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Wednesday, February 22 & Thursday, February 23, 2012
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Each dollar you spend goes to more than just a single product
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS
Parenthood. The list is compiled from Planned Parenthood websites and links are provided to these websites (http://greatdebateusa.com/exposepp.php). This information was like a light switch suddenly flicked on to reveal a maze of corridors I hadn’t realized existed. It is much easier to keep an eye on politics and what is happening legally, such as in the current health care legislation regarding coverage for contraceptives, than it is to recognize all of the strains of support taking place throughout the market. However, each strain can make a significant impact. In the case of Planned Parenthood’s supporters, many match donations individuals choose to make. With this in mind, it is clear you are not necessarily offering a set percentage to the organization every time you purchase a can of Pepsi or a box of Quaker Oats. Even so, you are one of the people adding to the profits from which such donations are made. Whether you support Planned Parenthood or not,
ALICIA RIEDEL COLUMNIST
TAYLOR WILKES | THE BG NEWS
When you buy coffee, you aren’t just buying coffee. We all know the money we spend on food, clothes, and other items cost more than the item itself. We pay for preparation, transportation, the workers’ wages, and all that goes into the process of bringing our coffee to us. But that is not all we are paying for. We are also offering a small contribution to any organization that the company we are buying from supports. On a related note, you are also supporting any actions the company itself performs. Recently, a friend mentioned that Starbucks supports Planned Parenthood. While this is not breaking news, it was news to me. My friend shared where she received her information, a compiled list you can read online of companies that support Planned
you can appreciate the significance of such a web of support and the questions that follow regarding our purchases, in general. What are we supporting with our purchases? Is our money helping to support organizations or practices that we do not wish to support? Being completely informed about the effect of every purchase we make is unfeasible, but we can make informed decisions based on the information we have and are able to gather. If you learn that a product you normally buy is made by a company that financially supports or actively practices something you are morally against, do you continue to buy the product? With knowledge comes responsibility. The way we answer this question, individually and collectively, determines certain moral character and the course of our world to the extent that money reaches.
Respond to Alicia at thenews@bgnews.com
Restaurant controversy less about chicken, more about equality Counseling Center Members Guest Columnists
The decision whether or not to invite Chick-fil-A or any other company, agency or organization to join the University community must go beyond a popular vote. It also needs to be about more than just chicken. It needs to be about our community as a whole (not just the majority) and about our values of inclusiveness and respect. The reference in last week’s article about this being “all about brand marketing” sums up the problem.
GREEN From Page 4 stopping us mere inches away from a parked vehicle. We were saved — or so we thought. After a minute or so of freaking out and then calming down, we attempted to remove ourselves from our awkward vehicular placement. The emergency brake was stuck.
When the priority becomes what has potential to be most popular, the most familiar, or the most profitable instead of doing the right thing, we lose sight of our values, our traditions, our policies and perhaps our humanity. Seeking input from our community members through some sort of vote may seem democratic and fair. However, might this only be the case for those in positions of power and privilege in our community? How might members of our community who belong to groups who have traditionally
held less power and privilege feel about his vote? It seems that not factoring in these other variables sends a clear and chilling message that our community is not willing to make the difficult choices required to ensure that each of us, regardless of our affiliations, feels connected, included and valued in this community. From a mental health perspective, it is precisely these types of micro-aggressions that result in the greatest psychological harm and that contribute to the heightened risk of anxiety, depression
and stress related health concerns in members of minority communities. The idea of leaving this decision to a popular vote is unsettling because we may be subjecting ourselves to the tyranny of the masses rather than acting in line with our values. However, if this decision does indeed come down to a popular vote, this tyranny may be avoided. To do that, voters must make this about more than just chicken. They must investigate the public stance many of the organizations supported
It was so stuck that none of us could release it. And, yes, we were pressing the button. AAA to the rescue! We waited an hour and a half in the parking lot of the movie theater, fearing we would be towed. When the road side assistant showed up, he attempted to fix the problem himself before towing us. He sat in the car and released the emergency brake without even thinking about it. As I said, freshman girl scenarios.
Through all of this, though, not once did we mention “the plus side.” Why did we neglect to utilize this positivity tool? I shall tell you. We didn’t have a negative side to try to improve upon. Sure, all of these mishaps did occur, but not once did anyone complain about any of these things except for a split second when we thought we would have to pay for a tow. When we wound up 50
miles off-course, we celebrated. When we (thought) we were stranded in another state without a way to get back to BG, we cheered. We embraced what we believed a road trip consisted of: mishaps, errors, calamities,
“From a mental health perspective, it is precisely these types of micro-aggressions that result in the greatest psychological harm ...” by Chick-fil-A have taken in actively working against the promotion of gay rights. They must learn about the psychologically harmful effects of reparative therapies promoted by many of those organizations and the American Psychological Association’s opposition to their use. They must ask themselves whether or not the values of Chick-fil-A are consistent with
what the University stands for. We recently included sexual orientation in the University’s non discrimination policy. It seems we are now being called upon to demonstrate whether or not we meant it. Do we?
mistakes, blunders, debacles, disasters, setbacks, tragedies, upsets and tribulations. Road trips are meant to have things go wrong. And life is the same way. We can’t control everything that happens to us. We can’t plan life. So, maybe, just maybe, if
we start viewing life the same way we view road trips, we will live much happier and more fulfilled lives, embracing the good and the bad.
Respond to the members of the Counseling Center at ggilmer@bgsu.edu
Respond to Christina at thenews@bgnews.com
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