Tag Archive: Ethics


Overemphasizing Athletics?

Filed Under: Ethics
Mar.14, 2009

If you are a student looking to receive a scholarship from the college of your choice, you know how difficult it is:  You have to go through a rigorous school schedule and at the same time maintain high grades.  In addition to the daily class schedule, you may also have to participate in numerous extra-curricular activities and clubs.  It’s stressful to even think about.  Multiply this stress by four and you have yourself the strenous climb known as high school.  Of course high school does not have to be this difficult.  You could always be the under-achieving, mediocre student who just hopes to graduate and pursue a minimum wage job, making the same amount of money as a 16 year-old.  Making minimum wage is not a bad thing, but making that amount when you’re a 50 year-old is not the ideal thing to do if you can help it.  On the other hand, over-achieving students are constantly competing with their peers to be in the top 10% of their high school class.  Not only that, but they are also vying for attention from various colleges and universities.

It is very unfortunate how sometimes students with the outstanding 4.o GPA and the list of extra-curriculars do not get accepted into the college of their choice.  It must be very discouraging.  They worked as hard as they did, and as a result their dreams are shattered by a piece of paper.  There apparently wasn’t enough room for that one extra student.  This must mean that any other student resume, less impressive than a 4.0 GPA and countless extra-curriculars will not be considered, right?  There wasn’t enough room for the over-achiever, but of course there was room for the student-athlete with a GPA of 2.8.  I’m guessing that the student part was left behind.

So is this how pathetic college institutions have become?  They allow athletes who have no commitment in the classroom to receive full scholarships.  Of course they have to be academically eligible to compete, but it is obvious that their standards are lower than other students.  It can only be hinted at, but there should be some suspicion raised towards the academic requirements of a student-athlete.  Colleges seem to be acting more like professional sports organization rather than institutions of advanced learning.  I’m sure that they want to distinguish themselves in some other way besides academic prestige.  There is nothing wrong with that.  It all becomes tainted when they offer scholarships to athletes who have no other desire but to play their sport for a few years in college and then turn their attention towards their athletic careers.  If universities are going to uphold their strict requirements for academically-driven students, why can’t they do the same for athletes?  Also, why are these institutions paying coaches six- or seven-figure amounts when they should be gathering up funds for the enhancement of their schools?

When a student applies to a university, they are basically recruiting and scouting a school.  The student has to go to the university.  When college scouts scout athletes they are at the mercy of the athlete.  They are the ones who are going to the athlete, and salivating at their next sports icon.  The athlete knows that they have these colleges at their mercy.  Colleges will offer scholarships and other incentives to persuade athletes to attend their school.  Rarely, does the university ever “scout” the student, unless you count letters through the mail.

The reality is that sports and competition are generally dominant in this country and frankly the world.  This can be backed up by the occurence of the Olympics every four years and the World Cup of soccer, which also takes place every four years.  In this country alone, you can look at this month’s March Madness as an example.  March Madness is the name related with the post-season of college basketball.  It has a reputation of creating “madness” with all of the cinderella stories that take place.  Examples would be David defeating Goliath or the underdog defeating the juggernaut.  The championship tournament made up of a field of 64 teams, has been known to halt the productivity of the workplace due to its popularity.  People will call in sick just to watch the preliminary rounds of the tournament.  It is hard to believe that this is what this world has come to, or at least America for that matter.  I personally enjoy athletics and the thrills of competition.  I only condemn colleges and universities for focusing too much on their athletic programs.  It is true that athletes will make their respective country a superpower in the Olympics, but in the end it takes intellectuals and their pure knowledge to make their respective country a world superpower on a global stage.

-payam93

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On Watchmen and the Way of the World

Filed Under: Ethics
Mar.13, 2009

*WATCHMEN SPOILERS BELOW*

I saw Watchmen the other, and as I walked out of the theater, I heard my fellow moviegoers complaining about how terrible the movie was. It was long, boring, all over the place, and so many other terrible things. But they all failed to see what an ingenious film they had just seen. Granted, the movie did jump around, but it wasn’t difficult to follow. I never once found myself bored even when everyone around me rolled their eyes. Of course, I could have gone without all of the crotch-shots, but they were easily avoidable if I just didn’t look at them. Personally, I think it is ridiculous to let something like that distract you. It’s like I said tonight, “you have to look past the dicks.” And it’s true. That is beside the point though. What I’m getting at is this: It takes a different kind to appreciate a story like Watchmen.

The world we live in today is a very interesting one. I hear all the time from a teacher of mine that our generation just doesn’t care. We don’t think about things. We don’t act on the “injustices” done to us. This is absolutely true. We’re all too busy being caught up in the superficialities of our lives. But then again, why aren’t we entitled to those things? If that is how we choose to live our lives, let us live them that way. We’re still young, and so we should be allowed to be young. When we are older, we’ll deal with the problems as they come. But, even in our youth, it does not mean that our generation should not be thinking about every single thing we see. Sadly, I don’t see (or hear) enough of it. That is the problem that I think leads people to write off Watchmen as a bad movie. You can’t go in there expecting to be mindlessly entertained. You have to think about what its telling you. People need to think.

Oh, and if you haven’t seen the movie, I guess here is where the spoilers start. Anyways, at the end of the movie Adrian Veidt reveals that he was behind the events of the whole movie. His goal was to save the human race from itself, one that many would call noble. Although, considering the fact that he killed millions of people to achieve it, he loses some of the shine he would otherwise hold. Where one person once could see a hero, they see a villain. But that is where most people cease thinking. They leave it at that; Veidt was a villain who killed millions. Dr. Manhattan was weak for being exploited, and the Nite Owl and Silk Specter were fools for keeping the secret. Rorschach is the only one who comes off noble for attempting to reveal the truth. But then what happened at the end? Was there not peace; and by peace I mean true peace. Yes, it would only hold as long as the “threat of Dr. Manhattan” loomed over it, but that could be forever. This of course leads to the moral discussion of whether its right to kill all of those people to achieve this goal. This is the main point of this note.

Is what Veidt did wrong? Is one life, ten lives, millions of lives worth the rest of the worlds? In the movie, the outcome of the cold war would have ended in a nuclear holocaust where even more would have died. So that’s the question then; is it okay to sacrifice some for the “greater good”? I know most people would really think it’s wrong. “There is always another solution!” they would say. Kind words in a cruel world. Regrettably, sometimes there isn’t always another way.

Does it make me a monster for agreeing with Veidt?

I don’t condone the monstrous massive murder he committed, I think it’s disgusting that anyone can go through with something like that, but can you not see the twisted elegance of his solution? The way that through all the death and destruction, peace shone through. It worked without a flaw. I don’t think it would be right to choose the people who were to die, but someone had to, right? Even as I write this, I feel horrible about how no part of me feels bad about thinking what I do, but then again there’s a difference between Veidt and myself. While I may think it’s the best solution, I could never go through with it. I couldn’t hold so many lives in my hands even if the fate of the world rested on it. Thankfully it’s just a comic book though. But don’t think it couldn’t happen today, or tomorrow even; in real life I mean. The idea may sound horrible, but I don’t doubt that it’s been done before (on a smaller scale) and that it won’t happen in the future.

Though, for those of you who disagree, do you not think that the people who died in the movie would have chosen to live if they knew doing so would doom the world? No, they would be happy their lives were sacrificed to make peace. You see, an individual usually makes such a little impact. One life, no matter what anyone says or thinks has no greater effect on the history of everything. The universe keeps spinning despite what any of us could do. Even amongst the living the individual finds it difficult to make an impact. For example, even if I were to die tonight, nothing would change. Yes, the lives of my friends and family would be rocked, shattered even, but people would live their lives after. Yet, with these sacrifices, the individuals who died did make an impact. Because of their loss, life kept on going. Yes, there could have been a million different outcomes, but that’s not the point. That reality is the one we’re supposed to see. It’s supposed to make us think about what’s wrong and right.

I know it is hard for most people to admit to agreeing with something like this. I even know many people completely disagree; every life is sacred. That’s exactly what I’ve been saying though. It would be selfish to cling to life knowing it would kill everyone else. So, even though the choice was never theirs, their lives were more sacred than anyone else’s because they saved the world.
I’m sure I rambled a lot, but here’s a little summary: Is it wrong to sacrifice some for others? While I never personally could, I find myself saying “no” when faced with no other option. Of course, if there is a way to save everyone, I would in an instant. Sometimes that’s not the reality though.
So in the end, Watchmen proved to be a magnificent film which I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thinking. Personally, I’m going to be picking up the graphic novel as soon as I can so I can get an even more in depth experience. Also, I wish more movies were like Watchmen in the way you have to think. I really think it would encourage the youth of America to be more thoughtful and worldly; something we’re in dire need of.

-Omega

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What's the Deal with Weight?

Filed Under: Ethics, Psychology, Sociology
Mar.08, 2009

Our society has many faults, but one I really don’t understand is how the negative appearance, particularly concerning weight, is considered an acceptable and time-consuming topic of conversation.

I hear it all the time. “Have you seen how fat she’s getting?”, “Jeez, he needs to get a bra for his manboobs”, and “She’s too skinny.  I bet she never eats” are commonly phrases used to poke fun at someone, and I personally find it disgusting.  It’s time that this kind of superficial categorization is stopped.

First of all, how is talking about someone’s weight even interesting?  Yeah, maybe being anorexic or obese is unhealthy and not particularly attractive, but why the duration of the discussion is longer than two seconds is a mystery to me.  Is someone who feels a compulsive need to criticize the appearance of others simply such a boring person that they have to attack others in order to come up with a topic to talk about at all?  If not, then why not discuss something else?  There’s plenty of topics out there that are more relevant.  To me, even gossipping about that one girl that hooked up with that one basketball player is more mature than talking about weight.  At least the former actually reflects on who the person is, even if it the content may distort the truth.

Which brings me to the second point.  How does someone’s physical appearance show who they are on the inside?  Believe it or not, some people actually believe that those with a healthier weight have better personalities than their over or underweight counterparts.  Overweight people are stereotyped as lazy while underweight people are said to be overconforming to society.  This is not always true.  Body shape is strongly correlated with genetics, and sometimes there is not a lot someone can do to change it.  If a person is genuinely nice, then who really cares?  It’s not your body, so don’t judge it.  And by the way, you really don’t have to check it out. No one is forcing you to stare at anyone’s cellulite.  Even if they’re wearing short shorts, you can still look elsewhere, maybe into their eyes, where most people prefer you look anyway.

And if that isn’t enough to convince you, think of how the person talked about feels.  He/she is probably already really self-conscious about themselves, and they don’t need you to rag on them even more.  How would you feel if you overheard people criticize you for something as trivial as your body shape?  Not so good, right?

It’s not even just preteen girls that do it.  It’s guys, girls, men, women of all ages.  It’s universal, but if you happen to be one of the few that refuse to participate in this superficial trend, then kudos to you.

In conclusion, next time you run out of topics to discuss, try talking about somthing that doesn’t make fun of someone else.  There’s so much more variety in that category, and I’m sure you’ll find that they’re much more fun to discuss anyway.

-chelliejellie10

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Chains and Spikes: Does Depression Make Us Feel Cool?

Filed Under: Ethics
Mar.04, 2009

Look about your surroundings, you cannot venture far before discovering the ethereal alter-ego of gangsters. The group whose members contain the negative-image of the delinquents we see in our ghetto-esque areas, the one, the only, the emos. These kids who are silhouettes in an otherwise lively crowd drag down the mood of themselves and others because of their “terrible lives that nobody understands!”

Many of our local “emotional folk” are distinguished by a few things: spiky protrusions, hanging chains, and a sullen yet fake look of weakness. These bastions of “pain and sorrow” claim that they have a terrible life and that they need to hurt themselves to relieve the pain. Frankly, these exoskeletons of malice and melancholy are ploys to attract attention to themselves in a feeble attempt to make themselves feel better. I have met many of these “emos” and found them to have great lives, wonderful parents, and good grades! This disregard of their own success is rather hilarious, as they force themselves to believe their facades of darkness solely against them and no one else.

Relating to the nineteenth century German affair the kulturkampf (cultural struggle), these children are struggling for acceptance in a world that procures stereotypes out of thin air to throw at these black-laden kids. However, clothing is negligible, as there are those few who maintain a regular mindset, but share the same taste in clothing, makeup, etc. These kids, however, are worthy of some condolences, as their taste in fashion has synthesized hatred from many all targeting them due to one little similarity.

In short, the issue is that many kids choose to adorn themselves in a cloak of isolation, while blasting music into their ears that supports their “apparent” sadness. Morally, many find that tuning others out helps them deal with their “pain”, but how can they do that when all they do is prolong their inevitable sadness? Is this what we want? A gloomy world where no one understands each other and one little problem can send somebody’s morale to the pits? A pathetic excuse for avoiding life?

Alas,  j’ai parlé trop, adieu! (I have spoken too much, good bye!)

-MATH

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