Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Wednesday, October 18, 2017
REBECCA LERNER
Managing Editor
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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
Sportsmanship, unappreciated
BEN CHARLSON | COLUMN
You snooze, you don’t lose
EVAN SIRLS | COLUMN
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
NIA LEE | NIA CAN BE REACHED AT LEENIA@UMICH.EDU
The storm
STEPHANIE MULLINGS | COLUMN
L
ast week, at the BET Hip
Hop Awards, Eminem —
notorious for his rare public
appearances — surprised fans with
a freestyle performance now titled
“The Storm.” In it, the rap star rips
President Donald Trump apart in a
four-and-a-half-minute onslaught
in which he expresses his utter
rage about the actions of Trump’s
executive office.
Eminem
is
not
the
only
celebrity who has spoken out
explicitly about Trump’s time in
office. Comedian Kathy Griffith
expressed
similar
sentiments
when images of her holding
Trump’s severed head surfaced
online.
Athletes
like
LeBron
James, Stephen Curry and Colin
Kaepernick
have
additionally
expressed
their
thoughts
regarding Trump through Twitter
and other public platforms. The
most recent and widely popular
was James’s tweet referring to
Trump as a “bum.”
These incidents pose questions:
Is there a danger in becoming “too
political?” Should there be pressure
to take a side? Has remaining silent
become ignorance?
To keep it real, I struggle with
these sorts of questions twice a
week in my women’s studies course,
and I am far from a celebrity, rapper
or superstar athlete. This is my
first women’s studies course, and I
can say I was genuinely excited to
partake in a new field of study at
the beginning of the semester. But
recently, my thoughts about it have
been conflicted.
Let me start off by saying I am
a woman, and a Black woman at
that, so I am well versed in being
a minority. Furthermore, I am
completely abreast of women’s
plight and oppression worldwide
in today’s society.
However, I have a rather
indifferent personality as well. Not
to say that I feel indifferent toward
the struggles of women, because
that is not the case at all. I mean
this as in you would not catch me
wearing a pink p***y hat or at the
feminist rallies and marches.
Again, it is not that I do not
support the causes or hope for
gender equality worldwide. I am
just not the person to wear my
ideologies, political affiliations or
beliefs on my sleeve. I am rather
anti-labels when it comes to
politics. I have always used the
word “indifference” to describe this
aspect of my personality, but it was
my entrance to this women’s studies
course that altered the course of
my thinking, seeing as I have been
timid to identify as “feminist.”
I think my women’s studies
course is great. I am learning
brand new material and gaining
a new insight and perspective. I
am, as I have always been, pro-
Woman. However, I am a woman
who listens to rap music which
can use degrading and violent
language toward women. I am
a woman who plays the video
game “Injustice,” in which female
characters such as Catwoman
or Harley Quinn are extremely
sexualized. I am a woman who
still watches movies in which the
man saves the day and rescues the
helpless damsel in distress. Does
this make me feminist? Or not?
According to the discussion
within my class community, it
makes me not feminist, or at
least a “bad” one. This really
shook me. Here I am thinking: I
support women’s movements, I
understand the struggle and can
see first hand examples of sexism,
sexual
harassment,
violence
and oppression as a result of the
plague of our patriarchal society. I
can even feel the marginalization
as a minority myself, as I often
fear for the safety of my own body
or worry about my experience
in the working world later in
life. I just so happen to like Jay-
Z, DC Comics’ video games and
romantic comedy movies as well.
Is it this that precludes me from
being considered a feminist?
Eminem, sports stars and other
celebrities had the courage to speak
out regarding their beliefs. When
these questions and reflections
arose in class contradicting my
own beliefs, I remained silent —
as I have about many of the other
topics I have found questionable
or at least worth viewing from
a
different
perspective
than
have been addressed in class.
This stems directly from my
self-proclaimed
“indifferent”
mentality, in addition to my fear of
being ostracized by my classmates
because of my views.
I am not going to do a
monstrous diss freestyle against
my
classmates
or
professor
because we have differing views,
as Eminem did about Donald
Trump. I simply pose to offer
other perspectives. So I guess this
piece is my “Storm.”
Stephanie Mullings can be reached
at srmulli@umich.edu. I
’ve
gotten
a
consistent
eight hours of sleep the last
couple of nights, and as I sit
here typing at 8:47 p.m.
on a Monday night,
I still feel miserable.
My bed is all I can
think
about.
Being
able to crawl into my
soft sheets and close
my eyes will certainly
be the best part of my
day. Yeah, I know this
sounds pathetic. But
let’s be honest — we’ve
all been there.
About 10 minutes ago, while
fantasizing about sleep instead
of studying for my biochemistry
exam, I recalled a conversation I
had with my friend this morning.
He claimed he was having no
trouble
staying
awake
after
pulling an all-nighter.
“I had to study for my calc
exam today,” he said. “But I got
a lot done last night. I’m actually
feeling pretty confident now.”
At the time, I didn’t think
much of what he said, but as I sit
here barely able to keep my eyes
open with “healthy” amounts of
sleep, I can’t help but pity him.
Pulling an all-nighter is like
committing academic suicide.
Up until this summer, I had
only pulled one or two all-
nighters in my life. But in the
last few months, I’ve worked in a
lab that requires its researchers
to select a six-hour shift during
the day or overnight. Because
taking the 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. shift
is a rite of passage, I subjected
myself to the torture of one or
two sleepless nights per week
throughout the months of July
and August.
Because I was also taking a
class during the summer term,
I would try to use these long
nights to get ahead. And yeah,
in the first couple of hours it’s
possible to be productive. But
once the clock hits 3 or 4 a.m.,
it’s over. Sure, it’s possible to feel
awake if one’s veins are running
with Red Bull, but the ability
to comprehend and retain any
information is lost.
Unless
one
consistently
sleeps
all day and is awake
all night, pulling an
all-nighter is one
of the worst things
one can do for their
body
and
mental
state.
According
to
Business
Insider,
sleep
deprivation elevates
cortisol levels, which in turn
increases stress. It also inhibits
concentration, harms working
memory, hinders the ability
to multitask and results in
emotional instability. This is
because — and I know it’s been
said a million times — sleep
is necessary for the brain to
function properly.
While one thinks they’re
being
productive,
possibly
even
experiencing
feelings
of euphoria — which, in my
opinion, is simply the brain’s
defense mechanism to mask
misery — the only thing they’re
working toward is a lower grade.
Don’t believe me? Well, a study
at St. Lawrence University in
New York compared two groups
of students who had different
sleeping
patterns.
Group
A
regularly
obtained
sufficient
amounts of sleep while Group
B regularly pulled all-nighters.
The average GPA of Group A
was 3.1, while Group B had an
average GPA of 2.9.
No matter what I did — take
a nap before my shift, drink
coffee or an energy drink, etc. —
I always felt awful the morning
after an all-nighter. While I
wouldn’t necessarily feel tired,
the world had an indescribable
fuzziness to it. I would arrive
at my 9 a.m. lecture, not
remembering how I got there,
and I would dream with my eyes
open instead of paying attention
to the professor. In the rare
moments in which I mustered
up the will to listen, I would still
be confused even though I had
studied the material for hours
during my shift the night before.
I didn’t realize how inhibited
I was after an all-nighter until I
looked back on the experience.
In the moment, I thought I could
function normally, but I couldn’t.
It’s scary to think that there are
thousands of students and even
professionals that try to carry
out their day-to-day tasks while
sleep-deprived.
For
example,
sleep deprivation impairs the
ability to drive nearly as much as
consuming alcohol. According to
the National Sleep Foundation,
being awake for 18 hours makes
one drive as if they had a blood
alcohol level of 0.05. (A blood
alcohol level of 0.08 is considered
legally drunk.)
While neglecting sleep and
pulling an all-nighter may seem
like an appealing way to get a lot
done, it’s not worth it. Though
sleeping may take up time, it’s
much healthier for the body
and mind. If one needs to cram
for an exam — which everyone
does at some point — it’s better
to go to bed and wake up early
to study at 5 or 6 a.m. This way
it’s possible to concentrate and
retain information throughout
most of the day.
The clock now reads 11:52
p.m. Though I’m horrendously
behind
in
biochem,
forcing
myself to stay up and study is
not worth forgoing sleep and
sabotaging my ability to think
clearly
tomorrow.
Therefore,
I’ve decided to go back to my
apartment and crawl into bed.
Yes, this is definitely the best
part of the day. As I closed my
eyes, I wondered how my friend
did on his calculus test.
Evan Sirls can be reached at
esirls@umich.edu.
EVAN
SIRLS
“T
wo,
four,
six,
eight, who do we
appreciate?”
is
a
chant ingrained in the mind of
every kid who played youth sports.
During my own youth soccer
games,
when
the
intense
battle
between
eight-year-
old
warriors
concluded
on
the soccer field or baseball
diamond, the coach (in all his
middle-aged glory) would rally
the troops together for the all-
important post-game huddle.
These talks were never about
winning or losing. At such a
young
age,
our
competitive
drive was emerging but not yet
developed. What served as the
points of emphasis were the
universal principles of hard
work, having fun and, most
pertinent
to
my
experience
growing up, sportsmanship.
At first, the coach — always a
parent of one of the kids on the
team — would praise our efforts
as if we had just completed
a marathon, harping on the
resilience and determination
we
showed
despite
the
numerous kids who would run
to the sidelines to find their
mom mid-contest.
After this came the moment
we had all been waiting for: a
rowdy cheer signaling the end
of a hard-fought battle, and
the snacks and juice boxes we
would so graciously accept for
our efforts. As a member of the
Warriors, we would recite the
following cheer after facing the
enemy, in this case the Tigers:
“Two, four, six, eight, who do
we appreciate? Tigers, Tigers,
go Tigers!”
What stands out is not the
creativity or intensity of the
cheer, but the content itself. Who
do we appreciate? Not ourselves
— the victors — but our opponents.
My dad, the coach of most
of my American Youth Soccer
Organization teams, instilled
in me a sense of sportsmanship
and respect through this and
other gestures, like shaking
the hands of every opponent
and coach after the game.
However, as I grew older
and
entered
the
world
of
competitive travel sports, this
type of sportsmanship seemed
to disappear completely.
Perhaps as a function of the
natural selfishness that comes
with
sprouting
adulthood,
respectful
competition
and
sportsmanship became clouded
out by trash talk, aggression and
even violence. It is this transition
that I argue the integrity of
all sports — from the youth to
the professional sphere — has
become compromised.
On Oct. 7, the University
of
Michigan
played
against
Michigan State University in a
highly-touted Big Ten rivalry
battle. The last time the Spartans
made the trip from East Lansing
in 2015, things did not end well
for the heavily-favored folks from
Ann Arbor. In one of the most
infamous finishes in Michigan
football history, the Wolverines
blew a surefire lead on a muffed
punt as time ran out in the fourth
quarter, leaving fans in a state of
shock and disbelief.
What
transpired
two
weekends
ago,
though
less
dramatic,
proved
similar
to
what happened in 2015 — a
surprising
Michigan
loss
fostered animosity on both sides,
leading to an onslaught of insults
and derogatory comments from
Wolverine and Spartan fans.
As I walked back from the
stadium that Saturday, soaked
from the torrential downpour
that drenched the Big House
throughout the second half of
the game, I heard (and tried to
ignore) the barrage of insults
being thrown at me from fans
dressed in green and white.
Biting my tongue, I remembered
the lessons I learned as a kid of
respect, sportsmanship and class.
But that does not hold true for
some Michigan fans. Throughout
the game day adventure that is a
Saturday in Ann Arbor, I observed
a variety of banners and posters
taking jabs at Michigan State. My
personal favorite was a massive
20-by-5-foot artistic rendering
of a common off-color joke that
read, “Go green go white, can’t
read can’t write.”
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m
all for a little trash talk. I would
be lying if I said I never mouthed
off at the other team during my
baseball career and once or twice
got heated when an opponent
started firing back.
But I also think a little trash
talk goes a long way, and personal,
derogatory insults are not the
way to go about it. Attacking
someone for their allegedly low
intelligence because of a football
game not only reveals something
about the aggressor, but also
about the growing classlessness
and aggression of sports culture
as a whole.
Even among athletes at the
professional level, there have
been
numerous
instances
of
this type of behavior. Athletes
have departed from the lessons
taught during youth sports so
much that the NFL toughened up
their policy on unsportsmanlike
conduct
penalties
last
year,
which now includes offenses
like taunting, fighting and using
abusive language.
Even
more
significantly,
unsportsmanlike behavior on
the field has served as a catalyst
for negative fan behavior off the
field and has enabled the world
of professional sports to become
a vessel for discrimination going
on across the globe.
For example, in June 2016,
the Union of European Football
Associations
soccer
league
made international news when a
match between Croatia and the
Czech Republic turned violent,
with fans rioting after a series of
“discriminatory chants” erupted.
Though the fans were removed
from the stadium and the situation
diffused, their actions revealed
that, for as much good as sports do
for society (a topic that deserves an
entire book on its own), stadiums
are increasingly turning into sites
for verbal and physical assaults on
fans and players.
All of this is to say that college
and professional sports have
strayed from the core values
imparted on us as kids. Though
the
transition
to
adulthood
contains its inevitable moments
of rebelliousness and aggression,
it has turned into an epidemic
that
has
compromised
the
integrity of sports.
No, I don’t expect Michigan
fans to hug their East Lansing
counterparts after a loss, but a
little respect goes a long way.
Ben Charlson can be reached at
bencharl@umich.edu.