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THE CHRONICLE STUDENT NEWS MAGAZINE FALL 2017 | VOLUME 141 | ISSUE 1 | NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE | NAPERVILLE, ILL. the Chronicle LETTER FROM THE EDITOR ne of my editors asked me at the begin- ning of the year if I was worried that I had killed The Chronicle. I answered yes. Af- ter several discussions, we decided to make some major changes to our print issue — we’ve gone from printing three times a term to one single issue. OThe focus of this term’s issue is division, something that’s on everyone’s minds these days. With our political sphere resembling a circus and family and friends being split by their views, it’s hard to see the silver lining. Here you’ll find interpretations of division from all political sides, what it means to be in the middle and how, despite all this EDITORIAL BOARD political dissent, we’re still able to come together through everyday things like Netflix. Halle Olson Editor-in-Chief So, without further ado, I welcome you to the new Chroni- cle. Allison Hartman Managing Editor Adam Poklop News Editor Halle Olson Editor-in-Chief Peter Medlin Assistant News Editor Madeline Klepec Arts Editor ABOUT Matthew Hehl Sports Editor The North Central College Chronicle is published once a term by students of North Central College as a forum for Tom Miller Lifestyle Editor providing news, opinion and information of interest to the Caleb Lundquist Multimedia Editor campus and the greater community. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opin- McLean Holmes Web Editor ions of The Chronicle editorial board or of North Central Gillian Young Design Editor College. Noah Cordoba Photo Editor ON THE COVER Alexis Heinitz Vision Editor-in-Chief Photo by Noah Cordoba Kay O’Donnell Adviser THE CHRONICLE 2 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR SUMMARY 4 Election of 1840 6 Progression of women in film & TV 8 What it means to be in the middle 10 Evolution of political parties 14 Netflix: unifier or divider? 16 The state of American politics 22 Evolution of the far right 24 To kneel or not to kneel? 26 Student and politics: are they involved? 28 Faces of NCC 30 Celebrities & unity: Hollywood spans the nation through crisis THE CHRONICLE 3 HISTORY Election of 1840 PETER MEDLIN - ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR ith a disastrous econo- dates: the party’s founder and principal policy message to the masses at a pace never before mic crisis falling into the worker Henry Clay or the military hero William seen. The Whigs adopted all sorts of everyday rearview mirror and anger Henry Harrison. materials to make Harrison relatable. brewing on both sides of Clay was a more controversial figure, so, in a There were Harrison handkerchiefs, teapots, the political aisle, the stage bid to capitalize on the folk hero celebrity of they made cider bottles in the shape of log is set for an ugly, conten- “Old Hickory” Andrew Jackson, the Whigs put cabins and even made a 10-foot paper ball. tious presidential election. On one side, a sea- all their chips behind Harrison, old “Tippeca- Seriously. People even wrote songs about him, Wsoned, astute Democrat, a former-New York US noe.” most famously, the spunky little diddy “Tippe- senator and secretary of state who ascended Log Cabins and Hard Cider canoe and Tyler, too!” from humble beginnings. After the panic, Americans were not happy with Tippecanoe and Tyler, too! On the other, a graduate of the University of Martin Van Buren. In fact, they were primed Who is this Tyler, you should be wondering. Pennsylvania, born the heir of a wealthy family, and ready for a grassroots revolution; for the That would be Harrison’s running-mate, John although campaigning as the champion of the everyday American to reclaim their country. Tyler. Tyler was a former Democrat who had “common man.” And the Whigs were thrilled to give it to them. just abandoned his party after a spat during That election in 1840 was crazy, am I right? Their champion of the common man: William the recent Nullification crisis. What is that? An “What?!” You’re thinking. That sounds a whole Henry Harrison. article for another day, probably. lot like 2016! Feel a little eerie? Oddly enough, though, Harrison was not parti- Even though he was still very much a Demo- Yes, it should. It’s time to find out what a race cularly common. He was actually born an heir crat and therefore disagreed with the Whigs from over 150 years ago can teach us about to a wealthy, slave-run Virginia plantation. He on almost everything. Whigs utilized Tyler as ourselves. And better yet, how we can use it to lived in Ohio, which was considered frontier at a way to feign unity — but mostly to rack up prepare for the future. Let’s go back and find the time, but lived on a huge property. He may votes in the South. Politics, right? out. have once had a house partially made of logs, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your The Little Magician though. Maybe. Story” Among a variety of clever nicknames, Presi- However, his Democrat opponents likened him It is said that the election of 1840 was the first dent Martin Van Buren was often known as to an old man that would rather pick up his modern American election. There were no plat- “The Little Magician” for his pint-sized stature pension and sip some hard cider in his cabin forms. Everything in the campaign was done to as well as his uncanny ability to find himself on than be president. An insult that would backfire have an advantage over the other side. Every- the right side of political controversies. so fantastically that Harrison committed his thing was rhetoric. Sound familiar? But, Van Buren, the man also known as “The whole campaign to it. The “Log Cabin candida- Harrison easily beat Van Ruin in the Electoral Red Fox of Kinderhook,” will get destroyed in te” they called him for his rough-riding frontier College, despite a closer popular vote. Shortly this election — at least in the Electoral College. spirit. A man of hard cider, just like you! A regu- after, a coatless Harrison delivered an unen- Eerie, right? lar American for regular Americans. I warned ding inauguration speech in the rain almost The Panic of 1837 you this would be eerie, didn’t I? twice as long as any other president before President Van Buren came into office in 1837 at A Man of Gold Spoons him or since. a prosperous time for America. However, the President Van Buren, on the other hand, was He died from the pneumonia after one month new president’s honeymoon period would last labeled an out-of-touch aristocrat, even though in office. One month. Now John Tyler was pre- only three months until the Panic of 1837 hit. he was the one raised by a humble New York sident — a former Democrat who agreed with The panic was the one of the first depressions tavern keeper. A tavern keeper! Come on, it the Whigs on almost nothing. He would spend in American history, the popping of an econo- doesn’t get much more hard cider and log his time in office blocking their legislation. They mic balloon created by state banks in the West cabins than that. called him “His Accidency.” and their careless expansion policies. But, the rhetoric had spoken. A Whig congres- The Whig party would die a decade later. An Land speculation cratered the banks, pros- sman even delivered a speech about President unbelievable win with nothing to show for it, pectors lost their property and Van Buren Van Buren’s White House renovations. Repre- their legacy. swallowed the blame; although President Jack- sentative Charles Ogle of Pennsylvania roasted The seemingly modern political ploys that are son’s closure of the National Bank a few years the president for his fancy dishware for two employed today may seem unique to us, and earlier set the nation on the path to panic. Van days. they may feel insurmountable. But they have Buren’s popularity would never recover from He went into ruthless detail about how beauti- happened before. And we’ve survived, learned the pessimism that grew from the depression, ful the gold spoons were and how very expen- and moved on past 1840, despite how ruthless and even led to another nickname: Van Ruin. sive the fine china was. Van Buren was living in and similar it was to the way we do things now. To Whig or not to Whig? luxury on the taxpayer dime, although much of We hardly ever think about the Whigs, “Old The Democrat’s challengers in 1840 were the the renovations were done by Andrew Jackson Tippecanoe” or ol’ Martin Van Ruin anymore. Whigs. They had formed seven years earlier, and the fine china had been accumulated by Now more than ever it’s important that we pulling together portions of defunct parties like presidents for the last half century. But hey, make our parties today learn from the mistakes National Republicans and the Anti-Masonics to politics, right? of our past — or they too will go the way of the oppose then-President Andrew Jackson. It didn’t matter. The speech was massive. Whigs. They were still searching for a figurehead to Thousands of copies of the speech flooded run behind and were stuck between two candi- the country. The new penny press spun the THE CHRONICLE 4 GRAPHIC BY GENCO AKACIK THE CHRONICLE 5 ENTERTAINMENT PROGRESSION OF WOMEN IN FILM & TV ALEXIS HEINITZ - VISION EDITOR-IN-CHIEF he portrayal of women on screen has progressed ce of motherhood wrapped in a neat little bow is troubling.