Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 5, 2000, edition 1 / Page 13
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®f?e Saily (Tar Heel Gender Differences Shine Through on the Open Road A special insert of Maxim magazine recently revealed the mystery behind women’s inability to maneuver those four-wheeled transportation boxes, commonly referred to as cars. Apparently women lack the mathematical brain processors required for “three dimension al spatial awareness.” In the case of driving, this concept refers to the ability to determine that her 5-foot-l-inch physical frame can actually occupy a space smaller than the cab of a Chevy Suburban and that that same Suburban cannot fit into the same parking space that the Honda Accord she should be driving would fit in. Another Maxim statistic reports that women’s brains weigh 11 percent to 12 percent less than men’s. I refuse to concede to the insin uation that women are therefore less intelligent than men. However, a certain percentage of women are inherendy not quite up to par in the common sense category - those who use the vanity mir ror. I’m speaking of those women who insist on applying mascara while traveling at 15 miles Bike Rider Lends Advice To Unaware Pedestrians Some may call me a biking maniac. They may give me a look of terror and anger as I fly past them on cam pus. OK, so many do. I’m actually a peace ful person, though, and don’t enjoy run- ning people over with my bike any more than I enjoy being thrown from the bike myself. Despite my attempts at peace among biking- and walking-kind alike, both of these events have already happened to me in the very first week back to class. I myself hate the bus. And walking from South Campus seems to get longer and harsher as the year goes on. I’d rather cruise to class as fast as I can with the wind pouring around me. But once you hit main campus, it’s a pileup. The choms of “excuse me” and “watch it” rings through the Pit and the main quad. I realize it’s a densely packed area and difficult to get around and I try to take the road instead of the sidewalk or walk my bike through packed areas, but still the battling continues. I’ve almost hit at least 3 people, all of them stuck in my path like deer in head lights. All I’m asking is, please ... get out of my way! It’s a strange phenomenon that in a community of stu dents pursuing higher knowledge, we can’t approach one another without collision. We shouldn’t have to live in fear of having our heels scraped from behind by bikes or of flat tening some unsuspecting pedestrian while rounding a cor ner. We all have our transportation preferences when it comes to getting from point to point. It’s time that we start respect ing and watching for our fellow commuters. Before we know it, the University will be split into opposing gangs the bik ers and the strollers. The sidewalks would be safe for no one, campus divided into turfs, students battling for sidewalk space all over the place! OK, perhaps that’s a scene better left to the movies. But believe me, crashing on your bike or being crashed into is a dramatic event, not to mention a painful one. The point remains that the situation can be a dangerous one. And that Get Out and Rock the Vote When I first found out that I was going to get the opportu nity to write a guest column this week, my initial reaction was to write a serious piece showing off my newly acquired knowledge of journal istic protocol that I’ve been attaining on the Editorial Board this semester. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve already learned some pretty interest ing things from my comrades on the board. For instance, apparently when you write one of these things, you’re supposed to base it on a current issue called a “tie-in,” and then present your argument on said issue based on some thing called “research.” Writing a straightforward column would also be benefi cial personally, because if you’re writing for a college paper you’re supposed to be compiling “clips” for prospective employers. Since I don’t really have any of those that aren’t either A) going to offend some tight-ass or B) going to incriminate myself, a forthright composition would have been a wise move on my part. But let’s face it, you don’t want to read one of those and I sure as hell don’t want to write one. So here goes nothing ... again. But just because we’ve established that this column isn’t going to follow any rules of formal style doesn’t mean that we can’t talk about a serious issue. One of the most impor tant issues in this election year is why you need to get off the couch and go vote. Yeah, I know, this isn’t exacdy a revolutionary idea. College students are constantly bombarded with programs such as MTV’s “Choose or Lose” on why it is so important to vote. I guess these programs are working to some extent, but I know a lot more people who will watch the same “Choose or Lose” special five times on TV than who’ll actu ally go vote. The sad thing is, by not voting, young people are failing to have their voices heard. The only thing sadder than the massive apathy our generation seems to have towards voting are the lame excuses people give for why they don’t vote. Here are just a few. Lame excuse No. 1: It doesn’t really matter which candi date wins because they are all the same. I’ve heard this one several times lately, especially refer ring to the presidential election between A1 Gore and George W. Bush. Quite frankly, nothing could be farther from the truth, because on many issues these two candidates per hour over the designated speed limit in heavy traffic. Take this situation for example: Candi is running late for work. She grabs her International Foods flavored coffee from the microwave and her 10-pound makeup bag and scurries out to her car, which for the sake of fur ther illustration we’ll make a 1999 Mazda Miata ... stick shift. Candi pops the clutch and squeals out of her apartment’s parking lot (where she has been occupying two spaces due to a park ing job done at a 45 degree angle to the curb). At a red light she pulls out a bottle of founda tion and spackles on a “natural” complexion. Having successfully shifted her way through blush, powder and lipstick she removes her mascara wand from its tube and begins to aim for the left eye’s lashes. At this point the coffee cup which has been lodged between Candi’s legs tips over, spilling hot coffee over her feet. In alarm, Candi floors the gas and rear-ends the Land Rover in front of her, causing the mascara wand still gripped in her right hand to stab directly into her eye as impact occurs. Other cars veer off the road to avoid the colli ■ ELLIE BLAKE POINT OF VIEW right” rule. If we all just move to our right, crisis will be averted, knees will go unscuffed and peace will be main tained in our lovely University community. Rule Two: We have to be alert of each other. Please listen and watch for approaching bikers, especially those coming up behind you. If you’re unaware of the hip biker lingo, the code for oncoming bikers is: “Excuse me, coming up on your right!” For those of you that aren’t physics majors, that necessitates you step to your left to ensure no bombardment of particles occurs. Rule Three: Respect. There are a lot of people on campus and we are all trying to get somewhere. Walkers must realize that destination is the intent of bikers, not scoring points for each person they take out on their way to class. Bikers must also realize that walkers are going to be slower and they’re going to have to be maneuvered around. Hopefully with these guidelines, we can work around one another more respectfully and safely and create a standard of awareness for other travelers on campus. I know that bikers can be just as dangerous and disre spectful when it comes to sharing UNO’s roads and side walks. I myself can be quite the daredevil (speed bumps take on anew meaning when you jump them at full speed). I’m sorry for any bruises or elevated heart rates I’ve caused this school year. Yes, I’m the crazy girl speeding around with a daydreaming look on her face. But don’t get me wrong. I’ve got nothing against walkers. I happen to enjoy the meditation of a nice stroll myself sometimes. And hey, a lot of my close friends are walkers. And I ask the same of them - step right and get out of my way. Elite Blake is a sophomore nutrition major from Winston- Salem. She can be reached at naturalstar@unc.edu. AMOLNAIK EDITORIAL WRITER new justices to the Supreme Court in the next four years, all of whom will likely have the same stance as they do on the major issues. Lame excuse No. 2: It’s too much of a hassle to register to vote. Registering to vote is now easier than ever. You can regis ter at the post office, DMV or with a volunteer who hassles you in the Pit when you are skipping class. There are even multitudes of Web sites that you can register from, including www.chooseorlose.com. It takes no time at all. Lame excuse No. 3: My one vote doesn’t make a differ ence. I’m not going to give you a story about how somebody in Nowhere, North Dakota won the position of mayor by one vote, because these instances are few and far between. Your one vote counts not just because of who it gets elect ed, but also because it legitimizes candidates and their poli cies for discussion in the public forum. Voting isn’t like a horse race; you’re not trying to pick the winner. If you like what an obscure candidate has to say, vote for them even if they don’t have a realistic chance of winning. If the candidate gets enough votes, their views will have to be addressed, regardless of whether they actually win. In any case, I’ve hopefully disproved at least a few of your reasons not to vote, because whether or not you want to admit it, voting is of the utmost importance to our daily lives. Take the time to find out what candidate represents what you want in a leader, and then go out and vote for them. If you don’t, somebody else will, and they’ll be deciding your future for you. Amol Naik is a senior history major from Lumberton. Reach him at unc2ool@hotmail.com with any comments. Viewpoints ■ SARAH KUCHARSKI POINT OF VIEW sion subsequendy resulting in a 15-car pileup. Shawshank style, I’d like to think that the last thing that went through Candi’s mind, other than the mascara wand, was how Estee Lauder ever got the best of her. Statistics and horror stories aside, the fact of the matter is this - women may not be able to drive, but men will never ever learn to stop and ask for directions. While the all-powerful forces of creation chose to rob some women of com mon sense, these forces meanwhile chose to grace all men with tiny compasses inside their craniums. Mind you, these same compasses are what pull men towards Hooters Restaurant and hot rod shows - so they are not to be trusted. Nonetheless, men fully believe that then given sense of direction is more useful than any map or set of step-by-step driving directions. This 4th of July, my boyfriend and I decided precautions against this cyclist/pedestrian slaughter need to be taken. Perhaps it’s time some ground rules be set up to prevent this war and ensure the future safety of travelers everywhere. Rule One: Everyone knows the “stay are as different as Jesse Helms and Jesse Jackson. Take the issue of abor tion. Vice President Gore is decided ly pro-choice while Governor Bush opposes abortion unless it’s a case of rape, incest or saving a woman’s life. Their stances on this issue are espe cially relevant now, because much of our Supreme Court is older than that box of Chinese takeout that’s fester ing in the back of your fridge. Thus, the new president will have the responsibility of appointing several to jaunt up to Washington D.C. for a renewed lesson in our nation’s history and a worthwhile fireworks display. After leaving Raleigh, back tracking to Chapel Hill to pick up Interstate 85, then navigating five hours of holiday traffic, we found ourselves in downtown Washington. Following my boyfriend’s brain compass we hooked a left and easily found our way to 2nd Street. Thinking that our desired location, M and 17th Street would be a mere 15 blocks in the continued direction, we fearlessly sped onward. Four illegal turns, five dozen one-way streets, one gas station robbery (we were wit nesses, not perpetrators) and 2 1/2 hours later we were in Maryland. I guess they don’t include that whole North, South, East, West thing in the N.C. State University curriculum. But I suppose that it’s not ineptitude that pre vents men from asking for directions. Rather, it’s their sense of pride. Asking for directions falls within the same category as hiring a plumber or electrician instead of undertaking an extensive do-it-yourself home project Inevitably these projects are reminiscent of ' ' < 3Sfc TO Media Perpetuates Myth Of Political Horse Races It’s all over. Pack up the posters, put away the buttons, send all the pam phlets to the recycling center. Two months before election day, the next president of the United States has already been selected by a group of experts who know more about national politics than you or I ever will. Using carefully calibrated mathe matical models, political forecasters at this year’s meeting of the American Political Science Association concluded that A1 Gore would win the election with between 52.3 and 60.3 percent of the vote. Unless, of course, George W. Bush wins it. Just a few months ago, the Texas governor’s campaign was riding high on his selection of running mate Dick Cheney and a cycle of mostly positive press coverage. Pundits and analysts derided the Gore campaign’s lackluster perfor mance and determined that “Dubya” would have enough electoral votes to sail into the White House in November. But that was before Lieberman and the Democrats’ post-convention “bounce.” Political prognosticators now proclaim this will be the closest presidential election in decades, even as they continue to guess the winner. Color-coded maps dividing the states into “Bush,” “Leaning Bush,” “Gore,” “Leaning Gore” and “Toss-up" have begun popping up in every major newspaper and national newsmagazine in the country. New polls appear almost daily, tilt ing the balance from one side back to the other with dizzying rapidity. No one may actually be able to unequivo cally announce who will triumph, but it won’t be for lack of trying. The increasing übiquity of these forecasts - or more precisely, the way they are reported on by the media - illustrates a disheartening trend in the coverage of elections, both national and local. Although new stories on this year’s various elections appear in the paper every day, those stories tend to simply note who’s ahead at any given moment. That horse-race coverage often comes at the expense of more in depth coverage that should, in theory, be more important to an electorate seeking to make an informed vote. The zero-sum mentality infected election coverage early this year. A_ MARK SLAGLE EDITORIAL WRITER A recent study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism investigated the coverage of the presidential prima ry season earlier this year. It revealed that 80 percent of the 430 stories examined by the researchers dwelt on campaign tactics and strategy. Only two stories, or less than 1 per cent, scrutinized candidates’ past records in office. The PEJ study did not focus on coverage of local elec tions, but it also tends to focus, with varying degrees, on which candidate is ahead in the polls. So why is this a bad thing? To begin with, such coverage often discourages people from voting. When newspaper readers read that a candi date is “definitely” going to win the race, they decide their votes are super fluous and stay home. That perpetuates the trend of declining voter turnout and civic engagement in general. Based on previous turnouts, some political scientists predict that less than one-third of eligible voters this year will decide who becomes president The lack of issue analysis also frus trates voters who want to better under stand a candidate’s position on a cer tain issue. Candidate’s positions are oftentimes reported on only in the con text of a speedi, and then rather briefly. Many voters are then left with a dilemma: to make an uninformed choice and possibly vote for a candi date with whom they disagree on a key issue, or simply not vote. All of this raises another question: If this coverage is so detrimental to the political process, why do so many news outlets engage in it? Simply laziness is part of the prob lem. It’s much easier to report on poll numbers and surveys than to do lengthy, cosdy and often frustrating research on issue-oriented topics. The trend becomes even more dam aging when large, nationally respected newspapers engage in this practice, Tuesday, September 5, 2000 Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor and ultimately result in calling a professional to not only fix the pre-existing problem, but now all the extra neous damage which has now been caused. Yet for men it is a lose-lose situation. If a man asks for directions, he’ll lose his pride. And if he doesn’t ask for directions, any female traveling companion will continue to nag him until he A) stops for directions, or B) simply removes female companion from the car so that he can no longer hear her nagging. (To my knowledge, no man has actually tried this idea.) Even if a man chooses option A, he will be forced to listen to his female companion’s nag ging about how if he had stopped sooner, they wouldn’t have been lost for so long. At this point, man must bite his tongue to refrain from insisting that they were never lost in the first place ... he was just taking “the scenic route.” Sarah Kucharski is a junior journalism major from Cullowhee. Incorrect opposing opinions may be sent to micro_kitty@hotmail.com. because it lends credibility to poll-dri ven reporting. Another aspect of the situation is the increasingly fractured media land scape. It has been a very long time since the newspapers were the exclu sive sources of international, national and local news. With the advent of television, cable and satellite systems and the Internet, newspapers lost a piece of their audi ence each time. Now the papers are trying to compete with the two-minute newscast of television and cyberspace. Asa result, many have scaled back more ambitious projects, theorizing that few Americans have the attention spans to digest nuanced studies of com plex issues. The final, and perhaps most basic answer, is simple psychology. People love to watch competitions, even if they’re only between boring white guys in suits. Newspapers play into this mindset by presenting cam paigns as simple races between com petitors rather than forums for present ing different viewpoints. One last question: Can this process be reversed? Possibly. The PEJ report and others have done an admirable job of calling news papers out on their limited coverage. Now the voters themselves need to speak out. It’s easy to be cynical about the entire political process, but actual change requires work. If newspapers find their readers vocalizing their displeasure with then coverage, they will have a strong rea son to change it Perhaps by the time 2004 rolls around, we’ll see something different than the same old race. Mark Slagle is a senior journalism major from Raleigh. Reach him at slagle@email.unc.edu. OPEN TO AIL: Shr ia% Sar Hfri welcomes reader submissions. Their opinions do not necessarily represent die opinions or views of the DTH or its editors. 13
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