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ANTLERETTE

ADRIAN BAYARDO // EDITOR -IN-CHIEF

LETTER EDITOR FROM THE

Opinions—we all have them. An opinion can be something as simple as disliking a certain food or TV show, but it can also be much more than that. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if not everyone agrees with it.

People post their opinions freely on social media for everyone in the world to see, but this is often met with backlash as people are quick to attack one another for having a belief that differs from their own. In our bitterly divided world, we need now more than ever to be more open and understanding of different points of view.

This year I aimed to create a magazine where the staff could freely express their stances on the issues that are most important to them, no matter how unpopular they may be. From Taylor Swift’s music, to the use of Artificial Intelligence, to the fashion industry, the staff have brought forward their hottest takes.

I am proud to introduce this year’s fall magazine. Each and every article exudes passion, and paints a unique perspective on a critical issue. This is my final fall magazine as editor-in-chief and I can honestly say that this one is by far my favorite. A vast array of opinions and perspectives await in this edition of The Antlerette, and I promise it will not

EDITORIAL ADVISOR // MICHELLE HAMILTON

DESIGN ADVISOR // MARGARET SOULIERE

PHOTO ADVISOR // CHRIS COATES

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF // ADRIAN BAYARDO

CONTENT EDITOR // KARINA HER & MIKELA LAURENZI

COPY EDITOR // AZRIEL HU

DESIGN EDITOR // MAYA BUQEILEH

COVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION // VALERIA AGUILAR ELISEA

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS // YASMINE SMITH, SOPHIA ALVES, MALIA LE, ADIELLE NELSON, VANESSA BONGCARON, CLAYR HILL, AJANI LEWIS, MIREYA VARGAS, HOLDEN WHITEAKER, LAVERIC XANDREI MIGUEL

BAKHTAWAR AHMAD // STAFF

INHUMANE VOGUE

The fast fashion industry churns out an insane 92 million tons of textile waste globally each year. About 85% of this waste ends up in landfills. Fast fashion itself is “a business model that involves the quick production and sale of inexpensive clothing that mimics current trends.” Some might wonder, if there’s so many problems created by fast fashion, then why do people buy so much stuff? But because of trend cycles, low prices, and overconsumption becoming the norm, these businesses continue to thrive constantly despite their negative environmental impact and human rights violations.

Many also argue that their finances only allow them to buy from these types of cheap businesses, but this is simply not true and there are many alternatives. Buying from fast fashion companies directly contributes to environmental damage and the violation of human rights that many nowadays do not care about making them morally and ethically corrupt.

Trends a few years ago lasted one or two decades, but now because of platforms like Instagram and TikTok, everyone is chasing the newest trendiest thing in an effort to try to have a sense of individuality. But, clearly it’s had the opposite effect because as soon as that new trendy thing actually becomes trendy, people switch up and decide that it’s lame due to its popularity and discard that trend and continue the cycle of trying to find something better.

This leads to so much overconsumption because it’s not just a few people trying to attain this sense of individuality, it’s almost everyone. And to get the trendy piece of clothing or furniture quickly before anyone else, people turn to companies such as Shein and Temu who can produce it fast and and sell it for cheap and since it’s hard for most people to afford the latest trend right away, and the price plays a big role in the success of the companies.

But why is that such a big deal? Fast fashion and the overconsumption it promotes leads to so much environmental deterioration. The fast fashion industry is responsible for approximately 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of waste water. Just reducing this number can do so much good for the environment.

Not only do fast fashion companies contribute to the worsening of the environment, but also they violate so many labor laws. Countries like the UK investigated companies like Shein that, for example, pay about $556 per month to their overworked (often having 18-hour daily shifts) employees. Other companies are paying around four cents per item. These companies also use

an immense amount of child labor. Most employees don’t have any other choices because they need to survive and on the other hand, many are forced to work.

People belonging to ethnic, cultural, and religious groups in northwestern China, including Uyghurs, are currently the target of the largest organized detention of an ethno-religious minority the world has seen since World War II. Since 2017, over one million have been detained. Detainees are made to work under constant surveillance at the companies, with assigned minders and no freedom to leave. Their forced labor contributes to the production of goods for numerous multinationals. Many of these workers even denied their right to practice their Islamic faith.

A lot of people try to justify their actions when buying from these companies because they say that’s all they can afford or that claim that now everything is fast fashion, but that is just untrue. There are many alternatives to these fast fashion companies. Thrifting from stores such as Goodwill, buying secondhand online, and supporting small businesses are always options that people just don’t want to admit they have. There is so much variety in these areas and even if one might want to stay on trend, most trends nowadays reference older decades meaning that finding trendy items second hand is more authentic and easier than buying from fast fashion companies. Overall, it is important to acknowledge where our money goes and what it does.

LANA HOLBROOK // STAFF

S O C I A L M E D I A

IS BAD FOR SOCIETY

Social media: an image of perfection or a deep hole of toxicity? Social media has many positives and negatives, but I believe that it has more of a disastrous impact on society because of the negativity it promotes regarding beauty standards and perfection.

Throughout history, there have always been prominent beauty standards that have mostly affected women. The desire for perfection can drive people crazy. For example, “heroin chic” was a style popularized in the early 1990s characterized by extreme skinniness; pale skin; dark under eyes; and greasy, stringy hair, which was an appearance often associated with the use of hard drugs like heroin. This highly sought after style was causing people to go to extreme solutions to their problem of “not being perfect” or “like the models.”

While the 90s was a time before social media we know today like Instagram or TikTok, it was the beginning of the internet age As time went on, what was deemed beautiful changed to the signature hourglass figure and airbrushed skin of the Kardashians. The Kardashian-Jenner family was a big proponent in the push for perfection and meeting impossibly high standards with social media being at the forefront of this phenomenon. Instagram likes

went up and self-esteem plummeted as these stars gained more and more fame and money.

We are seeing in real time how beauty standards are once again changing, from the hourglass figure back to skinniness being the ideal form of allure. Kim Kardashian allegedly got her Brazilian Butt Lift removed which, because of her influence, caused others to think they also need to have a smaller figure. Is heroin chic coming back? Many have pointed out the trend of skinniness and an emaciated figure coming back into the zeitgeist. The consequences of this could be disastrous as heroin chic promoted an extremely unhealthy way of living and eating (or lack thereof).

Social media has acted like a fortune teller that can predict the future. It oversees trends as they come to fruition and some observers have been able to successfully predict trends before they even happen due to the predictability of it.

Young girls are losing confidence, unhealthy eating habits are constantly being pushed, and perfection never achieved. Will we soon succumb to the pressures and predictability of social media? Only time will tell.

Social media has acted like a fortune telle r that can predic t the future “ “

BELEN GUTIERREZ // STAFF

TAYLOR SWIFT ISN’T THAT GREAT

Taylor Swift is a fourteen-time Grammy winner who started out as a country singer and evolved into a pop star. Today, Taylor Swift is one of the most well-known celebrities in the world, known worldwide by millions of people. However, despite her popularity, musically, she is not that interesting. Many of her songs follow the same formula and sound generic. Her fans make her seem like she’s some sort of god who can do no wrong, but they ignore the reality that she’s not the greatest person musically nor personality-wise.

Swift’s fan base, the “Swifties,” praise the artist for her “life changing” music. She is a talented songwriter, but when it comes to the beat of her songs, there’s nothing unique about it. Most of her songs follow the same generic pop beat and usually all of her songs are about the same thing: heartbreaks. It is a smart marketing move because many people in the world relate to those types of songs. However, Taylor Swift writes about the same thing over and over again, and her recent songs all sound the same. Yet, her incredibly loyal fans praise everything as if they haven’t heard the same thing from songs she’s already released.

The other issue with her music is she re-releases everything and calls it “Taylor’s Version.” This was something she did so that she could take ownership of her songs as the rights had been sold to her former manager Scooter Braun. Now, she was able to get all the profits from her music, but now she’s doing it to all her songs - songs that she already has the rights to. Taylor Swift follows the same pattern not just musically, but in the way she releases songs. She releases an album and it stays on the billboard for a decent amount of time, but then when someone takes her spot as Number 1 (typically when it’s another female artist), she re-releases her song in the acoustic version so no one takes her spot. This has been recent behavior of hers when Chappell Roan as well as Sabrina Car-

penter took her Number 1 spot. It seems as though she can’t stand it when other women are more successful than her. The biggest issue with this is Taylor Swift is a billionaire; she will be successful no matter what. The fact that she has an issue with others’ success says much about her character, who she really is, and what her fans ignore and refuse to notice about her.

Many people regard Taylor Swift as this saint, a fellow feminist who does nothing wrong and does all this good for the world out of the kindness of her heart. While Swift does seem to support and act as a feminist, she is the product of “white feminism.” For example she has a lyric that states, “We would pick a decade we wished we could have lived in instead of this, I’d say the 1830s but without all the racists.”

It’s a very strange, obscure, and insensitive lyric to put in a song. It wasn’t a huge topic of discussion and generally ignored by the general public because this woman can’t make a mistake.

This doesn’t necessarily mean she’s racist; however, it just shows how much of a product of her environment she is. Growing up wealthy in Pennsylvania, she’ll naturally have an unconscious bias. She is the definition of white feminism, as she ignores the experiences of women of color, and will only bring up issues that pertain to mainly white women. This is most likely because she can’t relate to the situations women of color go through, but that shouldn’t mean they are ignored altogether because she is a global figure and people look up to her and take everything she says as gospel truth.

No one holds her accountable for anything because her fans think she does no wrong and ignore that she’s not perfect. She’s a human capable of faults and capable of not being the best person in her everyday life.

MARVIN CANAYA // STAFF

IS AI REALLY

ALL THAT?

Evolution….the basic human instinct to survive and grow, with the goal to make things better than they were before. The one thing that has constantly changed throughout time has now come to a singular word, technology. But why? All you hear today in modern media is “Technology is bad” or “AI is bad,” but do they even realize in that moment that technology and AI is the thing dictating their life at that very moment.

Many people only associate AI to artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT or ChatBox, but they don’t even realize that it is so much more controlling of your life. AI can hold passwords, bank info, navigation, face identification, and personal information, all placed into a single digital assistant, most of which even basic hackers use in even their everyday lives, making you more at risk of identity theft. Some may argue that AI and Google have saved them so much work, but for what exactly? Isn’t that work beneficial for your studies? So why would you even consider using AI to “cheat” your way into a grade? You would only suffer the consequences later in life, when that final exam that you desperately need to pass becomes just a paper with foreign information because you never attempted to even practice. It doesn’t even stop there.

Hackers and scammers use AI algorithms to create fake identities, images, and videos to cyber attack billions of innocent people globally, all with the use of the same tool that lies within your own phone, car, or anything technological, but what do we choose to do about this situation? Nothing, because deep down our brain knows that we can’t survive without technology and AI, as it has now become a basic necessity.

This worldwide use of AI makes it even more dangerous for society because as everyone has access to the same platform, hackers can take your information just by you clicking a button because of the easy

access they have from using the same platform as you. Even in 2022, over 422 million people globally were impacted by the use of AI. Yet, people’s solution to this problem would be the use of more AI, in the form of cybersecurity which in some cases could be bypassed with ease by hackers, so at what limit can our positive use of AI really be secure.

Now, for educational purposes, AI could be justified as “helpful” as people can access the internet and find solutions or help to problems they need. But a recent trend that is seen in today’s society is that most teens/students have stopped using AI as a tool to help learn and have started to abuse it as an “easy ticket” to get out of work. In reality what is someone really gonna earn from the use of AI? A good grade? Will that really help them learn or prepare in the future? If people develop this habit of using AI during their teenage years, they are most likely going to struggle in college, as many colleges do not tolerate the use of AI or plagiarism, putting students at risk of expulsion.

Even forms of law enforcement use AI in order to complete their jobs more “efficiently.” Many criminals were caught through the use of facial recognition and algorithms specialized in linking recent and past recorded crimes to prime suspects, but what many people don’t notice is that even “top notch” AI created by the government has their flaws.

According to the “Innocence Project,” in 2020 there was the first case of wrongful incarceration due to misidentification using the socalled “top notch” AI. This documented case was not the last, as 6 other African Americans were wrongfully incarcerated due to the same issue. All of these cases were due to racial complications with the algorithm’s criminal legal system, making the use of AI very unreliable when it comes to the identification of people of color. So at what expense shall our criminal justice system justify the wrongful imprisonment of innocent people, just to use an unreliable system to make their jobs easier.

ADRIAN BAYARDO // EDITOR IN CHIEF

HISTORY: IT’S OUR PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

In American public schools there are several core subjects that are taught to students throughout the country. These include mathematics, English, science, and history (sometimes known as social studies). While each subject is vital to the educational experiences of students, history’s significance is severely overlooked.

I’ve heard many of my own peers complain about history class. A common complaint I hear is “when am I ever going to use this in the real world?” This is a valid question - and the answer is that you most likely won’t need to know the causes of World War I to get a job. That being said, school has a greater purpose than preparing students for the workforce. School teaches important life skills to ensure that students will be informed, well-educated members of society once they graduate. Out of all core subjects, history prepares students the best for the “real world.” The events of the past have shaped our society into what it is today. Those who are uneducated about the history of the slew of issues that plague this country are more likely to be deceived by fallacies in the media. Therefore, it is essential that students have adequate knowledge in history to ensure that they become well-informed citizens.

While history is extremely important in schools, it is often not recognized as such. Instead, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects are prioritized because those are “money-making” fields. While it is true that STEM careers (like doctors and engineers) are often more lucrative fields, that does not diminish the value of knowing history. While scientific discoveries and advancements are crucial to our society, the average person does not need to have extensive scientific knowledge in order to be a well-educated functioning member of society. The average person does, however, need to know what is going on in their local elections. The policies that are enacted by our elected officials directly affect the lives of every single American. This is not true with science; if someone is unaware about the concept of gravity, gravity does not cease to exist. The world carries on as it was.

However, if someone is unaware about a local election and does not participate, that could be the difference between one candidate winning the election over the other, and the policies that elected person chooses to enact could either be beneficial or detrimental to people’s lives.

Additionally, those who do choose to pay attention to politics are bombarded with false claims in the media. I once watched a presidential debate on TV and I heard one candidate claim that the United States had the best economy in its history from 2017-2021, and I immediately knew this to be a falsehood. How did I know this? I took American history in high school. It really is that simple. Since I was well educated in the history of our country, I was able to detect the fallacies in the claims I was hearing.

Everyday, both sides of the political spectrum make exaggerated claims about current events and policies in order to sway their audience into thinking a certain way. Millions of people are persuaded by false claims they see on the internet or hear on the news because they do not think to fact-check what they are hearing. They just accept everything they hear in the media as true. In history class, students are shown past examples of propaganda in order to demonstrate how exaggerated claims and lies are used to mobilize people into believing a certain political ideology. This teaches young people to stay vigilant about the information they consume in the media and to be critical thinkers, a skill that many adults in this country are lacking.

: THE ANSWERS

TO YOUR QUESTIONS

Some may believe that other subjects, such as history, should be given more focus. Almost all subjects tie back to science. Medicine, vaccines, and modern inventions including ovens and computers are all available thanks to science. Science has been a huge contributor to the evolution of humanity. We learned from history by making observations, then using experimentation to test for ways to answer the question of how to improve the world. That should sound very similar: the scientific method. Without using science as a gateway to the mind, it would be more difficult to thoroughly understand other subjects.

The world needs more people in STEM positions. There are plenty of politicians, but there are never enough doctors, genetic engineers, or emergency responders. There are illnesses, such as cancer, that still don’t have a cure. With more minds

IS BASEBALL OVERRATED?

DYLAN PERKINS // STAFF

It’s a hot spring day at the baseball field, batter after batter is being struck out and nothing exciting is occurring. The only excitement you get from being here is seeing an occasional hit and buying snacks and souvenirs. When the game’s over, you’re left hot, sweaty, miserable, and broke. This is what many people have to go through when watching a baseball game in the modern day. Despite being one of America’s most beloved sports, modern baseball has become a money-grabbing trap and has grown to be overrated.

According to The Wall Street Journal, in the many hours a typical baseball game takes, there is an average of only 17 minutes and 58 seconds of action. The average length for a baseball game clocked in at 2 hours and 36 minutes in the 2023 season after the addition of the pitch clock. That means there is only action 12% of the time in a typical baseball game. This leaves the question, how is the other 88% of the game used? A batter preparing for their next swing, a pitcher warming up for his next throw, or perhaps the batter being struck out? Contrary to popular belief, baseball might not be as exciting as the majority of people might believe.

Someone with opposing views may say that baseball is a great sport due to its teamwork, community, and exciting moments. Although there may be some exciting moments in baseball, most of the time is spent doing nothing. While baseball is a very beloved sport due to being known as America’s pastime, it’s time that the people begin to understand that there are better, more entertaining sports out there and that we should begin to appreciate those sports a lot more.

COLIN METCALF // STAFF

THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK

It’s impossible to deny that American politics are in a crisis right now. Turmoil is far from a new concept on the US political stage. Still, the polarization and violence seen between the major political parties and ideological groups of today are different and terrifying. As Democrats and Republicans continue to butt heads in a furious battle to put their respective candidate in the White House, Americans have had the chance to examine these candidates and their platforms in greater detail. This examination has left many Americans with one question: is this it?

The two-party system has dominated US politics since the beginning of the country, and it’s not limited to presidential elections. Although that is what a vast majority of the nation is focused on, the system permeates into other polls in the US, affecting nearly every federal and state government election. But this system has in part allowed a drastic decline in the sanctity of American politics in recent years. Many moderate or undecided voters are forced into choosing the “lesser of two evils,” as the Democratic and Republican candidates are almost always the only options. Even today, third-party or independent candidates have little to no chance of making it onto the ballot, as they lack the extensive resources, reach, and government funding that major-party candidates have access to. The two-party system is overall a detriment to American society for many reasons.

For one, this duopoly on elections and politics in general has led to heavy polarization and overall stagnation. Politics in the US have largely become simple and repetitive: Democrats oppose Republicans, and Republicans oppose Democrats. This approach encourages performative politics and puts the actual priorities of the population and society aside, leading to no real progress being made. When the office battle becomes more about defeating the other team rather than the policies that each side supports, major parties are more willing to take extreme stances that do not benefit the nation to appeal to their voter base. Not only that, but without the monumental reach that major parties have, the positions of third parties are largely left out of the conversation, and very few new and novel ideas are brought

to the table, furthering the issue of political stagnation. This creates a polarized climate, with no opportunity for cooperation, compromise, or progress.

In such a climate, voters are often forced into “lesser of two evils” voting, where they must choose between two candidates, both of whom they do not like or support. This discourages voters from going out and voting, and turnout decreases, so the nation’s interests are represented by the most polarized and one-sided voters, further exacerbating the problem. The voices of those who are most affected by the policies of each side are excluded, as they either are forced to vote for someone who may not have their interests in mind, or they do not vote at all. In an environment where only one candidate can win, and there are only two options, many Americans are left with no good options.

Overall, the American two-party system in its current state polarizes voters and leads to little progress being made for the benefit of the people. So how do we fix this? One way is to exchange our current “winner-takes-all” system with a ranked-choice voting system. Voters rank their choices in order of their preference, rather than voting for a single candidate. This system would allow for voters to choose multiple candidates, and allow for more than two names to be on the ballot. Another option is a system called “proportional representation,” where the representation a party gets in the government is proportional to the amount of votes they receive. This allows more than two parties to be represented, allowing voters to elect people who share their values and beliefs. With this system, the government would properly represent all voters.

However, this change is not likely to happen any time soon, as it would be a drastic, fundamental change to the current system. Our best shot at improving our current political climate is to push the current parties in favor of greater communication, cooperation, and compromise, and hopefully find common ground to make real progress that benefits the nation and properly represents the public’s interests.

IN-N-OUT IS OVERRATED

MICHAEL CORONADO // STAFF

In-N-Out is completely overrated. I feel like there are always disputes over it being really good or being meh when hearing other people’s opinions about it. Now don’t get me wrong, I think it is somewhat pretty good with all of its ingredients, sauces, etc. Though, I feel like I never hear anyone who is in the middle between thinking it’s the best burger place ever or someone who thinks it’s just straight up decent. There are some things about the restaurant that I do say are pretty nice, like their milkshakes or animal-style fries. But other than that everything else seems to be near regular and not what people overhype it to be.

We definitely need to start with how their patties and fries are completely below average for a fast food restaurant that has such high ratings. The patties themselves are VERY thin and aren’t as bulky compared to other fast food’s. The fries have this soggy but sad look on them alongside having no crisp whatsoever. In-N-Out’s menu itself has little to no variety of foods other than just burgers, fries, and drinks. The items that they do have on display that are supposed to be “different” are just different menu items with ingredients either added on to the burger or replaced with something else. For burgers with barely any meat and fries that seem to always be soggy, the fast food chain repetitively has long wait times with lines wrapping around their parking lots for an okay meal. Their only “healthier” option is replacing the buns with lettuce. Besides that the fast food chain doesn’t serve anything that’s healthy. Instead, their foods are low in fiber but rich in saturated fat, calories, sugar, and sodium. Although, I do recognize In-N-Out does have some shining qualities that shouldn’t be overlooked. Such things consist of their ingredients actually being a lot fresher compared to other restaurants where their ingredients are more processed and unhealthy for customers. In-N-Out also only fry their french fries once, while other fast food chain restaurants double fry theirs, which in comparison is considerably healthier. Even though the lines may be long, their prices are not nearly as high as other fast food places by being much more affordable for customers, especially nowadays since prices everywhere are skyrocketing. In-N-Out burgers can be higher in calories depending on the topics and style of burger you get, but because its ingredients are so fresh, it is lower in calories when being compared to other fast food restaurants burgers such as the Mcdonald’s Big Mac.

In-N-Out’s food items aren’t as good as people say they are and are way overhyped. Their menu is extremely minimal, they’re high in calories, sugars, and saturated fats. It does have a few shining qualities that help justify it, but at the end of the day, it’s still an overrated restaurant that has more cons than pros.

KANYE WEST IS NOT A BAD PERSON

THOMAS PERERA // STAFF

“The media has dragged West’s name...ignoring his seemingly well-known diagnosis of bipolar disorder...”

Kanye West has faced his fair share of scrutiny from the media for his outbursts and unpopular comments on race, religion, and politics. The media has dragged West’s name, labeling him as anti-semitic, sexist, and a racist - ignoring his seemingly well-known diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which has been amplified by the predatory doses of nitrous given to West by his dentist, making his episodes larger and more unpredictable.

Bipolar disorder is one of the most debilitating mental health issues one could have. Bipolar disorder causes a person to have major and unpredictable shifts in their mood, energy, and personality. West’s bipolar disorder is nothing new; he was diagnosed back in 2016 when he was hospitalized mid-tour for a psychiatric episode. Since the incident West has been very outspoken about his diagnosis, sharing many of his struggles with the public, but also accrediting much of his creativity to it, helping lessen the stigma of such a disabling mental health issue.

For many people who struggle with this disorder, the fix is finding the right medication, but unfortunately for West, there was no right medication. As he stated in a podcast interview with Joe Rogan, his different medication all blocked his creativity and if anything, worsened his mental health. Despite West’s struggles with his mental health and medication being public

information, many news outlets and influencers still continue to drag West for his manic episodes, instead of showing empathy and compassion for his mental health.

I for one believe that if I was bipolar, having constant mood swings, and depressive episodes, it would be very hard to not say something people don’t like while there are cameras and paparazzi following me around taking photos and asking confidential questions 24/7.

On top of Kanye West’s already deteriorating mental state, he has found himself battling addiction with one of the most addictive and lethal substances in the current day drug scene, nitrous oxide. Nitrous oxide, better known as whippets or galaxy gas, is an inhalant that causes the immediate death of brain cells, with even one use of the substance. West’s former chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, claims his dentist has prescribed West predatory doses of nitrous gas, and has even begun selling it to West personally. With something as severe as a bipolar disorder, a drug addiction that has major effects on brain function is not going to be beneficial to his already declining mental state.

West’s disorder has been treated as if it did not exist for too long. Kanye West is not an artist that needs to be canceled; he is an artist that needs help.