Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: Opinion
Dear The Commonwealth Times,
I was shocked to read that people are defending the publication of the "Beirut" picture! That picture never should have been published. Whether you realized it or not, having a picture like that on the cover normalizes domestic violence.
Do you want to live in a world where people think domestic violence is normal and OK? Well I don't, and if you continue to publish pictures like that, I will no longer read your paper. Many people were hurt, not just offended.
Sexual assault and domestic violence is a huge problem, especially on college campuses. The CT owes survivors and everyone else an apology.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Shaver
Dear Editor,
Think back to five months ago. Do you remember the overpowering political atmosphere on campus? I couldn't take a cigarette break without some guy running up to me asking me to register or telling me about how President Barack Obama's latest speech brought them to tears. Sentiments like this were omnipresent in the city of Richmond, so much so that it nauseated me. But where is all of that today? From my observation, it's completely nonexistent.
The chief slogan of the Obama campaign was "Yes We Can," and it caught on like wildfire. But now that he's been elected, the millions of bumper stickers and T-shirts have been replaced with the catchphrase "Yes We Did." This is incredibly disillusioning because it proves that for American society, all that matters are the carnival-like games commonly referred to as elections.
We call ourselves "democratic," but it is only a façade-a way of tricking ourselves into believing that we, the American citizens, are calling the shots. What's most depressing is that we like it that way. For most, democracy means too much responsibility. So for one day in every four years, we check a box or touch a screen, and then go back to our ignorant and self-centered everyday lives.
I've been told many times that voting is my only voice. Well, if that's really true, I might as well be mute.
Sincerely,
Alex Denison
I was shocked to read that people are defending the publication of the "Beirut" picture! That picture never should have been published. Whether you realized it or not, having a picture like that on the cover normalizes domestic violence.
Do you want to live in a world where people think domestic violence is normal and OK? Well I don't, and if you continue to publish pictures like that, I will no longer read your paper. Many people were hurt, not just offended.
Sexual assault and domestic violence is a huge problem, especially on college campuses. The CT owes survivors and everyone else an apology.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Shaver
Dear Editor,
Think back to five months ago. Do you remember the overpowering political atmosphere on campus? I couldn't take a cigarette break without some guy running up to me asking me to register or telling me about how President Barack Obama's latest speech brought them to tears. Sentiments like this were omnipresent in the city of Richmond, so much so that it nauseated me. But where is all of that today? From my observation, it's completely nonexistent.
The chief slogan of the Obama campaign was "Yes We Can," and it caught on like wildfire. But now that he's been elected, the millions of bumper stickers and T-shirts have been replaced with the catchphrase "Yes We Did." This is incredibly disillusioning because it proves that for American society, all that matters are the carnival-like games commonly referred to as elections.
We call ourselves "democratic," but it is only a façade-a way of tricking ourselves into believing that we, the American citizens, are calling the shots. What's most depressing is that we like it that way. For most, democracy means too much responsibility. So for one day in every four years, we check a box or touch a screen, and then go back to our ignorant and self-centered everyday lives.
I've been told many times that voting is my only voice. Well, if that's really true, I might as well be mute.
Sincerely,
Alex Denison
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