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4 Tmuksday, June 17, 2010 | The Red a Black Dallas Duncan | Editor in Chief editor@randb.com Daniel Burnett ! Managing Editor me@randb.com lee Williams | Opinions Editor opinions@randb.com Our Take Majority opinions of The Red & Black’s editorial board Plastic freedom That tingling sensation exists everywhere AJ Green makes another swan-dive into the end zone and the urge to proudly wear the No. 8 can be satisfied post-game at the bookstore. Maybe you need to finally pay off those late fees at the library that have been adding up since last semester. Or, even more extreme, your Xbox live sub scription is about to run out and NCAA 2011 comes out in only a month! The only issue? You don’t technically have the money right now. You’ll pay it off. You swear. Let’s face it society thrives on credit, using fear t actics to quiet down any reason that’s • screaming from your gut to cut your cards. Want to move up in life and buy a house? Tired of driving your mom’s gray mini-van? Have the urge to move to California as soon as you walk the stage and complain of anxiety? Unfortunately, all these circumstances require credit or a very rich grandparent. I am definitely a sucker for the “quick plas tic fix” my $2,000 worth of credit card debt would support that. Now, I find out the University is actually prof iting off of my poor decisions? To be honest, it’s hard to get upset. It's my own fault if I fall victim to corporate marketing schemes. Yes, the University and Bank of America make money if I remain in debt, however, I see a trade off. When 2 a.m. rolls around and I want to pass the time consuming large amounts of Choo- Choo. my credit card makes this possible. Perhaps I just want to have a Friday night with the guys and a few beers are in order. Illogical thinking? Most likely. I’m paying more in the long run to have my fun up front, but like I said, it’s a trade off. Students’ don’t have to fall victim to these advertisements we choose to; I choose to. I like to think I have a big enough brain to take care of my own finances. At some point personal responsibility must be called in to question. Is it ridiculous that the University is making money off of my debt? Of course. Is it also ridiculous that Camel and Marlboro rake in billions as we slowly kill ourselves? McDonalds didn’t make us fat, and the University and Bank of America aren’t to blame if we swipe our credit cards. - Joe Williams for the editorial board Real beauty isn’t found in Photoshop It isn’t news that maga zines targeted at teen age girls and women fill their pages with pic tures of waif-thin models and celebrities —a very small minority of women who stand above s’B and still weigh below 120 lbs. Our mothers would tell us, “this isn’t realistic honey, real women simply do not look like this,” and we, the young and impres sionable daughters, would listen to them and say, “Okay Mom," while simul taneously thinking to our selves, “...but I would still kill to look like her one day." Look at any newsstand today and not only are the covers of Seventeen and Vogue displaying the per fect body, but so are mag azines ranging from Women’s Health to GQ. Basically, the message is being driven home and hard especially when the impossibly gorgeous women on these covers are no longer limited to that minority group of genetically gifted models, but now include actors, singers, and even reality TV stars that were once stay-at-home mothers. Is the entire world just getting hotter? I think not. What we’ve got here over and over again is a case of foul play. Newsweek recently published an article called “Unattainable Beauty: the decade’s most egregious retouching scandals" that exposes various celebrity pictures before and after Opiraon* exposed m The Red 4 B** are tie opnone of fit writers art rot neoeeearty twee ot The Red art Bte*PiXM<ng Company Inc Al rights reeerved Reprints by pemwsionol renters. NEWS: 706433-3002 News Editor: Thomas Hooper Associate News Editor: Beth Poliak Sports Editor: Ryan Black Variety Editor: Anne Connaughton Photo Editor: Wes Blankenship Design Editor: Haley Temple Chief Copy Editor: Lisa Michais Copy Editor: Elaine Ketch Maria T. JKgL f Alzuru retouching. In every picture the waists of the women were reduced, any signs of cel lulite smoothed, and, in one case, Demi Moore’s hip was accidentally removed altogether. Obviously, this distor tion of the female image has not proven to be suffi ciently troubling to our society, since the retouch ing of images continues inching to a higher and higher extreme. That’s the issue. Have you seen Heidi Montag lately? If not, you have clearly been living under a rock. The 23-year-old reality star underwent 10 plastic surgery procedures in one day after already having augmented her breasts because, as she says, she wants to “feel perfect.” When did the message that real women don't look like the ones on the magazine covers get lost? We should worry because other little girls like Heidi Montag are going to grow up and want to retouch their bodies, except they won’t do it on paper with Photoshop they’ll do it with a scalpel. Maria T. Alzuru is a senior majoring in Political Science at Columbia University Online Editor: William Brown Editorial Cartoonist: Bill Richards Editorial Adviser: Ed Morales Staff Writers: Auryn Baruch, Mitch Bfomert, Kelsey Byrd, Sarah Jean Dover, Lisa Glaser, Brittney Holmes, Jen Ingles, Grace Morris, CC Nolan, Crissinda Ponder, Zack Taylor, Allison Williard Opinions College student turned reality star Gainful employ ment is overrated. Forget working for the summer forget running the register at Kohl’s, pushing shopping carts at Wal-Mart or tak ing tickets at Beechwood. I’ve decided to become a reality-televi sion star instead. Now, before you get all judgy, think about it this is completely logical. Who’d bother working 9-to-5 when you can just hop on over in front of a bunch of cameras and a national audience? Oh, but it's so hard. Really? It’s never been easier! We live in a hyper-real world now; anyone who is anybody (and who can do, frankly, anything) can grab his or her moment in the spotlight. Sure, it used to require that you be— at least really good-look ing, or somewhat talent ed or kind of weird. However, now every day tasks can become preparation for your 15 minutes. Been digging around in your attic preparing for that seasonal garage sale? Bump that: head to Antique Roadshow instead. (Retro, as they say, is always in ... and who would ever dream of throwing away home made arts and crafts any way?) Secretly harboring dreams of world (err, bakery) domination? If the Cake Boss can do it, so can you! Dying to share your nights as a security guard at the Playboy mansion with the world? It’s not like Ryan Seacrest has anything better to do. Expanding shouldn’t mean conforming Music has always been a treasured and important part of my life. It's the one thing that is always there, no matter how I feel or where life drags me. It can heal wounds, lift spirits, bring people together and put oth ers at ease. It seems to me, however, that music has slowly evolved into a shell of itself over the recent years. Simply put, pop culture has completely taken over the musical spectrum. You might ask, “why is that so bad?” For the typical Top 40 listener who watches MTV in their spare time and has two stations pre-set on the radio, I suppose it’s not that bad at all. Some might even enjoy the fact that every genre of music has evolved to include “pop” In it's name. Pop-rock, pop-punk, pop-jazz and yes even pop-metal. What happened to originality? Mailbox E-mail and letters from our readers Kayaking enthusiasts can stay in Classic City As someone who routinely says, “kayaking is cheaper than therapy,” I was excited this morning to see an article entitled “Two kayak ven ues offer options for adventure this summer.” However, that turned to disap pointment pretty quick when I was finished reading. Right in our own back yard, just up Atlanta Highway right before the 316 split is a little shop on the left called Big Dogs. About 7 weeks ago they expand ed their business, adding Big Dogs on the River— a kayaking outfitters on the Middle Oconee. What really surprised me is that there was just an article in the Banner-Herald on May 9 and they Our Staff Photographers: Halleigh Amsden, Abbey Boehmer, Emily Karol, Jon Kim, Laura McCranie, Jesse Walker Page Designers: Abbey Boehmer, Elaine Ketch ADVERTISING: 706433-3001 Advertising Director: Natalie McClure Student Advertising Manager: Courrtnr ob Tat Hills ▲ Viewers tune in to The Hills for a glimpse of rich people's problems Carlson (That’s right, Kim Kardashian, you and your spastically-bobbleheaded family can suck it.) Oh, but what if you’re a little bit different what if you can’t do much of anything at all? Well, if you can read Oust a little) and memo rize a few choice lines (for just a few minutes) then you’re one solid producer meeting away from land ing your own MTV 2 con fessional (for a few short seasons). If Jersey Shore deserves its own drug soaked showcase, why shouldn’t Athens? Get it now? I’m not so crazy. The airwaves are Barber Where is the true artist? When I am looking for some thing new to play on my iPod, I feel as if I am in a musical coffee shop. “Can I get the low-fat Alternative?” “Do you carry Diet Rap?” “One decaf Hardcore, please.” I refuse to accept any passion less, trendy music substitutes. The sad thing is, I believe all this popular music is coming from greed. Catchy songs sell, and that’s what all of this comes down to. Bands seem to be moving away from that ‘enough money to make it to our next stop’ mindset. Don’t get me wrong, I want bands to ‘make it.’ I want them to do well and make a profit off of advertise in the Flagpole. Having already become one of my favorite summer activities and being so close to home (5 minutes instead of 30 or 40), I highly recom mend checking them out. The cabana on the river is a nice place to relax, before or after your trip and can be reserved for parties. Be sure to keep an eye out for the lone black duck who hangs in the trio, the sweet little otter who swims the river back there, or the blue heron who gracefully swoops through the sky overhead TONIA DOUSAY Graduate Student, Livingston, TX Learning Design A Technology Lauren Jones Account Executive*: Katherine Blackstad, Rachel Britain, Sarah Carlton, Stacey Joseph, Kelly Pierce, Haley Winther Sales Associate: Brittney Johnson Classified Adviser: Haley Winther Production Manager: Sam Plttard Publisher: Harry Montevideo crammed with channels that are crammed with empty air. They’ve gotta put on something. We can look at the Ray Js, Michael Lohans and Holly Madisons of the world and think, "Maybe the Mayans cut out just in time.” But not me; I’m Jump ing right up on the band wagon. I’ll tone up, slim down, darken my skin and bleach my teeth. I may not have perfected the art of the blank stare yet, but I’ve been mainlining The Hills. It’ll take. I’ll collect a few frene mies, develop a drinking habit and begin to talk REALLY, REALLY LOUDLY. Occasionally, I’ll even re-enact scenes from my daily life as they’re hap pening. Editorial board members include w*s Blankenship, Dates Ouncsn, Crissmda Porte, Haley Taupe. Joe WHiami Phone (706) 433-3002 | Flax (706) 433-3033 opinionß@randb.com | www.redandblack.com 540 Baxter Street, Athens, Ga. 30605 Pretty soon l’m almost certain —one of those Real Housewives is going to keel-over in a hair spray-induced coma, and I’ll be ready and waiting to shed the bor ing, sensible skin of my college life for the glitz and glam of a star. My Kate Oosselin wig will be here any day now, and then it’s off to Hollywood. You’re more than wel come to keep toiling away at your higher-edu cations while I’m riding high on a wave of tabloid fueled fame. Where will your bache lor’s degree leave you? Me me you can catch every Friday at 10. See you on VHI. —Adam Carlson is a sophomore from Dallas majoring in magazines and film studies. their art. What I don’t want, however, is these bands compromising their art for the money. In all honesty, should every CD coming out be crafted together with over-worked "singles”? Do we want music to move to a bland, generic sound that is com pletely unoriginal and absolutely predicable? I, for one, do not. We, the audience and listeners, need to start embracing genres such as Experimental and Indie. We need to support our local music scene - our local artists. We need to move away from this Daughtry-esque, Star 94 move ment, where one song cannot be differed from another. Stop listening to what’s ‘cool’ and what’s ‘in’ and start listening with your heart only then will we find the passion that has been missing from the airwaves. Jody Barber is a senior psychology major at the University of West Georgia Flamboyance has appeal I would like to commend one of your writers on a thoughtful, well written piece about “Glee”. I might comment though, that it wouldn’t be a highly rated show if the gay character acted ... well, less “gay”. I understand that gay people range from stoic to flamboyant, but a gay person dressing conservative ly and wearing an oxford shirt wouldn't draw attention. CHRISTOPHER SMITH Senior, Alpharetta Political Science Office Manager: Erin Beasley Cleaning Person: Mary Jones The Red A Black is published Monday through Friday fail and spring semesters and each Thursday summer semester, except holi days and exam periods, by The Red A Black Publishing Company Inc., a non-profit campus newspaper not affiliated with the University of Georgia. Subscription rats: $195 per year.