Recently it has become popular for people to gaslight their friends, assuming everyone is in on the joke. The term “gaslight, gate keep, girlboss” was coined as a way to empower and joke about one’s trauma. What began as an internet joke has spiraled into a dangerous game for those susceptible to gaslighting. Like many other trends on the internet, this term supposedly began on … Continue reading Gaslighting: More of a Punch Than a Punchline
As social media movements progress, there is increasing pressure to be involved in politics—attending protests, signing petitions, reposting information—but this may not be helpful for all involved. There has been much debate recently about the impact of social media on mental health and on how it has simultaneously increased the availability of social justice. It seems almost paradoxical. One would think that an increase in … Continue reading News Isn’t For Everyone
Philip Noyce’s 2014 film adaptation of Lois Lowry’s The Giver is a rush of color, beauty, and sound. It is both a depiction of pain and a celebration of life. The Giver takes place in a society devoid of color, emotion, and inequality—conditions which are put in place in order to create maximum human comfort and efficiency for its people. There are no wars, no … Continue reading “The Giver” reminds us of everything that makes life worth living
When schools shut down on March 13, 2020, not very many people predicted the ongoing pandemic that upended almost every facet of life. The two weeks off school turned into a month, into two, until school was moved online for the next school year as well. The past two years were characterized by masks, discussions of ‘flattening the curve’, and exasperating Zoom calls that never … Continue reading Four Perspectives on Surviving School During a Pandemic
When a person close to you says that they have become a “free thinker”, it probably fills you with dread. Kanye West’s family might feel the same. The horrible truth of mental illness is obscured, because the noise Kanye is making is much more interesting to pay attention to. The constant fashion updates, unhinged rants, and arguments with former friends are certainly a spectacle, but … Continue reading The Severity of Kanye West’s Irresponsibility
Apathy is a word that gets thrown around a lot in politics, particularly when trying to explain the cruelty of someone’s actions, but the term itself might be inaccurate. Empathy is considered to be what makes or breaks communication, but how often do people mask their true feelings towards someone in order to protect the emotions of all involved? Would that be considered empathy or … Continue reading Empathy for Apathy
There’s a fine line between humor and harassment. Because the internet allows for instantaneous dissemination of information, often anonymously and with no fact-checking, there is great potential for abuses of power. And when these abuses are excused as “funny,” it’s even more difficult to enforce accountability for perpetrators. The recent controversy between Kanye West and Kim Kardashian exemplifies this problem of the digital age. Although … Continue reading From Kanye to McCaskey: The Line Between Humor and Harassment
Homeschooling—what comes to mind? Most likely, you’ve heard at least one of the myths surrounding homeschooling, but as someone who has been homeschooled from kindergarten to eleventh grade, I can testify that a lot of those myths and stereotypes aren’t true. Being in public school this year has certainly been different, but both options have pros and cons. With more parents looking at other options … Continue reading Busting the Myths of Homeschooling
Educators and their students struggle with burnout now more than ever as the systemic problems with our education system have been exposed during the pandemic. The days drag with the sense of forced productivity and kids are in desperate need of compassion and understanding. Teachers face student after student whose faces reflect the pain of learning in unprecedented times of war, COVID, and nationwide school … Continue reading Standardized Teachers
Trauma. A deeply distressing or disturbing experience. A Greek word for “wound,” which in present time refers to emotional wounds. Slave. A person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them. Oppression. A prolonged cruel and unjust treatment or control. Neglect. Failure to care for a being or thing properly, to be uncared for. Segregation. The action or state of … Continue reading Black Americans’ Mental Health Matters
Assimilationism and Respectability Politics, perhaps the same theory when bound to the black body, are both relative to the concept Dr. W.E.B DuBois coined as “double consciousness”. However, his claim “One ever feels his twoness, — an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder,” can be … Continue reading Respectability Politics and the Black Body
Toxic masculinity. It’s an amorphous concept, often scorned as overly intellectual, criticized by the right as a war on traditional masculinity and by some on the left as ignoring the role of individual choice in determining behaviors. It generally manifests itself in performative male aggression, the desire to project physical strength, sexual dominance, and no signs of vulnerability. And discounting the significance of toxic masculinity … Continue reading Toxic Masculinity and Covid-19: Deadly Consequences
You are holding back tears in a classroom, triggered by some unknowingly hurtful statement made by the teacher. You’re mad at the teacher, despite her not knowing she was causing you pain. You want to fight, or leave; that is if you could get unstuck from the prick of survival response, your brain snagged like a loose thread on the oversized sweater you wish you … Continue reading We Need Sensory Rooms
I was in 8th grade when my social studies teacher said to me, “Democracy only works when people believe in it. The minute people stop believing it is the minute it dies.” I took it with a grain of salt, understanding the basic idea behind her comment, but not realizing the very real and frightening extent to which her assertion was true. We all found … Continue reading The Struggle for Democracy?
Note: All subjects in this article have requested to remain anonymous. Following the events of January 6, 2021, Americans have been left wondering about the safety of their own communities. Lancaster County, in particular, saw a number of its citizens in Washington D.C. that day, and it has left some people unsettled. Five members of our county – a farmer, a mom of three young … Continue reading January 6, 2021: Perspectives from Lancaster County Citizens
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