Editorial
6
Common Sense - may 5, 2011
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C O M M O N S E N S E
E D I TO R I A L
Death of bin-Laden cause for celebration
PATRIOT POINTS
As news broke, throngs of people dwelled in city centers nationwide, celebrating the death of al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden. “USA, USA,” chants broke out, and students from American Do you think television commercials reinforce gender stereotypes? University and George Washington University scaled the fences in front of the White House. And the jubilee was justified. The “mass “Yes, because when you see Axe commercials, you just see inmurderer,” in the words of President George W. Bush, had been killed, appropriate pictures of women in underwear, and it objectifies effectivly cutting the head off of the world’s most prominent terrorist them because it doesn’t show who they are inside.” organization. Javier Rosada, ‘14 After 10 long years, we could finally breathe again knowing that the face of terrorism worldwide had been killed. “Justice has been done,” President Obama said while publicly announcing the death of “Yes. Food commercials show women, tire commericials bin Laden. And this was cause to celebrate. A wrong had been righted always show the guys. The Mieneke Tires commercials never and a inhuman, cold-blooded killer had been wiped out. show a female mechanic.”. It should be clear that people are not celebrating the end of a life as Isha Agarwal, ‘12 much as they are celebrating the end of an era of fear and terror. After “No, because both genders are represented.” all, bin-Laden was a symbolic representation of al-Qaeda, but not the Bobby Pak, ‘13 al-Qaeda itself. The innapropriate claims of, “I want his head on a stick,” are understandable but do not represent a large opinion. The death is a crushing blow to al-Qaeda and its followers and that is what people are and should be cheering about. While everyone knows that “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind,” this is an exception. “Definitely. Commercials do reinforce gender sterotypes, many To not feel this sense of relief and happiness contradicts all of of which have misogynistic undertones.”. our feelings towards bin-Laden since 9-11. He has been portrayed as Long-Term Substitute Teacher Rainer Kulenkampff “public enemy #1,” and the public is reacting to the news of his death as such. “I think that they depict women as obsessed with material While the news of death is cause for celebration itself, the ability of possessions. Also, for marketing the same product to men and the government to carry out such a mission with no public knowledge women, they use different techniques.” is another reason to celebrate. We are proud of our military and our Yiwen Feng, ‘11 leaders abilities to conduct such an important mission with such swiftness, accuracy and precision. The patriotism in the early hours photos by Washiq Ahmed of May 2 united our country in a way that hadn’t been done since the attacks in 2001. We are taught to be sad at the death of another human. What are we supposed to feel when a human with no regard for our lives dies? Notorious B.I.G. said, “Mo’ money mo’ problems.” The only normal reaction is to celebrate because it makes us fear less Samuel Morse And that is also what he got. for our lives and it makes the world we live in a safer place. Osama bin- opinions editor For Manny, money proved more important, as Laden’s death is the beginning of hope for a world that isn’t shaken by Manny Ramirez ended his career not because the last two years of his career were spent on many suicide bombings and terrorist attacks. of injury, age or a case of bad knees, but because he different teams. He didn’t dominate the game as he Common Sense welcomes letters to the editor, but re- wasn’t able to do the time for the crime. Ramirez, used to and only few swings of the bat brought back serves the right to edit them as necessary for style, punc- who finished his career with the Tampa Bay Rays, was memories of what he used to be. tuation, grammar, and spelling. Letters may be submitted caught one too many times using performance enHe lost his presence as a hitter and a fielder, and to the Common Sense mailbox. All letters must be signed, hancing drugs by the ever stricter drug policy in Major people quickly tired of “Manny being Manny.” but requests to remain anonymous will be considered. League Baseball (MLB). To put Manny Ramirez in the HOF puts him next Please contact us at woottoncommonsense@gmail.com. Rather than serving his mandatory 100-game to the Cal Ripken Jr.’s and the Yogi Berras, and franksuspension, Ramirez opted to retire from the game ly, he does not belong beside these people for eternity. of baseball, effectively labeling him as a prominent He didn’t change the game as did the great baseball Editors-in-Chief steroid user in the game. While with the Los An- players, with their likenesses in bronze, which grace Allie McRae & Daniel Wadler geles Dodgers in 2009, Ramirez had a brush with the walls of Cooperstown. Manny’s love for the game steroids that benched him for about a third of the of baseball was never doubted, but his two run-ins Managing Editors season. MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment with steroids cast doubt over how much he actually Michael Krakower & Daniel Moon Program suspended Ramirez for the first time in his values the integrity of the game Arts Editor career and it went relatively unreported. When Manny is being considered for the Hall of Evan Rindler Since 1993, Ramirez has dominated baseball and Fame in the future, his numbers will make him a shoo has been one of the most respected players in the -in, but based on the mental aspect of the game he is Commons editors game. However, this second encounter with steroids a weak player that doesn’t deserve to be alongside the sagari Rao & Arun Raman will further mar his record. greats of the game. In the last few years of his playing days, Ramirez Features Editors Jeffrey Hilnbrand & Alisa Sonsev seemed to give up on the game. He went from being the franchise player with the Boston Red Sox until News Editors they ended the curse in 2004, to the free agent that George Ewald & Anna Tragotsi headed to Los Angeles, betraying many fans. Whoever could give Manny what he wanted got Opinion Editors Manny. These events do not take away from the fact Samuel Morse & Phyu-Sin Than that Ramirez will go down as one of the best baseball Sports Editors players to ever play the game, but it does make cloudy William Browning & Katherine McKenna the legacy he leaves on baseball which leaves no room for him in the Hall of Fame (HOF). Photo Editor Ramirez’s shift from baseball’s best to baseball’s Ashley Gladner greediest in 2009 signified that he was not what he used to be. After rejecting a one-year, $25 million ofBusiness Manager Daniel Moon fer from the Dodgers, it became clear that Ramirez wanted more money. Photo courtesy of MCT Campus Distribution Managers And more money is what he got. But as the late Ramirez, now retired, might not be inducted to the Hall of Fame.
Common Sense Editors
No room in Cooperstown for Manny
William Browning & Samuel Morse
Online Editor Earl Lee
Online Assistant Editors
Christine Chang & Phyu-Sin Than
Adviser
Jaclynn Rozansky Thomas S. Wootton High School 2100 Wootton Parkway Rockville, MD 20850 301-279-8550 woottoncommonsense@gmail.com www.woottonnews.com
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