Have you ever seen someone with an Android phone and thought, “Wow. What a low-class human being with a cheap phone that can’t afford luxury technology like me”? (The phones probably cost the same, by the way). Well, I’m here to tell you that, as a former Android owner (and victim of this harassment), Apple has flaws, too, and the company may just be drawing you deeper into its ecosystem without you knowing it. With such a broad user base, it’s clear that its simplistic design can be a massive factor in winning over popularity; however, the company’s business model surprisingly actually sets their products behind in the phone market. 

The iPhone is, without a doubt, a luxury item, yet, these days, not owning one is jokingly looked down upon. A survey from an article on “PC Gamer” backs up the appeal of the iPhone and states that “Forty-seven percent of those who moved from Android to iOS said their new OS delivers a better user experience.” So, if the iPhone is a generally well-received product that people want to buy, what’s the issue? The company is sneakily trying to gain your loyalty with its business strategy: “planned obsolescence,” or designing products that are made to be replaced. Apple is a prime example of this. 

The iPhone has become a staple throughout the years, with every model seeming better than the last; however, have you noticed something odd? When you keep an Apple phone for longer than three or four years, it feels oddly slow compared to newer ones. Sure, the technology has improved, and yes, it has, but there are also some sneaky practices behind the scenes. One technique that Apple uses is rolling out updates that slow older models. Apple claims that this is due to newer updates requiring more battery and higher processing power, which older models may need to be equipped for. However, it also has the “unintentional” side effect of decreasing performance, which pushes users to seek upgrades. With iPhones being released almost every year, it feels like it can be easy to see one or two new significant features on a newly released iPhone and altogether ditch your old one to jump on the trend. Whether it’s a deliberate strategy or the inevitable byproduct of innovation, it’s worth considering for anyone seeking a phone that’ll last. Beyond the upgrade itch, factors like repairability and environmental impact come into play. iPhones can be notoriously tricky to fix outside of Apple’s ecosystem, and the constant churn of new models raises concerns about electronic waste. 

A minor complaint that I have concerns about the simplistic nature of the iPhone’s interface: for example, the iPhone is, I feel, still severely limited customization-wise. They may market the phones with promises of configurations with plenty of widgets and shortcuts, but in the long term, these are just a hassle to change and are limited in their own regards. When I first got my iPhone, I wanted to add widgets to my lock screen. However, I noticed something odd. Even though there was the capability to add widgets under the time and date, I noticed an obnoxiously large amount of space begging to be used! I sadly came to find that Apple limited the lock screen to only one large widget and two small widgets. This was a bit comical to me, as I could not display the weather, my AirPods battery, and my next class on Saturn without making at least two of them small widgets. I find this to be ridiculous. I understand that the phone boasts simplicity and intuitive design, but why not let your users be happy customizing their phones to their heart’s content? And if they only want three widgets, they can have them! There are other cases in which I had an Android in which I could just download themes for the whole phone off of the Samsung store, and in less than a minute, my entire phone was transformed. Why require each app to be manually duplicated as a shortcut with its icon in shortcuts instead of just being able to upload an icon yourself when editing the home screen? Possibilities like having a section of the app store dedicated to curated phone themes, including icons and backgrounds saved by the user base, could be an incredible update that Apple would never implement because it strays away from their vision of a simplistic iPhone with an immediately recognizable interface.

Consider these factors when buying your next Apple iPhone. Would it be necessary to buy a new phone that was released with only two new features, or should you wait until a more critical drop, saving yourself money? Personally, and I preach this to my mother who just bought the 15, Apple is reluctant to update their phones to modern standards immediately, so they slowly implement features for every model, and as you can see when comparing the 15 and 14, there is barely any noticeable difference or at least any needed upgrades when comparing the two phones. I will wait a few more years until it is essential for me to upgrade, but until then, I will observe the global iPhone craze from a distance.

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Michael Cera ('26)

mliddle@mlschools.org

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Background

Safe, comfortable, and affordable housing is commonly taken for granted; however, this is often not the case for many New Jerseyans. New Jersey is known for many things: our bustling bagel shops and our boardwalk beaches; unfortunately, low housing costs or taxes are not one of those things. New Jersey affordable housing is a term that many view as oxymoronic as a majority of housing is generally especially expensive. With affordable housing scarce, particularly in certain areas, one must wonder what causes this infamous New Jersey housing hassle!

For starters, New Jersey is the most densely populated state and also has the highest median income in the country. According to the US Census, in 2022, New Jersey’s median income was reported to be $96,346, $21,000 higher than the national median income of $74,755. 

Statewide housing prices tend to reflect the typical residents’ wealth, which makes it more difficult for lower socioeconomic residents to afford housing. Since New Jersey boasts some of the most expensive real estate, lower-income New Jerseyans will struggle to find housing within their price range.

Unsurprisingly, Mountain Lakes happens to be one of the more expensive areas to live and afford. According to redfin.com, the median price of a home in Mountain Lakes sold for approximately $1.3 million in March 2023. For many, this price range would be considered egregious. 

According to Zillow, the average price of a home across the United States is around $350,000, whereas the average price in New Jersey is far greater at $507,923 (145% of the typical US price). According to many, while the median household income in New Jersey is above the U.S. median, an income-to-home-value ratio must be considered to bring affordability to lower-income New Jerseyans.   

Government Resources

Luckily, Government support and resources are in place to help New Jerseyans obtain affordable housing. The New Jersey Housing Resource Center (NJHRC) New Jersey Housing Resource Center | ABOUT THE HRC (nj.gov) is a resource that helps New Jersey residents find affordable housing online. This website allows residents to find affordable rental housing, housing for purchase, and housing with accessibility features. A recent search using this site labeled only one rental in Mountain Lakes as having an affordable rent, priced at $1100 per month, which is also advertised as disabled Veterans housing. This lack of available housing in our area underscores the issue of affordable housing, especially in select geographic regions. 

Section 8 Program

Section 8 housing is a government-sponsored program (US Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD) that supports people in finding affordable housing. This program was started through the Housing Act of 1937. Later, the HUD was given the ability to issue vouchers to renters to help subsidize the cost of their rent. It is estimated that Section 8 helps to provide subsidies to about 3.3 million low-income families, the elderly, and disabled people in the nation.

In order to obtain Section 8 subsidies, an individual or family must have a household income of less than 50% of the median income in that particular region. Factors such as assets and family size are considered as well, but preference is ultimately given to those with the most dire situations. With a Section 8 voucher, the government issues rent payments greater than 30% of the family’s gross yearly income, which they deem reasonable to contribute to the rent.

Conclusion

While affordable housing may be difficult to find in New Jersey, there are some supports available to help ease the process for low-income individuals and families. Like affordable housing, these resources are scarce, and can provide only some relief to a seemingly unconquerable problem. 

Resources for New Jersey residents can be found at the New Jersey Housing Resource Center New Jersey Housing Resource Center | ABOUT THE HRC (nj.gov). In addition, Section 8 housing vouchers, issued by the federal government, can help support low-income individuals’ rent. Affordable housing is a right that should be available to all U.S. citizens, and government support should be put in place to achieve safe, affordable housing for all. 

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Justin Lee ('24) and Jessica Lee ('24)

mliddle@mlschools.org

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Everyone knows of the tragic deaths of George Floyd and the Black civilians before him at the hands of police officers. However, this tragedy does not impact your life at all. You live in an insular environment where nothing in the outside world has to upset your financial, social, and personal matters, and your fortunate circumstances serve you only. What’s more, you should be ashamed of yourself for living a privileged life. Now, isn’t that right?

Wrong. The social upheaval happening right now in the streets across the nation (and around the globe) is pertinent to every human being, regardless of race or social status. For that reason, it is irrational for those of us who are not directly affected to ignore the issue of racial injustice. Besides recognizing the racial issues that exist in the United States, we should also acknowledge our positions of privilege—whether racial, financial, or both—and how they have given us decisive advantages in society. No, we should not feel guilty for these advantages. Rather, we should use these advantages as a force for good by supporting people and groups seeking justice in the Black Lives Matter movement. So what exactly can we do?

Acknowledging America’s Problem with Race

If we want to take action, we must first educate ourselves on the American beast we’re fighting. This requires recognizing that America is not the post-racial society we may have always thought of it to be. Besides police brutality, other obstacles that affect the African-American community with especial injustice include economic inequality, voter suppression, mass incarceration, lack of quality education, and discrimination in public health settings. While I can’t do justice to these topics by explaining them all in this article, these are all very real problems that we should all discipline ourselves to explore—and books in Black literature are a great place to start. 

That being said, whenever we have conversations and educate ourselves about social issues in America, we can’t treat race as taboo. This is simply because we can’t have productive arguments about America’s problems when we deliberately shift our focus away from race. It is best for us to open our minds to different statements and arguments, no matter how prickly they are. Although it can be uncomfortable, we must consider examining society through a racial lens and at least question our beliefs that deny the existence of racism in America: the beliefs that the only issues in America are defined by class struggles and not racial struggles, that racism is the excuse used by opportunists and people of color, and that struggling Americans’ troubles are shaped by their personal failures rather than racist factors external to themselves. 

Proceed With Caution

When taking action to support the Black Lives Matter cause, there are actions that are arguably necessary to avoid, and here is where things get a little bit controversial. The paragraphs below will detail some of these actions, and you may feel free to disagree with me when you read them. After all, I have been guilty of some of them myself. If you disagree, however, all I ask is that you please consider that committing these actions will put a damper on the potential for American progress. 

First, as individuals who are not directly oppressed by systemic racism, we may feel compelled to tell protesters how to protest, which is understandable in the context of action-packed riots. Many may condemn such acts as criminal atrocities. However, looking at this issue through the lens of racial oppression, we should at least understand that the Black community’s pleas for the nation to address the racial injustices that affect them often fall upon deaf ears. Yes, we may feel strongly against these acts, and yes, some of these acts may have indeed been perpetrated by opportunists. Even so, we should not be so quick to completely condemn and criticize these Black Lives Matter protests, and Daily Show host Trevor Noah tells us why:

“There is no right way to protest because … you are protesting against a thing that is stopping you. And so I think what a lot of people don’t realize is the same way you might have experienced more anger … watching [protesters] loot that Target [the store in Minneapolis that was looted], think to yourselves … how it must feel for Black Americans when they watch themselves being looted every single day. Because that’s fundamentally what’s happening in America.” 

Trevor Noah, host of the Daily Show

If we had stayed silent about systemic racism and police brutality, about all the Black victims who were not caught on camera, then why does it make sense for us to vilify rioters? Sure, we shouldn’t encourage rioting and looting nor partake in such acts ourselves, but to condemn rioters and impose our own restrictions on protesters would be condescending and ignorant. 

Next, retaliating against Black Lives Matter protesters with the phrase “All Lives Matter” is highly problematic. This response has been a popular counter argument that self-evidently asserts that it is not only Black lives, but also the lives of other groups such as Whites and police, that are important. While it’s true that all lives matter, promoting this response is destructive to the Black Lives Matter movement. When an activist says “Black lives matter!” and they are met in response with “No, All Lives Matter!”, the Black struggle is being invalidated because this response actively ignores the calls for racial justice. The “Black Lives Matter” slogan has an implicit “too” at the end (“Black Lives Matter too”), which suggests that society does not value Black lives in the status quo, not that Black lives matter more than the lives of any other group. Keeping this in mind, it might be easier to understand why “All Lives Matter” is a destructive response and a hindrance to racial activism. After all, “All Lives Matter” will not be a true statement until Black lives matter. 

Finally, if we choose to join protesters, we cannot be just performative allies. A performative ally is someone who claims to promote a cause only for his or her well-being, whether that means fitting in with the “trend” of activism, receiving the praise of others, or claiming glory for accomplishing a “socially just” feat. Examples of performative allyship are going out of your way to act like you’re more educated than others on the issue of race, proclaiming that you support the Black Lives Matter cause without really taking action, or posting meaningless black squares on social media to show your support in a purely aesthetic way. Instead, we must listen to Black protesters and their advocates more than we speak out about our own knowledge. When we know enough to at least understand the struggle that African-Americans in the United States endure, we must use our windpipes and our wallets. 

Be a True Ally 

There are other ways besides joining protesters in demonstrations to fight racial injustice. First, we must have uncomfortable conversations with our families about race and help educate those who are  ignorant of racial injustices. The more people that are aware of systemic racism, the more conversations we will have on how to combat it. Second, we can contact and influence the people in charge of our government, who are capable of transforming grassroots efforts into codified legislation. Right now, lawmakers are pushing for bills that curb police misconduct, make it easier to prosecute police, and end the system of qualified immunity that protects police. At the same time, government officials are also pushing for laws that further shield police and decrease transparency to the public, and public demands for independent police oversight boards aimed at increasing accountability face the threat of being killed by New Jersey Supreme Court judges. This means that we have to use our voices and our pens to call and write to our representatives, steering our municipalities and state in the direction that is most favorable to the public. 

We can also take action by financially supporting groups affected by the Black Lives Matter movement. Our money can go to political organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or Black-owned businesses. We can also pledge our support to those who have been harmed by the recent riots, such as peaceful protesters who were arrested by police and businesses that were attacked by looters. Taken together, our financial contributions have a significant impact.

Ultimately, this is how we can use our privilege to help others and progress social change.

What There Is to Gain

Black Lives Matter activism is important because, well, it’s working. In Minneapolis, the city government disbanded the police department in favor of creating a community-based law enforcement system, a decision that sides with the demands of the public. In the past seven years, rates of police killings have generally decreased, thanks to scrutiny of government officials as well as their responses to demands of past years.

If success is reached and justice is served, we will live in a much more equitable society that truly benefits all. Racial progress may be slow, but in the end, the color-accepting society that we have all imagined America to be is the reward it presents.

About Post Author

Eric Lee ('22)

mliddle@mlschools.org

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