NOCTILUCA January 2018

OPINIONS Appleton, Wisconsin January 2018 Volume XXIII

Issue III Page 4

What I learned from people marching outside of Planned Parenthood...

Noctiluca MissionStatement The Noctiluca and north noct.com are the student-run news sources of Appleton North High School. Noctiluca and northnoct. com are designated public forums for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions. Noctiluca’s mission is to publish information relevant to its readers and its community. Its goal is to maintain high ethical standards and provide a desig- nated public forum for free and responsible expression of views. Appleton North High School

By Amara Neitzke

By Tashia Ulman Wrapping up the holiday season, coming down from the consumer high, people tend to get caught up in ma- terialism. Materialism is simply a tendency to consid- er material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual val- ues. When we think of a ma- terialistic person we think of the hypocritical snob liv- ing just north of New York complaining about which new car to buy but this isn’t exactly the case. Not just a handful of people are at fault of this; most of us Since the 2016 election, people have so strongly iden- tified themselves by their po- litical views. We have dras- tically divided our nation based on politics. Both sides are guilty of demonizing the other, and being headstrong about issues without trying to understand where the op- posing side is coming from. Too often do people only fo- cus on what they want when It’s not unusual to see pro- testors or supporters outside of Planned Parenthood. After cruising by them countless times in my daily life, I finally decided to stop and speak to people from each side. I asked them both the same two ques- tions, “Why are you here?” and “What is your goal?” Although the answers I re- ceived weren’t a surprise, it was refreshing to hear calm feedback. I felt as though everyone, whether they were protesting or support- ing Planned Parenthood, was there with pure intentions. Those who were standing in support stayed within their space, as did those who were protesting; exactly how they should be behaving, since everyone is guaranteed “the right of the people peaceably to assemble…” Due to their separation, however, I learned that very seldom do discus- sions or debates take place between people from oppos- ing sides. But they should.

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Editorial Staff Senior Editor-In-Chief Jake Zajkowski Junior Editor-In-Chief Salma Abdel-Azim News Editor Maddie Clark Opinions Editor Carl Zuleger Features Editor Henry Ptacek Center Spread Editor Ahmad Abdel-Azim Culture Editor Lila Metko Sports Editor Kyle Hoffenbecker Photography Editor Olivia Molter Investigative Editor Mariya Todorova Copy Editor Silvia Knighten Adithi Reddy Social Media Editor Amara Neitzke Graphics Editor Sonia Tallroth Online Editor Sarah Fleming Advisor Mr. Ramponi Contributors Nolan Arnold

Planned Parenthood provides services such as pregnancy testing and education regarding sexual health. Picture by Amara Neitzke

participate in this physical consumption. But there is a line to draw and some don’t recognize where that line is. Awell known phrase claims, “You can’t buy your way to happiness”, but that doesn’t stop people from trying. Advertising plays a key role in this need to consume. We are bombarded with an excessive amount of adver- tisements everywhere we go. They play with our emo- tions and our need for so- cial acceptance so when one tells us we can have clearer skin or the best house on the block we feel the need to As of now, our nation needs to drop the superfluous labels of Democrat and Republican. What we actually should be focusing on is figuring out how to compromise. The is- sues in our nation have be- come malignant tumors that won’t be cured by one side getting their way, and the oth- ers not. Obviously, you can’t please everyone; however, people need to be willing to accommodate the other side in order to find a beneficial solution for the majority. TheUnited States has turned politics into a ruthless game of money equating to power, and everyone is on their own. it comes to a political issue, rather than trying to find com- mon ground. There is always common ground.

buy whatever it may be. Advertisements break us down and make us feel like the only way society will accept us is if we buy their product, making our self esteem rise. But the more materials we buy, the more money we need. This then leads to less time with the things that could truly make us happy, creating a vicious cycle which may never end. This may be explained by acquisitiveness. It is normal for humans to feel as though we are alone, isolated from the rest of the world and buying something new gives If we strip back both side’s “agendas” and look at the core values and motives we have the textbook definition of politics-- “the activities as- sociated with the governance of a country or other area, es- pecially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.” Yes, we have estab- lished that both parties want to achieve power, but why? We want to achieve power to improve the country but more importantly, to improve the lives of the citizens of that country. And that is what we have lost. Truthfully, if either side’s goal is anything but attempt- ing to improve the lives of the people in their country, then somewhere along the lines

you that nice rush and feel- ing better about yourself once in your possession. The near thought of acquisition triggers the pleasure center giving your brain a flood of dopamine. In addition, we begin to desire more and more to fill that small void. This creates the desire for more wealth, and more pow- er. The best way to get out is to reconnect this psychologi- cal discord by filling your time with hobbies, relation- ships, friendships, nature and or community service. Heal from the inside out. there are false motives. As a nation, we will only improve if we begin to value others’ opinions, and that starts with listening to op- posing opinions. We need to value EVERYONE. We need to stop allowing hate crimes. We need to go forward with the concept of fairness. Fair doesn’t mean everyone gets the same thing, it means ev- eryone gets what they, as peo- ple, deserve. Lastly, we need to go forward with kindness. Humanity as a whole has lost the idea of kindness and belit- tled the power it holds. Kind- ness is priceless and free. It is something that everyone is capable of showing. Let’s pass it on.

Consumerism: A vicious cycle

Ahmad Abdel-Azim Salma Abdel-Azim Maddie Clark Ndemazea Fonkem Logan Gaertner Kyle Hoffenbecker Maddi Kedrowski Sophia Krupka Lila Metko Olivia Molter Amara Neitzke Brian Neville Jacqueline Nider

Henry Ptacek Adithi Reddy Anna Schwartz Sonia Tallroth Tashi Ulman Jake Zajkowski Carl Zuleger