The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Opinion

  • White choirs shouldn’t sing spirituals

    by August Linton

    The last time I sang in a choir concert, I felt uncomfortable singing one particular piece of music from the repertoire. The song was “Everybody Rejoice (A Brand New Day)” from the soundtrack of iconic 1970s movie musical “The Wiz.” It wasn’t that the notes stretched my voice, or that the melody was hard to remember. Rather, it was the historical context of the song which made me think twice about performing it; as a white person in a majority-white choir. 

    For those who aren’t familiar with “The Wiz,” it’s a 1978 retelling of “The Wizard of Oz” starring Micheal Jackson, Diana Ross, Nipsey Russel, and Lena Horne. Hailing from Brooklyn rather than Kansas, the Dorothy in this adaptation is whisked away from a Thanksgiving dinner to an Oz more city than rolling field. The musical accompaniment to her adventure is influenced by Disco, Soul, and R&B. 

    The song in question was brought to my choir by the director and upon reading the lyrics I almost immediately had misgivings about singing it, given the lyrics’ explicit allusions to the end of slavery in the U.S. and its connection to spirituals as a musical genre. An excerpt from those lyrics follows.

    Everybody look up

    And feel the hope that we’ve been waiting on

    (Everybody’s glad)

    (Because our silent fear and dread is gone)

    …

    Hello world

    It’s like a different way of living now

    (And thank you world)

    We always knew that we’d be free somehow

    In harmony

    Let’s show the world that we’ve got liberty

    It’s such a change

    For us to live so independently

    Freedom, you see

    Has got our hearts singing so joyfully

    It seems undeniable to me that these lines are an explicit reference to slavery, the deliverance from which I am uncomfortable celebrating via such a personal medium as singing as someone who benefits from its legacy. 

    This isn’t the only time I’ve had these misgivings. Choral singing as a whole seems to me to have a problem with cultural appropriation. There are entire genres of choral music which appropriate the musical traditions of minority groups while tokenizing their non-western styles. 

    As a member of a state-level auditioned choir in 2016, I was asked to sing “Witness,” an arrangement of traditional American spiritual “Who’ll Be a Witness for My Lord,” by white composer Jack Halloran. Various other western choral arrangements of traditional African, Latin American, and Asian songs similarly leave me with an appropriative taste in my mouth. 

    The musical heritage of Black Americans in the wake of slavery, especially, shouldn’t be taken by the choral world for its musical value without first considering what power structures are at play. 

    Everybody look up

    And feel the hope that we’ve been waiting on

    (Everybody’s glad)

    (Because our silent fear and dread is gone)

    Hello world

    It’s like a different way of living now

    (And thank you world)

    We always knew that we’d be free somehow

    In harmony

    Let’s show the world that we’ve got liberty

    It’s such a change

    For us to live so independently

    Freedom, you see

    Has got our hearts singing so joyfully

  • Power does not come from the vote

    by Carlos Pedraza

    Another election and another vote for the soul of the country ends in a practical tie between Democrats and Republicans that hardly feels like a victory. In 2020, I canvassed for Bernie Sanders and was a believer in ‘voting blue no matter who.’ I was an election believer; I wanted to remove Trump and Republicans from power to stop the gutting of the EPA and welfare programs. But now I don’t see the point.

    While media pundits and people in my classes tell me of the dangers of Republican fascism and oppression, the question I want to ask people is, “What do you want?” 

    What I want is better welfare programs, but Democrats won’t pass those. Build Back Better was stopped by two Democratic senators, who went rogue by voting with Republicans. I want the working class to control its own fate. When the ruling rich raise rent and the cost of living while keeping wages low and conditions bad, the workers could challenge them through voting if a party spoke for them. But the Democrats are not and have never been a working class party. 

    Workers need to remember that our power comes not from a vote but in our numbers, words, and ability to strike. We got social security, minimum wage, and medicare not from virtuous moral politicians but from a militant working class movement organized through the parties and unions. 

    Our numbers will always be greater than the rich as capital is consolidated into fewer and fewer hands. We can demand power whenever we choose; we only need organization. In 2011 the Occupy movement was the first time in decades that wealth inequality became a political issue, but the energy died out without an organization to sustain it. Without a charismatic leader like Sanders or an economic crisis, working class issues are ignored. The only way to keep them in the political conversation is to have our own organization independent of the Democrats and Republicans.

    Anything you think you get from a Democratic government was won by a party that does not exist anymore. The party today is passive and only wants stability so capital can continue to profit; how they profit does not matter to Democrats. Democratic leaders like Pelosi and Schumer always advocate for compromise and moderation when we all know it is time for radical change. Just look at the cost of living; rent is high, food and gas prices are soaring. Why would voting for them again change anything? 

    This is why I can’t vote for Democrats anymore. Nothing changes, life gets harder and they don’t care. I had a lot of emotional energy invested in the Sanders campaign, and how that election played out was a big hit to my faith. I have heard people say to get back into the fight again, but I think elections are a dead end. 

    What about propositions? The way that they are written is meant to confuse the general public. How is a normal person supposed to know how to vote? I can’t spend hours reading 40 articles on props and tracking their supporters and funders. Our political system was made for rich landowners who did not have to work, and I think modern props reflect this. They were introduced as a progressive reform for direct democratic participation, but are now so confusing that they alienate working class voters.

    Politics does not have to begin and end at the ballot box. Participate in a union drive, join an organization independent of the two parties, most importantly develop a class consciousness. Class consciousness arises from experiences of working to pay off loans or rent. Think about how your boss and landlord profit from your labor, and who keeps the vast majority of the money you make. Talk to your co-workers and see how your interests align.

  • It’s your responsibility to vote

    by Cash Rion

    With the midterm elections ending and the votes being counted, many people are breathing sighs of relief that it’s over for the time being. It’s exhausting trying to keep up with the 24 hour news cycle and be informed about political candidates, I understand that. We see races that come down to choosing the lesser of two evils, and it feels like our vote doesn’t count. Why spend all this energy trying to be informed if it feels like we can’t make a difference?

    But voting is so incredibly important; the smaller the election, the more power your vote has! While national elections are determined by tens of thousands of votes, local elections sometimes determine the winner by single votes. The smaller the election, the smaller the voting population, and the more control you have over the issues. 

    Voter suppression efforts are alive and in full swing across the country. Use your vote for the disenfranchised; use your voting privilege to make things better. Republicans are so terrified of marginalized people voting that they are doing anything they can to silence their vote. If voting doesn’t matter, why are they trying so hard to stop it? It’s because Republicans know what we can accomplish with our hard-won voting rights. From gerrymandering to flat-out election denial and Jan. 6, Republicans are trying to call into question the validity of the electoral process.

    Voting is one of the most effective ways of making the views of the masses heard by those in power. By voting, you respect history and the sacrifices made by those who came before you, as well as activists today who continue to fight. If you believe ACAB, vote! Felons are another group who can’t vote, and a big reason for a lack of prison reform is that those who have experienced the issues are often banned from voting to change it. 

    Being informed is hard. Looking at four page ballots of names of people you’ve likely never heard of, for positions you don’t understand is daunting. But you don’t have to do it alone! Get your friends, roommates, family together and make an event out of it! Get snacks and some drinks for that salty and sugary brain energy. A word of advice? Always have a copper camel when you vote, but never have more than one copper camel when you vote! (Don’t know what that is? It’s a drink that can make voting more fun!)

    Split up the ballot: each person takes some names to research so as to not get overwhelmed, and the cheery atmosphere makes it not feel like a chore! Who knows, maybe you’ll find some particularly funny tidbits about candidates – my roommates and I discovered that one of the candidates on this past ballot has some choice poetry online! I think more candidates should write poetry, no matter how good or bad it is.

  • Personal Fave Mexican Places in HumCo

    by Steffi Puerto

    Growing up in the East Bay, specifically Oakland, I consider myself a foodie at heart. Food has always been significant to my identity, culture, relationships, and overall experience of enjoying life. My favorite memories have always been the ones where food has been involved. 

    I have lived in Humboldt County for a little over three years. Quickly, I was shocked to find out that the ethnic food here was hit or miss. I have spent a greater part of the last three years trying a variety of Mexican food that I enjoy best through my personal palate. 

    It seems like everyone has a variety of views on the best Mexican food in the area. Arcata residents who have come from every corner of California and even from out of state voice bold opinions of what they think is the best Mexican food. Some are valid, others should be reconsidered. 

    It’s one of my favorite questions to ask when I am hanging out with people, because I feel like I can get a good read on them based on their answers. Without a doubt, you’ll get a response like Rita’s or Hey Juans, which I personally would dismiss. Why would you actively participate in having olives, lettuce, and sour cream on your Mexican food? 

    So you might be wondering what Mexican food places I actually like. I have three excellent Mexican food trucks/restaurants that I would recommend to anyone who wants to enjoy some delicious food. 

    Let’s start off with Los Giles. It’s an Arcata classic. Personally, I hold Los Giles close to my heart because you can find them anywhere and everywhere. They satisfy your craving at local community or on-campus events, and even after a late night of drinking, outside Richard’s Goat. My go-to order usually consists of a California burrito de al pastor which is a burrito filled with sour cream, fries, pico de gallo, beans, rice, and the very sweet and savory al pastor. I also enjoy getting four tacos de carnitas con todo, which consists of diced onions, cilantro, and their green salsa and crispy carnitas. On the other hand, you can also never go wrong with an order of their famous steak fries: crinkle cut fries topped with sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, and cheese on top of their steak. Their food and ambiance are what make this place truly good. 

    Tacos del Gallo is a new gem that I discovered last spring. It’s a cute little black taco truck that parks outside of RMI outdoors right across from Eureka’s Broadway Theater. I personally love this place because it reminds me of the taco trucks from home. Thick grilled onions and slices of grilled jalapeños really add to the experience of enjoying my delicious street tacos. They also add a little bag of chips and homemade pico de gallo to really top it off. My go-to order would definitely have to be four tacos de al pastor with a delicious agua de tamarindo. They also have really good tortas, burritos, and a small yet delicious variety of agua frescas. The authenticity and friendliness of this food truck establishment are what truly make me enjoy my food. 

    Cocina Mariposa is another Eureka Mexican restaurant that I really enjoy visiting because they offer savory Michoacan style food and agua frescas of the day. They give you a side of bean dip and chips with your food. This location sits on the Eureka Municipal golf course. There’s the option to dine outdoors or inside as well as a to-go option. 

    I was introduced to this restaurant by my best friends who put me on to the place after hearing their various opinions and they were not wrong. I personally love to get al pastor street taco plate, a torta de carnitas, or a California burrito de al pastor. I enjoy that they offer an agua fresca of the day, because I know no matter which variety it is, it’ll be cold, refreshing, and sweet. I enjoy this place because it reminds me of summer: savory and vibrant flavors as well as enjoying it with the people I love the most. 

    Needless to say, these restaurants are my favorite in the county, because besides offering good food and service they are unique to themselves. I have enjoyed different aspects of food influences and vibe settings these places offer. It is what makes their establishments unique from one another. I would encourage anyone reading to try these restaurants out, by themselves or with a group of friends. Enjoy your food and the ambience of your company. Food is meant to be enjoyed and shared. 

    Los Giles 

    Follow them on Instagram @losgilestaqueria to stay up to date with their events

    Tacos del Gallo  

    1240 Broadway St, Eureka, CA 95501

    Monday – Saturday 10:00 am – 7:30 pm

    Cocina Mariposa 

    4750 Fairway Dr, Eureka, CA 95503

    Tuesday – Sunday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

  • Humboldt college merch should be affordable for students

    by Alina Ferguson

    Cal Poly Humboldt, while having relatively affordable tuition and options for scholarships and financial aid, is still robbing its students blind with the cost of apparel, food and general items at campus stores.

    One of the ways the school robs its students is apparel. For students it costs an arm and a leg. The hoodies and tees on sale at campus stores are much too expensive for most students’ budgets. Students should be paying discounted prices for their items, as many struggle just to get by. Most students have a heavy course load, debts from tuition and living costs, and not a lot of time for work. 

    The school should be able to offer apparel to students if not for free, then at a much reduced cost. Consider all the other ways they are finding to screw us out of our money, all the options they have taken off the meal plan. Quick side rant, it used to be possible to get two milkshakes on one meal plan. Sounds unbelievable, huh? The school has stopped offering a myriad of items for their meal exchanges, limiting the amount of options students now have for the meals that are covered in the amount that they have already paid. 

    Students wearing merch are a sort of free advertisement for the school, like a sponsorship deal. Typically sponsorships include some sort of incentive, like free apparel to compensate the wearer for representing the brand.

    Since we, the students, are already paying tuition, living costs, and the cost for food, we are not getting anything for free. For representing, or sponsoring the school, we should at least get some free merch as with most sponsorships.

    This is not necessarily exclusive to Cal Poly Humboldt, as many schools charge students for apparel. The fact that students are being charged is not so much the issue, rather how much we are getting charged. It would be more tolerable if Cal Poly Humboldt offered merch for students at a reduced cost. 

    The simple answer or solution to this “non-issue” as many see it: don’t buy apparel. If it is too much money, you don’t have to buy it. But it is nice to be able to rep your school, to walk down the street flaunting that you attend a Cal Poly. I pay to go here, I’m smart enough to. It’s a nice feeling. The school should “pay it forward” and discount merch for students.

  • PSA: Mexican Independence Day does not equal Cinco de Mayo

    PSA: Mexican Independence Day does not equal Cinco de Mayo

    by Victoria Olsen

    Cal Poly Humboldt is an Hispanic Serving institution (HSI), so it is significant for students and faculty to be knowledgeable of these events. Latinx Heritage Month takes place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, acknowledging the time frame in which many Latin countries declared and gained independence.

    “Hispanic Heritage Month is a moment to recognize and honor the history of struggle of Latinx people in the United States. To recognize their achievements, their successes and their contributions to this nation,” said El Centro Coordinator Fernando Paz. 

    Former President Lyndon B. Johnson signed this Hispanic Heritage Week into effect that same Sept. of 1968 following Latin heritage being acknowledged in the Civil Rights Movement. Years later, former President Ronald Reagan officially changed it to Hispanic Heritage Month in Aug. of 1988.

    Sept. 15 marks the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Sept. 16 celebrates Mexico, and Chile independence day is Sept. 18. 

    Latinx Heritage is a month of reflection, celebrating culture and growth. It is important to acknowledge one of the biggest questions and debates in the Hispanic/Latinx community right now is between the preference for being called “Latinx” or “Hispanic.” 

    “It’s a part of an ongoing debate, and discussion that’s happening within our community, and currently the debate around Latinx is that it is a term that is elitist, though it strives to be more gender inclusive and more embracing of everybody from Latin American descent…,” said El Centro Coordinator, Fernando Paz. 

    Paz also recognized that the term “Latinx” still fails to be completely inclusive and that the term does not translate well to the other spoken Latin languages.

    José Juan Rodríguez Gutierrez is a student here at Cal Poly Humboldt and works in the El Centro office.

    “I think it’s important for a lot of us Latin people that have been in the U.S. throughout our life and maybe have felt that our people have been ignored in the way history is told, but this is a time for us to let them know we’ve been here,” said Gutierrez. “Aquí hemos estado y aquí estaremos.”

    Melissa Torres Esacalante is a student who enjoys spending time in El Centros office. 

    “It’s not very widely celebrated back home in the motherland, but like here, we kinda need to. We need to celebrate our accomplishments with what we’ve done here,” said Esaclante. 

    According to the U.S. The Department of Education, Hispanic Heritage Month this year is going to focus on the theme of “Building Prosperous and Healthy Communities.” Each week during the month will have a new goal or focus. 

    September 15: Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off Day 

    Week of September 19th: Jobs and the Economy  

    Week of September 26th: Climate   

    Week of October 3rd: Education and Investing in HSIs   

    Week of October 10th: Mental Health and Wellness  

    October 15: Last Day of Hispanic Heritage Month

    “We have this term called ‘La Cultura Cura,’ it translates to culture heals, and it’s exactly that principle that there are elements within our cultural matrix that help us heal and become better and stronger, ideals, values, beliefs, those kinds of things,” Paz said.

    People should spend this month recognizing the debates going on in Latin America. It is important to acknowledge the history and trauma of colonialism, and what we can do now to repair the damage.

  • Why am I paying $50 to do my homework?

    by Angel Barker

    When I sign up for classes, I make sure to see if there are required textbooks so I can budget what the post-tuition fees are going to be for each semester. However, one variable I did not take into consideration is instructors who make students pay for software to do their homework.

    For my 100-level Human Biology course, the Student Center said there was no required text. However, once I had enrolled and the course began, to do the homework we had to pay for an “online and interactive homework platform,” a website that randomizes questions and gives you unlimited attempts to get the answer right. 

    Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the unlimited attempts. However, I don’t love having to pay $50 to do my homework for one class. That $50 had to come out of my budget for food and gas. I had to pay $50 to pass the class, because the homework turned in using the software is 32.6% of the overall grade.

    Why are instructors allowed to do this? Do they benefit from having us pay for that software? Or is it just more convenient for them? Either way, it is more than inconvenient for students. We are the ones having to front the money to literally just access homework questions.

    Why couldn’t the polytechnic money help create a program supporting equitable access for students? Or just buying the necessary software? Why are these costs not disclosed before signing up for the class, like textbooks? These fees hurt students.

    When I attended UC Davis, there was a program called Equitable Access. For $169 each quarter, undergraduate students were guaranteed all of their course materials, like textbooks (printed and digital), online softwares, lab manuals, and more. That program was helpful when planning what I was going to have to spend. There were no hidden class fees like what I’ve experienced this term.

    Instructors like mine do not seem to care about how expensive it is to attend college. This is a basic general education course; a regular textbook and a Canvas multiple choice homework “quiz” would suffice. $50 may not seem like a lot of money. However for students like me who are paying their own way through school, it makes a larger impact that has a domino effect.

  • The blood quantum conundrum

    The blood quantum conundrum

    by Matthew Taylor

    Over a century ago, two young women hid in the vegetation alongside the bay waters surrounding the small island of Tuluwat. Lying just off the coast of Eureka, Tuluwat is also known as Jaroujiji in Soulatluk, the language of the Wiyot Tribe. Those women’s English names were Matilda James and Nancy Spear. They were two of the few survivors of the Feb. 26, 1860 Wiyot Massacre. The massacre took place the night of the tribe’s most sacred of holy days, the World Renewal ceremony. Over 200 Wiyot people died that night at the hands of white Humboldt settlers. Nancy Spear and her sister Matilda James are my ancestors. I am a descendant of the Wiyot people, and yet I’m also white and thus experience white privilege.

    When my mother was little, my grandpa would often take her to the local powwows here in Humboldt. My grandpa is a registered member of the Wiyot Tribe and carries within him the history of our family’s struggles – a long history of generational trauma, mental illness, and alcoholism.

    My grandma, a non-Native person, was embarrassed to go to these events and cultural celebrations. She felt that because neither her husband nor children looked Native enough, they didn’t belong in that space. My mother and I grew up completely separated from that part of our family. Even today we are reluctant to reach back out to the tribe, not because we want government benefits or even full membership, but because we wish to gain what our family has lost – culture, history, heritage.

    Eddie Carpenter, a fellow reporter at the Lumberjack and registered member of the Hoopa Tribe, has had similar difficulties as a white-assumed Native person. Carpenter prefers not to be labeled as white-passing due to the term’s colonial history.

    “Despite being a tribal member I get mistaken a lot for being a white person,” Carpenter said. “As a child I kind of got bullied a little bit for being mistaken for that identity. Most of it was little microaggressions such as, ‘you don’t look native to me.’”

    We do differ in some experiences, though. Unlike Carpenter, my grandpa and his sister are the only members of my family who still make the federal minimum “blood quantum.” Also unlike Carpenter, I didn’t get the opportunity to be raised within my culture.

    “White-passing is an outdated term,” Carpenter said. “Because it is based on the ‘one drop rule’ of the Black/white binary categories within U.S. politics.”

    There is a lot of debate within Native American communities on the usefulness of blood quantum minimums. Some believe it helps to deter white people with minimal Native ancestry from taking government benefits that they often don’t need, while others, like Carpenter and I, believe that it is a harmful colonial system that has historically erased – and continues to erase – the existence and power of Native people. However, there is no doubt that Carpenter and I experience significant privilege due to our perceived whiteness. This is a truth we do not deny, and one that we try to actively be aware of when in Native spaces.

    “I do not self identify by colonial tools from imposed social structures that were used to conquer and divide my people from the inside out,” Carpenter said.

    I don’t wish to take up space that is not mine to take. But I don’t wish to deny a history that my family has nor reject a people, the Wiyot people, that are part of me.

    The experiences and connection that the Wiyot people have to this land is represented within my family. We are still healing from our generational trauma and we are still deeply in love with the land we now call Humboldt. In the years to come, my hope is to bring my family back into the community and to use my resources, connections and skills to give back to the tribe that gave me my mother, my grandfather, my great grandmother, and my life.

  • Insane Clown Posse has been misunderstood

    by Cheyenne Wise

    So many pro-Trump bootlicking racists think that Insane Clown Posse (ICP), formed by Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J, is a band that speaks to their ideology and stands for the same beliefs. Some people perceive fans of ICP to be synonymous with white rural racists in this country. However, Juggalos—a term of endearment among fans, akin to Taylor Swift fans being called Swifties—and ICP have always preached inclusivity and freedom of expression.

    ICP is against racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and the destruction of civil rights. They even sat down with Chris Hansen to talk about their mutual hatred for sexual predators. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with Chris Hansen?

    They have fought for years to be seen and heard as valid, especially when the FBI labeled them as a violent gang. Juggalos come from all walks of life, from poor to rich, from all religions and backgrounds. If you are a Juggalo, you’re family.

    A self proclaimed Juggalo attacked a gay bar in 2006. In response, ICP’s manager Alex Abbiss said, “It’s quite obvious that this guy had no clue what being a Juggalo is all about. If anyone knows anything at all about ICP, then you know that they have never, ever been down or will be down with any racist or bigotry bullshit. In my opinion, the perpetrator of this crime committed these acts not because he was a Juggalo, but because he was a neo-Nazi. He subscribed to an ideology of racism and bigotry, and was quite clearly, in my opinion, out of his mind.”

    While they aren’t full-on political, they are vocal in what they hate and what they do to people they don’t like. In their 2015 song “Confederate Flag,” they really let people know their thoughts on the rebel flag and the people who wear it.

    I say fuck your rebel flag/ Out here pretending like you ain’t offendin’/ I say fuck your rebel flag/ You redneck judges with racist grudges/ I say fuck your rebel flag/ If you gotta tattoo, I’m aimin’ at you/I say fuck your rebel flag/You get punched in your faces reppin’ the racists

    Even before that, in the 1990s, they were singing:

    The country we live in was built by slaves/ Beat down and murdered and stuffed in their graves/ You put a slave owner on the one dollar bill/ And you want to know why I KILL PEOPLE!

    ICP took to selling a new batch of t-shirts in 2020 that were originally sold in the early ‘90s. It’s a Juggalo tearing and burning a Confederate flag with the words “Fuck Your Rebel Flag” on the back. They brought it back from the demands of their fans from the devastating events in 2020 with the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and many others. Wearing it pisses off the right people and makes for great conversations with those that love ICP and those that love burning the rebel flag.

    While hip-hop/horrorcore mosh pit energy music might bit much for a lot of people, you have to admit putting out music that screams what they think so loudly is pretty cool. Maybe you’ve thought about some of ICP’s lyrics in your head and agreed with them but would never say it out loud. Maybe you’ve thought about picking up a heavy object and just so happening to swing it near a known sexual predator.

    I think the world could do with a little ICP in their lives. They are inclusive, body-positive, and LGBTQ+ safe. They don’t care about your bank balance and they stick up for all Juggalos no matter their background. Check out wikiHow’s How to Be a Juggalo: 12 Steps for more information.

  • Our Flag Means Death gives the gays everything we wanted

    Our Flag Means Death gives the gays everything we wanted

    by Sophia Escudero

    In episode five of Our Flag Means Death, the two leads share a moment under the moonlight. Stede gently folds a piece of fabric that Ed’s mother had given him and tucks it neatly into a pocket of his waistcoat.

    “You wear fine things well,” he says, tenderly, and Ed looks up at him with nothing short of adoration in his eyes. He leans in, then stops himself, and as the two part ways they look back at each other, both clearly wanting more but unable to bring themselves to voice it.

    That’s pretty gay, I thought to myself, but I didn’t dare hope that this scene was intended as anything beyond bromance.

    I grew up on Tumblr as a queer kid at the height of Superwholock, reblogging edits of Emma and Regina from Once Upon a Time looking longingly at each other and watching conspiracy videos about how, if you really read between the lines, the BBC are totally going to make Johnlock canon in the next season of Sherlock. I believed that the new Star Wars trilogy would give us gay Jedi, and the MCU would give us gay superheroes. Eventually, this hope faded. Each new season of Sherlock was worse, each “first gay Disney character” was less relevant to the plot than the last, and every video I saw from a con featured actors and writers mocking fans in the audience for daring to ask if there would be queer characters.

    I grew to accept that any show that was not explicitly marketed as being about coming out or facing homophobia would ever have a central queer romance. Any scraps I got would be something confirmed on Twitter or by an actor in an AMA and the void would have to be filled by fanfiction.

    When I saw that Taika Waititi was producing a comedy about pirates, I was all in. I was pleasantly surprised when a side character was revealed to be nonbinary and used they/them pronouns. Frankly, my bar for LGBT representation in media is subterranean. If a single character is canonically queer, doesn’t die and is not treated as a joke by the narrative, I will embrace the work wholeheartedly. I don’t ask for much, but I still rarely get more than a “wait and see.”

    Every episode was tailor-made to convince me that this was a love story, but I refused to be tricked so easily. When these characters were found in suggestive scenarios, I accepted it as a joke, and when they shared moments of tenderness and emotional vulnerability, I accepted that they were just really good friends. Even when the cast and crew said, verbatim, “this is a love story,” I was certain they meant it in the nebulous way that a buddy comedy is a love story, and that if I read into it I was a stupid, greedy little homosexual trying to make pop culture gay. Hell, I made it to the ninth episode, where they kiss each other on the lips and make a plan to run away together, still half-convinced that this was some kind of friendship kiss found only in advanced queerbaiting.

    It shouldn’t be shocking to me that queer people exist in television and movies. As a queer person, I should know that we do. Yet, years of media telling me otherwise had convinced me that maybe I was wrong. It has been over a month since the season finale aired, and I haven’t recovered from the sheer impossibility of seeing a romance between two men as central to the plot in a show about something other than queer pain.

    These characters are in love. They kiss, they hold hands, they exist outside of subtext and punchlines. Some jaded part of me thinks that a second season must end in death and suffering, but the inner 14-year-old that was hopeful enough to suffer through four seasons of Sherlock dares to believe that maybe, just maybe, gay people can be happy outside of fanfiction.

  • Masking mental illness is a privilege

    Masking mental illness is a privilege

    by Lex Valtenbergs

    I could tell that the woman lingering at the bus stop was mentally ill within the first few moments of speaking to her, although it wasn’t my place to surmise what mental illness she suffered from.

    She asked me a question about the bus schedule and muttered something aloud as if in reply, but not to me. When her eyes met mine again, she blurted, “Oh!” as if she forgot I was there.

    My initial reaction was to fear her; I didn’t understand the inner workings of her mind nor their outward manifestations. I perceived her as volatile and therefore threatening.

    At that time, I was also going through a protracted depressive episode marked by the distinctive mistrust and self-sabotaging tendencies that are all too common in borderline personality disorder. As a result, I had little to no verve to engage with her.

    In our own respective ways we were unmasked.

    The difference between her and myself is that I have the privilege to mask, or hide the symptoms of my mental illness to the best of my ability. She’s always visible; not by choice but by circumstance.

    Ironically, my masking urge to ‘help’ in some way and assuage her symptoms that brought me discomfort was snuffed out by my own unmasked symptoms. I was defying the neurotypical script and the internalized ableism – discrimination against people with disabilities, mentally ill and neurodivergent people – that came with it.

    I got on the bus and sat down, trying to push away the dread and discomfort that were triggered by the brief interaction that I had with the mentally ill stranger at the bus stop.

    As if being summoned by telepathy, the woman appeared at the open back door of the bus and asked me another question that I didn’t have an answer to. Just before the back door slid shut, she snuck inside the bus without paying at the front and sat down across from me.

    For the next half hour or so, she had an ongoing dialogue with no one in particular, constantly shifted in her seat, and ripped up a handful of white paper straw covers from a fast food restaurant.

    At one point her eyes wandered to mine and she asked me, point-blank, “Are you okay?”

    I was baffled by her lucidity. I curtly replied, “I’m good,” even though I wasn’t. She didn’t push me like I feared she would.

    At the last northbound bus stop in Eureka, she abruptly stood up from her seat. She left a pair of brown moccasin boots under her seat. As she passed by me, she gently touched my shoulder and said, “I love you.”

    The physical contact was unexpected but not entirely unwelcome. When she told me that she loved me – a misplaced but sincere disclosure – I felt the burning touch of shame press firmly inward. What were the people around us were thinking? Would they associate me with her?

    It didn’t matter, I consoled myself. I always try to deconstruct any ableist narratives that crop up in my mind. Then I learn from it and strive not to repeat it again.

    If we dare to overcome our fear of judgement, we are more prepared to dig through the other discriminatory narratives that are ingrained in us.

    She turned around. “Could you be a dear and grab my boots for me?”

    I cynically inferred that she left her boots on purpose just so I could get them for her, but I realized that I couldn’t be certain. Even if I was, her intention wasn’t malicious. I stooped down to grab them, and brought them out to her.

    It felt like we understood each other as I handed her the boots. She took her boots from my hands, and then she was gone.

    I almost cried as I sat in silence, my heart twinging painfully with every second the bus pulled away.

    I am mentally ill. I am broken. I am whole, but not seamless. The woman on the bus couldn’t seal her cracks as well as I can, and that’s a privilege that weighs heavily on me.

  • Luddites aren’t who you think they are

    by Carlos Pedraza

    The Luddites emerged in the early 1800s, claiming to follow craftsman and folk hero Ned Ludd in expressing the rage of craftsmen and other workers who felt threatened by industrialization. Today, Luddite is used as an insult for technophobes, but the real Luddites didn’t hate technology. They wanted to protect their livelihoods and get better working conditions.

    Automation has always been a threat to workers. Unlike humans, machines don’t demand higher wages and can work 24/7. The Luddites would go to factories and smash machines with anything they could find. In 2013, delivery drivers smashed and stabbed robots in a modern display of Luddism, not technophobia.

    While new technologies can lessen work time, they usually are used by businesses and governments for control. Think of the algorithms that Amazon uses to manage their workers’ work time and breaks. I used to work as a service worker stocking shelves. I would get up at six in the morning and work till noon, with only two 15 minute breaks. If I knew that a machine was tracking me to keep me working and not take an extra five minutes, then I would be the first to stab it.

    In working jobs where I had no autonomy, I would be forced to smile at all times and repeat the same mindless boring tasks over and over again. The greatest disappointment was when I saw my paycheck, feeling robbed by how little it was. A higher wage or longer breaks would have made me feel less angry, but a machine doesn’t care about breaks or paying rent.

    Even if automation didn’t make me lose my job, then it would still cut my hours and thus my pay. I’m a Luddite not because I hate technology or want everything to be the same. I like progress and embrace change, but if automation is going to happen then it must be for the workers to decide when and how to do it, and to distribute the benefits among the people.

    Until then, if I see a machine control my time or push me out of a job, I will keep shouting, “down with all kings but King Ludd.”

  • Freshman FOMO

    Freshman FOMO

    by Nina Hufman

    I recently had an internal crisis: I realized that I am nineteen years old and almost done with my junior year of college.

    I just got out of high school a year ago and I already have to be thinking about real life. I just started college and it’s already almost over. I am most likely going to do a second major and stay in school for two years, partially because I really want a second degree and partially because I feel so unprepared to graduate.

    I was lucky enough to be able to be concurrently enrolled in college classes while in high school. I started taking online classes from a nearby community college when I was a sophomore and was able to earn my Associate’s degree halfway through my senior year. I transferred to Cal Poly Humboldt at eighteen years old as a junior. While I am grateful to have been able to save money and time, my circumstances come with their own set of challenges.

    It’s really difficult to relate to my peers, because my experience is not a very common one. I have one friend who is in pretty much the exact situation that I’m in. She transferred as a junior right out of high school. We talk a lot about how we missed out on the freshman experience and how difficult it is to relate to people who haven’t been in our situation.

    I don’t live in the dorms, I don’t eat in the dining hall, and I don’t have to take any annoying GE classes that have nothing to do with my major. While most people would agree that these experiences are awful, they get to commiserate and bond with others over those experiences.

    All of my friends and the people in my classes are juniors and seniors. I went straight from being in high school to being surrounded by people who are, for the most part, actual functioning adults who have goals and life plans. I feel like I’m so far behind; they’ve had three or four years to figure these things out and I’ve had one.

    My friends also don’t want to do any of the fun Humboldt things that freshmen do when they move here. I want to go to the beaches, go hiking, and explore this beautiful area, but I don’t want to do it alone. My friends have been here for years, they’ve already seen and done all of those things.

    People are usually shocked when they find out my age. They hit me with ‘I thought you were at least 21,’ ‘you’re so mature for your age,’ and ‘wow, you must be really smart.’

    The reality is that I have been a mini-adult since I was fifteen because I had to learn how to interact with adults in my college classes. The result of this is feeling out of place literally all the time. I’m simultaneously too young and too old for everything. I’m ready to start my life and be an adult, but I also feel like I missed out on my own adolescence.

  • Gas prices are guzzling away my bank account

    Gas prices are guzzling away my bank account

    by Angel Barker

    When I started driving in high school, my mom and I had a deal that she would buy gas every other time I needed to fill my tank. Once I started driving upwards of 500 miles a week, that went away and I had to start paying my own way. To be fair, it was reasonable: I had a part time job and was driving a lot.

    I have a different part time job now that pays more. However, with the rising price of gas and how far out everything is in Humboldt county, it doesn’t make a difference. I am still spending an average of $300 a month on gas, and my car takes regular.

    On average (when I am not traveling) I only drive to work, school, home, and Eureka once a week for an appointment, and I time it right so I can get gas at Costco where it is the cheapest.

    I should also say that I am not a thief. I did not actually steal my mom’s Costco card, she knows I have it. It is her way of helping me pay for gas.

    I was sad in high school when I had to pay around $40 to fill up my tank. Now I am hoping and praying to pay that again. My car holds 16 gallons of gas, so with the California average of $5.91 per gallon as of March 29, it would take $94.70 to fill my gas tank if it was empty.

    That’s almost $100 to fill up my little mini SUV! I cannot afford to buy a hybrid or electric car, so I am stuck paying these gut wrenching prices. I used to go to Dutch Bro’s a lot in high school, and it is crazy to me that a gallon of gas is now more expensive than a Rebel or a cup of coffee. I know all of us are feeling this pain, and a little piece of my soul dies every time I go to the gas station.

    I recently took a road trip towards Redding and down to Modesto, and gas was cheaper everywhere, even in Paradise, the town that completely burned down in 2018. They are still rebuilding the city and there are only a handful of open gas stations, and they are still cheaper than here.

    The only place where it was the same price or 10 cents more was in a tiny town that was out of the way of everywhere. Humboldt is not a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, it is a whole county in the middle of nowhere. I am now realizing why it is called the Lost Coast, because no one knows about us and it is expensive as heck to get gasoline here.

    As much as I am complaining about gas prices, I am still going to pay them. What am I going to do, bike to work? No, driving already takes 25 minutes. It would take forever to bike, and I do not have the option to not go to work or school.

  • César Chavez Day with YES

    César Chavez Day with YES

    by Eddie Carpenter

    In honor of César Chavez Day, the YES program hosted a volunteer event at the Potawot Community Food Garden in Arcata. It had an amazing turnout with a whopping 40 volunteers in attendance, caressed by the sunny blue skies and the refreshing Humboldt breeze.

    We were assigned tasks by being divided into five groups. I was grateful to be a part of a group that planted beds of squash. We did everything from scratch, laying out layers of black cover material across the four rows to keep the weeds from robbing the plants of their nutrients. We also covered the tops of the rows with white cloth.

    Gardening skills have practical value in my daily life. Prior to this experience, I had been a volunteer at Potawot through a program called the Intertribal Agriculture Council. Potawat’s head gardener Ed Mata gave me a handbook about gardening and I was mentored by a professional development specialist named Elaini Vargas.

    Maybe I was a little rusty on the terminology, but basic knowledge about soil health has since been ingrained into the recesses of my brain. I learned in a soils class that if you live in a mild climate, it’s estimated that it took 200 to 400 years for 1 centimeter of the soil to form. Vargas’ and Mata’s teachings directly impacted the mindset I had going into the YES serve-a-thon on César Chavez Day.

    Youth Educational Services (YES) is a collective on campus that provides students with opportunities to volunteer at local school and community sites. One of their goals is to connect hands-on service and in-class learning with awareness of the injustices and oppressions experienced by those they serve. Actions sometimes speak louder than words. Making donations and saying nice things about a cause is totally different from donating your time and bodily energy to a cause.

    According to mentalhealth.org, helping others can possibly help make you happier as a person. Through volunteering, I was able to make temporary connections through teamwork and group communication. This gave me a sense of community and made me feel like I belonged to a noble cause.

    If you want to see change in your self-esteem, you might want to consider doing good deeds, so we can manifest the world into a better place. Indeed, an outward reflection of finding happiness can in turn make you a happy person.

  • I’m a first generation college student

    I’m a first generation college student

    By Mekiah Glynn

    My mother dropped out of college after one semester and my oldest sister dropped out of two different colleges within the span of two years. I am the definition of a first-generation college student. A third of undergraduates are first-generation, yet we hear very little about the perspectives of these college students.

    Luckily for the third of us here at Cal Poly Humboldt, there are a lot of resources for students who don’t have parents that know how to walk us through each step of college life. With mentors and workshops, Humboldt has helped me with the transition into college.

    Moving eight hours away from my hometown to Humboldt was already a big transition for me, but it was significantly more difficult as a first-generation college student who didn’t have a lot of people to talk to about college. My mother has supported me throughout all of this as best she can. Still, no one prepared me for the mundane things you have to go through in college that most students just know about, such as which meal plan to pick, what you really need for classes, and how to manage your time.

    Those questions were answered by my RAMP mentor for the most part, which was really helpful during the year, but less so before the year started, when I was signing up for classes, housing, and meal plans. During the summer before I started, the only resource available was my sister who is a communications major at UC Davis. She didn’t have much knowledge about a smaller college or classes for an environmental studies major. Because of this, my first semester was really rocky. I failed a class, edited my meal plan, and struggled with online college classes.

    The workshops about organization, mental health, and finding a job were really helpful mid-way through my first semester. The school’s resources weren’t directed at first-generation college students, but they were still helpful.

    Going into my second semester of college was a bit easier. I was more used to the day by day and was more aware of the resources that were available. It was still a struggle. I couldn’t ask my mom about things that I’m sure most of you could ask your parents without even thinking about it, such as questions about how to contact my professors or how to deal with a roommate.

    Being a first-generation college student is hard. The pressure of wanting to succeed where your parents couldn’t and the need to figure out a lot of it completely by yourself will never be easy. There can always be more resources put into place that could help out the third of us that are here alone, but I do believe that Cal Poly Humboldt does a great job trying to help.

    Make sure to check out the basic needs section on Cal Poly Humboldt’s official website if you need any help with mental health, housing, food, etc.

  • The rising cost of visiting Humboldt

    The rising cost of visiting Humboldt

    by Cheyenne Wise

    As May is fast approaching, so is the dreaded inflation of renting in Humboldt. During the year you can get a hotel room or rent an Airbnb for a couple of bucks. On spring graduation weekend, hotel rates double and even triple in price.

    It’s not something uncommon in Humboldt but usually, high prices make it hard to find a place to rent. It’s an opportunistic extortion to get college students to overpay for rundown places. Housing is first-come, first-serve but to take advantage of people who don’t have money is gross.

    For some people, this is the first and only time they can make the trip to Arcata, and it’s to see their family member graduate which is an incredible opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. Just checking the hotels near campus the usual cost of a hotel room for two people is at most $150 at any point during the year. But when you look at the same exact hotels during the week of graduation is $600 for two people a night.

    At Cal Poly Humboldt, about 78% of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid. That’s 78% of people whose families might not have the ability to see them walk across the stage and be handed their diplomas. Hotels and Airbnb hosts take advantage of people who want to support their loved ones.

    Forget peoples’ families for a second. What about the people who are graduating and haven’t lived in the area for some time because of the pandemic, who are trying to find a place to stay so they can be there for their own graduation? It’s not just the issue of finding a place to stay. The prices of buying a cap and gown are so high for something you will only wear once and not for a long time. I guess you could say the same thing about a wedding dress, but even those are absurd.

    Maybe I’m just someone who likes to count pennies and is a bit of a pessimist, but the price of graduating is excessive. We’ve already shoveled a bunch of money into the burning money pit of college so it would be lovely to be able to step away from the flames and not have to worry.

  • Student debt is coming faster than you might have thought.

    by Ian Vargas

    If you’re anything like me, there’s no way you can afford to pay for college on your own: you’ve probably got student debt. While you’re still taking classes, it feels like you don’t have to worry about it because graduation could be years away. It’s always looming on the horizon, far enough away that it seems like you’ll probably have it under control by the time you’ve actually got to deal with it.

    I am in my last semester as an undergraduate, so that horizon is closing in real quick for me and it’s scary as hell. My current debt is just shy of $20,000, which is slightly lower than the national average, but still by far more money than I than I’ve ever made at a job.

    Ideally college would help with that, but considering the job market, that’s no guarantee.That leaves me and many others with crushing debt in the position of having both a huge amount of uncertainty about what we’re going to do after college and a huge amount of certainty that whatever it is won’t be sufficient to not be living on the bare minimum.

    I appreciate my education. I plan on continuing it into graduate school, but this system feels as if it’s built more to place you into a position of permanent debt than to provide an education to people.

    Even if you’re lucky and don’t end up missing payments, you’re still paying about 10% of your income, and if you aren’t then you can rack up extra fees and put yourself even further back. On top of that are the countless other ways that you end up gouged for money while still enrolled like expensive but mandatory meal plans or fees for services that, depending on the current level of COVID lockdown, may not even be available to the students using them.

    According to educationdata.org, the average monthly payment for someone with a mid-paying job and in the same category of debt as myself is $393 over the course of six years, which is currently more than I even get per paycheck at work.

    These debts are what keeps people from buying homes or starting any kind of family. Ideally this whole thing should be free and improve peoples’ lives instead of operating off of a profit motive at all. But that’s a fight that seems like it will take way longer than any of us will be able to see through to the end.

    As students, we need to press for more scholarships and grants for students. Ones that don’t incur years of debt, and push back harder against tuition hikes that force students to either abandon their education or take out more loans. Otherwise, college becomes the exclusive domain of people who already have money, even more so than it already is.

  • Photo Essay: Contrary

    by Lex Valtenbergs

    Photo by Lex Valtenbergs

    Breathe in,

    breathe out

    Feel divine pneuma

    climb up your lungs

    and oxygenate your blood

    Lock yourself

    in the closet

    and throw away the key

    Shut your eyes

    and pray to God almighty

    To eradicate your sins

    But not the shame

    Straddle opposing parts of you

    like church pews

    Dangling legs and

    Roving eyes

    When will the sermon end?

    It ends with you

    and begins anew.

  • My bikini is not an invitation

    My bikini is not an invitation

    by Ione Dellos

    Here’s how getting stared at on the beach usually happens for me: I’ll be minding my business at the beach, neither having a good time or a bad time, just a time. I get the familiar feeling that I’m being stared at, and after a quick look around, there it is, an ogling pair of eyes looking me over. Just because I’m wearing a bikini to the beach does not mean that I am inviting any sort of negative attention. I am wearing this bikini to the beach because I thought it was cute when I bought it. Now, I am no longer having a time, but a bad time, all because some man couldn’t keep his eyes anywhere else but my body.

    I shouldn’t have to flip off and swear at men just to get them to leave me alone at the beach. I will not fight for scraps of respect but expect it paid in full. My body and gender don’t make me less than, and they don’t make me an object either.

    Not counting the fact that ogling random strangers is incredibly rude, you never know what’s going on in someone’s mind. This could be their first time wearing a bikini on the beach in a long time, or they could simply be wearing it because they bought it and want to get their money’s worth. They could have insecurities about their body that can be exaggerated by excessive staring, or maybe they just don’t like getting stared at (like most sane individuals).

    Despite being attracted to women, I can comfortably go to the beach without ogling women with no effort on my part. Believe it or not, not staring at women on the beach is incredibly easy! As a gay woman who grew up with gym locker rooms and camp changing rooms, I snapped my eyes away every time my friends would get changed, and I was terrified to even go in a Victoria’s Secret for the longest time. I know I have a different relationship with how I view women than your typical straight man with male pattern baldness. Also, as someone who possesses a body that gets stared at frequently, I know what it’s like to be stared at. I don’t like to do it to other people.

    When spring break rolls around this semester, straight men, find it in your hearts to not obviously stare at every woman wearing a bikini at the beach (eyes on the road, please). There is a whole world of gender identity behind the pair of boobs you’re ogling, and every feminine-presenting person isn’t necessarily feeling feminine on the inside. If you find that you just have to choose objectifying women over all other activities, then do the women in your life a favor and don’t hit the beaches this spring.

  • Take me out to the ball game

    Take me out to the ball game

    by Gabriel Zucker

    On March 5, the Cal Poly Humboldt softball team held their first home game this year. I was reminded of an easier time, where relaxing to live sports was an everyday escape from the rigor of school and work. During the next couple of hours, I experienced camaraderie, screaming fans and most importantly, tailgate food.

    Photo by Gabriel Zucker | Junior Pitcher, Megan Escobar pitches against Chico State on Saturday

    Walking around the softball diamond, my eyes fell on a group of parents huddled around a BBQ, waiting on the drumsticks to finish cooking. Walking closer and closer to the food I tried to avoid eye contact, instead focusing on taking photographs of the game. Almost immediately, one of the parents called me over.

    Richard Guevara, the father of one of the freshman softball players, yelled out, “Do you like ceviche?”

    Looking over I saw a stocky gentleman, decked out in Humboldt softball gear, a giant smile stretched across his face. He beckoned me over with the promise of ceviche and chicken. Next thing I knew I was talking and laughing with the parents, enjoying their food, and praising the beauty of Humboldt.

    Taking a bite of ceviche now, I’m transported to a time where sports was a shared experience. A time when sports was more than just the game, it was about the connections you made. After taking a moment to relish in the memories, I opened my eyes to a giant smile and a chicken drumstick.

    Sports is never just about the game; it is about the shared experience. At the softball game, a feeling I hadn’t experienced in year swept over me. Screaming fans, a sound I only recently heard in my dreams, washed over me like a wave. My heart flittered and danced, and as the smell of food and freshly cut grass hit me in the face. I stopped to smile.

  • Sharing is caring… unless it’s propaganda: The Russia-Ukraine Crisis

    by Kris Nagel

    Everyone has an impact on someone’s perspective of the world. Almost anything we do or say affects someone in some way. The same holds true for the things we post on social media. We are all influenced by the people around us. When the subject of our virtual discourse is something as poignant as international conflict, our sympathies can be weaponized without us even knowing it.

    Roughly half of Americans regularly get their news from social media, according to a 2021 study from the Pew Research Center. The information we share online can challenge our belief system but oftentimes reinforces it. Al Tompkins, a journalist with the Poynter Institute, says that truth gets little consideration when the content we share aligns with our worldview.

    “We tend to support those things that agree with your position on anything,” Tompkins said. “Whether it’s the designated hitter in baseball or invading Ukraine, we tend to repeat and share things that we agree with.”

    The internet has changed the way information is spread through society. It’s easier than ever to produce fake information.

    “The other piece of it is this,” Tompkins said. “Disinformation is a very powerful weapon. The Russians know it but, let’s face it, the Americans know it too. The American government, particularly through the CIA, has done lots of disinformation over the years. You would expect that they do, it’s kind of part of what they do.”

    Understanding that misleading content is built into our news feed requires us to take a critical look at what we share before we share it. Tompkins’ approach asks four questions:

    What do I know?

    What do I need to know?

    How does that source know what that source claims to know?

    And is there any other way to look at this other than the way that source is telling me?

    Vicky Sama saw the real-time effects of media coverage and propaganda in the several wars she covered during her career at CNN. Sama is now the department chair for Cal Poly Humboldt’s journalism and mass communications program.

    “So there’s two parts of war, usually,” Sama said. “You have the war, the actual war with fighting and then you have the information war, the propaganda war, and that is an essential part of what happens in war as well.”

    When we see things happening live, there isn’t an editing process that we can rely on to verify what we see. Live television, live broadcasting, and live streaming allow for that to happen. Now that consumers are a part of the distribution process, Sama argues they also need to be part of the editing process.

    “If everybody’s going to start considering themselves a journalist just because they have a cell phone, then they need to start doing the work of a journalist and start verifying the information before they put it out there as well,” Sama said.

    However, verifying everything we see is seldom an intuitive process. Kirby Moss, a Cal Poly Humboldt professor in the journalism department, teaches a range of media analysis classes. Moss said that the fundamental way to verify information is to look for other sources reporting on the subject.

    “I tell students, if you find some information that you’re researching on, try to cross-check it with at least three sources if you can,” Moss said. “And then they find out sometimes like, ‘Well I went to one source but the other source says something else, the other says something else,’ and so then they begin to question that message.”

    It takes familiarity to be confident that the information you get is credible. That is not to say that there aren’t tools we can use to check the things we share. Vicky Sama is working on adding a media literacy course for freshmen to the department catalog. In the meantime, JMC 309: Analyzing Mass Media Messages will be open for registration near the end of the semester. Online courses on media literacy are also available to everyone through the Poynter Institute.

    [DISCLAIMER: The Lumberjack rarely uses journalism department faculty as sources for stories. However, an exception was made for this story due to the expertise our professors have on this particular subject. Vicky Sama and Kirby Moss do not exercise editorial oversight on the content The Lumberjack publishes.]

  • Dear Mr. Putin

    by Cheyenne Wise

    In March 2020, Gal Gadot released the infamous “Imagine” video on her Instagram page, an asinine attempt to convey solidarity with a world being ravaged by COVID-19. The rich and famous banded together to imagine a world with “no possessions” while people around the country suffered a social, health and economic crisis wasn’t what the world needed at the time.

    The whole thing was cringy and overall tone-deaf. Step aside, Gal Gadot, because a new savior is here to stop the Ukraine crisis. Actress AnnaLynne McCord, self-proclaimed human rights activist and anti-human trafficking ambassador, released a slam poem video in an attempt to make Russian President Vladimir Putin stop and feel the love. McCord’s over 2-minute long video implies she might have been able to change the Russian leader had she had been his mother.

    Don’t worry Ukraine and everyone else, another white American has once again stepped up to the plate to put a stop to this devastation.

    “Dear President Vladimir Putin: I’m so sorry that I was not your mother. If I was your mother, you would have been so loved,” chanted McCord.

    Putin should be on his knees sobbing at the realization that all he needed was love, right? McCord continued, lamenting that if she was his mother, she would have died to make him warm, to protect him from the unjust, violence, terror, and uncertainty, and to “give you life.”

    If you aren’t convinced that American influencers can save the day, you need to look again. John ‘You Can’t See Me!’ Cena tweeted out, “If I could somehow summon the powers of a real life #Peacemaker I think this would be a great time to do so.” Cena wished upon a star that his DC character Peacemaker was real so he can help, making sure to tag the marketing account for the show.

    All that’s missing from this A-Team is our girl Kendall Jenner with her can of Pepsi to take the front lines.

    Watching the atrocities in Ukraine unfold on top of dealing with the savior complex of these influencers is just disgusting. These influencers are so sincere in thinking that they are uplifting the masses, when in reality they are doing the absolute least. The last time a group of influencers gathered together and actually created change was in the 80s, when “We Are the World” raised millions of dollars in aid of Africa.

    The performative activism of celebrities during these times is unneeded and repugnant. To them I say: keep your slam poetry and songs to yourself. The world doesn’t need cheering up, especially from people like you.