W- 4 - Friday, March 30, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 MaynardSt. till Ann Arbor. Mt 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com ASHLEY GRIESSHAMMER JOSEPH LICHTERMAN and ANDREW WEINER JOSH HEALY EDITORIN CHEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS 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. Itmran Syed is the public editor. He can be reached at publiceditor@michigandaily.com. " " Hoodiesand hijab s Bigotry based on apperance cannot persist deas can be a form of violence like any other, and recent events have shown how easily an idea can turn into actual violence. Social battles rooted in racial dynamics have been prevalent in our nation's history since its founding. But at this point in the infor- mation age, such discrimination is absurd. With the abundance of resources available to learn understanding and appreciation, not to mention the expectation of simple moral acceptance, hate crimes should not exist in 2012. However, the recent killings of Trayvon Martin, and Shaima Alawadi, which by many accounts were solely as a result of judgment of appearance accompanied by bigoted ideology, reflect a horrifying trend toward radical racism. Discrimination on any basis, whether violent or not, is obscene and unacceptable. The family has had death threats - the father and mother, George has had death threats. Anything related to George is a target." - Migeul Meza said about the family of his cousin George Zimmerman, who is suspected of shooting Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. Emoting politics The ancient Greeks used the word paschein as their word for "emotion." More literally, paschein trans- lates to "suffer- log." When my professor stated, this, sadly, my first thought was, "maybe I have more in common with ADRIENNE the Greeks than ROBERTS I thought." As of late, I've sub- consciously allowed myself to be removed emotionally from what I hear on television or read in news- papers. I know I'm not the only one who has learned that getting emotional these days - especially in the world of politics - can backfire. Many women, especially young women, have become hardened to end- less and degrading statements and decisions made against them. Even worse, many women are purposely ignorant to save themselves the pain in advance. Ask many of my friends in college about what's currently happening in the world of women and politics -btheyshake their heads and say something to the effect of, "Is it even worth it to pay attention?" From the birth control battle and insensitive name-calling, to dis- covering that women pay on aver- age approximately 30 percent more than men for health insurance, it seems like a lost cause. It makes sense why more young women aren't publicly speaking out against these numerous discriminations. As a woman, when you get up and passionately take a stand against inequality in society, you're called a "slut" or an "ugly feminist," and consequently, you are either ridi- culed or made a martyr. It's a rough world out there for women. Entering the realm of poli- tics right now, whether to voice your opinion or to simply stay informed aboutcurrent events, is equivalentto going into battle and realizing that notonlyyour enemies,butyour com- rades as well, are taking aim at you. For example, Rick Santorum called contraception dangerous and "not okay," before going on to say that birth control is "a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be." When Rick Santorum's wife, Karen, a neo-natal nurse and former law student, was inter- viewed on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight this Saturday, and she said, "Women have nothing to fear when it comes to contraceptives," claim- ing that her husband would not bring his personal religious beliefs "to play" as president. As an issue that affects many col- lege-aged women, it's comforting to hear that she believes that Santorum wouldn't bring religion into the poli- tics of this issue. However, when the difference between Rick Santorum's views of contraception and what Karen Santorum claims he will do in office is vast, and it makes women who worried about the issue seem irrational and just plain wrong. How could so many women have mis- interpreted his comments; if what Karen Santorum says true? Watching Karen Santorum speak made me wonder if I had misjudged nearly everything I had heard and read up until that point. Claiming that her husband never made such comments only further pitted them against the majority of women. A complete disregard for his self-righ- teous and judgmental comments further trivialized the issue. Political involvement is worth the pain. While it's beneficial that these concerns, which are usually avoid- ed by the media, are being dis- cussed the way in which they are talked about makes women seem less than human. Those in power are trying to make women obtain consent from doctors and have a waiting period before an abortion and forcibly receive an ultrasound. They also disregard that women are paying more for health insurance, but why? Apparently, it's because women are just not intelligent enough to make decisions about their own personal health. I understand wanting to hide under the covers and weather out this demeaning and seemingly insane- public movement against women; it's so much easier to remove oneselfemotionally fromthe realities that surround this situation. Unfor- tunately, it truly is happening. If young women don't do something to stop it, the women's social security in the future may be even further com- promised, and that prospect alone is .something worth a little emotion. -Adrienne Roberts can be reached at adrirobe@amich.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @AdrRoberts. In Florida, Trayvon Martin was shot twice and killed by George Zimmerman, a self-pro- fessed neighborhood watchdog. When asked to explain his motive for pulling the trigger, Zimmerman told police that Martin "looked like he was up to no good," as evidenced by the hoodie the teen wore. In California, Shaima Alawadi was severely beaten, and eventually died from her wounds. Two notes were found by her body, the first read "This is my coun- try, go back to yours terrorist," and the setond demanded "Go back to your country, you ter, rorist."'While there are no current suspects, the tension appears to have been based on appearance - she wore a head scarf as part of Islamic tradition. The insanity of killing a presumably inno- cent teenager is only amplified by the logic behind Zimmnerman's suspicion. Following and subsequently assaulting a teenager based on nothing but physical appearance is barbar- ic. A hoodie denotes little more than stylistic preference or a desire for warmth. Suspicion based on such petty grounds is thinly dis- guised racism, which is inexcusable whether it is explicit or subconscious. The similarities between Martin's and Alawadi's killings are clear. Whatever one's personal views may be, a head scarf alone says nothing about a person beyond express- ing religious belief - it is simply a demonstra- tion of faith, which is protected by the First Amendment. Religion and political opinion are often two distinct aspects of any given per- son's belief system. Faith does not necessarily align an individual's interests with those of a faction of religious radicals. National political uncertainty and eco- nomic strife in America should not create frustration toward specific ethnic or religious groups. The internal social problems we now face cannot be solved by making strangers into scapegoats. The first step toward eradicating discrimination is recognizing it, and the activ- ism surrounding these killings has reflected that recognition. It's encouraging that youbth are utilizing social media to respond to these issues. It's the upcoming generations' respon- sibility to be more tolerant than the last, and bring about an end to bigotry. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: .Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Eli Cahan, Ashley Griesshammer, Nirbhay Jain, Jesse Klein, Patrick Maillet, Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Harsha Panduranga, Timothy Rabb, Adrienne Roberts, Vanessa Rychlinski, Sarah Skaluba, Seth Soderborg, Caroline Syms, Andrew Weiner ELI CAHAN I Shades of yellow CONTRIBUTE TO THE COVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and viewpoints. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while viewpoints should be 550-850 words. Both must include the writer's full name and University affiliation. Send submissions to tothedaily@michigandaily.com. Some like it hot Of course you knw who Trayvon Martin is. The recent bevy of hate crimes, spearheaded by the Feb. 26 murder of the African-American teenager in Florida, is extremely disturbing, and begs the question of why any of this is hap- pening - and nota inisolated cases, but simul- taneously. tRcsptotses to these questions have been few and far between, but certainly, the reactions to the events have been interesting. The Daily Texan, the University of Texas at Austin's newspaper, released a cartoon- criticizing "yellow media" in the wake of the Martin killing. The cartoon depicts a par- ent sitting on a rocking chair labeled "the media," reading out loud from a book titled "Treyvon (sic) Martin and the Case of Yellow Journalism." The woman is quoting, ,"And then ... the bigbad white man killed the hand- some, sweet, innocent colored boy." Though the paper has since apologized, the cartoon represents an important point in the wake of the Facebook status updates, tweets, texts, remarks and general hubbub. The distinction between legitimate jour- nalism and yellow press has been blurred by the rise of social media. The constant updates wherever you go, essentially in the form of a headline, represent a resurgence of yellow journalism. Except in this case, the media is the social network itself and the journalists are the individuals utilizing that network to communicate. Every person with a Facebook account or a Twitter profile is capable of some form of social journalism. Here the question of accountability rises: should people be held responsible for the "news" they publish on their "news feeds?" Certainly, the vast major- ity of social media users know little about the neighborhood relationships Trayvon himself unwittingly stepped into; the intricacies of race dynamics in El Cajon, C alif. where an Iraqi immigrant was Ibutsi;,1ly Icaten Mar. 25; the psychosis of Sgt. Robert Bales before his shooting spree in Afghanistan or the child- adult complex in Africa insinuated by Invis- ible Children's Kony 2012 video. So why do people feel obliged, even with evident lack of information and background research, to "update" their "statuses" with such news? Perhaps one implication of the information age is not only the abundant quan- tity of information, but also a profound lack of quality. This is not to say that political activism is bad. In fact, it's the opposite - it's completely necessary and appropriate. Social network- ing is an extremely positive force that creates momentum for political movements. But the issue perhaps is people's quick readiness to get involved before knowing what it is they're get- ting involved with, and what that involvement will ask of them. In the wake of the recent horrifying trag- edies with causes rooted in discrimination, word of mouth has been important in spread- ing the word and protecting rational moral- ity. However, people on social networks ought to understand what they are fighting. for before they raise their arms. Social media has become a powerful source of yellow journalism, employing catchy headlines and quick buzzwords rather than truth or fact. It is the job of the news to report, and it is the job of the masses to appreciate and spread that knowledge, but they must do so in man- ner that maintains facts and integrity. Social mediacannot become areliable tool of political activism if it remains a massive game of telephone. That activism ought to be genuine and heartfelt, not peer pressured. Thus, social media has a great opportunity and a great responsibility. We, the network, must uphold journalistic integrity even if the report is only goingon our 791friends' news feeds. Eli Cahan is an LSA freshman. ast week, sunbathers in shorts and sandals aban- doned the library and invad- ed the Diag. Celebrating a heat wave and high tempera- tures, students across campus shed their win- ter coats. Just as anx-K ious to feel the KRISTEN sun, magno- KILUK lias unfurled their petals, white cherry blossoms broke free from budding stems and forsythia blooms stepped out in a confident shade of yellow. Yes, it was beautiful weather - a delight to the senses after a cold, bland winter. This week, however, typical Mich- igan March was back, with modest daytime highs and icy overnight lows. The National Weather Ser- vice issued freeze warnings across Michigan early Tuesday morning, and the Ann Arbor Municipal Air- port recorded a low temperature of 27 degrees on Tuesday. While we can retreat to the warmth of our wool coats, many pre- mature blossoms have no defense for the cold - once they're exposed, their only choie is to blacken and die. For Michigan fruit farmers - who depend on those blossoms to bear their livelihood - the early spring warm-up was a nightmare. Though definitive conclusions can- not be drawn from single weather events, the 7,000-plus broken high temperature records across the U.S. in mid-March, coupled with pro- jected fluctuations in warm and cold extremes, suggest that climate change will make farming, which is already unpredictable, even more difficult to manage. Like other farmers, Jan Upston of Wasem Fruit Farms in Milan, Mich. is scratching her head this season as she watches unseason- able temperatures fool her plants. Upston says on her farm everything is about a month ahead in devel- opment. "This is way too early," Upston said, "We have never had peach blossoms in March." As of Tuesday afternoon, Upston hadn't been out to check her peach- es due to her busy schedule. She worries that the farm will lose much of its fruit crop. "There's nothing we can do. We can't afford to bring in helicopters to keep our plants warm." Yes, helicopters. Large farm operations with enough resources often rent helicop- ters in times of frost to pull warmer air from above down to the ground to keep crops warm. But this method is cost-prohibitive to many farmers. Jan also said federal disaster aid for fruit farmers is hard to come by. The United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service reports that commercial farms - with annual sales over $250,000 - make up 12.4 percent of all U.S. farms, but received 62.2 percent of government payments in 2009. The report also states that this statistic is a "direct result of com- modity programs targeting certain types of commodities, which are often grown on large farms and in large volumes." With funds chan- neled primarily to already wealthy grain producers, it's no wonder that resources are limited for struggling fruit farmers. As evident from the drooping magnolias around campus, many ornamental species are also suffer- ing from the March weather fluctua- tions. In Holland, Mich., Tulip Time Festival planners are worried that they'll have no flowers to celebrate at their annual festival in early May. Tulips, like Upston's fruit plants, are developing a month early, breaking free from the ground now rather than their usual third week of April. In hopes of delaying their develop- ment, planners are refrigerating tulips in pots so that they'll have something to celebrate. But not Michigan fruit farmers. For Michigan, the early asparagus crop is also a large concern. Farm- ers are struggling to harvest what they can of the already developed vegetable before spring frosts wipe them out. And according to the National Weather Service, water tempera- tures in south Lake Michigan are similar to what is normally seen in late May and early June. This isn't the first time Michi- gan has seen a balmy March - the record temperature for Detroit in March clocks in at 82 degrees on March 28, 1945, according to the National Weather Service. Weath- er fluctuates over tine, and this year could just be an outlier. The situation this time around, though, represents a sobering window into our potential future - one that is matching climate change projec- tions and involves increased crop vulnerability and uncertain season- al boundaries. If these trends are indeed a result of climate change, and we let the process continue unchecked, Michi- gan's farming future isn't bound to be too peachy. -Kristen Kiluk can be reached at kkiluk@umich.edu. T JOIN THE MICHIGAN DAILY'S EDITORIAL BOARD M Participate in twice-a-week meetings to dicuss the Daily's editorials. E-mail opinioneditors@michigandaily.com D for more information. A.