Opinion

By Zoë Hsu Doo

The deciding factor in whether a person will be an interesting conversation partner is if they read books about fairies. From fairies, aliens, and hockey to poetry–such different topics–each curates the same thing: media literacy. Every scroll, every comment section, every book review, and every movie discussion is tainted by an audience that often doesn’t read. The beauty in media is ruined by shallow online discourse and shrinking attention spans. It raises the question: are people actually getting stupider, or are they losing the ability to function without consulting ChatGPT or having it spelled out for them? The issue is not intelligence, but the overall decline in reading, literacy, and critical thinking.

Education and reading for fun have separate benefits. Without regular practice, the reading comprehension skills drilled into us as children fade, replaced by regurgitated opinions on the Internet. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, 21% of adults in the US are illiterate or functionally illiterate. Literacy goes beyond decoding words; it is about understanding nuance, reading between the lines, and interpreting meaning.

This is where media literacy comes in: the ability to analyze, interpret, and question information. Modern online culture is a myriad of short-form videos dependent on initial shock and the first five seconds, rewarding speed over depth. Discourse is based on assumptions instead of analysis. People want information simplified into digestible summaries. Books demand the opposite; they require patience and interpretation. 

So, when was the last time you read a book purely for fun? Reading for enjoyment isn’t trivial; it builds empathy, imagination, focus, and complex thinking. Unlike other forms of media, books force the creation of mental imagery. They leave room for ambiguity and personal interpretation. Aside from finally checking a book off my “To Be Read” list, my personal favorite part of reading is analyzing the characters. Dissecting character choices, down to their history, symbolism, and relationships, brings me endless fascination. Being able to share my interpretations and discuss with others is what draws me to fandom spaces.

The decline in reading culture is not owed to a single cause. Technology has shortened attention spans, with even education increasingly relying on screens. During online learning, books were often replaced by digital content. At the same time, life is often ridiculously overscheduled; between school, extracurriculars, and constant pressure to be productive, reading for pleasure feels like a luxury. As people grow up, the habit slowly disappears.

As a child, my form of rebellion was reading under the covers with my nightlight to see. Books became the compass for my sense of self, yet whenever someone tried to force me to read, I immediately hated the book. Reading cannot be forced if it is meant to be enjoyed. When it is, resentment replaces curiosity. Enjoyment comes from discovery and freedom.

Of course, reading takes time and access, and many face external challenges that demotivate them. Audiobooks, graphic novels, and comics are meaningful entry points and are readily available at public libraries. The goal isn’t gatekeeping what counts as reading, but encouraging deeper engagement with ideas. Reading is meant to be fun, to incite curiosity and deeper thinking. Start small. Read a chapter a day. Choose topics that genuinely interest and entertain. 

People are not inherently getting stupider, but they are losing the habits that strengthen thinking. Reading will not solve every societal problem, but it deepens the understanding of ideas and people. 

Now as for what books to start with, I could write an entirely new story on book recommendations.

By  Camille Chew

When asked to name different forms of artificial intelligence, a majority of high school students respond with different chatbots. ChatGPT unsurprisingly showed up the most, followed by Gemini. In reality, AI is a broad label, covering a vast number of technologies: navigation technology, cancer detection machinery, smart appliances, assistive technology, and so much more. 

Many high schoolers have attached to the notion that AI is a detriment to society; a tool that solely enables cheating, plagiarism, and a general alleviation of human effort. 

While this position is derived from real cons of AI, it is also born from a narrow view. 

On one hand, AI is damaging; it’s allowing pathways for students to graduate while plagiarizing, businesses to replace artists with generated graphics, and cyber crime. But on the other hand, AI is opening doors to improved aid for disabled people, early natural disaster identification, and streamlined medical care. 

 Given AI is such a ubiquitous technology that seemingly sprung out of the blue in the past couple of years, an agitated response is far from unexpected–but also far from what AI needs today. 

According to Microsoft, 16.3 percent of the global population uses AI. That’s 1.3 billion people, all using a tool comparable to a car with no seatbelts. AI now needs restriction and grace. 

AI’s capabilities are constantly growing, but it comes with a cost. Its rapid progress has moved far too fast for regulation and law to keep up.

For instance, the ability of AI to generate content has grown rapidly in just a couple years. While AI videos have gone from uncanny Will Smiths with melting faces and limbs that blend into bowls of spaghetti to threats to politicians who now must argue against video evidence of them doing something they would never imagine doing, legal restrictions and laws have failed to prevent malicious use of AI generated media. 

It’s no wonder that out of those 1.3 billion people, Stanford finds that 45 percent believe AI products and services are more harmful than beneficial–right now the dog which is AI runs off without a leash. 

But it’s not as simple as labelling the issue an AI issue.

On April 14th this year, a legally blind runner, Clarke Reynolds, ran a marathon with the support of AI Meta Glasses. Another visually impaired runner, Thomas Panek, similarly ran a marathon using the same glasses only a few weeks prior on March 15th. For Reynolds, the glasses connected to an app called “Be My Eyes,” which allowed fellow runners to provide him verbal instructions; for Panek, the glasses themselves read out directions. 

The inspirational stories of these two runners represent only a fraction of the good AI is capable of. In India, AI prediction tools are warning communities early about floods, keeping citizens safe and informed. 

AI is currently in a limbo state–it faces few federal guidelines but vast capabilities for both good and bad. MIT claims over 50 percent of large companies currently use AI–a number likely to grow based on the trends of previous years. AI will continue to progress, and how we guide it is now of utmost importance.

If we want to guide AI thoughtfully, we need to start first by understanding what it really is. 

Oversimplifying AI to chatbots–the ChatGPTs, Geminis, and DeepSeeks of the AI world–and slapping negative labels on AI as a whole only prevents deeper understanding of what AI truly enables: aid for disabled people and improved medical care, among a plethora of other uses. 

AI starts as a collection of nodes connected by branches; the simplest forms merely evaluate the outcomes of situations by tracing the possible results of decisions. Like a tree, these branches grow and new nodes sprout. 

To properly care for AI, we too should begin by tracing the branches. From the roots of AI to its uses, all knowledge better prepares us for living a life with AI and making decisions surrounding it. 

I admit, it’s easy to look down on AI–it has its glaring cons. But as an informed collective, we can begin to prune, cutting off deepfakes and plagiarism, while cultivating more stories like Reynolds’s and Panek’s.

By Xavier Malizia

 In my opinion, The Artemis program is the Moon mission that The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA has always wanted because of its scientific-focused goals and slower timeline that favors a science agency rather than a greedy nation.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy announced that the United States would reach the moon before the decade was over; a goal that, by some miracle, was achieved in the summer of 1969 when Astronaut Neil Armstrong climbed down the ladder of the Eagle landing module to take the first steps on the moon. The Apollo program was a direct race against Russia and the later Space Shuttle was a program shaped by US military requirements to gain space superiority. On the other hand, SLS, the rocket that carries Apollo, is purpose-built for deep space exploration, such as transporting humans to the moon. NASA secured what little funding it could, and is putting it all into a science-focused mission. This is what NASA is for; it's why they exist: to push the limits of space exploration, not battle with the bureaucracy and military to compromise.

To many, this might sound dumb. Why do we need to go to the Moon, let alone permanently live there? Well, the answer is that the Artemis mission comes at a time of change in human spaceflight. At a time of intense politics and a changing world, many shakeups are altering the course of space. Through this, the Artemis program is emerging with one important goal: research. Some of humanity's greatest discoveries and  inventions have come because of spaceflight. Inventions such as LASIK eye surgery, ventricular assist devices, scratch-resistant lenses, grooved pavement, artificial limbs, firefighting equipment, freeze drying, solar panels, and so, so much more are a result of spaceflight programs. In addition to this, a large amount of medical research is conducted in zero-gravity. For example, studying cell growth in space has helped discover new methods of cancer therapies. Without the ISS, the settlements on the Moon will hopefully allow for continual advancements in research.

Recently, on April 1st, 2026, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched four astronauts to the moon to return for the first time in 54 years as a part of the Artemis II mission. The crew rode in the Orion capsule, which was launched into orbit aboard a Space Launch System rocket from pad 39b, the same site that the Apollo missions departed from. The mission successfully transported astronauts into Earth’s orbit, before they raised the highest point, or apogee, of their orbit to reach the moon, taking a trip that would solidify many records. The crew became the furthest humans ever from Earth–252,756 miles–and marked the first woman to travel beyond low Earth orbit, the first Black person to travel beyond Earth’s orbit, and the first Canadian to pass the same milestone. The lunar flyby lasted ten days, with the crew safely splashing down off of the coast of San Diego on April 10th. Such a historic mission captured the attention of millions of people across the globe, inspiring the next generation of space-lovers, and you can start to see how this mission aspires to the more scientific goals at NASA, rather than political. NASA secured what little funding it could, and is putting it all into a science-focused mission. This is what NASA is for, it's why they exist. To push the limits of space exploration, not battle with the bureaucracy and military to compromise.

We must understand that NASA, is a research agency foremost, yet is left extremely limited due to issues with the bureaucracy. The brightest, most talented scientists, physicists, and engineers work at NASA, yet they are not limited by what their brilliant minds can do, but limited by what scraps of funding they can get from Congress. NASA gets 0.33% of the National Budget, and a proposed 47% cut on that has been issued by the White House for next year. While it may seem like spending money on NASA is wasteful and not important in such a challenging time in the world, the innovation and scientific research that NASA provides adds much more value that it uses to the quality of life, abilities, and economy of the world.

Hopefully, in the future, NASA can use the Artemis program as a launchpad for the future of space exploration. Using existing hardware, new innovations, and private spaceflight conjointly to achieve the scientific research dreamt up when the association was created.

By Michael Lai

Time seems to be moving faster and faster. With the school year coming to an end and summer right around the corner, we have an exciting time to look forward to. 

It has been a difficult school year for some of us, and whether this applies or not, I’m sure we’re all excited for summer. The feeling of not having any more academic stress, no more early alarms, and most importantly, more free time, is something we must take advantage of.

On social media, there has been a saying that “2026 is the new 2016.” I’m sure all of our generation deeply enjoyed 2016, the music, the freedom, the childish memories, just the vibes in general. Our generation of people, ages around 16-18, will have 2016 as one of their best years in their lives. 2016 was truly different from our other childhood years, the vibes were too nostalgic. 2026 has been media agreed as “the new 2016”, because of the potential of fun it brings us. 

Something that has already brought back some 2016 vibes, is Justin Bieber at Coachella. Justin was one of the biggest music artists during 2016. Listening to his old songs now can really bring back memories. Justin’s performance at Coachella was outstanding, even singing in his “old Bieber” voice while “Beauty and a Beat” was playing.

The following activities are only stuff I’m familiar with.

My favorite genre of activities is to go outside and explore. Getting outside for a walk, a run, a bike ride, anything, if done consistently, can help to get in shape. But fitness isn’t the only benefit of exercise; another reason I exercise is for the mental benefit. It keeps my mind calm during the activities, reaching a complete state of peace. Exercising is what I resort to when my mind is buzzing and overwhelmed. I can’t speak enough on how big of an impact exercise has had on my physical and mental health. Additionally, thousands of studies prove that regular exercise leads to a longer life. Exercise can be one of the best things to do over the summer to develop a new habit going outside.

Something else to do over the summer is to spend time with friends and family. Some ideas that come to mind are to go to an amusement park, or start a monopoly game—we all know these last long. There are infinite things to do with your family and friends, but that’s not what’s important. What’s important is the fact that you’re with them, your presence will always hold more value than anything you guys do together.

This summer also brings us so many new movies, allowing us to look forward to something, such as new movies to watch and new shows to binge. Watching movies or shows consistently could develop a new hobby, something to get us through the break to kill time.

A movie, for example, is Spider-Man. Spider-Man is one of the most anticipated movies coming out this year, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” The previous movie ended us off with Peter Parker wiping his identity, with no one knowing who he is anymore. “Spider-Man Brand New Day” shows us a new Peter, the trailer shows us a glimpse of his new suit and a whole new behavior from Spider-Man. Hulk will be included in this movie, along with rumors about Andrew Garfield  also being in it.

Something else of interest to watch is Formula 1. Some of the most loved and well-known races on the F1 calendar are taking place this summer. The track known for being narrow, the Monaco Grand Prix, takes place on June 7th, 6 a.m. The Grand Prix that has lots of history and has been with F1 for the majority of its years, the British Grand Prix will take place on July 5th, 7 a.m. One of the most loved track, Spa-Francorchamps, the Belgian Grand Prix will take place on July 19th, 6 a.m.

This concludes what I recommend doing over the summer. It has so much to offer, and we have so many things to do. I personally regret all the times I’ve stayed indoors doing nothing. For many of us, it will be our last summer as teenagers with fewer responsibilities. We can’t let this summer go to waste.

By Sylvia Liu

Creative writing has been around for centuries, along with fanfiction which has evolved from 18th-century literary re-imaginings and 1960s Star Trek fanzines into mainstream online media.  As fandoms grow, fanfiction has become more popular over the years, and people are joining creative spaces for fanfiction without learning the proper etiquette, creating a toxic environment. Years have passed but people still deserve respect and to be shown proper fanfiction etiquette, since that's what makes a community grow and thrive.

Fanfiction is a creative, derivative work produced by fans or non-fans using the characters, settings, and storylines from pre-existing media. Fanfiction is mostly popular with younger people, but anyone can enjoy it or create it. 

Many in fanfiction communities are forgetting that real people are behind the writing and they deserve respect, just like any other real-life books. Fanfiction is a creative outlet for those who want to create works for themself and others based on fandoms they are in. Most are teens and young adults who are writing. It’s often one of the first writing adolescents share with world, so it feels more personal. It shouldn't have to be said, that when finishing reading someone’s work, don’t harass them in the comments. Fanfiction should be a safe creative space. If you don't want to read something, don’t. There is often a filter and tags telling you what's in the story. 

There are, of course, times when the tags are not labeled correctly or just added to increase the views. In that case, 

Another prevalent issue is copying another person’s story. It’s okay if inspiration is taken from someone, just make sure to give them credit for the inspiration. It's impolite to copy someone’s work word for word. For example, the fanfiction named “A Spring Without You,” is copied from another fanfiction, “In Another Life,” word for word, it just changes the names. That isn't acceptable; it’s bad etiquette and makes the creative space toxic by creating drama. Unseemly messages are sent to both authors and it creates discourse between fandoms where fans are pressuring another fandom to stop plagiarization. 

In the past few years, there have been more and more fanfiction sites where you are able to read and write. Wattpad, Archive of Our Own, and fanfic.net are some sites, and as Wattpad is often the first site people are introduced to, it’s where most etiquette is learned. Archive of Our Own is the most popular site and there are many resources that filter fanfics that are not desirable. Fanfic.net has similar resources to Archive of Our Own but it is more restrictive and doesn't allow for explicit writing.

The commodification of fanfiction has also become prominent, turning creative, non-commercial works into marketable goods, shifting from passion-driven community creation to profit-driven content. 

According to Section 107 of the Copyright Act, fanfiction is fair use, but cannot be sold since it includes characters in a show or book without permission. While fanfiction can exist because of fair use laws, the writing of fan fiction doesn't affect the market, and as long as you are not selling the fanfiction with the character name, it is legal. Even if you change the names of the characters, most of the time, the plot is so deeply ingrained in the settings of the original world that it doesn't make sense to change the names. Such books that started off as fanfictions include “Alchemised” by senlinyu, “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James and “After” by Anna Todd.

Historically, fanfics are built on a gift economy, where status and value are earned through contribution, community engagement, and sharing of labor. Fanfiction is often written because the writer loves the fandom and wants to create work to share. It’s assumed that once up at a free website, it would stay free.

By Yasmine El Hattab

Released in 1975, “Jaws” was an instant success and became the poster child of the animal thriller genre. Even half a decade later, “Jaws” continues to play in theaters and is frequently mentioned in modern-day film conversations. More than a shark attack movie, the mid-seventies release set the standard for the category that few films released today have matched. 

Since then, countless animal thrillers have been produced, especially shark films, but many of them feel like variations on the same formula. While notable entries like “The Meg” and “47 Meters Down” have found commercial success, a large portion of the genre relies on repetitive plots, thin character development, and overly predictable themes.

The issue is not that animal thrillers lack potential; it's that the industry keeps producing lazy versions of them. Nobody is calling for the two hundredth version of a shark thriller or a new species take on “Cocaine Bear.”

One simple search on streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video shows an endless number of creature features, but many feel interchangeable. All containing the same promise, escalation, and lack of depth, whether the threat is a snark, snake, bear, or primate, there is really nothing left to see that hasn't already been done exponentially better.

Everything feels boring and predictable because it indeed is. People are producing animal thrillers simply for the sake of producing, with no clear development necessary for movies hitting the digital catalog. 

A recent example of predictability is “Primate” (2025), which follows the familiar “animal gone rogue” plot where a rabid pet monkey attempts to kill its owners. While part of it is a simple personal disdain for the movie, it's overall just lackluster. The film is flat and undeveloped, relying only on its suspense factor to carry it. 

The world was never calling for another suspenseful evil monkey movie, so why make it? 

In contrast, “Nope” (2022) uses its chimpanzee subplot as more than a horror gimmick. Introducing the animal as a feature in a sitcom, the animal serves as major commentary on spectacle and control. Both movies follow the “brutal animal” concept, but “Nope” displays the stark difference between a developed film and what many modern entries are missing: intention and a narrative purpose beyond the creature. 

Established franchises like Rise of the Planet of the Apes or the Kong series continue to succeed because they treat the animals as part of a structured story world, not relying simply on one selling factor. Their movies continue to see success because they're unique films, ones with developed and growing plots rather than clear attempts at a money grab.

Considered to be another iconic animal thriller, “Anaconda” (1977) received its remake this year, straying from its iconic thriller factor and sold as an action comedy.  Despite a release to the 2026 box office, both films grossed an estimated one hundred thirty-five million dollars at the domestic box office.

Falling flat compared to its original film, “Anaconda” (2026), was clearly a sad, modern attempt to remake an iconic, and its box-office-flop made that more than clear. Clearly trying to ride on the known success of its origin, “Anaconda” failed to cement itself in the hearts of original “Anaconda” fans, now far from its iconic beginnings. 

It's not that animal thrillers are bad, but the genre has become oversaturated with uninspired releases. There's no need for a remake of an old film or another recreation of “Jaws.” People aren't looking for movies relying solely on shock value or scare factor; the genre needs to start releasing something new. 

While keeping an eye on the modern box office, enjoy already iconic films for what they are. Take the time to watch films like “Jaws” and “Anaconda” because they're impactful and developed, rather than one-time, dismissive viewing of the watered-down films being pushed out now. 

If the next animal thriller wants to be “iconic,” it should be something new. 

By Angela Gin and Phoebe Seigel 

In late March, Lincoln’s administration made the decision to cut AP English Literature and Composition. Despite the best efforts of Sara Falls, the AP Literature teacher, and AP Literature students, the class has been officially removed from the school’s course offerings as of early April.

AP Literature has been part of  Lincoln curriculum for over 20 years. To remove the class is to disregard the legacy of the class and its impact on generations of Lincoln students. 

Lincoln graduate Claire Cover says, “I’ve used skills that I was able to hone in AP Lit in almost every class I’ve taken as a college student.”

Removing AP Literature  from course offerings is an enormous disservice to younger students and will ultimately fail to prepare them for higher-level learning beyond high school. 

Next year, I, Phoebe, will be attending Smith College, a small liberal arts school in Western Massachusetts. When I visited the campus, I had the opportunity to sit in on a few classes, and found they were immensely different from all but one of my high school classes–that class being AP Lit. In the Smith classes I sat in on, everything was very discussion-based, with students talking about the texts they had read, about world events relating to course material, and engaging in lively debates that furthered all of their learning. This is exactly what we do in AP Lit; we discuss, we offer up our  ideas, we debate–all things that are invaluable to our learning, giving everyone a greater appreciation of literature. I feel that if I had not taken AP Lit this year, I would be vastly unprepared for Smith next year and would be struggling to keep up with the way their classes are structured. While not everyone will attend a liberal arts college after high school, having the kinds of discussions we have in AP Lit is still valuable for preparing students for college and life in general.

Here at Lincoln, only two Advanced Placement English classes are offered: AP English Language and Composition and AP Literature. Cutting AP Literature leaves the English department with a single AP English class and takes from humanities at Lincoln as a whole.

As AP Lang teacher Shamira Gratch states, “We don’t have a lot of AP offerings in the humanities, and the humanities, in general, are a place where students are kind of, I don’t know if I’d say discouraged, but it isn’t as valued the same way science and math is. In our culture, too, not just our school.” 

She adds, “The danger of not having students engage with the humanities is massive, because it’s literally our culture. It’s where people gain empathy. And so classes like AP Literature and literature classes in general, and art classes, and classes where you get to reflect more on the human condition are really important, especially at a time in a student’s life where they’re developing their opinions, their sense of morals, really grappling with big ideas, which you should be at this age, and that’s what a class like AP Literature provides for students.”

By cutting AP Literature,  the school is actively pushing the ideals of a society that values science and math fields over the humanities, and thus suppressing students who care about the humanities–which is something we need to care about–from pursuing their interests to the fullest extent. 

“There’s a long history of schools prioritizing STEM over the arts and humanities, but we’re in a literacy crisis and it’s only getting worse with AI. Knowing how to read, how to write, and having good media literacy is genuinely essential for adulthood, and getting rid of AP Lit is going to be incredibly detrimental, ” Cover says.

The decision to cut AP Lit is not one that can be pinned on any single person or entity. It, as most things are at SFUSD, is a result of the district’s budget crisis. 

“Elliot Duchon [the state budget auditor guide] was really clear: Because teaching an AP class comes with an AP prep period, and because we’re in this really intense period of fiscal austerity, we cannot justify a singleton AP class if it gives that teacher a prep period. So last year, the edict was really clear. No singleton APs. I knew that really early on. And so I spent a lot of time in the spring semester, before the course fair, recruiting,” says Falls. 

This year, however, Falls says she was repeatedly told that singleton APs were not in danger of being cut, and that the budget was in a stable enough place to not cut any programs. Upon finding that AP Lit would be cut, Falls went to the administration and was reportedly told that AP Lit “wasn’t a program.”

Falls admits that she could have done more to recruit students to AP Lit for next year, but she is, as we all are, a very busy person, and it is unreasonable to expect her to recruit at the pace she did last year when she was repeatedly told that she did not have to worry about singleton APs being cut. 

In response to student emails appealing to the principal and assistant principals, Marisol Arkin states that,  “Unfortunately, for the upcoming school year, AP Literature did not receive enough student requests to meet that threshold. In fact, fewer than one-third of the required number of students signed up.”

Solutions to the problem of lack of interest have been presented, including taking in juniors on the AP Language waitlist, which is what ended up happening this year and has proven to be an effective method.

Mika Buckwald, a junior who took the class this past year, has had nothing but good experiences. She says, “I am extremely grateful to have been able to take AP Lit with Ms. Falls. This class has helped reinspire my love of literature and immensely improved my writing. Ms. Falls is obviously a very passionate teacher which has made it one of my favorite classes I have taken at Lincoln.”

However, such solutions have been disregarded as the administration resigned to cutting the class rather than searching for a way to keep it. That being said, the general edict is that, in the coming years, there will be a continued effort to start offering AP Literature again. 

AP Literature has done so much for so many students. Students today especially need to be having the conversations we have in AP Literature, and they need to read the texts we read. This class is vital to creating the thoughtful, engaged scholars we claim we want to create. It is doing a huge disfavor to underclassmen to limit their education by removing AP Literature from course offerings.

By Abigail Park

From burrowing in trash bins to scurrying behind passersby late at night, the uneasiness of feeling bothered and watched by city-dwelling raccoons can be easily solved: domestication. 

It’s not as evil as it sounds.

Fundamentally wild animals, the gray, cat-sized rodent-shaped mammals have been inhabiting cities like San Francisco for years. Their little black hands can be seen scrounging in trash cans, or their round eyes shining from several feet away. 

As raccoons remained within our cities, their phenotypes and evolutionary adaptations like long snouts, which scared off predators, and long-ranged foraging, to help hunt after prey, died out, since the traits are no longer necessary for survival when living off of human leftovers. These new generations of raccoons are already mistaken to have domesticated themselves and are losing their biological advantages for survival.

Why not save the raccoons from being treated like a human waste cleanup crew and give them the proper nourishment and care they can no longer provide for themselves?

Pet raccoons bring a multitude of benefits and amusement, for both the owner and the raccoon in return. Let’s not ignore these demeaning conditions we forced them into.

Firstly, raccoons are insect and rodent controllers! Surely the rats scurrying around Lincoln High School have made an appearance when standing in the cafeteria lunch line, if not around the city. With raccoons under human care, they can save us from any jumpscares by munching the tiny, scary, creepy crawlies to death.

Secondly, raccoons are also extremely intelligent. Biologically equipped with hand-like paws, raccoons can solve many puzzles–they are already smart enough to know how to remove lids from trash cans! When feeling lonely, mindlessly scrolling on a phone, or going crazy with nothing to do, a raccoon can keep one company instead. Maybe playing some games and puzzles with them to see who finishes first will productively fill up time; a man’s best friend isn’t exclusive to dogs–what happened to inclusivity?

Lastly, with their small, beady, black eyes and long, fluffy coat of gray fur, raccoons are undeniably cute–why wouldn’t one be inclined to take a raccoon home? 

There is talk–raccoons are unpredictable and aggressive. However, with the proper instruction and treatment, their mischievousness will follow suit similar to an orange-tabby cat. Just because raccoons may steal snacks, or at times, shimmy out of one’s grasp, doesn’t mean we should treat them disposably.

Like cats, dogs, mice, snakes, and even bears, raccoons are no different. Just like how these animals are legally allowed to be pets in some states, raccoons can also thrive as pets. 

With the right training and amount of care, like any other pet, raccoons can become our new companion: to protect us from tiny bugs, to challenge us with engaging games, and to comfort and give us warm cuddles.

Digging through another species’ trash for food leftovers just to survive is inhumane–let’s put an end to raccoon mismanagement.

By Lincoln Log Staff

Today’s youth is plagued by a new epidemic, one that lurks in the hallways and infiltrates our phones, nonchalance and a loss of whimsy. 

Nonchalance is defined by indifferent behavior propelled by insecurity and a need for emotional self-defense, implying a lack of enthusiasm and interest. On social media, nonchalance is often associated with teenagers being “mysterious,” purposefully masking their emotions and reactions. But recently, the style has grown into judging people for smiling or having fun. Entirely fueled by what behaviors are “acceptable,” people are increasingly afraid of judgement. Expressing love or having a little too much fun in public have become actions to be embarrassed of. 

The art of having fun has been lost. The appeal and expectations to be “nonchalant,” or cool have overpowered the desire to live life and feel emotions. This feels like a direct result of social media and its power to create standards for happiness and when to show it. One example of this is the “frolicking” trend on social media, where creators visiting beautiful national parks or outdoor areas post videos of them running around and “frolicking.” This does show happiness and fun online, but only in a uniform way.  It seems like now standards dictate how to post happiness, which strips the joy of any genuineness and makes it performative.   

For example, on Instagram, the photo dump has become a Goldilocks equation of sorts—what’s the perfect ratio of posed photos and curated candids to achieve maximum coolness? Social media has become one of our main channels of supposed self-expression, but overemphasis on appearances have diminished authenticity. 

With that, people have grown embarrassingly obsessed over how they present themselves. Instagram stories only encourage this by showing who’s viewed their stories, pressuring people to perform as an effortlessly chic and cultured version of themselves. Instagram accounts become a convoluted version of ourselves stitched together by carefully curated moodboards and highlights, devoid of authentic passion and emotion. 

Additionally, heavy doomscrolling feeds a constant stream of dopamine that numbs the brain, making it harder to find focus and joy in any activity. Simultaneously, it fuels negative self-esteem, the leading cause of peoples' lack of passion and their callousness. 

Through social media, like any other popular song or dance, hobbies have become trends. Back in 2013 and 2014, Rainbow Looms was the hobby to get into as a child.  This is now true of crocheting or bedazzling energy drink cans. Today, hobbies are seen as a status symbol and proof of a social life. They become their own form of consumerism, as people handpick their interests to fit the aesthetic of their tailored persona, rather than choosing an activity born from real passion. 

Experimenting with avocations because they look cool online is okay; it is when they are pursued solely for being performative that it is wrong. 

Whimsy and joy aren’t the only things lost in the influx of nonchalant teens; human connection is threatened. Modern day relationships, specifically situationships between teenagers, are characterized by competitions of who can respond later while ignoring each other in-person. The goal of the "competition" is simple; whoever cares the least wins. When everyone plays to win, they end up losing the chance of connecting with others, a skill necessary for emotional maturity.

The “feminine” traits widely discouraged since the birth of gender roles and the patriarchy come down to one thing: emotion. According to misogynistic ideals, women get too excited, talk too much, cry too much, and feel too much. It has become “feminine” to care about anything at all– and those who do care are ridiculed as being over-dramatic or over-bearing. In a society that functions on the principles of misogyny, where being overly feminine, as both a man or woman, is considered a weakness, apathy becomes the goal. To be apathetic is to not be vulnerable– something we shame so much in men. The rise of nonchalance being the ultimate goal is a reflection of the Internet’s toxic misogyny. People don’t want to be feminine; people don’t want to be seen as weak, so they try not to care about much at all. It is harmful to everyone. 

Ultimately, being nonchalant is a paradox. Obsessing over whether one appears to care about something or not is just caring with extra steps. If someone takes the extra lengths to mask how they feel so as not to appear weak, they care. At its core, nonchalance is just self-consciousness on steroids, dressed up to appear indifferent. 

To end nonchalance, we must bring the color back into the world. Rediscovering passion requires more than sheer willpower and won’t give the same immediate instant gratification that social media does; it’s a trial-and-error process, and caring is the first step.

Bring back whimsy and joy by embracing spontaneous joy and romanticizing the mundane. Start with little changes, wear more color, write in colorful pens, eat sprinkles on everything, and use glitter. All in all, bring back fun! Be creative without fearing how people will respond to it! Start spam posting for the thrill of it, not for achieving perfection. And as consumers, we need to be less critical of others. Use all the saved stickers, dress up for spirit days, try something new, take bad photos, send snail mail, but most importantly, take time to appreciate the little things, even if it means being judged.