Opinion

Apr 2, 2009

Sex sells, but it doesn’t save

Animal welfare has been a growing concern within the United States, as well as the rest of the world. It sparked in the 1980's when Ingrid Newkirk decided to launch "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals," also known as PETA. This organization promotes the vegan lifestyle and condemns using animals for any kind of food, experimentation, entertainment, furniture, clothing, etc. They also go as far as to say that it is wrong to keep animals as domesticated pets.

Mar 29, 2009

Speak For Yourself: Labeling Differences between African-Americans

One common problem I think we all face in America today is what to call each other. Since we as a university strive to better our understanding of diversity, this subject tends to reoccur. The last thing we want to do is offend someone, so we try to be as politically correct as possible. Sometimes an issue such as this can get us into trouble.

Mar 18, 2009

Examining our on campus African-American organizations

Many students have complained about the lack of participation from African-American students within the clubs and organizations in the African-American community. Some say that the underclassmen are lazy and do not care. Others say that it is too hard to balance school work and clubs, and since school should always come first, they do not participate in clubs. However, the issue still remains that the African-American population here at North Carolina State is higher than ever and participation in organizations is at an all time low. Perhaps the reason for this problem is social dynamics of the African-American community. It is time to take a look inside the African-American community and ask if the students are failing the clubs, or if the clubs are actually failing the students. I have interviewed three students; all are African-Americans.

Mar 18, 2009

Students: Make smarter choices when traveling

Spring Break has passed and students have come back with souvenirs and elaborate tales of their adventures. As long as I have been in college there are recurring problems in the stories of my friends' Spring Break conquests. The problems include money, too much alcohol, lack of cell phones, unreliable friends and so on.

Feb 27, 2009

N.C. State students do respond to Campus Culture Task Force

November 5, 2008 will stay in the minds of N.C. State students as being a dark day in campus life. The hurtful messages that were displayed on the Free Expression Tunnel pulled at our heart strings and caused an uncomfortable feeling around campus. People got angry. Others began to question who their friends really were and their intentions. Who really are our friends and how do our classmates truly feel about us?

Feb 27, 2009

Separate but equal Students are dividing themselves by race

People should take time out to look at the world around us and how divided it is. There are many divisions in the world such as class, race, and gender, but I would like to focus on the main division that has always had America in chaos: race. Think about it, when you walk into the Atrium you see people sitting with their ethnic group. This is something that I call "self-segregation," because we tend to separate ourselves from others who look different than we do, choosing instead to sit with people who look just like us. It is not such a big deal to most people I guess because it comes so natural, but yet we are not taking advantage of the dream and hope of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other equal rights activists. I know that we feel more comfortable talking to people who we believe can relate to our situation, but in reality we all have the same problems. Everyone is so much alike the only difference is our skin color and personality. We should not let these differences keep us divided, because deep down we all go through the same problems, such as exams, relationships, schedules, and classes.

Feb 27, 2009

Students should be more proactive

In light of reactive responses to discrimination, lack of resources, and hate speech issues that occur on campus from year to year, people are beginning to wonder whether or not the infrastructure of this campus' minority population are creating an uproar only after major events take place, rather than prior to its occurrence.

Feb 22, 2009

Controversy in the black community

Many African-American people are skeptical about attending public events with people of the same ethnic group in order to have a good time with friends or family. "Why is this?" you may ask. Well we have all heard the saying, "black people do not know how to act when they get together." Every time black people get together either at a cook out, a wedding, a funeral, or even in church, something ruthless is bound to happen. Why can't African-Americans get together and do something positive? We are the only race with which so much controversy resides. Blacks need to stop trying to hold each other back, stop beating each other down, and try to lift each other up. We all know our history and we already know how people tried to keep us down as a race in the past. We need to rise above all negativity and make a change.

Feb 12, 2009

Online Relationships: Friend or Foe?

Through the decades of the twentieth century, and heading into the twenty-first century, the way people have approached the realms of romantic relationships have evolved. In the early twentieth century, the main focus for people was finding a marriage partner and starting a family. As the years have passed by, people have become less concerned with marriage, and other things like divorce, interracial relationships, and same-sex relationships have come into play. Along with these factors came one huge entity that seemed to draw everyone together: The Internet.

Feb 12, 2009

Valentine’s Day: What’s the Big Deal?

If you have not already noticed, though it is exceedingly difficult to ignore, Valentine's Day is coming up. February 14, also known as SAD (Singles Awareness Day), is the miserable day of exchanging tokens of affection. Do you realize that the initials for this dreaded holiday is V.D., which stands for venereal disease? Coincidence? I think not. I am not cynical because I am alone (in fact, I am not alone). I am skeptical because Valentine's Day shouldn't "make-up" for the other 364 days of the year. Every day should be a shower of love and appreciation.

Feb 12, 2009

Obama’s Salary Cap – A Step in the Right Direction

Last Wednesday, Barack Obama put a $500,000 salary cap on executives of companies receiving federal bail-out money. The Associated Press described it as "an unusual government intervention in corporate America," and it is. Normally, corporate America seems to get whatever it wants - at the taxpayer's expense and with no oversight at all.

Feb 7, 2009

Black in Education: Students lack appreciation for Black History Month

Black history month was set aside for African-Americans to celebrate their culture and history, but when I analyze the month, it appears to me to be the most uncelebrated cultural commemoration during the year. Some people may have chosen to not be educated on black history; however, most high schools around America do not teach black history. They may do small things like mention Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, and Martin Luther King Jr., but they fail to talk about Malcolm X, Henry P. Newton, or other African-American activists that stood up for what they believed in. Teachers seem to dance around black history, but love to go in depth about how they should be proud to be American. They love to talk about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln (who by the way only freed slaves in the North), and Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence, into their lessons. They only educate us as far back as slavery, and do not go back into the history where African-Americans were kings and queens.