Editor’s Note: The Plaid Line publishes editorials that contain opinions that are those of the student authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the the Plaid Line, HPSH, or its staff.
Through the many years of the rising popularity of television and film, this led to positive feedback and attention put onto Hollywood celebrities, both actors and directors alike. While there were several good aspects that came along with the fame that certain actors gained from their roles in movies and shows, there was also a lot of negative exposure put onto actors, especially child actors. This oftentimes included instances of sexualization, (financial) exploitation, and unhealthy working conditions, among many other things.
On the topic of child actors, there are so many instances where they have been put on a pedestal and risen to fame, and continuously failed by so many corrupt aspects within Hollywood society. This often involves both the public, as well as their higher ups (directors, older actors, agents, etc.) This can be seen from as early as actress Judy Garland, who is commonly recognized for her role as Dorothy Gale in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939).
In Judy Garland’s experience in her role as Dorothy alone, she was exposed to extreme body shaming from the entertainment industry. Garland was forced into a strict diet as well as medications in order to keep her working longer hours, and to keep her weight down. This contributed to her long-term struggles with substance abuse and her mental health.
Another more recent actress subjected to similar experiences could be Nickelodeon star, Jeanette McCurdy. In her memoir, ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’, she openly discusses her struggles while involved within the industry, particularly regarding her mental health. She also touches on the financial exploitation she experienced at the hands of her mother especially, which ultimately limited the control she had over the income she was making while acting on Nickelodeon.
While these are only two examples of the problems with child actors in Hollywood, there are so many more actors who were, or are being, subjected to exploitation, sexualization, substance abuse, or body shaming. The experiences of these actors should only fuel the need to establish stricter and safer laws in order to help protect their rights more than what’s currently being done now. With more actors coming out with their own personal experiences of navigating the entertainment industry, I believe that this could further motivate stronger protections and better support systems for child actors in Hollywood.
As a sophomore at Highland all students are required to take critical ethnic studies. There is a semester project we do where we have to find a topic with local significance and share our knowledge about the topic and an action plan of how we’re going to get the information out into our community.
For my project, I wrote a poem about being multiracial and how society sets up these stereotypes that create insecurities and mental health issues for multiracial people all over the United States. This is a topic that is really important to me because I am multiracial and for the longest time this was something I was insecure about, so I wanted to bring more light to the topic.
Over the whole semester I have been researching the history of multiracial people. Multiracial people first came to be when European settlers would take Native women as companions, and once settlement increased, marriages and unions between European settlers and Natives became more common. For a long time multiracial marriages were illegal in the United States though. In 1967, the bill Loving V. Virginia was passed which allowed interracial marriage all over the nation.
Along with learning about history I also learned about the current issues that multiracial people struggle with. There are many stereotypes and issues set around multiracial people and these cause a lot of mental health issues. A lot of people imply the idea that multiracial people don’t belong anywhere since they aren’t 100% of a specific racial group. This leads multiracial people to struggle with their identity a lot. The mental illness that is related to this is called imposter syndrome. This is just one example of the effects from the negative ideas people create around multiracial people.
For my poem, I chose to write it about the current issues and not the history of the topic. I wanted to really show how multiracial people feel and the raw emotions that come with it. I also wanted to show how these ideas and ideas around putting people into “groups” start when we are so young. In my poem I don’t state that I am talking about multiracial people because I wanted people to have to think about it. I want them to think about who they think is affected in our society like this. After they read the poem there is context behind it that is shared. For example this article.
In the educational world today, much is made about artificial intelligence (AI) and how it could be used by students to cheat in their classes.
By using AI, students are able to create work with far less effort than if they did it themselves, creating a well warranted fear amongst teachers that their students may be using AI to cheat by passing off AI generated work as their own. Not only is this academically dishonest, it actively hinders the student’s education. This fear among educators has been exacerbated by the increasing difficulty of differentiating work made by AI from that made by students.
Personally, I have never used AI to cheat, though I will admit to having intrusive thoughts of doing so from time to time. This thought comes up whenever I am struggling with an assignment, telling me that I could perhaps earn the same grade more easily, without doing any work.
The reason I’ve never given in is not out of a fear of being caught or some compulsion to blindly follow rules, but because I know that by doing so, I would be hindering my own education. I wouldn’t be gaining the knowledge or skills that I would have if I were to do the assignment myself. This mentality is what has prevented me from giving in to this urge. But this made me realize that students who do use AI are doing so because they don’t value their own learning, only valuing the grade they earn in the class.
I was curious about what other people’s mentalities toward this were, so I asked some of my friends the following question: “If you could have AI do some or all of your assignments, knowing that there was no chance you would ever be caught, would you do so, and why?” Their responses intrigued me.
Some people told me that no, they wouldn’t use AI in any cases, because they wouldn’t learn without doing so. This is similar to my mentality, and everyone seemed to agree with this in at least some of their classes. Some friends of mine stated that they would do so for certain classes, since they thought that those classes’ material didn’t matter for their planned careers. In other words, they saw no value in these classes other than to pass them, moving them closer to graduating.
How does this happen, that these students don’t see any value in their learning except to pass a test, to get good grades, to get into college, and to start their career? They aren’t born this way. Young children have an endless amount of questions on their mind. They are naturally curious, ask deep questions, and annoy their parents by constantly asking “Why?”
By contrast, High School students only seem to see school as a transaction to get to where they want in life, and gain the information taught for the purposes of passing a test and getting an “A”. What happens that takes this natural curiosity out of our students between when they start elementary school and when they get to high school? What drives these students to use AI to pass their class, while they are missing out on learning and skills they would gain by doing their work on their own, missing out on the answers to the deep questions they asked when they were a child?
I think the answer is that our education system, and society as a whole, emphasizes grades above all else. If I could use AI and get the same grade, why not do so? Yes, I would be missing out on learning, but that doesn’t matter if all that I care about is my grade. In the above hypothetical, there are no consequences for using AI. One could get an A without doing any work on their own. In order to choose not to do so, a student would need to value learning, knowledge, and curiosity in and of themselves in order to get the most out of their education. Unfortunately, what is usually valued most by parents, educators, colleges, and society as a whole, is simply a letter on a piece of paper or computer screen. And in many cases, the allure of that letter grows to outweigh or even destroy any value one may have placed on what it is supposed to represent.
By: Angelina Nguyen, Gaohlee Thao and Christine Yang
Photo by Zu00fclfu00fc Demirud83dudcf8 on Pexels.com
Our goal for the article is to reach local residents of the East Side of Saint Paul and spread awareness about road issues (potholes) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Spreading awareness about road issue(s), like potholes, can also bring awareness to different areas in Saint Paul so residents across Saint Paul can also drive safely no matter the status and conditions of that area. We also want to incorporate into our article how to help fund Saint Paul with their budgeting to help with road issues and help pothole victims along with other things.
We want to address the problem that Minnesota has with roadway inconveniences that lead to damaged vehicles, injured civilians, and chaos on the road – all caused by potholes. In 2023, Minnesota was rated as the worst state for having potholes because data showed by QuoteWizard, that Minnesota had the most pothole-related complaints of any state. KSTP, a local Minnesota news outlet, created a post relating to the overall issue of potholes in Saint Paul to help inform citizens about repair programs for roads, or reimbursement for cars/injured citizens.
The reason Minnesota roads end up with so many potholes is because it goes through the freeze-thaw cycle, which usually occurs during the winter season; that is how potholes are formed. The freeze-thaw cycle happens when the temperature fluctuates repeatedly below and above 32F. The freeze-thaw cycle hollows the road, and with the added pressure, when people are driving on the weakened roads, this is why potholes look like a dent in the road. Minneapolis and Duluth, or similar cities, face the worst cases of potholes due to the fact that these cities are heavily trafficked and have to deal with harsh climate conditions. These are two main factors that contribute to deteriorating the infrastructure.
Not only are potholes an inconvenience to traffic, but they are also a hassle for residents who may have to pay repair fees on their damaged cars, paying up to $1,000. This kind of fee can be covered by insurance companies or reimbursed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) by filing a complaint of negligence, but this might not be the case for some residents who are affected. They might not get either of the coverage and might have to pay from their own income. According to the U.S. Census of Saint Paul, the average income per year for a household is $35,000-$70,000, so taking some portion of this family income if they were to pay may not be possible.
Potholes have been a problem in Minnesota, but it doesn’t seem to be a huge concern, and it is not talked about enough. Considering what kind of damages and dangers are caused by potholes – that are frequent to Minnesota roads and occur yearly during the winter months, we think it is about time this topic is reviewed more and is talked about more, to help alleviate the traffic disruption. In the Saint Paul community, it is necessary to look out for other people in the community who might come into danger with potholes and will have to pay the aftermath prices, such as hospital bills or car repair fees. This will cost a lot for a low-income family who might not be eligible for car insurance coverage or reimbursement by MnDOT.
The East Side is one of the areas that struggles with poverty the most, which can be the reason why the roads are in a rougher condition than other areas of Saint Paul. That area, and others, probably are not at the same level of prioritization of road conditions compared to other areas of Saint Paul, or just cities in Minnesota in general, that don’t struggle with poverty as much. This leads to more frequent and severe potholes in those areas that are often overlooked while the “wealthier” areas are being cared for, or focused on, more. The East Side and other areas most likely wouldn’t be able to properly afford the costs of pothole recovery and/or fixing accidents that were a result of the poor road conditions. But even knowing that Saint Paul struggles with finances for road conditions, which leads to the cause of potholes or more road issues not being fixed, can help lead to more people trying to do something to fix the problem.
The average median household income in Saint Paul in 2019-2023 was $17,055, which can be a reflection of Saint Paul’s funding or budgeting. This ties back to institutional oppression because those in low-income areas will most likely have a difficult time finding access to affordable healthcare or insurance to cover possible damages to themselves or their vehicles caused by these harsh road conditions.
Poor road conditions also get in the way of people getting access to education, healthcare, and employment, as many people face delays or have difficulty getting from one place to the other on roads that are poorly maintained. This impacts low-income and minority groups more as they may not have many options for transportation. Also, the costs of car repairs as a result of potholes can be a significant burden for these families, taking money away from other necessities. Whereas areas with higher incomes would have an easier time with being able to afford and get access to the right resources or help that they would need from any damages.
Institutional oppression manifests in budget allocations, with marginalized communities often receiving less funding for road work, paving, and timely repairs. In turn, this neglect influences cycles of poverty, as deteriorating roads contribute to unsafe driving conditions, car damage, and hindrances to economic mobility. Furthermore, these potholes can lead to environmental problems, as the streets in these communities may not be fit to handle certain climates like flooding, stormwater, and other weather conditions that can make existing inequities worse. Potholes deepen disparities, impacting transportation, health, safety, and community resources.
Questions concerning the relationship between politics and the judiciary have been raised by the practice of judges “unretiring” after a political shift, especially after Donald Trump’s recent victory. In this context, “unretiring” refers to former judges who return to active duty, usually at the invitation or persuasion of the newly elected administration, after having reached the mandatory retirement age or leaving the bench for other reasons. Significant discussion over judicial independence and the wider ramifications for the legal system has been spurred by this practice.
In the US, judicial retirements are frequently viewed as a strategy to maintain impartiality and make sure that judges are not influenced by political pressures as they age. However, it can appear that the judiciary is becoming politicized when judges decide to return to the bench, especially following a presidential election that has significantly changed the political scene.
Four seats were included in a deal reached in November between Senate Republicans and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. In exchange for a Democratic commitment to fill the four circuit court vacancies for the Trump administration, Republicans agreed to confirm Mr. Biden’s district court nominees as soon as possible. However, Judge James Wynn has since changed his mind about accepting senior status, so the number has been lowered to three.
The return of retired judges raises questions about the possible decline in public trust in the judiciary’s impartiality and independence, particularly under a president with a strong ideological agenda. The rule of law’s foundational tenet of a neutral justice system may be compromised if such retirements and reappointments appear to be politically motivated.
It might also establish a worrying precedent for upcoming administrations, when political control over the judiciary might become even more pronounced. Instead of concentrating solely on legal knowledge and integrity, it might even promote a cycle in which judicial selections and reappointments become increasingly politically charged.
Finally, even though unretiring judges might be viewed as a practical reaction to political changes, the practice needs to be closely examined to preserve the harmony between judicial impartiality and political influence.
McDonald’s is such a popular fast food that anyone can eat. This fast food is most known for their fries, chicken nuggets, hamburgers etc. McDonald’s was created in 1940 and from then to right now business has been booming and a lot of people really like McDonald’s. McDonald’s could be really affordable and really expensive for some people, but a lot of people really like the food.
Not a lot of items on the menu have really changed through the years. Little kids really only mostly go to McDonald’s for Happy Meals. They only really like the toy that’s inside. When I was little I also only wanted the toy.
Some people have different nicknames for McDonald’s like, Mickey D’s, McDirts, Macas and more.
McDonald’s also has a mascot: Ronald McDonald. He dresses up like a scary clown and a lot of people are really scared of him.
When me and my friends always try to go to another place to eat we always end up going to McDonald’s because it has a lot of different locations and it’s never too far from anywhere we go so that’s how they get the popularity from being so famous.
At McDonald’s you can also collect points from your visits and can earn free food and that’s how McDonald’s really knows how to advertise and get a lot of people to go there.
About three McDonald’s open a day and that’s how there are so many McDonald’s fast food restaurants around the world. The most popular McDonald’s, in Orlando, has an aquarium and an arcade and that’s how they get a lot of visitors and the popularity goes up everyday.
Hello, and today I will be talking about the ban of TikTok that’s GOING to happen in the U.S.
You may ask why the U.S. government wants to ban TikTok. Well, let me tell you.
The main concern that the U.S. recognizes is that TikTok collects a lot of data on users, including location, browsing history, and even device details and since it’s owned by a Chinese company, critics worry that this data could be shared with the Chinese government. The government could then use that information for spying or to influence American politics. Though TikTok denies sharing data with China, U.S. lawmakers point to China’s laws that could force companies to cooperate with the government. Many of the lawmakers are politicians, particularly from the Republican Party.
Another worry is that TikTok could spread fake news or propaganda, affecting elections or creating social unrest. Though TikTok has taken steps to try and stop the spread of misinformation, many U.S. lawmakers still see it as a national security threat.
The push for banning TikTok mainly comes from conservative politicians like Senators Josh Hawley, Marco Rubio, and others, who argue the app is a threat to national security. They worry that TikTok could be used for spying or spreading fake news for the Chinese government.
TikTok has been told to either sell to an American company, create a new U.S. controlled TikTok, or make sure they store all data safely and away from China. If they don’t do one of those things, they could face a ban in the U.S. The owner tried to file an appeal to the Supreme Court, but failed due to the concern of the information that could potentially be sent back and forth.
In my opinion I find myself stuck between both of their sides.
If TikTok is a way to sell people’s info to the Chinese government I find that troublesome, but I also think TikTok has become a way for people to express themselves and find support, and if it’s banned all of it will be taken away. People’s lives have been changed for the better due TikTok
Every year, around 40,000 people in the United States are killed by vehicles. This includes both those who die driving when they get in accidents and those who are hit by vehicles while walking or biking.
Per mile driven, our nation’s roads are almost twice as dangerous as many comparable nations. Furthermore, the death rate on our roads has been increasing for the past decade, despite all of the new safety features being included in cars, now mostly consisting of features that assist drivers in keeping the speed limit, staying in lanes, and braking.
Even worse, the number of pedestrians killed by vehicles has nearly doubled since 2010, and is now the highest it has been since 1981. According to a recent piece published in ‘The Economist’, the blame for this is on the increase in the weight of vehicles.
The average new vehicle in America now weighs 4,400 pounds. American vehicles are getting bigger and heavier. Vehicles weighing over 5,000 pounds made up 31% of the market last year, up from 22% in 2018. This trend shows no sign of stopping.
This increase in weight is an issue because it means an increase in force of vehicles, force being mass times acceleration.
Ironically, for a long time, the conventional wisdom has been that this increase in vehicle size has been making us safer. This is because very heavy vehicles are able to better protect those inside if they get into a crash with lighter vehicles. However, this causes a much greater decrease in the safety of those in the lighter vehicles, creating an endless arms race of heavier cars. It’s even worse for pedestrians and cyclists, who lack the safety provided by the walls of a car.
The biggest issue is the difference in weight. According to an estimate by ‘The Economist’, fatalities could be reduced by 12% if the heaviest 10% of cars got just 10 percent lighter. And, to be clear, this is all focused on passenger vehicles, not commercial vehicles like semi trucks.
Another thing that makes this issue more difficult is the fact that the shift to EVs has also made cars heavier, with their battery adding a lot of weight to new electric vehicles.
The solutions to this problem are also quite complicated. Regulations could be changed to encourage lighter vehicles, but this could also disincentive electric vehicles. One of the reasons that larger vehicles started being sold so much was that they were made exempt from fuel efficiency regulations in the 1970s.
Some changes have already occurred. The National Transport Safety Board last year changed their definitions of vehicle safety to account for those outside the vehicle in question, accounting for those in the other cars and pedestrians as well.
I think more should be done. We should be passing laws to encourage lighter vehicles and make our roads safer. We should also redesign many aspects of our roads, which are wide, with many uncontrolled intersections, and designed to make driving comfortable and easy. These conditions, however, encourage very fast car speeds, the other half of mass times acceleration.
There is a survey on YouGov.com that shows that more than ⅓ of America stated that Christmas is their favorite holiday.
Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of Jesus Christ who people believe in as the son of God. The name “Christmas” comes from the mass of Christ which is a mass service. Mass service is where Christians can remember that Jesus had died for us then came back alive. Christmas was a holiday in the mid-1800s. It was seen as a day of peace and rest.
Many people also enjoy celebrating Christmas because that is when you can see your loved ones that you may not have seen in a while. Some people will celebrate with just their immediate family and others will celebrate with their extended family. It is very common for people to have family reunions over the holidays. It’s a perfect time to spend with family, as you can decorate your Christmas tree with ornaments or make some Christmas baked goods. It is a celebration of love. The Christmas season provides great opportunities to strengthen bonds with friends and family.
You could also get gifts for yourself and other people. If you love giving gifts to other people this is a perfect opportunity to do that. It’s also a perfect time to do secret Santa with your friends, family cousins, etc. Secret Santa is like another word for a gift exchange, but Secret Santa can be a little bit different. In Secret Santa you don’t know who’s giving you your gift or what you are getting. You only know who you’re getting a gift for. You can pick names out of a hat or find an app that can pick the names for you.
Christmas falls on a different day every year so sometimes it’s hard to plan a time to get together with your family, but if you are able to plan it right it is always worth it. Christmas is a perfect time to pause and spend quality time with loved ones.
Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com
It is very well known that AI isn’t perfect; even simple questions can confuse AI, leading it to spread misinformation. These mistakes have become so common that they have earned their own moniker, “AI Hallucinations”.
Some of these famous “Hallucinations” include using glue to stick cheese to pizza, misspelling words, and the health benefits of eating rocks.
AI formulates answers based on data from all over the internet. There is no way to filter correct information from misinformation, so AI is trained on everything. When AI answers your question it attempts to replicate data it was trained on. AI makes observations on the data it was trained on and forms its answers based on the patterns it finds.
Along with the inability to tell correct and incorrect information apart, AI also has biases regarding race and gender. According to Bloomberg.com when AI was asked to generate pictures of people in different professions, the photos it generated showed harmful biases. For example, AI generated more photos of people with lighter skin tones in higher paying jobs, and more people with darker skin tones in lower paying jobs.
AI also generated more perceived men than perceived women in many high paying jobs including: engineering, architecture, CEO, Doctor, Lawyer, and Politicians. Out of the 100 images AI generated for the prompt “Engineer” only two were not of perceived men.
There are large disparities between the images AI generates and the people in those careers. These images construct a distorted viewpoint of the world. According to Bloomberg.com, by 2025 30% of marketing materials by large corporations will be created using AI like this.
These mistakes and biases will reinforce a lot of these stereotypes. The misinformation AI spreads can undermine education and people’s world views if left unchecked. If people stay poorly informed on AI then there will be negative repercussions in society.
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