The Bolt February 2019

The

BOLT

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February 2019 Volume 19, Issue 5 lightningboltonline.com Sage Hill School 20402 Newport Coast Drive, Newport Coast, CA 92657

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The Trouble With Traffic ‘Although many parents are dropping off their kids where they are supposed to, there are some that [are not].’

Ashwin Chona Given the traffic situations on the Sage Hill campus, the reality of the “student” parking lot is that student drivers will have to coexist with parents.

Whether students like it or not, this symbiotic relationship is what is best for the community.

In the morning, Sage Hill traffic into the school is a unique situation. From 7:40 to 7:45 a.m, there is no traffic in the student drop off area for parents. However, from 7:50 to 8:00 a.m, there is a “ten minute rush” where traffic is backed up all the way down past the student parking lot.

“For students that arrive about five to ten minutes before school starts, the traffic from the parents drop off zone makes it difficult to get into the [parking] lot,” senior Luis Rascon said.

Instead of getting to school five minutes before class starts, we sometimes have to run to class just to be on time,” The biggest piece of advice that Security Supervisor Adam Patterson had for the Sage Hill community is to try and arrive five to ten minutes earlier. However, the reality of the situation is that this “10-minute rush” can be avoided in the future by more parents using the student parking lot.

“We have 364 parking spots and on a typical day we only use half of those, so we have plenty of parking. We encourage parents to park in the student parking lot.

However, the easiest solution to [the traffic problems] is to arrive earlier,” Patterson said.

Over the past year, Sage Hill implemented a policy of placing cones in the first two rows of the parking lot to keep the area safe for students walking to the parking lot. Dean of Student Life Dominic Campeau recently reported that the cone policy has been successful in maintaining student safety, both for drivers and pedestrians.

“Although many parents are dropping off their kids where they are supposed to, there are some that [are not]. I am working with the [film club] to create a video to educate parents on what is right. [...] The safety of our students is Sage Hill’s top priority,” Campeau said.

Sage Hill has been communicating with the community to help make Sage

“

Parent and student drivers leave and enter the school’s parking lot during the afternoon. safer by using drop off zone to drop off and not park, as well as using the parking lot to park, not as a loading zone. Although there has been an improvement in student safety, it is still a work in progress.

“When I am waiting for [my parent] to pick me up from school after [school], there is always a long line of cars. So, I have to wait until [my parent] gets to the [drop off area] which can take some time,” freshman Jerry Hu said.

After school, there is a significant queue picking up students at the drop off area.

Patterson has spent time up there

As enticing as that sounds to students and parents alike, the reality of the situation is that it would take a great deal of construction and redesign of our traffic flow, as reiterated by Patterson. It is not out of the question to add a drop off zone to the parking lot, but it will take design and time.

Although the current traffic and parking situation is not perfect, there has been significant improvement. With innovative and creative plans for the future, the problems of traffic and parking will eventually be a thing of the past in the Sage community.

POP

The rivalry with St. Margaret’s has been around for as long as I have been at Sage Hill School,” - Megan Cid

Editorial, Page 2

observing the situation in the area and noticed that parents tend to park in the drop off zone for a significant time; they are not using it as a drop off area but as a parking area. With no cars exiting the drop off area, cars are stuck waiting to get into the drop off area, causing traffic to extend past the parking lot.

“There are ways to improve the traffic flow into and out of [Sage Hill] and there has been discussions about adding another student drop off lane in the future,” Campeau said. “It has been discussed to turn the back of the parking lot (which is usually vacant) into a new drop off [zone].”

Yuna Baek | The Bolt

News, Page 3

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CULTURE

The Best of 2018 Community, Page 4

Arts, Page 6

Opinion, Page 8

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The Bolt February 2019 Sage Hill School

Editorial

We Can’t Ignore Yemen Crisis In October 2018, the United Nations announced that more than 14 million people in Yemen face starvation in what could be the “worst famine in the world in 100 years.”

Since 1990, when North and South Yemen came together, Yemen has faced political, social, and economic turmoil due to conflicting cultures and ideas about how the country should be run.

The current conflict is between the government, backed by Saudi Arabia, and the rebels, known as the Houthis, backed by Iran. In 2014, when the Civil War in Yemen broke out, the Houthi rebels took over the capital city of Sanaa. The president at the time, President Hadi, fled to Saudi Arabia, and a coalition of 10 countries, led by Saudi Arabia, began bombing Yemen in an effort to reinstate the legitimate government (BBC).

Today, the conflict is entering its fourth year, and over 22 million people – or ¾ of the population – are in dire need of humanitarian aid and protection. Civilians face the brunt of the violence, enduring “indiscriminate attacks, bombings, snipers, kidnapping, rape and arbitrary detention, among other dangers” (United Nations). Women and children are the most vulnerable in this crisis, as children are being forcibly recruited by anti-government groups, young girls are being married for money, and over 2,500 schools have been destroyed. Every ten minutes, a child under the age of five dies of preventable causes in Yemen (United Nations).

The United States is an ally of Saudi Arabia, the main country responsible for the incessant bombings in Yemen, and has been since 1943 when FDR declared the security of Saudi Arabia as a “vital interest” of the United States (Vox). For the past 75 years, the United States’ alliance with the Saudis has grown beyond the purchasing of oil. Since 1990, the United States has been the world’s largest weapon exporter, and Saudi

Arabia has been the biggest customer.

This reality came to the forefront of the media when American journalist Jamal Khashoggi was tortured in the Saudi consulate a few months ago. President Donald Trump dismissed the idea of suspending arms sales to our biggest arms customer, bringing everyone’s attention to the United States’ business-oriented relationship with Saudi Arabia. President Trump responded to the situation saying, “I don’t like the concept of stopping an investment of $110 billion into the United States,” (CBS).

Furthermore, the current White House administration has shifted the type of weapons that the United States sends to Saudi Arabia, with bombs and missiles dominating the arms supplied. In August 2018, news surfaced that a Saudi led attack on a school bus in Yemen, responsible for the death of 28 children under the age of 18, was carried out by a bomb the United States sold to the Saudis (CNN).

By supporting a president who seems to be putting his economic agenda above the basic well-being and health of an entire population,

are we implicitly contributing to the famine in Yemen?

There has not been a more urgent time to respond to this crisis. If you disagree with the way the United States is handling this dire situation, then take action. Doctors Without Borders is an independent, global organization that manages 13 hospitals and health centers for women and children in areas currently controlled by the Houthis, and relies on donations to remain in operation. Do your part and donate at www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/ countries/yemen.

THE BOLT

T

he Bolt, published seven times a year, is a student newspaper and serves the public forum at Sage Hill School. Its content - news, editorial, opinion, and feature - is protected by Education Code 48907, the state student rights law and the California Constitution which guarantees all citizens the right of freedom of speech and of the press. The Bolt accepts signed letters to the editor from members of the Sage Hill Community which may be posted as comments to our website, lightningboltonline.com, or addressed to editor-in-chief Hannah Woodworth and put in her mailbox on campus. These letters may not exceed 150 words or they will be edited for inclusion.

Editors-in-Chief Halah Biviji (Storm), Daniel Fishman (Online), Madison Harris-Weiner (Bolt), Sarah Kim (Storm), Hannah Woodworth (Bolt) Editorial Board Lily Button, Miranda deBruyne, Karli Davis, Alexis Kelly, Trevor Klein, Sydney McCord, Cammi Phillips, Alicia Theoglides-Rodriguez Adviser Kelly Parker

Yuna Baek Riya Chaturvedi Ashwin Chona Courtney Davis Jacob Gibbs Isabel Gomez Ian Grimm Riya Gupta Linda Hachim Adam Hung

Sanjana Khurana Julia Kwon Valentina Lin Hana Mariappa Kate Mlouk Polina Mogilevsky Isabella Mora Anisha Punia Natalie Rosenberg Max Tu

News

The Bolt February 2019 Sage Hill School

3

TALKING TRASH Lily Button For years, the favorite lunch hangout on campus has been Town Square. However, after students rush off to class, the leftover litter piles up and leaves Sage with a trashy image.

Upon first glance, this oversight may seem harmless, but repeatedly neglecting to pick up after oneself speaks volumes.

Trash talks--it displays blatant disregard for fellow students, members of faculty and staff, and for Sage grounds.

“I think at one level it’s demoralizing because it shows disrespect and it’s very frustrating to sit back and start with a clean campus and kids just leave whatever out whenever,” Facilities Manager Mark Rogers said.

Not only does it create additional challenges for the staff, it

also projects the idea that their work is unvalued. Fortunately, change is brewing at Sage Hill.

Many members of the community believe it is time to take responsibility and clean up our act.

“It’s straight up common courtesy to throw trash away and not have the maintenance guys do it. [Facilities’] job is to help maintain the school, not pick up students’ trash. That’s our responsibility,” senior Kylen Patel said.

Likewise, the facilities staff is looking for a mutual partnership with students to create a cleaner and more enjoyable environment.

“We really want to be working with the kids and sitting back and saying let’s make it a cool place for you to go. Let’s make it a clean place--a place that if we were kids we would love to go to,” Rogers said.

It is important to increase awareness by encouraging others to check their tables before racing off to class.

“It’s not that hard. After you eat your food, just pick it up and throw it away,” sophomore Maya Simpson said.

So far, repeated emails and Town Meeting announcements have had a limited impact.

It’s time for each individual to promote this essential change of behavior. As a collective unit, students have the power to reinstate a respectful balance within the community.

Rogers’ final message reminds students to make the most of Sage’s beautiful campus.

“You have such an advantage to go here…we really want you guys to succeed. We want you to be able to have an absolutely great foundation,” Rogers said.

Hannah Woodworth | The Bolt

Mr. Campeau’s reminders to pick up trash haven’t been very effective in discouraging littering at lunch.

A crowd of Sage Hill supporters fill the stands to watch the girls’ varsity volleyball team take on rival St. Margaret’s.

SCHOOL SHOWDOWN

How the Sage-St. Margaret’s rivalry came to be Karli Davis

Photos by Dave Siegmund

Senior Amiyah De’Long spikes the ball during a match against St. Margaret’s. Sage won, 3-0.

If you have ever attended a St. Margaret’s versus Sage Hill sporting event, then you might be familiar with “the kitchen” or the phrase “What is a Tartan?” Between chanting hurtful comments, yelling and targeting specific players, and even dressing up as food and kitchen utensils, you may wonder what fuels the animosity St. Margaret’s students express toward Sage Hill. How did this rivalry develop between both schools, and where this did this competitive spirit come from?

“The rivalry with St. Margaret’s has been around for as long as I have been at Sage Hill School,” Athletic Director Megan Cid said. “I believe it has grown in intensity over that time, but to my knowledge, it has just always existed.”

Rivalries often form between two schools when they are in

the same geographical location and have a similar academic and athletic level of intensity.

Being a 20-minute drive down the 73 Freeway and also a private school, St. Margaret’s has always been Sage’s competitive equal. Nate Miller, who is currently a math teacher at Sage Hill, remembers the very first matches against St. Margaret’s from when he was Athletic Director here from 2001-2007.

“From the early years of the school, we always seemed to be evenly matched with St. Margarets in many sports like volleyball, soccer, basketball, cross country,” Miller said. “We were much more evenly matched than other schools like Oxford and Whitney, and since we were such similar schools, the St. Margaret’s games, matches, and meets quickly became ones that people would get pumped up and excited for.”

There have been many

intense moments over the years that has strengthened the rivalry, and many Sage and St. Margaret’s students take it upon themselves to enlist the importance of these competitive games to the underclassman and keep the intense spirit going.

“Before every St. Margaret’s game, we always make sure to have a serious practice, a team dinner, and a pep talk to stress the importance of this game,” said Maya Jaffe, senior captain of the girls’ varsity soccer team.

“Losing to St. Margaret’s is the worst feeling.”

Even if there may not be any historical moments that truly defined the start of this rivalry, it still holds strong through every sports season and every team that plays against them.

“I can remember quite a few tense moments over the years, on both sides, but for the most part it seems to be a healthy rivalry,” Miller said.

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Comm

The Bolt Febuary 2019 Sage Hill School

2018

THE YEAR’S TREND

#4 Eighth Grade Writer-director Bo Burnham

Madison Harris-Weiner

#1 A Star is Born Bradley Cooper as a troubled

rockstar and Lady Gaga as his protege make for the most sizzling and convincing chemistry of the year. Cooper, who also directed, manages to revive, with brilliant new feeling, an 80-year-old story. With stunning performances and killer original songs, it’s the kind of dazzling, old-school fare that, despite its sweeping look at fame, remains faithfully grounded in the flawed but remarkably authentic humanity of its characters.

#2 El Angel The year’s greatest hidden

gem, El Angel, is a gorgeously stylized biopic that tells the gruesome story of Argentina’s infamous baby-faced serial killer. Director Luis Ortega’s sharp eye for visual atmosphere and keen sense of tone lend the killer a fantastically twisted appeal that allows the film to be swept away by the illicit glamour of crime and the allure of living on the edge.

#3 Bohemian Rhapsody Inimitable magic happened

isn’t a teenage girl, but he writes perfectly from the eyes of one. Eighth Grade follows an awkward, passionate, confused, well-meaning girl named Kayla as she navigates the murky waters of middle school. Burnham is spot on with his depiction of the tricky politics and culture of middle school and he beautifully captures how messy yet fleeting those years are. Most importantly, Burnham’s film stands to show that things do get better.

back in 1970 when Mercury, May, Deacon and Taylor formed Queen. They created something timeless that became larger than life. They still are larger than life and so is this movie. With leads that are near clones of their real-life classic rock counterparts, each moment of the film Annie’s boyfriend Duncan has bursts with a contagious ada weird obsession with hasoration for the band and their been singer Tucker Crowe musical genius. that leaves her bored and neglected. But a twist of fate allows her to deliver the ultimate hit: she leaves Duncan to date Crowe himself. With Rose Byrne and Ethan Hawke (thoroughly likable even as a washed up rockstar) as leads, it makes for one of the sweetest and most enjoyable films of the year as well as one of the most original rom-coms in recent memory.

#5 Juliet, Naked

#6 If Beale Street Could Talk

While Beale Street — the story of a man accused, convicted and sentenced for a rape he did not commit — is undeniably one of the most socially aware films of the year, its greatness lies in the intimacies of its family drama and romance. The film speaks to a larger issue but it does so on a small and very real human scale. The story unfolds in such a beautifully delicate way — backed by a fully-realized 1970s production design — that the love story at its heart is just as important as the weighty topics it wrestles with.

munity

The Bolt Febuary 2019 Sage Hill School

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IN NUMBERS

DS AND BEST MOVIES

#7 Bad Times at the El Royle

In what could only have been inspired by Quentin Tarantino, strangers are thrown together in a strange hotel that lies on the California-Nevada border.

Nothing is as it seems and things soon spiral into a stylish spectacle of pulp violence.

Though a far cry from perfect (some plot holes threaten to topple the aesthetic illusion) quick dialogue and captivating characters make it all too easy to get past the ‘why’s’ and just let the film play out in all its enthrallingly bizarre glory.

Maybe not the most sophisticated film but definitely one of the year’s most thoroughly entertaining.

#8 Capernaum

In a brutally realistic depiction of third world poverty, 12-year-old Zain sues his own parents. This premise only sounds ridiculous until you realize that Zain’s life has been indescribably terrible. Bereft of basic necessities (not to even mention love or compassion) and powerless to change any of it, court becomes the only place he has any hope of being heard. Ripe with just as much social commentary as harrowing human story, Capernaum will break your heart.

#9 American Animals American Animals is a heist

film with roaring authenticity that seems to run off of a pure love of filmmaking. It plays heist cliches to its advantage, turning the genre on its head as it blends fact and fiction.

It’s fun and clever but when it matters director Bart Layton knows when to lay off the jokes and let the film explore deeper themes such as the longing for excitement and the price of chasing it.

#10 Blaze

Blaze Foley isn’t a household name because the singer died before he ever made it big, leaving his legacy in the hands of more prominent county stars who covered the songs he wrote. Written and directed by Ethan Hawke, this Foley biopic takes a nonlinear structure, alternating between the singer’s happiest times and his disheartening spiral into substance use. Blaze is selfish and self destructive that by the end it’s hard to find any redeeming qualities. Hawke, however, treats him and the film with such sincere respect and admiration that you’re forced to look again and see something else, something better, in the tragic singer’s heart.

#12 At Eternity’s Gate / First Man

#11 Roma Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma is the

‘slice of life’ genre at its absolute best. Pulling from his own childhood memories of growing up in Mexico City, Cuarón creates a film that moves at the same pace as life itself, mirroring every ebb and flow; all the good and all the bad.

Roma has the confidence to take its time in revealing every inch of its characters and their world and to allow its simplest moments to also be its deepest ones.

Julian Schnabel’s and Damien Chazelle respective Vincent van Gogh and Neil Armstrong biopics are both riveting in great part because of their craft and earn their place on this list, as a tie for the year’s most immersive, because of it. At Eternity’s Gate plays out like an art piece itself, relying on lighting, color, scenery and cinematography to paint the artists most euphoric moments of inspiration and his lowest spirals into insanity. Likewise, First Man uses sound design, lighting and visual effects to not only place the audience right in outer space next to Armstrong but also to capture the heartbreak and struggle of his personal life down on earth.

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The Bolt February 2019 Sage Hill School

Arts

RAPTURE CAPTURES THE ATTENTION OF SAGE DANCERS

Annie Tang | The Bolt

Students involved in dance class got the unique experience to explore different styles of dance (such as jazz, contemporary, and modern) with four different teachers from Rapture Dance Intensive.

Courtney Davis On Jan. 9-11, Rapture Dance Intensive came to Sage in order to inspire dancers and help them discover their own style. Rapture’s four instructors taught contemporary, jazz, and a bit of modern. The instructors came to dance levels one, two, three, four and Synergy and taught multiple dances to each class.

Rapture’s goal is to increase the dancers confidence, awareness and self-worth within their craft.

Noelle Robinson, Sage Hill’s head dance instructor, encouraged all of her students to take the dance intensive because of the variety of styles and inspiring teachers.

“On a day to day basis I teach the students how to dance, but these teachers brought a new, fresh perspective. Rapture Dance Intensive challenges students to think outside the box and also pushes themselves outside of their comfort zones,” Robinson said.

The dance intensive had a great effect on the students, and dance one student Julia Kelly took a lot away from her experience.

“It is very important that Sage offers a dance intensive because you get to experience many dance styles within the span of only a few days, with teachers who are very passionate about what they do”, Kelly said. “I learned how to tell a story through my movements and not to put too much thought into what I’m doing and let my body take over.”

Freshman Brooke Adderton, a student in dance four, also gained a lot from the intensive.

“The instructor told us about how listening to the beat of the music and understanding those dynamics will help your dancing in the future,” Adderton said.

To finish off their time at Sage, Rapture put on a performance and lecture by their staff in the black box. This performance taught valuable lessons such as collaboration and artistry, and inspired many dancers at Sage.

Lights, Camera, Action for Winter Play

‘I am excited for the students to share a new type of theater that I don’t think this community has been exposed to’ Sanjana Khurana & Isabel Gomez For the 2019 winter play, Fear and Misery in the Third Reich, Sage Hill students plan to enact the heart-wrenching tragedy of families living in Germany during the 1930s. One of Bertolt Brecht’s most famous works and his first openly anti-Nazi piece, this play is unique in that the story is told in a series of 24 interconnected playlets or vignettes.

“I am excited for the students to share a new type of theater that I don’t think this community has been exposed to,” director Jeffrey Crockett said.

Brecht is a German expressionist playwright as well as a political playwright who created the alienation effect. By making the familiar strange, the audience can keep a distance from the play which lets them look at the piece from a critical eye instead of an emotional one.

Brecht’s goal while writing his plays was to create social and political change.

To this end, he forced the audience to think critically about what they saw rather than sympathizing with the characters by employing different acting techniques.

Senior Nadia Akbari is very involved in the acting department at Sage as she has participated in most of the productions, so her enthusiasm about this special style is something to look forward to.

“The rehearsal process was different this time because, as opposed to being one cohesive storyline, this play is a series of short scenes that give the audience different perspectives of Germany just before World War II,” Akbari said. “It’s really cool when we have the whole cast rehearsing because you can really see how the scenes complement each other.”

Aside from the actors, stage managers Grace McNeill and Haley

Rovner are in charge of making sure everything backstage goes smoothly. If anything goes wrong, they are responsible for saving the show.

“It’s really cool seeing the show go from group discussions about the important events that happen in this show to putting it on a stage and seeing how people react to it,” McNeill said.

The importance of their jobs will be seen in this play more so than any other.

In honor of the Brecht’s desire to expose the unfamiliar and make the audience take action, Crockett plans to expose everything to the audience as they will be able to see what goes on backstage, from props to maybe even some costume changes.

Fear and Misery of the Third Reich opens on Feb. 7 and the whole cast and crew would love to see everyone there!

Valentina Lin | The Bolt

Leslie Frankel, Lia Darmer and Dylan McCarthy, rehearse one of the 24 vignettes in Bertolt Brecht’s Fear and Misery in the Third Reich.

Opinion

The Bolt February 2019 Sage Hill School

‘A’ Real Problem

7

How Grade-Centric Attitudes Hurt Real Learning Ian Grimm Forty percent of Sage courses are weighted classes, and the number is steadily growing.

“Can you curve?” is rapidly becoming our 7th C. My grade, the class of 2020, is infamous for grade-grubby behavior when exam time rolls around, and I am a big part of that problem. All of these are symptoms of an underlying trend towards students who are more and more focused on grade boosts, and who don’t bring as much interest and passion to the classroom as a result.

The motives for wanting higher and higher grades are well-understood—college aspirations and parental pressure are serious contributors to a widespread notion that anything below 93% is unacceptable.

Stanford’s acceptance rate has fallen from 20% to 4% in the past decade, and many colleges across the US have mirrored this trend. However, a student culture that in equal portions shames and scoffs at students that don’t pass muster could be the biggest driving factor of all.

Every test, students compare grades (and self-worth), checking out who succeeded in their classes. A student who routinely works hard yet doesn’t achieve results, who gets bombarded by reports of others’ successes but cannot find it themselves—the pressure placed on them to achieve numerically, regardless of personal growth and learning, is brutal and it’s real.

Sadly, student values are so distorted that, rather than taking bad grades in stride and acknowledging a true skill deficit in the subject and seeking to do better the next time, many kids opt into blaming a low curve or demanding extra credit as a result. More and more students are choosing what appears to be the lesser of two evils—learn to the test, cram notes in the minutes before an exam, get an “acceptable” grade on the quiz/ test/homework/ project/essay, rinse and repeat.

While a learning paradigm like this one serves students’ aspartame needs well, it robs them of the meaty academic challenge necessary for growth, and deprives students from the deeper purpose of education— true understanding. Empty calories from a superficial education fade quickly after a dose of the real world.

This focus on the wrong aspects of school do the most damage to the people who seek genuine learning above all— teachers. Sage faculty toe the line between giving generous grades to undeserving or simply unsuccessful students, or face a tidal force of student demands for rounding, extra credit, curves, easier exams, and rote learning.

Grade-centric students demand teachers to teach them to the test, making class not a hub of discussion and learning but instead a dull husk of test-prep and rote memorization.

And this is saddening for a

Cartoon by Megan Chan person who genuinely believes that education should be a challenge! That it should be hard!

That within the struggle for learning and growing there is a huge amount of value that students who cram their way through life simply cannot attain! High levels of achievement and grades that represent “A-mazing!” and not “A-verage” will be relics of the past, unless we can change student attitudes about what it really

means to succeed.

Because Sage’s relentless rise in median GPA isn’t isolated to here at Sage, or even in private high schools anymore; it’s part of the growing trend towards giving higher grades for low-quality work that spans public and private education. In 1998, 39% of grades issued to students were A’s. In 2016, that number spiked to 47%, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

“It’s an America problem,” teacher Rena Dear said. “Everyone wants a trophy and recognition for hitting the mark for ‘satisfactory’ rather than rewarding outstanding work, thoughts, and ideas.”

And if we don’t change something, the demand for “trophy” grades will erode the entire purpose of grading students in the first place—helping students succeed, not in GPA but in life.

Letter to the Editor Re: “Skip Indigenous Peoples’ Day This Year,” Page 7, September 2018:

Hints: 1) Football 2) Science 3) Fairy Tale 4) Saying 5) Government 6) Games 7) Chemistry 8) History 9) Music 10) Movie 11) Novel 12) Food 13) Speech 14) Kid’s Song 15) Breakfast 16) Mnemonic 17) Transportation 18) Slogan 19) General Knowledge 20) Poetry 21) Mythology 22) Baseball 23) Food 24) Movie Quirk 25) Toy

Indigenous Peoples’ Day should be celebrated and Columbus Day should not.

Characterizing Christopher Columbus as the “first discoverer” degrades the accomplishments of the indigenous peoples that came first. Secondly, Leif Erikson and John Cabot preceded Columbus as the “first person from the ‘Old World’ to discover the ‘New World.’”

Genocide is defined as an intentional killing of a specified population. For example, Adolf Hitler committed genocide by placing millions into concentration camps in which they died by “deliberate actions” such as gas chambers or from “non-deliberate actions” such as disease and starvation. All those who died, despite how “intentional” their murder was, were victims of genocide.

Similarly, Columbus and his crew intended to enslave and kill Native Americans for his money-making expedition, The Enterprise. Columbus created a situation in which some Native Americans died through “non-deliberate actions” such as disease or starvation (starvation was used as a punishment), but

also through savage murder.

The goal of Columbus Day is to celebrate the “hero” Christopher Columbus, while indigenous peoples often go unacknowledged during this celebration. This is why we must abolish Columbus Day. It is important to learn about him and his terrible actions in history class, as we do when we learn about the Roman empire or Islamic Caliphate like you mentioned, but we must not revere him as a hero with a day off in the same way we celebrate veterans.

I agree America wouldn’t be the same without Columbus. Our history would not be as deeply rooted in racism. Columbus requested the monarchs of Spain to start the transatlantic slave trade. At the point when African Americans are being killed by our police force and still face systemic discrimination, it would be hard to deny his “cultural influence” of racism on American culture, especially when some states don’t teach students about the Indian Removal Act or slavery as the cause of the Civil War. Indigenous communities are also plagued by discrimination when they don’t have adequate access to education or healthcare.

In 2018, his influence still

lives on in the American missionary, John Allen Chau, who intended to Christianize indigenous peoples living in North Sentinel, an island inhabited by those who are not immune to the diseases of outsiders.

America would also not be the same without indigenous peoples. They taught Europeans how to live off the land by planting corn and surviving winter (which we still do today), and how to grow cotton and tobacco (which allowed the US economy to grow). “American” political ideas, such as a representative democracy and having a central authority with states, are taken from the Iroquois confederacy. It was the Europeans who brought in ideas of monarchy, oppression, slavery, extreme poverty, rape, and violence. If you eat French fries or potato chips, take Vitamin C during cold season, or vote, you should thank indigenous peoples.

In the same way we give a week to celebrate the Pilgrims (Thanksgiving) or weeks to celebrate predominantly European Christian traditions (Christmas and Easter), the Indigenous people deserve at least a day to be recognized for surviving America’s first terrorist.

--Sasha Ronaghi

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Backpage Scandinavia Is Not a Democratic Socialist Utopia

The Bolt February 2019 Sage Hill School

Cartoon by Camille Hansen

Trevor Klein Many modern American politicians including Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez promote socialism as the optimal economic system. When critics point to its gross failures in the Soviet Union, China under Mao, and Venezuela, supporters reject that socialism failed these countries and instead claim that the dictatorships imposing the policies were too authoritarian.

These politicians argue that the United States should follow in the footsteps of “democratic socialism” that they believe is practiced in Scandinavia. They maintain that “democratic socialism” combines government ownership or heavy regulation of business with political freedom and democracy.

To most, it sounds like a sensible middle ground as Scandinavian countries are successful in the modern world. In reality, they are not socialist at all. Their economic systems are actually very similar to that of the United States.

Capitalism is defined as an economic system where the government takes the least possible involvement in the economy. The government simply protects individual rights. The French phrase “laissez-faire,” which means “let it be” embodies capitalist philosophy. Thus, capitalists believe when the government lets market forces act without being inhibited by regulations, the economy works for the most possible people.

On the other hand, socialism is represented by government ownership of the means of production. They control every aspect of economic activity. Socialists encourage this because they believe the free market is like a wild beast that must be tamed. They think that central planning is best for the economy.

No modern country has ever been purely capitalist or socialist. However, some have come close. Hong Kong under British rule is a great example of near pure capitalism. Hong Kong was impoverished in the 1950’s with few natural resources other than a great harbor. Then, the British lifted nearly all economic regulations. The result was remarkable economic growth. Hong Kong became a global trading hub reaching Western standards of living.

Small businesses thrived. The free market kindled this incredible period of growth in Hong Kong.

North Korea is a great example of nearly pure gov-

ernment ownership of the means of production. Aside from the black market, the North Korean government plans nearly all aspects of their economy. The result is a suppressed, impoverished nation. Socialism and central planning do not work.

People have no incentive to work under socialism as they receive the same compensation no matter how hard they work. Thus, production levels and GDP fall, and people are impoverished. Additionally, economic planners smother market forces. Thus they cannot respond to these forces, and production practices in these economies are quickly antiquated.

In response, the defenders of socialism will claim that past socialist regimes have failed not because of their economic practices, but because of the evil dictators behind them. This is why they point to “democratic socialism” and claim it will will solve our problems by applying the moral principles of socialism through democratically elected leaders.

Specifically, they point to successful Scandinavian countries including Sweden and Denmark when justifying “democratic socialism,” and Americans have come to accept their assertions regarding these countries. However, Scandinavian countries have market-driven economies.

Let’s look at Sweden.

Sweden tried to incorporate a more socialist system in the 1970’s by introducing the Swedish welfare state, according to Swedish economist Johan Norberg. The government enforced high taxes to pay for the programs and the economy struggled.

Despite the initial socialist failures, labor unions even tried to seize the means of production by implementing laws that forced companies to give up portions of their profits to labor unions, which the unions would then use to buy stock in the company. Over time, this policy would have allowed the union “wage-earner funds” to take over majority ownership of Swedish businesses.

Then in 1983, 100,000 people took to the streets to protest these policies known in a country of just 8 million people. Employees and businessmen stood in solidarity against socialism and high taxes.

In this period of turmoil from 1976-1995, Swedish economic growth lagged behind the rest of the developed world by about 50 percent according to Norberg.

Inflation reached 10 percent, and interest rates briefly

spiked to 500 percent.

In the 1990’s, Sweden slashed taxes, greatly reformed the welfare state, and deregulated the economy making Sweden the more capitalist country we see today.

Since the reforms, Swedish economic growth has grown to 50 percent above the rest of the developed world.

The Heritage Index of Economic Freedom is a way to compare how free modern economies are. The 2018 index ranks both Denmark and Sweden ahead of the United States and thus more capitalist and economically free.

Sweden encourages a free business climate with few regulations and strong property rights. These elements are signature to a capitalist market economy not a socialist or “democratically-socialist” one.

This facilitates innovation and economic growth. For example, Norberg highlights that the Swedish company Hövding made the first airbag for cyclists. The product is actually safer than the traditional bicycle helmet and is easier to wear. In America, regulations prevent companies from producing and selling such a product because it does not meet federal safety regulations. Thus, America stifles the innovation that Sweden encourages. Additionally, Sweden has stronger property rights and more overall business freedom than the United States according to Heritage.

Now, Sweden does provide education through college and universal health care, but these programs heavily rely on the private sector. Norberg highlights that Sweden utilizes a voucher system in both education and healthcare. This means that the government funds the program, but the people choose if they want to use private or public schools and hospitals.

About half of Sweden’s schools are private because many families prefer the service provided by the private educators. These schools are very profitable and are thriving throughout Sweden. This method of school choice is popular among Republicans in the U.S., and Democrats generally oppose it.

Those who claim the Swedish system is an example of “democratic socialism” are making a gross error as Sweden, in many respects, embraces free markets to a greater extent than the United States. The Swedish and more broadly Scandinavian success story is not one of “democratic socialism,” but rather, one of capitalism.