Welcome to the Bear Necessities' new advice column! Run by our very own Asha Valentine, this section of the newspaper will provide a place for Brown School students to share their perspectives and ask for help from a fellow student. All questions are welcome, whether serious or silly--just make sure to keep them school appropriate! Any questions submitted before our next edition may be answered in it, and you can read all previously answered questions below!
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Asha Answers - March Edition
Q- What are the negative effects that the two-party system has in the United States?
A (A meaning Asha, not Answer, because you should not take my word as ultimate truth)-
Dear Anonymous,
Where to begin, the better question is what's NOT wrong with the two party system. I think first I would like to address that even BEFORE the United States of America had a constitution, functioning government, and (consistently proven effective) democratic electoral system WE WERE WARNED, TIME AND TIME AGAIN, NOT TO HAVE A TWO PARTY SYSTEM (or truthfully a party system AT ALL). Most notably from GEORGE WASHINGTON… the “FATHER OF AMERICA”. Idk guys, I feel like it isn’t a great start if the FIRST presidential farewell address in American history literally describes political parties as - “...potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion." Oh but it doesn't stop there! He also states “...They [political parties] serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels and modified by mutual interests.” My goodness that was a lot to read! Guess what? That's not even HALF of how George Washington rips into political factioning. Additionally, in one of the most significant document collections in United States history, The Federalist Papers, in Federalist 10 James Madison wrote “...[leaders of political parties] ambitiously contending for pre-eminence and power; or to persons of other descriptions whose fortunes have been interesting to the human passions, have, in turn, divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good.”
Oh and how painfully right they were. The United States now is more divided than ever. Hear me when I say this is not a new problem, Political Parties have and always will divide us as a people and prevent us from “co-operating for a common good”; but in our modern United States, political polarization is the rot in which our society will eventually collapse under. The “left” and the “right” have sustained in attacking each other and one another's candidates rather than ACTUALLY VOTING FOR POLICY. That's not to say everyone is specifically voting for a party, but that's just the thing! We have become so accustomed to generalization and polarization that we forget, we are INDIVIDUALS. We all hold our own moral values, our own identities, and our own truths; so why are we judging each other (and voting) based upon a party registration that is required in 31 states (including Kentucky) to even be ALLOWED to vote in all elections! It’s insane! It's become so much more about who the candidates party is than the candidates actual policy. This country has lost the plot y’all… and I can safely track that back to the establishment of political parties. Anyway… remember to vote! Change starts with you, not the political party umbrella that you fall under.
Q- Asha, how do I manage my time better for school?
A (A meaning Asha, not Answer, because you should not take my word as ultimate truth)-
Dear Anonymous,
Time management in of itself is very individual. We all have different lives, schedules, and ways we work; so the most important thing you can do is develop healthy habits so you can ultimately learn what timeframes work for you. Honestly this is something I have really struggled with; but I have also learned A LOT from it so I will give you a few tips that have helped me personally.
1- Try your best to complete as much of your work in school as you can: This one might seem kind of obvious but it has been something that has been WILDLY helpful for me later on when trying to balance my schedule. I often would put aside easy work, say I would do it later, then just not; but trust me, it piles up. I began being very intentional about making sure my work was completed, but I realized that one of the biggest issues with that is I just could not for the life of me focus! It’s easy to wallow, give up, and say it’s too hard and you will do it later, but when you have allotted time to do the work, you might as well use it. (also the feeling of accomplishment after finishing an assignment is worth it)
2- Set reasonable expectations for school/life: It’s inevitable that you will have homework, study, and other things in life that keep you from spending 100% of your time at home actually AT HOME; but expecting yourself to spend hours a night studying or “being productive” is completely unreasonable. Keep up with your assignments and maybe spend 30 min - 90 min doing other studies IF and only IF you need it (SAT, finals, etc.). But also it is 100% OK if you don’t study one night or if you don’t have time because you got home late for whatever reason. Give yourself grace, the more you learn to be flexible and ok with imperfection, the easier it is to find that time.
3- When you aren't doing school related things find FULFILLING hobbies: This isn't about school specifically but I have found what I do outside of school time is wildly important to how I manage my schedule. Not to say social media doesn't have its time and place, but consuming short form content (constantly) makes for unfocused and sporadic behavior. When we consume large amounts of content, our minds shift into a rhythm at which we can process it; so spending large amounts of time on tik tok or reels or whatever, your brain starts to get used to that 15-30 second rhythm of information, which ultimately makes studying harder (because it doesn't take 15-30 seconds to complete an assignment). Find hobbies that keep your attention on one thing so when it IS time to work, it’s easier to shift focus. One thing I really enjoy is watching movies because a) they keep my attention b) they make me think, and c) movies are like and 1-2 hours long, so my attention is on ONE thing for an hour or so, leaving me with a new story to think about, and a much less overwhelmed brain (unless you are watching like Being John Malkovich, definitely would not watch that before having to write a paper.)
Q- What is your favorite smiling friend's character, also what is the meaning of life?
A (A meaning Asha, not Answer, because you should not take my word as ultimate truth)-
Dear Kat,
I will be honest with you, I had to think about the 1st question much more than I had to think about the second.
Addressing the former- seeing as I could not choose one answer, I will be giving two responses based upon categories: a) “Normal/logical” and b) “Niche/what?”.
a) Can’t hate a classic, Pim is probably my favorite character. Whether you think I'm boring or not, Pim is just genuinely pleasant and likable. He emulates a ‘can do’ attitude that really does un-ironicly make me smile! Also his character design makes me giggle a lot.
b) I gotta give my second pick to Roy Dismey. If you don’t remember him, I don’t blame you! Roy Dismey had like 2 seconds of screentime, but with that 2 fateful seconds- an everlasting impression was left upon me. Roy Dismey has a spot among my favorite characters because of how hard I laughed at his scene. There is absolutely no reason I should have laughed as hard as I did, but I actually could not breathe because I was cracking up so much. The fact that his shoes do not match his character style to insinuate he stole them (as he is a skilled pickpocket) only made me laugh harder. It is not just that in the moment I was rolling on the floor, but every time I have watched that episode since, I have laughed even more. W character.
Now, the latter. I wish I could tell you the "meaning of life” as I myself often have difficulty understanding and coming to terms with my own mortality, but alas, I do not know the reason in which we are put upon this plane of existence. Due to website space constraints and my own need to NOT have an existential crisis right now, what I will answer for you is a wildly brief and simplified explanation on what I think it means to live. This is an important differentiation because although we cannot answer the “why” in relation to our existence, I do believe we can answer the “how”. At its core, I believe the meaning of living is to create and experience joy. Although we as a society lead very different lives, one thing we all experience is emotion. So It must be our ultimate goal to create good emotion for ourselves and the people around us. Whether there be a God, or an ultimate purpose beyond our mortal lives, where we stand right now is among our fellow man. Live with love: take care of people, take care of yourself, and do not stray from your morals. To you my fellow readers I leave you with this quote, from Pim, in the hit Adult Swim show Smiling Friends, “Let's go out there and make people SMILE!”.
Q- If you could be friends with any Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle which one?
A (A meaning Asha, not Answer, because you should not take my word as ultimate truth)-
Dear Evangeline,
Donatello from the 2018 cartoon Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (Lena is holding me at gunpoint.) Did you know that in the 2018 cartoon Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Donatello is a spiny softshell turtle? (Also Lena.)
No but for real probably Leonardo in the 2012 TMNT; I grew up with that show and Leo was always my favorite. He was also my favorite character to play in the 2013 3DS game based on the 2012 show. His weapon (in my opinion) was the most functional, so I liked him the best, also I liked blue as a kid- all around 10/10 Turtle for 7 year old Asha.
Q- I am a Incel and I feel as if I have to friends at brown because of my chronic discord usage. May I have some advice, m'lady?
A (A meaning Asha, not Answer, because you should not take my word as ultimate truth)-
Dear Anonymous,
Hmm this is a toughie... mostly because I can’t entirely read it… but I think if the Discord usage is the problem maybe cut back? Switch to Whatsapp? Groupme? Or maybe just talk in person? …m’lord.
Q- Which is the better snack: Cheez-Its or Cheetos?
A (A meaning Asha, not Answer, because you should not take my word as ultimate truth)-
Dear Anonymous,
Honestly it really depends on the mood for me. I am a person who gets really irritated easily; and in those moments, I really dislike the cheese dust residue that inevitably coats your hands, clothes, and whatever you touch after every bite you take. However, everything must come with sacrifice. 9 times out of 10 I am willing to make that sacrifice. As a general matter, Cheetos reign supreme for me; however, if I am about to blow a gasket, Cheez-Itz will do…
Q- How to stop being a chud :3
A (A meaning Asha, not Answer, because you should not take my word as ultimate truth)-
Dear Anonymous,
I think the most important thing to beating chud status is personal hygiene; shower, brush your teeth, use deodorant, and I think you are well on your way to stop being a chud.
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