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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4 — Friday, February 21, 2020

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ARJUN LAMA | COLUMNIST

Shaping the power of cinema

T

he 
92nd 
Academy 
Awards mark another 
year of cinema in an 
ever-changing social climate, 
one that does not embrace the 
cinematic experience in the 
same way it used to. For this 
reason, two of the Best Picture 
nominees provide particular 
interest in this day and age. 
Both Martin Scorsese’s “The 
Irishman” and Quentin Tar-
antino’s “Once Upon a Time 
in Hollywood” are films that 
attempt to restore themes 
of old cinema. For Scorsese, 
“The Irishman” represents a 
final collaboration between 
the classical acting legends 
Robert De Niro, Al Pacino 
and Joe Pesci. “Once Upon a 
Time in Hollywood” attempts 
to recreate the old Hollywood 
style of film and demonstrate 
its impact in the culture of 
the film’s period. Today, with 
the rise of short-form enter-
tainment and the increased 
“Netflix culture” of college 
students, can cinema truly 
impact our lives like it used 
to, and moreover, should it?
Over Winter break, while 
bickering over which movie 
to watch together one night, 
my family, mainly under the 
jurisdiction 
of 
my 
parents, 
chose “The Irishman.” I spent 
the first twenty minutes on my 
phone, having made up my mind 
that a three and a half hour 
movie starring actors all over 
70 could only be a snoozefest. 
Throughout 
the 
course 
of 
the film, however, I became 
fascinated with the plot and 
particularly the mood. Having 
never 
watched 
“Goodfellas,” 
“The 
Godfather” 
or 
any 
other prominent mob movie, 
I was enthralled by the loud 
personalities of the characters 
shown and the stark contrast 
in theirs to any sort of life I had 
lived or witnessed before. 
Films like “The Irishman” 
make 
one 
question 
the 
values that are drilled into 

us early in our lives about 
the ramifications of morally 
unjust 
actions, 
what 
true 
loyalty means in friendships 
and how much we can judge 
others for living societally 
frowned upon lifestyles. Frank 
Sheeran, as portrayed in the 
movie, fits the description 
of 
someone 
engaging 
inpsychopathic behavior on 
the surface. He killed men 
for a living without thinking 
twice about some of their 
deaths. Yet De Niro is able 
to demonstrate an extreme 
rationality in the character 
in that his ultimate goal is to 
provide for his family and only 
kill when he has to, without 
celebrating 
the 
deaths 
of 
his victims. His decisions 
throughout the movie are to 
protect those he loves and they 
ultimately backfire toward the 
end of his life, when he ends 
up alone as a consequence of 
the violent actions of his past. 
He is forced to ask if it was all 
really worth it.
Too 
often 
we 
watch 
movies 
as 
an 
isolated 
experience, 
nothing 
more 
than an extended amusement 
park ride, meant for pure 
entertainment 
over 
the 
course 
of 
a 
few 
hours. 
However, 
movies 
often 
provide clues about society 
and the state of the culture 
at their time. The movies that 
are able to transcend time, 
however, 
have 
the 
ability 
to shape society and set its 
course for the future rather 
than reflect what society is. 
Cinema is also unique in that 
it can open up new lenses 
and perspectives on life in 
ways no other medium can. 
Nowhere else can you live 
through someone else like in 
the theater and understand 
their struggles, motivations 
and most of all emotions — 
without driving to the closest 
theater and buying a movie 
ticket, that is. Literature and 

physical artwork can paint 
a picture in a viewer’s head, 
but there is something to be 
said for the ability to see a 
thousand 
mixed 
emotions 
in a character’s expression 
and, in a literal sense, see 
the picture the creator of the 
work intended.
As the rising generation, 
our ability to propel the 
future depends on an ability 
to see the present clearly 
from 
different 
points 
of 
view. Cinema can provide 
the opportunity to do that, 
and actually do so in a way 
that 
captures 
attention 
and passion, if we have the 
patience to let it. By showing 
interest 
and 
appreciation 
for 
cinema 
that 
moves 
culture forward, artists with 
revolutionary ideas can be 
given a platform and continue 
to benefit the world around 
us. In the world of short-
form media — from news on 
Twitter to communication 
via Instagram memes — it is 
easy to get sucked into the 
short-term rush of instant 
entertainment. 
While 
this 
form of media consumption 
may have some effect on 
society, much of the time 
there is little thought given 
to what those effects may 
be. As a result such mediums 
do not drive us forward as a 
people. Netflix was the only 
company willing to fund “The 
Irishman,” 
an 
indication 
of the course that today’s 
audience is paving. So as I 
write this article from the 
sudden all-knowing position 
of a college student who has 
seen one Robert De Niro 
movie, I end with an equally 
pompous, 
but 
nonetheless 
true, reminder to my peers: 
Art can only continue to 
shape the world around us if 
we allow it to. 

EASHETA SHAH | COLUMN

Stop and smell the coffee

FROM THE DAILY

Resist disillusionment in the wake of the Iowa caucus
O

n Feb. 3, millions of Americans, including many in the University of Michigan 

community, tuned in to watch the first votes of the 2020 election cycle. The 

Iowa caucus was supposed to be a night that provided clarity in the crowded 

race for the Democratic nomination and demonstrated Democrats’ first step in their quest 

to win back the White House. Instead, Iowa provided more questions than answers as an 

under-tested app severely delayed the results of the caucuses and underscored concerns 

about Iowa’s spot as the nation’s first primary.

Results from the caucuses were 
delayed by almost 24 hours as a 
hastily built app, meant to expedite 
the tabulation process, made 
reporting more difficult. Iowa 
Democratic Party spokesperson 
Mandy McClure clarified that 
“the app did not go down,” but 
users at the precincts said they 
were unable to connect to the app’s 
central server, and phone lines 
were so busy that in some cases 
the workers were on hold for more 
than an hour.
Iowa is not the only state 
pushing to implement technology 
into the election cycle. West 
Virginia, 
Oregon, 
Colorado, 
California and Utah are all at 
different stages of testing new 
remote voting systems, despite 
strong warnings from leading 
cybersecurity experts. However, 
the decision to use an app in the 
Iowa caucus showed a significant 
failure in judgement. The app was 
the result of a $60,000 contract 
with a software company called 
Shadow Inc., and was put together 
in a matter of months. In such a 
critical and contested election year, 
it’s shocking the Iowa Democratic 
Party decided to implement an 
untested, vulnerable app that could 
have jeopardized the integrity of 
the election. 
The fiasco in Iowa has also 
reignited the debate over Iowa’s 
role as the first state to vote in 
the primaries and the caucus 
system in general. Since 1972, 
Iowa has been the first state to 
vote for both the Democratic and 
Republican nominees. Being first 
gives Iowa outsized influence in 
the nomination process, as well as 
a massive financial windfall, with 
campaigns spending on everything 
from TV ads to hotel rooms.
Additionally, there are some 
valid concerns about the fairness 
and accessibility of the caucuses. 
Just as the outdated nature of the 
caucus system has been mentioned 
across the country, many voters 
have voiced their desire for a more 
representative state to begin the 
primary process as the Democratic 
Party stands to represent a wide 
swath of minority groups. 90 
percent of Iowans are white, much 
higher than the national average 
of 60 percent. The Iowa caucus 
is also held on a specific night at a 
specific time with no exceptions. 
There are no early voting or 
absentee ballots for the caucus, and 
people are forced to spend hours 
participating in them. This can 

be difficult for parents, minimum 
wage workers, students and people 
with disabilities. This year the Iowa 
Democratic Party tried to address 
these problems by adding caucuses 
in places like nursing homes while 
implementing satellite caucuses 
— including one in Ann Arbor. 
However, questions still remain 
about whether the caucus system 
should continue, given that its 
structural inflexibility can be a 
barrier to many voters. States like 
Nevada, which also has a caucus, 
have taken even more proactive 
steps to address these problems by 
instituting early voting and putting 
caucus sites in casinos to give 
casino workers the chance to vote. 
It is changes like these that could 
help make nominating a candidate 
more fair and democratic.

With the Iowa caucus debacle 
remaining 
unresolved, 
the 
Democratic National Convention 
(DNC) head was forced to call for 
a recanvass, causing the race to 
remain in largely the same place 
as it was before voting began 
in 
the 
immediate 
aftermath. 
Despite the claims that Iowa is 
unrepresentative and that it only 
has 41 delegates up for grabs, its 
significance has persisted. Iowa 
has long been used to filter the 
field and narrow the choices for 
the following primary states, and 
for Iowa to signal to the rest of the 
country which candidates have 
support and momentum that can 
be used in the general election. 
The quintessential Iowa success 
story comes from 2008, when then-
Senator Barack Obama increased 
his profile by winning 37.6 percent 
of the vote in Iowa, a result 
which propelled him through 
the primaries and into the White 
House. 
While 
candidate 
Pete 
Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, 
Ind., ultimately boosted his profile 
by winning one more delegate than 
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the 
results and delegate allocation 
shifted multiple times in the days 

following the caucuses and both 
Buttigieg and Sanders have since 
asked for a recount of select caucus 
sites. Buttigieg and Sanders each 
declaring victory eliminated the 
opportunity for a clear frontrunner 
to take hold before the race moved 
on to the New Hampshire primary 
on Feb. 11.
While New Hampshire only 
has 24 delegates in contention, its 
results stood in as the Iowa of the 
2020 election, helping determine 
which candidates have support as 
the primary schedule heats up — 
again, Buttigieg and Sanders. The 
failure of the Iowa caucus leaves 
the race crowded for voters making 
decisions in early voting states, 
such as California, where 15 million 
ballots were sent by mail the same 
day Iowa voting commenced.
The results of the primaries 
moving 
forward 
will 
be 
increasingly called into question 
and dragged out due to the 
failure of Iowa out of the gate. 
The Democrats cannot afford 
any more mistakes in the coming 
primaries and caucuses. On Super 
Tuesday, one-third of the total 
delegates are available, as 16 states 
and territories will take to the 
ballot booths. A crowded field of 
candidates into New Hampshire 
and a close race into Super 
Tuesday hinders the decisiveness 
that the primaries are meant 
to show to voters moving into a 
pivotal year for the Democrats.
The DNC’s failure in the Iowa 
caucus reflects the need for 
precision and care moving forward. 
The purpose of early primaries 
and caucuses is to signal 
to the coming states which 
candidates have widespread 
support. We, as The Michigan 
Daily Editorial Board, call for 
greater 
transparency 
from 
the DNC and more careful 
consideration 
of 
how 
the 
primaries are to be carried 
out. Through this, we can 
ensure the voices of the nation 
are heard and represented 
equally. Despite the setback in 
the Iowa caucus, we encourage 
our 
readers 
to 
remain 
politically informed and not to 
let this disappointment deter 
them from exercising their 
political vote. Further, we also 
urge voters to resist becoming 
disillusioned with the electoral 
system and to continue to stay 
engaged and up to date ahead 
of the Michigan primary on 
March 10.

A

s a self-proclaimed cof-
fee 
enthusiast, 
I’ve 
always had an inces-
sant curiosity for coffee shops 
— the people, the atmosphere 
and of course, the coffee. The 
process of examining the menu 
of roasts, consulting a barista to 
validate my decision and sipping 
my selection over good conver-
sation is my definition of heav-
en. Unfortunately, as school gets 
busier, heaven becomes a little 
harder to recreate, and good 
conversation is replaced by a 
hurried “please,” “thank you” 
and “have a good one.” Coffee 
culture as a whole has taken on 
a new meaning where the only 
connection we’re seeking is the 
WiFi. 
College has taken my caffeine 
intake to new heights, and I’ve 
learned to embrace my routine, 
from the cup that starts my 
day off to the unapologetic 
second and third coffee runs at 
the UMMA Cafe or Espresso 
Royale. I’m hardly alone in my 
tendencies: Nearly 22 percent 
of all college student beverage 
consumption is coffee, and of 
students who drink “pick-me-
up” beverages, 52.4 percent 
prefer 
coffee. 
Whether 
it’s 
staying holed up at a corner 
table 
of 
the 
ever-crowded 
Starbucks on State Street for 
hours on end or running in and 
out of the store gulping down a 
Venti-sized drink, trips to the 
coffee shop have simply become 
an intermediate between the 
person and their beverage of 
choice. Even the role of baristas 
has been diminished to acting as 
a middleman. As if headphones 
and hectic schedules weren’t 
enough to distract customers 
from 
engaging 
with 
their 
surroundings, 
mobile 
orders 
have granted us a far more 
convenient way to minimize 
any face to face interactions. 
With the introduction of mobile 
orders now making up about 
30 percent of all Starbucks 
transaction 
payments, 
any 
potential 
barista-customer 
conversation has come to a 
screeching halt. I too, the coffee 
aficionado myself, am guilty 
of giving in to the quick swipe 
on my phone, too preoccupied 
with chemistry homework to 
be bothered to walk the five 

steps toward the register. It 
took me several occurrences of 
picking up the wrong drink and 
being envious of the occasional 
customer who was on a first-
name basis with their favorite 
barista to realize that I have a 
problem — never with my intake 
of course, but with my method.
In all the madness that is 
college, I realized I’ve been 
cheating myself out of the coffee 
culture I was once so excited 
about 
experiencing 
here 
in 
Ann Arbor. I’m surrounded by 
coffee joints at every corner, 
but there’s something missing: 
I’m in the coffee shop, but 
I’m not all there. None of us 
are. We’re too engrossed in 
textbooks to notice the barista 
calling our order. We’re too 
consumed by deadlines to hear 
the girl standing in front of us 
ask, “Is anyone sitting there?” 
The campus coffee shops have 
become a place where heads are 
down, and people are not really 
people. 
But this is not how coffee 
shops are meant to function. 
Coffee shops are an example 
of what urban sociologist Ray 
Oldenburg considers a third 
place. Third places, like bars, 
bookstores and cafes, are meant 
to be an escape from work and 
home life. They foster a sense 
of 
community, 
spark 
lively 
conversation 
and 
encourage 
creative interaction between 
the people inhabiting the space. 
Per this theory analyzed in 
Oldenburg’s book, “The Great 
Good Place,” people must find 
their balance between their 
domestic place, their productive 
place and their socially inclusive 
place. 
Leading 
a 
healthy 
lifestyle suggests harmonizing 
these 
“three 
realms 
of 
experience.” For me, that means 
Mary Markley Residence Hall, 
the Chemistry Building and 
Espresso 
Royale. 
Oldenburg 
emphasizes the importance of 
differentiation between these 
three spaces, and therein lies the 
problem. Markley Hall becomes 
so socially inclusive it seems 
to expel a need for the third 
place. The long hours of back-
to-back lab, lecture and study 
group 
make 
the 
Chemistry 
Building seem too much like 
home. And the coffee shop run 

ends up becoming a quick fuel 
recharge of the exhausting two-
model system Oldenburg warns 
against. 
College 
students 
have 
become so reliant on coffee as 
a source of caffeine that we 
lose sight of the rich culture 
coffee shops provide us with. 
We forget that it can serve as a 
third place, as it does in so many 
countries. A coffee shop in the 
Netherlands would mock the 
“to-go” order endlessly. There, 
caffeination occurs gradually, 
in 
small 
sips, 
surrounded 
by good company — which 
sounds much more relaxing 
than downing a triple shot in 
the Hatcher Library reference 
room staring at an outline for 
a nine-page philosophy paper. 
Third places are meant to serve 
as a leveler where inclusivity 
thrives, where workers and 
non-working individuals tread 
the same ground and where the 
purpose of gathering is “pure 
sociability.” The characteristics 
of third places are so vividly 
present in coffee shops, if only 
we had the time to notice them 
and engage in them.
Of course, I understand that 
as college students, we don’t 
have the luxury of being able 
to spend two hours over a dark 
roast pour-over, reminiscing 
about life. We’re busy, and for 
us, coffee is just a means. The 
constant need for a pick-me-up 
is ingrained as part of the college 
student experience, but it’s time 
we reclaim our favorite coffee 
shops on campus. It’s time we 
reinstate coffee culture as a sit-
down experience. We need that 
third place to unwind from our 
busy lives, so why not seek out 
that relief in something that is 
already so heavily incorporated 
into daily routine? Next time 
you’re having an “I need coffee 
in an IV moment,” take a second 
to engage in that superfluous 
conversation with the barista. 
Glance up from your textbooks 
once in a while and notice the 
regulars. Peel away from your 
laptop screen and admire your 
home away from home. For 
your own sake, stop and smell 
the coffee.

Easheta Shah can be reached at 

shaheash@umich.edu.

The Democrats 
cannot afford any 
more mistakes 
in the coming 
primaries. 

Arjun Lama can be reached at 

arjunl@umich.edu.

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