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The Final CSTretch: How Gun Violence Affects Youth in America… Including You and Me.
Content Warning: Mentioning of gun violence.
Photo courtesy of WKAR Public Media Hello and welcome to my CST blog… if you are reading this it is because of one of three reasons:
- You scanned the QR code for further information about my installation project! In that case, welcome and congratulations on claiming your education. My name is Kate and I am a senior about to graduate high school and finishing off strong with a very CSTudious blog post.
- You are Ms. Henrich trying to grade my last CSTriumph of the year. If so… hi Ms. Henrich! (I am expecting a hi back)
- You are a fellow classmate who was forced to make comments on this blog, which I appreciate nonetheless. (P.S. you don’t really have to read the whole thing. Just say you like my aesthetics and connections or something)
Although our Gallery of Conscience Installation Project is a combined effort in order to highlight the epidemic of gun violence, my blog is going to focus more along the lines of how gun violence affects young people in America, specifically school shootings. If you would like to learn more about systematic racism, police brutality, and mass incarceration, feel free to go to Parvi’s blog to read all about that. With that being said, let’s get into it.
So why did we even make this project anyway?
Me and Parvi’s installation is a pond of ducks. It sounds super corny, but that is what we were going for to attract attention. Basically, we had people use a net to catch a duck with a number on it, and whatever number the person gets corresponds with a story that either me or Parvi have written. These stories are based on real-life incidents where people have lost their lives due to gun violence. We wanted to do this project in order to spread awareness among the community, give recognition to these people and their families, and show that this issue is not just going away. No matter how many thoughts and prayers there are, they won’t bring these innocent lives back. We decided to make a children-like game in order to showcase the youthfulness that these victims had before they were murdered. Most of these people were very young, with wonderful and exciting lives ahead of them, lives that were taken too soon. Projects like these are important for a number of reasons. For example, raising awareness about deaths due to gun violence can give a voice to those who have been silenced, those who are fighting for change but again and again feeling defeated because nothing has changed. Also, increasing awareness helps to educate students and others about the root causes of gun violence, whether it be systematic racism or mental illness. Students, at least in my experience, don’t learn about these types of things in school, so the fact that I was able to bring my vision to light was an amazing experience and I am so happy that I get to help bring this issue to the public, and can hopefully create a lasting impact on my community.
Left photo courtesy of FSU News
Right photo courtesy of Florida PoliticsOne of the reasons why I am grateful to be showcasing this important issue in my school and community is because I feel so inspired by the students who survived the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, AKA the founding members of the March for Our Lives movement. The book I read for this project was all about them, it’s called Parkland by Dave Cullen. The thing I found most interesting and inspiring about this book was the fact that these high school students (the same age as me) took the most tragic thing that has ever happened to them and turned it into something so monumental and beautiful. After reading this book I wanted to bring part of their energy and courage to GBN, even if it was on a much smaller scale, which is why I am currently writing this blog
Photo courtesy of John Jay College
If you can’t already tell, this topic is very important to me, and I have a lot of opinions. David Hogg, one of the founding members of MFOL says it best, “’We need to realize there is something seriously wrong here, and policymakers need to look in the mirror and take some action. Because ideas are great but without action ideas stay ideas, and children die’” (Cullen 20). We as humans do something awfully silly though called ‘not being open-minded’, or as Margaret Wheatley likes to call it “Willing to Be Disturbed”. She says, “Sometimes we hesitate to listen for differences because we don’t want to change. We’re comfortable with our lives, and if we listened to anyone who raised questions, we’d have to get engaged in changing things” (Margaret Wheatley, Willing to be Disturbed 3). This whole idea of turning away when things get hard hits close to home because it is frustrating how lawmakers and people in power are doing this in the world today. If people were more educated on topics such as gun legislation, I feel that it would be easier to make an informed decision. It’s really difficult to get people to remain open-minded to experience new things and different ideas to help change the world for the better because they are so set in their ways, or “comfortable with their lives”, as Wheatley puts it. I would like to think that the research would speak for itself, wouldn’t you? A study done at the Stanford University School of Medicine has found some very interesting data. According to an article done by the Stanford Medicine News Center, researchers found that in the top 25% of states with the strictest firearm laws, the annual rate of young people dying from firearms was 2.6 for every 100,000 individuals. On the other hand, in the bottom 25% of states with the least strict laws, the mortality rate was almost double that figure, at 5.0 per 100,000 individuals. This data proves that stricter gun laws will save children’s lives, so why aren’t we enforcing them everywhere?
This terrifying display of the number of school shootings between the United States and other countries such as Canada, France, and Germany is a devastating reminder of the urgent need for effective gun control laws. The fact that there have been 288 school shootings in the US since 2009 is a tragic and preventable loss of innocent lives, while the five total incidents in other countries show the effectiveness of stricter gun laws. This tragic difference serves as a wake-up call for lawmakers as well as Americans to take the necessary steps toward protecting our children and communities. We cannot continue to let this violence happen.
Data (left) taken from CNN analysis of news reports.
The loss of these innocent lives is unacceptable and devastating, but you can help. To take action, visit the March For Our Lives website to donate, pledge, or show your support.
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The Birth of a Movement: A Parkland Book Review
When I first saw this book I thought it was going to be about the terrible and tragic school shooting that happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. Although there is some information about that, I was mostly mistaken: the topic of this book is much more inspiring. Parkland by Dave Cullen is about the kids who survived the shooting, and what they decided to do about it. A group of survivors started the March For Our Lives movement, which is an organization that advocates for ending gun violence. This group has gained national attention, and Cullen’s book focuses on the students who founded it, and what their stories are.
Photo courtesy of Amazon
Dave Cullen is an American author and journalist best known for his book Columbine, a non-fiction report of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. Besides Columbine and Parkland, he has also written for publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, and Buzzfeed. The topics that he focuses on are violence, mental health, and gun control issues.
Photo courtesy of The Dart Center
I decided to read this book because of the ongoing conversation being had in the United States about gun violence, as well as the July 4th mass shooting that happened oh so close to us in Highland Park. I thought by reading this book I could become more educated on this topic, and therefore more available to help. With over 279 5-star reviews on Amazon, it was easy to want to read this book, and even easier to continue reading it. I am currently on page 233 out of 302, and so far I have learned so much new information that can help me be a part of the conversation. This book has also shown me what it’s like to be a leader and persevere despite all odds.
Photo courtesy of The New Yorker I think this quote explains it best: “‘We need to realize there is something seriously wrong here, and policy makers need to look in the mirror and take some action,’ David said. ‘Because ideas are great but without action ideas stay ideas, and children die’” (Cullen 20). This quote is a great representation of the message that Cullen is trying to convey throughout his book, and it also perfectly lines up with society today. Nothing is being done to save children from dying at their schools and it just keeps happening. These students aren’t just sitting idly by and watching from the sidelines, they are standing up for themselves in the midst of all the chaos. Adrienne Rich says, “I have said that the contract on the student’s part involves that you demand to be taken seriously so that you can also go on taking yourself seriously. This means seeking out criticism, recognizing that the most affirming thing anyone can do for you is demand that you push yourself further, show you the range of what you can do” (Claiming an Education 1). The March For Our Lives kids turned a massive tragedy into something beautiful that the whole world could experience, and speaking out for their classmates who can’t because they lost their lives.
This book is very inspiring to students like me who believe in creating change surrounding this issue, and I think that more students should read this book in order to understand the leadership, passion, and hard work that goes into creating this change. However, “‘The problem in our country right now is people are only really willing or able to talk to people who already agree with them’” (Cullen 84). Human beings are very stubborn and have been stuck in their ways for many generations. Margaret Wheatly says, “It is very difficult to give up our certainties—our positions, our beliefs, our explanations. These help define us; they lie at the heart of our personal identity. Yet I believe we will succeed in changing this world only if we can think and work together in new ways” (Willing to be Disturbed 1). As a society, we need to work together to create change, and by reading this book you can understand how and why that matters as it relates to gun legislation in America.
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SAMO #3: Her POV: The Power of Empathy and Perspective
CW: topics of abortion.
Photo courtesy of Center of American Progress For my third and final SAMO experience, my friends Henry Herr, Elise Gan, and I went to the play reading of A Mirror is Not a Window: Roe Versus Wade at Northwestern University on Sunday, February 19. Because my car was in the shop, I was not the Uber driver on this day, so Elise and I (very kindly) forced Henry to drive us. Don’t worry, I still played my fire playlist. I remember it was a beautiful February day, one of those goofy Chicago weather moments where it was 50º and sunny, so naturally, we had the windows down and the music up. Going into this experience, I really had no idea what to expect, but it was a free ticket, not too far away, and a topic that I care about and want to learn more about, so I kept an open mind. Upon arrival, we found fellow CSTudents Paige Star and Katie Wallace! When it was time to go in, we all found seats close to each other and waited for the play to start.
Photo courtesy of Paige Star. The play reading was about the lawyer and the plaintiff of this case and how their lives differed but they still crossed paths. The lawyer was extremely hardworking and married the boy of her dreams. The plaintiff, Jane Roe, was a gay drug addict who ended up becoming a religious leader in the movement against abortions. This was super well written and very entertaining to watch to see what they were all going to do next. I will be honest though, they kind of lost me in the second half when Jane Roe’s character was finding Jesus or whatever and I started to tune it out, but it picked back up again after the two women crossed paths for the final time.
Here is what it looked like! (When I say play reading, I mean that they were quite literally reading a play). Photo by me. Before my CST experience, I wanted to know more about this “Jane Roe” chick and whatever happened to her. I learned a lot of new information from an NPR article, information that nobody ever taught me. For example, Jane Roe’s real name was Norma McCorvey, a name I have never heard before. She was a gay woman who just happened to be pregnant and seeking an abortion while Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington (lawyers in the Roe v. Wade case) found her and made her the poster child for their case. The sad thing is that Norma never got to have her abortion, even though the lawyers said they could help her. Flash forward a few years and Norma is working at an abortion clinic in Texas when she meets the head of the anti-abortion-rights organization, Flip Benham. He preaches to her and eventually convinces her that what she is doing is wrong, so Norma “flips” (haha get it) to the pro-life side of things. The information that I learned from this article was extremely helpful for preliminary research and I am glad I did it because otherwise, I would have had a difficult time understanding my CST experience.
This pre-research reminded me of a movie I watched once in my Psychology of Living class with Ms. Petty last semester titled “If These Walls Could Talk”, a 1996 film starring Demi Moore, Sissy Spacek, and Cher. In order to learn more about this topic, I rewatched the movie. On a cloudy February evening, I grabbed some popcorn, my mother, and headed down to the basement. She cried, of course. Watching this movie a second time while knowing this information from my research seemed even more impactful because I understood the fear that the women were feeling and how the United States approached this topic. If you are ever bored and want to watch a movie about three women and their experiences with abortion, this is an amazing movie to watch to further your understanding, and is truly an entertaining film. P.S. if you are a fan of plot twists, watch this movie, I was shook.
Photo courtesy of Amazon.
Doing this research opened my eyes to what this world is, and it’s a tough pill to swallow. Women are mistreated in this country, and it is scary to think about my future and the future of young women everywhere. Banning a woman’s right to an abortion does not mean that women will stop getting abortions, it means that they will continue to have them, just not safely. According to a research article done by Amanda Stevenson, a professor in the department of sociology and behavioral science at the University of Colorado Boulder, “In the first year in which all wanted induced abortions in the United States are denied, the estimated annual number of pregnancy-related deaths would increase from 675 to 724 (49 additional deaths, representing a 7% increase), and in subsequent years to 815 (140 additional deaths, for a 21% increase)”. The research done here shows how there are more women dying due to the abortion ban, and it is only getting worse. Aside from just the physical factors, there are also many psychological factors that are important to note that may influence a woman’s decision to get an abortion. For example:
- Emotional readiness
- Relationship issues
- Financial concerns
- Health concerns
- Cultural/religious beliefs
- Social stigma
The decision to have an abortion is a deeply personal one and can be influenced by a range of psychological and physical factors. Women who are considering an abortion may benefit from counseling or other forms of emotional support to help them make the decision that is best for them.
Why must we force this onto our women?
Photo courtesy of the Center of American Progress The photo shown above really spoke to me and made me feel emotions I have never felt before. You can physically see this mother trying to console her daughter with a single kiss because she knows words can’t describe the pain, anger, and sadness she is feeling. The people in power seem to be experiencing a lack of empathy, with Paul and Elder describing empathy as, “actively imagining oneself in the mind of another person in order to fully understand that other person; evenhandedness: impartial, fair, just” (Ethical Reasoning 44). Having empathy can play an important role in shaping attitudes toward abortion laws. For example, people who have empathy for those who seek abortions may be more likely to support policies that protect access to them. However, some lawmakers don’t understand completely the difficult decision that a woman has to make when it comes to seeking an abortion. If they don’t have this empathy, it could lead them to support laws that could restrict access to safe abortion care, and completely shatter a woman’s life.
Don’t they know that this is hurting more people than it is helping?
Photo courtesy of BBC Psychology In order to enact real change in our country and our world, we have to have empathy and be “Willing to Be Disturbed”. Margaret Wheatley says it best: “It is very difficult to give up our certainties- our positions, our beliefs, our explanations. These help define us; they lie at the heart of our personal identity” (1). Human beings aren’t going to randomly wake up one day and completely change their opinions on abortion, that is simply not how it works. We have to create a safe space where people can come together without fear of judgment or being wrong. Jad Abumrad talks about this as a “third space”. In his video “How Dolly Parton led me to an epiphany” he says, “In psychotherapy, there’s this idea called the third, which essentially goes like this. Typically, we think of ourselves as these autonomous units. I do something to you, you do something to me. But according to this theory, when two people come together and really commit to seeing each other, in that mutual act of recognition, they actually make something new. A new entity that is their relationship” (12:06). Having a broad perspective allows you to see situations from multiple points of view, which can lead to greater empathy and compassion towards the people around you. Perspective is very important: it plays a crucial role in shaping our perception and comprehension of the world around us. Our thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes are all influenced by our perspective, ultimately affecting our behavior and decision-making, which could be detrimental to a woman’s health.
Whatever happened to ‘her body her choice”?
Photo courtesy of The Conversation One of the things I was most interested in when I first heard about this SAMO experience was the title. What does “a mirror is not a window” even mean? Of course I remember talking about it in past English classes, but I never really understood it. Now I think I finally do.
The phrase “a mirror is not a window” is a reminder that a mirror and a window are two different things with different purposes.
A mirror reflects back an image of the person or object in front of it. It shows a reflection of reality, but it does not provide a direct view of the outside world.
A window, on the other hand, allows one to see the outside world directly. It provides a view of reality that is not filtered or distorted by reflection.
So, the phrase “a mirror is not a window” can be interpreted to mean that someone should not confuse their own reflection or perception of reality with the actual reality of the outside world. It is a reminder to be aware of our own opinions and beliefs when interpreting the world around us.
In a 2020 study by Guttmacher, a research organization specifically focused on protecting sexual and reproductive rights, it was found that “there were 14.4 abortions in the U.S. per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44”. That means that you, (yes you), have encountered a woman who has had an abortion. Whether it was a medical emergency, she didn’t have the means to support a baby, or she simply did not want to have a child, you still have. And although you may recognize her face, you cannot see the hardship she went through to make her decision. Now imagine that decision being made for you, but the answer is not at all what you wanted. That is what women are facing today with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and that is what I learned from this SAMO experience.
Women have been fighting this fight for way too long.
Left photo courtesy of ABC News
Right photo courtesy of Cal MattersTo find abortion care near you, please visit the Planned Parenthood website for more information if needed.
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Mash Blog: The Names We Should Know
Trigger Warning: topics of sexual assault and rape.
The following quotes are from Know My Name by Chanel Miller.
“Trauma was refusing to adhere to any schedule, didn’t seem to align itself with time. Some days it was distant as a star and other days it could wholly engulf me” (126).
Quote #1
“Almost every message I received opened with someone telling me the location of where they were crying. They were enraged and then devastated, and then they said thank you, said everyone must read it. It was a reaction too complex to categorize, but it sounded like, by the end of reading, they’d emerged in a clearer space” (246).
Quote #2
“Social change is a marathon, she’d said. Not a sprint. You do all you can in the time that you have. By time she meant lifetime, that over the span of our lives we may not see everything we want corrected, but still we fight. I was awakening to the excruciatingly long process of substantive change, how huge and imbedded systems are, how impossible they are to dismantle, how tiny I was” (303).
Quote #3
The following quotes are outside research.
“Whenever I hear a survivor say they wish they’d had the courage to come forward, I instinctively shake my head. It was never about your courage. Fear of retaliation is real. Security is not free. It bothered me that coming forward should feel like heading toward a guillotine. I don’t think most survivors want to live in hiding. We do because silence means safety. Openness means retaliation”.
Time article written by Chanel Miller about her experience after publishing her memoir. Quote #4
“Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety”.
Inside Southern article titled Rape Culture, Victim Blaming, and the Facts. Quote #5
The following quotes are from CST Texts.
“The pain scale measures only the intensity of pain, not the duration. This may be its greatest flaw. A measure of pain, I believe, requires at least two dimensions. The suffering of Hell is terrifying not because of any specific torture, but because it is eternal” (79).
Eula Biss “The Pain Scale” Quote #6
“Paradoxically, we can only find those answers by admitting we don’t know. We have to be willing to let go of our certainty and expect ourselves to be confused for a time” (1).
“Liberation is based in something far bigger than me as an individual, or us as a coalition, or our organization as a community, or any one nation, or any particular world. It’s about that force that connects us all to one another as living beings, that force that is defined differently by every spiritual belief system but which binds us by the vision that there can be a better world and we can help to create it” (625).
Well, how are they all connected?
Quote #3 from my memoir relates to quote #8 because when people fight for change, it helps to create a better world for us to live in. Chanel knows that change is going to take a long time, especially a long time for survivors, but they are going to fight anyway because it is important for them and others to tell their stories. The “Liberation” that Bobbie Harro is talking about is a massive social change, the force that brings us together. Harro and Miller both know that this change in society is next to impossible, but the fact that we are all in it together has to count for something. The social change that they are talking about can also connect to the Time article that Chanel wrote about victims being scared to step into the light because they are immediately thought of differently. As a society, we need to be able to present a safety net for survivors to feel comfortable talking about the most traumatic experience in their lives. Chanel’s Time article also relates to the research done by Inside Southern by providing some much-needed insight about sexual assault and rape, but also by saying that it is “normalized and excused in the media and popular culture”. We need to be more aware and sensitive about what victims have gone through, not just saying that it happens too often to care about any one individual and their experience. Like how quote #1 relates to quote #6 because they both talk about not just the amount of pain one endures, but how long it truly takes over. The healing process for Chanel was grueling, especially because she never really knew when something terrible was going to happen. This sort of thought process can be applied to almost any situation where someone is experiencing pain, whether physical, mental, or emotional.
Why should people read this book?
You’ve heard the stories of Larry Nassar, Joseph DeAngelo, and Richard Ramirez, about how they sexually assaulted or raped countless people.
But these are not the stories that matter.
The stories that matter are those of the survivors of these horrible crimes. Society was taught about the abusers in podcasts, documentaries, articles, books, the list goes on. But who really knows the names of the victims? Know My Name by Chanel Miller is a first-hand account of a sexual assault survivor and her journey through the healing process. Throughout this book, she highlights how many victims are afraid to come out with their stories, and once they do, how society portrays them.
Before reading this book, I had heard the name Brock Turner in countless places. However, while reading my memoir, I have learned to associate this case with the survivor and author, Chanel Miller. Society knows this as the Brock Turner sexual assault Stanford case, but where is Chanel’s name? Why does society just skip past the victims?
Teenagers across the globe should be reading this book to better understand the terrible topic of sexual assault and how the victims are treated after a life-changing event. I can say with absolute certainty that I knew next to nothing about this topic before reading Know My Name, and I can also guarantee that other teenagers know the same amount or less than me at the beginning of this journey.
The stigma surrounding rape and sexual assault is causing society to not want to talk about it. This is something that needs to be talked about to spread awareness for other people to stand up and speak out against their abusers. Teenagers in schools also must be educated on this topic so that they can be more sensitive to their peers if they have experienced this.
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SAMO #2: Be Smart: Ditch the Smartphone
Photo courtesy of Rachel Mendelson, Business Insider For my second SAMO experience, I chose to go to the Steppenwolf Theater for a talk about Social Media and Young Mental Health from Chicago Humanities Festival with fellow CSTudents Elise Gan and Henry Herr on November 12, 2022. The night started with me packing my 2007 Saab with water, snacks, and a fire playlist for the hour-long drive in stop-and-go traffic. I totally trust myself with driving in the city, which is why I was the designated Uber driver for the evening. I also had to purchase a parking pass which I had to scan to get into the sketchy parking garage close to the theater.
Blurry picture of me, Henry, and Elise in the basement of the sketchy parking garage. Photo taken by Elise Gan. We walked a few blocks to the Steppenwolf Theater, where the event was being held, scanned in our $10 student discount tickets, and took our seats. Masks were required for this event, so of course we followed the necessary precautions. I was a bit confused as to what this event would entail, but I read on the CHF website “social media”, “young”, and “mental health” and I thought, what could be more contemporary than that? At 6:30 pm when the event started, we were introduced to the three people who would be running it: Dr. Megan Moreno, a professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Principle Investigator of the Social Media and Adolescent Health Research Team (SMAHRT); Margot Lee, a content creator based out of New York City who has an audience of over 800,000 people across Youtube, Tik Tok, and Instagram; and Nicole Wetsman, a reporter at The Verge who covers a variety of topics including digital health and biotechnology. Nicole asked questions while Dr. Moreno and Margot answered them: one with a science and data type answer and another with a real-world experience answer.
Photo of the three key speakers- Lee, Dr. Moreno, and Wetsman on stage, taken by me. Young people’s poorer mental health due to social media directly affects teenagers like me, which is why I took an interest in the topic in the first place. Here are some surprising/interesting/troubling things that I learned from this event:
- People tend to overestimate their screen time because even while they are not on their screens, people are thinking about their screens, leading to someone thinking that they have more screen time than they actually do.
- Toddlers are proven to have more difficulty learning social cues when their parent’s faces are in their phones. Because of this, they are more likely to act out in order to get their parent’s attention.
- There are more bad things related to social media than good things.
After leaving the Steppenwolf Theater I had a bunch of different things in my head that I wanted to research further, like how toddlers are affected by their parent’s screen time, or why our screen time usage makes us feel shameful and guilty, or even just how social media affects teenager’s mental health. I decided to go down the teen mental health road, but with more of a twist. I was most interested in finding out how social media affects teenagers’ daily lives, like how much they sleep or whether or not they are addicted to their smartphones.
Photo courtesy of LA Johnson, NPR When I first started researching the link between teens and their screens and their sleep, I found what most people would find about this topic: “teens who report heavier social media use go to sleep later”, according to an NPR Health article. That’s what most people think, right? Of course, that makes sense because “being exposed to blue light in the evening can trick our brain into thinking it’s still daytime, disrupting circadian rhythms and leaving us feeling alert instead of tired” (Sleep Foundation “How Blue Light Affects Sleep”). The use of a phone before bed has almost nothing to do with social media, however. You could be texting your grandpa goodnight or playing a quick Roblox game with your friends on Facetime. No matter what you use your phone for before bedtime, you are still going to experience worse sleep and an even worse mood in the morning.
While re-reading Bobbie Harro’s “Cycle of Socialization”, I found a quote talking about how our parents raise us, but maybe it’s not just about our parents. She says, “they shape our self-concepts and self-perceptions, the norms and rules we must follow, the roles we are taught to play, our expectations for the future, and our dreams” (Harro 17). She might as well be talking about our smartphones, specifically social media because they do all the same things. Of course, our parents are the ones to raise us, but maybe social media is too. Most teenagers derive their entire personalities based on the people who are around them, so, if a teenager is on their phone frequently, they will likely start to act like the people they see. This can be a bad thing because then the teenager can develop mental health issues like social anxiety or depression.
According to Dr. Anne Marie Albano, director of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, “any kid who is prone to concerns about their self-image and who they are, who is anxious about fitting in or what other people think about them, will inevitably compare themselves to the number of likes, friends, or followers other people have when they go online. They are looking at these sites through a negative lens of, “I’m never going to be as good as these people” (“Is Social Media Threatening Teens’ Mental Health and Well-being?”). Bobbie Harro’s “Cycle of Socialization” is related to the concept of teenagers’ mental health because her writing shows that teens are becoming more and more “socialized” by their smartphones, and maybe less by their parents.
Photo courtesy of Toby Maudsley, Chicago Tribune The amount of social media usage in today’s society raises the question, is it possible to have a social media addiction? The answer is yes, and it may be even more severe than you might think. As stated by the Addiction Center, “addictive social media use will look much like any other substance use disorder and may include mood modification, salience, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflict, and relapse” (“What Is Social Media Addiction?”). This was truly a devastating thing to learn. When I read that 5-10% of social media users meet the criteria for a social media addiction, I was in shock. I thought that social media was just a silly little way to connect with people online, but for some people, it is much more severe. You may be wondering, how does a social media addiction even work? I was curious about that myself, so I did some more digging. The Addiction Center says that “when an individual gets a notification, such as a like or mention, the brain receives a rush of dopamine and sends it along reward pathways, causing the individual to feel pleasure” (“What Is Social Media Addiction?”). When the person clicks on the notification, they go directly into the social media source, feeding into their addiction.
In Eula Biss’s “The Pain Scale”, she talks about different measures of pain, but in this case, I think the pain could also relate to addiction. She writes, “experts do not know why some pain resolves and other pain becomes chronic. One theory is that the body begins to react to its own reaction, trapping itself in a cycle of its own pain response. This can go on indefinitely, twisting like the figure eight of infinity” (Biss 79). I believe that this quote could relate to the topic of social media addiction because the act of “trapping itself in a cycle of its own pain response” is like trying to get clean from addiction. The “figure eight of infinity” is a metaphor to describe what it is like for people who are in lots of pain, and trying to get out of it but not being able to.
As reported by California State University, “overuse of social media is much more problematic in children because their developing brain is more malleable. By the time we reach adolescence, our reward system begins to be more activated and develop faster” (The Growing Case for Social Media Addiction). This shows that exposing kids at a young age to social media can be detrimental because they can adopt an addiction to it. My dad likes to think that my sister and I have an addiction to our phones and he tells us that all the time (even though his Tik Tok screen time is literally like seven hours per day). It is a large possibility though, and it will only get worse. The children born into this generation have used more and more technology and electronics, for school, entertainment, social media, and much more. People in this day and age need to become more educated on social media addiction because it is going to start getting more and more common.
Photo courtesy of Sean David Williams, Yale Insights My research on this topic has really opened my eyes to the struggles that people my age are facing when it comes to their phones. I mean, we put our phones in the phone motel for every CST class, and as soon as class is over, we all race to go check our new messages, or answer Snapchats, or like someone’s post on Instagram. Addiction to smartphones and how it can affect us is a very important matter and one that relates to CST, because what is a more contemporary social theme than this? Ever since the talk about Social Media and Young Mental Health, I have been thinking every single day about what I can do to change my cellphone and social media habits. I have practiced a routine to try and reduce these habits, and so far they have worked. This SAMO showed me that I need to remind myself to step away and take a break more often to refocus because there are more important things in life than an electronic cube that fits in your pocket. If you are ever struggling to remember that, here are a few tips and tricks from NPR to help save yourself from your phone:
- Getting rid of apps and distractions
- “Hiding” your phone
- Finding non-internet activities
- Downgrading technology
Photo courtesy of Project Happiness In other, possibly more uplifting news, here are some extra photos from my wonderful SAMO adventure. I had a lot of fun with my friends and I am happy with what I learned and researched about this topic.
Awesome SAMO photos including my absolutely scrumptious meal from Portillo’s after the experience. All photos taken by Kate Dillon, Henry Herr, or Elise Gan.
Check out my friend’s SAMOs too! (I promise they’re cool people)
chillin' like a dillon
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SAMO #1: The Sinking of the CensorSHIP
“A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone”.
– Jo Godwin
The Giver, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hate U Give, George, Lawn Boy, Where’s Waldo?, and James and the Giant Peach. What do all of these titles have in common, you might ask? These are some of the most banned books in America today according to Leandra Beabout, a former high school English teacher now writing for Reader’s Digest. Now, I want to give you a chance to scroll up a little bit and re-read the quote by Jo Godwin. These book titles that are meant to “offend everyone” are all featured at the Glenview Public Library, coincidentally where I completed my SAMO experience.
Photo from Reader’s Digest.
On a cold, rainy Tuesday in September, I began my journey by driving to the Glenview Public Library for “A Conversation on Censorship”, a free-to-enter panel discussion on open access to information and ideas in a library environment. During this event, there were three key speakers who shared their ideas: B.T. Gottfred, author of three teen novels and a Glenbrook South High School graduate; Joyce McIntosh from the Freedom to Read Foundation who specializes in Litigation and the Courts; and Lindsey Dorfman, the Glenview Public Library director. These three speakers shared presentations about banned books including helpful information as to what they are and why they are banned, as well as some opinions about this topic.
Photo of B.T., Lindsey, and Joyce answering crowd questions, taken by me. This event was quite interesting to me, as I had some general information about the topic, but not enough to write a whole SAMO blog. I am glad that I attended this event because I believe I learned a lot, and I would recommend it to other CSTudents so they can learn more about this topic of censorship as well. If you’re interested in Banned Books Week, the topic of censorship, or how you can help in a situation like this, continue reading to learn more!
Selfie of me outside of the Glenview Public Library after my SAMO experience, taken by me. While at my SAMO event, I learned several things that I hadn’t known before. For example:
- The public library is the only limited public forum
- Librarians undergo lots of training in order to help in situations regarding banned books because it is such a sensitive subject
- The most controversial books in libraries contain topics of race and sexuality
- School libraries and public libraries have different kinds of books because of different reading levels
Photo of a slide from Joyce’s presentation reminding people that librarians support the people’s right to information, taken by me. While looking at the Reader’s Digest article, I was re-directed to yet another Reader’s Digest article, this one titled “Meet the Teens Fighting Book Bans with Banned Book Clubs”. When I saw this title, I became intrigued as to what these teens were doing and if it was possible that it was implemented someplace else too. I learned that at Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas, a group of students started a Banned Book Club when they found out some of their favorite books were banned in their school. According to the author of this article, Samantha Facciolo, certified educator and writer for Reader’s Digest, “the group meets once a month to discuss the themes of that month’s chosen book and how it connects to students’ lives, why the book was banned and how the ban impacts students”. Nice work VHS students!
The Vandegrift Banned Book Club in action, the photo taken by the club itself. Reader’s Digest article was so interesting, Callie just had to join in on the fun (taken by me). She really wants to know more about the VHS Banned Book Club!
Also in this article is the story of a seventh-grade Black girl who said she was no longer interested in reading because there were no Black characters in her books, therefore she didn’t feel emotionally attached to them. This reminds me of the Ted Talk titled “The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In this Ted Talk, Adichie says, “because all I had read were books in which characters were foreign, I had become convinced that books, by their very nature, had to have foreigners in them, and had to be about things with which I could not personally identify”. Adichie did not know much about her culture, because she never read any books from her country, they were all “foreign”. The seventh-grader from Austin can relate to this because she couldn’t personally identify with any of the characters in her books either. This makes it important that people who don’t identify with the characters in their books have access to books that they actually want to read: books that show similarities between the characters and the reader. That way, different people can still enjoy reading and books don’t become extinct like the dinosaurs.
Photo of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie addressing the 2018 Harvard graduating class, taken by The Harvard Crimson photographer Allison G. Lee. As someone who believes that censorship and banned books do more harm than good, I also learned some interesting things during my SAMO experience that I wouldn’t have thought otherwise. During the time when the panel was open to questions, a man stood up and asked “Well, shouldn’t parents have control over what their children read?”, and my personal opinion on that is absolutely not. When this question was raised, author B.T. Gottfred responded by saying, “exposure to material is influential in all ways, whether we like it or not. There could be a closeted little kid out there somewhere reading a book where the main character is gay, and feel like he belongs. Like there is someone out there who knows exactly what he’s been through”. I couldn’t agree more B.T., although I appreciate hearing the other side of the argument as well.
Author B.T. Gottfred giving his portion of the presentation, taken by me. My SAMO helped me see the world differently by showing me that the world out there isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, there is some really hard things that we have to deal with as a society. How can we ban books including characters of different races and sexualities but then claim that we have a diverse variety of options? If we just keep banning books where will it end? Why does censorship in this case only apply to books and not movies or TV shows? Questions like these are hard to answer right now, but hopefully, in the future, we will be able to answer them and eventually sink this censorSHIP.
“Books unite us. Censorship divides us.”
– Banned Books Week Theme 2022For more information, or to take action against censorship, please visit the Unite Against Book Bans website.
Photo courtesy of the Unite Against Book Bans website. chillin' like a dillon
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Mash Blog: Dismantling and Rebuilding
Welcome to my mash blog, which is quite literally, a giant mash of my thoughts. Continue reading to know about my Hotel Transylvania reference to our CST class. Below are links, quotes, images, videos, and ideas by yours truly.
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“That when we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie “The Danger of a Single Story”“So that is how to create a single story, show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie “The Danger of a Single Story”“We may experience some form of cognitive dissonance, where something that used to make sense to us (or that we never questioned) ceases to make sense” (3).
Bobbie Harro “Cycle of Liberation”“This [getting ready phase] involves consciously dismantling and building aspects of ourselves and our world views based on our new perspectives” (4).
Bobbie Harro “Cycle of Liberation”“We have to be willing to let go of our certainty and expect ourselves to be confused for a time” (1).
Margaret Wheatley “Willing to be Disturbed”
The words of Bobbie Harro stuck with me. She wrote about dismantling yourself and then rebuilding based on your newfound knowledge of the world. Basically, what I got out of all of these quotes is that humans are like the life cycle of an apple. I know this sounds juvenile, but let me try to explain it. Apples fall from many different trees, many different types of trees too, but even though the apples are no longer with the trees, that doesn’t stop them from being made into delicious apple pies. This relates to human perception because when we let our guards down a little bit, we can create something even better together. Apple trees to apple pies and human realization? Who would have thought there was so much connection? The video I chose was that one scene from Hotel Transylvania where Blobby makes a child from himself, showing that beautiful things can come from other parts. What I am trying to convey here is that when we shred pieces of ourselves, it makes more room for us to rebuild as new people.
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My 10 Basic Fundamentals:
These are the 10 guiding principles that I have implemented thus far in my life, and also principles that I want to continue implementing this year.
- Originality – I want to be an original voice on this blog, and in CST class in general. I think so far I have done a good job with that, I try my best to not conform to ideas and I try to come up with my own. My personality overall is relatively original and I like doing my own thing.
- Integrity – Once I have an original idea, I want to stand by it all the way through. I have very strong moral principles as well that I stand by all the time and I will not forget.
- Support from others – My friends and family are extremely important to me when it comes to supporting me. Sometimes they give me advice when I need it, sometimes it’s just a hug, and sometimes they distract me from problems I am having at that moment. I know that during the college application process I am going to have to lean on them more than ever because that will be a very stressful time in my life.
- Being organized – I have always been somewhat organized in my life, just as long as you don’t go into my room. By organized, I mean that I know what I have to do and by when, not just in school but in my activities and my job as well.
- Watching TV, and listening to music – These two things may seem juvenile but they are actually important to me because it is a great distraction from the real world. If I am having a bad day, my favorite thing to do is plop down on the couch and watch an episode of Modern Family.
- Take time to breathe – Taking some time to myself is going to be very important this year because there is a lot on my mind college-wise, family-wise, and job-wise. I find that when I am super stressed out or anxious I literally just have to go for a walk or listen to a quick meditation on Youtube and I’m set for a little while.
- Be present – This year I am going to try to focus on being present in the moment because I leave for college next year, so I need some time to appreciate what I have with my friends and family and my life right now. I also want to spend time with my dog, because she sadly won’t be able to come with me.
These are all pictures of my nine-year-old golden retriever named Callie, all taken by me. As you can see she loves laying on leather couches and on the grass.
- Staying in tune with what I need, mental health-wise – So far, I have been good at taking breaks when I need them and keeping in tune with my needs over others. Not in a bad way, I have just noticed recently that I prioritize other people over myself, and I want to learn to maybe not do that so often anymore.
- Having fun – This is my senior year and I want to be able to enjoy it! My classes aren’t too difficult which leaves more room to be present and have fun. I want to hang out with my friends more often because I didn’t get to do that a lot over the summer.
- Not stress too much – My senior year so far has been pretty lowkey, with not a lot of homework, and more time to spend with friends and other things outside of school. If I do start to get stressed, I just need to remember that even if I get a B on a paper, it’s not the end of the world and I will still graduate and go to college.
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What’s up guys
Hi there! My name’s Kate and I am a senior at Glenbrook North. I am using this blog to try to navigate the contemporary themes of today and become more knowledgeable about the world, come join me!
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chillin' like a dillon 