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Category: Opinion
Raining Dogs on Your Cat Parade
By Dane Parsons
A look on the divide between cat and dog people.
By Dane Parsons
In most things, there are two types of people in the world. Whether good or evil, Democrat or Republican, to some, the struggle becomes most significant between cats or dogs as a domestic pet. My father liked to claim he was an anomaly—that for him no pets was the best option.
He eventually caved to the constant pestering from his three kids and our mother, and our family welcomed the first (of many) pets which would populate the Parsons’ household. We have had cats, dogs, hamsters, fish, parakeets, turtles, hedgehogs and even opossums. All of this is to give you, dear reader, a good look at the kind of household I grew up in, to hopefully have a better understanding as to my perspective on this issue: one that has plagued our world for generations, the fight between the feline and the canine. It is a truly absurd war when you think about it, being forced to choose between two very different types of animals with different temperaments who could suit people differently depending on their personality type and living situation. But the war rages on, and still we find the divide growing stronger between them.
My goal here is to look at the possibility as to why this divide between people and animals has been created and see if perhaps there can be some reconciliation between these two fronts.
In my own personal experience, it seems to me people are more likely to be judgmental towards cats. Now one might ask where this resentment was born from – but I think all of us have had that one experience with one bad cat. You know, the one that lives at your great aunt’s, and who seems to be the antichrist only contained by a layer of fur and hates everything good or nice in the world. And the thing is, most cats are not like that at all. Though cats perhaps do not crave as much attention from people. In fact most cats still enjoy human affection on a less extreme basis then dogs. So why is it wrong for people to prefer a when it could be a better fit for them personally, regardless of which animal is “better” in their opinion?
On YouTube, a three-part video series made by Fatawesome called “Cat-Friend vs. Dog-Friend” humorously explored what it would be like if your roommates acted like a cat and a dog, overexaggerating on both sides of the spectrum. In the YouTube comments I noticed there was a significant reaction against how cats were being portrayed, complaining about how your cat shouldn’t hate you. There was also a great number of comments about how people shouldn’t fight over which animal is better, and how both animals have good aspects about them.
In closing, I would just like to say whether you are a cat person or a dog person, to recognize it’s okay to accept that not all animals might be right for you or others. It also could be good to think about the qualities as to why someone might prefer one animal to another, and hope live in harmony over this issues. That one day everyone could say every pet has their upsides and downsides. Unless, of course, you’re my dad, who still vehemently argues that all pets only have downsides.
Hacksaw Ridge: a flimsy perspective of pacifism and Christianity
By Baylor Smith
Perhaps the most telling line of “Hacksaw Ridge” is found in a clip from an interview with Hal Doss, (the brother of the main character Desmond Doss), “You are your convictions.”
Perhaps the most telling line of “Hacksaw Ridge” is found in a clip from an interview with Hal Doss, (the brother of the main character Desmond Doss), “You are your convictions.”
“Hacksaw Ridge” follows the real life story of World War II soldier, Desmond Doss, who was the first conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor, doing so while refusing to carry a gun because of religious justifications. Rather than serving as an infantry soldier, Doss choses to run into the field of battle without a gun and attempt to save his fellow soldier’s lives as a medic.
“Hacksaw Ridge” presents pacifism and to a larger extent, Christianity in accordance with Hal’s statement, that one must be their convictions. Such a statement not only misrepresents the life and message of Christ, but it is the foundation of fundamentalism and in some cases, bigotry.
Director Mel Gibson rewards service to a conviction far and above a more robust understanding of the Christian life, particularly the importance of recognizing the personhood of the other. This can be seen through his depiction of the Japanese, who are horribly manipulated as a fear mechanism throughout the entire film. We hardly ever see their faces, let alone hear them talk or interact with another human being. The one moment given to an individual Japanese soldier simply serves to further glorify Doss’ character as holding his conviction. After Doss has attended to the wounds of an injured Japanese soldier, an American back at base camp says in reference to Doss, “He even saved a couple of Japs, but they didn’t make it. Anyway, gotta go back to see Doss save more people!” Ok, maybe the latter sentence is a little exaggerated but you get the point.
Gibson, true to his previous films, aestheticizes violence as the backdrop to a painting of his main character. Using severed bodies, slow motion shots of flamethrowers and cries of men shooting guns as a means of a gloried spectacle. The hypocrisy of it all is that in his films, Gibson’s characters are supposed to stand for peace, nonviolence and compassion (see, Jesus Christ in “The Passion of The Christ”) not military victory or individual heroics.
Now, the true story of Desmond Doss is compelling and certainly should not be scoffed at, it involves immense bravery and physical sacrifice. However, Gibson’s film adaptation purports to be a powerful message of Christianity while it ultimately diverts from the message of Christ. One ought not be simply satisfied with little nods to Bible stories (and believe me, there is no shortage of those in the film). If a director wants to handle Christian theology in a film, it ought to be done with closer attention and care.
(It’s gonna get a little preachy right now, so brace yourself)
For those who claim the title Christian it is ever pressing to understand that Christ’s message was not about being a conviction, but rather by consistently viewing people who are different than you as a person-holding the image of the divine, so that “to the extent to which Christ became human, humans may participate in becoming divine.” (That’s a little quote from my boy G-Naz, otherwise known as Gregory of Nazianzus, first century Church father… I certainly am not enlightened enough to formulate that myself.)
Being a conviction can hinder a human’s ability to pursue humility, suffering and the empathy necessary to recognize another human being’s personhood. Desmond Doss (as directed by Mel Gibson) was nonviolent for the sake of being nonviolent, forever focused on his service to his own conviction rather than his service to the other human beings as holding the personhood of Christ Jesus.
If you do go to see “Hacksaw Ridge,” which I would not necessarily recommend, at least examine Doss’ exercise of religious conviction in tandem with your own. Are you holding a belief for the sake holding it? Or does it allow you to embrace another human being, especially one who is different than you?
YAK ATTACK: Don’t talk back.
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We’re all Spring Arbor students and we know that not everything written behind a keyboard about our school is positive. Social commentary thrives around college campuses and SAU is no exception. As people, we enjoy poking fun at our surroundings- it’s just what we do. It’s natural.
Meet Yik Yak. For those of you unfamiliar with the app, it’s an anonymous twitter type model that shows you what those in your geographical area are sharing. It’s localized to a few mile radius and shows you what people are saying in your area. According to the Yik Yak team, they are an “anonymous messaging app that allows users to create and view posts – called Yaks – within a 10 mile radius. Users can also expand the conversation by posting replies to existing Yaks.”
I am sure most of us are familiar with #SAUchapellive, #SAUconfessions and Facebook pages like SAU Crushes and Overheard at SAU. These formats enable students to anonymously share their personal opinions, comments and secrets because free speech is a thing and it is their right to do so.
How is Yik Yak any different? It’s designed for use at colleges. Well, while things shared can be innocent and funny, they’ve been quickly moving toward attacks such as naming floors in dorms with the comments about drinking, or the use of initials of Spring Arbor students with comments attached. USA TODAY shared that through Yik Yak, “Students are tapping, scrolling, reading and sharing any thoughts they’d like — some of them R-rated — with people nearby whom they may or may not know”. Would you feel safe or good to read someone post a yak about you in any context?”
Now to be fair, those in the Spring Arbor community on Yik Yak are quick to rid the site of hurtful or sexual comments by down voting anything that is targeting or inappropriate, but this isn’t just a SAU problem. Colleges and universities are banning the app left and right for the increased threats, racism, and cyberbulling that is publicized through Yik Yak.
“Users crack racist and sexist jokes. Posts about alcohol, drugs and sexual activity flood the feed. While some of the crude posts are slightly funny and entertaining, the majority of them could be filed as offensive or even considered hate crimes. Many students already have suffered the consequences of Yik Yak. An anonymous user will post the address of a party, the name of a drug dealer or a threat toward an individual. The results quickly outshine that user’s five minutes of anonymous fame” (USA TODAY).
Campus buildings across the nation have been shut down from Yaks that are posted threatening the safety of those in a certain building at a certain time. Many colleges are blocking that app it as trouble breaks around their campuses. SAU has not blocked the app, but those in Student Development are aware of it.
We live in an era where we can and are encouraged to make our thoughts public. The downside is that often it’s at the expense of another human being. In continuous self interest and publication of our feelings, we’ve become desensitized to the feelings of others. Another danger is the trend toward anonymity. Senior and finance major Eric Harbin calls Yik Yak the coward’s twitter. When we’re not responsible for our actions, we become much free-er with our opinions. Anonymous forums cultivate cyber bullying and Yik Yak makes it extremely easy. Do you think half of the yaks would still be posted if there was a name attached to them? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not bad ass to complain anonymously, it’s cowardly.
So what’s the point? I know that you’re tired of hearing about this and the point of this article is not to shame you or tell you that Yik Yak is the devil. Sharing our thoughts and comments is great, but what these formats also cultivate are platforms to showcase apathy, negativity, and unChrist-like behavior. As students of Spring Arbor University, we are not called to be perfect, but we are held up to a concept. That’s not saying that we’ll be condemned if we don’t keep both feet on the floor during open hours or take two apples out of the DC, it’s holding us to a higher standard because we represent Christ as well as our school and that’s one of the reasons why we’re here.
That’s the point, really. We need to be mindful of what we’re representing. Maybe that means making a change or deleting the app or maybe that just means being aware of our potential to hurt others. We’re all free to share what we want, but how are we cultivating kindness in our community? How can we set ourselves apart?
By Sarah Beardslee and Tania Parsons
