[Above] Many people gather to watch a movie in a modern theater
![Above] Many people gather to watch a movie in a modern theate](https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/movie-theater-audience-watching-blank-screen-wide-shot-movie-theater-audience-watching-blank-movie-screen-audience-336986857.jpg){kind=link}
Ever since my childhood, I, along with many others in the world enjoyed watching movies, both in theaters and on my home TV or computer. My all-time favorites include Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Incredibles, The Avengers: Endgame, and Iron Man. Pretty cool, right? However, I wouldn’t be all too surprised if you disagree with me, even though these movies are all critically and commercially successful. Everyone in the world has their own favorite movies, and I may or may not agree with your tastes, which is absolutely OK. However, what I do have a problem with is when people childishly put each other down when they disagree about movie tastes while conflating facts and opinions. For example, people label certain movies they like as “good,” or movies they don’t like as “bad,” while the opposite is true for another person. Take away the clear bias, what really makes a movie “good” or “bad?”
What Makes a Good Movie?
Movies are a central form of entertainment today for the majority of the population. There is no singular right answer to why we love them so much, as a person’s reason to enjoy anything is mostly subjective. The only problem is, if you told this to a film critic, it would end their career, as their jobs are to “objectively” rate movies based on how well they’re made, in terms of acting, cinematography, visual effects, scripting, dialogue, choreography, animation, sound design, etc. This is important because movies are also a business. Hence, the critics leave it to themselves to judge whether or not the audience should give up even a small chunk of their precious time and money to see them and to grade the producers on where they went wrong or got right. Some movies are universally loved, some widely hated, and others lukewarm. Despite how well a critic may rate a movie, one viewer may think it’s the scum of all movies, or vice versa. The disagreement between audiences and critics on a movie’s quality can create confusion and indecision in unfamiliar audiences because one side sees a good movie, the other a bad one. However, if reviews and public opinion are the only reasons to decide whether a movie is worth watching, we would live in a completely different world. This is where marketing ploys like trailers, ads, celebrity casting, nostalgia, and merchandise hit the scene. Producers try to rope in audiences to get them to watch their movies by taking advantage of their emotional monkey brains pointing them towards whatever they like, regardless of any consequences. It works for the industry because when movies are marketed well and rope in a good audience, more people will be compelled to watch them. Critics sort of police the audiences so that they know what to expect from the movie, whether general audiences end up liking it or not. Only after seeing the movie for themselves can the viewers formulate their actual opinion of the movie. Today we will dive into the statistics and get to the bottom of what decides a good movie.
Red (Netflix) is the New White (Crack)
Nowadays, many people watch them on streaming apps like Netflix, which demands a fixed paid subscription in exchange for conveniently watching one of the thousands of movies or shows you want anytime. Because of such power, it gives users, get hooked on watching shows and movies on it like crack. It’s different from going to the movies because you can only do that at a specific time of day, you would need to book seats or tickets, and the like, which creates some friction. With Netflix, however, you can just get bored and put on a movie or show willy-nilly. To throw salt in the wound, you may know that feeling when binging a series and you tell yourself “Just one more episode and I’m all done.” the next minute, you cave in and time skips itself three hours past your bedtime.
As a result of this experiment, many movies marketed as “Netflix Originals” rallied Netflix addicts to watch them for hundreds of millions of hours collectively. The greatest offender is Red Notice, the most expensive Netflix-only film second only to 2023’s Gray Man. It starred A-list actors such as Ryan Gosling, Gal Gadot, and the one and only Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, which greatly contributed to the film’s marketing success. This is because the average Netflix watcher’s reptilian brain gets riled up by a familiar face and thinks “OMG the Rock is in this one!” and clicks away to put on Red Notice. This is only a singular example, as another factor of Netflix movies growing to be as popular as they are is having a shocking theme, such as in Bird Box, which was about a mysterious entity that causes unsuspecting victims to lose their sanity and take their own lives minutes within seeing it. Because suicide is already such a grave topic, it made the stakes of Bird Box all the more intriguing. Combine that with casting Sandra Bullock as a lead and then Netflix’s addictive nature and optimal marketing, and then you’ve got yourself a deadly trifecta. The absurdly high viewership of movies like these does not mean these movies are good, as their critic and consumer ratings say otherwise.
Are Netflix Movies Even Good?
To answer the question of whether a movie is considered “good,” one would need to see how it holds up in the eyes of both critics and audiences. Critics grade the quality of movies as their job and have a ton of experience doing so, hence they are seen as qualified. Because of this, people when they wonder if a movie they hear about is worth watching, they classically look at critic scores so they know what to expect. After seeing it, the viewer decides how much they like the movie, irrespective of its quality. User scores are arguably a more useful way to see if a movie is considered “good” because it shows how well the movie appeals to its target audience. Because of the ability to publish one’s personal opinion on movies and other media due to the internet, critic scores are fading out of relevancy in this day and age. Moreover, neither side is free of bias, so comparing the scores is crucial.
For example, the top Netflix movie as of 2022, Red Notice was notably poorly received by critics, doling out a Metacritic score that falls into the “unfavorable” range, and met relatively mediocre reception by Google users. This shows that Red Notice did not quite live up to the expectations set by its marketing and casting. Therefore, not too many people see it as a “good” movie. On the other hand, the mystery film, Enola Holmes starring Millie Bobby Brown was well-liked by both critics and its audience. High ratings from both parties show that the movie succeeded in both quality and appeal to its target audience. Enola already had a target audience in mind and source material to work off of, which were the Enola Holmes novels, so the film’s production, direction, casting, marketing, and writing were tooled accordingly. This led to Enola Holmes being widely considered a “good” movie. When someone says “good movie” in an everyday conversation, they usually mean that they enjoyed it themselves, not necessarily that it was made well. Even when a large number of people agree that they like a movie, there is still bound to be a minority that thinks such a movie is “bad,” showing that the label of “good” movies comes down to subjective opinion.
What About BlockBusters?
There’s a 90% chance that whoever is reading this has been to, or at least walked near a movie theater. But just in case you forgot, it’s a basically place where you sit down (or recline) in a big dark room next to dozens of other people to watch a movie on a gigantic screen. We already talked about Netflix movie viewership, but it’s also worth diving into the details about movies in theaters. Netflix is different, because you pay a fixed subscription fee to watch as many movies as you want anytime, but in theaters, you need to plan carefully the time of day you sacrifice 2-3 hours out of your day and then book a good seat and pay for a ticket accordingly. You should also decide in advance if the movie is worth watching before possibly turning your whole day upside down just to see it. The differences in convenience and processes to do this significantly affect the decision-making process, as Netflix watchers are far more likely to impulse-watch a movie than theater-goers.
As you can see here, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the single highest-grossing movie in the USA. Its commercial success may likely be attributed to the cultural impact and mass appeal of the Star Wars franchise in general. The fanbase anticipated a sequel to the original trilogy ever since entertainment titan Disney acquired the Star Wars franchise, propelling everyone who has heard “Star Wars” at least once and their mother to flock to the box office to watch The Force Awakens. The majority of the highest-grossing movies are also part of already successful fictional franchises with mass appeal, showing that audiences are more likely to plan to sacrifice up to 1/8th of their day to movies they are relatively more confident they will enjoy, as opposed to watching something random. Additionally, more than half of these movies are owned by Disney, whose movies most Americans grew up watching, adding to the familiarity factor.
How do Big Screen Movies Hold Up Against Netflix?
We went over how top-viewed Netflix movies are a mixed bag in terms of critical and consumer ratings, however, this pattern is not as stark when you look at top-grossing box-office movies. This is likely because movie theaters lack the addictive nature of Netflix, and do not rely on computerized algorithmic recommendations as much. When a theater movie is disliked by the masses, people are quicker to notice it, and it leads to such a movie losing viewership, which causes theaters to lose business. Hence, they need to keep showing well-liked movies that people are more likely to take out their time to watch. On the contrary, Netflix uses movie suggestion algorithms based on its users’ online activity to get users hooked to the app by suggesting movies that appeal to their monkey brains. Because they can take advantage of impulse-watching movies, Netflix cares less about whether or not their original films are unanimously praised, because they get money through subscriptions anyway. Most of the top 25 box office movies consistently have either high critic or audience ratings, unlike the top Netflix films, which had mostly lukewarm critic and audience reception.
Netflix Addiction
Let’s face it. Netflix is designed to keep you hooked. Its movies’ popularity is most attributed to how well they are marketed, hyped up, and then recommended to unsuspecting users. It doesn’t matter which movies gain traction, because the money comes in through subscriptions and users can watch however many movies they please. Because of this, Netflix addictions are on the rise, paving the way for the Netflix corporation to rake in more publicity, leading to greater subscription purchases, which equal larger profits. It’s not just movies Netflix uses to entice netizens, it’s also TV shows, which are far easier to fall into a binge of watching. To make matters worse, the deeper you get into the Netflix rabbit hole, the less you care if the movie is entertaining, because watching an overhyped mediocre film or TV show is better than nothing. Without it, you would feel unbearably bored. If you struggle with a Netflix addiction, I suggest you take a break from using it, maybe cancel your subscription so that you can let your brain recover from Netflix burnout. Why are we talking about addictions in a paper about movie reviews? Netflix addictions are part of the reason their most viewed original films have mostly mixed or negative reception.
Quality over Quantity
[Above] Stock image of 3 teenagers bonding and enjoying a movie in theaters together
We went over how movies in theaters are relatively harder to take time to watch, but are better experiences compared to Netflix’s films, but more factors make them hit differently. See, when you find yourself seeing movies in theaters less often than you would likely watch Netflix, you would naturally appreciate the experiences more. Another thing is that theater-goers watch films with their family and friends, making for a wholesome bonding experience regardless of whether they end up liking the movie or not. Moreover, you need to make informed decisions on movies for which you need to go to a specific place at a specific time to see because no one wants to waste their day on a boring movie. Because you see movies in theaters less often, theater experiences are like quality time, as opposed to watching Netflix, which is only quantity time. Now, this ties back into the quandary of what makes a movie good, because it all comes down to subjective opinion, which can be shaped by pleasurable experiences associated with the movie. For example, I went to see The Super Mario Bros Movie with my family and enjoyed it for its action, humor, faithfulness to the source material, story premises, and animation, with your joy magnified by having my family right there enjoying it with me. I felt it was right to call it a good movie without hesitation. Let’s say I decided to watch it on Netflix while doing homework out of mere boredom. In a moment like that, the Mario movie would not have been nearly as enjoyable as seeing it in theaters, because, in that moment, it’s just a background movie that I just put on for no reason, instead of an alluring masterpiece I savor every moment watching.
![[Above] Stock image of 3 teenagers bonding and enjoying a movie in theaters together](https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1522056968/photo/happy-girls-watching-a-surprising-movie-in-theatre.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=1OIsCH1lOJ-Y7-GGydOBJkcSw_VL3-mAt-nwvOGe2fY=){kind=link}
Works Cited
https://www.rottentomatoes.com
]]>Today on the HumzaWolf Show, we will discuss the psychological struggle behind dating in a world of isolation and uncertainty, brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our host, Humza “Wolf” Chaudhri, invited a guest, Laura (voiced by elevenlabs.io TTS) to speak on her struggles of seeking a relationship amidst the lockdown.
Disclaimer: I wrote the script all by myself without using any AI of any kind. I did use AI to voice dub the lines for my “guest,” as I had difficulty finding a real guest to act out my script.
Credits: Tinder Data Shows Dating Was Weird During the Pandemic
https://www.headspace.com/articles/modern-love-addiction
The top article describes the data on Tinder activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, explaining how it can serve as a time capsule for dating culture before vs during vs after the pandemic.
The second article is about the neuropsychology behind “love addictions,” when swiping right on dating apps that are absent in real-life dating.
]]>October 25, 2024
As most people reading this may know, hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated the southeastern United States, especially south and central Florida in Fall 2024, causing over a whopping $53 billion (cr. Al Jazeera) and $21-$34 billion respectively (cr. CoreLogic). They leveled thousands of buildings and homes, flooded streets and caused the deaths of hundreds of people. These natural disasters ultimately devastated the lives of thousands of southeastern Americans last month.
Flooded streets of Tarpon, FL after Hurricane Helene hit. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty
Map of Hurricane Milton, courtesy of Sarasota Harold Tribune
Hurricanes have devastated the southeastern region of the United States for decades. More recently. Hurricanes have picked up in frequency at an alarming rate. In the past few weeks, two major hurricanes, Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene made landfall in the southeast as category 4 and category 3 storms, respectively. A new hurricane, Nadine, is expected to make landfall within the coming days as well. Hurricane Nadine would be the 10th hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season.
A hurricane is defined as “a tropical cyclone with winds of 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour or greater that is usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning, and that sometimes moves into temperate latitudes.” Hurricanes have caused over $1.3 trillion in damages since 1980, and have also been the most frequent natural disaster in the United States since 2000. They are especially prevalent and dangerous in Florida, which is why Florida holds the title of “the hurricane capital of the United States.”
There is one suspect, climate change. Hurricanes have greatly increased in strength over the years, and climate change can be blamed. Hurricanes form from the ocean surface as warm, moist air rises and causes winds to start spinning. The greater the temperature, the greater the energy the winds can gather. With climate change bringing increased temperatures, hurricanes are able to grow in strength as more energy is gathered from the hotter waters. Warmer temperatures also allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture, which leads to greater rainfall and greater flooding. The warmer temperatures additionally cause glaciers and ice sheets to melt, rising sea levels. These rising sea levels contribute to greater storm surges and catastrophic coastal flooding, on top of higher wind speeds, creating hurricanes capable of much greater damage.
Housing insurance is one big issue arising from increasing hurricane frequency and strength. October’s Hurricane Milton alone cost insurers from $30-$50 million in losses. Hurricane Ian in 2022 cost insurers $60 billion in insured losses. These huge numbers have left insurance companies to be more wary. Many have changed their policies including Progressive, which stated they will not renew current insurance policies. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, a state-backed non-profit company, has had to step up as the new largest insurance provider in the state. It was supposed to be the last-resort option, however due to large companies backing out of Florida and changing their policies to make getting housing insurance harder, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation has become the only option for many. Last month, there were 1.3 policies in motion, which is three times the amount it was five years ago. However, even Citizens has exceptions: individuals can only qualify if “the lowest quote they get from a private insurer is more than 20% greater than the Citizens’ quote” and their home is valued under $700,000. Citizens cannot sustain themselves even with these exceptions due to the influx of customers, and they are one storm away from not being able to pay back the losses. Moreover, even those who have insurance are facing complications and confusion, as those with home insurance are getting their insurance claims denied if they do not also have flood insurance.
Total losses from hurricanes have topped the charts as the highest damage weather disaster since 1980. On average, each hurricane brings $22.8 billion in losses. Not only do hurricanes bring damage costs, but they bring additional costs such as medical expenses, evacuation costs, and income losses. Hurricane Michael devastated Florida’s panhandle in 2018, especially Bay county. 22,000 people lost their homes and a year after the storm, 5,000 people were still without a home. Evacuation costs have increased to a range stemming from $1,500 to $3,000. This includes gas, hotels, and so many more associated costs which have people even in mandatory evacuation zones staying in their homes to avoid these costs. People may also stay in their homes if they choose to believe climate change is not as real as scientists claim it to be, however the increasing severity of storms says otherwise. Choosing to stay has many costs as well, as homeowners have to buy hurricane shutters, flashlights, water, and canned food in preparation for potential power outages lasting days to weeks.
This all being said, it is important for homeowners to understand the risks of living in Florida. It will come with increased costs for storm preparation including hurricane shutters and evacuation costs. Most importantly comes the risk of losing your home, either due to flooding or high winds. High winds can also bring tornadoes, as seen recently with tornadoes brought upon by hurricane Milton. These natural disasters are picking up in power and it is important to be aware of the risks when assessing future moves or current housing situations
Figure 1. The all time high (inflation-adjusted) tropical storm damage cost was in 2021, totaling at a shocking $200,000 million.
Every August through October, the southeastern United States prepares for hurricane season by raiding grocery stores, buying generators, and boarding windows. This year, these preparations would not have been enough to survive. Nowadays, fleeing, evacuating, and moving out of storm zones are the only guaranteed survival methods.
Hurricanes, the most destructive type of tropical cyclones, have not been an unknown danger to the Gulf Coast. The coastal waters of Florida are the most susceptible to floods, high winds, and power outages related to tropical cyclones. This has all been a known fact. The most infamous hurricane for displacing and destroying the Gulf Coast region was Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Effects were felt all along the East Coast towards the New York area. Isn’t it a little concerning that the multiple hurricanes of 2024 have been comparable to the rare and destructive occurrence of Katrina? There must be an underlying issue at hand.
Climate change is an impending crisis that many people shrug off because it’s “not real”, which is scientifically untrue. Man-made activities are the main cause of long-term changes in weather patterns. The sea level has risen about eight inches from the 19th century, the highest global surface air temperature has increased nearly three degrees from the mid-20th century, and ocean temperatures are rising. These seemingly insignificant changes have led to mass destruction with the formation of hurricanes. Hurricanes thrive off of warm tropical waters, gaining strength and intensity rapidly. Climate change’s warm oceans and humid air is a hurricane’s specialty, but a recipe for disaster for Americans.
Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton were two of the most intensified tropical cyclones of 2024. For instance, Hurricane Milton’s wind speed surpassed meteorologists’ standard measures of hurricane winds. Not to mention, the southeastern United States was just battered by Hurricane Helene shortly before Milton’s appearance. Soaring death rates were inevitable. The abnormally warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico cause this rapid intensification, fueling the movement of a tropical cyclone through the southeastern United States. Faster and stronger storm formations give communities less time to prepare or flee in a sudden life-or-death situation.
Climate change does not necessarily increase the frequency of tropical cyclones. However, each hurricane season the storms that are projected to be “small” are quickly aligning with the characteristics of massive storms. Communities that are unprepared for these life-threatening storm surges are left victim to mass destruction. A direct correlation to climate change is the death toll of these massive storms. Being unprepared and unaware of a hurricane’s strength will lead to injury and death.
Northern Florida communities were left in a dire situation after Helene and Milton. Inland communities were subjected to the landslides, flooding, and harsh winds that the coastal communities are usually prepared for. Tornadoes have been forming on the outer bands of cyclones more frequently, an issue that generally doesn’t persist outside of the “Tornado Valley” region. The power of the storm surge has also been unfathomable as of recently. Most of the recent hurricane-related deaths are from drowning, as homes and cars are taken adrift in fast and deep waters.
Hurricane-related deaths increase even after a hurricane has left a community in shambles. The clean-up and recovery process puts first responders and the stranded in a life-threatening situation. Strong winds leave live wires in the flood, where electrocution is imminent if one’s not careful. These recently “supercharged” storms have drawn out the excessive clean-up process, posing more threats to the lives of a community. Rapidly intensified cyclones leave southeast states in ruins long after a storm has done its job.
This leaves an obvious question unanswered, “Why don’t communities just evacuate the storm-infected areas?” Many factors come into play in this situation, such as expenses, locations, and personal items. However, ignorance of climate change can constitute one’s hesitation to flee. In a conservative South, the conversation about climate change is minimal. Many individuals ignore the advice of proficient meteorologists, riding out monstrous storms that project low survival rates in certain areas.
Ignorance factors into the increasing death tolls of hurricanes rummaging through the south. Although residing in Florida means generally warmer weather year-round, being unaware of the risks of inhabiting such a targeted area is dangerous. Newcomers will be less prepared than the Florida veterans who truly understand what hurricane season entails.
The newfound factors that need to be considered each hurricane season pose a substantial risk to individuals’ lives. As climate change persists, hurricane-related issues will only increase in severity and scope.
Figure 2. Hurricanes hit Florida the most frequently around the years 2005 and 2022, and the least frequently around 1980, 1990, and 2010.
Figure 3. The damage cost spiked in 1990, the highest yearly cost until 2005, whose cost totaled to over $50,000 US dollars. The lowest cost was in the year 2000, totaling to around $2,500.
Data charts by Grace McKissock and Amelia Oakley
Articles written by Nicole Diaczun and Erica Kerman
Data visualization powered by Google Colab using R language.
Edited by Humza Chaudhri
Works Cited:
- “Hurricane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hurricane. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
- Bowers, John. “Hurricane Milton, Helene Insurance Nightmares Torment Florida Residents.” NBC News, 12 Oct. 2024, www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/hurricane-milton-helene-insurance-nightmares-torment-florida-residents-rcna175088. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
- Rojas, J. “Citizens Insurance Faces Pressure After Hurricane Milton.” CNN, 11 Oct. 2024, www.cnn.com/2024/10/11/business/citizens-insurance-hurricane-milton/index.html. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
- “Hurricane Costs.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, coast.noaa.gov/states/fast-facts/hurricane-costs.html. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
- Gonzalez, Enrique, et al. “Hurricane Michael: The Challenge of Financial Recovery from Disasters.” Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, July 2023, esg.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Hurricane-Michael-The-Challenge-of-Financial-Recovery-from-Disasters.pdf. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
- Li, Jane. “Hurricane Milton Could Cause $50 Billion in Losses, Fitch Says.” Business Insider, 11 Oct. 2024, www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-insurance-fitch-50-billion-losses-2024-10. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
- McCarthy, Niall. “Are Major Natural Disasters Increasing?” Statista, 15 Jan. 2024, www.statista.com/study/95060/natural-disasters-overview/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
- “How Much Damage Have Natural Disasters Been Causing?” World Economic Forum, 20 Sept. 2024, www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/09/natural-disasters-damage-statistics/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
- Kauffman, Katie. “Milton Is the Hurricane That Scientists Were Dreading.” The Atlantic, 12 Oct. 2024, www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2024/10/hurricane-milton-scientists-worry/673282/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
- “Natural Disasters Stats.” Specialty Fuel Services, 2024, www.specialtyfuels.com/natural-disaster-statistics. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
- Baird, Michael. “Another Major Hurricane Is Approaching Florida, One of the Most Rapidly Intensifying on Record.” The Verge, 10 Oct. 2024, www.theverge.com/2024/10/10/hurricane-florida-approaching. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
- “Climate Change Is Affecting Hurricanes.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2024, www.noaa.gov/climate-change/hurricanes. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
- Wooten, David. “Tropical Storm Helene Death Toll, Missing People in Western NC.” Raleigh News & Observer, 13 Oct. 2024, www.newsobserver.com/news/weather-news/article274221265.html. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
Hi, my name is Humza Chaudhri and I study psychology and digital data at Binghamton University. I aspire to pursue a Master’s Degree in social work or counseling. I am also considering a postgraduate degree related to DiDa studies.
Humza in Spain in August 2024
I like anime, movies, video games, skateboarding, manga, and lifting weights. I know, very average and unimpressive hobbies, but sure beats getting absolutely wasted, caught tripping, contracting chlamydia, and losing the jackpot. College is kind of hard, but that just comes with the territory. My word of advice to all of you reading this is to fear nothing and put trust in God (or whatever you believe in).
I currently go to Binghamton University, and I have been living in the Binghamton area for 18 years. My hometown has a good college, so I decided going to Binghamton University. I originally also considered Rutgers University like my father, or Cornell University, another high-quality college. Ultimately, the most economically efficient decision was Binghamton.
As far as my major is concerned, I had a myriad of options, as I had straight A’s in the majority of my classes, sometimes B’s, and very occasionally C’s. I could choose from engineering, nutrition, physical therapy, medicine, pharmacology, education, or psychology. I considered almost all of them each at different points of my life, but I ultimately settled for psychology, as it was the most conceptually novel, and because of my interest in how study skills, behavior disorders, and brainwashing worked. I watched many film and game theory videos that psychoanalyze characters and formulate bold theories such as one that Dory from “Finding Nemo” could be faking her short term memory loss. I also had many friends and classmates who had Autism, ADHD, OCD, and wished to understand what made them struggle with what they did. This flowered into an interest in psychology in general, so I chose this as my major.
Now for my minor, I found out that I liked learning about computers after taking an introductory computing class in the spring semester of my sophomore year. After taking it, I considered claiming a CS minor, however, there were two problems. Firstly, the minor had too many prerequisites that I would have to add a whole year of classes (i.e. become a super senior) to fulfill them. I was disappointed until I found out that there was another road, the Digital Data Studies minor. I was overjoyed, so I claimed the minor in my Junior year’s fall semester, but did not take any classes until the spring semester. I found it naturally easy to grasp the classes, but my grades didn’t come out exactly how I wanted them. Even still, God knows I tried my best.
When I said I like anime, I actually only mean a few, such as Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, Naruto, and a bit of My Hero Academia. The last one has a pretty questionable fanbase at best, the others are mixed bags. I only just got into them a few years ago, but I’ve seen the characters and YouTube clips and edits around as a kid. Out of all these franchises, Dragon Ball Z captivated me the most. It was all about buff superpowered alien (sometimes human or android) martial artists flying around, throwing lightning-fast punches and kicks that hit like freight trains, and firing colorful plasma beams from their hands. There was also more to it. It was mythology, comedy, adventure, martial arts, magic, superheroes, fighting, action, androids, aliens, scifi, fantasy, space, time travel, magical dragons, and gym motivation ALL IN THE SAME FRANCHISE. What else could one want? There are different characters with different goals, backgrounds, identities, and values that a wide audience can identify with. Both hardcore “gangstas” and sheltered “nerds” find Dragon Ball equally enjoyable.
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