Vote. I don't care who you vote for. Just vote.
So I was standing in line at the polls this morning when I realized that Penn State students missed one hell of an opportunity. The past two years of political coverage have been brimming with bias and blackouts (and don't you dare try to retort that Fox News isn't biased). Even social life is filled with bias. While thousands of people are handing out free Obama stuff every day, I've yet to receive anything supporting McCain. In fact, there are more Obama stickers lurking like Hidden Mickey's around the campus than there are people with McCain pins, and most of those pins are attacking Obama instead of supporting McCain.
And this went on before that. First there was a blackout of Republican primaries. Then the complete dismissal of Ron Paul. And all the while, we didn't hear one peep from any Independent or Green Party members.
I can't sit down and say, "Well that's just the way the system works." There's a damn big problem on our hands if news-based media approaches everything with inherent bias. And it's not a question of available coverage time. I'm fairly sure that American national politics has precedence over a high speed car chase in Kansas, and that people deserve to know something about all their options...
While I wouldn't be surprised if it already exists, I'm angry that I haven't heard of anything like this throughout the past four years, so here's what I propose: Penn State should have a student organization devoted to presenting political information and news in an unbiased way. We have television, radio, newspapers, law students, poli-sci students, economics students, inart students, a good film program, a good music technology program - why don't we have anything like this yet?!?! Yes, it requires organization, but the student body should be kept informed of what happens outside of this 5 square mile hole in the middle of Pennsylvania, and the experience those involved will receive will place them leagues above the rest of their contemporaries.
I say this, and yet every TV in Redifer Commons is currently still on one or another of our (what is it now, 10? 11? 12?) various sports stations (ESPN, FSN, BIG10, etc). At least I'm guaranteed an empty seat in the Reserves Room in Pattee, the only place on campus where there's at least the chance of catching some form of political coverage other than,"Let's ask some sports fans what they think about the election!" Why don't we just watch the damn election coverage itself? Wouldn't that be a little more logical?!
And no, I won't apologize for my break-out above. This election has proven just how persuasive overly-biased media can be and how ignorant we college students keep ourselves, and I'm appalled that people don't think this is a problem.
P.S. If we lose another popular vote to the electoral college, I will be picketing in front of Old Main at 11pm tonight.
So I was standing in line at the polls this morning when I realized that Penn State students missed one hell of an opportunity. The past two years of political coverage have been brimming with bias and blackouts (and don't you dare try to retort that Fox News isn't biased). Even social life is filled with bias. While thousands of people are handing out free Obama stuff every day, I've yet to receive anything supporting McCain. In fact, there are more Obama stickers lurking like Hidden Mickey's around the campus than there are people with McCain pins, and most of those pins are attacking Obama instead of supporting McCain.
And this went on before that. First there was a blackout of Republican primaries. Then the complete dismissal of Ron Paul. And all the while, we didn't hear one peep from any Independent or Green Party members.
I can't sit down and say, "Well that's just the way the system works." There's a damn big problem on our hands if news-based media approaches everything with inherent bias. And it's not a question of available coverage time. I'm fairly sure that American national politics has precedence over a high speed car chase in Kansas, and that people deserve to know something about all their options...
While I wouldn't be surprised if it already exists, I'm angry that I haven't heard of anything like this throughout the past four years, so here's what I propose: Penn State should have a student organization devoted to presenting political information and news in an unbiased way. We have television, radio, newspapers, law students, poli-sci students, economics students, inart students, a good film program, a good music technology program - why don't we have anything like this yet?!?! Yes, it requires organization, but the student body should be kept informed of what happens outside of this 5 square mile hole in the middle of Pennsylvania, and the experience those involved will receive will place them leagues above the rest of their contemporaries.
I say this, and yet every TV in Redifer Commons is currently still on one or another of our (what is it now, 10? 11? 12?) various sports stations (ESPN, FSN, BIG10, etc). At least I'm guaranteed an empty seat in the Reserves Room in Pattee, the only place on campus where there's at least the chance of catching some form of political coverage other than,"Let's ask some sports fans what they think about the election!" Why don't we just watch the damn election coverage itself? Wouldn't that be a little more logical?!
And no, I won't apologize for my break-out above. This election has proven just how persuasive overly-biased media can be and how ignorant we college students keep ourselves, and I'm appalled that people don't think this is a problem.
P.S. If we lose another popular vote to the electoral college, I will be picketing in front of Old Main at 11pm tonight.
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