S
tephen Bannon’s ouster
from the White House
brought
the
sort
of
speculation
we’ve
heard
a
number of times before: Is the
Trump
administration
stable
enough to continue functioning?
Core members are in and out
at the president’s whim, staff
members lie, cheat and steal for
a slim personal advantage and
the work atmosphere is more
“Game of Thrones” than “The
West Wing.”
I am inclined to believe that
Bannon’s removal will benefit
the
stability
of
the
Trump
administration and the country
overall. The “deep state” has
outlasted its primary enemy
and will be able to properly
resume
its
work:
actually
running the country.
Removing Trump’s advisers
is not a fix because the ultimate
source of instability in the White
House
isn’t
Bannon,
Reince
Priebus or Michael Flynn —
it’s Trump himself. That said,
removing Bannon removes one of
the last lucid powers in the West
Wing, one with the attention
span and future vision to carry
out effective — albeit disastrous
— change. I see this as enabling
the “deep state” to further
restrain the president.
The
way
we
consume
political news in this country
requires a core narrative of
dynamic
characters
—
the
beleaguered chief of staff, the
malevolent
chief
strategist,
the strategically patient vice
president — and as a result,
we often see their actions as
much more consequential than
they really are. Despite all that
has happened, Congress still
functions. The judiciary still
functions. And — though it has
some trouble with Trump — the
executive branch still functions.
Our
government
was
designed to be slow-moving and
cumbersome — to be a massive
shipping barge, not a skip. Trump
and his companions may loot
what they can while they’re in
power, and the man himself
may do some cultural damage in
covering for white nationalists,
but the captain cannot sink his
ship without the help of his crew.
When
Trump
axed
U.S.
support for the Paris climate
accord, lower-level executives
— governors and mayors —
contradicted him and offered
their continued support. French
President Emmanuel Macron’s
own ambitions certainly played
a large part in keeping the accord
together, but I think these lower-
level promises also played a
significant role. A child-king’s
advisers have the real power.
Their deals are the ones that
succeed and their promises are
the ones that are upheld.
A similar dynamic is playing
out in the United States, as
states and cities conduct pseudo-
foreign policy. There is also the
issue of political donors when
we’re discussing the Americans
with legitimate access to power.
Trump was not all that popular
when it came to campaign
contributions,
and
“alt-right”
figures modeled in his image
are likely to fare even worse.
U.S. elections depend heavily
on access to funds, especially
when we step back from the
presidency and consider lower-
level elections.
Finally, I’d like to address
the delusion that Bannon and
company will be more powerful
now that they “have (their) hands
back on (their) weapons.” As
Cersei Lannister from “Game
of Thrones” put it, “power is
power.”
Money,
knowledge
and speech are all ancillary
to the cold reality that, once
installed in office or position,
power rests with the politician.
Breitbart
propaganda,
white
nationalist rallies and thinly
veiled “free speech” protests are
all legitimate dangers, but when
a mayor says the statues are
coming down, they come down.
When a governor says to make
the racists disperse, the police
disperse them.
The delusion that a media
campaign against the government
will be effective thrives on the
same desperation that brought
the “alt-right” to prominence in
the first place: a desire to be the
victims, even when all evidence is
to the contrary; a desire to be the
underdogs, even when they have
significant institutional power.
The “alt-right” is, as a result,
condemned to live in a perpetual
struggle: When you are defined
entirely by powerlessness, power
destroys you.
I don’t want to gloss over the
legitimate problems posed by
Trump’s position and the damage
he can do. We have more than
three years left with an executive
who is unwilling to learn, at
the mercy of his emotions and
completely immune to nuance. I
do, however, want to push back
on the frantic terror that we will
imminently be swallowed up by
the racists, once again ascendant
and ready to implement their
ideas as real policy. Only power is
power, and they are incapable of
wielding it.
A
s leaves start to change
color and classes begin
this fall, a wave of
football hype spreads across
campus. For many University
of Michigan students, the
return of the football season
provides
relief
from
the
classroom — a part of a work
hard,
play
hard
mentality
that is a uniting force across
campus. For many, NCAA football
takes a backseat to professional
football come Sunday.
The NFL, a weekly refuge
from
work
for
countless
students and employees, has
now captured the attention of
the vast and lucrative fantasy
football community that is
perhaps most crucial to the
league’s consistent success.
But the rise of the NFL
has come with a fair share
of
problems,
earning
unfavorable media attention
for the concussion epidemic
and domestic violence issues.
Despite
fantasy
football’s
growth
into
a
booming
industry, it has worked to hide
and
ultimately
perpetuate
the prevalence of domestic
violence across the league.
The NFL and Commissioner
Roger Goodell have come under
fire for their mistreatment
of various domestic violence
cases in the past few years.
NFL players Ray Rice, Josh
Brown and Ray McDonald
were all suspended on domestic
violence allegations, but many
claim their punishment did
not match the violent nature of
their crimes.
In the case of Rice, a video
surfaced
of
him
violently
beating
his
wife,
Janay
Rice, in a hotel elevator.
For
someone
without
the
privilege and fame of a three-
time pro-bowler and Super
Bowl champion, this type
of concrete evidence could
lead to jail time. Instead, the
NFL “cracked down” with a
measly two-game suspension
— the same penalty that has
been handed out for failing a
drug test.
In the wake of their actions,
the NFL received tremendous
backlash
and
moved
to
harshen their protocol for
sexual assault and domestic
violence punishment.
However, this topic remains
at the forefront of the league
and has resurfaced in the past
few months. Ezekiel Elliott,
a Dallas Cowboys first-round
draft choice, allegedly abused
his
then-girlfriend
Tiffany
Thompson in July 2016, for
which he faced a six-game
suspension as of August 2017.
Though this is a step up from
the NFL’s weak punishment
in past cases, the severity
of the allegations is clouded
out by the very reason Elliott
garnered so much attention on
the field — fantasy football.
One read through ESPN’s
fantasy
website
reveals
a
string of articles and videos
about Elliott, but virtually
none of them comment on
the morality and character of
his actions. Rather, the main
theme is: “Where will Elliott
be drafted?” By focusing on
Elliott’s draft position and
projected points for the year,
talk about the second-year
running back has gradually
moved away from his domestic
violence case.
Masking the severity of
these cases is a dangerous
trend that elevates the status
of athletes and causes them
to deviate from social norms,
offering them an excessive
sense of pride, or hubris,
and the belief that they can
commit illegal acts and still
get away with it.
Earning millions of dollars
should not earn any athlete
a free pass from domestic
violence. Glorifying superstars
for their statistics and treating
them as tradable commodities
creates a sense of immortality,
potentially leading to more
violence in the future. If
anything, spectators and the
media must strive to hold
athletes to a higher standard,
especially as fantasy football
opens up an escape route for
players
whose
performance
attracts so much attention.
It is this relationship between
sports and the media, as one of
the most influential in the entire
entertainment
industry,
that
allows companies like ESPN and
Fox Sports to shape and alter public
opinion through their coverage.
Once SportsCenter, ESPN’s
flagship
program,
takes
a
stance on an issue, especially
a sensitive topic like domestic
violence, it has the tendency to
become the main perspective
viewers take as well. While
nearly
monopolizing
the
world of sports, ESPN has
used its power to alter the
timing of the NFL Draft,
the
schedule
of
NCAA
football
games
and
the
entire conference structure.
Because of its influence, the
station has a responsibility to
maintain moral high ground
on any and all controversial
topics. Even as football season
approaches
and
viewers
demand
predictions
and
rankings for the upcoming
year, the network should not
allow for turning a blind eye
to domestic violence.
Thus,
as
ESPN
fantasy
insider
Matthew
Berry
continues to harp on Elliot’s
second-round
draft
value,
the public too will continue
to forget his act of domestic
violence. Even as the NFL
harshens
punishments
and
speaks out against these cases,
it has found an opponent in
fantasy football.
As participants, we must
also play a role. To neglect
domestic violence and sexual
assault because of an athlete’s
performance sets the stage for
continued
violence
against
women,
a
scary
prospect
given the safety net handed
to these athletes. On our
campus,
domestic
violence
awareness
and
prevention
is a constant and impactful
theme. There are numerous
lectures, counseling resources
and
programs
devoted
to
eliminating
domestic
violence from our community,
especially among athletes.
As students, we have the
duty to make use of these
resources and be upstanding
citizens if and when a situation
arises — either in person or
through an online draft board.
So even if Elliott is available
when it comes to your pick,
give it some consideration.
Maybe don’t take him at all.
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4 — Thursday, September 7, 2017
REBECCA LERNER
Managing Editor
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.
EMMA KINERY
Editor in Chief
ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY
and REBECCA TARNOPOL
Editorial Page Editors
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.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Can the ship steer itself?
HANK MINOR | COLUMN
Fantasy football needs reality check
BEN CHARLSON | COLUMN
Ben Charlson can be reached at
bencharl@umich.edu.
What I learned at airborne school
Carolyn Ayaub
Megan Burns
Samantha Goldstein
Caitlin Heenan
Jeremy Kaplan
Sarah Khan
Anurima Kumar
Max Lubell
Lucas Maiman
Alexis Megdanoff
Madeline Nowicki
Anna Polumbo-Levy
Jason Rowland
Anu Roy-Chaudhury
Ali Safawi
Sarah Salman
Kevin Sweitzer
Rebecca Tarnopol
Stephanie Trierweiler
Ashley Zhang
Hank Minor can be reached at
hminor@umich.edu.
NIA LEE | NIA CAN BE REACHED AT LEENIA@UMICH.EDU
KEVIN LIU | OP-ED
T
his
past
summer,
I
attended Basic Airborne
Course at Fort Benning,
Ga. BAC is a three-week course
where service members from
all branches attend to become
qualified in successfully exiting
an aircraft and landing on
the ground, minimizing any
injuries. The first two weeks
are a training phase where BAC
students learn how to properly
exit an aircraft, conduct a
parachute landing fall, use the
main and reserve parachutes
and prepare for emergency
landings. Jump week is the
culminating
week
where
students
must
successfully
conduct five jumps from an
aircraft. From my five jumps,
I was able to remind myself
of key takeaways that have
affected my career at the
University of Michigan.
Jumping into the unknown:
When you’re inside the aircraft,
be it a C-130 or C-17, you
typically aren’t the first person
to jump out of it. The advantage
of being the first person to jump
out of the aircraft is that you can
observe the drop zone prior to
jumping out of the door and thus
has a clear view of what you are
jumping into. In my experience,
I was typically placed in the
middle or the rear of the line in
performing mass-exit jumps.
Here you can only see the
people in front and behind you.
Once the jumpmaster signals
“Green light, GO,” you have no
choice but to move forward and
jump without hesitation into
the abyss.
Tying
this
in
with
my
experience at the University,
I’ve encountered brief moments
of turbulence, and I was unsure
about the decisions I ought to
make because the consequences
were unforeseeable. Personally,
I’ve
had
better
experience
jumping
right
into
actions
than second-guessing myself,
because even though I may not
have the most ideal patch of
grass to land on, at least I can
enjoy the ride on the way down.
Hard Landings: After exiting
the aircraft, you experience
a brief gust of air that blows
your body parallel to and away
from the aircraft, prior to
the deployment of your main
parachute. After your main
parachute deploys, you inspect
the canopy for any rips or
tears and gain canopy control.
During
your
descent,
you
maintain situational awareness
of your position relative to your
fellow jumpers to prevent any
accidental collisions.
At 200 feet, you pull down
and hold onto your risers in
the opposite direction of your
drift to ease your descent prior
to landing on the ground. For
my first jump, I hit the ground
HARD. Contrary to executing
a proper PLF on all five points
of contact, I landed on the
balls of my feet, glutes and
upper back on a hard dirt road.
Even though I acted on the
training I received to the best
of my ability, I still managed to
eat dirt.
Likewise, at the University
there’s going to be that one
problem set, quiz or exam that
you spent hours preparing for.
You frequently attended office
hours and study group sessions
and
reviewed
every
past
assignment, but your best still
wasn’t good enough to do well
on that exam. This happened
to me after receiving terrible
marks for my first midterm
in NERS 311. Nevertheless, I
picked myself up, reflected
on what went wrong, and
readjusted my method of action
which eventually improved my
performance in NERS 311 and
my PLFs in further jumps.
Pulling
your
Reserve:
During my last jump, I pulled
my reserve parachute when
I was about 200 feet above
the ground because my main
parachute had some serious
twists and I thought I was
falling at a rate faster than
my fellow jumpers. I was
attempting to undo the twists
in my parachute by trying to
separate the risers while doing
bicycle kicks in the air. Due to
my limited depth perception,
I believed myself to be falling
at a faster rate than usual,
so I panicked and pulled my
reserve parachute to prepare
for the worst. After I pulled
my reserve, my main parachute
untwisted and reflated so my
reserve parachute flew up and
wrapped around me during my
descent to the ground.
The
reserve
parachute’s
failure
to
inflate
was
an
indication that I did not need
it to land safely. By the time
I landed, I was berated for
using the reserve in a non-
life-threatening
situation.
However, I did what I was
trained to do in pulling my
reserve when I felt that my
life was at risk. So, at the
University, don’t be afraid to
use the resources available to
you to ask for help. This can be
tied to almost anything at the
University — be it academics,
social life, mental health, etc.
If you don’t understand what
your professor went over in
class,
address
and
resolve
the situation as soon as you
can instead of putting it off
until the last moment. Even if
the situation doesn’t exhibit
any present treachery at the
moment, it is better to deploy
your reserve parachute 200
feet above ground than 70
feet if and when your main
parachute fails.
Kevin Liu is a senior majoring in
nuclear engineering and radiological
sciences and an ROTC Cadet.
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