President Trump Shocks the World Again

by Luke Lee '21

Last month, President Trump explicitly displayed his hatred towards the Muslim community when he retweeted three inflammatory videos containing anti-Muslim content. The videos first posted by Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First, a far-right, ultra-nationalist group. As there have been tragic losses from terrorism in Great Britain, the organization made an irresponsible decision to upload videos of deported Muslims assaulting people and even smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Not surprisingly, sharing these highly offensive and derogatory videos caused fury in Britain, America’s greatest ally. A spokesperson for Theresa May, the prime minister of United Kingdom, made clear that it was “wrong” for Trump to share those videos. To the world, this thoughtless action brought confusion and irritation, especially to those of the Muslim population.

Receiving heavy criticism from America’s biggest ally, it might have been hoped that the  President had learned his lesson and would recognize the heavy responsibility that follows every single action he takes as the President of the United States. Yet, once more, he stunned the world and elevated the tensions between the Muslims and America through the official recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the following decision to build a new embassy in the city, a bold move in U.S. foreign policies.

Furious about his proclamation, some Palestinians began rioting in the streets. In accordance with ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Jerusalem should be shared by both Israel and Palestine. Therefore, both states have the right to claim part of the city as their own land. Not only did Trump’s announcement anger the Palestinians, but this decision annoyed its Arab allies, such as Saudi Arabia, since they opposed this idea before he took action.

The recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a terrible mistake since it brings more harm than good. A prominent Palestinian exiled politician, Mohammed Dahlan, called the decision a 'historic mistake'  on Twitter, claiming that it undermines  'the principle of inviolability of the status of Jerusalem.' The president has escalated the conflicts in the Middle East, lessening the chance of peace and increasing the likelihood of terrorism. It also presents a negative image of the U.S. to  Arab countries, contradicting America’s past claim to be a fair mediator between Israel and Palestine.

Reactions to Sexual Assault in Society

by Lauren Menjivar '18

Harvey Weinstein. Matt Lauer. Kevin Spacey. Al Franken. These are some of the names of high-profile men who have recently been accused of sexual assault and have lost their power in their respective workplaces. In the past few months, news media have reported on multiple allegations of sexual assault in the United States by men who held significant power as actors, producers, journalists, and politicians. Most people are surprised by the sudden rise of allegations, but honestly, it should not shock anyone. Sexual assault has existed for centuries, but it is only now that brave men and women are speaking up about their experiences and raising awareness of the dangerous society we live in, especially for young, vulnerable people who do not have power.

Some may question why women and men do not speak up after an assault has occurred, but it is not as easy as one may think. The current culture we live in obstructs us from speaking up without being slandered by others. Common statements that people may say are: “You should have been more careful.” or “What were you thinking going there/wearing that?” These questions can sometimes be unintentional, but it is indirectly putting the blame on the victim. Affected by these statements, victims remain silent often out of fear of speaking up about the incident and are left feeling ashamed. Recently, when actor Pamela Anderson went on Megyn Kelly Today, she remarked that the women who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault could have prevented it. These kinds of statements shut the victim down, leave the perpetrator of the assault unpunished, and permit him or her to continue his or her behavior.

There is no doubt that these men have taken advantage of vulnerable people who were below them in power, but they are only a few of many perpetrators that exist in the world. This is only the beginning of justice for victims of sexual assault. Fortunately, people who work with them have taken action to address the incidents. Harvey Weinstein was fired from the Academy of Motion and Picture Arts and Sciences and from the Weinstein company, while Matt Lauer was fired from NBC.

On a recent 60 minutes with U.S. Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, she asked, “Why are we looking at why didn’t the girls speak up? Why not look at what about the culture? What did [the culture] do to manipulate these girls so much that they are so afraid to speak up?” If people were not blaming the victims for the incidents and actually tried to help them cope with it, then it would be easier for women and men to speak up, and sexual assaults would occur less often.

Sexual assault occurs frequently much to people’s dismay. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 5 women reported that they have been raped whereas 1 in 71 men reported they have been raped. Also, “Among female rape victims, perpetrators were reported to be intimate partners (51.1%), family members (12.5%), acquaintances (40.8%) and strangers (13.8%)” (CDC).

AT this particular moment in time, there is definitely a cultural shift in how we are reacting to sexual assault. We are condemning it more than before, but there is more to do on reporting sexual abuse to become “normal”. No more victim-blaming and less leniency in punishments for perpetrators. It is important that we educate young people on sexual abuse and remind them that if they become a victim, it is not their fault. Sexual assault is a type of violence against another human being and there is no “real” way to prevent it. What we can do is say that the behavior is intolerable and people like Weinstein, Spacey or any person can no longer not abuse the power they have acquired. Young people are able to change the current culture; they should encourage victims to speak up and provide solutions for these issues. Society would be safer for the men and women at the end.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pamela-anderson-harvey-weinstein-accusers_us_5a254fb9e4b03c44072ed124

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/sv-datasheet-a.pdf

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/10/us/aly-raisman-abuse-usa-gymnastics/index.html

http://www.redmylips.org/victim-blaming-2/

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/10/us/men-accused-sexual-misconduct-weinstein.html

The Gray Area: We Need Storytellers

by Kaela Dunne '18

Co-curricular is a treasured time among our students. It’s 45 minutes to nap, hang out with friends or get ahead on homework. Except when there are all-school events such as Gray Colloquium. As a member of the Gray Colloquium Committee, I’m expected to enjoy Gray Colloquium but that has not always been the truth. In fact, I joined the committee because of how much I disliked Gray Colloquium. Of course, I try to convince myself that it’s actually a really unique opportunity, which, if used well, can bring so much to our students. When I give tours I always describe Gray Colloquium as a chance for St. Markers to break out of the ‘boarding school bubble’ and see diversity amongst a common theme. In theory, I think that sounds pretty cool, but next thing I know I’m sitting in the PFAC trying not to zone out. Sure, I don’t love when my 40 minutes of free time are encroached upon, but I especially don’t like it when I’m bored the whole time. Some of the speakers we’ve hosted have had such important things to share with us, but not all of them know their audience. We’re exhausted high school students, and the number one priority should be to keep us awake. That’s the only way we’ll hear the message, no matter how important it is. In my opinion, this year’s speakers have been the best in my four years here. Dr. Loewen’s talk was aimed at high school students, both in content and in the fact he wasn’t afraid to wake people up. Alexis Jones was even more engaging as a speaker. She used the whole space - not just the stage - to her advantage, and she encouraged audience participation. Part of her brand is that she’s a storyteller, and that was evident to the audience. I think what Gray Colloquium needs is storytellers - not just experts in their field, but people who can engage 350 students in a hall. At the end of the day, the message is only as well received as the speaker itself. It has been nice to be genuinely excited about the Gray Colloquium speakers this Fall, and I hope that the pattern continues into the rest of the year. After all, if we can showcase a year’s worth of engaging speakers, students might not miss their forty minute nap quite so much.

Current Events: Biggest Number Of Women Candidates In The Election Ever!

by Luke Lee '20

When Mr. Trump became president, most women were definitely not happy about it. Here’s why.

During his campaign, President Trump made so many disrespectful comments about women, causing people to wonder if he was serious or not. The most famous of those comments is when he verbally attacked Megyn Kelly by saying “blood coming from her wherever,” referring to a period.  Unfortunately, Megyn is not the only female victim attacked by Trump. He has mentioned that Gail Collins, New York Times columnist, had a “face of a dog.” He would go on by calling breastfeeding women “disgusting,” disdaining all the moms in the country.

Therefore, it wasn’t a surprise for Americans to see Trump not being passionate when talking about issues concerning women’s rights as when he was criticizing China for taking away jobs from American workers. These are his thoughts about women’s rights.

When asked about paid family leave: “I think we have to keep our country very competitive, so you have to be careful of it.”

When asked about equal pay: “When you have to categorize men and women into a particular group and a particular pay scale, it gets very — because people do different jobs.”

So when he was elected, many women felt compelled to do something about these issues. As a result, many brave women across the nation were inspired to run for public office. And the numbers speak for themselves.

More than 19,000 women have contacted Emily’s List (organization helping “pro-Democratic” female candidates);

43 women are running for seats in Virginia House of Delegates to represent Democratic Party of the 43, 23 women are running in public election for the FIRST TIME. EVER;

There is a 60% increase in women running for public office;

About 16000 trainees signed up for She Should Run (another organization that helps women run for public elections).

In order to have more women’s voices in legislature and build laws that protect women’s rights, many brave women are taking a bold action. But even if the candidates don’t get elected, the female “justice league” will not back down. “If we want to see equity for women in government in our lifetime, we have to have record-breaking election cycles in the next few cycles to come. We know this isn't going to happen overnight, but we cannot let off the gas right now." Erin Loos Cutraro, CEO of She Should Run, said with determination.

Issue of the Issue: Special Schedule?

by June Seong '17 and Cecily Bradley '17

In past two weeks, the St.Mark's community has experienced a special schedule for one day of the week. Listen to what people have to say about it.