Perhaps the most dreaded facet of online learning is the Zoom Breakout Room, a wasteland of black screens and muted microphones and often silent, unrequited group work in a shared Google Document. And like Grant Wood’s “American Gothic,” the Zoom Breakout Room has come to define itself as a somber event of cultural permanence. It’s s the ultimate battleground of the virtual college experience and more deeply, one of the darkest underbellies of social interaction. My experiences in breakout rooms have left me questioning my peers’ integrity, maturity and emotional depth, but more importantly, have led me to a much more refined understanding of the human condition. You see, our experiences are not always novel or paramount: all of our hearts begin to race before we enter a breakout room, our palms begin to sweat and sometimes we stutter and ramble and overshare about our love for Jhumpa Lahiri or Audie Cornish from All Things Considered or Emily Ratajkowski’s essay on buying herself back. With this in mind, I have amassed a list of proven tips and tricks, through a lengthy process of trial and error, on conquering the Zoom Breakout Room once and for all. Use at your own discretion. 1. Turn Your Camera On. Taking the initiative to turn your camera on in a breakout room can often be nerve wracking and nauseating especially when no one else has theirs on. People tend to mirror one another and turning mine on has almost always catalyzed a chain reaction of cameras turning on. It’s important to be aware that often people keep their cameras off because of external circumstances we may not understand. For this reason turning on cameras can be a hefty matter and one that should be approached with tact and care. Never force cameras to be turned on, this is a process that is best undertaken naturally. If you turn your camera on and no one follows suit, you should probably turn it back off. According to the students in my biology discussion breakout room, each breakout room has its own delightful bags of tricks and surprises and sometimes we get handed a smelly bag rotting at the seams. 2. Ask People How They’re Doing. I start every conversation in breakout rooms I’m thrusted into by asking people how they are doing. This is a common courtesy and should always be asked. “How are you doing?” poses itself as an even more potent conversation starter in the midst of a pandemic. People are not often asked this question with sincerity, nor are we expected to answer honestly. It’s okay to not be doing well. It’s okay to be honest and open about failure. It opens the floor to productive dialogue and most importantly, renders the breakout room a safe virtual space for completing group work. Sometimes I don’t know the answer to the group work. Sometimes unprecedented events happen or we lose motivation or the world can become lean and mean for periods of time and we fall weeks behind in lectures or readings. That is OK. 3. Ask People About Their Music Taste. People love to be understood, validated and heard in all kinds of ways. Music and sharing music presents itself as one of the most sacred forms of friendship and communication. People love to talk about music and more importantly, the kind of music they listen to, because by default it is an extension of the soul and the mind and the heart. Sometimes this doesn’t work and I’ll receive vague answers like I-listen-to everything-but-country but sometimes I’ll get things like Phoebe Bridgers (who I discovered through a breakout room!) and Ms. Lauryn Hill and Mos Def. Earlier this month, I was walking down South Forest Avenue with a friend of mine on a Friday night when two white men drove by us on the sidewalk. They rolled down their windows and one of them proceeded to shout at me to “get off the street” followed by the N-word. Two weeks later, I can still vividly recall the fear and discomfort I felt in the moment. The event, which happened mere blocks away from my apartment, turned what used to be a familiar street to me into a cruel reminder of the antiquated attitudes still existing everywhere in the United States, including (and especially) here, at the University of Michigan. It reminded me that, as African philosophy scholar Mabogo P. More once stated, “To live under the threat of non-being is to live in what existentialists call a condition of finitude, the constant possibility of disintegration and death and, therefore, anguish and anxiety.” This immense lack of control over the way society perceives us, as Black beings, has a tremendous impact on our lived experience. Nowadays, we often talk about racial oppression on a systemic level, typically from an economic standpoint by examining the impacts of structural inequality. But not nearly as often do we discuss the effects oppression has on the body, mind and soul of the oppressed being –– the disparaging impact that incessantly being perceived as an other, along with the ongoing relativization to the white norm, has on the psyche of the dis- possessed subject. Steve Biko, a radical South African activist, wrote extensively on what it means to be Black in an anti-Black world. Before he was assassinated by the South African apartheid regime in 1977, he worked heavily with the South African Student Organization and contributed towards establishing the Black Consciousness Movement. This was a movement combining ideologies of Black Power, philosophical notions of (Black) consciousness and radical Christianity in order to empower Black people to assert their own autonomy and self-determination, thus challenging the white power structure. Biko believed, and once stated, “The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” I know firsthand what it’s like to carry the weight of a lifetime of internalized oppression. It’s an ongoing process to overcome the never-ending feelings of imposter syndrome, coupled with my increasingly negative self-esteem and body image after years and years of being socialized by our anti-Black society to hate myself. It’s true that a lifetime of racialized oppression psychologically alters the conscious experience of the oppressed individual. According to Frantz Fanon, a radical Black political philosopher, this constant subjugation to violence results in the epidermalization of inferiority in the mind of the colonized subject. In other words, in attempting to subvert and mitigate the likelihood of discrimination, the oppressed individual will subconsciously strive to adhere to standards of whiteness, thus internalizing their oppression “in anticipation of the punitive norms.” Growing up, I felt this internalization daily without even being aware of it. Living in a world where you’re constantly otherized, conscious of your racialized identity in relation to others or, as Biko referred to in his “On Death” chapter of his popular text “I Write What I Like,” facing “a permanent struggle against an omnipresent death.” And as much as I try to shake it, by no fault of my own, this omnipresence of death is always following me, lingering, as a constant reminder of my sheer lack of control over how I am perceived in this world. But even at my lowest, I remind myself that I have the capacity to rise above it all. To do so, I often find myself drawing parallels between the Black Consciousness Movement’s notion of salvation and deliverance (by going from non-being to being) with the Biblical notions of salvation and deliverance found through Jesus Christ. As Biko discusses in his text, “The Radical Gospel of Black Consciousness,” Black consciousness entails a radical transformation of the ontological status of the individual, going from an inauthentic to authentic being. The inauthenticity of repressing one’s own self in fear of retaliation from the unjust status quo is stripped away by the affirmation of one’s own being. In a similar vein, liberation theologists such as Latin American philosopher Ignacio Ellacuría, draw similar comparisons of deliverance in the act of seeking salvation in Jesus Christ. In his text, “The Crucified Peoples,” Ellacuría discusses how an overwhelming majority of humankind is crucified by means of natural, historical and personal oppression. He claims that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross serves as a double soteriology (salvation doctrine) by tying together the passion and death of Christ with the oppressed. This carries with it heavy implications: The notion that the Creator of the Universe –– all we’ve ever known, experienced or sensed –– came down onto Earth in order to side with those who have historically been persecuted and to affirm the existence of their beings is something that gives me solace as I navigate a society hell-bent on killing me. As Black theologian James Cone wrote in Black Theology and Black Power, “In Christ, God enters human affairs and takes sides with the oppressed. Their suffering becomes His, their despair, divine despair.” This new life that is given through Christ parallels this radical transformation from non- being to being. They both seek for us to live a life that is affirmative and liberative of the oppressed, by wrestling with death in order to receive life. As Luke 4:18 states, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor (...) To set at liberty those who are oppressed, To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” I find comfort in this. The knowledge that I am not determined by my earthly, bodily existence and the demonic nature of capitalism and white supremacy omnipresent in our world. As Fanon once stated in his seminal piece “Black Skin, White Masks,” “In the world through which I travel I am endlessly creating myself.” With this in mind, I continue traveling, paving my own path amid the persecution, and whenever I feel hopeless over my lack of control in the present, I stop and think to myself who really is in control in the end –– and that, in all its glory, liberates me. The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Michigan in Color 6 — Wednesday, March 3, 2021 puzzle by sudokusnydictation.com By Ed Sessa ©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 03/03/21 Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis 03/03/21 ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: Release Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2021 ACROSS 1 Aussie birds with drumbeat-like mating calls 5 Get in a row 10 Regarding 14 Lucy Lawless title role 15 “Take a look” 16 Hit the brakes 17 Once-common childhood ailment 19 Nomadic quarters 20 Giant whose #4 was retired 21 Rock’s Pop 22 Figures of speech 24 Saffron-flavored Spanish dish 26 Embellish 27 Reporting live 30 The eastern half of a frozen food brand 33 Writers’ workplaces 36 Move, in realty ads 37 Anjou, e.g. 38 24-Across ingredient 39 Garson of “Mrs. Miniver” 40 Summit 41 A lot of time, in Spain 42 Wild party 43 Speculate 44 Corporate VIP 45 Hereditary information for a species 47 Having glass sections 49 Incan wool sources 53 Race with no real losers 55 Cruising the Arctic, say 57 Fish served in poke 58 Butter substitute 59 Five-pointed stars ... or, in two words, what the sets of circles represent? 62 Family nicknames 63 Tribal leader 64 Maine, to Macron 65 The Dead Sea, actually 66 Cordial dealings 67 “I did it!” DOWN 1 Many a bodyguard 2 Maestro Zubin 3 Make one out of many 4 __ fly: RBI producer 5 What separates the men from the boys? 6 Like the mind’s “i” 7 Guessing game 8 Former Prizm maker 9 Living very close by 10 Big name in furs 11 Blended family relative 12 Vocal quality 13 Gets involved, with “in” 18 Potters’ needs 23 Oscar-winning director Howard 25 YouTube clicks 26 Like Van Winkle, for 20 years 28 Trip to the market, say 29 “Still Me” memoirist 31 Water containers? 32 Greek war god 33 Storied bloodsucker, for short 34 Mozart’s “__ Kleine Nachtmusik” 35 Somewhat revealing T-shirt option 37 Journalist Zahn 39 Pot pie veggie 43 __ Heights: Mideast region 45 Wildebeest 46 Cate with a falsely accused cow 48 Sprang up 50 Island near Sicily 51 Winning 52 Slangy sibling 53 Ump’s call 54 Forearm bone 55 The Beatles’ “__ Love Her” 56 Editor’s “Let it be” 60 Title tree in six horror films 61 Understand SUDOKU Sudoku Syndication http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ 1 of 1 10/8/08 12:37 PM 3 9 6 2 6 2 4 4 8 6 7 1 4 3 7 4 6 3 7 4 5 9 3 7 6 8 2 7 3 9 © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku and Godoku puzzles at sudokusyndication.com! WHISPER “Happy March!” “Did you know ‘swim’ upside down is still ‘swim’? By Bryant White ©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 02/24/21 Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis 02/24/21 ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: Release Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2021 ACROSS 1 It may break and crash 5 It has an eye on TV 8 Slightly open 12 Sea that’s a victim of irrigation projects 13 Water park feature 15 Heavyweight fight? 16 Capital founded by Pizarro 17 They may draft briefs 18 Saloon door’s lack 19 Civil War topper 20 Tattoo joint? 21 Folklore monster 22 Move furtively 24 “Breaking Bad” org. 25 Verne who created Nemo 26 Dodger rival of shortstop Rizzuto 28 Bucket of bolts 30 “Evita” narrator 32 Gummy bear ingredient 34 YouTube clip, for short 37 Prefix with call 39 Meek 40 Tubes on the table 41 Sonicare rival 43 Get into a stew? 44 One who digs hard rock 45 Wedding reception hiree 47 Pressing 49 Catch a bug, say 50 Energy unit 51 Loitering ... or how 3-, 5-, 7- and 9-Down might be seen? 58 Magic prop 59 Tech company that became a verb 60 Source 62 Harper’s Bazaar designer 63 Absurd 64 Swear to be true 65 Tap serving 66 California’s Point __ National Seashore 67 Cook Islands export DOWN 1 Constitutional events 2 Disney mermaid 3 Blood-drinking mammal 4 “Seinfeld” regular 5 High light 6 Delta of “Designing Women” 7 Spelunking sight 8 Try to date 9 Support for Tarzan 10 Love, to Luigi 11 Judicial attire 13 One working on bks. 14 Linguistic suffix 23 It may be tapped 25 Fifth of 12, alphabetically: Abbr. 27 Place for shooting stars? 29 Free (of) 30 Shoe that’s full of holes 31 Dance that may involve a chair 33 Reddit Q&A session 35 Cal.-to-Fla. highway 36 Gossip 38 Poisonous flowering shrub 40 Terraced structure of ancient Mesopotamia 42 Naval lockup 44 Surrealist Joan 46 Magical potion 48 Persian king 51 “__ Trigger”: Bugs Bunny cartoon 52 Stud fee, maybe 53 Hawaiian goose 54 Anatomy book author Henry 55 Five-star 56 Smoked salmon 57 Cuckoo clock feature 58 Baseball glove part 61 Vegas snake eyes Who’s in control? I think I’m in love with online tests Valentine’s Day passed and no one bought you a bouquet of your favorite flowers or the Baby Yoda chocolate-covered strawberries or a valentine- edition Squishmallow or even a card. If you’re anything like me, scrolling through TikTok and seeing couples go on picnics and being all lovey, then you also wonder where your version of that love is. It’s been 18 years of me, myself and I. So when I took a love language test at the beginning of quarantine in March, I thought to myself, “Why the heck are you taking this? You’ve literally never been in love before.” My result: quality time. But that’s not what mattered to me. While taking the test, I found myself answering things I never really thought about. Do I like it more when I get a hug or a note from someone I love? Do I prefer being close to someone I love or getting a compliment from them? The more I questioned and learned about the way I love, the more fascinated I became with these online tests that seemed to know me better than I knew myself. I then took the infamous Myers-Briggs test with my sister. Our results for this test: ESFP for me and INFJ for my sister. We spent the next hour and a half reading and reflecting on our results, recalling memories together that demonstrated certain aspects of our personalities according to the test. My sister and I are as close as can be, and even then, I found myself revealing to her thoughts and feelings I never let out. The test told me things that I never let myself think about, because who really likes to acknowledge that they have weaknesses and flaws? It put into words all the thoughts I had but could never put into words myself. It’s hard to imagine that a test from 1962 could describe 2020 me with such accuracy. And I know people who don’t trust these tests because they think that it only tells you about yourself if you’re honest with your responses, and some people choose their answers based on what they want the outcome to be. Despite this, I don’t really mind because these tests set me on a road towards learning and loving myself, as cheesy or cliché as that may sound. From the start of April on, my growing interest in learning how to really love myself as a result of taking these tests led me to ideas like the Law of Attraction, manifestation and the Butterfly Effect — all that good universe stuff. I started journaling more about my thoughts, my feelings and my flaws, and soon enough my mindset was changing. I was no longer focusing on why I didn’t have a boyfriend but rather on why I was so adamant that I needed someone else to make myself happy. This change in mindset is why I believe these online tests are more than tests. In a Facebook Messenger group for my Vietnamese Student Association family, my grandbig sends us these tests to take. Together, we fill out an excel sheet with our results, helping us discover the more personal details within each other’s characters. In a boba shop, my Japan Student Association family and I take the test together to see how we each respond; they create ease and a bond. HANNAH NGUYEN MiC Columnist KARIS CLARK MiC Columnist Design by Jessica Chiu A definitive guide to the zoom breakout room Courtesy of Sarah Akaaboune - American Gothic, Grant Wood. SARAH AKKABOUNE MiC Columnist Read more at MichiganDaily.com Read more at MichiganDaily.com Design by Jessica Chiu