Dear faithful readers,

I’m in a good mood—Halloween’s right around the corner. In my view, Halloween is the best B-list holiday.  It’s the only day I can get my hands on those tiny boxes of Milk Duds with only two Milk Duds in them. And I take great pride in my costume-making prowess; this year I’m a jellyfish.  

But my carefree adoration of Halloween is a privilege that others, people who are not white men like me, can’t always enjoy. After student protests last Halloween following Erika Christakis’s email, these deep troubles were finally publicized—even to unwitting Halloween fans like myself. Offensive costumes are too often a Halloween staple, informed by the type of feckless cultural ridicule showcased by Fox News in their recent segment on Chinese Americans. It’s timely, then, that Haewon Ma, SY ’19, has written a front that carefully examines the diversity of experiences within the Asian-American community, which is too often considered homogenous.

Yalies are truly a varied bunch, with diverse perspectives and opinions. Some of us are soldiers: Felicia Chang, MC ’20, gives us an eye into the world of Yalies who have to serve in the armed forces of their home countries. Some of us are foodies—like Emily Ge, BK ‘19, who offers us a taste of a two-star Michelin restaurant. Some of us prefer historical fiction—like Mariah Kreutter, BK ’20, who makes the case for a BBC programme called Poldark. And some of us are keener on comedy—like Liana Van Nostrand, TD ’20, who offers a positive take on the new Netflix show Haters Back Off. No matter what your story is, I’m sure you’ll appreciate this week’s issue. And I hope everyone has an enjoyable Halloween.

All my best,

Nolan Phillips

Opinions Editor