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“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder for consensus.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Aliyah Ramirez
Ray Kopf
SINCERELY, ALIYAH
RAY’S RECORD
Trying to find more voices like mine
When I was in elementary school, we would take timed math tests. Like most students, I would finish under that unending minute in relief, but when everyone got their test back, I was never proud of the score I received. I remember my classmates’ eyes, as they told me, “people like you always get good scores.” These comments led me to hold my tongue in defense from a young age, but seeing myself from others’ perspectives was not as important to me as it is today. I grew up primarily following my family’s Chinese traditions as an important aspect of my childhood. As a Chinese, Filipino, and Mexican-American, something I did not realize as a child when I was receiving comments based on the expectations of others: my slick black hair, dark eyes, and pale skin, marked me as every other stereotypical Asian girl. Without even realizing it was based on appearance, others portrayed me with the underlying expectations of the model minority. The expectation is that all Asian Americans receive higher test scores, work unconditionally, display obedience, and most of all, maintain silence. When I see a person on the TV screen who looks like me, I know audiences expect them to act the same way. Being the quiet, shy, awkward, and an impossibly intelligent girl were all traits people associated with me growing up, but it was not until I was older, that I discovered where these given assumptions stemmed from. Representation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in mainstream media is alarmingly minimal. It takes more than just listing them in the movie cast. Instead, we need to see a break in stereotyped roles. Asian culture is made of various ethnicities, which people fail to understand. We as a demographic cannot be categorized under one perspective. The more the media groups together Asian ethnicities, the less likely we will be able to understand and accurately represent our own distinct cultures. A majority of the time, we are portrayed as tropes of nerds, scapegoats of disease, stereotypically un-Americanized and items of fetishization. In the media, Asian Americans are inherently, and specifically cast to perform as geek comic relief, the unbeatable yet scrawny martial artist, or the exotic man or woman from overseas. Yet, when we see Asian Americans cast away from stereotypical roles, people ask, “Why is that Asian girl playing her? They do not act like that?” Trapped within the complex of the model minority reinforces and disempowers how Asian Americans are viewed in society. When Asian Americans are cast as outcasts, with accents or piles of textbooks on screen, these stereotypes only further the given expectations of demographic discrimination. What we see furthers what we believe. Film has increased in quality and embodied much of modern-American pop culture, but we need to see a shift in how industries accurately represent Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Above all, we need to see Asian Americans as people, and on the screen, as main characters with diverse stories and backgrounds. Giving future generations a chance to see an accurate representation of their heritage, just like a child looking up to Superman, can help the Asian demographic feel inspired and included, not mocked. Stereotypes of my culture, or what people think to be my culture, have created a restricted lens of how people view Asian Americans. The importance of Asians in the media goes deeper than representation and diversity. As a part of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, I take pride and show support when someone who represents our culture succeeds–captured on camera or not. Comments built up from assumptions on my appearance held me back from saying what I truly felt. But if I could go back and tell my younger self one thing during my childhood, it would be “don’t stay silent.”
We should lower the voting age
Jaden Peralta • Experience
Letter from the Editor
Journalism inspires change By JUAN CEBREIROS Editor-in-Chief
Becoming leader of the Los Medanos College Experience newspaper is something I knew I wanted to try, but was a path I was skeptical to take. I’ve never had the loudest voice or strongest personality in a room, but I always had confidence to get things done. While being a quiet and reserved person I remain humble about getting the job done, until it was completed. I was hesitant at first to become a journalist but after spending a few weeks my first semester on the LMC Experience staff, I knew this was something I would fall in love with. Becoming a journalist slowly pulled me out of my quiet and reserved shell. I began to realize that I have a job to do and, no matter how uncomfortable it may make me, I need to get it done. This role is helping me overcome my anxiety and fear of speaking to people I do not know. For this spring semester I didn’t expect to become editor-in-chief. However, with the previous editor stepping down and our advisor Cindy McGrath knowing my experience both
Katherine Mustar • Experience
Juan Cebreiros designs the front page. on and off the staff, I was ready for the task at hand. I still have only been a journalist for six months, but I am determined to learn at a rapid pace to become the best journalist and editor I can be for the LMC newspaper. Coming back, I knew our staff was going to be small, but full of strong minded and hard working individuals. None of us have had a lot of experience on the staff but I am confident we will be able to produce credible news for all of Los Medanos College to read and enjoy.
Experience Staff
Reader Opinion Policy
Editor-in-Chief ................... JUAN CEBREIROS
The Experience welcomes Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns. All members of the Los Medanos College community — students, faculty and staff — are encouraged to write. If you are interested in expressing your opinions on campus, national or world issues, drop them off in Room CC3-301 or email them to LosMedanos.Experience@gmail.com. Letters and columns must be typed, signed and include a phone number for verification. They may be edited for clarity, content taste and length at the editor’s discretion.
Managing Editor ........... MOHAMMAD NAJIMi Perspectives Editor ........................ RAY KOPF and ALIYAH RAMIREZ Features Editor ..................... JADEN FORTIER Sports Editor ................ MOHAMMAD NAJIMI Photo Editor ................. KATHERINE MUSTAR
Voices “I’m a Raiders fan, so I hate the Chiefs, so I really hope they lose. I don’t have any hate for the Eagles, I hope they win.” — Nikohlas Higgins
“I’m sad that San Francisco didn’t get in, but that’s OK since we have the Chiefs. The Eagles are kinda trash.” — Micah Simms
The other day I randomly received a voter registration ballot in the mail. I thought I had previously submitted my ballot when I turned 18 so I was confused as to why I received one, then I read a little further down and something donned on me. The age to vote in public elections in the United States is 18 years of age and minors are eligible to preregister to vote at age 16. As I thought about it further I realized that at the age of 16 you are eligible to apply for your drivers license in the state of California. At first I thought nothing of it, but as time went on I felt something wasn’t right about the fact that you aren’t eligible to vote until you’re 18. If I am legally allowed to operate a motor vehicle at the age of 16, then why wouldn’t I also be able to vote for who I think should be the next president? Think about the ramifications of operating a vehicle and what could happen if you were to lose control of said vehicle. If at 16 you are able to have enough judgment to operate a machine that can potentially take lives, then why don’t you have enough judgment to vote for public office? If you bring up the argument that a 16-yearolds brain is still developing and shouldn’t vote for officials that lead our nation into the future, then should that same 16-year-old really be operating a vehicle given the fact that their brain is still developing? It just doesn’t make any sense. At 16, I was able to form my own viewpoints and make my own conclusions on politics. The same argument can be applied to marriage. In most states the minimum age to marry is 16 with parental consent. California is one of the few states to allow minors to marry at any age with parental consent and a court hearing. And yet the minimum age to vote in our country is 18. It’s absurd when you think about it. Minors can get married and operate motor vehicles all before they can vote. Marriage is a life-long commitment and requires a good sense of judgment, the same as operating a motor vehicle. Not only can minors marry and operate a vehicle, they can also enlist in the military at the age of 17. They’re not even a legal adult yet and they can sign a contract that binds them to four years of active service. Of course this is entirely their choice and that’s what this argument boils down to: choice. As I continued to think about it, the topic of abortion came to mind. Abortion laws around the country are different, but in California it is legal and minors do not need to either notify or recieve permission from their parents. Minors can simply get See AGE, page 3
What are your thoughts about the upcoming Super Bowl? C o m p i l e d
“I am very excited for the halftime performance! The team I was rooting for didn’t make it so I’m not as interested.” — Mina Romingquet
b y
K a t h e r i n e
“I could care less about football. I only watch the Super Bowl for the new and funny commercials and the halftime.” — Nicole Castellanos
M u s t a r
“I don’t really know anything about the Super Bowl, but I am looking forward to seeing the Rihanna halftime show.”
“Everyone is always talking about their excitement for it around me, it brings community together.”
— Ebuniohukia Femi-Oioj
— Chimera Mohammadi