The Antlerette Fall Magazine Volume 92 Issue 1

THE

ANTLERETTE VOLUME 92 // ISSUE 1

the antlerette // fall 2017

TA BLE OF C O NTE NT S 2 Remember the Heroes // Hannah Faith Villareal

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Dream On! // Gianna Toribio

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Is Poetry a Form of Media? // Jordan Ritchie

5 Explotation of North Korea Social Media // Jenna Quarnstrom

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6 “Not My Baby” // Anna Serpa

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From Freedom to Domination: The Mainstream Press // Maya Corona

9 Dress Codes: Just or Unjust? // Asiyah Mohammed

10 Support for the Support // Chelsie Adams

11 Does Comedy Influence Society? // Zion Trunnell

12 How Different Age Groups React to Horror FIlms // Christian Ajos

LE T T E R FRO M T HE ED I TO R HANNAH FAITH VILLAREAL // EDITOR IN CHIEF

It’s the 21st century, and the modern society’s use of media flourishes under new technology and innovations. All of the smartphones, apps, story posts, and psychological dilemmas, are just a few examples of the positive and negative results of this modern age. In this magazine, readers will find that realm of media through articles constructed by students and images formulated by students.

Thanks to the collaboration of EGHS’ Antlerette and TDA Academy, this magazine was produced and brought to you for purposes of either entertainment, information, analysis, etc. all depending upon how you, reader, interpret The Antlerette’s 2017 Fall issue of the magazine.

13 Most Influential People on Social Media // Yasmine Yusufzai

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EDITORIAL ADVISOR // MICHELLE HAMILTON PHOTO ADVISOR // KENT PICKERING DESIGN ADVISOR // MARGARET SOULIERE COVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION // KEVIN DUONG

Media Shedding Positivity // Benjamin Rodriguez

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS // KELLY BRINGINO, TYLER MARTIN, JESSE MONTOYA, JAKOB PHILLIPS, ANTWON SOLIS, MAX VASQUES

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R E M EM BER T HE HE R O E S HANNAH FAITH VILLAREAL // EDITOR IN CHIEF

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n one form or another, the media is actively being used to expose and open up stories of real life superheroes who also lived their everyday life as “normal” people. Whether its recent or not, the deeds of these heroes without aliases are being known and spread to remind people there is some goodness out there, even if that can be hard to find.

Some managed to live to tell the story. Tennar Boggs, for example, was only in his teens but chased a car on his bike to save a 5 year old girl who was kidnapped from her front yard in Pennsylvania. Irene Sendler, a woman who smuggled about 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto and then provided them with false identity documents and shelter, saving those children from the Holocaust. Hideaki Akaiwa, who dove back into the flood to not only save his wife and mother, but to search for other survivors as well.

Others lost their lives for a greater cause and yet through the media, they live on. Dominick Andujar, a six year old boy, who was killed trying to protect his fourteen year old sister from a rapist more than twice her age. Victoria Soto, a first grade teacher who after hiding her students in a closet, sacrificed herself as a human shield to a gunman who had entered the classroom not too long after. Lieutenant John Robert Fox who called a final artillery strike on himself, killing 100 German troops in order to protect his own men.

Not all heroes are human either, just like in the comics.

When a Kazahkstani man was drunk and fell asleep on a train track, his loyal dog did what he could to push the man off, but resulted in his own ultimate death as the train soon arrived. Filippo the dolphin pushed up a fourteen year old Davide Ceci who couldn’t swim, allowing his father to pull him back onto the boat. Binti Jua, a female gorilla who guarded a three year old boy who fell in the zoo so that other gorillas would not attack him. Oreo the cat who wouldn’t stop meowing and apparently not for food, the cat was merely trying to alert the family of the growing fire in the garage.

Thanks to the innovation in technology in the 21st century, people who commit acts of kindness are being revealed. Their stories are being told and remembered. Superheroes aren’t just found in comics or television or the theatres. People who are capable of doing heroic deeds can be found even in your own neighborhood, your own bloodline, school, workplace, etc. In a way these stories circling the net are a reminder that although there isn’t going to be someone using their super-strength to stop out of control trains or stop aliens from invading earth, there are people out there saving lives or changing lives in extraordinary ways that ought to be known, passed down, and honored.

There are many other such heroes out there: mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, dogs, cats, etc. not mentioned in this article. They also deserve to be known and honored for their deed(s). The process for their stories to become widely known may be slow, especially compared to the hottest celebrities that some people think are more important. But it’s good to know that they aren’t being completely forgotten as their deeds will remain as other things do once put on display through the web. Their stories are being passed along and shared in an effort to remember the heroes.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION // ISREANNA CALDWELL

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DR EA M O N !

GIANNA TORIBIO // STAFF

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ver have a crazy night and try to remember just exactly what happened? Yes, we’re talking about dreams. Dreams are unruly

and wild, there’s no templet or boundaries of what your sleep will behold. So, what did that dream from the other night even mean?

There might not be a specific answer, but there are some ways to perhaps help you understand just a little clearer.

Sigmund Freud, a famous psychologist, believed that dreams were the desires of our unconscious self.

Today, we all know that to an extent this is clearly untrue. A dream that you died in your sleep does not necessary mean you subconsciously desire to die. Then what does it mean?

The truth is, dreams do not have a general meaning at all. This could explain how perhaps in the morning, you vaguely remember thinking “what the hell did I dream last night?” As an individual, one dream to you could be interpreted or symbolize an entirely different meaning to another. Likely as each is unique, so are the meanings of dreams. Although there is no true and scientific way to figure out the exact meaning of your strange dreams, there are dream dictionaries that could perhaps guide you for a start. Dream dictionaries are just that, you look up a word and, it gives a general explanation of what the possible meaning might be. Words to search could

be symbols, colors, moods, settings etc. A dream dictionary can be the easiest way to get a start on decoding. For example, if you dreamed you were floating in the ocean you could look up the word “ocean” or “floating” and similarly what follows would be an interpretation and correlation of “soul searching” or “undergoing inner changes.” Once you get a deeper insight to a possible underlying factor of your dream, the dreamer can interpret them into their lives as they desire.

Having trouble remembering your dream to even begin to interpret it? The best way to remember is a dream journal. Keep a pencil and a notebook by your bed and write down as many important details as you can remember, for even minutes after you wake up, dream details start to slip from your mind. Don’t forget repeating symbols, colors, or settings which can help in decoding the most significant parts. When you have free time, just go back to your

dream journal and look up things you believe to be significant. Dream dictionaries can be bought anywhere online for roughly five bucks if you’re a paperback type of person, or just simply use an online dream dictionary.

Will you ever get an exact meaning of your dream? Ha, dream

...even minutes after you wake up, dream details start to slip from your mind... on. Yet, doing these things could perhaps lead to a realization or even be just for fun. Don’t forget that there are no right or wrong answers to decoding your dreams. Scientist believe that the only real functioned dreams are for personal reasons, so whatever you dream is up to you!

Sweet dreams.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION // RODOLFO HERNANDEZ, JR.

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION // LILLIANA SARGENT

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IS POETRY A FORM OF MEDIA? JORDAN RITCHIE // STAFF

The basic definition of media according to multiple sources is the means of mass communication carried out in various ways that reach or influence people widely.

Some of these ways are television, newspapers, magazines, books, music, and the internet. Poetry could be hidden in the ‘books’ category, but even if it is, many articles on the internet discuss different types of print media and poetry is never mentioned and isn’t given any credit, but I am a firm believer of giving credit where it’s due.

According to Huffington Post, some of most influential poets in history are William Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, John Milton, William Blake, Edgar Allan Poe, T.S. Eliot, and Ezra Pound.

These poets, in some way, with their words changed the world.

For example, John Wilkes Booth was inspired by Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” to assassinate our 16th President Abraham Lincoln. Though negative, it had a large impact on history. Although there is much debate on who was first to create it, both Walt

Whitman and Ezra Pound are both credited for breaking poetry boundaries for writing free-verse poetry (poetry that does not rhyme). Though this new method was not popular at first, over time free-verse became one of the most common types of poetry. Poetry in one way or another has influenced many people and events over time, proving itself to be quite a powerful form of media.

If media is, by definition, a means of mass communication that reaches and influences people widely, poetry is one of those means. Poetry speaks to people and inspires and influences them on a worldwide scale. Poetry teaches lessons about love, death, dreams, race, politics, and self-confidence that many people can relate to. In a way, poetry unites us. Get Lit— Words Ignite is an organization based in Los Angeles, founded

by Diane Luby Lane, which strives to empower and inspire teenagers by means of poetry. The teens that are part of this organization recite their poems at slams, schools, on TV, and online about their personal struggles and struggles of the world to inspire teens to join in on their “Literary Riot” and face these issues. That’s what I call mass communication. That’s what I call

reaching and influencing people widely. That’s what I call media.

When teens hear the word ‘media’, the first thing they think of is social media. “Who tweeted that?” “What new filters are on Snapchat?” “Does using Facebook make me old?” But there is a whole other world of media out there. In my opinion, we can learn more from reading poetry than we can from watching the news or reading the paper.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION // ISABEL DUPLANTIER

People write poetry to express their feelings and opinions about certain topics and when that poetry is shared, it becomes a way of communication to its audience. People can connect to poetry through the message it shares. That poetic message is probably a lot more influential than any direct message (DM) shared on Twitter. I suppose you could say that poetry is more effective than social media. In fact, poetry is just as effective as any other form of media. Did some news reporter give the truth about racism in the thirties? No, Langston Hughes did. Did some article in a magazine teach us that all things beautiful don’t last forever? No, that was Robert Frost. Poetry teaches us, reaches us, and influences us in ways other forms of media cannot. Poetry teaches us to see beyond what other forms of media are trying to tell us. Poetry reaches out to us, so that we can communicate about what’s really happening in the world. Poetry influences us to make the changes in the world we want to see.

So let’s give poetry the credit it deserves for being the most effective form of mass communication and for influencing all the people it has. It has influenced me to write this article.

Maybe it’ll influence you.

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E X P LOTATION OF NORTH K O R E A S O C IAL ME DI A JENNA QUARNSTROM // STAFF

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n North Korea, the government has been restricting social media as a way to suppress the public and control the spread of information into and out of North Korea. North Korea and the United States are as opposite as it can get. In America, there is no restriction on the knowledge one can view. Americans can speak to people in other countries, have access to thousands of websites on the Internet, and see mainly unbiased views of news all around the world.

This, however, is not the case in North Korea. They have a total of 28 websites that they are allowed to view. These include an Internet company, the country’s only airline, and a culinary website. One website, called the Korean Central News Agency, is the main source of news for most of the country, and the home page shows many pictures of their leader, Kim Jong-Un, who came into power on December 17, 2011. The home page looks more like a tribute to their leader and appears to glorify his every action. None of the news reflects anything about the outside world, which means that the North Korean public only has knowledge of what goes on in their country. Their social media also does not connect to the outside world, which places North Korea in its own little bubble. They have an imitation of Facebook, and they use Red Star, a site for messaging and chat rooms within North Korea.

It can be assumed that North Korea regulates and watches this site heavily. This heavy regulation of any social media platform makes the controlling of citizens easier on the government.

Any information about the United States is made by the North Korean government and fed to its people. All of the propaganda about the United States is anti-American and portrays Americans to be brutal and murderous. The news even goes so far as to plant fake news about an ongoing war with the United States and threats from America. There is even a monument in Pyongyang, the capital city in North Korea, dedicated to anti-Americanism. Children, astonishingly, are taught from a young age to hate Americans. This is all done to use fear to promote a love for their country, and, in a way, justify the way that North Korea restricts information within the country.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS // LAUREN M CPHERSON

The government utilizes social media to promote a love for Kim Jong Un throughout the country, while also using fear tactics.

The news portrays their leader as a sort of divine figure. There are posters hung up on buildings that salute Kim Jong Un. Once a week, the public is forced to attend mandatory meetings glorifying Kim Jong Un, in which punishments occur for those who choose not to attend.

Schools have children sing songs praising Kim Jong Un, so children are taught from a young age to respect their leader.

North Korea’s government uses the lack of social media among the public and the government’s own use of social media to elicit a sense of control over the public, as it restricts knowledge of anything outside of North Korea. The government keeps its control tight and any transgression is heavily punished. North Korea’s habit of punishing the whole family of a transgressor leaves some unwilling to risk so much for knowledge of the outside world. Yet the idea of being able to learn about the outside world makes such a punishment worth all of the risk for the isolated public in North Korea.

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F R O M FREE DO M T O D OM IN ATI O N: TH E MAINST R EA M P R ES S

MAYA CORONA // STAFF

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he mainstream media is every American’s primary source of information and news. Many citizens are kept occupied with their own lives, and, as a result, we rely on the television and our phones to keep us up to date on what is unfolding in the world around us. A constant stream of information on social media and the internet is consumed by millions on a daily basis.

Even so, if we are leaving these billion-dollar companies with the sole responsibility of informing Americans, we rely on them too heavily to do so. As time has progressed and brought changes to our nation, the days of freedom of the press and unbiased reporting have gradually faded into the past, as their priorities have been replaced by profit and personal agendas.

Among these monopolizing groups are big name brands including FOX, CNN, NBC, The Washington Post, and many other television stations and newspapers. With this money comes great power--the groups endorsing them have a great impact on the relevance and reliability of the stories, leading to fictitious reports and the omittance of other stories altogether. In turn, people tuning in to these news providers are given an amount of biased and unreliable information far too large to be acceptable. This makes sense--if these groups are keeping their company up and running, then it would be illogical to attack the mouth that feeds them by reporting on news stories that aren’t approved by them.

The truth is, in the developing business of journalism, what sells is drama and violence, leading to exaggerated news stories, in turn causing manufactured controversy or public outrage while the true issue goes unrecognized. Thousands of people marched in the streets with signs declaring “Hands up, Don’t Shoot” after the police shooting of Michael Brown; what many were unaware of was that reporters took a tragedy and fabricated it into a profitable story with the intention of gathering viewers. The effects of this so-called “hand picking” of stories is clear in today’s society.

American citizens might be more informed on President Donald Trump’s latest inflammatory tweet rather than a hurricane leaving the entire island of Puerto Rico powerless and homeless. The pregnancy of a Kardashian sister is more likely to headline than the ongoing Darfur Genocide in western Sudan.

Less news companies are reporting the entire story, but rather neglecting facts in favor of pushing their own liberal or conservative agendas. If you take a closer look at each individual corporation, their superficiality becomes clear. The Supreme Court decision that corporations have the rights of individuals, including the right to endorse political candidates and state ballot initiatives, have made them make more decisions with political undertones.

For example, leading members of a news company might decide to publicly endorse a presidential candidate, while another might decide to interview attendees of a Black Lives Matter protest.

Their influence allows them to mix profits with politics, and these corporations are having a noticeable effect on public opinion. As of 2011, a mere 6 mass media corporations control 90% of everything that Americans read, view, and hear, proving furthermore that the days of self-determining journalists are receding into the past. In turn, these corporations are dominating the world of reporting while unbiased news groups such as Vice and BBC get little to no recognition.

Despite its prominence at the time being, the biased reporting plaguing America is unfortunately going unquestioned

by Americans. We can no longer rely on the mainstream media to keep us informed on the latest news. It is important that Americans begin to dispute the stories we see on our television or phone screens, and accept nothing but the full truth. If we have learned anything in our long and tumultuous past, it is that knowledge is power.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS // MICHELLE HAFLICH

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION // JENNIFER RIZO

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“NOT MY BABY” ANNA SERPA // DESIGN MANAGER

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he media reports murders as well as the conviction of the assailant. We all sympathize with the victim and the family members of the victim, dismissing the assailant as “Just another bad person, who can rot in a cell.” But what if the assailant is someone we least expect.... like a child? What makes a minor have such gruesome homicidal tendencies?

What are some of the warning signs?

Many factors can lead to homicide: trauma, abuse, mental illness, or personality disorders. Often these factors go unrecognized and untreated, like in the case of Mary Bell. The 10 year-old lured male toddlers to an abandoned house and strangled them to death. Of her 3 victims, only 1 was able to escape her wrath. Her homelife could explain why. Mary Bell’s mother was a common prostitute and often used “torture” techniques with her clients. She even involved Mary in her work, traumatizing her child. Mary was convicted of the murders (1968), but was released under a new name in 1980.

Daniel Bartlam is a 14 year-old boy who bludgeoned his own mother to death with a claw hammer before dousing her body in petrol and burning his mother’s corpse. Investigators found that the murder was inspired by a plot from the popular British television program, Coronation Street. Daniel claimed, in his testimony, that the gruesome event was provoked. He was sentenced to a minimum term of 16 years of prison on March 26th, 2012.

These aren’t only cases of children killing others of the thousands that have been convicted of such a horrific crime. Natasha Cornett, Brenda Spencer, Alex Crain, and many others have all have varying combinations of trauma, personality disorders (such as psychopathy, sociopathy, rage disorders, etc), and mental illness.

Some homicides carried out by children, although rare, are never solved and left to the Internet for conspiracy. For example, with the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, many speculate that her older brother, Burke Ramsey, carried out the crime with evidence like his toy railroad tracks that matched the marks on her neck. His uncomfortable demeanor during his interview last year displays sociopathic behaviorisms. A possible motive can be explained by the verbal abuse from his mother during his childhood, and possible neglect as JonBenet acquired all of her mother’s attention, making it plausible that JonBenet’s brother was her killer.

Homicidal children can be profiled as some of the most dangerous killers, if you ignore the common signs. Seclusion, killing small animals and bugs for fun, dangerous fantasies, bed wetting at unusually older ages, and saying “I’m going to kill you” or similar sentiments are some of the most common traits for potential assailants.

Many parents believe that it’s just what kids do, because they may have had similar experiences as a child. But these fantasies about control and violation can quickly develop into thoughts of premeditated murder. The child will often keep these dark fantasies hidden and stay quiet, producing violent drawings. Many of these thoughts are sparked by dysfunctional families. However there may be no reason for a child to kill, other than angst. These minors are potentially the most dangerous breed of killer.

Homicide is never a pretty subject, especially when done by a child, but these tragic events can be prevented with proper care and treatment. Talking with your children and making sure you see the red flags could save your life and the lives of others.

Remember “I’ll kill you” is never an empty threat, otherwise your baby may just be sentenced to life in prison.

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“The school system values the education of boys more than girls, or that school systems value patriarchy.”

D R E S S COD E S: J U ST OR UN J US T ?

ASIYAH MOHAMMED // STAFF

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he media is an international outlet for people to express their beliefs. It’s one of the most powerful tools that is accessible to almost everyone. Social media platforms can be a way for people to get their ideas out into the world and rally support of the people. A major issue that has been popping up on social media a lot recently would be the issue of dress codes in public schools, especially relative to girls. Female students are often posting injustices that they face with the dress codes. Should schools have the right to penalize girls for being a distraction to other students? Or should other students learn self control?

These are questions wandering around in the media.

In the past, one person will feel as though he or she cannot make a difference, but in the new generation, that has changed.

Social media has created a connection and a platform for people to relate to each other. People are aware that many dress codes are aimed at young women. Not only do these dress codes sexualize female body parts such as collar bones, shoulders, and legs, these dress codes body shame girls. Girls at EGHS have been sent to the office for alleged dress code offenses, even though they have not actually broken any of the dress codes.

Students have been pulled out of class, missing valuable class time for dressing in a way the school deems inappropriate. People on social media are collecting evidence of incidents like these and concluding that the school system values the education of boys more than girls, or that school systems value patriarchy. By

putting women down and restricting their education to what they are wearing, schools are giving young men a better opportunity of being educated and succeeding.

Patriarchy has dominated the country since its birth, and women throughout history have always been expected to be subordinate to men. Boys in public schools are often excluded from these dress codes, and that gives women a sense of subordination that is unjust and very inappropriate. Dress codes aim to shame girls for their toes, their thighs, their shoulders and many other body parts that are natural to the human anatomy. In many high schools, boys may be found ‘sagging’ their pants, but receive no penalties. These codes send a message to girls that their bodies are things they must hide in order to protect themselves from boys who are getting distracted. This victimizes boys and makes the girls feel as though it is their fault boys are being distracted.

It has been noted all over the media that girls who are more developed or curvier than others are held to a different standard than girls who aren’t. Why should some girls be held to a certain standard that other girls are not held accountable for? Why does the shape of someone’s body determine whether or not they are defying the dress code? This form of body shaming makes girls feel uncomfortable and targeted. So the question remains: are girls being inappropriate or are the real perpetrators the school systems?

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION // RYLEY KRUM

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ikinis, crop tops, backless dresses, tube tops- this list of trendy clothing seems endless. Yes, these clothes are incredibly cute and also incredibly fashionable. It’s common to see summer ads featuring women in these articles of clothing, but what’s not common is many women actually being successful at wearing them. The fashion industry targets what the media believes is the average women, but, in reality, the women targeted are those who desire the ideal body of a model: skinny with small breasts. And, because of this, busty women are undervalued in society and easily mistreated.

Women with smaller boobs may easily find a comfortable, affordable bra at almost any name brand store that sells lingerie, when women with large boobs can hardly find their correct size in these same stores. The most notable lingerie store (a.k.a. the store with the signature angels) as well as the most convenient store with lingerie (a.k.a. the store with the big red bullseye) rarely has any bras larger than a C in stores- but why is this? The question of why this occurs is even more interesting when you realize that the average bra size for American women is 34DD. Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer for you, but I do know that this causes a lot of women to wear the wrong size bra. If lingerie lines don’t include any large sizes (or even the average bra size of our country), then how are busty women supposed to feel valued? It’s hard enough as it is trying to fit in with large boobs in our society and it’s even worse when these women cannot find a bra that fits them perfectly. More importantly, how are busty teens supposed to feel? They see women in lingerie advertisements with the best, most comfortable bras, but, then, they can’t even

find the right one for them at the mall. The lingerie companies that promote their beautiful bras for “every woman” when they don’t even have larger sizes in stores are the reason why women and teenage girls with large breasts are undervalued.

Along with being undervalued, the busty women of our society are mistreated by society. Our society, or just the fashion industry in general, should make living as a large-breasted women easier by providing them with accommodating fashion trends. If all of the trendy articles of clothing don’t include sleeves, straps, backs, covered midriffs, or underwire support, busty women cannot “appropriately” wear them, at least according to society’s standards they can’t. It’s virtually impossible for one of these women to wear a crop top or wear a bikini without being viewed as promiscuous. Besides, the saying “the bigger the bra size, the bigger the strap” is 100% real for busty women and it’s a problem, especially when certain public places have dress codes that require bras to be completely hidden from view. The fashion industry as well as dress codes are setting an unreasonable standard for women with large breasts through these trends.

The struggle is very real for these women. They didn’t choose for their bodies to be this way. They want to love themselves (and some of them do), but it’s challenging to do this if the fashion industry helps the media and vice versa in advocating an unrealistic body image as well as promoting fashion trends that make these women feel undervalued or mistreated. The fashion industry and the media should show just how beautiful these busty women are by promoting fashion trends that support their bodies.

SU PPORT F OR TH E SU P P O R T

CHELSIE ADAMS // STAFF

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION // BREONA COUCH

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DO ES COMED Y IN F L UENCE SOC I E T Y? ZION TRUNNELL // STAFF

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omedy is an art form of media that is intended to be humorous and amusing. Comedians have made millions dollars from this simple action alone. Comedy also is a good way for human interaction as people will often share jokes, and make puns about an event. Comedy can be intriguing and fun; however, it can also be destructive, and dark.

Often times the jokes that comedians make can influence public opinion on political issues. Often shows and other media attributed to comedy, such as late night shows or Saturday Night Live, will often show current events in the political climate and usually poke fun at them. Comedians on these shows display current events through a humorous ad satirical lense, meaning that they would only display parts of the story they believed to be funny or ridiculous. The best example would be last year’s election as both candidates were often shown on the news many times during the presidential election. Comedians made fun of both Hilary and Trump’s ideals and mannerisms. However even though comedy is for entertainment, it has proven to influence people’s opinions and sentiments.

Comedy is usually written to express the comedians views in humorous fashion and to poke fun about how society is structured in the present day. Written comedy will always have a certain bias, or satirical aspects when talking about everyday issues.

Comedians use their ideals in their comedy to help shape and influence public opinion on issues such as racism or economic opportunities. Comedy has been shown to be effective at bringing political interactions and conversations to the table. They bring up topics that are considered taboo by society such as rape, racism, or murder. Comedians make these jokes to raise the issue and talk about the terribleness of the people who commit these acts, and talk about fear that the victim’s face. The way some comedian display these types of jokes make people laugh without coming off as insensitive.

However comedy has also caused controversy as some jokes remind people of taboo ideas and of society’s dark history. There are many topics that are very serious, and are very hard to joke about without coming off as heartless, such as rape, racism, or terrorism. Since comedy is done for entertainment, jokes about those topic are very risky to make in society, but they can be done. This is why comedians should be wary about the jokes they make because of the possibility of offending someone. Many comedians have also failed at this and resulted in them having to publicly apologizing or losing their place in the studio they work for. Such as when Michael Kramer, one of the characters from Seinfeld, got slammed for spewing the N word in one of his shows back in 2006, Or more recently, the situation that happened with the Youtube personality Pewdiepie. He was accused of being anti-semitic. The video that caused the situation was of Pewdiepie using an internet website called Fiverr. The website gives money to those less fortunate people in other countries, and allows the recipients to do a service for the payer. Pewdiepie used this service to have two Indian boys write death to all Jews, believing that this was ridiculous and that the boys wouldn’t do it. However they did, causing Pewdiepie to be criticized in the public. Many comedians have made jokes with the intent of making someone laugh, but can end up hurting people.

The fact that comedy can help shape people’s opinions is starting to become a problem. Through the revelation of a comedy writer, John Cheese a Cracked article writer, believes that most of the population gets their news from a shows such as SNL, as opposed to a news channel like Fox News, or MSNBC. This is not good for public opinion because mediums used solely for entertainment and enjoyment have been used for information. This is a huge problem for entertainment such as comedy and social media, the public is more prone to view fake news and be misinformed. People have used these comedy and entertainment sites for their daily source of new because of the distrust of mainstream news that has been shown in 2016.

Comedy has both good and bad effects on society. Comedy is crafted on humor and entertainment, but what is enjoyable to one is not enjoyable to all. Comedians need to realize this when they talk about certain topics. Just because it’s a joke doesn’t make it less hurtful, such as with the minstrel shows in America’s early history. These were shows made for entertainment, but made caricatures of black people. Often comedy can bring outsome of the worst in society through reminders of this nation’s tragic past action, and remind those that were oppressed of this. However comedy has been to bring this country together and make people laugh. This is especially needed through the current political climates after the last election.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION // BRYANT LEE

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CHRISTIAN AJOS // STAFF

R E A CT IN G TO H ORRO R FILMS

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ver watch a horror movie and say, “Oh, I’m not scared” only to come out pale faced after viewing the movie. Reactions like this are very common and apply to almost everyone.

However, horror movies have a different effect on different age groups.

Let’s start with the age group capable of watching these films, the adults or anyone 18 or over. Adults face many of the crippling effects horror movies have on the other age groups. Common effects are trouble sleeping, slight paranoia, and elevated senses. However, while we all know that most adults can shrug off the psychological effects of horror movies, there are other subtle physical effects. According to an article called, Horror Films Are Bad For Your Health, a doctor named Banne Nameth was interviewed and said that horror movies cause an increase in a blood clotting agent called Factor VIII. Factor VIII is a blood clotting agent which can cause thrombosis. Thrombosis is the clotting of blood in any part of the circulatory system.

Other physical effects include increased heart rate and chest pain. In an ad for the movie, Insidious 2, the audience were given heart rate monitors to keep track of their heart rates. Every time there was a jump scare, their heart rates shot through the roof. In accordance with increased heart rate, people including myself have claimed to experience slight chest pain. In addition to that, horror movies can have effects on the human psyche. An article written by Brooklyn Turner called, Can Horror Movies Have Negative Side Effects?, quoted an article on a study about the effects of horror movies. Effects included are almost similar to the ones above with the addition of behavioral changes

and mental trauma. This is scary to think that one cheesy slasher flick can compel someone to go hack someone else into a zillion pieces. Behavioral changes aren’t all violent, but can be subtle. These changes include a change in habit, constant looking over the shoulder, a nearly intense fear of being alone in the dark, etc. But the most concerning is mental trauma. Some adults, after watching a horror movie, can be mentally scarred, though this concern is primarily for small children.

Moving onto the main highlight of the article, horror movies effects on kids.

Horror movies are intended for a specific age group; however, there are people who let their kids watch horror movies.

We all know that young children are scared of the dark and other things that go bump in the night. Expose them to a horror movie like Annabelle or The Conjuring and you can bet that those kids will not go within a hundred feet of a doll or a nun. Horror movies tend to have very long psychological effects on children. In an article written

by Lisa Fritscher called The Lasting Effects of Horror Movies on Children and Teens, Fritscher states that horror movies can cause sleep disturbances, anxiety, amplification of existing phobias, creation of new phobias, and aggressive/violent behaviors. A perfect example of this is my younger brother whose name I will withhold. My brother has a mild fear of spiders and upon seeing them will immediately back away and call for me to step on it.

A second example is someone who has never been afraid of the dark, but after

watching a really scary movie is all of a sudden afraid of the dark. Another article published by Bernie Goat called Scary Movies Can Have Lasting Effects On Children and Teens, states that children and teens who watch these movies can be stuck with a side effect. It is called residual anxiety. Residual anxiety as defined in the article is a leftover of the frightening reaction they produced to the movies.

According to the study, about 26% of teens and children will have this as adults.

This could be similar to paranoia, but less intense yet nevertheless concerning.

This leaves us with the fact that

horror movies, despite being enjoyable, do have physical and psychological effects.

There are many factors that go into how affected one can be and age is a big determining factor. It should only be right that those who are young and do not have the mental fortitude to withstand this genre of film, watch it with great caution because it only takes one to break someone for the rest of their lives.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION // SAMUEL POPHAM

15 > the antlerette // fall 2017

YASMINE YUSUFZAI // STAFF

MOST IN FL U ENTI A L PEOP L E O N SO CI A L MED I A

W

e all use the internet. And we are now mostly on it ALL the time, thanks to the modern smartphone.

Millions of people have quick access to social media through apps. Some of these people have created a living out of social media while others use it simply to share photos with their friends. Some of the most influential people on social media:

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Kylie Jenner: It’s no surprise really that she is on here.

Kylie has been in the limelight ever since she was first featured on her family’s reality TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Kylie wasn’t as popular as she is today before she turned 18, but she has taken over the Kardashian throne. From her makeup line kyliecosmetics to her FitTea endorsements on her Instagram, she really shapes the way of how a modern day woman should look. Kylie has over 97.3 million followers on her Instagram and gets 20-30 million views on her Snapchat, making her the most watched person on Snapchat. She never sticks with one style of clothing and has influenced many young women to express themselves through their clothes and makeup. Kylie also launched her kyliecosmetics line in 2015 and in just 18 months, made over half a billion dollars from it. She influences a lot of women on how they should do their makeup. Overall, Kylie is the most influential person in social media.

Donald Trump: Our president is very well known to use his Twitter account @realDonaldTrump for political purposes. It has over 39.3 million followers and he has used it a lot during the election of 2016 and still uses it today. He is what many would consider “un-presidential’’ in his tweets because he never lies about what he feels about anybody or anything.

He openly shows in his tweets if he doesn’t like something and says that his Twitter account is “a platform to get his unfiltered message out to the public”. His account influences many of the world’s, particularly America’s, political views on anything involving America’s government.

BTS: Korean pop, or K-Pop, is becoming a famous genre of music all over the world. The most popular and most influential K-Pop band of this era is BTS. This band originates from South Korea and has seven male members: Rap Monster, V, Suga, J-Hope, Jungkook, Jimin, and Jin. They all sing and dance to different types of genres of music, making them unique and different compared to other artists, who sing one or two genres of music. BTS’s Twitter account was listed as the most retweeted artist on Twitter. This year, BTS won the Billboard Music Award for “Top Social Artist”. Some of their songs contain lyrics that are considered taboo in music in South Korea, but this made BTS popular because it made the songs seem more realistic and

down to earth for the common people. Ultimately, BTS will soon dominate the music industry.

Lily Singh: Those who watch comedy on YouTube know her as Superwoman. She is a 2nd generation Canadian of Indian descent and makes many comedic videos on her YouTube channel of 11 million subscribers, mainly focusing on the difference between being the child of South Asian parents and being the child of western parents. Her Instagram account has over 6.8 million followers and she posts daily from short clips of her newest video to selfies eating pizza on the toilet. But Lily also uses it to help those who need it. She partnered with WE charity and advertises a bracelet that she created called Rafaki.

They’re sold to her followers to help women in Africa be able to buy clothes, food, and let their kids go to school. She has so far helped over 14,000 women and has also created a series on her YouTube channel called Girl Love, which helps spread positivity around woman and brings them together and to not hate each other. Lily is one of the biggest influencers in social media thanks to her positivity and humor.

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION // DANNY DIAZ

media < 16 BENJAMIN RODRIGUEZ // STAFF

MED IA SH E D D ING P OSITIVITY

T

yler Opdyke is a 19 year old who recently moved from Bakersfield to Elk Grove to attend community college and Hope Corps through Wilson University. Tyler was passing out flyers for his uncle’s pest control business when he saw a wallet on someone’s driveway. He did what his moral compass told him to do and he returned it, but while doing so was caught on camera. It was uploaded to Facebook and it blew up from there. Tyler agreed to sit down and go deeper into the story of how it all unfolded.

PHO

What were you doing the day you found the wallet?

I was doing door hangers for my uncles business, Strike Zone Pest Control.

LLU TO I

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N THA // NA TION TRA

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CHE

When you saw how much attention it got on Facebook? How did you feel?

I felt shocked. I felt like it wasn’t really happening.

What was your initial thought when you saw the wallet?

What will you be doing with money and the opportunities you receive?

To take it.

I will be putting it towards my Hope Corps and the trip (a Bible College in Elk Grove).

Did you know how much money was in the wallet?

I just saw a 100 dollar bills, I just assumed it was a lot.

After you returned the wallet, how did you feel leaving without any reward initially?

Felt good that I did the right thing, my conscious was clear.

Did you feel you deserved the $150 reward?

No, I was just doing the right thing, I would’ve done it without a reward.

LL

What is your message that you hope people take from this?

To think with a unselfish mind, to think about your morals.

Tyler is representative that a simple act of kindness can have a reverberating effect. He has inspires countless of people all over the world to be a kind person regardless of rewards. His biggest takeaway from the whole thing was he would’ve done it again, even without the security camera.