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Show Editorial The Signpost Viewpoint WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 3 THE SIGNPOST The Facebook problem isn't a problem A humongous problem has arisen in the world of social networking. That problem is that Facebook has revamped its system, and the users are not very happy. Really, this problem is not a problem. People have just made it out to be the end of the world. It's just the beginning of many changes to come. People need to move on with their lives and come to the realization that Facebook changing is not the end of the world, and is guaranteed to happen again. The new Facebook trended on Twitter for days after the change, and almost every other post on Facebook was about how much people disliked the new system. This is a new age of everchanging technology. In the last seven years, there have been several versions of the iPod, two iPads, thousands of different cell phones, and the Internet has expanded its wonderful boundaries. The two iPads came out within two years of each other, it seems. The point is that there is a lot of technology out there that is continuously getting bigger and better. People are ever accepting and excited about the new versions of the latest gizmos and gadgets. Everyone is gearing up for the iPhone 5's new release right now and all the new bells and whistles it will entail. What is incomprehensible is that, if all other companies are allowed to expand their technologies, why is Facebook not allowed to? If it had stayed the way it was seven years ago, it would have died like MySpace. Nobody would use it. Facebook would not be equivalent to the third-largest country in the world according to number of members. The original Facebook would be ancient. Updating technology is part of the culture. People are to the point where they expect improvements. These improvements do entail change, and change does not sit well with many people. That would be why the improvements, also known as changes to Facebook, have caused such an uproar. News flash: Facebook is not done changing yet. It's still in its infant stages of life. It is a mere seven years old. Imagine a 7-year-old child staying exactly the same for the rest of his lifespan. If that were to happen, the body might still look the same, but the cuteness and novelty has long since worn off (like Myspace). Changes are a part of life. If any one person thinks that Facebook is going to stop changing, they are wrong. Facebook will keep changing as it matures, and it is highly unlikely that Facebook is going to die. It has become a part of culture and a way of life. On top of that, Facebook does not owe it to us to stay the same. It is a free service that we voluntarily use. In two weeks, people will have adapted to the change of Facebook and will log in with admiration of their home pages. They will love the updated version and will not comprehend how they ever got along without it. Then, just when people get comfortable and have fully adapted to the new Facebook . .. BAM! It will change and update again. Then the rage will reoccur, and people will show their utter disdain for Facebook and its constant updates. Disgruntled Facebook users should stop complaining and move on. Users can adapt themselves to the mild inconvenience the free social networking site has thrown their way and keep on trucking. Facebook is not going to go back to its old ways. It is not going to stop changing. It will continue to evolve so that it can survive and thrive. Comment on this column at wsusignpost.corn. Pragmatic Perspective Thinking with ambiguity, abstraction A wise man once taught me Nathan Mikami that there are • two ways a person must think The Signpost in order to be columnist considered to have a high IQ: They must be able to think ambiguously and abstractly. In essence, a person who is incapable of thinking outside of a simple-minded box full of absolutist dogma is likely lacking a high or even average IQ. Now, I certainly don't believe that having a high IQ automatically validates someone's opinion, but I would argue that those who have the ability to think ambiguously and abstractly have a more open-minded, pragmatic and valid worldview. The wise man who taught me this principle is Dr. Omar Kader, a man whom I admire greatly and who has taught me many valuable principles. I had the opportunity to attend a workshop taught by Dr. Kader a few weeks ago about how we can create peace, or more specifically, how peace can be achieved both within and between nation states. The lecture was incredibly interesting, especially because of Dr. Kader's question-based teaching style. His questions are meant to be difficult and require his students to think critically. One of Dr. Kader's questions spurred some interesting dialogue, and some particularly spirited comments from one of our classmates that I found to be anything but ambiguous or abstract. Dr. Kader brought up the issue of immigration in the United States, and said student had some pretty strong opinions on the matter. The student - we'll call him Jeff - (generic, and I honestly have no recollection of his name) was outraged at the issues that accompany "illegal aliens" (a term I dislike). He was especially vocal about his traumatic experiences at Burger King and not being understood by the Latino cashier. Jeff was also quite upset that, at rallies or protests held by these breakers of the law, they had the audacity to fly Guatemalan, Mexican and Costa Rican flags during their rallies. It was inconceivable to Jeff why they would do such a stupidly un-American thing. Here is the kicker. Later on in the discussion in a string of questions, Dr. Kader asked if anyone there owned a Confederate Flag, of Civil War fame. And guess who raised his hand. Yep, the Latin-Americanflags hater, Jeff. Dr. Kader asked Jeff if he understood what that flag represents and the injustices it stands for, and Jeff defiantly voiced the right to own that flag because it represents his "heritage." Of course he has a right to own 7( Aov , ;cevsEirnii4G1 that flag, and yes, he has a right to be proud of his "heritage," whatever that may be. But not for one moment did Jeff think ambiguously or abstractly and realize that his right to own and fly a confederate flag is the same right a person has to own and fly a Guatemalan, Mexican or Costa Rican flag. Jeff, in his narrow-mindedness, couldn't see something so blatantly hypocritical, quite simply because his mental capacity lacks the ambiguity and abstraction required to think outside of his narrow scope. I realize that this is harsh criticism and that I too am guilty of being narrow-minded at times, but the fact of the matter is that the world could use some more ambiguity and abstraction. We need more people thinking outside of the box, or outside of their classically conditioned opinions. We need more open-mindedness and less dogma. Jeff and his, in my opinion, misguided and tunnel-vision views on immigration and immigrants are but one example. My hope is that we, including myself, can all strive for a more open-minded worldview. And before we go preaching our potentially narrow-minded worldview to others, let us remember ambiguity and abstraction. Comment on this column at wsusignpost.corn. STANDARD it THE SiGIOOT HMER for CAMPUS NEWS Editor in Chief Managing Editor News Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Business Editor Spencer Garn Stephanie Simonson Kasey Van Dyke Nathan Davis Bryan Butterfield Cole Spicker 626-7121 626-7614 626-7655 626-7983 626-8071 626-7621 The Si gnpost is a stude nt publication, written, edited and drafted by Weber State University students. Student fees fund the printing of this publication. Options or positions voiced are not necessarily endorsed by the university. Features Editor A&E Editor Copy Editor Adviser Ads Manager Office Manager Jerrica Archibald Kory Wood Alexandria Waltz Shane Farver Shelley Hart Georgia Edwards 626-7624 626-7105 626-7659 626-7526 626-6359 626-7974 The Signpost reserves the right to edit for reasons of space and libel and also reserves the right to refuse to print any letter. Letters should not exceed 350 words. 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