Choosing a topic for the opinion editorial assignment took me a while. I debated what I wanted to share and what I thought was really relevant/worthy enough to expand on. At first, I wanted to write about an issue regarding how we can consume called Throwaway Consumerism. At first I wrote:
The COVID-19 pandemic invited an ambiguous and newfound meaning of the word quarantine. When the term quarantine seemed like a word only used in apocalyptic movies, many met the terror of isolation, face to face. While a microbial war raged outside, populations were forced inside. Isolation from work, school, and basic human interaction forced our need for social connection online. A double tap on an Instagram post, a retweet, a message over WhatsApp brought the outside world inside- at a time where it was needed most. Research at Harvard, by Trevor Haynes, points out that “every notification…has the potential to be a positive social stimulus and dopamine influx”. Naturally, rewarding social stimuli activate dopaminergic reward pathways.
So, when the ability to seek social stimuli in person was not viable, smartphones provided a virtually unlimited supply- bring in instant gratification. Likewise, to how human interaction is compromised to the ease of virtual clicks, the nature of consumerism has fallen to the grips of insatiable online shopping. The ability to buy a product by one click, commences the never-ending cycle of instant gratification. As Britney Spears says, “gimme, gimme more”.
The cycle of the insatiable consumer is furthermore met by quick changing trends. What’s popular today, will not be popular tomorrow. We chase happy chemicals based on what we see online, so that it naturally employs us to stay online, and consume more. The products we mindlessly buy are driven by quick trends and reinforced by the diminishing quality. Therefore, consumers are coerced to buy again once that product gives out or goes out.
Instead of out with the old and in with the new..
But even though I am passionate on the matter, I didn’t think I could do the topic justice- there were just too many angles I could approach the subject. So as I sat staring at a blank word doc. I contemplated what to write about whilst getting relentless notifications from a class groupchat. Everyone was debating whether they were going to wear their mask after CUNY lifted the mask mandate. Then I thought, OH I’ll write about that!
Switching gears, I completed what I could of my draft at 3 am. I had my sources, necessary evidence, and opinion all intertwined. But I didn’t have a proper introduction. I went back and forth on how to funnel into my topic. To get into the flow of writing, I tried writing about my current situation:
As I write this, I’m sitting on the fourth floor-the quiet floor, in the NAC library on campus at CCNY (of course). I found one of those private rooms in the back. It was no easy feat as I did the usual anxious speed walk past all the rooms, pacing back and forth. I sometimes get so desperate where I even ask the people sitting in the rooms if they’re leaving even though all their stuff is spread out on the desk. So, after the unnecessary stress I put myself through, I sit in this chair, sweating not only from running but also from the embarrassment of my impulses to ask a question with an obvious answer.
For obvious reasons, this rant would not cut it as an introduction. Although I did like the idea of an anecdote, this topic was personal to me. Even though this brainstorming account was an exercise to get words down, it was onto something. Wearing my mask at that moment made the situation more complicated. Before the pandemic, I’d never started sweating around my mouth first. So going off the idea of that, I remembered my commutes for my morning class:
A 9:30 am lecture starts my Mondays off. I’m not a morning person in the least and my commute is about 47 minutes- depending on my luck. On these mornings, it’s the absolute best when the trains come in just as I walk through the turnstile. But of course, this is never the case. And so, since I’m terrible with time and am too good at procrastinating, I’m forced to speed walk or even do that awkward jog with a backpack to be on time- with a 5-minute margin. I tend to get to class so anxiously because my heart is racing and I’m trying to fight sweating, so I don’t reek. I aggressively take off my jacket and even another layer to cool down, and just as I’m near adjusting my mask feels like its pooling with sweat. I’m already down to my t-shirt so my mask is the only layer I can’t take off. I start to sweat more stressing about how hot my face is. I want to sip my water, but I’m scared someone will see the beads of sweat accumulating under my nose. Wondering if anyone else seems as heated as I am, I see everyone in hoodies and puffers.
From this draft, I switched the wording to refine.
