RobSoJuicy

On Pete Buttigieg and the Venom of Political Homogeneity Robert Gao What leader would you invite to come speak at our school? Over the past few months—following nationally critical dates and events such as the 2024 Presidential Election, Donald Trump’s inauguration, the announcement of a withdrawal of funding from the NIH and select research institutions, and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine—the political landscape of the United States has been in a state of volatile and hostile upheaval. Indeed, news outlets like CNN and FOX and online political moguls such as Charlie Kirk and Dean Withers are clawing their way through the dirt to make their voices heard. College campuses and the streets of politically charged towns become the canvas for these aforementioned entities to victimize. Your face could end up on the front page of Instagram or TikTok any minute, lest you say something that aggravates one side of the political spectrum or alienates entire groups of marginaliz...

Is “doing nothing” a good use of your time? When I was ten, I used to dream of a life that went like this—unencumbered wealth, a beautiful family, and all the free time in the world to spend lying down in a king-sized bed made of the world’s finest plumage. Yet, as I’ve gotten older—and with that, experienced tens of spring, summer, autumn, and winter breaks—I’ve realized an epiphany. Laying idle in bed all day—perusing the infinite annals of Instagram reels and eating chocolate-covered blueberries from Kirkland—does not lead to a fulfilling life. Instead, I would see my mental and physical state degrade substantially during these periods, with weight gained, the want to be productive lost, and the remnants of my attention span mauled. Indeed, it was those moments generally would be perceived as difficult—long work days, grueling school hours, afternoons and evenings filled with swim practices, piano lessons, and mathematics courses—in which, in retrospect, felt the most fulfilling....

Reimagining Precautionary Safety Robert Gao Could you imagine having Sean “P. Diddy” Love Combs as your next-door neighbor? Neither can I. But in an ideal world—one that only knows whimsy and the American Dream—this want transcends mere imagination. In this world, I am a poet-physician, returning every day from a little hospital on the Chicago River to a wonderful suburban home—white-picket fence, beautiful family, landscaped magnolias and all—with, yes, P. Diddy living and breathing next-door, five steps away, within crawling distance. Indeed, the genius of this decision may not strike readers immediately, and so let me explicate its guts into granular pieces. Due to Combs’ involvement with numerous horrific scandals, including freak-offs and so-called “Diddy Parties” (functions that involve highly prevalent sexual innuendos and numerous cartridges of baby oil), the oiled elephant in the room suggests this decision as undyingly blasphemous and reckless.  And to that elephant’s poi...

On the Most Beautiful Cumbia Robert Gao Do you wish you could return to a moment from your past? National YoungArts Week—a week of interdisciplinary collaboration between classical musicians, filmmakers, singers, fashion designers, dancers, and writers—still presents itself as the most influential week of my life. Indeed, there exists an intangible power in the arts. Through divergent mediums and the rawness of being human, we as artists can act as agents of change—imbued with the ability to romanticize the mundane, turn the trivial beautiful. Yet, this euphoric epiphany is not always self-discovered—instead, it quietly manifests within the artist individually, only releasing itself when artistic souls converge. At YoungArts, under cerulean Miami skies and a city infused with jazz and soul, I began to play disciple to this notion—networking with artists, developing my craft, remaining unshakably curious. Although only one of a few sophomores in a junior and senior-heavy cohort, I never...