10 - DIXIE OPINION SUN WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2 Weekly voice Students can take steps to overcome fears BY LAUREN JONES Dixie Sun Staff Writer We all have heard about phobias like fear of darkness and fear of enclosed spaces, but a lot of people tend to be afraid of the strangest things. I have come to find that I am a wimp and am afraid of a lot of weird things. To prove that, I have made a list of things that frighten me. 10. I have an irrational fear of people who have had too much Botox. To me, they just look like expressionless mannequins with eyes that blink. Creepy. 9. Scorpions and earwigs, especially the alien earwigs that crawl in your ear and cause you to go insane, like on The Twilight Zone. 8. Old cars with a burgundy interior. It makes me CZARS continued from page 9 System Concerns Some by Tom Hamburger and Christi Parsons published The Los Angeles Times on March 5, the czars have more power than cabinet members. According to the article, Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary, tried to explain how authority over healthcare would be divided between Health Czar Nancy-An- n DeParle and Kathleen Sebelius, health and human services secretary. At first Gibbs said that DeParle will be in charge, before adding that feel like I am driving in a coffin. 7. Rejection. In other words, if you dont like this piece, dont tell me. 3. Aliens. The movie E.T. has to be one of the scariest movies ever made. I really dont understand why everyone insists on making him a 6. Dirty antique shops. There is this one antique cuddly, friendly little creature. My parents made me go on the ride at Universal Studios, and I almost cried when he said my name at the end. shop on the Boulevard where everything is breakable and piled up high. There is everything from old stuffed animals that look like they have been dragged by a car, to porcelain dolls with half of their faces missing. I feel like I will get lost and never find my way out. 5. That everyone in the world is an actor, and I am the big joke. I have a fear that my whole life is being taped and everyone is in on it. I find myself looking around for cameras; I havent found any yet, but you never know when the host of Candid Camera might pop out and tell me to smile. 4. Undercooked chicken enough said. many different people and agencies would be involved. Sebelius, as an official member of the cabinet, must still be confirmed by the Senate and will have to answer to Congress for her actions in the future. Conversely DeParle, the one truly in charge of healthcare, is free from such restraints. There is a reason that our Constitution does not mention the office of czar, and a reason why our Constitution places checks and balances against the executive branch and its officers. That reason is the 2. Repetitive patterns. Very distinct lines and certain textures make my skin crawl. I have no idea why, but things like fish scales and sponges give me the heebie jeebies. I cant stand honeycomb shapes, raw beef tripe, burned milk on the bottom of a pan, pictures of cells, or any irregular shapes clustered together with contrasting colors (dirty snow with holes from sprinkled salt). 1 My No. 1 irrational fear is clowns. When I was young, I got really sick, and my parents rushed me to the hospital. I was in and out of . prevention of tyranny. Our founders created the framework for a government devoid of emperors and czars, a government where the power of each member and office was held in check by another branch of government or by the people. These czars, these emperors, are a slap in the face of the American people. It is insulting that our president, the steward of our democracy, has the audacity to give out this kind of power and is blatant enough to give the job the title reserved for Russian emperors. a red nose, sharp teeth and long, brown nails. That was enough to send any child into hysterics. Fortunately, the bizarre phobiasout there. According to http:www.bli-aloo.cominfophobias.ph- arachibutyrophobia of peanut butter sticking the roof of your mouth. It! Bin.? is the fear of school (sometimes I suffef from this as well). Didaskaleinophobia is the fear - long words (thats ironic). Chlorophobia is the fear of , working to overcome then The second step is to see), counseling. If you share y0, fear with a close friend orri'l ative, you will feel more at ease just knowing someone cares. The third step is to I I immerse yourself and face your fear one step at a time Trying to do too much at once may backfire on you and undo any positive changes youve already evidenced. For example, I co; one day watch a clown fror far away. The next I could maybe sit in the far back di ing the circus. And before you know it, I could be mal ing balloon animals myself V Everyone fears somethin; silly. It is nothing to be ashamed of. As soon as you can laugh at yourself and realize that there are much bigger and scarier things to worry about, the sooner you can get over those irrational Tt? Sen'l fears. song hits froi WaiL...sothai Wait, i ih Im Did you do anything fun for spring break? Atiy old in What do you mean too old? You're wily I thought 35 was the new 21. p v.i J Z1 ,5 the few 16 I was told 16 was die I I new 18. V s'uVS 12 iS Ovtr makes you L B1 5C1 Du l Z n wh. y' You re rigi You are da. Stude Dixie S radio 20. tl listei !o music 1 downsi an Ir T hinders Acting helpless women in gaining respect BY WHITNEY PHILLIPS Dixie Sun Opinion Editor Women have come a same rights as men, but we need to be aware of some practices that could reverse that struggle toward being taken serf hard-foug- ht I initially assumed that the Bambi persona is rarely used, that only certain women use this strategy to get ahead. Surprisingly, this practice seems to be far more widespread than I would have L nightmare I had when I was sick. According to the Web site, by acknowledging our fears we can at least put them into perspective and begin of playing Bambi might seem to work at first, acting like this has dire effects on the way women are perceived. (eiilhit? you can first recognize where the fear came from. I know the reason I am afraid of clowns is because of the to Acting helpless is a strategy that many women use to get what they want. Although - p, is the fear ously. One of those practices is what I call playing Bambi. jw- might sneak up on you. If I randomly ran into a clown with my friends, it could be pretty embarrassing, but there are ways you can get a grip on those things that bring terror into your heart. According to http:www.ineedmotivation.c nightmares stopped with age, but every once in awhile I panic when I see a clown. There are plenty of other . to. having the s; article.) A lot of fears dont ever need to be faced, although there is the possibility one multi-colore- long way when it comes - the color green (St. Patricks Day must be a doozy). Logophobia is the fear of words. (If you suffer from this, I applaud you for facing your fear and reading this consciousness all night, so when I was dreaming, I wasnt sure if I was asleep or awake. In one of my dreams, I was waiting for the doctor in the examination room. When the door opened, my doctor was a scary clown d with crazy hair, imagined. One event that recently opened my eyes to playing Bambi took place at a journalism convention, of all places. My fellow Dixie Sun reporters and I attended several sessions and discussions on topics that deal with modem news reporting. Most of the speakers focused on innovative steps we journalists can take to keep people infonned and interested, but one speaker made some suggestions I hoped never to hear from a TALENT continued from page 9 joke. The whole William Hung thing: Come on, people. Sure, its funny to watch this tone deaf, rhythmless person make a complete fool out of himself on national television, but to give him a record deal? Seriously? And people trained journalist. In response to one students question, the speaker suggested that, as a female reporter, the student should act helpless in order to get important facts from a male source. The speaker emphasized the idea that men will be more Bambi act if they helpful to women if they seem lost or weak. In other words, the speaker was telling the student to play Bambi. they are threatening to the opposite sex. One silly adage Ive heard several times is that men dont like smart Granted, when people dont want to talk about a certain women. That may subject, reporters have to get creative in how they obtain their information, but making cavemen or rights, but I dont yourself seem incompetent not what I would call cre- is ative. Other than getting what they want, there are a few other reasons women use the Bambi act. Case in point, some ladies might see playing Bambi as a way to get attention. Acting incapable of a task, perhaps in a classroom, is a surefire way to get the interest of others. One good example comes from the 2004 movie Mean Gills. Somewhere along tire plotline, the main character, Cady Heron, decides that she will fake being bad at math so her love interest, Aaron Samuels, will take notice and help her. Even in a seemingly shallow movie like this one, Herons Bambi plan doesnt work. Fler plan to capture Samuels heart fails, and she ends up nearly failing her class. We can all take a lesson bought the CDs. Oh wow, I am scared for our future generations. What is the matter with us? It has always been a pet peeve of mine that awful singers continue to perform just because everyone is too scared to tell them they suck, so they are continually told they are good. No! They arent good. Just because from that. I realize that everneeds to be recognized sometimes, but that recognition should come from acceyone ntuating positive traits to get that attention, not putting on an act to get in the spotlight Women may also utilize the feel that vou have applied in the days of the think that theory applies today. Sure, there may be a few men who prefer women whe dont show that they have a pie; functioning mind, but they seem to be in the minority. For the most part, I have noticed that men see intelligence as a positive trait, negative one. All in all, women shouldnt not a lias worry about being too smart fora guy. If any man has a problem with a girl who can use her brain, to me, that man isnt worth pursuing. So ladies, overall, its a good thing to ask for help when you truly need it. hav However, its a bad thing to ask for help or play down intelligence in order to get V something or someone you want. Playing Bambi may seem effective at first, but it the long run, youll lose the respect of those around you Be genuine. Be sincere. A'011 Bambi. someone was cute as a ctu doesn't mean he or she can still sing as an adult. tb Were paying people in ? Scream-U'music industry. isnt singing, and hotness does not equal talent. Lets open up our ears and pay attention instead of blindly following trends and undeserving people01 gi'1"-thes- e hard-earne- d money. Hi