GOP: The "Grand Overconfident Party"

By Jack Ronca

We had the chance to speak with the Republican candidate before Election Day, asking him about his thoughts on the upcoming election. He obviously had very high expectations, telling us “I don’t even need a concession speech.”

“I have faith in the American people, the true, red-blooded Americans. The radical Left, under the administration of Sleepy Joe and Kamala (which he intentionally mispronounced) Harris, have run this country into the ground. This midterm season, we on the Right are going to take back the House and the Senate, and reinstate true American values across the whole nation”

We obtained a copy of what he planned to say in his victory speech:

“Good evening, America!

Tonight we, the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, did the unthinkable. We have ended the tyranny of the last two years under this current administration. After a long two years, we have finally liberated Americans from radical left policies and agendas that have ruined so many of our lives. We have put “woke” to sleep!

Tonight, the Red Tsunami that so many liberals doubted would happen, swept over the nation. We warned it was coming, and they did not listen. Because of the strength of our base, the Republican Party once again now controls both the House and the Senate! I beat my opponent in a landslide, like we predicted, like so many of my colleagues from the GOP did tonight. The polls warned of this! They had us ahead! And you, the people, have spoken loudly and clearly about who you want to lead these United States!

On the first day in office, we are going to restore confidence into the hearts of every true American. Joe Biden, with the help of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, have ruined our great economy! We will take giant steps, so much bigger than other steps, to undo the bad stuff that has happened to this country under the dirty Democrats. And you know the bad stuff I’m talking about! Oh, just wait until you see the steps we take!

 

We are going to fix the stock market through the likes that no one has ever seen since the time of our founding fathers! We are going to introduce legislation that will lower gas prices!

We are going to undo all that the Left has done that has ruined our nation! We don't want a bunch of new roads and bridges built. We don't want the entitlements that the radical left agenda and Biden have forced on Americans, including capped prescription drug costs for our nation's seniors and better healthcare for America’s veterans. We don't want our innocent children to grow up being groomed to accept people for who they are! And we especially don’t want them to learn an accurate history of discrimination in their country. Children don't need to know that, no one does! So let’s just stop talking about it! “Woke” is asleep.

What we want is freedom. We want the hands of the Left off of our Second Amendment rights, and we will require every single American--man, woman, and child--exercise this God-given right! We are going to take the guesswork out of a woman’s right to choose because the government knows what is best for women! They do not need to be bothered with all of that thinking. The GOP can choose what is best for all Americans. 

This is the land of the free! And “woke” is asleep! You true Americans have spoken, and we hear you loud and clear. This new Republican dystopia will be great. And even if you don’t love it right now, trust me, someday you will! Tonight we have taken great big steps in the right direction, we will continue to do so whether you like it or not! 

Thank you, America for putting “woke” to sleep. Thank you. God bless all of you real Americans. Good night!”

-------------------

UPDATE: This candidate lost. Democrats retained the Senate. President Biden and the Democrats had one of the most successful midterms for the Democratic party in the last century. The Red Tsunami amounted to no more than a trickle.

Welcome to the World, Little 8,000,000,000!

By Caitlin Gyimesi

Grappling with the Population News Through New Journalism

  

    On November 15th the planet earth had her eight billionth baby born. On November 16th, I was at the Bronx Zoo.

    I had just exited the “Jungle World” exhibit located in the Wild Asia section of the Zoo. After stepping out of the last dark room, the one dedicated to promoting activism to combat deforestation, I squinted as the grey light of the overcast sky hit me.

    The last room of Jungle World was a mandated and bleak one after a cheerful viewing of playful lemurs and exotic fish. Numerous television screens surrounded me in the empty room bombarding me with images of burning forests and tree-less animals. I noted a separate small screen by the door playing a video of a small fire that stated exactly how many acres of rainforest would be destroyed by the time I was done watching said video. I felt obligated to watch the rest.

    Back outside the exhibit in the cold November air, I discovered an outdoor extension of the last room of Jungle World. In front of me stood a podium with an ominous red counter. Above the counter read, “When Jungle World was constructed on June 21, 1985, there were 1,163,700 mi2 of South Asian rainforest left. As of now, there are….”

 

    I looked down at the counter.

 

    Significantly less.

 

    I walked past the podium only to find a second one in the courtyard. Jungle World made the relationship between preserved rainforest acres and the human population clear. It would only make sense that this podium had a counter for the human population.

 

    We are crowding out nature…

 

    I looked at the counter expecting at least 10 numbers or more but my eyes only fell on one.

 

    0

    Well, how ominous.

 

    “Didn’t we reach 8 billion just yesterday…?”

 

 

The old podium lacked the ominous red numbers, 1985.

______

 

    Our planet has been home to 7 billion people ever since I could remember…well, ever since I cared to. To clue you in, the earth reached 7 billion people in 2010, it made 6 billion in 1999. I don’t even have two decades on me.

    Regarding population and other harrowing global issues, when I’m not thinking about the catastrophic impact they will have on our way of life, I like to think about how they’re represented in movies.

    Akira is an animated film that was released in 1988 and was directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. It was groundbreaking as an animated film that incorporated mature content and still remains relevant today with not only its message but its numerous references in modern pop culture. Akira takes place in 2019; interestingly enough the Olympics were set to be in Tokyo that year in the real world as in the world of Neo-Tokyo. Prophetic much?

    In Neo-Tokyo alone resides a population of over 20 billion people. The art of the film accurately portrays this with all its sci-fi might, skyscrapers practically layered upon each other, and humans drawn in every nook and cranny of the underground.

    While this overcrowded future city is what I picture our population reaching 8 billion some are seeing 8 billion as not enough.

Background painting of Otomo's Akira,1988.

______

 

    In this case, the “some” refers to a certain Elon Musk. Just because.

 

    In response to falling birthrates being in the headlines, Musk expressed his opinion via Twitter. His use of “population collapse” and “bigger risk to civilization than global warming” struck me as odd at first, well, somebody’s overreacting.

    I suppose it would make logical sense, and it would align with my father’s fear of there not being enough of my generation to take care of his when they no longer can take care of themselves. As I let this thought marinate, I couldn’t help but think of Jungle World. Jungle World says that population would be the downfall of rainforests and ecosystems globally.

 

    So, who’s right?

 

    The humans old enough to feel that they’re going be left all alone now that the global birthrate has fallen from 34.741 (per 1000) since 1965 to 17.668 today?

 

    Or the humans young enough to worry about the planet and ecosystem they’ll inherit?

 

    I’m not sure quite how I feel about it right now. I suppose it is easiest to be a human in the U.N.  as they sound happier about the population announcement.

 

     “today's milestone is a celebration of human longevity due to improvements in public health and medicine”

 

E. Musk tweets a prophecy, 2022.

______

 

    When I’m forced to think about what’s next for our population, whether it’s for a blog post assignment or my nightly 5 minutes of existential dread before bedtime, I suppose the young and old humans can both be correct.

     When we reach 15 billion, all the young humans, now middle-aged humans, will have their hands full with, let's say, 11 billion supercentenarians. But. Give them maybe another 20 years, and earth will just have the 4 billion slightly-older middle-aged humans left living upon her surface. Sorry, Elon.

     If the environment manages to somehow bounce back, I suppose the remaining 4 million will have plenty of green space to graze. Jungle World’s dark room makes me think we won’t.

    What I have now is a lovely picture of the 4 million left with scorched earth.

    I guess less Akira and more Mad Max?

 

Christmas Time Crime

By Gabbi Leone

     As Andy Williams sings to me every December, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Nothing beats the holiday season. Who doesn’t love Christmas music, lights, decorations, cookies, drinks, and gifts? I know I do. So do the citizens of Waukesha, Wisconsin, who were just enjoying their holiday parade on November 23, 2021. Almost one year later, on November 16, 2022, the trial of Darell Brooks Jr. has concluded, and a sentence of almost 700 consecutive years in prison has been awarded. 

I woke up early one morning before my classes, shocking, I know, and my roommate is sitting at the kitchen table with her eyes buried in her phone. 

“Alyssa, what the heck are you watching so intently? It’s literally 8 AM?” She was so enthralled. The sound of my voice made her jump a little.

“Oh, just this trial that I’ve been keeping up with for the past week. It’s absolutely insane.” 

She asked me if I remembered last Christmas when some guy drove his car through a Christmas parade in Wisconsin. I did remember it; I just completely forgot until she reminded me.

Darrell Brooks Jr. was charged with 6 counts of intentional homicide for that November day. Originally, Brooks was represented by a law team whose primary defense was insanity. Brooks decided as the trial began to dismiss his attorneys and represent himself with no legal training. Maybe it was an attempt to prove how insane he really is. Brooks’ mother and grandmother delivered testimony on his behalf, claiming he suffers from bipolar disorder and other mental health issues. They said the court should show him some empathy and compassion. I’m sure the judge cared about that testimony considering the defendant no longer pleaded that he was insane. 

The Waukesha County judge, Jennifer Dorow, had Brooks removed from the court on multiple occasions for his continuous outbursts and interruptions. It sure sounds like he should’ve stayed with the insanity plea, but I digress. He was put in a separate courtroom and was allowed to video in, the equivalent of a time-out in court. Now they can just mute him when he tries to interrupt. Not only did he interrupt, he fell asleep at the defense table and argued with the bailiff. It’s some strategy he has, claim you’re not insane, but act like a crazy person hosting a circus in the courtroom. It’s sure to prevent you from getting sentenced to life. 

Brooks claimed to be a man of God and had a Bible on the defense table during the entire trial. I don’t know if anyone told him, but the 6th Commandment is “Thou shalt not kill.” All my other religious friends learned the 10 Commandments in elementary school, but maybe that’s just them. I know God would forgive serial murder as long as you keep the Bible next to you. 

I watched the end of the trial with my roommate. We sat there in silence, tears pooling in our eyes as the families of the six victims spoke. One of the victim’s mothers said that her son blames himself every day for the death of his younger brother. The judge said, “It is not your fault Tucker. It is Mr. Brooks’ fault.” A young girl spoke about how her mother was one of the victims, and she has never felt so much pain or so alone in her life. I don’t think I could function as a human if this happened to any of my family members. 

The jury made their decision: six consecutive life sentences. The judge spoke about the ruling, saying there is no medicine or cure for a heart bent on evil. Mr. Brooks may have been abused as a child, but he knows the difference between right and wrong and chose to ignore his conscience. 

The judge is right. There is no treatment for evil hearts. It has been almost one year since this tragic event, yet violence and hate are at the forefront almost every day in America. This is what it is like to live in America in the 2020s: crying at a live stream as insane and evil people claim to be sane and moral people. 

The Acquisition of Twitter: The Blue Album

By Katherine Martinez

  The Acquisition of Twitter: The Blue Album

    For the purpose of context: on March 21st, 2006, Jack Dorsey created a website by the name of Twitter, a social media platform designed for microblogging and social networking. Here we are- 16 years later, Twitter is one of the most popular platforms in 2022 and now amasses roughly 206 million active users daily. On October 28th, 18 days ago, Twitter was placed into the care of Tesla CEO Elon Musk for the small price of 44 billion United States Dollars.

    A man steps into the workplace of Twitter, a presumably organized company filled with teams, workers, assistants, engineers, programmers, influencers, interns, and anyone else you could guess was at a modern-day Social media company office. Elon's first mission was to pull the rug out from underneath the Jenga game that is Twitter, by firing the company's top executives. Thus begins the chronological detailing of the chaos which unfolded over the following weeks.

    First on the chopping block were the executives, and naturally, on November 3rd, roughly 3,700 employees joined their fate by being instantaneously fired for little to no reason. People were outraged and took to the site by which they were previously employed to shine a spotlight on the injustice they faced. It was as if Twitter had shed its wings and dawned scales to resemble an ouroboros, a mythical snake depicted devouring its own tail and consuming itself seemed like a fitting metaphor to describe the havoc wreaked on the social media site.

    Among the metaphorical bloodshed which circulated around the online-blogging platform, the online scavengers began to descend, looking for leftover scraps. Niche-internet celebrities who within their circles were hailed as comedians. After he acquired Twitter, to raise funds for the website, Musk decided to add a new feature to the subscription-based service on the site known as "Twitter Blue". Originally it was used to allow a user to upload higher-quality images and longer lengths of videos, but instead, the new feature was to adopt a pre-existing feature: the verification system. Any notable user of Twitter could apply for something called "verification" and the requirements to achieve this would be to just be a celebrity or a public figure (reporter, government official). With the 8-dollar purchase of Twitter Blue, any random individual could achieve verified status, and the ability to change their username to personify a genuine celebrity or company.

    Twitter impersonators adopted new personas, some of whom they were attempting to impersonate being huge conglomerates such as pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and American defense company, Lockheed Martin. On November 10th, Twitter user @EliLillyCo tweeted, “We are excited to announce insulin is free now.” as a result, their stock tumbled down 4.5 points the following day. As hilarious as it seems from an outsider's perspective, there is a grave reality that the fate of many can lie in the hands of an anonymous stranger. To combat this, Musk announced that any person using this feature maliciously will be stripped of their 8-dollar verification badge, but I still think it's funny anyways.

    As this is currently being written at 10:30 pm, November 17th, there is an uncertain feeling in the air about the fate of the company. Rumors are circulating that at midnight tonight, Twitter as it's currently known will be shut down. Personally, I am not very bothered either way, I have used the app frequently and it's been the inspiration for many laughs, and entertainment for many boring travels, but in a historical sense if this truly is the end then it is bittersweet for my, and many peoples memory of the internet as a whole. As much as these claims may be true, they may as well also be false since the source currently cited for these updates is an "inside source". Either way results in a fascinating sociological case study into 2022, and the internet.

John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard

By Aidan Treutel

    We all know that Johnny Depp is an incredible actor, from Captain Jack Sparrow to Willy Wonka, he has captivated the audience with incredible performances. When an actor of that caliber is faced with performing for their life, would they flip the script and convince a jury of their innocence? This is exactly what happened in the trial over the summer between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Amber Heard. 

    Johnny Depp initially sued Amber Heard for defamation and claimed $50 million in damages, but Amber Heard counter-sued for $100 million. Suddenly, Johnny Depp was given a situation where he could not just be found to be the monster Heard framed him as, but also potentially lose a fortune. Normally, a figure of such wealth would not be overly concerned by this, but following his divorce and subsequent domestic violence accusations, Depp's initially solid financial position began to grow precarious. In their 2016 divorce, Amber Heard received a settlement of $7 million. However, the true financial strain for Johnny Depp came as he began to lose out on movie roles. In 2018, Disney cut ties with Depp and he lost out on filming the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Additionally, many advertisers dropped Depp as a client, costing him untold millions in revenue. Depp had already been proven to be a "wife-beater" in a UK libel case, where Justice Nicol found 12 out of 14 allegations of domestic violence to be true. 

    The world believed Johnny Depp was an animal. He was forced to put on a show for the jury and convince them that he was innocent of the violence that Amber Heard had claimed was wrought upon her. While Amber Heard was struggling to keep her story straight and seemed to break up on the stand multiple times, Depp was completely composed. He told the story of Amber Heard cutting his finger with a bottle at their villa in Australia so well, that I felt I was a fly on the wall watching them argue live. Thus, the story was a little too convincing. Depp didn't just tell his side of the story, he told a completely different one, one filled with so much detail that you couldn't possibly think it was a lie. There was a mountain of evidence against Depp, and only circumstantial evidence against Amber Heard. There were videos of Depp smashing cabinets, and recordings of him saying that he hit Amber, yet he was able to spin it all in his favor. In regards to the latter, Depp testified that in the recording, he was simply repeating back to Amber what she had just said to him, not saying that he was violent. Now, any reasonable jury would find me, you, or 99% of people guilty in this scenario. However, as I discussed earlier, Depp is no normal person. 

    Once the jury left the room each day, Depp could be seen smiling and laughing with his legal team. The gallery was in love with him and he would wave to them at the end of each day. Amber Heard, on the other hand, sat solemnly with a look of dejection. This was not because she feared the result of the trial, but because she knew women everywhere would lose their power to speak up for domestic violence. The whole reason this started was that Heard wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post supporting woman, saying she too was a victim of domestic violence. There was nothing for her to gain, she had everything to lose, and it was all because she wanted to help give women a voice. 

The Impact of Satire

By Grace Kaley

Russo-Ukrainian War Compared to War Films

By Liam Rodgrigues

The film Inglourious Basterds, directed and written by Quentin Tarantino, is a film that uses the theme of comedy to lessen the harsh reality of what happens during war. Despite Tarantino’s gruesome cinematography, the overall tone of the film is more fantastical than serious. The impossibility of war, that can be seen in other types of war movies, is ignored in Tarantino’s film. Another film that shares similarities to Inglourious Basterds is Dr. Strangelove, directed by Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick’s film based on war has the similar idea of taking war Both of these films seem to romanticize war. The romanticization of war can be seen within the media for current events such as the Russo-Ukrainian War. The de-emphasization of war in the media is something that has been around since the very first world war. With propaganda representing a lesser realistic side of war itself. In film the same concepts are applied and drawn out to give a more entertaining performance. This allows war to be perceived as something entirely different than any preconceived notions of the topic. The film of Dr. Strangelove is based around the hypothetical of what would happen, this is a major contrast to any typical or generic war movie that is seen to be based on real events. Since the basis of the film is based on something that cannot be proven, the idea that the film has to be serious is looked over. The same can be said about Inglourious Basterds, the movie is based on fictional people and events. As fiction or hypotheticals are added into something like war, the perception and reality of the actual event has a tendency to change. 

The connection between film/media of war in the past and media of war in the present, is that they both share the same lack of a serious tone. Compared to the time around when Dr. Strangelove was made, there are many more media platforms that are used to spread or share news. One group of media that generally covers the actualities of current events is mainly news sources. Reliable and accurate news sources are the only outlier that does not apply to the idea of romanticizing war. Social media tends to be the main culprit of this topic. With social media, comparisons between satirical film and present day media can be made. Although, just to restate, the news may be the most reliable source for information, that doesn’t necessarily imply that it is either the most used source or only source that is being used for information. Social media is a key player in the spreading of information. What can be questioned is how reliable and trustworthy that information is. What I am trying to compare here is the idea that the modern day social media has a similar amount of reliability as that of satirical war films in regards to providing factual, trustworthy information.

To return to the Russo-Ukrainian War, social media gives many different scopes of perspectives. The progression of the war may not be consistently broadcasted, in comparison with the frequency of a news source, and it may not be fully represented. Different platforms of social media can range from giving factual information of the war, to making jokes about the war. The social media that is widely seen and used by many today has very similar impacts as satirical films. It gives a broad inconclusive amount of information on the topics of the Ukrainian war, at the same time social media treats the war as something that is not entirely serious. 

Better Call Saul's Use of Black and White

by Brendan Ahn

    The show Better Call Saul (Final episode date: August 15, 2022), directed by Vince Gilligan, takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it follows the story of a man named Jimmy McGill. Jimmy, a former con artist, known by many throughout the show by the nickname of "Slippin' Jimmy," was someone who would exploit people's kindness and naivete just to make a quick buck, getting his nickname from taking falls by slipping on ice in front of stores for a payout. Eventually, he cleans up his act and begins to work for his older brother, Chuck, a very well-respected lawyer, until he is inspired by his brother and wants to become a lawyer just like him. He becomes a lawyer to his brother's disapproval and continues his scheming conman lifestyle into his lawyer career. Jimmy starts as a public defender, then moves to elder law, where he finds a gem of a case, a class-action suit. He takes it to Chuck, which eventually causes a falling out between the two. Afterward, Jimmy decides to take on the persona of "Saul Goodman," a play on the words, it's all good man. Saul takes on criminal law and is flamboyant, confident, and an "on your side" kind of guy, making sure his clients see that through his brightly colored suits and ties. He takes all the cases he can get because he wants to make as much money as possible to get a new office to feel like a legitimate lawyer like his brother. However, one of the cases Saul picks up leads him down a path connected with the Mexican drug cartel and launches him into a new criminal world with boundless opportunities for the "Slippin' Jimmy" within him.

    Throughout the series, several scenes are in black and white, representing the bleak and grim future of Jimmy, known as Gene, within the scenes. These scenes are after the events of his lawyer career and his escapades in Albuquerque. In the scenes, Gene is hiding and using a fake name to hide from the law after being involved with the drug empire and having been the lawyer for a highly notorious criminal mastermind known as Heisenberg or Walter White. Gene now works as a manager for Cinnabon and lives a drab and depressing lifestyle, having to live in secrecy without any outside contact and constantly fearing that the police could catch him at any moment. Every night, he would routinely watch his old lawyer commercials on repeat to reminisce about his old days as Saul Goodman and the "fun" and excitement that came with being a corrupt lawyer. The black and white scenes completely contrast with the show's central portion and setting, contrasting with the brightly colored suits and set pieces.

    

    After watching the scenes in Better Call Saul that were shot in black and white, it reminded me of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb because Dr. Strangelove is also shot in black and white, albeit though not just some scenes but rather the whole movie, still, both uses of the technique of using black and white for the scenes made me feel similar things for both works. Both made use of black and white to represent something dark and depressing. Better Call Saul's use of the technique was having Jimmy go into hiding and change his name to Gene. Unhappy, bleak, and a monotonous lifestyle, the complete opposite of all the "fun" he was having getting to play the persona of Saul Goodman and being a shady lawyer. In Dr. Strangelove, the use of black and white is similar because the outcome of the movie is bleak and destructive, like the life and outcome of Jimmy McGill. Also, in Dr. Strangelove, in particular scenes, the black and white help convey a feeling to the viewer, usually that of fear of paranoia, which is relative to some moments within Better Call Saul. In some black and white scenes, Gene has to worry about being caught and recognized for his past and subsequently sent to prison. For example, he gets out of a taxi mid-ride because he thinks the driver is a cop and walks away, with the use of black and white only accentuating on this suspenseful feeling onto the viewer of whether or not the law will catch him.

A Leak in the Roe-Boat

By Isabella Roccanova

It is the beginning of May, and I’m sitting in my dorm room, hunched over my desk. It’s nearly finals week, and I have assignments upon assignments due soon. The sky outside is dark and rainy. It’s colder than normal outside, but that’s okay– I have bigger things to worry about. My fingers tap, tap, tap on the keyboard. From across the room, my phone buzz, buzz, buzz-es in response. The room is filled with noise- soft piano from the background of my laptop, with an accompaniment from my keyboard and backup vocals from my phone. Tap-tap-tap, buzz, tap-tap-tap, buzz. Buzz, tap. Buzz, tap. Buzz-buzz-buzz, tap. I pause. My phone does not. I figure I may as well take a break. It’s been hours, after all. 

I open up the phone. The notifications are all from the same group chat– my politically active friends from high school. It was an active group chat– hardly a day would go by without someone posting a meme or an article that would’ve definitely pissed off some people at our Catholic high school. But the frequency of these messages, the amount appearing in all caps, the incessant buzzing of my phone– this is unusual. I glance at my laptop from across the room, the soft piano music reaching for me, calling me back to the homework I’ve been working on. But if the activity of my friends is anything to go by, I have bigger things to worry about. 

I open the chat to an onslaught of messages. I scroll to the top and read the message that started it all. “OMG. The Supreme Court is poised to strike down Roe v. Wade!” I freeze. The statement echoes in my head, bouncing around my head like a tennis ball. I scroll back to the newest chats, asking for clarification, for details– what’s happened? How do we know? Quickly, but somehow still too slowly, I am brought up to speed; there’s been a leak from the Supreme Court. That’s silly, I think. Leaks are for video games and movies, to increase hype online; they’re not for draft official government documents from the highest court in the land. That doesn’t happen. In disbelief, I scroll up and click the article, looking to see for myself. If this is real, I’ve got bigger things to worry about.  Who would have done this? And for what reason? Are we not already divided enough? Are our politics not already flowing with anger and vitriol? What must have been going through the leaker’s head when they did this? I try to breathe. It’s only a draft, I tell myself. The Supreme Court is known for taking ages to do anything, I tell myself. Abortion will be returned to the states, not outlawed, I tell myself. And then it hits me; this is an election year. This leak, regardless of what comes from it in the end, will stir up politically-savvy Americans and make them vote. For one side, to defend a right they think is attacked; for the other, to try and ride the momentum of their perceived victory. Either way, the internet is about to go up in flames. 

A month passes by. I’ve just woken up to the late morning sun, glaring at me through my window. It knows something. My phone buzzes. As I look for it, it buzzes again. And again. And again. I grumble, unable to find it. It buzzes at me in response. When I find it, I know immediately something has happened. The group chat is in turmoil again. I begin to glance over the chat bubbles, but my eyes freeze on one message in particular, near the top. It reads “ROE V WADE IS GONE.” I sit up. I hear my mother call me from downstairs. For now though, I have bigger things to worry about. 

The Doctor's Friend

By John Plunkett

           Loved, feared, destroyed. Director Brian Patrick Butler worked on many notable films, such as the Godfather, but he is accustomed to directing sci-fi films. I recently watched one of the strangest and most creative films named Friend of the World. For the short 2020 film, many takeaways can be compared to older movies. Friend of the World had a 60s vibe, along with edgy performances, twists, turns, and an effective way that portrayed the end of the world. The film takes place after a catastrophic global war, where a young filmmaker awakens in the carnage and seeks refuge with the only other survivor. Together, they search the toxic area in search of safety and answers. However, both survivors couldn’t be more different. The young filmmaker, Diane, has a liberal view of the world, while the other survivor, General Gore of the United States Army, has views that are contradicting because the United States is democratic, however his views are aligned with communism and Darwinism. These two never engage with each other besides trying to be beneficial to each other. The plot focuses on Diane and Gore attempting to find safety while encountering hallucinations, strange characters, and zombies. The film demonstrates themes of dark comedy, war, and horror. The main point of the film comes towards the beginning with a quote from Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, “The more a thing is perfect, the more it feels pleasure and likewise pain.” This is seen throughout the film especially when Diane says, “The world is beautiful, and a chaotic mess.” The film’s cinematography, characters, and theme created a parallel to that of Dr. Strangelove.

            While watching the film, there were many aspects of Dr. Strangelove that were illuminated in Friend of the World. Both films were satirical war films and had a main character that put their views over others. Their communistic views of taking control played an important role in both satirical films. It was also ironic how both characters with communist views were generals in the United States Army. General Ripper and General Gore were both mentally deranged people who thought the only way to have their views come to light was to take control. Gore states towards the end of the film, “The only way to overcome fear is to destroy” and that is exactly what General Ripper did when he took matters into his own hands and ordered “Plan R,” which destroyed the world. Gore was also being strongly reminiscent of General Ripper with his strange obsession with people’s fluids. Gore and Ripper were both big men with big voices, guts, and ideals.

            The cinematography between films also had many key similarities such as the scenes, props, and camera angles. Both movies were filmed in black and white to express a wartime effect. It was also odd to see Friend of the World in black and white because it was a fairly new movie and not made in the 1900s. At the beginning of the movie, the camera angle point at a gun which gave a feeling of suspense. This resembled the scene in Dr. Strangelove when the camera pointed at General Ripper’s gun which also showed suspense and fear. There were also many instances in both films where the camera angle was in the worm’s eye view. This was to show a sense of strong authoritarian power. Lastly, towards the end of the film, when Gore finished Diane’s film, he had an outburst expressing his extreme ideas and how we need to take control, just as Dr. Strangelove did.

            This film is likely to leave plenty of viewers confused about what the hell they watched… and I’m okay with that. This film was a perplexing experience that I’m glad to have taken. This weird and off-beat film will also find plenty of viewers that will enjoy this strange trip through the bunkers and cellars of a ruined world. The confusing plot, contradicting characters, and creative cinematography in both pieces of film illuminate the thought of questioning the motives of others and our reality.

Review: Woman in Gold

By Jake DiMarino

 In the world of rewriting history, it is important to look into the world of film, and how directors choose to portray the events of history. Woman In Gold is a biographical drama film directed by Simon Curtis. It depicts the true story of a woman from Austria, Maria Altmann, and her journey to reclaim ownership of a painting of her aunt that was stolen by the nazis. The painting was stolen after she and her husband were forced to flee Austria during the second world war. The painting moved from the hands of nazi officers to use as decorations, to its eventual home in a museum in Vienna. The museum claimed to be going over restitution cases, to return the art pieces to their rightful owners. The process of this however was nearly impossible, and it was made clear that the Museum really had no intention of returning any paintings. Maria’s uncle had asked a painter, Gustav Klimt, to make multiple paintings, but the crown jewel was a painting of her aunt, Adele, in a painting that came to be known as “Woman in Gold”. It was called this because it was painted using real gold flakes. It became the centerpiece of the museum, and was sometimes called “The Heart of Austria”. As imagined, none were too keen on her attempts to reclaim her family's treasure. In the film, there are citizens who witness her plea to the museum that tell her to let go of the past, and that “You never give up”, referring to the Jewish people in an antisemitic remark. Her lawyer, him being her mother’s friend’s son, who had quit his job at a large firm, continued to try and find way’s to get around the walls put up by the Museum. After much time he finds a legal loophole to sue the Republic of Austria in the United States. Through a long process of many trials that ends up going to the supreme court, they settled on having a final case in Austria, with three mediators, one biased towards each side, and one neutral party. In the end, she wins the rights to her painting back, and it has hung in the Neue Galerie in New York ever since. 

This movie feels incredibly relevant to the course because it highlights the fact that many moments in history that seem to have “ended” have in fact very much not ended. In this case, it is widely taught and thought that world war two has come and passed, and as long as a new nazi-like idealism does not sprout up and take power, we will all be okay. This film delineated the fact that there is still so much damage done by the nazis, some that will never be repaired. Whether it be family heirlooms that have been stolen, never to be returned or seen again, or even the dangerous idea that “the past is the past, and it’s time to move on”, the messages presented in this film allow for a new lens on how we view the events, crimes, and lasting impacts created by the nazis. While the terrible regime is long gone, Woman in Gold makes the important note that the damage done by it still likely remains all over the world, it is crucial to stop any new roots from growing, but the equally important thing to do is continue to try and fix it in any way possible.

The Summer of Rage

My name is Bryn Turnquist, and this summer, I was a front leading activist and gathered information on abortion access, and witnessed the fallout directly after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. In this brief synopsis, I cover three of the most impactful moments during our “summer of rage.”

May 2, 2022:

The draft opinion of Roe v. Wade leaks. 

The world caught on fire the day of May 2, 2022. Polito leaked a draft opinion of a supreme court case that would overturn the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision. It was a mournful day indeed. I called up my mother, and we cried together. After we cried, I got to work. 

First stop: Politico. If I was to win this fight, I must know the size of the beast. After reading through the draft opinion, I was filled with rage. Next stop: Social media. Organization is key in setting agenda, and I began my search for the protest nearest to me. I found one scheduled for that afternoon in Foley Square, Manhattan.

I grabbed my friends, some sharpies, and a few cardboard boxes from the trash room. We made our signs and set out to let our voices be heard. We would not back down. We were on a mission to preserve our rights before they were taken from us. This would be the Summer of Rage.

June 24, 2022:

Roe v. Wade is officially overturned.

June 24, 2022, was a turning point for many Americans. After many a plea and failure of the government to codify Roe vs. Wade, the opinion is finalized and published. Justice Clarence Thomas strikes down an essential women’s right- an essential human right. To make matters worse, the official opinion mentions the possible overturn of other unenumerated rights such as interracial and same-sex marriage.

This news further shocked me into gear, and I returned to the streets. It seemed that we had forgotten our rage as quickly as we had accumulated it. After talking to fellow protesters, I understood that the initial draft was not seriously considered by many because it was “just a draft.” This motivated me to prevent this from happening to the rest of my- and everyone else’s- rights. As soon as we forget, we are vulnerable. I would carry my rage with me online, in person, in the streets, everywhere. I was ready to right.

I decided that I was going to take a more active role. I began organizing and planning action and civil disobedience measures. In conjunction with other activists, we planned and executed a major protest down New York City’s Fifth Avenue. I led our group with chants and called those on the streets to join in our action. These actions led to far more interest in our mission.

July 4, 2022:

July fourth? July Farce!

July 4, 2022, was by far the most successful day in our “Summer of Rage.” This was because many Americans were stuck wondering “Why am I celebrating the fourth of July? What freedom?” This rage was channeled into productivity and painted in the streets. We marched from Union Square to Times Square, accumulating more marchers as we went. It was uncomfortable, but so were we. Our protests reached national news networks and provoked reflection throughout the country. What were we celebrating on the fourth of July? We would not be celebrating a country that strips us of our fundamental rights. 

Our "Summer of Rage" was largely successful, but there is still much to do. Our society appears to have short-term memory in terms of our government's violations. Although our summer is over, our rage is not. I will continue to aid and abet abortion, and lead the fight for our fundamental right to bodily autonomy.