August 2020 Archive
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Click on the arrows to discover the wonderful readings awaiting you!
Editor's Note
I actually thought I'd never be writing this. Growing up, I felt that writing and bringing out certain social issues to an international scale was something I'd never do. That's what I like the most about life — it's surprising. I could write books and more books about my personal story with writing and my unquenchable need for social justice, but this edition (and The Gen Z Times!) would have never been possible without the support of my friends and professional acquaintances I've made while running @thegenztimesorg on Instagram.
Here's a special shoutout for everyone who I've requested writing from prior to the making of this website and the ones that have submitted after it; they know who they are. And thank you very much; this edition would have never been possible without your physical collaboration and moral support. Thank you so much for all of the Instagram accounts that have shared or liked any of our posts; this might seem small or even insignificant, but every like counts. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The events that took place in August opened jaws and broke hearts, and it is our duty to talk about them. From an analysis of teenage sitcoms to an assessment of Donald Trump's authority to ban the TikTok app, the authors from this edition have used their voice for the better. The Gen Z Times, besides aiming to inform, aims to express; and what better way to express our feelings than through literature? We have been blessed to receive amazing poems and short stories, and we are certain we'll see the names of these authors in the New York Times' bestseller list in a matter of moments.
I sincerely hope this edition not only pleases the reader, but also gave an opportunity for small authors to use their voice.
- Catarina
Editorial
A warm welcome: Anti-BLM Arguments Debunked.
by Catarina Vita
From "filling the comment section with the fist emoji" to posting black squares, the Black Lives Matter movement is present in everyone's feeds – in May. Celebrities' characters were tested as they responded to the death of George Floyd as a result of police brutality in the United States. However, after a certain amount of time passed, everyone's feeds went back to billionaire lifestyle illustrations and snapshots of people breaching quarantine measures. While the death of an innocent man enlightened some people about the white supremacist society they are members of, it gave others the so-called (and so-wanted) "clout" and "hype." As in July 2020, songs that addressed the death of Breonna Taylor and how her killers should be arrested went viral on TikTok – and just then I saw some celebrities reemerging from the ashes to use their immense platform to address social conflicts. Living outside the United States, I often thought that obtaining justice for lost black lives was direct – but I really needed to get informed.
Before the death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement was not acknowledged by the mainstream media, and therefore neither were black deaths by state officials. This movement, in reality, did not emerge after Floyd's homicide, but in 2013 after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin's death by brutal police officers. Based in the US, UK and Canada – but present all over the globe – the BLM movement focuses on combating violence directed towards the black community by the State, alongside diminishing white supremacy (1) until eradicated. To do that, defunding the law enforcement system is crucial, as well as increasing education and awareness in the black community. When under a system that sees black people and its advocates as unnecessary and – as President Donald Trump said – "thugs" (2), twisting the narrative to highlighting the "violent protests" and "the destruction of history" is all I see.
As the time for attending a protest comes, police officers equip themselves with objects that range from tear gas to guns, ready for the protesters to come. Protesters from all over the United States go missing – even if they were rioting, it is their constitutional right as a citizen (3) to "be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated." Yet, all the public sees is how statues have been taken down by the people and flags being set on fire – not how Elijah McClain was injected more ketamine than his body type could handle, not how Breonna Taylor's killers have not been arrested.
When asked about why anti-BLM activists do not support burning the flag or bringing down statues, they say the protesters are erasing history. I have personally been debating for almost four years and I have never heard a more hypocritical argument. Black history has been bleached from history books and the white slave owners that "made America" are seen as saviours and saints; this is not a misinterpretation, it is a lie. History is so whitewashed that Jesus himself, a Middle-Eastern man, is portrayed as white, without mentioning that Juneteenth (the day in which enslaved people were free of slavery in the US) is recognised in only 47 out of 50 states. (4)
Regarding the "looting" and "rioting" that anti-BLM advocates often bring out, it has been proven that there are undercover police officers in protests (5) that are taking advantage of the situation to make BLM protesters come across as aggressive and dangerous(6). As they bring out this argument, they are not acknowledging the real root of this issue: police brutality and the fact that people's lives are taken away solely because of their melanin. Besides, if they think that their own independence relied on a sit-down with the authorities and peaceful protesting, they could not be more wrong (7). Do not change the narrative.
On the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, opposition movements emerged: the infamous All Lives Matter and its even more repulsive counterpart, Blue Lives Matter. The All Lives Matter movement stands for valuing all lives taken away by police brutality, while Blue Lives Matter stands for protecting police officers' lives. While these movements may come across as harmless in theory, they are malignant to the progression of society in practice. The All Lives Matter movement creates an unrealistic scenario in which people of all races and ethnicities are equally punished and represented; the legal system is completely fair. This notion is so untrue it becomes utopian: after slavery ended in the United States, black people were not provided with equity, meaning that they have a social disadvantage that still reverberates until today. Fighting for the end of white supremacy is not about competing as to which race is the most damaged, but black people have certainly suffered for the longest. Besides, if a white person gets attacked by an officer – take Martin Gugino's (8) case, for example – the officers will be immediately charged and suspended(9). The Blue Lives Matter movement is inherently disgusting and shows no consideration for the ones that are in an actual disadvantage, black people. While police officers, that the Blue Lives Matter activists advocate for, have the choice of not being part of such a racist faction as the law enforcement system, black people cannot change the colour of their skin.
One of the most controversial points of the Black Lives Matter movement is defunding the police. The ones on the good side of society run to the police when they are in danger, while others have no other choice but to run from the police in fear of losing their own life. The opposition's perception of "defunding the police" is dissolving the law enforcement system in general, while it is actually deviating the governmental funds directed to law enforcement and providing more for sectors such as education and healthcare. The fact that officers have such dangerous items as tear gas and firearms while they evidently do not have the prudence to use them correctly and to fulfil their purpose – protecting their citizens – shines a light on how the law enforcement system reels for reform; defunding is the first step to doing so.
It is devastating that it took so many deaths for society to realise how society needs to educate and how urgent the system needs reform. Being blessed enough to have white privilege in my country, signing petitions and writing this is the very least I can do. Human rights are not debatable. Burst your bubble, read some books, watch some documentaries, and, most importantly, support your black neighbours. Enough is enough.
(1)the belief that white people are superior. This is reinforced by the abundance of white people in positions of power and decision-makers.
(2) https://www.voanews.com/usa/trump-calls-floyd-death-shocking-calls-protesters-thugs
(3) https://constitutionus.com/#billofrights
(4) https://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffwhitmore/2020/06/18/what-is-juneteenth-and-what-cities-are-having-events/#4355a8c35122
(5)https://www.gq.com/story/undercover-cops-clothes
(6) https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2020/06/police-not-protesters-instigated-violent-clash-at-saturdays-george-floyd-protest-participants-say.html
(7) https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2017/05/18/dark-violence-and-atrocities-revolutionary-war/X4Kr4EzUUrNeVmnrNeSh2N/story.html
(8) Martin Gugino was a 75-year-old unarmed white man that was pushed by police officers in a June anti-racism protest
(9)https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/30/us/martin-gugino-released-hospital-trnd/index.html
Politics
by Catarina Vita
Social media and feeds have been completely paralyzed and stirred simultaneously as the US President, Donald Trump, announced to Air Force One reporters that arguably the most popular app among the youth, TikTok, was going to be banned in the United States. Sad edits are scattered through TikTok and Instagram feeds, as well as Twitter timelines. Users live in fear that their favorite way of expressing themselves will be gone forever, let alone the countless amount of people – some of them now being popular influencers – that gave up on their education to pursue a career on the app. The dreadful date of August 1 was not the first time the Trump administration threatened the cancelling of TikTok, nonetheless; threats have been circulating since the first weeks of July, but nothing happened. Putting all of this in perspective, is TikTok actually risking deletion, or is it just Trump's way of gaslighting information to hide the extreme downsides of his administration?
The TikTok app is owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance; judging by the nationality of this firm, the United States and other nations fear the gathering of private data from users. In fact, TikTok has been banned in nations such as India and Hong Kong, but users in these nations can still have access to the app through a VPN. The app has also been banned from US Army and Navy users that have government-issued cell phones. Through the eyes of the presidential cabinet, the only possible way to keep TikTok downloaded on our devices is if Microsoft buys it – this company stayed quiet until now.
If you are a regular TikTok user, it would be clear for you that the hypothesis of gathering data is not the only issue Donald Trump has with this app. National media from the United States only covers specific events and not the entirety of them, while TikTok users have used their voices to talk about them – many, if not all, the events are results of the Trump administration and past US actions. Examples of these issues that are finally getting some acknowledgement are the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) policies, the disappearances and even murders of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous people of color), among other events that the Trump administration does nothing about. The Generation Z has become so infuriated as these pieces of information surged on their For You Pages, they boycotted a Trump Rally. TikTok will – and already has – lost Trump a considerable amount of voters.
Alongside the informative videos about the beforehand stated issues on TikTok comes articles from the mainstream media – and there goes another portion of Trump's voters (yes, even Nick Videos.) What the current President's administration did in response, nonetheless, is making their enemy their friend: and that is how Donald Trump said he was going to ban TikTok.
The way Trump releases the information yells gaslighting: “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States(...)” If the President actually planned on doing something, Trump would release an official press hearing. Donald Trump said the information to the reporter as if he were spitting it out; not providing grounds nor evidence besides "economic powers" and "executive orders."(1) The fact that the President stated his "economic power" while talking about TikTok is inherently contradictory, seen that TikTok increased its employers from the United States by three times (2), without mentioning the countless influencers that originated from this app that make millions from 15-second videos. Regarding the "executive orders", the Supreme Court can declare orders unconstitutional, meaning they do not adhere to the constitution of the United States. Article I of the Bill of Rights states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." In this context, executive orders can also be seen as laws, therefore giving grounds for the Supreme Court to declare the hypothetical executive order of Trump's unconstitutional.
As in August 2, 2020, the pink-and-black music note logo is still present on practically every member of Generation Z's devices. The Trump administration, as an attempt to make of their enemy their friend, only turned the present (and next) generation of voters against them. Donald Trump's deeds show how his priorities are out of order: before declaring the Ku Klux Klan a terrorist organization and enforcing basic human rights to immigrants, banning a creativity app that is a resource of expression to about 800 million users comes first. Way to go again, Trump administration.
(1) When directives are made by the President of the United States that are immediately passed.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bytedance-tiktok/tiktok-parent-bytedance-has-tripled-its-u-s-employees-in-past-year-idUSKBN23I37E
https://constitutionus.com/#x16
https://www.theregreview.org/2017/05/17/slesinger-weissman-unconstitutional-executive-order/
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bytedance-tiktok/tiktok-parent-bytedance-has-tripled-its-u-s-employees-in-past-year-idUSKBN23I37E
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-told-reporters-air-force-one-ban-tiktok-2020-7
https://www.cnet.com/news/trump-targets-tiktok-everything-you-need-to-know/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53619287
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/07/31/tiktok-trump-divestiture/
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/31/trump-plans-to-ban-tiktok-389956
(2) https://www.oberlo.com/blog/tiktok-statistics#:~:text=TikTok%20has%20800%20million%20active%20users%20worldwide.
Will TikTok Be Banned from the United States?
The Lebanon Crisis and Bombing in a 2-Minute Read
by Catarina Vita
After millions of eyebrows were raised and billions of jaws were dropped after the cataclysmic bombing that occurred on August 4, 2020 in Lebanon, the people of Lebanon became even more disheartened with their government. Contrary to what happens in many Western nations, the bombing in Lebanon did not lead to a multifaceted crisis — it only fed into one.
The crisis in Lebanon is composed of economic, political, and — consequently — humanitarian factors that were already emerging before the 2010s. Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, provoking various offences to the people of Lebanon. Even after Israel's withdrawal in 2000, the Lebanese people live in fear of another invasion, and even worse, their own government.
Countless governmental scandals have taken place in Lebanon, leading the lives of many to distress. The government did not endorse economic reforms — Lebanon is the country with the sixth highest debt value in the world, so the government endorsed taxes. In fact, WhatsApp text messages were charged by the government, reaching a 25% unemployment rate. These costs were still ingested by governmental officials of this country, instead of being spent on debt or healthcare. Regardless, the country of Lebanon was still known for being one of the most prominent trading nations in the Middle East.
In late 2019, the Ponzi scheme — the central bank obtaining money from the people's central bank to maintain its international economic status — was discovered by the Lebanese people, arousing protests. Power cuts and water shortages were events that, sadly, were part of the Lebanese day-to-day life. Thousands of citizens brought their anger to the streets in October 2019, thinking that the country's status could not get worse. Then COVID-19 surged.
Lockdowns were implementer in mid-March, devastating mainly small businesses and making prices surge. As COVID died down one month later, the government announced a food shortage. This was the epitome of negligence in the government — until the devastating date of August 4, 2020.
From sunken ships to broken glass and devastated homes, Beirut have reached its limit. Lebanese officials blamed excessive ammonium nitrate in a port, but what is more reasonable: blaming a chemical compound, or blaming people?
The ammonium nitrate was in the port for long periods of time, neglected continuously by the Lebanese government. While President Donald Trump assumes it was an attack, what is really in question is what terrorist group did the attack: the Lebanese governmental officials.
Art & Culture
Graphic Cinematographic Experiences in the Modern Times
Maria Eduarda Doria
As Generation Z members we were raised with technology that introduced a spectrum of a whole different side of television shows and movies: the realistic one. Many modern directors have chosen to portray in their screenplays different social and economic realities that affect teenagers of our generation. What mainly separates us, Gen Z’s, from Millennials is the realization that developing shows who tackle these issues does not mean your child will want to be involved with them. It means that it will be, for many young kids and teenagers, a way to relate to what they might be going through in their personal lives.
It is thanks to shows like 13 Reasons Why, Euphoria, Skins and other less graphically explicit, but still very important, series that many young people now understand and care for topics such as rape, substance abuse, race injustice, unwanted teenage pregnancy, emotional/physical abuse, and others. It is our job as a truly committed revolutionary generation that we understand the importance of these cinematographic pieces and that we pass them forward as a way to raise conscious and self-aware members of this society. Still, why are adults so bothered by the content of these? Is it an explicit sexual activity? Heavy topics? Or is it the fact that their children will now be exposed to nothing less than the truth? Let us understand why parents from previous generations are so against informative and realistic stories portrayed on television.
As with everything in life, TV shows can be analyzed through different lenses and perspectives may vary depending on which side you’re looking from. So, I understand that for some parents the “disturbing” and explicit use of nudity and rawness found in these series can come as shock to most of them. As parents, you will forever think of your kids as little children, so to imagine they will be exposed to the seriousness of these topics might be scary. But to prevent your child from watching shows that approach these topics will only make them more susceptible to be unprepared for what they might face during their lifetime. To think that Secondary School kids are not exposed to drugs, abuse, even suicide, is to blind yourself to the realities of our modern society.
A show like Euphoria starring Rue, a seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from substance abuse that has nearly encountered death after an overdose, revolves around other characters that each represents a recurrent issue found in teenagers of our generation. Jules, a transgender boy who is new to town meets Rue and they become emotional support to one another. Her character introduces viewers to the dark dangers of online dating and the difficult acceptance that transgender people might face from their friends and family. Rue on the other side, is a girl that was diagnosed as of a young age with Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and encounters herself needing an escape from the troubles inside her head, which end up being “non-harmful” drugs. Other characters as Nate Jacobs, the jock with a pedophile father, demonstrates abusive psychopathic traits in his personalities that might have been developed from having discovered his father’s sex tapes when he was very young. Mady, his girlfriend, refuses to believe that Nate’s both physical and psychological actions against her are abusive and his love for her is real. All these characters, amongst others, come from families with problematic backgrounds and end up making poor choices in life.
Why are series like this important? Because shows like these introduce to viewers in a raw and explicit way real stories of young adults who face a lifetime of problems that could have been avoided if they were all instructed when young how to deal with their private issues and insecurities. 13 Reasons Why for instance, developed a helpline and website to provide support for people who know someone who might be struggling with depression and thinking of suicide or might be facing that themselves. I mean, cinematographic pieces like these are to be celebrated for their brilliancy and courage to bring to life the underlying issues of our modern world.
On the other hand, people might argue that shows like these romanticize a troubled life and may develop a will in the telespectateur to make similar life choices. Well, that’s when maturity kicks in and we can understand that a life like this will never be a good option for anyone and that people who do face these issues need our support aside from being marginalized from our society. That is also why most of these shows are rated TV-MA meaning that they “are designed for mature audiences only and may contain foul language, graphic violence, graphic sexual activity or a combination of these”. When allowing your kid to watch them, it is necessary to prepare them emotionally before-hand so they know what to expect. Stimulate debates about it at the dinner table and don’t be afraid to listen to what they have to say. Making sure your kid is aware of the issues of the world is one step in the right direction.
'You Never Walk Alone': How K-Pop Group BTS Gave Voice to a Generation
Lucca Aguiar
When looking at the phenomenon of "boy bands", many are immediate to point out the evolution of these musical acts throughout time. The "British Invasion" of the 1960s turned The Beatles into overnight household names, while 90s groups such as the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC sold out U.S. arenas in a matter of minutes. As this trend has progressed over generations, many are quick to dismiss such acts as carbon-copies of one another, merely mass-commercialized products to swiftly sell singles to radio stations. As put by Pitchfork's Brody Lancaster, "When fame is girded by a swelling teenage, female fan base immediately, that celebrity becomes false, temporary and unearned."
BTS, a seven-member boy group from South Korea, debuted in 2013 and has been actively trying to break that stigma. At the forefront, yes, they are talented, multi-faceted performers, with high-octane vocals and tightly-synchronized choreographies. However, their 30 million+ fans, or as they call themselves, "ARMY", would argue there's more than meets the eye. The group's message stems from their band name, an acronym for Bangtan Sonyeondan in Korean. As group member J-Hope states: "‘Bangtan’ means to be resistant to bullets, so it means to block out stereotypes, criticisms, and expectations that aim on adolescents like bullets, to preserve the values and ideals of today’s adolescents."
BTS' music has always aimed to give their young audience a voice, and provide reassurance in their lives; these can range from a stage performance or a multi-music video story arc. All seven members write or produce the group's music, generating conversations on topics that are seen as taboo in South Korea and worldwide. Their songs go in-depth about the rigorous school system and unrealistic expectations plaguing the youth today, as well as the dangers of mental illness if not properly treated, and critique a Korean Ministry of Education official who described the average citizen as a "dog and pig". While naïve declarations of love might be the public's expectation when it comes to song concepts for boy bands, BTS continuously shatters this preconception.
Starting in 2019, they launched a series of albums based on Carl Jung's Map of the Soul: a psychology book dedicated to exploring the areas of consciousness in the human psyche. Using different album installments to represent a different key concept (the Persona, Shadow, and Ego), BTS urges listeners to take an introspective journey to come to terms with their individuality. Crafting an album narrative around this topic therefore introduces intricate psychoanalytic topics in an easily digestible form for modern teenagers, through catchy hooks and melodious falsettos.
Having performed from Seoul to the Grammy Awards stage, BTS has gained international traction thanks to their music, a solace for many fans — even though all the lyrics are in Korean. From breaking 14 Guinness World Records to being bestowed with a Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the South Korean government, their achievements haven't gone unnoticed. After all, they had one of the highest-selling albums of 2019 with Map of the Soul: Persona. However, BTS hasn't had success handed to them through a major record label or television show. The septet came from a small company in Korea, which was headed towards bankruptcy. Cut from broadcasts and denied large budgets, they had nothing but their lyrics and raw talent to set them apart. And they've been perfecting them for the last seven years.
In 2017, BTS set out to do one of their biggest achievements to date: release a three-album series focused on loving yourself. The “Love Yourself” albums depict one's journey of finding and losing romantic love, before having an epiphany, realizing they should love themselves instead of seeking any outside sources. Their heartfelt lyrics manifested themselves into social change through the launch of BTS’ “Love Myself” campaign with UNICEF. The project aims to help end violence against young people and help build a safer future for them. It calls upon participation in social media to raise awareness of troubles today's youth are facing. As of last year, the campaign has accumulated a total of KR₩ 2.4 billion funds globally.
The group's message of self-acceptance and empowerment was amplified when BTS was invited to deliver a speech at the United Nations. Their leader, Kim Namjoon, recounted his journey to self-actualization amid struggles, and added a new slogan to the group's "love yourself" statement: "speak yourself". Namjoon states: "I want to hear your voice, and I want to hear your conviction. No matter who you are, where you're from, your skin color, your gender identity, just speak yourself. Find your name and find your voice by speaking yourself."
It can be so easy to dehumanize and target members of boy bands due to their stature and dominance over the music industry. But BTS make it a point to not define themselves through any existing labels, music genres or even languages — having sung in both Korean and Japanese; they're launching their first English-language single, "Dynamite", on August 21st. The group makes it a priority to treat fans as their personal friends, through weekly live streams of members doing mundane things such as having dinner or painting. And having built such a tight-knit community of millions, they have nowhere to go but up.
Important Links:
https://www.love-myself.org/eng/home/ - Love Myself Campaign Website
https://youtu.be/oTe4f-bBEKg - Full United Nations Speech
Sources:
https://time.com/collection-post/5414052/bts-next-generation-leaders/
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/bts-band-name-meanings.html/
Netflix's Modern Take on Lord of the Flies
Emma Cesaroni
Lord of the Flies is a 1954 novel written by the British author William Golding. The story is about a group of children that wake up in a desert island after their ship disappears. This book portrays a question that many philosophers tried to answer, do all people born pure and society corrupt them? Or do people born with a predisposition to be good or evil? Since the enlightenment many philosophers wrote about what they thought was true, however test it is nearly impossible. William Golding thinks that people are born with a good or evil nature, and he shows that in his book. The children in the book are very young, no adolescents, to show that they have not had enough time to become bad or good. They try to build a society, but it fails when the hunters turn themselves into almost an anarchy where nobody does the jobs that keep them alive. There is also the metaphor of the lord of the flies, who represents the fear of each character.
Recently, Netflix debuted the show The Society that brings this story from 1954 to a more modern perspective. In the show all high schoolers leave for a field trip, but they have to come back due to a storm that closed some roads. When they come back to their town, no one is there. No adults or children. This is something that could have been better, in Lord of the Flies the older children had to learn how to take care, protect and teach the younger one who could not help much. The small detail of adding kids would have made the story more complex. Now this high schooler has to create a functional society, in which there are good and bad people. In the beginning of the book the kids expaculate how they got there, since they were all safe in a ship before, but no answer is given on why no adults could get to the island. In the show the reason why they got there is not clear in the first season, however it is sold to be much more mystical then in the book. There are a lot of differences between the two of them, yet both have their own value. This new take on a very old idea is refreshing for a story that has been told since 1954, but an adaptation of the book would be more than welcome.
The problems brought on by The Society are also in Lord of the Flies. There is always the selfish person who wants “freedom” and does not do the work. In the show this character is Harry Bimngham, who was rich his entire life and does not want to be on the same level as everyone else. In the book this character is Jack, the leader of the hunters who after killing his first animal, becomes cruel, barbaric, wild and refuses to follow orders or do any work. To oppose anarchism and the out of order there is a person who has a strong sense of leadership and an intense will to create a functional environment. In the show there are two characters that represent this, Allie and Cassandra Pressman, who take the hole of leadership and make most of the laws. In the book Ralph is the one that wants really bad to the system he created to work and take all the boys home safely. In both stories their main concern is how to get back home, however in The Society they are actively trying to find out where they are and how they got there too, whereas in Lord of the Flies they do not care about those things.
Both works of art are very good. The book is more relevant since it is influencing production 66 years after it was first published. The Netflix show is a modern take on it, so it has newer ideas that are more appealing to audiences. It refreshes the story of William Golding and introduces this idea to people who never read the book. Lord of the Flies is an unique experience to have and The Society is a very pleasant experience too, so reading the book and watching the series is even better because then the audience can compare and contrast the stories and character and have a deeper experience with the show.
Prose and Poetry
Overweight
Carolina Vilalva
"Mom, can I have a piece?" I asked as my mother took a bite of my favorite chocolate bar.
"No. I'm sorry, sweetheart; but you know you're a lot of pounds overweight." she answered me, so I could remember my highly restricted diet.
Since I was five years old, I've always loved eating. My favorite time of the day was lunch time, because I ate, and after I could have any kind of sweet that I wanted. But then, I started growing up, and all my friends began to mature, all my friends who were overweight, or even the ones who were already thin, started losing a lot of weight, but I continued eating whatever I wanted, biting my nails, using glitter lunch boxes, all because I thought I was still a child with twelve years old, even though I was living in today's society, with all those beauty patterns to follow.
When I reached the end of seventh grade, I was at least one hundred pounds overweight, when my friends were all underweight. People from elementary school to high school started to talk about how I was fat, and I got to one point that I was crying in the bathroom during lunch all because of those comments. So I talked about it with my mom and the day after, I was at a nutritionist appointment.
"So, you're a really rare case. Twelve years old, am I right?" the nutritionist asked, almost offending me.
"Yes, she's twelve. I need my daughter to be the most beautiful girl in her school, so could you please do a heavy diet?" my mom asked.
"She really needs it. Your age is the best one to start a diet. You can do it, Rebecca!" she answered, talking to me.
"I hope so." I said.
After a lot of talking, the appointment was over, finally! So we went to the supermarket and bought everything we would need for my diet, and I started the next week after that.
The beginning was really difficult for me, because I was used to eating pasta, hot dogs, or even pizza during lunch, and right after I always had a chocolate bar for dessert, but I had to switch everything for salads and Whey Protein bars.
Five months had passed and I was feeling much better about myself and my new weight. During my diet, I developed a lot of eating disorders, so I passed over thirty six hours without food, or I would just drink tea for the whole day, just so I could reach these supermodel body… A lot of boys that used to bully me started treating me like a princess, and all my friends asked me about my diet.
Today, I am happy and relieved that I reached my goal, but I also think a lot about me in the past. I never cared about those beauty patterns that today's society passes us, I was just happy! After all those days drinking detox juices, eating healthy salads to flatten my belly, I am still the same person, but with a bunch more insecurities. If I had just stayed the way I am, I would never be so insecure about what I wear to go to a party, which makeup I should wear to make my face look smaller, or even if a guy would think I'm pretty.
So, after five months being forced to get thicker, I don't regret it, but at the same time, I concluded that I should have been the way I am since the beginning, eating whatever junk food I was in the mood to eat, using my favorite bikini without caring about other people's opinion, because I am incredible, just the way I am.
empathy.
Luiza Almeida
Every eye carries an ocean
Full of the wonders that lie inside.
But to see it, too,
You need to find time to watch the tide.
How can I, you might ask,
When I have papers to write
bills to pay
tests to ace
and mountains to climb?
How can I, you might ask,
When I have battles to fight
a 12-hour workday
a trophy to chase
and absolutely no time?
No time to think about others,
Or to make the world a better place.
No time to help or to be helped,
Or even to empathize, love or embrace.
This is why the world is as it shouldn't be,
All upside down and out of place:
As chaotic as can be,
As if it is a broken vase.
Our home's lungs are not to be burned,
And our home is not to be taken for granted.
It's in a critical state,
And it's organs can't be transplanted.
Our population is not to die because of our lack of trying,
And our lives are not to be constantly minimized.
However, the virus has spread,
Leaving us all compromised.
Our necks are not to be stepped on,
And we are not to be stripped of our human rights.
We are all human,
Black, yellow or white.
Thankfully, the solution is simple
And possibly implied:
All we need is time to look into others' eyes;
Time to watch the tide
And find the wonders that lie inside.
123456789
Catarina Vita
all my life people told me
"you're not a number"
or
"you're more than a number"
and in other words
"don't let people judge you
when they don't know you."
but still
all i see on social media is
32F
45C
78B+
and all i see in school is
100
92
81
the list goes on.
i don't like what i see in weight scales.
i don't like what i see in my notifications.
i don't like what i see slightly below
my instagram post
and when we finally take a look
inside
we'll notice that our lives have been
completely
p o s s e s s e d
by numbers
abstract figures
that wouldn't have even existed
if someone never said they did
all my life people told me
"you are not a number."
"you are more than a number"
and in other words
"don't let people judge you
when they don't know you."
but if i'm not a number,
what am i, then?
CABINET
Sage Short
I opened the cabinet where all the plates were
They were all the same color and shape
with the same cracks and chipped paint
One by one I threw them all onto the ground
until they shattered into oblivion
I gathered some of the scraps and cradled them like a baby,
glued some back together,
and told them it was going to be okay,
that I had been crushed by the foot of a giant too
But when I woke up,
there were no plates
Or bowls, or cups, or forks, or spoons
So, I dug a hole in my bed and sank into it, deeply,
landing in the grass, sprinkled with dew
No twinkle of stars, no sunshine or snow,
no bird wings flapping or frogs croaking,
or busy highways or empty neighborhood streets
A bitter-sweet orange lay next to my arm
It was bruised too, and a little soft
I dug my nails into its stomach and clawed its insides out
and devoured it monstrously and unforgivingly
But then I remembered the plates
Did they belong there? In that cabinet all these years?
But when I woke up,
I was in my bed
And the plates were downstairs,
in the cabinet,
where they belonged
insecurities
Julia Ribeiro
ever since i was a little girl i was bullied
& grew up thinking every little girl had insecurities
and were ashamed of their teeth or their stomach,
or whatever it is that their stupid bullies made fun of
then i moved across the atlantic and developed anxiety
will i make friends, fit in in society?
or will i be an outcast, bullied like before,
while my mental health just stormed out the door
i started questioning my desire to be alive
and after nearly ending it i then started to thrive
because i realized that living is so much more than just surviving
and that life is worth living, so please never stop trying
after many setbacks i finally gained my confidence
no matter what the others say, i’m beautiful in my own way
if i stop living & let my insecurities rule my life,
it would all go to waste, i refused to even take a dive
cause i thought everyone was just staring at my stomach
i couldn’t go to the beach, my mental health would just plummet
but then i realized i could never stop living,
shooting my shot, going out, enjoying, beginning
a new chapter of my life where i didn't care about society
or what they thought about my rolls, stop giving me anxiety
just for living my life like a regular teenager
cause when i’m old i’ll regret not living life because of the haters