Let's Put An End To All This Hate

          Cyberbullying has been an issue for many years now, but within these past couple years, the media has covered it more than ever. Cyberbullying has been linked to many suicides, especially among teens. According to Oklahoma Parents Center, bullying includes behaviors and actions that are verbal, physical and/or anti-social, such as exclusion, gossip and non-verbal body language. It can occur at school or in transit between school and home. As of July 2010, forty-four states within the United States have laws against bullying, but why do only five states have laws against cyberbulling?

            With the rising rate of suicides linked to cyberbullying, one would think there would be more laws making cyberbullying illegal. Unfortunately, forty-five states still do not have any laws against this hateful crime. Most states do not consider cyberbullying to be a part of bullying laws because the bullying does not occur face-to-face. One of the most talked about cases of cyberbullying took place in Missouri, the state where I am from. A mother created a fake account and pretended to be a teenage boy interested in Megan Meier, a fun loving 13-year-old girl. After a few weeks, the relationship between the boy and Megan became verbally abusive. The boy began to taunt Megan by saying, “Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat,” according to Good Morning America. The young girl could no longer handle the harassment and ended her life October 15, 2006, at the age of 13. Mrs. Meier will never be able to hold her daughter again. Instead, she is only able to hold pictures of Megan and cherish the memories they have together. As of July 2009, the mother who engaged in cyberbullying was only indicted under the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. 

            With the growing rate of social networks available to anyone, there needs to be a law against cyberbullying in all states. There have been way too many unfortunate incidents where young people ended their lives due to this vicious crime. How many more suicides due to cyberbullying is it going to take for the country to realize enough is enough?

Starbucks: The Money Monster

Each morning as I stumble out of bed at 7:15 am, I think to myself, “ah I could really use a Starbucks.” This is something that has run through my head each morning for almost 5 years. Growing up, I have always been a coffee drinker. As a freshman in high school, occasionally, I was able to convince my dad to take me to get my morning coffee fix from Starbucks. As years passed, the occasional morning Starbucks run turned into a something that was almost a daily routine. What was initially just a venti coffee at a little under $3, was now I venti ice caramel macchiato at a whapping price of almost $4.50.

            How much is too much to spend on a cup of coffee? A poll done by the Consumerist showed that 73% of Americans think Starbucks is overpriced, while 21% are unsure. Falling into the endless cycle of spending $4.50 on a cup of coffee added up fast. In one month alone during my senior year, I managed to drop almost $300 at Starbucks. Needless to say, dad was not too happy about this.


            Since entering SMU and not having a Starbucks conveniently located near my dorm, I have almost completely given up my daily coffee run. Looking back, I was stupid to spend $4.50 on a cup of coffee on a daily basis. Starbucks’ coffee prices are outrageously expensive and though the coffee is good and all, you are primarily paying for the logo on the cup. I have found that homebrewed coffee can satisfy my caffeine cravings and help cut back on the expenses.

How Thin Is Too Thin?

Do people find underweight, frail bodies to be attractive? No. Yet, these are the types of women we see strutting down the runway. There seems to be a false belief that high-end designers find to be true: the skinner the girl, the better their clothes will look. Unfortunately, this is sending the wrong message to young girls all across the world.

Girls are willing to take desperate measures to achieve the “perfect body”. They have a set image in their head of the women they see on the runways and the celebrities they see in magazines. The media can have an overwhelming impact on girls’ body image, as I read in an article by Associated Content. Attempting to achieve the body of their dreams, often leads to a form of an eating disorder. This can often take a toll on many girls’ self esteem, which can ultimately lead girls to self-hatred or even engaging in self-harm.

Laws need to be passed forcing models to have a certain body mass in order to continue with their modeling careers. We need to turn to Spain as a prime example. In 2006, underweight models in Madrid were not allowed to walk the runway due to unhealthy body weight. Reps for the fashion show explained they wanted promote the idea of a healthy body image. I truly think this is the best thing that has ever happened in the fashion world. I believe fashion magazines need to recognize the issue of unhealthy body weight and ban skinny models. Finally, we need to put a stop to the belief that what you see on TV is realistic because it’s not. The media needs to put more effort into promoting the idea that curves are beautiful and that they are something girls need to embrace, rather than hate.

Lions, Tigers, Bears...OH MY!

For Chicago Bears fans like myself, this season has come just in time before all hope was lost. For years, each season begins with high hopes and expectations, and each year, I am yet again let down by my team’s record. With the arrival of Jay Cutler in 2009, I was more enthusiastic than I had ever been. I would brag and yell at my friends, “Bears are going all the way for sure!” However, right when I thought the bears had turned a new page, Jay Cutler succumbed to the quarterback curse that has haunted the Bears for the last 25 years. He tied a record for the most interceptions in a single season, and the team finished with a 7-9 record, just a few games short of the playoffs. Over the last year, I have grown accustomed to friends and family members telling me that Cutler is useless and that the Bears are just going to falter again due to his horrible performance; but each time I tell them that one day, he will shine. It seems to me that that day has arrived.

On Monday night, the Bears defeated their most hated rival, The Green Bay Packers, to claim the top spot, not only in the NFC North Division, but also the entire NFC. They remain the only unbeaten team at 3-0. What happened the last time the Bears went 3-0 to start the season? Superbowl XLI happened. Could it be that the Bears are Superbowl bound in 2010? It has been four years since they lost the last one, but much of the original team is still intact. The only real difference is that Jay Cutler, not Rex Grossman, who can barely hold his own in the NFL, is the quarterback. On top of this, we are witnessing a new Jay Cutler. The 2010 Jay Cutler is tougher, stronger, and doesn’t throw an interception every other drive. He keeps his cool in the pocket, even when under pressure, and performs like a professional athlete should in every game. As of last Sunday, the monsters of the midway lead the league in defense against the rush and claim 5th place in passing yards per game.

How could it be that a team that was ranked 17th in passing YPG and 23rd in rush defense is all of the sudden finding itself at the top of the ranks in the NFL? The answer is determination. Not only is Jay Cutler performing better, but the offense and defense as a whole is playing with a determination and motivation never before seen in Chicago. The Bears possess some of the most impressive stats they have seen in a long time. With Brian Urlacher healthy and Matt Forte getting his run back, the Bears are destined to make it to the playoffs and possibly another Superbowl. I can picture Cowboys Stadium, home of the 2010 Superbowl, filled with blue and orange jerseys and being overtaken by the brute force of a team so good that no one will come close to stopping them. The Bears have a lot to look forward to this year, as do die-hard fans like myself. I’ve gone through pain and hardship as a Bears fanatic over the last few years, but those days are over. Bears are number one…Period.