Spring 2021: An Issue Divided, An Issue United

AN ISSUE DIVIDED

AN ISSUE UNITED

SPRING 2021 / VOLUME 10.2

A MAGAZINE ON THE CULTURE AND ASPIRATIONS OF INTERNATIONALYOUTH Editor-in-Chief Lauren Nanes Deputy Editor Jeff Hanrahan Art Director Stella Richman Photography Director Sofia Rose Marketing Director Megan Bespolka Editorial Advisor Marc Feustel Illustrators Katia Novak Stella Richman Sofia Rose Kira Winter Photographers Antoine Carriou Celia Goodman Chris Helali Louis Mack Lola Mansell Heval Nestor Hunter Pugh Sofia Rose Sophia Scalzo Isabella Sibble Chloe Vlahos

Staff Writers Shantelle Alweiss Farrah Aridou Malia Menard Elder Jeff Hanrahan Hara Vanna Martin Sofia Rose Isabella Sibble Joe Tannoury Fanny Tluszcz Kate Tuttle Thalia Weissman Abby Wright Contributing Writers Joseph Chafetz Magellan McCartney Vivian Stuart Jackson Vann Chloe Vlahos Linnea Wingerup

Cover photograph by Sofia Rose Modeled by Yoann Massala and Yara Kenza Ataya This magazine is printed by Tanghe Printing, Belgium in 2021.

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EMBE RING M I C H

BY VI VIAN AEL STUA RT

Conflict is everywhere. It’s in our personal lives and in our work. It’s on the news and social media, and on the streets that we walk. Conflict spans across oceans and crosses borders. Whether it is near or far, it is always rather easy to find. Discord, it seems, is our default. We argue and rally, we support and we denounce. Ally or adversary, we fight for or against. And, as a result, we are divided. Bolstered by our notions of right and wrong, social issues have become polarized by ideology. Emboldened by our politics, tragedy and strife are no longer only misfortunes we seek to combat — they have also become mediums through which to prove where our allegiances lie. Right or left, leaning or centered, we refuse to budge in our defenses. And so the divide grows.

Our opposing positions on conflict have refracted the most serious issues into cultural debates. Within the first 15 days of the month of April, there were 28 mass shootings in the United States. Just three days before I wrote this letter, Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black father from Minneapolis, was shot and killed by a police officer who allegedly mistook her Glock for a taser. In the first eight months of 2020, 164 Black people were killed by police in the United States.

According to the World Economic Forum, six women are killed every hour by men around the world. As of 2019, more than 50,000 immigrants were detained by agencies under the Department of Homeland Security. In 2020 alone, there were 235 attacks on Muslims in France. Mass shootings, racial discrimination, femicide, immigration, islamophobia and so much more are used as topics for ideological debate.

And though these debates are necessary and reflect the proper course of action for solving these issues, the divisive nature of our discourses has inevitably brought us further apart instead of closer together.

A long time in the making, we’ve developed scripts for how we address conflict and we’ve stuck to them. We condemn the side we believe to be wrong and oppressive, and though they very well might be, the initiative to find some mediation between the two has been abandoned under the rationale that such efforts are futile and rather impossible.

This semester’s issue of the Peacock is dedicated to proving that such feats are possible. If anything, it is our oppositional nature towards conflict that we share. What divides us inadvertently unites us. Throughout this magazine, divisive issues both big and small, intimate and distant are explored, each with their own humanistic angle that tugs on our instincts to sympathize and find commonality. Thalia Weissman interviews three AUP students on their complex relationships between diet, exercise and body image, an isolating issue that many can relate to, and invites us to relinquish the harsh judgments we prescribe to ourselves.

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Farrah Aridou implores us to reevaluate the ways in which we conduct our activism online, highlighting the rise in performative activism on social media. A one-of-a-kind feature

by Jeff Hanrahan premieres two interviews from Americans Chris Helali and Hunter Pugh, who willingly took up arms to fight in the Kurdish-led offensive against ISIS in Syria. Detailing a war that has become distant in the minds of the West, this piece calls on us to connect to an alien concept of conflict through universally understood themes of violence and struggle. A photo essay by Sofia Rose spotlights five female AUP students who challenge the way we perceive female empowerment through bright colors and feminine dress. Malia Menard Elder calls for the revival of endangered Breton culture by retelling its struggle for survival through the eyes of her grandmother.

The theme of this volume, “An Issue Divided, An Issue United,” is a template for how we should aim to address conflict in the future. Just like each piece in this magazine has been transformed into a story that unifies both opposition and acceptance, so too should we in the face of controversy. Rather than burying the voices of those we disagree with, we should find ways to understand them. No matter how just and honorable we believe our positions to be, our progress will remain stunted so long as we continue to advocate from competing teams. I challenge you as you read through this issue to find similarities between yourself and the conflicts presented, in rejection of division and celebration of unity.

Yours faithfully, Lauren Nanes Editor-in-Chief

A massive thank you to Art Director Stella Richman, Photography Director Sofia Rose, Deputy Editor Jeff Hanrahan and Faculty Advisor Marc Feustel for their relentless and inspired work in the making of this magazine. Thank you to our printer Reynald Lecompte at Tanghe Printing. Thanks as well to Amy Thorpe for her help during the editing process.

This publication would not have been possible without our talented writers and outside contributors as well as without the funds and support from our Student Media community, the Student Government Association and the American University of Paris. Thank you all.

letter from the editor

PHOTOGRAPH BY SOFIA ROSE

THE

BIG IMPACT OF small

WARS

BY JEFF HANRAHAN

ILLUSTRATIONS BY STELLA RICHMAN

H

ow many organized conflicts do you think are going on in the world at this moment? How many can you put a name to? If you don’t follow conflict news regularly, it might surprise you that as of 2019, there were 152 armed, organized conflicts going on throughout the world. To put this number in perspective, there are 195 countries.

In that year alone, 76,480 people lost their lives in these conflicts. This is 3,000 more deaths than if you were to kill every single man, woman and child in the first, second and third arrondissements of Paris. Despite all of this, small wars are incredibly underreported in the mainstream media. To help rectify this, using data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, I have put together four short reports of conflicts around the globe.

It can be hard to humanize statistics, but while you read, please try to keep in mind that behind each one of these numbers is a human being whose life was cut short by a war that most people have never even heard of.

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ROVING WARLORDS IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

In 2004, the Central African Republic Bush War began after François Bozizé seized the presidency in 2003. The conflict lasted on paper until 2007. In reality, it wore on until 2012, ending when rebel leader Michel Djotodia’s “Séléka” (Sango for “alliance”) forces captured the capital of Bangui and Djotodia declared himself president in 2013.

After widespread brutality by the majority-Muslim Séléka forces, Christians and animists formed militias known as “anti-balaka” around 2013, beginning to fight back and carry out reprisal campaigns.

In 2014, a peacekeeping force was authorized by the UN Security Council after allegations that both anti-balaka and ex-Séléka forces had commited war crimes and crimes against humanity. There have been many attacks on churches and mosques over the course of fighting, and generally, whenever one religion’s place of worship is attacked, a reprisal attack follows by the other group, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of violence.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the conflict has put 2.9 million people in need of humanitarian aid and has internally displaced over 500,000 people.

In 2016, a new president was elected: Faustin Archange Touadera, who previously served as prime minister under François Bozizé. Despite the change in leadership (again), high levels of sectarian violence continue, made worse by the fact that the now-splintered ex-Séléka factions are engaged in infighting. The government has proven largely inept at dealing with the crisis and routinely rewards armed rebel leaders with well-paying government jobs in order to stand them down. This practice has led to many people raising armies for the express purpose of extorting the government. Despite numerous ceasefires, the violence persists.

MARXIST INSURGENCY IN PARAGUAY

PARAGUAY

After the fall of the right-wing Stroessner dictatorship in 1989, many of the previously banned left-wing groups in Paraguay began to resurface. One such group, the EPP (Ejército del Pueblo Paraguayo — Paraguayan People’s Party) started out in 1992, founded by Oviedo Britez and his fiancée Carmen Villalba. The EPP espouses MarxistLeninist ideology and is fighting to liberate the country’s farmers from an oppressive system. Paraguay’s government claims they are linked to the Colombian guerrilla outfit FARC. The EPP has made kidnappings a major source of revenue, committing their first one in 2001 when they kidnapped María Edith Bordón de Debernardi. Her husband, a businessman, paid $1 million for her release. In 2004, they kidnapped and later killed Cecilia Cubas, daughter of former Paraguayan President Raúl Cubas.

The group gets support from many of the peasants living in the impoverished, rural northeastern parts of the country where they operate. A reason for the support is that, according to the World Bank, Paraguay has the most unequal land ownership in the world, with 85 percent of its agricultural land being owned by just 2 percent of the population. However, some of the indigenous and working-class people of the northeast disagree with the EPP. According to the Paraguayan newspaper El Surtidor, many indigenous people do not approve of the EPP recruiting their children for the struggle.

In 2020, the Paraguayan government was heavily criticized after a raid on an EPP camp left two Argentinian girls, aged 11, dead. The government initially tried to cover up the killings, but outcry swiftly followed when it was revealed that the bodies were hastily buried and the clothes they wore were burned. One of the girls showed signs of being tortured by government forces, which the government denies. Since the conflict began, at least 70 people have lost their lives.

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WESTERN SAHARA

100,000

internally displaced *LIGHT GREEN IS WESTERN SAHARA

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

100,000

2.9 dead

million in need of humanitarian aid

500,000 internally displaced

6.7

SYRIAN million internally displaced CIVIL WAR 400,000-

600,000 dead

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WESTERN SAHARA’S FIGHT FOR SELF-DETERMINATION

In 1973, a group of Sahrawi socialist intellectuals formed the Polisario Front (or Frente Polisario — POLISARIO being an acronym for Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro) during the Spanish colonial period of what was then known as Spanish Sahara, today encompassing Morocco, Mauritania and Western Sahara.

When Spain relinquished its Saharan colonies in 1975, Morocco and Mauritania both claimed land that the Sahrawi people say is theirs. The Polisario Front, already waging guerrilla warfare against the Spanish, then began to wage war against Morocco and Mauritania, with financial and material support from Algeria. The Moroccan air force bombed Sahrawi refugee camps located inside the country, and today, most Sahrawi refugees are in camps inside Algeria, where bombing

by Morocco would be an act of war.

In 1979, Mauritania signed a peace deal with the Polisario Front, ceding them the land they claimed in Mauritania. The war with Morocco has continued on and off since then and, in November 2020, a ceasefire that had been in place since 1991 was broken.

For the time being, it would appear that diplomacy is the only viable solution that can end this conflict. In the early days of the war, Morocco built a massive berm in the desert that is heavily mined and manned. The Polisarios, on the other hand, possess enough anti-aircraft capabilities to deter Moroccan strikes. Put simply, an offensive would likely be so costly for both sides that neither would want to risk it. The conflict is now limited in size compared to the early offensives of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but it does have the potential to boil over, and most worryingly, could see other North African powers such as Algeria join in the fighting against Morocco.

Today, over 100,000 Sahrawis are displaced in either Algeria or Mauritania, and since the conflict began in the ‘70s, over 10,000 people have died.

100,000 SAHRAWIS ARE DISPLACED SYRIAN CIVIL WAR

What started as part of the Arab Spring of 2011 has now become a decade-long conflict that has also caused one of the largest refugee crises in history. After months of harsh retaliation against the Assad government’s failure to implement more democratic reforms in the country, compounded by coming off of five years of widespread drought, many members of the Syrian military began to defect en masse to form the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and open civil war began in Syria.

After only one year, infighting and lack of funding began to eat away at the FSA, and jihadist groups began to comprise the main opposition forces, with the al-Nusra Front emerging as a particularly well-funded group. At the beginning of 2014, ISIS (commonly referred to as Daesh in the region) began gaining immense traction, prompting international intervention into the conflict.

Once foreign governments became heavily involved, the Syrian Civil War spiraled into a web of alliances and, according to the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, the conflict has become a proxy event for the new Cold War. Just like Vietnam and Afghanistan in 1979, Syria has seemingly turned into a stage for the U.S. and Russia to face off against one another without having to directly come to blows, with the U.S. backing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Russia backing Assad’s government forces.

Besides Russia and the U.S., Middle Eastern foes Iran and Saudi Arabia are also using Syria as a way to indirectly fight one another and vie for influence in the region. Turkey, meanwhile, is using the conflict to ensure that a group friendly to Turkey comes out on top, while also trying to prevent the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from forming anything resembling an autonomous Kurdistan.

In simple terms, the conflict in Syria currently opposes Assad’s government, supported by Russia and Iran (via Hezbollah), with a Turkish-backed Syrian opposition faction, and the SDF and PKK, who are backed by the U.S. and other Western powers, as well as Saudi Arabia to a lesser extent. Throw in a handful of minor jihadist groups and the remnants of Daesh and that is more or less the situation today.

The death toll and humanitarian crisis cannot be understated: 6.6 million Syrians have fled the country, with a further 6.7 million internally displaced. Before the war, there were 22 million people in Syria, so over half the population has been forced to flee. On top of that, it is estimated that between 400,000 and 600,000 people have lost their lives in the conflict.

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HAVE GUN, WILLTRAVEL

Heval Nestor ©

A story of two Americans who put their lives on the line in the Kurdish-led fight against ISIS

By Jeff Hanrahan

Many foreigners have taken up the Kurdish struggle as their own, pledging corpus and Kalashnikov to the idea of a democratic, autonomous Kurdistan.

Many foreigners have taken up the Kurdish struggle as their own, pledging corpus and Kalashnikov to the idea of a democratic, autonomous Kurdistan. Two of these volunteers, Chris Helali and Hunter Pugh, agreed to speak with me and detail what life was like fighting for the Kurds in the Yekîneyên Parastina Gel (YPG) — the People’s Protection Units.

It’s difficult to narrow down a specific start date for the Kurdish struggle, but like all Middle Eastern history, the end of World War I is a good place to start. After the Ottoman Empire had been filleted and gutted by the Entente powers, the Kurds believed that they might get their own country.

History did not work out in their favor.

For Chris Helali, the fight had a personal stake — he

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Chris Helali ©

C

aught in the tangled spider web of alliances and factions of the Syrian Civil War are the Kurds. Geography has not been kind to this Iranian ethnic group which has historically dwelled in what is now eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, northwestern Iran and northern Syria. The Kurds have always lived on the borders of empires, stretching back to the times of Alexander. The Ottomans and Safavids fought bitterly over the land. So did Atatürk and the Entente, and today powers great and small are using the Syrian Civil War as a chessboard for their own designs. The now-international nature of the war means that local fighters, including the Kurds, have to walk on eggshells in their fight for liberation, lest they incur the wrath of a major power.

Still, if there is a time for the Kurds to finally grasp more autonomy, that time is now. The brutal civil war that is raging on in Syria provides an unfortunate but excellent opportunity for the Kurdish people to fight for a home of their own.

At the same time, the balance of power in the region hangs on a razor’s edge, and the Kurds have to be careful not to provoke the powerful entities using the region for their own gains. They have already proven themselves in combat and are largely responsible for pushing back and destroying ISIS. Though that threat has been dealt with, they still have to weather the Turkish onslaught.

IFB commemorating martyrs outside of Raqqa.

comes from a Kurdish family of Iranian origin. Prior to fighting with the YPG, he was in the U.S. military, but became a conscientious objector after receiving orders to Afghanistan.

He is well-versed in the history of the region and gave me some much-needed background in our interview.

“When Turkey became a secular Republic under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the 1920s, the Kurds got the shaft end of the deal because they were promised a level of autonomy and self-determination,” he tells me. “But that was revoked for a policy known as Turkification. So, basically, the Kurds were extinguished in terms of a unique people and community with their own language, their own culture and their own living heritage.” This process was not a peaceful shift, and there were many massacres.

After World War II finally came to a close, the Kurds had a short-lived autonomous region to themselves, called the Republic of Mahabad, backed by the Soviet Union. “A lot of the movement for Kurdish self-determination was really pushed by what we would consider to be the Communist Bloc,” states Helali. This backing and influence have shaped Kurdish history to this day; most of the Kurds who are fighting for self-determination are leftists themselves.

“They initiated a guerrilla war starting in the ‘70s, the Maoist uprising of Turkey. And then this young man, Abdullah Öcalan, a young student at the time, from southern Turkey — an area that we would understand to be part of historical or geographical Kurdistan — got together with a bunch of other students and founded the Kurdistan Workers Party, the PKK,” says Helali. “The PKK started out as a Marxist-Leninist party. It was backed by the Soviet Union and received weapons from communist Hungary, communist Poland, East Germany, communist Bulgaria and Romania,

as well as arms from the Soviet Union itself.”

Despite Turkey’s hatred of the group, the YPG was seen as instrumental in the destruction of ISIS, known as Daesh in common parlance. It was during their fight against Daesh in the mid-2010s that the YPG became so wellknown to Westerners.

Seeing an opportunity to fight against Daesh and to help traditionally oppressed peoples gain a homeland, many leftists joined the International Freedom Battalions (IFB), harking back to the famous International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War, who fought against the fascist Nationalists. The IFB was quickly merged into the YPG proper, with battalions often divided up based on ethnicity or language.

Hunter Pugh grew up in small-town Pennsylvania, working in restaurants after he graduated high school, but around 2016, he heard about internationalists going over to Syria to help the fight against Daesh.

“I first went in 2018 — I was in Syria for about a year, with the YPG,” Pugh tells me. “I was deployed and went on operations three times in the Deir ez-Zor region. Towards the end of the war with Daesh — the ground war, we can say — around February, 2019, my unit was no longer going on combat operations. So, I decided to go back to America, figure my life out, so to speak. Then Turkey invaded northern Syria, and I came back in November, 2019.”

Something that might come as a surprise is just how easy it is to go fight in a war across the sea. Pugh says, “There are very few hoops you have to jump through, in retrospect. It’s like, ‘Wow, that was almost too easy.’ Initially, you make contact with the YPG International. We call them “responsibles”, the people who set this whole program up. You email them over an encrypted server, there’s a bit of back and forth as they kind of figure out who you are, what your intentions are and what kind of person you are, like a recruitment process.

If you pass the bar, they say, ‘You’re welcome to come to Syria.’”

It’s hard to separate politics from the reasoning to join another nation’s military and fight an enemy that is not directly yours, but nonetheless, not everyone who fights for the YPG does so for purely political reasons, despite the inherently

political nature of the conflict.

“We have a mixed bunch of people who are a lot of leftists, very politically minded, and then we have other people who kind of fall under the category of former military who maybe didn’t get what they were looking for in their country’s military. And then, of course, there’s kind of a separate category of adventure seekers,” Pugh says.

Helali goes on to tell me that some of the people who join for political reasons are even radical right-wingers. “Now, there were other internationalists who went for drastically different ideological reasons. So, there were people who were there who were neo-Nazis, who went because the Kurds are themselves Aryan, and they were fighting against non-Aryans. So, they saw themselves as protectors of the Aryan peoples.

“There were many fascists, as well as people who were just non-ideological, but went there to fight against the Islamic State and to kill as many radical Muslims as they wanted. And those were a lot of former military people, as well as people who weren’t in the military, but had this strong hatred and animosity towards Muslims or Arabs. And they saw it as an opportunity to get free bullets and free opportunity to kill.”

An unfortunate reality is that the Syrian Civil War has opened up many opportunities for thrill-seekers and racists to join the cause for no other reason than as a carte blanche for killing. But, one must still remember that at the end of the day, this conflict is that of the Kurdish people, and that just because a Westerner is fighting for them does not mean that their views are those of the YPG. Helali also says that he believes a majority of the people in the IFB were there for the right reasons: fighting fascism in all forms.

So, what is life like on the ground for a foreign YPG combatant? “It was very tough,” says Helali. “It definitely was not what you imagine compared to how the U.S. operates overseas. They build a forward operating base, and then build the rear base that has a McDonald’s and Subway.

“No, this was a completely different type of work. You know, this was basically, ‘All right, now we’ve entered into this town, check all the houses and get whatever.’ We need batteries, fuel tanks, diesel, generators, mattresses — we’d take people’s mattresses, we take people’s pillows, blankets — we took all that stuff because we needed it. We didn’t carry any of that stuff. My pack had my diary, some personal belongings and ammunition. That was it. I carried almost 1,000 rounds.”

The YPG is mainly a light infantry force, meaning that they do not have much in the way of armored vehicles and motorized transportation. This means that logistics, the backbone of any conflict, is much more difficult. Unlike a large nation like the U.S., which can airdrop supplies to any corner

1

Hunter Pugh ©

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Hunter Pugh © Hunter Pugh ©

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4

2

Heval Nestor ©

1. Hunter Pugh digging a defensive position.

2. Images from the frontline during the advance to Raqqa.

3. Hunter with his team at the front line near Girê Xurma (Tell Tamr), Syria.

Hunter Pugh ©

4. Chris Helali at the YPG International Academy posing with the International Revolutionary People’s Guerrilla Forces (IRPGF) flag.

of the world in hours, the YPG have to live off the land while forward deployed.

In the rear (military jargon for areas that are controlled by friendly forces, as opposed to the front), the supply situation was different. “An interesting thing about the logistics was that a lot of our food was coming with U.S. logistical support,” Helali says. “We sometimes ate chicken in the rear.

You’d get a box of it frozen and it would say ‘Tyson Corporation’ — it would have U.S. markings on it!”

The U.S. wasn’t only supplying the YPG, however. Via the CIA’s covert Timber Sycamore program, the U.S. flooded the Middle East with weapons to supply rebels fighting Assad in 2013. The program was heavily criticized, as many of the weapons ended up in the hands of ISIS and the al-Nusra Front, another jihadist organization.

“ISIS had much better weapons than we did,” Helali says, “because of the fact that they had a lot of U.S. arms, a lot of M16s, .50 cal [machine guns]. We didn’t have any of that kind of stuff. I mean, here we are using ragtag arms that were taken or that the YPG had for decades, and ISIS had all new state of the art stuff.”

Besides the danger that comes with fighting a ruthless terrorist organization, there’s also the difficulty of telling your loved ones that you’ve gone to take up arms for a group that many Westerners struggle to even pronounce. Pugh found a way to mitigate this: “Yeah, so the first time that I came here, I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving. I didn’t want anyone to stop me. I didn’t go through that emotional process with them.”

He eventually managed to find support though. “I think with my parents, there was definitely an initial shock that they had to get over. But once I explained more about what was going on here and who I was with and what we were fighting for, and who we were fighting against, I would definitely say that my friends and family were very supportive.”

Helali says, “My dad wasn’t pleased because my dad was in the Iranian Revolution. He said, ‘We left over there to come to have a better life here so that you wouldn’t have to go and fight.’ And you know, he was very upset that I volunteered. My mom was very worried. Friends and family knew what I was doing, many of them were worried and were not as supportive, as you could imagine. A lot of my comrades were very supportive, but my family not so much, because they just found it to be absolutely insane and crazy that I would volunteer to go and fight one of the dirtiest and most dangerous wars of the 21st century.”

After the defeat of ISIS, it could be assumed that the YPG’s fight was over. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Turkey is now invading the region and conducting airstrikes against Kurdish forces in northern Syria, as Erdogan’s government

does not support the idea of an autonomous Kurdistan. The Trump administration allowed this to happen, bending to Turkey’s will and selling out the Kurds, an ally, in the process.

Unlike ISIS, the Turks are a modern, fully-equipped military, complete with aircraft and drones. It’s now a much different fight, and one that looks grim.

Unlike a large nation like the U.S., which can airdrop supplies to any corner of the world in hours, the YPG have to live off the land while forward deployed.

“We don’t want to be under the heel of some international power,” Pugh tells me. “The people here want to be able to settle their own affairs on their terms. And they want to cultivate and grow this idea of a grassroots democracy without being beholden to international powers. Really, I think the main goal here is that the whole world understands that this isn’t some violent or heavy-handed communist nation. This isn’t some kind of terrorist-held territory.”

Eight hundred years ago, another Kurd, Saladin, won a decisive victory at Hattin which effectively expelled the invading Crusaders from the Holy Land. He had the backing of an entire caliphate behind him. The Kurds today are in dire need of reliable allies. Fighting a modern military on foot, foraging for food and blankets, using Cold War-era weaponry against NATO’s second largest army; the cards are not in the Kurds’ favor. Their plight echoes one felt across the globe: an otherwise peaceful people struggling against imperialist forces, fighting tooth and nail just to be able to live on their land and govern themselves. When does it all end?

It’s going to be a tough road ahead for the YPG and Kurdish people, but there’s a faint light at the end of the tunnel.

“It’s been a long, hard war for the people here. And if they can avoid more bloodshed, that would be the best-case scenario; the hope is that through diplomatic ties to this region, they can negotiate with Turkey and come to a solution,” says Pugh.

Whether diplomacy takes the day or not is anybody’s guess. After a decade of strife, perhaps the major players in the region will finally agree to a ceasefire with some conditions. To quote Öcalan himself, “Violence has become unnecessary. In fact, things have got to the point where violence cannot be afforded.”

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BY THALIA WEISSMAN

The Not-So-Healthy Health Regime

PHOTO ESSAY

BY LOUIS MACK

AN INTROSPECTIVE LOOK INTO THE RELATIONSHIPS WE HAVE WITH OUR BODIES, DIET AND EXERCISE

W

e all wish to be healthy, but what happens when that desire begins to take a toll on our well-being? The relationship between dieting and exercise, while symbiotic, is also complicated. The ways in which we view and take care of our bodies differs greatly from one individual to another. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to health. Though there are wonderful physical and mental health benefits to fitness, regimes can quickly become restricting and ultimately damaging.

There are many personal motivations as to why someone works out, such as physical health, mental health and body image. Exercise is important to lead a happy and balanced life. According to the Mayo Clinic, 30 minutes of vigorous exercise a day can promote personal health.

There is, however, a tipping point. The pressure of having to look a certain way can be toxic and extremely harmful to oneself. Dr. Adam Chekroud MD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University, told Harper’s Bazaar that “doing exercise more than 23 times a month, or exercising for longer than 90-minute sessions is associated with worse mental health.” Too much exercise can, in fact, lead to irritability, anxiety, anger and sadness, especially when fixated on results that you feel you never achieve. Along with this comes the stress surrounding food. Food guilt, the act of associating guilt with what you eat, is a mentality often taught to us by our parents or other relatives who diet and demonstrate restrictive, even unhealthy habits.

It is our volatile relationships between food and exercise that can lead to us pursuing a health regime that is no longer nourishing, but rather taxing. Body image pressures disguised as fitness goals constantly challenge our relationships to food, exercise and health. This especially affects younger people due to overexposure to social media and unrealistic beauty standards for both men and women. In response, three AUP students with differing relationships between exercise and dieting discussed what their struggles have been.

WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO GET INTO WORKING OUT?

Nic Piani, a 19-year-old sophomore, explained that his journey began in middle school. “I was overweight. Also, socially it was the main thing. That’s what all the sports guys were doing and what all the girls wanted.”

Piani isn’t the only one who pursued a health regime for the purpose of looking a certain way. But while Piani’s drive came from a physical place, other students like Adam Cohen were motivated much more by emotion.

Cohen, a 24-year-old graduate student, began his journey as a way to heal following a breakup. “I was 21 or 22 and my breakup just made things worse. I don’t know

why, but senior year at Cornell, fall semester, I had a rough transition back.” As a result, Cohen started going to the gym every day to help him get over the split.

Alēm Blansett, now a 44-year-old graduate student, was a school teacher before coming to AUP. Her life was busy and hectic, and running after children all day seemed to be the only form of exercise she had time for.

After having her first daughter at 24, however, she decided she wanted to lose weight. “I felt like I had gained a lot of weight that didn’t just automatically come off after she came out.”

WHAT SORT OF FOODS DID YOU CUT OUT TO GET FIT?

Piani did not practice strict dieting. He did, however, try practicing veganism at the onset of COVID and confinement periods. Although he is not vegan anymore, he still continues to regulate his diet. “I need 150 grams of greens every day, every meal. I just measure the proteins, and sometimes the calories if there is something I really want to eat but don’t want to mess up my diet.”

Many of us start out with good intentions to be healthy. but dieting can quickly turn into a compulsion that compromises health. For Cohen, it began as something harmless. “I then started to push myself a little bit more and more, and eventually I was taking in 1,200 calories. With my weight and activity level, I should have been taking in 2,500 calories minimum.”

Unlike Piani and Cohen, athletes who were looking to reach certain physical results, Blansett had a simpler goal in mind: to lose some post-baby weight. As a result, her approach to dieting was far different. “At the time, I had a French mother-in-law who would always tell me, ‘you’re eating for one, not two.’ So, I did Jenny Craig.” Jenny Craig, an American weight-loss program, outlines pre-planned meals along with eating times and portion sizes. “I consider that a diet because it was not what I would normally eat, and the portions were a lot smaller.”

WHAT SORT OF EFFECTS DID YOUR REGIME HAVE ON YOUR MENTAL HEALTH?

Cohen found the constant upkeep of exercising and dieting anxiety-inducing. “I had a lot of issues. I was really irritable. I wasn’t sleeping. If I missed a workout, I would be super mad at myself. But all the mood swings and issues were because I wasn’t eating.”

For Piani, however, the effects were quite different. “It was great. Mental health and fitness go hand-in-hand.

It’s because you become so proud. You feel like you have something to do with your life, and of course bragging rights.” But despite the benefits that physical exercise

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had on his mental health, his relationship with food still suffered. “The only negative side of it is you become dependent.

If you cheat your diet or routine, you start feeling like crap, and there’s this constant pressure to continue.”

Conversely, Blansett is at peace with where she is in her life.

Since she is older, the stress and pressure many young people feel to diet is not as prevalent. “I’ve already lived my younger years,” says Blansett. Though, she did acknowledge that she’d like to snack less and workout more.

IS FOOD GUILT SOMETHING YOU DEALT WITH OR STILL DEAL WITH? Embodying a more relaxed view towards health and fitness, Blansett says, “I have no guilt whatsoever.”

Unlike Blansett, Piani says he deals with food guilt “everyday.” Though he manages to keep toxic mentalities at bay, guilt continues to permeate his relationship between diet and exercise.

Cohen also struggled with negative associations relating to fitness and as his “healthy” intentions soon turned harmful, he lost interest in spending time with friends and noticed he wasn’t himself. He then sought help from a counselor at Cornell. “I mentioned something about being hungry. And she asked me why. I said, ‘oh, I am on a diet.’ And by the end of the appointment, she had referred me to an eating disorder specialist.”

Cohen faced a mental health issue that, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 28.8 million Americans will also face in their lifetime.

The decision to be healthy is often not so simple. Complex relationships with food and exercise can distract us from our true pursuit of well-being, shifting our experience away from something nourishing to something mentally taxing. Factors like food guilt affect many people who wish to look a certain way. The way food guilt and other health complexes manifest differs for everyone. A mother who has “lived her life” will have a different outlook than two young men with two different goals. While Blansett has found an equilibrium, the personal experiences of both Piani and Cohen will determine their future relationships between food, exercise and health.

Following a health regimen is not an easy task. The expectations we put on ourselves both in how we work out and what we eat is nothing short of mentally exhausting. Our relationships to diet and exercise are complicated. Being kind and forgiving to ourselves is a lot easier said than done. And while there is no quick-and-easy fix to finding peace with our bodies, it is helpful to know that you are not alone. If you are someone struggling with the mental battles that can accompany health regimes, know that your journey to loving and accepting your body has just begun.

IF YOU ARE SOMEONE STRUGGLING WITH THE MENTAL BATTLES THAT CAN ACCOMPANY HEALTH REGIMES, KNOW THAT YOUR JOURNEY TO LOVING AND ACCEPTING YOUR BODY HAS JUST BEGUN. NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS ASSOCIATION HOTLINE (UNITED STATES): +1 800 931 2237 PROGRAMME NATIONAL NUTRITION SANTÉ (FRANCE): +33 (0) 810 037 037

The Body as a Language A lesson in communication away from the public eye Photo Essay by Chloe Vlahos Body language is how we communicate, in a non-verbal manner, with the world around us. How do our bodies interact with one another in public? How do we perceive someone’s proximity to us, their movements and, in turn, how do those around us perceive ours? The body is a language in its most raw form. It acts instinctively, without second thoughts or rehearsals, unlike words, which we let simmer in the back of our consciousness before moulding them into something comprehensible. The body will say what it needs to say immediately. Once we learn what the body is saying, how can we speak back and learn to communicate with the body in the private sphere, away from the public eye?

Wash away the necessities, notice as the texture changes. What are you left with?

Lengthen. Touch curiously.

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Observe, not what hurts, but what is connected: wrist to arm, to chest, to neck.

Then, look away. Some of the most profound conversations happen in our minds.

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Open, forwards and upwards. Draw yourself away from the interior and into the physical. How does being a corporeal entity change the space around you?

Spell letters with your body. Teach it your language and watch as it teaches you theirs.

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FACE ID ENABLED

How bias in facial recognition software targets racial minorities

By Magellan McCartney Illustrations by Stella Richman

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acial recognition (FR) technology, though still relatively new, has quickly integrated itself into our daily lives. Its most popular use can be seen in smartphone technology as a tool to unlock your phone. Convenient and fast, this software has found popularity in its simplification of previously pesky security formalities. FR is also utilized for passport verification at airports, at banks as an extra precautionary step to protect your finances, at big sports centers to spot potential threats during an event and by law enforcement to help identify suspects and make arrests.

Although this technology increases public security and has facilitated the functions of everyday tasks, FR doesn’t always benefit everyone. In fact, this piece will look at how this technology specifically affects racial minorities and how the algorithms it uses unintentionally created racial biases as a result of their programming, as well as the implications this may have for law enforcement.

Facial recognition is a biometric technology that uses distinguishable facial features to identify a person. It works by using algorithms trained to form patterns by identifying a face after analyzing millions of pictures of people. Introduced in the 1960s by Woodrow Wilson Bledsoe, an American mathematician and contributing founder of artificial intelligence, he wrote a computer program that could scan facial images by inputting the manual coordinates of an individual’s facial features. The program would then return images that it deemed most identical to the ones stored in the database, that of which was not very accurate.

Algorithms are formed by computers repetitively creating “accurate” patterns. But accuracy depends on the diversity of the dataset. Unfortunately, companies are not focusing enough on diversity to ensure that their dataset represents everyone equally. This results in inaccurate and inconsistent

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readings, particularly for racial minorities that are underrepresented. FR algorithms register certain features and then label them into categories. For example, short hair would be categorically labeled “male” and blond hair would be categorically labeled “White individual.” But in today’s society, it’s not that simple. Gender identity is different than biological sex and freedom of expression and individuality are things that computers may never be able to process.

These algorithms are supposed to be unbiased and fair, but as researcher and PhD student at Northeastern University Zaid Khan writes, “The way that we’re testing fairness in algorithms doesn’t really ensure fairness for all, it may only ensure fairness in the vague, stereotypical sense of fairness.”

Vulnerable to inaccuracies and prone to misrepresent certain demographics, FR technology and its inability to differentiate those with darker skin tones can potentially lead to misidentification and wrongful arrests.

A study conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology showed that FR is likely to misidentify racial minorities, specifically Asians, Black people and Native Americans. This is crucial because companies like IBM, Amazon and Microsoft provide facial photos to the government that are used by law enforcement. Though IBM decided to ban the use of this technology in 2019 due to its potential threat to human rights and racial discrimination, other tech companies continue to use FR because of market demand.

It is predicted that the FR industry will be worth $12.92 billion by 2027.

Jacob Snow, a technology and civil liberties attorney at the ACLU, found that Amazon’s FR technology misidentified 28 members of Congress to a criminal in a mugshot database. A majority of the misidentified congress members were people of color. Instances like this one are not unprecedented, and others have led to wrongful arrests.

In February 2019, Nijeer Parks, 33, was accused of shoplifting and attempting to damage a police car in Woodbridge, New Jersey. Identified by the FR system used by police, his arrest was warranted, and, along with spending $5,000 to defend himself, Parks spent 10 days in jail. The case was later dropped due to lack of evidence. Parks was the third Black man known to be wrongfully arrested due to misidentification by FR software.

Facial recognition has two types of errors: false negatives and false positives. A false negative occurs when the FR software fails to match and identify two photos of the same person within a database. A false positive occurs when the software incorrectly analyzes two photos of two different individuals and claims that they are the same person. Back in April 2019, a college student at Brown University and Muslim activist, Amara Majeed, was falsely identified as Fathima

Qadiya, a suspect for the Sri Lanka bombing. As a result, Majeed received death threats and even saw her face on the news warranting her arrest. Law enforcement later realized Majeed was not a suspect and proceeded to issue their apologies. In response, Majeed said in the Boston Globe, “There are no words to describe the pain of being associated with such heinous attacks on my own native homeland and people, the pictures and posts falsely implicating me have compromised my family’s peace of mind and endangered our extended family’s lives.” She also implored authorities to “be more diligent about releasing such information that has the potential to deeply violate someone’s family and community.”

Some possible solutions for FR misidentifications could involve incorporating an equal amount of data that accurately depicts racial diversity, diminishing any “minority” gaps. Another could be to register errors when the technology fails to recognize an individual, rather than just registering it as a false positive or negative. This would decrease misidentification cases and lead to less abuse of the technology within law enforcement, which could then increase public trust in FR software. Though these solutions are inviting, companies are not willing to pursue them as federal law does not bar the use of this technology. Ultimately, the biases of FR technology pose a large societal threat. Without regulation, racial minorities are more likely to be inaccurately interpreted within the system, misidentified and even wrongfully arrested.

The truth is there is no quick fix and it looks like there won’t be one anytime soon. Although there are solutions that do exist, there is little willingness among companies to implement them. Those who use facial recognition algorithms are looking for a one-size-fits-all answer, but that’s

impossible. Humans are unique beings with individualized facial features. Not everyone can fit into a category so rigid that identifies all of those with short hair as male. Companies need to have diversity in their datasets, as well as diversity in the developers who design such algorithms. The longer the biases of FR technology go unaddressed, the more at danger minorities are at being misidentified, racially profiled and even wrongfully accused of a crime.

ALTHOUGH THIS TECHNOLOGY INCREASES PUBLIC SECURITY AND HAS FACILITATED THE FUNCTIONS OF EVERYDAY TASKS, FR DOESN’T ALWAYS BENEFIT EVERYONE. 31

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verconsumption, a result of capitalism, has now reached a stage where it is not only destroying our precious Mother Earth, but also putting our mental and physical health at risk. We are involved in a constant, fast-forward motion, often over-scheduled, stressed and continuously thinking about what comes next. Not just limited to work, we rush our food, our family time and even our entertainment.

According to a paper published by the academic journal Management Science, stress kills 120,000 people per year in the U.S. alone, and leads to unprecedented health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and anxiety disorder. To be frank, our fast-paced lives are killing us. In order to step out of the individualistic society we’ve created, we must redefine our priorities and the way we approach life.

The path towards a more balanced life involves examining how we can best reconnect with our fundamental needs as a community by no longer making lifestyle choices that are physically, mentally or environmentally unsound. In a way, COVID has given us the best opportunity to do so.

Forced to spend most of our time at home, the pandemic has shown us that there are other, less hectic options to leading a fulfilling life. What we need is a cultural vision on how to slow down and reestablish harmony with ourselves and the environment.

The act of slowing down can manifest in many different ways. A powerful foundational concept was “slow food,” which was born in Italy in the 1980s when food lovers and social activists asked, in response to the opening of a U.S. food franchise outlet in Rome, “If there exists a philosophy of fast food, why not promote the idea of slow food?” The idea was then extended to advocate for other ways in which people can be slow in every field of human endeavor.

By favoring quality over quantity, the Slow Movement, with its unique and straightforward approach to life, might be the solution to most of our problems. The Slow Movement, representing a cultural shift towards slowing down life’s speed, has four distinct categories. Starting in the 1980s, the Slow Food movement, founded by the Italian journalist Carlo Petrini, emerged following the protests against the opening of a McDonald’s located next to Rome’s renowned Spanish Steps.

As a response to Petrini’s protest, this sub-movement emphasized the importance of consuming organic and lo-

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cal produce. Appearing in 1999, Slow Cities like Hersbruck in Germany favor developing “slow rhythms”, such as the reduction of traffic and noise, for a better quality of life. Under the Slow City paradigm, green spaces, pedestrian areas, local traditions and hospitality are promoted. Similar to eco-tourism, Slow Travel highlights the value of connecting with the locals when traveling, while bearing in mind our ecological footprint. Finally, the Slow Money movement, a response to the 2008 financial crisis, advocates for the redirection of capital to small food enterprises and local food systems.

While these four branches are all distinct features of the Slow Movement, its practices can be applied to various aspects of life. Embodying multiple interpretations, the Slow Movement is more a philosophy of life than anything else.

Canadian journalist, author of In Praise of Slow and spokesperson for the Slow Movement, Carl Honoré, refers to the movement as “a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better.” During a Q&A for the release of his book, Honoré explained how slowing down has enriched his life. “Every moment of my day used to be a race against the clock. Now I never feel rushed anymore. I do fewer things, but I do them better and enjoy them more.

I am healthier and have more energy. At work, I am much more productive and creative. I also have time for those little moments that bring meaning and joy to life — reading to my children, sharing a glass of wine with my wife, chatting with a friend, pausing to gaze at a beautiful sunset. I feel so much more alive now.”

The Slow Movement continues to grow and, today, people are deliberately choosing simplicity in various aspects of their life, turning towards organic foods and sustainable products to slow down their consumption habits and live in harmony with the environment. Mindfulness has also begun to be recognized as an important practice. According to a study done by the National Institute of Health Care Management, 52 percent of U.S. employers provided mindfulness classes or training to their employees in 2018, with another 23 percent that considered it for 2019.

To further understand why this movement is so important, I spoke with Jenny Ong. A Californian-based influencer who presents herself as an Earth activist, Slow Movement lover and homestead hobbyist, she discusses what’s at stake if we don’t slow down and what can be done to start incorporating Slow Movement values into our daily lives.

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WHAT DOES THE SLOW MOVEMENT REPRESENT FOR YOU? The Slow Movement involves taking a moment to assess our actions and their ramifications. I’ve been trying to normalize slowing down on social media for years and while it has become synonymous with a sustainable life, I’ve always seen it as an increased abundance of the more important things in life. Immersed in the moment, we are more appreciative of nature’s gifts and natural cycles. It’s a very visceral and intentional movement.

WHAT PUSHED YOU TO PURSUE THE LIFE YOU LIVE? I was mainly a fashion and beauty blogger posting about stuff like new collections, products and fashion shows. It got to a point where I felt so nauseated with myself and all of the things that I’d accumulated in my apartment. That coupled with reading news articles about sea animals turning up dead with plastic bags in their intestines, I started feeling really icky about it and in 2015 I told myself that I would phase out of that lifestyle. I’d always been drawn to nature and farm animals, but it never seemed attainable as I never had the sort of money to achieve it. It was a quiet goal I kept to myself and I’ve worked towards it ever since.

IS THERE ONE WAY TO PRACTICE BEING SLOW? One question that has helped me in the past is: How can I do this with fewer resources? For example, when it comes to buying clothing and you are deciding between ordering something from a fast-fashion retailer that you think you’ll wear for a long time or something that you like from a secondhand store that’s 10 minutes away from you, it is the latter that uses fewer resources. In terms of food, for example, say you’re choosing between buying multiple cans of beans or reusing a big container and buying beans from the bulk section. The latter represents the practice of being slow as it utilizes fewer resources for packaging. Thinking this way is, in itself, the practice of slowing down.

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HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CONNECTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT? Innate, intuitive, and transformative.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO PEOPLE SEEKING TO LIVE A MORE DOWN-TO-EARTH AND CONNECTED LIFE? AND WHERE SHOULD THEY START?

WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT AND GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD? It feels really powerful, to be honest. To grow nutritious and delicious raw food from tiny seeds is nothing short of magic. It really grounds you and binds you with nature, it feels like you finally know what it is to be human. Since I started growing food, I truly began to value the exchange of energy between all beings.

On the more practical side though, it is a lot of work and does require a bit of time which means that this sort of lifestyle during the pandemic may be a bit privileged. I want to note that because I often feel that many of the well-known homesteaders on Instagram or YouTube hardly address this.

You need quite a bit of a space in order to grow your own food and time and energy to tend to your garden. Not everyone has access to that, but hopefully that can change with better housing solutions and community gardens.

When I first learned about zero waste living I was obsessed with it, I think to the point where it was unhealthy because I would get so anxious or feel so guilty if I didn’t do something right. I don’t think I balanced that well enough with advocating for legislative change, which should be a huge part of sustainability, and I would beat myself up for my own actions. Take notes and keep them in a folder, and then refer to that folder when you feel lost on how to navigate this slower lifestyle. Draw a table, list some actions to follow and address them one by one when you can.

What helped me was just looking around my immediate sphere. How can you reduce excess in your wardrobe? In your bathroom? In your kitchen? Identify which products utilize the most plastic or unnecessarily come from across the world and find other solutions. Remember, there is always a solution.

WHAT IS AT STAKE IF WE DON’T SLOW DOWN? So much is at stake if we don’t. The trend of consumerism is always upwards, more is always the main goal. There is already so much data that shows the world’s resources cannot keep supporting a system that is so bloated. Consumerism is choking our waters, depleting biodiversity in our oceans and rainforests, polluting our air and so much more.

Various movements worldwide continue to integrate slowness into their practices. Nevertheless, a large gap remains between those who live by a slow philosophy and those who do not, largely due to the ever-present pressure to perform in a global economy where fastness is rewarded.

The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything slow, but rather doing everything at the right pace. It calls for a return to appreciating the pleasures of life, without unhealthy time restraints that increase our stress and dim our enjoyments.

It’s time to change our relationship to time and its uses into one that is liberating instead of restricting.

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Four Underrated

Self-Care

Tips to Promote Self-Love

By Fanny Tluszcz Photography by Celia Goodman

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f this past year has taught us anything, it is that self-care must go back onto our list of priorities. We must put our own needs and wants first in order to live a happy and fulfilling life. As the circumstances around us continue to change, self-care is the one constant that can keep us grounded and thriving. Beyond the most popular and social media worthy self-care tips like healthy breakfasts, HIIT workouts and bullet journaling, here are four less conventional ways to take care of yourself.

1. Start following astrology Astrology is the belief that the position of the stars and movement of the planets influence earthly events and the behavior of people. Western astrology follows 12 zodiac signs, all of which embody specific personality traits depending on the time, day, month and year you were born. With the advent of daily horoscopes that offer predictions about everything from your emotional well-being to daily activities, astrology can be a fun tool to learn about yourself. You don’t have to be a devout believer to enjoy it. Learning about your sign and comparing it to those of your friends and family can not only be entertaining, but also comforting in times when you feel lonely.

A great app for Western astrology is Co-Star! Find out about your sign, receive daily horoscopes and add friends.

The Pattern is an app to analyze your relationship with another person based on both your horoscopes. You can do this by entering information about a friend, partner, crush or even potential business associate.

Time Passages is the best app for newbies! It gives you access to a glossary and charts that explain the meaning behind your moon, star and rising signs.

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2. Have a cocktail night with friends Self-care does not always have to mean doing things by yourself. Spending some quality time with the people closest to you can also be very uplifting and fulfilling. A night in can be just as good, sometimes even better, than a night out. Learning how to make cocktails with your friends is an entertaining and gratifying way to have fun with the people you are most comfortable with. This night will be full of laughs, conversation, music and maybe even tears (happy tears, that is)!

Here are some easy cocktails to make at home: Margarita All you need is tequila, triple sec, salt, lime juice, ice and a blender (although the last two are not necessary). If you’re feeling bold, you can add a salt rim or blend in some strawberries.

Gin & Tonic This one is pretty self-explanatory — a bit of gin and some tasty tonic is all you need. If you’re looking to add some flare to this drink, you can incorporate some lime, mint or thinly sliced cucumber.

Mojito An all-time favorite, this drink only requires white rum, club soda, mint, lime and sugar. To begin, muddle the lime juice, sugar and mint leaves and pour it into a tall glass.

Then, add the rum while stirring with a spoon. Finally, top it off with some soda water and mint leaves for garnish. For something different, add some raspberries to the mix!

3. Start a conversation with a stranger Starting a conversation with a stranger can be strangely rewarding. Getting out of your comfort zone by talking to someone you don’t know can help you to not feel alone, distract you from whatever is troubling you or just put a smile on your face — and theirs! Although people in metropolitan cities can be abrasive at first, they can also be more open to talking to someone they don’t know. The Seine or the Tuileries Garden are great places to do this in Paris. Though starting a conversation can be awkward at times, the simplest things like introducing yourself are often all it takes.

Try sparking up a discussion on something easy and relatable. In case you need a little help, here are some interesting questions that are guaranteed to inspire some stimulating conversation: What is the most desirable trait someone can possess?

If you could relive a specific moment in your life, what would it be?

What is a common misconception people have of you?

4. Rearrange your room If your room is the place where you sleep, do your work and even workout, then this is the tip for you! Reorganizing your furniture and space can clear your mind and make you feel creative. Changing the position of your bed, adding a bedside table, blanket or art on your wall will help you feel productive and reinvigorate your creativity. As we spend more time at home, a new layout can give the appearance that you are living in a new space, making life in your rearranged room more stimulating. Boredom or antipathy towards your space and its layout can make you feel more tired and depressed. Revitalize your life by giving your room a new vibe with these three tips!

Try positioning your bed towards a window so that the first thing you see in the morning is the sky.

Leave some open floor space for movement to help the room feel bigger.

Incorporate some plants into your room to liven things up.

Bring Back the Breton!

An endangered minority culture fights for its revival

By Malia Menard Elder

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est Noz! As a child that word was synonymous with joy.

Anthropologists would describe it as a form of ritualistic trance, but I remember it as a feeling of unity, community and solidarity. Going to a Fest Noz was like preparing for a party. Grandma would wear her favorite heels, my sister and I would wear our fanciest dresses and grandpa would smell like his favorite cologne, the one he kept for only special occasions. I remember how excited I was, how the joy that evening promised made the 40-minute car rides bearable.

But, unlike the other children, my favorite part of the evening was never the food or treats, nor the possibility of temporal friendships that would beckon me to play hide and seek. No, my favorite part was always dancing! By the age of seven I had come to recognize the power of dance. I was fascinated by everyone’s legs and how they moved, all of them so different. Some wore pants and sneakers, others were in elegant skirts and sandals, yet even with all their variation in size, color and footwear, everyone moved in complete unison. It was as if the music had captured their bodies and souls, the dancers melting away and becoming one with the music.

It was not until later in life that I finally understood what I had seen and felt. Fest Noz was a spirited demonstration of resistance and survival. We were performing what I imagine to be the remnants of our ancient Celtic culture. In a way our dancing did not only link us to each other, it also linked us to the hundreds of generations who had previously performed the same ancient rituals. As long as we continued dancing and singing our culture would survive, we would not be forgotten.

Today, Breton culture is endangered. This is mainly a result of the loss of tradition in the effort to assimilate to the dominant French culture. Language and culture are intrinsically linked, and when one is removed or abolished the other also suffers. Suppressing language from ethnic minorities is an efficient way in asserting power and control, and is one of the methods in which Breton people were oppressed and removed from their Celtic roots. Still, resistance continues.

My grandma, Simone Rannou Menard, was born in 1937 at the dawn of World War II. Although she was born in Paris, my grandma is and always will be Breton at heart. As she often says, “My Breton identity is my pride.” Her family was very poor and worked on farms, yet, for her, Brittany is a place of bliss. Not only was the countryside safer than the city, but, because of its location near the allied British coast, German soldiers who had then occupied France were scarcely found in Brittany. Her father, having been taken prisoner by the Germans and her mother, stuck working multiple jobs in Paris, Brittany became my grandma’s escape during the war. “I went to Brittany whenever I felt tired, unwell or was

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on vacation. I only have good and happy memories from that place. Even if Brittany was poor, we were all poor and were never jealous of each other.” Brittany was a sanctuary of happiness during a dark period of her life, it carries her most sorrowful and radiant memories.

The day my grandma took me to her family village is one I’ll never forget. Village ruins populated the area my grandma once described as a “community.” Recounting her childhood to me she said, “At the top of the village was my grandparents’ house, next to them lived my aunts, uncles and cousins. The rest of the village was filled with neighbors and friends who we all knew well. We all helped with harvests, cutting hay and cleaning fields from weeds or whenever an animal was butchered. It was hard physical work but doing it together made things easier. And, most importantly, those days always ended with a party. Everyone in the village would gather for supper, always followed by songs, music and dance. We danced in fields, around tractors or in barns, and everyone drank lambic and cider.

These were the village Festoù Noz I grew up with.”

Cultural identity was always important to my grandma.

Often taking my sister and I on excursions to see ancient druid stones and medieval castles, she would speak of Brittany as an ancient and mysterious place full of myths, fairies and superstitions. “The Breton people are as stubborn as they are superstitious,” she says. “In our household, breaking a mirror was a dramatic event, and resulted in long prayers to counteract the curse.” There is a reason why Brittany still entertains pageant superstitions and stories from the past. In comparison to the rest of France, a strong Celtic background distinguishes the region. The Celts are the first historically identifiable inhabitants of the area, although monuments such as menhirs and dolmens point towards human activity dating as far back as prehistoric times. First conquered by the Romans and later invaded by the Vikings, the essence of Breton culture persists and still carries striking similarities to other Celtic minorities such as the Welsh and Cornish.

After Brittany’s union with France in 1532, the region was able to keep some independence in the form of feudal privilege. Yet this period of peace lasted only a couple of centuries, and in 1789 the National Assembly in Paris unanimously called for the abolition of such privileges with the purpose of enforcing assimilation, further repressing Breton culture from being practiced. Soon after came laws banning Breton names for children, and ultimately the Breton language was barred from being taught in school. Although Breton people were never personally persecuted, their language was stripped away from them, and with it disappeared countless stories, names and songs. “My mother was not allowed to

“We were mocked. Because Brittany is an agricultural region, we were stereotyped as being poor and dirty ... They wanted us to be French, not Breton.”

(Above) Henri Rannou, father of Simone Rannou Menard, after returning from WWII. © Simone Menard (Left) Simone Rannou Menard and her mother Marie Jeanne Motreff Rannou. © Simone Menard (Below) Simonne Rannou Menard with her aunts and cousins. © Simone Menard

“My Breton identity is my pride.”

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Language and culture are intrinsically linked, and when one is removed or abolished the other also suffers.

A farmer from Tréguier, France.

Suppressing language from ethnic minorities is an efficient way in asserting power and control, and is one of the methods in which Breton people were oppressed and removed from their Celtic roots.

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A woman from the Guémené-Penfao commune in France wearing a traditional Breton head piece.

speak Breton at school, she had to speak French,” my grandma said. “Whenever she spoke in Breton she would be punished and humiliated in front of her class. It was not easy for her, especially when Breton was all she knew, but it wasn’t a choice.” Language and culture are symbiotically linked, meaning that one cannot exist without the other. When wanting to control another ethnicity, banning its language is a very effective tactic, not only because it impedes many cultural practices, such as dancing and singing, but also because it ensures that future generations will be inherently separated from their ethnic identity. In other words, it brings culture to a stop and often pushes ethnic minorities to assimilate to the dominant culture.

Entering the workforce in Paris, my grandma was not perceived positively. “We were mocked.

Because Brittany is an agricultural region, we were stereotyped as being poor and dirty. Some people in my office even hid their Breton identities.

They wanted us to be French, not Breton.” This pressurized shift from a Breton identity towards a French identity is why the Breton language is classified by UNESCO as severely endangered.

Yet, the Breton language is far from being the only endangered language in the world. Today, at least 43 percent of the estimated 6,000 languages spoken around the world are endangered. You might view language as simple means of communication, but when a language dies, the oral traditions of an entire culture disappears, along with its songs, folklore, myths and anecdotes. Important pieces of human history and knowledge disappear. But most concerningly, we lose a unique way of looking at the world.

Language has become key to recent Breton culture revitalization efforts. Since the 1980s, the Breton language has been experiencing a new dynamic. Due to an increasingly dense network of bilingual schools, young Breton people now have the opportunity to learn their ancestral language. Starting in 2012, this movement towards revitalizing culture and language through education is quite recent. Brittany is currently collaborating with the French Ministry of National Education with the goal to normalize bilingualism in the region. Today, there are over 570 establishments where Breton is taught and students can now go as far as taking their baccalaureate

degree in Breton. Bilingualism in Brittany helps children make sense of their region and their relationship to Breton culture. In an informational video produced by the Public Office for the Breton Language, Tara Lagoute, a young Breton journalist, says, “I am happy to speak Breton, without it I would be incomplete.” These schools have also affected the older generation, with a growing number of adults taking Breton classes and learning from their bilingual children. But these education programs offer a lot more than just language, they provide individuals a chance to reconnect to an endangered identity.

Along with this resurgence in language comes the resurgence of tradition. The reason why I felt the power of resistance and survival while dancing is largely because modern Fest Noz were created as revitalization efforts. Increasing the accessibility of local village Festoù Noz allowed others to participate in this cultural practice and brought Breton people closer together. Today, the biggest Fest Noz festivals have over 6,000 participants from around the world.

People like to explore French regional cultures through foods or static museums. Sadly, this only offers a traditional and old-fashioned understanding of cultural diversity. Cultures are complex.

They are neither static nor rigid, but rather a dynamic force that constantly fluctuates and adapts to change. They influence and are influenced by the world. But most importantly, they provide diversity, deconstruct the uniformity of our society and allow us to see the world with all its colors, dimensions and beauty.

We all came to AUP to become global citizens, to experience culture and diversity. And as inhabitants of France it is important that we become allies of our host country’s ethnic minorities.

Dance is a way in which we can actually experience and contribute to culture. So, the next time you are thinking about hitting the club, when they reopen of course, why not look up if there is a Fest Noz in Paris. Drink some cider, dance into oblivion and experience one of the oldest rituals in the world. Not only will you have an authentic understanding of cultural diversity in France, but you will also partake in the restoration of a culture.

It is our duty, as members of dominant cultures, to raise the voices of minorities and empower their identities. It’s time to bring back the Breton!

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Hometown

By Kate Tuttle

Cravings

Photography

by Lola Mansell

Five AUP students reveal how they find alternatives to the foods from home they miss the most N

o student is a stranger to homesickness, but for international students who have left their home country and culture behind, the effects are felt twofold. Nothing can capture the comfort of home more than food, and luckily, Paris offers a wide range of delicious dishes from around the world. Yet for many foreigners, finding that special dish from back home can actually prove to be quite difficult, as many restaurants only serve the most popular international dishes. In order to satiate those hometown cravings, many AUP international students are willing to go the extra mile. I asked five students what food and dining rituals they crave from their hometowns, and what they do to satisfy those craving in Paris.

Charisma Irvine, 20, U.S.A Major: Global Communications Minor: Theater and Performance Coming from a military family, Irvine spent her childhood moving from state to state, never settling in one place long enough to call it her hometown. Irvine’s diet evolved as she moved across America. “It’s based on the cultures of all the places we have lived in,” she says. “We ate a lot of German and Russian-inspired meals in North Dakota, and we had poke and more Asian-blended foods when living in Hawai’i.” But for the most part, Irvine grew up with the typical American diet of warm sandwiches, soup, pizzas and pastas, and has had little difficulty finding similar foods in Paris. “The sandwiches tend to have more vegetables, which is usually better,” she says.

Although Irvine has little to no issue finding standard American-style foods in Paris, satisfying her Southern cravings is not as easy. Raised in a household with Southern roots, Irvine’s search for a taste of home comes with a challenge, as authentic, traditional Southern cooking in Paris is sparse. Irvine’s biggest craving, Southern iced tea or “Sweet Tea,” has yet to be found at any restaurants or stores. “I haven’t made it myself yet, but I know I will have to because real southern iced tea isn’t something I’ll probably find here,” she says. In the hopes of quenching her cravings, Irvine has recently found some large Lipton tea bags and plans to make her Sweet Tea soon.

For her fellow Americans, Irvine recommends the frozen meals from Picard, which often feature American classics, for a delicious treat.

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Jasmine Weiang Li, 19, China

Bianca Bozzo Navarro Grau, 19, Peru Major: International Business Minor: Global Media and Fashion Studies Originally from Lima, Grau is as Peruvian as it gets — but her cultural background is not so simple. With cultural influences from her travels to America and the large part of her family from Italy and Spain, Grau grew up eating a bit of everything. Italian food like pizza, ravioli and tiramisu, Peruvian food like ceviche, huancaína (a spicy, creamy sauce typically served with sliced potatoes) and ají de gallina (a staple Peruvian chicken dish mixed with ají amarillo chili), Chinese food, Japanese food and other regular, universal foods like lentils, beans and chicken soup are just some of the cuisines and meals she is most familiar with.

After moving to Paris, however, Grau found herself eating differently. Eating less homemade food and more cheese, bread and processed foods than she normally would, Grau was having difficulty finding the meals she craves the most in Paris. “It’s super hard. I bring my favorite things with me from Lima because I know I cannot find them here. Specifically, typical Peruvian food, Italian and Spanish ones are easier to find,” she says. The meal she misses the most is a Peruvian and Japanese fusion dish called makis acevichado — her favorite. It is a maki roll stuffed with breaded shrimp and avocado, and topped with a special acevichado sauce. Unsuccessful in making it herself, Grau now chooses to wait until she is home to have it again. She currently settles for eating similar dishes like ceviche at restaurants.

While Peruvian restaurants in Paris are scarce, Grau recommends Manko, located in the eighth arrondissement at 15 Avenue Montaigne.

Major: Undecided Li was born in Beijing, but was raised between China, the U.S. and Italy. Li grew up eating her mom’s Chinese home cooking and says that food is a huge part of her culture. “In Chinese culture,” she says, “we have this greeting where instead of saying ‘How are you?’ one begins their conversation with, ‘Have you eaten well?’” Grandmothers from the older generation even have their own special dishes, like Li’s grandmother’s famous stir-fried eggplant. “Although it’s very easy to make, none of us besides her can seem to get it right. It’s just so hearty,” Li says.

Living in Paris, Li is able to find Chinese food pretty easily, but it still can’t quite compare to her food from home. Unable to find the time to cook herself, she often resorts to quick pasta dishes or UberEats. Li frequently craves the comfort of her mother’s cooking. But, she says, “Rather than craving a specific food, I mostly miss the idea of Chinese food: the family sitting together for one hearty meal, elders putting their affections into the cooking. It is not something you can find in restaurants.”

Although the culture of Chinese family meals is largely lost in Paris, especially during the pandemic, Li does have some recommendations for when these Chinese food cravings hit. She recommends checking out Belleville, a neighborhood in the north of Paris which has many small local shops featuring delicacies such as tofu, bubble tea and herbal tea. For restaurants, Li recommends the BAO Family, which has multiple chains around the city.

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Luca Monti, 20, Italy and France Major: International Finance Luca Monti, the son of an Italian father and French mother, has spent his life between the cities of Milan and Paris. He mainly grew up eating pasta, and lots of it. Some of his favorites include linguine al pesto, pizzoccheri and gnocchi al gorgonzola. As Italy’s next-door neighbor, France is no stranger to pasta. But while the plates might look similar, they most definitely have their differences. “Everything here is more butter-based, and therefore more greasy,” Monti says.

Another reason for the change in flavor may be due to the price of the ingredients. For Monti, getting his favorite Italian-brand ingredients in Paris is difficult as everything, he says, is nearly “double the price.” His ultimate cravings while in Paris are Parmigiano-Reggiano, pesto and tonno di carloforte, Atlantic bluefin tuna from Carloforte, Sardinia. Because it is so difficult to get these foods at a good price in Paris, Monti often stuffs his car with these supermarket finds whenever he vists.

For Italian restaurant recommendations, Monti swears that there are plenty of good places in Paris. He suggests IAMM’ IA Pizzeria Napoletana in Levallois-Perret and Primo Piano at Le Bon Marché for authentic Italian cuisine.

His advice? “If you want to find out whether they serve good food, you just need to ask, ‘buongiorno come stai?’”

Marouane Noman, 21, Morocco Major: Computer Science Marouane Noman, born and raised in Morocco, grew up eating mainly Moroccan and American cuisine. While American and Moroccan cuisine is not hard to come by, nothing quite equates to the food Noman would eat at home. To satisfy his cravings, Noman brings to Paris the foods he knows he’ll miss from Morocco and cooks them himself at home, even going so far as to bring over a traditional ornate teapot to make authentic Moroccan tea. “One of the things that I knew I would miss when coming to Paris is Moroccan tea, so I brought as much as I could with me,” says Noman. “I also realized it would be a good way to share some of my culture with others from my university.”

Though Noman is unable to easily access the foods he knows and loves, there are some upsides to the food scene in Paris. Unlike in Morocco, where the majority of the population consists of practicing Muslims, in France there is an abundance of pork and alcohol, which Noman considers a rare treat. “The main difference between the foods I eat here and in Morocco is that I don’t consume alcohol and pork in Morocco, since they’re not available as a normal product,” he says. “I did sometimes consume it there, but on a much lesser basis.”

Because Noman cooks most of his meals, he doesn’t get food from restaurants very often. However, for those who want to try some delicious Moroccan food in Paris, he recommends Le Sirocco in the 17th arrondissement.

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Dusk, the hour in the day when singing light exposes all of our faults The cracks you caused in the great mountain, the snow that left a generation ago, the light that blinds you more harshly since the hole emerged in that layer of ozone With my feet on the highway in the presence of this fading, earthly heaven, I cry This rare place in this dying world, still awakened and put to sleep by church bells I, am reminded of the fragile, finite, fertile world I hold like a baby gone limp without care I am reminded, that it may be too late.

Your god and mine walk hand in hand calling out at the crepuscular hour of our existence

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THE FUTILITY OF ESCAPISM How a trip to Chamonix during France’s second lockdown taught me I can’t run from reality

BY ISABELLA SIBBLE

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W

hen I first came to Paris in September, I was running from the irresponsibility of America, the intensity of COVID and the encroaching fear that screamed, “If you don’t leave now, you never will.” I was thrilled to arrive in a place that prides itself on responsibility, bureaucracy and conformity, but the Paris paradise did not last long. On October 5, AUP announced that students would be attending classes online 50 percent of the time.

By the following day, the bars closed and the restaurants held their breath. I was complacent, convincing myself that it was OK and that I could take it. But I was getting sick, slowly. I shut my doors like the cafés did. I ignored friends, throwing myself into books, crosswords and Sudoku, anything to keep me sane and silent. It is temporary.

This is the worst it will be. You are unaffected. These were the phrases that swirled through my mind like a revolving door and, for a while, I just let it spin. An entire day would pass before I finally looked up from whatever novel I had been reading only to see that it was dark, again. This was coping. I was getting through it, right?

The last I remember before leaving was waking up to a FaceTime call from my best friend. It was October 28, and he told me that Macron would address the nation at 8:00

p.m. to announce a lockdown, French style. Attestations and the 1 kilometer radius meant that I would be stuck for two months in my 200-square-foot glorified hotel room.

No parks were nearby, so I wouldn’t see green space until at least Christmas. I felt as though my apartment, in a lockdown, was the physical manifestation of depression, and I knew that couldn’t be good.

It was dizzying. When Chris and I arrived at the station, the grand halls of Gare de Lyon were filled with a plethora of languages, attires, eras and species. Cats’ meows from the confines of their traveling cases boomed with a decibel similar to that of the surrounding clacking shoes and francophone retorts. We reached the train car, an oasis amongst the commotion. Streets turned to hills which turned to mountains as we rolled through France. I exhaled for the first time in three days.

Three train rides and a bus route — which can only be described as nauseating — later, I thought I had done it.

I had saved myself from the sick seclusion of a second lockdown by simply paying for a train ticket and sitting down. I thought I found my escape when I arrived in a snow globe world of white peaks and winding streets. A part of me suspected I was dreaming because I felt like

I’d done the impossible. Paris was now plunged into its first day of lockdown. A toxin of guilt built up as I thought of my friends who I’d left behind, those who enjoy long walks, dinners out and spontaneity. All of these small pleasures were no more. I imagine those in Paris developed escapes of their own, and I hoped they worked.

Such a drastic measure as fleeing the city was a privilege, I know, and an abundance of green space was a welcome reprieve from Paris’s mass of concrete.

Chamonix is an unspoiled vision, the kind of place that can only be dreamt by a child on Christmas Eve. The silhouettes of the steadfast peaks, their whimsical stillness made me feel like I had been plucked from reality and placed onto the page of a picture book.

Down the ambling cobblestone lanes, past the old hotel and across from the turquoise flow of the glacial lake, we reached our little home. The floors creaked and the bathroom was clad in pine and green wood paneling and each piece of furniture seemed to be handmade. Not one piece of technology in that apartment had been produced in this century and, in the midst of a pandemic that had made screen-time necessary, it was comforting.

When we found routine in the little village, mornings

meant taking the winding path alongside the lake to get groceries from a store that was closed on Sundays.

Though they were closed, storefronts were lit with pride, showcasing fur-lined gloves, puffy gilets and handknit hats. Wooden puppets on display in toymaker shops seemed eternally glum without children to wander and point. Tabacs and bakeries cautiously opened their doors.

Taped arrows and plexiglass dividers made these places feel more like museum exhibits than neighborhood institutions. Churches remained open, but there were no services allowed. The entire square was like a toy model of itself; you could look but not touch.

Ghost towns are commonplace during lockdown. People walked skittishly by, rushing from task to task, taking detours to avoid a street with more than four others walking. Going outside felt wrong, even with an attestation and a lengthy grocery list.

From the vantage of the cobbled square, I had a view of the slanting church, which appeared to be fading into the mountains as it grew unused. Inside, the building had been preserved as if by ice. The walls were plastered in a muddy pastel that must have evolved from yellow, to grey, to blue. I walked cautiously through the church, ter-

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rified that an ancient man in robes would come hurrying down the wooden staircase roaring, “Get out!” in a pitch that would echo off the stucco walls. But no such man appeared. I was alone. The entire space was creaky, hallowed by its emptiness. As I sat still by the aging alter, letting the wind whip around me, I felt held.

In the embrace of this village refuge, away from the city smog and concrete fever, I converted fears into hopes.

Like many of us, I hoped for things like fun, laughter and lightheartedness. In my escape to a fantasy world, beautified by galloping horses, mountains and snow, I found moments of bliss. But no matter how many hikes I took or stars I saw, I still could not escape the pollution in my mind.

Those who could not remove themselves, I imagine, sought escape in smaller forms. Movies, yoga, meditation, a walk to a small but uplifting green space ... perhaps these sensorial changes brought peace and a moment to forget about our restricted lives. Apartments may have become sanctuaries or prisons. By November 12, COVID deaths accounted for one-fourth of the country’s daily mortalities. Those who were in the capital must have been petrified. There was no end in sight for anyone, but at the very least I had silent, virus-free forest trails to pass some of the time.

Many of my life’s seemingly decisive moments have taken place in the mountains; rocky ridges are where I have made my deepest decisions and felt my most exposed emotions. Yet this time, when I found myself embraced by mountains again, despondency came over me like a northern wind. How dare I escape to the country expectant. I fell into myself, powerless to what surrounded me. I’d come out of the crippling fear of spending another lockdown exploring the elaborate labyrinth that lay between my ears. I’d come asking for something — the one unwritten rule of the mountains and I had broken it.

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Displacing myself to a place with unparalleled beauty, my lockdown had become an experience of freedom. And yet everything remained unchanged.

From a bird’s-eye view, my time in the second lockdown could not be further from what residents of Paris lived. I was not limited to the stuffy air of my apartment.

No gendarmes stalked the town corners waiting to capitalize on my momentary negligence. I had space in every sense of the word, and yet the tight grip of nationwide lockdown controlled my days just the same. Masks, hand sanitizer and signs on locked café doors that read, “fermé jusqu’à nouvel ordre,” were everywhere. Morbid statistics, bad news and unsureness permeated even the mountains’ strong walls. Regardless of if I spent the day on a remote trail, I had to return to a locked down place. My escape was limited, just like any, and though my actions were more drastic, they were no less successful.

No matter how or where you spent any of the various lockdowns in France or elsewhere, you have probably entertained distractions. Routines that, even when on the brink of cabin-fever-induced insanity, can pull you back and shift your perspective. Whether it’s a morning run, an afternoon batch of banana bread, or perhaps a nightly movie, these moments of suspension make meaningful, momentary differences during such controlled times. But aside from those seconds, minutes, maybe hours of reprieve, lockdown and its side effects are inexorable. For this reason, I cannot say that my escape worked. I returned to the real world as numb as I had come to Chamonix. Escapism, for me, was a physical effort done in hope of a mental gain. I sought a quick fix. But there are none.

The pandemic still lives on and though escapism might provide distance, it’s futile to think it can provide a solution.

Modeling Beyond the Pictures

A creative exploration into the freedoms of the past as we look towards the future

By Hara Vanna Martin Photography by Antoine Carriou

“COVID has highlighted the importance of solidarity and how, if we want to evolve as a society, we need to acknowledge our mistakes and work together. Now is a time of unity,” says Hara Vanna Martin.

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“I like to imagine a world where humans are more unified with the living, and where creativity, sharing and love are at the heart of our decisions,” says Louiza Conilleau.

“COVID pushed me to look for new opportunities. It kind of created my modeling career.

Since it was impossible to book models outside of France for a long time, many brands turned to street casting or simply to local models,” says Alexandra Stein.

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“In my opinion, the photographer makes a model’s job more difficult when he does not properly communicate his vision. For a shoot to be successful, everyone has to be on the same wavelength and have the same objective,” says Louiza.

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“COVID has revealed to us new opportunities in the working world like virtual fashion shows, for example. The rise of digital technology has given us new possibilities and, above all, solutions in response to a health crisis,” says Laura Savy.

“Establishing a dynamic of trust between the model and the photographer is the most difficult but also the most necessary, especially when you don’t know the person,” says Alexandra.

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“I dare to hope for a world where hate is completely excluded and punished. Although this is rather utopian, it is the future that I wish for all of us,” says Laura.

FUCK COVID!

By Linnea Wingerup

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The truth about our newfound obsession with coping

A

normal evening in a COVID-infested world often looks like eating a bowl of vegetable and pesto pasta on my bedroom floor while researching the virus stats of the day. It’s not a particularly sad image per se, but the heavy weight of seeing these graphs rising and falling with each quarantine, couvre-feu and lockdown has lessened as I munch away on what will most certainly be my third bowl of pasta that week. The numbers are mere numbers now as we pass the anniversary of the pandemic that has permeated our everyday lives. No longer is COVID-19 a largely feared topic that demands respect and careful attention, but rather an annoying flea that we think is just buzzing in our ear before it dares to bite.

We are becoming addicted to coping with the daily stress and anxiety that has been placed on our everyday lives, with thousands of articles written on every major platform preaching the same modes of how to deal with it all.

The CDC recommends that we should “take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories,” as “hearing about the pandemic constantly can be upsetting.” Yet, news of the virus has become a droning background noise to many of us, regardless of the gravity of the situation itself. No more are we fearing trips to the grocery store and hour-long mandated walks around the neighborhood. Even the lockdowns themselves are becoming more lax, with the third “confinement” in France allowing for walks within a 10 kilometer distance, and for as long as you want. According to the Jackson County Health Department, this desensitivity, a result of constant exposure to news of the virus, only highlights our need to stay vigilant and “avoid confirmatory bias,” as “it’s important to still be taking precautions, even if it’s difficult.”

Still, we find ourselves numb. Like others, I don’t tend to think about the virus as much as I used to — as with many things that have become seamlessly integrated into daily life. The 6, now 7 p.m. curfew has become comfortable as I settle into bed at earlier and earlier hours. I have started to forget what it was like to go to bars late into the night with friends in order to chat the same kind of shit we now do over a FaceTime call.

Coping has become the primary means through which we are able to exist with this goddamn virus. We are becoming addicted to coping with the daily stress and anxiety

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that has been placed on our everyday lives, with thousands of articles written on every major platform preaching the same modes of how to deal with it all. Productivity expert Rachael Cook tells the Washington Post that we “must start with compassion for [our]selves” in order to set realistic expectations. Writing for the Guardian, Catherine Brady recommends that we “start learning a language to prepare for that next trip.” “Practicing gratitude” is a recommendation from Alice Walton at Forbes in order to maintain good mental health.

The obsession with coping during these decidedly trying times has birthed other obsessions with the methods of coping themselves. TikTok dominates our screens as “it seems everyone from doctors and nurses in PPE [personal protective equipment] to bemused parents quarantined with teenagers are flocking to the app — and sometimes going viral in the process,” Coco Khan of the Guardian notes.

The idea of comfort in our own minds is being questioned as the importance of maintaining mental health is pushed further and further. Yes, of course we need to pay attention to our inner monologues and be conscious of habits and everyday behaviors, but is the obsession with coping during lockdowns only making things worse?

“Cook something,” they say, as you download the Food Network app for the third time. “Do some yoga,” your friend recommends as you shimmy into those leggings you found at the back of your closet. Breathing, cooking, talking to people on the phone and forcing inner reflection have only intensified our awareness of the pandemic. I would like to say a giant “FUCK YOU” to COVID, but there’s no use in pointing a finger at the virus and telling it to just go away.

It is simply the new normal, no matter how overused the phrase is.

The pandemic exists and no matter how many coping mechanisms we think of and act upon, they are only temporary fixes to the new monotony and desensitization that characterizes our lives. For now, coping will be our way of handling the pandemic — something that has walked the line of being both very much in and very much out of our control. We will continue to find temporary fixes in the face of the much larger problem, but it’s important to remember that this will not magically restore our lives back to a pre-pandemic state. Coping mechanisms, no matter how helpful they may be, only distract us from the virus-stained world around us. Make a TikTok if that’s what gets you out of bed in the morning, because we will be obsessed with coping for as long as this damn pandemic will last. You know where to find me — on the floor with my fucking pasta.

Pepsi: The Perfect Compromise between a Bottle of Water and a Cigarette And other notes from an unconfined confinement

By Joseph Chafetz

Illustrations by Kira Winter

Philosophy, Politics and Economics major finds himself somehow triple unemployed following graduation.

Shmo Jafetz, AUP alumnus and PPE major, finds himself in the rare and much-feared state of triple unemployment following graduation. “I thought by getting a three-in-one major, I’d be casting a wide net, covering my bases, putting my eggs in a bunch of different baskets, you know, all that,” said Jafetz to our chômage correspondent. “But for every application I do, only one-in-five gets a response, and that response is usually some cheeky reply telling me it would’ve been better if I had committed myself wholly to Art History and faced unemployment like an adult.” We talked to one employer, reported to reject PPE majors, who said, “I’m looking for a consultant, not a ‘collage’. I need someone who can whole-ass one thing, not one-third-ass three things. You can’t even devote a full cheek to each subject!” Another employer told our reporters, “While I appreciate the multi-faceted approach to academia that underlies the field, and I could, technically, benefit from a PPE major, I just can’t stand someone who’s that pretentious in three distinct ways.”

Though Jafetz can comfort himself with Aurellian mantras and there are tentative steps towards a PPE union, nothing can be done to stop the Laffer curve from laughing at him.

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Studies show the storming of Capitol Hill would have been much worse if it weren’t on a hill.

Despite the lack of police presence on Capitol Hill, the People’s Power seat in the U.S. was, nonetheless, protected. The small slope leading up to the Capitol proved more than a match for hundreds of would-be insurrectionists. Reports say the MAGA mechanized division found that their electric Walmart shopping cart batteries weren’t up to task, and were forced to stage a retreat towards the Reflecting Pool. At one point, a group of Iowa Trumpites were seen rolling down Capitol Hill like Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. One such Trump supporter was quoted, between heavy breaths, saying, “I made it up the hill alright enough, but then I saw all those goddamn liberal stairs, and I just knew, right there, that I’d never make it.” The Hill, however, wasn’t the only obstacle that day. A group of the President’s men were about to reach the unevacuated Senate chambers when they stopped in an attempt to reassemble a Mr. Dumpty, who had fallen while trying to scale the Capitol wall.

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Too reliant on comparing people to Hitler? Here are five other 20th-century dictators to spice up your rhetoric!

Joseph Stalin — Piss off your tankie friends and protect yourself from accusations of Bolshevism with this spicy Georgian General Secretary. Is a Type A friend of yours making ambitious plans for your weekend? Tell them to “cool it with the five year plans there, comrade,” and watch your detractors disappear, just like Stalin’s.

Josef Tito — Are you tired of having to do everything as a group? Well, next time Tatiana suggests you eat someplace vegan so “everyone can get something,” bust out a Josef Broz Tito comparison. Don’t let your opponents dictate unity for unity’s sake when you could be your very own Former Yugoslavian Republic of You. Mao Zedong — This comparison is best paired with an impassioned defence of sparrows, Taiwan and Nikita Khrushchev. Comparing people to Mao is very similar to comparing people to Stalin, but with a lot more versatility.

Mao also provides exciting opportunities for puns like, “Why don’t you take a great leap out of my face?” or, “Have fun on your long march of shame, Chairman!”

Muammar Ghaddafi — Someone making a long-winded, vociferous speech? Are you tired of your friend’s calls for the baseless partitioning of Switzerland? Don’t wanna use a comparison to Hitler again? Fret not! Muammar Ghaddafi is here for you! This Libyan dictator is famous for his UN appearances, his IRA support and his abundance of whimsy.

Ayatollah Khomeini — The first leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran is known for a myriad of exploits, including the 444 day detention of the U.S. diplomatic staff in Tehran! Is your friend bogarting your chips? Hogging the remote? Detaining your speaker? Throw a “release my hostages, damn Khomeini” their way and watch your possessions come straight back to you ... as soon as Jimmy Carter resigns.

Q

Anon, the now well-known conspiracy theory group, has made waves internationally. Their outlandish claims span from characterizing the Democrats as pedophilic, blood-sucking, child-murdering and satanic to claiming that then-President Donald Trump was leading an internal governmental crusade to purge these elements from the United States government.

Most recently, the speculation that incognito leader “Q” is conspiracy theorist Ron Watkins has elevated the group’s popularity to new heights. Yet millions have already fallen into QAnon’s clutches. According to the polling agency Civiqs, 33 percent of Republicans believe that the information spewed by the group is “mostly true,” with another 23 percent maintaining that the theories are “somewhat true.”

The United States, however, is not the only nation to be infected by this proverbial virus. QAnon has mutated and spread across the world. Appearing first in anglophone nations such as Australia, Britain and Canada, it has since poisoned other non-anglophone countries like France, Germany and Brazil. This is not an extensive list of all the countries that have seen an emergence of QAnon within their borders. Rather, it is one that touches on those with decently large communities.

What makes this group so infectious is its mutability and ability to merge with other conspiracy theories. QAnon is no longer a single set of beliefs, but a base that has grown into the different heads of an insane Hydra.

One head claims that COVID is fabricated by the elites, while another claims that COVID actually exists and that hydroxychloroquine is the miracle cure, discredited by the elites only to then hoard the medicine for themselves. There are others, too, that have devolved into anti-Semitism, race-baiting and other conspiracy theories that are in no way new, only integrated into an updated and distorted view of the world.

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The most recent example of QAnon merging with another conspiracy group would be the fusion of QAnon and the Sovereign Citizens Movement, a loose collection of people that believe that the United States had become a corporation in the 1800s, absolving them from following its current laws. While it is easy to diminish followers of these types of movements as ignorant, understanding them is important to prevent others from getting infected. The same way we approach those that have COVID with pragmatism and understanding, we should try to extend the same consideration to those that have been infected by these conspiracy theories, however hard it may be.

But how did we get here? Is it the fault of Russian bots meddling in U.S. affairs? Mark Zuckerberg’s democracy-destroying pet-project Facebook?

First, we must look at international disinformation campaigns starting with the aptly named Operation INFEKTION. Devised in the 1980s by the Soviet Union to foster global anti-Americanism, fabricated documents were used to show that HIV/AIDS was created by the United States government and that clusters of HIV infections in countries were often centered around U.S. military bases.

With reports of this first stemming from Soviet propaganda journals and newspapers, it soon spread to other independent news outlets within Western-aligned countries and even the United States itself. A study by the RAND Corporation that took place in 1992 found that 15 percent of Americans believed that “the AIDS virus was created deliberately in a government laboratory.” Another study looked at African Americans’ perception of the virus and found that around 15 percent believed HIV/AIDS was a form of genocide against Black people. This operation, which took place almost 40 years ago, still has influence today. But since then, it has mutated into different versions such as the belief that Cuba has discovered a cure and that the U.S. has barred them from releasing the formula to the world.

All that is needed to start a conspiracy theory is one piece of bad information, the first transmission. From there, it spreads and ultimately mutates to stay alive. But while some may scoff and wonder, “Does it really matter that some people believe that the United States created HIV/AIDS?” It absolutely does. Disinformation and conspiracy theories cost lives and, according to correspondent for the New Yorker Joshua Yaffa, an estimated 330,000 died of AIDS in South Africa alone due to the rejection of medical science in favor of unproven therapies. And while little credit should be given to the U.S. for its fight against HIV/AIDS as they stood by doing nothing while a generation of gay men died, it is certain that the U.S. government did not create HIV/AIDS. So, foreign states can be the starting point of conspiracy

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theories, but that is not always the case. The Sandy Hook shooting is just one example of where those from the bottom of the reject barrel such as former grand wizard of the Knights of the Klu Klux Klan David Duke, far-right radio show host Alex Jones and the recently deceased conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh made up different convoluted explanations of what happened. These included everything from placing the blame on Jews to suggesting the Mayan calendar had forced the gunman to carry out the attack and even claiming that the shooting was staged.

Now social media comes in, the pinnacle of human achievement. With the advent of the internet, it became possible to share conspiracy theories with a wider audience. However, it was social media that truly made them contagious. Social media makes money in one of two ways: ads or collecting and selling data. Both of these are accomplished by having users stay for lengthy periods of time; they can collect more data and can show you more ads. Many people have become targets of ads without realizing that they are being taken advantage of by social media companies looking to make money. They are falling into these conspiracy theories while companies like Facebook become rich. Targeted ads and increases in user stay length have led to the creation of filter bubbles. Online-based companies now curate what users see and when they see it. These filter bubbles are optimized to show content that a user wants to see and that generally aligns with what they agree with.

This leads to two different scenarios, the first being infection. An individual begins looking up why the United States government did not take HIV/AIDS seriously in the 1980s, or some similar question. They then come across a seemingly legitimate article that says that HIV/AIDS escaped from a United States government lab in Maryland. Whether or not the person believes this idea, the seed has been planted. Radicalization doesn’t happen overnight. A few weeks down the line, a video pops up on Facebook about how HIV/AIDS didn’t just escape from a lab but was created.

The seed of doubt has begun to grow. As the user engages more with this conspiracy theory on Facebook and other social media, they begin being shown similar content that not only reinforces the theory, but exposes them to others.

Once they have fallen deep enough into the rabbit hole, they themselves become contagious as they start to post about how the U.S. created HIV/AIDS to start a genocide of non-Whites and homosexuals. Now that this person believes in conspiracy theories and Facebook knows this, part two comes into play. Trapped in an echo chamber, or filter bubble, every moment of every day they will be bombarded with validation and reinforcement of their beliefs. So, even though conspiracy theories have been around since basi-

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cally the beginning of humanity, the internet has elevated their infectiousness and their ability to mutate. And while it is all good fun to mock boomers for liking a minion meme with an insane caption, statistically speaking, those under 35 are much more likely to believe in conspiracy theories.

It is, in fact, our fellow zoomers and millennials that believe the most.

We, as a society, have painted those that believe in QAnon in a very poor light, but, some of these outside perceptions towards its followers are unfair. Listening to hate spewed from those wearing Q-shirts or watching followers of QAnon storm the Capitol can be enraging. It is hard to have empathy for those we disagree with and find harmful.

However, without attempting to understand them from a place of neutrality, we will never get closer to solving the political polarization that has divided nations across the world.

So, how do we vaccinate against the growing infodemic, to stop the problem before it starts? Education is key. We must expose students, even adults, to misinformation and conspiracy theories in order to train them to recognize and discount falsehoods, the same way a vaccine trains the immune system. If we are able to prevent infection, we will not have to undergo the lengthy process of deprograming those that have been contaminated. Flagging or blocking false content, another prevention method that has taken place over the past few months, must continue and should always be accompanied by a warning label, be fact-checked or redirect the searcher to verifiable information. Countries should pass laws that penalize others that do not adhere to this new standard. While some might cry foul play and

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say this is a violation of freedom of speech, conspiracy theories are proven to be a clear and present danger: operation INFEKTION, Pizzagate, the theory that linked several high-ranking Democratic party officials and U.S. restaurants with an alleged human trafficking and child sex ring, and the Big Lie, the collection of falsehoods that surrounded the 2020 election, are just a few examples. But vaccination cannot be our only response; we must also heal those that have become infected. This, though, is not easy. The same people that help deprogram those involved in cults are often used to help those that have fallen deep into QAnon lies and other conspiracy theories. We must continue to develop new methods of approaching illegitimate theories and its followers. Instead of shunning and scorning those we believe to be spreading falsehoods — even dangerous ones — we should attempt to understand what influenced these beliefs in the hope of lessening a divide, one that only serves to make individuals more vulnerable to groups like QAnon.

Disinformation is a virus, and it is infecting our democracy. Spreading through social media like a wildfire of lies and misinformation, this virus has already claimed many lives and will go on to claim many more, especially in the age of COVID. The danger is known — now we have to act. Armies of fact-checkers already patrol the internet; Google, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and others have all made positive steps towards stopping the spread of misinformation and internet literacy is now being taught in schools — but it’s not enough. Just like every virus that has a vaccine and frequently updated measures to stop its spread, we need to employ better tactics for immunity against false information.

It’s important to remember that in order to curtail the spread of harmful disinformation, we must also shelve our own hate and disdain. Without proper efforts to comprehend how misinformation spreads and why it is so easily believed, the political divide between nations like the U.S. will grow. Rather than condemning those we disagree with or even abhor, we should seek to understand them in the hopes of possibly making a change.

BY ABBY WRIGHT ILLUSTRATION BY KATIA NOVAK

How female rappers have transformed the genre into a testament of empowerment

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ike many others, I was first introduced to rapper Megan Thee Stallion through TikTok. As of April 2021, 24.6 million users had used her hit “Savage” in videos on the app, enthusiastically dancing and rapping along to her unapologetic lyrics: “I’m a savage — classy, bougie, ratchet,” was the sound that defined my seemingly endless quarantine period. Since then, following the November 2020 release of her debut album Good News, songs in the rapper’s discography had become part of my daily routine.

I had never been particularly interested in rap. I vaguely knew maybe one or two popular Nicki Minaj songs, and had definitely been exposed to more mainstream male rap, but the genre had never necessarily resonated with me. However, since discovering Megan’s music, I went about my days feeling more empowered than ever. I began to stumble upon and even go out of my way to seek out other women in the genre. Doja Cat, Rico Nasty and Saweetie have all become staples of my carefully curated Spotify playlists, one of which is aptly titled “BITCH”. Today, I find myself instinctively rapping along to songs like “Boss Bitch,” “Hot Girl” and “Act Up,” to name a few. While each of these women adhere to their own personal and musical styles, one thing remains

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certain about today’s female rap: it is vulgar, empowering and unapologetic. It has reached even the most reluctant listeners like myself, rules social media spaces and will continue to harbor a tremendous amount of influence on younger generations.

The notion of women in rap isn’t novel. Artists like Missy Elliot, Lil’ Kim, the group Salt-N-Pepa and so many others have become cultural icons, changing the ‘90s rap landscape with anthems of sexual freedom, feminism and body positivity.

The genre, previously dominated by men, was associated for a long time with misogynistic themes and lyrics. In a 2009 study, sociologist Ronald Weitzer and criminologist Charis E. Kubrin identified five misogynistic themes consistent throughout rap: “(a) derogatory naming and shaming of women, (b) sexual objectification of women, (c) distrust of women, (d) legitimation of violence against women, and (e) celebration of prostitution and pimping.” Through their music, female rappers directly combatted this misogyny and began to dismantle the established boy’s club, paving the way for women in the genre today.

ALTHOUGH NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED IN THE SOCIETAL DOMINATION OF THE WOMAN’S BODY — IF ANYTHING, IT HAS BECOME MORE OVERT THANKS TO THESE WOMEN — THERE IS A CLEAR SHIFT IN JUST WHO A WOMAN’S BODY IS ON DISPLAY FOR. What’s going on right now with the rise and reception of rappers like Megan might feel like history repeating itself. However, there is a stark difference in just who was pushing back against misogyny then and who is doing so now, changing the game of the genre for musicians soon to come. Clover Hope, a Guyanese-American music journalist and author of The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made HipHop, told me: “A lot of the music made by [female rappers] would be in response to what the guys were saying and what they were doing in terms of the depiction of women in their music. There was critique of the guys by them and by hip-hop journalists who would write about it. But in terms of fans? There wasn’t that much of a public outcry in the way that there is for something like ‘WAP’, so I think right now has that difference.”

Megan, alongside Cardi B, caused mainstream uproar with the release of the music video for their song “WAP”. To a first-time listener, the acronym might be unfamiliar, however, within seconds of Cardi’s initial verse, it becomes graphically clear what a WAP is (wet-ass pussy) and all the power it holds. The music video features the two women prancing around a fantastical mansion clad in low-cut taffeta leotards, surrounded by similarly outfitted backup dancers, exotic animals and not-so-subtle bodily imagery. One YouTube user

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commented that the site’s attempt to censor the lyrics and video was like “trying to block a tsunami with an umbrella.” The lyrics are bizarre and bold in the best way (Cardi’s passionate, “macaroni in a pot!” stands out as a personal favorite line). Rowdy and confident, Megan and Cardi rap for a whole three minutes about kegels, their A1 pussies (“just like his credit,” says Cardi) and, notably, that their bodies are their own. “WAP”, in all its glory, was met with keen praise from Gen Zers worldwide. “You could, as a woman, really get behind what they’re saying,” says Jessie Fowler-Cruz, university student at the New School and an ardent listener of contemporary female rap. “If a man were to talk about a wet-ass pussy I’d be like, ‘Why are you talking about that?’”

Apart from “WAP”, Megan, Cardi and numerous other female rappers have released songs and music videos in the same vein. From Doja Cat’s butt-themed single “Juicy” to City Girls’ “Pussy Talk”, it has become eminently clear exactly who this music is for. “I think these women know exactly what they’re doing when they write these lyrics,” says Fowler-Cruz, “... they know that other women are gonna listen to this and feel empowered.”

In addition to gaining tremendous public support for their music, female rappers have also recently been blessed with the perfect storm of quarantine boredom, leading to increased internet and social media usage. They have seized and conquered listeners’ needs to have fun and feel sexy, even if they’re twerking for a TikTok in their PJs at home.

Hope notes that “women have capitalized on the fact that people are inside and looking for things to do. They’re releasing anthems that normally you would play in a club setting, and there’s ways that they’ve translated that to social media.” In a clever scheme to market towards bored, young people stuck inside, prominent rappers like Megan and Cardi can create viral social media trends from thin air, and women looking to jumpstart their careers in rap have begun to follow. Take Doja Cat’s now mainstream hit “Say So” or Ashnikko’s “Stupid” for instance, which have both been turned into viral challenges and trends, catapulting them into Gen Z stardom.

Apart from transforming and establishing presences on social media, female rappers have also begun to elicit change through the power of the sexually motivated female gaze. Whether it be through TikTok dance challenges, music videos or their personal social media accounts, these rappers have encouraged other women to follow their lead; to be unabashed in the expression of their bodies and reclaim their sexuality. Although not much has changed in the societal domination of the woman’s body — if anything, it has become more overt thanks to these women — there is a clear shift in just who a woman’s body is on display for. “Everyone knows that sex sells, I don’t think that is ever going to go away. I think they are definitely playing to that in terms of marketing,” explains Hope. “But, I can see a shift as far as who their videos and music are speaking to. It’s a world of women that’s speaking to women like, ‘Look what we can do!’ It’s still beckoning people to look at them, but it’s more like, ‘Well, this is what women can do and this is how we can free ourselves.’”

Freeing the woman’s body, however, takes diligent practice. Raw, self-assured confidence doesn’t come overnight.

In these viral social media trends and internet popularity, the woman’s body remained digital, as opposed to physical where she might be dancing to these songs on a night out. In the whirlwind of global events where we have been confined to digital spaces, women have had the opportunity to partake in the conscientious practice of self-confidence from the comfort of their own homes, with female rappers as their guides. Now that we have begun to return to the physical, women are more than ready to step back into the world with this practiced knowledge.

The blessing in disguise that came upon female rappers due to the pandemic might all just seem like a stroke of good luck to some. Yet, regardless of whether their success is attributed to sheer luck or resourceful marketing, it is clear that the landscape of rap as well as pop culture is transforming. “These subset cultures on social media are introducing an open space for these female rappers to thrive that maybe wasn’t there a decade ago,” says Fowler-Cruz.

As for the future of female rap and generations to come?

“I think it’s a double-edged sword because men in society and older generations are making female bodies a controversy. I personally wouldn’t have a problem with my daugh-

AFTER HEARING SONGS LIKE MEGAN’S “B.I.T.C.H.”, I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE BEING A BITCH ISN’T SO BAD IF IT MEANS STANDING UP FOR MYSELF. ter understanding basic female anatomy. I think people who take it out of that perspective and make it something to be ashamed of is going to be the issue of the next generation.”

There’s no denying that female rappers have taken the world by storm. Misogyny and the male gaze are still prevalent in today’s male rap, not to mention society at large, however, the seemingly ever-growing popularity of these women has allowed us to open our eyes to the messages of this genre and how we choose to let it affect us.

Looking back on it now, an exclusive clique of men rapping about women was what deterred me from the genre.

Dominated by the male gaze and unashamed misogyny, an environment where all women were called bitches wasn’t really something I was jumping to be a part of. But after hearing songs like Megan’s “B.I.T.C.H.”, I thought that maybe being a bitch isn’t so bad if it means standing up for myself. And maybe embodying the hot girl aura that Megan does wouldn’t be such a bad thing either. Fifty songs later, my “BITCH” playlist has become a treasured creation. By imitating the exuberant confidence these women showed through their music, I have now mastered the art of creating it within myself.

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Destroy the Table

BY SOFIA ROSE

CHANGING THE WAY POWER IS SEEN THROUGH FEMININITY

ISABELLA EDWARDS, 20

MEXICAN-AMERICAN MAJOR: ART HISTORY “I FEEL POWERFUL JUST KNOWING THAT I LOVE WHAT I DO AND HOW I LOOK. IT COMES FROM THE INSIDE.” “I FEEL THE MOST FEMININE WHEN I’M GETTING READY IN THE MORNING AND I LOOK AT THE MIRROR.” 76

LINH DO, 22 VIETNAMESE-AMERICAN MAJOR: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MINOR: COMMUNICATIONS “I FEEL MOST POWERFUL WHEN I’M EXERTING MYSELF, EVEN JUST WALKING DOWN THE STREET — THOUGH THAT IS WHERE YOU GET CAT-CALLED THE MOST. DOING THINGS TOO, ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING AND APPLYING MYSELF TO SCHOOL AND HOBBIES MAKES ME FEEL POWERFUL. “FEMININITY IS KIND OF LIKE A CHAIN THAT IS METAL BUT HAS A LITTLE PEARL ON THE END OF IT. I THINK FEMININITY IS SUCH A POWERFUL THING. IT’S LIKE THAT QUOTE BY NAYYIRAH WAHEED, ‘I AM A BRUTALLY SOFT WOMAN.’ I IDENTIFY WITH THAT A LOT.”

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SWEDISH-FRENCH MAJOR: ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES MINOR: SOCIOCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

MALIA MENARD ELDER, 23

“I THINK TO A CERTAIN EXTENT OUR IDEAS ABOUT POWER COME FROM LIVING IN A PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY AND ALWAYS FEELING OR HEARING THAT LITTLE VOICE THAT SAYS, ‘YOU AREN’T GOOD ENOUGH.’ BEING ABLE TO BREAK THAT CONSTRUCTION AND MOVE PAST IT IS WHAT’S INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.”

“FEMININITY, TO ME, MEANS BEING ABLE TO WEAR AND DO WHATEVER YOU WANT WITHOUT FEELING SCARED OR HARASSED. IT IS BEING ABLE TO BE YOURSELF FREELY.”

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LINNEA WINGERUP, 21 SWEDISH-AMERICAN MAJOR: GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS MINOR: FASHION STUDIES AND COMPARATIVE LITERATURE

“POWER IS KNOWING THAT YOU CAN TAKE UP IMPORTANT SPACE IN THE UNIVERSE. THAT KIND OF SELF-CONFIDENCE CAN ONLY COME FROM YOURSELF. AND WITH THAT ACCEPTANCE COMES SO MUCH POWER. .”

“FEMINITY IS ABOUT EMBRACING VULNERABILITY. IT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH EMPATHY.”

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AMERICAN MAJOR: FILM “TO ME, JUST THE ABILITY TO TRANSFORM MYSELF THROUGH MAKEUP IS WHAT MAKES ME POWERFUL.” “THE POWER OF FEMININITY LIES IN ITS FREEDOM. FEMININITY IS WHAT I WANT IT TO BE AND IT CAN CHANGE EVERY DAY.”

ABBY WRIGHT, 20

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FOUR MUST-TRY AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RESTAURANTS IN PARIS For a long time, the only Mexican food you could find in Paris was Tex-Mex. Recently, however, more and more authentic options have become available, revealing the “French taco” for what it really is: a panini. With all these new and widely different options to choose from, deciding where to eat can be difficult. Whether you’re searching for something more casual or luxury, these top-rated restaurants won’t disappoint. Watch the hand-making of corn tortillas at El Nopal as you enjoy some fresh beef, pork, chicken or veggies on your taco. Go on a gastronomic adventure at Azteca as you try dishes from a diverse array of mexican regions. Indulge in your gourmandise side as you pick an elegant dish from Anahuacalli.

Fancy a cocktail? Candelaria will have you beaming with excitement as you choose a unique drink from their menu.

Though restaurants are closed during the time of writing, you can still enjoy these delicious meals through takeout options from the comfort of your home.

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BY SHANTELLE ALWEISS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOPHIA SCALZO ILLUSTRATION BY SOFIA ROSE

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EL NOPAL TAQUERIA

5 Rue Duperré, 75009 / 3 Rue Eugene Varlin, 75010 Situated on a quiet, narrow street in Pigalle, one of two locations in Paris, El Nopal Taqueria truly has the best tacos in town. The word nopal refers to cactus, a delicacy often eaten in Mexico and South America. While you order from the window of this little purple shack, you can watch the making of corn tortillas as the corn flour comes out of the grinder and is then transferred onto the stove. These flavorful homemade tortillas are stuffed with chicken, meat, pork, veggies and anything else you can desire. All items on the menu can be made vegetarian upon request. Taco orders here come in threes and, made with the filling of your choosing, are dressed with a spicy green salsa that will make your mouth water.

Topped with coriander and onions, you can’t get a more authentic taco than this. Because many Mexican restaurants in Paris are Tex-Mex, Alejandro Escobar, the owner of this taqueria, wanted to open a place that would give the French a sense of what real Mexican cuisine tastes like. If you’re looking for a true and flavorful taste of Mexico, I recommend El Nopal Taqueria.

Available for pickup at its two locations and takeout on UberEats.

Find them on Instagram @elnopalparis

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AZTECA

7 Rue Sauval, 75001 Straight out of a movie, Azteca, one of the most famous Mexican restaurants in Paris, has an astounding love story behind its creation. It started in 1981 when a man met a Mexican woman in Paris. In time, they fell in love and he asked her to marry him, promising that he would find a way to bring Mexico to Paris. In 1986, Azteca was born. Located in the first arrondissement, in the shopping district of Les Halles, Azteca is one of the oldest Mexican restaurants in Paris.

Azteca’s main attraction is its menu. Transporting you straight into Mexican culture, dishes range in origin from Southern to Northern regions of the country. I recommend trying one of each as they all have a distinct flavor to them. Enchiladas de pollo mole, native to Puebla, a small city east of Mexico’s capital, is one of their specialities. Coated with mole, a dark chocolate sauce that contains Mexican herbs and spices, this dish is definitely worth a try. Another famous dish, originally from Mérida, a city in the Yucatán Peninsula, is cochinita pibil, which consists of a hard taco shell filled with pork meat and doused in citrus juice. Their dessert menu is also extensive with delicacies like coconut and cajeta flan, tres leches and pie de coco. With so many enticing options to choose from, the most difficult thing at Azteca may be deciding on what you’re going to eat.

Available for delivery on UberEats and Deliveroo.

Find them on Instagram @aztecaparis

ANAHUACALLI

30 Rue des Bernardins, 75005 In the Latin Quarter, by the edge of the Seine and across from Notre Dame, this traditional-style Mexican restaurant offers classics like enchiladas, mole poblano and tamales. Highly rated, Anahuacalli advertises as a “gourmet” restaurant for the “gourmandises” on its website. Elegant white tablecloths, exposed beams and latin music, this restaurant provides not only a Mexican feel to it, but a French one as well. And you can see it in the presentation of the food. Their most elegant dishes are the ceviche de pescado, fresh cod marinated in lime, tomato, onion, coriander and pepper, camarones boca del río, Spanish garlic shrimp flambéed with tequila and chipotle sauce, and barbacoa de cordero, lamb steamed in banana leaves and marinated in guajillo and pasilla chilies.

For their drinks, they have many specialties such as a selection of tequilas and three types of mezcal: blanco, reposado and artesanal. Treat yourself to a refined Mexican lunch or dinner at this luxury restaurant.

Available for delivery on Deliveroo.

Find them on Instagram @anahuacalli.resto

CANDELARIA

52 Rue de Saintonge, 75003 For cocktail lovers and tapas addicts, Candelaria is the place to be in Paris! While it presents as a tiny taco shack, it’s most famous for its nighttime speakeasy where creative cocktails are made and the finest selection of tequila adorns the backroom bar. The taco shop, open from noon onwards, offers a scrumptious selection of tacos with fillings like barbacoa beef and chicken carnitas. Once 5 p.m. hits, however, the backroom cocktail lounge opens. Through a secret door at the back of the taco shop that leads you past the kitchen, the hidden bar is revealed.

What makes Candelaria really stand out is its cocktail menu. One of their most famous drinks is Concombre & Coriandre, made with tequila infused with spicy cucumber, coriander, agave and lime. Perfect for the summer, it’s guaranteed you’ll want a refill of this refreshing drink. Maïs, probably one of their most quirky drinks, is made with Mezcal infused with popcorn, vanilla, soda and verjus, a tart juice made from unripe grapes. While some people might argue that €12 is a lot for a drink, you definitely get what you pay for. If you’re looking for something new and exciting, give Candelaria a try — you won’t regret it!

Available for delivery on UberEats.

Find them on Instagram @candelariaparis

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HOW ONLINE ACTIVISM HAS BEEN OVERTAKEN

BY EGO

BY FARRAH ARIDOU ILLUSTRATIONS BY STELLA RICHMAN

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oday, it seems as if social media and activism are inseparable, but the link between the two is very new. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines activism as a “doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct, vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.” With the internet, activists can reach a wider audience, increasing awareness and garnering support at a faster rate.

One of the earliest and most successful examples of online campaigns is the Ice Bucket Challenge, which went viral after Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bündchen’s involvement. According to USA Today, the ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) Association received more than $115 million in donations as a result of the viral phenomenon which took place in the summer of 2014. As more people began to realize the power of the internet, social media activism transformed from a tool used by activists in their efforts towards social reform to the main place people perform their activism.

The main reason why the Ice Bucket Challenge was so successful was because of the inclusion of celebrities. Allyship, of course, is a vital component of activism, especially because those with the most privilege and reach are the most likely to be heard.

However, celebrities can also hijack the initial intentions of a social movement. This is most obvious when looking at the Me Too movement. Though we now know that Tarana Burke first coined the term “Me Too” in 2006 with the intention to “aid underprivileged women of color affected by sexual abuse,” it took only one tweet from Alyssa Milano in October of 2017 to not just shift, but actually restructure the entire movement. One of the earliest articles about Me Too is Vogue’s “Celebrities Share Stories of Sexual Assault for #MeToo Campaign”, which not only established Mila-

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OUR EGOS HAVE BECOME INTERTWINED WITH OUR ACTIVISM ONLINE. WE FEEL THE NEED TO SPEAK ON EVERY ISSUE DUE TO SOCIAL, PEER AND PERSONAL PRESSURES.

no as the founder of Me Too, but also focused exclusively on Hollywood. Several news outlets followed suit, depicting celebrities at the center of the Me Too movement. Despite the recognition Burke received for her work in December of 2017 where she was featured in Time magazine’s Person of the Year cover story, the cover image itself still displayed celebrities.

You might ask, why does this detail matter? Yes, it is great that Burke was featured in Time and, yes, if you read the full feature, there are a variety of victims’ stories all from different social statuses. The problem, however, is that “the #MeToo movement is advertised as representing the interests of all women but when the benefits arrive, it is the elite who are highlighted,” says Robert L. Woodson from the Hill. Time’s celebrity-filled cover that became the face of the movement is proof enough of just who we allow to have visibility in calls for social change. Stars like Taylor Swift and Ashley

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Judd, both featured on the cover, already have a platform and millions of fans who are willing to support them no matter what. In addition to hijacking movements, there is a layer of privilege celebrities have whereas the risks run by “poor and working-class women like the McDonald’s workers or even middle-class women. – getting fired, deported, or even physically harmed – far outstrip those of either celebrity survivors or perpetrators,” says Alissa Quart from the Guardian.

In the online realm it is very easy for the goals of a movement to be completely misconstrued. And in many cases the few with the most powerful voices are uplifted while the rest are pushed to the sidelines. Loma Komeiha, an activist and junior exchange student at AUP majoring in economics, has witnessed this first-hand. “As the number of shares or participants increases for a hashtag or movement, you have less and less control over what is posted,” she says.

This lack of control also lends itself to instances of per-

formative activism. Support for a cause is now measured by the physical proof of retweets and Instagram story uploads, making it harder to decipher genuine advocacy from performance. As a result, we get tone-deaf commercials like Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi ad: a prime example of why we should never pressure celebrities to speak on issues where they do not have the depth or range for these types of conversations.

But if you think it is just celebrities who partake in performative activism, think again. The nature of social media invites us to judge and be judged on what we post, resulting in sometimes feeling pressure to upload what we believe people will be receptive to. In the context of activism, this can lead to people posting about issues they know nothing about. For example, in the Black Lives Matter movement there were many people who lacked an understanding of what it means to be an ally. And as a result, during the summer of 2020, #BlackOutTuesday left everyone’s feed filled with black squares, causing a missed opportunity for conversation on the topic of Black Lives Matter to occur. It is hard to remain organized in an online movement when everyone has a say in how it is represented. This difficulty only increases as we demand celebrities and our fellow peers to speak on every social and political issue.

Social media activism has made everyone into an activist. Ronald Niezen, professor of anthropology at McGill University, describes this shift as follows: “Throughout the movements of the 1960s, the primary way that people made justice causes known to the wider public was [through] journalistic filters … With the advent of the internet … there was an explosion in people’s abilities to represent their claims on their own without a journalistic filter.” The danger, however, lies in the spread of misinformation when claims posted online are accepted as fact. “There are a few Instagram accounts and persons that have become an unofficial news outlet for me because, over time, their sources have appeared to be correct,” Komeiha says. These accounts can be informative and accurate a majority of the time, but it only takes the dissemination of one false statement to completely derail a movement.

Our egos have become intertwined with our activism online. We feel the need to speak on every issue due to social, peer and personal pressures. It is impossible to comprehend every issue going on in the world, yet we still take it upon ourselves to act like we do and blindly share every post we see. While the passion may be there, our actions lack effort that is informed and well-thought-out. In an article in the the Atlantic, Twitter and Tear Gas author Zeynep Tufekci says, “The ease with which current social movements form often fails to signal an organizing capacity powerful enough to threaten those in authority.” Our endeavors are misplaced.

We rely on celebrities to give exposure to an issue even when most lack awareness due to their own privilege. We have put the onus on ourselves to be the messengers, but do not know when to take a step back and listen. The notion that speaking up is better than not speaking at all is a farce.

Both instances can produce horrible results, especially if they are provoked by misplaced intentions and desires.

One response to performative activism is “cancel culture”.

Embodied by long and intense debates over the purity of celebrities, cancel culture ultimately pulls time and energy away from the actual movement at hand. To make matters worse, it has been proven to not work. Just take a peek at Kendall Jenner’s Instagram and you’ll find she’s still booked and busy. All cancel culture does, in the end, is place celebrities in a spotlight that, in turn, pushes the core of the social movement into the dark.

Social media activism had and, to a certain extent, still has the potential to be a very powerful tool if we repurpose the ways we partake in it. A lot of the activism we perform is not even social media activism, but rather a type of armchair activism; action that only serves our egos. Platforms must be used to discuss in-depth social issues in nuance, rather than manipulated as a way to ride the activist-post popularity train. We must first rethink the ways in which we interact with the internet in order for proper activism to thrive online.

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The Benefits of Cryptocurrency in Lebanon

How it works and why it should be adopted

BY JOE TANNOURY ILLUSTRATIONS BY STELLA RICHMAN

O

n August 27, 2020, Beirut made global headlines with an explosion at the city’s port, however, what has received far less attention is the fragile state of the Lebanese economy. Lebanon, once an economically booming country, couldn’t have it worse today. Since the end of 2019, Lebanon has been undergoing a major financial liquidity crisis. The Lebanese pound has lost more than 85 percent of its value in just over a year. The central bank’s reserves have dried up to the point that very soon basic needs like medical supplies or refined petroleum, which is mostly used to generate electricity, will be unable to be imported.

The situation is so bad that Lebanon is considered to have one of the highest trade deficits in the world.

For a better grasp on what went wrong, we must understand how it all started.

According to a New York Times article by Ben Hubbard and Hwaida Saad, “The crisis springs from the collapse of a policy by Lebanon’s central bank to keep the Lebanese pound, or lira, pegged to the dollar at a rate of about 1,500 to 1 since 1997. That allowed people to use the two currencies interchangeably and made it easy for merchants selling products in pounds to convert their profits into dollars to pay for imports.” In 2019, the lira’s tie to the U.S. dollar broke and it is now non-existent. Its worth is now solely dependent on the supply and demand of the currency. Unemployment rates have risen from around 6 percent in 2019 to currently over 6.6 percent. The legal minimum wage, a mere $450 a month in 2019, has now decreased to $60 due to the introduction of the U.S. dollar which has caused inflation. And finally, the icing on the cake, the August explosion happened at one of the important warehouses at the Port of Beirut killing at least 215 individuals, injuring more than 6,500 and leaving 300,000 people displaced.

Lebanese banks, commercial and non-commercial, like Bank Audi and the Bank of Beirut are deeply invested in the country’s central bank Ponzi

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scheme, and as a result are failing too. Many fear that Lebanese banks will begin to declare bankruptcy one after the other. In an article from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), James Rickards explains, “The scheme worked as follows: Commercial banks received fresh inflows of U.S. dollars and euros in the form of bank deposits from the Lebanese diaspora’s remittances, tourism, and a modest export sector. These deposits were funneled to the BdL [Banque du Liban, Central Bank of Lebanon] in the form of commercial bank deposits. The deposits at the BdL paid for imports, supported government spending, and paid interest on dollar deposits and dollar debt. The structure was supported with a fixed exchange rate of LBP [Lebanese pound] 1,507.5 to the dollar. This gave all participants confidence that dollars and pounds were effectively interchangeable, and thus reduced the demand for dollar withdrawals.”

Since then, major restrictions have been put on citizens’ foreign currency holdings. Banks are, in effect, holding the people’s money hostage. The limits put in place by official government regulations only allow withdrawals as high as

$400 a month in cash from personal bank accounts. And, in order to do so, you must wait in an impossibly long line for hours at the bank. If you’d like to use up more of your own foreign money, you must first convert it to Lebanese pounds through a designated “legal” rate which, post conversion, leaves you with a fraction of your original money.

The situation is not going to get any better unless a massive change is implemented. Cryptocurrency could be a step in the right direction.

Firstly, it’s important to understand that your money isn’t really yours unless it is in your hands. Money in the bank isn’t securely stored away. In reality, you are entrusting it to a multitude of intermediaries that take “care” of it, making you pay fees for that care in the process. A behind-the-scenes operation that some account holders are unaware of, banks borrow and lend your money to other banks and people.

They’re also known to keep an eye on your every move and may further sell that information. The only way to not give away your financial power to someone else, unless you like to deal with piles of cash, is by using cryptocurrency.

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What’s cryptocurrency?

A cryptocurrency, also known as a crypto, is strictly a digital asset designed to be used as a medium of exchange. It’s roughly similar to a debit card or PayPal. However, unlike these traditional methods of online payments, the transactions are final and non-refundable. Bitcoin, being the world’s first decentralized cryptocurrency, is the father of a multitude of decentralized trustless systems designed to not require any human intervention and maintain a permanence of security. Currently there are thousands of uniquely identifiable cryptocurrencies that exist. Some are cryptocurrencies that exist and live on top of another cryptocurrency!

How does it all work?

The source code of decentralized cryptocurrencies is completely open source. Everybody is able to inspect the code of a certain coin (another term used for a crypto) and may further contribute to its design and functionalities.

Each cryptocurrency has a cryptographically verifiable ledger; in other words, an incremental database where transactions are stored. The ledger is composed of time stamped “blocks” which store the individual’s transactions and are computably numbered. Cryptocurrencies are made in such a way that the ledger records all the transactions from its very beginning. It is physically impossible to modify data in a blockchain due to its mathematically verifiable design.

How is it used and what are the benefits?

How did decentralized cryptocurrency start?

Under a pseudonym, Satoshi Nakamoto imagined and designed the world’s first peer-to-peer electronic cash system in a paper he published in 2008. By implementing his paper’s design, Nakamoto created what we know today as the first crypto, Bitcoin. Nakamoto, in the following years, started to increasingly disappear from the public Bitcointalk forum. He was last recorded online in 2011, the year he logged off for good.

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Cryptocurrencies are technically stored in what we call output addresses, which can be thought of as the pockets in a wallet that you own. You can store all of your money in one or many of these pockets. Though all transactions are publicly available in the ledger, if used right, they can be completely anonymous to strangers. This means that your identity isn’t tagged with your electronic wallet’s pockets and can stay unnamed after buying a guilty pleasure of yours, for example. Another benefit is that cryptocurrencies have no geographical barrier. Crypto can be transferred from an address that you own to your friend’s that lives on the other side of the world. The transaction would be confirmed at the same time as if it was a local transaction, not to mention that the fees would be negligible; zero to a few cents depending on the cryptocurrency.

use. The borderless and quick qualities of crypto make it particularly beneficial for Lebanese migrants that send money to family members still inside Lebanese borders.

Along with supporting cross-national transactions, a shift towards electronic cash could lower Lebanon’s economic dependency on political officials. By having merchants inside the country like supermarkets and restaurants adopt cryptocurrency, commercial incomes will no longer be funnelled through regulated banks and the personal wealth of the Lebanese people will be reinstated.

What cryptocurrencies are worth checking out?

Refer to the top 10 cryptos ranked by market capitalization and volume when deciding how to allocate your money. You can see which cryptos have the biggest market caps in real time, along with a wide range of other useful parameters, on coinmarketcap.com or directly from your crypto exchange or broker. The current top 3 coins by market cap at the time of writing are Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Binance Coin (BNB). These cryptos combined have a market cap of over 1.5 trillion USD, BTC being the biggest of all.

What’s next for Lebanon?

So, what is it that should be done now? As of today, the average Lebanese person no longer trusts their banks; or their government for that matter. Willingly depositing money into a Lebanese bank is now thought of as akin to financial suicide. People are converting their remaining Lebanese pounds to American dollars and storing as much of it as possible in their own homes. An alternative and potentially much more liberating option would be to start using cryptocurrency, beginning with buying crypto from sellers via forums and market places. The website localbitcoins.com offers the ability for sellers to create selling advertisements at the price of their choice and allows for various payment options. Buyers can also request bids with their own payment choice.

Due to the nature of cryptocurrency, the electronic money is not controlled by an outside entity. As long as you have access to the internet, it is available to the entire world for

Cryptocurrency, however, just like anything else, has its pros and cons. A major setback to implementing cryptocurrency on a grand scale is that many are unaware of its functions and can be intimidated to try it out. A solution to this would be to make electronic cash like crypto a less niche subject. Today, plenty of secure apps, resources and tools are available that allow integration into cryptocurrency very easily. Discourses surrounding cryptocurrency, particularly in the media, should shift the way they contextualize crypto from being inherent to richer, more financially stable economies to one that shows promise for more developing and strained economies. Cryptocurrency is not only for the tech-savvy or the rich and can be highly beneficial for those who can’t get financial security from their own countries.

For a country like Lebanon, whose economy is under crisis and whose citizens have lost financial liberties and security, cryptocurrency, in its decentralized nature, could provide relief to those looking to take back control of their own money.

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Remembering Michael A reflection of light

By Vivian Stuart Illustration by Stella Richman “Too soon,” I said to my friend Michael Gallagher II when he played aloud jazz instrumentals of Christmas carols, his study music, in September. “Too soon,” I said when Michael messaged me saying he had bought Christmas lights from HEMA in October. “Too soon,” I said, and too much, when he bought not one, but two miniature Christmas trees and decorated his apartment with garlands in November. By December, I had finally met the holiday season enthusiastically, coming to appreciate Michael’s favorite time of year the way he did, and just in time to celebrate his 24th birthday. It was only two days after Michael’s birthday that I learned he had died in a tragic car accident. Too soon.

Michael Gallagher II was a loving son, brother and friend.

Since Michael’s passing, a common theme in his remembrance is that he is described as a light. Having been lucky enough to bear witness to the last years of his life, this is an association not made more meaningful after his death, but made more obvious in the way he lived.

Michael and I met each other in June 2019 in Benin, West Africa as Peace Corps volunteers training in the education sector. During that time, I wrote to my parents describing him as one of the most loved members of our stage, expressing how lucky I felt to be brought “into his orbit.” His sunny disposition put those around him at ease and made people laugh in the face of challenges that come with navigating a new culture, job and language.

During a two-week-long teacher training course, Michael created and co-hosted A Night of the Arts, an event for volunteers to showcase their creative talents. Michael read his monologues, others shared poems and sang songs and it ended with everyone dancing. Michael, aware of his light or not, always used it as a spotlight to empower people and make them feel seen.

Peace Corps volunteers were evacuated due to the pandemic in March 2020. It felt like no time had passed since returning home when I received a letter from Michael wishing me well. While many still felt dazed by the change in circumstances, he was motivated to make the most of his time. Michael had so many dreams and plans for his life, he didn’t want to waste a moment. His ambition and drive were so inspiring that they drew me with him to AUP. Michael’s time as a graduate student at AUP began in the fall of 2020, studying Digital Cultures as a part of the Global Communications Master’s program. Michael valued educa-

tion as exhibited in his course work, as well as his time as an English teacher in the village of Yebessi and as a tutor in Paris. We had only been attending classes at AUP for one week when he began researching PhD programs.

Michael’s dedication to learning was matched by his passion for the creative arts and politics. He was curious, engaged and inspired by the world around him, documenting his thoughts and feelings in his journals or publishing them.

Quickly becoming involved in ASM as a freelance contributor for the Peacock Plume, he shared multiple stories ranging from his experiences on dating apps to highlighting a small business in Paris. Michael’s writing sessions were often fueled by espresso shots, water infused with citrus slices and music playing in the background. He hosted small “writer’s workshops” where just the two of us would exchange our papers, edit and review. He always gave feedback paired with the encouragement to stay true to oneself as a writer, a principle he upheld.

Michael was always true to himself. He was as authentic in Yebessi as he was in Paris, beloved by both communities.

His sense of self is what made him the kind of person who lived on three continents in the span of a year, unafraid of the unknown. It wasn’t uncommon for Michael to suddenly grab my arm, bringing us to an abrupt stop in foot traffic when walking to campus or exploring Paris, point to the Eiffel Tower and say, “Can you believe we live here?”

Even in the City of Lights, Michael shined bright. He was a beacon to loved ones, guiding them to a safe space. Michael wore his heart on his sleeve and appreciated vulnerability. He hated small talk. He wanted to get to know people by talking about real things.

Remembering Michael is closely followed by missing him.

Grieving Michael is grieving the future he could have had and everything he would have achieved. With that said, it is an honor to celebrate what he accomplished and the impact he had on those around him.

Michael’s mother fears that her son will be forgotten, but I see and feel Michael everywhere. He is a light that cannot be extinguished. His spirit is made eternal by being true to yourself, being kind to others, fighting for what you believe in and enjoying your life. I treasure every moment I spent with Michael. The memories of our friendship, from Benin to Paris, will forever decorate my mind and wrap around my heart like a strand of holiday lights.

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LONG LIVE PRINT!

“PRINT MAGAZINES WILL ALWAYS HOLD A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART, LARGELY DUE TO THE PEACOCK MAGAZINE AND THE ASM COMMUNITY. PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS BUZZED ABOUT HOW PRINT MEDIA WILL DIE OR IS ALREADY DEAD, BUT I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT WHEN THERE IS SUCH A CLEAR LOVE OF HARD-COPY MEDIA FROM NOT ONLY OUR UNIVERSITY’S DEDICATED TEAMS WHO PUBLISH THEM, BUT FROM THE READERS WHO AWAIT EACH FUTURE ISSUE. PEACOCK ESPECIALLY HAS COME TO SHOWCASE ALL THE HARD-WORKING CREATIVES IN STUDENT JOURNALISM, PROVING THE UPCOMING GENERATION STILL WANTS A REAL GOSH-DARN COPY TO HOLD IN THEIR HANDS.” — LINNEA WINGERUP, 21, GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS MAJOR AND FASHION STUDIES AND COMPARATIVE LITERATURE MINOR, PEACOCK EIC FALL 2020 “TO ME, NOTHING COMPARES TO HOLDING THE LATEST ISSUE OF A MAGAZINE OR WEEKLY NEWSPAPER IN MY HANDS. THROUGH THE PRINTED PAGES, THE STORIES COME ALIVE AND CAPTURE MY FULL ATTENTION. I TRULY HEAR THE WRITER’S VOICE AND SEE THEIR POINT OF VIEW WITHOUT BEING BOMBARDED BY ALL THE STIMULI THAT COMES WITH DIGITIZATION.” — ERIN GARRY, 22, GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS MA, ASM BUSINESS AND EVENTS DIRECTOR 2021 “AS TIME GOES ON, COMMUNICATION OF ALL FORMS IS UNDERGOING GREAT DIGITIZATION AND PRINT IS AT RISK NOW MORE THAN EVER. DESPITE THE COMFORT I HAVE WITH THE INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY, I STILL VALUE AND APPRECIATE PRINT. THERE’S NO WAY TO PROPERLY DESCRIBE THE PURE JOY OF SEEING YOUR NAME IN PRINT ALONGSIDE A PIECE THAT YOU WORKED TIRELESSLY FOR. NO WEBSITE, APP OR VIDEO CAN SUBSTITUTE SUCH A FEELING. WE ALL NEED PRINT TO STAY.” — SAVANNAH COOPER, 22, GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS MA, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF AUP RADIO 2021 “PRINT DOESN’T HAVE TO JUSTIFY ITSELF. PRINT IS AND PRINT WILL ALWAYS BE. WE MAKE A PRINT MAGAZINE BECAUSE WE CARE DEEPLY ABOUT JOURNALISM AND WE ARE DEVOTED, MIND AND BODY, TO MAKING A PRODUCT THAT WE ARE PROUD OF. WE MAKE A PRINT MAGAZINE BECAUSE WE WANT TO DELIVER THIS PRODUCT, FOR FREE, TO OUR AMAZING STUDENT BODY. WE MAKE A PRINT MAGAZINE BECAUSE THE MAGAZINE NEEDS TO BE MADE.” — JEFF HANRAHAN, 25, JOURNALISM MAJOR, PEACOCK DEPUTY EDITOR 2021 “SO MUCH IN THIS WORLD IS INTANGIBLE, SO WHEN YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO HOLD SOMETHING REAL, STURDY AND BEAUTIFUL THAT HAS HAD SO MUCH LOVE AND CARE POURED INTO IT, YOU’RE EXPERIENCING SOMETHING IRREPLACEABLE. HOLDING THE PEACOCK FEELS SO GOOD BECAUSE THE PRINT VERSION IS THE EMBODIMENT OF THE MONTHS OF COLLABORATION THAT LED TO ITS PRINT. THE INTERNET AND DIGITAL JOURNALISM LAST FOREVER, BUT THE EPHEMERALITY OF A PRINT COPY MAKES IT FEEL THAT MUCH MORE PRECIOUS.” — KATHLEEN SHARP, 22, PEACOCK EIC FALL 2019, AUP 2020 GRADUATE “PRINT PUBLICATIONS FEEL MORE AUTHENTIC — THEY ARE LEGITIMATE AND RESPECTED. THE PEACOCK IS UNIQUE BECAUSE IT GIVES FREELANCE WRITERS, LIKE MYSELF, A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO BE PUBLISHED IN HARD COPY. THE MAGAZINE DEFINITELY BRINGS THE AUP COMMUNITY TOGETHER, ESPECIALLY IN WORKING TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY TOWARDS SOMETHING WE ALL COLLECTIVELY CARE ABOUT.” — MAGELLAN MCCARTNEY, 21, COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR, ASM FREELANCE CONTRIBUTOR ”THE VERY ACT OF PRINTING, OF PHYSICALLY DOCUMENTING THE WORK OF JOURNALISTS, LEGITIMIZES THE WORK OF JOURNALISTS AND GIVES THEM CREDIBILITY AS ARBITERS OF TRUTH IN OUR ‘POST-TRUTH’ ERA. THOUGH THE DIGITAL PRODUCTION AND DELIVERY OF NEWS TO AUDIENCES IS A POSITIVE AND EVOLVING DEVELOPMENT, PRINT JOURNALISM WILL ALWAYS BE A TANGIBLE REPRESENTATION OF THE CONNECTION BETWEEN A NEWS BRAND AND ITS READERS.” — STUART JOHNSON, INTERNATIONAL LAW AND DIPLOMACY MA, ASM FREELANCE EDITOR SPRING 2020-2021, PEACOCK PLUME MONTHLY EDITOR SPRING 2021 “I THINK WHAT MAKES THE PEACOCK A UNIQUE PUBLICATION IS THAT IT PRODUCES THE CLOSEST THING WE HAVE TO A YEARBOOK. THE ONLY REASON I SAY ‘YEARBOOK’ IS BECAUSE IT SHOWS HOW EACH EIC AND THEIR STAFF INTERACTED WITH THE AUP COMMUNITY AND HOW THEY SHOWCASED WHAT WAS IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY AT THAT TIME.” — ANDREW CALLAGHAN, 20, GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS MAJOR, UNDERGRADUATE PRESIDENT “WHEN WE FOUNDED PEACOCK WE HOPED THAT IT MIGHT ONE DAY GROW INTO A PLATFORM THAT WOULD INSPIRE THE TYPE OF SCHOOL PRIDE WE FELT WAS MISSING BACK IN 2011. THIS IS WHEN I FIRST CAME TO UNDERSTAND JUST HOW POWERFUL AND IMPORTANT STUDENT MEDIA IS ON AN URBAN CAMPUS LIKE AUP’S — BECAUSE EVEN IF JUST ONE STUDENT READ OUR WORDS AND FELT A GREATER SENSE OF CONNECTION TO THE COMMUNITY, OUR WORK HAD MEANING.” — FORD LELAND, FOUNDER OF THE PEACOCK MAGAZINE 2011, AUP 2013 GRADUATE