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Cody Walters
During the past three decades the American working class has seen a drastic shift in occupational opportunity. With the ever growing technology many jobs are becoming obsolete. Dozens of workers are replaced by one machine.
With the technological age has come a great deal of controversy over the American economy. This once manufacturing-oriented system has now given way to a service industry. The American steel industry now employs almost 50 percent fewer people than in 1980. As machines have begun to replace workers it leaves former workers to scratch a living from customer service and retail positions.
The upper classes that employ the aforementioned working class citizens see no reason to return to the way things were. After all they are saving money by relying on newfound technological advancements. With the new scientific developments available one ton of steel can be made in 60 percent less time. A
lso, machines do not require health care, unions, or holidays. Thanks to this continued trust and money sunken into new technology the use of computers is becoming a necessity for all.
As the gap of the middle class widens, those on the lower half are forced to adapt or fall behind. Unfortunately this adaptation to stay afloat monetarily will only cost the lower middle class more. These brave citizens will need to spend more money on college courses or other training in new technology in order to receive better wages or even retain their jobs.
We cannot afford to trade the backbone of America for scientific advancement. The working class built this country, and it is now replaced by inanimate, albeit efficient machines. If this trend continues the poverty level in America will only swell over time, along with the discontent of blue collar citizens.
Tember Eaton
This same question is being asked by thousands of Americans every time they turn on the news, be it local or national. I feel the bias in our media has blurred our vision and caused us to lose focus on what’s important. For example, consider the JonBenet Ramsey case. How long did it take to finally figure out the truth? Journalists these days are all about being the first with the big story, falling for rumors and false facts.
Bill O’Reilly, during his television show “The O’Reilly Factor”, spoke recently about how the media has lost sight of the truth, and the media find themselves having to correct what they have broadcast again and again. The real question is: Why can’t they get it right the first time?
Two PPCC students who wish to remain anonymous had this to say when asked if they could trust the facts delivered on the news.
First student said, “What you see on any news channel, be it national or local, has lost all credibility. What I once thought I could have trusted I now have to question, and that’s just not how it’s supposed to work.”
Another student said, “They [the media] report only what they think we want to hear. Back when, you could live by the news now all they report is crap you can’t trust.”
Such emotions behind this topic have lead me to believe that people want the truth and the facts, and they want them delivered without the sugar coating. We as journalists have the job, as truth finders, to deliver the facts and to listen to our audience and act accordingly.
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As of this printing, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has hit 56 home runs. With 20 games left this season, he is on pace to hit 65. Many baseball fans know that the single-season home run mark is 73, set by Barry Bonds back in 2001, and if Howard were to get to 65 by the end of the season, he would only be tied for fourth place all-time.
However, this is a new era in Major League Baseball. Since 2005, steroids are officially a banned substance. The family of the late Roger Maris, who originally broke Babe Ruth’s 60-homer mark in 1961, wasinterviewed by Yahoo! Sports writer Jeff Passan. In the article, the family tells us that the record still belongs to Maris, and they would “gladly cede” the crown to Howard if he were to hit 62 or more.
There is good reason for the Maris family, as well as sports fans, to be skeptical of the previous home run marks. Barry Bonds, currently the holder of the single-season home run mark, as well as being second all-time in home runs with 731, has been under much scrutiny.
He has been accused of taking steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs given by his trainer. The book Game of Shadows supposedly chronicles Bonds extensive use of performance-enhancing drugs and his dealings with the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO). Mark McGwire, who broke Maris’ record in 1998, declined to answer questions about steroid use while under oath when he testified before the House Government Reform Committee. McGwire said that he wasn’t there “to talk about the past.”
Baseball isn’t the only sport concerned with the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs. Floyd Landis, the 2006 Tour de France champion, failed a drug test during the cycling event. He may become the only Tour de France champion that will be stripped of his title.
These athletes are fortunate that our justice system isn’t based on the court of public opinion.
Bonds has never failed a drug test, and recently a grand jury was dismissed and did not indict him. McGwire’s former teammates and coaches believe he was clean while he played.
Landis has vehemently denied that he was involved with doping during the Tour de France and states that his drug tests come up positive due to cortisone shots he took due to a degenerative hip.
There may be good reason to be skeptical in these situations, but everyone must remember that these athletes are still innocent…for now.
One of the long standing beliefs that spurs censorship of video games is that if children play too much, they will “rot” their brains. However, this is mainly just a misconception caused by the child appearing to just sit there and stare at the TV screen. I discussed this with a college friend,and she pointed out that it looks like a waste of time. I agreed with that statement, it does look like a waste of time, but if you take a person reading a novel by Earnest Hemmingway or a poem written by Edgar Allen Poe, or even a comic book, it would appear that the only thing they’re doing is just sitting there. She was quick to point out that there is much more going on when you read than just sitting there. I pointed out that it’s exactly the same with videogames.
Some politicians also blame video games for the increase in teen violence. They don’t credit this to TV, parents, social influence, etcetera, but to video games. The problem with this is it takes the responsibility not only from the parents and the environment that the child grows up in, and even from the violent children themselves, and instead places it on a digitized adventure that is composed of nothing more than a mass of computer codes.
Youth are also supposedly desensitized by video games to the point that they cannot distinguish reality from fiction. The problem with this theory is that it assumes that the majority of American children between 11 and 17 are complete homicidal morons. We all know that is not true. I’ve seen teenagers do stupid things to appear cool, but they don’t run up to a police car, somehow drag the cop out of the car, smack the officer over the head with his or her gun and then take the police car on a joyride just because they somehow did it in a fictional game. Just to prove the point to myself, I recently did a quick survey of 5 children between the 6 and 15.
I asked if they had ever heard of a game called “Grand Theft Auto 3”, which is the primary focus of those who say that children can’t separate reality from video games. To my surprise even the 6 year old knew what that game was about. I then asked if they would try to shoot a police officer in real life. (Since they can do that in the game.) I found the expressions on the children’s faces very amusing, for they all looked at me as if I were an idiot. The 11-year- old asked me if I were crazy.
Video games are not evil. Research shows that playing video games can increase hand eye coordination for fighter pilots, police officers and soldiers.
Video games are used by surgeons to practice surgical procedures without using a live patient. They can learn what would happen if they make a mistake without harming a live person.
The idea that censoring video games will cure the moral problems of America’s youth is outrageous, and to spend valuable tax dollars on such an argument is shameful. Perhaps we should ask ourselves what the real crime is--children playing video games or adults pointing the finger away from themselves.
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