What the Coronavirus Can Teach Us About Gun Violence (BPR 2021)

Berkeley KEVIN FAULCONER: LOCKDOWN WITH- FOR THE SAKE Political AN UPSET IN THE IN A LOCKDOWN: OF OUR ASIAN MAKING? COVID-19 IN THE ELDERS, REJECT GAZA STRIP ANTI-BLACKNESS Review VOLUME XXV, NO. 1 FALL 2020/SPRING 2021

LETTERS FROM THE EDITORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEFS CALIFORNIA T he California Section focuses on state-specific issues and their relationship to the U.S. and international politics. Our section’s writers have a unique opportunity to cover both niche, local stories and large-scale, breaking political developments. We like to say that, “As California goes, so goes the nation.” Although our last year was challenged by an online format, the California Section continued to pioneer new projects for the Berkeley Political Review. Collectively, we worked to develop BPR’s first journalism series and wrote several articles on the 2020 election and California’s 2020 propositions to inform our readership. Our writers also explored groundbreaking, pandemic-related political change in California, localized stories of racial inequality and protest, and California’s climate action. We greatly enjoyed our last year of Zoom political chats and socials, and look forward to continuing our innovative and niche work in the fall! Best, Claire Rider & Shraya Blaisdell California Editors UNITED STATES U C Berkeley is known across the globe for the intensity, and often the radicality, of our campus politics. The political scene undoubtedly draws many students to our school, myself included. I think just as many students are often disappointed to find the politics less engaging, less popular, and less intense then is reflected in memories of 1960s Berkeley. In the Berkeley Political Review and in the United States section, our editors and writers have tried to revive that spirit. We try to tackle the difficult dialogues surrounding complex issues, confront diverse ideologies and perspectives, and reignite Berkeley’s famed culture of political activism and free speech. I hope you sense the dedication of our writers, and that you can take some of their passion back into the world. Sincerely, Aaron Hill U.S. Editor 2

WORLD C onfronted with a new reality of disconnect and distance amidst a global pandemic, the world searches for new communal spaces after physical ones shut down. From rolling out vaccinations across the globe, to a landmark year of collective action, online activism, and adapting to new virtual communication, interconnectedness during the pandemic is a testament to the resilience, ingenuity and humanness of the world. The extraordinary pieces written by BPR World writers stem from the drive to connect with those we are geographically separate from, yet collectively experiencing these unprecedented times. These articles highlight voices and stories from across the world, transporting readers to far- away places in the age of travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders. Many of these articles cover stories that are relegated to the sideline in mainstream media, drawing attention to global issues that are otherwise marginalized. BPR World is delighted to share these stories with you. Sincerely, Ashley Kim & Shenali Pilapitya World Editors OPINION A s this bizarre, surreal school year draws to a close, we’d like to thank those of you who made this year bearable. Thank you to our wonderful writers, who came up with fascinating ways to argue innovative and intriguing topics, who are eerily good at online pictionary, and who have maintained the optimistic and difficult belief that our opinions matter and that the way things are now is not the way they always will be. Thank you to our editors in chief who have created a safe and comforting space for our section to thrive in and who have supported us throughout the trials of a year online. And most of all, thank you to you, our readers, for picking up this magazine and listening to what we have to say. We hope you find at least one idea that interests you, or an argument that sticks with you, or a fact that motivates you to take action. Best, Juliette Lovell & Charlynn Teter Opinion Editors 3

MASTHEAD ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEFS W ith all the crises of the past year, it is no longer Madhumitha Krishnan unprecedented to say we live in unprecedented times. These events have given writers in BPR plenty Nhat Nguyen to think and write about, as you will see in the pages of Ana Singh this journal. We are indebted to our writers who provide thoughtful commentary on such issues in this turbulent WORLD EDITOR era. We know that journalism, let alone a single journal, Ashley Kim can not solve the world’s problems, but we do hope that it can give you thoughtful ways to think about some of DEPUTY WORLD EDITOR them. And we hope you enjoy reading what our writers Shenali Pilapitiya have to say! UNITED STATES EDITOR Best, Aaron Perry Hill DEPUTY UNITED STATES EDITOR Dario McCarty CALIFORNIA EDITOR Claire Rider DEPUTY CALIFORNIA EDITOR Shraya Blaisdell OPINION EDITORS Joyce Ma, Caleb Groen, & Marcus Tan Juliette Lovell Online Editors Charlynn Teter ONLINE EDITOR DESIGN Joyce Ma E very semester, the BPR print issue has been the design DEPUTY ONLINE EDITOR section's biggest project — we anticipate the mad dash Caleb Groen that starts once print articles come in and after months of Marcus Tan effort, we relish in the moment we finally see our editor- in-chiefs come in through the door carrying stacks of BUSINESS MANAGER print issues in cardboard boxes. Gavin Pfaffinger After two semesters without a print issue, we're proud to be finally coming out with TECH DIRECTOR this one. This issue, a combination of both Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 articles, is long, James Weichert difficult labor of love but we're incredibly grateful to everyone who was a part of it, from the amazing writers whose work is at the heart of this issue, to the editor-in-chiefs who COPY EDITOR created such a tight-knit community even while everyone was stuck in their own living Ana Singh rooms, to you, the reader. We hope you love flipping through this print issue as much as we loved making it. DESIGN DIRECTOR Catherine Hsu DEPUTY DESIGN DIRECTOR Cheers, Tanya Jain DESIGN TEAM Catherine Hsu & Tanya Jain Allen Kim Design Editors Iris Kwok Ella Suh 4

06 Design Requests 28 No Seats at the Table: What the Dearth of Black 07 Head Coaches in the NFL Tells Us About America 10 DESIGN Aayush Singh | UNITED STATES 13 16 Lockdown within a Lockdown: 31 For The Sake Of Our Asian Elders, COVID-19 in the Gaza Strip Reject Anti-Blackness 19 Ryan Liu | OPINION Zoe Forest | WORLD 22 35 Armchair Classicism, the Politics of the When a Diagnosis is a Privilege Past, and You 26 Jordan Murphy | ONLINE Megan Pagaduan | UNITED STATES 38 Who's at People's Park? Artificial Intelligence and the Mutual Aid Networks on the Rise! Loss of Humanity Alex Paltzer | CALIFORNIA Xiantao Wang | ONLINE 41 Homeland: Life in the Disputed West Bank Nikolai Schweber | ONLINE To Hear or Not to Hear: The Dilemma of Hearing Parents with Deaf Children 44 Conflict Rages between Armenia and Azerbaijan Annapurna Johnson | WORLD Louana Garraud | OPINION Cash v. Climate Change: A Dangerous Mix for CA Politics Elizabeth Vinyard | CALIFORNIA America the Lonely: social isolation, public health, and right-wing populism Alexander Sherer | OPINION What the Coronavirus Can Teach Us About Gun Violence Ariana Kretz | UNITED STATES 46 Kevin Faulconer: An Upset in the Making? 5 Pratik Rungta | CALIFORNIA 49 The Child Made Your Chocolate C OTNEN- TSGarrettLayton|WORLD

DESIGN REQUESTS ARTICLE: ARTICLE: Science and Philosophy: Friend and Foe to Abortion The Curious Task of Redistributive Taxes: Inheritance Debate by Kira Kessel and Corporate Taxes by Kira Kessel DESIGNER: DESIGNER: Catherine Hsu Catherine Hsu ARTICLE: ARTICLE: The Paradox Between Pension and Promise by Kira Revising the Community Reinvestment Act Under Kessel Biden: Advocacy, Targeted Reinvestment, and the Reversal of Redlining by Noah Bussel DESIGNER: DESIGNER: Tanya Jain Catherine Hsu ARTICLE: Who's at People's Park? Mutual Aid Networks on the Rise! by Charles Paltzer DESIGNER: Catherine Hsu 6 DESIGN

LOCKDOWN in Gaza, where an exit permit from the Israeli LWOITCHKIDNOAWN 53 percent of Government, and the flow of goods the population into the Gaza Strip is restricted lives in poverty by what Israel chooses to import. and healthcare infrastructure The Israel-imposed blockade has barely holds up had significant impact on Gaza’s under normal ability to deal with the virus and circumstances. continues to hurt residents as they adjust to life in a second Covid-19 in the Gaza Strip Residents of the lock-down caused by the virus. Gaza Strip are no strangers to BCloonctkraodveersy The blockade is highly BY ZOE FOREST lockdowns. In 2007, after the controversial. On August 25, the Gaza Strip anti-Israeli militant nationalist Israel claims it is necessary to went into lockdown after organization Hamas took control a family of four that had of the government, Israel imposed ensure national security and protect Israeli citizens. Hamas, the political recently returned from the West a blockade on the Gaza Strip in party that has controlled Gaza since Bank tested positive for COVID-19, the name of preserving national 2007, has explicitly called for the the first case of the virus in this security.Thoughcertainrestrictions destruction of Israel in the past densely populated territory outside have been relaxed over the years, and regularly attempts to bomb the of isolation centers.Since then 2,613 the blockade remains largely in Israeli cities that neighbor Gaza. cases have been reported,although a place to this day. Residents are The main purpose of the blockade shortage of testing kits means there extremely limited in their ability to is to keep could be more. While COVID-19 has leave the territory, always put strains on countries around the r e q u i r i n g Time world, the pandemic outbreak is felt especially hard design by Catherine Hsu WORLD 7

terrorists out of Israel and prevent Gaza is in many ways cut off from Some countries, notably Qatar, send financial aid monthly to Gaza. any weapons or materials that could the outside world, doctors and other Likewise, the UN is heavily involved in delivering aid to those living in become weapons from entering medical professionals are unable to refugee camps within Gaza, but these outside efforts cannot fulfill Gaza.Even with the blockade,Hamas receive the same quality of training all of Gaza’s needs. Intense reform and building is needed and that manages to send bombs to nearby as those in other countries. The will come only when Israel decides to lift the blockade and intervene Israeli cities and three small wars difficulty of obtaining medical in the rapid deterioration of Gaza. have broken out between Hamas equipment from the outside, due forces and Israel in the past 13 years. to Israel’s ban on anything that could be used as or turned into a While Israel maintains that the weapon, has rendered hospitals blockade is necessary, human under-supplied. Various reports rights organizations frequently claim that Gaza has only around 70 Israel’s declare that it is a serious violation ventilators, a much needed piece The spread of multiple international human of equipment for treating severe Response to of the virus rights laws. Gaza has been described cases of COVID-19, for a population the COVID-19 has slightly Outbreak in improved as “the world’s largest open-air of two million. Medicine is also Gaza relations between prison” and residents, the vast difficult to obtain. The opportunity majority of whom are not affiliated to seek outside medical care at with Hamas, suffer from collective better equipped facilities is very Israel and Gaza. Prior to August, punishments, such as limited limited due to the restrictions on when the virus spread into the electricity (most days residents movement in and out of Gaza. main population of Gaza, tensions are lucky to get twelve hours of between Hamas and Israel were electricity, though many days pass Beyond the impact on healthcare on the rise. Hamas had launched with only four). Opportunities in life infrastructure, the blockade raises incendiary balloon attacks on are limited and young people face other public health concerns. Only Israel that caused 24 fires, and unemployment rates of 70 percent 4 percent of water in Gaza is safe to Israel retaliated with air strikes. with no possibility of seeking work drink,and that percentage decreases A cease-fire was quickly called in Israel or another country. When annually. The building materials by both groups as they turned to Hamas and Israel clash, the victims needed to improve water sanitation tackling the spread of COVID-19, are predominantly civilians in Gaza. are impossible to collect since which has given both sides greater WHEN HAMAS Israel has refused peace. As part of the ceasefire deal, AND ISRAEL to send or delayed The blockade CLASH, THE sending most of the Israel has promised to send aid has also created supplies. The Solid deteriorating living to combat the virus, although it has not been reported how much conditions, with the VICTIMS ARE Waste Management aid and what form it will take. UN predicting back PREDOMINANTLY in Gaza relies in 2012 that Gaza primarily on donkey Zion Hagay, of the Israeli Medical would be unlivable CIVILIANS IN carts to collect Association, has written that since by 2020 unless GAZA. garbage and has the initial stages of the worldwide pandemic, Israel has been serious investments no place to put the transferring medical equipment into the West Bank and Gaza. Media in infrastructure were made. In collected garbage except overloaded coverage from sources within Israel likewise assert that Israel has sent the past eight years, very little has landfills. The collection of garbage aid into Gaza, but it is not stated what specific aid has been sent nor changed, and the consequences from two million inhabitants over how much. Media coverage from non-Israeli sources are relatively on health care and public health the years has polluted both the air silent on Israel’s intervention in the spreading pandemic. Beyond reveal conditions that are barely and what little drinkable water Gaza the ceasefire deal, it is unclear what exactly Israel has done to assist Gaza livable — and extremely susceptible has. It also attracts wild animals, in this dangerous time and the crisis does not seem to have awakened to a widespread pandemic. such as stray dogs and rats, which a commitment to correcting The This blockade sometimes carry diseases. Nearly a third of houses lack a sewage system BImlopcakcatdoen’s has had to collect waste. With deplorable Health Care significant sanitation, precious little clean aHnedalPthublic repercussions water and polluted air, Gaza is a on Gaza’s nightmare for public health officials healthcare and a breeding ground for disease. system. Since 8 WORLD

challenges imposed by the blockade. Teachers are concerned about up 70 percent of the population, but this new lockdown due to the Impact in Gaza continues to education. Schools have virus has been a wake-up call to just how dismal and unsustainable moved online but electricity is the situation is in Gaza. Gaza stress prevention. unpredictable in Gaza, and teachers All schools and worry that frequent power outages mosques and most stores have been will impact students’ ability to Possible Israel has great shut down. Those who have been complete assignments, attend exposed to the virus are required to class and stay engaged. In families Uprising incentive to quarantineforthreeweeks,although with multiple children, students deliver immediate, contact tracing is extremely difficult fight for sufficient screen time to generous aid and lift restrictions given inadequacies in healthcare complete their assignments while caused by the blockade since and government administration. the electricity lasts. Israel controls the poor conditions in Gaza, Social THE EMPHASIS ON the power lines exasperated and highlighted by SELF-ISOLATION AND that give Gaza distancing SOCIAL DISTANCING electricity, and the outbreak of COVID-19, could IS HURTING PEOPLE it is almost also proves entirely up prompt Gaza’s young population to MENTALLY IN A to Israel challenging. COMMUNITY WHERE how much retaliate on an unprecedented scale. electricity Since the ALL THEY HAVE IS Gaza receives. For nearly 18 months between EACH OTHER. lockdown 2018-2019, Gazans would gather began 13 years every Friday along the Gaza-Israeli ago, Gaza’s border in protest of horrible living population conditions. The protests eventually has grown If ever there petered out after little success by nearly half a million, but the was a time to lift restrictions but created a culture of protest in land area has not increased at all, on electricity, it is now. Beyond Gaza that could be renewed on a making Gaza about as densely electricity, poverty hinders greater scale if conditions continue populated as Boston or Tel Aviv. education as many families cannot to worsen as COVID-19 spreads. afford computers or smartphones. Gidon Bromberg, the Israel director Doctors,nursesandotherhealthcare Until schools reopen, students for EcoPeace Middle East, warns, workers are struggling. There has from these poorer families have “If COVID gets out of control, you always been a shortage of medical no way to connect with teachers are going to see reactions in Gaza workers, and now COVID-19 has or submit online assignments. that could be horrific; you could infected and decommissioned at see hundreds of thousands of least 68 at a time when more staff Some residents cannot believe Gazans trying to walk to the fence is needed. Doctors are working 24- that their situation could have out of fear of staying in Gaza”. hour shifts. One lab technician, who possibly deteriorated. A family conducts testing, reported falling that appeared on NBC lamented Thanks to extensive prevention measures taken in the early stages asleep on the job out of exhaustion. that if COVID-19 doesn’t kill them, of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis is still in its beginnings in This is not sustainable long-term, hunger will, since the lockdown Gaza. But if cases continue to rise, it could cripple the already fragile especially if more health workers has cost the father of the family area. Israel needs to act immediately and re-evaluate if the consequences catch COVID-19 from exposure his job as a driver. Many parents of its thirteen year blockade against Gaza and its two million residents to patients. Gaza needs more are struggling to provide food for are worth increased security. There must also be increased awareness doctors, nurses and technicians their children as unemployment of the conditions in Gaza on a global scale. Two million people are as cases continue to rise. skyrockets and small businesses trapped in dire circumstances with no way out due to Israel’s blockade. fail. Beyond medical supplies, Gaza Those with other medical needs general forms of aid such as conditions are being impacted as food to offset widespread poverty. well. Residents suffering from long- term illnesses, such as cancer, often The emphasis on self-isolation and obtain permits to seek health care in social distancing is hurting people Israelihospitals.Sincethebeginning mentally in a community where of the pandemic, however, Israel all they have is each other. The has been much more stringent in lock down imposed by Israel has approving travel and only half of become almost normalized over the those seeking outside medical care past 13 years, especially for Gaza’s have had their request granted. residents under 24, who make WORLD 9

WHEN A and ethnic minorities, alongside DIAGNOSIS low-income individuals, have less access to mental healthcare than wealthier white Americans. In ad- dition, these groups are also less likely to voluntarily seek out help for any mental disorders. Both a lack of accessibility and lack of initiative contribute to these dis- parities in mental healthcare. IS A “There are many different conflicts that prevent someone from seeking help,” says Claire Yu, mental health activist at Stanford with vast expe- PRIVILEGE rience working with a variety of mental health organizations, such as the Asian Mental Health Project and the Asian Mental Health Col- lective. She continues, “Religion by Megan Pagudan and spiritual bypassing, income and affordability, and stigmatiza- tion of mental health treatments are just some of the main reasons. In fact… skepticism in the psychi- atry field is rampant, and that can be enough.” Marcus was only 16 years with a mental illness, ranging from However, even when minority depression to borderline personal- groups seek mental health services, old when he realized something was ity disorder. Medical experts actu- there are evident disparities in the wrong. He’d sit in class unable to ally estimate that millions of more quality of the counseling that they pay attention, twiddling his thumbs, Americans experience some sort of receive. This is mostly due to the fact shaking his leg, constantly confront- mental illness, but remain profes- that many providers are not readily ing a rapid stream of unwanted, un- sionally undiagnosed and untreat- equipped to serve the specific needs welcome thoughts. This feeling of ed. While accessing mental health of the diverse populations in the U.S. uneasiness was no longer a transitory services is no quick cure for mental Yu sheds light on this specific barri- state, but one that began to dictate his illness like an antibiotic is for an in- er that minority groups face — the entire life. Once he had decided these fection, high-quality mental health fact that many mental healthcare thoughts were too disruptive for his care has been proven to help those providers and social workers can day-to-day life, he sought treatment. suffering, as was the case with Mar- lack the “cultural competence” to Over time, with the help of medical cus, who could afford care. Although treat patients from different cultural treatment and guidance from his this of course depends on the severi- backgrounds. Yu states, “A counselor doctor, he had a better understand- ty of one’s mental illness, high quality might use terms that minorities don’t ing and control of his condition. It mental healthcare should be easy to understand. And even if they do un- was a generalized anxiety disorder. access for those who seek it. derstand, what the counselor is say- Marcus is one of the 40 million in However, as with seeking gener- ing might not resonate with them due the U.S. that is diagnosed with anx- al healthcare, it isn’t. As a matter of to cultural barriers…” This lack of iety. In 2019, nearly 51.9 million of fact, there are certain populations cultural understanding can ultimate- the U.S. population was diagnosed that have disproportionately low ac- ly prevent someone from continuing cess to mental health services. Racial 10 UNITED STATES design by Tanya Jain

therapy. “It’s likely they won’t come mood disorders such as depression, lack of availability of mental health back after one visit just because of that while another study concluded that service providers. This is because dis- experience with that counselor,” Yu African Americans with severe de- parities in high-quality mental health- says, “They’ll decide it’s not for them pression are often misdiagnosed care are deeply rooted in our own because of one counselor who didn’t with schizophrenia. As a result, Af- healthcare systems. speak the same language as them, rican Americans are diagnosed with For one, mental health parity, which both literally and metaphorically.” schizophrenia at a higher rate than the describes the “equal treatment of men- This absence of cultural competence general population, and many receive tal health conditions and substance in a mental healthcare setting has ef- improper treatment for their illness. use disorders in insurance plans,” has fects across all racial minority groups. Thus, not all diagnoses are equal. not been evident in our healthcare Hispanic Americans often face lan- What remedies are there for this system despite federal laws and reg- guage barriers, African Americans grave disparity? A potential (though ulations in recent years. For instance, are prone to dealing with stigma, and partial) solution is greater outreach the Mental Health Parity and Addic- indigenous groups may encounter a promoting mental health education tion Equity Act (MHPAEA) in 2008 lack of cultural understanding from among those populations with more strived to make mental illness and mental healthcare providers. barriers to mental healthcare. For in- substance use coverage equal to surgi- In consequence, these cultural barri- stance, in 2004, California passed the cal and medical coverage, in effort to ers greatly impact the deliverance of Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), make mental health care more acces- mental health services that minority which included campaigning efforts sible. In 2013, the federal government groups receive. For instance, studies to reduce stigma surrounding mental furthered this mission by issuing offi- have actually shown that physicians health illness in underserved commu- cial guidelines for how to enforce the were much less likely to identify the nities of color. But while launching MHPAEA, creating a specific criteria severity of depression in minority social media campaigns and raising for which different health insurance patients versus white patients. The awareness of mental disorders are im- plans are subject to the law. problem of misdiagnosis has been portant, they are merely temporary Despite these steps in the right direc- especially prominent in tion, these mental health parity laws the Black pop- bandage solutions on a gap- are mostly symbolic. According to the ulation. One ing wound of an is- National Alliance on Mental Illness study found sue. Nearly 17 (NAMI), parity laws “mean nothing that African years after the without network adequacy.” NAMI Americans MHSA, coun- defines network adequacy as when are also less ties through- a health insurance plan has “enough likely to be di- out California in-network providers to meet the agnosed with still have to confront the needs of the plan’s mem- bers in a geographic area.” In-network providers are a web of doctors, facilities, and pharmacies that you automatically have access to under a certain health insurance plan, whose ser- vices you can access at a pre-negotiated cost. Many plans actually lack in-network providers for mental health services. Ac- cording to the Kaiser UNITED STATES 11

Family Foundation, the “vast majori- “ As discussed, there is not only the anti-Black police violence and grap- ty of states have met less than 50% of problem of accessibility to mental ple with the appalling rise of an- mental health care needs among their healthcare, but also disparities in ti-Asian hate crimes throughout the populations.” A 2019 report found the quality of treatment. If mental U.S., it becomes even more pressing that a behavioral health office visit is healthcare is to become more acces- to address these disparities to as- over five times more likely to be out- sible to underserved communities, sure that these communities that are of-network than a primary care ap- we need to equip providers with prone to experiencing racial trau- pointment. Therefore, when people the adequate resources to become ma can receive the help they need. seek psychiatric help, they are most more culturally qualified to serve the As we advocate for more anti-racist likely traveling further, waiting lon- unique needs of different minority policies to combat this systemic and ger, and paying more. This is incon- groups. Although various profes- institutional racism, it is critical that venient for anyone seeking help; and sional organizations like the Amer- we include equal access to high-qual- can have especially disproportionate ican Psychology Association (APA) ity mental healthcare as part of our effects on certain populations, such and the Association for Multicul- agenda. This disproportionate access as those who cannot afford to take tural Counseling and Development and quality of mental healthcare is a off work, pay for childcare, drive (AMCD) emphasize the importance critical racial inequality. Therefore, their own car, or burden the gargan- of cultural competence within their when we push for equal access to tuan co-pays. It’s also worth noting guidelines, they tend to lack cultural mental healthcare, we also push for that psychiatric offices don’t tend to specificity. By lumping all minority more racial equality. be situated in low-income zip codes. groups together as a monolith, men- Although the conversation sur- All together, these myriad factors tal healthcare providers become less rounding mental health has clear- make it almost certain that minority prepared to successfully serve these ly become much more normalized groups don’t have adequate access to different communities. There must among the younger populations and mental healthcare. be more comprehensive research, in mainstream media, it is important training, and resources to resolve this to remember that there is still much “Policies to issue, in order to assure that the men- work to be done. As Yu puts it, “Ev- address these tal health counseling and treatments eryone is comfortable with [talking disparities must these communities receive are best about] mental health, but no one is go farther than equipped to treat their illnesses. comfortable with mental illness.” colorblindness, The need to address these mental Marcus, mentioned at the beginning and must healthcare disparities has only be- of the article, suffered from debilitat- specifically come more urgent, given that men- ing anxiety for almost an entire year address historic tal health challenges have only been before seeking help because of the racial disparities exacerbated during the current pan- stigma surrounding mental illness. to be truly demic. In fact, in a survey conduct- However, as mentioned, receiving effective. ed by the CDC in June 2020, sui- exceptional care and support from 12 UNITED STATES cide ideation was reportedly much his providers had drastically changed higher among Blacks and Hispanics, his life for the better. It will require demonstrating the need for greater national effort to assure that every accessibility to high-quality mental individual has the same access to health services for populations with high-quality mental healthcare as disproportionately low access. Marcus did. And as the last year of Additionally, as we continue to fight racial unrest and anguish has taught us, these policies to address these disparities must go farther than col- orblindness, and must specifically address historic racial disparities to be truly effective.

by Xiantao Wang Theterm“artificialintelligence,” Although the founding fathers of AI a level for a long time, if ever. or AI, has become a buzzword in the 1950s and 1960s experimented in recent years. Optimists see with manually codifying knowledge AI does not dehumanize AI as the panacea to society’s most into computer systems, most of humans — humans do. fundamental problems, from crime today’s AI application is carried to corruption to inequality, while out via a statistical approach AI does not understand humanity, pessimists fear that AI will overtake through machine learning, thanks but the epistemological wall human intelligence and crown to the proliferation of big data between AI and humanity is itself king of the world. Underlying and computational power in further complicated by the fact these two seemingly antithetical recent years. However, today’s AI that humans do not understand views is the assumption that AI is is still limited to the performance AI, either. A typical AI model easily better and smarter than humanity of specialized tasks, such as contains hundreds of thousands and will ultimately replace classifying images, recognizing of parameters, whose weights humanity in making decisions. patterns and generating sentences. are fine-tuned according to some mathematical principles in order to It is easy to buy into the hype of Although a specialized AI might minimize “loss,” a rough estimate omnipotent artificial intelligence outperform humans in its specific of how wrong the model is. The these days, as venture capitalists function, it does not understand the design of the loss function and its dump billions of dollars into logic and principles of its actions. minimization process are often tech start-ups and government An AI that classifies images, for more art than science. We do not technocrats boast of how AI example, might label images of know what the weights in the model helps them streamline municipal cats and dogs more accurately than mean or how the model predicts one governance. But the hype is just a human, but it never knows how result rather than another. Without hype: AI is simply not as smart as a cat is similar to and different an explainable framework,decision- we think. The true threat of AI to from a dog. Similarly, a natural making driven by AI is a black box, humanity lies not in the power language processing (NLP) AI can unaccountable and even inhumane. of AI itself but in the ways people train a model that projects English are already beginning to use it words onto vectors, but it does not This is more than just a theoretical to chip away at our humanity. comprehend the etymology and concern. This year in China, local context of each individual word. authorities rolled out the so-called AI outperforms humans, AI performs tasks mechanically “health code,” a QR code assigned but only in ow-level tasks. without understanding the content to each individual using an AI- of the tasks, which means that it powered risk assessment algorithm Artificial intelligence is a field in is certainly not able to outsmart indicating their risk of contracting computer science that seeks to have its human masters in a dystopian and spreading COVID-19. There computers perform certain tasks manner and will not reach such have been numerous pieces of by simulating human intelligence. news coverage about citizens who design by Ella Suh ONLINE 13

found their health codes suddenly mouse and number of seconds we maximize benefits and minimize turning from green (low-risk) to spend scrolling through a page. We losses for people according to red (high risk) for no reason. They are passive consumers in a deluge mathematical principles. This became “digital refugees” as they of information tailored to our utilitarian logic, though, often were immediately banned from tastes, no longer having to actively contravenes what we would consider entering public venues, including reach out to find information — noble from a moral standpoint grocery stores, which require green because that information finds us. — prioritizing the weak over the codes. Nobody knows how the risk strong,safeguarding the rights of the assessment algorithm works under AI knows nothing about minority despite giving up greater the hood, yet, in this trying time culture and values. overall welfare and seeking truth of coronavirus, it is determining and justice rather than telling lies. people’s day-to-day lives. Feeding an AI system requires data, the representation of information. The fact that AI does not understand AI applications can Some information, such as gender, culture or values does not imply intervene in human age and temperature, can be easily that AI is value-neutral. Rather, agency. coded and quantified. However, there is no way to uniformly any AI Artificial intelligence is also quantify complex emotions, transforming the medical industry. beliefs, cultures, norms Predictive algorithms are now and values. Because powering brain-computer interfaces AI systems (BCIs) that can read signals from cannot the brain and even write in signals process if necessary. For example, a BCI can these identify a seizure and act to suppress concepts, the symptom, a potentially life- the best saving application of AI. But BCIs they can also create problems concerning do is to agency. Who is controlling one’s seek to brain — the user or the machine? One need not plug their brain into some electronic device to face this issue of agency. The newsfeed of our social medias is constantly using artificial intelligence to push us content based on patterns from our views, likes, moves of the 14 ONLINE

designed by humans is implicitly prudent culture would encourage mathematically opposed to each value-laden. It is consciously maximizing precision, the other. People have to make a choice or unconsciously imbued with proportion of labelled positives that when designing an AI system, and the belief system of its designer. are actually positive. While such a the choice they make will inevitably Biases in AI can come from the distinction might seem trivial, in a reflect the values of the designers. representativeness of the historical medical setting, it can become an data, the ways in which data issue of life and death: do we try to Take responsibility, now. scientists clean and interpret the distribute as much of a treatment data, which categorizing buckets as possible despite its side effects, AI may or may not outsmart human the model is designed to output, the or do we act more prudently to limit beings one day — we simply do not choice of loss function and other the distribution of the treatment to know. What we do know is that AI is design features. A more aggressive minimize side effects, even if many already changing power dynamics company culture, for example, people will never get the treatment? and interpersonal relations today. might favor maximizing recall in AI, Within a single AI model, these Government institutions and or the proportion of positives corporations run the risk of treating identified as two goals can never be achieved atomized individuals as miniscule positive, simultaneously because data points to be aggregated and while a they are tapped by AI programs, devoid of more personal idiosyncrasies, specialized needs, or unconditional moral worth. This dehumanization is further amplified by the winner- takes-all logic of AI platform economies that creates mighty monopolies, resulting in a situation in which even the smallest decisions made by these companies have the power to erode human agency and autonomy. In order to mitigate the side effects of AI applications, academia, civil society, regulators and corporations must join forces in ensuring that human-centric AI will empower humanity and make our world a better place. ONLINE 15

TTOO HHEEAARR OORR NNOOTTTTOO HHEEAARR:: THE DILEMMA OF HEARING PARENTS WITH DEAF CHILDREN by Louana Garraud may seem like an easy decision, it is a com- plex one; by portraying cochlear implants as a foolproof “remedy” for deafness, parents might not only keep the child from finding their place in the Deaf communi- ty, but also tend to skew their self-image by mak- ing them measure them- selves by the standards of the hearing world. \"You See Me\", Ashley Hannan The increasing pressure for members of the Deaf A lice De Gentile first heard her mother’s voice when community to adapt to she was seven; due to a congenital cochlear malfor- the hearing world disre- mation, she was born deaf in both ears. Her hearing gards the richness and parents had very limited knowledge of the Deaf commu- history of their culture, and the value of their per- nity. Nevertheless, they faced an important decision: spective. We should ex- whether or not to get their daughter a cochlear implant. pand our understanding of deafness not as a dis- Like Alice, more than 90 percent of deaf children in ability, but as a difference, the United States have hearing parents. Most par- as a unifying factor for a ents then opt to fit their child for a cochlear im- community with its own plant, a device through which electrical stimu- history and culture. Re- lation of the ear replicates sound, rather than gardless cochlear implan- to embrace their child’s deafness and to learn tation decision, hearing American Sign Language at home. While this parents should consider educating themselves 16 OPINION and their children on the cultural significance of the Deaf community. This knowledge will avoid por- traying their child’s deaf- ness as an “impairment,” allow them to learn more design by Tanya Jain

about deaf experiences, and en- and deaf candidates for various while the sounds generated are sure their child doesn’t feel out careers, both groups rated deaf audible, they have a distinct of place in both the hearing and candidates as less suitable to “mechanical” feel. A woman re- the Deaf world. pursue 10 out of 14 occupations, calls her implant activation af- even when told that both candi- ter losing hearing: “emotional- Currently, the official definition dates had the same abilities nec- ly, it was hard to appreciate the from the American Disabili- essary for the position. This sur- sound coming from the implant ty Act describes deafness as “a vey is but one example of how because of the strange quality. physical […] impairment that this incomplete legal definition […] I had some fleeting thoughts substantially limits one or more of deafness can negatively im- of regret.” major life activities.” Under this pact feelings of self-worth and definition, the term “deaf” re- eventually limit opportunities. Alice agrees that “despite their fers to a limited group of people, usefulness, there are major ob- whose profound hearing impair- Additionally, unilateral rep- stacles to cochlear implants”; ment limits their ability to rely resentation of deafness in the she mentions her inability to on hearing to communicate with media can exacerbate feelings distinguish the sound of classi- others. of inadequacy. Frequently, deaf cal music from hard rock in cer- characters are unable to speak, tain situations, and the need for However, Alice agrees that this or speak very little, and their complementary lip reading or definition is too reductive: “If deafness is often used as a sim- signed speech. “If I didn’t have we want to focus on the scien- ple character trait. Alice, who lip reading to communicate,” tific condition, this definition was born deaf and speaks several she says, “the implant would be is technically correct,” she says, languages fluently, deplores this almost superfluous.” “but if we want to look at the lack of diverse representation in person as a whole, it is incom- the media: “when you read arti- This variety in experiences has plete. I am deaf, but my deafness cles or watch TV shows, you only led some members of the deaf is not just a disability. It is also a see one type of deaf person. This community to criticize viral strength.” is missing the point of the deaf videos like “Hearing My Hus- community entirely — there is band Say I Love You For the First While this definition grants im- such a richness and diversity Time”, which they see as glam- portant rights to the deaf and that relying on a stereotype is orizing cochlear implantation, hard of hearing, research pub- not enough.” without discussing the choice lished in the Journal of Deaf behind the surgery. Studies and Deaf Education ar- Today, roughly 324,200 peo- gued that this “unsuitable con- ple around the world have been Finally, since an implant does struction of the Deaf-World as fitted for a cochlear implant. not provide unambiguous ac- a disability group” has resulted However, this choice is divisive cess to language, it may “delay in discouraging many Deaf chil- in the Deaf community. While child[ren’s] language acquisi- dren from learning the language implants have some benefits, tion” if not complemented with and culture of the community. like improving hearing, mak- sign language or another form of In this case, legally classifying ing speech comprehensible, deafness as a disability results in and allowing for the distinction OPINION 17 some people internalizing that between volume, the implant definition; therefore, deaf or requires time to notice results. hard of hearing individuals (D/ Therefore, this process can be HH) will tend to consider them- frustrating at first. selves “disabled.” For example, when researchers asked deaf In this respect, the biggest fal- and hearing participants to rank lacy regarding implants is their the suitability of both hearing ability to “restore hearing”;

visual communication. cued speech. Cued speech is an a capital D. This has become This is why professionals alternative to sign language in the way of distinguishing be- encourage hearing parents to which people use hand gestures tween the physical aspect of teach their children sign lan- not to form individual words hearing loss, and the cultural guage or other forms of visual like in ASL, but rather, to “spell” significance of the Deaf com- communication. sounds of words in addition to munity. mouthing them, following the So, what are the options for vi- English grammar and structure. The “Deaf Power” movement sual communication? Besides While it might be difficult for has embodied this new per- lip reading, sign language is hearing individuals to grasp the ception of deafness by fram- an other widespread approach. significance of that difference, the ing it as a cultural difference. rise of cued speech is dividing the The emergence of the Deaf L’Eppe, the “Father of the deaf community. Some regard it Civil Rights movement in the Deaf,” first introduced French as an “oralist” method of commu- 1990s also allowed this com- sign language in 1760. Hop- nication, a refusal to learn sign munity to gain visibility, and kins Gallaudet then stan- language and an effort to adapt to promote the Deaf culture signing to English grammar and as an identity rather than a dardized American Sign rules instead, thus pandering to disability. Language, and Gallaudet’s the hearing world. son later created the first Therefore, reframing our American college for the deaf Alice acknowledges the existence view of the Deaf communi- in Washington D.C., which is still of this divide :“deaf people are di- ty is critical. It is time to see the only one of its kind worldwide. vided in two,” she says. “There are deafness not as a deficit, but deaf signers, who are considered as a difference, as well as a So, what’s the significance of sign as not knowing how to speak, and cultural identity for those language? For one, it is the central deaf oralists, who use cued speech, who identify as “culturally cultural tie between members of can speak, and are relatively well Deaf”. Because in the past, the Deaf community. Its value lies integrated in society. There are the Deaf world has been in variety, as cultural variations two worlds within the same world forced to adapt to the hear- and traditions within deaf com- ; the story of two communities.” ing, sometimes in violent munities everywhere were bound ways, I argue that we must to birth various forms of commu- While this relationship is now im- look to the hearing world for nication. Singular expressions re- proving, she adds that some mem- a change in perspective. We flect this history, but also highlight bers of the Deaf community still are the hearing majority; it cultural differences, with varia- see the use of cued speech and is easy for us to consider our tions of ASL based on location (ex. cochlear implants as an “oralist” own oralist experience uni- Texan dialectic signs), race (like move away from traditional Deaf versal, conventional, and op- “Black ASL”), age (use of “slang”) culture. timal. However, I hope that and more. Unfortunately, earli- through this article, I was er educators incorrectly saw sign Overall, we should define deafness able to make you reframe language as limiting children’s as its members do; as a difference, your experience as a development and decided in 1880 heritage, culture, and the vector hearing per- to ban the use of sign in schools — of a historically rich community… son in a teachers sometimes enforced this for those who identify as such. In- deed, not all deaf or hard of hear- world in rule through cruel methods, like ing individuals know about or which some tying deaf children’s hands identify with the cultural as- are born or become behind their back. pect of deafness. This is why a deaf. Remember: it is new definition has emerged: their world too. Finally, a third method the “culturally Deaf”, with of communication emerged about 50 years ago: 18 OPINION

Cash v. Climate Change: A Dangerous Mix for CA Politics by Elizabeth Vinyard In recent years, the world has been focusing its collective policy making efforts towards combating climate change. This is largely because scientists tell us that we have until about 2030 to make enormous changes before climate change starts gravely impacting us as a species. Although the United States does not seem to be united in the fight against climate change, many have looked to California as the state that is pioneering a national climate movement. This is because California has done a lot for climate change issues, and their reputation for being a radical liberal safe haven has earned them a lot of the credit. However, this reputation that California holds may be undeserved as California has - in reality - passed little climate policy. What stands in the way for California in making any big moves in the battle against climate change is the suffocating chokehold that money seems to have on their politics. AB345 and AB1080/SB54 with above-average poverty rates for California, and 67 percent were located in communities of color.” In the most recent legislative session that ended in 2020, there were two key pieces of state legislation The other bill proposed in the 2019-2020 legislative proposed that would tackle major environmental session was AB1080/SB54. These were identical issues. One was AB345, written by Assemblymember Al pieces of legislation proposed in the Assembly and in Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), which is a bill that mandated the Senate. These bills called for a 75% decrease in there be a 2,500-foot buffer zone between oil and gas single-use plastics and mandated that products like wells and homes, schools, and other sensitive locations. packaging and utensils be replaced by recyclable or Shockingly, there are currently zero health and safety compostable products by 2032. AB1080 was written setbacks around oil and gas wells in California. In by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San comparison, Texas requires a 250 foot setback for Diego) and SB54 was written by Senator Ben fracking operations. This is just one example of the Allen (D-Santa Monica). These bills set out to enormous power that the oil and gas industry holds address another pressing issue in the in California. This bill caught a lot of attention from fight against climate change, community groups, public health advocates, and our plastic pollution environmentalists like Greenpeace US, California problem. It is an Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA), and Voices in issue that needs dire Solidarity against Neighborhood Drilling (VISIÓN). attention as, “about These groups focused significant energy on getting 11 billion metric this bill to pass, and staged demonstrations in front of tons of plastics will the capitol building in Sacramento to encourage a yes accumulate in the vote on AB345. This bill also received a lot of attention environment by because nearly 5.5 million California residents live 2025. The millions within a mile of an oil well, unsurprisingly as the state of tons that wash ranks fourth in oil production in the country. Oil and into the oceans gas production are major drivers of climate change, every year snare and and pose great health risks for those who live close to choke marine life, production since these sites produce great amounts contaminate seafood of dangerous air pollutants. Most burdened by these and pollute even the health risks are typically low-income communities of depths of Monterey Bay.” color. The Center for Biological Diversity claims that, “of California’s beautiful the more than 21,000 new oil and gas wells permitted by the state, 76 percent were located in communities CALIFORNIA 19 design by Catherine Hsu

coasts and beaches are at risk if we do not They are led by Philip Rozenski, an executive at South fix our plastic problem. If adopted, the Carolina-based packaging giant Novolex, and they spent legislation would have also encouraged other almost $3.4 million lobbying in California. Out of the states in the country to address their plastic $3.4 million, $2.3 million was used to directly lobby in problem since many follow California’s lead. opposition to AB1080 and SB54, and $50,000 was spent on Facebook ads to campaign against these bills. The Story behind the Failure Although there is much support in As for AB345, it not only had a well-financed opposition, California for fighting climate change, but spokespeople for the opposition in the legislature. and we have a Democratic majority It was greatly opposed by Senator Ben Hueso (D-San in the legislature, both AB345 and Diego), Senator Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno), and AB1080/SB54 failed to pass. Senate majority leader Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys). These three spoke out the most against AB345, and Why is it that two major pro- unsurprisingly, received large contributions and other environmental bills didn’t pass support from oil interests that were also trying to in California? Although various lobby against AB345. There were also other senators California politicians pose as who voted against AB345 that took recent industry- environmentalists, funded trips hosted by the they are easily swayed Although various California Foundation on by the power of the Environment and the California money. Both pieces Economy. This foundation of legislation had politicians pose as brings together industry powerful opposition environmentalists, lobbyists from the business that spent millions sector and legislators to reside of dollars in lobbying they are easily in luxury hotels and attend primarily moderate swayed by the focused seminars. Ironically, Democrats in the power of money. Gonzalez, who wrote the legislature. The bill’s pro-environmental bill powerful opposition: AB1080, pulled AB345 from the oil and gas, and the Assembly Appropriations packaging industries. Committee that she chairs. Gonzalez has received campaign contributions throughout her career from AB1080 and SB54 succumbed Tesoro ($13,000) ExxonMobil ($3,500) CA Independent to the overpowering influence Petroleum Association ($7,000), Chevron ($11,300), of the plastics and packaging CA Building Industry Association ($10,300), and State industry and their multi-million Building and Construction Trades Council of California dollar campaign against the PAC ($34,300), according to state campaign finance two bills. The oil companies, data. Even Gonzalez, the writer of AB1080, seems to manufacturers and a plastic fall victim to the lobbying efforts of the oil and gas packaging-backedgroupargues industry. that, “making manufacturers responsible for the ultimate Even though AB345 had the support of 79 percent of fate of their products ignores Californians, and a poll done by UC Berkeley shows the roles of local governments, that 85 percent of likely voters say that climate change waste haulers and consumers.” is their top priority, special interests outweighed The plastic packaging- the voices of constituents. In 2019, Western States backed group that advocated Petroleum Association topped the list of spenders with for the failure of these bills $8.8 million spent on lobbying, and Chevron followed paradoxically called themselves close behind with $5.9 million. The combination of Californians for Recycling both WSPA and Chevron’s money spent, and and the Environment. The other oil companies that contributed name is extremely misleading that year, led to AB345’s considering it’s a group made demise. up of packaging companies. 20 CALIFORNIA

Big Oil and Gas has always had progressive in its environmental action. We have often a Strong Influence in CA been looked at as the state leading the way in the country in the fight against climate change and regularly The oil and gas industry in CA donate millions of dollars spoke out about Trump’s climate change denial driven to Democratic campaigns in California to support and policies and actions. California has passed landmark promote their agenda. Companies that are members policies such as AB 32, that extended and strengthened of the Western States Petroleum Association, such as the limit on greenhouse gas emissions, has organized Chevron, Valero, and Phillips 66, are the businesses the Global Climate Action Summit, and continues to that are concentrating their efforts on electoral work with other states and nations around the world to politics. Just in the ten years from 2005 to 2014, Big Oil enact policy regarding climate change. However, we are spent $266 million influencing California politics. Out still failing to fully fight climate change. As the money of the $266 million, $112 million was spent on lobbying contributed by the oil and gas industry make evident, and the other $154 million was spent on political California is not as environmentally progressive as its campaigns.The top contributors during those ten years reputation suggests. Key environmental bills continue were Chevron with $75,665,793, Aera Energy with to fail in the California legislature as the power of $37,177,594, Occidental with $17,100,694, Valero with the oil and gas industry continues to dominate state $6,472,155, and ConocoPhillips with $5,872,096. Big Oil politics. is choosing to fund campaigns that are most plausible for representing their interests in California’s political In order to address the pressing issue of the climate sphere; the campaigns of moderate Democrats. They crisis, there needs to be action taken to extract or limit hope to keep this group of moderates/conservative money from California’s politics. As constituents, we Democrats in the legislature because they believe that also need to hold our representatives accountable. Ask these are the most viable Democrats that will kill or your representative why they voted no on these bills, water down environmental legislation. push them to answer the tough questions about money Big Oil is not new in California politics, and corrupting our politics in California. Politicians who were extremely influential in Jerry Brown’s are elected on campaign promises of environmental governorship. Most remember Governor Jerry change must be held accountable for the Brown to be someone who consistently promises they break. The climate change preached about fighting climate change, yet battle in California needs accountability he took the most campaign contributions and serious commitment if we are to from the industry he preached against. make any bigger impact on the According to public records provided movement. by the Secretary of State’s Office and the California Fair Political Practices Commission, in the previous years before the bill was signed, he had received $2.49 million in financial donations from oil and gas interests. What this says about CA’s Politics California, compared to the rest of the country, is definitely CALIFORNIA 21

AMERICA THE LONELY SOCIAL ISOLATION, PUBLIC HEALTH, AND RIGHT WING POPULISM BY ALEXANDER SHERER Our hunger to belong is the longing to find a bridge across the distance from isolation to intimacy. – John O’Donohue, Irish poet When the 2016 presidential it as a term for people and places are worse for millennials and Gen Z: election ended in one of the “far from neighbors”. Smash cut the same study finds that 71 and 79 biggest upsets in modern political to 2018, when the United Kingdom percent, respectively, report feeling history, pundits and talking heads created a government office for the lonely in life. And that was before scrambled to diagnose the shocking “Minister of Loneliness” after the a global pandemic upended lives outcome. They blamed economic country’s rate of chronic loneliness and pushed people farther apart. anxiety, xenophobia, a desire for an reached 45 percent among adults, In the last 50 years, the share of anti-establishment candidate. For recognizing it as a public health U.S. adults living alone has nearly the long list of factors that gave us risk. doubled, an effect that has been a Trump presidency, I propose an observed across the industrialized addendum: loneliness. America, the U.K.’s estranged adult world. The 25 percent of adults who child, is doing less and faring worse. live alone in the U.S. represent the In 1674, English naturalist John As of 2019, 61 percent of adult highest rate ever recorded. In 2020, Ray placed “loneliness” in a list of Americans identified as lonely––up 17% percent of Americans reported infrequently used words, and defined 7 percent from 2018. The numbers having no one they were close with, 22 OPINION design by Allen Kim and Catherine Hsu

Wired up nine percentage points from People grow up, focus on their group belonging was imperative 2013. This rise in social isolation coincides with record levels of careers, and slowly drift away from to survival. Successful social mental illness, declining rates of volunteerism and religious close connections. Our country also groups are predicated on trust affiliation (both community- centric activities) and fewer close has an ever increasing proportion and familiarity; evolution favors friends than decades past. of elderly Americans whose friends forming strong bonds in species that For significant segments of our population, chronic loneliness and family start to pass away and are social because they are more and the quality of life reductions it brings are serious issues. leave them increasingly isolated. likely to survive. In the hundreds of WHAT IS LONELINESS, AND At the same time, community thousands of years humans spent as WHY IS IT GETTING WORSE? activities have been declining tribal hunter-gatherers, separation Loneliness as a public health issue refers to long term feelings and the internet has stepped in from the group meant certain of disconnection from society and other people. Famed political as a source of quasi-interaction. death. Loneliness likely evolved theorist and UC Berkeley professor Hannah Arendt once Young people are operating in a as an aversive state, like hunger described loneliness as “a kind of wilderness where a person world with increasing emphasis or pain, that disincentivized being feels deserted by all worldliness and human companionship, even on the internet as a source of alone because it was dangerous. when surrounded by others.” This encapsulates the essence entertainment and more options Individuals who felt lonely would of loneliness: while physical distance from other people can for solo entertainment. But virtual stay connected, thus improving certainly make it more likely, it is at its core an internal, subjective interactions are no substitute for their chances of survival. This is feeling that arises from a lack of true bonds. the reciprocal bonds that humans also why we are especially sensitive Pinpointing a precise cause for this rise in loneliness is crave and need. Rural Americans, to rejection; being rejected from a impossible because our society is complex and dynamic. Competing an oft overlooked group, suffer social group was a matter of life or theories blame capitalism, individualism, industrialization, from even worse acute loneliness. death 50,000 years ago. In modern urbanization, the internet, other technological advancement, or The physical distance between humans, losing your group triggers some combination of factors. It seems likely, however, that it residences can lead to even more a fight-or-flight response because is a product of general societal progression. complete social isolation, with of the danger it presented to our As our manufactured world not so much as a glimpse of other ancestors—your body interprets it continues to develop, human interaction becomes less of an human beings for extended periods as an emergency. imperative for survival. And in a world where work is the priority, of time. Over time the symptoms of not loneliness happens by accident. A SILENT KILLER FROM OUR having a group to connect with EVOLUTIONARY PAST cause psychological unease, leading to anxiety, fearful Humans are social beings. Our behavior, defensiveness, and self- minds and bodies do not react involvement. In a tragic negative well to chronic feelings of social feedback loop, the behaviors isolation. A 2015 study found brought about by the anxiety that a lack of social connections of being socially isolated make is as detrimental to one’s health connection less likely. The fear and as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, nervousness of not having a “tribe” concluding that it is a serious risk make people harder to engage with factor for premature death. The and less likely to reach out to others. CDC also recognizes the connection Loneliness has been empirically between loneliness and increased linked to selfish behavior as a rates of dementia, heart OadniPsxeIiNaestIeyO,. N means of self preservation. Without stroke, depression, and social bonds, there is no positive And this suffering also has a dollar reinforcement of the caring and cost. A 2017 study published by generous behavior that makes the AARP Public Policy Institute for good relationships. Chronic showed social isolation and its loneliness, it would seem, leads to negative health implications cost subtle feelings of vulnerability and Medicare roughly $6.7 billion anxiety, which in turn cause people annually. to act more selfishly as a defense Why does it affect us so drastically? mechanism. The answer is rooted in our evolutionary past. Humans evolved Research has also shown that lonely in close-knit social groups where individuals suffer from a minor but OPINION 23

cruel distortion of reality. They growing social isolation in the correlation between loneliness and xenophobia, right-wing are simultaneously hyper-aware country. This is not to say it is authoritarianism, and less of social queues and more likely tolerance for distress. It follows to misinterpret those queues the sole or primary reason our that loneliness is a common negatively. To start, neuroscientists politics are becoming more theme on right-wing message link loneliness to living in a state hostile, but to discount it as a boards. Conspiracy theories and of hypervigilance in daily life, factor would be ignorant. There online communities offering passed down from our ancestors are numerous peer-reviewed a sense of belonging have who were in grave mortal danger studies linking increased always drawn social outcasts, if they found themselves alone anxiety and fear to right-wing and nothing gives a sense of long-term. Compounding this is politics in general. Right-wing community and protection like a cult leader to rally behind. the tendency of lonely people to voters tend to resist change and Enter Donald Trump. interpret ambiguous social queues have a stronger physiological The blend of American negatively and to react with a self- response to threats; a University conservatism and right-wing preservation mindset. In a negative populism espoused by the ousted feedback loop this makes it even College of London study found president is especially appealing harder for lonely individuals to a correlation between larger to socially isolated voters. They reach out, and may drive them away amygdalas (the region of the are primed for his “beware the from situations they misinterpret brain that processes fear) and other” messaging and general as hostile. conservative self-identification fear mongering that targets the in young adults. vulnerability they feel due to HOW DOES LONELINESS BLEED their lack of social connections. INTO POLITICS? Of course, these are Trump also brings his cult of personality to the table. He The tortured psyche of America oversimplified generalizations, speaks in a language that lonely is often reflected in the cracked but they hint at real psychological people are receptive to, playing mirrorofpolitics.Tosomedegree, trends that influence political the role of a strong leader who the surge in virulent right-wing attitudes. The important will protect you from the world populism is a reflection of the takeaway: chronic loneliness that is out to get you. Strongmen appeal to people who feel CHRONIC LONELINESS causes heightened anxiety, vulnerable by offering protection fear, and hypervigilance, and strength; a powerful new CAUSES HEIGHTENED which can make people group to join. Arendt, our ANXIETY, FEAR, AND more receptive to far-right political theorist from earlier, HYPERVIGILANCE, ideology that relies on wrote in 1951: “What prepares WHICH CAN MAKE fear of the “other,” fear of men for totalitarian domination radical social change, and in the non-totalitarian world promises security. is the fact that loneliness… has become an everyday experience PEOPLE MORE English economist of the ever-growing masses of our century.” NoreenaHertzinterviewed And while Trump’s motives are RECEPTIVE TO FAR- right-wing voters in driven by a narcissistic desire for RIGHT IDEOLOGY England, France, and the self aggrandizement, his ability THAT RELIES ON FEAR United States. “What I OF THE “OTHER,” kept coming across,” she said in an interview, “time and time again, was how lonely they felt.” A study FEAR OF RADICAL from the University of Arizona, Tucson goes so SOCIAL CHANGE, AND far as to directly link social isolation with heightened PROMISES SECURITY. extreme conservatism— finding a positive 24 OPINION

to tap into socially isolated may seem, we are all humans Individually, we can all choose conservatives is very real. With motivated by the same basic to reach out to our friends and Trump at the lead, legions of desires, and prey to the same family. Keeping up with friends socially isolated voters found physiological defects. For a in our own age group ensures solace in a president who, they lot of America, a lack of social that we do not accidentally felt, truly saw them. connection is a serious health find ourselves isolated later, issue. Addressing it can help and keeping up with our elders It showed in the numbers. reduce harms to mental and will help them feel connected Polling site FiveThirtyEight physical health, curb premature to a world that seems to be summarizes: deaths, and make people feel moving on without them. Use less vulnerable and anxious. technology not as a substitute Biden was heavily favored by In turn, they will be less likely for human interaction, but a registered voters with larger to rally around toxic online tool for bridging the distance social networks (53 percent to communities and the politics of between you and your people. 37 percent), but it was Trump fear and xenophobia. And finally, get out of your who had the edge among voters comfort zone! Meet new people, without any close social contacts To be crystal clear, the biggest check up on your neighbors, (45 percent to 39 percent). problem is the link between build on shared interests to loneliness and negative health find community. Healthy social And this was especially true ramifications that necessitates interactions keep our mental among white voters even after a recognition of loneliness as a health, physical health, and accounting for differences in public health issue on par with democracy running smoothly. income, education level, and obesity and smoking. If you are feeling especially racial attitudes. Sixty percent of isolated, remember that while white voters without anyone in It’s tough to tackle a problem it might seem overwhelming their immediate social network driven by the march of progress. to talk to people, no one is out favored Trump, compared to less At the government level, there to get you. Oftentimes opening than half (46 percent) of white are some basic steps that can up is actually the best way to voters with more robust social and should be taken. Spreading find people who will value your ties.” awareness through public company. information campaigns is a key So loneliness appears to be a boon first step that can bring the issue OPINION 25 for right-wing populists. It’s not to the forefront of the public the biggest reason for Trump’s consciousness. There is much to meteoric rise, just one with educate the public on. Not just marginal effects. But elections the dangers of loneliness, but are won and lost on the margins. also the need to stay in touch The point is, loneliness makes with elders and family members, people hurt. Right now, people the need to balance work and all across America are hurting, life so that time is allocated and it manifests itself in a variety towards maintaining social of harmful ways: increased connections, and the importance anxiety, higher mortality, and of building community. Funding political polarization ranking community initiatives like chief among them. parks, gardens, libraries, and festivities is something that CONCLUSIONS AND SOLUTIONS local governments can do, if they properly recognize the dangers Why establish a connection of chronic loneliness. between loneliness, health issues, and Trumpism? It is a reminder that no matter how disconnected someone’s beliefs

What the Coronavirus Can Teach Us About Gun Violence by Ariana Kretz However, gun violence remains neliness and helplessness, as well Only three years ago, mass shootings seemed to make a reality for thousands of peop- as widespread job losses — near- national headlines nearly once a month. Gun control was at le across the nation — in fact, gun ly 8 million Americans have fal- the center of the American poli- tical landscape as advocacy groups violence has skyrocketed since the len into poverty since the pande- such as March for Our Lives (MFOL) emerged and forced debates over start of the pandemic. In 2020, mic first hit. These trends are all gun control on the national level. However, as the coronavirus pande- 43,519 people were killed by gun risk factors for increased violence. mic has consumed the lives of Ame- ricans everywhere, the gun violence violence, and 39,424 were injured. epidemic has fallen out of natio- nal discourse, leading to decrea- This marks an increase of nearly Such trends are prevalent in low sed concern over the issue: gun violence was seventh on the list of 4,000 deaths, along with a 38.8% income, BIPOC communities. These voter concerns last year according to the Pew Research Center. This is increase for children and teen communities are hit hardest by the a 17 percent decrease from the 2016 election, when gun policy fell fourth deaths from 2019, leading 2020 to coronavirus pandemic, as Black, In- on the list of voter’s concerns. be one of the deadliest years on digenous, Latinx, and Pacific Islan- This falling interest for gun cont- rol policy has been felt by acti- record for the Uni- ders expe- vists such as Reese Coblentz, the ted States. And rience higher president for the John Burroughs death rates High School chapter of March For “Although thewhilst “large sca- to the virus Our Lives. Coblentz remarked that coronavirus hasle” mass shootings compared to “people really only hear about is- white folks. sues with gun violence when there have been less Gun violence have been significant suicidal ca- has also been ses, mass murder shootings, and made gun violencecommon since the dispropor- school shootings...but because stu- all the more pressing,pandemic, mass tionately dents aren’t in school there haven’t it has also made itshootings have increasing in been these horrific shootings,” these com- which has led to a disinterest in gun still increased from munities, violence within her community. who were extremely difficult417 to 611, accor- already bur- 26 UNITED STATES for MFOL and otherding to the Gun anti-gun violenceViolence Archive, which defines mass activists to advocateshootings as inci- for reform.\"dents where gun violence has kil- dened by led or injured four or more people. gun violence at the highest rates pre-pandemic. The reasons for this The coronavirus pandemic is pri- disproportionate increase in gun marily to blame for this upward violence are numerous. Because of trend in gun violence. As many forced lockdowns, community acti- states enforced lockdowns through vists involved in conflict resolution the summer and fall of 2020, Ame- and de-escalation tactics have been ricans were forced to stay at home. unable to address violence happe- This led to increased feelings of lo- ning in their communities as they design by Iris Kwok and Ella Suh

have occurred, or provide commu- ses in their membership and reach and lack of access to mental health nity members with resources such within their local communities. care are all factors that accelera- as therapy. Without the ability for Without gun control activists being te gun violence. In that same vein, de-escalations groups to inter- able to more forcibly advocate for these issues are levers that policy vene in conflicts between com- policy, bills introduced on the fede- makers can pull to decrease gun munity members, violence has ral level will likely die out quickly. violence without enacting gun cont- escalated. Other factors that have Bills such as H.R. 8 would institute rol policy. By investing in the needs inflicted stress on these commu- background checks for all sales of of low income BIPOC communi- nities include online school, lack firearms, and H.R.137, would enab- ties, policy makers might be able to of in person childcare, and food le more accessible mental health decrease gun violence drastically insecurity. With these increased resources in order to curb gun and more quickly without passing as stressors, individuals have despe- violence, but they have a 4% and sweeping of gun control legislation. rately turned to high risk activities 1% chance of being enacted respec- and violence to ensure their survi- tively, according to Govtrack. Even The coronavirus has brought with it val. This trend is present mostly in with gun control activists advoca- unfathomable loss, and the road to large cities such as Chicago, New ting for these measures in a nor- recovery will be a long and difficult York, Los Angeles and Durham, mal year, the political gridlock in one. But as the end of this pande- whereas rural areas and suburbs Congress alone would likely have mic becomes imminent, Americans have remained relatively peaceful. proven to be insurmountable in must not become complacent in enacting gun control legislation, the gun violence epidemic, which Although the coronavirus has made as Democrats still do not hold the has impacted the nation for far gun violence all the more pressing, super majority needed to overturn a longer. Healing from the past year it has also made it extremely dif- filibuster. And while there has been requires that Americans address ficult for MFOL and other anti-gun hope with the NRA filing for bank- the inequities within their society violence activists to advocate for ruptcy, it is actually more complica- that have greatly worsened as a reform. These groups have largely ted than that: the group is rather fi- result of the pandemic. The only relied on mass demonstrations to ling for bankruptcy in order to move way forward is to learn from the bring attention to gun violence its nonprofit status from New York mistakes of the past and center the and force the hand of politicians to Texas and escape lawsuit, rather needs of those who have historical- who often dismiss gun control le- than because of financial hardship, ly been ignored and marginalized. gislation. However, with lockdown which means it will likely continue to With this in mind, Americans have orders, these mass demonstra- remain influential in years to come. the chance to build a future that tions are more risky for activists. is truly safe and equitable for all. This has led such groups to shift Considering these factors, the fu- towards online advocacy, including ture of gun control appears bleak. phone banking, signing petitions, However, the coronavirus has taug- and educating students on gun ht Americans an important lesson violence. However, despite their in moving forward with gun control ability to adapt, MFOL activists policy. The pandemic has proven like Coblentz are seeing decrea- that poverty, housing insecurity, UNITED STATES 27

TNHOESTEAABTLSEA: T COINHUWADNOMSFEEFHTLAAAABEAHTDRCBRLTEETAHOITLCHCEHULAKSSET A t the conclusion of the NFL’s season in 2020, there was hope that this hiring cycle for head coaches would be different. At the time, of the 32 teams in the country’s most popular sports league, only 3 had black head coaches; a startling number for a league whose players are overwhelmingly black. Following the killing of George Floyd, the NFL implemented new diversity initiatives which sought to promote the hiring of individuals of color as head coaches. So what’s the number a year later? Two. After all the publicity and attention given to the issue, the number of black head coaches went down. The NFL in many ways is its own bubble: teams have glitzy stadiums, amounts of money incomprehensible to most, and legions of fans. But when it comes to race, the NFL is the perfect microcosm of systemic racism in America: much like the country itself, the league is an organization whose employees — the players — are disproportionately black, and whose capitalists — executive, owners, and coaches — are disproportionately white. In the past twelve months, the league, and its head, Commissioner Roger Goodell, have put in place changes – some symbolic, some substantial – to address racial disparities. The apparent failure of these actions – and the reasons for their failure – is a lesson our society must learn from. by Aayush Singh “(Pull quote opt1 font: PT Serif Pro - any Italic) res suntur, im quuntet, voles sequos et iota voloru.” 28 UNITED STATES Today design by Catherine Hsu

that thirty for harassing a female parking of the league’s attendant. If the NFL were adopting thirty-two owners a stringent zero-tolerance policy for are white: perhaps the harassment,that would be a welcome reason black coaches are not a development. Unsurprisingly, that culture fit is because of the owners, is clearly not the case here. In this not the coaches. hiring cycle alone, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired college football coach Another factor that shouldn’t be Urban Meyer, who was suspended forgotten is the coaching pipeline. for three games in 2018 because he CAUSES Perhaps As it stands today, nineteen of likely knew about a domestic abuser the most the league’s thirty-two defensive on his staff. Meyer, who is white, g l a r i n g coordinators are former head didn’t apologize for the incident cause for coaches. They are simply cycled over when he was hired; instead, he the NFL’s and over again, denying opportunity brought on a strength coach who racial disparities in coaching is to the young, talented coaches of has a history of using racial epithets, ancestry. As The Athletic outlines: color waiting Perhaps the reason black offensive “At least one in seven NFL coaches in patiently for coaches are not a culture slurs, and a supervisory role (non-entry level) their turn. The fit is because of the who dozens is related to a current or former league cannot of black NFL coach.” That nwumber rises to c o m b a t owners, not the coaches. players have one in three when limited to head the racial complained coaches. Indeed, some of the game’s coaching gap without addressing about for creating a hostile greatest coaches today — such as this important front. Crossing environment. Here, we see what Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean sports for a minute, reporter Jared is all too common in the criminal McVay and San Francisco 49ers Diamond of the Wall Street Journal justice system: one standard for head coach Kyle Shanahan — are illustrated last year that managers white people, and another for black themselves descendants of NFL in baseball are often catchers earlier ones. Unfortunately, in a society legends. These familial ties that in life, widely regarded as the most where Black Americans are nearly stretch back decades allow white cerebral position in the game. six times more likely to be coaches to accumulate generational However, because of racial biases, arrested for drug-related knowledge and goodwill that their black players are often nudged offenses than their white black peers often don’t have. The away from becoming catchers, counterparts despite parallel to society writ large is especially at young ages. Similarly, equal usage chilling: inheritances are a key in football, black quarterbacks have rates, is it any contributor to the racial wealth been held back for years because of w o n d e r gap, and these intergenerational racist stereotypes. The reason this that Eric transfers of wealth give white is so harmful is because it is fairly Bieniemy families a safety net to fall back common for players to become c a n n o t on. Coaching bloodlines are quite coaches, so biases — even early on — get a head similar: through a combination of a in player development contribute to coaching recognizable name, nepotism, and a racial disparities in coaching. job but life immersed in the game, familial Urban ties bolster individuals’ chances at The flashpoint in this debate has Meyer can? becoming coaches. been Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Like many racial justice issues, one Bieniemy, an African-American, will hear a litany of excuses for this has commanded the league’s most disparity.Teams will say that coaches prolific offense for a number of are not a “culture fit,” or that they years, but despite an unmatched don’t “interview well.” But as Hall of resume, Bieniemy has never been Fame coach Tony Dungy says, this offered a head coaching job. His is simply a shield for owners to hide history has often been cited as the behind. It should be lost on no one reason why: in 1993, he was arrested UNITED STATES 29

SOLUTIONS For the NFL, that means re-evaluating immunity, so too has the NFL’s F its coaching pipeline. Decision conduct been largely symbolic. AA Currently, the main tool the NFL has makers would do well to elevate The words “it takes all of us to end in its diversity toolkit is the Rooney young, innovative minds instead racism” ring hollow when the league Rule. Implemented in 2003, the of the old and tired. Fortunately, a cannot hire a single black head rule states that minority candidates shift seems to be happening. The coach. And so for the abundance of must be interviewed for each senior Chicago Bears hired Sean Desai talented black coaches in football, level job opening. Data collected by as their defensive coordinator this the promise of a head coaching job renowned NFL writers Mike Sando year, an Indian-American. The stays where it always has: one more and Lindsey Jones indicates that San Francisco 49ers hired DeMeco year away. the hiring rate for coaches of color Ryans, a former player, and a highly is now 15 percent, an increase from regarded defensive guru. And the 2003 but still fairly low. While the one non-white head coaching hire rule has been somewhat effective, this cycle was Robert Saleh, the first owners have sometimes bypassed Muslim to hold such a position, and it fairly easily, often handpicking a a young, beloved defensive coach. coach of choice from the beginning of the process. This year, the NFL In the aftermath of the Black Lives worked to expand the rule to Matter movement this summer – the more positions, a step in the right largest mass protests in American direction. history – the NFL took action it In its nearly twenty year existence, considered strong: changing the name the Rooney Rule has often been of the Washington Football Team, compared to diversity measures emblazoning the such as affirmative action and words “it takes Because both the racial requirementsthatunderrepresented all of us to end coaching gap and racial minorities sit on corporate boards. racism” on its wealth gap have built up The comparisons are apt: while end zones, and because of centuries of both are well-intentioned efforts playing “Lift Ev’ry discrimination and inequality, with some success, they are not a Voice and Sing” the roots of these inequities cure-all to the underlying problem. before games. As must be addressed to truly Because both the racial coaching welcome as these gap and racial wealth gap have changes may be solve the problems. built up because of centuries of from a league that discrimination and inequality, the refuses to employ Colin Kaepernick, roots of these inequities must be they’re ultimately a reflection of society. addressed to truly solve the In the same way that our country’s problems. collective response to the murder of George Floyd was depressingly performative – CEOs taking a knee in office spaces and corporations making Juneteenth a holiday – with little substantive changes to address the racial wealth gap, disparities in school funding or qualified 30 UNITED STATES

AFAOFAASNOISNRTAIIRTTAN-IBHTN-ELBHELEALEDSLCAADSECKAKRENKEKSRNE,ESOSER,OSSFERSFOJEEbOJUyCERyaURCTn LiuRT A nti-Asian racism is surging, and it’s no secret as to why. Thanks to the bigoted lie that our community was responsible for bringing Covid-19 into America and the morally bankrupt leaders who doubled down on discrimination, hostility towards the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) peoples has run rampant. In the six months after the skyrocketing xenophobic attacks. But in some nationwide lockdown, there were more than communities, there’s a different response 2,500 reported anti-Asian hate incidents. brewing. Although the majority of the cases primarily involved verbal harassment, there was no Anti-Black racism has shortage of violence. Bigotry been a persistent issue This violence has burst into the forefront of Begets in the AAPI community, the national conversation once again with the Bigotry and recent events have multiple violent attacks against AAPI elders in caused the wound to fester. Scores of online “truthers” the Bay Area. A 52 year old woman was shot in the head We have seen it within community spaces with a flare gun; a 91 year growing up from rush to spotlight the race of the perpetrators. They old man was hospitalized by a push to the ground; a 64 behind closed mock liberal politicians for their criticism on White year old grandmother was assaulted and robbed. The doors: supremacy, which serves as clear evidence in their eyes most heartbreaking and most of a grand conspiratorial infamous story is of 84 year old Vicha Ratanapakdee, in parent group attempt to silence some alleged truth. To many who fell after being violently chats, shoved and later died from his increasingly vocal voices, the blame falls squarely on the injuries. shoulders of Black criminals, As his and other stories in hushed and a White leftist society that shields them at all costs. have attracted mainstream conversations, attention, calls for justice and “I don’t give a fuck about equality have intensified. The BLM when they don’t give State of California committed in uncomfortable a shit about Asian Lives,” $1.4 million to combating dinner table rants. says one user on reddit. “Can anti-Asian racism, and House you boba libs finally stfu Democrats called for the about antiblackness?” writes Justice Department to take a stronger stance. another on Instagram. A post addressing anti- Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Asian Black dog whistles in the community from a American to hold the position, denounced the moderator of the Subtle Asian Traits Facebook group was locked after the vitriol inevitably found its way to a warring comments section. design by Catherine Hsu OPINION 31

This bigotry that we are seeing right now needs to be minority groups once violence erupted, particularly addressed. But the elephant in the room regarding anti- between Black rioters and Korean stores. In the week Black racism among the AAPI diaspora is that this is following the King decision and the ensuing riots, nothing new. We have seen it erupt on a national scale, over 2,200 Korean owned businesses were damaged or made manifest into disastrous violence. We have seen it destroyed. Stevenson argues that national media tying growing up from behind closed doors: in parent group Harlins’s death to the destruction of Koreatown was chats, in hushed conversations, in uncomfortable dinner for good reason, as the violence was largely an act of table rants. And we are seeing it now, as racist attacks retaliation. Still, the largely White apparatus highlighting fuel yet another wave of racism in response. Just as the inter-ethnic conflict was not aiming to help Americans pandemic did not start anti-Asian racism but instead gain a broader understanding of race relations. Rather, it made it more visible, the surge in violence has brought sought to profit off the situation’s novelty. anti-Black racism in our community to the surface of the diaspora’s discourse. This is both unconscionable and Yet local ethnic media played a critical role in shaping useless. It is only through intersectional allyship that we the discourse as well. American University Professor can win our struggle. Jane Twomey covers two minority focused newspapers based in Los Angeles: The Korea Times and the African- a legacy In the Spring of 1992, Four Los American owned Los Angeles Sentinel. The coverage of of Angeles policemen were acquitted the events and the violence between their communities of the charge of assault against differ. But both exhibited exercises in seeking White validation in their framing of the events, seeking to pin conflict Rodney King. King’s savage blame on the opposite community. Both thus worked beating was filmed and the against the goal of an cross-racial alliance “that might subject of national attention, and substantially challenge white hegemony.” Directing the conversation along the axis of the Korean/Black dialectic the outrage sparked by the trial court’s decision almost reinforced inherent White supremacy. immediately turned into the infamous Los Angeles riots. The legacy of the Los Angeles riots and its spread through Koreatown is today sustained by the notion King’s case was not the sole reason for this eruption, but of the “roof Korean.” In a phenomenon that attracted rather a culmination of years of injustice. One of sensationalized coverage, Korean American store owners the most stunning injustices that activists pointed to was the killing of Black 15 year old Latasha attempted to defend their businesses by waiting atop Harlins by the Korean American Soon Ja Du. Soon, them, wielding pistols or rifles, cigarettes in mouths a convenience store owner, suspected Harlins of and fingers on triggers. These images were burned into shoplifting. Harlins was shot dead with two dollars the cultural consciousness. “Come to loot my store,” they in her hand, and Soon received no jail time. seemed to say, “and you’ll be the next Latasha Harlins.” As UCLA Professor Brenda Stevenson Their legacy survives in modern alt-right spaces. Amid last summer’s violence, one Twitter user wrote that notes, the case of Latasha Harlins we should “bring back the #RooftopKorean and the looting will stop.” Their commercialized likeness has received limited national attention at been plastered onto stickers and posters, their smirking depictions immortalized in pro-gun, anti-Black memes. thetimebecause“itdidnotfitthetypical Roof Koreans have become icons of conservative trolls and Second Amendment activists. black/white/male problematic But that status is unwarranted. The Korean Americans [framework].” Americans already held a who defended their stores did so precisely because it was the White society that failed them. Protecting the conceptual model of a White Koreatown neighborhood was not seen as a priority for man beating a Black man. the Los Angeles Police Department or local politicians, as the blockades were set up to protect wealthy White But a Korean woman shooting a neighborhoods and leave Koreatown vulnerable. Korean store owners did not bear arms out of hatred for Black Black woman? The media rioters; they were forced into desperate defense because had no interest in the White government had abandoned them. trying to make heads or tails of the intricate racial politicality inherent to the situation. But none missed the opportunity to sensationalize the violence between the two racial 32 OPINION

a history Racial tensions between the Black view: there is the Black Floyd, pleading for his life; there of and AAPI communities have been is the White Derek Chauvin, with his knee lodged into made further complicated by the the former’s throat; and there is the Asian American Tou Thao, Chauvin’s junior, who attempts to block the injustice Black Lives Matter movement cameras from capturing the grisly scene. That is the true against policing injustice. No case portrait of America that we all ought to recognize. The is more evident of this fact than White man chokes out the Black man, and the Asian man stands where the White man told him to. that of Akai Gurley, a 28 year old Black man who was shot dead by Chinese American Police Officer Peter Liang. Similar to the Harlins case in Los Angeles decades ago, The This is the ubiquitous pattern, the Liang’s initial arrest received moderate coverage by the racial eternal constant in the White/ media. But it was his conviction that truly interested triangle Black/Asian connectivity triad. White America. Wen Liu, writing for the Journal of Asian It’s what UCI Professor Claire Jean American Studies, argued that Liang was “the first officer Kim calls racial triangulation. to be indicted since BLM’s call for police accountability began.” So while this was a victory for Black activists, White society performs relative it also brought national attention because of Asian American internal conflict. Dueling factions within valorization of Asian Americans, labeling them the AAPI community fought between supporting racial justice and worrying that Liang was being made out as a superior to Blacks as a stopgap to reinforce White/Black scapegoat to protect White officers. domination hierarchies. Simultaneously, White civic ostracism leads to Asian Americans being seen as more foreign than either Whites or Blacks, ensuring that the model minority never rises above the White majority. Within this latter group, Liu observes that their primary This is not some sociological abstraction. This model has motivation was to fulfill an idealized construction of the been directly felt by every AAPI student at UC Berkeley American dream. Pro-Liang marches were splattered and beyond. We all have memories from our childhood with so much patriotic imagery that they were hard to where we have been made to feel culturally othered: recognize as protests. This might seem hypocritical, our food, our language, our names. At the same time, given these protestors disagreeing with White society’s I’m sure we all have experiences where a friend, a family conviction of Liang, but most were upset about Liang’s member, or even ourselves were propagating the model treatment precisely because he had not been given minority myth. If we hadn’t, then Affirmative the benefit of whiteness. The flags and anthems make Action wouldn’t be a taboo topic at perfect sense. Chinese Americans wanted Liang to be so many gatherings. Relative given honorary whiteness and de facto acceptance into a valorization and civic culture that seemed to now reject him, so much so that ostracism are they banded around their desire to fight for his freedom. terms A pro-Liang organizer, Wu Yiping, told NPR that the police officer’s conviction represented how “American society won’t give you rights. You have to fight for [them].” The meaning, of course, being that one must fight for the right to shoot a Black man dead without punishment, as Whites had the privilege of doing. The statement is rooted in anti-Blackness, yes, but even more critically it is drenched in the aspiration of whiteness that pervades the mindset of so many Asian Americans and Asian immigrants. Many of us have never felt truly welcome here, and that has only intensified the need to belong. The model minority enjoys their status as a model, but would much rather stop being a minority. There is a particular scene that will define the civil rights OPINION 33 movement of the summer of 2020—the video of George Floyd’s murder. It shocked us as a society right to our core. If you watch the video, there are three people in

from a textbook, but the racial cause in Chin’s case being retried and triangle and the model minority being the first Asian American to have structure are present in all of our his civil rights legally recognized. shared histories. But this victory was also won through My overarching point, then, is that the instrumental support of Black it is never as simple as an Asian/ activists at the time, including the Black issue. Considering the racial Reverend Jesse Jackson, leader of a history between the AAPI and Black so-called Rainbow coalition. Jackson, communities, it is absurd to posit whose politics of intersectionality echo that targeting Black movements is to this day, utilized his paramount in any way productive to protecting influence to lobby the Federal our people. All that ensures is the government. The basic recognition of further entrenchment of White our civil rights could not have been supremacy. achieved without Black allyship and intersectional alliance. a So how do lasting we go about There are countless more examples alliance dismantling from the annals of America’s bloody, this system, bigoted history. Black opposition and in doing to the Vietnam War, Black outcry against Executive Order 9066, Black so actually support for Philippine Independence. Were it not for Black activists in the protecting our elders? The answer 20th century, my Chinese immigrant parents would never have been able rests in mutual allyship with civil to come to America. The American Dream we are supposed to strive for is rights activists of all colors, which for full equality, not for us to become more White. As the adage goes, justice means that antagonizing the BLM doesn’t mean just us. movement at this point in time is And it is for that reason that a movement seeing justice for Vicha directly antithetical to our shared Ratanapakdee must unequivocally reject anti-Black racism. Black people goal. have fought and will continue to fight with us against injustice, in many One of the most important cases in contexts despite facing racism from the history of AAPI in this country AAPI communities. Racial equality surrounds the murder of Vincent is won through disrupting White Chin. In 1982, Chin, a Chinese hegemony, and we will not do so American, was mistakenly labeled without accepting the outstretched as Japanese by two White men in hand of our Black allies. Detroit, who had recently lost their jobs in the auto manufacturing industry. After a disagreement in a bar, he was beaten to death with a baseball bat. The White judge presiding over the case prescribed a $3,000 fine. 34 OPINION Anger over the court’s decision was swift, but there was significant systemic opposition. Traditional interpretations of constitutional law held that federal civil rights law did not consider Asian Americans as a protected class, and thus Chin’s murder could not be investigated as a violation of fundamental civil rights. AAPI activists mobilized and formed the American Citizens for Justice, which was an instrumental

ARMCHAIR CLASSICISM, THE POLITICS OF THE PAST, AND YOU BY JORDAN MURPHY ertheless gone down in history (so to speak) W atching the House im- in that way that pithy phrases often do. In- peachment pro- scribed on monuments to Leonidas at Thermo- ceedings pylae and Sparta, the phrase has been used as a mili- the week after the tary rallying cry by the Greeks during World War I, the Greco-Turkish War, and the Cyprus Emergency. I was January 6th, 2021 i n - shocked to discover, however, that μολών λαβέ has a long history of appropriation and use by Americans, surrection at the US Capitol, I beginning with its adoption as a motto of the Texas Revolution. Its newest iteration is as a slogan found myself baffled by the face for gun rights activists and the far right. mask worn by Rep. Marjorie Tay- lor Greene (GA-14). It read MOLON This is a difficult pill to swallow for me. LABE in blood-red letters, a phrase When studying the ancient Mediterranean adapted from the Ancient Greek μολών world, it is easy to get lost in the founda- λαβέ, meaning essentially “come and take tions it represents and forget what has [them].” According to Plutarch, when King been built on top of it. Ancient Greece and Xerxes of Persia told King Leonidas of Rome have long been cited as the origins of Sparta at the Battle of Thermopylae (480 “western civilization”: the birthplaces of pol- BCE) to hand over his arms and surren- itics, philosophy, economics, civics, and ethics der, Leonidas responded with this defiant (all words with Greek roots). But, a new discourse phrase. While the veracity in the world of Classics questions whether there is of the quotation is ques- a “western civilization” at all, or whether the idea t i o n - able, it is a construction of later scholars attempting to has pin their work on to a tradition of the ancients. nev- As Kwame Anthony Appiah so elo- quently puts it, the “west- ern” val- ues of liber TripAdvisor ONLINE 35 design by Catherine Hsu

ty, tolerance, and rational inquiry of the construction of narratives of so named because we believe that do not belong to one culture and white supremacy, cultural domi- they were less civilized or worse, can be attributed to ancient civi- nance, and identity politics. In my per se, but because we have com- lizations from around the world. experience, ironically, most classi- paratively very little documented Yet the idea of the Classics as the cal scholars identify as very socially history from the period. Without epitome of western culture has be- liberal. When reading and discuss- this context, however, many take come a pervasive rhetorical tool ing classical texts, they emphasize “classical” to be a sweeping judge- perverted by “armchair classicists” diverse interpretations and per- ment about quality and power and - modern politicians and theorists spectives. And the classical world progress, and thus an academic who manipulate perceptions of the was diverse, with people of all races field is turned into a political pawn. classical world to their own ends. bordering the Mediterranean con- stantly meeting, exchanging mate- MISREPRESENTING DECONSTRUCTING rial goods as well as ideas, and im- THE ANCIENTS THE WEST migrating. In a tradition believed to date back to the Bronze Age called In 2015, Harvard political science The ancient Greeks and Romans did xenia (ξενία), the Ancient Greeks professor Graham Allison published not think of themselves as western, were obligated, for fear of retribu- his now notorious article,“The Thu- or even European for that matter. tion by the gods, to host foreign vis- cydides Trap: Are the U.S. and Chi- They certainly had notions of patri- itors and treat them with the utmost na Headed for War?”, which he later otism but did not conceive of them- respect and kindness, especially if expanded into a book drawing from selves as separate peoples from they were very far from home. But the historian Thucydides’ writings those of the Levant, Anatolia, and classicists often must watch with on the Peloponnesian War (431-404 North Africa. The idea that classi- bewilderment as traditions such as BCE). Thucydides argued, Graham cal civilizations were more “civi- xenia are overlooked in favor of em- claims, that the War was a result lized” is as contrived as the idea of phasizing ancient militarism, such of a dominant and stable power a “western” world, a term we con- as that of the Spartans, championed (Sparta) being challenged and in- tinue to use in willful ignorance of by the alt-right as paragons of pa- timidated by a rising erratic power geographic realities (Greece is fur- triotism who fought for their home- (Athens). The Thucydides Trap is ther east than much of “eastern” Eu- land against invaders from the East. an extension of this dynamic into rope, and the west coast of Morocco a theory of international relations is even further west than Ireland Increasingly, classicists must face - that when the world order is chal- and Portugal). The concepts of both the fact that the field is irrevocably lenged by the emergence of a new classicism and the “west” emerged intertwined with problematic con- powerhouse, the result is almost in the Middle Ages when Christian ceptions of domination and culture. always war. Allison applies this to scholars rediscovered the ancient The name “Classics” contains an the current evolution of US-China texts, after a period of rejecting inherent and undeniably subjective relations with the United States as them as the drabbles of pagans, and judgement - that the ancient Greeks Sparta and China as Athens, theo- found traction in the Renaissance and Romans were “classic” and ev- rizing that without an imminent as the newly conceived “western” eryone else is somehow worse pivot in foreign policy, the two world looked for a tradition on or lesser than. The term actually are doomed for military conflict. which to build its social identity. comes from a comparison between the “peak” of ancient Greek and Ro- The idea of the Thucydides Trap Ever since, the classical world has man civilizations (8th century BCE has become pervasive, especially - 6th century CE), with their mon- among conservatives, as a way to been misrep- resented umental architecture and robust describe Sino-American relations, with perhaps its most high-pro- and ma- nipulat- documentation, and the preced- file advocates being Steve Bannon, ing Greek “Dark Ages” (12th H.R. McMaster, and James Mattis. ed in service c e n t u r y BCE - 8th cen- Known ancient Greece enthusiasts, t u ry BCE). they invited Allison to Washington The “Dark in 2017 to sell Trump and his advi- Ages” sors on the Thucydides Trap as an are not international relations framework. But classicists have been very crit- ical of the ancient foundations of 36 ONLINE

the Thucydides Trap. To be clear, that grate on classicists’ nerves. In identity and progress. We are inevi- Allison’s theories about modern 2016, Johnson and Mary Beard (per- tably and undeniably influenced by military conflict stand on their own, haps the most prominent classicist the ancients, but their cultures are but the Thucydides Trap’s posed in the world) engaged in a televised not a tool with which to mold the classical basis is deeply flawed and debate, “Greece vs Rome,” posit- present. While I do believe that hu- seems to be an attempt to build ing the two civilizations against man nature has remained largely legitimacy for the argument by us- each other. Following their argu- the same across history and geog- ing Thucydides’ name. Graham has ments (Johnson for Greece, Beard raphy, classical languages, values, been accused of mischaracterizing for Rome), the audience voted on and politics are things of the past. Sino-American relations as well who had “won” - the judgement as many of the conflicts he uses as here was quite arbitrary, but the The tradition of drawing on anach- examples (especially the Pelopon- debate was just for fun. Johnson, ronisms to build ethos is not unique nesian War) and gravely misreading many noted, fudged quite a bit of to modern public figures in any way and oversimplifying Thucydides’ evidence in his presentation (his (take the Holy Roman Emperors, arguments. Thucydides does assert use of 5th century Athens to mean who referred to themselves as such that Athens’ antagonism of Sparta all of ancient Greece, his distortion for centuries despite not being holy, contributed to the conflict, but he of Greek conceptions of gods and Roman, or emperors, as Voltaire also cites Athens’ unstable domes- humanity, and his incorrect de- notes), but it has never been a valid tic politics, the dangers of popu- scription of the Parthenon friezes, way to build an argument has be- lism, the hubris of imperialism, and to name a few things). But in the come exponentially more insidious an existential plague as causes for end, this was no handicap for him - in the post-Trump world of alterna- the war. Furthermore, the robust- his dynamic speech easily won him tive facts. When faced with rheto- ness of Allison’s classical research the first phase of the competition. ric appropriating the ancient world has been called into question, and (He lost the second phase, in which such as the Thucydides Trap or the he fails to recognize Thucydides’ Beard could refute his errors in real slogan “molon labe,” very few mod- elitist and anti-Athenian bias - the time.) He is a classic - forgive my ern voters will bother to even Google former general was exiled from the phrasing - offender, regularly cher- the source material, let alone con- city for a military failure in Am- ry-picking aspects of the ancient sider whether or not the concepts phipolis and clearly favored Spar- world for his own purposes, espe- have been used in a way that reflects ta’s moderate leaders over Athens’ cially in casting himself and his fel- their original contexts and truly ap- prominent demagogues, whom he low educated Brits as the inheritors plies today. And the armchair clas- blamed for virtually every misfor- of classical values and traditions. sicists know this, are even counting tune that befell Athens. The analo- on us being so intimidated by their gy of the U.S. as Sparta and China ETHOS FROM command of history that we take as Athens is also extremely fraught ANACHRONISMS their often baseless posturing as in this sense; the modern Ameri- truths beyond our comprehension. can political landscape is defined by It is incredibly seductive to project populists, while that of China could the ancient world onto the modern, So the next time you hear some- be much more believably compared to try to draw parallels between one try to use the classical world to the stable oligarchy of Sparta. them and present modern narratives as a rhetorical tool, please remem- But nuances such as this are not as continuations and reiterations of ber: Thucydides was just as bi- so fun or easy to incorporate into those that have come before. And ased and flawed as anyone a worldview, and so fraught anal- I certainly believe that we should else, Boris Johnson and ogies are taken as fact by those learn from the past and identify Marjorie Taylor Greene unwilling to accept complication. with its figures; I feel a profound rarely check their solidarity with the human race when facts, and we are not Boris Johnson is a prominent cul- studying the ancients, trying to un- the inheritors of prit of this type of misrepresenta- derstand how they lived and felt. classical culture. We tion. Having studied the Classics at But what Allison, Bannon, Greene, can only try, with all Eton, Johnson often publicly touts and all of the other armchair classi- possible objectivity his knowledge of Ancient Greek cists out there should remember, is and careful research, (he enjoys quoting long passages that the classical world is not ours. to pick up the piec- of Homer from memory), Latin, and Any attempt to argue so inherent- es they left behind. the ancient Mediterranean in ways ly relies on subjective, unhistorical ideological constructions of social ONLINE 37

and permission for a non-profit organization to also construct low-income housing on People’s Park. This housing, however, is not reserved for currently unhoused residents living in the Park. In fact, the University’s provisions ultimately do not commit to ensuring all (approximately 100- 150) currently unhoused residents living in the Park will obtain some form affordable, long-term housing. For this reason, student and community organizations in Berkeley quickly challenged Christ’s decree. Groups putting out official OMNUTTUHAEL RAIISDE!NETWORKS statements include The Associated Students of the UC**, The Daily BY ALEX PALTZER Californian, The People’s Park, Berkeley Student Cooperative, The Ahome, a park, and a site for home to unhoused residents, as one Suitcase Clinic, Mariachi Luz de political action and organizing of the few remaining green spaces — People’s Park. Located just in Berkeley and as a significant Oro at Berkeley, Hermanos Unidos blocks away from the University historical and cultural symbol. of California, Berkeley campus, at Berkeley, Black at Berkeley, The People’s Park has been a community UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ center for refuge, recreation, and formally announced in 2018 the Free Press Project, among others. political activity since its very origin. newest plan to develop People’s Park into student housing. In response, Across these groups, activists claim In April of 1969, the University of Park supporters have staged California purchased the site that is demonstrations and organized to that the University’s proclaimed now People’s Park. The University obstruct the University’s plan to originally reserved this land as a begin development. The stakes “need” to build additional housing green space for public recreational rose on January 30, 2020, when use. However, the University has protestors decided to tear down on this land is merely an excuse to always had its eye out to use the fences (which were put up by the park as a space to build and profit University) and to begin 24-hour- displace the unhoused population off of student housing. After nearly 7-day-week occupation of the Park. half a century, the University is residing in the Park. They maintain pushing through with housing On February 22, 2021, Christ issued development plans and demolition a statement sent to all University that the University’s plan (even of People’s Park– though not undergraduate and graduate without significant resistance. students, faculty, and staff, with low-income housing options) This is because the Park has long regarding the proclaimed “need” been a home to much of Berkeley’s to construct student housing on would contribute to the on-going unhoused population. For years, People’s Park. In that statement, the Park activists have defended these University announced that it is (in process of gentrification in the residents and engaged in fierce response to the criticism of People’s resistance, including against Park advocates) indeed attempting Bay Area, as well as worsening military intervention, to challenge to “support the unhoused people the University’s attempt in who use the park.” This support, environmental conditions. executing development plans. The however, merely entails the park,activists claim,is cherished as a hiring of a single social-worker So why is UC Berkeley– a prosperous and politically powerful institution– unable to propel their plans and override the organizers’ efforts? While neither the University’s attempt to build on the park, nor the efforts to resist development of People’s Park are new, there has been one significant development in recent years: the strategies of political organizing now demonstrated by Park activists– even through a pandemic– have evolved to become even more participatory and direct. That is, with activists united more than ever, the University’s attempt to develop 38 CALIFORNIA design by Ella Suh and Catherine Hsu

People’s Park has never been so frail. In many cases, nonprofit organizations are the default, dominant forces for organizing political action (recall the role of Black Lives Matter** in the racial justice protests that took place throughout 2020). Especially among leftist groups, however, non-profit organizations have met fierce criticism for major shortcomings in achieving set goals. Dylan Rodriguez, Professor at the University of California, Riverside, coined the term Non-Profit Industrial Complex in an article challenging the dominant role of Berkeley Political Review nonprofit organizations. Within achieve. For example, non-resident Park activists envision a world in progressive-leftist organizing, permission to be on the site, rather which Park residents are respected than feel entitled to be there. with autonomy– and this they do. this term is increasingly being The political organizing strategies Because this political organization used to describe the disconnect used by activists at People’s Park strategy collaborates with the reflect new models in organization victims of development plans, the between nonprofit organizations theory, such as mutual aid commitment to resisting University networks. The work of various encroachment is more formidable (who are often white, middle-class collectives practicing mutual aid in than ever before. These activists the Park traces back to even before are willing to occupy the Park even individuals working for a paycheck) January 30 of this year. Currently, when the sun goes down, in order to these groups (notably the Berkeley truly empathize with the permanent and the people they “advocate for.” Student Food Collective, Berkeley Park residents. In essence, mutual Mutual Aid Projects, Food Not aid projects encourage activists who Given that non-profit professionals Bombs, The Suitcase Clinic, are not directly victims to step into and more) are collecting and the shoes of the vulnerable. This are often in positions of privilege distributing communal supplies shared understanding and collective of food, water, and other essential organizing allows for powerful and and approach social-issues as a items, as well as providing 24-7 collaborative mass-movements emergency medical care on site. to be created and sustained. means of labor, this disconnect All of this is not to say that Park The behavior of these groups reflect activists are progressing without can weaken the unity needed in mutual aid networks. In a new book obstacles. The COVID-19 pandemic on mutual aid published by Dean has inhibited the ability of Park collective, grassroots movements, Spade, a Professor at the University activists to physically organize of Seattle School of Law,he describes in mass numbers. At General as well as the momentum mutual aid as “ordinary people [...] Community meetings (which take finding bold and innovative ways place every Friday), community or sense of urgency among to share resources and support members and Park residents the vulnerable.” As a form of attempt to discuss organizing plans “workers” of social movements. political organization, mutual aid is while adhering to social-distancing steadily gaining popularity because guidelines. But, with numbers of However, Park activists have such direct strategies effectively demonstrated a remarkable ability accomplish the goals groups seek to to organize collectively– combining the efforts of non-resident Park activists and the Park residents themselves. In fact, at weekly General Assembly meetings held at the Park, unhoused Park residents and community members alike can be heard openly expressing their sentiments about the development plans. After such discussions, wholesome community dinners, sport activities, musical festivities, and movie screenings take place– open to any members of the public. Non-resident Park activists always thank Park residents for CALIFORNIA 39

people spaced 6-feet apart, some anequallypowerfulstrategy:waiting GoFundMe, are being used participants end up far away from for non-resident Park activists to to sustain activist efforts in the speaker and disengaging. wear down, and eventually, disband. unprecedented ways. Since the launch of Venmo only a decade And keeping activists and But Park activists have some ago, direct mobile payments have community-members engaged advantages as well. Combined become an increasingly popular long-term is an even greater with contemporary social media way to directly meet others’ survival difficulty mutual-aid projects technology, Park activists are needs (particularly of queer, trans, and similar forms of grassroots newly capable of mobilizing and black and brown communities). organizing often face. Even the most people and disseminating Indeed, Park activists are sure to successful and prominent mutual aid information to large numbers. Just promote their mobile payment projects, such as the Black Panther one post (pictured above) made funds,and use those funds to provide Breakfast Program, often collapse by a popular Instagram account food, water, toiletries, as well as simply due to loss of commitment with over 1.3 million followers medical services for Park residents and unity among activists. Indeed, demonstrates just how sizable and non-resident Park activists. history suggests that the durability and committed activist networks of mutual aid networks withers behind People’s Park may truly be. For now, these activists at the Park most with uncoordinated internal are committed and collected in their organizing, rather than external Across social media platforms, fight, putting out official demands pressure. Surprisingly, various this March. What they accomplish state efforts to suppress the Black many organizations have posted in the face of the University is Panther Breakfast Program, like dependent on the strength and state officials urinating on the food or re-shared posts made by the numbers of everyday community for children, actually encouraged members who decide to show up more community members Park’s Instagram account (@ for, spread information about, and to participate in the program. share resources with the victims peoplesparkberkeley). Though of University’s development plans. For this reason, some hypothesize Fortunately, mutual aid organizing that state interference in mutual numerous, these posts all assert one is premised on the fact that all of aid projects can actually bolster the us are victims to plans that displace strength of activists. Therefore, as common message: the University’s marginalized communities and strong and united as Park activists propel environmental degradation– may now seem, the simple fact that development plans are a threat to and that all of us can contribute neither UC Berkeley nor the UC to the efforts of Park activists Police Department have officially valued public space and the well- by donating our services, our retaliated or directly confronted resources, or our time. “This is our activists in weeks being of all Bay Area residents– home,” said Aidan Hill, a prominent hints at Park activist. “And we will protect particularly low-income, unhoused, our home, by any means necessary.” and Black and Brown communities. In addition, mobile payment services, such as Venmo, and online crowdfunding sources, such as 40 CALIFORNIA

DHOISMPUETLAEDNDW:ELSIFTEBIANNTKHE Life in an Israeli Settlement: In Pursuit of Normalcy by Nikolai Schweber N EVE TZUF — Despite the challenges of living on disputed land, Israeli communities in the West Bank are prosperous. “This is the place I want to raise my family,” says Miri Maoz-Ovadia, 33. Maoz-Ovadia was raised in the Orthodox Jewish settlement of Neve Tzuf, which was established in 1977 and today has a population of roughly 1,500 people. She continues to reside there today with her husband and three children and works as a receptionist for a regional branch of the Yesha Council, the civilian council which helps administer the settlements. Speaking over the phone, Maoz-Ovadia described Neve Tzuf as a tight-knit, traditional, “very normal” community without a large military presence. It is located ten miles from the Green Line, which separates the West Bank from Israel. “People work all over Israel and [here] in the community,” she said. A highway system connects Israeli settlements in the West Bank to the rest of Israel, allowing residents of towns like Neve Tzuf to be integrated into Israeli society. “We see this area as part of Israel,” said Maoz-Ovadia, who uses the biblical terms Judea and Samaria to describe the territory. “It’s always been part of Jewish history.” Families like Maoz-Ovadia’s do accept a certain reality by living on disputed land. “Living in an area that’s full of tension can be difficult,” she says. “People who live here have the emotional strength.” Residents of Neve Tzuf face infrastructure, water attack which left three locals dead. The town was and electricity issues, including an “appalling also victimized in a larger wave of arson attacks lack of medical services,” said Maoz-Ovadia. The which claimed 18 homes in the town alone. most striking issue facing residents of settlement communities like Neve Tzuf, however, is violence. “My community suffered many terrorist attacks,” These incidents have contributed to a sense of said Maoz-Ovadia. She described a 2017 stabbing suspicion and fear among some Israeli settlers towards their Palestinian neighbors, even among design by Catherine Hsu ONLINE 41

those who are not outwardly supply, even in terms of COVID.” hateful. Maoz-Ovadia has visited Israeli Arab schools to talk with Turmus’ayya, the small town governed by Mayor Said students about her life in a Talib, is one of the wealthiest towns in the West Bank. Jewish settlement Much of the population of Turmus’ayya, including and believes that Mayor Talib himself, have dual American citizenship peace between and split their time between the West Bank and the US. the two groups is achievable. But This American connection has influenced the outlook she still expressed of the town’s residents. “I’m proud to be American. her belief that Palestinian-American,” says Talib. “We know human the Palestinians rights because we have been to America.” are overall more responsible for Despite their relative affluence, the people of the continuing Turmus’ayya are concerned about violations of their c o n f l i c t . basic human rights. “Revenge is a commitment with According to Talib, Israelis from the nearby settlements the Palestinians have entered Turmus’ayya, on different occasions, and the Arabs,” she to torch cars, slaughter sheep and spray paint “All said. “Revenge is Palestinians Must Die.” One of Talib’s constituents was against Jewish law.” allegedly shot, along with his family, while farming in their field. The justification: the family had strayed too There is little contact close to the Israeli perimeter. between Israeli settlers in Neve Tzuf In October, shortly after my conversation with Talib, and their Palestinian a 16-year-old Turmus’ayyan boy was killed during a neighbors, who are search-and-arrest operation conducted by the Israeli just minutes away military. by car, said Maoz- Ovadia. But when The West Bank is not presently in a state of open they do encounter conflict. These contemporary incidents do not begin each other, the to scratch the surface of the trauma caused by earlier, results can still be more violent periods in the conflict. But Palestinian positive. “People concerns are not limited to violence. They also extend are good as well,” to property and travel rights. To understand this issue, she said, specifically it is important to understand the geography of the area. mentioning Palestinian tour Most of Turmus’ayya, including the entire population of guides who often about 3,000 people, is located in Area B. Land in Area B is work in her town. “We primarily administered by the Palestinian Authority, but understand that the conflict is Israel retains responsibility for security. really deep.” CoLmifme uinniatyP: aIonlfePsJutuisrntsiiuacinet  However, a significant chunk of land historically part of Turmus’ayya, about 35 percent, is classified as part of Area C under the Oslo Accords. This means that 35 percent of Turmus’ayyan land, mostly open space TURMUS’AYYA — While living and agricultural land, is fully controlled by the Israeli under occupation, Palestinians in military and is open to construction and settlement by the West Bank have also made do with Israeli civilians. their circumstances. “Palestinians in the West Bank are relatively prosperous Two Israeli settlements, Shilo and Mizpe Rahel, compared to [other] Arabs in the Middle are located within the historical town borders of East,” said Professor Hassner. “They’re doing Turmus’ayya in Area C. Their population numbers pretty well in terms of average income, food 42 ONLINE

about 2,500, according to  the Applied Research In some cases, the olive trees are no longer even Institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ), a West Bank-based NGO suitable for harvest. “They drill the trees and funded by the European Union. Other settlements poison them with a syringe,” says Talib.  Multiple exist near the town border. reports  from  local  and  international  sources support Talib’s accusations that Israeli settlers The division of Turmus’ayya between Areas B and C, have, on multiple occasions, poisoned and uprooted an issue also experienced by other Palestinian towns, Palestinian olive trees in the area. The ARIJ poses critical issues for residents. One of the most estimates that  over 800,000 Palestinian olive pressing is freedom of movement. trees have been uprooted by Israeli authorities and settlers in the West Bank since 1967. The Israeli military restricts travel from Areas A and B to Area C for security reasons. The combination of The costs of occupation for Palestinians are checkpoints, stops and detours can turn the 15-mile pervasive. “Every day we’re seeing issues drive from Turmus’ayya to the city of Ramallah into a against humans, animals and land,” full day’s journey, said Talib. This imposes significant said Mayor Talib. There are certainly burdens upon Palestinian travelers. Palestinians who despise Israelis and even profess anti-Semitic views because Furthermore, these restrictions impede the ability of of the conflict. But many also perceive Palestinian Authority emergency services to reach nuance in their relations with Israelis. the rural communities in Area B. The residents of Turmus’ayya are effectively isolated as PA emergency “As a Palestinian, we don’t have a hatred services, including police, must cross checkpoints and for the Jewish or Israeli people,” said Mayor coordinate with the Israeli military in order to reach Talib. He specifically mentioned his gratitude them. This means that it can take hours for emergency towards Israeli Jews who work on behalf of services to reach Turmus’ayya. Palestinian rights. “We eat and drink with each other.” A related issue facing Palestinians, including Turmus’ayyans, is land and property rights. Much of Two Peoples, One Home the farmland in the Area C portion of Turmus’ayya is privately owned, yet access to the land is restricted by The Palestinian claim to the West Bank is the Israeli military because it is in Area C. Mayor based on centuries of continuous physical Talib himself personally owns farmland located in residency, while the Jewish claim is based Area C. “We can’t even reach our own land,” he said. on a millennia-old cultural tradition and ancient historical roots. Yet both sides According to Mayor Talib, he and other landowners see something in common in the West are only allowed to access their farms twice a year, in Bank: a home. October and April, for three days at a time. They are only allowed to collect olives from their olive trees This competing claim to the same home is one of the and may not cultivate any other crops. Agriculture, primary sources of the intractability of the conflict. particularly olive tree cultivation, is by far the largest But one can also hope that a common interest in sector of the Turmus’ayyan economy, according to preserving their shared home could be the factor that the ARIJ. finally brings the two sides together. Palestinian land which is close to Israeli settlements, At the conclusion of our conversation, I such as Talib’s, is subject to a permit system operated asked Mayor Talib why, when he can live by the Israeli Civil Administration (ICA). The ICA in the US, he chooses to continue living decides when landowners may visit their land, and in a place where his basic rights are three-day visiting periods are not unusual. The ICA’s consistently violated. official policy, in accordance with a 2006 Israeli High Court ruling, allows Palestinians to  “get every last “When you have your mother, your olive from every last tree, even if that tree is in the family, your land, what can you do?” middle of a settlement.” But there have been numerous he asked me. “It’s a homeland, do you reported violations of Palestinian crops, particularly know what a homeland is?” olive trees. ONLINE 43

CONFLICT RAGES BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN BY ANNAPURNA JOHNSON cant amount of does not recognize the proposed wealth. Despite peace settlements known as the On September 27, 2020, a de- a truce signed Madrid Principles, angering Azer- by both parties baijan” in his column for Al Jazeera. in 1994, there have been small skir- This could have caused the explo- cades-old conflict began between mishes that resulted in the hundreds sion of violence, but it also could Armenia and Azerbaijan over a ter- of troops’ death for both nations. have been due to a breakdown in ritory called Nagorno-Karabakh. However, the conflict that began in diplomatic ties or merely the sei- Nagorno-Karabakh is international- September is considered the worst zure of an opportunity to take more ly recognized as an Azerbaijan terri- period of fighting since 2016. As land by either party. tory, but the regional government is almost 500 people have been killed run by ethnic Armenians who want since the attacks began, predictions One of the notable changes that has to secede and join Armenia. During of actual war have caused both Rus- occurred since the 1990s is the im- Soviet control of the region, the eth- sia and Turkey to become involved provement of weaponry and the in- nic nationalism displayed by both in the conflict. The interference by crease in Azerbaijan resources. The Armenia and Azerbaijan was sup- these two states have problematic region is oil-rich, and that wealth pressed, but when the Soviet Union motivations that could exacerbate has been used to expand its military fell, Armenians in Nagorno-Kara- the conflict further by flaming eth- equipment in addition to leveling bakh seized an opportunity to merge nic and historical tensions. the playing field between Armenia the territory with the existing and Azerbaijan. During the initial Armenian state. The start to the restart of the con- conflict, Azerbaijan simply did not flict is unclear, and both sides are have the military strength to seize However, this seizure led to a serious blaming each other for acts of Nagorno-Karabakh. However, the military conflict. During the 1990s, a aggression which triggered the con- rise in oil prices and increased de- bloody war for control of the region flict. According to Al Jazeera, Azer- fense spending has allowed Azerbai- resulted in the deaths of 30,000 baijan’s defense cabinet claimed it jan to improve its military position people and displaced millions more. had begun a “counteroffensive to against Armenia. Because it lost so There were accusations of attacks on suppress Armenia’s combat activity much territory during the first war civilians from both sides, but Azer- and ensure the safety of the popu- over Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan baijan suffered a higher death toll lation.” Meanwhile, Armenia has has vowed to reclaim the region, and and number of displaced refugees. accused Azerbaijan’s military of at- it has launched unsuccessful offen- It also lost a significant amount of tacking civilians, which provoked sives to recapture the state. It has territory to Armenia, estimated to the start of the conflict. There has also accused Armenia of trying to make up 9 yet to emerge a dominant or deci- seize control of its rich oil and gas percent of Azerbaijan total territory sive determination as to which ver- pipelines, a claim that Armenia has after Armenian forces seized Nan- sion of events is true. denied. bgorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas at the end of the war in 1994. There is also no one explanation The improvement in technology and as to what triggered the severity in the reliance on drones by both par- In the present, the region has been the new round of conflict. Robert ties has dramatically increased the known as the Republic of Artsakh M. Cutler, a fellow at the Canadian number of civilian casualties as well since in 1991. The region itself is Global Affairs Institute, offered the as large-scale destruction of resi- 2,734 miles, but it lies in close prox- idea that “Nikol Pashinyan, the Ar- dential areas and infrastructure. In imity to oil and gas pipelines that menian prime minister, is increas- addition, there is concern about the supply Azerbaijan with a signifi- ingly nationalistic and has said he involvement of neighboring states, 44 WORLD design by Tanya Jain

such as Russia and Turkey. Turkey has close crease military control abroad on the part of ties with Azerbaijan, largely because the na- both nations. Russia and Turkey have invested tion is composed of ethnic Turks. This is in militarily in the war in Syria, while Turkey has addition to the fact that Turkey instituted a military outposts in Libya and the Mediter- genocide against Armenia during the 1920s, a rean. Russia has seized territories belonging fact it has still refused to admit or take any to the Ukraine, flexing its military at the bor- responsibility for. Russia is slightly more neu- ders of Moldova, Finland and the Ukraine in the hopes of inflaming separatist movements. tral, as it has good relations with both na- Therefore, its involvement in Nagorno-Kara- tions, but it is technically allied with Armenia. bakh reads as an attempt to become a dom- Turkish president Recep Tayyip has supported inant regional military power with footholds Azerbaijan with defense technology, drones and propaganda machinery while dismissing across the Middle East. According to international calls for a ceasefire. Russia has Garo Paylan, a member meditated two failed truces that would have of Turkish Parliament, resulted in prisoner swaps and a ceasefire. The “Turkey’s involvement two truces collapsed after both sides accused in regional conflicts has the other of violating the ceasefire. Currently, whipped up nationalist there is dispute about who has control of Shu- fervor, obliterated space sha, the second largest city in Nagorno-Kara- for advocates of peace bakh, as both nations have claimed seizure. and democracy and deep- Azerbaijan has vowed to “go to the end” if the ened a sense of fear and agreement by Armenian forces to withdraw precarity among the mi- from Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surround- nority populations.” In ing regions collapses. order to achieve military The primary issue with the involvement of significance in this con- Russia and Turkey is the inherent desire to in- flict, there are reports that Turkish-backed militias in Syria recruited Syri- ans mercenaries to fight on behalf of Azerbaijan against Armenia. For both Russia and Turkey, their involvement in the con- flict paves a way for their involvement in the peace talks, an advantageous position for both nations. This conflict has deep roots in a historical di- vision of territory which has resulted in multiple nations claiming succession in recent years across Eastern Europe and in the Caucasian region. The issue with this particular conflict is the increase in mil- itary technology, the deaths of civilians and the potential for protracted proxy war between Armenia and Turkey or Tur- key and Russia. Given the current state of global instability, and the danger of a war raging during a pandemic, there has to be a level of recognition on the part of the global community as to how to direct neutral peace talks without allowing na- tions with an agenda to dictate the terms. WORLD 45

KEVIN FAULCONER: by Pratik Rungta the County has voted for a Democrat Though the 2020 election was previously elected mayor, Bob Filner, in each subsequent presidential just months ago, candidates resigned due to sexual harassment election, and the San Diego County are already gearing up for the 2022 allegations.Before then,he had served Board of Supervisors has flipped to midterm elections. This is especially on the San Diego City Council from Democratic control in 2020 for the true in California, where 2022’s top 2006 until 2014. Though Faulconer first time in more than 30 years. prize is the Governor’s Mansion. has been a registered Republican for In 2014, the start of Faulconer’s Acceleratingthisprocessisincumbent his whole political career, he holds mayoral term, Democrats had a slim Governor Newsom’s looming recall, notably progressive viewpoints on 5-4 majority in the City Council. a movement that has gained steam social issues and is a product of San After the 2020 elections, this grew as California attempts to navigate Diego’s leftward lurch in politics to a commanding 8-1 majority, its way out of the COVID-19 crisis. this century. Many believe that San capping one of the most massive If successful, California could have Diego has a reputation of being one political shifts in American history. a new governor as early as fall 2021. of California’s conservative cities, One figure helping to lead the charge standing in contrast to the liberal Faulconer’s Record against Newsom is gubernatorial bastions of Los Angeles and San San Diego was in the midst of this hopeful and the former mayor of Francisco. This is often attributed to historic partisan shift when it my hometown of San Diego, Kevin San Diego’s large military population elected a Republican as mayor in Faulconer. Faulconer has emerged as and the existence of wealthy and 2014, seeming to be a temporary one of the GOP frontrunners in the suburban neighborhoods within break from the trend. This made him battle to replace Newsom. San Diego County. The evidence of the only Republican mayor of a top a shift—likely a result of growing 10 city in the United States during But who is Kevin Faulconer, and how influence of Latino voters, emphasis his tenure. Despite his Republican did he rise from local politics to the on environmental issues, and the affiliation, he was socially liberal as potential face of the California GOP? liberalization of the suburbs— mayor. As he detailed in an interview was apparent in 2008, when the with National Review, Faulconer is Faulconer was mayor from 2014 until County voted for a Democrat in the pro-environment,which he considers term limits in 2020. He had won the presidential election for only the “a must” for California Republican office in a special election after the second time since 1944. Since then, politicians even though the national both the City and the County have party has recently been staunchly 46 CALIFORNIA grown increasingly more Democratic: against environmentalism. In 2014, design by Allen Kim

Faulconer released a climate action governor presiding over California’s following his own lockdown ? plan with Democratic support that worsening pandemic situation. All guidelines, most notably put San Diego on track to use 100% this seemed to suggest a grand pivot dining in a large unmasked renewable energy by 2035. Even toward a gubernatorial campaign. group at the French before the landmark 2015 Supreme And this is exactly what happened: Laundry in November. His Court decision of Obergefell v. less than a month after he ended his government’s messaging Hodges that legalized and protected term as Mayor, Faulconer launched on guidelines has been same-sex marriage nationwide, an Exploratory Committee to run for muddled, which may Faulconer unconditionally supported governor. He officially announced be a factor in California same-sex marriage and even marched his candidacy a month after that. leading the nation in in the San Diego Pride Parade in 2014. In 2019, he supported the Though Faulconer has been a Equality Act, unmatched among registered Republican for his whole political Republicans in the national career, he holds notably progressive spotlight. From being pro-choice to viewpoints... supporting a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but The Looming Recall COVID-19 cases and ? still being anti-tax and vetoing a California has some of the most deaths. In addition, ? minimum wage increase, Faulconer generous recall laws in the nation: to pressure is mounting on is the living embodiment of “fiscally send a state official to a recall election, Newsom to reopen public conservative, socially liberal,” the number of signatures required schools due to learning a classification that has all but total only 12% of the number of votes concerns from parents evaporated from mainstream politics. in that officeholder’s last election. and students. Finally, the Since Governor Newsom’s election in tech exodus potentially Faulconer only had two blunders 2019, Republicans have been trying spurred by Newsom’s high during his tenure: his failure to to take advantage of California’s corporate taxes is a jobs prevent the San Diego Chargers generous recall laws to try to recall issue, affecting members from moving to Los Angeles, and him. Five separate recall petitions of both parties. These more the city government’s inability to have been filed and circulated, but all bipartisan criticisms were respond promptly to a Hepatitis A have failed to make it to the ballot. But also among the published outbreak that ravaged San Diego’s sixth time’s the charm; the number reasons calling for recall. homeless population. To Faulconer’s of signatures, pending verification, credit, he immediately learned from has passed the threshold required to The extent of Newsom’s mis his mistake. He pivoted to making trigger a recall election. homelessness a signature issue of his steps is disputed, but it ? tenure, helped to reduce the rate of The petition contains many is clear that the reasons homelessness in San Diego county, organizers are aiming and took the unprecedented action to recall him is more for of temporarily housing homeless people in the Convention Center at Republican talking points outlining political leverage than the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. their reasoning to oust Newsom that a genuine bipartisan disapproval. Contrary to his mayoral reputation,in mid-to-late 2020, Faulconer showed are, frankly, cookie-cutter criticisms Initial projections suggest that signs of his personal rightward shift. In June, responding to Black Lives for any Democrat in statewide Newsom will survive the recall Matter protests in the city, Faulconer maintained his support for police, office. The petition organizers allege because of California’s current status though he did enact some police reform measures. Even though he reasons such as “infringement of as an ultra-blue state and Newsom’s didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 citing divisive rhetoric, he voted for Trump 2nd Amendment rights,” imposing tepid yet positive approval rating. in 2020 citing the economy, despite the crash that had resulted from the fines for not wearing masks, Faulconer is doing all he can to further coronavirus crisis. He was also taking jabs at Newsom’s performance as and supporting undocumented sink Newsom, repeatedly going on immigrants with taxpayer money the offensive against Newsom’s (side note: undocumented policies and actions. Faulconer has immigrants paid $3.2 billion in particularly been critical of Newsom’s California taxes in 2019). However, hypocrisy, pandemic response, and even Democrats have reason to slow school reopening efforts, the be disappointed with Newsom’s aforementioned “agreeable” appeals, leadership during the pandemic. He in an effort to drum up support for has been accused of hypocrisy for not the recall. His CALIFORNIA 47

Kevin Faulconer has let’s see if he can pull proven himself to be the off his own California comeback kid: Comeback. website and his rhetoric points to Newsom’s ‘failed The other major Republican candidate in the race is leadership’ concerning these areas, and Faulconer businessman and 2018 gubernatorial candidate John pledges to be a more responsible and focused executive. Cox, who is attacking Faulconer for being too liberal Though Faulconer has a large hill to climb, there is, in and corrupt, calling him “Gavin Faulconer” in an ad. He my view, a viable blueprint Faulconer could follow to seems to be jockeying for the Trump base, but things help his chances in pulling off a California-sized upset. could get messy if more Trump loyalists, like Trump administration official Richard Grenell, enter the race. A Possible Path Grenell, who hinted at a run at CPAC in February, has Faulconer and the GOP have two things working coalesced support from power players in California against them: limited time, and the fractured like Carl DeMaio, who called Faulconer a “Never- state of the California Republican Party. Trumper” despite Faulconer’s 2020 vote for Trump. First, it is imperative that Faulconer and other Newsom To maximize Faulconer’s chances, he must not bend to critics successfully get voters to recall Newsom come Trump’s will or try to appease only Trump’s base. This fall, a tough ask. If the recall succeeds, it is likely that his is not a national election, and California is nowhere centrist principles will lead to congregated support among near as polarized as the rest of the nation: it voted to moderate voters, and a victory on the accompanying kick Trump out by almost a 30% margin. Faulconer replacement ballot. Things get complicated if viable must build a diverse coalition composed of Republicans, Democrats or independents also put themselves on independents, and Democrats who are itching to recall the replacement ballot, but Faulconer still maintains a Newsom or at least look to new leadership in 2022. good chance. However, if the recall fails, Newsom will And it seems like Faulconer is distancing from Trump, likely run for reelection in 2022 when the coronavirus dodging the question of his support by claiming that he pandemic has long passed. By then, Democrats will is focused on California and not the national scene. He become more apprehensive of voting Newsom out of even declined to state whether he would want Trump’s office if there is no viable Democratic replacement. endorsement, leading to a Twitter chastisement from Donald Trump Jr. Only time will tell if Faulconer’s Second, much like the national Republican Party, balancing act will prove helpful in his pursuit of the the California GOP is deeply divided over whether to highest office in California. continue the “Trumpism” brand that resonated with a large niche of Republican voters but eventually have cost In today’s 24/7 news cycle, it isn’t too early to start Republicans the Senate, House, and presidency within thinking about the 2022 election, especially as Governor four years. Trump’s rhetoric had its effects in California Newsom’s recall election looms. Faulconer has to pull too, costing California House Republicans 7 of their 14 off a big upset in an increasingly blue state, but given seats in 2018. They eventually won back four of those Newsom’s potential unpopularity as he continues his districts between 2018 and 2020, but this effort was hesitancy around reopening the economy, the Former spearheaded by moderate Republicans like Young Kim Mayor of San Diego may have just the chance. He’s and David Valadao, the latter of which voted to impeach got the appeal, given he was a Republican mayor in a Trump for incitement of insurrection in January. Some Democratic city. The best thing he can do is continue his California Republicans, such as House Minority Leader broad electoral appeal, select pertinent talking points, Kevin McCarthy, have stayed loyal to Trump, leading to and claim to work for all Californians. The worst thing he a significant decline in national approval. In Politico/ can do is to succumb to the deeply unpopular national Morning Consult approval polls for the Bakersfield-area GOP agenda and pressure from the MAGA movement, congressman, his net disapproval has doubled after the in which he would likely lose in a landslide. He is one January 6 Capitol riots, going from around a -7 approval of the few California Republicans that can claim to be rating average to a -14 average. Other Trump allies, disconnected from this toxic club, and must capitalize such as Tulare’s Devin Nunes, have received staunch on it as California gets closer to its second-ever recall criticism from residents in his district for his allegiances. referendum. Kevin Faulconer has proven himself to be Considering the unpopularity of Trumpism nationwide, the comeback kid: let’s see if he can pull off his own there is no conceivable way in which a Trumpist California Comeback. candidate could win a statewide office in California. 48 CALIFORNIA

The Child Made Your Chocolate by Garrett Layton Modern Slavery The Garrett Layton outcomes W e do not always of child Tony's Chocolonely acknowledge the labor are not blind eye is has long been turned always so grim, but in the cocoa to finding a solution, cited as a individuals in the supply industry it is most often exploitative competitive disadvantage to try – for many children in West fixing the problem; only recent chain who are separated from the Africa, working to pay for school public pressure – primarily by is assumed the norm. That labor smaller chocolate companies, key product of their labor. Chocolate can be common tasks, similar to lawmakers, and the empowered chores; or can exploit the individual formerly enslaved – are leading supply chains in particular and cost them their childhood, to more accountability and education, and health. Farmers transparency policies. were obscured to the point of who must rely on the child labor Ending modern slavery in shortcut as a means to earn a bare near invisibility whentrying to minimum of income, must move WORLD 49 outward from their homes into the understand where beans have been communities where children are forced farmed, who has farmed them, to skip school to help harvest and at what cost. The abstract beans. In effect, communities are notion of supply chain labor, and forced to use the current system an alarming prevalence of child to negatively mortgage their own labor, are grounded in the stories future well-being. of the formerly enslaved and those For decades, Nestlé, Mars, and other chocolate industry changing the system. giants have admitted to problems in their supply The University of Chicago’s chain which sustain the worst NORC Report suggests that a 62% forms of illegal child labor. The top increase in cocoa production led of the chain is quick to condemn to a 13% increase in children aged modern slavery in their industry. 5-17 engaged in hazardous labor But the system which employs on Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana cocoa modern slavery is so central to production the perceived success of large chains. Companies who refuse to chocolate companies and many raise the price at which they will others in the supply chain that a buy cocoa leave responsibility on plantation owners, to cut corners to meet demand for their product; this leads to hazardous and detrimental outcomes for children on the farms. The farmer cannot ask their trees to provide so much more. Nor does the farmer have much voice in the ethics of the supply chain. So many are incentivized to seek alternative, dangerous, illegal labor practices. Children are enslaved by the system without thought for their youth or future. design by Catherine Hsu

the cocoa supply chain is not slavery to cut labor expenses. impossible to solve, nor is it the competitive disadvantage some As governments move closer to make it out to be. To be sure, legislation on supply chain due slavery was officially abolished in diligence, chocolate giants have the nineteenth century. Its legacy claimed to get on board with the continues into supply chains today legislation (though whether this however. Modern slavery, defined transitions to action is a concern). as forced labor and exploitation A position paper on the European of adults and children, remains Union’s approach towards cocoa present. There is a recognized suggests that policy and regulation need to develop transparency, should be sector-specific, to accountability, compassion, in incorporate the perspectives of many industries to reduce systemic relevant actors and better focus any modern enslavement and extreme policy solutions. This position paper poverty. and the Harkin-Engel Protocol from 2001 were developed with major There are some companies industry players such as Nestlé, surfacing as proponents of Mars, and Barry Callebaut. These change, proving the possibility of corporations pledged to remove the chocolate without slavery is easy worst forms of child labor entirely Tony's Chocolonely and attainable, sourcing cocoa from their chain by 2005. the number of children working on West African cocoa farms to exceed sustainably and treating West Companies make the impact 1.5 million in the past ten years. African partners with equal respect, For too long the industry has been as equal components of the supply Without oversight and penalty for left to voluntary diligence, pledging to make the needed changes while chain. Nineteen companies in the failing to meet fair labor practices, claiming not to be responsible for modern slavery on the farms as they chain signed amicus curiae briefs the Protocol did not prove a success; are often unaware of the particulars in their own supply chain. The for a current supreme court case cocoa farmers continue to earn too cocoa moves to farmer cooperatives who sell to larger cooperatives, against Nestlé USA and Cargill, little income to survive without who then sell to processors or merchants, who finally sell to by six formerly-enslaved Malians, resorting to dangerous labor chocolate manufacturers before being supplied to consumers on arguing for accountability from US practices. They lack the necessary store shelves – often all without a trace of the slavery behind it. Corporations that exploit modern support to cease relying on Dutch chocolate company Tony’s Tony's Chocolonely children for work which is not only Chocolonely was born out of a hazardous, but also denies these group of journalists’ investigation into cocoa supply chains. They children education, access to health received false narratives and circular explanations from care, and other essential needs. chocolate producers, certification companies and cooperative leaders, Companies Make the Impact By 2010 next to no progress came for the high rates of modern slavery out of the Harkin-Engel Protocol; and child labor. In their interviews the plan was then delayed to reduce with cooperative leaders in West the worst forms of child slavery by Africa, who amass cocoa from farms 70%, by 2020. Now in 2021, twenty years since the first protocol was signed and lauded for addressing the problem, enslaved children have become adults and been replaced by ever more children. With a voluntary statement nothing was gained but a pledge by companies seeking to save public face. Signatories to the original and updated protocol continue to shirk responsibility for their direct role in enslavement, which has allowed 50 WORLD