September 2018

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September 17, 2018 westerner/opinions 10 STUDENTS CHANGE THE WORLD, ONE PROTEST AT A TIME They were met with violence. They were assaulted with bullets, bombs, machetes, and tear gas. They were raped. Their eyes were gouged out. All because they wanted safer road conditions. Bangladeshi students took to the streets after an incident occurred where a speeding bus rammed into two students, killing them instantly. Rising UP They are not alone. According to the World Health Organization, over 21,000 Bangladeshis die every year from road accidents. Thousands of students protested for better road conditions and justice; they stopped trucks, cars, and buses, demanding to see the driver’s license. Sure enough, many police members and government officials were found driving illegally, without licenses or documents. At night, many students with candles stood out in the streets in memory of those who died during the protest. Nonetheless, authorities responded by sending out law enforcement and mobs sponsored by government leaders to beat up and disperse protestors. Not only did the government take a violent approach to crackdown on these peaceful student protests, but they also targeted journalists, arresting and assaulting them for simply doing their jobs. Bangladesh may be a third world country, but there is no excuse for the government to respond to simple requests for a safer environment with violence. We view the recent events unfolding in Bangladesh as horrible and tragic. Yet, in the United States, we face similar issues and tragedies, and only because of organized protests is anyone in leadership bothering to pay attention. We are in the middle of our own humanitarian crisis where our government has acted inhumanely and with negligence towards immigrant families who have arrived at our southern border requesting asylum from deadly conditions in their home countries. We have separated children from their parents, jailed the parents, kept the children locked away in detention centers hundreds of miles away from the border, and have caused immeasurable amounts of psychological damage for families who were simply seeking safety, without BY PATRICK ASZTABSKI columnist even giving them the opportunity to apply for asylum. In our own nation, the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy on immigration began this past May for anyone who arrives at the border. As of last month, Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar, estimated that nearly 3,000 children have been separated from their families, some of whom are housed in detention centers right here in Chicago. Last week, we learned from Congress that there are actually more than 12,000 migrant children currently being housed in these detention centers. This not only violates the due process of law guaranteed by our Constitution but also deprives them of the three concepts our country was built on: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Furthermore, even when families have been reunited, the harsh conditions within these detention centers have created fear and mistrust between the PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM: REDDIT.COM/U/ SAMIUL1995 AND REDDIT.COM/U/FAISALHASSANX children, who thought their parents had abandoned them, and the parents, who were fighting to be reunited. We can do more as the future of America to be sure our nation is treating people fairly and that we are thoughtful of the global impact of our nation’s past and present foreign policies. Now that we are in the 21st century, can we come together with open minds and form solutions to these gut-wrenching issues at hand? Can students in America help force the same kind of positive changes on a number of important issues just as students in Bangladesh have? Let the students of Bangladesh who protested for safer conditions be an example for a better tomorrow through steadfast initiative and a genuine desire for change. not a major driver of the cost discrepancies.” In addition, according to USA Today, “manufacturers justify added expenses by saying that they use unique elements and design patterns”; but does a different package design really justify an increase in cost for a product that serves the same function? The issue doesn’t stop there. Hygiene products such as tampons have a tax placed on them in many states as if they are luxury items. Think about it: a necessary product that serves to help women with a basic biological function is charged extra and treated as if we could control it just like our limbs. Only a handful of states have gotten rid of this tax. In certain cases such as dry-cleaning and hairstyling, prices are increased but with good reason. For example, in dry-cleaning, men’s clothing are relatively standardized in terms of size and proportions, while women’s clothing accounts more for the different shapes of women -- which leads to more labor and effort into cleaning it. Similarly, hair stylists charge more for women’s haircuts since women have more hair, therefore using up more product and time to cut and style it. Fortunately, this issue has been addressed by some. An excellent example can be found in our native Illinois, where Governor Bruce Rauner signed a bill in 2016 that eliminated the 6.25% tax on feminine hygiene products, effectively eliminating it from the luxury item spectrum. At Maine West itself, tampons that were previously sold in the women’s bathrooms at twenty-five cents are now available for no cost at all to anyone who needs it. These are all fantastic, small steps that have been taken to ensure equality between the sexes and these actions should most definitely be encouraged. Yet, we are still not finished. Despite the unjust prices, we still have many alternatives. Don’t want to buy a deodorant or razor with a higher price? Simply buy the men’s versions or buy from another company that offers equal prices. Speak with your wallet; researching and comparing the prices between companies helps with making an educated decision in terms of the economy of your choice. Finally, let’s advocate for equal prices in hygiene products, as well as a removal of the “tampon tax” so that this becomes the law of the nation, not just individual cities or states. There is no reason for this price discrepancy to be prevalent for some of the most needed items. If there is no logical argument behind the prices, it just isn’t right. ZAC ABERO
11 opinions/westerner EDITORIAL POLICY The student-produced newspaper of Maine West High School, the Westerner, is dedicated to maintaining the values of truth, integrity, and courage in reporting. The Westerner provides an open public forum for free and responsible expression of student opinion, as well as balanced coverage of issues of student interest. The staff encourages discussion and free expression between all members of the school and community and maintains its responsibility to inform and educate the student body. Unsigned editorials represent the majority viewpoint of the editorial board. Letters to the editor, which are subject to editing for length and clarity, must be signed by name and may be published upon approval from the editorial board. Opinions in letters are not necessarily those of the Westerner, nor should any opinion expressed in the Westerner be construed as the opinion or policy of the adviser, the Westerner staff as a whole, the school staff, the school administration, or District 207 school board. EDITORIAL BOARD: Editor-in-Chief: Kara Dempsey, Amaan Siddiqui Chief of Digital Media: Leo Galindo-Frias News Editors: Davis Parks, Ashley Dwy Features Editor: Sarah Smail In-Depth Editor: Danny Daood Sports Editors: Amaan Siddiqui, Reilly Olson, Suzy Linek Opinions Editors: Sarah Lane, Monroe Torkelson Entertainment Editor: Kara Dempsey Photo Editor: Nina Palmer Art Editor: Zac Abero Graphics Editor: Abugail Milovancevic Digital Content Chief: Maraya Adams Assistant Editors: Malaika Zaidi, Alexis Huerta, Hana Dempsey, Ivonne Sanchez, Juliana Cortese, Nitin Nair STAFF MEMBERS Nabah Sultan, Lucy Ellsworth, Jameson Beckman, Khushi Patel, Jenna Robbins, Jenna Daube, Aileen O’Connor, Xiao Lin He, Vincent Parcelli, Patrick Asztabski, Johnny Nguyen, Kevin Schill, Anahi Sosa, Dominika Szal, Monyca Grimmer, Johnny Gonzalez, Nikolina Vujcic, Darcy Buchaniec, Erika Babinska, Miriam Babunska ADVISER:Laurie McGowan September 17, 2018 VIEW FROM THE BOARD OF STUDENT EDITORS Error 404: Opinion Not Heard For anyone who isn’t a senior or staff member, you may not have heard of the conflicts that erupted from this year’s homecoming court nomination process, some of which ended well and some of which ended very poorly. In past years, every senior had the option to nominate five girls and five boys they wanted on the court, which would result in a final list sent out to the whole school to vote on. With this process, however, there were complications that arose, including misspelling of student names, insincere votes, and debates about homecoming court being a popularity contest. The great thing about Maine West is that even with the old process, there was not a big dilemma with drama or competition; it was not a big deal and everyone knew it was “just homecoming”. With his year’s process, it almost elevates the aspect of competition and makes homecoming about involvement and leadership -- something we already have as the basis for several other clubs. This year, the process was different—an attempt to get rid of the former problems and promote getting involved in the school—and the seniors were initially cut out of the nominating process. An email was sent out only to sponsors and coaches—not even all teachers—requesting court nominees. From these staff nominations, a list was generated, and seniors were surprised to receive an email with the names of 20 staff-selected girls and 16 staff-selected No (Wo)man Left Behind HOW THE ‘PINK TAX’ TARGETS WOMEN AND THE PRODUCTS THEY USE “Homecoming may have been a bit of a popularity contest, but with the students having their say in it, that’s kind of what it is all about.” BY DOMINIKA SZAL columnist boys. The seniors were asked to pick from only those staff-nominated names to create the final court. Seniors were justifiably confused: Who picked these students? Why weren’t the seniors asked? Perhaps the biggest problem was that this was all done behind the scenes—this new process was not transparent to most of the seniors, the very people whose voices’ should be heard. And of course, where there isn’t transparency, there is suspicion. The first email to the seniors caused major backlash. No one was notified of the process beforehand, resulting in total confusion. Understandably, people were upset; being blindsided by something completely different when you may have been hoping for the original can be upsetting, to say the least. Many students were downright angry—with reason—since they had no say in the matter. Some seniors believe that change without their representation is a common theme this year—the new block schedule, the absent gold cards, the warrior change, the nonexistent senior lounge—and this was yet another example. Unfortunately, StuCo officers, who had no say in the matter, were blamed by classmates who assumed they had something to do with the whole process. StuCo officers were approached with hostile questions and accusations of corruption. On top of that, even students on the list of nominees were being criticized, judged on how deserving they were. One way this backlash took route was through social media. While social media is a good outlet for people to voice their opinions, it isn’t always done in the best way, and that was true here. In immediate reactions, people can be driven by emotion and post comments or videos they may regret later on. And attacking something you don’t fully know the details of is just childish. The only way to bring about change is through cooperation and conversation. Thankfully, those logical conversations finally did occur, and the adults were willing to listen. Although the staff and administration made an initial mistake in their lack of transparency and student engagement beforehand, we appreciate that they acknowledged the mistake and were open to change, resulting in a compromise that allowed senior voices to be heard. That’s something we can all learn from. This whole mishap does bring about some lasting thoughts. In trying to make the process more inclusive, it almost made it less: not giving every student the chance to be voted on, not giving every student the chance to send in their own votes, and not letting the students know what was going on. Even with a little stumble, the intentions of trying to make homecoming better and our school environment better were still there. And still are, seemingly, as a compromise was made. Hopefully, we can learn from this that working together and open conversation is always the best option. If we say we are for improvement in the school and a more positive culture in Maine West, we have to act like it. Shopping is arguably one of the more stressful tasks to do, amounting to hundreds of dollars spent and loads of time running around to snatch necessities. And, a lingering problem is plaguing shoppers and costing us chunks of our wallets: hygiene products. It’s no secret that women end up spending more on hygiene than men. In fact, a 2015 study conducted by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs noted that women spend 13% more on personal care as a result of higher prices for “feminine” commodities, including everything from deodorant to hair products. Yet is there a real reason as to why this so-called “pink tax” exists or is it purely gender discrimination? As for deodorant, razors, shampoo and conditioners, the case is clear. If you compare a pink razor to a blue razor, the pink one is often more expensive. The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs pointed out one such example in which they compared Schick’s razor prices that are designated for specific genders; unsurprisingly, the men’s razors cost a whopping $3.50 less than razors targeted for women. Feminine deodorants -- even if it’s in a smaller bottle -- often cost women more for lower-quality products. While the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs does note that “men’s and women’s products often do not have identical ingredients, [...] these differences are
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September 2018

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