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THE STANDARD | December 2014
Learning from our mistakes
Second chances aren’t a right
ZACK ASHLEY
zack_ashley@asl.org
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When thinking about the nature of Evans’ crime I came to the conclusion that he doesn’t deserve to simply pretend as if what he did never happened
CHARLOTTE YOUNG charlotte_young@asl.org
When working on the online exclusive article Unwanted and Unwelcome, for the past few months I couldn’t help but feel anger that in the instances of Scarlett and Grant the perpetrators got away with it, and thus, thought what they did was acceptable. Sending a girl texts threatening to rape her is far from ok, groping and popping a middle school girl’s bra strap in class is far from ok, and performing oral sex on someone while they are sleeping is far from ok. When these atrocities go unpunished, or when people are allowed to go on living like they never happened, it takes away from the gravity of what they have done. Admittedly, some of the perpetrators in these articles were students, so while I don’t think they should be allowed to forget what they did, they should not be treated with the same harshness, in terms of legal repercussions, that Evans deserves.
However, for people like comedian Bill Cosby (if the recent allegations of sexual abuse are indeed true) it is an absolute disgrace that they get to continue to live life without paying the consequences for what they did. When we don’t properly punish extreme incidents of sexual misconduct people will continue to think these things are ok, and that they won’t be punished. In an ideal world, people’s own consciences would be enough to tell them this kind of behavior is not ok and to prevent incidents like these from happening. Unfortunately, we don’t live in an ideal world. The only way to stop these things from happening is making sure the perpetrators are met with the harshest of punishments and forced to remember the heinous crimes they have committed for the rest of their lives.
The importance of mentors MAYA JOTWANI
maya_jotwani@asl.org
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An adult mentor at school can help you find your way, discover your interests, and support you through the trials and tribulations of the four-year journey
High school can often feel like navigating a massive city without a common language, a phone or a map – it is so easy to get lost. There are so many different paths to take, people to know and things to figure out. However, there is one incredible resource to help you not only navigate the large, intimidating place that is our High School, but to also thrive in it: The adults in the community. An adult mentor at school can help you find your way, discover your interests and support you through the trials and tribulations of the four-year journey. Find someone – whether it be your social studies or math teacher, a college counselor or dean – with whom you can identify and trust. These adults can be your very own tour guide. They can direct you, help you and encourage you through this journey. They know the school even better than you do and they know what it takes to be successful in it. Their knowledge and experience is invaluable and tapping into it is crucial. The only adults you see as often – and sometimes more often – as your parents are the adults at school. You see them five days a week, for a minimum of seven hours a day, 179 days of the year. The endless opportunities to get to know
teachers, combined with their knowledge and experience, results in an ideal mentor. They can help you navigate your academic life, your successes, your defeats, and they can even help you plan for the future. Teachers can also help you realize who you are as a person. A main reason behind the confusion and chaos of high school is the fact that most students are trying to find and understand who they are as people. Although this process is something largely done by yourself, an adult mentor can help you immensely. Teachers can often pick up on qualities and assets that even your parents may miss – they know us in ways others just don’t. Then, they can push you to explore it by directing you to a class, or an after-school club, or even to talk to another similarly interested person. They can help you discover who you are. Having a prominent role model throughout your childhood is very important developmentally, emotionally and socially. According to parenting.org, social learning scientists have shown that a large amount of learning in childhood comes from observation and imitation. Children learn by imitating the behavior of those they admire. Although in adolescence, one doesn’t have to
learn by imitation to the same level, it is still important to have a role model to look to for support, advice or even to look to as a good example. I did not realize the importance of having an adult mentor at school until this year. This summer, I was subject to health issues that prompted a fairly significant surgery. Upon return to school two weeks late, I was faced with junior-year work intensity, a new social situation, new routines, and most importantly, my recovery. One person in particular emerged to be my main supporter at school, a teacher. They supported me through academic challenges, the changes that accompanied my health issues, and simply became someone that looked out for me at school. Without him, my journey would have been a much longer and more painful struggle. Everyone should remember that teachers are not only accessible inside the classroom, but also outside the classroom for social or even emotional matters. Someone to anchor you, confide in and celebrate with, is irreplaceable. High school can be tough and intimidating, or it can be fun and exciting. Adult mentors can help tip the scale and make your high school experience feel safe, inspiring and enjoyable.
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Opinions
Opinions
On April 20, 2012, Ched Evans, then a player for Sheffield United Football Club, was sentenced to five years in prison for the alleged rape of a 19-year-old woman in a hotel in the Welsh town of Rhys. He was released from prison after serving half of his sentence. Evans was subsequently allowed by Sheffield United to train with the club again. This decision led to national outrage, as well as club patrons - such as Olympic gold medalist Jessica Ennis-Hill - to threaten to end all association with the club should Evans be offered a full-time contract. In response to this public reaction, Sheffield United retracted their offer for Evans to train with the team. While many people were infuriated by Sheffield United allowing Evans to train with them, there were those who took the stance that everyone deserves a second chance. At first I was torn when thinking about this. I agreed that anyone can make a mistake and that people should be allowed to redeem themselves, but when thinking about the nature of Evans’ crime I came to the conclusion that he doesn’t deserve to simply pretend as if what he did never happened, and have others do the same. The victim certainly won’t. When a horrible act such as rape is committed, you don’t get to forget what you did. Of course it is up to the discretion of specific individuals and organizations whether or not to hire or associate with the perpetrator, but they also have every right to know what this person has done and choose to stay away from the person. Instead of focusing on giving convicted rapists a second chance, we should be focusing on making sure the ones who have gotten away with it are properly punished for what they have done and to ensure they understand the gravity of their actions.
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THE STANDARD | December 2014
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If there’s one thing we should take away from Schloss, it is that the world will not change without us, the future generation, getting involved
After the full High School showing of A Light in the Darkness: A Story of Hope During the Holocaust, what truly moved me was hearing Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss speak. Schloss made the point that hatred and violence continue to surround us every day; it did not end after the killing of 11 million people: Jews, Roma Gypsies, homosexuals and Poles alike. When the Holocaust ended, everyone said “never again”. Looking around today, and indeed, what Schloss highlighted, was that we humans do not learn from our mistakes. Schloss, like many other survivors of the Holocaust, chose to tell her story to try to stop history repeating itself, but yet harmony still does not exist. I now find myself questioning what one person can do about hatred and anger in our own society. It is not hard to understand how one may feel insignificant if it is one voice against a thousand. I know in many cases, especially when having to choose sides in a political issue, choosing the underdog or David over the perceived Goliath due to societal pressure versus personal beliefs is hard. But from my perspective, one informed voice is worth more than a thousand angry and spiteful ones. We students are the future, and it is in this spirit that I implore everyone to try to understand the world we live in. As conflict continues to envelop our world, to understand the problems and events in different places is to make a difference. Too often, I feel as though we are more
ANGIE KUKIELSKI
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It is important to realize that the empathy of a person with male privilege, as powerful and important as that empathy is, is not the same as the lived experiences of someone faced with sexist oppression
genocides in both Rwanda and Bosnia occurred. We’re lucky in many senses: To have a constitutional monarchy which is viewed as a powerful government by other nations is valuable, as is the level of our education. If we are part of this society where we are lucky enough to be afforded these privileges, how can we look on so passively at these injustices in other parts of the world? If there’s one thing we should take away from Schloss, it is that the world will not change without us, the future generation, getting involved in politics and trying to understand what is happening both near and far away. It begins with understanding: To read a variety of sources, to discuss with family, or friends, or teachers, and then finally to act based on your own convictions. Do not let yourself give into societal pressure, do not allow yourself to be swayed by a group when you do not actually know what is going on. Be informed in politics, in what is happening in our world, because it is the world we are living in. Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” In this case, education is to read current events. Once one has understood the injustices that surround him or her, whether a thousand miles removed or in their own country, that is when change can truly happen because they will feel empowered to make a difference.
‘More than our genders’ letter To the Editor:
angie_kukielski@asl.org
focused on what is directly affecting us in London over what is happening to others internationally. One of the problems with the Holocaust was that regular people allowed it to happen. They were passive, because they were not the ones victimized. Thus, killings began because many did not have strong enough convictions to stop the murdering and persecution of millions. Yes, there were people who were part of the resistance, and we owe much to them. However, the mentality of many was, “if I’m not being affected, why should it matter to me?” This mentality lives on. We do not try to understand conflict in regions far away from us because we do not think it will affect us. In other cases, quite simply, sometimes when we are informed, we are not doing enough to actively help to solve the problem. This is similar to the Holocaust, as many knew of the deportation of Jews to concentration camps, but continued to stand by thinking that they would not be listened to because their opinion was insignificant. If the Syrian population is being exposed to chemical weapons by its president, why should it matter to an American student in London, especially since we are thousands of miles removed? Why should the killing of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, MO matter to us? At the same time, genocides of similar nature continues to happen even after the mass killings of Jews. Take as recent as the 1990s, where
I was disappointed to read James Malin’s article, “We are more than our genders,” in the most recent issue of The Standard (Volume XL Issue II). I found it to be a flagrant display of privilege and a misunderstanding of how both sexism and feminism work. First, it is necessary to address the fact that sexism manifests itself in many forms; it is not just people “genuinely [feeling] that [other] people should be denied opportunities due to their gender.” To name that and only that as sexism is to erase the countless other ways in which people experience sexism and to invalidate the ways in which feminism seeks to fight those forms of unconscious oppression. The article, however, seems to express the view that one’s gender is irrelevant and that it should not be taken into consideration both within the feminist movement and in the broader world. The core of the article seems to suggest that it is wrong to group together one set of experiences as female and another as male because men and women are not monolithic and assuming so enforces gender essentialism (i.e. that some things are inherently female and others male, like empathy or strength). This, however, is not what we feminists mean when we lend importance to one’s gender. We are not saying that men do not understand some of the things that people of other genders go through due to some bio-
logical difference that somehow separates the genders from each other. We are instead saying that our experiences are informed by our genders, and that the difference between these experiences due to sexism must be taken into account. Without doing so, we cannot collaborate as people with differently gendered experiences within the feminist movement, and male privilege continues entirely unchecked. Of course, people of all genders are both welcome into the feminist movement and able to call themselves feminists. However, it is important to realize that the empathy of a person with male privilege, as powerful and important as that empathy is, is not the same as the lived experiences of someone faced with sexist oppression. Of course male opinions matter in the movement to end sexism, just as the individual experiences of other genders are not the be-all end-all of feminist discourse. However, it is important to take note of the different perspectives from which we are speaking, privileged or otherwise. Without doing so, the view of a man who has never experienced catcalls and who is making light of the sexist harassment that women face often on a daily basis, for example, carries equal weight to the view of a woman who has been leered and shouted at every day on her way to work. The person who has experienced the oppression clearly has a better understanding of the situation in this instance, but that would not be visible if no one’s gender was
taken into account in that situation. Also, most importantly, to ignore one’s own gender as was done in the article when saying that “If I succeed, that will be James succeeding, not another man,” the system that affords men privilege over other genders is allowed to continue unchecked. After all, how can we tackle an oppressive system without acknowledging how we are affected by and complicit within it? Because if James succeeds, he will not just be James, a person, succeeding; he will be joining the ranks of millions of other men who have been able to succeed where people of other genders have not been able to do so due to their genders. Say, for example, that he becomes a Fortune 500 CEO, generally seen as successful in today’s broader culture. Without taking his gender into consideration, his place in the context of broader society cannot be understood. Because when James becomes a Fortune 500 CEO, for instance, James also becomes one more of the currently 474 male Fortune 500 CEOs. To not realize this is to do an injustice to those who face inequity due to their genders. It is important that we take our genders into account because how we move through the world is structured by gender. Pretending that gender does not impact one’s success is not feminist and is violent in its erasure of people’s experiences. It therefore is not gender essentialism that feminism supports; it is being critical of our world as it is.