It is something a lot more attainable for young, socially aware people than systematic, consistent activism. And it produces faster, more palpable, almost certain results. Can’t make a congressman stop his crypto-rac-

ist agitation? Well, you can uncover somebody’s racist tweets from five years ago. Racism defeated. Can’t really muster up the courage to educate your grandma on homophobia? You can fight somebody for using not entirely inclusive language. Homophobia defeated. Can’t stop a large fast fashion brand from exploiting the work force in East Asia? Call out a designer for taking inspiration from that culture. New colonialism defeated. It’s not that those problems are insignificant. I have to stress that these are in themselves very serious and legitimate issues. However, they often take the attention away from more harmful and difficult problems, such as institutional or systematic abuse and discrimination. We cover our helplessness in regards to larger issues with over exercising power when it comes to issues originating in simple ignorance or lack of education. If somebody’s subscriber count is the one thing that is in our control, we will take that control. If we can call out just one person for buying fast fashion, we will take that control. Exercising our power online is in its essence a cry for more control in the physical world.

Problematic

Unsurprisingly, there are many shortcomings of Cancel Culture pointed out eagerly by its critics. First of them, as mentioned above, is the belief that it is a highly ineffective tool of social change which does not create a permanent and significant difference. The second one, just as important, is that it has many casualties. Preachers of Cancel Culture do not allow resocialization. Once somebody has committed an offense, it is final. Cancel Culture assumes that people can’t change their views. It assumes that they cannot really correct their mistakes. Or, rather, they may do so, but they are still canceled. No

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redemption. Rhetoric of Cancel Culture oftentimes fails to recognize that at the core of a problem is not a person, but their wrong opinion or action. These are often a result of the misinformation they were fed. It does not excuse them from standing accountable for their actions, but it does not condemn them forever either. The doctrine of one mistake is in itself quite dangerous. I don’t suppose you would gasp in surprise if I told you that people make rushed, poorly-informed decisions all the time—and not just the perpetrators, not just the people who get “canceled.” The social media judges also make misinformed guesses, “canceling” somebody for something that was taken out of context, sometimes purposefully. The result of that is that a lot of people get “canceled” over assumptions and misunderstandings. But when the mistake is cleared up, there is hardly any way to uncancel somebody. In this way, we create a social climate that demands perfection, demands that people are all-knowing, educated about all issues, inﬁnitely woke. A climate that only sees black and white and not the spectrum, because anger does not demand dosing, it demands a catalyst. This isn’t to say that call-out culture is not valid or necessary. I would argue that it is essential in our road towards a safer, better informed, and, most importantly, more empathetic society. We should not keep silent when we see somebody assault, discriminate, and hurt other people. Little by little our protests against abuse change general perception of the issue. There are certain crimes, such as sexual assault, abuse, or malicious racism for which we cannot argue that their perpetrators are not aware of the evil they are committing (unless they prove an insanity claim in front of a court). Some factors taken into consideration in traditional judicial systems are: whether or not the perpetrator knew his actions were wrong, whether or not he had hurtful intentions, whether or not he shows signs of remorse. We should do our best to incorporate these categories into our unoﬃcial judgment, before issuing the verdict. If done right—with emphasis on education and empathy—participating in Cancel Culture has the power to change the world. For that purpose, I dare to present to the public the following humble manual.

How to Properly Participate in Call-Out Culture

(A Four Step Program) 1. Consider the weight of the issue and don’t inﬂict unfair punishment; you probably don’t need to send angry tweets to someone for forgetting their reusable water bottle and buying a disposable one. 2. Make sure to get the facts from the source, not from he-said, she-said, drama focused media outlets, biased and hateful people on your Twitter feed. 3. Educate, educate, educate. Cancel only if education is beyond impossible. Maybe educationparty does not have such a nice ring to it, but I urge you to try it instead, nonetheless. 4. Don’t bully the bully. You being racist toward a racist person is not particularly helpful. Do not repay violence with violence. It creates a cycle of hatred.

over

Despite its many shortcomings, Cancel Culture can and should be transformed in order to introduce positive changes to the world. I do not believe, as many commentators seem to, that it should be canceled altogether. Simply, we need to ﬁnd a way to be able to say goodbye to harmful behaviors and views instead of saying goodbye to people and isolating them completely.

Teresa Bakalarska A human, crisp, professional whiner. Writes everything from poetry through prose to god-awful rap lyrics. Thinks that Buﬀ y The Vampire Slayer is the greatest achievement of humanity. 32

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Queen of the Sciences Ada Rachfalska

Philosophy. People used to think about it as something vague, unnecessary, abstract. Philosophizing is often seen as a domain of those disconnected from reality, not to mention those studying philosophy at university (the everlasting question, “what will you do after graduation?”). But it is far from the truth. There is an underestimated power to philosophy, and it lays in the ability of those who study it to see how much modern collective attitudes, behaviors, even national policies are shaped by the philosophical thoughts upon which those nations were built. Philosophy can also explain the current state of affairs by analyzing socio-historical contexts. Back in July, I participated in an educational program based in Detroit, centered around the city’s history, as well as its social and economic conditions. Over the course of a month we met with journalists, politicians, scholars, activists, and locals to understand the complex history of Detroit and race relations in America. They say the story of Detroit is the story of the US in a nutshell. It wasn’t my first time there, but for the first time, I realized just how deep the idea of American individualism is embedded in American reality. Simply put, individualism underlines the importance of the individual; at its core, it promotes independence and self-reliance. At first glance, there seems to be nothing wrong with it, but it’s the self-reliance part where things get tricky. Pair that up with economic individualism (property ownership and the free market doctrine), and you have the true “counton-yourself-and-yourself-only” American attitude. Americans love cars not only because the land is so vast; the car gives them freedom and independence. Back to Detroit—public transport, public healthcare, good-quality public education is practically non-existent in the city. That’s what American individualism means in reality. But it’s not only the “Motor City.” The 2014 water crisis in Flint, just an hour’s drive from Detroit, showed just how much government officials don’t care about individuals. Because if you’re expected to be self-reliant, you have to provide all those things—education, healthcare, transportation, even water, on your own. In Detroit, as in Flint, demographics matter greatly. Both cities are predominantly black, and racism plays a key part in the abandonment of a residence. So it’s difficult when you’re black. But it’s even worse if you’re black and poor. That’s when Puritanism comes into play.

Discussing the influence of philosophy, we have to include Puritanism which influenced the newcomers early on, and in fact created American mythology. Individualism as the responsibility of an individual can also be traced to Puritan roots. Puritanism, being the extreme version of the Protestant religion, proclaimed that one’s fate is predestined before they’re even born. The Puritan God was the almighty God, meaning that whatever happened on earth was God’s deliberate will. According to Puritans, you were either chosen by God for salvation, or doomed, and couldn’t do anything about it. What’s more, your financial success was one of the indicators that God chose you for salvation; respectively, financial misfortune clearly showed you were doomed. Such a set of beliefs helped Puritans justify their acts of savagery; for instance, the slaughter of Native Americans, because Puritans were outnumbered by them, but still managed to overcome their numbers with the “help of God.” Those somewhat ancient beliefs also explain the current issues with healthcare, education, transportation, and the role of the state as such. People who are too poor to provide those things on their own were clearly “chosen to be condemned.” It’s no one’s fault, it’s what God had predestined for them, and there’s nothing anyone can do. On the other, far-

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ther end of the spectrum is Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed “self-made man,” which we now know he never was, thanks to a comprehensive investigative report by The New York Times. According to the report, Trump, together with his father has managed to craft an image of a self-made billionaire, which helped him convince American voters in 2016 that he knows how to manage the country’s economy. It was one of the reasons people voted in favor of him as president—he was super rich, so clearly he had God’s support and was the chosen one. What about Poland? I hadn’t thought about the Polish philosophical analyses on culture until I came across a book by the Polish philosopher Andrzej Leder, entitled “Prześniona rewolucja” (which roughly translates into “Overslept revolution”). Leder has written extensively about the “feudal relation” (in Polish: “relacja folwarczna”) which permeates Polish reality to this day. This relation, embedded in the power structure on Polish farms, was common throughout Polish and European history. As a feudal relation, it was based solely on the power dynamic between the master and the peasants, being oppressive to the latter who worked in very hard conditions—physical punishment was also common. The aforementioned “overslept revolution” happened between the years of the Holocaust and communism, as the peasantry silently wanted the intelligentsia (who were the imagined masters) to leave or disappear. It happened tragically during those years without their direct involvement. Leder’s conclusion is that since modern Polish society predominantly consists of the descendants of peasants, most Poles’ social interactions are based on this form of interaction: the relation of power. This mentality manifests itself, for instance, between clients and service workers such as waiters, sales assistants, and others. The customer is technically more powerful than the sales person, which the latter knows about, and that’s why boorishness, as Leder argues, is common among people of those professions, who consider serving others a personal humiliation and feel they’re at the lowest point of the social ladder. Oftentimes, the power in the relation is understood as a literal power, i.e. physical strength. Nowhere is this more clear than in parent-child relationships. Let me remind you that a great majority of Poles still believe that spanking, slapping, and beating children can be justified and used as an efficient (?) parenting method. Physical abuse is justified because the child is weak and small, and the parent has more physical strength, but it isn’t only that. The patron-

ising way in which people treat their children—by giving commands and not explaining or negotiating things with them—is very telling. The “feudal relation” is even present in management styles in Polish organizations. It has shaped two kinds of workers: the employers, “almighty” bosses, who do what they want, and the employees, passive workers most careful about not getting under the fire of their bosses. Many Polish institutions, firms, or political parties are affected by this style of organization—they are strongly hierarchical, with one important commander at the top and the information stream flowing slowly from top to bottom. The employees, on the other hand, are indecisive, passive, and need comprehensive instructions at work. All this sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It’s arguable to which extent all those situations are rooted in philosophies of their respective nations, or if philosophy can really explain them. Naturally, there are many factors involved in our complex existence. But we can’t deny that those currents of thought provide a worthy and plausible explanation to some of the very important issues that we’re dealing with. The link between the philosophy and the reality makes life more understandable, maybe even more bearable, but it also shows the absurdity of that reality. Whether it’s the lack of a safety net for the citizens, or abusive relationships in families, the consequences are harmful for all of us in the long run. The question remains, when we will recognize philosophy as something realistic that doesn’t serve us anymore. Until then, we’re like marionettes thinking that’s how our lives were supposed to be.

Ada Rachfalska Music enthusiast—addicted to live shows, mostly travels to see her favorite acts. Loves to take pictures with analog cameras. Engaged in social justice matters. An economist-to-be-turned-humanist, she is ﬁnishing her bachelor's at OSA and ﬁguring out how to stay in the academic circle. Always has her third eye open.

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Contributors

Aleksandra Barciszewska Former editor-in-chief. ASC-survivor. Vampiric psychoanalyst by nature. Extracting the sexual from the mundane, rejecting reality for the sake of the very-tale of momentary satiation of the urges for creation.

Dominik Kędzierawski D V Voltaire once said, "The secret of being dull is to s everything. And if you speak as much, you'd say b better create a lot of new stories to tell."

Karolina Jakubiak Always sleepy, always hungry, and always creative coﬀee addict.

Anita Majewska Addicted to basketball, drawing, and Netﬂix. I think with images. If I look depressed, I probably just ran out of hummus.

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Joanna Marchewka Regular, non-artistic soul but in love with digital and traditional art, basically looking for opportunities to take up new challenges. Coffee and tea lover so nothing surprising so far, consequential in tasks where involved. Definitely gonna be someone in the future—whether millionaire or fast-food worker. Has a variety of extraordinary interests such as Netflix because no one has ever pointed that out. Yep. Hi.

Natalia Ogórek Singing is her biggest passion, but she does not connect her future with it. Lover of TV series and Marvel. 70 funny, 50 weird, 100 organized.

Anna Oleinic Allows herself a mess in her closet less often than in her head.

Paweł Pańczyk Graphic designer and emotional experience seeker. Just be yourself!

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Amalia Podgorska Artistic soul, happy traveler, dog lover. Always follows the rule to have a proper belly laugh at least once a day.

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Marta Rapacka 2nd year BA student. Apart from being utterly in love with TV series, she loves spending her free time discovering mysteries of Adobe Photoshop. Coerced into accepting the new goal of her existence, namely being The Very First Caricaturist of The Wasp—an honorable title she proudly bears and exploits (see: above and below).

Paulina Staniszewska Petite, tattooed social media assasin with an enormous cake addiction. Loves musical theatre, drag queens, silly TV shows and making her friends laugh, but she still hasn't ﬁgured out how to make money out of all four.

Kamila Maria Wyszyńska Studies Graphic Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. American Studies is her second faculty. Loves to travel. Wants to live and create across the world.

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