November 9, 2012 by Central Michigan Life

VOICES

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” – The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

cm-life.com

Friday, Nov. 9, 2012

EDITORIAL | election night signaled a change

Ashley McDonald Staff Reporter

Time to disconnect Since the evolution of Twitter, I’ve begun to tally up the total amount of computerized mediums that we as young adults are wired to. The list is starting to add up, check it out: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr ... the list goes on. If you think about it, that’s really not a small list. Actually, it’s sort of lengthy, and it’s ever-growing. How many more social networking sites will be created in the future? Is there anything that they haven’t come up with yet? And then there’s texting. No matter who you are or what type of phone you possess, texting is at least a small part of almost everyone’s life. Hell, it controls most people’s lives. In fact, a few of those aforementioned websites rule over most people’s lives, too. I’ll be the first to admit that I log onto Facebook 20 times a day. Twitter’s a close second; I probably take a fast glance at the news feed about 15 times a day. I know that I’m not the only one. Most people my age or around my age share the same addictions. Bored in class? Take a quick look at Instagram. There could be some interesting bathroom selfies on there. Bored at lunch? Maybe there are a few important tweets being tweeted right that second. Bored in general? Spend a few quality hours on YouTube. YouTube pretty much guarantees incessant entertainment. Maybe it’s not just boredom that contributes to our devotion to these electronic channels. Maybe it’s something more. The human need to be “in the loop” is my first theory. We constantly believe that we have to be tapped into the cyberspace world, or we’ll miss something. Escapism is my second theory. A quick solution for the desire to be somewhere else is to grab your smart phone and see what’s happening on there instead. That way, a person doesn’t have to fully engage in the present. These are factors that have contributed to the unhealthiness of Internet addictions. Why should we feel that we have to know what’s going on at every second of every day? It’s OK to not always know or to find out later. And we shouldn’t have an escape route in the palms of our hands. For example, if you’re in a completely awkward social situation (don’t pretend you haven’t been in one), you shouldn’t be whipping out your phone and texting your friend as a means of escape. Call me old-fashioned, but the way that people used to deal with these predicaments was by using actual social skills to relieve the discomfort. Which brings me to my concluding point: Ironically, social networks, along with texting, have actually created more alienated human beings. I fear for the seven-year-olds with iPhones. How are they ever going to learn essential communication skills that are imperative not only for making face-to-face friends, but for life in general? And while we might have already learned those skills back in the day where we didn’t have technology in our pockets, we still have reason to be concerned. I think that a little de-wiring would be good for us. After all, there are things that are going on in real life that are far more important than the latest tweets. E-mail | editor@cm-life.com Mail | 436 Moore Hall Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 Fax | 989.774.7805 Central Michigan Life welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Only correspondence that includes a signature (e-mail excluded), address and phone number will be considered. Do not include attached documents via e-mail. Letters should be no longer than 300 words and commentary should not exceed 500 words. All submissions are subject to editing and may be published in print or on cm-life.com in the order they are received. Central Michigan Life, the independent voice of Central Michigan University, is edited and published by students of Central Michigan University. The Director of Student Media advises the newspaper, and the self-governing Student Media Board of Directors oversees operations. Articles and opinions do not necessarily reﬂect the position of Central Michigan University. Central Michigan Life’s editorial and business oﬃces are located at 436 Moore Hall, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, telephone 774-3493 or 774-LIFE.

Talkin’ ‘bout my generation

uesday night marked the beginning of a new era in American politics: one more tolerant, more diverse and younger than ever before.

Ever since the 2010 midterm elections, talk among cable news pundits was that the coalition of young voters and minorities who swept Barack Obama into the White House in 2008 was ﬂeeting. They said his coalition was disillusioned with the political process, and Tuesday was supposed to signal a shift back to the old guard, a.k.a. old, white people. The talking heads could not have been more wrong. Turnout among Latinos and African Americans actually increased, according to most exit polls. Younger voters turned out nationwide at about the same rate they did in 2008, and 60 percent of people ages 18 to 29 voted for Obama. Not only did this coalition singlehandedly deliver Obama a second term, thereby ensuring

reforms in health care and student loans are fully implemented, they made their voices heard at the state level as well, approving of gay marriage in four states, electing a record number of women senators and voting to end absurd marijuana laws in Colorado and Washington. Welcome to 21st Century America. The Democratic Party and campaign oﬃcials and volunteers in the Obama campaign deserve a lot of credit for galvanizing younger people and making people who would never think of becoming a part of the political process major players in it. At the same time, the Republican Party has itself to blame for alienating young people and minorities, especially Latinos. For eight years, the Bush admin-

istration fed the American people lie after lie about the rationale for a needless war and misguided policies, culminating in the mountain of debt and deep recession we’re still trying to recover from today. A whole generation of young people and a growing minority population, fed up with the lies, have turned against the GOP, and as long as they continue to double down on those policies, they have little hope of gaining ground among them. It is going to take a more open, more accepting Republican Party, one that appeals to minorities, for it to take the White House. It is often said that this generation is selfish and entitled, not caring to seek out news or become involved in the political process. Tuesday proved otherwise. Our generation, with help from a newly empowered minority population, has dramatically altered the political landscape in the United States, and the ramifications of that change will be felt for decades.

[ ILLUSTRATION ]

[LETTERS TO THE EDITOR]

Advice column offensive I have read some offensive articles in this newspaper, but your article “How to get the guy while his current relationship seems to be fizzing out” is more offensive to me, as a woman, than Mitt Romney’s “binders full of women” comment. First of all, I have been in my relationship for over a year now, and the fact that this newspaper thinks it is appropriate to hand out advice on how to end that disgusts me. Relationships are hard enough; we don’t need to be manipulating each other’s significant others into ending their current relationships. Your first piece of advice, “Make

sure you look your best,” is awful. You just told women, who are getting a college education, that the easiest way to get the man is by looking good. What ever happened to impressing him with your intellect, sense of humor or confidence? Then, you continued to tell women to change their interests in order to be compatible with the man. No woman should ever have to change herself to get a boyfriend. If she does, she will end up miserable pretending to be someone she isn’t. No. four on your list of advice, however, is by far the worst thing you said. You advised women to pretend they are weak in order to

get help from a man, because validating his masculinity will make him like you. Essentially, you told women to forget about being strong and independent, because he will never like you that way. This is not the 1950s. You are giving this advice to women who are getting a college education, who will have careers and success. I hope you are thoroughly ashamed of this article, because I know I am ashamed to go to a university that would put this in its school newspaper. Margaret Herrinton South Lyon junior

Athletics not ‘incompetent’ As a true football fan (Wednesday’s column about athletics) made me want to jump through the ceiling after I read it. To say that the athletic department is incompetent is not only unprofessional but incredibly inaccurate. Not to mention you posted inaccurate W-L records for both CMU and WMU. Do you have any idea what goes into planning and executing a sporting event? Do you have any idea how much Central Michigan’s athletic

budget is for a given year? The amount of staff that needs to be paid for their long hours trying to run a successful athletic department? What gives Western Michigan students or Michigan State students the right to get into Kelly/ Shorts Stadium for free? Of course students from other schools are going to be charged for entry, how else do you expect the school to generate revenue? They didn’t have to travel to Mount Pleasant, nobody is forc-

ing them. If they are true football fans, they will pony up the money to see their team. And for the guy who called it glorified high school football? Where did he play college ball? If you are going to go to the game to heckle our school and rip on everybody, stay home. I am shocked that this article was published in the school newspaper. Mike Fata, Lansing senior

Arielle Breen Staff Reporter

Furious response to purposeful blindness Hershey’s, Smucker’s, Kellogg’s, Monsanto, Sara Lee, General Mills, Ocean Spray, Delle Monte, Dole, Campbell’s, Land-O-Lakes, Bumble Bee Foods, Sunny Delight, Hormel Foods, Godiva, Morton Salt, The Coca-Cola Company, Wrigley, McCormick, Nestle and, of course, PepsiCo, are all traitors. Guess who won’t be buying a Sara Lee pie, Ocean Spray Cranberries or McCormick seasonings this Thanksgiving? I don’t support traitors. Most of these products I won’t buy anyway, but their treachery takes my anger over the edge. These companies and other similar traitors to good quality food have spent over $45 million to keep consumers in the dark. Proposition 37 in California was basically the head of the new food movement. Individuals, small businesses and larger businesses gathered to show that they want to know what is in their food. The proposition would basically require food companies that use genetically modified organism ingredients (GMOS) to be labeled. This made a powerful force against the food dictators. How much testing has been done on the effects of GMO food consumption? Not much and even less that was done by third-party testers. Also, it’s not a coincidence that many of the people who have leading roles in these large corporations also have a role in regulatory fields like the FDA. Doesn’t it reek of corruption? It sounds oddly familiar. Wait, it’s coming back to me now. Oh, I remember, tobacco companies. Had Prop 37 passed, it would have set a precedent for the rest of the country. This was the 12th state to try and go against these large corporations like Monsanto, the bully on the playground. Monsanto creations of patented genetically altered soybeans, corn and other plants that are basically every horror-film maker’s dream come true. The plants invade, replicate and are resistant to other life forms attempts at removal. This prop was literally a little man against the behemoth scenario, but the people in support of Prop 37 and other similar movements say they will continue to fight on. From this, we can take away that people do care about their food, many will not give up, and they will not let large corporations with huge pockets dictate how they eat. They will continue to turn to local farmers, co-ops and staying informed. While the elections might be over for candidates, we vote every time we eat. We are voting when we drink coffee at the locally owned businesses like Kaya Coffee or shop at the local quality businesses like GreenTree, the list goes on.

Central Michigan Life EDITORIAL Eric Dresden, Editor-in-Chief Aaron McMann, Managing Editor Jessica Fecteau, Student Life Editor Hailee Sattavara, Metro Editor Catey Traylor, University Editor Mariah Prowoznik, Lead Designer Justin Hicks, Sports Editor Victoria Zegler, Photo Editor Charlotte Bodak, Assistant Photo Editor Seth Newman, Video Editor Evan Sorenson, Online Coordinator ADVERTISING Becca Baiers, Julie Bushart, India Mills, Megan Schneider Advertising Managers PROFESSIONAL STAFF Rox Ann Petoskey, Production Leader Kathy Simon, Assistant Director of Student Media Neil C. Hopp, Adviser to Central Michigan Life