The Snooch 2.0

June 3, 2014

2901 Melrose Ave

Iowa City, IA 52246

wsspaper.com

{

Pg. 5-7

Everyone knows that friendships can last a lifetime, but what actually happens to you and your dearest friends after highschool?

The Snooch 2.0

[3-4] Social

COVER ART BY//HANNAH SONG AND EBONY MCKEEVER

DESIGN BY//EBONY MCKEEVER

Technology pg. 3 Religious Stereotyes pg. 4

[5-7] Feature Friendship

[8] Opinion Criticizing The Gender Norm pg. 8

[9-13] Arts Style Profile pg. 9 Music Review pg 10 Pinterest Impossible pg 11 Lets Get Crafty pg. 12-13

[14] Backpage Summer Fun

02 TABLE OF CONTENTS JUNE 2014

Social Media The statements and warnings are everything but uncommon these days, “we live in an age with smart phones and dumb people” or “the technology that was meant to bring us together is breaking us apart” and of course the “you spend more time texting then you do talking in real life”. But is this apparent demonization of technology justified or is it just a standard in the never ending cycle of replacing the old with the new.

BY EBONY MCKEEVER

The statements and warnings are everything but uncommon these days, “we live in an generation of smart phones and dumb people” or “the technology that was meant to bring us together is breaking us apart” and of course the “you spend more time texting then you do talking in real life”. But is this apparent demonization of technology justified or is it just a standard response in the never ending cycle of replacing the old with the new.

In this kind of situation, what matters in the end is the circumstances under which a person is using the technology. Whether someone is using or abusing it is very dependent on the situation. For instance, Allie Pierce ’16 says “I think [...] older people and people who are too sick to go out are a lot more social because of social networking but young people use it more to kill time that they could’ve been doing something else, so it kind of depends on age.”

Modern technology has not only made a way for people to interact who might not have been able to before but it also provides a simple pathway for the sharing of new ideas across the globe,like Louis Ho ’16 said “The internet has led to a great deal of collaboration between people who would never have been able to meet or collaborate or work together and this communication through the world wide web leads to a whole new way of spreading and teaching new ideas” People as a whole seem to forget that all social media sites were first established with the soul purpose of bringing people together, so that the barriers made by physical separation would at least be diminished, if not destroyed completely. However it is being said that our phones, ipods and other devices are taking us away from the ‘now’. Pierce counters this viewpoint by saying “There’s nothing wrong with staying in touch with the people you love because the people are the ‘now’”. As Ho says “[social networking] gives us multiple avenues with which we can communicate and socialize with one another or for just talking or setting up events” Despite the fact that our modern social networking systems can be wholly positive, we cannot completely ignore the fact that while some people may be overreacting about the ‘technology crisis’ there is a grain of truth in their criticisms. Whatever good modern technology may bring to the table it has definitely made some negative impacts on

our society, mainly affecting things like social construct, as mentioned by Pierce “[Social networking] breaks down social skills, like the ability to pick up on nonverbal signals from other people and it isolates us to a degree” while jokingly adding, “also people are getting fat… they need to get outside more”. It has also started to change the way kids interact with us and with the world around them. “Now, even toddlers have access ipads and stuff and it's making them less social, they’re more interested in that than us.” said Ho. In the end, issues concerning modern technology and social networking are not quite as black and white as they may have first appeared. The adaptation of this technology into everyday life has had just as many good side effects, if not more, than the negative consequences we seem to place on it. And of course there is the sneaking suspicion that, just like how rock ‘n roll was thought of as the spawn of satan in the ’60s, social networking has become another scapegoat for our fear of the unknown. “Well... it's human nature to question things that are new” Ho said. Instead of looking at the technology issue as a simple matter of right and wrong, think of it more like a muddy gray area filled with goods, bads, and extremists on both ends. Maybe it’s not the technology we need to blame, but the people who use it.

DESIGN AND ART BY HANNAH SONG/JUNE 2014 SOCIAL 03

Religious

STEREOTYPES

Everyone reacts to situations in different matters, and that’s cool, you know, it’s alright to be your own person. It’s ok to have opinions and individual thoughts, but for some reason, many people find it ok to make assumptions based on very minimal information. Especially when it comes to religion.

BY HANNAH SONG

When learning of other peoples religions, the typical response consists of a thoughtful nod of the head paired with an unconvincing I’m-interested-in-what-you-have-to-say comment. A lot of people don’t actually care to learn about other peoples religions unless they’re deeply rooted in their own religion or share religions with said people. “Since Christianity is widely practiced in the US, people are accepting. They aren’t surprised,” said Christian Jung, ‘16, when asked how people first reacted from learning his religion.

When Rose Yoon, a member of All Nations Baptist Church was asked the same question, her response was, “Their immediate responses are usually ‘okay, that’s Chris Jung ‘16 cool’, or ‘what Church do you attend?’” Although people act accepting, they also jump to conclusions.

In Christianity, these conclusions consist of quite a few assumptions. Although people rarely come straight out and accuse Christians of being anti-gay or hypocrites, these labels that society has put on Christians has lead to widespread beliefs that are far from the truth. When asked if people ever assume stuff about their religions, Jung said, “Yeah, people usually assume Christians are anti-gay or homo phobic, and hypocritical. It’s best just to ignore those kinds of people and move on.” Yoon responded similarly, saying,”I guess they would question my stance on gay marriage,

04 SOCIAL JUNE 2014 DESIGN BY HANNAH SONG

death penalty, birth control and assume I would be a super radical and want to condemn everyone to hell.” While Jung chooses to ignore these people, Yoon follows a different approach. “My reaction to those assumptions are usually a gentle voice and stance on the issue, like I like to share my belief, but try not to shove it down other peoples throats,” said Yoon, “If they want to know more, I share, if not then whatever, they can be grumpy pants if they want to be.” Joseph Kim, ‘16, doesn’t find that people make assumptions on his political views, but how he spends his time. “I think people assume that I spend all of my life in church or something,” said Kim. This would be addressing those who think of Christians as people who refuse to go out to places other than church, because maybe it isn’t “holy” in God’s eyes or something.

So in the possibility that you may run into someone who shares their religion with you, know a few S things. It is possible to folON M low a religion, have good OM EC moral views and a social V I Joseph Kim ‘16 AT life all at the same time.

RE C same time.

OM FR N KE TA O OT PH

{

FRIENDSHIP

In West High, friends are what gets us through the day and keeps us cheery. What about after high school? Do friendships truly last a lifetime? Who will take the place of the irreplaceable?

ART BY//HANNAH SONG AND EBONY MCKEEVER

{

{DESIGN BY EBONY MCKEEVER

BY YIMING LIU

One of the things that make us human is the idea of friendship. It is the feeling of loving and being loved; the feelings of tenderness that melt our hearts and binds them together. Friendship to us is what drives us to feel happy and cheerful during the day in the dreary mornings, and lets us drift to sleep with a smile dancing on our faces. In school especially, friendship is the laughter and excitement which mingles with the boredom one might face in their classes and takes us through the day despite that.

In West High School through the bustle of the passing hour crowds, pairs and trios of friends laugh and talk together that creates the buzzing sounds of cheerfulness in the halls as smiles float in wisps of pink aura around us. Friendship is obviously a very important factor in our school lives, but as the thoughts of the real world beyond high school draws nearer with each passing day, we ask ourselves: what about after? What will take us through the excruciating college courses and keep us cheerful? Who will be there for us?

To answer these questions about friendship after high school, we ask West High alumni about their experiences and how their friendships have changed over the years.

West High alumni Yiyi Liu ’11 said, “I think my friendships have changed in that I now mostly hang out with my really close friends rather than one particular group of people. When I was in high school, I hung out with a group of people who

“In

I would consider my friends, but not really close friends.” Liu also says that she has bonded more with the friends that she had at West after they had gone through college together, also bonding with her classmates while going through the experience.

“Now that I'm in college, and it's a hassle to find the time to hang out with people, I only go out of my way to hang out with people who I really really enjoy. Back in high school, I enjoyed people who I could talk to very easily. In college, my nonclose friends tend to be people who are in the same classes as me so that we can study and do homework together as well as rely on each other for help. My closer friends however, are important for non-academic related activities and issues such as personal problems or having fun.

“When I miss my friends, I look through photo albums of us together, or call them, if we’re still in touch. Whenever we see each other during summer break or something, we make sure to make the time we have together really special and have a lot of fun together. We will usually do exciting things and things that we’ll remember, like camping. We all kind of hated the idea camping and still do, but we did it anyways, just for memories’ sake I guess.

“I think after high school, friendships last for sure. The friend group that I have was really close in high school and I think we’ll be friends forever because even when we haven’t seen each other for a whole year or something and we hang

poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge.”

-Aristotle

out for the first time since then, it’s like nothing really changed and everything is what it was like when we used to see each other and hang out every day.

“Even though friendships like that definitely last forever, high schoolers should really enjoy the time they have with their friends. You shouldn’t think that you won’t see each other ever again, or you’re going to have to “start fresh” with gaining new friends, because the closeness that you had is definitely still there and probably will be for a long time. I don’t for sure feel like I’ve any friends just because I don’t really see them as often.”

Friendship is important to the health and wellbeing of humans. The causes of modern social problems are often thought to be based in areas such as stress or unhappiness. But researchers suggest we are overlooking something crucial: friendship. It would appear that our society is ignoring the importance of this.

A lack of friends isn't simply an inconvenience when you want a friend for lunch or a movie partner. A sparse social circle is a significant health risk, research suggests. In one meta-analysis of 148 studies comprising more than 308,000 people, for example, Brigham Young University psychologists found that participants with stronger social relationships were 50 percent more likely to survive over the studies' given periods than those with weaker connections — a risk comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day and one double that of obesity.

So in conclusion, cherish the friends that you have and make new ones to share your adventures with. Pick your friends up when they’re down, and receive the same, laughing and having fun along the way. The philosopher Aristotle said: “In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge.They keep the young out of mischief; they comfort and aid the old in their weakness, and they incite those in the prime of life to noble deeds.”

CRITICIZING THE

GENDER NORM From the day we are born and continuing on throughout our lives, we will all be subject to the standards society wishes us to fulfill because of our outward appearances. Namely, our genders.

BY EBONY MCKEEVER

Starting almost instantaneously from birth different expectations are put on boys and girls. Boys are told to grow up to be strong, powerful and successful while girls on the other hand are told to be beautiful, dainty and polite. Now is it just me, or do the expectations for girls seem more...negative.

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being pretty or nice but the fact that those are the kinds of that girls are brought up to be is troubling.

And it almost seems like more emphasis is put on being attractive than on being successful and intelligent. Not to mention that when women take some of the qualities that are placed upon men, it’s seen as threatening and the women are often ridiculed for it.

For instance, if a man is assertive and outspoken with what he wants he is praised for being a good leader, but if a woman does the same she’d be called a bitch and would be torn away from any respect she might’ve gained. And if you flip it around you also

“

often attributes to women become insults when they are used to describe men. If you call a boy pretty or delicate you are essentially implying that he is weak, or breakable and therein lies the root of the problem. The characteristics that society wants women to embody most are synonymous with ones of weakness and inferiority.

This in turn means that for society the “perfect” woman who embodies all of the ideal characteristics that society placed upon her would be nothing but passive and pretty to look at. Not a thing to respect but a thing to admire solely for its aesthetics and to be disregarded once its use had come to an end. Since these characteristics are forced upon people from birth, it’s extremely hard to track down and stop the negative repercussions of them. And like I said before being cute and feminine aren’t bad things at all, but we should all remember that people can be pretty and intelligent and have the ability to smash gender norms all at the same time.

NOT A THING

TO RESPECT BUT A THING TO ADMIRE SOLELY FOR ITS AESTHETICS.”

{

on the spot

Do you think the roles soc iety puts on women are harmful in any way?

“I think standards negatively affect women because they lead to impossible expectations while also keeping women away from positions of power.”

Kelsey Keranen ‘16

staff vote 3/3

COMPILED BY//EBONY MCKEEVER

DESIGN BY HANNAH SONG JUNE 2014 OPINION 08

the

fashion idealogue

BY YIMING LIU PHOTOS BY//YIMING LIU

Bailey O’Brien ’15 struts through the hallways in bright red harem pants; her favorite thing to wear. Being quite fashion conscious, O’Brien shares with us her fashion inspirations and favorites.

“People have perceived the idea that my style is hipster, but I don’t really agree with that. I like a mixture of different styles.

When I was younger I wanted to be like a hippy, but then I found grunge, and I was like, “Man, I really like grunge,” so I think it’s more of a mixture of that. I really like 90’s grunge, and I have this sunflower dress that I think is pretty grungy.

I suppose if I want to make sure that I feel good one day, and I don’t want any problems feeling comfortable with myself, I really like my red harem pants. A little bit ago, my friend’s boyfriend saw me in them and he was like, “You need to change.” I think I started wearing them less after that, but I still couldn’t have a bad day in those pants.

If I want to look fantastic, I think I like my black skirt and a long sleeve black shirt that I wear. I guess I get a lot of compliments; makes me feel good. It’s very simple.

For inspiration, I really do love Urban Outfitters. As far as the idols in the fashion world go I like Cara Delevingne, she’s beautiful. I’ll go through blogs and look and things and be like, “Wow, that looks pretty great.” Anything that displays the idea of summer or flowy, or comfortable yet fashionable is inspiration. I also like Sky Ferreira. She’s pretty grungy and she seems like a weird kid, but she’s cool. I’m the oldest girl, and my Mom really isn’t into fashion at all, so I had to figure it out and help my sister figure it out. My sister is really good with fashion, which I take a lot of pride in, since a lot of it was me.

Generally I don’t think loose and loose go well together and tight and tight don’t go well together. For an ideal outfit, I like 09 ARTS JUNE 2014

{DESIGN BY EBONY MCKEEVER

flowy, longer sleeved tops and high waisted shorts, but the kind that don’t squeeze your skin too much. I like boots a lot too. I like outfits that are simple, not too much to look at, but also interesting.

Favorite trends… I really do like grunge; it really attracts me.

I like the festival look, like, showing your skin not because you are trying to attract males but showing your skin because it’s your skin and you can show it. I also really like boho. I really don’t like neon, neon kind of kills me.

So, festival, boho, some hippy, urban and grunge but a mix of all of them together are my favorites. I like the trend of wearing black a lot, not because I’m a dark person or anything but just because I think it allows your face to be an important part of the outfit and allows yourself to be noticed all the way though.”

Top 8 Summer Songs {Playlist By ebony mckeever

{Design by YIMING LIU

“This Time Tomorrow” - The Kinks

The nice vibes and melodic piano riffs of this song are a great way to break into a summer-y state of mind, with the main refrain of “this time tomorrow” having you looking forward to another day of not having to plague yourself with the thought of school.

“Mr Blue Sky” - Electric Light Orchestra

Reminiscent of The Beatles in the singing voice and clever lyrics, it’s almost impossible to listen to this song without bopping along with whatever dancing capabilities you may or may not possess.

“Let’s Dance to Joy Division” - The Wombats

The strong guitar lead in this song and uplifting lyrics make it great for jamming out no matter how mundane the task you’re doing is.

“Turn the Lights Off” - Tally Hall

Tally Hall just as a whole seems to be a bit underrated but this song, with its clever lyrics and insanely upbeat and pop-y feel is my personal favorite.

“Australia” - The Shins

An abundance of guitar and banjo melodies and sparkling rhythms make this song simply scream summer.

“Naive” - The Kooks

The slightly downtrodden feel and lyrics of this song in addition to its ability to stay lively make it a perfect song to relax to on some of your more boring summer days.

“Young Volcanoes” - Fall Out Boy

The amazing vocals and lively beat of this song are what makes it stand a little bit apart from the rest.

“Fluorescent Adolescent” - Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys are a favorite of mine and while I enjoy most of their songs, the bouncy melody and catchy lyrics make it my favorite.

JUNE 2014 ARTS 10

P i n t e r e s t : ble i s s o p m I

BY HANNAH SONG

PIN 1: DYED LEMONS

Whoa! I’m Totally going to make these!

Super Cool Guy

#2

Everyone has gone through a Pinterest phase at one point or another, and most people have that one board labelled "DIY" or "must try this!!!".

In most cases, these pins are left abandoned, never looked at again. Maybe it's for the better, as some of these DIY projects seem too good to be trueand some of them are. I decided to test some of these pins and find out whether or not they actually work.

#4

Okay, so the syringe technique didn’t work. I still had a bit of hope for this project, though. In hopes of at least a semi-fail, I thought of an alternate technique.

Rad Things 2 Do

#3 Apparently, simply injecting a lemon with food coloring and letting it sit for a couple hours will result in a beautifully vibrant, completely dyed lemon.

#1

If only it was true. In reality, this only results in a semi-dyed, patchy, diseased-looking piece of fruit that can’t even be described as a lemon anymore.

After waiting for six and a half hours, I opened my fridge and found a horrendous mess of colored water and citrus fruit. The lemons did have a more consistent coloring, but the rind was a strange yellow-gray-purple and

#5

Taking a bowl of cold water (the temperature really didn’t matter), I poured in a good halfbottle of food coloring. After this, I sliced up my lemon and tossed it in.

I stood guilty of taking away an innocent lemon's potential. Trust me, it wasn't worth it and neither was this pin.

Colored Lemons: BUSTED! {DESIGN BY EBONY MCKEEVER

11 ARTS JUNE 2014

let’s get crafty

BY EBONY MCKEEVER

You may be asking the question “Why would I ever want to make a papier mache cactus? but the real question is, why WOULDN’T you want to make a papier mache cactus! It’s all the fun of a real cactus but you have a solid 0% chance of killing it.

supplies:

• green pipe cleaners • cereal boxes or just plain old cardb oard boxes • paints and paintbrushes • tissue paper in your desired color • scissors/exacto knife • old newspapers for papier mache* • hot glue gun *the papier mache paste is one part water to one part white flour

STEP 1

cut out strips from your cardboard box or cereal box and shape them into the desired form you have for your cactus, use hot glue to secure the frame for your cactus in place. Also make a frame for the pot your cactus will go in (be sure to not make the strips too far apart otherwise the papier mache won’t have a firm enough base and will fall through).

STEP 2

Dip your newspaper strips into the papier mache mixture and lay them over the frames for your cactus and the pot.

To guarantee that the finished product is stable enough you may need to use 2-4 layers of the papier mache. Wait for them to dry before going onto the next step.

12 ARTS JUNE 2014

STEP 3

Once your papier mache structures are dry, paint the both of them until you’re happy with it. Wait for the paintjobs to dry before continuing.

STEP 4 Poke small holes into your cactus, then cut the pipe cleaners into segments for your cactus spikes, next push the pipe cleaner segments into the holes of your cactus to finish of that cactus look. Use your hot glue gun to secure the cactus into the pot.

STEP 5

Time to make a nice flower for your cactus (it won’t be as pretty as real cactus flowers but oh well). Cut your tissue paper into 5”x7” rectangles OR however large you want your cactus flower to be. Stack 15-20 of these rectangles on top of each other and accordion fold them together. Wrap a pipe cleaner around the folded tissue and then cut a design on the ends of the tissue for the petals. Separate the layers of tissue on each side to unfurl your flower and then stick the pipecleaner end into your cactus.

HOT DIGGITY NOW YOU HAVE A PAPIER MACHE CACTUS TO CALL YOUR VERY OWN!

DESIGN BY HANNAH SONG JUNE 2014 ARTS 13 JUNE 2014 ARTS 15

1. Pl an garde t a nice n n wi th flo ice or fr uits a w nd v ers bles egeta

e MacBrid e k a L o s and 2. Go t best bud lake r u o y h wit y the picnic b a. have a im! holl w s a e v or ha

3. Chill out at home with your friends, a movie and some rad snac ks (blanket forts are essen tial).

*BONUS* Bring a disposable camera along with you on your many summer escapades so you can have pretty photos of all the things you did with your friends.

BY EBONY MCKEEVER

S MMON

CO ATIVE

M CRE

N FRO S TAKE

PHOTO

e of th ave e n o to eh 4. Go festivals w n IC. w many n downto o going

5. Sign up to help volunteer somewhere in town (maybe an anim al shelter or a summer program).

ds y frien n a m her as t up.

6. Gat an and spli most c as you to have the rball d te Procee nd epic wa y of a or t t violen t in the his h oon fig ever.

DESIGN AND ART BY HANNAH SONG