Category: Opinion

Molly Brown

Writer

The stereotypical imitation of a teenage girl’s speech, an up-talked sentence with an added poor imitation of Mae West and punctuated with several “like’s,” is a pandemic across college campuses.  These vocal devices are popular and are infiltrating the speech patterns of everyone who comes into contact with affected individuals. It has been recently examined in “The New York Times” as an example of women pioneering cultural norms, but I believe that young women are not the culprits of furthering these rather unfortunate linguistic trends. 

In my own experiences, and I’m no Henry Higgins, I’ve heard just as many guys punctuate every prepositional phrase with a “like”—or four—as girls. The same goes with up-talking, the phenomenon in which a statement ends like this? All the time? This trend is not something driven by young women because they are looking for an outlet to express themselves. People and communication evolve together and are interdependent on one another. If someone hears a way of turning a phrase or perhaps has moved to a different regional area and is surrounded by that regional accent, he or she will mimic and implement the speech patterns from the environment into his or her own. This is why it is ridiculous that people see the above linguistic trends as solely a female device.

Occasionally, the up-talking happens, but when it is a deliberate choice by individuals to speak in this matter to try and fit in, these speech patterns become problems. A huge problem, both for listeners and the speaker’s vocal health, is the idea of adding vocal fry constantly in their speech. A vocal fry, the sort of growling, not quite that of Barbara Stanwyck’s, but rather an intentional upward intonation that forces the vocal cords to peak at the fundamental point at which one’s voice begins to crack, is considered normal. The Kardashian reality television empire has only furthered this assumption of speech patterns. When speaking this way for a prolonged period of time, an individual will harm his or her vocal chords by placing them under so much friction day after day. The worst part about the habit is the fact that it has become so ingrained within the national speech pattern that fewer people realize they use it themselves.

In terms of speech, females are no more to blame than males for projecting their vocalisms into the vernacular.  Rather, the use of these patterns is a natural part of language, not solely in the hands of one sex. Vocalisms and language will continue to evolve as long as people continue to use them, so if the vocal growls and up-talk annoy you as much as the next person, don’t use them yourself?

Jen Mok

Writer

On Feb. 26, Hollywood gathered its finest specimens for the annual Academy Awards (The Oscars). Whether you were highly invested in the event or just one of the millions watching the spectacle, there is no denying that you participated in the big event in some manner. What exactly enticed you? Was it the attire? The night’s award-winners? Whatever it was, you were probably interested enough to Google or watch the event. The problem here is not whether you were interested but why, and what such interests say about today’s society.

If you haven’t noticed, Hollywood and its products dictate our lives. The immense impact Hollywood has on our lives is too prevalent to ignore. Our society is heavily invested in modeling ourselves off our most prized starlets. We closely watch their fashion and everyday lifestyles–-idolizing them in every way possible. People of all ages attempt to imitate the styles of those revered by the media. Their social influence goes beyond the superficial cultural aesthetics; even their political beliefs garner much interest and ultimately influence our own. Videos like those posted by Will.i.am in support for Obama spread like wildfire and most definitely swayed some to vote for him.

Our President is not exempt from this infatuation with Hollywood. He is known to often reference pop culture and has transformed himself into a pop icon. Just recently, when speaking at the 2011 Governor’s Dinner he said, “I want to welcome some of you back, and I want to welcome those who are here for the first time. I know some of you may be confused and think this is the Oscars … There are some similarities.”

While the acknowledgement of the present pop culture is refreshing, it makes me wonder how this reflects upon our society. In supporting this cult devotion to those of Hollywood, the President is in part responsible for validating the ever-false pretense that “everything is alright.”

I believe that we, as a whole, are desperate to mollify and somewhat romanticize reality. America has always been an idealized land of opportunities and limitless possibilities. With the financial crisis and war that struck our country, this need to comfort our concerns has been immensely emphasized and we have found escapes in our obsessions with Hollywood. By occupying ourselves with those on the big screen, we are continually lying to ourselves that greater problems do not exist. Our biggest concerns become not of those fighting overseas, but those who were caught drinking excessively or whose marriage lasted the shortest. We have decorated and created a false image of simplicity and ultimate glamour.

The population’s unhealthy addiction to our celebrities represents not only the increasingly superficial sentiments of the general public, but also the denial of the more pressing events of the world.

Ginny Jacobs

Contributing Writer

Utah’s House of Representatives recently passed a bill that gives public schools in that state a choice: teach sex education that is all about not having sex, or drop sex education completely. The bill not only allows schools to skip sex education, but also prohibits those that do opt to teach the course from discussing contraception. Having attended a Catholic girls’ high school that taught an abstinence-only approach, even I think it’s a bad idea.

Young people need to know the facts to protect themselves. Avoiding the topic of sex entirely leaves teens unprepared to have safe sex. The United States has the highest rate of sexually transmitted diseases in the industrialized world, with approximately half the population experiencing an STD in their lifetime. Obviously students can pick up basic facts here and there from friends and family, but a firm groundwork is necessary. Without it, teens rely on misinformation and half-truths acquired from their friends.

Realistically, a certain percentage of teens will have sex and they need to be prepared. At my high school, we were constantly preached a message of abstinence, but never taught anything about preparation for sex. The truth of the matter was that many girls were having sex. I knew of fellow classmates who, unprepared to have sex responsibly, faced the consequences: pregnancies, which resulted in abortions, and even a few cases of STDs. It wasn’t until I arrived at college and listened to the infamous “Condom Lady” that I realized how prevalent STDs actually are.

Teaching abstinence-only merely tempts teens rather than giving them tools for handling sex maturely and responsibly. Watching an adult put a condom on a banana or realistically describing sex in class isn’t going to cause us to go crazy and have sex like maniacs. For me, it was the opposite: good information made me more careful and thoughtful about my choices.

I’m not saying that abstinence is an entirely unrealistic option for teens and therefore shouldn’t be taught. Abstinence is always a choice one can make, but it shouldn’t be forced upon teens. If not abstinence, perhaps restraint could be taught: taking steps to be safe physically—using protection, etc.—and to be safe psychologically—waiting until you at least trust someone, and maybe even love the other person. Even if it is not emphasized, it is important for sex education to include teaching about the psychological consequences of sex. People can make their own moral decisions about sex, but our schools need to provide accurate biological and practical information. Even if you wait until marriage, for example, you will likely need to know about contraception.

When sexual information is presented in a matter-of-fact way, teens will begin to think of it less as a naughty, alluring thing. Remove some of the mystery, and they’ll be less likely to experiment recklessly. If all of the facts are laid out on the table before it begins to enter their minds, young teens can think of sex as something that is normal but an individual decision–best considered carefully–as to when to begin sexual activity, and with whom.

Teaching abstinence doesn’t ensure that young people will remain abstinent. Students are going to decide their own moral politics and the law should prepare them, even when they make bad choices. Kids are going to be exposed to sex at some time or another, whether from friends or in the media. We can’t hide this topic from kids forever by taking it out of school.

Sarah Morris

Writer

I want this to be a call to arms for girls across campus. We as a group need to take charge of our sexual experiences. Sexual assault is an enormous issue across college campuses in the United States, and yes, that includes our coveted “Bucknell bubble.” No longer can we allow ourselves to be subjected to attacks on our bodies and emotions. It pains me every weekend to see girls so drunk they can barely remember where their dorm rooms are, instead going back to the rooms of sleazy guys who just want to get it in.

Usually, it seems, girls are so drunk they cannot remember whether or not a condom was used, whether or not the guy asked if she wanted to have sex or whether or not she even said yes. Sexual assault is tragic for anyone, but what we need to realize is that while sometimes it is unavoidable (as in cases of date rape and Rohypnol, more commonly known as “roofies”), we need to be responsible for taking care of ourselves and knowing when a situation is getting dangerous. That way, we can remove the possibility of sexual assault before it even happens.

A perfect way to minimize sexual danger when you go out is to keep track of and control how much you are drinking. The more you drink, the more difficult it will be for you to clearly express your decision of whether or not you want to have sex with someone. Another way of helping yourself is to think about the guys you will be hanging out with. If you do not feel comfortable being alone with a guy, you need to make sure you are doing activities where other people are involved until you trust him enough to be alone together.

I think the most important key to remember is to look out for your fellow women. We have to work together to prevent sexual assault. Watch your friends at parties and make sure they are in control of themselves; if you see a friend slipping up and drinking so much that she cannot make smart choices, make sure you walk her home at the end of the night. She will thank you in the morning, even if she may seem mad at the moment. The more we help each other, the closer we are to eliminating sexual assault on our campus so that women can be safe every weekend.

By Molly Brown

Contributing Writer

In recent years, the newspaper and magazine industries have seen a massive decline in print issue circulation, that is, the amount of subscriptions to a physical issue. With the advent of tablet editions of these publications, along with prominent news sources online, many of these publications have since gone to online editions themselves, often with a fee to access media content. This shift from being able to access news information from sites like The New York Times for free to only being able to access it for a fee, albeit a much lesser one than print issue, has made many readers upset. I believe, much to my chagrin, that this method of news access is going to become more and more common and paying for online subscription to news sources is indeed the future of journalism.

No matter how much I yearn for the days of broadsheets and non-catalogue formats of newspapers, the print media industry has been on a slow decline since the internet revolution. In the past, news has been available for free online, but as more and more big news publications are diminishing their print circulations, it is only fair that they seek to gain some of their lost revenue by making up for years’ worth of free access. Most online subscriptions are far less than their print familiars and there are special tablet-specific editions of these publications for iPad and other tablet users that can be purchased as one does an eBook or an app. At least these publications are catering to the ever-increasing number of new technologies so that their journalists might still have outlets to pursue a career in a dying field.

For those who do not like paying for subscriptions, the paper is not dead yet. The University has a great readership program that provides free issues of newspapers such as The New York Times and USA Today every day for student use. And there will always be information circulating around the Internet for free. But for now, I would recommend making memories of holding actual newspapers and books while we still can. Call me old-fashioned, but I would much rather pay for a subscription to the New York Times to indulge my Arts & Leisure and crossword obsessions, even if they go online completely one day, than not read them at all.

By Josh Haywood

Writer

Athletics have many redeeming qualities such as teaching team dynamics, personal accountability, time management and a plethora of other skills. There is one thing more thing that athletics can give you that is unmatched in any other realm: racial diversity along with cultural awareness. Besides joining the armed forces, I firmly believe being involved in athletics is unlike any other organization out there. Athletics made me more open to people of another race as it has taught me one of the most valuable lessons in life: you cannot define a person by the color of their skin, but only through the content of their character. No matter the ethnicity–black, white, hispanic–under the surface of our skin we all bleed the same blood, we all drip the same sweat and we all shed the same tears. Being a part of a team has given me more than just something to do. It has given me a family of 89 brothers who help one another through tough times. This team is not alone. Every sport team out there is the same because, while players may bump heads with one another on occasion, at the end of the day everyone knows they are not an individual, but rather a part of something bigger than themselves. They are teammates; they are family.

What unique values do athletics instill in the mind? It is such an empirical question that I alone could not paint the picture depicting the role, so I asked some of my fellow athletes how they think sports and diversity intertwine.

“Everyone comes from a unique background and walk of life; there are no two people who are the same,” said Josh Eden ’12, an outgoing senior and previous captain of the football team. “Athletics gets past race, our seemingly post-racial generation disregards color. Sports put you in a situation where you have to trust the person besides you and basing trust on the view point of race just hinders the process.”

“Sports offer an opportunity for schools to become more open to different races. Athletics differ from anything else because people are recruited for their academic and athletic merit verses just their color,” said Jermaine Jarrett ’13, a member of the soccer team from Kingston, Jamaica. “Athletics helped me to broaden my perspectives. If I were not on a team like my own, I don’t think I would have experienced other people’s cultures as much as I have.”

“I think it definitely does because it is about what you can do versus your race. Jackie Robinson, and most recently Jeremy Lin, demonstrate that people should be based on their character and sports fully embrace this ideology,” said Bryson Johnson ’13, a member of the men’s basketball team. “It would be tough to go through it alone and with sports, it starts out that you are almost forced to get to know someone, but after the fact you cherish the experience.”

“It definitely plays a role at schools this small. Being candid, this school is mostly white. I know there are people on this campus that, without sports, would not go outside their racial comfort zone when it comes to socializing off the field,” volleyball player Sarah Morris ’15 said. “Schools try to be diverse. Sports give people the opportunity to be with people different from themselves.”

Alyssa Dunn ’13, one of the top three scorers on the women’s basketball team, was also asked if sports play a role in promoting diversity. “Most definitely, in athletics people are on an even playing field putting aside issues of race. Sports are unique in a sense that they teach you to become blind to social factor. I, personally, would talk to the same people, but feel that athletics offer you an opportunity to talk to people of different culture.”

The relationship between athletics and diversity is undeniable because it enlightens people on the multitude of cultures that exist on this planet. Those who have never participated in team sports miss out on a major cultural awakening. Non-athletes will never be able experience this understanding the same way we student-athletes do. Sometimes on campus I hear non-athletes say things that I find racially charged and don’t understand their closed-mindedness. This is why I urge non-athletes to step outside their single-shade life and try to experience something different. Athletics is more than winning, it is more than something fun to do, it is a key that opens the mind to a world unlike your own and shows students that people from every walk of life can come together to accomplish something great.