The Antlerette Volume 95 Issue 4

The Antlerette Volume 95

February 2021

Issue 4

Mandatory Zoom Calls Aminah A. Batcha, Staff Many students have been affected by the pandemic, since March 2020 students have been subjected to mandatory zoom meetings every single weekday in an attempt by their district to make it more of a classroom feel. Most of the time it can feel that these meetings are instead highly unnecessary and stressful. The problem is that the district does not allow an independent study option, where assignments would be normally posted online and teachers would have zoom hours where, if needed (not mandatory is the key idea here), students would be able to ask questions and get any help as needed.

In my own opinion coming from my own personal experience, I believe that many students including myself would have a much better learning experience if there was an independent learning option where we wouldn’t have to wake up early and look at a screen for the next four hours, then have to be online for another handful of hours trying to finish up homework. When you do the math, it goes without being said that all of this screen time is highly unhealthy and time consuming, especially for students ranging from 14-18 years of age where we are still developing.

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Furthermore, I can say from personal experience I have dealt with stubborn teachers that would constantly give me trouble about my “zoom attendance”. I have never been late before. Teachers don’t realize (surprisingly after telling them multiple times) that their internet could be the problem and I wasn’t actually absent or tardy. One teacher even remarked that they didn’t know why my attendance report mattered so much to me, to which I replied that it did in fact matter; as it is a reflection of my reputation as a student. They should have more of an understanding of this than I do, as they are teachers who work for the actual school itself.

To wrap this up, my unpopular opinion is that the district’s idea of making students attend these zoom calls every day with so much screen time, makes high school so much more complicated, stressful, and detrimental. Keeping that in mind, it is widely known by most people by now that the majority of classes taken place in the morning (if not all classes) consist of students who are half asleep, still in bed and hardly paying attention, yet most schools as far as I know act like they are unaware, or worse, blame it on the students themselves.

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Giving Young Kids Phones is Making Them Anti-Social Oreana Garcia, Staff In modern society, access to technology is increasing. It’s so common that anywhere you look, you are likely to see someone looking down at their phone.

One of the conflicts with technology being so prevalent in the United States is that young kids are being “brainwashed” or becoming “anti-social” due to the early exposure to tech. There are many reasons why people believe that giving children a phone at a young age is causing them to become so reserved and to oneself. Cell phones seem to no longer just be a way of social activity, or a way to pass time, but rather a way of life, and the problems involving kids are surfacing in society.

For example, often when a child is preoccupied with a phone or tablet, their attention is divided between the speaker and the technology at hand. According to Nationwide, children “Without enough face-to-face communication, nonverbal cues are unable to develop properly, skewing children’s relationships with others as they grow up in a technology-inclusive society.” This goes to show that kids may lack skills of developing personal relationships as they are so accustomed to not socializing one on one. Today, children are more dependent upon electronics and less dependent on human interaction. Creating strong personal relationships is important for one as it benefits both parties with support physically, emotionally, and provide company for one. Another example of the problems surrounding cell phones is that kids lack company or don’t know what to do with their free time. When a kid is away from their phone for a few hours, they end up not knowing how to handle such a foreign circumstance causing feelings of loneliness or what they think is boredom, but instead lack of creativity as they can be using that time to strengthen either their social skills or for bettering themselves through a new hobby.As stated by BYU school’s newspaper,

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“The study also found that students who unplugged their electronic devices for one 24-hour period felt extremely lonely and didn’t know how to fill their time.”

A lot of one’s time is spent on their phone, not giving much time left in a day to bond with family or friends. As reported by Derry Journal, “The Row.co.uk survey showed that children spend an average of four hours on their mobile and four and a half hours on their tablets each week.” That's a total of eight hours and thirty minutes plus the minimum of eight to ten hours of sleep leaving them with four to six hours which they are most likely using to attend school. This goes to show that a lot of the time they are so occupied by the screen in front of them rather than what's out in the world.

All of these examples go to show that there are outcomes to giving young kids a cell phone, from lacking skills in building personal relationships, not knowing how to be away from the phone, to not having time for other bonding activities.

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Social Media Has Overtaken Communication Kyle Williams, Staff As technology tends to evolve with time, social media keeps updating and finding fun ways to encourage communication with friends or people around the world whether via Snapchat or other media platforms where you can send photos, videos, or text each other. The fun thing with Snapchat is that there are cool and funny filters, and it can make a normal conversation very interesting. On Instagram, you can post photos and videos of yourself or of something that is fascinating to the human eye for others to enjoy. However, the real problem behind social media is that it’s destroying how people communicate in person.

This generation is so engulfed with any new and updated technology that people will be right next to each other and decide to go on Snapchat to look at any new filters and communicate through an app instead. Social media has destroyed how anything professional in life would happen; for example, a job interview. I mean, during COVID-19, most things happen through a webcam from home, but that still does not help verbal communication with others. Before COVID-19, people met face-to-face for a job interview.

Now, people struggle with eye-contact and not being able to sit and think about a decent answer to a question. People become more anti-social when it comes to human contact versus when it’s done through a screen.

I’m also a phone addict, so I empathize with those struggling to put their phones away. My advice: try to go hang out with friends and travel to new places. In my personal experience, I’m usually the only one with a license and a car, therefore I have time to practice mindful media consumption when I drive. Nowadays, people find a new destination and the first thing they do is go straight for their phones to post to their Snapchat story. Instead of taking in whatever view or scenery or place that we end up at, they have to let others know as soon as possible where they are or what they’re doing. If there is no photo posted to the public no one will ever know, after all. News flash, no one really cares! Be thankful that you had an

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opportunity to get out of the house and experience what is in front of your eyes instead of taking a photo to post to social media and forgetting the fact that you had someone next to you the whole time.

The amount of times I witness this with my friends and me is actually ridiculous.

What is the point of wanting to hang out with someone if you were going to text other people and use social media the entire time? Put the phone on silent, look around, and appreciate what there is before there isn’t anything to admire anymore.

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Haters Need to Have a Limit Grace Eki-Edo, Staff Haters in the media industry need to have a limit. I understand that singers, rappers, actors/actresses, etc. are going to have haters throughout their career, but sometimes the hate can be too much or overbearing and needs to reach some sort of limit.

But what are haters? Haters are people who for no reason have a bad inkling of a celebrity. Sometimes they won’t even know the person and they will instantly take a disliking to the celebrity. This happens in the entertainment world when a new celebrity starts to get into her or his career and they get backlash from haters coming for them in the comments or media platforms.

One example can be the Shade Room, which is a platform that comes for all famous personalities and shades them for doing something that they know people will react negatively to. They put celebrities’ business out there for the public eye to see and push the haters to go to the person’s account and start hating on their posts or sending them to hate texts in their private and direct messages. Another example can be a film director named Maïmouna Doucouré.

She was hit with enormous hate because of how she oversexualized kids in her movie, Cuties. People thought that MaÏmoua was a pedophile, and she was constantly getting death threats because of this assumption. Even though she told the public multiple times that the film was showing how we need to shine a light on what social media is making young girls think nowadays, the public doesn’t want to hear it because of the editing style and camera shots.

Haters need to learn how to check their facts before they post a comment,

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because celebrities also have feelings too and are reading what people say about them, which can have effects on their mental health. Celebrities have to deal with hate, fame and keeping up an image just so they can show the world their talent.

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Why Platonic Love is True Love Jordan Ritchie, Editor-in-Chief In fairytales, we’re told about the power of true love. The magic that unfolds when a Prince Charming meets his Cinderella. Even in modern fiction, our hearts were captured by Katniss and Peeta’s love story in The Hunger Games. But what about the love that blossomed between Harry and Hermione in the Harry Potter series? Or any other non-romantic friendship, whether it be real-world or fiction? What makes the love between friends any less strong than that of a couple? Platonic love may not be romantic love, but it is true love.

Now, this all begs the question: “What is platonic love?” I’ll tell you now, it has no dictionary definition. I’m a firm believer that any kind of love cannot be put into a few words on a page. However, traditionally, platonic love exists between two heterosexual individuals of the opposite sex. In modern times, however, platonic love can be found between any individual regardless of sexual orientation and gender. To put it simply, I like to think that platonic love is shared where attraction and romance could exist but happily doesn’t. Platonic love doesn’t harbor unrequited love, in which one of the individuals has romantic feelings for the other. And a platonic love does not exist between friends with benefits. The real benefit of platonic love is being able to say “We’re just friends” and actually mean it.

There has been much debate and controversy on the existence of platonic friendship for years. Some say that platonic friendships, specifically between a straight male and a female simply can’t exist because eventually, one or both will develop feelings for the other. On The Real, co-host Tamar Braxton said, on the discussion of platonic friendships, “I don’t believe in… completely platonic friendships between boys and girls… somebody always gonna like each other.”

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I’m here to prove that theory wrong. I’m no genius mathematician, but statistically, this theory is not only untrue but impossible. If a woman were to claim that she could not have a close friendship with any man because romantic feelings would develop, this would be a false statement. It is highly unlikely that this woman would be attracted to every single man she met or befriended. It would also be unlikely, and also very narcissistic of her if she were to assume that every man that met or befriended her would be attracted to her. The same reasoning would apply to a man. One prime example of a platonic friendship that disproves this theory is the aforementioned Harry and Hermione from Harry Potter. While many fans wanted the two to become a couple, they never did, and never expressed any romantic feelings towards each other. They looked out for one another, spent ample time with each other, and loved each other… but as friends, and nothing more.

Another defense made against the existence of platonic friendships is that it becomes problematic when the individuals in the friendship are in relationships with other people. On The Real, the hosts began a discussion about whether or not men and women can be friends. Co-host, Adrienne Bailon, gave her two cents, while referring to her significant other, “If he had a [female] friend, then she needs to also be my friend. And I don’t see why that has to be an isolated friendship… If I am your significant other and you guys are going to dinner, there is no reason why I can’t come along.” Another co-host, Tamera Mowry, had similar sentiments, but also added that while she doesn’t “have to be friends with his [friends]”, she would want to know “who she is as a person: is she married, is she single, and what is her motive, and why is she hanging with you?” Now, not only as an unmarried person but as an unmarried teen, of course, my perspective on the situation is completely different from those older than me. But I’d say that in a real, healthy friendship, there is no “motive”. A relationship of any kind, romantic or not, that seeks to reap benefit from it is not a genuine relationship. I don’t think that anyone plans to cheat, entering a relationship, but if a person does cheat, the fault does not solely belong to the third party. It was the cheater’s choice; the other person just helped them make

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it. However, one co-host, Loni Love, claimed that she has “male friends that are [her] true male friends”. This point, I completely agree with. No matter the relationship status of an individual, that shouldn’t stop them from being friends with someone. If both the relationship and the friendship are healthy and strong, there should be no problem with the two coexisting. One great example of this is Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) and Clint Barton (Hawkeye) from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Natasha is a single woman who is very good friends with Clint, who is a married man. Clint’s wife is completely aware and accepting of the friendship, and she and her husband even named one of their children after Natasha. Clint and his wife are confident in their marriage, Natasha and Clint are confident in their friendship, and Clint’s wife is confident in both of those facts.

Now, many of the non-believers may remain so because the examples I’ve given are fictional, but art imitates life and life imitates art. Platonic love exists. When describing platonic love to another person, I like to say that it’s similar to that of siblings, and in my opinion, it’s just as strong, and sometimes even stronger.

Siblings are bonded by blood; you can’t choose them. But platonic lovers are bonded only by their love for each other; they choose to love one another. And while this also applies to romantic lovers, what makes it different is that there is nothing sexual about a platonic relationship. Platonic love is still love, and it doesn’t have to be romantic for it to be true. The definition of true is loyal or faithful, or genuine. Platonic love is all of these things. It is loving one another without being in love with each other.

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Books VS Movies Jaylie Gianatasio, Staff Books versus movies. This is a well-known debate to many. Avid book readers will tell you there is no question in mind as to which is better, and those who despise reading could never imagine being on the other side of the argument.

People have passionately battled out their arguments for years and years, but I am here to finally make a decision and give the scientific reasoning behind why books are unquestionably greater than movies.

Before I get into the factual arguments, there is a basic premise to prove that books are preferable: a good amount of movie plotlines are taken from books.

Hollywood is always looking out for a popular book they can turn into the next big movie. Historically though, audiences are disappointed with how a favorite novel has turned into an underwhelming film adaptation, such as The Hunger Games and the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogies. These productions tend to cut out the important pieces of a novel that further character or plot development. Without these scenes, a movie can feel rushed and bland. The audience isn’t given the chance to connect to the characters and recognize why their story matters. This type of connection is essential in order to really appreciate and understand a piece of work.

Reading books though can often allow you to relate and grow with a personality better. You are able to read a character’s thoughts and how they feel. When reading fiction, the audience develops the ability to put themselves into the shoes of these characters, the same way that an athlete would use visualization to activate motor cortex and muscle memory from their practices¹. Your mind actually perceives these fictional beings as real-life people, which allows readers

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to develop a deep relationship with these characters despite them not being real.

One can even feel more empathy for a fictional being than for someone they know and can react to a character’s actions as if they were really happening because to the brain, they are. Dr. Karen Dill-Shackleford, a media psychologist from Santa Barbara, California, states that it is a very natural and even important experience to have such a deep connection with a fictional persona. This type of attachment allows the audience to experience more joy and awareness when connecting with the author’s words. She also states that when people are able to feel a lot of affection for a story, it is a sign that one is capable of feeling a lot of empathy.

Now, while not everyone is able to identify with a story on the same level, some feel deep empathy towards what is going on in a character's life and others connections being more casual; the way that one connects is not what's important. As previously stated, the actual connection to a piece of writing is what matters. But how can one identify with a character when they aren’t given the right amount of time and detail? In an extended, plot-driven novel, readers are given specific details that dive into characters’ lives; it shows us their motives behind their actions and why we should care about their story. Readers are given all that is needed to develop a profound relationship with favorite characters such as Mia Hall and Elizabeth Bennet.

So next time you’re scrolling through Netflix, trying to decide which movie or show to watch, instead pick up a book and jump into a new persona. Fall into an imaginative reality where the biggest problem is whether or not Bella Swan will choose Edward or Jacob. Leap into this person’s figurative world and see just what type of connection you could have.

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Musicals Is the Best Film Genre Kaitlin Rohaly, Staff There is an infamous debate on whether or not movie musicals are good films.

Many people feel that breaking out into song and dance isn't realistic. While some feel that they don’t have to strive for realism, and they're just fun to watch.

I have heard many argue that when they are watching a movie, they don’t want to be interrupted by a five-minute song and dance number. They feel the number takes the focus away from the story. But that’s where they’re incorrect in their opinion. Musical numbers can enhance the story and tone of a movie. Take Grease for example, when Sandy is at a sleepover with Rizzo and the other Pink Ladies. She’s upset by how Danny reacted when she saw him for the first time since their summer vacation. She sings the hit song Hopelessly Devoted To You, explaining how she was hurt by how he reacted when they saw each other again, but she still loves him. Even though she isn't saying how she is feeling, she’s singing it in a way that you can understand her pain and emphasize with her because of the lyrics and emotion that was portrayed through her performance.

The music, the lyrics, and the performance are really what change a scene; it can dramatize whatever the character is going through. That’s why movies like Grease are so well remembered! It’s because it was so well-performed that people found it memorable and loved it.

Musical numbers always hold importance to the plot, as strange as some of them might be. But not only that, they are fun! Just like the music and the lyrics, the choreography is just as important to the plot and expressing the emotions in a certain scene. Maybe the character is feeling happy or excited about something that had just happened, so they perform a high-energy jazz number. Or maybe a

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character is feeling sad so they perform a somber ballet number. It isn't a musical without the choreography. That's another great thing about musicals and why they are the best type of movie genre.

The cool thing about movie musicals is that most movies that are musicals are Broadway’s world-renowned shows that have been adapted for the screen.

Movies like Chicago, Grease, Mamma Mia, and Annie, were all from Broadway.

All of those movies were hits, well of course, except Cats. But, it's the movies that are performed so well that people remember them.

Although movie musicals are the best, they have lost a lot of popularity over time. Between the 1930s and 1950s, musicals were everywhere. But around the mid-1950s, the popularity started to plummet; the audience's interests had changed. With the lightheartedness of musicals, people wanted to see action. So movies started to change in order to appeal to people since musicals were not getting the same response as they used to.

Another thing that makes movie musicals great is that they aren't made that often, so we enjoy them more. It’s almost like we get caught up in all of the blood, gore, and action that we enjoy the lighthearted break of a jazzy musical number. We are often too cynical of musicals that people forget how enjoyable they are, and it leaves us wanting more.

Movie musicals are meant to make you feel good. There is always an impactful ending, with a spectacular final number. When the movie is over, you remember your favorite parts, and reflect on what made it special. Sure, you can say that about any movie, but musicals will always leave you feeling inspired. That’s why they are the best movie genre. Nothing beats a catchy song melody, energetic dance moves, and beautiful voices that come with every film.

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Astrology: Valid or an Excuse to be Judgmental?

By Selena Enriquez, Editor With the Co-Star app growing in popularity, modern astrologers have popped up everywhere. This has also been accompanied by a plethora of skeptics eager to refute astrological claims of divinity. Who would reasonably assume that the culture you were raised around and the generation you were born in would affect the outcome of who you are as a person? Several studies have been conducted to try to refute astrology as valid science. Often, they look at people whose sun signs (what most people know themselves to be) don’t match their personality or say that it’s too vague. However, when we consider all twelve astrological houses, planets, ascendant, and moon signs, a horoscope is scarily accurate.

Simply put, these are other variables of astrology often left out by fake modern astrologers. Most scientists seeking to deny validity don’t realize that a big reason they feel the need to disprove astrology is rooted in disregard for cultures outside of the modern-westernized perspective, according to Eliza Kelly of Self Magazine.

For millennia, several ancient civilizations throughout the world have used the stars as a way to maneuver through life, including the Chinese, Indian, Early Middle Eastern, and Maya cultures. The scientific method, though revered, is NOT the correct way to approach a spiritual science. As a psychic science, astrology has roots in practicing empathy. It’s all about interpretation, human connection, and different cultural realities. Most rebuttals to astrology claims are due to inexperienced western astrologers making generalizations that they don’t understand, e.g., “I hate Libras”. Still, one of their friends is a Libra without them even knowing it. Generally, you shouldn’t take newspaper ads or fake websites and apps as valid astrology. They use only your sun sign as a predictor

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for events. This is because sun signs represent “who you are in the process of becoming, and who you will be known as'”.

This means that if in a certain moment you don’t have any alignment with your sun sign, it’s easy to assume it doesn’t apply to you then. However, your rising and moon signs become more accurate, though that is much more difficult to prove because it’s personal to you. Your rising sign represents “you, your physical body, sense of identity, the lens through which you view the world.

Your moon sign represents what you’re comfortable with and what you need to feel safe, your relationship with your parents, as well as your intuition and instinctive, and primordial responses,” according to professional astrologer Eleanor “ThirdEye” Negro.

When we look at astrology outside the lens of the western perspective, science becomes much more clear. The western perspective only takes into account the parts that it likes, rather than the entire science as a whole that was practiced by astrologers of the past, making it so accurate.

With that being said, even if not everything is entirely 100% accurate, the fact that most of the information applies specifically to you without vagueness is intriguing! Let people have harmless fun. As long as one is not abusing astrology as a means to avoid attempting friendliness and kindness, there’s no harm in believing that we are all connected on a divine level. After all, if I don’t get along with Geminis, that’s okay. Nobody has to like everyone.

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Ketchup should go in the fridge Emily Corrales, Staff Ketchup is one of the most well-known condiments on Earth due to its sour and tangy taste. I believe along with several other people that ketchup should be stored in a refrigerator rather than a pantry for the reason that ketchup is better preserved in cold temperatures rather than room temperature.

If you search online whether these condiments should go in the fridge or pantry, it would tell you that the product does not need refrigeration until after you open the product. Take for example the Heinz Company, which is known for making ketchup. Their director of brand building, Nicole Kulwicki, said that because of its natural acidity, Heinz ketchup is okay to be on a shelf, although its taste after opening can be affected by its storage condition. She says they recommend that ketchup should be refrigerated after opening to maintain the best product quality. So putting ketchup in a refrigerator is not because people prefer to keep the quality of their ketchup. Readers Digest talks about what restaurants do with their ketchup after they close. In restaurants it may seem that just because a ketchup bottle is on a table from when they open to when they close, it does not mean that they do not refrigerate it. Restaurants dump the product or put the product back in the fridge whether it's homemade ketchup or from a popular brand. Ketchup being put in a refrigerator instead of the pantry should not be up for debate. Ketchup is supposed to go in the fridge once you have opened the seal to preserve its sour and tangy taste along with its freshness.

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