OPINION • 5
the-telescope.com
Let’s stay together but not share it all CHRISTINE FORONDA THE TELESCOPE
True love does not equate to the sharing of account information. In a relationship it is natural to share your dreams, fears and lifelong goals with your significant other, but when it comes to your Facebook password, email login information, or the lock code to your smart phone, a line has to be drawn somewhere. A recent Pew Research Center study found that 67 percent of Internet users in committed relationships have shared passwords to one or more of their accounts with their partners. Giving access to your Twitter or Facebook should be a choice not an obligation. Your significant other is not entitled to know your email or social media passwords. A relationship should be based on trust and my boyfriend should ask me a question and expect that I will answer him honestly. He does not need my passwords because there shouldn’t be a need to verify that what I tell him is the truth. According to Time Magazine, psychologists recommend keeping passwords private. Psychologist Paulette Kouffman Sherman said, “partners can misinterpret messages to friends of the opposite sex and get overly involved with communications that have nothing to do with them or the relationship.” Many friendships are platonic, but if a boyfriend or a spouse has access to his partner’s private messages through text or social networking websites he may misread those messages and get the wrong impression. Another problem is that sharing passwords may impair each other’s personal space, independence and
Illustration by Stephen Davis / The Telescope
Your significant other is not entitled to your passwords but you are definitely entitled to your privacy.
happiness in a relationship. Kelly Campbell, Associate Professor of Psychology at California State University, San Bernardino,
said “In relationships, we depend on each other for a lot of things, but it’s good and healthy to have some independence too.” In addition, Campbell mentioned “The more you self-disclose, the happier you are. But the happiest couples have some degree of secrecy and privacy.” Couples can be open and trust one another but they also are entitled to some privacy in the real world and the digital world. In my experience, having that personal space makes a couple more likely to stay together. However, if you and your significant other were to, heaven
forbid, break up, sharing of passwords could be used against you. Rosalind Wiseman, parenting educator and author of “Queen Bees and Wannabes,” talked about a high school student she worked with and what happened when his ex-girlfriend found his phone. “She knew where he charged his phone during class and knew his password, so she went in and sent all sorts of texts to friends, to another girl he was talking to — it really created a lot of problems for him,” Wiseman said. If you don’t think to change your passwords before a split, problems
such as blackmail or disclosing private information for the world to see could also arise from a bad break up in couples that shared passwords. So although most Internet literate people are sharing their email, social media and smart phone access information with their partners, having someone looking over your shoulder still does not promote trust, honesty and love. Your significant other is not entitled to your passwords but you are definitely entitled to your privacy. CFORONDA@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
Your personal business should not affect your business JOSHUA RAY THE TELESCOPE
Years ago a radical was someone who supported same-sex marriage. Soon after it made that person a progressive. Now, if it is opposed a person’s leadership is heavily questioned. On March 24, Mozilla named Brendan Eich, co-founder of Mozilla and writer of Javascript, the Chief Executive Officer. Only 10 days later on April 3, he stepped down after he was heavily criticized internally and through social media for a $1,000 donation he made to an anti samesex marriage group in 2008, which supported California Proposition 8, which banned same sex marriage. Eich’s contribution records have been available since 2008 but resurfaced last month after he was named as the new CEO, according to Deborah Netburn of the Los Angeles Times. Questions and Twitter comments rose about his ability to lead fairly and questioned his
character because of his political contributions. “The donation did not constitute evidence of animosity,” Eich said in a statement. He challenged naysayers, saying that they were “not providing a reasoned argument… I do not insist that anyone agree with me on a great many things, including political issues, and I refrain from putting my personal beliefs in others’ way in all matters Mozilla, JS, and Web. I hope for the same in return.” Opposing same-sex marriage has no affect on a person’s ability to lead. An opinion on life style choices should not require a top leader to be questioned on leadership abilities. Eich did not say “I am the CEO of the Mozilla Foundation and as the CEO I do not support same-sex marriage.” He simply donated money to a group who did. Being or supporting a candidate who doesn’t support same-sex marriage does not make someone a
Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich resigned after controversy / Photo courtesy from Theblot.com
racist or homophobe. Just like supporting samesex marriage does not make you homosexual. The political views of a person has no effect on their ability to lead people equally in a work place. It is unfair to force a person to censor their views on both sides of this issue. A number of Mozilla employees asked Eich to resign, Chloe Varelidi,
one of those employees requested that Eich resign because she believed he was not fit to lead, according her post in Sam Machkovech, article of arstechnica.com. A leaders abilities come from many places such as their experiences, knowledge and mentorships not from their political views as the naysayers are claiming. App developer Rarebit announced the pulling of its app
from Mozilla’s Firefox Marketplace. In a statement, Rarebit CEO Hampton Catlin, verbally reprimanded Eich for both his Prop 8 donation and his choice not to apologize. A person should never apologize for their opinion no matter the nature. Think about if it would be fair for any people to apologize for thinking same-sex marriage was OK. Employees and affiliates of Mozilla heavily criticized Eich and gave him little choice but to resign after his initial refusal. He was wrongfully handcuffed and made an unselfish choice for the betterment of all Mozilla employees. He granted them an out to heal from the black eye from this issue. One thing was evident in the matter of opinions. It is only right if it agrees with the masses’. When it doesn’t take it back or take a hike. JRAY@THE-TELESCOPE.COM