The Philosoraptors

“We talk,” says Jamesville-DeWitt freshman Zane Suttmore, “I know it seems weird, but that’s all we do,” he added.

A new club has sprung up in Jamesville-DeWitt High School’s activity period. The Philosophy club is a new group that students can join and, as a result, become a “Philosoraptor.” The name for the club originated from a picture that was previously viewed by Suttmore. “’The Philosoraptor,’ made by Sam Smith, is a .jpeg image of a velociraptor head, scratching its chin and asking perplexing, pardoning, or contradictory questions. It is a meme, which is an icon that has been incorporated into society and culture,” he said.

This club was created by Suttmore, who says he is “the ‘Grand Poobah,’ which is the same thing as the president.” Suttmore created the group merely because of his curiosities. “Well, I’ve always loved talking about really big topics and searching for the truth, a.k.a., philosophy. My friend, Ben Ramer and I, always used to talk about these huge topics trying to find the truth in things. One day, I was on the bus with him and we were talking when it hit me: why not try to get more people involved? I mean, after all, philosophy is the search for the truth and requires collaboration. And so, the Philosoraptors were born,” said Suttmore.

“However, I use collaboration heavily, asking the group what they would like to see, topics they want to discuss, and so forth. I also have two ‘Seconds on Command,’ (sophomore) Benjamin Ramer and (senior) Phoenix Robertson,” he said. The adviser of the club is English teacher Joe DeChick. “He’s pretty cool,” said Suttmore. “No, he’s freaking awesome,” he added.

So far, Suttmore said that he thinks the club has been a success. “Considering that we haven’t used any posters and have only gotten the word out verbally, I think the club has done pretty well. Everyone who has come has been satisfied,” he said. The meetings for the Philosophy Club, or the “Philosoraptors,” are every Tuesday at or around 2:20 in G16. They are considering having additional meetings that are shortened in order to finish the topics from the previous gathering.

In the previous meetings where they established the club, there have been around 13 people attending. “You don’t really have to JOIN the club. You can come to meetings. Joining makes it sound like you’re obligated to come to the meetings, and I’d rather have people come on their own accord, not out of obligatory reasons,” said Suttmore.

In the meetings, the group discusses the thoughts and ideas that they have developed about certain topics over the years. “We talk about topics, trail off and get WAY off topic, and try to find the truth of life, or the lack thereof. People pitch in ideas on a set topic. I have been thinking about having a monthly meeting day where people pitch ideas or talk about a set topic and digress as much as we want from the original topic. We toss around a tennis ball that grants the holder the right to speak, to prevent chaos and disorder.”

Suttmore believes that this new Philosophy Club is different from the rest of the clubs at J-DHS. He thinks that people can join for many different reasons. “I think people would like this club because you can come in and sit and text if you want. We promote mental stimulation. It’s just a relaxing place for people to relax, contribute ideas, and absorb new knowledge. You don’t NEED to add ideas, but it is greatly encouraged. Really, what I’d love to see is just people coming in. Obviously some raised hands and contributed ideas are always a goal, but I started this club to stimulate the minds of everyone in this school and if people came in, sat down, and were able to get a new perspective on things, and it helps them to expand their minds, I will be one very happy man.

“That’s really why I started this club; to show people that, ‘Hey, there’s this whole other world of awesome, cool, and fun stuff to talk about and it’s right here, right now, for the first time.’ I never really liked being uninformed and having ‘the wool pulled over my eyes,’ and I wanted to give others a chance to see this world of unbound possibilities and give them a chance to really open their minds.

“This club is small right now, but I think of what it could be, and it makes me very happy. That thing that it could be is a well-known and enjoyable club with many members. I mean, if this club gets bigger, think of how many people will be receiving ideas they have never thought of. All the new ideas, thoughts, possibilities, and so forth will enter their minds. I think that this could revolutionize thought and really broaden and open the minds of youth a colossal amount. I also think that this club could create a new generation of thinkers, innovators, inventors, politicians, and philosophers that could really make this world a better place by having access to new and out-of-the-box thinking styles and ideas. But that’s only if more and more people start coming,” said Suttmore.

Suttmore says that the club has been a “come and go” kind of thing so far, and although he doesn’t have many goals set for this club, he would like to turn it into a more organized, and interesting club that isn’t underestimated like it is right now. “It’s not some long lecture. It’s asking “Why?” and “How?” and getting theories and possibilities. I think that people have grown accustomed to the school system teaching things, but not why or how they work. Here, one can open their mind. Anything is possible, nothing is wrong, and anyone can suggest ideas or try and find the truth in anything they want,” said Suttmore.

“I also want to add that this club transcends every single social boundary and type of social pariah. Sexual orientation, gender, beliefs, religion, social/economic status, political alignment, sexual identity, intelligence level, attractiveness, and so forth. All these things are disregarded and transcended because our goal is to find the truth in things, or the lack thereof, and thus, we can’t be discriminating and stopping idea influx. In addition to that, no one should be restricted from knowledge or have to wait to receive knowledge. Also, we don’t put down any ideas. We respectfully disagree. This is a constructive zone. Not destructive. We welcome disagreements though, because they offer new points from which to consider things. What’s really cool is that thins club makes those who come to the meetings real, true philosophers. This is what the Greeks did; sat and talked about the world. So I find it pretty awesome that there is a club of real philosophers,” he said. “By the way, we’re on Facebook!” he added.