EDITORIAL CORNER
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By Anne Czajkowski & Sophie Kunstman
Time is crawling to the center of “Farch,” a token phrase students and staff use in the long-winded time of February and March. Naturally, students are pulling at strings to make the time move faster. In an attempt to cure this, we turned to the one thing we knew best: romantic comedies. In a cruel twist, we scoured IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, and Letterboxd for the worst film we could find that seemed amusing to poke fun at. We ended up landing on Accidental Love (2015), a satirical rom-com starring Jessica Biel and Jake Gyllenhaal. The movie follows a catastrophe-ridden Alice (Jessica Biel), who after receiving a nail gun to the head searches for a way to pay to get surgery, all while she meets Howard (Jake Gyllenhaal), a disgustingly aloof, imbecilic congressman. The story delves into a mess of muddied side characters, ridiculous side plots, and a “Moonbase,” all to achieve a silly love story. Well, we can confidently say that Accidental Love is without a doubt the most confusing, unfunny, and at times offensive film we’ve ever seen. We went into this thinking, “But what about the undeniable comedy of an extremely bad movie?” No. Accidental Love isn’t just bad, like Tommy Wiseau’s The Room (which happens to be trashy cinema at its finest), but bad in an “I’m about to collapse from secondhand embarrassment,” “please God make it stop,” “I feel like I’ve been watching this movie for several hours,” or, “we were texting each other about how truly awful the movie was while watching it” kind of way. For a satirical movie on American healthcare, the inclusion of corrupted congressmen, murder, insulting stereotypes of Black people, and lastly, vilified lesbianism, seemed entirely unnecessary. The film had an infuriating habit of picking up plots and just never revisiting them, even ten minutes before the movie ended. Like no, tell me more about Howard manipulating female lobbyists into giving him sex in return for a platform in Congress. We —of course— end with a wedding, resulting from circling plots that never get satisfied, and many horrible decisions from our main characters. That's everything we despise in a romantic comedy. So, having learned from the mistakes of watching this mess of a movie, we’ve compiled a list of our notable favorite rom-coms to help you get through “Farch,” in a less agonizing manner. Juno (2007): “A movie involving teen pregnancy? How could that ever be romantic?” you may be wondering, but Elliot Page and Michael Cera bring so much charm and whimsy to the film you can’t help but love it. Great cinematography and a soundtrack heavily featuring The Moldy Peaches doesn’t hurt, either. Pretty in Pink (1986): The classic love story of a working-class boy falling for his childhood best friend and heartthrob. Except his heartthrob has caught the attention of a rich boy, who seems nice, but who can know for sure. Who will win her heart: her charming and witty best friend, or the kind and considerate new boy? This John Hughes classic is sure to leave you smiling after you’re done watching. The Big Sick (2017): Based on the real-life love story of Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon, this movie follows a Pakistani stand-up comedian who when his romantic interest falls ill, grows an ever-twisting relationship with her parents. This is not only a refreshingly realistic movie, but one that will never get old, one that has themes relatable to the viewer that you don’t see often in a silly romantic comedy. Sleepless in Seattle (1993): A classic. What better than the blueprint of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan performing in an aesthetically beautiful movie with a heart-warming plot that will stay timeless. This film can be described as a radio show turned cat-and-mouse chase with Valentine's Day specials galore. Crazy Rich Asians (2018): This movie is fast-paced, adorable, and chaotic all rolled into one beautiful piece of art that will stay exciting after every rewatch—not to mention a phenomenal book alongside it. Following a New Yorker as she in turn follows her new boyfriend to a family wedding, all chaos ensues when she is hit in the face with a new world, drama, and disapproval. |
By Bani Gulati
At age 4, most kids usually ask Santa for the trending toy or cool wheelie shoes. Claire D’Hont Finn, West High School’s very own senior, asked for a chef's knife. Claire is the sous chef at The Heights, a small restaurant located only a block from school and around the corner from the famous Regent Co-op. Ever since she was a child, Claire has been passionate about cooking. This interest started to brew when she would cook with her mom at their house in Belgium. Starting in a non-traditional way, Claire never liked to use recipes; instead, she would try to create her meals by experimenting and improving. To this day she prefers to utilize the “trial and error” method along with prior experience to create dishes for The Heights. Like many teenagers, Claire got her first job around age 14, but her first cooking job was at Salvatore’s Tomato Pies, starting in August 2020 and working there for a little over a year. “At the beginning when I first started as a chef it was harder for me being so young,” says D’Hont Finn. “I started when I was 16 and I was the youngest by probably 20 years and also the only woman in the first kitchen I worked at. Sometimes it just felt like my skills were underestimated.” The first few experiences can be disheartening for many students who pursue their passion at a young age, especially for those in an environment with coworkers who are older than them. “There was no malice behind some comments and remarks but sometimes it used to get discouraging,” she explains. There’s an expectation that passionate teenagers who follow through with their interests should always be positive in their workplace. This expectation is more pressuring than encouraging and makes students feel like they cannot mess up. “I’ve learned over the years that if you have a bad day, it does not reflect on who you are as a person; it just means that you had a bad day.” In August of 2021 Claire started working at The Heights as a sous chef. She works every day they are open. On Wednesdays she has to prepare the following day's menus and recipes. “Now that I have more power and say in the things I do. It’s much more encouraging to keep going,” says D’Hont Finn as she reflects on how her role in the kitchen has changed over the years. Working five days a week as a senior in high school is not easy; especially when she holds an important role within the kitchen, Claire has to devote much of her time to The Heights. However, as a passionate chef and a balanced student, she has a schedule that she sticks to succeed in her professional and educational life. On workdays, Claire goes to work immediately after school and gets done between 9:00 and 9:30 pm. If need be she runs errands before going home but she aims to sleep by 11:00 pm at the latest. Some may call her ambitious, others may call her smart, but D’Hont Finn aims to wake up by 4:00 am to do school work. By the time 7:45 am rolls around, she is ready to leave the house. “I’ve always hated procrastinating,” Claire explains. “I know it’s easy to say but once you’ve established a routine and try to [find] balance, it is easier to pursue your passions while being in school.” In our conversation, Claire emphasized the importance of teens following their passions and interests. Claire herself is planning to pursue a career in international relations, not cooking. “I love cooking and being a chef, but I have other interests. Working in the restaurant industry has made me realize that I would like to keep cooking as a hobby and follow my other interests in college.” Many kids feel the pressure to continue their education in the passions that they pursued as a teenager, but it is completely okay to switch careers. Coming to America from Belgium at age 12, Claire has seen the shift in culture and realized what a career-focused society the United States has. But coming up on a new generation, it is tremendously important to change the stressful process of career choice and feeling pressure to choose early in life. “If you have some kind of passion, just go for it, and even if it is not something you want to do for the rest of your life, you can do it right now if you want to,” she advises. “From personal experience, you do you, and if you love what you do you will be much happier doing it.” |
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By Olivia O’Callaghan
A staple tradition at schools and universities, the Sadie Hawkins dance has gained nationwide recognition and has been a celebrated event for decades. What first led colleges, followed by high schools, to promote this dance is its reversal of traditional gender roles. In this case, women are expected to invite someone to the dance and initiate the date (a very similar variation of this dance is TWIRP: The Woman Is Requested to Pay). When the first schools put this dance on in the late 1930s, it was seen as progressive, as it invited women to invert the traditional power dynamic found within heterosexual relationships. However, as more work has been made to reverse stereotypes of the past, has the dance become an antiquated tradition better left in the 1900s? To understand the modern-day implications of the dance, it is important to look at the history behind it. The dance’s namesake, Sadie Hawkins, was not a real person, but a cartoon character featured in the comic strip, Li’l Abner. In the comic, Sadie Hawkins is an unmarried woman in her mid 30s, who is ridiculed by her father because she does not have a husband. Out of fear that she will become a ‘spinster,’ her father creates “Sadie Hawkins Day',' where unmarried women would chase after the town's eligible bachelors in a running race. If a woman could catch up to the man, he was legally obligated to marry her. Looking at the time in which the strip was produced, the idea that the worst thing for a woman to be was unmarried was not uncommon; men and women alike came to believe that if a woman was not married after her early 20s, there was something inherently wrong with her. Following the publication of the comic, universities and colleges began to hold dances where women would ask men out to emulate the reversal of roles displayed in the comic. At the time, for a woman to ask a man out under regular circumstances would be seen as aggressive, if not desperate, so the dance offered women a unique opportunity. Modern-day perspectives, however, view the comic as problematic for its refusal to respect a woman's decision whether to marry. In the present day, there has been a continual push to respect every person's decision to choose whether to enter a matrimonial relationship or not. Additionally, the dance alludes to the idea that in all other cases, women should play a passive role in their relationships and wait for men to make the first move. This stereotype continues to play a role in the 21st century and has made it increasingly difficult for women to take initiative in their relationships. So, what do you think? Is the Sadie Hawkins dance an outdated tradition belonging to the past or a custom that has surpassed its roots to hold a special place in progressive history? Let us know your thoughts by emailing us at [email protected] or sending us a DM on Instagram at @regentreview. |
By Alex Vakar
I've recently found myself in large groups of people–large enough groups to get lost in the organized flow of strangers. In lecture halls I often find myself getting distracted by the students, my classes swiftly becoming a study of people rather than my intended study of art history. A similar feeling occurs in the gatherings of people at concerts, a tie of all of these different people in one place due to the shared interest in the same music. With almost a two-year break of live music events, bands across the United States are going on national tours to be able to share their newly released albums. Over time I’ve learned that the purchasing of materialistic items doesn’t cause you a great deal of happiness, that the new shirt you bought will most likely cycle out of your closet within a few months. Instead, how do we invest in our enduring happiness? Not to say that it’s not enjoyable to go on a shopping trip with friends, just that most of the time the experience of walking through the mall with your friends is rated greater in your mind, in terms of happiness, than all of your bought items. Research from the publishing of Psychological Science concluded that “in terms of happiness, experiences outrank things even before you spend money on either. Anticipating an experience, the researchers saw, brought more happiness than anticipation buying a material item.” Whether it’s the anticipation of a new movie coming out, an upcoming release by your favorite artist, a trip you’re planning for spring break, or simply a date you’re going on next weekend, the levels of dopamine are greater and provide you with a longer sense of happiness compared to that of buying a physical item. Due to this, I have invested in the source of anticipation of happiness, and happiness itself in the form of concert tickets in the last year. The deprivation of live music over the pandemic has created a greater appreciation for the volume of attending people, a pleasant hover of thrilled voices 30 minutes before the beginning of the event adding to the excitement. Once the concert begins and the crowd starts dancing and chanting the words all together, a sense of unity overwhelms your senses as you feel your knees get sore from jumping up and down in the mosh pit. I went to a concert a few weeks ago in Chicago. I saw Current Joys live with a few friends, probably my fifth concert in the last few months. My love for concerts has not died down quite yet, and neither has my love for people watching. Nicholas Rattigan, the lead singer of the band, was a character that left an imprint on me. Such a unique persona, I thought he’d be a good first contestant to the description of ‘interesting people’ included in my article. Although I didn’t interview him, I think witnessing his temperament for a few hours was enough to attempt and communicate his character to anyone reading. Panels of green light illuminated the band members’ guitars, glossing at the audience. There was a sort of extraordinary pull of Nicholas’ hoarse voice that silenced the listeners as soon as he started singing. Something was different about this concert, partly because I didn’t study the lyrics to all his songs. I didn’t feel like a part of the audience as I usually do, and I spent my time as more of a silent observer than a participant among the yells of fans. He was very emotional, vocalizing from the very back of his throat, releasing a sound, a lament. He held his voice steady for extended periods of time, a consistency that contrasted his distressed lyrics. He misses his Valentine: “I can’t breathe when you’re not mine” he sang. I almost got the impression that he was on some sort of a drug: his eyes were distracted, he was never looking at one place for more than a few seconds before moving on to the next floorboard under his feet. There was a point that I sat on the second floor, and watched from the top; then it wasn’t the anguish that I noticed the most, it was the unison that was practiced by the whole band, a sloppy routine of motion, head-bops and arm swings of the mic looked perfectly, aimlessly synchronized. Similarly, underneath me was a pool of people, their heads like bubbles in a pot of boiling water. And when you stood under the stage, in the general admission area, you could feel the floor move as collected jumps and movements accompanied the strong sound of the guitar. A particular scene that caught my attention during this concert was a couple dancing on the second floor balcony. They leaned over the ledge and wholeheartedly swung their arms in a chaotic waltz, a radiation of love and true happiness filling the space around them as they inexhaustibly danced through the whole concert. Around 800 people gathered to share an intangible source of happiness, appreciation evident between friends, as they looked for each other’s eyes among the moving heads of hair and smiled widely as they sang the lyrics. Almost an exchange of respect towards one another present in the audience because of the single known shared interest in the same band. I wish I could correctly describe the way that the guitarists played, in abrupt motions, hurried passion-filled swings on their guitar strings, a muffling sound emitting and releasing into the hall of watchers like watercolor seeping through a page. There was a moment where it felt like time stopped. It was the middle of a song after the chorus; the crowd had finished cheering and singing along to the catchy lyrics, and the artist looked out devotedly into the audience and paused. Whatever he was thinking, the audience’s side conversations and laughter were simply perfect accidentals, an addition to his agonized, dozed eyes. A sadness washed over his face and the silence fell suddenly; he just stared and carefully sang the next verse of the song. The large, intoxicated group of nearly 800 people maybe didn’t realize it, but I’m hoping someone else in the crowd did, and that it wasn’t only me staring intently at the fluidity of the artist. There’s a sense of inclusion shared by the artist and the listeners, Rattigan’s vulnerability through music allowing freedom for the audience to sing as loud and as off-tune as they wanted. It’s a really unbelievable feeling, to stand amidst beautifully different people and listen to the peculiar voice of an artist familiar to so many around the world. |
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By Sydney Steidl
This article discusses the potentially triggering topics of lynchings, racial slurs, and racially-motivated violence. With new updates on Emmet Till’s 1955 murder case and trials for Ahmaud Arbery’s case occurring in these past few months, questions still pend on whether the necessary steps towards justice for victims of racially-motivated violence are being taken or if progress remains halted. Emmet Till, the victim of one of America’s most notorious hate crimes, has recently lost yet another grasp at justice. Till, a 14-year-old Black child, was brutally lynched by two men after allegedly whistling at 20-year-old Carolyn Bryant Donham. Donham, a white woman from Mississippi, testified that Till grabbed her hand and waist while making advances onto her. The two men were acquitted by an all-white jury, later to openly admit full guilt under Double Jeopardy protection. In 2017, potential perjury was revealed from the case, and a hope for justice seemed to be in reach. In his book titled “The Blood of Emmett Till,” Professor Timothy Tyson published an interview with Donham herself from 2008. She is quoted as stating, “that part’s not true,” which is written in the context of admitting that she falsified her story and now recanted her testimony. However, when investigators directly questioned Donham, she denied ever contradicting the narrative she gave back in 1955. Despite Tyson’s statements that he “documented her words carefully,” the audio recordings he provided to the FBI did not provide enough evidence that the recantation occurred, and therefore did not verify any guilt. On December 6th, 2021, the Department of Justice released in a memo that “There remains considerable doubt as to the credibility of [Donham’s] original account of what happened inside the store,” however, “there is no witness the government could now call to disprove her account.” The most recent reclosure of this case displays a significant failed grasp at hate crime justice. There are mass numbers of cases, like Till’s, which seem too far in the past for any consequences to occur now. However, while many of these may tragically be lost causes, there is always hope moving forward. In a current case, Ahmaud Arbery’s murder is currently in trial for potential hate crime charges. The case entailed three white men, Greg McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan, who pursued a 25-year-old Black man, Arbery, while he was on a jog in February 2020. Travis McMichael eventually killed Arbery with a shotgun, which Bryan caught on video, and all three men were sentenced to life in prison in November 2021. Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the Arbery family, said to Ahmaud’s parents, “Today your son has made history, because we have people who are being held accountable for lynching a Black man in America.” Racial implications became the focal point of the case almost immediately. In June 2020, Bryant stated to investigators that Travis stood over Arbery and called him the n-word after shooting him, which Travis’s lawyers proceeded to deny. While this evidence was not used in the initial trial, as providing evidence for a motive is not required for murder convictions in Georgia, it may prove to be useful towards any hate crime convictions in the current trial through establishing a concrete racial motive. There is widespread hope that hate crime convictions dealt in this case could set a just precedent for future rulings. Despite the unfathomable number of past victims who may never be able to properly receive justice, current and future cases have the potential to implement consequences and deter future acts of violence, as they would no longer go as unpunished as they have for centuries. |
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