6|Opinion

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Opinion

September 25, 2013

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Invincibility vs. vulnerability TWEETS OF THE WEEK Darth Vader spotted on the #quinnipiac campus. Probably overseeing the construction of the York Hill Death Star @mattsolomon965 Matt Solomon Sometimes I’ll wonder if the frog emoji was made solely for the purpose of Quinnipiac and Toads. @Brett_Bradanini Brett Bradanini “If you get hit with a golf cart at Quinnipiac you get free tuition” @kbeneditoo Katie Benedito But in other news, Quinnipiac needs to figure out their parking situation bec im too lazy to walk from new roads to the other side of campus @j_slayyy6h Joey Piccolo Seeing as the study lounges close and lock me out, I’m taking that as a sign that Quinnipiac doesn’t want me to study #alrightythen @Rotsen2030 Pat Nestor

INSTAGRAM OF THE WEEK @kdcrooks Time to reflect #nature #lake #reflection #autumn #quinnipiac #vscocam

Young adults like to think they’re invin- due to the fact that kids our age think they cible. They think “no way, that would are invincible and that nothing bad could never happen to me.” In the past happen to them. How far will people few weeks there have been five go until they test fate to the point car accidents involving Quinniwhere they are in life and death piac students, making the idea situations? of invincibility dissipate. People are constantly beEvery time people don’t ing told don’t drink and drive. put on a seatbelt, they’re asDon’t text and drive. If that suming that they won’t get is so, why do people keep into a car accident. Meandoing it? In 2011, 9,878 while around 2,700 teens people died from drunk in the United States were driving, and among those killed in 2010 and around people, 66 percent were 282,000 went to the emerdrivers, 27 percent were gency room for injuries people in the car and 7 SARAH HARRIS suffered in motor-vehicle percent were non-occuAssociate Arts & Life Editor accidents, according to the pants, with an average of @sarah_harris7 Centers for Disease Control one person dying in a drunk and Prevention. driving accident every 53 minutes, accordEvery time people don’t use protection ing to the National Highway Traffic Safety during sex they’re thinking, “no I would nev- Administration. er get pregnant.” However, exactly 329,797 Three weekends ago, there were said to be babies were born in 2011 to women aged 15 five car accidents involving Quinnipiac stuto 19 years according to the CDC. dents. Whether they were our friends or not, More incidents have been happening they are part of our community, which should

Sensationalism is not news

Questions that allude to the world around us are posed more and more by professors here at Quinnipiac. Are you paying attention to the world around you? Do you watch the news? Most of the time, they get the same answer: not enough. Take, for example, the conflict happening in Syria. The country that was once fertile plains and high mountains has been enduring a bloody civil war over the past two years, crippling the people who reside there. The nation is at war with itself, as the fighting between government forces and rebels has killed more than 100,000 people. Or even look at the recent shooting that happened at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. last Monday. Aaron Alexis, who was in the Navy Reserve until 2011, entered the area by using his access card as a contractor. He then proceeded to take the lives of 12 people before killing himself. And yet we still find people would rather talk about the latest news surrounding Drake’s new album or Miley Cyrus’ latest stunt for attention. It just doesn’t add up. So why do most students choose to cram

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make us all think twice about the choices we make. Why is that young adults have to learn from their own experiences to realize that maybe they shouldn’t test fate so much? How many times do people hear, “You live and you learn?” The statement may be true, but when it comes to life and death situations, the saying turns around. You learn and you live. You learn from the consequences of other’s actions and you live longer. It’s a shame that people don’t feel others pain. They don’t really understand pain until it happens to them. People can tell people they feel sorry for them, but they won’t ever actually feel the pain they are in until they experience it themselves. But why do people go so far to test fate to the point where they are in hospitals fighting for their lives or to the point where they have caused someone else to be fighting for his or her life? People should take the right precautions to protect themselves, rather than saying, “no, that would never happen to me.” It can happen to you, it can happen to me, because in reality we aren’t invincible.

their heads with the latest celebrity gosObama signed a bill that lowers sip rather than global affairs in the interest rates on college loans. country they live in? Priorities. They Rather than paying 6.8 percent would rather play video games than on loans, students will now face read a newspaper, or watch MTV only 3.4 percent interest rates. rather than the news. It’s a pattern The disturbing thing about this than has been occurring over and is that most college students over again for years. weren’t even aware that it The frightening part is occurred. that some of the students What might be even at Quinnipiac will be enmore alarming is that it tering the real world in is very easy to pay attenless than a year–a world tion to the news. Find a where being able to go-to website and read form and convey a wellthe headlines, follow NICK SOLARI thought argument is an news outlets on Twitter, Associate Sports Editor invaluable skill. In order or even do it the old-fash@ns0lar1 to do so, however, you need to do ioned way and watch the nightly your homework. news on television. (Crazy concept, isn’t it?) It The most common defense you get from takes very little time. a college student is that “it doesn’t affect The lesson is to pay attention to what is me directly.” It is one that is seemingly happening on the news. It makes you a more programmed into every college academic’s well-rounded person and allows you to carry brain. conversations with professionals in an easier The truth is that it can, however. manner. And hey, you might even learn a Over the past summer, President Barack thing or two.