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Show A6 OPINIONS MARCH 3, 2014 Equality and power: America vs Afghanistan Afghanistan beats the US in regards to women in positions of power in politics but not in overall equality By Sean Stoker Staff Writer @seanstoker7 In the United States, we like to think of ourselves as a forward-thinking, progressive society. After all, this is the birthplace of modern democracy, as well as the breeding ground for much of the Western world's culture. But in some respects, we have a long way to go. Though beautiful and generally prosperous, the land of the free is far from the utopia we hope it might one day be. Case in point, women are still pitifully outnumbered by men in congress, making up just 19 percent of the House and Senate combined. But even though Afghanistan was named the most dangerous country on earth for women last year by Human Rights Watch, Afghan parliament consists of 28 percent women, a full 9 percent more than the United States Congress. But what does that really mean? Various news outlets have been holding up this factoid as evidence that the United States needs to step up its game in the gender equality department if we are behind Afghanistan in this one gauge of equality. True, the US could stand to improve. Women still make less money than men for the same job, are more likely to be the victim of a violent or sexual crime and are taught by the media from an early age that their measure of worth is their level of sexual appeal. We are far from equal in this country. However, we should be careful to remember that just because Afghanistan has more women in their parliament, that doesn't mean they've beaten us on all other measures of equality. While Afghanistan is regarded as the most dangerous country for women, the Thomson Reuters Foun- Women in Governmer► A comparison between the United States of America and Afghanistan rai Afghanistan House of the People U.S. House of Representatives • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 357 170 78 69 United States Senate Afghanistan House of Elders 20 : 80 (of 100) 28 : 74 (of 102) PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY TREVOR ROBERTSON dation ranked the United States the 6th overall safest country on earth for women, just behind France, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the number one safest, Canada, our neighbors to the north. Only 37 percent of Afghanistan's 8 million students are female, and only 15 percent of Afghan women are even literate, whereas in the United States, 99 percent of the entire population regardless of sex is literate, and for the first time in history, more women than We should be careful to remember that just because Afghanistan has more women in their parliament, that doesn't mean they've beaten us on all other measures of equality. men are enrolled in higher education, 57 percent of US college students are women. American women also have infinitely more to say in whom they marry when compared to their Afghan counterparts. While American women can generally take their pick, Afghan marriages are largely arranged by a girl's parents, often when she is very young and sometimes even while she is still in the womb. There is little to prevent pubescent or even prepubescent girls from being married away to men much older than themselves. Customarily, the groom-tobe will present the bride's family with a dowry, which many families, because of destitution, can't refuse. Once married, an Afghan woman's prospects do not get much better. In order to divorce her husband, a woman needs her husband's permission, a conflict of interest if ever there was one. Her husband does not need her permission if he wishes to divorce her. I want to make it clear that I am not anti-Islam. The circumstances I am describ- ing are not indicative of the Muslim experience as a whole, but specifically the circumstances in Afghanistan, especially at the height of Taliban power. In the end, one can easily make the conclusion that, while an indicator of equality, gender diversity in the House, Senate, or Parliament is not the ultimate gauge of the gender equality of a nation. As long as women are treated like second-class citizens in America or Afghanistan, there can be no equality. Independent in a dependent world Letting go of a little independence to benefit others By Amanda Holtman Assistant Life Editor @HollmanAmanda Everyone has a story that is both challenging and spectacular in their own personalized way, though many of these stories are not immediately visible. Yet, we go about our lives independently without much thought of our dependent situations. Merriam-Webster has five definitions for independent, which combine to be the typical way we think of it: not being controlled by or relying on anything or anyone. Ever since I was tiny, my parents raised me to be independent and I have done my best to live that way. I wouldn't change that teaching for the world, though I have come to realize that independence means much more than it is commonly thought as. I have Muscular Dystrophy so I am constantly dependent on extra equipment for driving, braces and crutches to walk, a wheelchair for long distances, elevators to save my limited energy and others just to go through my day-to-day life. I've learned how to live completely on my own and can do just about everything by myself. I would carry a bunch of groceries up 32 stairs to my apartment and think nothing The "out of sight, out of mind" rationalization needs to be forgotten to make room for collaborative efforts. of it, of course, until my best friend would get on me for not calling her for help. Asking for help had always been seen as a weakness to me, but this friend taught me that we don't have to see it that way. We all have strengths and weaknesses and when we combine these traits, we can accomplish so much more than we could alone. If only more people thought about life kind of like my friend, who sees the world not as independent but closer to interdependent, which Oxford Dictionary defines as dependent on each other. For me, the words of Mulan ring out loud and clear: "When will my reflection show who I am inside?" People see me as a girl on crutches or in a wheelchair but inside, I'm just an ordinary girl who goes through challenges like everyone else. I'm not alone in this thinking; there are so many people who struggle with various things and have dependencies that we can't see. The "out of sight, out of mind" rationalization needs to be forgotten to make room for collaborative efforts. I am frequently seen as one who needs assistance and I often get asked if I need any help. I understand people's reasoning since it looks like I may need help but what about the others that don't look like they need anything? You never know what kind of battles those around us are going through. We spend so much time wrapped up in our own lives with our faces in our phones, almost walking into people and walls in the process, unaware of the world around us. If we open our eyes a little more, we can touch the lives of others. Sometimes even just a smile helps with a struggle. I'm not saying we need to drop our current perception of independence. We just need to be more aware of others around us. It's still a struggle but I'm learning that I can give a little slack on the reins of my independence without feeling like I am handing them over completely. I have to remember that I am not the only one benefiting by letting others help me. Service makes people feel good and gives them the chance to forget about their dependencies for at least a little bit. It's time to let go of our egos and be a little more willing to help each other out. Justin Bieber's mugshot after arrest in Miami Beach Fla. CELEBRITY from A5 rehab for a narcotic, but we become self-made comedians when Lohan does the same? We should be learning from those transformation pictures rather than putting ourselves onto a self-righteous pedestal. Finally, the third kind is where the drug abuse goes so far that they actually die from it. This would include the Philip Seymour Hoffmans or the Amy Winehouses. Of course we can't take the humorous approach, it would be disrespectful of the dead. Yet we still hear the phrase, "too soon" way too much. It's sad that we have to have a death to get serious about an issue that isn't just plaguing public figures. We are affected greatly by their passing, like Hoffman's. Why? We are attached to an actor, actress, musician or artist who showed us something about ourselves. Even though we didn't know them personally, although we act as if we do in our Facebook comments, we feel like we knew them through their art. If anything should come from these tragedies it should be understanding. Since it's on our headlines it should remind us that hard drugs is nothing to joke around about. These people need more attention than jokes made about them. Is it the drug abusers fault for becoming a drug-addict? Maybe. But it is also society's responsibility to help them out of it. Some addicts are too far down the road that they are basically hopeless to their own PHOTO COURTESY OF MIAMI POLICE DEPARTMENT devices. We have to understand that for these addicts it is difficult and often embarrassing for them to reach out and ask for help. A reaction to these types of death can solicit reactions such as, "Good. He was selfish and weak for even getting himself in that predicament." But what does that tell us about ourselves. Do we think we are so invisible to pressures, temptations and vices? Imagine if your problems were publicized to a massive audience. What if around every corner there was somebody ready to make a story out of your hardships? I wouldn't like it either. It would be definitely embarrassing and unneeded. Let's just think twice before soliciting distasteful and easy laughs. |