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Show 4 Wednesday January 22, 2014 OPINION www.dailyutahchronicle.corn Media must Students should value joy, not cash show peace, stop focusing on violence I BAILEY CARVER Columnist NAFISA MASUD Columnist W hile reading articles on the current bloodshed in the Central African Republic, I was surprised by the media's reluctance to use the word "genocide." Several headlines mentioned "the seeds of genocide" not yet sown and the probability of the violence turning into genocide, just not yet. Why not? Why doesn't the systematic killing of thousands of people on the pretense of their religious belief merit the use of the word? According to a legal definition in Article II of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, this term includes any mental or physical act committed against a group based on religion, culture or ethnicity. This is clearly what's happening in the CAR, but for some reason we're hesitating to correctly label it. At first, I thought our threshold for violence had perhaps increased, raising the level at which we decide a violent event becomes genocide. Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker has published a book in which he proves that statistically, violence in the world has decreased over time. He maintains that though our means of inciting violence have advanced, such as with chemical and nuclear warfare, the actual probability of violence is drastically lower than in the past. Surprised? That's probably because what we see on the news tells a different story. Every event showcased on the television is just that: a showcase. Violence is sensationalized, a product of news channels' hopefulness to draw more viewers in with shocking stories. The problem is, we're no longer shocked. We've become numb, accustomed to gore and the inevitable violence of mankind. Researcher George Gerbner coined the term "mean world syndrome" to describe the effects of this type of media coverage. Gerbner says viewers who are exposed to violence-related content in the media become conditioned into believing the world is a much more dangerous place than it actually is. Because of this, genocide in the CAR becomes less significant — just another act of violence in a world where danger abounds. These mass killings of innocent people become lumped in with petty crimes that take place locally, and the direness of their situation is thus lost. Obviously the events being reported upon in local news are not fictitious — they've happened, and the victims of these incidents deserve a respectful amount of attention. But near-constant exposure to the proof that violence exists in our world creates a mindset leading viewers of all ages to believe this is the way things are. Without stories of kindness and philanthropy, we forget that the way things are isn't necessarily how they should be. How much coverage is there on the nine women in West Tennessee who wake up at four a.m. each morning to bake goods for local families grieving the loss of loved ones? Or Jorge Munoz, the Queens school bus driver who spends his nights cooking food on his stove and distributing it to the hungry huddled on New York streets? These stories can provide just as strong an impetus for change. And while we sometimes hear stories like these on the news, they're presented like miraculous instances, an exception to the rule. But these "miracles" happen every day, just as often as acts of violence. Amid the current violence in Egypt, one finds examples of kindness and empathy as groups of Christians surround praying Muslims, protecting them from rioters in Cairo, while Muslims do the same for Christians celebrating Mass in an Egyptian church. These acts of peace don't negate the acts of violence occurring in the same places, and media coverage shouldn't stop reporting on the former in favor of the latter. It was this kind of one-sided exposure that initially led Americans to believe we were winning the Vietnam War until the lack of press censorship led to increased coverage and a critical change in the tide of American support. Just like the later actions of the U.S. media in the Vietnam War, viewers should instead be given the full story, the good and the bad, so that we have twice the motivation to make a change. letters@chronicle.utah.edu t is a well-known fact that college is expensive, oftentimes unreasonably so. Because of this, most students feel a high demand to graduate with a major that will lead to a profitable career, because they want to make the expense of their education worthwhile. Some of these "profitable" majors include business, engineering and medicine, because they have a high likelihood of leading to careers right after graduation. However, these seemingly direct paths don't happen as often as most people think. Far more graduates end up doing something entirely different than what their major would suggest. Although there has been evidence that a student's major could have no correlation to his or her career, there are majors that also happen to be more profitable. According to Time Magazine, engineering and computer sciences are the most profitable majors while the lowest are studio arts, counseling and psychology. These statistics are far from surprising, but keep in mind these numbers are only indicative of people who continue in their field after college. There are still plenty of psychology majors who go on to have profitable careers in an entirely different subject. What is forgotten in this list is how a major can also allow students to be more versatile. Valerie Strauss of The Washington Post found that students in fine arts are learning important skills applicable to any career, such as creativity, problem solving and being able to receive constructive feedback. Even though financial security SALLY YOO/The Daily Utah Chronicle is important, overall happiness should be the priority. According to Business Insider, the most satisfying majors are kinesiology, molecular biology and elementary education. Kinesiology statistics showed 7lpercent of graduates found their job meaningful. Within these jobs it also showed that ev- eryone's financial needs were met, maybe not in excess, but basic needs were satisfied. It is important to look forward to the future while in college but approach it with an open mind. There are plenty of art majors who go on to be artists, but there are also art majors who use their skills to become business owners. It is clear that the most important thing to do in college is to find what you love, learn as much as possible and then take that with you into the workforce and forge your own path. letters@chronicle.utah.edu SATIRE True romance is a 750 credit score Personality and beauty compare badly to a balanced checkbook LOVE IN THE TIME OF CAPITALISM... BEFORE YOV BEGIN YOVR ROMANTIC "BRUNCH" WITH MY CLIENT PLEASE INITIAL HERE. AND HERE T Columnist his past summer I had a revelation while strolling along the pictureperfect beaches of Costa Rica and reveling in a fiery red sunset to complete another sun-soaked day in paradise. There I was, minding my own business and pondering upon the nature of true love, when the last lingering ray of light from the fading embers of the sun struck me in the eyes, and the heavens were opened up to me. In my temporary blindness I saw through the light into the meaning of true love. The answer wasn't in the allure of beauty, which is only skin deep, or a charismatic personality that is only as stable as the next mood swing. It turns out those traits are secondary to one eternal truth. True love is a 750 credit score. When I think of all the time I've wasted lamenting over failed past relationships and wondering what I could have done differently in my search for the perfect partner, it's humbling to realize the missing ingredient was as simple as a credit check. This is not to say that my strategy of initially pursuing a woman based purely on looks was shortsighted or shallow. However, much like anything fueled by liquid courage, the buzz of love will quickly melt away into a head-splitting hangover of shame without the jolt of a mutually magnetic personality. But even the rare and powerful combination of a physical and emotional attraction is no match for the binding super glue of love: a 750 credit score. There is nothing worse than to be entrapped by your partner's ethereal beauty and mesmerizing personality, only to find out after you pop the question that agreeing to love them forever also includes paying off thousands of dollars in debt. True love doesn't want to start out in a deep financial ARASH TADJIKI/The Daily Utah Chronicle hole, unable to secure a loan for anything better than some dilapidated tin shack. True love wants to be approved for at least a midrange house in the suburbs at the lowest possible fixed mortgage rate. The revelation of romance I received on the beach that day clarified what was missing from my recipe for finding true love, but much like any spiritual experience, I was shown the door, but I still had to walk through it. Chasing beauty and matching up personalities is child's play compared to trying to figure out how high a credit score my date for the evening has. Since I don't have the National Security Administration in my back pocket, I have been forced to develop a three-step strategy to finding out my potential partner's credit score without being too obvious. Within the first several dates I ask a few simple finding questions like, "That's great car you have, did you get a three or five-year loan on that?" or "I'm sure glad my job covers tuition reimbursement. Does your work cover reimbursement, or did you go the student loan route?" When worked naturally into a conversation, the answers to those questions can give a glimpse into their financial liability. The second step in the process occurs within the first few months of dating and involves surfing the web together and randomly coming across a link for a website offering a free credit score followed by a suggestion that it would be a bonding experience to try it out together. The final step of the process involves hiring a private investigator to do a background check on the love of your life. While it may seem a bit invasive, it's really a small price to pay before investing money in an engagement ring. Finding that perfect trifecta of beauty, personality and a 750 credit score is worth all the effort and financial snooping that goes into experiencing true love. I have no doubt that the next time I'm soaking in a romantic sunset on the beaches of Costa Rica, it will be with the love of my life whose perfect beauty is matched only by her perfect credit score. And as for personality, I really don't care. I'm not that picky. letters@chronicle.utah.edu |