Author: The LACAS Chronicles

We vary in age, perspective and outlook, but have one thing in common — we’re all (painfully) broke, overworked, and loud college students trying to make the most out of everything.
College Life, Mental health, Social

Academic Jealousy; a Path of Self-Discovery or Self Destruction?

The fall from a 98 to 85 is the kick off to the deadliest villain arc in an overachievers academic streak. Persuading a genius that an achievement of a peer isn’t a catastrophic earthquake to their personal academic profile is similar to convincing someone that the gunshot wound on their chest won’t kill them – your blandishment will be in vain. Academic jealousy is a … Continue reading Academic Jealousy; a Path of Self-Discovery or Self Destruction?

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Pop culture

Beyond Happily Ever After: The Ideologies Hidden in Childhood Tales

From poisoned apples in Snow White to the lost glass slipper in Cinderella, childhood stories and children’s media have long been regarded as innocuous tales that lull us into a world of magic before we fall asleep. Yet beneath the glittering castles, beautiful princesses and so called happy endings lie far more disquieting themes. Obsession with beauty, unattainable standards, patriarchal structures and financial dependence are … Continue reading Beyond Happily Ever After: The Ideologies Hidden in Childhood Tales

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Art, Pop culture

The Struggles of Becoming a Concept Album

There comes a point during most people’s adolescence where they stumble upon works of art so representative of their own emotions that, if allowed to ruminate, provoke a sense of nearly visceral connection. Although many argue that these elements of relatability are often deliberately manufactured for the purposes of mass consumption, our feelings of kinship towards a certain album, movie, or painting carry a sincerity … Continue reading The Struggles of Becoming a Concept Album

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Politics

Books and Politics

Books are and always have been political. From allegories jam packed with historical political references to criticism carefully constructed into plot points, writing has always been a way of bringing to light real life issues with subtlety. Though not always appreciated by the target of said criticism, it really reflects society when such books are ridiculed and shunned for being a hard but absolutely crucial … Continue reading Books and Politics

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Philosophy

Sleep: A Rehearsal for Death

In the words of Arthur Schopenhauer, “Sleep is the interest we have to pay on the capital which is called in at death; and the higher the rate of interest and the more regularly it is paid, the further the date of redemption is postponed.”  Sleep; a state of reduced consciousness, perhaps even altered consciousness when taking dream state into account. Sleep and death surround … Continue reading Sleep: A Rehearsal for Death

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Media, Opinion, Pop culture

Battle of the Directors

“A new Superman movie?? In this economy??” I say to myself as James Gunn releases his masterpiece version of the world’s fiction idol, Superman. In doing so, he invited hardcore cinephiles and comic book nerds to take part in an active debate. In one corner, we have the infamous James Gunn, the maestro of misfits, the king of sarcasm, the man who gave a talking … Continue reading Battle of the Directors

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Contemporary, Media, Social

Is Meritocracy just a Myth? A Sociological Critique of ’12th Fail”

“Students are merely puppets controlled by the strings of an educational system where privilege decides who gets ahead.” At first glance, this statement may seem overly pessimistic. After all, we are constantly told that success comes from hard work, determination, and talent. Society celebrates stories of individuals who rise from poverty to positions of power, presenting them as proof that anyone can succeed if they … Continue reading Is Meritocracy just a Myth? A Sociological Critique of ’12th Fail”

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Art, Social

Artful Multitudes, Edited to Perfection

Welcome to the age of artful multitudes, edited to perfection; The Performance of Student Curated Multiple Identities. Do I contradict myself?Very well, then I Contradict myself,I am large, I contain multitudes.—Walt Whitman Whitman probably never pulled an all nighter, with coffee running on pure delusion, lofi beats looping through his headphones, and a Google doc stretching into infinity. Yet, his words—“I contain multitudes”—might as well … Continue reading Artful Multitudes, Edited to Perfection

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Contemporary, Media, Narrative Perspective

Freedom is not Elsewhere — it is Within

It is worth wondering about how life would be if we could get a break from the way this world works. There are moments when the weight of our work presses so heavily upon one’s shoulders that the mere thought of escape feels like salvation. In a world ruled by expectations, routines and silent struggles, the human soul often finds itself yearning, not for more, … Continue reading Freedom is not Elsewhere — it is Within

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Contemporary, Opinion

Human or AI: Who really won the IMO?

In a moment that felt ripped straight off the pages of a science-fiction novel, the mathematics world was put into turmoil this July. OpenAI and Google claimed they had made a model capable of solving the IMO and winning Gold. Critics called such a claim controversial at best and blasphemous at worst, while others erupted in cheers, hailing it as the beginning of a new … Continue reading Human or AI: Who really won the IMO?

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