4A - Friday, September 14, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4A -Fridy, epteber4, 212 he Mchian Dily- mihigndaiyco Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com TIMOTHY RABB JOSEPH LICHTERMAN and ADRIENNE ROBERTS ANDREW WEINER EDITOR IN CHIEF 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. Think with your heads NCAA should work to prevent concussions fter only two weeks of collegiate football, USA Today report- ed 15 concussions among injured NCAA players. In 2008, the Boston University School of Medicine released a state- ment linking repeated concussions to Chronic Traumatic Encepha- lopathy. Describing CTE as "a progressive degenerative disease of the brain," the university connected CTE to "the development of memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, paranoid and aggres- sive behavior, depression, dementia, and Parkinsonism." With thir- teen weeks left, the NCAA should take action to reduce the number of concussions and protect players. An apology for America's values is never the right course." - Republican Presiderial candidate Mitt Romney said in criticism of a White House statement responding to the recent U.S. Embassy attacks in Libya on Wednesday. Get caught in the act ; With such serious consequences, any number of concussions - let alone 15 - is too many. In early 2011, retired NFL player Dave Duerson, complaining of symptoms similar to those of CTE, shot himself in the chest. Prior to his suicide, Duerson left a mes- sage requesting that his brain be studied for CTE. The condition can only be diagnosed postmortem. The BUSM concluded that, at only 50 years old, Duerson had been suffer- ing from "moderately advanced CTE." Since then, former NFL players Junior Seau and Ray Easterling have also committed suicide, unable to cope with the onset of symptoms. Easterling was discovered to have devel- oped CTE, and Seau was suspected of having developed the early stages. Football fans must also be made aware of the gravity of injuries like concussions. The fact that concussions can cause serious, long- lasting effects is an unfamiliar concept to fans and players alike. Even fewer are aware of how frequently concussions occur. Retired NFL safety Miles McPherson explains, "There is no football player - maybe a punt- er - that has not had multiple concussions." Awareness needs to be promoted among youth, since many of these long-term effects can be incurred at a young age. In 2009, a BUSM study showed that CTE can develop even in college players who never go profes- sional, finding "early signs of the disease" in a deceased 18 year-old. The concussion epidemic is substantiated by a strong desire to win that may be misinter- preted by players as a responsibility to play. At the University especially, the importance of a winning season can become inflated. Such an environment can create unreasonable expectations for concussed players to return to the game, further risking their health and future. While winning is not the responsibil- ity of players, football fans are responsible for offering a level of understanding and concern to the players they root for. Just as fans are accountable for a compas- sionate football culture, the NCAA is respon- sible for player safety. The NCAA must focus on refining its rules to reduce the likelihood of injuries and clarify its definition of concus- sions to improve sideline detection of con- cussed players. As Dr. Robert Cantu of BUSM observes, "Young men and women are voluntarily exposing themselves to repetitive brain trau- ma without full knowledge of the potential consequences, and the rules of the games are designed without an appreciation for the risks carried by the players." This is a problem that requires the cooperation of all those involved in NCAA football to develop a cohesive solu- tion and promote safety. The Daily u "activist" in rate article 2012 academic year. We have left-leaning activists, social activists, radical activists, civil rights activ- ists, community activists, activ- ist spirit, femi- nist activists, sustainability activists, LGBT activists, labor, student, social justic tal activists and acti Clearly activism i our culture at the ' we mean when we What are the acti people take? What activist? Some of th used for illustrative 'take a stand' and 'pc are a little too aml vide a guide. Let m catch some activist reviewing some pas A March 24, 201 a panel discussion ist backgrounds of faculty. These wer phrases: "acted as mediators," "author translate," and "wc lize." Additionally, t panel speakers im action. Kristen Has Countryman, assoc of American Culture acts of thinking al good, thinking abou of language," and c counter-intuitive fa set of keystrokesa supreme empowerm Another article ised the word on-campus component of the Mil- over 80 sepa- lion Hoodie March in support of s in the 2011- Trayvon Martin last spring. The piece implies that the event had an "activist spirit," but refrains from explicitly calling the 150 students and community members that marched-activists.' However, in a report on the Take Back the Night march that took place last April the acts of walking, chanting, and holding signs are further bolstered MICHAEL as signs of activism. In the article, SMALLEGAN the reporter uses the term "femi- s__ LEGA__ nist activist group" to describe the student organization the F-word, whose members were encouraged ce, environmen- to join in the marching. ivist families. Last March, Vidhi Bamzai, a s a large part of former public policy senior and U,' but what do chair of the South Asian Aware- use this term? ness Network, wrote a viewpoint ons that these about activism. Bamzai stated that makes you an he considered himself an activ- e catch phrases ist, but that he never would have e purposes like done so if the leaders of his orga- olitically active' nization hadn't challenged him to biguous to pro- think differently. Actually, in his e briefly try to words, one of the largest drivers s in the act by of his shift of identity as an activ- t reporting. ist was that his SAAN co-chairs 2 piece covered "forced [him] to accept things as of the activ- they come." However unintuitive a few of our that may be, Bamzai learned a key e the operative lesson in adaptability which ulti- cross-cultural mately led to his identification as ed," "aimed to an activist, initiating lots of action orked to mobi- in the meantime. At the close of his he words of the article, Bamzai suggested that this plied dynamic change in thinking and the general s and Matthew mindset that he brought away from iate professors his time in SAAN impacted his e, discussed the career choice, his day-to-day deci- bout the social sions and even his leadership style. at "the problem A quick tally: walking, chanting, onsidering the authoring, thinking, translating, ct that a simple mediating, mobilizing, tapping a actually allows keyboard, holding signs, changing aent. your mind. detailed the How mgany of these things do you do? Though I'm aware - sometimes painfully so - of wrongs that need righting, institutions that need guidance, lessons that need trans- lation and liberation, relationships that need mediation and at times have taken action, I've not consid- ered myself an activist. Taking a look though at that list of activist behavior, I'm struck by how many I already employ, and I further- more know that I strive to do more of each of them. With the case of vidhi Bamzai, the identification as an activist came first, while huge, meaningful action followed. Per- haps it is time for me to change my mind as well. Done. Iam an activist. What exactly makes you an activist? On the other hand, I'm no futur- ist, but I will venture this: huge positive cultural change is coming in our lifetimes. It's true that it's really not much of a stretch, since many flavors of activism already reside in our campus community. We know that the Leaders and Best take care of business. What's left to speculation is what role we each will play. We all keep in mind spe- cific domains in which we would dearly love to see positive change - there is room for all of us to "take a stand." So, do you consider yourself an activist? - Michael Smallegan can be reached at smallmic@umich.edu. 4 EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Kaan Avdan, Eli Cahan, Ashley Griesshammer, Nirbhay Jain, Jesse Klein, Patrick Maillet, Harsha Nahata, Timothy Rabb, Adrienne Roberts, Vanessa Rychlinski, Sarah Skaluba, Caroline Syms JESSE KLEIN Women with direction WANT THE DAILY ON THE GO? Now you can access your favorite Daily opinion content on your phone. Keep up with columnists, read Daily editorials and join in the debate. Follow @MichiganDaily and 'Like' us on Facebook at Facebook.com/MichiganDaily. The glass ceiling seems to be thinning. More women are accepted into medical schools and are on their way to becoming lawyers and business owners. Women have even made a considerable dent in the world of CEOs, but one frontier women have barely grazed is the world of film direction. In the 83 years of the Academy Awards only four women have ever been nominated for Best Director: Linda Wertmuller for "Seven Beauties," Jane Campion for "The Piano," Sofia Coppola for "Lost in Translation" and Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker." Out of 413 nominations for Best Director, only one woman - Kathryn Bigelow in 2010 - has ever won. In2011, only5 percentoffilmdirectors were women. Even fewer are actually employed by major Hollywood studios. Most female direc- tors gravitate toward documentary or inde- pendent filmmaking. Only 18 percent of all backstage work in the film industry is done by women. It's hard to find another industry where women are so chronically absent. Hollywood is a male-dominated indus- try and most Hollywood movies target male audiences. It's a perfect example of an "old boy's network." Most director gigs are given because of connections or are based on repu- tation, and no formal interview is ever con- ducted. The people who are respected and have the most pull in Hollywood are men. Age, achievements and esteem are extreme- ly important in film, and these can only be achieved with time, time most women have not yet attained. Hollywood is a business of money. The highest priority of any studio is box-office profits. Most blockbuster movies involve guns, violence, sex and female nudity. While movies like "Magic Mike" and the "Twilight" franchise showed that male bodies sell just as well as female ones, these movies were still directed by men. Employers don't believe that a female director could pull off the level of gun-toting nutheads needed to produce the desired profits. Female directors are least likely to be involved in action, horror and animated features, the backbone genres of a profitable summer blockbuster. Additionally, directors are burdened with the task of translating a screenplay into a visual experience. Directors have to make quick decisions. As a woman, I can tell you that I rarely make a decision without look- ing at every possible outcome, talking it over with at least three different people and tak- ing a night to sleep on it. Many women are much more in their heads than men, analyz- ing and over-analyzing everything - not the most efficient quality in a director. A director is in charge of numerous people. Not to pull out stereotypes, but as manag- ers, studies show assertive women are liked less than men. I don't want to put the blame on men and come off as a radical feminist. I am educated enough to know that men and women's minds work differently. Some might say it's harder for a woman to execute a large- scale film. But this is refuted by the fact that female CEOs outnumber female film directors by three times. It is my thought that powerful women are not drawn to the arts. Instead, they go into business and become those CEOs. Films directed by women are also more likely to pull in female crowds. The 'chick flicks' of the Hollywood scene are therefore directed by women to attract a female audi- ence. Nora Ephron's "Julie and Julia" as well as Anne Fletcher's "The Proposal" are per- fect examples. The romantic comedy has long been dominated by female characters, direc- tors and audiences. However, it's not uncom- mon to see a man directing a romantic comedy like Adam Brody's "Definitely, Maybe," but you would be hard-pressed to find a woman directing Michael Bay's "Transformers." My view is that as society continues to promote more women to executive positions, the gender gap in the film world should nar- row, just like everything else. This should be especially true as women become presidents of major film companies and increasing the hiring of female directors. Jesse Klein is an LSA sophomore. ELI CAHAN| Three days ago was the 11th anni- versary of September 11th, a mind- blowing, horrific and tragic day. Every year, families mourn the loss of loved ones who, for no reason other than the flag on their lawns, or maybe just the geographical location of those lawns, were put to death. I use "put to death" because that's what it was - an execution. The term "homicide" has some room for accident or mishap. "Execution" is fully and decisively intentional. So it was an execution of innocent citi- zens who, for all we know, may have been perpetuating a Middle Eastern economy with their trades. They clearly didn't deserve to have their lives taken. I honor the lost, those who died in the frame of fifty stars and thirteen stripes. I remember that day - it was the first day of third grade at my private school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Just as the teacher had gotten one ofthe girls to stopbawling over her separation from her mother, we were instructed to remain seated at our tables. Our parents were com- ing to pick us up, said the teacher. Sweet deal, I thought. So I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, my friend's dad came to get me. This day just keeps getting better. Igleamed.As I strode through the park with my friend, his dad and my twin brother, we spoke of Star Wars. We walked lever forget into his house and rushed to the bed- room, glimpsing at the TV, which seemed to be broken. The screen was black and seemed fuzzy. We found a board game and hustled back into the living room only to realize that the TV screen wasn't black, but was showing a gray image. All gray: a video feed from a helicopter circling the Twin Towers, which lay col- lapsed, smoke so dark and so expan- sive you'd think you were watching Lost. Or maybe you wouldn't think that-but that day meant little more than a play date to a nine year-old. So in retrospect, what was the significance of that day? What is the significance of that day now? Well, there is something about tragedy that seems to create community - something about loss that allows us, for one brief instant, to appre- ciate what we have. Funerals unite families and wars unite countries. But it always seems a melancholy gathering, one in which fifty stars don't twinkle so bright and thirteen stripes blur together. Days lce September 11th remind us to stop and stare and soak it all in. In 2001, it was a stunned stop, and a frightened stare. I, for one, am still soaking it all in. Appreciate what you have, because it could be gone in an instant. That's the mes- sage - life lasts for a long while and disappears in a fleeting solemn second. So, appreciate your life as it lasts. Not "while,"but "as." "While" indicates that you have something else going on. Life is all that mat- ters - embrace it every second of every day. Appreciate the lives around you, because death is not dealt based on "deserving." No one deserved death less than the vic- tims of 9/11. Instead of mourning death 11 years after, we must learn to honor and celebrate life. Those who died in the attacks wouldn't want us to suffer in remembrance of their executions for crimes they didn't commit. We must take life - ours and others' - seriously every day. Don't live it like it's your last, that's too much of a cliche. How- about you live it like it's your first - your first time meeting the person you love, your first time discovering something you love, your first time visiting a place you love, your first time seeing a sight you love so very much. It's about what you have, not what you don't. Eleven years later, we're still here though those we love may not be. I invoke the phrase "Never Forget." I think we should always remem- ber - remember to live and to love, to learn and to listen, to see and to hear, and to touch and to be touched. Eli Cahan is an LSA sophomore. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be fewer than 300 words and must include the writer's full name and University affiliation. We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.