The Chosen One

by Echo Brown

He rises from a horizon of chaos. An eternal conflicting force disrupting the balance of things. The God of Opposition, a cosmic Darth Vader dressed as a clown to prevent you from seeing the true darkness of his antics. A trickster—look at the wicked smile on his face—mocking, unsettling. He knows. He thrives off disorienting the living. His purpose is to destroy from the inside out until pain rolls down like water. He’s the ultimate test for Luke and the Jedi of Chosen Ones. He wants to know what their souls are made of, to test whether they have the strength to answer the call, survive his madness, and complete the mission.

Dartmouth has more white people than I’ve ever seen in my life.

No shade to people who do use it, because I firmly believe that a person is allowed to reclaim derogatory word missiles that have been aimed at them in the past.

Society is an aggregate”—I quickly consult the dictionary—“of various living realities. The past, the elements that went into making the systems of those societies, are alive today and must be considered in the rendering of equality and justice. This is really a conversation about atonement. We have a problem with not wanting to take responsibility for past grievances in this country. It’s called social amnesia.

“Second, the United States has never operated on merit. It wasn’t merit that yielded white leaders across every professional and political field, it was violence and forced inequality. It was the massacre of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a thriving community of Black people who had built up wealth and prosperity amongst themselves despite the barriers. It was ‘Separate but Equal,’ which legalized racial disparity in access and opportunity. It was redlining in urban communities across the nation, systematically denying Black citizens access to resources. The result of those policies and practices granted tremendous privilege to white people. The call ‘for merit,’ in my opinion, is often used to further disenfranchise the disadvantaged by painting a present that conveniently erases key historical elements. It’s inaccurate and unjust. I really hope you come to understand that this is all more nuanced and complex than you are making it out to be.” I

For God’s sake, they’re vegans. No one in their right mind should be a vegan. It biologically makes no sense.”

messing it up.” Keli’s hair is pressed straight. In order to achieve this look, the hairdresser blow-dried her hair, applied a hot oil treatment, flat ironed