Friday, April 19, 2019
The Campanile
B4
*The names of sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity have been changed
SPO LIGHT
The Truth Abo
Unpacking the driving forces and imp
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verybody’s doing it,” embattled college coach William Rick Singer said in a 2013 YouTube video, “it” referring to high school students doing all they can to boost their chances at college admissions. What appeared to be an innocent pep talk video was recently unveiled
as a small aspect of the largest college admissions scandal ever prosecuted in the U.S., ensnaring celebrities and global CEOs and prompting Americans to reflect on the fairness of college admissions. More broadly, the scandal highlights an issue that has become ubiq-
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tanford University freshman Alex, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, has only been at Stanford for the past seven months. But like many of his classmates at Stanford, Alex said he is well-aware that the prestige and perfection associated with his elite university often mask the pressure students experience — a phenomenon known as the “Stanford duck syndrome.” “Duck syndrome,” a term coined at Stanford University around five years ago, compares the happy façade college students often project to the way a duck appears to glide calmly and gracefully while actually frantically paddling underneath the water’s surface to stay afloat. “The duck syndrome is totally present at Stanford,” Alex said. “If someone scores a B and
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s baby boomers and Generation X start to leave the workforce, and Millennials start to replace their higher ranked white-collar and blue-collar jobs, Generation Z is expected to fill the holes in society. Honest and dishonest students progress through high school and college
a n d enter important professional roles, such as doctors, lawyers, and politi-
Introduction
uitous: a sinister culture of dishonesty. Silicon Valley is no stranger to lying, from the defunct Theranos claiming to have revolutionized blood testing to Apple purposely slowing down older iPhones via software updates and telling consumers the updates prolonged battery life.
Perhaps even more pernicious and relevant to people’s daily lives than corporate wrongdoing is the lies students and parents spread. Rather than becoming the exception, dishonesty appears to have become the norm in the everyday lives of the younger generation – at the expense of mor-
Duck Syndrome
they’ve never scored a B in their life, they’re just said. “It takes you some amount of time to realgoing to be like, ‘We’re OK with it,’ and ize that not everything is OK … But it’s very show everyone prevalent once you they’re happy, get to know about because it’s it.” the status According to quo here.” Alex, this systemDespite the atic hiding of true popularity of emotions leads to def. a phenomena coined the term, Alex hiding of perat Stanford University to describe how the said he initially sonal struggles people portray calmness superficially did not realize at competitive how prevalent institutions — while frantically trying to keep up. the duck synbe it at Stanford, drome was unPaly or elsewhere til late fall quarter. — at the expense of sleep and mental “(The duck syndrome is) very subtle,” Alex health.
duck syn·drome
Generational Differences
cians. Unlike previous generations, as a generation that was raised with a specific emphasis to win at all costs matures into adults, the potential for societal consequences is real. James Doty, a Clinical Professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University, said a generation that was taught to cheat and lie to survive as children will act the same as professionals. “Somehow those parents believe it was OK for them to (win at all costs) in high school or college, but when they become a doctor or lawyer or professional, they will be a good human being,” Doty said. “No — they’re going to demonstrate the same type of ruthless behavior and cheat, steal, do whatever’s necessary to be number one or to win.” In addition to a set of degraded morals, another generational difference with potential consequences is Generation Z’s reliance on technology – specifically social media, a form of communication widely used by students and society alike. According to Jessica Clark, a Paly Counseling and Support Services for Youth head therapist, social media is part of the dishonesty that people experience today. “We’re in a phase of our society (where social media) is a symptom, but also represents that duck syndrome,” Clark said. “You put your best face out to the world and hide your struggles underneath.”
al integrity, interpersonal trust and mental health. As Generation Z is taught to win at all costs, and morals are questioned, a powder keg is set up to explode as the current generation of professionals is phased out and a new breed of people with different values and worldviews replace them.
“You still have to show you’re happy, and (for) a bunch of my friends, academically, this puts a huge pressure on us because … we’re struggling,” Alex said. According to Paly junior Brian, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, the duck syndrome has managed to infect younger audiences aswell, and has become a typical part of academic life for many Paly students too. “I think that the duck syndrome is present in everyone, but it’s kind of localized,” Brian said. “So if you look at some random person you hardly know at Paly and see how they're doing, you're probably like, ‘Yeah, they're doing fine and are totally chill,’ but (if ) you talk to any one of your friends, and they're all totally freaking the f--- out.”
As technology and daily life intertwine A 2017 report from the Royal Society for tighter, a constant stream of carefully curated Public Health in the UK found that Instaand misleading gram is the most highlights can detrimental social have a detrimedia app to the mental effect mental health of on the mental people aged 14 health of usto 24, followed ers, and also by Snapchat. The reflects the report found that mental health while Instagram of the one who can be a positive portrays their outlet for self-exlife perfectly pression, the app online. can also negative“The sad ly affects body imthing about inage, sleep patterns dividuals who and encourages have to be perthe phenomenon fect on Instaknown as “Fear of gram in terms Missing Out.” Percent of each generation that of their looks “You’re not agrees with the statement: "Lying posting pictures or present this extraordinary of you waking is morally wrong." lifestyle is that up out of bed Courtesy of Barna Group they are also with your hair all suffering from messed,” Clark a need for acsaid. “You’re postceptance and ing the highlights love,” Doty said. of your life. So as “... it’s their peers (encouraging online dishon- you’re comparing someone else’s posts to your esty), it’s marketing, marketers using un- life, it looks like everyone else has this wonderreasonable perceptions of beauty… ful, pretty life, and it can be a false sense of what they’ll do anything, even be other people’s life really is.” dishonest, to appear that way.”