Ask Athena - May 2025
Ask Athena features the enigmatic and anonymous person behind The Pillar’s very own advice column. Athena will respond to questions submitted by members of Athenian’s community about anything from advice on AWE to fashion trends. Hopefully, these responses will provide some helpful advice and clarity on Athenian community members’ interesting lives and suggest some new perspectives.
--Thoughts on the Cybertruck?
Design-wise, credit can be given to the Tesla Cybertruck for at least looking unique, although unique isn’t necessarily a good thing. Driving this car, you are the center of attention wherever you go, both because of the car's appearance and the controversy of the man behind it. But everyone knows about Elon Musk. What about the actual function of the car? The problem here is that the Cybertruck is not a good truck. For people who need to tow or haul a big weight for long distances, it is not the truck for you. It is less efficient, meaning you will have to recharge it more often as you travel. Many say that it's not very good off-road, either. Also, there’s the price. The starting price for a Cybertruck is just short of $70,000, and you can get a pickup truck with more functionality that costs less than that. However, I do not believe people who need trucks are buying Cybertrucks. Regardless, it isn’t a great car. In my opinion, the Cybertruck is not a good truck, it attracts a lot of unnecessary attention, and it is not worth the money, no matter whether you are buying it for the function of a truck or a normal car. Plus, as much as this point is reiterated, you are better off giving your money to a different company.
--What’s the easiest lit seminar?
Everyone’s definition of easy is different because there are things that we each value based on our preferences, such as work time for projects, the number of tests, and reading difficulties. Out of the eight seminars that I have taken at Athenian, I think the Modern Chinese History seminar is the easiest. It is easy because there were only a few pages of the textbook or worksheets to read for homework, and the readings are generally easy to understand. Most importantly, there were never any reading quizzes for homework reading, which takes the stress off the reading because reading is not part of the grade. The discussions in that class were also very chill. Everyone was given two pencils, and after every time a student spoke, the student threw the pencil into the basket in the middle of the room. I appreciated that strategy because it provided the opportunity for everyone to speak. So discussions in that class were also not that stressful. Although there were a large research papers and presentations, my experience at the Modern Chinese History was overall not stressful, while I also learned a lot of new content from that interesting seminar.
--Do you think phones change the dynamic between friends at lunch? (e.g. talking, playing, doing nothing)
Short answer - yes. Phones will always change the dynamic, but whether it is positive or negative is a debatable question. For example, a group of friends may be discussing something and reference Google to aid their conversation or clarify a certain part of it. On the other hand, students may choose to be on their phones during lunch rather than interacting with each other. Phones may also serve as a local motivator. At lunch, some students choose to play video games on their phones, but are still interacting with one another. In that way, phones are conducive to a social dynamic. I think that how one chooses to use their phone is completely at their discretion, and each person and group of friends has to determine what the expectation is for phones during their interactions and act accordingly.
--If you were stranded on an island and only able to eat one Athenian salad bar item, which would it be?
If I were stranded on an island, and I could only bring one item from the Athenian salad bar, it would be the tofu blocks. Firstly, tofu is a very good protein source. In order to—potentially—escape from my solitude on the aforementioned island, I will need my strength to swim, find and make shelter, or do other activities commonly done by castaways. Secondly, it is delicious. That goes without saying. Finally, tofu is bland by itself, meaning that it can be seasoned in so many different ways. The salad bar tofu is usually seasoned in some way, but in addition to the foraging skills I will need to develop in order to survive while stranded, I should be able to garnish it more to make my experience of total isolation somewhat enjoyable.
--Can you explain the difference between i.e. and e.g. again?
Pop quiz! Do you think i.e. and e.g. have the same meaning? The answer, surprisingly, is no! Because of their semblance and the similar contexts in which these terms are used, they are commonly mistaken for having the same meaning. I.e. and e.g. are abbreviations that derive from Latin. Simply put, i.e. means “that is” or “in other words,” while e.g. means “for example.” The purpose of i.e. is to clarify a statement right before it. For example: “He is a narcissist, i.e., an extremely self-centered person.” You could also read that sentence as “He is a narcissist, that is, an extremely self centered-person.” As you may already know, the purpose of e.g. is to provide an example in a sentence. For instance: “Citrus fruits, e.g., oranges and lemons, often contain a lot of vitamin C.”
--How do you tell if someone's obsession with weird internet sensations (e.g. skibidi toilet) is ironic or not?
I think defining someone’s obsession with weird internet sensations is a genuinely difficult thing. At what point are they making an ironic joke at the younger generation’s expense and at what point have they fully assimilated, speaking fluent brain rot with no exit plan?
It’s a valid question. The lines blur heavily. Sometimes irony can turn into sincerity mid-sentence, and no one notices. Here are some signs that the bit may have gone too far:
If you’ve ever spouted brain rot aloud in the shower, alone.
If you can name more than three characters from the Skibidi Toilet universe and you’re not under 13.
If you’ve had to clarify “it’s ironic” more than twice to different people.
If you’ve ever gone out of your way to buy a grimace shake from McDonalds.
If your YouTube recommendations look like a cursed daycare for AI-generated content.
If you’ve watched a meme edit “just to see how well it was put together.”
If you’ve told someone they “wouldn’t get it” while talking about brain rot.
If you’ve ever felt genuine suspense during a TikTok that was entirely emoji storytelling.
At the end of the day, maybe it doesn’t matter whether it’s ironic or sincere. Maybe the point is that you’ve been online too long to tell the difference. Welcome to the club.
--At Athenian, we’re encouraged to be creative and innovative, but when new ideas come up, why does it sometimes feel like there's hesitation in support or setting a clear example for others to follow?
I don’t think this is an issue unique to Athenian. It’s part of human nature to be wary of or even dislike things that we find different or outside of the norm. This does not mean that it cannot be overcome, and open-mindedness is a trait that many lack. To move past this, we need honest conversations that foster an environment for innovation and change.
