FORUM
11
October 30, 2009
Texting while driving prnves deadly
By Becca Heller
Staff Writer
Texting while driving. We all
know it's dangerous. We all do it
anyways. We're all idiots.
Today texting and driving is
probably the most universally
accepted deadly behavior among
our generation.
A recent study showed that 50
percent of drivers between the ages
of 18 and 24 text while driving. I
used to be one of them.
I know all too well the one-
handed steering and the quick
glances between the road and the
screen of my phone. I'd nailed down
the strategic placement of my phone
in the cup holder nearest me and had
begun to fully appreciate the length
of red lights.
I also had some close calls.
Sometimes I'd look up from a
message and realize that I'd drifted
into another lane. Sometimes I'd
find myself slamming on the brakes,
coming upon an unexpected traffic
jam or realize that the light had been
green for a while.
Finally one day at the end of this
summer, my dad sat me down. He'd
prefaced the chat with such gravity, I
thought for sure he was going to tell
me my grandfather had died.
He turned to me and said gravely:
"Becca, I know you text while you
drive." I cringed. This was something
I'd been denying for years, but he
was too clever for me (apparently I'd
texted him once while I was driving-
great). He looked at me, with more
sternness than I'd ever seen him
muster up before and said quietly, "I
need you to promise me -1 need you
to really promise that you'll stop."
This time I did.
The seriousness in which my dad
approached me put all of my stupid
carelessness into perspective. It
was strange to see such a dramatic
departure from his usual easy-going
self, and it naade me realize that
this was not just a simple risk that
I had been taking. This decision
had life and death implications and
was nothing to take lightly. I'd been
smacked in the face by the dangerous
reality of texting while driving, and I
didn't plan on losing my grip on it
again.
Now, everywhere I look, I see
people texting and driving with
the same sense of disregard and
untouchability that I once had. I
also hear stories and see statistics
that make the danger of texting and
driving seem more real than ever.
Sophomore Alyssa Bryan recalled
some fatal texting and driving
incidents that happened in her
hometown just before she left to
come here for the fall.
In one case, a girl was texting
when she drove off the road and
onto the curb, hitting two girls who
had been walking on the sidewalk.
They'd been visiting their friend in
the hospital down the street. One of
them died instantly, and the other
was left in critical condition.
"That was just one of two fatal
text-related incidents that happened
that month," Bryan said.
On a deeper level, texting
and driving becomes an issue of
selfishness and irresponsibility.
While texting so often seems like
no big deal, doing it while driving
endangers innocent people. No
texting conversation - no matter how
desperately important it may seem
- should take precedence over the
lives of others.
The cost is great, and the solution
is simple. Just stop. Close your phone
and disconnect from that addictive
social network for 30 minutes while
you're driving. Try to put the issue
into perspective - this choice affects
more people than just you and your
friends.
It's as simple as: "I'll ttyl I'm
driving." These four (or is it seven?)
words could someday save your life,
or someone else's.
"Fake" news: an era of
comedic relief
By Abbey Dean
Staff Writer
So let's say that the average news pro
gram is like your run of the mill chain res
taurant. Anderson Cooper 360, CSPAN, and
the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer would
be the equivalent of Chili's, Applebee's, and
Red Lobster. Like the news, Ae food is the
same with some minor variations here and
there.
Now, enter The Daily Show and other
forms of "fake" news. Unique and entertain
ing, these compare to the quintessential,
funky diner scene: the kind of places that
you frequent half for the food, half for the
entertainment factor. The menu is unpre
dictable, and the atmosphere is eclectic and
amusing.
The Daily Show, like the diner scenario,
entertains and presents the news - granted,
with a specific spin.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is like a
sieve. Usually, it gleans from the segments
that appear on all the major news networks,
sorts tluough the funny bits, and presents
what it feels is the creme of the crop.
For instance. The Daily Show's reporting
of strategic options in Afghanistan exem
plifies their distinctive approach to news
coverage.
After addressing Iraq as the forgotten
child, the reporter "in the field" suggested,
like all the other news stations, that troop
resurgence was one of the best options in the
strategic approach to Afghanistan. The sec
ond feasible option was to not do anything,
and hope Jon and Kate get back together to
divert public attention and keep the physi
cal and emotional burden off families of
soldiers.
The Daily Show presents serious issues
in national and international news, but then
proffers a light, comedic touch.
Due to the immense popularity of The
Daily Show, some have begun to ques
tion the value of the Comedy Central hit.
Accusations of liberally slanting the news,
disrespectful allegations towards politi
cians, and cheapening the integrity of seri
ous topics are consistent sources of conten
tion.
To all of those who agree, take a closer
look. There is a reason that The Daily
Show and The Colbert Report both air on
Comedy Central. Here's a hint: the hosts
are comedians. It is their jobs to be funny
and make the ordinary hilarious.
The guests who appear on the show are
oftentimes serious politicians or players in
the world of news and journalism. Guests
include authors, activists, musicians, and
journalists all of whom add credibility and
spice to the show.
To add to the show's credibility. The
Daily Show does not disrespect severe
news topics. If nothing else it enhances
our awareness of pertinent national and
international issues by comically present
ing perspectives that mainstream media
exclude.
Case in point. The Daily Show's reces
sion coverage included a fake segment in
which rapper. Slim Thug, adjusts to the
economic downturn.
The video reveals how Slim Thug adopt
ed a more economical attitude to coping
with his personal financial crisis. Shots
of dancing girls holding W-4 forms and
clipping coupons coalesce with a Costco
logo and a "Cash for Chronies" shout
out. Hilarity ensues, but the driving point
remains clear: the economic downturn
affects all of us.
The news can be funny. Embrace it, love
it, acknowledge it, because it's out there.
Spiders crawling on popes, Glenn Beck's
Kermit the Frog voice, and so much more.
Watch and enjoy, because there's more to
come.
Depression overdiagnosed, medicines
too readily prescribed
By Gillian Carroll
Staff Writer
There are many solutions to being
unhappy. Go out and exercise, eat plenty
of vegetables and fruits, consume less caf
feine, and take your vitamins.
Be skeptical about ads you see on TV
that tell you depression is the catalyst for
your unhappiness, because many of the
drugs being advertised as "quick fixes"
for depression have major side effects and
withdrawal symptoms. These medications
may work for some people, but nothing is
guaranteed.
The following symptoms qualify as
diagnosis for depression: sadness, feeling
down in the dumps, changes in appe
tite, problems sleeping, and tiredness.
However, determining diagnosis based
purely on these symptoms would render
one in five adults as depressed.
Depression is over-diagnosed. It is the
number-one-treated psychological disor
der in the world. A Japanese company
promoted its medication for treatment of
depression with an appalling awareness
campaign stating, "Depression is a disease
that anyone can get. It can be cured by
medicine. Early detection is important."
Antidepressants are marketed to the
public as quick fixes to their problems. The
general public uses the information they
receive from the television ads to diagnose
themselves. They seek medical attention
by asking for medication they have seen
advertised on TV.
"Too many people are being diagnosed
with depression when they are merely
unhappy," said Professor Gordon Parker,
psychiatrist of the University of New South
Wales in Australia to the British Medical
Journal. "Depression has become a 'catch
all' diagnosis, driven by clever market
ing from pharmaceutical companies and
leading to the burgeoning prescription of
antidepressant drugs."
The medications available for treating
depression have serious side effects because
both depression and the medication affect'
chemical balances in the brain. It is a disor
der that can neither be healed nor treated
without the aide of a doctor. Depression
is a serious disorder being exploited by
the pharmaceutical industry for potential
profit.
Commercials portray normal unhappi
ness as a state of depression. Zoloft coaxes
their target audience, telling them that if
they feel nervous, sad, tired, or alone, they
may be depressed.
The wording of the commercial itself is
possibly the most futile attempt to convince
us that feeling emotion can be a sign of
depression. Zoloft goes on to describe the
disorder with a brief dramatization after
they have the viewer asking either him
or herself whether or not they have such
mentioned symptoms. The final message
left with the audience is "You just shouldn't
have to feel this way anymore," coupled
with a flower, a change to happier music,
and a chirping bird.
Every drug commercial ends the same
way: the viewer is told to ask their doctor
about it. The most ridiculous part about
every one of these commercials is the "oh
and by the way" statement of a few miser
able side effects, leaving many with harrow
ing images of nosebleeds and migraines.
The deceiving part is that the side effects
mentioned in commercials are only the
common ones. It's the rare side effects that
should worry people.
Depression, although over-diagnosed,
remains a serious issue and symptoms are
confusing to any individual with emotions.
It is extremely important to get help and
remember not to diagnose yourself. In the
end, a doctor will always know best.