Stern adults and chirpy teachers do seem to love telling us how bad screens are. Children are stuck to their phones, they complain. What is this generation coming to? However, even the most patronising of adults most likely has a phone (the screen focused on in this article) and uses screens daily - that is, if they aren’t a vegetable or a hermit.

Our screens are undeniably a part of our lives. More than that, they’re a part of us. 

If you, like about 90% of your fellow humans, own a phone, it is likely that you depend on it quite a lot. From social media to catching a bus on time, our shiny gadgets have become a necessity in daily life. Whatsapp, for instance, has 2.7 billion monthly active users. Our screens have given us superpowers; from instant communication to a fountain of knowledge on the web. Electronics often get a bad rep, but what they have done for our world is monumental. 

However, as their influence spreads, we need to give our elders a point and face the boring facts. Our screens are traps - the biggest being social media. When you click onto any social media app, you are at once sucked in. Funny cats, baking cupcakes, Cristiano Ronaldo, nasal voiced influencers with small personalities. Then there are our own carefully crafted avatars, anxiously made presentable. Voices, sounds, all of it a constant source of petty hate, comedy, envy, and pleasure. It’s a rabbit hole. You might have heard of the ‘Infinite Scroll’, where you lose hours in what feels like minutes. Every time you scroll, your brain is hoping for a quick rush of dopamine. If accomplished, it only leaves you wanting more, creating a vicious circle. Similarly, when we get likes, views or positive comments, we get a little hit of dopamine, causing the reward pathways in our brain to desire more of these interactions. When you stop, you feel depressed and empty, as you’re not getting those chemicals anymore. Like drug addicts, we can literally go into withdrawal if we stop using social media. 

All that time on screens isn’t good for us. Blue light messes with your body’s circadian rhythm, blocking a hormone called melatonin, causing you to take longer to fall asleep. Social media is linked to higher levels of anxiety and depression. Suicide rates have gone up among teenagers with the rise of Social Media. But other than these known facts that many don’t care about, the most terrifying thing about our screens is how much time they take from us. On average, you will spend 8.74 years on your phone, a little more than one tenth of the average life span. 

We have become helpless and quite willing slaves to our screens. They are where we work, whether at the workplace or at school. They are where we share our lives, where we can change lives. Everyone uses them; how would you interact with the world without it? Above all, our screens demand attention. And we provide it. 

There is much clamour - as there should be -about impending catastrophes, such as global warming and nuclear warheads. But our most insidious enemy is neither big nor loud. It easily manipulates our perception of the world, others and ourselves. It attracts us like ants to honey. 

If - as many worried individuals predict - we were to be conquered by a brutal army of robots and aesthetically pleasing AI, there would be no need for the violence and epic warfare so often depicted in science fiction. All that would be necessary to keep us pacified would be a bright, chattering screen. 

By the way, the author of this article is about to get an iPhone. Because after all, who would want to live in a world without screens? 

Many people know Tim Burton as a director, producer and writer of some of the most culturally significant pieces of entertainment, including films such as Corpse Bride and Edward Scissorhands. His work is highly regarded and it has become a common tradition to watch his movies during Halloween. Although this is the case, on top of praise and awards his name is tarnished by some concerning allegations. I thought it would be interesting to find out what these were, and bring these issues to light.

Many of these concerns come from Burton's belief in 'forced diversity'. This precedent - to put it simply - is really stupid. 'Forced diversity' is often brought into the discussion when racial minority groups in film and media are represented when it isn't 'relevant to the plot'. This comes from a completely 'white-centric' point of view, believing that movies are inherently white, and hence believing that the world is inherently white (since movies are meant to be a parallel of real life). Which is obviously not true. Any time that Tim Burton was asked about his movies obviously lacking in any form of diversity, he responded with very feeble and questionable excuses. He claims that "things either call for [diversity] or they do not". I feel like this response really speaks for itself. And him. To be clear, obviously there are instances where 'forced diversity' is actually relevant but I think the definition of this label has become incredibly convoluted. There have been instances when non-white characters are incorporated into film in ways that are inauthentic and really just make the producers and writers look dumb, and this is sort of an example of 'forced diversity'. Tim Burton however, seems to think (at least by his responses in interviews) that representation of marginalised minorities without their race having some relevance to the plot is 'forced diversity'. 

Other than this, he's also been accused of his antagonists majoritively being black and even in his latest shows having unrealistic amounts of representation (i.e. only having one POC in a movie, criticising what he calls 'politically correct' shows). In general, I think he's become not just a name on a credits sequence, but a genuine celebrity. Yet, even though he's said some really weird and questionable stuff, people still seem to like him.

Since we go to an international school, we are constantly surrounded by people of different nationalities, cultures and religions. In honour of that, in this article, we are looking at how different countries celebrate Halloween!

Mexico: Dia de Los Muertos 

Rather than celebrating a traditional ‘Halloween’, people in Mexico celebrate Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, where they pay tribute to the friends and family that have passed. One tradition is to make altars, called ofrendas, for the dead made up of photos, flowers and even the favourite foods of the departed. They also decorate graves in cemeteries with marigolds in order to pay their respects. Popular foods on Dia de Los Muertos include tamales and chocolate skulls.  In some areas of Mexico, there are even parades, where people dress up in vibrant, colourful costumes and play music as they march around. 

Philippines: Pangangaluluwâ

In the Philippines, people celebrate Pangangaluluwâ on the 1st of November. On this day, children go door to door, singing songs in exchange for treats. It’s similar to trick-or-treating, but with a little bit of music!

Italy: Ognissanti 

Ognissanti, also known as ‘All Saint’s Day’ is an Italian holiday, also celebrated on the 1st of November. The festival does have religious undertones, with the central purpose being to celebrate all the saints that they worship. The traditions vary between regions; in Sicily, it is said that the dead resurrect to give presents to children, while locals in Abruzzo put candles in pumpkins to make lanterns. 

Costa Rica: Dia de la Mascarada

On the 31st of October, Costa Ricans celebrate Dia de la Mascarada, where people make traditional paper mache masks to put on their heads and parade around the streets. It is a very colourful celebration, with masks being painted in vibrant hues. They are accompanied by the music of Cimarron, local bands that play traditional music. It is a holiday for Costa Ricans to celebrate their heritage and pay homage to their roots. 

USA: Trick or Treating 

‘Trick or treating’ is probably the most infamous Halloween tradition, and is found around the world, though it is most popular in the USA. The concept is that children walk around their neighbourhood, knocking on doors for candy. They dress up in costumes and usually carry pumpkin-shaped baskets to collect their sweets. However, occasionally, a few tricks may be played too, such as throwing toilet paper on houses and trees!

Sources:

https://www.unitedlanguagegroup.com/blog/translation/how-halloween-is-celebrated-around-the-world

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/28/1130836737/how-halloween-is-celebrated-around-the-world

https://www.internations.org/magazine/halloween-celebrations-traditions-across-the-globe-39915

The first traces of the presently-known Halloween lead back to 2,000 years ago. Formally known as Samhain, the 31st of October to the 1st of November marked the beginning of winter, the ‘darker half of the year’, and the conclusion of summer. Celebrations populated between Celtics in Europe who believed that the spirits of the dead roamed the earth on this day. Today, Halloween is predominantly commemorated through children dressing up in costumes and amusement, having said that most religious traces of this holiday have expired. 

Samhain

Ancient literature from the 9th century narrates this Gaelic seasonal festival with feastings and gatherings, synonymous with traces of sacrifices and bonfires throughout Scotland, Ireland, Galicia, and the Isle of Man. The aos sí, ‘spirits’ or ‘faires’, were offered with food and drinks in attempts to protect the survival of the people and livestock during the long winters. People honored their family’s ancestors, though harmful spirits were avoided and cast off through the use of costumes and masks to impersonate these spirits which they believed caused them to leave the locals alone. Typically, these costumes were made of animal heads and skins to construct animals or monsters. 

Origins of modern Halloween practices

Trick or Treating: Mumming was a distinguishing element of the Samhain festival. It was the practice of going door-to-door, disguised, chanting verses to the dead in return for cakes as payment. 

31st of October: Both Samhain and today’s Halloween devote this day to dedicating the dead, though the extreme to which we dedicate this day to the dead throughout the world varies significantly. 

Costumes: To ward off and pay homage to the aos sí, people who celebrated Samhain began the practice of costume wearing. Over 1000+ years later, the motif of costume wearing on Halloween can be an outlet for expression, creativity, humor, and embodying our favorite fictional characters.  

Conclusion

Despite Halloween typically being seen as a childish or lighthearted holiday in the modern world, the origins of Halloween was a sacred holiday that heavily influenced the beliefs and practices of the current rendition of Halloween.

Sources

https://www.bpl.org/blogs/post/the-origins-and-practices-of-holidays-samhain-dia-de-los-muertos-and-all-saints-day/#:~:text=Samhain%20is%20observed%20from%20sunset,end%20of%20the%20harvest%20season.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain

Cultural erasure is not a new phenomenon. We can take the example of the Doctrine of Discovery.  A legal concept that originated in Europe in the 15th century, it was used to justify the colonisation and exploitation of non-Christian lands and people. The Doctrine of Discovery held that Christian nations had the right to claim and take possession of non-Christian lands and territories, and to subjugate and convert the indigenous people who lived there. This doctrine was used to justify the European colonisation of the Americas, Asia and Africa. 

Some early examples of cultural erasure include the colonisation that previous superpowers such as Spain, the United Kingdom and Italy performed. As a generalisation (as there are some exceptions to this statement), colonies were forced to lose their traditions and cultural practices in the name of assimilating into the culture forced upon them by their colonisers or dying. Take the example of Spain and its involvement in the 16th century in the Americas, the imposition of catholicism being one of the most prevalent actions taken. The erasure of other religions occurred, through the expeditions, such as the destruction of religious monuments, places of worship and artefacts.  Looking at Southern American nations, many recognise Spanish as one of their official languages, such as Mexico, due to their colonial past. While the inhabitants of Mexico may identify with the Spanish language, it is important to remember that their ancestors did not and in the years between then and now, the identities of the people that came before them were lost.

We can look to recent years and see that the trend of cultural erasure has not slowed down. MEDCs like the USA and Australia are built on the blood of others. The Native Americans and Aboriginal Australians had their land forcibly taken from them by others and were tortured, killed, or forced to assimilate into a new culture. Even if assimilation did occur, there is always something that divides the conqueror from the conquered. However, invasive policies are unfortunately not a thing of the past. Even in the 21st century, policies intended to force cultural assimilation are still being implemented. Such as in Myanmar, with land being taken from ethnic minorities such as the Rohingya people.

You are encouraged to consider whether it would be possible for nations to be as developed as they are today without it. While it is true that all cultures should be celebrated and cultural erasure is not positive, unfortunately cultural erasure is a byproduct of globalisation as in the process of becoming more interconnected as a society, more minor cultural practices and traditions can be lost simply due to lack of relevance. Even languages and minor dialects will become irrelevant, due to the “dominant” languages becoming more and more widespread. Globalisation is an enemy of cultural preservation.

“Qing Society.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/place/China/Qing-society.  

O’Loughlin, Author(s) Michael. “The Stolen Generation.” The Australian Museum, https://australian.museum/learn/first-nations/stolen-generation/#:~:text=Once%20a%20child%20was%20removed,adopt%20new%20names%20and%20identities.  

“Bria 15 4 C Laws of the Indies: Spain and the Native Peoples of the New World.” Constitutional Rights Foundation, https://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-15-4-c-laws-of-the-indies-spain-and-the-native-peoples-of-the-new-world. 

Cultural Erasure | Australian Strategic Policy Institute | ASPI. https://www.aspi.org.au/report/cultural-erasure.  

As the world of Formula One perpetually changes, new faces in the paddock are shaking things up. It’s time for a fresh era of racing, and leading the charge is Mclaren’s new miracle, Oscar Piastri.

Born in Melbourne, Piastri began go-karting at a competitive level in 2015 and has since been rapidly progressing through the ranks of racing, pushing his way further into the spotlight. After working in Formula 4 and Formula 3, he started to turn heads after winning the Formula 2 championship in his rookie season. As a result, in 2022, he signed a life-changing contract that would help him achieve a childhood dream: his first Formula One contract with the Mclaren Formula One team. 

Oscar was now an athlete at the pinnacle of racing, but that didn’t mean that it would be all smooth sailing. After a rough start to the season, Mclaren fans had started to lose faith in their beloved team. However, everything changed at the British Grand Prix, at the beautiful track of Silverstone, after Oscar finished fourth (P4), a result that left Formula One fans startled but also impressed. After all, we hadn’t seen a rookie achieve results like these since Lewis Hamilton in 2007. Since then, the young Aussie has been performing incredibly, even outperforming those who have years of experience on him. He has scored points at many of the recent races and has helped Mclaren progress forward in their charge to the F1 championship. 

In terms of his personality, he’s known for being very calm and level-headed, a skill that has helped him maintain consistent results and avoid making mistakes where possible. However, don’t mistake his calmness for laziness; his teammate, Lando Norris, said that Oscar is “very competitive and very fast” and that he is “a hard worker”. 

Piastri is certainly an exciting addition to the F1 grid, and we are keen to see what this generational talent can do over the course of his career. 

Horseback riding is a challenging yet mesmerising sport. Watching equestrians work together with their horses to put on a show is a surreal experience. In this article, we will be looking at some famous equestrians who are excellent examples of true athleticism.

Rodrigo Pessoa

Rodrigo Pessoa is a Brazilian show jumper who won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and has achieved success in various prestigious competitions, including the FEI World Cup Finals and the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen. He is highly regarded for his exceptional riding skills and has represented Brazil in multiple Olympic Games.

Beezie Madden

American show jumper Beezie Madden has won multiple Olympic medals and prestigious Grand Prix events. She is known for her brilliant horsemanship and is widely regarded as one of the best riders in the sport.

Anky Van Grunsven

Anky van Grunsven is a highly accomplished Dutch dressage rider. She has won multiple Olympic medals,including three gold. Van Grunsven is known for her technical excellence and has had a significant impact on the sport of dressage, a form of horse riding performed in exhibitions that almost appear like dances.

Federico Caprilli

Federico Caprilli was an Italian equestrian who introduced the "Caprilli seat" or "forward seat" riding technique. His method revolutionised jumping by emphasising a more natural and balanced position for both horse and rider. Caprilli's innovations continue to influence modern jumping techniques. He sadly died in 1907 after fatally falling off his horse.