Kansas
We must build a better path through a culture that damages Kansas teens’ mental health – Kansas Reflector
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Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion items from writers who share our aim of widening the dialog about how public insurance policies have an effect on the day-to-day lives of individuals all through our state. Inas Younis was born in Mosul, Iraq, and emigrated to america as a toddler. She is a author and commentator who has been broadly revealed in varied magazines, web sites and anthologies.
When horrible issues occur to good folks, our first instincts are to formulate grand explanations that alleviate our nervousness and permit us to conclude that “this might by no means occur to me.” We choreograph our responses and try to maneuver on with our lives. However when tragedy strikes a little bit too near dwelling, we will not afford to depend on our narratives of security.
With regards to the dire statistics about melancholy and suicide, we’ve all been struck, both as a result of we’ve suffered a significant depressive episode and contemplated ending all of it or know somebody who has.
Practically 47,000 folks die from suicide yearly in america. In Kansas, suicide is the second main explanation for demise for folks ages 15-24, rating Kansas 15th within the nation for suicide charges.
Historically, psychological well being professionals and coverage makers have been those charged with the duty of figuring out and understanding the explanations for what we now routinely discuss with because the “Psychological Well being Disaster.” However a disaster of this proportion requires all of us to start out paying consideration.
Many professionals on this area attribute the rise in psychological well being issues to the COVID-19 pandemic, however in accordance with social psychologist and best-selling writer Jonathan Haidt, we have to look way back to 2012, not 2020 to know what is going on.
The Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for people in disaster or for these seeking to assist another person. To talk with an authorized listener, name 800-273 8255.
Disaster Textual content Line is a texting service for emotional disaster assist. To talk with a educated listener, textual content HELLO to 741741. It’s free, obtainable 24/7, and confidential.
In truth, simply earlier than the pandemic, charges of melancholy amongst teenagers almost doubled. This sharp rise was not as a result of causes we suspect. It was not resulting from a willingness by younger folks to self-diagnose, nor within the willingness of clinicians to over-diagnose. These are simply the security narratives that we’ve been telling ourselves.
The info presents us a much less reassuring rationalization.
A outstanding advocate for teenage psychological well being, Haidt testified earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Know-how, Privateness, and the Regulation on Could 4 that smartphones and social media are substantial contributors in teen melancholy and suicide. Within the interval between 2012 and 2015, smartphones went from being elective to being common amongst teenagers.
Haidt claims that social media “reworked childhood exercise, consideration, social relationships, and consciousness within the years between 2009 and 2012.” Based on the information, by 2015 psychological well being facilities that catered to teenagers and school college students turned overwhelmed, and now a whole bunch of suicidal teenagers sleep in emergency rooms each evening.
Though Haidt doesn’t consider that social media is the one explanation for the disaster, he claims that there isn’t a different speculation that may clarify the suddenness and enormity of the issue.
Well-known for his counterintuitive sociological conclusions, well-known social scientist and writer Malcolm Gladwell doesn’t blame social media immediately however as an alternative presents us an information level that may give extra credence to the social media speculation. Gladwell claims that statistics present that suicide charges have traditionally been increased in nations wherein residents describe themselves as pleased, in comparison with these wherein residents describe themselves as not very pleased.
He sums up his conclusions by coining the phrase “relative deprivation,” which is the notion that individuals could really feel disadvantaged of some fascinating factor relative to different individuals and social teams of their neighborhood. The phenomenon is facilitated by the widespread use of social media, the place teenagers spend hours curating their picture for public consumption and the place strangers can actually charge you with clicks and shares.
Gladwell explores this improvement in his bestselling e-book David and Goliath, which applies this principle to highschool graduates on the high of their class. He notes that when small-town highschool heroes make it into the Ivy League world of standing and affect, lots of them expertise a disaster of vanity and endure a breakdown.
Having spent their whole lives being an enormous fish in a little bit pond, being a little bit fish in an enormous pond threatens their self-image. Utilized to social media, the speculation of relative deprivation leads us to conclude that in a world as huge as Instagram, we’re all little fish in an enormous swamp.
Sadly, the answer to that is way more difficult than simply limiting or banning social media use. Taking away social media when one’s friends are utilizing these platforms to arrange their social lives can lead teenagers feeling like they’re not being included within the dialog.
Sadly, the answer to that is way more difficult than simply limiting or banning social media use. Taking away social media when one’s friends are utilizing these platforms to arrange their social lives can lead teenagers feeling like they’re not being included within the dialog.
We’d like a extra nuanced strategy that permits socially acceptable methods for teenagers to flee from applied sciences that exacerbate their nervousness and threaten their self-worth.
We’d like a countercultural motion that challenges the engineered habit of those areas. We have to facilitate the creation of a communal tradition spearheaded by teenagers that pushes again towards the concept that social interactions have to be curated by a 3rd social gathering who seeks to revenue not from their pleasure or achievements however from their anger, nervousness and wish for social approval.
It is going to take many years earlier than we’ve any exhausting science figuring out the causes for the surge in suicide charges. Within the meantime, group enterprise leaders, reminiscent of this 12 months’s Management Overland Park class of 2022 have taken up the cost to have these troublesome conversations, and to debate the elemental questions: Why? Why now? What can we do about it?
Psychological well being is public well being, and I’m inspired by these efforts and the work of the newly shaped Overland Park Disaster Crew or OPCAT, which supplies psychological health-related and trauma-informed assist throughout emergency calls.
With regards to the psychological well being of our teenagers, a few of us could also be tempted to invoke the previous parenting adage that we should always “put together the kid for the street and never the street for the kid.”
Whereas adversity will help kids develop the talents to get well and triumph throughout troublesome instances, we additionally want to acknowledge that the bromides of the previous might not be sufficient anymore. In right now’s world, the street is an ever-changing digital panorama that’s algorithmically hostile to wholesome improvement. Nobody can or ought to be ready for it.
Possibly at this level in our historical past, it’s the street that should change.
Via its opinion part, the Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who find themselves affected by public insurance policies or excluded from public debate. Discover info, together with the way to submit your personal commentary, right here.
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Kansas
Kansas State players of the game vs UT-Martin
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Kansas State offensive MVP: DJ Giddens
It was another nice and easy day at the office for Kansas State running back DJ Giddens.
The Junction City running back went over 100 yards for the fifth consecutive game. His five game streak of going over the century mark is tied for fourth in K-State school history. Giddens finished the game with 124 rushing yards and added six receiving yards.
Dylan Edwards provided a nice spark for the Wildcat offense in his first game after transferring from Colorado. Edwards scored multiple times in the contest Saturday night with one on the ground and a receiving touchdown.
In the first home start for Avery Johnson, there were some ups and downs.
However, Johnson still finished with two touchdowns through the air and added some nice runs as well. Jayce Brown was a major bright spot receiving as well with 71 receiving yards. The true sophomore led Kansas State in receiving and had the most receptions with five.
Defensive MVP: Tobi Osunsanmi
For defense there was a few different options for MVP. I really wrestled back and forth between two.
Ultimately, I decided on Tobi Osunsanmi. The Wichita native was a man possessed in his snaps. He showed his elite burst and was able to get to the quarterback at a very high clip. Osunsanmi finished the game with 1.5 sacks (2.5 if he completes one instead of letting the quarterback escape).
He also added another quarterback hit to go along with the sacks.
Desmond Purnell was also flying around the field Saturday evening. He led K-State in tackles with seven and was tied for first in tackles for a loss with 1.5.
K-State special teams MVP: Ty Bowman
Anytime you can create a touchdown on special teams, it is an easy choice for special teams MVP. Ty Bowman blocked his second career punt in the season opener versus UT-Martin. The beneficiary of Bowman blocking the punt was Colby McCalister who returned the ball one yard for a touchdown.
Chris Tennant was also perfect on all of his kicks. Tennant knocked in a 45 and 43-yard field goal and was perfect on all of his extra points.
Kansas
Tulane Football’s Path to Victory Must Exploit Inexperienced Kansas State
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The stage is set for Tulane football’s highly anticipated Week 2 matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats as they seek to become contenders on a national stage.
Intriguingly, the Green Wave and the Wildcats have some parallels on offense. Kansas State kicks off the season Saturday against FCS opponent UT-Martin, much like Tulane opened against Southeastern Louisiana.
Sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson will make his first regular season start, much like redshirt freshman Darian Mensah led Tulane to their 52-0 victory Thursday night. Johnson did appear in eight games as a true freshman and started for the team in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, beating North Carolina State.
However, he did so behind an offensive line that looks nothing like the one that will take the field next Saturday at Yulman Stadium. The Wildcats must replace four of five starters, including third-round draft pick Cooper Beebe. Just as Tulane had to find Vincent Murphy to take over for Sincere Haynesworth.
Though the group of returners isn’t exactly inexperienced, they don’t have any time playing together in concert. The lone starter remaining is right guard Hadley Panzer, who likely is starting this season at left guard. Presumed starting left tackle Easton Kilty is making his first FBS start.
It helps that Kansas State’s offensive line coach, Conor Riley, was promoted to coordinator. He has pieces to work with that have credible game snaps. The challenge is whether they can come together as a unit.
While Avery Johnson has more experience than Darian Mensah, Mensah benefits from a much more stable offensive line. Tulane returned both starting guards and right tackle and brought in key transfers to fill the remaining holes. In their season debut, they gave Mensah time in the pocket, but the run blocking left much to be desired.
Tulane brought in transfers on the defensive line to bolster their pass rush. They got to the quarterback twice with two sacks last Thursday, but the Bandit role was a point of concern. Their three-man front is spaced to spread out their top playmakers, Adin Huntington at defensive end and Patrick Jenkins at tackle.
With Huntington to the field and Jenkins to the boundary, it forces defenses to either focus attention on one side of the line or just shut down the best two players. That awards a lot of one-on-one opportunities for the rusher at Bandit. The players who rotated in the first game didn’t make much of a case.
Terrell Allen didn’t make any standout plays, nor did Matthew Fobbs-White, though the latter showed some disruptive abilities off the line of scrimmage. Frankly, Shi’Keem Laister was the most productive in a packaged role. Laister had a hurry and forced Southeastern to throw quickly, leading to incompletions on the drive.
Tulane doesn’t need the Bandit to be the hero, but they need a player to step up and credibly command attention to open up lanes for Huntington, who only recorded one hurry in his debut for the team.
Importantly, the team likely didn’t show their cards on the ways they might get to the quarterback. It might come from the second level. Linebacker Sam Howard had more pressure snaps than Fobbs-White and Allen, and he recorded a hurry and beat his blocker on another.
Could Tulane rely on blitzing and utilizing defensive backs and linebackers as rushers? Not all season. But creativity and confusion might just be enough to rattle the Wildcats as both teams race to figure out what the other is made of with merely one game of film.
The secondary came together as Tulane’s season opener went on, and should be a point of strength, but the best coverage is a pass rush. Especially with an opponent that has similar turnover and areas to exploit. For the Green Wave to pull off a victory on Sept. 7, the key lies in the lane to the quarterback.
Kansas
Lawmakers plan brazen power grab, pushing aside Kansas voters and Gov. Laura Kelly • Kansas Reflector
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Let’s be clear about what Kansas Republican legislative leaders are doing with their planned overhaul of budgeting: They are launching a personal and political power grab against Gov. Laura Kelly.
They have never accepted or respected her mandate. Despite Kelly winning a second term and having two years left to go, they have continually attempted to usurp the executive branch’s authority. They have tried a constitutional amendment and prohibiting her ability to negotiate Medicaid contracts. Now they’re going after her yearly state budget proposal.
Usually, the Legislature begins its yearly budget process with a proposal from the governor. Her office submits it when lawmakers arrive for the annual session, in January. Now an interim committee wants to start the process earlier, as soon as October of the previous year.
In this new process, the governor’s budget would be a suggestion, not a starting point.
And never mind that it’s a direct attack on Kelly. House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, assured the audience that these changes had nothing to do with the governor.
“This process has nothing to do with the governor,” he said at the meeting earlier this month, according to Kansas Reflector reporter Tim Carpenter. “If you’re going to focus on the governor, probably not the wisest thing to do, because this process has happened over time with many, many different governors.”
He was contradicted by Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, who let the proverbial cat out of the figurative bag.
“You’ll have a Republican governor, for example, or somebody you trust, and you trust the administration to build the budgets, and then you kind of rubber stamp stuff,” Masterson said. “And, then, you switch, and you have (the) opposition party and then there’s all that same power.”
Oh. So it’s like that, then.
All of this might seem like so much partisan mud wrestling, except for the fact that the leaders have also decided to do an end run around Kansas voters.
Did you notice that the proposed new process could start as early as October? While details at the hearing were scarce, leaders appeared to suggest that they would start working on budget without knowing whether they would be elected. What happens if all the folks on the budget committee are voted out of office? Who takes the lead then?
Once again, we see Kansas legislative leaders trying to concentrate power. They don’t want the governor to even have the first say in the budgeting process, and they apparently don’t trust the rest of their colleagues. You know, all the people who drive to Topeka in January to actually make laws.
Sen. Carolyn McGinn, a Sedgwick Republican, raised concerns that these changes would also limit the ability of constituents to speak about budget priorities.
McGinn might have decided to retire, but she has a point. Leaders apparently don’t even trust their constituents when it comes to spending.
In there interest of fairness, I should note that the reform committee considered several worthwhile proposals. Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, discussed ending lawmakers’ de facto three-day work week. Yes, they usually take Mondays and Fridays off, at times slowing progress to a crawl. The panel also targeted budget earmarks for favored programs that don’t go through a regular committee process.
In the interest of perspective, however, I’m not falling over myself with gratitude. It’s obvious that legislators should work throughout the week, and it’s obvious they shouldn’t be larding up the budget with unvetted spending.
It’s like going through life without running over someone with your car. I mean, I’m glad that you didn’t, but surely you don’t deserve a plaque.
Lawmakers might still be able to make worthwhile changes to the budgeting process. They could start with increasing transparency, which Carpenter noted wasn’t discussed by members of either party. But until they stop jostling for partisan advantage and making themselves look foolish, don’t expect much.
Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
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