The Bolles Bugle Editorial Cartoon Issue

The Editorial Cartoon Issue Iss.

The Bolles Bugle™

010

13 Sheets 36 Pages 9in x 12in (22.86cm x 30.48cm) College Ruled

Table of Contents 06

The Moo-Variant Aisha Hasan 07

13

GMO Babies Are In Isabel Schimpff The World’s Last Straw Alex Boutwell

08

It’s Been 20 Years???

Sara Wasserman

Whack-a-Variant Amber Bansal

All Too Long by Taylor Swift Simran Naval 14

15

10

16

17

That Question?

Jaden Taher

12 Spiderman: No Way, That’s Not

How College Works Elliana Emery

02

∞ Tabs Su Ertekin-Taner The Wonderful Wizard of AmOZon Atticus Dickson

11 How Could I Have Missed

Sell Your Time to TikTok Elliana Emery

Modern Myers-Briggs Ian Peiris The Elephant, the Mouse, and the Shield Cameron Gratz

Missile Mom Kate Youell High School Holidays Isabel Schimpff

The Other Side (of the Screen) Jaden Taher Plagiarism, the Mark of Death Amber Bansal

09 The Case of the Victorian Boy Amber Bansal

The Valley of Unanswered Texts Grace Albaugh

Djokovic: Australian Closed The Bugle Staff Starbucks for Bernie The Bugle Staff

The Squid Game Uniform Sarah Scherkenbach Red Light, Green Light at Amazon Headquarters Aisha Hasan

The Eternals Ephemerals Raphael Sogueco

18

The Most Expensive Place on Earth Kelly Kim

19

Theranos is a Lesson for Silicon Valley Cameron Gratz

20

21

Something’s Rotten in the State of Cinema Jaden Taher Cinema Can’t Get College Admissions Right Ian Peiris

33

Dr. Oz, Jack of All Trades Simran Naval True GOP’s Kiss The Bugle Staff

34

(Political) Party Playlists Ava Cheng, Kate Youell

22

The Value of Native American Folklore Caylee Padgett

23

Dark Humor Isn’t What You Think Atticus Dickson

24

Picking the “Pick Me Girl” Su Ertekin-Taner

26

Nine to Five: Bias in the Workplace Megan Howard

36

Revising Our Way Out of Gun Violence Isabel Bassin

27

Bugle Breakdown: Cartoon Edition Camden Pao, Tyler Schimpff, Raphael Sogueco, Tommy Zhang

37

Don’t Scapegoat the Second Amendment Daniel Waheed

30

Taiwan, You’ll Be Back The Bugle Staff

38

China’s Three-Child Policy Erases History Sarah Scherkenbach

It’s Raining Hypocrisy Grace Albaugh 35

Put Some Duct Tape on It, Vladimir Alex Boutwell Jeff Bezos: no <3 Alex Boutwell

The Covid Café Isabel Schimpff 31

Political Parties Sci-Fi Swap Ava Cheng, Kate Youell Property Brothers: Nightmare Nation The Bugle Staff

32 Chris Cuomo: The Princess Switch

The Bugle Staff

Matt Gaetz: The Princess Switch The Bugle Staff 03

The Bolles Bugle Staff

Editor’s L etter

Co-Editors-In-Chief: Su Ertekin-Taner Sarah Scherkenbach Online Editor-In-Chief: Ian Peiris Graphic Design Editor: Ava Sickler Social Media Editor: Megan Howard Public Relations Editor: Amber Bansal Multimedia Editor: Tyler Schimpff Copy Editor: Cameron Gratz Associate Copy Editor: Daniel Waheed Writing Coach: Kelly Kim Contributing Writers: Grace Albaugh Isabel Bassin Alex Boutwell Ava Cheng Atticus Dickson Elliana Emery Aisha Hasan Simran Naval Caylee Padgett Camden Pao Isabel Schimpff Raphael Sogueco Jaden Taher Sara Wasserman Kate Youell Tommy Zhang Advisor: Ms. Jacobson Editorial Policy: The Bolles Bugle is the news magazine created by the journalism class at The Bolles School. Our publication focuses on increasing community awareness of in-school events and topics relating to the five news values: relevance, proximity, timeliness/novelty, conflict/controversy, and human interest.

Content in the Bugle is the responsibility of the editorial staff and not meant to reflect the views of the school’s administration or the student adviser. Please reach out to our faculty advisor, Ms. Jacobson, with any questions or comments. She can be reached at jacobsona@bolles.org or at bollesbugleonline@gmail.com.

Copyright 2009-2022, The Bolles Bugle

Contrary to public perception, the often-overlooked editor’s letter of news and literary magazines takes a long time to write. The content is important as the introduction to all the hard work staff puts in but also needs to feel effortless.

Ideating about what to put into an editor’s letter takes us a long time. The cartoon above hyperbolizes the time it takes to write an editor’s letter, but for us Co-Editors-in-Chief, it truly feels like the writing process takes 70 years.

Su Ertekin-Taner Co-Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Scherkenbach Co-Editor-in-Chief

l a c i t i l o Non-P

Amber Bansal Public Relations Editor These days, we hear of a new COVID variant almost weekly.

So far, we have seen the variants Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Omicron, Lambda, and Mu and surely, more variants are on the way. Pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Moderna are in a race against the COVID variants to create vaccines that will protect us.

In this cartoon, the viruses are popping up like moles in whacka-mole. The mallet is trying to quash all of the variants as fast as possible. Currently, it is attacking the Omicron variant due to the large breakouts around the world.

Aisha Hasan Contributing Writer

The cartoon "the Moo variant" is a play on words with the actual COVID variant, the Mu variant first reported in September of this year. The first cow mentions to the other cow “mad cow disease” because mad cow disease was a disease that affected both humans and cows in the early 2000s. The cows flying in the air represent the cows affected by the “Moo Variant”. The cartoon demonstrates the odd COVID variant names with a light hearted perspective.

06

The cartoon “the Moo variant” is a play on words with the actual COVID variant, the Mu variant first reported “She’s perfectininSeptember of this year. The first cow mentions the other everytoway! ” cow “mad cow disease” because mad cow disease was a disease that affected both humans and cows in the early 2000’s. The cows flying in the air represent the cows affected by the “Moo Variant”. The cartoon demonstrates the odd COVID variant names with a light hearted perspective.

Isabel Schimpff Contributing Writer

Genetically modified corn is out, and GMO babies are in!

The new phenomenon in fetus development is the ability to change small details about your unborn child. This new technology was first intended to clear dangerous diseases for the unborn children. Now, it is used as a “customization feature” for expecting parents.

Does this end the excitement parents feel about being handed their baby for the first time and seeing that they have passed down their mesmerizing eyes to their children? Possibly a quest for perfect traits subtracts personality and individuality from future kids..

Alex Boutwell Contributing Writer

We all hope that we’re contributing to the environment around us as good stewards of the planet. But people have a tendency to get caught up in short-term green fads that may not make much difference for true conservation. Go ahead and buy a metal straw-environemtal studies show that if you use it correctly, you'll make less waste--but it doesn't make you the next Greta Thunberg. What else can we do for our planet?

07

Sarah Sherckenbach Co-Editor-in -Chief One of the largest complaints of high school students is the dress code, and this cartoon criticizes student objections by comparing the Bolles dress code to uniforms in the show Squid Game.

Uniforms intentionally create a standard of dress that lacks any form of expression, while dress codes, especially Bolles'’, still give students the freedom to choose clothes that they find more comfortable, stylish, and suitable. So, dress codes aren't all that bad, and people should stop complaining when we might find this dystopian alternative way more restrictive.

Aisha Hasan Contributing Writer The show Squid Games gained popularity at the end of 2021 because of its intense plot.

The plot illustrates the main characters, who are in debt, completing fatal games to win a cash prize. The first game in the show is called "red light, green light." The players are forced to move when “green light” is called because of the timer. The players have to be careful not to move when “red light” is called or they face death. The cartoon highlights the ridiculous work conditions of the monopoly, Amazon. Many employees reported being fired for not working fast enough.

08

Amber Bansal Public Relations Editor

Throughout history, women have been viewed as weak, subservient individuals.

Powerful men controlled women to show their prowess.

Now, the roles are reversed.

Today, we see powerful women controlling men. Take Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker, or Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly. Here, Pete Davidson, becomes, due to his relationship with Kardashian, a fetishized trophy object, a traditional or waif-like Victorian boy, depending on a woman for patronage.

Grace Albaugh Contributing Writer Hey :) Teenagers all across the globe have experienced sending a text and never getting a response. Maybe you tell yourself they simply didn't see it or there was some kind of technical glitch resulting in your text never being sent.

There's an infinite amount of imaginary scenarios that explain why that person failed to respond, and this cartoon provides one more. The Valley of Unanswered Texts is a desert wasteland where those ignored messages reside, forever waiting to be read.

09

Kate Youell Contributing Writer

Helicopter, Snowplow, and many other types of moms have been called out on different platforms.While moms do offer support, these are the moms whogo too far in observing their kids or smoothing obstacles away. Mothers that will do anything for their kids, including eliminating their competition., create a scary mom culture and kids that have a hard time growing up. The cartoon shows a more intense version of the snowplow mom. It's my honor to introduce Missile Mom!

Isabel Schimpff Contributing Writer

Hand turkeys made from construction paper and waiting for reindeer are now things of the past.

Teachers used to fill the classes before the holidays with fun activities. Now, their lesson plans consist of last-minute assessments to fit in the semester and exam preparation. This creates so much of an impact on students that exam stress has been identified as a real form of anxiety that is common this time of year.

10

Jaden Taher Contributing Writer

This cartoon is a depiction of how the stress from a major assignment or assessment, especially ones that can make or break a student's grade, can influence the performance of students. Although a student may study for hours on end and have an understanding of the material, he or she may miss familiar questions due to glancing over the question, second-guessing themselves, or overthinking the question.

When receiving their graded assignments, students often think to themselves, 'How could I have missed that question?!'”

Elliana Emery Contributing Writer

It seems that these days every teenager is glued to their phone. The reason?

TikTok. Each day they grow more addicted to TikTok, and are constantly wasting and losing precious time staring at their small phone screens.

Each one is addicted to a different niche. They end up scrolling so much they find some crazy and unforeseen niches such as baking tok, Bieber tok, Harry Styles tok, and others.

11

Elliana Emery Contributing Writer

In the movie Spiderman: No Way Home, Peter Parker, Ned, and MJ all apply to MIT yet are surprised when none of them get accepted.

As if MIT wasn't already a challenging school to get into it's not like they list world-saving on their resumes. And Flash has already gotten in. Get real, Spiderman, MIT would never take four students from the same school. Also, who even gets their replies in letters from colleges anymore? We just hit refresh and wait for the email.

Plot twist?

Peter, Ned, and MJ don’t get into MIT.

Sara Wasserman Contributing Writer

Aired on January 1st, the cast of Harry Potter reunited for Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts. When the first movie was released, the actors were young children, relating to their prime audience of equally young children. Now the cast are adults, and so are their original audience. Seeing their favorite childhood actors grown up and moved on has caused the biggest fans a mortality crisis as they reminisce and realize they're growing up along with the cast.

12

They’re so Wow, they got old! old!

We’re so So did old! we!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s 2001 Harry Stone, Potter and

the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary:

Harry Potter and the 2022 Return to Hogwarts, 20-Year Cast Reunion

Raphael Sogueco Contributing Writer

Eternals”is a Marvel film by Chloe Zhao, the mind behind the critically acclaimed ”Nomadland.

Unfortunately, Eternals was quite a different story.

Eternals was not only one of the most underhyped and forgettable movies of the year, but it also was Marvel's worst rated and

lowest performing movie of all time.

To display this humorously, I made all the characters into silhouettes, a reflection of their forgettability.

I also replaced the title Eternals”with Ephemerals”, displaying the movie's insignificance within popular culture.

Simran Naval Contributing Writer

The donkey represents the Democrats and is sitting in a patriotic hat with the animal symbol of the Republicans, which is the elephant.

While both parties are notorious for disagreeing on many different issues, this cartoon is drawn in an effort to symbolize how the two parties could find common ground. Here, they are able to unite over the fact that Taylor Swift's new song 'All Too Well' is excessively long.

Too long?

Consensus!

Too long!

Instead of fighting over this topic, the animals are seen having a friendly conversation that results in them agreeing about the fact that Taylor Swift should simply make a shorter song that is maybe not about her ex-boyfriend.

13

The Bugle Staff Contributing Writers

Due to Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic’s insistence to remain unvaccinated, the Australian government has ordered his deportation from the country before the Australian Open. Djokovic and the Serbian government were enraged at Djokovic’s potential loss of an opportunity to vie for the Grand Slam trophy for the 21st time. In our photoshop illustration, we display Djokovic playing tennis while potentially spreading coronavirus due to his unvaccinated status.

The Bugle Staff Contributing Writers

According to a January 14, 2022 New York Times article, a Starbucks employee was so inspired by Bernie Sanders’ platform regarding union workers that she decided to act towards unionizing her store. As Starbucks tends to be a more liberal corporation in terms of its employees and customers, it would not be surprising if we see more unionization attempts in the future, which is reflected in this cartoon by the new Starbucks cup design.

14

Jaden Taher Contributing Writer

This cartoon demonstrates that during class time, students work on assignments pertaining to other subjects, whether it be to lighten their busy schedule or to finish lastminute assignments. It also touches on the subject that teachers may not really know what is going out on the other side of their students’ screen or in their students’ minds..

Amber Bansal PR Editor

Students get the plagiarism talk every year. They are adamantly warned about the consequences, such as going to Honor Court and failing the assignment.

Many students are afraid of accidental plagiarism and constantly question if they are plagiarizing while completing an assignment. In this cartoon, the student is writing an essay with the Grim Reaper looming behind his computer. The Grim Reaper is labeled plagiarism to symbolize every student's fear of plagiarism.

15

Ian Peiris Online Editor-in-Chief

As a personality psychology enthusiast, I often enjoy learning about the MyersBriggs personality types, which are famously known for their categorization of four-letter “personalities” (i.e. ENTJ or ISFP). However, to someone not aware of the complexities of the personality indicator, the combination of these four letters seems arbitrary: almost like the acronyms we encounter in everyday life.

In my cartoon, I strived to depict four“of my chosen "unrecognized"” personality types based on common acronyms from daily life.

Cameron Gratz Copy Editor

This cartoon depicts Russia as a large, imposing elephant about to step on a small mouse, representing Ukraine. This reflects how Russia is currently massing troops on Ukraine's border.

However, at the time this issue was sent to the printer, they have not yet invaded due to NATO's forewarning, represented by a shield in the cartoon. But the sheild is very small and the elephant is very big.

Things do look ominous for the Ukraine.

16

Su Ertekin-Taner Co-Editor-in-Chief

Throughout the average high schooler's day, the number of tabs they must open builds up. For math class, they open a graphing calculator application. For English class, they open tabs for sources for their upcoming paper. And so on. As the days go on, the opened tabs stay open to the point where high school students look at all the tabs that have built up and barely recognize the site they opened three weeks ago. And yet, the websites are too precious to close, so the chaotic nature of high school life is mirrored in the sheer number of tabs on a high schooler's computer.

Atticus Dickson Contributing Writer

If you were born 8000 years ago, and you worked since birth making one dollar a minute for every minute of your 8000 years of existence, that's $1440 a day, that’s $525,600 a year, for a grand total of $4.2 billion give or take, you would still have less money than our dear Elon Musk.

By thinking through this fairly simple math problem one can clearly see that it is impossible for him to be self-made, rather at the top of a pyramid built on manual workers' and actual innovators' physical and mental labor that he bought from an already privileged position.

Tesla is often held up as a model of a green company, while the corporation's human costs, environmental costs, and the blatantly greedy ulterior motives of its owner are fully ignored.

17

The Most Expensive Place on Earth Today, a one-day, one-park

favors those who have visited

Disney World ticket starts at

before. From Genie Plus, which

$109 per person. If this price

is Disney’s new fastpass-type

With their colorful billboards

was not already high enough,

service that costs $15 per

on Florida highways and

Disney actually varies the prices

person, to Lightning Lane,

sparkle-filled commercials,

of admission depending on

which allows individuals to

Disney World widely

the time of year. Ticket prices

skip the line for Disney’s

advertises itself as “the most

typically increase during the

most popular rides that are

magical place on earth…

more popular travel times

excluded from Genie Plus for

where dreams come true.”

of the year. For example, a

a certain fee, families are now

But underneath the pixie

one day, one park ticket on

confronted with confusing

dust lies the harsh reality

Christmas Day in 2021 costs

processes and countless

of expensive tickets and

$159, while a park hopper costs

purchases that take away the

a system that prevents

$224 on the same day.

fun before the magical day

Kelly Kim Writing Coach

this magic from being

even begins.

experienced by the majority

Even when one is inside the

of people.

park, the economic hierarchy

Intentional or not, Disney has

is very much present. For

created a system in which

In fact, the barrier that

example, families or groups

only those at the top of the

Disney’s high ticket prices

might only be able to wait in

economic ladder benefit. What

create, which many middle

the standby line, while another

Disney must consider is if their

class families cannot

family may be accompanied

mission of providing a magical

overcome, is precisely

with a Disney tour guide who

experience for all actually holds

what Walt Disney, Disney’s

“magically” takes the group

true. Instead of expanding

founder, did not want. In

around the park and personally

more options to “enhance”

response to the grand

customizes a group’s day at

the Disney experience through

opening of Disneyland

Disney World. But magic always

offering additional items for

in California, Walt Disney

comes at a price. Each hour

purchase, Disney should focus

stated that he wanted

of a VIP tour can range from

on decreasing costs and their

Disney parks to “be a source

$425-850, and each party must

list of “perks” which are only

of joy and inspiration to

book at least seven hours. And

financially reasonable for

all the world.” With the

the cost does not even include

the wealthy so more families

grand opening of Disney

admission to the park.

can experience the magic for

World in Orlando, Florida

themselves without added

in 1971, guests were able

In addition, the many added

stress on their wallets and

to purchase a ticket for a

perks that Disney now offers

minds.

mere $3.50 to enter Magic

makes a magical Disney

Kingdom park, which is

vacation suddenly complicated.

about $22 today. Since

Those who may be visiting

Disney World opened its

the parks for the first time are

gates, ticket prices have

already at a disadvantage,

increased by 3000%.

for the complicated system

18

Theranos is a Lesson for Silicon Valley Cameron Gratz Copy Editor The culture of Silicon Valley is peculiar. And not in a quirky, tech-bro kind of way.

More in a criminal, willfully ignorant, Ponzi-schemesmasquerading-as-innovations kind of way, and no case exemplifies this so clearly as that of the once-renowned Elizabeth Holmes.

Holmes, 37, was convicted on January 3 of three counts of wire fraud as well as one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud by lying to investors about the capabilities of her company, the now-defunct biotech firm Theranos.

The jury remains hung on three additional charges of deceiving investors.

Managing Theranos since she founded it in 2003 at the age of 19 until its cataclysmic collapse in 2018, Holmes swindled corporations like Walgreens and the federal government’s Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) as well as some of the greatest names in private investing: heirs of Walmart, Amway, and Cox Communications. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.

Conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Former secretary of defense Jim Mattis even served as a member of the board of directors.

Theranos’ ill-gotten gains totalled $945 million all told.

Poor, poor venture capitalists.

It’s not like the signs weren’t there. Pfizer director Shane Weber concluded in 2008 that Theranos’ answers to technical questions were “oblique, deflective or evasive,” and recommended his own company stop working with them immediately. Former

Schering Plough director Constance Cullen characterized Holmes’ responses in 2009 as “cagey” and indirect, and stopped replying to her emails.

It’s not difficult to pull off a magic trick when no one is looking.

And if investors were looking at Theranos at all, it certainly wasn’t very hard. Lisa Peterson, who handles investments for the prominent DeVos family, never once visited a Theranos testing center, nor did she consult any outside expert in science, business regulations, or law before investing $100 million in 2014. Hall Group’s Bryan Tolbert invested $5 million in 2013, despite admitting that he did not understand how the technology supposedly worked. In 2014, lawyer Dan Mosley requested audited financial statements from Theranos. Holmes refused to produce any, and Mosley invested $6 million anyway.

What happens when a Stanford dropout claims, with no scientific evidence, to have developed a revolutionary and highly profitable new blood testing technology to an audience with MBAs, not MDs? The VCs think they have a golden goose. A Facebook. An Apple. An Amazon.

But they don’t; they have a Theranos.

Elizabeth Holmes’ imitation of the tech world’s heroes is so obvious as to be cringeworthy. Steve Jobs, the late Apple co-founder, was known for wearing black turtlenecks, a choice repeated by Holmes, who told Glamour in 2015 that she owned “about 150” of the sweaters.

questions, the VCs poured millions into Theranos. Why? Because they’ve seen this movie before. They’ve seen Mark Zuckerburg, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs. They know that a large investment on the ground floor of something so groundbreaking would make them unfathomably wealthy. But this is not a simple retelling; it is a truly unexpected twist on the original, and they were thrown for a very expensive loop. A golden goose chase, if you will.

Given that the culture of Silicon Valley hero-worship is unlikely to fade as long as new billionaires keep being minted, there is only one solution to prevent such fraud.

Venture capitalists need to see the world for what it is, not what smooth-talking executives posing as visionaries tell them it is. Theranos would be such an easy fraud to spot if they had seen any more than what they wanted to see.

Silicon Valley is a place of opportunity, but it is a fleeting opportunity. If you don’t jump on in time, you might miss the train to fortune. But if you don’t check the destination before boarding, you may find yourself short $945 million, spent on a ticket to nowhere.

And sorry, no refunds.

By pretending to be a brilliant college dropout ready to change the world (for immense profit), Holmes triggered the VCs primal Fear Of Missing Out. Despite not understanding the technology, not having clear financial statements, not even hearing coherent answers to technical

19

Something's Rotten in the State of Cinema Take Dave Chappelle’s, “Sticks and

lean left. In short, critic bias is

Stones;” the comedy earned a

higher against controversial films,

99% audience score out of 33,000

such as Chapelle’s special, and

Remember that show you loved

members, while achieving a mere

they support progressive films.

that ended after one season?

27% Tomatometer score out of 15

What killed it?

critics.

Jaden Taher Contributing Writer

By sticking to these recommendations 24/7, our media

Rotten Tomatoes.

At its core, Rotten Tomatoes makes it easy to consume a diet of popular media, but

diet will lack a crucial component -

What if the whole process is rotten?

content diversity. Although Rotten Tomatoes allows us to use our screen time more efficiently, they encase us inside of a comfortable

what if we’re missing out on

house that we end up never

spontaneous media that we

leaving.

might have encountered if we Similarly, 2015’s historical drama

How can we stop ourselves from

“Stonewall” earned a 10% rating

becoming prisoners in the House

Established in 1998, an

from critics, compared to an 85%

of Tomato?

industry leader in film and

from audience members.

followed our noses?

television show reviews, Rotten

Delve into the non-fiction realm

Tomatoes prides itself on

Likewise, “Star Wars and the Last

with documenteries, explore

being “the world’s most trusted

Jedi,” which premiered in 2017,

local film festivals, experience

recommendation resource

aquired a certififed fresh rating

international film, or check out a

for quality entertainment.”

of 91% by critics, in contrast to a

classic.

Rotten Tomatoes reviews

tipped bucket rating of 42% by

movies and TV shows based

audience members.

on the Tomatometer scale,

We can develop more nutritious viewing habits by filling our plate

which builds on the opinions

In another instance, the 2017

with genres we’ve never tried

of hundreds of television and

mystery/drama “Maze” received

before.

film critics. To be considered a

a fresh critic rating of 92%, in

Tomatometer-approved critic,

contrast to a tipped bucket rating

In essence, use the Tomatometer

one must have demonstrated

of 48% by audience members. The

in seed your media garden, but

key values in the fields of

drama was regarded by Screen

don’t let it control what gets

insight, audience, quality, and

International critics as educative

planted in your mind.

dedication. The Tomatometer

and entertaining while audience

tells the viewer the percentage

members were left questioning

of Tomatometer-approved

their choice.

critics who gave a positive review.

What happened? Are critics really that out of touch with viewers?

What if the whole process is

According to a Medium story, the

rotten?

answer lies within political bias.

20

Professional film critics tend to

To access the writer’s research, scan this QR code.

Cinema Can't Get College Admissions Right So, how did Teddy get into

to 28% of their applications

the Ivy League when her

each year, according to the

main hobby was filming low-

New York Times. And with less

As a child, I recall watching

quality home videos for her

applications comes the plight

the characters of my

infant sister to enjoy when she

of less funding from application

favorite TV shows and

grew up? How was Gabriella’s

fees and prospective tuition –

movies traverse their college

participation in the Scholastic

it’s an indirect harm caused by

application experiences.

Decathlon not seen as “trite” or

the entertainment industry.

Though unable to

“unoriginal,” given that many

understand the process, I

college websites encourage

I recognize that these

remember feeling unmoved

students to pursue niche

inaccurate college

when Teddy from Good Luck

hobbies and not engage in

representations in the media

Charlie was overjoyed as

hobbies in which most other

aren’t causing widespread

she opened her acceptance

students also participate?

poverty, starting wildfires, or

Ian Peiris Online Editor-in-Chief

letter to Yale. I remember

even thwarting world peace.

feeling indifferent when

It’s frustrating how the

But high school students

Gabriella received early

media’s depiction of a college

deserve to see their hard

admission to the Stanford

application — essentially

work to even apply to college

Honors Program in High

the culmination of a high

depicted accurately in their

School Musical. I remember

school student’s proudest

favorite movies. And though we

looking at the college

achievements and hard work

don’t commonly watch movies

admissions process at the

— can’t seem to accurately

to view and enjoy a perfect

time and thinking nothing of it.

display how difficult the college

reality, it would still be nice for

process truly is. It’s as if the

the media to honor high school

Now, as a senior, I am going

same movies we love and

students’ college endeavors

through this exact same

respect are simultaneously

with accuracy.

college process. Looking

culprits of inaccuracy, failing

back on these productions, I

to meet our expectations by

After all, we teenagers

realize — wow, these storylines

twisting truth in their portrayals

spend countless hours on

don’t seem real at all.

of the college process.

our applications every year, making sure to dot our i’s and

In today’s turbulent

Modern cinema’s favoring

cross our t’s – at the very least,

admissions process, it

of prestigious universities

we deserve thirty seconds of

takes more than a perfect

may also make other college

screen time that commemorate

GPA and test scores to

acceptances to lesser-known

these experiences with truth.

get into top universities;

schools seem less honorable,

colleges instead look at

prompting both kids and adults

letters of recommendation,

to believe that only the top

extracurriculars, and

10 colleges in the nation are

essays to differentiate top

worth applying to. This rigidity

candidates from your run-

in belief hurts the state schools

of-the-mill straight-A student.

that are already losing up

Scan the adjacent QR code to read related articles on this topic!

21

The Value of Native American Folklore Good Tales, a Dublin-based

life. She turned her monster

promotion agency that

“into Empire of Wild, a genre-

uses traditional storytelling

bending novel whose modern

Everyone has at least once

techniques to elevate modern

Indigenous characters confront

heard the story “The Tortoise

communication strategies.

environmental degradation,

Caylee Padgett Contributing Writer

and the Hare,” but in Native

discrimination and the threat

American folklore, there’s a

This is what Native American

of cultural erasure, all while

similar story: “The Bear and

folklore has done for all that

battling a devious monster.”

the Turtle,” the story of a

read it… but not many people

bear that continually brags

do.

about how he is the “king”

This “devious monster” could also be a struggle in your life

of the forest, and no other

“Myths help to balance

just like in Dimaline’s life, or it

animal can beat him at a

individual psychologies and

could be a struggle of the world

race. But a turtle does, and

connect them to the greater

you are concerned about. While

by wits alone.

wholes of the Tribe, natural

reading these different stories

environment, and global

in literature, you can express

Kids are taught by Aesop’s

community. Myths ‘resound’

your feelings, relate to others,

fable that a tortoise could

the spiritual essence of religion

and find a way to solve a

get lucky and win a race

and ritual in life-related terms,”

problem.

if he just keeps going,

Gregory A. Cajete said in his

versus the reality that the

journal, titled Children, Myth

Trust me, try and read a tale,

underdog turtle needs both

and Storytelling: An Indigenous

and you may learn a thing or

perseverance and smarts to

Perspective.

two you didn’t know before.

succeed. Native American

You may come across a time in

folklore’s logical stance

When I read myths like “The

your life in which the reality of

is the reality of this world

Bear and the Turtle,” and I

Native American folklore helps

compared to the more

see a turtle in nature, I think

you.

fantastical tales of Aesop

of this creature as a symbol

that American children learn

of wit and intelligence. People

Scan below for

about when they are young.

underestimate the turtle. We

more info about

The lesson of the turtle

called my grandfather the

Native American

should be what kids carry

turtle, and we didn’t mean he

folklore and suggestions

into their adulthood.

was slow (though he was), we meant he was a canny survivor.

“Each time a story is told, it breathes life into the culture,

In a New York Times interview

cultivates their verbal

with Métis author Cherie

language. It gives meaning

Dimaline about her book

to the tribe’s history and also

based on a “werewolf-like

teaches life lessons about

monster called the rogarou,”

things like love, leadership

she said she used this creature

and honor,” explains All

to describe real threats in her

22

Dark Humor Isn't What You Think Casual misuse of dark humor

I do, I apologize, learn from

doesn’t offend me; I mostly

my mistake, and move on. It’s

find it tactless and irritating.

also important to know your

“It’s just dark humor,”

However, this irritation is a

audience, and how far you can

or “it’s not my fault not

position of privilege. Even

take the joke with them.

everyone gets it.” The same

though I am visibly Jewish, I

responses all who dare try

could, in theory, remove my

By no means is this op-ed

to correct self-proclaimed

yarmulke and some jewelry

calling for the end of dark

“dark comics” have heard

and I would look just like any

humor, rather a careful

a thousand times. However,

goy (non-Jew). For others

evaluation of how our words

when corrected, many of

who cannot just change out

affect others. If someone in

these “dark comedians”

of presenting as their identity,

a minority group you made

suddenly become the very

dark humor can have more

a joke about tells you that

“snowflakes” they claim to

tangible consequences.

your joke was cruel, accept it.

Atticus Dickson Contributing Writer

target with their attempted

Feel free to ask exactly why For example, comedian Dave

that joke was offensive so as

Chapelle released a comedy

to avoid it in the future, but

While dark humor inherently

special in 2019 called Sticks

you need to accept that it

involves serious subjects

and Stones, in which he made

was. Use dark humor to hit

such as racism, sexism,

many a joke at the expense of

people in power where it hurts

homophobia, and other

Daphne Dorman, a transgender

to effect positive change,

grave topics, it shouldn’t

comedian, who according to

not to kick the injured when

be used to target and hurt

Vox, comitted suicide shortly

they’re down. Most of all, make

the people who are already

after the release of the special.

sure to love and support the

jokes.

being targeted and hurt by

aforementioned injured more

bigots, who more often than

Whether or not the special

than you make light of their

not, attack from behind the

was a factor in her death, it

pain.

shield of “it’s just a joke.”

is difficult to argue with the timing. When confronted with

Scan below for more

Dark humor should satirize

the matter of Dorman’s suicide,

information about Dark Humor:

actual bigots, or be coping

Chapelle skirted allegations

for a collective cultural

of the role of his special in

experience, like COVID-19,

her death with a statement

as seen in the New York

implying Dorman should have

Times article, “It’s OK to Find

been able to handle it.

Humor in Some of This.”

“Throughout history,” says

Like any other skill, properly

the article’s author, Alex

executing dark humor takes

Williams, “humor has played

practice. Often the line between

a role in the darkest times as

dark humor and cruelty is thin

a...shared release.”

and blurry. I know I have gone too far many times, but when

23

T

Su Ertekin-Taner Co-Editor-in-Chief Jenner, Addison Rae, and

women alike: she is not just any

Charli D’Amelio have all been

regular girl.

criticized for being “pick me girls” on YouTube and TikTok.

No, in fact she is quite the

Video compilations of these

opposite. She is irregular in

women point out— to an

the realm of the feminine. She

easily-influenced social media

skateboards and drives fast

audience—that they exhibit

cars. She eats only burgers

“too cool” or “too attention-

when she goes out and she is

seeking” behaviors.

not — definitely not — like other

T

O K ’S 24

She justifies herself to men and

girls. She more adequately fits

The TikTok “pick me girl” is a

into the masculine sphere.

socially constructed image of a girl who craves attention and

And yet, this image only barely

bends easily to the will of men

scratches the surface of the

for the purpose of establishing

true nature of what TikTok

an affinity with them, but these

recently named a “pick me girl.”

definitions are all skewed representations of a woman

Beginning as a term

facing the giant of internalized

unattached to any one woman,

misogyny.

“pick me girl” rose to its height in the fall of 2021, aimlessly

The “pick me girl” represents

stringing itself onto the names

the decades-long triumph

of TikTok celebrities. Kendall

of male-dominated, sexist

PPCK CME GIRL

I K

Picking the “Pick Me Girl”

“ How about we kick patriarchy to the curb by

loving and supporting one another? I call for a cease fire against the “pick me girl.”

institutions meant to tear

(clothing, makeup, hair, etc).

writes beautifully, leads firmly, creates thoughtfully just like any other woman and human.

So let’s treat her like one.

The “pick me girl” deserves to be as much of a member of

women down. Before these institutions can utter a sexist

Master only masculinity

the social media community

syllable, the “pick me girl”

and women alienate you,

imposes that misogyny upon

considering you as a

as anyone. So I choose her. I pick the “pick me girl.”

herself by altering her behavior

shapeshifter of sorts: one

to fit behavior accepted by

that shapes their personality

men (a girl whom they can

around more traditionally

converse with about sports,

masculine topics.

politics, and other traditionally masculine topics).

We’ve put names to ‘inappropriate’ female

But because the term is mostly

behaviors for too long. Bitch:

propagated by “feminist”

an overbearing woman. Slut:

women against women, the

an impudent woman. Crazy:

idea of the “pick me girl” sets

an aggressive woman. And

up the notion that a woman

now, “pick me girl”: an attention

must master both femininity

seeking woman.

and masculinity to be accepted by both women and men.

How about we kick patriarchy

Master only femininity and

to the curb by loving and

men refuse to talk to you, as

supporting one another? I call

they assume the nature of the

for a cease fire against the

conversation will veer towards

“pick me girl.” A “pick me girl” is

traditionally feminine topics

a woman that ideates strongly,

Links to TikTok and YouTube compilations of “pick me girls.”

K ME CK

Nine to Five: Bias in the Workplace Megan Howard Social Media Editor

Women must work harder to While hiring quotas are now

prove themselves as competent

commonplace due to the

as men, but are ridiculed when

We all have an inherent bias

advocacy of women, these

they embody the same traits

against women. Yes, women

strategies do not provide long-

that make men successful.

included. Women must

term solutions for gender bias

prove, quantify, and excel to

in the workplace. The computer

As I begin approaching the

plant their place in society.

simulation study “Insidious

time that my female peers

Nonetheless: How Small

and I will enter the workforce,

A Yale research study gave

Effects and Hierarchical Norms

subconscious bias against

male and female science

Create and Maintain Gender

women feels discouraging. How

professors two identical

Disparities in Organizations”

are we supposed to grow in a

applications for a lab

workplace where bias against

manager position. The only

women has rotted the soil?

difference were the names: one half of the professors received a female name and the other half a male name. Both the male and female professors believed the male’s application to be

“Women must work harder to

prove themselves as competent as men, but are ridiculed when they embody the same traits that make men successful.””

better. In turn, the professors

When we go through our days we need to call out bias when we see it. Call your peers out when female voices in your club meeting are being ignored.

Listen to female voices when they tell you there is a problem.

were more likely to hire him and offer a higher salary.

Calling out and actively

With all factors equal, men

found that quotas for upper

changing unconscious

excel due to the underlying

level leadership positions

bias is hard and can have

view that they are more

only fixed the lack of women

consequences. But feminism

competent.

in higher level positions for

has grown on the soil of

around 17 years. Then, men

women who were not afraid

As expected, thousands of

dominated these positions

of ridicule and embraced civil

years of female oppression

again while the amount

disobedience. We must actively

have sown their roots deep

of women exponentially

work to pull the weeds of

into the soil of human bias.

decreased before stagnating.

gender bias and plant seeds of

By measuring advances

equity.

in education, political

That same study found that

influence, economics, and

women’s successful projects

health, the World Economic

were valued less. In addition to

Forum found that it will

receiving harsher punishment

take another 97 years for

for failure, they were penalized

the inequality gap between

when exuding less feminine

men and women to truly be

traits and forced to excel

closed.

more to be assigned projects.

26

Want to learn more?

Check out my research by scanning the QR code here.

Bugle Breakdown: Cartoon Edition Camden Pao Videographer

Coming up with captions for cartoons is no easy job.

Tyler Schimpff Multimedia Editor Raphael Sogueco Contributing Writer Tommy Zhang Contributing Writer

The New Yorker is known to have a captioning contest where the public can come up with captions for their cartoons. It got the Bugle thinking about how well those in the Bolles community would fare at captioning cartoons.

Watch these videos to see how it went.

First Grader: Sawyer Schimpff ‘33

High Schoolers: Sophie Grace Posick ‘22 and Cameron Gratz ‘23

Teachers: Mr. Lyons and Mr. Ferrari 27

Sticker Page!

c i t i l o P

cal

l a c i t i l o P

The Bugle Staff Contributing Writers

You’ll Be Back

Isabel Schimpff Contributing Writer Who doesn’t like waffles?

Politicians. Waffling in politics is used to describe a political figure who is inconsistent in their decisions. In November, President Joe Biden placed travel restrictions on eight southern African nations due to the emergence of the new Omicron variant, which was first detected in Botswana. However, since then, some European countries with the same variant have had higher case numbers but have not been branded.

This inconsistency and the unclarity with mask restrictions has led to describing President Biden as waffling.

30

Since The Chinese Civil War, relations between Taiwan and China have been tense. The Chinese passed laws allowing the use of non-peaceful means against Taiwan." The US gave military support to Taiwan, but since then China has taken extreme measures to prevent others from acknowledging Taiwan as a country. In Hamilton, King George sings the song “You’ll Be Back” to the colonies. Similarly, here, President Xi Jinping is dressed as King George, singing “You’ll Be Back” to Taiwan, and holding a red paintbrush, showing his intentions to reclaim Taiwan as a part of China again.

Ava Cheng Contributing Writer Kate Youell Contributing Writer

Although from different cinematic worlds, there's a widespread debate when it comes to Star Trek's Borg and Doctor Who's Daleks about which villain would win. Both fandoms believe they could easily defeat the other, which can be compared to opposing political parties. They both claim to be best and are constantly put head to head. This cartoon shows political parties embodying fictional villains in a face off. The irony is that both fictional villains require unquestioning groupthink. Do our politicians?

The Bugle Staff Contributing Writers

Democrats and Republicans are constantly arguing about everything, including the debt ceiling. Due to Biden's spending for his Build Back Better plan, the Democrats have been forced to ask the Republicans to raise the debt ceiling, which is the amount of money the government can borrow every year. However, the Republicans have been reluctant to raise the debt ceiling, leading to many discussions about what will happen to the country and White House.

PROPERTY BROTHERS Nig

ation

htm

N are

31

The Bugle Staff Contributing Writers

The Hallmark movie Princess Switch portrays the lives of two identical yet genetically unrelated women played by Vanessa Hudgens. Each woman has a different role in society: one is the soon to be Queen of Belgravia and the other a baker.

Throughout the movie, the two fill in for one another due to their striking similarity. The premise of the Princess Switch is not dissimilar to the variety of personas US politicians have to assume to please their constituents. Oftentimes, the public only sees one image of politicians. The gracefully hand-waving, baby forehead-kissing, charitable image, to be exact, but some political speakers have an unforeseen private life, often one laced with crime or allegations of it. For my cartoon, I portray Chris Cuomo, an outspoken political commentator who has faced allegations of sexual misconduct. While in his public life, the younger Cuomo brother is opinionated and professional on the screen, his private life may not reflect these qualities.

The Bugle Staff Cotributing Writers

The Princess Switch follows the story of two identical women, portrayed by Vanessa Hudgens, both dealing with different problems. Their solution to these problems is simple: switch places. Throughout the movie, the uptight baker and soon-to-be queen swap positions and live in each other’s place for a few days. However, their secret is soon revealed, and they must face the consequences. American politicians act in a similar way; while they present one side of themselves to the public, sometimes there’s another side they try to hide. In this cartoon, Matt Gaetz’s double identities are portrayed beside each other. While Gaetz is a congressman for the Republican party, he has also faced accusations of sex trafficking.

While he presents himself as a politician, it seems another version of himself portrays other qualities.

32

Simran Naval Contributing Writer

The man standing on the stage is a cartoon drawing of Dr.Oz, who has announced that he will be running as a Republican for the Pennsylvania Senate. The cartoon is a play on the fact that Dr.Oz has the same name as the Wizard from the Wizard of Oz. The two characters at the bottom left of the cartoon are discussing Dr.Oz's Senate campaign, when one of them remarks that he has been a wizard and a doctor, and wonders what he'll do next.

If elected for Senate, I will create a special potion to cure COVID.

First he was a wizard, then a doctor, now what?

The Bugle Staff Contributing Writers

SA

NT

IS

GOP DE

This cartoon depicts the GOP as Prince Florian kissing DeSantis as Snow White.

The GOP has had their eyes set on Ron DeSantis for the 2024 Republican presidential candidate.

For quite some time he has been their top choice, up until recent criticism of his handling of COVID in FLorida emerged. Now the party must choose whether to keep endorsing DeSantis or set their sights on the next candidate. What if their princess turns out to be a frog?

33

Ava Cheng Contributing Writer

Kate Youell Contributing Writer

If you're a Spotify listener, you know how exciting the end of December is. Seeing your top songs and artists is a great way to debrief and get excited for the new year. But what if the political parties had a Spotify wrapped? Some of these songs are more self explanatory than others.

Try to test your political knowledge by guessing why these songs were chosen.

Grace Albaugh Contributing Writer

This cartoon depicts a politician holding an umbrella over himself and a woman's pregnant stomach while the majority of the woman's body is soaked. This cartoon illustrates the flaws in prolife arguments such as their tendenancies to focus solely on he baby while ignoring the health and safety of the mother. The woman's situation, such as the manner in which she became pregnant or who will support the childafter birth is ignored continually, according to the New York Times.

34

Alex Boutwell Contributing Writer

Alex Boutwell Contributing Writer

Russia’s space station: the Soyuz, had a one-sixteenth inch of a whole drilled into its hull (which was patched with epoxy once it landed).

Their initial investigations came up with nothing until Head of NASA Kathy Leuders admitted to a NASA employee making the hole.

The leaders of the US and Russia have, historically, not proven to be terribly mature in their communications

with each other. This cartoon compares our major governmental agencies and leaders as little kids in a sandbox, fighting over their toys.

Someone is wishing upon a shooting star for a stable income and livable working conditions, but the star is in fact Jeffrey Bezos on his rocket.

Jeffrey then replies no.

This cartoon plays on the idea that the wishes and hopes of medium and lowincome Americans can be impossible to achieve due to growing inflation and income

inequality.

In addition, the entrance of billionaires into the space race can seem like the wealthiest Americans are planning on escaping to ''Planet B'' rather than using their resources to improve conditions for their fellow humans.

35

Revising Our Way Out of Gun Violence Acknowledge Rittenhouse only

a form of self-defense against

shot his third victim, 26-year old

similarly-armed threat(s), and has

EMT Gaige Grosskreutz, because

been found guilty of this in a court

The need to use “self-defense”

Grosskreutz pointed his own “self-

of law.”

guns is often caused by their

defense” gun at him. Grosskreutz

own presence.

testified he hesitated because he

It is not unethical or un-american

could not bear to take another’s

to strip someone of this

life.

constitutional right. By restricting

Isabel Bassin Contributing Writer

In August 2020, 17-year old Kyle Rittenhouse left his

the Second Amendment for some,

home in Illinois, armed with

Obviously, Rittenhouse didn’t have

we strengthen the rights of others

a Smith & Wesson M&P semi-

the same personal dilemma.

to feel safe in our country.

Kenosha, Michigan, claiming to

When James Madison first wrote

People like Rittenhouse, who killed

protect local businesses from

the Second Amendment in 1791,

two unarmed protestors, should

protestors. Instead, he killed

it was because he believed a

not enjoy the Second Amendment.

two people and injured a third.

centralized standing military

automatic rifle, and traveled to

gave too much power to the

People like the officers who shot

To understand the impact

federal government. He wrote

unarmed Jacob Blake, who were

this situation has on the

the amendment so citizens could

the reason the Kenosha protest

longstanding debate about

resist violent oppression by the

occurred, should not enjoy the

the Second Amendment,

government.

Second Amendment.

Now, it is misinterpreted as

And all other people who walk

a justification for civilians to

free after maiming or killing others

Acknowledge Rittenhouse killed

own guns. While repealing the

without viable justification should

his first victim, unarmed 36-

amendment may not be effective

not enjoy the Second Amendment.

year old Joseph Rosenbaum,

gun control, it could be revised to

because Rosenbaum charged

fit modern society.

acknowledge the details of the shooting:

at him in an attempt to take

Inevitably, some guns will slip through cracks and into the wrong

his gun. Rosenbaum would not

The Second Amendment could be

hands. However, revising the

have done this if Rittenhouse

reworded:

Second Amendment contributes

were empty-handed.

towards a reasonable goal: “The right of licensed adults who

making firearm-related deaths

Acknowledge his second victim,

have been subject to government-

rarer and rarer.

26-year old Anthony Huber’s

mandated background checks and

“life threatening weapon” was

mental health screenings to keep

a skateboard. Huber attempted

and bear arms no larger nor more

smashing it on Rittenhouse’s

powerful than a handgun shall not

head because Huber witnessed

be infringed unless the individual

him kill Rosenbaum and wanted

has ever used their gun(s) as a

to disable the active shooter.

form of offense instead of only

36

Don't Scapegoat the Second Ammendment with prison inmates suggested that

originates from the 1960’s

90% of all guns involved in firearm

when, ironically, the NRA fought

violence, to one-off homicides, to

alongside the government to keep

It would be rash to dismiss the

mass shootings, were obtained

African Americans from having

2nd amendment as outdated

illegally.

guns. In the modern day, Asian

Daniel Waheed Assoicate Copy Editor

or malevolent.

Americans, who faced a 73% Whether or not the 2nd

rise in crime amid the pandemic,

Look, I get it. The logic

amendment actually permits

bought 42% more firearms in the

of anti-gun advocates is

individual ownership of firearms

beginning of 2020 than in the

understanable: the more

is irrelevant. With 393 million

previous year- this highlights how

firearms, the more access, the

civilian guns already in circulation,

minorities look to firearms as a

more violence there will be, and

stripping people of the legal right

method of legitimate self defense.

the 2nd Amendment protects

to use firearms (which only applies

guns.

to a negligible minority anyway)

Instead of fighting for a lost

wouldn’t reduce gun violence due

cause that sells the illusion of

Like most sociopolitical topics

to their sheer availability from

false progress, let’s focus our

that reach the limelight, it’s

illegal channels.

energies on solving issues that

simply more nuanced than

matter. Effort and activism should

this. Not only will stripping the

However, it would serve to

be invested into effective mental

public of the 2nd amendment

set a pernicious precedent of

health curriculums and diagnosis

be abortive in lessening gun

contravening constitutional

processes, to circumvent the

violence, it will also entail crisis

integrity.

problem of mentally ill people with

for everyday Americans.

malicious intentions from acting Granted we scapegoat the

in the first place. Further, limiting

A gun-control Harvard

2nd for the societal problem of

illegal gun circulation should be

study puts the matter into

gun-related violence, repealing

a priority in the context of gun

perspective: “If the mantra

the amendment could have

violence.

‘more guns equal more

a reverberating effect— what

death’ were true, broad

happens if government decides

Just because the status quo

cross-national comparisons

to start picking new scapegoats

isn’t working does not mean we

should show that nations with

for new societal problems? What

must opt in for a less-free future

higher gun ownership per

would this mean in the presence of

America.

capita consistently have more

a future administration attempting

death. Indeed many high gun

to roll back civil-rights era

ownership nations have much

amendments relating to suffrage

lower murder rates.”

or antidiscriminaton?

According to a 2016 U.S.

Gun control laws have been

Department of Justice Special

historic means of oppression for

Report, when questioned about

minority groups. The historical

their gun ownership, interviews

genesis of gun control, in fact,

Use this QR code to access the writer’s research

37

“What about me?

What about other girls like me?”

China's Three-Child Policy Erases History Sarah Scherkenbach Co-Editor-in-Chief

that from 1999 to 2016 there

additional children, prevents

were 78,257 international

the repetition of situations like

adoptions coming from China,

mine, but it doesn’t erase the

Based on data gathered

which is more than any other

truths behind past events and

by CNN, there are around

country during that time frame.

the fallout.

I was one of them.

The expansion to a three-

60 million Chinese “missing girls” as a result of China’s one-child policy.

child policy fails to remedy As someone who was brought

the existing problem of the

According to the

to a Chinese orphanage

significant lack of women,

documentary One Child

shortly after birth and later

which stems from the original

Nation and a multitude

adopted by Americans, when I

policy. In 1980, according

of news articles, for the

first heard the news about the

to the UN World Population

duration of China’s one-child

three-child policy, I was glad

Prospects, China had a

policy, it wasn’t uncommon

that it wouldn’t result in the

population of approximately

to see abandoned babies,

abandonment of other girls,

one billion people and a

usually girls, left in dumps

but I also mourned.

growth rate of 1.42%, which

or stranded along the side

has since dwindled to 0.34%

of the road. Some would die

Selfishly, I couldn’t help asking

under horrific circumstances;

myself, “But what about me?

others would be brought to

What about the other girls like

Even if a bunch of baby girls

orphanages.

me?”

are suddenly born, it doesn’t

in 2021.

change the generational issue Data from the U.S

The three-child policy, which

of not having enough women,

Department of State reveals

also removes fines for any

and this gender imbalance of

Guilin, China Photo credit: Sarah Scherkenbach

men outnumbering women

more progress in connecting

policy. Sometimes other family

by over thirty million people

adoptees with their pasts,

members took children shortly

just promotes the practices

which would be instrumental

after birth and gave them to

of child marriages and

towards acknowledging and

traffickers, so parents didn’t

bride-nappings.

addressing the mistakes of

have a choice.

the past as well as a valuable While the original policy

healing tool for adoptees.

acted as a catalyst for

The Chinese government advertises the three-child

appalling practices such as

Admittedly and

policy as this inherently

the forced sterilization of

understandably, some

healthy and beneficial

women, mass gendercide,

adoptees are averse to the

change because it will boost

and the separation of

idea of reunification with their

productivity and expand

families, the Chinese

biological families; for many

the workforce. However, the

government cannot erase

years, I had the mindset, “Why

controlling measures behind

the pre-existing damage

would I want to meet the

it are not that different from

of the one-child policy by

people who abandoned me?”

the ones used to implement

simply removing its former limitations.

the original policy, and the My thoughts on the matter

expansion ignores a history of

have since expanded through

tragedy.

Some organizations such

research, having gained my

as Research-China work

own complex understanding

We can’t let this narrative

towards helping adoptees

that there are a variety of

be erased. We can’t let the

and their families gain

reasons for children ending up

“missing girls” truly be lost.

insight into their adoption

in Chinese orphanages. For

stories. If the Chinese

instance, government officials

Links to

government were willing to

have been known to forcibly

additonal

work with some of these

take children from their homes

resources on

groups and with DNA testing

and bring them to orphanages

China’s child

companies, there may be

as a side effect of the one-child

policies

39

and the s r a t s r e oth