Arlingtonian vol 85 Spring Supplement

MAY 26, 2022

VOLUME 85, SPRING SUPPLEMENT

ARLINGTONIAN W H O A RE WE? Students at UAHS discover themselves through the internet.

READ NOW ON PAGE 8

COVER BY CAROLINE KEGG, ’24.

ARLINGTONIAN VOLUME 85 | 2021-2022

MAY 26, 2022, SPRING SUPPLEMENT

THE SPRING SUPPLEMENT The Spring Supplement is a special issue of Arlingtonian produced yearly by the students of Journalism II, a semesterlong course prerequisite to joining Arlingtonian as a staff writer.

JOURNALISM II 2022

Ali Abubakr Emily Ayars Ryan Cho Laila Dillard Addison Fransen Camryn Johnson Edith LeBlanc

Ezra Liu Katie Messner Katie Overmyer Adelaide Petras Thea Postalakis Katy Trombold

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

IN THIS ISSUE FEATURES, NEWS & NOTES

3

Summer Festival Fun A look at summer festivals in Columbus.

Back to the Box A look into the upcoming student-run production, The Box Set.

Feeling ’22

A closer look at the adjustment and transition back into pre-pandemic normalcy.

ARLINGTONIAN EDITOR IN CHIEF

Callia Peterson ARLINGTONIAN MANAGING EDITORS

Matthew Doron and James Underwood ARLINGTONIAN COPY EDITOR

4 6

Spotify, All Wrapped Up Students share their opinons on music and fashion.

Is It Fashion Or Are They Just Skinny?

A look into the relationship between fashion and body image.

5 7

Brooke Mason ARLINGTONIAN ARTS EDITOR

Lucy O’Brien

SPOTLIGHT

Who Are We?

ARLINGTONIAN GRAPHIC ARTIST

Caroline Kegg

Students at UAHS discover themselves through the internet.

SUPPORT US Arlingtonian is provided free to all UAHS students and staff. We are entirely independent from UA Schools and are supported by advertising and reader donations. If you would like to help make our student journalism viable for years to come, scan the QR code to make a donation.

OP-ED

A New Classic Columnists review Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic and and its new star-studded film adaptation.

EDITORIAL POLICY Arlingtonian is a student-produced newsmagazine published

by Journalism III-A students at UAHS. The publication has been established as a public forum for student expression and for the discussion of issues of concern to its audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution.

Arlingtonian welcomes letters to the editor, guest columns and news releases from faculty, administrators, community residents, students and the general public. The

Show Me the Coffee

Arlingtonian editorial board reserves the right to withhold a letter or column and return it for more information if it determines the piece contains items of unprotected speech as defined by this policy.

The Arlingtonian staff raises and pays all printing and production costs through advertising sales, donations and fundraisers.

The Editor in chief shall interpret and enforce this editorial policy.

Out of five cafes in Upper Arlington, which one’s the best? Here’s what two columnists think.

To read our full editorial policy, visit our website at arlingtonian.com.

How perspective changes individuals’ mindsets.

Tik Tok. Time to Delete.

I deleted TikTok. Here’s why you should, too.

EDITORIAL

It’s a Small World

2 | SPRIN G SUPP L EMEN T | MA Y 2 6, 2 0 2 2

8 12

14

15

16 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @UAARLINGTONIAN

Summer Festival Fun A look at summer festivals in Columbus.

BY EZRA LIU, ’24. GRAPHIC BY LUCY O’BRIEN, ’22.

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @UAARLINGTONIAN

The fair, a tradition in Reynoldsburg, includes food, art, tournaments and more.

It will be held August 4-6, rain or shine

St. Andrews Festival will be held July 24 at the Parish. Includes rides, games and food with more information coming soon

Held in Hilliard, the festival will feature food, music and fun with the nations largest gathering of food trucks. August 19-21

JUNETEENTH

COLUMBUS PRIDE

Helps to raise awareness and celebrate the LGBTQ+ members of the Columbus community. Will be held June 18 at Goodale Park

ARTS ON ARLINGTON

Jazz artists will perform as attendees enjoy BBQ prepared by rib connoisseurs from around the city.

Held July 22-24

ST. ANDREWS

COLUMBUS ARTS

Columbus Arts will feature local artists in the visual and performing fields, and several food vendors.

Held June 10-12

and $20, with some exceptions for young children and older attendees. Be sure to support local groups and have fun this summer through fairs, festivals and more!

BREAKAWAY

Featuring food, games, music and more, the fair will be held at the state fairgrounds July 27-August 7. Admission costs six dollars

JAZZ AND RIB

Red White And Boom is held on July 3 at Franklin University.

Events will be held during the day with fireworks at night

TOMATO FAIR

VINTAGE RED WHITE AND BOOM STATE FAIR

JUNE JULY AUGUST

Ohio Vintage Fest consists of seventy vendors to shop from, all selling vintage items. Held on June 11, 2022

share their interests with the world.

Festivals are great opportunites to learn more about the people of our city, and are also fun ways to find new hobbies or simply enjoy time with friends or family.

Typical cost of entrance is between $0

FOOD TRUCKS

E

very summer various fairs, festivals and events are held in and around Columbus. From food, to music, to art and more, the hot monhs of June, July and August are all opportunities for communities to gather together and

Held on June 18 and 19, the festival will celebrate the lives of African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans in Ohio

Celebrates and supports local Artists, Artisans and businesses’ handcrafted products.

Held at Mallway Business District July 28

Breakaway will feature artists like The Chainsmokers, Quinn XCII and Griz, with tickets starting at $166. Held August 26-27

W W W . A R L ING T O NIA N. COM | 3

Back to the Box

A look into the recent student-run production, The Box Set.

BY ADDISON FRANSEN, ’24. PHOTO BY EDITH LEBLANC, ’23.

E

very day after school, UAHS students met in The Black Box Theater (The Box) to work together on their latest production. Contrary to popular belief, these students weren’t only actors; they were also dancers, poets, musicians, writers, tech-crew members and directors all working together to create the entirely student-run production, dubbed “The Box Set.” “The Box Set” consisted of four short plays—all written and directed by students—as well as a handful of other performances.

“We’ve got some other acts coming in as far as viola, poetry, dance... some other things that just sort of fill it up, so it is this nice mix of performance,” theater teacher Greg Varner said.

Varner helped oversee the production and was there to support and advise students. “[I] try to provide a place where the learning can happen… My experience with performance allows me to be able to give advice on how to put together a show,” Varner said. “It’s this really important collaboration that allows me to have a voice in what’s happening but also allows them to realize that it’s their voice that will ultimately call the shots.”

“The Box Set” also existed at the old high school, though with a different name.

Taking place in the Little Theater, it was called “The Little Shows.”

“The first time we ever did this show was, I think, in 2005,” Varner said.

With COVID-19, as well as the move into the new building, the show was put on hold for a year. Varner and the students were eager to restart this production.

“This year I’m trying to provide as many opportunities to use [The Box] and to figure out the space, so it just made sense,” Varner said. “New Year, new building, new freedoms, let’s get back to The Box.” Many students were excited to start work on “The Box Set.” Sophomore

Marcus Black joined “The Box Set” this year as a writer and director.

“My show is called ‘Grim.’ It’s exploring the grieving process and death from the perspective of a person who has just died,” Black said.

“Grim” was one of four student-written shows featured in “The Box Set” with the other three being “The Good Times” written by junior Taylor Speas, “Bird Tattoo” written by sophomore Allie Gomez and “Atrocity” written by junior Matthew Doron. After the shows were written, auditions were held in The Box. “[The audition] was honestly really easy,” freshman Marley Nemeth said. “You could google monologues or do poetry or stuff like that. And then you just go into The Box during the audition time and you read it and that’s it.”

Nemeth played Adrian, one of the three characters in Gomez’s “Bird Tattoo.”

“The day after auditions, all the directors sat down, and we talked about who we wanted to cast in our shows,” Black said. “It was a very collaborative process.”

A show directed by four different directors requires a large amount of communication and flexibility; directors

4 | SPRIN G SUPP L EMEN T | MA Y 2 6, 2 0 2 2

and actors need to work together to convey their shows on the stage. Many students enjoyed this collaboration and the chance to connect with their classmates as the rehearsal process progresses.

“It’s all student-written, studentdirected. Students are the actors; students are doing all the tech,” Nemeth said. “It’s just a lot easier to communicate with one another when a student is the director.”

Varner agreed with the importance in giving students independence. “[Having students in charge] allows me to see what they will innovate when they have the freedom to do it, and for them, it allows them to experiment,” Varner said.

“The Box Set” performed on May 5, 6 and 7.

“All of the shows are really interesting,” sophomore Michelle Fernandez, who acted in both “Bird Tattoo” and “Atrocity” said.

“The production is really coming to life.” ▼ PRACTICE, PRACTICE Cast members rehearse a scene from the Box Set in the Black Box Theater. The student-produced show happened in at three performances earlier this month.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @UAARLINGTONIAN

Spotify, All Wrapped Up

Students share their opinons on music and fashion.

BY EDITH LEBLANC, ’23. GRAPHICS BY CAMERON JOHNSON, ’24.

Q: What’s a song you have on repeat right now?

A: I listen to a lot of Mozart; despite how I look, I listen to a lot of classical music mainly. I do listen to some rock sometimes. I like Misfits and Metallica and stuff. I don’t listen to modern music that much but mostly I just listen to classical.

Q: What would you say your favorite music artist is?

A: I listen to Misfits and Metallica; I listen to Elvis sometimes. Motley Crew as well.

Q: If you had to pick a decade out of all of music what would you pick?

A: Probably like 1780s Q: Would you say your music taste has changed over time?

A: No, from an early age my mother played piano and I heard that and played that. I’m in band and would like to go to college for a music major and maybe become a conductor.

Q: Where do you get the majority of your clothes?

A: Mostly thrifting and antique stores.

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @UAARLINGTONIAN

Q: What genre of music do you listen to the most?

A: I can go from classical to rap pretty smoothly. Pretty much just anything I like listening to at the moment for the most part.

Q: What are your top three music artists at the moment?

A: Mendelssohn, MF DOOM, Kendrick Lamar Q: What’s your favorite decade of music?

A: I want to say the ’90s Q: Has your music taste changed over time?

A: Tremendously. It only used to be classical stuff and then last year I just explored everything because I thought “why am I worrying so much about what kind of genre I’m listening to?”

Q: What influences the way you dress?

A: A lot of it is my own kind of style.

I would also say: One, necessity. Two, I like wearing vintage stuff. A thing that would influence it as well is rap music.

lll

Q: What are the three artists you listen to the most?

A: Right now it’s kind of skewed because I went to a Girl In Red concert, but right now the last six months I’d say Lord Huron, Taylor Swift, and Dominic Fike.

Q: What genres do you listen to the most?

A: I think it’s kind of a mix. I would say my top genre is indie pop, but I think I just fall into that realm of like indie, sort of like Wallows, but also more naturey stuff like Hozier. But I also listen to a bit of Doja Cat. Q: Does your music taste influence the way you dress?

A: I think it’s not really causational, I think it’s more like, correlation. It’s just like I fall into maybe a certain side of teenagehood: the fact that I’m queer certainly means I dress a certain way that fits into a certain crowd. I’m sure as a result of that I also listen to similar music to the peers that I hang out with a lot. I feel like they are related but I don’t know if one impacts the other directly necessarily.

W W W . A R LING T O NIA N. COM | 5

Feeling ’22

A closer look at the adjustment and transition back into pre-pandemic normalcy.

BY EMILY AYARS, ’24, AND KATIE OVERMYER, ’24. GRAPHIC BY CAROLINE KEGG, ’24.

‘W

oah’ing to the Renegade, turning on Disney+ and Apple AirPods nestled inside ears blasting “Bad Guy’’

by Billie Eilish are just a few things that scream ‘2k19.’ Three years ago, TikTok and streaming services began to rise in popularity, and new artists who are known and loved now were just beginning to start their career. To many, life seemed more manageable then. On the flip side, to others, life seemed more chaotic. Either way, little did the world know the dramatic changes it would endure in just 730 days.

Time has flown by as it is only two and a half years into the decade of the 2020s. Many feel that it has been a hard time going back and forth enduring each transition through COVID-19. As some students at UAHS began coming back to school for hybrid learning after enduring remote learning, there was a transition that felt to some much like a fever dream.

“I just kind of feel like we missed a whole year of school,” senior Olivia Howe said. “I don’t know how to explain my junior year. I was just kind of like, it didn’t feel real.”

Considering the past two years, the world has started to bend and twist in ways it wasn’t expecting. As the world started jumping into the new year of

2022, it didn’t know what to do with it.

At the beginning of 2020, the world had no idea of the cultural toning it would endure. Due to the world pandemic, society has experienced a slight shift in its way of life.

With COVID-19 cases decreasing and masks beginning to vanish off faces, it almost seems as though the world is kicking off right back where it ended in March of 2020. Throughout the two years in between, the fast switch in society has led to the questions: Is this what the ‘20s are going to be known for? Is this what the ‘20s are? “[COVID-19] definitely made me appreciate my senior year a lot more because I didn’t realize how much [we were] missing,” senior Nora Dimitrov said. “Just like everyday coming to school, and when you get that taken away from you, you appreciate it.”

Entertainment outlets such as TikTok and internet surfing grew in popularity as people were searching for time-fillers when stuck in their rooms and homes.

Now with things starting to open back up, many people are busy trying to catch up on what was missed in the two years of COVID-19. Life returning to normal can bring the feeling of nostalgia in 2022.

“This feels as though a new door is opening, and we’re experiencing things for the first time,” Dimitrov said.

For instance, as last year’s prom was senior-only, Howe and her peers never had the prom experience until this year.

“Prom is like one of those things I’ve been thinking about since elementary school,” Howe said. “So it’s kind of great that I finally get to experience it

6 | SPRIN G SUPP L EMEN T | MA Y 2 6, 2 0 2 2

with my friends.”

Dimitrov also missed out on a UAHS prom her junior year. “[Prom is] something we’ve been looking forward to for forever. I think that’s why we were putting a lot of pressure on it this year, [like] finding the perfect dress, and so I’m really excited. I hope it [can give] us a sense of normalcy back,” Dimitrov said.

Many people are excited to get into things they missed out on last year.

“Band was different because we had to have band camp at the high school,” freshman Corinne Stevens said. Opposed to its usual location, students in band were forced to stay on the grounds of UAHS during their regular annual band camp.

Likewise, inside both the borders of the old and the new high school, students were left in odd and unexpected situations.

“My junior year, it was easier than I had expected, like, school wise, but I feel like since we were not in school all the time, senior year was kind of like a jump,” Howe said.

Junior Cami Callander agreed.

“Yeah, I think it was a big transition from like, sophomore year,” she said.

With the evolution of each month this year brings the latest news on the virus and the state of society. Especially this year, people are holding out hope more than ever for an improved environment and hope for normalcy.

Considering the changes the pandemic forced on the population, the mindsets of people have evolved. People have come to celebrate and enjoy the small things that once felt ordinary. The future of 2022 is unknown but it is shaping up to be unlike any other time period.

With the past always influencing the present, the spring air is full of optimism for the feeling of 2022.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @UAARLINGTONIAN

Is It Fashion or Are They Just Skinny?

A look into the relationship between fashion and body image.

F

BY ADELAIDE PETRAS, ’24. GRAPHIC BY STELLA PETRAS, ’22.

ashion serving as a visual art means the eating disorder treatment organization that aesthetics play a large role Center for Discovery, men display in what and who is considered subclinical disordered eating behaviors at a fashionable. As a multitude of similar rate to women. Some students, such young people are taking an interest in as sophomore Seth Lute, find that body fashion, the effects of fashion and media image is an issue that is often overlooked on body image are becoming more clear. for men.

Many find that the body types that “I know I’ve struggled with [body usually appear in the media are not image], especially with movies…because representative of what the majority of you’re presented with full-grown adults the population looks like, correlating playing high schoolers,” Lute said. “That to increasingly negative self-images. definitely skews your perception of what According to the National Eating high schoolers should look like.”

Disorder Association Additionally, many (NEDA), about seven students agree that the way in 10 women and girls clothing will look on them “It’s so surreal when report a decline in your ‘For You’ page is or “flatter” their body has body confidence caused at least some impact on flooded with runway in part by unrealistic models because they what they choose to wear. beauty standards in “I’m not going to buy represent so little of advertising and media. something if I don’t think the population.”

Unfortunately, many I like the way it looks on SOPHOMORE NOÉ BEAUDOIN models use unhealthy me,” junior Charlotte methods to achieve the Reinke said. body type that is most commonly seen in Societal beauty standards perpetuate fashion. In a 2016 study conducted by Sara the idea that one must look a certain way Ziff, founder of the Model Alliance, over to be fashionable or look good in trendy 62% of models—who, on average, were clothing. This acts as a major source of already considered underweight—reported stress and negative self-image for some. having been asked by their agency or “I try really, really hard to separate employer to lose weight or change their body image from fashion because it’s such body in some way. an easy way to destroy any happiness I “It’s so surreal when your ‘For You’ have with it whatsoever,” Beaudoin said. page is flooded with runway models In the media, people with a particular because they represent so little of the body type often wear clothes that aren’t population,” sophomore Noé Beaudoin considered universally flattering. The fear said. “It’s so damaging to everyone, and of not having the ideal body type deters it’s really not representative of what any some from expressing their creativity real person would look like wearing those through fashion. clothes.”

An example of this is the recent 2000s The desire to look like models is instilled (Y2K) fashion revival; the 2000s were in children as early as elementary school; rampant with pro-eating disorder online according to NEDA, 69% of elementary spaces and aesthetics that required people school girls who read magazines say the to be as thin as possible. pictures influence their perception of the “With the low waisted jeans and the ideal body and 47% say the pictures make really skinny tank tops, that doesn’t look them want to lose weight. good on everybody. I mean it can look These statistics primarily focus good on everybody obviously, but the on women and girls, but that doesn’t people that usually wear it are very skinny encompass the full reality. According to people or [have] supermodel body types,” FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @UAARLINGTONIAN

Reinke said.

However, some believe that the toxicity isn’t as present in the Y2K revival due to the body positivity movement.

“I think recently there has been a larger push for body positivity and taking pride in what you have and seeing what’s different and not how you can conform, so I think that as our generation gets older, that will carry on and possibly become a staple,” sophomore Max Golembiewski said.

Others agree to an extent but believe that there is still work to be done in terms of creating a less toxic culture around body image. According to Business Wire, 27% of Generation Z report that social media negatively impacts their body image.

“I think Gen Z is better in terms of [body positivity], but it’s still a huge problem because even Gen Z is not immune to bias,” Lute said.

W W W . A R LING T O NIA N. COM | 7

8 | SPRIN G SUPP L EMEN T | MA Y 2 6, 2 0 2 2

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @UAARLINGTONIAN

WHO ARE WE? Students at UAHS discover themselves through the internet.

BY EMILY AYARS, ’24; KATIE OVERMYER, ’24; THEA POSTALAKIS, ’24; AND KATY TROMBOLD, ’24.

GRAPHICS BY CAROLINE KEGG, ’24 .

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @UAARLINGTONIAN

M

yers-Briggs. Buzzfeed quizzes. Astrology signs. These are just a handful of examples of the ways that humans have been psychoanalyzing themselves and others for years. It has always been human nature to try to categorize oneself, yet with the rise of technology and the amount of toxicity within internet culture, it has become even more of a debate.

This need for self-analysis is not a recent trend, despite having been heightened by the cultivation of social media. In an interview conducted by NBC News, Pamela Rutledge, Director of the Media Psychology Research Center, explained that this idea dates back to the pre-Socratics in Greece.

“Early Greeks, such as Plato, explored approaches to psychometric measurements… [and how they] affected human personality traits and behaviors. These traits have also been associated with the four basic elements, the four seasons, with links into various aspects of astrology,” Rutledge said.

Fast forward about two thousand years and this affinity for grouping each other has continued to be present; however, now, instead of philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle, social media influencers dominate modern culture by creating trends and controlling current styles.

These groupings have only increased with apps such as Instagram, Tiktok and other social media outlets. It has created a stigmatized control to be a part of something.

“I think [social media] created some unnecessary competition in terms of likes and followers and how you look or don’t look and who you’re with and not with,” UAHS counselor Matt Biedenbach said.

This philosophy holds true for many students as well.

However, the ability to connect with people through the internet may also be a silver lining.

“You compare yourself to everyone else on the internet, but at the same time, you can connect with people [from] all across the world that you would never have known otherwise,” senior Ryan Card said. “Googling—it’s literally all it takes. Just Googling something once, and suddenly, you can find your people.”

This constant accessibility to everything is a definite change in this generation, compared to the generations that have come before.

W W W . A R L ING T O NIA N. COM | 9

WHO ARE WE?

“I think the Internet has made it easier to stay in front of a screen and away from social interaction,” Biedenbach said.

At the same time, many believe that much of social interaction also happens within internet culture, causing different groups to continuously change and grow.

WHAT IS “GROUP MENTALITY”?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines group mentality as “the tendency of the people in a group to think and behave in ways that conform with others in the group rather than as individuals.”

Group mentality is largely apparent in the way that today’s generation has been defined by social media.

Common groupings such as the use of personality quizzes or taking parts in fandoms are increasing in popularity and use.

“I think everyone participates in group mentality whether they want to or not because we are all part of a group. It’s not really something you can avoid. It’s just something you can recognize,” Card said.

It’s important to recognize the influence of these groupings.

As people with similar interests grow their platforms, it can become increasingly hard to try to fit in.

“Everyone kind of tries to fall into their own group, and it’s very specific and very gatekept,” junior Luke Rockey said.

Gatekeeping is the action of controlling or limiting one’s access to something. It’s generally used to diminish others’ opinions about something and to shut out people from certain groups.

The result of gatekeeping and social media can lead to one feeling either accepted or excessively on the outskirts of a group. “[Social media has] put a lot of pressure to become almost an extreme of your own personality so that you can fit into these areas,” Rockey said. “It doesn’t leave a lot of room for you to genuinely develop yourself.”

Somehow, while simultaneously making students feel included, group mentality can also make students feel more isolated by putting a severe amount of pressure into fitting in.

10 | SPRIN G SUPPL EMEN T | MA Y 2 6, 2 0 2 2

IMPACT ON STUDENTS The constant shifting of groups, trends and labels is apparent in high school.

“I think there are some very genuine benefits to group mentality, but I also think it comes out of a place of insecurity and social pressure,” Rockey said.

Social media can fabricate a fake reality for some, being that a majority of people’s interactions now happen online. Internet posts and socialization are often distorted in how they allow other people to be perceived.

“A lot of [social media] is edited. It creates a false perception, and it can end in a lot of mental illnesses,” junior Ruby Wilhite said.

Pressure to conform to social media standards can shape one’s opinions about how to look, dress or act.

“It’s much more appealing to kind of fall in and take the safe road,” Rockey said. “I feel like from apps like TikTok and stuff like that, there is a huge pressure to do certain things and act a certain way. And when you see it, thoughts can go through your head like, ‘Am I doing this wrong? Am I listening to the wrong music? Am I dressing the wrong way?’”

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @UAARLINGTONIAN

WHO ARE WE? TikTok can have a huge impact on teenage users’ identities, whether through changing their music taste, style of clothing or allowing them to meet new people.

However, it can also confuse one on their own identity, by constantly comparing them to other people on the internet.

“We want people to accept and like us… but if you’re sacrificing a part of your identity or something that’s important to you to fit on, then that could definitely be a problem,” Sociology teacher Scott Shinaberry said.

Many students see certain posts or groups and relate this to who they think they should be.

“People are so willing to label themselves and to fit into these very specific genres of being a person,” Rockey said.

The impact of social cliches and trends can serve as a blockage to those who aren’t sure of who they are yet, especially as they are still developing.

But with this concern, there’s also comfort found within others who share the same tastes and views.

“I think everyone has their own interests,” Shinaberry said.

“You are your own strengths and weaknesses of what you gravitate to.”

PERSONALITY TESTS Alongside an increase of groupings that have come from social media, personality quizzes have risen over time. They can play a large role in helping people identify or categorize themselves.

Psychology teacher Doug Rinehart identified examples of common personality tests such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory test and the Myers-Briggs personality test.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory test is commonly used to identify mental health or other clinical issues. It is designed with ten clinical scales that assess ten major categories of abnormal human behavior and four validity scales that assess the extent to which a subject responded to the test questions truthfully.

Popular amongst students and teenagers, the Myers-Briggs personality test measures how people perceive the world and make decisions. It identifies a person’s personality type, strengths and preferences. According to Myers-Briggs, there are 16 different types of personalities.

The test uses a set of four to five letters to define a personality.

An example of this is ENFP: E stands for extraverted; N stands for intuition; F stands for feeling; and P stands for perceiving.

Once one takes the test, they get their letters and their “placement” in the world. One could either be an analyst, a diplomat, a sentinel, or an explorer.

However, the test’s validity has been questioned.

“Anything, you know, that is personality-driven, you have to make sure that, in terms of as far as the assessment, is that whether we can see that, ‘Does it test? Does it measure what it’s supposed to measure?’ which is validity,” Rinehart said.

That form of accuracy for Myers-Briggs is more difficult to FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @UAARLINGTONIAN

“Thoughts can go through your head like, ‘Am I doing this wrong? Am I listening to the wrong music? Am I dressing the wrong way?’”

JUNIOR LUKE ROCKEY find. According to the Myers & Briggs Foundation, it meets accepted standards of reliability and validity. However, other studies have found that 40% and 75% of respondents receive a different result after completing the test a second time. Still, there are some who receive the same result and swear by it.

“I’ve taken Myers-Briggs so many times I’ve lost count, and I have not gotten different answers. Every single year, it’s been the same one,” Card said.

Whether the validity is perfectly strong or not, a lot of students use this test and others to define who they are as a person.

Different types of these tests are widely used throughout high school as well. Students are asked to use Naviance, a college and career preparation source, to help them find their careers and manage service hours.

The tests can help students figure out what do to in life, and can possibly even define their future. Biedenbach’s advice for these tests is to go into them with an open mind.

“It might not give you the exact thing that you’re looking for, but it might tell you something about yourself,” Biedenbach said. “You have to look past the idea that ‘There’s no way; that’s not me.’ Because there are some things in there that probably are you.”

This also fits along with the commonality of students to go into college either undecided or questioning what they want to do.

“I think it’s important to expose yourself to different fields of study, and just make sure you know where your strengths are and where your interests are,” Shinaberry said.

W W W . A R L ING T O NIA N. COM | 1 1

REVIEW

A New Classic

Columnists review Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi classic and and its new star-studded adaptation for the big screen.

Dune: the Book

BY KATY TROMBOLD, ’24.

T

downs and pulls you through the story, leaving bread crumbs of information to be discovered later. The world building is confusing but at the same time, wonderfully done, which is why I think this book has a huge fan base.

You can get lost in the craziness of the characters’ lives and that is always an important part of any book.

My main problem with the book is, frankly, it’s too long. There are many times while reading this book that I wondered about the relevance of some of the plot lines. There is just a lot of information that I don’t think the author needed to add. The character development is all over the place and perspectives change so much. There are also large time gaps in the book where little information is given about what happens, so a few parts are hard to follow.

To be honest, though, I’m not sure the book is worth the read. If you really enjoyed the movies and wanted to understand more about the world of Dune, you should read the book.

Just remember it is long and goes into a lot of detail that isn’t always relevant. If you were just interested in reading the book because Timothée Chalamet is in the movie, you will be bored and disappointed.

I’m not sure after finishing the book if I would read it again. It’s part of a 6 book

12 | SPRIN G SUPPL EMEN T | MA Y 2 6, 2 0 2 2

series and I might read the other ones before the new movies come out, but I also might not. If this book is on your reading list, it should probably stay there. In my opinion, the movie is just as good and it will save you hours of your life. So if you have the time and like to read, you might enjoy this long book.

For everyone else, go watch Timothee and Zendaya in the movie.

COURTESY ACE BOOKS

he book Dune by Frank Herbert was originally published in 1965, and has had a surge of popularity in the last couple years. The new Dune movie is packed with a star-studded cast and has drawn a lot of attention to the old science fiction novel. The 722page book was originally published in two installments in Analog Magazine.

Though the book is popular, it has a reputation of being dense and difficult to follow. So I took 12 hours out of my life on a Saturday and dove into the world of Dune to let you know if the book is worth the commitment of a read.

Let’s start from the beginning: Dune is a multi-perspective novel mainly focusing on the Atreides family. The Atreides family includes Lady Jessica, the mother; Leto Atreides I, the father; and Paul Atreides, their son, who I would say is the most well known. Dune follows this family’s journey to a new planet, Arrakis, in which they have been given the responsibility to rule and create order among the people. Arrakis is a wasteland of deserts that is so hot that moisture is pulled out of the human body, so in order to survive people must wear moisture suits. The planet sounds horrible, but there is one thing that makes its value immeasurable—it’s the only source of melange, or “spice.”

Spice is a drug that extends human life and enhances mental abilities, which is why it’s so important to the rest of the galaxy. Pauls Atreides is the main focus of the book but Lady Jessica is a close second. If you read the book you will mainly follow their journey navigating the new circumstances of their lives on the foreign planet Arrakis.

The book contains many ups and

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @UAARLINGTONIAN

Dune: the Movie

BY ALI ABUBAKR, ’24.

“I

t has been made from the beginning as a love letter for the big screen,” said Dune director Denis Villeneuve in an interview with Vulture. Villenueve and now Oscarwinning cinematographer Greig Fraser did a simply outstanding job creating shots that captured the essence of Dune.

The last movie that Villenueve made, Blade Runner 2049, was deemed a financial disaster at the box office. Warner Bros., the studio in charge of both movies, made sure to get all the pretty celebrities in their new movie to not make that mistake again. Young actors like Timotheé Chalamet and Zendaya would attract young viewers, and accomplished

COURTESY WARNER BROS. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @UAARLINGTONIAN

actors like Stellan Skarsgård and Rebecca Ferguson would attract even more. It worked, because along with 10 Academy Award nominations, Dune brought in nearly $400 million in the worldwide box office.

Jason Momoa’s character, Duncan Idaho, says early in the film, “Dreams make good stories, but everything important happens when we’re awake.”

And it was very easy staying awake while watching the movie because it was loud.

Loud as in shaking your chair and buzzing your bones. It seemed that no matter how low I turned the volume, it never got quiet.

But that was the best part of the movie.

Hans Zimmer, who composed the score for Dune, did an amazing job turning the atmosphere of the movie into sounds and music, and it’s no wonder he won an Oscar for Best Original Score for Dune.

Like the novel, the movie is set many years in the future and focuses on Paul Atreides (Timotheé Chalamet), the only child of a noble family.

The son of Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Paul and his family must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe by order of a higher power.

From a book with extensive lore, Villenueve does an excellent job translating the world of Dune on-screen. Fictional languages, religions and other sociocultural elements are incorporated uniquely on-screen. Rather than being heavy on dialogue explanations, Villeneuve takes advantage of “Show, Don’t Tell,” and explains what a viewer needs to know through images. He only uses dialogue to explain essential information for the viewer, not every detail. For this reason, however, some viewers may find the movie hard to follow, but it made the cinematics that much more amazing. There’s no need to thoroughly explain the Bene Gesserit or the Sardaukar because the fact that the viewer doesn’t know what powers are in play adds to the mysterious elements of the movie.

Many people don’t know that this isn’t the first Dune movie to be made. In 1984, Universal Studios released the movie with same title, directed by David Lynch and starring Kyle MacLachlan and Patrick Stewart. Despite these big names, the movie was a flop bringing in barely $30 million dollars with a budget of much more than that. Considering the time that the movie came out, it makes sense that people of the early ’80s didn’t want to see Dune. The recent success of sci-fi movies like Star Wars, The Terminator and Blade Runner made the audience of the early ’80s expect only the best of the best when it came to science fiction.

Villenueve told TotalFilm in early 2021 that from the start, he only signed on to direct Dune for Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. because they agreed to let him split Frank Herbert’s novel into two parts. The director initially wanted to shoot both films back to back, but studio fears over financial risks resulted in that idea being rejected. Now, however, after the global success of Dune, Dune: Part Two is official. This is great news because certain plots of the story seem to be puzzles left to be solved by the sequel films.

Dune is now available to watch on HBO Max. W W W . A R L ING T O NIA N. COM | 1 3

Starbucks Henderson

REVIEW

Show Me the Coffee!

The Henderson Road Starbucks location is lacking in many areas. The drinks were poorly made: one was underfilled, and the coffee and caramel tasted burnt.

The only redeeming quality was their timeliness.

Out of the five cafes in Upper Arlington, which one’s the best?

Here’s what two columnists think.

BY CAMRYN JOHNSON, ’24 AND RYAN CHO, ’25.

GRAPHICS BY CAMRYN JOHNSON, ’24.

Starbucks Tremont

The Starbucks on Tremont Road is a popular location for coffee, and it shows in their drinks. They provided wonderful drinks very quickly, with very few discrepancies. Its service is wonderful, and it can easily hold its own.

Colin’s Coffee Colin’s Coffee is a locallyowned small business located in the Golden Bear Center.

Although the drinks were on the sweeter side, they tasted nice and were well balanced between flavors. The espresso had a slightly bitter undertone, but otherwise was great.

14 | SPRIN G SUPPL EMEN T | MA Y 2 6, 2 0 2 2

Starbucks Lane

UAHS Crimson Cup Crimson Cup is a locallybased coffee chain that roasts in small batches, and the attention to detail reflects in their drinks. The coffee is smooth and lacks the bitter taste that comes with some mass-produced beans.

The Starbucks on Lane Road is a good midpoint; while it’s not the best in the area, it’s definitely not the worst. They had decent drink accuracy, balance and a solid turnaround time.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @UAARLINGTONIAN

OPINION

TikTok. Time to Delete I deleted TikTok. Here’s why you should, too.

BY KATIE MESSNER, ’24. GRAPHICS BY CAMRYN JOHNSON, ’24.

T

ikTok is like a toxic friend: it wants all of your time; it wants all of your attention; it wants all of your energy. It does not care about you, and it is negatively affecting your health.

Formally known as Musical.ly, TikTok has only been around for five years. The app has over 1 billion users, and this number continues to rise.

I downloaded TikTok in early middle school. At first, it was just for fun. Most videos are less than a minute long, but minutes can add up quickly and turn into hours. I knew I was spending too much time on the app, but I justified my actions as stress relieving. It was a coping mechanism—a break from the real world— and I found myself procrastinating. I would delete the app one day and then download it the next. It was an endless cycle.

Social media platforms, especially TikTok, are tailored to be highly addictive so that they make more profit. The apps are easily accessible products that target young people; however, the psychological impacts aren’t mentioned in the advertisements.

Although it can feel like a community at the surface, if you dig deep, TikTok is a very combative, pessimistic and artificial place. There are many disturbing videos that frequent the platform as well.

TikTok’s addictive nature leads to a lack

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @UAARLINGTONIAN

of awareness of how and how long you’re using it. It is easy to scroll through the app’s minute-long videos not considering the hours that are passing. So how can you break a bad habit without even being self-aware? Why should you? There is also social pressure among teenagers to stay up-to-date on the latest trends or memes circulating the app.

Past generations didn’t have to deal with the pressures of phones nor did they reap the benefits. We have endless amounts of information and knowledge always at our fingertips. We make connections with those miles away, most of whom we will never meet in person. We communicate through likes and comments, through blue and green bubbles, and now that most of our assignments are online, we seem to be constantly staring at screens.

Ultimately, with the rise of technology in our everyday lives, our generation is trekking through undiscovered territory. We are the chosen ones, and as much as we can brag about it, no one can know the longterm effects. However, rates of depression and anxiety are rising, and social media has been proven to cause this.

After realizing my own addiction to TikTok, I became aware of the excessive use of many of my peers. I realized that there is something very wrong with such a large company targeting teenagers and the negative effects of using social media at an early age. TikTok isn’t the only social media platform of course, but they all want one thing: your time. At first, it may feel like a guilty pleasure or a tool to connect with others, but many of these platforms are for mindless consumption and are easy to give in to. And that’s not to mention, the ways people can stumble upon darker, disturbing matters that frequent the corners of the internet.

We can’t buy cigarettes until we’re 18. We can’t drink until we’re 21. Why? Teenagers’ brains are still developing. And yet, we have access to endless information

and stimuli whenever we want.

TikTok should be restricted to those younger than 18 and treated as an addictive influence, if not banned entirely.

It is hurting millions of teenagers and even those younger. It leads to increased anxiety and addiction. Restricting TikTok would force us to adapt to healthier coping mechanisms, rather than mindless scrolling.

Time is something that we can never get back. Think about how much time you spend on social media. Is it worth it? Is it worth the stress?

I know it’s an unpopular opinion. I, myself, used to argue that Tiktok helped us, not hurt us. However, mental health is just as important as physical health, and TikTok can quickly become detrimental to both.

I know many people who use TikTok as a coping mechanism without realizing the app only makes things worse.

Even if you aren’t one of these people, I urge you to reflect. Why do you open the app? Is it because of social pressure? Is it for stress relief ? Does it help? The clock is ticking. If we make changes now, we can help future generations born into a world of screens.

W W W . A R LING T O NIA N. COM | 1 5

EDITORIAL

IT’S A SMALL WORLD How perspective changes individuals’ mindsets.

BY EDITORIAL BOARD. GRAPHIC BY CAROLINE KEGG, ’24.

W

e all think differently. We all speak differently. We all look differently. Science has shown that we may even see, hear and smell differently. In other words, every individual senses and perceives the world differently based upon their own unique experiences and perspectives. But beyond physical characteristics such as a person’s appearance, sense of smell, eyesight and hearing, how do people develop their unique viewpoints? The answer is other things that make people unique such as their ethnicity, sexuality, fashion sense and gender; these all play key roles in affecting the way a person may view the world.

When these unique individuals come together and form groups of other unique individuals, diversity is formed, creating groups of individuals who do not share the same physical, psychological or socioeconomic characteristics. The group is now composed of people that do not necessarily share the same ideas and views about the world by virtue of the fact that they are unique individuals with different backgrounds and physical make-ups. Is that diversity?

Oxford Languages defines diversity as “the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.” Diversity is achieved through the individuality 16 | SPRIN G SUPPL EMEN T | MA Y 2 6, 2 0 2 2

of people, who, when combined together in a group, create diverse atmospheres. Those diverse atmospheres enhance learning by allowing many different viewpoints to be expressed as mechanisms for viewing the world and solving its problems, creating well rounded students with broader perspectives.

Every person in the world has their own individuality. Their views and physical characteristics are unique to them. When joining a group of other individuals, their personalities are added to the group which in turn creates diversity and broadens the group’s perspective of the world. As an individual learns about the different perspectives of others in their group, their viewpoint may change thereby changing their outlook. Expanding out to different groups creates well rounded individuals who appreciate and respect differing views.

We have all heard the quote by Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself because everyone else is taken.” Put that into action. Who you are is unique, so own it. Don’t conform because you feel like you have to fit in. Be yourself, and express yourself to others so that they may learn to appreciate and respect your viewpoints, which may differ from their own. But remember to also listen to other perspectives so that you too may benefit from diversity by broadening your perspective of the world.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @UAARLINGTONIAN