Editorials

• Are Meal Plans Worth the Coin?

  Editorials February 20, 2012 at 2:56 pm 2 comments

  When I was a freshman, meal plans seemed like such a great deal. You were able to get into Southside with one swipe and use it almost anywhere else with a $6 equivalency. The problem is you’re paying over $8 a meal on some plans, but only get $6-worth of food every time you use a meal plan anywhere other than Southside. Yes, you do save at the door every time you go to Southside, but who always wants to go to Southside? Especially the way it’s been lately — with poorer food quality than ever before, along with extreme wait times and the impossibility of finding a decent table. As students who are paying thousands of dollars for a meal plan, should we be restricted to only using it in Southside, or else get ripped off? Why not make our equivalency at least close to what the actual value of the meal plan is? Some might say $2 doesn’t seem a lot every meal, but if you’re paying $6.29 for a large sub and want a drink, you’re paying over $8, which means you have to use some other form of payment. You end up actually spending over $10 […]

   

• President’s Approval Rating Reaches 50 Percent

  Editorials February 20, 2012 at 2:54 pm Comments are Disabled

  Barack Obama’s approval ratings are at 50 percent. According to Donald Garrett, a  student senator, “Barack is doing great things for our country. In order for his numbers to be higher, he needs to work towards more bipartisan solutions.” Conversely, economics major Brett Baker has been “disappointed overall” and wishes President Obama had chosen not to continue the Patriot Act, as it “infringes significantly on our freedoms.” See? Fifty percent approval. But in all seriousness, a poll conducted by CNN and the Opinion Research Corporation International did show Obama’s approval rating to be, in a steady fashion, up to the halfway mark. It’s surprising even to me that his approval ratings are so high — about the same as Ronald Reagan’s at this point in his first term and higher than George W. Bush’s — and it leads me to wonder what he’s done recently that’s so right. On the domestic front, he signed the National Defense Authorization Act into effect — legislation that includes a wildly unpopular clause which allows the government to detain suspected terrorists — only a few weeks ago. And just this alone has been seen as a permanent blemish on his record by conservatives and […]

   

• Gender Binary Norms Set the Stage for Disapproval

  Editorials February 13, 2012 at 5:55 pm Comments are Disabled

  Recently, the mass media has brought the idea of gender identity to my attention. The matter of gender roles is a very sensitive subject in America. Gender roles are an important mediator of human experiences and of the way individuals interact with each other and their physical environments. Many people question the validity of gender binaries in youth as compared to in adulthood. I find them to be questionable in general. As soon as the umbilical cord is cut and the sex of the baby is determined, social expectations are activated. Suddenly, there is an agenda for a whole array of developmental experiences that will influence that person throughout his or her life. Over the past year, the Ad Council and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, in conjunction with the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse, has been running ads for the Take Time to Be a Dad Today campaign, which ostensibly aims to provide advice on being a good parent. Many of the ads center on a father catering to his young daughter by playing dress up with her, letting the girl paint his nails or engaging in other feminine activities. Similarly, in April […]

   

• Climate Change is Here to Stay

  Editorials February 6, 2012 at 4:04 pm Comments are Disabled

  Scientists believe that there are only three possible causes of global warming: the sun, the Earth’s reflectivity and the emission of greenhouse gases. After careful consideration of the past, it is simple to see that the skyrocketing level of greenhouse gas emissions is where the majority of the problem lies. Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius, with knowledge that carbon dioxide traps heat, was the first person to introduce the idea of global warming in 1896. Just as Arrhenius expected they would, humans have been burning fossil fuels at escalating rates over the past century, adding to the inescapable future of a warmer planet. The consumption of fossil fuels is not the sole reason for climate change, but combined with deforestation and other human-related acts, a life-altering combo has been met. Despite the popularity of the theory of global warming, one must realize that recent temperature changes do not necessarily entail rising mercury in all instances. According to a 2011–12 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report, temperatures were predicted to be warmer for the east coast, whereas the west coast was expected to experience unprecedented lows. Nevertheless, as each day goes by, we are learning that weather conditions can defy expectations and […]

   

• Cuban Embargo Does Not Help Anyone

  Editorials February 6, 2012 at 4:04 pm Comments are Disabled

  There’s a great quote by the comedian W.C. Fields that goes, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no use being a damn fool about it.” In the weeks leading up to the Florida primary, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum heaped praise on the Cuban embargo and criticized President Barack Obama for loosening some of its restrictions. In my opinion, they are being damn fools. When the embargo was implemented in 1960, the idea was that it would catalyze Fidel Castro’s overthrow by weakening Cuba’s economy and thereby stimulating populist discontent. Although the Cuban embargo has spanned more than half a century, it has categorically failed to achieve its stated goal of fomenting a democratic revolution. While the policy has certainly succeeded in exacerbating Cuba’s economic hardships, it has done nothing to weaken the Castro regime or incite a populist revolution. If anything, the policy has strengthened Castro’s regime by increasing the Cuban people’s dependence on the regime’s welfare state and by providing Cuba’s government with a convenient scapegoat for the failure of its centrally planned economy to generate material wealth. To quote Brink Lindsey, a former senior fellow at the Cato Institute, […]

   

• Security is an Illusion, so Speak Up

  Editorials February 6, 2012 at 4:03 pm Comments are Disabled

  When I turned 18, this is exactly what used to float aggressively through my mind: “So, I’m 18! Big deal! Everything is still going to be the same.” People expect freedom, but I don’t think of freedom the same way others do. Freedom is not prancing around in a mini skirt and halter top, intoxicated and ping-ponging from guy to guy. Freedom at any age is being more aware of your surroundings and being more positively influential. You may say that I shouldn’t think turning 18 means being a positive role model, but we all have things within us that need mending and fixing, and if we’re not honest with ourselves, then who will be? If we can’t do ourselves that favor, then forget about fixing and mending; you’ll be better off dreaming. I remember being on the metro bus as a child when a couple of ladies said something to me that I was too tiny to comprehend. “When you lie, you’re only lying to yourself.” I looked at them with a dumbfounded expression and had to pretend that they weren’t completely crazy — Mom always told me to be considerate of people’s emotions. I thought about what the […]

   

• What Does Post-Nuclear World Look Like?

  Editorials February 6, 2012 at 4:03 pm Comments are Disabled

  I woke up at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday so that I could get to Quantico on time. I was invited to a conference on the club of nuclear powers, specifically concerning which members were willing to either prevent or aid in the proliferation of weapons of mass detruction. The conference, which took place at U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico and was hosted by Marine Corps University, was opened by Maj. Gen Thomas Murray, president of MCU. The keynote speaker who followed was Gen. Susan Desjardins, director of strategic planning of the Air Mobility Command within the U.S. Air Force. After her captivating speech, I was left with only one question: what are the future implications of a changing nuclear climate in relation to her policies of deterrence? As the youngest person in attendance, I wanted to make sure I thought out my question and spoke clearly. Before I asked, I confirmed that she was, in fact, the head authority on the subject. I proceeded to pass along a question which I’ve been asked by many skeptics before but worded it in a slightly more appropriate, contextual manner: “Because the United States has committed to pursuance of a world free of […]

   

• Johnson Center Blues

  Editorials February 6, 2012 at 4:02 pm Comments are Disabled

  You know what really grinds my gears? The Johnson Center. It is an utter pit of misery due to a chaotic combination of the people, the noise, the people, the copious amounts of trash strewn about, the people, the weird games constantly being played and did I mention the people? It has got to be one of the worst places on campus. First, let’s talk about the extreme noise level. Why is it always so high? The excessive volume makes it almost impossible to accomplish anything. There are always at least three kinds of people in your immediate vicinity who contribute to this issue. The first sort is the people who feel the need to share multiple YouTube videos with anyone and everyone possible. These people seem to never have invested in a pair of earphones like a normal person and apparently love Britney Spears, farm animals and old Dragon Ball Z video clips. The second kind of people are closely related to the first. They’re the ones who listen to their music at full volume and also seemingly have never heard of earphones. This means that you get to listen to every word and note of every song of […]

   

• Mass Media Presents a Pretty Lie

  Editorials January 30, 2012 at 9:33 pm Comments are Disabled

  Sometimes, I wish I was a hooker. If I could be an intellectual, charming hooker — and there aren’t many out there — then maybe I could win the affection of a man like Richard Gere, a crisp Wall Street sweetheart. Perhaps, I’d be doing my nightly rounds and he’d show up in a fancy convertible, and we’d ride into the misty night with our fingers interlaced. He would have the liberty to erase my shameful midnight exercises and he’d simply enjoy both the philosophical and mundane conversations we’d engage in. The fact that I’m even willing to fancy this implausible delusion demonstrates the disappointing effect that the media has on our thoughts. For those of you who don’t know, the movie “Pretty Woman” is a beautiful cinematic accomplishment proving that the strength of true love removes all obstacles. Realistically, this happens every day whether we choose to notice it or not. But what we seem to ignore is that on the writer’s part, this is a creative endeavor to employ a fantasy that wins the hearts of the masses which then transforms them into money-making machines. Living in reality, we attend school, make it to work with a minute […]

   

• Integration of Opinions Could Serve Government Well

  Editorials January 30, 2012 at 9:31 pm Comments are Disabled

  Recently I was talking to a friend when he downright avoided delving into his political viewpoint. As I pressed further, he explained that it’s a free country and everyone is entitled to his own opinion. However, upon presenting their stance on any matter—religion, politics, what have you, they then become liable for their utterances. As American citizens we are exposed to arguments presented by Republicans and Democrats, atheists and Christians, and hopefully, we are able to settle said disputes in a mature and well-thought-out manner. To quote the New York Times, “Envisioning a charitable but rigorous approach,” is the key to any successful debate. I do not mean successful in that you will get your way every time, but rather that you are able to present your cards to the table without making an utter fool of yourself. All too often politics and religion bring out the very worst in people. They lead to sneers and jeers of opponents, alongside raised voices, rolled eyes, and consummate disproval. In an era where change must begin to happen now, our country will not get anywhere if our most serious debates are handled with little care and are highly symbolic of an elementary-school […]