Stop complaining, start listening by
gloriaLIN
Students should give Auto-Tune another chance
Do UC what I see? Ticking clocks, upcoming deadlines and fingers cramping from excessive typing: it’s college application season, folks. With the Common Application placing colorful and taunting shapes next to the status of each private college supplement and looming deadlines of Early Decision, Early Action I and II, Regular Decision and Rolling Admissions, it is too much for me to handle. But in the end it will be all worth it, right? At least that’s what President Obama says. He has
decided to increase the number of college graduates to create a more “potent workforce.” A meeting on Oct. 5, organized by Jill Biden, will bring together people from different fields: philanthropists, businessmen and teachers, to make sure that by 2020, America is the country with the greatest number of graduates, and this miraculous plan is only made possible by the two dreaded words: community colleges. In my mind, when I hear those words, I can hear my mom screaming, because for most Lynbrook students, community college is not in the top list for colleges. In my mom’s mind, community colleges are for summer classes, with libraries that close at 5 pm and science, sports and music courses that do not offer state of the art facilities. No matter how many lab classes and diverse courses De Anza College may have to offer to its students, the notion will remain the same: community college is not the way to go. President Obama’s plan of revamping the community college system would have no impact on many negative preconceptions regarding community colleges, so instead, this money would be better put into improving state schools. The point of a state school is that it should give an advantage to those who are from the same state, as redun-
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CLAY SONG
“Blame it on the mic, blame it on the crew,” begins one especially popular parody of Jamie Foxx’s highly Auto-Tuned track, Blame It. Channeling the opinions are “ruined” by of many who believe that Auto-Tune is good only Auto-Tune, one for making perfectly talented artists sound like will find that these prorobots (and talentless singers sound like musical same scenarios testors are often the same prodigies), the lyrics continue, saying, “Blame have come from people who are more than it on the a-a-a-a-a-Auto-Tune.” changes in sports willing to attend an event The song obviously supports the case teams and govand actually dance to such against Auto-Tune, but people should be ernment offices song. rallying for an entirely different point of in addition to muHowever, at the root view. After all this time and effort spent sical trends, provof the problem, the battle protesting against the use of Auto-Tune, ing that at times, against Auto-Tune isn’t perhaps it is time for music lovers to many new fads are just about raw talent versus stop being so nitpicky about what goes not appreciated for technology, or musical prefthrough their earphones and give Autheir true values erences; it is about the very to-Tune another listen. until much later. nature of human beings. As Auto-Tune is a software program Auto-Tune should humans, we simply have no made to process audio and tweak be given this chance limits when it comes to satisaudio tracks so that they sound as well. faction. Whether it is finding more polished. Although some It is time for music a way to get the latest vermay claim that the program just lovers to accept that sion of a cell phone, saving makes T-Pain sound more like at least for now, Autoup for a laptop with all the Lil’ Wayne with a 102-degree Tune is here to stay. It toots and whistles a customer fever and a bulbous amphibseems that what Jay-Z could possibly ask for or begian caught in his throat, the hopes for isn’t relevant; ging our parents for a designer fact remains that many of true music fans should rebrand overcoat, people won’t today’s popular hits are alize that the “death of Autobe happy until their cravings also the ones which use Tune” is not an event that looks are satisfied. Unfortunately, the most Auto-Tune— as if it’ll be imminent in the futhese feelings of fulfillment anyone care for some tures of many artists, let alone the are often short-lived; it should Ke$ha? Owl City? Lady entire music business. Listeners come as no surprise, then, that Gaga? Imogen Heap? should soon realize that when complaints about Auto-Tune Auto-Tune may seem it comes to music, the saying, should arise so quickly after its like pop music’s way of “If you can’t beat ‘em, join initial release in the late 1990s cheating customers, but in re‘em,” applies as well; instead and still be prevalent even in ality, it should be looked upon of condemning its usage or this day and age. as more of an equal opportunity its users, it is time to try It seems that abrupt and new employer. When people dream of welcoming the much-fabled changes—such as rap lyrics, adbecoming artists, but are unable to Auto-Tune into our perditions to national sports teams do so for various reasons (whether it sonal music libraries—that and newly elected government be a handicap, lack of funds or simply is, if they haven’t secretly officials—will always be met a deficiency in the talent department), wormed their ways with controversy and criticism— Auto-Tune gives them another chance to in already. Auto-Tune is no exception. achieve their dreams and make it big. Hardcore rap, despite the pro“It all boils down to whether the listeners tests against it, gradually became like the beat [since] the artist probably realizes accepted by those who opthe risk he or she takes by using it,” says junior posed its existence Anika Dhamodharan. It seems, however, that in as time went the end, this so-called “risk” pays off; just one look on. The at a music chart will confirm how common it is for popular songs of today to incorporate Auto-Tune. In fact, while it is true that many despair over songs which
dant as that logic may be. The fact that UC Berkeley is increasing their acceptance rate of out-of-state (OOS) students in order to reap their OOS fee is a little ridiculous, even if two of the high ranking UC’s are in the top 25 colleges, according to US News. Instead, the Obama administration should take the money that it is going to use towards community colleges and put them into state schools, schools with a little more prestige. By doing this, they would be able to increase the number of classes available. Increasing the classes would decrease the number of students in each class, combatting the problem of a high student to teacher ratio in state schools. More money into state schools would equal lower tuition rates, another problem in colleges. In turn, more money would equal more acceptances, better facilities and smaller classes, all while still holding on to the “brand name” college experience that Lynbrook students want. It’s an effectand-effect cycle, each effect bettering the last one. So Obama, you want a larger workforce? Make sure that we can survive in that workforce, that students are able to graduate with more esteemed degrees and have that edge over others who attend community colleges. And make my mom happy.