THE YTHE YTHE YTHE YTHE YORK PREPORK PREPORK PREPORK PREPORK PREPARAARAARAARAARATTTTTORORORORORY SCHOOL NEWSPY SCHOOL NEWSPY SCHOOL NEWSPY SCHOOL NEWSPY SCHOOL NEWSPAPERAPERAPERAPERAPERVVVVVOLOLOLOLOLUME 10, ISSUE 1, APRIL 20, 2015UME 10, ISSUE 1, APRIL 20, 2015UME 10, ISSUE 1, APRIL 20, 2015UME 10, ISSUE 1, APRIL 20, 2015UME 10, ISSUE 1, APRIL 20, 2015

THE PAWRestless leg tapping, chewing on thumbnails,

nervous twitching—these are all symptoms of theweary and worried students about to apply for collegesand waiting to hear from schools, But they need notfear: the College Guidance Program here at Yorkhelps students tobecome more inde-pendent and grownup through a dynamicand detailed process.

I sat down with

Ms. Rooney, Co-director of CollegeGuidance, to discussthis process. She said,“The college guid-ance class helps andencourages York Prepstudents to startthinking about thecollege process. The next four years is a $200,000investment, so it’s an important thing to start thinkingabout.”

Mrs. Stewart and Ms. Rooney feel strongly that the

student is the client. Stressing independence, thecollege guidance program expects students to registerfor standardized tests on their own, make appointments,and learn to schedule interviews. Too much parentinvolvement can create more stress and a lack of theindependence that they will greatly need in college.

Ms. Rooney continued, “I think the College

guidance program really helps the students understandwhere they fit in outside of York Prep and inthe world—who they’re competing against for accep-tances. It also helps them understand their level of

writing, and it motivates them to work harder.”

As Ms. Rooney explained, the success stories thateveryone expects to hear are not about the kids whohave gotten into Harvard or other Ivy League schools—

though, yes, they’veaccomplished this aswell—rather they areabout the childrenwho find their matchat a college that suitstheir needs, prefer-ences, and goals forlater in life.

Students who

wish to function andsocially integrate inthe outside worldneed not be afraid ifthey have a learning

disability; rather, it is these types of children who tendto work harder than other students and eventuallyfind great academic success. For the younger studentsin 9th and 10th grades, at the present momentit is imperative they focus on grades andbeing involved in the community.

Other important factors include a sense of reality—

knowing about the other students applying to the samecolleges, actual GPA and SAT/ACT scores, and so on. Even though many students are frequently bombardedwith stress and anxiety from other students andparents about getting into a good college, the anxietyand the stress is generally unnecessary. A good collegeis all about the match, not about the best “brand name”school.

It’s Not About theIt’s Not About theIt’s Not About theIt’s Not About theIt’s Not About theHarHarHarHarHarvvvvvard Bumard Bumard Bumard Bumard Bumper Sper Sper Sper Sper Stictictictictickkkkkererererer

Max Skidelsky, 11th Grade

INSIDE: Toys Will Be Toys, For the Love of Books, Mockingbird Sequel, Boyhood Playlist,Top 7 Shows, Seeing the Spot of Demonstration, Women in the Arab World, TerrorismReinvigorated, Je Suis Cartoonist & The Possible Future of Tech

York Prep Seniors show off college gear

SOCIAL CSOCIAL CSOCIAL CSOCIAL CSOCIAL COMMENTOMMENTOMMENTOMMENTOMMENTARARARARARYYYYY

PAGE 2 THE PAW

We live in a world of classification. To us, every littlething about who we are has to be classified: sexuality, race,gender preference, personality. Within each of these cat-egories, groups exist to allow individuals to find kinship withothers. But perhaps this has gotten out of hand. It used to bethat toys like Legos, the building blocks that were literallythe foundation of my own childhood, were gender neutraland could be played with by boys and girls alike. But whileboys and girls still play with Legos, now more than ever,they are segregated from playing with the same sets of toys.Furthermore, if a girl were caught playing with “boy toys”or worse, if a boy were caught playing with “girl toys,” heor she would be ostracized in a society where toys are gravi-tating away from the center and becoming both more mas-culine and feminine.

This is dangerous, but perhaps not for the reasons onemight think. In a past filled with more gender neutral toys,boys and girls could discover for themselves what it meantto become men and women, applying their experiences withtoys to the real world. Nowadays, gender-specific toys aresuperficial, and give our children dreams of unattainableand unsustainable livelihoods. Toys marketed towards boysare often filled with superheroes and giant transformingrobots, while toys marketed towards girls depict a life wherethey’ll never have to work, forever caught up in the “partylifestyle.” These superficialities make it easier for us to pickout people who don’t quite fit the mold and ostracize them.

Nevertheless there are those who believe that genderedtoys are the way to go. From a business standpoint, toy lineslike “Lego Friends,” a new division of Lego that caters ex-clusively to girls, has been twice as successful as the com-pany had originally anticipated. That being said, it is com-mon knowledge that when a company finds a way to makemore money, it is unlikely that they will halt that formulajust out of the goodness of their own hearts. And backingthem up are the people who believe that toys should re-main segregated. In an article in The Telegraph, Toby Youngexplains that toys serve to assist the “conditioning of chil-dren from an early age.” This means that there are manystereotypes within our society that tend to dictate who weare as men and women, and gendered toys help kids to con-form to those stereotypes. Or do they? Young also demon-strates the “boys will be boys” point explaining that someboys, if given less than masculine toys like a dust bin, willdeclare it to be a fort. Furthermore, if those same boys weregiven a Barbie doll, they would probably find some way tofit it into their “war game” rather than playing with it inthe way that the doll was meant to be played with.

TTTTToooooys Will Be ys Will Be ys Will Be ys Will Be ys Will Be TTTTToooooysysysysys

The other argument is that we are who we are, and weshouldn’t try to force things on our kids that they aren’tnaturally inclined to want to use. So what if a girl wants tobuild a skyscraper? Or a Death Star? So what if a boy wantsto play house? (A girl forced me to play house with her onetime and it felt like torture, but that is just my experience.)People are different, and our society seems to be obliviousto that fact. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world,and those who sway from the norm are ostracized becauseof their differences. The argument is that if toys were moregender blind, kids would be free to do whatever they please,and differences wouldn’t be emphasized like they are now.There is just one problem: we don’t live in a perfect world.

Personally, I believe that it is important to teach ourboys and girls masculine and feminine values, but not likethis. Children get unrealistic expectations from the toys oftoday, their heads filled with thoughts of intergalactic battlesand everlasting rainbows with unicorns flying under them.This isn’t the real world, and it promotes an unrealistic viewof the world we live in. It is almost as if we are trying toshield our kids from the harsh world that lies ahead ratherthan prepare them. But giving them delusions of grandeur,however fun those delusions are, is unsafe at best.

While it is important that boys and girls learn what itmeans to be men and women, it is imperative that we asadults are able to draw the line between men and women,and warriors and princesses.

Other articles consulted for research: Kate King, The CourierMail, “Opinion: No one needed pink Lego then…”; ElizabethSweet, NYT Sunday Review, “Guys and Dolls No More?”

Micco Sarno, 12th Grade

INTERINTERINTERINTERINTERVIEWSVIEWSVIEWSVIEWSVIEWS

APRIL 20, 2015 PAGE 3

Oh, For the Love of Books!

The smell of cigar smoke permeates the air on the south-east side of 68th and Columbus. If you follow it, the firstthing you will most likely see is a mountain of books stackedon, against, and beneath a table, along with a couple of oldrecords, the kind of records your grandfather would play toshow off his record player. This is the stand of one CharlesMysak, a purveyor and loverof old books and music.

You will see all kinds ofgenres, from non-fiction toscience fiction, sitting on thattable, and maybe if you arelucky, you may find a hiddentreasure among the slightlyroughed up gems of knowl-edge. Mysak and his booksmake a daily commute fromBrooklyn to get to the spotwhere he sets up his smallstand surrounded by themany stores and restaurantsthat line Columbus Avenue.

His love for books hasbeen around for as long as he can remember, and he hasbeen a part of the business of buying and selling books eversince he was a child. He did not start his own business untilafter the closing down of one of his favorite book stores,Acres of Books, in Trenton, New Jersey. Mysak used to goto this book store all the time. There, the books were stackedin wooden food crates for anyone to pick up and buy. Whenthe owner died, Mysak talked with his son who offered tosell all of the books in the store to him. With Mysak’s loveof books, he could not resist. It was then that he decided tobegin selling books on his own. He first started on CentralPark West but soon moved to where he is today.

As I spoke with Mysak, I found that the life of sellingitems from a stand can be tough. For one, weather is “theeternal enemy,” as he put it. On nice days, work is simplysitting on a chair and waiting for people to come by andpick up a book, but on days when the weather begins tochange, that is when Mysak springs into action. When itrains or snows, he has to set up a large tarp at least an hourin advance to protect the books from the oncoming waterdamage. And it is not just rain or snow that could keep cus-tomers away from Mysak’s modest stand. If the tempera-ture is too hot, people are less inclined to go outside and,

therefore, there are fewer customers. If the temperature istoo cold, the same is true. The battle between Mysak andthe weather is never-ending.

Then there is the problem with maintaining energy.Of course some would think that running a stand would be

rather easy, but at times, itcan get difficult. If he needsto get food or use therestroom, he cannot leave hisstand alone, for that wouldinvite thieves. Luckily,Mysak has a friend, a youngman who runs a stand thatsells cellphone accessories,who watches both stands si-multaneously when Mysakneeds a break. Mysak returnsthe favor when his friendneeds a break. They share asymbiotic relationship asthey sell their goods to thepeople of the Upper WestSide.

There is also the problem of new technology such aseBooks and tablets. When I asked Mysak about it, he sim-ply called it another revolution for books. Just likeGuttenberg’s invention of the printing press, the eBooks andtablets have revolutionized how we read. However, peoplewill always long for the traditional experience of readingbooks. As Mysak told me when I asked about the issue,“When you get down to it, it’s all about knowledge.” Aslong as the information gets to you, then that is fine by him.

The problem, he believes, is that these tablets are botha blessing and a curse. Even though the tablets are capableof downloading books, people do not always use them forthat purpose. Nowadays, Mysak explained, everyone is tooinvolved in playing games on these tablets to even take alook around at their surroundings. These people miss outon all of the valuable information and treasures they couldsee if they just picked up a book.

If you want to learn more and maybe buy a good book,hop around the corner and talk with Charles Mysak. Hewill hook you up. He is not just a purveyor of books but alsoan intellectual who will not steer you wrong.

William Magee, 12th Grade

Senior William Magee interviews Mr. Charles Mysak

In February it was announced that the sequel to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird willbe released in July. Students and readers around the country were anxious to get closure onthe characters that many of them have known for decades. However, concerns have arisenabout why Lee released her novel now, 50 years after its penning, some thinking that Ms. Leewas forced into releasing her novel by her publisher, lawyer, and/or literary agent.

Lee, who is 88, apparently struggles with short term memory loss, which is why it isunclear whether she fully approved the publication of the new book, Go Set a Watchman.This was revealed when she was interviewed by the New York Times. When she was askedabout the release of her new novel, she responded, “What novel?” Others such as WayneFlynt, a friend of Ms. Lee, claim that she is mentally fit, and she is able to repeat lengthy

passages of literature. Also, Marcella Harrington, an aide who sits regularly with Lee, said that Ms. Lee is aware of the book and islucid. When Ms. Lee’s sister, Alice, who lived with her in her later life, was interviewed by the writer Marija Mills before her death,Alice said, “She’s surprised at anything that she hears because she doesn’t remember anything that’s ever been said about it.” Thestate of Alabama is investigating elder abuse because it is unclear if Ms. Lee is competent mentally and whether her publisher,lawyer or literary agent forced her into publishing Go Set a Watchman.

When my ninth-grade English class was interviewed about their thoughts on the novel’s publication, seven out of the thirteenstudents said that the book should be published. Among those in favor, Sarah Warshavsky said, “This book should be publishedbecause I want more closure with To Kill a Mockingbird.” Grant Paulus said that, “it would be interesting to see how the charactersdeveloped.”

Some students disagreed, however, arguing that the publication of the book should be one hundred percent Harper Lee’sdecision. Although many of these students said they would like to read her new novel, they do not want it to be released for thewrong reasons. Amina Potts said, “It would be nice to have a second book… but if it is being published for the wrong reasons, itshould be Harper Lee’s choice.” Talya Lubit said that “it is a violation of her privacy” due to the fact that it is unclear whether it wasLee’s choice to release the book. Max Bernstein added, “I undoubtedly believe that the prequel shouldn’t be published due to the factthat Ms. Lee is not ‘all there’ mentally.”

Although most of the students want to see the latest novel, some thought that it should not be published because of the contro-versy. The release date for Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman is July 14th, and many young readers look forward to enjoying her latestwork.

A Dilemma of Literary Proportions

Harper Lee, 86, beingasked about her new book

Zachary Everett, 9th Grade

Get excited, York Prep. Here is my playlist calledBoyhood, inspired by the movie Boyhood, which tracks aboy and his family over a thirteen year period of time. Theplaylist starts with the theme song of the movie and thendevelops from there.

1. Hero by Family of the Year1. Hero by Family of the Year1. Hero by Family of the Year1. Hero by Family of the Year1. Hero by Family of the Year. It’s so good you’ll want tohear it twice. This song is the theme song of the movie,which is a great way to segue into the playlist. This song iseasy and fun to play on the guitar. Speaking of easy, thesecond song on the playlist is…

2. Easy by MOTHXR2. Easy by MOTHXR2. Easy by MOTHXR2. Easy by MOTHXR2. Easy by MOTHXR. This song is the debut song of a newband called MOTHXR, an alternative band from Brooklynwith band members Penn Badgley (Dan from Gossip Girl),Jimmy Giannopoulos, Darren Will, and Simon Oscroft. Thatband shares a member, Jimmy with another band,LOLAWOLF. This is a very laid back song with a cool back beat.

BOYHOOD PLAYLIST3. Drip Drop feat. Yazz by the Empire Cast. 3. Drip Drop feat. Yazz by the Empire Cast. 3. Drip Drop feat. Yazz by the Empire Cast. 3. Drip Drop feat. Yazz by the Empire Cast. 3. Drip Drop feat. Yazz by the Empire Cast. This song isfrom one of my new favorite TV shows about music -Empire. This TV show is on Wednesdays on Fox, but youcan always binge watch it on demand.

Having just travelled to London I chose one of myfavorite British artist, Ed Sheeran Ed Sheeran Ed Sheeran Ed Sheeran Ed Sheeran with his song 4. Thinking4. Thinking4. Thinking4. Thinking4. ThinkingOut Loud, Out Loud, Out Loud, Out Loud, Out Loud, which is another really cool song to play onguitar. The link to the chords can easily be found online.

Finally, the playlist ends with 5. Girl by Beck. 5. Girl by Beck. 5. Girl by Beck. 5. Girl by Beck. 5. Girl by Beck. I chosethis song for two reasons. First, Beck won the Grammy forRecord of the Year and I listened to this song all the timewhen I was 6. Boyhood!

Jacob Lorge, 9th Grade

PAGE 4 THE PAW

LITERARLITERARLITERARLITERARLITERARY NEWS & MUSIC VIEWSY NEWS & MUSIC VIEWSY NEWS & MUSIC VIEWSY NEWS & MUSIC VIEWSY NEWS & MUSIC VIEWS

Khari Derrick, 9th Grade

ARARARARARTS & ENTERTS & ENTERTS & ENTERTS & ENTERTS & ENTERTTTTTAINMENTAINMENTAINMENTAINMENTAINMENT

APRIL 20, 2015 PAGE 5

Art by Ava Kuslansky, 12th Grade

CARCARCARCARCARTTTTTOONSOONSOONSOONSOONS

PAGE 6 THE PAW

Kelly Nam, 9th Grade

Inspired by Art Spiegelman’s Maus, Kelly Nam interviewed her mother about the 1987 demonstrations in South Korea.

CLCLCLCLCLUB NEWS & INTERUB NEWS & INTERUB NEWS & INTERUB NEWS & INTERUB NEWS & INTERVIEWSVIEWSVIEWSVIEWSVIEWS

APRIL 20, 2015 PAGE 7

Women in the Arab World

This year, York Prep has been lucky to have a new clubcalled Women in the Arab World led by French teacherMs. Ostrow. In Ms. Ostrow’s words: “I created this club toraise awareness and foster understanding of the status ofwomen living in the Arab world. I am gratified that a num-ber of students have participated enthusiastically in discus-sions, engaged with our guest speakers, and have been ableto compare and contrast the situation of those women towomen in the Western world.”

I have been fortunate to be part of this dynamic andengaging group. During one meeting, a friend of a studentin our club came to speak to the group. Her experience isunique because she is American. She lived in Saudi Arabiafor a number of years for work in Behavioral Therapy.After her presentation, I had a chance to interview her, andhere is part of our conversation:

Q:Q:Q:Q:Q: What was your impression of Saudi laws and customs? What was your impression of Saudi laws and customs? What was your impression of Saudi laws and customs? What was your impression of Saudi laws and customs? What was your impression of Saudi laws and customs?

A:A:A:A:A: There are laws that are slightly oppressive, but I do thinkthat’s changing. For the most part my Saudi friends did notfeel oppressed. They did not mind wearing the hijab; forthem it was a custom they were brought up with. It is partof their religion, and they love their religion. The women arethe same here and there.

The media here has led people to think [Saudi Arabia isoppressive]. The media always portrays women as com-pletely covered, while talking about something that isoppressive.

Q:Q:Q:Q:Q: How have things been changing? How have things been changing? How have things been changing? How have things been changing? How have things been changing?

A:A:A:A:A: When I first moved there, there were few options forwomen who wanted to work. I lived there for five and ahalf years. The only profession available to women wasteaching. Now more and more women are working.

The new generation has access to media and is not soclosed off, so they know what is going on in the rest of theworld. The older generation didn’t know how women weretreated and what opportunities they had, and now they arestarting to see that.

Q:Q:Q:Q:Q: What are some rules that you feel really need to change? What are some rules that you feel really need to change? What are some rules that you feel really need to change? What are some rules that you feel really need to change? What are some rules that you feel really need to change?

A:A:A:A:A: A general change in the attitudes of men. It’s a very maledominated society. I want [women’s] voices to be heard. Ibelieve Saudi Arabia is the only place where women arenot allowed to drive. My Saudi friends think it’s great thatthey don’t have to. What they are not ok with is that it’s nottheir choice. Many people from the media have a miscon-ception that all Saudi families are very, very wealthy. It’snot true. There are many women who can’t afford a driver.If you’re a woman from a poor family, and your son or unclewon’t drive you, you’re stuck. Q:Q:Q:Q:Q: Was there anything else that surprised you? Was there anything else that surprised you? Was there anything else that surprised you? Was there anything else that surprised you? Was there anything else that surprised you?

A:A:A:A:A: How people deal with marriages. There are a lot ofarranged marriages. Also, if a boy likes a girl, then themother calls the other mother to set up a meeting, and ifthe boy still likes the girl, then they set up another meeting.If the girl doesn’t like the boy, the parents can force therelationship. Not likely vice versa. The meetings can be just1-2 hours. Not among my friends, but there are forcedmarriages. It is becoming less common, but it certainly doeshappen. The boy and the girl are allowed to go out oncethey’re engaged, but they can’t be alone.

Q:Q:Q:Q:Q: Was there anything you experienced there that simply Was there anything you experienced there that simply Was there anything you experienced there that simply Was there anything you experienced there that simply Was there anything you experienced there that simplywould not or could not happen in America? would not or could not happen in America? would not or could not happen in America? would not or could not happen in America? would not or could not happen in America?

A:A:A:A:A: It was with the religious police. I was in the mall shop-ping, and six religious police asked me to cover my hair. Isaid ok and I covered my hair. They didn’t think I coveredmy hair well enough, and they followed me throughout themall, yelling at me. I tried to cover my hair as best as I could,the way I knew how to. Maybe a little bit of my hair wasshowing, but I think that no matter what way I covered myhair they still would’ve yelled at me. That was very uncom-fortable. I just went into a store where men were notallowed. They followed me for about a half hour. I thinkthey were trying to make an example of me, so other womenin the mall would look. I certainly think it has somethingto do with the fact that I am American. I don’t really knowwhat they wanted. Maybe they wanted me to react so theycould say here is this women yelling at us and not respect-ing our laws.

Talya Lubit, 9th Grade

Members of the Women in the Arab World club at their weekly meeting

WWWWWORLD VIEWSORLD VIEWSORLD VIEWSORLD VIEWSORLD VIEWS

PAGE 8 THE PAW

Terrorism Reinvigorated:What Attracts Young Muslims to ISIL’s Cause

and What the World Can Do to Stop It

The emergence of ISIL in the past couple of yearshas certainly shocked the world as well as the landscapeof global politics. Within a short span of time, ISIL, TheIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an Islamic extrem-ist rebel group, has swiftly over-run large and impor-tant regions in the Middle East. The bigger story thathas emerged from theISIL conflict is the in-volvement of youngMuslims in the West-ern, democratic hemi-sphere. Young Mus-lims have begun toflee their homes in Eu-rope and the UnitedStates to join ISIL andfight on the frontlinesagainst Arab and Ira-nian military forces.The question that hasbegun to arise is whywould these youngMuslim men andwomen leave thecomfort of Europe and the United States to go fight inthe arid Middle East?

The answer to that question is that the deadly com-bination of racism, a lethargic economy, and hopeless-ness are all factors that influence young Muslims to seeka start in ISIL. The European economy has struggledwithin the past couple of years, and when the economybegins to ail, the ideas of nationalism and racism beginto flourish. People who suffer in a slow economy, ina form of self-defense, look for scapegoats toblame. In the case of Europe, these are African and Ara-bic immigrants. Now these immigrants feel moreestranged in Europe and begin to feel isolated.

Miles Golzer-Liu, 12th Grade

In an attempt to search for unity and hope, young Mus-lims turn to ISIL for a sense of reinvigoration of iden-tity.

Now that the United States involvement in Iraq hasessentially created ISIL, it is time for the problem to be

solved. The UnitedStates’ plan of imple-mentation of democ-racy in the Middle Easthas failed tremen-dously. The ArabSpring, in a mission forfreedom and democ-racy, has actually leftmany Arab countriesin the hands of disor-ganized, radical reli-gious groups. The fail-ure of the Arab Springhas shown us thatmaybe that region isn’tready for democracy.The lack of strong

central governments in the Middle East has left the re-gion in the grasp of terrorist organizations like ISIL andAl-Qaeda.

What the international community needs to do inorder to regain control of the Middle East is to form acoalition with the sole goal of restoring order in theregion. Though U.S. actions led to the formation of ISIL,they cannot be held solely responsible for policing theMiddle East. Nor should nations in the Middle East beleft to deal with the problem alone. Powerful nationslike China and Russia also need to recognize the grow-ing danger of ISIL. ISIL is not an Arab world problem;it’s a world problem.

President Obama gives a speech to the U.N. General Assemblycalling for a global response to ISIL extremism

WWWWWORLD VIEWSORLD VIEWSORLD VIEWSORLD VIEWSORLD VIEWS

APRIL 20, 2015 PAGE 9

Je Suis CartoonistOn January 7, 2015, two masked men attacked the of-

fices of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine famousfor its cartoons, killing 11 people and injuring 11 more. Thisnews shocked the world, as many were surprised that amagazine intended to make people laugh could be the sourceof so much bloodshed. Certainly, the news surprised me.Seeing as I am a cartoonist myself, it definitely made meboth worried and fascinated by how simple drawings onpaper could lead to something like this.

For those who don’t know, Charlie Hebdo’s cartoonsare generally designed to provoke. Many of their cartoonsdepict taboo subjects: inappropriate sexual references, jokesaimed at religious figures, and several covers depicting theIslamic prophet Muhammad (“100 lashes if you are not dy-ing of laughter!” he says on one of them).

Of course, there have been many cartoonists in the pastwhose cartoons have been designed to provoke strong emo-tions. According to Cartoon Brew, as far back as 1831,Honore Daumier drew a portrait of the French King Louis-Philippe entitled “Gargantua,” which showed the king as aGoliath-like beast swallowing sacks of money fed to him byhis subjects. The cartoon was prevented from being printed,and both Daumier and his editor, Charles Philipon, weresentenced to jail time and had to pay a fine. But by then,word had already gotten around about the drawing, and itsnotoriety led to Daumier and Philipon finding work again.

Another notable cartoonist to rebel against the systemwas Ralph Bakshi. Bakshi was an animator for the anima-tion studio Terrytoons in the 1960s before moving on tomake independent feature films. His first, Fritz the Cat, basedon the underground comic by R. Crumb, became the firstanimated feature to earn an X rating. Bakshi’s films tendedto be about New York City and the goings-on of its seedierdenizens. One of his most notable films depicted three blackcharacters leaving the South and coming to Harlem, only tobe confronted by oppression and discrimination. The filmwas wildly controversial upon its release, with the Con-gress of Racial Equality protesting its release and the film’soriginal distributor pulling out, despite the fact that the filmwas meant to satirize ethnic stereotypes, not to reinforcethem. But sometimes the public does not agree about inten-tions when provocative art is offered to them.

So why do I bring up Daumier and Bakshi? Becausetheir cartoons may have provoked many people, but theystill had an overall point. Daumier was making a point abouthow the king was getting wealthy off of his citizens’ hard-earned money, and Bakshi was showing the injustice ofracism. The Charlie Hebdo cartoons, to the untrained eye,seem to do little but provoke for the sake of provoking, andmaybe draw out a laugh now and then. Is there any under-lying message in these cartoons? Or are they just there toprovoke?

Luz, a cartoonist who survived the attacks, stated inVice News that “Since the ‘60s, [it] has always sought tobreak taboos and shatter symbols and every possible type offanaticism.” In that sense, there’s nothing wrong with whatthe Hebdo cartoonists do. Certainly, fanaticism of any typecould be taken down a peg, and cartoons have forever beena way to take the high and mighty and bring them down tothe level of the common man (although it is ironic that amagazine intended to attack fanatics was then attacked byfanatics). It puts a face behind the cartoons, and, to some, itstops the cartoons from being completely mean-spirited at-tacks on religious and social beliefs.

Frankly, I think everyone has a right to speak their mindabout certain subjects. That’s what freedom of speech is allabout, right? So, in that sense, the Charlie Hebdo cartoon-ists have every right to continue making their cartoons. Butthe question is, should they? You see, a cartoon depictingMohammed isn’t just offensive to the Islamic radicals whoburst into the offices. They’re offensive to anyone in theMuslim faith as their law strictly dictates that none cancreate depictions of their prophet [not to mention anyonewho has respect for other peoples’ customs]. By not justdrawing the Prophet, but also drawing him in very degrad-ing positions, they don’t seem to be doing much more thanpointing and laughing, like schoolyard bullies. They have aright to do it under free speech, but it still feels pretty in-sensitive toward an entire religion.

Does this mean that the shooters were justified? Abso-lutely not. Whether or not the cartoons were offensive, vio-lence is never the answer, and killing people just for theirart is an example of stifling freedom of speech. Though thecartoons can be considered offensive, the cartoonists stillhad the right to make them. But, like I said before, it doesget you to thinking when simple strokes of pencil or pen onpaper can lead to reactions like these.

Joe Newman-Getzler, 10th Grade

Gargantua by Honore Daumier

PERSPECTIVES & POLITICSPERSPECTIVES & POLITICSPERSPECTIVES & POLITICSPERSPECTIVES & POLITICSPERSPECTIVES & POLITICS

PAGE 10 THE PAW

A Tech Idea That CouldHappen in the Next 75 Years:

The Breath Print

Computers and phones should develop a technology tosense breath waves. This way, the phone is sensing yourgenetic code, and that cannot be impersonated. Thesimple act of breathing can unlock your phone in amatter of seconds. This advancement would be revolu-tionary to the protection industry. To push thingsfurther, we could even make breathing the new passcodefor door locks, car keys, wallets, and credit cards. Andto make the technology even safer, the wallet or creditcard could display contact information of the ownerwhen it senses non-valid breathing.

This would allow people to stop worrying as muchabout theft. Every day, about every five steps, I reachinto my pocket to make sure I have my wallet, whichincludes my debit card and cash. I believe that this ideacould lower the stress levels of people because theywould always know that absolutely nobody could getinto their information. This breathtaking idea couldrevolutionize the way people protect themselves andtheir privacy.

The York Preparatory School newspaper strives to reflect the ideals of theschool through accurate reports and thoughtful opinion pieces. The editingstaff maintains professional standards as its basis. Bylined opinions refllectthe views of the individual writers. All other articles attempt to provide

the school community an impartial account of the facts.

Letters to the editor may be submitted to any staff member or mailed toThe Paw, Attn: Lee Pinkas, 40 W. 68th St., New York, NY 10023.

The Paw reserves the right to edit letters containing libelous or obscenematerial and to omit certain sections for space limitations as long as the

original meaning remains unchanged.

THE PAWWriters and Artists:Writers and Artists:Writers and Artists:Writers and Artists:Writers and Artists:

Khari Derrick, 9th Grade, Zachary Everett, 9th GradeJacob Lorge, 9th Grade, Tayla Lubit, 9th Grade

Kelly Nam, 9th Grade, Joshua Schwam, 9th GradeJoe Newman-Getzler, 10th Grade, Max Skidelsky, 11th Grade

Miles Golzer-Liu, 12th Grade, Ava Kuslansky, 12th Grade

Editors:Editors:Editors:Editors:Editors:William Magee, 12th Grade - Editor-in-Chief

Micco Sarno, 12th Grade - Editor-in-Chief

Faculty Advisor:Faculty Advisor:Faculty Advisor:Faculty Advisor:Faculty Advisor:Ms. Lee Pinkas

Nowadays, people put passwords on their techno-logical devices to protect private information from get-ting into the wrong hands in the event of a theft. Thesepasscodes consist of words, and/or numbers, but there isillegal software that can sense waves where a persontouches the phone. The software runs through a list often trillion passwords, and in a matter of seconds comesup with the key to your privacy.

My suggestion to the world of software developersis not as much revolutionary as it is, well, breathtaking.

Joshua Schwam, 9th Grade

The Scales of PoliticsA Max Skidelsky Cartoon