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Superintelligence
Stomping out democracy
America’s wealth gap
Kyle Rittenhouse coverage
Senior spotlights
and MORE
tritontimes.com DECEMBER 2021
2021
1984
Triton Times
EDITORS IN CHIEF
Letter from the Editors Eden Milligan
Harrison York
Dear Readers, NEWSROOM MANAGER
The COVID-19 pandemic seemed to warp the world into a sort of dystopia.
Reaghan Mulligan
Fear and anxiety fed into mass hysteria and drastic shifts in the ways we interact HEAD EDITORS
with each other. Now, even as panic subsides, the effects of the pandemic—espe- Sosie Casteel
cially the heightened prevalence of technology in everyday life—remind us of how Amy Parr
much has changed. In wanting to examine fear and feelings of lost control that still Lucas Rapeepat
impact us as students and our society, we chose Orwell’s 1984 as a focus, following
the themes of fear, loss of freedom, and consumerism as they contribute to creating NEWS EDITORS
a dystopia. Eden Havel
Fear is especially relevant for high schoolers as anxiety induced by social me- Shayna Sparks
dias and school pressures is an omnipresent hindrance on learning and everyday Aaron Velez
life. The teenage years are a fearful time, a time of figuring out questions like
OPINION EDITORS
“Who am I?” and having to face the anxiety of not yet knowing the answer. Social
media offers its worthless help, as Instagram influencers show us what we should Sofia Sipelis
be, and TikTok opinion gospellers tell us what we should believe. All the while, Brooklyn Staab
stress about the future fights to snuff out the flame of excitement for the high school STUDENT LIFE EDITORS
experience. While we struggle to build the person we want to become and prepare Austin Ashizawa
for our futures, present monsters lurk all around us. Though virtual school seems
Danielle Generaux
like a distant nightmare, the persistence of the detested Canvas app with its virtual
submissions, 11:59pm deadlines, and boundless To-Do lists has made school seem A&E EDITORS
to stretch further into our lives than ever before. Nicolle Generaux
From consumer manipulation to the echo-chamber of American media telling Talie Folsom
us who to hate and what to be angry about, our perception of the world is con-
stricted by filtered feeds and heightened emotions. Across the world, Hong Kong,
SPORTS EDITORS
once a symbol of economic possibility, is facing a swift transition into Communist Ben Cooper
China’s oppressive social system as protestors in the city express their unceasing Jack Hagen
dissent. In our own community, we feel oppressed—not by government—but by WRITERS
social expectations. As we face the problems of the present, future freedoms come Sophie Echternach
into question. Social media giants look to work themselves into every aspect of
our lives, AI looms as a probable threat to tomorrow’s liberties, and corruption in
Daniella Flores
politics threatens to undermine our voice in democracy. Ruby Hawbecker
Consumerism fuels our lives, from the clothes we wear to the technology Brookelynn Hodgin
we communicate with to the seasonal rush to buy for the sake of giving. Fast fash- Helene MacBeth
ion feeds on the anxiety of developing teenagers, pushing students to adopt trends Coco Meyerhofer
as they seek to somehow create a unique identity for themselves. Even movements
promoting environmental awareness have shown themselves to be rooted in wealth.
Ben Meyler
We know this edition seems dark, but we hope that in examining the extent of Cassidy O’Toner
the similarities between today’s world and Orwell’s dystopia, you will notice the Robert Schumacher
essential differences—specifically, that our fate is not sealed, unlike Julia and Win- Jack Wolfsohn
ston’s. We have the power to overcome our oppressors, whether they be a distorted ADVISOR
political system, an overbearing education, or the climate crisis. There will never
be a world without fear, but that does not mean that fear has to control us. Every
Matthew Miller
person has the power to change their own perspective, and when that happens, we Mission Statement: The Triton Times is a student-run
realize how many of the cages keeping us from creating our own utopia exist only publication established in 1966 by students at San
in our minds. Clemente High School (formerly known as The Tri-
ton). The staff of the Triton Times seeks to recognize
Sincerely, individuals, events, and ideas that are relevant to the
community. The Triton Times student journalists are
Your Editors, committed to working in a manner that is professional,
unbiased, and thorough in order to effectively serve our
readers. We strive to report accurately and will correct
any significant error. If you believe such an error has
been made, please contact us. Opinions expressed in
Eden Milligan Harrison York this publication are those of the journalism staff and not
of San Clemente High School or the Capistrano Unified
School District.
2 | tritontimes.com
Triton Times
1984 Edition
Feature
04 Superintelligence and
our inability to compete
Eden Milligan
10 Stomping out
democracy
Reaghan Mulligan &
Harrison York
Student Life
13 Senior spotlight:
Madeline McDonald
12
Amy Parr
17 Students’ right to an
anxiety-free education
Ben Meyler
Opinion
9
15 The progression of
consumer manipulation
Brookelynn Hodgin
18 Environmentalism:
a product of affluence
Sosie Casteel
The harmful effects of
19 mob mentality and TikTok
Cassidy O'Toner
14 16
December 2021 | 3
Superintelligence A
rtificial intelligence
is everywhere; it’s in
the search algorithm
and our inability to compete that answers every question
we google and the program
that decides what we want
Eden Milligan | Editor in Chief to see on social media
and Netflix, it catches
our spelling mistakes in
texts and Google Docs,
and it allows us to ma-
nipulate money in our
bank accounts. For
the time being, it
seems artificial in-
telligence is a great aid—even a
friend—to humanity. However, as
the technology becomes increasingly with AI résumé checkers automating creation of superintelligence, allow-
advanced, the role of AI is likely to some of the processes of hiring new ing distinctions between humans and
expand, and it might not be to our ad- employees.” machines to dissolve. He believed
vantage. Conversely, giving up power— that technology would serve as “the
A study conducted in January specifically in solving global prob- metaphorical opposable thumb that
2021 found that it is statistically lems—to AI could have disastrous re- enables our next step in evolution.”
highly improbable that humans will sults. Stephen Hawking warned that Ultimately, Kurweil wrote, humans
be able to control superintelligent “AI is likely to be either the best or will upload their brains to computers
AI—superintelligence being defined the worst thing to humanity.” Wheth- and transcend the limitations of bod-
as an intellect that surpasses the hu- er a post-superintelligence world de- ies by the turn of the next century.
man brain in every field, including velops into a dystopia or utopia may Not everyone has such a will-
social interaction. Already, AI carries lie in the decisions computer scien- ingness to give up human life as the
out operations in ways that humans tists are making now. singularity-supporting futurists. To
do not understand. With superintelli- Estimates vary, but multiple lead- many of us, the idea of relinquish-
gent AI, however, even “containment ing computer scientists recently pre- ing our lives is too much to fathom.
algorithms” meant to restrict AI and dicted that superintelligence could be Humans, after all, are not computers
prevent it from actions that could achieved by the mid-2040s, meaning who are programmed to maximize ef-
harm humans would likely have no there may only be a couple decades ficiency, but deeply attached and feel-
effect. The issue wouldn’t be as sim- before the world is completely and ir- ing creatures. I, for one, would like to
ple as unplugging a comput- remain human, despite my lim-
er—AI that is far more intelli- “What would it mean to be human ited brain. No thank you, Goo-
gent than humanity would try to in a world where computers are gle of 2060—being uploaded to
do whatever it could to protect rational, sentient, and socially a machine is not for me!
itself so that it could continue But the singularity might
to pursue whatever goal it was skilled? What would distinguish not approach as rapidly as Vinge
programmed to achieve. If an human intelligence from that of and Kurweil thought, if it occurs
algorithm identified human in- machines?” at all. For one, Kurweil’s belief
tervention as an issue, the solu- in an incredible growth of intel-
tion might be to remove the human. revocably changed. Life as we know ligence and capabilities does not align
With the future of AI being so it would come into question. with the course of all AI. Princeton
formidable, it may seem that the log- What would it mean to be human computer science professor Ed Felton
ical course of action is to halt pro- in a world where computers are ra- brought up the example of near-lin-
gression of artificial intelligence until tional, sentient, and socially skilled? ear progression of chess AI abilities
computer scientists understand more What would distinguish human intel- over decades, despite an exponential
about it and have a clear plan of how ligence from that of machines? These increase in computing power. If a lin-
to correct for the possibility of sci- questions might be the premises of ear progression in AI skills occurs in-
ence-fiction-like catastrophe down great science fiction novels, or they stead of an exponential one, even an
the line. However, as large compa- might be our foremost worries in the algorithm with technically above-hu-
nies like Google realize the benefits 2050s. man-level intelligence would not be
of AI for increasing profit and con- Believers in “the singularity“— all that much more effective in ap-
tinue to invest in the development of the point in time where the growth plying what it knows. With no intel-
more advanced technologies, it seems in artificial intelligence becomes un- ligence outburst, there would be no
superintelligence may soon be a re- controllable—think that human ex- singularity.
ality. Beyond monetary motives, the istence will entirely cease when su- Still, the future of AI remains a
hope of creating AI skilled enough to perintelligence approaches. A 1993 great unknown, and superintelligence
solve the issues currently threatening essay written by computer science remains a distinct possibility. Though
human existence (notably climate de- professor and science fiction novel- it seems unlikely, control by ma-
stabilization) is an incentive for some ist Vernor Vinge, titled “The Coming chines, or integration into them, could
to continue the pursuit of progress Technological Singularity,” first pop- occur during our lifetime.
without worry of the potential con- ularized the ominous term. Vinge pre- “The human race is playing with
sequences. Giving power to AI to dicted that the “human era” will soon fire as we create intelligence high-
control certain human processes or to come to a close in the most dramat- er than our own,” senior Christian
solve human issues could allow for ic paradigm shift of human history. Barkema said. “Efforts to create su-
vast societal improvement. In 2005, Google computer scientist perintelligent AI must be restricted in
“I think that, in the hypothetical, and futurist Ray Kurzweil’s book, order to benefit from AI without jeop-
some power should be given to AI, The Singularity is Near, built upon ardizing the entirety of human life.”
however it should be kept in check by Vinge’s idea and stated that there will
humans,” senior Ian McKernan said. be a faster-than-exponential growth
“This is already starting to happen, rate of machine intelligence upon the
December 2021 | 5
world and the future at large.
“My anxiety revolves around
fear of the future,” senior Brenna
Lynch said. “I try not to think too
far ahead of what is currently going
on in my life because then I will fall
into a rabbit hole and become over-
whelmed.” This is a natural fear re-
sponse, one that our minds have been
programmed for after growing up in
such an unpredictable decade. We see
the world around us falling to pieces
and can’t help but internalize these
fears for our own personal lives.
“Thoughts about the future
sometimes ruin my entire day,” Go-
mez said. “Even when I’m out hav-
ing fun with my friends, I’ll have
one anxious thought and I can’t go
back to enjoying the day.” Intrusive
thoughts and anxious waves are fre-
quent disrupters of otherwise normal
days, blurring the lines between our
true selves and the warped version of
identity created by mental illness.
Portrayals of anxiety in pop
culture often focus on outward ap-
pearances—these include fidgeting
or socially awkward tendencies.
While these characteristics are not
inaccurate, they fall short of the
Fear & anxiety:
deep-rooted effects anxiety can have
on self-perception. With anxiety, any
sense of paranoia and fear is height-
ened, which has a significant effect
a modern teenage reality on cerebral development. When ev-
ery negative feeling is magnified, it
Amy Parr | Head Editor becomes even more difficult for ad-
olescents to shuffle through the noise
C
OVID-19 is not the only con- Nothing about the future can be and find an identity outside of their
temporary plague. Anxiety is held constant, and after growing up in mental illness.
on the rise, and teenagers are the turbulent 2000s, teenagers crave For many, anxiety is the driving
its ideal victims. Teenage years are al- some semblance of stability to hold force behind other characteristics
ready a frenzy, what with everyone’s onto. Growing up amid rapid climate central to identity. “My anxiety has
quest to “find themselves,” combined destabilization, all the way through a actually motivated me to do well in
with stress from school and the un- global pandemic and social and po- school,” Lynch said. “For example,
certainty of the future, making these litical unrest, it’s a miracle that only I cannot allow myself to skip home-
years the ideal breeding ground work or not study for tests be-
for anxiety. “The double-edged sword of cause it will trigger my anxiety.
“I get really anxious whenev- anxiety: high performance at I see myself as stronger because
er I am working on college appli- the cost of mental and emo- I have learned to live with it and
cations or even thinking about the surpass obstacles that [my anx-
future because I am scared that tional tranquility.” iety] may have caused.” This
I am going to mess up on some- exemplifies the double-edged
thing and ruin my future,” senior Mir- one in three teenagers experiences sword of anxiety; high performance
ca Gomez said. “Fear about the future anxiety. Anxiety’s only outlet is often at the cost of mental and emotional
is a huge source of anxiety because so found in school, an already stressful tranquility.
much is uncertain. Nothing is guaran- experience that is exacerbated by
teed no matter how hard you work.” these subconscious fears about the
6 | tritontimes.com
America’s wealth gap:
only one culprit
Capitalism continues to harm the working classes while the rich
expand their wealth.
Brooklyn Staab | Opinion Editor
T
he continuously expanding wealth ed States—a decrease in the value of mon- tions that would not only help the home-
gap has simply one culprit: capi- ey, a higher price point average for goods, less, but the majority of low-income and
OPINION
talism. American culture centers and eventually a decrease in economic op- lower to middle-income groups,” senior
around the economic profit of big corpora- portunity and growth altogether. Juliette Gregath said.
tions and tax breaks for the rich, attempting Senior Bethany Padilla explained that Even Democratic presidents, such as
to incentivize lower and middle classes to her family faced hardships “because of a Joe Biden, avoid the implementation of tax
“work hard” in the hopes that they one day lack of generational wealth inherited and a plans that focus on taxing the upper class.
climb the social ladder. However, the un- broken economic system.” Instead of wealth taxes, most plans focus
fortunate truth is that capitalism is driving a Government institutions implemented on income taxes—which creates loopholes
wedge between classes and destroying the in order to aid those who struggle to ob- for billionaires to get out of paying most
American people. tain basic necessities wildly differ from taxes.
From 2001 to 2016, the upper-income total government interference, or control “Taxing the rich proper rates is one
group was the only income class in the U.S. of thought—as many fallacies presented simple step in the right direction,” Padil-
with the ability to build upon their wealth, against government intervention claim. la said. “Also, by prioritizing an economic
while the middle class and lower class were Socialism, implemented in a democratic culture of U.S. manufacturing and services,
not only unable to accumulate profit but society, could be a possible solution to this we can rewire how our labor is utilized and
also found a significant decrease in wealth. wage gap shown; programs such as Medi- what our dollars are supporting as con-
The middle-income group faced a decrease care and Medicaid could expand to help sumers. For example, not supporting child
in net worth of 20% while lower-income citizens in need. The largest issue, how- slavery in the fast fashion industry, but
citizens found a decrease as great as 45%, ever, presents itself in terms of obtaining rather buying sustainable fashion products
in sharp contrast to the average 33% in- funding for the programs, which would from U.S. brands.”
crease the upper-income class gained. likely be paid through taxes, yet taxing Tax reform can, and should, be imple-
More importantly, this can lead to the middle and lower classes any further mented to directly impact the 1% so that
issues including, but not limited to: a would be unrealistic. this elite group does not hold 70% of the
greater disadvantage in equity for low- “A change in how our government wealth in America while others suffer.
er-income citizens—especially people of taxes could even be a starting point to
color and marginalized groups in the Unit- implementing these governmental institu-
December 2021 | 7
Facebook embraces the metaverse
A name change signals a new direction for the social media giant.
Lucas Rapeepat | Head Editor
F
acebook made international head- evance due to the aging of their users. One continuous virtual world with millions
lines with its rebranding to Meta Plat- of the major reasons for their investment or even billions of users will strive to be-
forms Incorporated in late October. in the metaverse is its potential to attract come more of a country than a game. Such
The reinvention reflects the company’s—as younger people. a space, that will most likely dominate the
well as CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s—growing “Facebook has always been associat- entertainment industry, must be democrat-
ambitions beyond social media. Facebook, ed with millennials or older,” senior Sami ic, and not governed by the incentives of
now known as Meta, has adopted the new Chang said. “Since everyone younger uses the current internet giants.
name, based on the sci-fi term metaverse, a bunch of alternatives like Instagram and “The idea of a massive multiplayer vir-
to describe its vision for working and Snapchat, the rebranding may be a good tual world is very appealing,” senior Trevor
playing in a virtual world. The concept of idea.” Pham said. “But if it becomes as interna-
a metaverse has been a hot subject lately, Yet there are plenty of concerns with tionally successful as it could be, huge, cor-
with numerous big tech companies such as privacy rights, freedom of speech, and rupt companies like Facebook should not
Microsoft and Epic Games also involving more. be given control over it.”
themselves in its development. “If you’re in a metaverse and inter- Based on Facebook’s current state,
But what exactly does this futuristic acting with other people, everything you with hate speech and misinformation run-
concept entail? The term metaverse de- say and do is being captured by a device, ning rampant, it would not be prudent to
scribes a combination of multiple elements transmitted so it reaches the other person. give the company power over an alternate
of technology, including virtual reality, In the middle, there is Facebook and a lot reality that could captivate the entire world.
augmented reality, and video where users of people,” Kurt Opsahl, executive direc- It can be argued that a Facebook-owned
“live” within a digital universe. Users can tor of the Electronic Frontier Foundation metaverse will only supercharge prob-
socialize, shop, or just have fun, disguised said. “I have suspicions, founded by lots of lems that exist on the company’s current
as an avatar in an infinite amount of loca- privacy scandals in the past over whether platforms. Virtual environments similar to
tions and scenarios. According to Zucker- Facebook will be a good steward of that.” what Zuckerberg is proposing have the po-
berg, the possibilities are endless. Face- Just a few years ago, the company was tential to be extremely addictive, encourag-
book is betting on the metaverse being the found to have shared private messages and ing people to unplug from reality, like the
future, planning to invest ten billion dollars user information with third parties despite dystopian story of Ready Player One and
just this year and to hire 10,000 employees stating that they had stopped the practice, many other sci-fi premises.
to work on it in the next five years. in addition to storing hundreds of millions There are many unknowns when it
A recent exposure of a collection of of unencrypted, plain text passwords. comes to the metaverse and Facebook’s
leaked documents showed how the com- Knowing this, it may make potential users level of success in this risky investment.
pany failed to moderate misinformation of the metaverse reluctant to join. Will it be the beginning of a new normal,
and extremism, as well as other issues they Many experts in internet privacy are or simply a trend that burns out in a few
faced. According to these documents, the worried about mega-corporations owning months? Users just have to wait and see.
company realized that they were losing rel- and running the metaverse. A massive,
8 | tritontimes.com
Cryptocurrency, decentralization,
and the future of the dollar
The Wild West of digital currency faces conflicting judgements as value rises.
Harrison York | Editor in Chief
F
or centuries, the United States gov- ized applications. These apps range from inherent risks in investing in and using cryp-
ernment has issued paper money for other cryptocurrencies to managed invest- to. With extensive resources available to ev-
its citizens to use in the exchange of ments to games. eryone on the internet, scams are common,
goods and services. As the U.S. rose to glob- One reason for the explosive growth and anyone looking to buy cryptocurrency
al economic dominance, the dollar became of cryptocurrency is a decline in faith for should perform their own research in the
the standard for trade. The value of the dollar large banking systems. In the 2008 finan- developing industry. While new currencies
was backed by the gold standard, meaning cial crisis, banks, after artificially inflating seem to spring up overnight, it will take time
that physical gold was kept to guarantee true the housing market, were bailed out by the and many trials before any cryptocurrency
monetary security. This changed when Pres- government while citizens faced hardship. will be stable enough for everyday use.
ident Roosevelt took the United States off of Today, inflation is devaluing wages as the “Crypto could never rival govern-
the gold standard in 1933, replacing it with a U.S. Mint prints more money in hopes of ment-issued currency. While it may gain
fiat system, where currency is used and has hastening pandemic recovery. significant influence, its decentralized na-
value because the government orders it. “Our entire monetary system is a fraud ture means it could never see the backing
In 2008, bitcoin was created by Satoshi that gradually robs citizens of financial that the state supplies,” senior Jason Herr-
Nakamoto, whose true identity is unknown, power. Cryptocurrency is a means to restore mann commented on cryptocurrency’s fu-
with the purpose of establishing an electron- power back to the people,” senior Owen ture. “America’s influence is too powerful
ic system “without relying on trust.” Bitcoin Geer said. “Our founding fathers warned us to be rivaled by the inconsistent mess of
was an alternative to physical currency, and of the dangers of central banking systems, these newfangled internet economic sys-
differed from technology like debit or cred- and since we did not listen, we are now tems, even in the distant future. Crypto has
it cards because of its utilization of block- faced with a wealth gap which is ever in- notable downsides that government-backed
chain, or a vast computer network, to store creasing.” Inflation rates threaten minimum currency could never have, like a massive
information on transactions securely in a wage workers the most, also hurting efforts negative environmental impact and volatil-
decentralized location. Rather than banks to raise the minimum wage as the decline ity that is through the roof.”
and governments acting as intermediaries in value of the dollar negates the affect of Debate has sprung up around the harm-
between parties, decentralization allows the increased pay. ful environmental impacts of cryptocurren-
community of cryptocurrency owners to Crypto threatens to undermine this cy, especially in cryptomining, where spe-
keep record of bitcoin activity. system by providing a global alternative cialized computer hardware is used to solve
But bitcoin is not the only cryptocur- to nationally restricted currency. Already, complex problems, requiring significant
rency to gain popularity as a replacement several American cities, including New amounts of energy in the process. Volatility
for classic currency. After finding massive York City and Miami, have seen crypto as hinders real-world businesses from accept-
success, bitcoin and its predecessors have in- an opportunity, with their respective mayors ing crypto, as its price fluctuates drastical-
spired numerous cryptocurrencies to spring choosing to accept bitcoin for their first few ly and its current state can be much more
into digital existence with a multitude of dif- salary payments. These cities also recently harmful to investors than inflation in the
fering purposes. Ethereum, the second-most launched their own coins in hopes of attract- short term.
popular crypto, is an open-source platform ing new startups.
that allows developers to create decentral- As with any new technology, there are
December 2021 | 9
Stomping
out democracy
How corporate wealth stifles the voice of the American people
Reaghan Mulligan | Newsroom Manager &
Harrison York | Editor in Chief
I
n an era of political uncertainty, where prohibits government restriction on inde- purchase advertisements supporting or
low voter turnout and a lack of edu- pendent expenditures of corporations, al- opposing a candidate or perform other
cated public opinion defines elections, lowing what has become a system of lob- politically fueled actions considered “out-
the importance of preserving democracy bying and resulting legislation to form. side” of a political party or officeholder.
remains a crucial key of governmental Transparency enforcements and caps Additionally, lobbying groups can
functions. When voters begin to notice on monetary contributions block Political act as intermediaries to siphon funds di-
that the financial contributions of a pow- Action Committees (PACs) from donat- rectly to campaign offices. This then al-
erful corporation topple the influence of ing unregulated amounts of money with- lows campaigns to use donations directly
the electorate’s opinions, where does that out public discretion. However, loop- towards their expenses. One issue with
leave true representation of the people? holes formed post-2010, allowing newly lobbying is that it can disproportionately
Since the 2010 decision of Citizens created super PACs to find ways to spend influence politicians. During fundraising
United v. Federal Election Commis- unlimited amounts of money through in- events, lobbyists present carefully select-
sion—in which the freedom of political dependent expenditures and soft money ed data and research to representatives.
expression protected by the First Amend- donations. This enabled interest groups Candidates are aware that such studies are
ment was federally extended to corpora- to bypass prior regulations so long as the designed to reflect the aims of the original
tions—the amount of campaign funding money accumulated is not directly spent business, thus swaying them to vote in fa-
from companies increased exponentially. in conjunction with political candidates. vor of corporate policies to keep the mon-
Under this verdict, the First Amendment Despite this, such contributions can still ey flowing. This process is considered a
10 | tritontimes.com“revolving door” as retiring members of political patrons and industries. Federally the governors’ decisions. Real estate in-
FEATURE
Congress often find lucrative positions as claimed retired individuals funded over dustries, who brought over $5 million in
lobbyists, continuing the cycle. $95 million in total to both political par- donations against the recall, lobbied for
“[Corporations] have a lot more mon- ties—the top recipient being South Caro- legislation that would increase the ease
ey to spend on campaigns and are more lina’s incumbent Republican Senator Tim of building homes in California, and ul-
directly affected by policy,” senior Flip Scott—while real estate and education timately bought themselves a win after
Frauenzimmer said. “A lot of the time, interest groups along with oil and gas in- Newsom’s signing of housing bills.
policy that affects the economy is more dustries made multi-million dollar contri- Labor unions presented contributions
directly felt by companies, so they have butions to both parties. amounting to over $25 million, represent-
more reason to take action and influence Through these donations, corpora- ing the tight relationship between this in-
policy.” tions accumulate power in campaigns and terest group and California’s Democratic
Over the last 23 years, pharmaceu- policy decisions. The massive amounts of governor, steadily working hand-in-hand
tical industries spent over $4.5 billion in wealth moving from business to lawmak- with labor unions throughout much of the
lobbying efforts, currently funding inter- ing creates political pawns out of a large pandemic.
ests such as promoting COVID-19 vac- portion of Congressional representatives. With such heightened financial pres-
cinations and rejecting government-run “I’m frustrated that my voice in pol- sures in every political election, the voices
healthcare efforts. The sheer amount of itics does not matter,” senior Chase Gey- of the people—and their comparatively in-
money spent on influencing proposi- er said. “No matter how much the public significant contributions—become tram-
tions—promoting bills that would benefit supports a law, there is only ever a thirty pled under the boom of corporations. As
individual corporations and fiercely push- percent chance that it gets passed,” Geyer arms are extended to industries and their
ing against legislation working against commented, pointing to a study by Princ- wallets, over electorates and their votes,
these industries—creates political pres- eton and Northwestern University profes- America’s political efficacy takes a serious
sure to follow the money, rather than the sors (see graph below). The project ex- toll and likely discourages voters of their
voices of the people. amined data from Congress over 20 years importance.
“Donations give a very large upper and concluded that representatives pass “[The democratic process] should be
hand in political races, as politicians act laws not based on public support, but the about what candidate can better represent
on behalf of who is paying them,” senior private support they receive through lob- the people, and if you don’t get elected
Owen Geer said. “This makes it harder for bying groups and corporate donors. “Our then your representation isn’t adequate,”
the underdog to win, and much easier for government should not allow large busi- Frauenzimmer added. “This game of poli-
corporations to gain power.” nesses to manipulate our supposed dem- tics lends itself to manipulation and gain-
The 2020 presidential election broke ocratic process, as it hides goals behind ing as much outreach as possible, causing
records, with over $14 billion accumu- seemingly fair elections.” candidates to follow donors rather than
lated across the board, including contri- public opinion.”
butions from online donors and po- On top of all this, the campaigns
litical action committees. Without fueled by corporate interest and
regulation imposed upon indepen- wealth are driving Americans apart.
dent expenditures, the abilities of According to a Pew Research poll,
wealthy industries to amass influen- 80% of Biden supporters and 77%
tial sums of money widens, allowing of Trump supporters in the 2020
for these companies to interact with election believed that the other side
a wide scope of politicians by the ap- did not hold similar core American
plication of monetary donations. values and goals as their own. When
Joe Biden amassed over $90 neither side believes that common
million in contributions from ground exists, it is impossible to
Bloomberg LP, a financial and soft- compromise. This division takes the
ware company, alone throughout the focus off of corporate sponsorship
duration of the 2020 election. His of candidates, perpetuating big busi-
next highest donor—Future Forward ness’ grip on legislation.
USA, an interest group primarily The quid pro quo phenomenon
focusing on the wealth gap and eco- contradicts the very foundation of
nomic issues—issued over $60 million in Within California, Gavin Newsom, in America’s republican government, where
monetary funds. Other benefactors such recent attempts to reject a state-wide recall the people—not businesses—give the
as the University of California and the La- effort, gathered a wide range of monetary government their inherent ability to gov-
borers Union financed significant amounts donations from his corporate and interest ern, granting citizens a larger voice in the
of money to Biden during his candidacy, group supporters, such as labor unions and behavior of policies. If this electoral pow-
likely doing so in order to cultivate polit- real estate groups. As Newsom worked er is extended to corporations based on
ical influence with the Democratic presi- to sign bills before the looming decision their voluminous contributions, at what
dent. of the recall—which ultimately left him point does business completely override
The recent 2021 congressional elec- keeping his position in office—large the people?
tions accrued large sums of money from donors presented equally large voices in
December 2021 | 11SPOTLIGHT
Zane Pert
Fearless leader
Danielle Generaux | Student Life Editor
R
esponsible, organized, and kind are “I have known Zane Pert since mid- my senior year,” Pert said.
just a few ways to describe senior dle school ASB,” senior Abby Matossian “Since 7th grade, when Zane and I
Zane Pert. Our fearless president said. “His dedication and hard work that met, we have always been great friends,”
grew up in the Boy Scouts of America, he puts not only into his classes but into senior Gavin Stay said. “We have so much
learning the value of community service. the school, reflects the ideal hardworking in common being in ASB, tennis, and var-
Through his efforts in becoming an Eagle student that every teacher needs more of. ious clubs together. It is so cool to see him
Scout, he has earned the “Order of the Ar- He is full of love for his friends and family, thriving this year being ASB president,
row,” which is the Scouting’s Honor Soci- and his awesome puppy Mitch. He’s defi- NHS President, and now making it on the
ety award, and the “Venturing Leadership nitely someone I’m glad I met and got to varsity tennis team.”
Award.” know.” In addition to the numerous school
Zane has dedicated his high school Pert also holds a leading role in Cool activities that Zane participates in, he has
career to helping out his local communi- 2 Be Kind, a club where he helps publicize also been involved in tennis all four years
ty. At SCHS, he is the elected president of and document events as a photographer of high school. From junior varsity to var-
both the Associated Student Body (ASB) and coordinate Blue Ribbon Week, which sity, Zane continues to improve in his skills
and the National Honor Society (NHS). As promotes anti-bullying. “I volunteer out- and plans to play doubles this year. During
ASB president, Zane “organizes all school side of school with other organizations to his tennis career, he has been awarded the
activities, mentors officers and commit- better the community because that’s what Triton Award (2021) and Most Inspiration-
tees, presides at meetings, promotes school I enjoy.” Additionally, he is involved in al Player (2020).
spirit, and represents the school at the dis- SCHS Link Crew, where his job is to help Through his astounding service that
trict Executive Council.” Additionally, his freshmen get accustomed to high school. totals more than 120 hours in 2021 alone,
responsibilities as NHS president include “My favorite high school memory is Zane Pert proves that whatever lies in the
planning and leading meetings and over- for sure Homecoming this year. It was a future, he will always be there to help his
seeing school service events through the ton of work, but seeing the results and be- community.
organization. ing lucky enough to be on the court made
12 | tritontimes.comMadeline McDonald
Creative genius
Amy Parr | Head Editor
M
adeline McDonald is an icon at ald said. “I know that language is going to “Madeline is one of the most creative
San Clemente High School. Her be a big part of my future, and without the people I know,” Lipofsky said. “She is
passion for education is matched Dual-Immersion program I don’t think I constantly working on new projects and I
only by her kindness for those around her. would have realized that I have a passion am continuously amazed with her level of
As a member of the IB Program, Made- for it.” talent.”
line’s enthusiasm for learning is evident in Madeline’s love of linguistics inspired
all that she does — whether it be volunteer- her to start her very own club (alongside
ing for Link Crew or her club ALA, Made- fellow senior Nancy Polanco), ALA,
line strives to make the world a better place which stands for Ayudando Los Amigos
by sharing her love of academics. (helping friends). “I realized how difficult
“I really see education as an invest- it must be to take math classes and science
ment into my future, so it’s easy to stay mo- classes when you’re still learning English
tivated when you can tune out any outside because it’s not your first language,” Mc-
pressures and realize that success in school Donald said. “I also know that we have
is something that you are doing for your- so many wonderful multilingual students
self,” McDonald said. Madeline’s love of here on campus that would be more than
language, nurtered by Las Palmas, a dual willing to help.” And thus, ALA was born.
language elementary school, helped set her Madeline’s club perfectly encapsulates the
on a path to learn not just two, but three core of who she is; eager to help anyone
languages. and everyone in any way she can.
“Since Las Palmas, Madeline has al- When she’s not pulling all-nighters “Rae’s Daisies” by Madeline McDonald
ways excelled in Spanish, and I think it’s for the latest IB project, Madeline can be
great that she’s exploring French as well,” found channeling the creative side of her “I hope that in the future, I find a
senior Evan Lipofsky said. “Her dedica- brain. “I like to spend as much time as I job that allows me to use my languages
tion for learning languages has inspired me can making art, in one way or another,” through travel and make a living off of
since we were in kindergarten together.” she said. “I’ve always loved to draw and the things that I can make using my own
“Learning about other cultures and make videos, and I really enjoy playing creativity,” McDonald said. Regardless of
traditions from such an early age really got around on guitar.” Creativity and educa- where Madeline’s talents take her, she will
me excited about language acquisition and tion go hand-in-hand with Madeline, and be always be appreciated for her hard work
showed me the importance of it,” McDon- she thrives in both areas. and kind heart.
December 2021 | 13The Kyle Rittenhouse case:
fact or false narrative?
Nicolle Generaux | A&E Editor
I
n a heavily polarized political environ- only the side that fit the left-leaning narra- “When I first heard of Kyle Ritten-
ment, it can be difficult to find reliable tive was shown to the national audience. house, he was labelled a murderous white
news stories that contain accurate, ob- For over a year, the media repeated- supremacist who killed innocent protest-
jective information, all too often leading to ly spouted that Rittenhouse was a sort of ers at a BLM demonstration, so I thought
false narratives. Because much of Ameri- vigilante who traveled across state lines in the issue was about race,” sophomore
can media leans to the left, prominent fig- search of violence at the protests. Similar Sophie Rapeepat said. “I was completely
ures and the echo chamber of news sources stories circled that he had been an “active misled because of the way he had been
can shape national sentiment. shooter” and a “white supremacist.” portrayed by the media.” The stories pre-
The Kyle Rittenhouse case, which For example, on November 12, 2021, sented by the media were tainted by false
recently reached a “not guilty” verdict on Joe Scarborough of MSNBC stated that claims that Rittenhouse was racist rather
all charges, serves as a reminder of the Kyle Rittenhouse was a “self-appointed than recognizing the case as an issue of
tendency for the media to provide inaccu- militia member” and had “unload[ed] 60 self defense and the Second Amendment.
rate—or heavily politically biased—infor- rounds” from his rifle during the August “It’s interesting, really, how different
mation, leaving viewers with misguided incident. news channels portray different facts to
assumptions. The case focuses on whether These accusations arose despite a support their own case or political view,”
Rittenhouse used self defense during a riot court testimony that had revealed two im- sophomore Jackson Foster said.
on August 25, 2020, resulting in the deaths portant things: Rittenhouse had gone to With all of the media against him,
of two people and the injury of another in Kenosha to protect private property, and Rittenhouse seemed to be guilty until
Kenosha, Wisconsin. he only fired eight shots, not 60. Scar- proven innocent. It is important to consid-
“The opinion pieces were too racial- borough’s claims directly contradicted er different perspectives before jumping
ly motivated,” sophomore Jackson Talley the information revealed during the trial, to conclusions.
said. “It seems the media had already made but these statements had already reached
up its mind before the case concluded.” a large audience and led to misinformed
While opinion in the media is unavoidable, outrage over the verdict.
14 | tritontimes.comIt goes without saying that corporate ex-
ecutives are more focused on how thick their
wallets are; it’s no surprise that any product is
going to exploit consumers and social trends
in order to increase sales. But the status-quo
behavior of corporations still mustn’t be ex-
cused.
“These are real people and the month
to celebrate who they are as humans should
not be taken advantage of by major corpora-
tions,” junior Tessa Campbell said.
Customers see Oreo posting about
pride—which in our society of lazy research
and a bad habit of glancing over headlines is
enough to make a person want to buy a pack
of Oreos. Furthermore, Oreo placed their
product and created a color association with
colors claimed by the LGBTQ+ community,
so that when someone walks by the cookie
section and sees Oreos, they’ll feel encour-
The progression of aged to make that purchase because of the
“supportive” tweets.
Of course, some companies may see
consumer manipulation them outwardly supporting Pride Month and
the LGBTQ+ community as a risk, given the
Brookelynn Hodgin | Writer existing population of Americans who voice
A
their disdain at the LGBTQ+ community and
t the beginning of June each year, or gender orientation with. But the posts are Pride Month itself. However, the risk does
you can find yourself scrolling incredibly surface level, providing no other not exceed the reward. Even if risks presented
through social media and seeing information other than what the flag means themselves, a company with genuine concern
recognizable posts from big brands, sports and the colors associated with it. and support for the community, and for repre-
teams, and companies with profile photos There is no subtweet or continued senting Pride Month, would proudly endorse
containing a tribute to the rainbow pride flag thread to explain what being bisexual means; its accepting messages no matter the impact
of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s a nice no- it only illustrates the flag, the colors associ- on sales. While the economic climate we live
tion, from the surface appearance, that these ated, then right on top of the flag there is a in pressures companies to appeal to their mar-
companies are recognizing Pride Month and shameless product placement with the colors ket at every expense, social issues should not
the LGBTQ+ community’s struggles they mentioned. Nor does Oreo provide any fur- be included in this marketing scheme if the
have faced to be able to claim June as their ther information on pride or the significance producer has false intentions.
month of remembrance, paying homage to of National Coming Out Day. The tweet Problems arise when people blindly
the revolutionary Stonewall Riots in the late shares information, but neglects to disclose accept the falsified support of companies,
1960s. the significance of that information, which enforcing consumer manipulation. When
However, as more and more accounts may cause more harm than good. people see a brand on Instagram with a pride-
make the profile picture change at midnight themed profile photo, and assume they sup-
on June 1, the question of their sincerity in port the community, they fail to research the
the act arises. Doe the companies genuinely historical treatment of LGBTQ+ workers and
support the LGBTQ+ community and the the community by the company.
progress made in the past 50 years, or are This highlights a greater problem in our
they more concerned about making a profit at country, and one that is growing. It’s the ex-
the expense of pride? ploitation of the American people through the
“I think some brands actually put effort utilization of technology by big corp and big
into making LGBTQ+ people feel seen and tech. Not only does it undermine the intelli-
heard,” freshman Jaidyn Good said. “But gence of the American people, but it shows
unfortunately we only see this representation the effectiveness of these insincere notions.
during Pride Month.” People need to open their eyes and eval-
In October of 2020 for National Coming uate the meaning of posts behind large com-
Out Day, Oreo’s Twitter account tweeted out panies and brands. It’s not always that deep,
the different pride flags and what they stood but if we aren’t careful, it could turn into
for. At a glance, this can help educate those something much more serious.
unaware about lesser known flags that many
LGBTQ+ members associate their sexuality
December 2021 | 15Most likely to rule the world
Worst death glare
“
They I love te
neve just frig enager
r sta then s.
r
alwa t a figh me. You
ys fi t
nish but you
it.”
“My first act as
Ms. Reim Shicktator of the world would
be to smite all my enemies,
and then the crap about all
be
nored to se I of the children of the world
“I am ho u
e sp e ci ally beca joining hands to sing together
Most likely to be a rebel chosen
am alw
,
ay s tr yi ng to pu
on injust
sh the
ice.”
in the spirit of harmony and
peace.”
envelope
in the Brotherhood
SUPERLATIVES
Ms. Shick
Ms. Westling
“Espio
na “While I was teaching,
to kno ge?! I love here was a COCKROACH
stude w what my on the carpet. It. Was. HUGE. I
nts are grabbed a broom to shwoosh
up to.
” it outside, but when I got
close to it, it took flight! It was
flying in the classroom! I was
terrified!“
Worst fear in
Most likely to be a
Room 101
spy for the party
Ms. Olsen Ms. Gustafson
16 | tritontimes.comdefined by productivity and material suc-
cess. Being wealthy is the primary way to
be a successful person, rather than kindness
or impact on the community.
“I think as a society we are focusing
on materialistic happiness,” senior Nicole
De Santos said. “I don’t think this should
be the most prioritized thing because it’s
unhealthy for individuals as well as the en-
American consumerism: vironment.”
Often, when people try to focus on
what are our priorities? something other than money, they fall be-
hind in the crush of “must be productive”
that our society promotes. With the added
challenge of the pandemic, more and more
Shayna Sparks | Writer people are feeling stressed over financial is-
A
mericans often employ consumer- of clothes from Omighty, since I found the sues, leaving up to 90% of Americans wor-
ism as a means to portray individ- brand on Pinterest and it wasn’t so popu- ried about money.
ual identity. The things people own lar at school,” junior Briley York said. “I Prioritizing money also leads us to get
seem to make up who they are. Owning the wanted to stand out. Then everyone bought stuck on status. Looking at the big picture,
latest iPhone is a social status symbol. How- dupes on Shein and it became popular.” The it doesn’t matter what technology we have
ever, the color of our phone does not say so desire to use clothing to create an individu- or how expensive our clothes are. Howev-
much about our personality as the consum- al’s image is ingrained in Americans. Even er, by attempting to stand out by display-
erist society we exist in. when people are buying different things, ul- ing economic status, we end up feeding the
As of 2021, consumer spending ac- timately, everyone is the same in that con- cycle of valuing money over identity and
counts for 70% of economic activity within sumerism drives our decisions. well-being.
the United States. Since the pandemic, con- According to society’s standards, our Although the issues we face are not
sumerism has risen significantly due to gov- only purpose is to earn and spend, feeding as blatant as in 1984, we are losing our in-
ernment stipends and increased time con- the economic cycle of constant consump- dividual identities in order to conform to
fined indoors. With all of the new clothing, tion. Our goal is always to be fast and ef- larger community identity. Fitting in may
electronics, and impulse buys that wound up ficient. It’s eerily similar to 1984, in which be helpful, but we can’t forget ourselves
in Amazon packages on our doorsteps, it is nations are constantly at war with one an- along the way.
clear that the consumer identity is the Amer- other only to extend wartime production The harmful byproducts of consumer-
ican identity. and sustain the economy. Even though our ism are abundant in our school and world,
“During the pandemic, I bought a lot economy isn’t quite so drastic, we are still and escaping their reach is a heavy task.
Students’ right to an anxiety-free education
Ben Meyler | Writer
O
nline classrooms such as Google to start their homework. Having work out- are out of the classroom.”
Classroom and Canvas are drasti- side of class already feels invasive enough, Along with having assignments due
cally extending the school day for but being responsible for submitting it on after school hours, there’s a constant lin-
students, creating a substantial impediment our own time is too far. gering stress of having a mobile school in
to students’ well being. Where they used to Teachers have quickly taken advantage your pocket. Nobody wants to be sitting at a
have assigned homework in class that was of online classrooms, and many students family dinner and receive a notification that
due the following day, now things have be- have found it extremely frustrating when they failed their AP test, and on top of that,
come exceptionally different. instructors assign something online without a dreaded submission comment.
These platforms pose as helpful tools to mentioning it in class, instead expecting all “I love the ability to be able to check
let students turn assignments in to teachers of the students to notice it on the app them- and calculate my grades, but I think Can-
at 11:59pm, allotting the student a greater selves. Essentially, this mindset is forcing vas should be used as a tool and for con-
period of time to complete homework that students to be available 24/7 for classwork, venience; it shouldn’t add extra stress,”
might have otherwise been due at the start of leaving a minuscule amount of space for senior Maddy Wesch said. “The number
a class period. However, it feels invasive to school-life balance. of times I have been frantically rushing to
have due dates lie outside of class, because “[The Canvas app] is insanely intrusive complete an assignment before midnight is
people have lives beyond the confines of a to our daily lives,” senior Sydney Kennedy uncountable.”
school campus. Furthermore, these due dates said. “Although it can be useful to check up These websites do have helpful fea-
create bad study habits, as some students will on your grades on the go, it creates an ex- tures, but educators need to consider how
inevitably procrastinate, and setting the due tra stressor on our lives when getting alerts they are encroaching upon students’ person-
dates later means that some will wait longer about assignments and test grades when we al lives.
December 2021 | 17Environmentalism:
should really focus on practicing sustain-
ability.
In the words of writer Ann-Marie Alca-
ntara, the environmentalism movement will
a product of affluence again become irrelevant if it continues to
pander to elitists. As a whole, modern envi-
ronmentalism is much less about saving the
Sosie Casteel | Head Editor environment and much more about feeding
O
the egos of the rich, helping them to create
ver the past few decades, environ- 2014 by the Australia and New Zealand a trendy oat milk-latte-sipping persona.
mentalism has expanded its sphere Journal of Public Health discovered that a Solutions to the problem are difficult
of influence and become a prom- grocery basket full of sustainable products to find, and in most cases, the loudest voic-
inent concern for many powerful world costs around 30% more than a basket full es are those of the rich who preach about
actors. Although concern for pollution and of conventional products. Also, the cost energy-generating spin studios and farm-
preservation of nature dates back to Roman for the sustainable basket amounted to a ers’ market shopping sprees. The fact that
times, modern efforts were born in the late whopping 48% of the average low-income eco-friendliness is a luxury completely un-
OPINION
19th century, primarily in the European household’s weekly pay. dermines its importance.
countryside and the United States wilder- Environmentalism has become an ad- Consequently, environmental degra-
ness. Though scientific research is a major diction of the elite who lobby for higher dation disproportionately affects low-class
feature of environmentalism, it has become carbon taxes and harsher standards for communities. “Factories which release
increasingly clear that modern environ- renewables, all of which impose finan- dangerous substances in the air are placed
mental movements are heavily centered cial barriers on lower-class communities. in low-income communities,” junior Anya
around class struggle and privilege. “They don’t even understand sustainabil- Preisler said. “The members of the com-
Today, sustainability practices are pri- ity, they just see what’s trending on their munities don’t have the power to control it
marily a concern for left-leaning parties Instagram feed and they fall for the pretty either.”
and are largely out of reach for lower-class packaging in stores,” senior Jet Stadick Eco-friendliness has the potential to
communities. Eco-friendly products tend to criticized. become accessible to all if elitist groups
have higher prices for a variety of reasons, Natural gas has saved lower-income drop the unrealistic and hypocritical idea
namely higher manufacturing expenses households roughly $4 billion a year, a of a “perfect green life.” Sustainability
and third-party certifications. The quality huge financial relief for families struggling doesn’t just mean buying organic products
of raw materials also forces the prices of to pay energy bills. However, the negative and using an electric car; the core of sus-
sustainable products to remain high. impacts of fracking have made natural gas tainability attacks all consumption. Limit-
Growing food sustainably has also a public enemy of elitist environmentalists. ing consumption of energy, products, and
proven to be much more expensive than With five years of Obama’s eco-friend- oil as much as possible is a solution that
using manufactured chemicals, including ly investments, working men and women all classes can get behind. For it to work,
industrial pesticides and fertilizers. There were much more interested in keeping however, the rich will have to give up the
is also much less demand for eco-friendly their jobs than following the sustainabil- things that are responsible for so much of
products, although they are becoming more ity standards created by liberals making the world’s carbon emissions. Holding the
popular in ergions dominated by left-lean- six figures. When the world’s richest peo- rich accountable for change is crucial for
ing parties. ple are responsible for over half of carbon genuine environmental progress.
A study conducted and published in emissions, it raises the question of who
18 | tritontimes.comYou can also read
