S
eeing
the
classic
call
me when you get a sec
text from my stepdad
Tuesday morning, I knew my
day was about to get much
worse. Walking out of East
Hall to a quiet place to call him
back felt like a lifetime. I was
soon informed of a series of
events that led to my mom in
the ICU after her salt levels fell
dangerously low sometime late
Monday night. She had tremors,
couldn’t speak and her doctors
were concerned about possible
brain damage from the drastic
change in equilibrium. After
I hung up the phone with my
stepdad, uncertain about the
true gravity of my mother’s
physical state, all I could think
about was how lucky I was that
it was raining and my tears
would be hidden as I walked
back to my apartment.
Upon arriving home, I had
exactly one hour to bawl my eyes
out, collect myself to continue
on with my day and make myself
presentable. All my friends were
in class, so I was very much alone
with only thoughts of the worst-
case scenarios. Even worse, I
felt guilty for feeling sad and
spending so much time thinking
about how my mom was doing
because I had homework to do
and office hours to attend.
Though my mom will be
fine and was released from
the hospital on Monday with
high hopes for her mental
capacity after a bit of therapy,
I can’t help but question my
instinct to hide emotions and
attempt to power through my
classes
and
extracurriculars
like nothing ever happened.
There is something about the
college environment and fast-
paced lifestyle of trying to
succeed in life that seems to be
incompatible with, well, life.
The activities and classes we
have to complete to advance
ourselves into a future career
hinder our ability to live as
human beings and experience
pain in the ways that are
necessary to carry on with
the day. How could I continue
learning
organic
chemistry
and taking care of the cells in
lab and volunteering if I wasn’t
capable of taking care of myself
and my own mental state first?
I couldn’t; I was dysfunctional
and my work ethic suffered.
I should’ve taken the time to
allow myself to cope with the
realities of my family life before
I continued trying to go about
my school life. However, this is
easier said than done.
These hindering pains in life
don’t have to be catastrophic
either. Seemingly insignificant
hiccups
can
have
negative
consequences for our everyday
lives. I can’t tell you how much
time I have wasted on being
upset after getting a point off one
quiz. Sometimes it takes hours
for me to truly grasp the fact that
the one point I lost out of 400 will
not be likely to hurt my grade.
But this is the environment we
live in, one focused on achieving
and
striving,
sometimes
forgetting about simply living
and surviving.
We
walk
around
each
and every day together on
this campus, each with our
own problems and thoughts,
unaware of what the people
around
us
are
feeling
or
experiencing. I doubt any of the
people I encountered over the
past week would’ve guessed
I was struggling internally
and, in their defense, I tried
my best to hide any indication
that
something
could
be
wrong. As human beings, we
should
allow
ourselves
to
break down sometimes, to be
dysfunctional, even with the
most mundane of things.
We should allow ourselves to
experience the pain and stress
of our lives and not drown
in responsibility. We should
actively create an environment
— not only for ourselves, but
also for others — where mental
health and emotional well-
being are just as important as
the grades and accolades we
strive to achieve.
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Wednesday, October 26, 2016
— U.S. Representatives John Conyers, Debbie Dingell, Dan Kildee,
Brenda Lawrence and Sander Levin in a letter to the U.S. Justice
Department pushing against the Receivership Transition Advisory
Board, which could limit the City of Flint’s ability to sue the state.
“
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
At its core, this predominantly
African-American and high-poverty
community has been deprived of
all ability to influence the most
basic decisions affecting its health
and safety at enormous human and
economic cost. ”
No time for troubles
MICHELLE SHENG | CONTACT MICHELLE AT SHENGMI@UMICH.EDU
Policy still matters
MAX RYSZTAK | COLUMN
A
fter a long, hype-filled
summer prepared us
for
the
showdown
between Donald Trump and
Hillary Clinton, we are finally
done with presidential debates
for the 2016 election season.
Unfortunately, these debates,
if
anything,
hurt
the morale in this
country and severely
damaged
our
political credibility.
In
what
are
typically
policy-
intense,
mature,
educated discussions
about the direction
presidential
candidates wish to
take this nation, this
year’s debates lacked substance
or
meaningful
discussion.
While in past cycles one-
liners often stole the show,
the debates themselves were
usually
extremely
detail-
oriented
and
professional.
Mitt Romney and President
Barack Obama’s 2012 debates
were
intense,
but
policy-
oriented.
Their
discussions
always
remained
civil
and
constantly referred to certain
tax
percentages,
specific
legislation or their differences
when it came to policy.
Not this year.
Unfortunately, with Trump
and
Clinton,
we
arguably
endured
the
three
most
immature political debates in
this nation’s history. The two
candidates attacked each other
personally.
Petty
bickering
drowned out what little real
policy was discussed, like when
Trump referred to Clinton as
“the devil.” Candidates spoke
about topics ranging from each
other’s
marriage
fidelity
to
Clinton’s email scandal, and it’s
embarrassing.
It seems as if both candidates’
strategies were to tear each other
down, to argue against the other,
instead of running on a positive
message based on their own
proposals. This type of rhetoric
highlights their desperation to
win for themselves and not for
the people.
The only positive moment
from all three debates was
when
the
candidates
were
asked to say one
thing they respected
about
the
other.
Clinton referred to
Trump’s
children,
symbolizing
his
strong
role
as
a
father. Trump called
Clinton
someone
who can “fight hard”
and “doesn’t quit.”
This was one of the
few times in any of
the debates when the candidates
came across as respectful. It
shows what this country and
what our politics have the
potential to be, but sadly, the
candidates went back to the
same old tactics the next day.
Our
debates
demonstrate,
on a larger level, the increasing
irrelevance
of
policy
in
politics. When our presidential
campaigns and debates largely
focus on personal traits or
actions, and not on policy, we
don’t get to hear the candidates
talk about the real issues. We
deserve debates in which we
learn what they actually want to
do on topics that will affect each
and every one of us.
When politics aren’t focused
on policy, it affects all of us down
to the most grassroots level.
We are faced with heightened
tensions in our communities,
in our classrooms and all over
campus because all we hear our
leaders do is attack one another
on anything but their ideas. I’ve
seen political differences strain
relationships on this campus,
peers judging others for their
disagreement, students calling
one another names because they
think differently. A lot of this is
fueled by Trump and Clinton’s
campaigns. They divide us more
than they unite us, which many
are failing to recognize.
So where do we go from here?
While it seems too late
to change the tone of this
campaign,
changing
the
political discourse starts with
us, with those involved at the
grassroots
level
of
politics.
Having educated discussions
on policies and ideas, and
not on candidates, will serve
those beyond our campus. We
should seek out conversations
in which we can learn others’
justifications for their opinions.
Learning how to deal with
the opinions of the opposition
in a respectful and informed
way can quickly spiral into a
meaningful change of discourse.
For now, we just have to get
through the next few weeks of
this election and suffer for only
a little while longer through
an embarrassing political cycle
until we can look forward to
the next election. Hopefully,
by then, we will have learned
from
our
collective
voting
mistakes this year. Maybe we
can even become more diverse
in opinions and more educated
on
actual
solutions.
And,
hopefully, we will nominate and
have the opportunity to vote for
candidates with real and positive
proposals for this nation, because
policy still matters.
MAX
RYSZTAK
LAURA SCHINAGLE
Managing Editor
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
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Editor in Chief
CLAIRE BRYAN
and REGAN DETWILER
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All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
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EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
E
arlier
this
month,
a
Walmart executive gave
a
surprising
campus
talk. Chief Sustainability Officer
Kathleen McLaughlin outlined
how the company is raising
wages, reexamining relationships
in its supply chain to limit
environmental
degradation
and working in communities to
broaden economic opportunity. I
was impressed, yet while walking
out of the Ross School of Business,
I wondered if other businesses —
like an independent shop on South
U — could have the opportunity
to act for environmental, social
and economic justice. Walmart
must be an exception, I thought.
It’s so large and successful that
it dictates business terms. Its
success translates into having
money to spend on new initiatives.
I felt unconvinced others could,
or would, follow their lead.
This skepticism was deflating,
producing a sense that nothing
can change. It led to another
feeling that many students and
adults, particularly those just
entering the workforce, might
relate to: In a world with more
than 7 billion people, there’s little
one can do to make a net impact.
Bernie
Sanders’
visit
to
campus,
however,
served
as
a
counterpoint
to
this
way
of
thinking.
Smaller
businesses alone may not affect
environmental,
economic
or
social structures, but individuals
can. Young people have made
Bernie’s campaign a success
by
collectively
expressing
principles
they
value
and
demanding change on issues like
college affordability.
Economists call what many
Bernie supporters have done “foot
voting.” The original idea said
that individuals with preferences
for taxes and services move to
the cities within a region where
the taxes they pay and services
they purchase have maximal
utility for society as a whole.
One’s location reveals what he or
she wants and values, and other
actors in the market see this and
adjust accordingly.
Critics, like The New York
Times’ op-ed contributor Mark
Schmitt, have argued Bernie’s
campaign displays the limits
of collective action by young
people. His supporters shouted
loudly, but the campaign likely
accomplished little in the long
run. Others might conclude the
issues that young people can affect
are limited. They can demand
ethically sourced products, yet
have little influence on larger
issues like the minimum wage
or trade agreements. Business
students might echo this point,
arguing
bottom-line
analyses
determine business decisions, not
aspirations or values.
But the reality is starkly
different, both on and off campus.
Many of us already vote with
our feet every day when making
routine purchases. For example,
Espresso Royale serves fair trade
coffee, in part because many
students care what goes into their
cups. A similar story explains
Chipotle
serving
“responsibly
raised” meat.
Demanding
products
that
are fair to individuals, and to
the communities that produced
them, doesn’t have to be a luxury
either. McDonald’s is removing
GMOs and antibiotics from its
foods, largely in response to
changing consumer awareness
and preferences. Target has aisles
of sustainable supplies. As more
people think about the origin and
impact of their purchases, what
originally seemed like small-
scale activism transforms into
systematic changes: Companies
like Walmart adapt. Others will
follow or be forced to follow.
Though purchases are likely
the most common way students
vote with their feet, the most
impactful choice we make may
be what we do after graduation.
Thousands of businesses recruit
University of Michigan graduates
each year. We’re in demand,
and in this way, we’re not
unlike Walmart in that we have
bargaining power.
Campus
recruiting
is
an
opportunity
to
exhibit
your
priorities and influence those of
large businesses. When sorting
career opportunities by prestige,
salary or visibility, also consider
asking questions that reflect
your values, like “What is its
impact on local communities?” or
“How are employees addressing
discrimination?” Employers will
notice which booths are the most
popular at career fairs and adapt.
What we do after graduation can
create a ripple throughout the
labor market.
But
small-scale
activism
on campus doesn’t have to be
restricted
to
older
students
thinking about post-college plans,
or those with spending money.
Project Callisto, a sexual assault
reporting system, offers another
example of students effecting
meaningful change. It started
last year with two schools where
students
advocated
for
new
solutions to the sexual violence
endemic on campuses. Now in
its second year, it’s working with
many more universities, receiving
funding
from
Google
and
influencing policy in Washington.
As students, we should vote
with our feet more often, on
more issues, even after the
November elections.
Anothony Cozart is a
graduate student in the
Ford School of Public Policy.
Vote with your feet
ANTHONY COZART | OP-ED
I can’t help but
question my
instinct to hide
emotions and
attempt to power
through my
classes.
Caitlin Heenan is a senior opinion
editor at The Michigan Daily.
CAITLIN HEENAN | OP-ED
Max Rysztak can be reached at
mrysztak@umich.edu.
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When politics
aren’t focused on
policy, it affects all
of us down
to the most
grassroots level.