4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 22, 2004 OPINION + +lU 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 JORDAN SCHRADER Editor in Chief JASON Z. PESICK Editorial Page Editor Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. NOTABLE QUOTABLE When you undress the Supreme Court justices, they're just men and women. - Jamie Raab, a publisher at Warner Books, which produced the satirical Comedy Central textbook "America," on a page that asks readers to match naked justices with empty robes, as reported yesterday by CNN. ___ _ >:, ,,; 1 C.reoC _ Thri t FSt ,( K). SAM BUTLER t-in S&Oiox ID. r IL I Ci I.- C. t l I -usa*i~ck.'A Fear factor ZACK DENFELD -BIT CRITIC As Nov. 2 draws close, I think everyone is getting a little jittery. The reverberation cham- ber of the electronic media is in overdrive. Jon Stewart appears serious on CNN's "Crossfire," and with a few simple words, exposes cable "news" for the circus it has become (and my hair stands on end). "Reality" television has degener- ated into a new level of spectacle, in which view- ers gleefully revel in the misery, exploitation and degradation of other humans. Sinclair Broadcasting thinks about pre-empting its usually scheduled broadcast in favor of show- ing all or part of a documentary critical of John Kerry days before the election. And somewhere in America, Michael Moore has his cameras rolling ready to capture - with his particular perspec- tive - the absolute debacle this Election Day will undoubtedly be. In The New York Times this week, William Safire wrote a column chiding the Kerry cam- paign for using fear as a tactic to win votes and then talked about the crackdown on the fourth estate without mentioning that the attorney gen- eral is still, in fact, John Ashcroft. Both presidential candidates have used fear as one of their primary tactics in the campaign sea- son, but Safire should be ashamed of himself for focusing primarily on Kerry, and then not naming the Bush administration directly. President Bush, using the tactics of fear by cit- ing Sept. 11 every time he discussed Iraq, is the reason we are now stuck in Iraq without a viable exit strategy. It's a shame that Bush disregarded the huge mobilizations of citizens concerned about the invasion of Iraq as a focus group. Perhaps he wishes he had listened to these people now. Both candidates have run absolutely disgrace- ful campaigns in terms of fear mongering. If one listens to the rhetoric, voting for Bush or Kerry is a vote for the "terrorists," and a vote for Ralph Nader is a vote for Bush. Using the transitive prop- erty of math, it seems that a scared citizen who doesn't want to help the "terrorists" would best help the country by staying home on Election Day, or mounting a write-in campaign for Stewart, a man who can at least be funny when he lies. The media has not demanded that either candidate articulate real and achievable policy positions on television, nor have they done near- ly enough to debunk the fantasy world the Bush administration has been living in over the last two years. This is not entirely the TV media's fault. Television is a lo-fidelity medium that flattens out three-dimensional images and reads surfaces very well. It is not a medium that is very adept at giving people complex facts that they can digest and make decisions on. That's why the rules of how the debate would appear were so contentiously discussed. What happened to all the hope that was gener- ated after Sept. 11? Well most of it was forced underground and had to go hiding when the Bush administration was totally hijacked by a neo-conservative philosophy. A lot of the wonderful exuberance that occurred in communities throughout America dissipated when so-called security moms tried to make sense out of a color-coded terror alert and accompany- ing press conferences that gave no useful informa- tion and basically ended up conveying, "Be scared but not too scared, if you re-elect Bush." Here's some of the hope I remember after Sept. 11: There was a nationaldiscussion about what was truly important about life. Despite the president's recommendation to visit Disneyland and keep on shopping, people began voluntarily downshifting, working less hours and at more personally fulfill- ing jobs, turning off their TVs, reading more, tak- ing their kids to the park. There was an outpouring of community volunteering and a sincere attempt to understand people of different backgrounds and a desire to understand more about the world that most Americans are so blissfully ignorant of. The sudden blooming of flags ranged from beautiful to tacky, but citizens felt empowered, responsible and hopeful. At one point, the notion almost surfaced mainstream that part of the war on terrorism could be fought at home by actually consuming less, not more. Perhaps citizens would start flying their plastics flags from smaller hybrid cars and bicy- cles as they switched their commute routine, or we would collectively decide to put a tax on gasoline and use the money to research the development of renewable resources. Groups were formed, coalitions were built and there was lively public debate about where America should head in the 21st century. And then all this energy was squelched as Bush scared the American public into pursuing his agenda in Iraq, which did not make sense to anyone from day one. But it's hard to think straight when you have been scared out of your mind. Luckily, despite the challenges, all that hopeful momentum has continued on. The Internet has become a meeting place for peo- ple of all political persuasions, and although their tactics can be hateful or hopeful, they are certainly much more useful than the absolute farce that passes as television and print news. For one, Web groups often link to actual bills and primary source documents that you can read and don't rely solely on spin. Incredible! I feel hopeful. But for the people who have gotten caught up in the spin cycle, get out while you still can; because no matter who wins in November, there is still hope that American can be safe, caring and something to be proud of. Denfeld can be reached at zcd@umich.edu. i Making the grade SOWMYA KRISHNAMURTHY AU)I ALTERAM PARTEM R emember the infa- ous, but college should not be the first place where more competitive colleges and have a higher like- mous "look to one learns how to "cut and paste"in Microsoft Word lihood of college graduation. If I had remained your left, look to or divide fractions without a calculator. inside Kalamazoo Central's vegetative boundar- your right, one of you won't As a product of public schooling, I have seen ies, there's no doubt that success at the University be here next year" spiel the firsthand where such trouble stems from. Although would have been a far more difficult feat. first day of college? Chanc- my own Kalamazoo Central High was in the Though I was fortunate to have additional es are that at least one of midst of increasing academic requirements, it was college-prep resources, it is narve to expect the you really wasn't meant to possible to graduate with no more math knowl- average person to possess the necessary financial be in that classroom. edge than basic geometry, ironically insufficient resources or drive to go beyond the mandatory. That's according to a for ACT testing - and only a ninth grade reading At a time when numerous public schools are new report by ACT Inc., the nonprofit company proficiency. Instead of tightening standards so that underfunded and short-staffed, with a marked best known for its scholastic entrance exams. The a degree actually correlated to something mean- presence along racial and socioeconomic lines, Crisis at the Core: Preparing All Students for Col- ingful, my high school had a tendency to teach to we cannot let success boil down to the "haves" lege and Work study released Oct. 14 cites a mere the "lowest common denominator." Numerically versus the "have-nots." 22 percent of 1.2 million high school graduates and politically this makes sense, because few peo- Standards must be toughened so that a high who took the exam, about 40 percent of the total ple would be willing to fund a school from which school degree, which for many Americans number of 2004 high school grads, are ready for their own children might not graduate. But hand- denotes the end of their education, has magni- college coursework in math, science and English. ing out diplomas is just as, if not more detrimental, tude. Does this suggest the compulsory teach- This number is based upon the ACT benchmark than a few irate taxpayers. ing of astrophysics and differential equations? that a student is likely to earn a grade of C or Low standards are infectious. Because degrees Perhaps, but the malaise facing schools is com- higher in college if she receives a score of 18 in were essentially certain, the majority of my class plex, and cannot be ameliorated with rigorous English, 22 in math and 24 in science. The scores was lackadaisical and did just enough to "get by." courses or stop-gap vouchers alone. The heart of are out of a possible 36. Even inherently talented students, who perhaps the problem lies in our attitude toward education. The report attributes the lack of competency to required extra impetus to succeed, were victim to Education must be given the same worth finan- the fact that fewer and fewer students are taking the slump of the masses. Few such as me, who cially and mentally that is bestowed on material- the rigorous suggested course load of four years of had external motivating factors like parents or ism, physical looks or say, a dubious war in Iraq. English and three years each of science, math, and mentors, were resigned to enrolling in accelerat- Education, especially at no cost, is a privilege in social studies during high school. ed programs outside high school via the Kalama- most of the world. We cannot take this gift for And the results are very apparent on campus. zoo Area Math and Science Center or Western granted nor let it decay into mediocrity. Even at one of the top-rated universities in the coun- Michigan University. It was the training gained try, I have seen countless occasions of students with at those venues that made an impact. Statistically, Krishnamurthy can be reached at sub-par knowledge of the basics. Perhaps presumptu- we attained better standardized test scores, attend sowmyak@umich.edu. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To stop hazing, find out the reason it occurs TO THE DAILY: Regarding the recent hazing incidents: My first temptation is to negatively judge these indi- viduals, both the perpetrators and the pledges who took part. I think a better approach, how- ever, would be to ask, "What leads people to inflict this kind of abuse on their peers? What factors influence individun to disresnect them- than humiliating and harming those who they have invited to be a part of their peer group. Kari Tervo Alum Columnist misses the trees yet still finds the forest To THE DAILY: Sravya Chirumamilla's recent column (Men- tal masturbation = the lack of dialogue, 10/20/04) badly misstates the nature of God and distorts when life begins, but even if she did, she would be unable to "dictate her beliefs" to others on the matter. However, if one accepts that all human life is worthy of preservation, then there is an obligation to dictate that belief, as basic as it is to human freedom. If life cannot begin with- out conception, the contrapositive must be true - either life, or the life process, indisputably begins at conception. Also, she goes so far as to say that abortions are a "necessity" for children born into poverty. But this is manifestly flawed. It implies that individuals in poverty are some-