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Opinion 07 Page 11 Not finding love online roup, that ie by shall The ') cir- re an iy is SOUP join the stric- very- t of lome enti- juys: d be 'i life g to to be mita- that 3est. nthe com are such By Brenda Weigel Copy Eottor Let’s say for a moment that Dr. Phil, a proponent of Match.com, is right. What if you actually can find true love on the Internet? The ! fact that you can find out every thing about a person without ever looking them in the eye may help push a relationship along more quickly than if Brenda Weigel ocial : we, elves and ;ould Iheie and cen- 'hich etter, ring, cur- iresi- erica oun- 3 of it began face- to-face. But is that necessarily better? What is wrong with slowly getting to know some one and experi encing excite ment when you realize how compatible you are? The Internet is p>erhaps one of the most unique mediums avail able. It is the one outlet in scxaiety that allows a person to create themselves as they have always wanted to be. People can love or hate you depending on the quali ties you wished you displayed. Think about it for a moment. In a way, it’s like college. It is a time to totally reinvent yourself, and for give all the things you would love to hide. Except with the Internet, you never really have to change. It’s the ultimate game of pretend, and you never have to take off the f masL According to Britain’s news Web ^ site the Telegraph, there are at least jt 30 death row inmates with profiles on MySpace.com. Who is there to monitor that anyone is telling the truth at all? The person you “click” with may not be anyone you would ever want to know in redity. Sure, the Internet works great for people who are not as open when meeting new people; it allows them to slowly open up and not worry about constantly being judged. But what hapf)ens when Ae Internet becomes your world? What hap pens when your entire life is based on online communities, or when all your “friends” are simply strangers with a name? Before the Internet came along, people still fell in love and found happiness, so who is to say the Internet is so necessary now? I Because the Internet allows you to jj do everything from buying gro- i, ceries to earning a college degree, people are slowly cutting them- , selves off from the physical world. , What happened to the days of 7 going to clubs and human interac tion? Meeting people used to require 9. you to leave your home and try .|. new experiences, but now all you ^ need is a computer and an Internet i„ connection. If we continue to restrict ourselves to online commu- ^ nities, we will faU to retain a vital 3, part of our humanity. li People require human ally contact. We need to hear others speak and watch how they react to our behav iors. We need to share our thoughts with people who are sitting right in front of us. The Internet has opened g many doors for society, but it has done so at a cost. It has closed the lines of communication that were once intrinsic to our nature. Looking for Something Worth While to do this Summer? Come have a major impact on the life of many youth while having fun in the sun. We are currently hiring: Counselors, Waterfront Staff, Arts and Crafts, Music, Adventure Staff, and Environmental Educators. For more information visit www.donleecenter.org or come see us at the Job Fair on Tuesday, February 20 in Highsmith University Union Alumni Hall- HU 159 4 Don Lm CM» h MM brWHi to la UWMNtohodMChrdi The Blue Banner — Scning the University of North Cjarolina at y\she\ille sinee 1982 Thursday, February 8, 2(X)7 Taking tests does not FIRST ANNUAL stop after class ends By Emily Pomeranz Staff Writ^ College students face all kinds of responsibilities on a daily basis. Pressure from school, work and families take a toll on our daily fives, leaving us tired and with little time to pay atten tion to our own problems. We caimot afford to throw aside a problem that affects everyone. One in two sexually active indi viduals will get an STD before the age of 25, according to the American Social Health Association. While this fact may seem scary and hard to take in, it is vital we educate ourselves and each other on this desperate situa tion. Choosing to be sexually active comes with other decisions that Emily Pomeranz Staff writer U 99 One in two sexually active individuals will get an STD before age 25. Emily Pomeranz StaffWriter can affect the rest of your life or the fife of someone else. Ignoring the responsibility to be safe can result in you or your partner con tracting an STD. Less than 50 percent of Americans ages 18 to 44 have ever been tested for an STD other than HIV/AIDS, according to ASHA. That fact should scare most college students into celiba cy. It should at least ignite a spark of curiosity and action. We all have a personal and social responsibility to get tested and also to encourage our partners to do the same. We all know how hard it is to think about these things once a great evening gets going and no one wants to come off as a down er. But what is more important, your health or your reputation? Sex education in public schools leaves a lot to be desired. It is understandable that parents want their children to learn abstinence, and they have a right to voice that opinion. However, educators and parents alike have to be practical and open up the discussion to include safe sex practices and the importance of STD testing. We cannot stop people from having sex, but we can encourage safety and responsibility. President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act stresses abstinence- only programs in public schools. Also, Bush appointed Dr. Eric Keroack, a widely known sup porter of abstinence-only pro grams, as, the deputy secretary of the department of Health and Human Services. How can we expect our children to be anything but naive if the only thing they are being taught is pre-marital sex is wrong? Now that we are done with mandatory sex education, it is up to each of us to be fully aware of the situation at hand. Get tested and encourage your friends to do the same. Read up on more statis tics if you really want to scare yourself to the doctor’s office. It would be nice if everyone with an STD would walk around with a sign on their forehead, but-we all know that is not the case. As col lege students we are probably the most vulnerable to STDs. One small lifestyle change could save your fife, or someone else’s. So please, go get tested for STDs. Our Student Health Services offers testing at a reduced price. They also have free condoms in the office and encourage students to take advantage of that service. STDs are not a joke, nor are they something to be ignored. We all have a responsibility to educate ourselves on these issues A WEEK OF LOVE, SEX, HEALTH AND FUN 66 99 We cannot stop people from having sex, but we can encourage responsibility. Emily Pomeranz StaffWriter and spread the knowledge to oth ers. Next week the Student Government Association is put ting on an entire week of educa tional events and forums on sex ual and relationship health called Lovefest. The week includes a women’s health fair, an HIV/AIDS forum, and other events on sexual and dating health. Also, condoms will be available throughout the entire week in all residence halls and at the SGA office in Highsmith. Please, take advantage of all these events and continue to edu cate yourselves. Sunday Feb.Uth: 5:30p.m. Valentine’s Day cards for women in prison Monday Feb12th: 12:00-1:30; Condom Olympics and GSA kissing booth on Quad 12:00-1:30: ASIA Breast Cancer Society Benefit: Hershey Kiss roses 9:00pm: Movie and chocolate fountain- “Rent” HU Grotto 9:00-10:00: Recycled Valentine Card Station Tuesday Feb.13th: 12:00-1:30: Valentine’s cards for a troop over seas or retirement home in front of Caf 11:00-2:00: Wear Red to School Day toward the fight against AIDS HU Grotto 12:30-1:30: Pizza n’ Porn discussion group with Campus Crusade for Christ HSU 221 6:00 Myth Buster “HIV/AIDS in America” FREE PIZZA Wednesday Feb. 14th Valentine’s Day: 7:00 Men’s Basketball Game vs. High Point in the Justice Center Raffle for a vibrator Thursday Feb. 15th: 12:00-2:00 Women’s Health Fair FREE “mock”tails 12:00 Osteopathic Medicine Forum, Laurel Forum Friday Feb. 16th: Homecoming Game and Dance! Parade 1:00 from Highsmith to Rocky, wear your Love Fest shirt and show your support The feeling of being white on a white canvas By Lisa Gillespie Managing Editor I am not black. I am not mul tiracial. If I have a drop of black blood in my history, I am not aware of it. A young woman in high school thinking of attending UNC Asheville next fall recently con tacted me via Facebook. “I am multiracial, and I am trying to decide if I want to go to 66^ 99 I assumed talking to minori ty students would relate to her experience more than talking to me. Lisa Gillespie Managing Editor UNC Asheville,” she said. “I know that not many minorities go there, and I Just wanted to know if you think I’ll like it or be fine there, because I have never visited and I do not know anything about it. Can you help me?” I messaged her back, asking her if she had contacted any other minority students. I sug gested this because I assumed that she felt herself closer to being black than white. My assumption went back to the one-drop rule, and though this is not institutionalized legally any more, people still apply it to their own lives. “Just because my mom is white and my dad is black, does n’t have anything to do with my likes or interests,” she said in response to my e-mail. If one is biracial or multiracial, they are commonly seen as black, even though they may have grown up in a “white” environment. I fell to this socie tal standard and assumed that talking to minority students would relate to her experience more than talking to me. In my e-mail, I said, “I don’t know if you’re interested in race, but since you mentioned that you’re multiracial, there is this new group called the Student Diversity Alliance, and they do amazing work trying to get administration and students to care about race issues.” With this statement, I erased the idea that being white is a Lisa Gillespie Managing editor race. I do not think I would have included this if a white student e-mailed me asking for advice. I would not have said, “Since you are white, you might be interested in SDA.” 66 99 If people are multiracial, they are commonly seen as black. Lisa Gillespie Managing Itditor Even though I am aware that “white” is a race, a box I check off, I see it as a neutral ideal, a ruler to which every other race and history is measured against. I do not stereotype as a way of discriminating against non white people, but subconscious ly as a way of making sense of the world. As a way of making sense of her identity without any knowledge of her background and sense of identity. “I just think your opinion is insanely biased, and from all of the other people that I have spo ken to, you have been the most critical,” she said. “It seems that most of the people there do not have a problem with race. Maybe you just do.” She was right. I do have a problem with race. The fact I applied a racial identity to this biracial woman, lumping togeth er a minority group and erasing the difference within her life that she may have, is a problem. And I know I am not the only non-minority person to do this. As European immigrants grew in wealth, they assimilated into the dominant group and left their minority status behind. History has revolved around who is black, and who is not white, never what is white. Therefore, I do not think of myself in negative terms, “I am not black.” I think of myself as white. I am white. And this is where it gets problematic. 66 99 We can give them back the power to name themselves. Lisa GILLESPIE Managing lulitor Our society takes an essential- ist perspective of one who is born black, white, Hispanic or American Indian. We do not think about the evolution of these terms. This perspective erases any thing that is outside the dichoto my and decreases the inclination to look at things that are differ ent. It erases the inclination to look at the person, and not put them into the box of black or white. Instead of looking at them as one identity because of our own tendency to stereotype, we can give them back the power to name themselves. " CLA*^sified ads ARC REGISTERED XMAS TEA CUP YORKSHIRE TERRIER FOR SALE ARC registered ,home Raised adorable Yorkshire Terrier. Very lively, lovely, intelligent and well socialized baby. All her papers ready, email Jeff: akon_jf@y^oo.com PERSONAL ASSISTANT FOR HIRE: Help running errands, groceries, cooking, some occasional cleaning. Cooking is primary- employ er is a meat eater who likes nealtny, organic, natu ral foods. Schedule is flexible. Looking for around 4-6 hours a week, with days and times optional. Apply at www.unca.edu/career YOU can have better relationships! We can help! Relationship Readings using The Cards of Destiny System with Joseph and Sarah Elizabeth Malinak. Student rate; $75. Call today to sched ule your one-hour session! 828-645-0999 A gorgeous Female yorkie English Bulldog for sale. Available For your Home Now For More info Kindly Contact Me fred moore2006@hotmail.com Or# 908 453 8808 Make plans to attend our Summer Jobs & Internship Fair Tuesday, February 20th from 11am to 2pm in Alumni Hall. More information coming soon! PART-TIME NANNY NEEDED: Seeking a part-time nanny for a 3 year old boy on Monday afternoons from 1:15 to 5:30. Must be willing to read, play and do light housework. This job is available through April. Apply at www.unca.edu/career To post a CLASSIFIED or WANTED AD e-mall: oanner@unca.eau i; w _ ._>L
University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper
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Feb. 8, 2007, edition 1
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