No newspaper, No News

In my Art History class this semester, part of our assignment was to read the New York Times everyday. We would then be randomly quizzed on our knowledge of the current events displayed in the newspaper. I found this at first to be completely irrelevant of Art History, and also, simply unnecessary. However, as I was forced to read the New York Times due to the sake of my grades, I found that I actually enjoyed the reading, and also felt well-informed of the news.

Having just finished my final English paper on the impact of the Internet in political journalism, I learned much about the transforming media. Because of the birth of political blogs and websites, a significantly less number of Americans today use traditional media sources, such as newspapers, magazines, and broadcasting.

Though the Internet would seem to benefit American general education in its convenience and availability, it consequently allows for inaccuracy, decreased focus on political policy, and dangerous partisan division. Unlike this lack of credibility, mainstream media emphasizes heavy editing and concealment of any bias which might inhibit the reader's ability to form opinions of his own.

Though it may be more time-consuming to sit down and sift through the articles of a newspaper, more people would probably have a clue about what is going on in the world today. Not only is it important to remain informed, but a lacking state of public knowledge impairs our society and government. People need to be fully informed of present events, influences, and occurrences, as they effect not only the nation in which we reside, but also our own lives.

The Loss of Love

Only a few days ago, a fourth-year student at the University of Virginia was murdered. She was not killed by some mentally insane psychopath or serial killer, but instead, was strangled by her own drunk boyfriend. The morning on which Yeardly was found dead, the police immediately went to her boyfriend. George Huguely was still asleep, however, and did not have much recollection of the previous night, due to his heavy partake in binge drinking. Although he was not in a clear state of mind, Huguely's actions remain, in that he drunkenly beat and strangled his girlfriend.

As one of my friends attends the University of Virginia, she called me to share with my this tragic and horrifying story. The fellow students, friends, and family of Yeardley Love are all in utter disbelief not only have they lost their loved one, but also how it happened, as alcohol managed to create a killer.

In the story of Yeardley Love, the extreme effects of alcohol is apparent. Though college campuses do reiterate the ways to safely drink alcohol and abstain from binge drinking, people often forget that it even alcohol poisoning is not the only thing that can be dangerous. Alcohol effects a person's judgment and behavior, and as proven at UVA, can completely change a person's actions.

College students today, take an attitude that is often too casual when it comes to binge drinking and alcohol abuse. They think that it is simply a way to have fun and conform to the college "partying" age. Students need to be encouraged to abstain from binge drinking not only for the sake of their safety, but also for the safety of others, in order to avoid dangerous and tragic results, such as the painful loss of Yeardley Love.

Freedom of Anti-American Speech?

Many people today think that the days of the violent hate groups are over since the civil rights resolutions in the 1960s. However, my roommate recently showed this to be far from the facts. A current group that refers to themselves as the Westboro Baptist Church, has created a notorious fame of publicly displaying their prejudices against homosexuality.

The members of this "religion," exhibit their hatred for homosexuals in quite the public manner. With their website titled "God Hates Fags," the Westboro Baptist Church has tried to spread their message to the public. The groups ideology conveys that through tragic events such as September 11th, the killing in combat, and the increase of diseases like AIDS, God is trying to send a message: to terminate homosexuality. Members of the group frequently attend the funerals of American soldiers, in order to reiterate their beliefs that God killed this soldier as punishment for the American army's allowance of gays.

The hate organization also condemns those of the Jewish, Catholic, and some Protestant faiths, professing that Hitler had it right during the Holocaust. The WBC finds that these religions are almost as low as the homosexuals in the mind of God. Unlike these faiths, the WBC believes the sinful nature of American acceptance of diversity to be the central principal.

Upon my initial discovery of this current hatred, I was in complete disbelief. Irrelevant to whether people morally support homosexuality or not, there are no exceptions to this behavior. As lawsuits have been filed against the Westboro Baptist Church, the WBC has legally prevailed, arguing their American right to free speech. However, as this behavior is contradictorily Anti-American, shouldn't their be some type of legal justice?