Paul Taylor
Are You Sleepy?
Paul Taylor
Mr. Harris's Opus
Brianna Julien
Good Old Bleach
Yasmin Muhamed
Thank God For The Media
Paul Taylor
Thank God for the media. Without it, who or what
would we use as a scapegoat these days? I mean, ethnic minorities
are untouchable. The west is trying to build closer ties with China
so communism is out. Even religious institutions do not serve that
purpose anymore. The media is a perfect scapegoat for the '90s.
We, a people who have embraced agent Mulder's "trust no
one" into mainstream language, are weary of institutions;
especially big and powerful institutions like the media. The fact
that the media is faceless makes it particularly easy for a
"politically correct" and "sensitive" populace
like us to point fingers at it. God bless the media. Every society
needs a good scapegoat. A good one like the media saves us from
having to muster up the guts to take responsibility for our actions
and hold people accountable for theirs.
Think about it: if the media wasn't around, who would we blame
teen violence on? We can't blame it on the parents because
"They always know best." And the kids? Well, they can
never be the source of evil can they? If the symbol of innocence
and naivete in our society is out there gunning people down, then
there must be something deeply wrong. That notion would be pretty
tough to digest. Luckily, we have the media to dump all of this on.
Yeah, sure, those kids must have watched too many Stallone movies
and been exposed to hatred on the Net. They couldn't have
possibly encountered hatred or violence on their rich suburban high
school. I mean, those things are only supposed to exist in urban
slums and the media, but not in real life -- especially not in the
haven of youth and innocence that we call high school. Who has ever
heard of young men, barely past the age of puberty, wielding guns
and going off to shoot people? That is absurd. The only evil that
is supposed to be able to breach the sacred walls of our high
schools are the high school bullies. Well, it would be blasphemous
to blame them in the Littleton case, seeing as how they were
probably amongst the victims as well.
In the world that we live in, you couldn't find a more
contentious and explosive issue than racism. Because of this, most
just find it safer to blame the problem on the media. This fall,
the North American Association of Coloured People (NAACP)
criticized the new TV season for not having enough minority actors.
This is a nice and tidy solution to the problem. Once the networks
stick in a couple of token minority actors into their shows, the
NAACP can claim that it has accomplished something, and life will
go on. Of course, if the NAACP had really wanted to tackle the
heart of the racism problem, it would have had to place blame on
individual families of every ethnicity.
Jarvis, being the cultural mosaic that it is, has a few students
from every race who have parents who are against them marrying
outside their culture. Most of these parents are simply
uncomfortable around other races, but some harbour contempt from
them. An anonymous female OAC student said, "[my parents
would] kill me if I married outside my race." If the NAACP had
actually tried to tackle the issue of racism and started holding
these parents responsible for their role in racism, there would be
an explosion of anger that would tear even a country as tolerant as
Canada apart. Of course, with the media as a scapegoat, this
problem can be swept under the carpet and the world can continue
living politically correctly.
The media has been blamed for giving the youth of today image
problems. Young girls are said to be starving themselves because
the media is showing them too many images of Kate Moss clones while
young men are abusing drugs to look like Calvin Klein models. The
problem, however, is much more complex, but hey, in this day and
age, who has the time to worry about the psychological problems of
young girls and boys? By summing up all of their problems in one
word ("media"), we save a lot of time.
Too often television has been blamed for the poor health of our
youth. "Experts" say that it is making them obese. A
survey of ten OAC students revealed that on average, they watch
about three hours of TV per day with the actual answers ranging
from one hour to a whopping six hours. Six hours is too much time
to spend on anything. However, television is not the reason why
children and teens are not going outside and having an active
lifestyle. Most would love to enjoy the outdoors, but most of the
time, the outdoors are not safe or accessible. The parts of town
where teens can hang around are full of crime, whereas the nicer
parts, like Bay street, are not welcoming to them. Also, there are
not many facilities were kids can have fun. Most places like
theatres and restaurants cost money to excess. A night out at the
theatres and then a dinner with friends can cost anywhere from
twenty to forty dollars, now that theatres have raised the
admission price. This makes it very difficult for teens to spend a
night out. Most deem it easier to stay home with the ever-available
television.
The media was blamed for the death of one of the most revered women
of our time. Even after a French court has ruled that, in fact, the
photographers chasing Princess Diana on the night of her accident
were not responsible for the crash, there are still many who blame
the media for the accident. A female OAC student commented,
"[the media] should be held accountable for its role in her
death. If they hadn't chased her, the car [would not have]
crashed." Well, if the media should be held responsible, then
what about the drunk driver? What about Dodi, the one who ordered
him to drive? What about Diana who was not wearing a seat belt?
Surely these people had a bigger hand in Diana's death than the
media. Well, we really can't blame them because they are dead.
So again, the media is the best candidate to take fault.
The media has become the sacrificial lamb of our generation. Like
Adolf Hitler, the media has taken quite a bit of blame for the
actions of an entire people. However, unlike Hitler, the media is
not actually evil. It won't even bite back like Mike Harris did
when he was used as a scapegoat for the problems in our education
system. God bless it for being such a great scapegoat.
Are You Sleepy?
Paul Taylor
How many hours of sleep are you getting each night?
Is six hours really enough? Hundreds of thousands of students
across Canada are getting fewer and fewer hours of sleep. Teachers
have the same problem; they spend all day in school too! When we
get home we have to do homework. When teachers get home they are
bombarded with essays, quizzes, tests and assignments.
Experts say the average teenager should get eight to ten hours of
sleep. The increasing number of teens that do not get our eight to
ten hours are said to be clumsy and unhappy. Dr. Stanley Coren,
author of Sleep Thieves, says he travels as little as possible the
Monday after daylight savings time. It is believed that the loss of
sleep that night is the cause for a 7% increase in traffic
accidents that day.
Lack of sleep is a major problem amongst Canadians, especially
students. Most of us hold down part time jobs, attempt to keep up
with schoolwork, not to mention homework, extra curricular
activities, household chores and also attempt to budget few hours
of sleep. When I spoke to a member of our student council she felt
the same way. This OAC student felt "extremely frustrated at
times, trying to balance a job, school work, student council
responsibilities and sleep." One day she recalls "leaving
home at seven thirty to be at a student council meeting by eight,
after the meeting I was off to class, when I finally get to go
leave at three I remember I have to work till twelve." This
non-stop rush clearly isn't healthy for the development of our
young minds.
Our society has become a rush hour zone. This constant flow of
activities and duties is making our world impossible to survive in.
So many people can't keep up with the hustle and bustle of the
times. Many people feel that the world is closing in on them.
It's like being the sand in an hourglass. With a lack of sleep,
and all this combined confusion, it is clearly understandable how
one can feel lost or bewildered. Dr. Taylor of Etobicoke General
feels that she's always on her feet. "When I do get home I
am often too tired to spend time with my family." When I asked
her what she would do if there was a point where she had to draw
the line, she replied, "In all honesty when I have to forfeit
something it's my sleep."
When pressed for time the first thing we sacrifice is our sleep.
The loss of sleep is detrimental to so many aspects of our lives.
Sleep is essential to performing well and feeling healthy. Lack of
sleep affects our ability to concentrate, can alter moods and
compromise health. Can you imagine being that doctor's son and
having your mother come home angry, frustrated and tired? Not only
is she coming home like that, but you, her child, are also coming
home after hours of schoolwork and forced to do dishes or take out
the kitty litter.
Studies have shown that when we build up a big portion of lost
sleep each night, we experience what Dr. Coren calls
"Micro-sleeps." No matter what we are doing we fall
asleep for about 10 to 60 seconds. You can see the potential for
danger if we do this while driving.
The maximum number of consecutive hours a person is allowed to
drive in Canada is 13 hours. This law was implemented in 1997 as a
result of Transportation Minister Al Paladini's idea of
lessening traffic accidents caused by driving too many hours and
not getting enough sleep.
It seems the only way to survive in this increasingly difficult
time is to either invite a 30 hour day or budget your time. We have
to know what we can handle and when enough is enough. My suggestion
to everyone is to make sure you get your recommended hours of sleep
as often as possible, and to stay indoors the Monday in spring when
we lose an hour of sleep.
Mr. Harris's Opus
Brianna Julien
As I sit at my desk, I suddenly become aware of what
I am doing. Though intent on my math homework, I am also listening
to an opera by Puccini -- Turandot, my all-time favourite. This is
normal for me because I am used to always being surrounded by
music, but I realize that for many people, this is not the
case.
My mind wandered to an election speech that I had heard on the news
that outlined the objectives of the proposed new education system.
While it has been a year since Bill 160 was still being debated at
Queen's Park, and the union-led protests were raging outside,
one particular objective stuck in my mind. This was a long-term
objective, proposed by an anonymous speaker, illustrated a
particularly barbarian point of view: science, math and English
were the most important subjects in school and should therefore
occupy most of the curriculum. This went against everything I knew
to be true about the human spirit and the development of a creative
mind.
I researched the statistics that appear every year on this
particular subject. Indeed, the statistics and studies show that
children who study music are better in math, science and languages.
Children who study music and perform regularly are well-balanced
individuals who are most likely to be enthusiastic, energetic and
creative. These children also, as a general rule, seem to be
happier. A special education teacher from the Catholic school board
said, "Music enriches creativity, and it trickles down to
every other aspect of the curriculum. It is a physical and mental
expression that can be used as an outlet for any young
individual." Not only is the mind being trained, but the
remaining energy can now be focused on other schoolwork and enable
the student to be more attentive.
As a student in a public high school, I see continual cut-backs,
especially in the music department, which is very expensive to run.
However, as principal McKenzie comments, "There is an added
interest in music and the Board of Education feels that it is
important because it not only enriches the students, but teaches
them self-discipline. However, because of the major staff cutbacks,
there may not always be enough staff to run all of the music
programs."
The outside world is noticing substantial cutbacks in music
programs as well. Nina Draganic, Manager of the Canadian
Children's Opera Chorus, comments: "Before, when kids were
accepted into the chorus, a certain level of musicianship and
theory was assumed. Now, because not all schools even have music
programs anymore, we [private arts organizations] have to start
teaching the basics again."
Every year Jarvis's various departments are given a specific
allotment of funds to spend on the supplies for the new school
year. This year there are 75 new computers in Jarvis, including one
lab that is currently empty due to lack of supervision. Meanwhile,
the music department was given the same amount of money as in past
years, even though the enrollment in grade nine music classes has
increased greatly. One string class actually has 44 students. At
this very moment, computers and practice rooms would be invaluable
to the music department. But as it is, they are still coping with
the influx of students with the same allowance from past years due
to board cutbacks.
Music, and indeed the performing arts, play a key role in any
student's life, and this fact must become once again part of
the political will of our governments. Music is an essential course
in the curriculum. I applaud those who take part in it at Jarvis,
and let us continue to fight to not only improve the quality of the
program, but to keep it as a part of the school at all costs.
Good Old Bleach
Yasmin Muhamed
As a teenager, you probably associate bleach with
cleaning and chores. These days, bleach seems to be popular in a
variety of ways. If you look around in the halls of Jarvis,
you're bound to find several students who have bleached their
hair. Bleaching hair is common and relatively harmless. But there
is another place some people use bleach: on the face.
In our modern society, it seems that a large number of Blacks and
people from other ethnic groups are using bleaching creams to
lighten their complexion. Some use these creams mainly to bleach
unwanted dark hair on their face, but others use it to change their
skin tone.
This issue does not exclude high school students. Ten girls at
Jarvis that I talked to, ranging from ages fifteen to seventeen,
said they use bleaching creams.
One would probably ask why? The answer is because of self-image.
Why do young girls starve themselves to lose weight? It has been
shown that they are trying to fit into the ideal image that this
society portrays. Similarly, skin bleaching is a response to
societal pressures and media portrayal of models.
A popular cosmetic product that is often used to lighten the skin
is hydroquinone. It is a white or colourless crystalline compound.
After washing the face, the cream is applied with fingertips,
rubbing the cream into the face and neck.
These creams appear the same as an ordinary cream, except that
they contain harmful chemicals. Bleaching creams containing
hydroquinone provide a lighter complexion over time, and are found
to be relatively safe with ordinary use; that is, if it's used
in a very low concentration. That's why, these types of creams
are being sold in stores across Canada at a limited concentration
of 2% bleach. Concentration levels between 2% to 4% are found to be
safe. With this regulation in mind, those who use bleaching creams
have a certain degree of protection.
However, throughout history it has been shown many times that when
humans interfere with nature, they tend to get in trouble. Although
it appears to be very progressive to have the ability to change the
skin colour with which we were born, there are many negative
affects due to de-pigmenting agents such as hyproquinone.
These products don't literally bleach the melanin in the skin;
they merely disrupt its production, which in turn leads to the
gradual loss of skin pigments. Thus, no new melanin is formed and
existing melanin is destroyed. In addition, because of the chemical
agents contained in bleaching creams, the top layer of the skin,
known as the epidermis, is destroyed as well. With the top layer
gone, the dermis is exposed. Without its protective layer the
dermis is exposed to the external environment. It cannot compensate
for the absence of the top layer, nor can it handle daily climate
conditions. Finally, since the protective layer is gone, harmful
organisms such as bacteria can enter the body through the skin.
Therefore, there is a higher risk of irritations and possibly skin
cancer.
The 'safe' 2% concentration rate does not have the
capacity to actually lighten the skin effectively. "I have to
use more than my fingertip to get results," says a junior
Jarvis student. So far it works for her, but she and other users
are misinformed, because there is another problem: the lightening
results are not permanent.
Just like dying hair, the colour eventually fades when new hair
grows. The cream does not change the skin pigment genetically. When
the treatment stops, the body tries to make up the skin pigment it
has lost. Therefore, shortly after discontinued use, they would
have more melanin in their skin pigment than before. When a person
stops using the bleaching cream that was used daily, he or she will
have a darker skin tone than before using the cream at all.
Not only do these creams not give permanent results, they also
cause many serious health problems such as dizziness and nausea.
Many people, however, are unaware of these problems. Several
students, when asked, assumed the bleaching products were for the
hair rather than the face. When informed of the face-bleaching
problems the students were surprised to learn such a thing
existed.
Nature gave us complexions to suit our environment. In areas with
a colder climate, people tend to have less melanin in their skin
than those who live in warmer climates. Although science has opened
many doors in life, it has also created various complex problems in
our society. People are bombarded with ads that show how the ideal
person should appear. Not only do teen models appear extremely thin
but those with darker tones literally do not exist in magazines.
Furthermore, even in magazines targeted at black people such as
Essence and Ebony, the ideal black person is portrayed with fair
skin.
It is truly ironic what people are willing to do in order to fit
into this image of the "ideal person".
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