Opinion – Talon

EYE 2 EYE : Ok Boomer

Sam Barney-Gibbs, Nick Harvey, and Oliver Carter

December 15, 2019

Pro : Say it to my face — it’ll make me stronger Correction: it’ll make us stronger By : Sam Barney-Gibbs Let’s make something clear: I’m not pitting baby boomers, millennials or Gen-Z’ers against one another. This is not an act of ageism nor am I attempting to generalize all people over the...

2019’s awards contenders

Sawyer Nicoll, Photo Editor

December 15, 2019

The Oscars are always a hot topic in the film community towards the end of the year. For me, they have been increasingly frustrating in the past few years as the Academy usually have awarded what I consider to be cliched and predictable films. I am hoping with the huge variety of award contenders...

Was it truly in the stars?

Shoshana Medved, Public Relations manager

December 12, 2019

Sorry to break it to you, but your breakfast today was not determined by the fallacy of free will. Grabbed some pancakes instead of granola? The heavens above made that decision. Drowned said pancakes in way too much syrup? Why … that was scrawled within the stars. As seemingly every teenager knows,...

Validating the wintertime spirit year-round

Bailey Andera, Features Editor

December 10, 2019

Christmas begins on November 1. Let me present my case to the jury: it gets colder (and therefore, more wintery), Target really starts putting out its seasonal decor, channel 73 on SiriusXM plays holiday tunes … the list goes on and on. Yeah, sure, there’s probably a lot of you of debating...

We lack human connection on campus

The Editorial Board

December 10, 2019

Students walk all over campus with their heads lowered, their eyes on their iPhones (or Samsungs, we don’t judge) and they keep walking, oblivious to their surroundings, oblivious to the fall colors slowly painting the trees on campus, oblivious to their peers and the possibility of human interaction. When...

We’re not just teenagers anymore

Atmika Iyer, Editor-in-Chief

December 10, 2019

When we were younger, we’d play family or dress-up as our favorite princesses or superheroes. We’d build forts and pretend they were our castles or lairs. We’d create a world of our own and revel in our fantasies. Since the beginning of my senior year, I’m constantly pondering questions about...

Looking through a different lens

Alex Goldbeck, Co-Editor-In-Chief

November 6, 2019

I had a wakeup call this summer — not everyone thinks as I do. I know it is hard to imagine but we live in a bubble called Oak Park and, perhaps, we are all similarly-minded. But, venturing out of the bubble can bring light to the truths about how we view our lives in Oak Park. I had the opportunity...

EYE 2 EYE : UC system going test optional

Leonie Humig and Mina Jung

November 4, 2019

Pro : The End of an Era? Why University of California should cancel the SAT and ACT tests Leonie Humig, Senior Staff Writer When I heard that the University of California schools might be changing their standardized test policies, I thought about the end of an era composed of a money-making scandal. ...

The effects of music on your brain

Brynn Gorney and Rebecca Zait

November 1, 2019

Many parents encourage their kids to learn an instrument with the goal of brain development while keeping them busy. Many students play music while they study because it helps them focus. While the reasons as to why students listen or play music vary, there are other ways in which music positively affects...

Stop Throwing Shade

Nina Krishnan, Guest Writer

November 1, 2019

K-Pop at first glance is a superficial, one-dimensional entity, with its weird dance moves and lyrics we Americans can’t understand. Just like everyone else I know, I hated the idea of it. Of course, after learning more about it, I began to actually listen to it and I started to enjoy it. But what...

Wikipedia is a perfectly valid source

Oliver Carter, Senior Staff Writer

November 1, 2019

Educators often deny any possibility of Wikipedia being a reliable source, since it’s often considered the starting point of research. On multiple occasions, I have witnessed my fellow students getting marked down for citing Wikipedia. Wikipedia currently ranks as the eighth most popular site on the I...

How Proximity Affects Empathy

Leonie Humig, Senior Staff Writer

November 1, 2019

It is apparent that some things in life are more important than others. Importance is like it’s own hierarchy, automatically filtering everything that we take in. And out of this filter comes a finished list of what we call “life priorities.” I have always wondered what makes something important...