4 - Friday, September 30, 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com I
4- Friday, September 3D, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
I can say I'm nowhere as fast as Shoelace:'
- Minnesota quarterback MarQueis Gray said about Michigan quarterback
Denard Robinson, as reported by The Michigan Daily today.
Speak out against bullying
STEPHANIE STEINBERG
EDITOR IN CHIEF
MICHELLE DEWITT
and EMILY ORLEY
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
NICK SPAR
MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Buy local or bye local
White Market shouldn't close its doors
White Market has been a grocery staple for countless stu-
dents over the past 62 years. However, the Williams
Street building the store occupies was recently sold, and
the White Market owners are unsure about the future of their lease.
If White Market were to close, there would be no other place on cam-
pus for students to get fresh produce and affordable groceries. Stu-
dents should voice concerns about the potential closing of the store
and support local shops and restaurants to ensure they continue to
thrive in Ann Arbor.
(44 ur lives begin to end the
day we become silent
about things that mat-
ter." Years ago,
an African-
American pas-
tor uttered these
words encour-
aging people to
speak up against
racial discrimi-
nation. Today,
I'm uttering
these words, to
speak up against
HARSHA
NAHATA
Last week, the building that houses White
Market was sold after being on the market for
over a year. The current owners of the market,
Dave and Darlene Jones, are unsure whether
they will renew their lease, which expires
at the end of the year. They told The Michi-
gan Daily their business's survival depends
on negotiations with the new landlord and
expressed interest in their customers and a
desire to continue supplying students with
fresh food.
Currently, there are few grocery stores
available to students on campus within a walk-
ing distance - and even fewer that offer fresh
fruits and vegetables. Last year, Village Corner,
on the corner of South University and South
Forest avenues, closed its doors. While CVS
and 7-Eleven convenience stores have recently
opened oh State Street, they only provide lim-
ited produce options. There is a grocery store
beneath Zaragon Place on East University Ave-
nue, but much of the food is gourmet and not
affordable for most students. If White Market
closes, students on campus will have no fresh,
affordable grocery shopping options.
While Meijer, Whole Foods and Kroger
are all located near campus, they require
either car or bus transportation, which poses
a struggle for many students who don't have
access to a vehicle. Relying on the AATA bus,
and carrying several bags of groceries also is
not convenient. A grocery store within walk-
able distance is a necessity for students who
live on or near campus.
Many local shops have left Ann Arbor over
the years, and State Street has become an
increasingly commercial shopping area. While
it's important for students to have options for
where they shop and eat, they should real-
ize the important contributions that locally
owned businesses make to the city of Ann
Arbor. Small businesses stimulate the local
economy and help give Ann Arbor its charac-
ter, which improves the environment where
students live and go to school.
Shopping at and supporting local business-
es is what helps the Ann Arbor community
grow and continue to thrive. Locally owned
shops like White Market contribute to the
success of the Ann Arbor economy. If White
Market doesn't renew its lease, students and
others who live and work in downtown Ann
Arbor will be left with fewer options for gro-
cery shopping. Students should support White
Market, so they can continue to have afford-
able, fresh food options on campus.
teen bullying.
Fourteen-year-old Jamey Rode-
meyer committed suicide in his
New York home on Sunday, Sept.
18. Rodemeyer was just starting his
freshman year of high school. For the
past couple years, he complained of
being bullied on the Internet regard-
ing his sexual orientation. Parents
and friends expressed outrage over
harassment and gay slurs directed
toward Jamey. According to local
reports, one post on a social network
read, "JAMIE IS STUPID, GAY, FAT
ANND ... UGLY. HE MUST DIE!"
Another claimed, "I wouldn't care if
you died. No one would. So just do it
:) It would make everyone WAY more
happier!"
Unfortunately, Jamey is one per-
son on a long list of bullying victims.
According to the National Center for
Educational Statistics, during the
2008-2009 school year, 28 percent
of students between ages 12 and 18
reported being bullied in school. The
most prominent form of bullying isn't
through physical aggression, but
through ridicule, insults and rumors.
A 2009 survey by the Gay, Lesbian
and Straight Education Network
reveals that 85 percent of gay and
transgender high school students
claim they've been harassed because
of sexual orientation and 60 percent
because of gender identity. The Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Preven-
tion estimate that everyday 160,000
kids across the country stay home
from school because they are afraid
of being bullied.
This is unacceptable. School is
a second home - it's a place that
should be comfortable and secure
at the very least, if not warm and
welcoming. No child should be stay-
ing home because they are afraid
to go to school, or don't feel safe in
the classroom or among their peers.
There is no justification for bullying
and no justification for a child feel-
ing anxious about going to school in
the morning or coming home feeling
worthless.
But simply reiterating that bully-
ing is bad won't make it go away. To
combat bullying in schools, everyone
needs to play their part. And that
doesn't mean just not being a bully.
It means speaking out against hurt-
ful comments; it means watching
what you say and, more importantly,
whatyou don't say; it means goingup
to the student who's being taunted
and reassuringhim or her that you're
there, that they're not alone. It's not
just about professing tolerance, it's
about empathizing and understand-
ing; it's about letting people in when
the world shutsthem out.
And it's about making sure the
right laws are in place to protect stu-
dents. Michigan is one of few states
that has yet to enact anti-bullying
legislation. And that isn't because
the bullying problem somehow magi-
cally skipped Michigan. In January,,
the American Association of Uni-
versity Women of the University of.
Michigan testified on bullying claim-
ing that in the past year, 24 percent
of Michigan high school students
reported being bullied on school
property, and 7.4 percent of high
school students reported missing
school because they felt unsafe. The
problem is there. Now the solution
needs to be too.
It's difficult, if not impossible, to
take a tough stance against bullying
without comprehensive anti-bully-
ing legislation. Republican Gov. Rick
Snyder and the Michigan State Board
of Education have recommended
clear legislation, but so far that call
hasn't been adequately answered.
The recently passed anti-bullying
bill in the State Senate attempts to
address the issue but falls short. It
neither requires schools to accept the
outlined policies, nor does it clarify
the process by whichteachers should
report bullying - basically render-
ing the bill useless. We can do more.
We have to do more. And we have to
demand our legislators do more.
Students should
treat each other
with respect.
4
I
Jamey was involved with the
"It Gets Better" campaign, which
spreads awareness about teen bully-
ing via Facebook and Youtube. One
of his final posts stated, "I always say
how bullied I am, but no one listens.
...What do I have to do so people will
listen to me?" What more has to be
done? How many more victims do
we have to hear about before we start
taking this seriously?
October is National Anti-Bullying
Awareness month. Don't let Jamey's
story fade into the backdrop - don't
let it be something you hear about,
feel bad about and then forget in the
routine of daily life. Speak up, do
something - whether it's watching
your words, making a stranger feel
welcome, cheering up someone who
is down or spamming your legisla-
tors. Bullying isn't just between the
bully and the victim. It's something
we all should work to stop. In the
words of Martin Luther King Jr., we
can't become silent about things that
matter.
-Harsha Nahata is an assistant
editorial page editor. She can be
reached at hnahata@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Aida Ali, Michelle DeWitt, Ashley Griesshammer, Patrick Maillet,
Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Emily Orley,
Teddy Papes, Timothy Rabb, Seth Soderborg, Andrew Weiner
JESSE KLEIN | O
'Hollywood' correct
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
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Try to pencil in flaws
Let me preface this by saying that the rest
of this article will be written by my ratio-
nal brain. My irrational metaphorical heart
jumped up and down, got warm and fuzzy
and screamed at the TV when Blaine and Kurt
from Fox's "Glee"finally kissed. My irrational
heart waited three years for Calvin to decide
his feelings for Heath were more important
than the fact that they are in rival fraterni-
ties in ABC Family's "Greek." My irrational
heart wanted to smack Georgia upside her
face when she accidentally outed Eric and
Jonathon on the CW's "Gossip Girl." My irra-
tional heart loved the family dynamic of Cam
and Mitchell of Fox's "Modern Family." And
I can't wait for Brittany and Santana to say
"screw guys and their head games" and finally
be together on "Glee."
But my brain worries about Hollywood TV
shows bombarding viewers with gay charac-
ters. Are they actually tryingto show the real-
ity for gay couples or are they just trying to be
politically correct? Are theytrying to advance
the plot, or are they just going along with the
Hollywood line, "we accept gay people?" Do
they really care about these characters or are
they just trying to get a wider audience and
media attention?
Every time there is a gay kiss on primetime
television - like on the "Dawson's Creek"
season finale in 2000 - the media explodes.
Every time, they say this is the first time gays
have been portrayed this way. When Blaine
and Kurt kissed on "Glee" for the first time last
season, many entertainment news sites came
out with articles that had different forms
of the headline "First Honest Gay Relation-
ship on TV." I personally know this is untrue
because "Greek" debuted a stereotype-break-
ing, open gay relationship - in a fraternity no
less - three years ago. And not only did this
gay character have serious emotional relation-
ships, but also the drunken one-night stands
that stereotype the college experience.
The most prevalent gay relationships on
TV are on "Glee," with half the relationships
being between same-sex partners. The creator
of "Glee" is a gay male who has publicly stated
that the struggles Kurt faces are loosely based
on his own. The Blaine and Kurt storyline is
one that many viewers, including myself, love.
I think the idea of a confident gay teenage boy
in a relationship with a boy who needs a role
model, following an attack from a homophobic,
in-the-closet bully, is very important. Where I
become skeptical is the Brittany/Santana rela-
tionship. It seems forced and unrealistic. Their
"girl cuddling" and their tearful rendition of
"Landslide" seem like the writer's way of bal-
ancing out the much-loved male gay relation-
ship and saying, "Hey, we like lesbians too."
There are fewer lesbian relationships on
television than male gay relationships. It is my
belief that mostly women watch these types
of shows, and girls find male gay relationships
cuterthanlesbian relationships, whereas men,
stereotypically, claim to like lesbian hook-ups.
Agood example is Fox's "House," where Olivia
Wilde had a straight relationship, but a ran-
dom, lesbian hook up. "House" is a show that
is watched by both men and women, unlike
"Greek" or "Glee" that draw a predominantly
female audience.
At least "Glee" focuses on these relation-
ships and tries to make them part of the story,
but the worst is shows like "Gossip Girl." They
have awkwardly inserted gay characters like
Eric and Jonathan just to have them there.
They rarely are featured in the episodes, and
there has been no gay kiss on the show. It
seems as if they are only there in an effort to
be PC or, more accurately, Hollywood Correct.
Jesse Klein is an LSA freshman.
've never been a perfection-
ist. I never colored inside the
lines of my princess coloring
books. I never
had good hand-
writing, and
the part in my
hair was never
entirely straight.
But I've always
had perfection
on my mind, LEAH
in the way I'm POTKIN
sure every other PTKIN _
overachieving
University stu-
dent does. I want to be the perfect
student, daughter and friend, and
I try hard not to make mistakes
while striving to be all those things.
However, the esteemed English
Prof. John Rubadeau mentioned
something this past week in class
that really got my wheels turn-
ing. He told my class to look at our
pencils and asked us what was on
the top. Well, of course the answer
was an eraser. The lesson? Pencils
have erasers because the users are
expected to make mistakes - sim-
ple as that. Everyone learns from
the time they're in elementary
school that it's ok to make mistakes
and that people learn from their
mistakes. But, in an environment
as competitive as the University,
the long-taught lesson is easily for-
gotten. Sure it's important to work
hard and strive to do your best, but
it's not always about that extra club
position or the A+ papers. Some-
times, it's just about learning, and
if that learning comes from making
mistakes, so be it.
This lesson rings true for me the
most in my writing. The key to writ-
ing is rewriting, says my profes-
sor. The key is to mess up, and then
fix the mess you made. Students
shouldn't be afraid to go to a profes-
sor or tutor with "stupid" questions
because it is by asking those ques-
tions and making the mistakes in the
first place that the student learns.
For me, the pencil-eraser analogy is
more of a type and delete scenario,
as I know it is for many students. But
even the computer doesn't truly let
students realize their own mistakes,
as the computer has spell-check and
a built-in thesaurus. I'll be honest,
I'd be lost without spell-check, but
it certainly wouldn't hurt me to see
my mistakes pointed out by someone
other than the Microsoft paper clip
helper, as I hardly register my mis-
takes when they are auto-corrected
without my knowing. While it might
take a bit more effort to notice and
correct my mistakes, the extra work
is worth it.
Learning from mistakes doesn't
only apply to writing. It is appli-
cable in all walks of life, embody-
ing everything from lackluster jobs
and internships, to failed relation-
ships and business endeavors. If not
for making the mistake of accepting
the first internship I was offered
this past summer - which turned
out to be very disappointing - I
wouldn't have realized my passion
for an entirely different field of work.
Many of the world's great discover-
ies resulted from mistakes, including
post-it notes, chocolate chip cook-
ies, and America, to name a few. The
examples could go on for pages, but
I'm sure each reader has a similar E
example of his orher own.
Learning comes
from making
mistakes.
4
I know all too many students who
stress over A's vs. A+'s, suffer from a
too heavy workload and endlessly
plan all aspects of their daily lives
hoping to portray themselves as the
perfect package, or ratherthe perfect
job candidate. But striving for per-
fection and being afraid of making
a mistake can inhibit students from
taking risks that will challengethem,
and ultimately will stifle creativ-
ity and experimentation - essential
tools for learning and achievement in
life. So although it seems cliche, I can
only hope that students take a second
to remind themselves of this child-
hood lesson, as it applies as much at
the age of 20 as it did at age 9 - if
not more. So, we all know that it is
always good to strive to be your best,
but ultimately, if you make some mis-
takes along the way, well, that's what
erasers are for. 4
Leah Potkin can be reached
at Ipotkin@umich.edu.