Editorials

• The Will to Compromise

  Editorials April 23, 2012 at 3:13 pm Comments are Disabled

  Any student of English literature has at least casual knowledge of the works of the great William Shakespeare. Among these is “Macbeth,” which relates one of the greatest cautionary tales of the corrupting influence of power, in which the protagonist recites one of the most powerful and riveting soliloquies ever penned. The tragedy culminates with Macbeth’s renowned rumination human nature, “[Life] is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” While many people may disagree with Macbeth’s rather pessimistic outlook on existence, that particular slice of literary genius has a fascinating corollary in our times — political discourse.  Regardless of where one’s views fall in the political spectrum, there is  one thing everyone can agree upon, namely, the fact that the “other side” just isn’t listening to them. Politicians’ treatment of this impasse in American politics has not typically been to propose a compromise on policy positions but instead to simply scream louder than their opponents. Disagreements among politicians are natural and to be expected; divergence of opinions ought to lead to dialogue, dialogue to compromise and then compromise to legislation. To make this happen, both sides must eventually cede some of their prerogatives in […]

   

• Mason Police Department Should Re-Evaluate Priorities

  Editorials April 23, 2012 at 3:12 pm 4 comments

  The police department at Mason is a controversial topic, and it has been for many years. Even though crime rates, especially violent crime rates, are remarkably low, the police department still gains a lot of criticism and has a negative reputation among many students, especially in wake of the Fenwick library scandal a year ago where Abdirashid Dahir was falsely charged with abducting someone from a library study room. The charges in that case were subsequently dropped after great public pressure. You would think in a place where 6,000 people live and where more than 33,000 students attend classes that there would be more crime. But that doesn’t seem to affect the sentiment of many students who see the police department as a military-like operation that suppresses underage drinking and doles out harsh consequences for infractions. But wait — isn’t the police department supposed to be enforcing laws such as underage drinking? Yes, but I’m sure many of us who have friends at other colleges know that their police departments are more lenient. Maybe it’s because Mason has rapidly transformed to a residential campus in such a short amount of time? I think a big part of the Mason Police […]

   

• China, Human Rights and the Need for a Revolutionary Spring

  Editorials April 23, 2012 at 3:11 pm Comments are Disabled

  During the last few decades, China has rapidly transformed itself from an impoverished and destitute society into a growing and prosperous global economic powerhouse with a GDP (PPP) of $11.29 trillion. As a result of its roaring economy, China will inevitably become the next superpower of the world, whether it is in 2016 as predicted by the IMF last year, or in 2020. China meets all the prerequisites for a superpower: a large manufacturing economy, a strong military, a huge population and a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Therefore it is not a question of if but when China — which currently is the second biggest economy in the world — will be the world’s biggest economy. Whenever it happens, that era will catalyze new challenges and problems for the propagation of human rights and freedoms. By looking at the China of today, it is imagine a future China that will, like the United States, become a place where oppressed and unprivileged people from around the world seek refuge, asylum and freedom. I cannot imagine “pilgrims” on a modern-day Mayflower ship settling somewhere in China in search of liberty. And I doubt people will ever endanger their […]

   

• Will Someone Turn the Lights On?

  Editorials April 23, 2012 at 3:10 pm Comments are Disabled

  Undoubtedly, George Mason University has recently been making great strides toward becoming a more respected and nationally recognized university. With the seemingly unending construction of new buildings and the numerous openings of popular chain restaurants, Mason is a far different institution than it was even four years ago when I began studying here. However, there is one difference between Mason and other big-name regional schools that can no longer be ignored. Having done the rounds of the nearby universities when deciding where to apply, and after visiting friends at their respective schools over the past four years, it is clear to me that the emergency call box system here at Mason is lacking. There are currently no mandates that require universities to install security systems such as blue lights and call boxes on their campuses. Despite this, most area schools and all of the out-of-state universities I have visited in the past seem to have made such systems a priority. For instance, the University of Virginia has installed and maintains a security system that comprises over 400 blue lights and call boxes. They also provide an easily accessible map of the lights’ locations on their website. The University of Maryland […]

   

• Broadside: Then and Now

  Editorials April 23, 2012 at 3:09 pm Comments are Disabled

  It was the heady days of 2002 and years had gone by with Broadside, George Mason University’s student-run newspaper, gaining no considerable recognition. Adam Modzelesky was determined to change that. “We went so far as to do some (admittedly rudimentary) market analysis,” said Modzelesky, editor-in-chief of Broadside for 2002-03 in an email, “to learn what our audience was interested in and give it to them, which took a lot of time and effort, but in the end I think it was worth it because we obviously got buy-in from the student body. “And, in doing so, I think it earned us some more respect from some faculty who — up until that point — probably didn’t think that highly of Broadside.” In May 2003, Broadside was ranked ninth in the country by the Princeton Review. Nine years later with no record of any other awards, Broadside aspires to establish a routine that will allow for renewed recognition. “I truly feel a return to the Princeton Review rankings will require patience and a substantial contingent of very dedicated/visionary Broadside staff members doing whatever it takes to be successful,” Modzelesky continued in his email. “It won’t happen overnight. You have to understand […]

   

• Ben, Jerry and Sam

  Editorials April 23, 2012 at 3:08 pm Comments are Disabled

  Sometimes Ben & Jerry’s pint of Chunky Monkey is glued to our hands. For others, Sam Adams is the culprit. But most of the time, the addiction is not a drug, it’s the person we love — or think we love. It’s the phone calls we can’t ever decline to answer or the incessant thoughts of those people that fill the void in our minds. Everyone has a weakness, and sometimes we succumb to those downfalls. But when we are always falling prey to the calls of Ben, Jerry, Sam or our ex, then we have to begin to ask why. There’s a substantial difference between making mistakes and making it a lifestyle. What’s more important is recognizing it’s human nature to be faulty, but it is not a justification for continuing an exhausting lifestyle that depletes you of self-respect. I’ll be honest; regaining one’s sense of self-respect is not easy by any means. Contrarily, it takes loads of patience and love. Losing respect for oneself is one of the most abhorrent things I can imagine. From there, lack of self-love is born, and shortly after maintaining your self-interest plummets to the bottom of the to-do list. You begin to […]

   

• Gender Inequalities in the Workforce

  Editorials April 16, 2012 at 4:23 pm Comments are Disabled

  I am a writer — an aspiring journalist — but I am also a woman. That means I am likely to encounter obstacles during my professional career that my male colleagues will not have to deal with. You would think that as a woman living in the 21st century I would have equal opportunities across the board. However, I cannot even begin to tell you how inaccurate this assumption is. According to the 2010 Global Media Monitoring Project, articles written by women account for less than 50 percent of all news stories. Furthermore, only 13 percent of all stories focus on women. These statistics seem disconnected from global demographic averages. Women constitute 51 percent of the world’s population, but we are not getting as much coverage as we deserve. Nor are we given equal opportunities to fill positions in which we could utilize our talents to better inform society about important issues. “An important future indicator for a developing economy is its treatment of women,” Sheryl WuDunn, co-author of “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” and the first Asian American to win the Pulitzer Prize said in “The Case for Girls,” a November 2001 article by […]

   

• Driving the Drunk: Keep Mason’s Of-Age Population Safe

  Editorials April 16, 2012 at 4:15 pm Comments are Disabled

  No one refers to George Mason University as a party school. We’re no James Madison or Radford; that’s not how we roll. First of all, we’re a commuter school by a wide majority, so no one hangs around long enough for a good party. Second, Mason police are known to crack down hard on foul play such as underage drinking, and nobody wants to deal with that kind of trouble. It seems like the party scene here at Mason is restricted to either smallish but sometimes rowdy get-togethers in upperclassmen housing or the weekly Thursday-night flight into Old Town Fairfax for cheap booze and dancing to be found primarily at Hard Times, Buffalo Wing University and The Auld Shebeen. I’ve had my share of outings into Old Town. It’s a good time, and I meet a lot of new people, most of whom are other Mason students. However, there is one thing I find disturbing each time I go to Fairfax on a Thursday night: I see a lot of tipsy people in possession of car keys. While it would be nice to believe that students at this university would be so responsible as to not drive drunk, it is […]

   

• Mama Asia’s Top 10

  Editorials April 16, 2012 at 3:35 pm Comments are Disabled

  Life is simple — if you know what you’re doing. If not, you’ll probably be lost for a while and one day, you’ll slowly start to find your way. Wouldn’t it be easier if people who have already found their way could just share their secrets with you? The following 10 items are life lessons my mom deemed most paramount to one’s ultimate success in life — a.k.a. advice to live by. Everyone should take at least one for the road — Mom’s orders. 1. Do not accumulate problems in your life. In other words, don’t leave any problem unsolved. Otherwise, your worries and stress will only multiply, possibly deterring you from your solid track to success. 2. Do not delay today’s work. Today’s work should be accomplished today, for tomorrow is another sun, bringing more obligations you must attend to. 3. “Make it small, it’s smaller. Make it big, it’s bigger.” Life’s trivial problems are usually magnified by anxiety. In other words, it’s all in the mind. Whether you want to minimize or maximize a problem in your life is all in your hands. If you exaggerate the problems in your life, you will encounter a beast devouring your […]

   

• Should We Blame the Gun or Gunman?

  Editorials April 9, 2012 at 3:23 pm Comments are Disabled

  News viewers in this nation and around the globe have witnessed a recent surge in incidents involving gunmen turning their weapons against innocent people. Just a few recent examples include Jared Loughner, Anders Breivik, Robert Bales and George Zimmerman. Perhaps most notable for college students is One L. Goh, who took the lives of several classmates at Oikos University in California last week. Goh’s actions reignited debates about student safety at universities across the country, including here at George Mason University. A vital question at the core of this issue must be answered: Is the gun or the man who wields it to blame? Guns themselves cannot be solely blamed, considering they are inanimate objects. Guns are just one of the abundant tools of violence. Before the advent of the firearm, murderous individuals perpetrated wanton killings and destruction using different tools; such as swords. Even today, as the tribal conflict in Rwanda illustrated, a machete can do as much, if not more, damage as a gun. Even a needle can be used to kill, as was the case in the elimination of North Korean defector Ahn. If somebody intends to do harm, he will inevitably find a means of doing […]