Dear Reader,
Welcome to our first issue of the 2022–2023 school year! This year, our magazine has had to adjust to changes in leadership and a mostly new sta . Nevertheless, we are focused on bringing to life the same fascinating stories and valuable content that we’ve aimed to create since our inception. Each page that you see in this issue is a labor of research, creativity, and love—and we could not be prouder to present it to you.
If you’re curious about di erent color combinations evoking various emotions, the reasons why so many female authors only achieve recognition after their deaths, or the history of music in film, open our Art section to delve into these stories. Then take a look at our Culture section for explorations on current social phenomena such as BookTok, Marvel, BeReal, and the growing wave of online teenage political engagement. Finally, dive into ways we can use psychology to improve our everyday lives, the impact of quarantine on social interactions between teenagers, and the issue with carbon o sets and performative sustainability in our STEM section.
Of course, this issue would not be possible without the support and hard work of our entire sta . We would like to thank every single person who contributed to this issue, whether they wrote a story, created a graphic, brainstormed a layout, or helped put all the elements together on InDesign. Each sta er, both new and returning, remained as diligent and passionate as ever in putting this issue together. And lastly, thank you, the reader, for supporting our work.
We hope you enjoy this issue, and we thank you for joining us on this journey.
Your Editors-in-Chief, Carly and Irene
Carly Liao
Irene Tsen
HEAD EDITORS
Katie LaWer
Safina Syed
ART EDITORS
Maya Ma Siena Tacy
CULTURE EDITOR
Lise Desveaux
STEM EDITORS
Aarushi Kumar Amann Mahajan
WRITERS
Aarushi Kumar Amann Mahajan Annabel Honigstein Anne Dong Chinyoung Shao Diya Bose-Malakar Francesca Agro Jeri Lieberman-Evans Katie LaWer Lucy Luo Maddie Cheung Maya Ma Miguel Lopez Safina Syed
Aarushi Kumar
Aeron Man Caitlin Ginn Francesca Agro Irene Hong Miguel Lopez Yuna Suh
BUSINESS EDITOR
Lucy Luo
how artists can use colors to make a visual impact prejudices against female authors in the publishing industry analysis of film history and cinematography as art TikTok’s revolutionization of the book industry and the impact of cancel culture Marvel’s transformation of the movie industry recommended songs, books, TV shows Mini Crossword, Spelling Bee, Wordle, and the rise of BeReal how religion and social media impact politics harnessing their power to make better decisions what anxiety disorders are, plus how and why they occur spanning mental health, education, family relationships how corporations prioritize profits over science
When artists create designs, a lot of thought goes into the composition, shapes, and colors of the artwork. Color is among the most important aspects of design because it is what the eye sees first. Thus, color is one of the first things artists should consider before creating a piece of art, using color theory to make a work more aesthetically pleasing. Colors can a ect the work’s emotions: They can evoke happiness, anger, and sadness, as well as deeper feelings. Therefore, it is important to select the colors that portray artists’ intents accurately. In Western culture, cool colors, like green, blue, and black, usually evoke feelings of sadness. In contrast, Eastern cultures often use white to evoke mournful feelings. Warm colors, like red and yellow, are usually associated with more joyful emotions and can lead to a more youthful feel within the artwork.
Black (#000000): Black is not technically a color but the absence of it. This property enables it to symbolize feelings such as emptiness, loneliness, and darkness. Although in some cultures, black evokes mourning and grief, it also represents sophistication, elegance, or even simplicity. When overrepresented on a page, it can completely change the emotion of the piece.
White (#FFFFFF): Although the opposite, white can also be used to symbolize emptiness and loneliness. It can, however, also convey a more positive message of freshness and purity. For artists trying to find a color palette, white is very versatile and works wells with almost all darker shades.
Red (#FF0000): Red is known to be a strong color: Studies have shown that red gives people more energy and can increase adrenaline. When used in objects, red can convey confidence and power. The red carpet can be seen as a prime example of showcasing the power of red in a real-world scenario. Bright red is successful at drawing attention to focal points of a piece of art because it “pops” when it is concentrated in one area, making the eyes go straight to it.
Blue (#0000FF): Blue is associated with the ocean and the sky, evoking calmness and relaxation. For instance, blue is used in sports and professional uniforms to express calm and trust. Blue is also one of the least abundant colors found in nature. When darker and duller tones of blue are used, they can convey sadness, worry, despair, and depression.
Yellow (#FFFF00): Since people associate yellow with the sun, it can bring a feeling of positivity, joy, and lightness. In fact, the brain releases serotonin when one sees the color yellow. For example, for marketing purposes, yellow is widely used by companies that o er pleasurable, accessible, and joyful products; many fast foods chains use the color yellow to advertise their products.
Artists’ process of choosing colors is complex and requires consideration of several factors, including the psychology, contrast, and strength of the colors. Art teacher Mark Gleason, for example, composes color schemes for his artwork in his head. He described himself as synesthetic (experiencing one sense as another), a trait which helps him build color palettes mentally.
On the other hand, artists may spend hours thinking of a color scheme that will perfectly fit their art. Many online resources can help with this process. Coolors.co is a website that generates color palettes that work well together, inspiring artists to test new color schemes within their artwork.
If you were asked to list every author you could think of, chances are the majority of them would be men. This is a consequence of the long-standing combination of personal, consumer, and industry bias that hinders female authors’ careers. Writing has long been considered a man’s job. As a result, female writers weren’t considered serious or thoughtful enough to write a book successfully. This outdated idea has manifested in the current publishing industry: The patriarchal standards that the publishing industry is founded on continue to creep into the experiences of female authors today, barring them from the publishing elite.
Three categories comprise the bias against female authors: personal bias from their family and friends; consumer bias from readers or literary professionals; and publishing bias from the companies that house, market, and manage authors. These factors tend to have a negligible initial impact on a writer’s journey into publishing but significantly undermine sustained success and recognition throughout their career.
Personal bias often results in the works of talented female authors being ignored or neglected. To many, women’s writing is considered a hobby and not a valid source of income. As a result of societal pressure, women might push their writing endeavors aside in favor of being a parent or pursuing a more accepted career. Some of the most famous female authors— for example, Sylvia Plath and Dorothy Strachey— wrote only as a hobby because it was deemed unfit for them to pursue it as a career. Plath, a confessional poet and an essential contributor to second-wave feminism in the 1960s, was urged by her family and friends to stop pursuing poetry to take care of her children instead. When she died, the media turned her death into a public tragedy, and only then was her writing taken seriously. On the other hand, Strachey actually worked in the literary industry as a translator and editor. She sent her book “Olivia” to many of her friends, who criticized it and discouraged her from sending it to publishers. Years later, “Olivia” was published near her year of death. Strachey, too, never saw the fruits of her labor, as the success of “Olivia” as a book and movie came only after her death.
Reinforced by the publishing industry, consumers’ biases when they choose reading materials lead to limited appreciation of women’s work. Many tend to read within just a few genres out of habit or contempt of certain genres’ literary value. Books in the science fiction, complex fantasy, horror, and mystery genres, which are written chiefly by men, tend to be considered more “serious” than books in the romance and contemporary fiction genres, which are written primarily by women. Writers who defy these genre restrictions therefore find it harder for their work to gain traction. For instance, a reader may scorn a romance book or distrust science fiction written by a female author, generating prejudice against female writers. “Middlemarch” author George Eliot, for example, had to change her name from Mary Ann Evans for her social and political commentary to be taken more seriously.
Even when women writers succeed in male-dominated genres, their work is usually marketed to reflect what is expected of female authors.
For example, Suzanne Collins’ dystopian novel “The Hunger Games” criticizes wealth inequality and totalitarianism. Its primary marketing strategy, however, sensationalized the romance in the series at the expense of its central themes of power and oppression.
This consumer bias in turn a ects which books are taught to students. Most school curricula include minimal books written by women because of instructional coordinators’ unconscious bias that books written by men are inherently better written, with higher educational value. This idea leaves damaging and lasting impacts on society’s perception of female authors.
The publishing industry only emphasizes this consumer bias. While the majority of authors, editors, and readers in the United States (especially among older populations) are female, the majority of publishing executives are male. According to a study conducted by publishing company Lee & Low Books, meanwhile, only 24% of books published by the top 100 trade publishers in the United States were written by women. This is where the unconscious bias against female authorship has greater ramifications than influencing content taught in high school English classes. When executive publishers decide which books to publish, they reinforce stereotypes about men writing more serious, publishable books. This prejudice is reflected in book nominations for literary awards: In the last 50 years, only 17 of Booker Prize winners have been female (about 34% of the prizes). This imbalance is not entirely the fault of the judges, since publishing companies submit books to be judged for these awards. In the last 50 years, only about 35% of books submitted to these panels were written by women. If publishing industries held greater respect for their female authors, perhaps more would be able to win esteemed awards and leave a lasting legacy on the industry.
Most of these publishing and educational institutions are not intentionally trying to suppress female voices, but their biases limit the extent of success women can reach in the industry. So how can we, as consumers, support these authors? We should first examine our own unconscious biases. As women, do you feel as if you must read within the genre of romance or restrict yourself to classical authors like Plath and the Brontë sisters? As men, do you feel as though you must read more “serious” books, such as nonfiction or science fiction, and that authors such as Jane Austen write in a “softer” genre that you’re not inclined toward? We must examine these biases, attempt to dismantle them, and reconfigure our reading habits in light of them. Pick up a book in a genre you haven’t read much because you were convinced that it didn’t suit your taste before even trying it. Seek an author in a genre that underrepresents their gender. The publishing industry responds to changing consumption patterns. If we demand change, it will eventually have no choice but to finally give female authors the credit they deserve.
Aarushi Kumar —Written by Aarushi Kumar, a STEM Editor.Cinematography is the craft of creating motion pictures by capturing a story visually. The art of cinematography was first introduced in the late 1880s as the illusion of a moving picture. Its evolution sprung alongside the rise in technological advancements at the time. Although cinematography can fall under a few categories, such as science and technology, there are many features of cinematography that make it an art form, such as scene composition, lighting, camera selection, lenses and filters, the angles and movements of the camera, and the use of special e ects.
Throughout cinematography’s history, many artists have used these di erent elements to create beautiful arthouse films. American filmmaker Wesley Wales Anderson, commonly known as Wes Anderson, is best known for his visually stunning films “Moonrise Kingdom” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Anderson’s films emphasize symmetry, drawing the audience to an individual and providing them with a window into that specific theme or character. Key to his eccentric style, it also contributes a sense of harmony and balance.
Academy Award-nominated director, filmmaker, and actress Sofia Coppola also uses the artistic elements of cinematography rather than relying on dialogue or action alone to tell a story. Many of her films have an understated style with long takes and limited dialogue. Her use of cinematic elements, such as color, lighting, composition, and camera movement, creates a powerful and specific mood in her works. These trademark techniques are included in some of her best known films, such as “The Virgin Suicides” and “Lost in Translation.”
Cinematography is an art form that elevates movies and television, illustrating a story through a medium other than words. These many techniques in filmmaking add to the narrative: The contrast in color can set the tone of a scene, and the way a shot is framed can capture the subtlety of a story, revealing an idea to the audience that the characters might not even know yet.
—Written by Safina Syed, a Head Editor.
There are certain pairs that are inseparable: peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, Batman and Robin. Presented here is a proposal for an addition to this (albeit far from comprehensive) list: music and film.
The two—like peanut butter and jelly— complement one another, used in tandem to create worlds audiences can step into; yet, like bacon and eggs, they are di erent and independent enough to be enjoyed separately. This has been recognized for ages—filmmakers have combined music and movies from the very beginning. In the silent era of film, which lasted from the late 19th century to around 1930, orchestras, organists, or pianists played along with the film to infuse life into the stories unfolding onscreen (and to cover up the grating sounds of early movie projectors).
This usage expanded in the 1930s, when the so-called “Golden Age” of Hollywood began and music could be added to the movie itself, rather than incorporated alongside it. Max Steiner, often hailed as the “father of film music,” created the first complete original soundtrack in film for 1933’s “King Kong.” In this movie and many others, Steiner utilizes leitmotifs, musical themes associated with characters, events, or ideas. (First used most notably by Richard Wagner in his operas in the late 19th century, leitmotifs later became fairly standard in film.) Bernard Herrman, best known for his scores for Hitchcock films like “Psycho” and “Vertigo,” introduced new forms of music for the horror genre. In this age, traditional, orchestral scores were ubiquitous; sweeping and majestic, they o ered an auditory roadmap for the story.
With the 1950s came the rise of jazz, revolutionizing music in film. During this decade and throughout the 1960s, filmmakers moved away from traditional orchestral scores toward more popular, mainstream music. For example, Mike Nichols’ 1967 film “The Graduate” made extensive use of Simon & Garfunkel’s music, exemplifying this auditory shift.
Then, finally, came 1977 and the release of George Lucas’ swashbuckling space saga
Howard Shore’s magnificent soundtrack transports you to a world of hobbits and orcs. Winner in the “Best Original Score” category of the Academy Awards in 2002, the soundtrack includes such gems as “Concerning Hobbits” and “The Bridge of Khazad-dûm.”
“Star Wars.” The score for “A New Hope” marked the revival of the classic Hollywood soundscape with its lush orchestral themes and brassy fanfares. This isn’t to say that the traditions of the 1950s and 1960s had been obliterated: rather, the two di erent schools of music were present simultaneously. Technological developments in the 1980s and 1990s led to further innovation in film music as synthesizers and temp tracks were introduced into film scoring. As we’ve transitioned into the 21st century, the use of technology in film composing has only increased—composers have continued to experiment with new sounds and techniques.
Thus, it’s clear that throughout history, there has been an inextricable link between movies and music. Why, though, does this connection exist? What makes music so integral to film?
There are a whole slew of reasons, but su ce it to say that music says what the film itself cannot. Music is the epitome of showing, not telling: It provides foreshadowing and creates associations in films, rendering additional dialogue and visuals superfluous. Take, for example, the usage of leitmotifs in “Star Wars”: There’s no better way to foreshadow the beginnings of evil in Anakin Skywalker than by integrating into his theme a musical nod to Darth Vader’s theme.
There’s also a sense of emotional completeness when music is present: Imagine the Avengers streaming through portals in “Avengers: Endgame” without Alan Silvestri’s triumphant score or the landscapes of the Shire in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy without the lilting flute of Howard Shore’s “Concerning Hobbits” theme. There’s an additional auditory dimension to be gained from film music. Music inarguably forms the backbone of film, and the pairing may far surpass that of the relatively mundane peanut butter and jelly. What else can take you to a galaxy far, far away?
—Written by Amann Mahajan, a STEM Editor.
This soundtrack, accompanying the eponymous 1980 film, is undoubtedly a classic—it features both the best of “Star Wars: A New Hope” while boasting memorable music of its own, including “The Imperial March” and “Yoda’s Theme.”
—Compiled by Amann Mahajan, a STEM Editor.
“THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING” “STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK”Yuna Suh
BookTok, a prevalent niche among the many communities on the social media platform TikTok, focuses mainly on literature and novels. Creators on BookTok often discuss and share di ering opinions on a wide variety of books, most often of the young adult or romance genre. Though these discussions may seem inconsequential, TikTok has a surprising e ect on book sales: Publishers have noticed that books that garnered the most discussion on the platform showed up on bestseller lists. According to NPD Bookscan, a research company that tracks the publishing of print books in the United States, print book sales rose by 9% in 2021, one of the largest increases since 2004.
BookTok has shot relatively untried authors to stardom. Colleen Hoover is one of the most prominent examples of the year. NPD Bookscan projected her books to sell at 237,000 units before her explosive debut on the app in 2020; as of Aug. 2022, she had sold 7.3 million print copies in 2022 alone. According to Goodreads, she holds two spots in the top 15 most popular books published in 2022, and her recent novel “Reminders of Him” is at the
An entertaining, hilarious story that deftly handles the themes of homophobia and sexism, it is the perfect lighthearted book to add to your list.
Rating: 3.8 stars
number one spot. Authors whose books are also present among these 15 include Taylor Jenkins Reid, Emily Henry, and Ali Hazelwood—all authors whose book sales have been boosted by success on the platform.
Retailers like Barnes & Noble have capitalized on the success of BookTok, quickly adapting to the wants and needs of customers. In-store merchandising has reflected the trends of the app by displaying popular BookTok titles on specially curated tables or end caps for easy access. Barnes & Noble even has an entire page on their website dedicated to BookTok, including a blurb explaining what BookTok is, top-rated novels, and an advertisement for the retailer’s own account on the app.
On TikTok, booksellers and publishers have also tapped into the publicity of BookTok by incorporating user-friendly content like contests, giveaways, and partnering with popular content creators. Even utilizing trending audios or formats on the app can generate extra traction or exposure, which Barnes & Noble and publisher Penguin Random House have embraced to impact sales.
The classic story of Greek heroes Patroclus and Achilles during the Trojan War from Patroclus’ perspective, the novel gives the tragic myth a beautiful new spin.
Rating: 4.0 stars
The novel is both heartbreaking and beautiful, and Evelyn Hugo stands out as an emotionally complex heroine.
Rating: 4.5 stars
The most recent wave of cancel culture came about in 2017 and centers around “canceling” celebrities or influencers for problematic actions or statements. This phrase describes a form of ostracism typically seen on social media platforms; however, it is not limited to these platforms and has been witnessed in other settings, such as politics. Although this culture is seemingly new, it has sprung from other movements throughout the 21st century, such as the #MeToo movement.
While the phrase “cancel culture” has roots within other past movements, it has also long circulated within Black culture, possibly paying homage to Nile Rodgers’ song “Your Love Is Canceled.” The idea of “canceling” someone for their unacceptable behavior has taken a modern form, but it is said to have sprung from this song that Rodgers wrote after a bad date with someone who tried to take advantage of his celebrity status. This song then inspired the portrayal of cancel culture in the 1991 film “New Jack City.” Alongside this song, other films and social media occurrences have supported the rise in prominence of cancel culture.
One celebrity who has been “canceled” is famous “Harry Potter” author J. K. Rowling. Beginning in Dec. 2019, Rowling started posting transphobic sentiments on Twitter. She supported a woman who was fired from her job for expressing transphobic views. Later, Rowling posted transphobic remarks about the wording of an international development group that wanted to create more equality for “menstruators,” claiming it should have said “women” instead. There has been backlash from “Harry Potter” fans and the cast of the movies as well. While many fans refuse to support her, Rowling still continues to profit from and produce media based on the series.
Other examples of celebrities being “canceled” in the past year are rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and singer Alexander O’Connor, professionally known as Rex Orange County. Ye has made a series of antisemitic comments, which followed months of controversial behavior. Ye’s behavior caused his agent, many companies, and numerous fans to sever their ties with the rapper. Ye has exhibited o ensive behaviors over the years and continues to do so with his recent acts of antisemitism. Meanwhile, O’Connor has been charged with six counts of sexual assault after a woman accused him of attacking her six di erent times. He has denied these claims and pleaded not guilty to the accusations in court. Now, he has been set free on unconditional bail with a provisional trial date on Jan. 3, 2023. However, many fans are no longer supporting him or his music, and he canceled his 2022 world tour, citing “personal issues.”
The concept of “canceling” started out as a way for marginalized communities to hold public figures with power accountable for unethical behavior. Throughout the years, this concept has also been debated in terms of free speech, censorship, and “political correctness.” While cancel culture was established as a positive solution to shame people for their unacceptable behavior, critics of cancel culture claim that the social ostracism can be counterproductive and, in the wrong hands, fuel similar hate and oppression as what it aims to address.
Ultimately, it is the support of the public that fuels celebrities’ careers and platforms as their works become more popular. When they say and do problematic things, people should then be able to take that platform and attention away.
—Written by Safina Syed, a Head Editor.
On Friday, Nov. 11, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” hit theaters across the country. Making around $180 million on its debut, it broke box o ce records for the month of November, elbowing out 2013’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” to earn the top spot.
This kind of performance isn’t an anomaly for Marvel Studios. Since the release of “Iron Man” in 2008, Marvel has unequivocally become a behemoth. Four of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time are stamped with its logo, with 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” just missing the number one spot (clinched by 2009’s “Avatar”). As of June 2022, the film studio had raked in upwards of $20 billion from its movies, far surpassing every other film franchise, including “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” and its perpetual nemesis, the DC Extended Universe.
Given that Marvel has become so popular, it’s no wonder that it has had impacts on the film industry as a whole. Marvel’s—and other superhero films’—dominance over box o smaller, independent films, making it harder for them to break into theaters. J. J. Abrams, director of blockbusters “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” noted this phenomenon in an interview with “The New York Times.” “When you have a movie that’s as entertaining, well-made, and well-received as ‘Booksmart’ not doing the business it should have [at the box o you realize that the typical Darwinian fight to survive is completely lopsided now,” he said. “Everyone’s trying to figure out how we protect the smaller films that aren’t four-quadrant mega-releases. Can they exist in the cinemas?”
Film Literature teacher Mark Hernandez voiced a similar sentiment, noting that it’s viewers’ decisions that impact which films perform well at the box o “Given a limited, finite amount of disposable income—well, now [viewers] can’t see other films,” he said. “If you feel like you’ve got to see ‘Black Panther,’ then maybe you don’t see [another movie showing].”
This speaks to a larger cultural shift away from movie theaters as a whole. The advent of streaming platforms—and their increased use during the pandemic—has only exacerbated this issue. Smaller films are now accessible through HBO, Apple TV, and Disney+—why would viewers see them on the big screen instead of a rollicking, flashy blockbuster like “Thor: Love and Thunder”? The net e ect has been the increasing dominance of blockbuster films—including Marvel’s movies— on the big screen.
Why are audiences choosing Marvel films in the first place? According to “Harvard Business Review,” the answer lies in a couple of key factors: the studio’s proclivity for embracing moviemakers who aren’t necessarily familiar with the superhero genre, its ability to maintain a stable core of the creative team, its continued experimentation with the genre, and its connection with the audience through social media and Easter eggs. Much of this analysis rings true: di erent moviemakers
leave their distinct mark on the cinematic universe (e.g. Sam Raimi’s touch of horror in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and Chloe Zhao’s carefully lit shots in “Eternals”). Similarly, top-tier actors like Lupita Nyong’o and Je Bridges have o ered up their skills to the studio. The addition of such talent creates variation across the films without deviating too far from the “Marvel formula” (which, inevitably, involves 1) a loved one’s death, 2) the rise of a villain similar to the protagonist in many ways, and 3) a no-holds-barred final fight chock-full of computergenerated imagery). Social media and Easter eggs also o er tantalizing hints, capitalizing on the interest of longtime Marvel comics fans to get people in theater seats.
Hernandez added that the movies’ classic storylines also generate a wide appeal, contributing to the films’ success. “At its core, I think Marvel—and superhero movies in general—tell very classic arcs,” he said. “Very simply, they’re good versus evil. And if tales are good versus evil, it’s easy to pick a hero, easy to pick a villain, easy to know who to root for. Most of them are not super challenging in terms of the intellectual investment, and there is a
Though the dichotomy of good and evil is usually clear, Visual Storytelling teacher and former Marvel employee Terence Kitada noted that Marvel heroes aren’t perfect. In fact, it’s their complexity that makes them so intriguing and distinguishes them from their godlike DC counterparts. “When Stan Lee and [Steve] Ditko and [Jack] Kirby sat down to create the universe in the sixties, the whole idea was the flawed hero,” he said. “Even though Spider-Man has superpowers, we can all understand the feeling of being in high school, having trouble balancing academics and having a crush on somebody, but not knowing how to [navigate that]—there are so many moments that reflect the values of a larger audience.”
It seems that this approach continues to work: with the success of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” as well as that of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Thor: Love and Thunder,” it’s clear that Marvel is here to stay. According to Kitada, the idea of “superhero film fatigue” has been one long put forth by the media, but it really never seems to crystallize. “I don’t know what will cause people to say, ‘Okay, no more of this, I’ve had enough,’” he said. “The comics have not stopped since the 1960s, and so it’s hard to know when there will be a stop point.”
Until then, though, Marvel will always be a viable option for audiences looking for an experience that straddles the line between familiarity and the unknown, fantasy and reality, old and new. Film Club President Maya Nieman put this phenomenon well: “Superheroes have always been something people idolize,” she said. “When [people] watch movies, [they] like to see a di erent version of the world. Marvel does that really well because it encapsulates the real world, but then adds people who [don’t exist] and events that can’t happen in this world.”
—Written by Amann Mahajan, a STEM Editor.
“Reminder” by The Weeknd: You can always count on a Weeknd song for a catchy melody and distinct voice. “Reminder” is no exception. You should immediately add this song to your “driving at 2am playlist” (if it isn’t on there already). It’s the perfect song to blast, whether with friends or through your headphones as a distraction from homework.
“Maroon” by Taylor Swift: Taylor Swift’s new album “Midnights” is a storytelling masterpiece, but one song stands out: “Maroon.” The symbolism and meaning behind the lyrics may take a couple of listens to fully interpret, but that’s the beauty of the listening experience that Swift has created through her songs. Also, Swift’s deep voice and talented vocals compel you to keep listening.
“Like You Do” by Joji: Many people know Joji for “Glimpse of Us” or his YouTube persona “Filthy Frank,” but one of his most well-done pieces is the song “Like You Do.” This ballad conveys the bittersweet pain of being in a relationship through meaningful lyrics and emotional chord progressions. This song truly gets you “in your feels” and is one that you won’t want to stop listening to.
“Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid: This book takes place over the course of one day and is centered around Nina Riva and her siblings. Reid’s engaging writing style provides detailed imagery of Malibu and the di erent locations the siblings visit. Additionally, the intriguing plot and complex characters make this book a page-turner that you can’t put down.
“Normal People” by Sally Rooney: “Normal People” follows the lives of Irish teenagers Connell and Marianne as they navigate their relationship, life changes, and societal standards. The nonlinear growth of the characters and realistic dialogue make the book a relatable and reflective read. Moreover, the Hulu TV show adaptation of the same name will captivate you further.
“Schitt’s Creek”: This six-season sitcom follows the wealthy Rose family as they lose all their money and are forced to move to a town called Schitt’s Creek. The show is filled with witty humor and likable characters. It is a perfect background show to have on for when you are eating dinner or cleaning your room.
“Dead to Me”: This show is centered around the friendship between Jen and Judy, which stems from the murder of Jen’s husband. Along with the plot full of twists and cli hangers, the phenomenal acting and writing make it an excellent show to binge-watch on Saturday nights.
—Compiled by Lucy Luo, a Business Editor.
The Mini Crossword is exactly what it sounds like: a smaller, less daunting version of the newspaper’s classic crossword. The creator of the Mini Crossword, Joel Fagliano, sold his first full-size crossword to the Times when he was 17. He went on to become an intern, then a full-time employee in 2014, and continues to write Mini Crosswords to this day.
The Mini Crossword consists of 5 by 5 puzzles most days, with a larger 7 by 7 puzzle on Sundays and an occasional 11 by 11 “midi.” Clues for each word go across every row and down every column. The clues test players’ understanding of everything from history to pop culture. The Mini Crossword is timed so players can aim to solve them in the fastest time possible, although many players simply try solving the Mini Crossword for fun. Along with Sudoku and Wordle, the Mini Crossword is offered for free on The New York Times website.
The Spelling Bee is one of the games included in The New York Times’ $40 per year subscription, which grants players exclusive access to a collection of five word games and puzzles.
The puzzle debuted in the New York Times magazine in 2014 and was added to The New York Times’ mobile app in 2018. Players must spell out as many di erent words as possible using seven letters arranged in a honeycomb pattern. Valid words must be at least four letters long and include the central letter. Repeat letters are allowed. Every puzzle includes at least one word called the pangram that uses all seven letters at least once, which awards the greatest number of points. Based on the number of points a player earns, they are given a rank ranging from “Beginner” to “Genius.” If a player finds all possible words for a day’s Spelling Bee, they are awarded the title of “Queen Bee.”
Wordle, the daily word guessing game, was released in Oct. 2021 and acquired by The New York Times on Jan. 31, 2022. The game has propelled rapidly into popularity, starting with 90 players in November and growing to over 300,000 in January. The game is named after its creator Josh Wardle. Wardle is also the creator of two social experiments on Reddit: Place, where users could place a single pixel on an online canvas of one million pixels, and The Button, which has a one-minute countdown that resets every time a user presses a virtual button.
With Wordle, players get six chances to guess a five-letter word that resets every 24 hours. Each letter in a guessed word is color coded to o er clues to the player. A green box means a letter is in the right place, a yellow box means a letter is in the word but in the wrong position, and a gray box means the letter is not in the word. Wordle has also spawned numerous variations, including the Heardle, where players must guess a song, and the Globle, where players must guess a country.
.BeReal, an app that allows users to see the unfiltered, “real” lives of their friends, has been on the rise since its invention in 2020. The app’s 10 million daily users have two minutes to post two photos everyday: one with the front-facing camera and another with the back-facing camera. Additionally, posting times vary everyday so users could receive the notification at any time, from when they are driving to school to when they are eating dinner. Users can comment on their friends’ posts or send RealMojis, a picture of their reaction to the post. This setup lets users candidly post and connect with their friends. It can be a refreshing break from other social media platforms such as Instagram, where people take multiple shots for a photo, apply beauty filters, and even Photoshop their images.
Senior Tanir Kranz believes that BeReal fulfills its goals. She posts on the app everyday and thinks there’s a lot less pressure to look a certain way. “There’s not too much ‘trying’ when it comes to taking the photos; you just [take] a quick photo and post,” Kranz describes.
While alumna Anna Toksvig enjoys the concept of BeReal, she found herself struggling to keep up with the app’s daily posting nature. “The concept is really cool and super fun,” she said. “But I deleted the app in early March since it’s hard to keep up with the app with school and work. The constant notifications that wouldn’t go away were annoying.”
Regardless of its individual popularity and practicality, BeReal represents a resistance to conventional social media platforms, which often promote presenting the best version of oneself forward online. BeReal, however, encourages presenting the “real” version of oneself, ushering in a new era of social media centered around authenticity rather than superficial image.
Throughout the last few years, I have learned that my belief in Judaism deeply a ects my identity and the values that shape me as a person. Thus, my religion also shapes my political views because political views are based on what matters to us at the core of our identities.
My family hailed mostly from Ukraine and Poland, and those who were left after the Holocaust ended up in displaced-persons camps in Germany. I was born to parents who grew up there, two generations after World War II. Both my parents’ sides were devoted to the Jewish community around them, however small it was. My parents learned the importance of community, freedom, and tolerance by attending synagogue and being around Jewish people, and the same values have been passed on to me.
Judaism has been embedded into my family for generations and has always been a part of my life. Unfortunately, so has antisemitism and hatred toward Jewish people. For me, this means that when I consider politics, I also have to take into account my religion. Often, I find myself supporting a certain politician, such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, only to find out later that she has expressed anti-Zionism. While OcasioCortez’s and other politicians’ goals align with my beliefs, I simply cannot endorse her because to me, an attack on Jews anywhere is an attack toward me and the people I love.
Despite the e orts of secular governments to minimize the a liation between church and state, the two certainly mix. Religious values can strongly influence political decisions; politics can create polarization between religious denominations.
The world is not black and white. While this may seem obvious, I believe it is necessary for me to state. Rarely anything is straightforward, and beliefs and opinions are complex. Members of a faith can interpret values di erently to have di erent political views. For instance, those who fall under the categories of “orthodox” or “traditional” in a faith likely have di erent views than those who interpret the religion more loosely. Not all Muslims are intolerant of LGBTQ+ rights, and not all Catholics are antiabortion. Assumptions like these simply perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Generalizing groups of people can lead to discrimination and ignorance of diversity within the groups themselves.
I am a Jew who is neither orthodox nor uber-reform, and I have a deep respect for all faiths. I am an Israeli who believes in security and freedom for both Arabs and Israelis, and I love my country while harboring objections to the policies of its government. Being or believing in one thing does not always mean we cannot also be or believe in another. Remember: The world is not black and white.
—Written by Annabel Honigstein, a Writer.
According to the Pew Research Center, fewer than 10% of teenagers in the United States posted about politics on social media in 2018. Following the death of George Floyd in 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement skyrocketed in popularity, and the presence of politics on teens’ social media pages surged. According to Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE), 45% of teenagers surveyed post–2020 election created or shared some form of social media post about social and political issues in the past 30 days.
During the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, interactions and activities were restricted to virtual settings. As a result, online political engagement increased, especially since footage of social injustices— such as the death of George Floyd—was circulated on social media sites. These videos made their way to the feeds of youth across the United States and sparked the inner activist in many
teenagers.
Social media provides teenagers with a platform to express their beliefs and increase awareness on issues teenagers feel need to be addressed— an especially important power for those who are not eligible to make a di erence though voting. According to CIRCLE, more than 60% of youth surveyed in 2020 found that posting about politics on their social media accounts made them feel more represented. Through social media, teenagers are able to convey messages more accessibly to a niche audience that isn’t often reached through other media outlets, such as news channels.
A rising number of content creators posting well-researched and easyto-digest posts has made the circulation of political social media content easier than ever. Yet as more teenagers repost such content, they create a culture where other young people feel compelled to do the same so they are not treated with contempt by peers. This trend has led to “slacktivism”— reposting politics-related posts without taking any meaningful action to address those issues.
Social media platforms allow for the spread of more youth-driven movements as messages are designed to target demographics typically underrepresented in politics, but they can also promote a pressure to conform and performative activism.
As you go about the day, you likely don’t notice the di erent psychological phenomena that influence your thought processes and actions. Some may be good influences, while others may be just the opposite. Learning to recognize their e ects can come in handy to help you through your daily life.
Have you ever looked at someone who was conventionally pretty and thought they were a good person with a pleasant personality? If so, you’ve experienced the halo e ect: when you measure someone as a whole based o one metric of their being, or in other words, by their “halo.” Another example is when a well-dressed employee is seen as more competent than their sloppily dressed colleague. The aura of the “halo” can cover a person’s character and a ect the way you view them. This phenomenon can inform biases that lead to racism, sexism, homophobia, and other harmful stereotypes. One way to avoid detrimental applications of the halo e ect is to reflect on your assumptions, taking a step back to consider if you are under the halo e ect.
The Fundamental Attribution Error
The fundamental attribution error is similar to the halo e ect. Instead of equating someone’s physical appearance with their personality, the fundamental attribution error is attributing someone’s actions to their inherent character. One example of this error is when a manager attributes a worker’s tardiness to their bad habits and disrespectful personality, rather than factors outside their influence. This misattribution can have various negative e ects on the person being “judged”—even resulting in dismissal from the workplace. Therefore, consider how people can behave di erently under external situational factors when laying blame on someone.
A bystander stands on the sidelines and merely watches when an event, usually bullying, takes place. The bystander e ect occurs on a larger scale, where individuals are deterred from intervening in exigencies because of others’ presence—they believe others are likely to step in, and therefore their own involvement is unnecessary. As a result, in situations such as someone bullying another person or committing a crime, witnesses are less likely to help the victim. This nonintervention can be deadly when a dangerous event takes place. Despite the di culty of gathering courage in situations like these, it is important to stand up for others. As more people intervene, the more likely others are to act and—who knows—change someone’s life.
The illusion of explanatory depth is believing one understands more about the world than they actually do. When they are asked to explain concepts, they may struggle and come to face their limited understanding of them. Ponder this question: How would you describe the color blue to someone blind? You see the color blue everyday, but you may not actually understand this color as well as you thought if you have no way to explain the color. So the next time your language teacher (or even your mother!) lectures you on your “incompetence” in speaking the language, you lecture back at them about the illusion of explanatory depth.
—Compiled by Maya Ma, an Art Editor.
While everyone experiences anxiety to a certain extent from the pressure of daily life, others experience these feelings on a larger scale or more regular basis. Anxiety disorders are the result of heightened activity in areas of the brain that are in charge of emotional processing. Anxiety disorders include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and social anxiety.
Many misunderstandings about the complexities of OCD pervade. While those with OCD are often stereotyped as clean and hyper-organized, the disorder is more multifaceted. OCD is a chronic personality disorder characterized by excessive orderliness, perfectionism, attention to detail, a need for control, uncontrollable and reoccurring thoughts and behaviors, or repeating compulsions. While experts are unsure of its exact causes, genetics, irregularities in the brain, and the environment play a role. Studies also show that OCD involves issues in communication between the front part and deeper structures of the brain, and that OCD patients have excessive activity in frontal regions of the brain, which could explain their intrusive thoughts and high levels of anxiety.
Another type of anxiety disorder is PTSD, which can develop after exposure to a traumatizing or terrifying event, including ones in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. While PTSD is often associated with war, many kinds of environments and events can cause it, some being abuse, sexual assault, harassment, kidnapping, or accidents. PTSD often causes excessive activity—which can be identified through brain scans—in the amygdala, a part of the brain that regulates emotion and encodes memories. PTSD causes the brain to be stuck in danger mode: Even though a person is no longer in a dangerous situation, their brain stays on high alert and their body continues sending stress signals. Symptoms include trouble sleeping and concentrating, overwhelming guilt, ease of being startled, selfdestructive behavior, and outbursts or aggressive behavior.
GAD pertains to excessive and uncontrollable worrying about everyday issues and situations. People who have general anxiety disorder have a weaker pairing between their ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, as well as decreased or increased connection between other prefrontal cortices and the amygdala. GAD can often result in an imbalance of naturally occurring brain chemicals,
such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. GAD can be inherited genetically, similar to other anxiety disorders. People with non-inherited GAD may have a history of significant life changes or traumatic experiences during childhood or in more recent years of their life, resulting in or a ecting the development of their anxiety disorder.
For those with social anxiety disorder, everyday interactions cause anxiety and self-consciousness. Research suggests that there is no one distinct cause of social anxiety disorder; rather, they are due to a complex interaction of genetic, environmental, societal, biological, and other factors. As social anxiety is a heightened fear response in social settings, people with social anxiety may have hyperactivity in the amygdala, responsible for the brain’s “flight-or-fight” response, which causes the body to respond to perceived threats, real or imagined. Research from 2020 showed that the amygdala is slightly larger in people with social anxiety and that higher severity of anxiety symptoms correlated with larger amygdalas, indicating that the brains of people with social anxiety have adapted to spending more time and energy processing threats and emotions. Those with social anxiety likely also have imbalances of certain chemicals called neurotransmitters in their brains. Some neurotransmitters involved in anxiety are serotonin, norepinephrine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and dopamine. There is an overlap in the imbalance of neurotransmitters present in those with social anxiety with those who have other anxiety disorders such as agoraphobia (an extreme or irrational fear of entering open or crowded areas, leaving home, or being stuck in hardto-escape places) and panic disorder.
While these are just some of the anxiety disorders people experience, the root causes and e ects happen in the same or similar parts of the brain and are a combination of both biological and environmental factors. These di erent types of anxiety disorders possess similar characteristics and symptoms, which doctors focus on in treating patients. Seeking professional help by discussing medical options with doctors, engaging in mindfulness and yoga, taking a break from screens, exercising and spending time outdoors, and engaging in other forms of self-care are great ways to alleviate feelings of anxiety.
—Written
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 5.8 million children aged 3–17 were diagnosed with anxiety from 2016–2019
The Child Mind Institute reported that 9.1% of teens had social anxiety disorder in 2017
According to a CDC survey from 2021, 31% of teens said they experienced feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression in the past 30 days
While these are just some of the anxiety disorders people experience, the root causes and effects happen in the same or similar parts of the brain and are a combination of both biological and environmental factors.by Safina Syed, a Head Editor.
When the COVID-19 lockdown hit in March 2020, a wide variety of ensuing issues—from job loss to social isolation—started eating away at teens’ mental health.
Percentages of teens su ering form mental illness have consistently increased throughout the years but rose significantly during COVID-19. According to 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics on high school students’ mental health during the pandemic, 37% reported experiencing poor mental health and 44% felt persistently sad or hopeless. Ray Merenstein, the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Colorado, noted that the number of youth aged 6–17 su ering from mental illness has doubled since the start of the pandemic.
These problems have been accompanied by growing substance use and suicide rates. Solitary rather than social use of drugs has risen, often a sign of a poor psychological state. Suicide has risen from the tenth to the second leading cause of death in adolescents ages 12–17, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
also have negatively impacted health during and following the lockdown.
At the same time, online school hindered teenagers’ education. Distractions on the internet and bothersome or poorly equipped learning environments could have caused students to learn less, leading to subpar grades, self-doubt, or depression.
Feelings of isolation were also triggered by an absence of school connectedness, or the sense of belonging and care within a school’s community— something lost, at least in part, in online learning.
A major cause of this increase in mental illness was school shutdowns. Many teens experienced distress due to a lack of socialization or a disturbance of routines and began to feel lonely or isolated from their friends and peers. Feelings of isolation were also triggered by an absence of school connectedness, or the sense of belonging and care within a school’s community—something lost, at least in part, in online learning. Job losses or unhealthy amounts of screen time could
In addition, the pandemic exacerbated household stress. Extended periods of time spent with family strained many originally stable relationships. COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths could have further increased stress and profoundly a ected families—the U.S. alone has counted over one million deaths. The severity of child abuse also increased due to household di culties and educators’ inability to identify abuse victims remotely. These abuses and lack of intervention could have created both immediate and enduring psychological problems for adolescents. Emotional and mental trauma from the pandemic could last longer than the virus’ e ects on physical health.
Despite the long-term issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still infrequently mentioned upsides. Individuals with social anxiety were able to spend more time in a safe environment, reducing their anxiety levels and panic attack frequencies. Confronted with the di culties of the pandemic, people learned to be more resilient and were able to take time for themselves.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a relatively new therapy approach that views individuals as composed of di erent personalities or “parts,” which work together as a family—as depicted in the Disney movie “Inside Out.” The theory states that the many parts within a person can be divided into three main categories: exiles, firefighters, and managers. At the center of all these parts is the Self—an objective, relaxed entity that is the core of the individual.
Exiles are parts that have experienced trauma, and carry feelings such as grief, pain, and terror. Triggers can activate exiles, making the individual feel vulnerable and in pain. When this happens, firefighters attempt to curtail or distract from those negative feelings through methods such as disassociation or reliance on other substances (addiction). To prevent exiles from becoming activated in the first place, managers lead and protect the individual however they can, such as through criticism or through planning to avoid potential triggers.
Trauma can cause a part to become “burdened,” or stuck in an extreme form of its job. For example, the “inner critic”—a manager whose job is to foresee and prevent negative outcomes—may
convince itself that it needs to stay activated constantly, telling the individual what they are doing wrong (often in the voice of an early authority figure). This perpetual activation can be damaging and lead to heightened anxiety.
A crucial aspect of the IFS theory is that no part is bad or useless. Every part has a function and is good in its natural state. Only when a part becomes burdened does its function begin to have a negative e ect on the individual. Because of this, when dealing with a burdened part, it is important to note its intended role. Getting frustrated at the part itself will not help; the correct approach is to recognize why the part exists, and why it is reacting the way it is. Awareness of the various parts is the first step to unburdening them.
When the Self is disconnected from the parts, the individual is able to listen to and feel their parts without judgment. Unburdening the parts and di erentiating the Self allows one to feel balanced, centered, and unencumbered, which is the goal of IFS therapy.
With increased carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions throughout the globe, finding ways to mitigate the e ects of climate change has become a higher priority. Reducing carbon footprints, switching to sustainable energy, and moving away from fossil fuels and oil are all valid ways to try and stop the current crisis. Corporations have utilized another strategy to become more “sustainable”: buying carbon o sets.
Carbon o sets are reductions in CO 2 emissions that are used to compensate for CO2 emissions created elsewhere. In this process, measured tons of CO2 are bought and sold through international brokers on a global market. For example, if a company were to produce three metric tons of carbon per year, it would make up for these emissions by planting enough trees to theoretically absorb three metric tons of carbon, thereby o setting the carbon produced.
Still, planting trees can’t replace cutting emissions at their source. O setting carbon emissions is not equivalent to reducing CO2 emissions. They serve as a distraction from the root causes of climate change. Creating this “sustainable” image allows companies to continue producing emissions while shifting blame toward the consumer.
Airline companies in particular rely heavily on carbon o sets to claim the image of being carbon neutral. Achieving “carbon neutrality” is likely unattainable when the airline industry is built around the burning of fossil fuels. In 2019, Heathrow Airlines committed to becoming “carbon neutral” by 2030, planning to o set their carbon emissions through tree planting in Indonesia and Mexico. These projects are verified through The Verified Carbon Standard (Verra), an organization that manages the voluntary carbon markets.
Verra, however, despite accreditation from an organization called International Carbon Reduction and O set Alliance (ICROA), is not subject to any government or United Nations standards. ICROA does not require specific standards to be
are legitimate when the organizations of accreditation allow anyone to join.
To be considered an o set, projects need what is called additionality: proof that they provide an extra reduction of carbon emissions (for example, planting a tree that otherwise wouldn’t be planted). However, this standard can be di cult to prove and easy to bypass. In 2020, JPMorgan Chase & Co. announced that it had become entirely carbon neutral across all its operations. The company invested around one million dollars’ worth in carbon o sets towards protecting Hawk Mountain Preserve in eastern Pennsylvania, protecting trees that would otherwise have been cut down. But the land was never threatened in the first place and was already under the protection of the Nature Conservancy, the organization that sold JPMorgan the land. Despite the superfluousness of this project, it was still verified by the American Carbon Registry, giving it an appearance of legitimacy and JPMorgan the appearance of being carbon neutral.
The larger issue with carbon o sets is that there is only room for so many trees. Humans now emit 4,000 times more carbon then what was emitted in the preindustrial era, but there is physically not enough room on the planet to plant 4,000 times as many trees or for every company to plant trees to fulfill their net zero pledge. According to a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, there are only around 500 million hectares of land left that can be dedicated to new forests for carbon capture. Shell, one company alone, has proposed planting a tenth of that amount.
Most o sets on the market don’t reliably reduce emissions— it is simply not possible to invest money and have emissions disappear completely. The system makes it easy for companies and organizations to make claims that they are not able to back up. Buyers want a cheap way to make a big claim or meet area regulations, and sellers want money for doing as little as possible. But in the end, companies can not o footprint.
Creating this “sustainable” image allows companies to continue producing emissions while shifting blame toward the consumer.—Written by Katie LaWer, a Head Editor. Yuna Suh