Issue 5 | Volume 101

EARTHQUAKE STRIKES TURKEY AND SYRIA KILLING OVER 50,000

The devastation of the earthquakes worsened by politics

Rebecca Meghani

News Editor

The death toll continues to rise in Turkey and Syria after deadly earthquakes hit their regions, beginning on Feb. 6. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake was followed by a 7.5 magnitude aftershock only a few hours later. As the month progressed through continuous searches and devastation, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake followed in the

same region on Feb. 20.

At the time of publication, the death toll in Turkey and Syria has surpassed 50,000. According to the latest figures from Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), 44,218 people have died in Turkey and 5,914 in Syria.

The infrastructures that toppled due to the earthquake trapped thousands under the rubble who are still being rescued and also left

many homeless. Families have begun staying in tents and sleeping in their cars due to the fear of another earthquake. The thousands of people displaced from their homes are only an addition to the thousands more that have been displaced by the war in the region.

The earthquake has brought scrutiny to the Middle East from many different angles, from politically to religiously.

See EARTHQUAKE | Page 2

The BRIT Awards HISTORY REWRITTEN: FOR BETTER OR WORSE?

Paige Blakemore News Editor

In 2021, the BRIT Awards made progressive steps forward by eliminating male and female categories and introducing genderless categories for Artist of the Year and International Artist of the Year. The goal was to make the show more inclusive for all artists and their identities.

“Celebrating artists solely for their music and work, rather than how they choose to identify or as others may see them, as part of the Brits’ commitment to evolving

the show to be as inclusive and as relevant as possible,” said the show’s organizers through a statement on the BRIT Awards’ official website.

This year, the BRIT Awards took place on Feb. 11 at the O2 Area in London, England.

The evening was filled with the brightest performances and appearances from Britain’s top and upcoming artists, including Wet Leg, Sam Smith, The 1975, Charli XCX and the big winner of the night, Harry Styles.

Harry Styles swept all four categories he was nominated in: Artist of

the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Pop/R&B Act.

Styles was one of the five males nominated for the established gender-neutral Artist of the Year category. The nominees led many to question if the Brits were actually working towards inclusivity with their failure to include female and nonbinary artists.

Singer Charli XCX found herself dubious of the award show’s efforts — or lack thereof — to highlight the work of non-male artists.

Hannah Adams Asst. Opinion Editor

When looking at history from a micro lens, the truth can be difficult to distinguish. This is because with every new year, history books are rewritten, and new editions crafted. Miniscule details are discovered, some completely changing an instance in history as we once knew

GC Men’s Basketball’s Senior Night

The GC men’s basketball team beat Flagler University Wednesday, Feb. 22, by a score of 101-87.

This was a big game for the Bobcats, as Flagler is a huge rival of GC. It was also senior night, meaning this would be the last time some players ever play a home game at GC.

Three seniors, forward Christian Koneman, forward Chris Parks, and guard Brandon Thomas, were honored before the start of the game.

it. In other times, writers record history from a lens that is in favor of their personal feelings or to aid the integrity of their country. It is not always easy to be truthful in writing the gruesome realities that come with war and tragedy.

This distortion of history can have horrific repercussions on society,

The game was a fantastic match up overall with the two teams going back and forth taking the lead until the Bobcats made some second-half adjustments that helped them seal the victory.

The Bobcats had five players in double-digits for points and scored a season-high 101 points.

Richard Crawford III, a redshirt junior at GC, led the Bobcats in scoring with a season-high 26 points. Crawford went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, while also going 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.

as over time, people are left to believe what they read in books, as there are no longer any survivors alive to tell the tale.

For example, what is referred to as “Holocaust denial.” Holocaust denial is an occurrence when individuals deny the truth of the Holocaust or that it happened at all.

Chapin Rierson, a redshirt senior on the team, was the second leading scorer for the Bobcats. He had a season-high of 18 points to go along with his four rebounds and three steals.

Rierson also drained a half-court buzzer-beater to end the first half, putting the Bobcats up five and electrifying the senior night atmosphere.

The Bobcats did not let the momentum slip in the second half, shooting just under 50% from behind the arc.

Once our favorite stars reach a certain level of fame, many fans notice a change in their demeanors as they begin exuding satanic symbolism.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL STARTS

Courtesy of VOA

Rescue searches conducted through rubble of buildings downed by deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Anjali Shenoy | Digital Media Editor

Forward Chris Barks prepares to score at Senior Night

Drew Bogumill Staff Writer

EARTHQUAKE

Continued from page 1

There have been criticisms regarding the state of the collapsed buildings and the governments’ responses to the earthquake. President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been blamed for the late response in getting aid into the devastated areas by saying more people could have been saved with a more timely response and that he lacked providing support for survivors.

In Turkey, the government investigated more than 550 people and issued warrants for more than 100 people for their responsibility in the poor construction of the buildings. The Turkish Justice Ministry has ordered officials to set up “Earthquake Crimes Investigation Units” to charge the construction workers with criminal charges of failing to meet codes that were set in place after a previous disaster in 1999.

Multiple legal actions have been taken in identifying and charging people who may have contributed to the deaths of those from collapsed buildings. Residents have criticized builders and contractors who failed to follow safety codes in order to increase their profits. This criticism also falls on the government, which has been granting “amnesties” to the builders who did so.

These buildings are not only old buildings in the region but newly built ones, like a luxury

14-story building that housed around 90 apartments that collapsed during the earthquake. These charges have been presented as involuntary manslaughter and violation of public construction law. Constructors have been fighting back by stating that their buildings have been licensed and audited by local and state authorities.

The government’s response to the earthquake has been criticized as slow, and residents’ worries continue to build about their own safety and well-being in a country where inflation passed 80% last year.

In addition to the devastating impacts of the earthquake, Syria continues to struggle, as they have been mostly cut off from outside aid due to political issues from their 12-year civil war.

Humanitarian aid has been consistently politicized throughout those years and continues to be so even through this

ident. al-Assad wants aid to come through the central government, while Western aid agencies want to deliver it directly to Syria’s northwest.

Even with the death toll continuously rising, there seems to be a disorganized effort for aid because of politics. The situation is increasingly becoming more devastating for the coun-

other issues that they face. With sanctions, economical issues and a collapsing currency, the response to the earthquake only becomes harder. The international community needs to rise to fulfill its responsibility for aid and emergency measures to prevent further issues from arising.

The international response has been mostly positive in supporting Turkey and Syria with an exception of the Islamophobia that remains in the Western world. While social media and the progression of society have improved how the Western world views the Middle East, Eastern countries still face attacks due to religion.

crisis. As the United Nations Security Council attempts to send aid to Syria, it has been stopped in Russia by the refusal of allowing other crossing points to function because of Russia’s support for President of Syria Bashar al-Assad. Pres-

Editorial Board

Katherine Futch..............

Cale Strickland................

Claire O’Neill...................

Rebecca Meghani..........

Lily Pruitt............................

Hayden Flinn....................

Brennan Schmitz...........

Jennifer Crider.................

William Van de

Planque..............................

Abigayle Allen..................

Hannah Adams...............

Anjali Shenoy................

Marissa Marcolina.........

Connor Patronis.............

Robert Trotter...................

William Burke..................

try and its residents, and the focus should be for them to receive access and resources to soothe the disaster as much as possible.

The rebuilding of the countries is difficult when considering the

Though the Turkey-Syria earthquakes have devastated the countries to an immeasurable amount and people continue to encourage aid and hope for a positive future for the countries, some peo-

ple do not seem to agree with them on the basis of their Islamaphobic view.

Two mosques in London have been targeted and received Islamaphobic letters. The letter was titled “To all worshippers of the make-believe religion of Islam.”

“This heartfelt letter is to express my sincerest sorrow about the events in Turkey and Syria,” one letter read. “However I wish to make it clear that it is not heartfelt sorrow I feel that thousands of people died. I am only sincerely sorry that more Muslims didn’t die.”

The letter continues to wish for more deaths from the earthquakes.

“There should have been at least 2 million dead, at the very minimum,” it said. “I could not stop smiling watching people being pulled from the rubble, thankfully some dead, sadly some still alive. I really hope that the recent earthquake will be one

of many more to come.”

The letter follows by slandering Islam with non-factual statements and stereotypes that have followed Muslims for years. The writer of the letter hopes for more suffering for Muslims and does not believe that Islamophobia is real.

The mosque community had personal connections to people that died in the earthquake.

The mosques filed reports but inquiries are still ongoing and there have been no arrests, according to the police. There continues to be growing anger in how the residents of Turkey and Syria have been treated with the corrupt infrastructure practices and the Islamaphobic commentary from the international community. The devastation is not just limited to the physical tragedy but also the politics that surround the countries.

A building that collapsed in on itself due to the earthquake.

-Anonymous

I could not stop smiling watching people being pulled from the rubble, thankfully some dead, sadly some some still alive.

The Senate is to pass a bill on the homeless

Wall Staff Writer

In Georgia, there is a bill in the Senate that seeks to ban homeless people from sleeping or camping on public property. In fact, it could penalize cities like Atlanta for having a higher-than-average homeless population and could use federal money to build a state-funded camping area specifically reserved for the homeless.

Senator Carden Summers of Cordele believes these designated encampment areas are helpful.

“There are a lot of vacant areas in every city,” Summers said.

Some take issue with the creation and enforcement of these camps, because it could

create a public health issue to have everyone in the same area who are suffering from things such as addiction and mental health.

“I tend to feel that people experiencing homelessness are really mistreated and dehumanized in a lot of ways already and that the bill seems like a step kind of along the lines of more anti-homelessness architecture, things like that,” said freshman political science major Katie Cooper. “It could further criminalize an already vulnerable group of people in the U.S.”

There is also a concern that it could allow law enforcement officers to force people experiencing homelessness to move completely. To some, the laws sur-

rounding this bill could be too loose and more open to interpretation.

Some think it could be a positive thing, as the homeless would no longer be on the streets.

“I feel like they should try and be enforcing it,” said freshman business management major Peyton Roger. “No one should be just out sleeping on benches and everything. It could be a positive thing so that the homeless are not just on the streets.”

“When you ride down a road in Atlanta, anywhere within a two-mile radius of this capital, homelessness is out of control,” Summers said.

On Feb. 15, 2023, the State Senate and Local Government Operations Committee voted four to three to advance Bill

62 in the Georgia Senate. From here, the next step is floor action, and if it succeeds there, then the bill will be sent to the other chamber. Here, a conference committee will take place, with both chambers having to agree on the bill exactly. The last step would be sending it to the Georgia Governor, Brian Kemp.

It is hard to say whether the bill will pass or not in

the Georgia Legislature.

“The bill has several factors going for it regarding its potential passage,” said GC political science professor Dr. Kevin Spann. “The bill’s co-sponsors include quite a few committee chairman as well as current and former members of Republican leadership. As for factors going against it, the bill currently lacks biparti-

san support from Democrats, which, though not always necessary for passage, is relevant, as the Republican majority is not as overwhelming as it once was.”

Georgia must wait and see whether this bill will pass into the next steps needed to fully and legally become a law in the state.

Derailed trains are more common than we think

In the past month, there have been several instances where trains have derailed from their tracks.

On Feb. 3, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. About 11 of the 20 train cars containing hazardous materials derailed. Authorities worked over the weekend to get the fires contained while residents were evacuated. The area has been deemed safe to reside in again, but many residents are reporting several signs of side effects, includ-

ing animals falling ill.

On Feb. 13, a CSX train derailed in Enoree, South Carolina. There were no reported leaks or freight spills.

Also on Feb. 13, a Union Pacific train derailed in Splendora, Texas. There were no dangerously hazardous materials in any of the train cars, but citizens were concerned because of the Ohio train. However, the company did send out a HAZMAT team and a team to monitor air quality because of the materials that were on board. There have not been any bad reports.

On Feb. 20, a Union

Pacific train derailed in Riverbank, California.

It is reported that there are no leaks or spills, and a HAZMAT team has not been involved.

On Feb. 21, a Union Pacific train derailed in Gothenburg, Nebraska. It was reported that hazardous material was spilled during this incident, but that the HAZMAT team was not involved.

Many GC students are aware of the dangers of the derailments.

“It’s really scary how things like that can happen,” said senior English major Scarrlee Porter.

There are many environmental con-

cerns involved with these accidents.

“There have been a lot of situations where it was not taken care of properly, and when that happens it gets into an environment and it causes illnesses,” said GC Chief of Sustainability Officer Lorianne Hamilton. “Plant life dies off, animal species die off, people start getting sick and going to the hospital, people die, birth defects start showing up, people become sterile and cannot have children, and these are things that happen.”

Many residents in East Palestine have filed a class-action lawsuit

There have been a lot of situations where it was not taken care of properly, and when that happens it gets into an environment and it causes illnesses

against Norfolk Southern because of all the consequences of the train derailing. People have experienced chest pain, sore throats and headaches. Residents were forced to evacuate the area, but when they returned, they noticed that animals were dying, and many residents felt pain in their chest.

“I think people do have the right to sue because it totally could have been prevented,” Porter said. “They were not taking the right precautions.”

Not only are residents affected, but also plant and animal life. It is said that more than 40,000 animals have died as a result of the derailment in East Palestine.

“Officials estimated 38,222 minnows and around 5,550 other species — such as other fish, crayfish and amphibians — were killed during the

derailment,” said “USA Today” editor Paige Bennett. “The deaths occurred in a five-mile span within the impact area.”

“I could see more species becoming part of the endangered species list,” Hamilton said.

“In the same respect for our soil, it does damage and contaminates our soil, so we are looking at potential of areas becoming unusable as far as growing crops, losing their vegetation that they seriously need, like our trees and our bushes that help soil erosion, and once we start losing trees — these things are vital for us to live — so these are critical things that we should be aware of.”

GC students all agree that this tragic accident left a concern of negligence.

“Oh, it was most definitely negligence,” Porter said.

Catherine

Lily Pruitt Asst. News Editor

-Lorianne Hamilton

Derailed train in East Palestine, Ohio

Balloons or plastic? Plastic from shot down balloons cause more damage

Lily Pruitt Asst. News Editor

On Feb. 4, a 200-foottall balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina by a U.S. F-22 fighter jet. This Chinese balloon flew across the country, starting in Alaska, followed by several other unidentified objects. The balloon is believed to have been tracking U.S. airspace and U.S. territory. The

tween the two countries.

“I think it will definitely impact the relationship between these two countries because a

was shot down on the coast of South Carolina has been recovered and is now at FBI headquarters being investigated.

can shoot it down over land, but just like water, you are going to have environmental issues on the land side, whether it

they were UFOs, which the White House had to comment on and deny.

It has left many GC students confused about

and a sense of security, it was right for them to shoot the balloon down.”

Many environmentalists are concerned about what the debris of the balloon could do to the ocean’s ecosystem.

“With this particular event, the main thing is we really do not know what it is until we get it collected and do analysis, so we really do not know what it is made of and

BASKETBALL

Continued from page 1

Sophomore Austin Sloan had 15 points, going 5-for-10 from the field and 3-for-7 from behind the arc. He also had two blocks and a steal on defense.

Brendan Rigsbee, a redshirt freshman, led the Bobcats in 3-point shooting percentage, going 50% from behind the arc (3-for-6) for a total of 14 points. He also shot a perfect 6-for-6 from behind the free-throw line.

Christian Koneman was the fifth player to score in the double-digits, scoring 13 points while shooting 50% from the field.

Both Koneman and Sloan led the team in rebounds, having seven a piece. Of their 14 rebounds, six came from under the Saints’ rim.

Thomas led the team in total assists, dishing out five to his teammates. Thomas finished with three points, going 3-for-3 from the free-throw line.

“That was an allaround great team win,” said Ryan Aquino, GC’s first-year head coach.

“We had nine guys dressed. All nine played, and all nine scored.”

A change defensively helped turn the game around for the Bobcats.

“We put a new defense together that we had not run in months,” Aquino said. “We had a couple problems with it in the first half, but we cleaned them up at halftime, and the guys made all the adjustments.”

The Bobcats have one remaining game on their schedule, and despite their poor record,

they plan to approach this final game like it is game one of the season.

“We have one more game on Saturday, and if we win it, we have a really good chance to make the Peach Belt Tournament,” Aquino said. “My goal the whole year has been to play our best basketball at the end of the season, and right now,

we are starting to look like we are doing that.”

For Koneman and the rest of the seniors, senior night is not just another game.

“It definitely means a lot more, with it being the last time we get to show out for the fans we have been playing in front of for what feels like forever now.” Koneman

said. “It is very sad. I love playing this game, so it is hard to accept that it is all over, and I have to go do actual work.”

Rierson was ecstatic about his team’s performance on senior night.

“It has to be a 10 out of 10,” Rierson said. “The ball movement, as well as the team chemistry, were at an all-time high — not

GC baseball struggles in first home series

Emily

Henderson

Staff Writer

GC baseball hosted their first home series of the year on homecoming weekend, playing Feb. 17-19 against Florida Southern University in a non-conference series. The Bobcats were excited to be playing back at home despite being swept by FSU.

The first game of the series was the Bobcats’ best performance against the Mocs. GC could not hold onto their lead, and FSU came back to tie the game in the eighth inning, sending the game into extra innings.

A walk and two hits in the top of the tenth lost the Bobcats the game. Despite having two hits and scoring one run in the bottom of the tenth, GC lost 6-5.

GC showed off their bats in game two of the series but were out hit 8-16. While they made the most contact with the ball, they were unable to score many runs, leaving ten men on base.

The Mocs had a big first inning, scoring five runs, and the Bobcats never recovered, losing 13-1.

The final game of the series was a slow game for the Bobcats. Freshman pitcher John Luke Glanton made his first career start. His first inning was a little rocky, but he got

Felt entered the game with two men on base and no outs. Felt put out the fire, striking out the first two batters he faced, while the third batter flied out to the right field-

left on base after senior outfielder Hunter Baker struck out.

The rest of the game was unsuccessful hitting-wise for the Bobcats. While GC did get

Nolan Belcher. “But we played to the best of our ability, and we will be back to work next week and continue to try to improve and try to get better every day.”

to mention we had five guys in double-digits.”

The Bobcats ended their season with a nail-biting loss to Columbus State 67-65. The team will now begin preparations for the next year as they came up short of making the Peach Belt Conference tournament. They ended the year with a 9-18 record.

little bit. Adrenaline was flowing, but it was really good. It was not how we wanted it to go, but it was exciting nonetheless.”

The Bobcats played their first eight games of the season versus tough non-conference teams, including No. 7 Tampa. While GC has not seen the results they had hoped for against these teams, being 1-7, it still has given them a good start to the season.

out of the inning, leaving two runners on base. The Bobcats first inning offensively was a quick three up, three down.

The second inning did not go as smoothly as the first for Glanton. He faced five batters, giving up two walks, a double and two singles, which scored three runs.

Senior pitcher Trey

er, Brandon Bellflower.

GC started the bottom of the second strong with a single up the middle from senior infielder Ben Tuten. Tuten stole second after a strikeout from Jaxon Weatherford, putting him in scoring position.

Junior infielder Palmer Sapp drove home Tuten with a line drive up the middle but was

on base because of multiple walks and hit by pitches, the lack of hits after the second inning cost them the game.

FSU had ten more hits than GC during the game, including a big two-run homer in the fourth inning, outscoring the Bobcats 9-1.

“It was a tough weekend,” said GC head coach

GC was scheduled to host their first home series of the season Feb. 11-12, but it was delayed due to inclement weather.

“This was my first home series ever at GC, so it was exciting,” Felt said, who is playing his first season with GC after transferring from Gordon State. “Definitely got the blood pumping a

“Tough series like that with FSU, they are always great competitors, and they always have a great team, so it really helps us prepare for the season and who we are going to face late in the year,” Sapp said. “We did it last week with Tampa. We did it with these guys, and we learned a lot as a team. And we learned that we could play with these guys, and we believe it. It’s all up from here.”

The team hopes to turn things around quickly and improve their record, especially against conference teams. Their next home game is March 1 at 5 p.m. in a one-game series against West Georgia.

Marissa Marcolina | Digital Media Editor

Redshirt-sophomore infielder Dominic Arienzo drives the ball off the bat versus Florida Southern on the weekend of Feb. 18.

Anjali Shenoy | Digital Media Editor

GC’s Cheer Team at the Men’s Basketball Senior Night

Bobcat pitcher in the MLB

Bruce Smith Staff Writer

Former GC baseball player Josh Taylor, who spent three seasons as a Boston Red Sock, was recently traded to the Kansas City Royals.

Taylor graduated from GC in 2014 with hopes of being drafted later that summer in the MLB Draft.

Taylor would sign with the Philadelphia Phillies as an undrafted free agent in August 2014.

After a full year, the Phillies would trade Taylor, along with a teammate, to the Arizona Diamondbacks for bonus slot money.

Taylor would spend three years with the Diamondbacks, where he would see no playing time for the team.

In March 2018, he would get traded to the Boston Red Sox for Deven Marrero.

The Red Sox saw

something in Taylor that other organizations did not, and in 2019, he would make his MLB debut as a 26-year-old.

“Stay humble

but the Red Sox found themselves missing the postseason by only a couple of games, going 84-78.

In 2020, Taylor appeared in only eight

The decline in play was due to the shortened season because of COVID along with Taylor battling through injury.

“It’s not something

back, and I’m able to finish out the whole season.”

In 2021, Taylor and the Red Sox found themselves in a bounce-back year where they managed

reer-high 67 games and striking out 62 batters with an ERA of 3.40.

This level of play turned some heads in the MLB, causing the Kansas City Royals to trade for Taylor just over a month ago, in January 2023.

and always remember where you came from,” Taylor said.

In 2019, Taylor appeared in 52 games, compiling a 2-2 record with an ERA of 3.04 and 62 strikeouts.

The debut season could have gone better,

games, all as a relief pitcher, compiling a 1-1 record with an ERA of 9.82 and seven strikeouts.

The 2020 season was rough for the Red Sox and Taylor, where they found themselves at the bottom of their division, going 24-36.

we’re really trying to rush right now,” Taylor said. “In 2020, I kind of rushed back, and it didn’t kind of go well for the rest of the season. So, I think right now, we’re just making sure we’re taking all the right steps to make sure I come

Courtesy of GC Athletics

to make the postseason.

Taylor pitched in six of the 2021 postseason games, allowing four hits and striking two people out.

The 2021 season is the season Taylor needed to increase his value pitching in a ca-

“He’s an incredibly talented player,” said Kansas City Royals General Manager J.J. Picollo. “The injuries have impacted his performance.What I’ve shared with Boston, and I’ll share with you: He can take off there. He’s going to get a great opportunity. It would not surprise me one bit — with the change of scenery, his talent, we know his knee is healthy — if he has a great year. And that’s how the game goes. There’s risk on both ends.”

The 29-year-old pitcher looks to continue to make GC proud as he suits up this next season and as he hopes to have a long, successful career in the MLB.

Shing wins second straight PBC player of the week

Christian Castillo

Staff Writer

The women’s tennis team is off to a great start to the season with a record of 5-1. The Bobcats started the season 2-0 with dominant wins over Emmanuel and Valdosta State. In both of these early season conference clashes, sophomore Sofia Shing produced player-of-theweek performances.

Shing, from Auck-

land, Australia, arrived at GC in Fall 2021 and immediately shined. She holds a career record of 48-25 for the Bobcats, including a spectacular 15-4 record last season.

Shing holds a doubles record of 21-12 and a singles record of 27-13.

Against Emmanuel, Shing swept both a doubles and a singles match 6-0. She won doubles 6-0 alongside teammate Shradha Ch-

habra and won 6-0 in singles over Emmanuel’s Soleny Gonzalez.

Against Valdosta State, Shing went 2-0 again, with wins in both a doubles and singles match. She won doubles 6-3 alongside the same teammate, Shradha Chhabra, and won 6-1 in singles over Valdosta State’s Natalie Kohoutkova.

Shing shared her thoughts on her performance against

Valdosta State.

“I think that I played very well,” Shing said. “It is one of the best matches I have played this season, though we have not played many matches.”

Shing attributes her success to time.

“Having more experience, as this is my second season, as well as having two fall semesters.”

Senior Emma Fleming commented on the effect Shing’s leadership has had

on the team this season.

“She has had a huge impact on the team since she has gotten here and continues to grow into a great player and great leader,” Fleming said. “She creates a positive atmosphere through pushing and motivating both herself and us, her teammates.”

Shing said she planned to keep playing at this level by “playing with confidence and inten-

sity while using what I learned from last season.”

There is no doubt that the team is playing extremely well right now, and Shing is a dangerous asset on the court.

The Bobcats are looking extremely strong during early season, non- conference play and will look to keep doing so.

Courtesy of GC Athletics

Sophia Shing throws the ball up to serve

BRIT AWARDS

Continued from page 1

“I was on album cycle, and I had a No. 1 album, so yeah, there’s many of us,” Charli XCX said. “We’re doing everything right. I don’t think it’s our fault. I think it might be theirs.”

Upon accepting his Artist of the Year award, Styles acknowledged the situation by paying tribute to several British female artists.

“I’m really, really grateful for this, and I’m very aware of my privilege up here tonight,” Styles said. “So, this award is for Rina [Sawayama], Charli [XCX], Florence [Welch], Mabel and Becky [Hill].”

According to “The Guardian,” 60% of the BRIT Awards’ winners were male.

Earlier this year, Styles made a controversial statement at the 2023

Grammys during his acceptance speech for the highest honor of the night, Album of the Year.

“This doesn’t happen to people like me very often,” Styles said.

This caused an uproar of backlash since Styles is a cisgender, white male from England who has already achieved vast success spanning over a decade.

When asking GC students and staff their thoughts on the situation and how the BRIT Awards should have been handled, many had similar opinions.

“I think if you keep it separate, then women actually get a chance to be seen,” said Annabel Hirst, freshman world languages and culture major. “If you have them all as one, women aren’t heard. It’s just men that are nominated, which I don’t think is fair, but I can see why they wanted it to be all-inclusive.”

“It takes a lot more than just making a category neutral to make that category genuinely inclusive of women and nonbinary people,” said Sabrina Hom, a philosophy professor at GC and coordinator of GC’s Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. “The norm is gender is male, and race is white, and cisgender and equal body — all of these things. In terms of our social imagination, it’s treated as the norm and then also becomes the standard of a great performance.”

Further, Hom believes it is important to recognize — and address — the ways in which society’s predominant presentations of gender and race influence our cultural understanding of “great” art.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done to rethink what great performances and great films and

great albums and great music look like — not only in terms of gender, but also race,” Hom said.

“I think just saying, ‘Hey, we have a gender-neutral category. Gender doesn’t matter anymore.’ — obvious-

ly, that’s not true,” Hom said. “This idea that we’ll just take the label off it, and then it’ll really be equal, then it’ll be an equal playing field — that’s not reality. So, there has to be an engagement with that fact, and there

Cale’s cinema critiques: “White Noise”

Did a movie predict the East Palestine train derailment?

Cale

Strickland

Managing Editor

When I made the 45-minute drive from my middle-of-nowhere hometown, Loganville, Georgia, into the Atlanta Perimeter to see Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s 1985 classic, “White Noise,” back in December, I could not have imagined real-life headlines mirroring the film’s farfetched plot. Yet, just two months later, here we are. The Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio — where sections of “White Noise” were filmed — has produced a plight on-par with “The Airborne Toxic Event,” the fulcrum of DeLillo’s timeless tale.

In its second act, a train hauling hazardous chemicals derails, forming a fuming cloud of noxious gas and forcing the residents of fictional town Blacksmith, Ohio, to evacuate. As the prospect of smallscale societal collapse looms large, DeLillo’s materialistic melancholia shifts from domestic despair to mobile mania.

Baumbach’s film follows Jack Gladney, played by Adam Driver, a professor of “Hitler studies” — an academic discipline he devel-

oped himself — at the College-on-the-Hill, an idyllic small-town university. His wife, Babette Gladney, played by Greta Gerwig, is a stay-at-home mother who spends her evenings leading a — wait for it — posture-correcting course for the elderly.

The peculiar details of the Gladneys’ dayto-day lives are just the tip of DeLillo’s absurdist iceberg. Each of the story’s characters speaks in ideas, not words and sentences. Every line of dialogue in Baumbach’s script is managed and overwritten, stamping out any semblance of human conversation.

Driver and Gerwig’s performances are fueled by wacky, wide-eyed, capital-‘A’ acting. It is, essentially, two hours and change of Driver, Gerwig and Don Cheadle, who plays Murray Siskind, one of Jack’s fellow professors, bemoaning society’s commodification of every aspect of our lives.

For instance, the film’s final scene, which serves as its thesis statement, features the Gladneys — and, seemingly, every other family in Blacksmith — dancing up and down the aisles of the town’s supermarket. As

— Oscar-nominated — original song plays, we see the store’s patrons fascinated by fresh fruit, filling carts with bland boxes of cookies and crackers, and walking, in single file, with impassioned strides.

I have been in the bag for Baumbach for a minute. His second-to-last feature film, 2019’s “Marriage Story,” is — probably — my favorite film from that year. I only say, “Probably,” because of Ari Aster’s “Midsommar.” Regardless, “Frances Ha” is one of my favorite films of all-time. Baumbach’s films often focus on aspirant eastcoast creatives riddled with crippling neuroticism; the shoe fits. Although “White Noise” might, on first glance, appear to be a detour from his past projects, it is the manifestation of all of the feelings he has been after throughout his entire career — to the nth degree.

With those ideas comes some of the strongest filmmaking of his career. Baumbach has never been afforded a budget this big before. Even as a long-time fan, I did not know he had this — true-blue Spielbergian spectacle — in him. Some of the second-act set pieces he is able to put together — a

scene involving a traffic jam in the aftermath of “The Airborne Toxic Event,” in particular — are breathtaking.

Yet, by the time the film hits the two-hour mark, what Baumbach is after — some sort of melding of the big-budget, candy-colored spectacle of ‘80s blockbuster filmmaking and an anxiety-fueled, heady confrontation of Reagan-era consumerism — starts to exceed his grasp. Its third act takes a hard left turn into nightmarish neo-

noir — à la Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Inherent Vice,” which, in many ways, seems to be a sister film of “White Noise” — and the seams start to show a little bit. It starts to drift from a cohesive narrative to more of a psychedelic dreamscape for Baumbach’s — and, of course, DeLillo’s — fears of and frustrations with late-stage capitalism to roam without rein.

All in all, it might be a bit much for the poor soul who decides to fire up “White Noise” after

has to be a willingness to figure out what it means.”

As reported by “Euronews.com,” organizers of the BRIT Awards have planned to reevaluate the gender-neutral categories in their annual post-show review.

seeing it showcased on the Netflix homepage. Actually, it definitely is; it has a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of — oh, yikes — 31%.

Nevertheless, despite all of the film’s messy, shaggy trappings, I found myself moved by the — rapidly — beating heart at its core. I have no idea how Baumbach managed to convince one of the biggest corporations in entertainment to give him $100 million to make it, but I am glad it happened.

Courtesy of Billboard

Harry Styles swept the board at the 2023 BRIT Awards

The egg crisis

Shaw Coggin Staff Writer

From eggs to cake to pasta to breakfast burritos, eggs are used in just about everything. Recently, though, the price for them has increased drastically. This has led to many theories, including a very popular one that involves the famed multi-billionaire Bill Gates.

The theory states that Gates, who owns a large number of the farms in America, has been keeping the eggs for himself, resulting in raised prices. This has been a common business practice used by monopolies in the past.

Though this theory has been debunked by many reliable and trusted sources, there are those who still believe in the theory — or at least that Gates is somehow involved.

One of the possible causes for the shortage of eggs is the dreaded avian flu. Those who think that Gates is involved with this have said that he flooded Africa with vaccinated chickens and caused the avian pandemic.

An interesting fact that some have brought up is the fact that the flu mostly affected big agriculture and not the local, small farmers we get our eggs from. If true, this would throw a wrench in the avian flu story — and at those who believe in it.

GC students like freshman marketing major Jared Smith do not believe any of these the-

ories hold any validity.

“Personally, I don’t believe in that theory, but I wouldn’t put it past him,” Smith said. “I think it’s probably inflation is just happening, and the prices of eggs are just going up because of that.”

Though many share the same sentiment as Smith, there are those like freshman marketing major Jake Garrett, who believes the complete opposite.

“Of course I believe that,” Garrett said. “I think he’s a scumbag for buying all the eggs and making the prices go up.”

He believes Gates is going to great lengths to control the egg market.

“He’s going to his local Publix, his Kroger,” Garrett said. “He’s getting all his workers in, buying all the eggs and reselling them. It’s not cool.”

Unlike Smith and Garrett, there are some that are not fully committed to either side, like freshman nursing major Jenna Hemingway.

“It sounds like something he could do,” Hemingway said.

The whole egg situation has also opened the

Netflix? More like Netflop.

door for other conversations about conspiracy theories as well. Smith said that one conspiracy theory that he believes in is one that involves the government.

“The government does a lot of things that they don’t want us to know about,” Smith said.

Garrett, too, has others that he believes in as well.

“Kurt Cobain didn’t kill himself, Zuckerburg is a reptile man, and the Earth is rectangular,” Garrett said.

His message to non-believers is simple and direct.

“They’re dumb,” Garrett said. “They need to grow up and get educated.”

Freshman mass communication major Gracie Hagen said that she doesn’t believe in the Gates theory, though she did have one about the moon landing.

“I think the moon landing might be fake,” Hagen said. “Just when you look at all the things about it, and you realize that they would do it just to get there first — they just have a lot of reasons to fake it,” Hagen said.

Lilyanna Kovacheva Senior Writer

On Feb. 1, Netflix announced its plan to enforce stricter password-sharing guidelines. These new guidelines include a strict limit on the number of users that are permitted on each account. IP verification of logins and other tools will be utilized to detect logins from households outside the main holder’s address.

The streaming platform revealed that devices using a Netflix account would need to be logged into their household network every 30 days. Otherwise, the account would be blocked.

According to Netflix’s website, accounts are only allowed to be shared in one household. The website defines a household as the group of people in one house.Netflix states that people who are not in your household will need to sign up for their own account to be able to watch Netflix.

Just days after announcing these new guidelines to enforce less password-sharing, Netflix claimed that the announcement was posted by accident.

“No one’s going to pay for that, because the only reason that people use Netflix is purely because they don’t have ads already,” said Zayne Ridge, freshman Psychology major. “These new changes and ‘accidents’ are just going to open up the opportunity for their competitors to swoop in and give users a reason to switch to another platform.”

Recently, the platform said it will begin notifying their users in Canada through email about their new limitations on who can access their account from outside the account holder’s household. Netflix stated that an ad-supported plan that can be used by one person on one device in one location will be launched — and that plan will cost $5.99 per month.

“I have a few streaming platforms, like Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Max and Netflix,” said Matthew Seton, senior marketing major. “I use all of those because they offer a lot of variety, and I don’t have any ads. Some of the accounts are my own. Mainly, my friends and I just share multiple accounts together.”

A GC poll was taken to gauge students’ reactions to the major platforms’ recent actions and announcements. Eleven

percent of students said that they would purchase the Netflix ad-supported plan, while 89% of students said they would not purchase the new plan if it was offered.

Netflix is facing a lot of backlash due to their recent changes, and many students at GC are on the same page.

Eighty-seven percent of GC students surveyed said that they shared an account with users from another household.

“Thankfully, I just use my parents’ Netflix account, so it wouldn’t affect me financially if Netflix did stick to their ‘every 30 day’ rule,” said Kassandra Garland, junior mass communication major. “I wouldn’t personally pay for another Netflix account, but I really do use Netflix, but I’m in college, and I don’t go home every 30 days, so it really feels unfair.”

This new change might cause issues for college students that use their parents’ Netflix account in their college housing. Even though students are still part of the family, they will not qualify under the single-household rule.

“If their account is allowed to have multiple users on it, then why does it matter where the account holder is watching from?” Garland said.

Claire O’Neill | Art Director

Album Review: Caroline Polachek’s “Desire, I Want to Turn Into You”

the infamous “sophomore slump” claiming yet another victim.

remix featuring Charli XCX and George Daniel.

Coming off the heels of her first solo album, critical darling “Pang,”

Caroline Polachek, co-founder of now-disbanded indie-pop outfit Chairlift, released her sophomore project, “Desire, I Want to Turn Into You,” on Feb. 14.

I stumbled upon Polachek’s work after hearing her feature on Charli XCX’s “New Shapes,” one of the singles released in the lead-up to the release of her latest album, “Crash.” Immediately, I was blown away by Polachek’s angelic, falsetto-fueled vocals. In a matter of days, I found myself binging through her discography. I was three years late to the “Pang” Party, but I was hooked.

Naturally, as I sat down — on Valentine’s Day, fittingly — to listen to “Desire, I Want to Turn Into You,” I was a little bit worried about

“Pang” is a top-notch pop record in its own right. It being Polachek’s first solo fare only set a near-impossible bar for her follow-up to clear. I thought she might have come out of the gate too hot for her own good.

But, oh, was I wrong.

“Desire, I Want to Turn Into You” is on-par with — if not outright better than — “Pang.”

“Welcome to My Island,” the album’s opener, gives listeners a taste of the masterclass in worldbuilding Polachek pulls off on the rest of the record. The track’s lyrics discuss Polachek’s hopes of escaping the daily judgment she receives from her family and existing — on a dreamy, idyllic island — as a feeling: desire. Although the version of the song that made it onto the record’s tracklist is near-perfect, Polachek also released an absolute banger of a

The album’s next three tracks, “Pretty in Possible,” “Bunny Is a Rider” and “Sunset” form a triad of bright, energetic songs I know I will be listening to all summer long. “Bunny Is a Rider,” an anthem about the elusive, enigmatic people in our lives, is definitely my favorite of the three, but “Sunset” is a beautiful, warm piece of flamenco pop.

“Crude Drawing of an Angel,” a pitstop onethird of the way through the record, is Polachek’s heartfelt meditation on the desperation and panic of attempting to preserve her fading memories of someone she has lost.

“Look over the edge, but not too far,” Polachek mutters at the outset of “I Believe,” a gut-wrenching tribute to the late, great SOPHIE.

Polachek’s light, electronic-infused refrain of “hah, hah, hah” on the front half of the song are a clear homage to

those found throughout Sophie’s sole studio album, “OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES.”

Grimes and Dido join in on Polachek’s exploration of her complicated feelings — once contempt and disdain, now intense affection — towards the person she finds emotional solace in, “Fly to You.”

“Say you want to show me a place; the place is here; the here is inside you,” Polachek says on the opening verse of “Blood and Butter,” a four-anda-half-minute embodiment of all the feelings — affection, desire, longing — the album is after.

From there, on the ethereal “Hopedrunk Everasking,” Polachek’s fantasy of existing beyond the barriers of death and time is laid to bare.

“They’ll find our bones, and yet, they won’t,” Polachek says. “Pull close to me and never be alone.”

At the end of the song’s second verse, she extends

a single “ooh” for 45 seconds as the instrumental crescendos, matching Polachek’s vocals and producing a sense of sonic euphoria. Each time I hear it, I think I am going to start levitating.

“Butterfly Net” and “Smoke” serve as a sort of decel lane guiding listeners from the magical mountaintop of “Hopedrunk Everasking” to the album’s closer, “Billions,” with the constant refrain of “nah, nah, nah” on “Smoke” feeling as if Polachek is escorting you off of the elliptical, experimental soundscape

the record exists within. “I’ve never felt so close to you,” Polachek repeats over and over as “Billions” comes to a close.

It appears the goal she outlines on “Welcome to My Island” — exploring her own desires, connecting with whoever is the object of her affection — has been achieved.

Hooked on the freneticism of its titular feeling, Polachek’s “Desire, I Want to Turn Into You” synthesizes the past and the present, the historic and the hypermodern, crafting a siren song for all-time.

Courtesy of Wasserman Music Caroline Polachek

Cale Strickland Managing Editor

HOMECOMING Y2K: TENT CITY MAYHEM

GCSU 2023

Photos by Anna Leavitt

Above: Tent City, one of the biggest events of Homecoming week, was held at the Centennial Center on Saturday.

Above (left): Katie Futch and Jen Crider (right) Collin Zabroske spends time with Sparky at Tent City

The subculture of celebrity pregnancy reveals

Grace Robertson Staff Writer

Since the controversial-yet-significant Demi Moore 1991 issue of “Vanity Fair,” where she photographed her pregnancy nude on the cover, more celebrities have become comfortable sharing details in their pregnancy — sometimes revealing their pregnancies in similar stunts.

Rihanna recently revealed her second pregnancy with rapper A$AP Rocky during the halftime show performance

at Super Bowl LVIII.

Wiley Simmons, a junior environmental science major, spoke about the performance.

“I think it’s cool that no one knew that she was pregnant, so as soon as everyone saw her, they were, like, surprised,” Simmons said.

The rise of celebrities’ openness in pregnancy has led individuals to talk about their impact and how societal norms have changed in the past few decades.

Amanda Respess,

a GC mass communication professor, discussed the topic.

“I think it has everything to do with fourthwave feminism from the ‘90s into the 2000’s, in the fact that we’ve had more and more visible pregnant women and childbearing women,” Respess said.

Lily Butler, a freshman music major, talked about how the performance may have been received if executed 20 or 30 years ago.

“It probably wouldn’t

have been a thing that happened,” Butler said. “It would’ve been received very differently.”

Celebrities like Rihanna send a message in their performances that create conversation about gender equality.

“I like that celebrities are modeling so many behaviors that then makes other people in society aware,” said author Renee Cramer. “Your everyday woman can say, ‘I’m gonna do that too.’”

Many celebrities have used their pregnancies as

an opportunity to receive sponsorships, increase popularity and venture into new industries.

In 2019, Danielle Brooks, an actress popular for her role as Tasha Jefferson on “Orange is The New Black,” announced her pregnancy in an Instagram post sponsored by Clearblue, a brand that specializes in pregnancy tests, ovulation tests and fertility monitors. Some criticized the post for the decision to profit off of a situation as sensitive as pregnancy.

Respess spoke about the difference between the two announcements and the reaction to Brooks’s post.

“It’s her body,” Respess said. “It’s her pregnancy, and she’s about to put in a ton of work as a mom who’s expecting, so if she wants to partner with Clear Blue and have that partnership, that’s great.”

Cramer’s 2015 book, “Pregnant With the Stars: Watching and Wanting the Celebrity Baby Bump” discusses how women like Beyoncé have pushed back on

social control of women’s bodies with their presentations of pregnancy.

In an interview with “The Atlantic,” Cramer discussed some of the reasons celebrities feel the need to share their stories.

“In the last 10 years, as our obsession with celebrity pregnancy has risen, so has other peoples’ obsession with controlling the reproductive capacity of average women, and [Beyoncé’s] image of an empowered Black woman embracing her own autonomy as a reproducing human, I think that resonates with people,” Cramer said.

These choices to share more about pregnancy may have had an impact on how pregnancy is presented.

“I think it helps the everyday woman when a celebrity steps up and makes those boundaries very clear because I think it sets an example for women who may be hesitant to do that, but seeing somebody with that kind of power make those choices, it makes it possible,” Respess said.

Claire O’Neil | Art Director

Rihanna somehow kept her pregnancy hidden from her fans until the night of Super Bowl LVIII.

Is Hollywood Demonic?

Abigayle Allen Opinion Editor

On February 5th, the 65th Grammy Awards took place, honoring many names within the music industry. Fans were greeted with many performances from their favorite artists, including some performances that should never have been seen. Sam Smith performed their newest hit, “Unholy,” with Kim Petras, where they were seen wearing a hat with devil horns while Petras danced in a cage highlighted by red lights. Regardless of Smith trying to lean into the title of their song, this seems to be a trend within Hollywood. Over the years, many artists and actors have been reported as being a part of a cult or

symbolizing satanism once they reach peak fame. Many artists, including (but not limited to) Beyoncé, Travis Scott, Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Trippie Redd and so on have been reported to show satanic symbolism within their concerts, music videos and content put out on social media. Any person has freedom to believe what they want to believe. However, when a person is placed in a position of power and influence, how much is too much?

Lil Nas X won fame with his production of “Old Town Road” in 2019. After its roaring success, he began performing this hit to children, including a group of fifth graders from an Ohio elementary school.

He even released a children’s book, “C is for Country,” leaning into his popularity within the younger community. In 2021, however, Lil Nas X released his hit “Mon-

for this video, Lil Nas X partnered with MSCHF, an American art collection, and released 666 pairs of his Satan shoes that had the Bible verse Luke 10:18, explaining

tero (Call Me By Your Name)” accompanied by a music video where Lil Nas X demonstrates sexually explicit biblical and satanic imagery. After receiving heavy backlash

Judas’s fall from heaven, and human blood within the red section of the shoe. Fans were outraged at this depiction of Satanism, as much of his audience consisted of

My Hot Takes as a Senior in College

Abigayle Allen Opinion Editor

Every person is entitled to their own opinions and beliefs about the world. These differences are what help our society grow and change overtime. For this week, I decided to hop on the trend where I discuss my top hot takes regarding food, school and life in general. 1) Starbucks is superior to Dunkin’. I feel like this take could be a topic of debate for my fellow caffeine fanatics. Coming from an ex-Dunkin’ employee, I think that the quality of espresso beans and coffee beans at Starbucks have a stronger flavor and a stronger effect. Dunkin’ tends to be watered down with too much sugar, cream and syrup that you inevitably lose the coffee flavor you most desire.

2) Taking a Switzerland stance. I think a lot of people during our gen-

eration put high value on either being Republican or Democratic. Our social landscape is almost defined by being a far right-winger or leftist. When voting, rather than having the option to vote for the best candidate, many people are pressured to take a side. Coming from a family that is divided between the two, I have been privy to many political debates. Instead of joining in, I listened and took note of how uncomfortable the situations were. I would like to say I take a neutral stance when looking at politics and forming my own educated opinions.

3) Trader Joe’s is overrated. Okay, so this one may definitely ruffle some feathers, but I think that Trader Joe’s can be classified as a bandwagon fad that many people jump on after seeing their favorite influencer shop there. Personally, I think

that it’s overpriced and that many of the more unusual things that you will find on the shelf end up not living up to their description. Bottom-line, any other grocery store is just as good, if not better. 4) “The Office” is criminally unfunny.

I hear so many of my friends speak about how funny they think “The Office” is and that there is something wrong with me for not liking it. I am sorry, but if I fall asleep not once, not twice but three times during the first episode, there is no way I am sticking around to finish the series. I know that everyone who is an avid fan of “The Office” says that once you make it past the first season, it gets better, but if I must suffer through an entire season just to get to the good part of a show, it is a no from me.

5)Reality TV is overrated. On Monday nights,

children from his fame with “Old Town Road.” Did Lil Nas X go too far, or is this self-expression acceptable? Many other artists have leaned into including satanic symbolism in their music videos. In her song “All the Good Girls Go to Hell,” Billie Eilish first appears wearing white angel wings in the beginning of the music video, but after falling to hell, her wings turn black, and her background dancers appear in the flames behind her. In her song “Hold Up,” Beyoncé shows a Bible sinking in water after singing lines about meeting the devil. This glamourization of hell has become a trend for artists, but how does it affect certain audiences? I cannot speak to what someone should be-

lieve and what someone should not believe. Every person should have a right to their personal feelings and beliefs, but when you hold a position of power, I think that discretion is necessary. Some of these artists are idolized by younger generations and, rather than taking on their favorite popstar’s belief, children should have the right to be influenced by their families and own influences to form opinions. Moreover, when did it become a trend to include satanic symbolism in the music industry? Whether it is a rite of passage or an expression of personal beliefs, it is my opinion that artists should censor their content before allowing it to be seen by the public.

women and men around the world gather in front of the TV to enjoy the latest episode of “The Bachelor.” I cannot understand the obsession with shows that are so obviously fake. I think that maybe the first couple of seasons were good and slightly enjoyable. However, it has become worse and worse as more series are produced. This can be said for any of the popular reality TV shows, including (but not limited to) “Too Hot to Handle”, “Love Island”, “Selling Sunsets.” If you are a fan of watching scripted drama with terrible actors, reality TV is for you.6) Class attendance should not affect a student’s grade. I understand the principle behind showing up to class and making sure you are comprehending the lectures and class participation grades that come from being a stu-

dent. I also realize that many of us are young adults and must begin taking on tasks that do not always allow for us to attend these sessions.

Whether you have a job and you need to pick up another shift so you can afford rent, or you have a doctor’s appointment that you must go to, sometimes making it to class is simply out of the question. After COVID-19, many of us were sent home and took

part in online classes for an entire year after the outbreak of the pandemic. Shifting back into in-person classes is not always the easiest once you get used to learning in a certain way. I am in no way telling you not to go to class, but if a student has their work submitted, and they are making good grades on a test, why fail them for bad attendance?

Courtesy of Art Director | Claire O’Neill

Colton Underwood former contestant on “The Bachelor”

OPINION

HISTORY

Continued from page 1

They claim that the event was simply Allied propaganda that was crafted to ruin German reputation and villainize the people. This anti-sematic viewpoint essentially works to dull down the severities of the event or to wash away the stain that Nazism left on Germany. Although there are not many that believe in this obvious and embarrassing conspiracy, soon enough, time will pass to where survivors of this event are no longer living. It will become easier to pass along fabricated stories to the younger generation.

Situations such as this one bring to light the true power that historians

hold when communicating and documenting facts. It can be painfully easy for these people to withhold certain details or write in a manipulative manner that skews the opinion of the public. This has also proven to be true in the way that the history of slavery in the United States is communicated by modern historians and sociologists.

In the “SpringerLink” article “The denial of slavery in contemporary American sociology,” author Orlando Patterson dives further into the ways that slavery is not properly communicated in this country.

“In this paper I explain this scholarly neglect as stemming from three factors,” Patterson said. “First, disciplinary

parochialism has blinded US sociologists to the complex interweaving of enslavement with the systems of oppression that sociology has decided to care about.

Second, presentism, an historical ‘account’ of the past that culminates in a preference for present-day events and institutions, has relegated

slavery to history. Finally, theoretical frameworks that revise enslavement as ‘ennobling’ erase the long-term effects of psychological and physical violence on the descendants of enslaved peoples.”

There are certain aspects of history sociology that diminish the true horrors that were

Book bans in the education system

A protection of innocence or an abuse of control?

Hannah Adams Asst. Opinion Editor

In public education systems, the term “book banning” is used when a certain piece of literature is prohibited from being taught in schools, included on reading lists or being housed in libraries. The reason for a book ban can vary. A book can be banned for being considered sexually explicit, offensive in language, inappropriate for underage individuals, violent or holding a certain religious viewpoint that is deemed unsuitable. Other times, a ban can be in place due to references to elements like witchcraft or themes of death.

While in some circumstances, a book ban is rightly in place, there are times when this system is taken advantage of by those with a more manipulative intent. In recent years, this method has been used as a scapegoat to ban books that touch on topics like racism or identity. Often, those trying to ban these books argue that it has nothing to do with the covering of these issues

but instead that they do not want their children to be exposed to sexual content. This excuse is flimsy in nature, given that the targeting of books containing refer-

innocence, but this is not the same as shielding them from becoming educated on the real societal issues this country faces. Banning books that shed light on the harsh truths

book portrays the life story of a young African American girl named Celie growing up in Georgia during the early 1900s. The book does not shy away from harsh

taking place when slavery was an active practice in the United States. People try to dissect the past and make excuses for inexcusable actions.

History and how it is described is largely based on the perception of the ones writing about it. If a historian goes on record to say that a certain event in history happened a

certain way, there are going to be members of the public that take their word for it. Unfortunately, this is not an issue that can really be reprimanded. It will continue to be in the position of historians and educators to keep their integrity intact when conveying the important information of the past to the people.

faulty morality behind book banning becomes transparent. It should be criminal for the education systems to try and shelter young people from being able to

nying the experiences of others, you can get away with harmful and problematic behaviors. While yes, these topics can be difficult, horrifying and sad to read about, they are also real and deserve to be voiced. The youth of today should not be sheltered from learning the truth about their country and its foundations. They should also not be kept from reading about the experiences of others and identity.

ences to the LGBTQ+ community is clear as day. While the concern of children being exposed to sexual content is valid, it is the insinuation that any content relating to the LGBTQ+ community is inherently sexual that is the problem.

It is important to protect and preserve a child’s

and realities of this country will prevent youths from being able to grow and learn from their behaviors and understand why certain actions may be harmful to others.

A commonly known banned book in the United States is Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple.”

Written in 1982, Walker’s

truths, and throughout the story, Celie encounters racism, sexism, abuse and questions of her sexuality. When banned from school systems, the primary reasons were the book’s references to homosexuality, violence and explicit language.

It is situations such as this one where the

learn and understand the tragic reality of their country’s foundations. By keeping them from having access to this curriculum, it is denying the experience of the afflicted and a sad attempt at not taking accountability. It is teaching the young people of today that by ignoring and de-

Trying to keep young people from this information is a cowardly act that should not continue. Although it can be a difficult truth to face, this country did not begin on righteous foundations, and it is dangerous to keep the youth of today from truly understanding this. This is not to say that there are no books that are not deserving of a book ban in education systems. It is simple to draw attention to the idea that maybe this list and its intentions need to be reevaluated.

The Holocaust Memorial at California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco

Claire O’Neill | Art Director