T he term “supernova” is used to describe the extremely dramatic destruction of massive stars within our universe. This occurs in the final stages of stellar life as a star burns its last amounts of helium and hydrogen, expanding to an incomprehensible size and increasing the temperature of its core to billions of degrees. The outer layers of the expanded star eventually collapse in on themselves, producing a final, absolutely massive and catastrophic explosion that destroys the star completely. Things go out with a boom. The Republican Party has permanently chained itself to the side of the Make America Great Again Space Shuttle™, hurtling our country out of earth’s reality. The GOP decided at its 2016 national convention that the party of fiscal conservatism and anti-slavery would now be dominated by isolationism and ethnonationalism. The party of the pragmatic, wise, morally just words of Abraham Lincoln would now be replaced by the scattershot, misinformed, misspelled tweets of Donald Trump. This was a transformation that was years in the making. From the adoption of Barry Goldwater’s radical nationalist positions in 1964 to President Reagan’s fiscally insane “voodoo economics,” irresponsible defense spending and military misadventures, the party grew to include the more fringe right-wing ideologies, normalizing them in the process. With the acceptance of the anti-Obama Tea Party, the GOP further incorporated beliefs of science denial, xenophobia, blind nationalism and a tribal mentality that has a pathological hatred of the U.S. government. Yet as E.J. Dionne says in his book, “Why the Right Went Wrong,” “no conservative administration — not Nixon, not Reagan, not the two Bushes — could live up to the rhetoric rooted in the Goldwater movement that began to reshape American politics fifty years ago.” Now, the consequences of elevating right-wing extremism to normal political discourse have finally come to head. The effects of the new Tea Party’s Freedom Caucus in Congress, and the constant commentary of furious conservative pundits, who, through cable news and talk radio peddled pure nonsense of the evils of Democrats and Obama, leveled a further validation and embracement of factually inept beliefs. Millions truly believed the Democrats were going to establish death panels, take away all of our guns and transform the country into a “neo-socialist Europe.” This dramatically culminated in the election of the physical manifestation of an angry Facebook comment, President Trump. His emergence was condemned as racist, xenophobic and not true to conservative values. The “Never Trump” movement desperately tried to reign in his campaign that had infected the party — or as our secretary for the Department of Energy, also known as man who wanted to eliminate the Department of Energy, Rick Perry said, Trump’s candidacy was a “cancer on conservatism.” Yet this cancer had metastasized and infected the members of the party who decided to place power ahead of country. They nominated Trump and adopted his ludicrous platform, heading toward an election they believed they would lose. And when the Access Hollywood tape emerged in which the nominee of the party of traditional family values bragged about sexually assaulting women, many political pundits began discussing the death of the GOP — that this bubble of insanity had grown to its limit with the doomed candidacy of Trump. While many Republicans began jumping ship and preparing to rebuild their party — the world was stunned by Trump’s “massive” electoral college victory. Suddenly, these spineless Republican politicians immediately flipped their condemnations and came scurrying back, blinded by the thoughts of pursuing their own personal agendas. Cue Speaker Paul “This is not conservatism” Ryan, who pathetically defends the administration’s insane proposal for an ineffective $14 billion border wall, all in the hopes of also fulfilling his nighttime fantasies of slashing upper marginal tax rates. Cue Senate Majority leader Mitch “I’m not a fan of the daily tweets” McConnell, who, despite getting screamed at during his town hall events, plans his total dismantlement of Obamacare. And cue the countless other Republicans who condemned the lunacy of the xenophobic, racist and ignorant Trump campaign, only to defend and cozy up to the new administration like pathetic dogs. From Rep. Jason “can’t look his daughter in the eye if he votes for Trump,” Chaffetz, to Senator Marco “Donald Trump is a con artist, Donald Trump will never be the nominee of the party of Lincoln,” Rubio — these congressmen, senators, pundits, all now have capitulated to the monster they helped create that is Donald Trump’s GOP. And now, chained to this administration, the GOP is a bubble growing ever larger — a star becoming all the more unstable. The problems that the nomination of Trump exemplified have been swept beneath the rug by a smiling Paul Ryan and a sweating Reince Priebus. And the ever-increasing temperatures seen before a supernova in the death of a star mirror the inner chaos within the Trump administration and the defense mounted by the GOP. In one month the 45th president of the United States has managed to attempt an unconstitutional travel ban, dismissed federal “so-called judges,” called the press the enemy of people, appointed a right-wing political hack as a permanent member of the NSC and had to force the resignation of his national security adviser because of an ongoing scandal. And as Reince Priebus, Sean Spicer and the GOP dance in goddamn circles attempting to put out these endless fires, a dotty old racist continues to wander around the White House in a bathrobe, tweeting about his crowd sizes and “The Celebrity Apprentice” — allowing his sycophant white nationalist advisers, such as Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, to draft ludicrous executive orders further engulfing the GOP in a fiery hell. This is what happens when you normalize such fringe movements of ethnonationalism. This is what happens when a reality TV celebrity capitalizes on free media and your party lacks the constitution to dismiss his populist rhetoric. This is a bubble that was supposed to pop in November — a star destined to explode with the defeat of Trump — that now, is growing ever hotter, its stability becoming all the weaker. This is something that will go “boom.” A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend TedxUofM’s annual conference in the Power Center, and I was struck especially by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s talk. University alum El-Sayed, the health officer and executive director of the Detroit Health Department, told the crowded audience to “think upstream” when considering issues of poverty and public health. It’s true that poverty and poor health go hand-in-hand, but the story is bigger than that. It is not a simple cause-and-effect relationship between poverty and poor health; rather, there are several underlying factors that cause and sustain poverty, and poverty itself has several effects that cause poor health. Removed as many of us are from poverty, most University of Michigan students are at least aware of it as a problem. However, the problems of food scarcity and lack of health education in America seem even further removed from our privilege. It can be difficult to believe that there are people in the United States — a developed country — who do not have access to a basic human need: healthy sustenance. However, these problems are closer than we think. A USDA “food desert” is defined as “a low-income census tract where either a substantial number or share of residents has low access to a supermarket or large grocery store,” and a map of food deserts in America shows a startlingly large amount across the country. Though they are more prevalent in the rural South, there is a food desert not less than an hour away in our very own Detroit. There are several factors that culminated into Detroit being a food desert. Built by carmakers, Detroit is a large city with highways in and out of the city, but not a lot of public transportation for those living within the city. So, while many Detroiters may realize that they should be eating healthier, the grocery store is so far away and only about 40 percent of people in Detroit have regular access to a car. Systematic racism in the last century has concentrated people of low income and minorities in certain areas in Detroit where the crime rate is especially high. So, while many Detroiters may want to take a walk around the block for exercise, the neighborhood isn’t exactly the safest to stroll around at night. For people in poverty in food deserts, being healthy is not a choice like it is for many of us. For example, if I have poor health, it’s because I didn’t visit the salad bar in the dining hall, or I was too lazy to cross the street to get to the NCRB. However, for those who are not as fortunate, poor health is a condition they’re forced into by their environment and circumstances. It is easy to judge people of low income as lazy, not hardworking and unhealthy, to tell them to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and dig their way out of poverty. However, that is easier said than done, because the poverty they are in right now will keep them in poverty. The unhealthy diet maintained by a low income leads to poor health that could eventually lead to serious health problems and a stay in the hospital. Even with the Affordable Care Act, health care carries a hefty price tag that is a heavy burden for people who already struggle financially. Unable to work and having their savings zapped by hospital bills, people in poverty cannot “pull themselves up by the bootstraps,” because they are caught in the vicious negative feedback loop of poverty and poor health. However, the cycle can be stopped. The theme of this year’s TedxUofM conference was “Dreamers and Disruptors,” which certainly encapsulates El-Sayed: He works to disrupt the current cycle of poor health and poverty and he dreams of a healthier Detroit. Public health policy has failed poor people in Detroit, but El-Sayed’s work with the Detroit Health System is all about stopping the vicious cycle that has forced people into poverty, so they have a chance to be healthy. A few projects in Detroit have sprung up as a result of his work, including Sister Friends, which mentors pregnant teens through pregnancy and childcare, and a partnership with Vision to Learn, which offers free eye exams and glasses to students in Detroit. These programs strive to break the cycle of poverty and poor health that wracks people of low income in Detroit. In the meantime, it is important to learn about the importance of public health and erase stigmas of poverty. It is so easy to judge people stuck in poverty without realizing the extent of their situation — a situation that leads to poor health and minimizes the chances of upward social mobility. Instead of shaming those with low income, we must strive to understand the whole extent of their situation and be cognizant of the uncontrollable circumstances that have trapped them where they are. We must empathize and withhold judgment, because there are extenuating circumstances that we do not understand. With the fate of the Affordable Care Act in the air, it is more important than ever to realize that while the law did have its flaws, accessible health care is a lifeline for people with low income, who are trapped in this awful feedback cycle of poverty and poor health. Opinion The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com 4A — Monday, March 6, 2017 REBECCA LERNER Managing Editor 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. EMMA KINERY Editor in Chief ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY and REBECCA TARNOPOL Editorial Page Editors Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. Carolyn Ayaub Megan Burns Samantha Goldstein Caitlin Heenan Jeremy Kaplan Sarah Khan Max Lubell Alexis Megdanoff Madeline Nowicki Anna Polumbo-Levy Jason Rowland Ali Safawi Kevin Sweitzer Rebecca Tarnopol Stephanie Trierweiler EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Good health isn’t always a choice ASHLEY ZHANG | COLUMN Things that go “boom” MICHAEL MORDARSKI | COLUMN Michael Mordarski can be reached at mmordars@umich.edu. MICHAEL MORDARSKI NIA LEE | CONTACT NIA AT LEENIA@UMICH.EDU I n a psychopathology class I am currently enrolled in, discussion on the manifestation of stress arose, as stress is a prominent factor in mental illness. While in many stress is apparent and noticeable to its possessor, there are documented cases in which stress manifests itself physically, through twitches or tics, or even in partial blindness. While incredibly rare, this disorder (conversion disorder) was particularly interesting to me, as I was reminded of my own high school experience. In the classic, over-achieving, well-rounded, doing-this-for-my- college-application fashion, I was involved in as many aspects of high school as I could potentially fit within 24 hours. I would often wake up early to go to meetings before school, and I would rarely return home from school until 8 or 9 p.m. My days were busy and filled with stress, but if ever I were asked about my own well-being I would respond positively, confirming my own happiness and mental health. Importantly, I believed it. I never thought much of the constant stressors in my life, and I enjoyed being busy. This raised a very important question for me: Why was I striving in spite of all of this stress, while many of my friends and peers were not? Stress is huge in college students, and majorly affects one’s mental health. This can be explained in any number of ways, though the exact etiology of stress in college students remains unknown. Particularly at the University of Michigan, I have observed stress- perpetuating behaviors such as stress competition and rumination, which many of us are unlikely to even be aware of, or perhaps perpetuate ourselves. I hope that if we notice and acknowledge how problematic these actions are, we can perhaps decrease their prevalence on our campus and subsequently decrease our stress levels through self-awareness. I am a relatively relaxed person when it comes to assignments and exams. I was lucky to be raised by a teacher who somehow managed to simultaneously promote both the importance of doing well in school and the importance of maintaining a healthy level of stress. My high school was not very competitive outside of the cohort of students who took the same AP classes and participated in the same extracurricular activities, so like most freshmen, my experience at the University my freshman year was incredibly different from my experiences in high school. What startled me most about the transition was not the rigor of the course exams, or the number of readings I was assigned per week, but rather other students’ responses to these expectations. Though I was completely without studying skills or experience with vast amounts of homework, I adjusted quickly to the rigor and though I was overwhelmed, I found the transition not to be very difficult. Other students from my small, underfunded high school who now attend the University related similar experiences. I was shocked. Friends of mine who had attended prestigious, rigorous high schools were spending hours in the library every day, our conversations revolved solely around readings, classes, professors and incessant, constant stress. I was immediately concerned that I wasn’t stressed enough, that I was perhaps not putting in the requisite number of hours each week studying. But as time went on, I realized more and more that the excessive stress my peers were experiencing was hurting them more than it was helping. I think the phenomenon of “unnecessary stress” demonstrated by many students at this university can be explained through a variety of social cues and norms, and if we become aware of these, we can perhaps end the vicious cycle of their perpetuation. Studying has become more of a social activity than an individual activity, and this often leads to distractions. While studying with friends can be beneficial when the studying is low-stakes, group study puts students at risk for distractions and decreased productivity. What’s more, studying in public or with friends can be a double-edged sword. For some, being around friends can lead to increased social disruption from concentration, while for others it can be easier to hold yourself accountable for studying when you’re among peers. However, it is important to differentiate between studying and socializing. This multitasking of socializing and studying diminishes efficiency and attention abilities. Outside of studying and classes, when socializing or working, avoid topics of school, stress or exams. While it is helpful to discuss your worries and stressors to a degree and in certain situations, constant discussion of stress logically leads to rumination and increased stress. It is not a secret that students at this university are very competitive. Have you ever found yourself in a conversation where your friend complains to you about their workload, or how stressed they are for midterms, etc.? Have you ever immediately shot back with your own workload or stress level in a subconscious attempt to one-up them? Stress- competition can be incredibly toxic, and not only leads to rumination and increased stress, but is also just bad conversation. The last thing you need to do when you’ve finished studying is worry about studying more. Maintaining healthy stress MEGAN BURNS | COLUMN ASHLEY ZHANG MEGAN BURNS Read more at MichiganDaily.com Read more at MichiganDaily.com Ashley Zhang can be reached at ashleyzh@umich.edu. Megan Burns can be reached at megburns@umich.edu.