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labels distract viemiws
from real issues
By Ashley Gilmer
Staff Writer
In case you haven't noticed, there's
a new reality show on television.
It's called "Label That Presidential
Candidate." TV newscasters are the
major players. The wirmer is yet to
be determined, but the losers are the
viewing audience.
While the nation is in the midst
of one of the most important prima
ry seasons ever, the networks seem
focused on stereotyping the can
didates rather than clarifying their
positions.
Hilary Clinton has been portrayed
as "cold," "smart" and "driven."
Wouldn't it be good to know what
makes her smart, what drives her
and her exact plan for turning aroimd
an economy headed for recession?
Instead, we are overwhelmed with
the images of her infamous "emo
tional moment" while on the cam
paign trial in New Hampshire.
The newscasters said that this
moment "humanized" her. Of course
she's human, just like all of the other
candidates. But do we know what
point she was making at that moment?
Not really, because that part was not
as significant as the fact that her voice
broke and she became teary-eyed,
according to the networks.
Mike Huckabee has been labeled as
the "religious" candidate. The former
preacher is also a former governor.
The networks talk about his religious
stance, as opposed to his plan to do
away with income taxes. His evan
gelical calling helped to fuel the con
troversy behind the supposed "cross"
in one of his TV campaign ads.
Barack Obama also has his label.
He is the candidate of change with
"celebrity backing." The support of
high profile friends such as Oprah
and George Clooney has overshad
owed his stance on immediate troop
withdrawal from Iraq. Further,
wouldn't it be helpful to know what
changes Obama would like to make
and how?
Mitt Romney carries the somewhat
unfavorable label of "rich." The label
implies that he can buy his way into
the White House, something most
Americans disapprove of. Perhaps
rather than focusing on his personal
wealth, the news should focus on
how he moved the Massachusetts
state budget from a deficit to a sur
plus.
The networks have decided that
some candidates are not worthy of
their labels simply because they are
not considered front-runners.
They include the names that are not
mentioned, such as Dennis Kucinich
and Ron Paul, among others. Perhaps
if the coverage was about issues rather
than labels, we would hear the names
of other presidential candidates who
have compelling arguments.
Television is a staple in most
homes (and dorms) across the nation.
Though other media (such as the
Internet) are gaining in popularity,
TV remains the primary source for
news and information. For these rea
sons, the networks should provide
news coverage that enables its view
ing audience to make informed deci
sions.
So what can be done about it?
I would suggest viewing television
news with a very critical eye. Use
your own intellect to decide between
issues and non-issues. Go beyond
television to whatever sources you
need to make an informed deci
sion. This presidential election is too
important not to.
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Illustration by Brett McDonough
Returning from abroad is like waking up from a dream
By Kevin Smith
Staff Writer
In a red sunset my plane circled over
Los Angeles. It was the last flight of many
I took over the last six months while
studying abroad in New Zealand and
traveling in Australia and Fiji. Circling
over the city was surreal. Looking at the
city lights I was suddenly reminded of
the night I left LA. It felt like I had only
left a day ago.
What was going on here? Why was
I feeling like this? 36 hours earlier I
was drunkenly' attempting to save a
cat on the rooftop of a Fijian resort
with a millionaire banker. Before that I
was in Sydney witnessing the finale of
Australian idol. And before that I was
exploring every possible square inch
of New Zealand that I could. It was all
swirling in my head at once, but it was
all starting to become less vivid.
I started to prepare myself for what
was to come, reminding myself of what
I would be missing. No more saving cats
with bankers. No more people calling
me "mate." No more cool accents. No
more people using the word "pissed"
to describe being drunk, joked about,
or angry. No more mindless extreme
sports, or hiking around volcanoes. No
more kiwis curiously asking about "the
fat people." No more tropical beaches
half an hour away from snow-covered
Alps.
I felt I had been dreaming, and from
the time I got off that plane to the time
I got to my home, I was reminded of
the things that I hadn't seen in awhile.
Hello big trucks. Hello southern accents.
Hello interstate. Hello obesity epidemic.
Hello Britney. I found myself suddenly
fascinated by all these things, but the
experience abroad was fading fast.
It's called "shoe boxing" and it's a
typical symptom of culture shock. Your
experience seems more distant as the
From the time I got off that plane to the time I got to my home, I was
reminded of the things that I hadn't seen in awhile. Hello big trucks. Hello
southern accents. Hello interstate. Hello obesity epidemic. Hello Britney.
familiarity of home takes over. The
Australearn (my program's) Alumni
Handbook states that "Many fear their
experience will somehow become com
partmentalized like souvenirs or photo
albums kept in a box."
Senior Colleen McGlory also expe
rienced the feeling of "shoe boxing"
upon returning from London. "You
still have memories of your experi
ence once you return home, but you
have nothing to trigger those memo
ries in a real way," Mcglory said.
"Your home is also full of things
that trigger memories of before you
left. This makes the transition really
abrupt, as if you're waking up from
a dream."
"Shoe boxing" is just a part of cul
ture shock. Other symptoms include
simply having a completely changed
perspective on your home country.
Senior Chelsea Simpson experienced
this after returning from doing an
intensive sustainable living program
in Central America.
"It's like coming back to the same
place but wearing different glasses,"
said Simpson. "Things filter in differ
ently. I feel like I understand what the
U.S. stands for on a deeper level."
This semester many students Have