Page 80 - mcdanielfreepress2004-05

FEBRUARY24,2005 - Page 4 COMMENTARY Loss of internet exposes unhealthy dependence were without internet ac- would be grief-stricken to be only way of getting there was PAT O'TOOLE cess for what seemed like left without online journal da- by using the exact URL, tainly at least one student who CO-EDITOR decides to cheat on the exam. an eternity. tabases and the like. When something that most students Twice in the past two The problems caused the internet was down, the don't have memorized. In- This is detrimental to those of weeks, McDaniel college stu- by these outages were only option was to go to the formation Services conve- us who are honest because the den t s abundant. library and manually sift niently sent everyone an e- professor may go on thinking that the exam is fair because the h a v e AOL Instant Messenger through books to find infor- mail with links to Blackboard grades were high. been in- was the first fatality. Students, mation. This process can be and, ironically, to the capaci- completely lost contact with very tedious, especially for us, college's e-mail server page. Online discussions are an- tated by everyone else on campus, the inexperienced products of Unfortunately, those links other area where Ihave serious the loss and even had to resort to the computer age. were useless without the abil- Concerns. Somec1assesconduct face-to-face or telephone con- The loss of the Internet ity to access the e-mail login the majority of their discussions versations as means of com- also revealed the danger of page in the first place. on the internet by way of the munication. Dinner and having such an enormous With as much as we are discussion boards. Class time sal)' resources. party plans became very dif- amount of course material paying for tuition, why becomes simply a time of lec- Clar was still open. The ficult to coordinate. online. Many professors are shouldn't we have more of ture and brief interaction. How power and cable were still After being cut off from just now getting hilly accus- our course material based much can we really learn from functioning. The liquor their online news resources, tomed to using Blackboard for upon direct interaction with the impersonal postings on a stores were stocked and some students were un- their courses, and students' our professors? Online quiz- discussion board? awaiting the nightly blitz. doubtedly left in the dark re- grades often depend on their zes and such may be very The Internet has many What more could we need? garding events occurring in use of Blackboard's features. convenient, but they all too benefits, but our overemphasis As important as these the rest of the world. Online quizzes are becoming often pose significant prob- on its use will inevitably harm resources may be, the Even that early in the more and more common, and lems. Issues with the internet us in the long run. Our cam- Internet is the true lifeblood semester, many students some courses even require may cause headaches, but pus is small-we don't need the of the modern college stu- were working on important students to take their tests there are other concerns as same systems that large univer- dent. Due to an error on the research papers. Imyself can online. well. Per instance, any time sities use. We may as well be part of Sprint, the company acknowledge that I have be- Blackboard was still ac- there is an online quiz or test an online college at the rate we are going. that provides Tl internet ser- come so reliant on the cessible because it is located thatis supposed to be "on the vice to the college, students internet for research that I on our local network, but the Honor Code," there is cer- Given its social impact- Reasons to read sub hip-hop needs to change par commentary BRIAN PATTERSON try.to stick with me 'til the end, African-American or Latino from their schools to be able ROB GOEKE history I learned by reading to differentiate between truth SENIOR WRITER and I almost guarantee you'll NEWS EDITOR It occurred to me the even want to read this piece on my own. I recall sitting in and image. They are not, and again. a class discussion. in high stereotypes still reign in every other day that my qualifi- There is a subtle differ- school and Malcolm X's corner of society. cations Do I possess any special name came up. Numerous The rut we are in has as a com- skills that preclude me from keeping my mouth shut and people in my class, which two culprits: anyone in the mentat- was mostly white, had never music industry who cares or are just read.ing the newspaper like under- even heard of him. This ap- more about profiting off of shoddy a normal person would? Ican curl my tongue, have tried to s tan d palled me. their work than the social im- at best. watch all the James Bond mov- this dis- At the recent Keeping it pact it has, and the educa- Actually, ies in a row and failed horribly, parity Real Forum, senior Arnelle tional system itself. I would it SUr- and am majoring in what are if it is Quashie made some wonder- make the claim that it is a prisesme generally considered two of the to im- ful points about how racism form of institutionalized rac- t hat most boring subjects on cam- prove. is institutionalized in society ism simply because white stu- peop Ie pus, history and economics. Stereotypical hip-hop is not the today, and I could not agree dents often receive little or no even bother to read my articles {Mission accomplished. only problem. more. The fact that I did not knowledge about different at all. Well done.} Hip-hop is ubiquitous, learn about the horrid history cultures. Yet they receive so Maybe my columns are E'rnails. touching all areas of culture. As much information about funny from time to time, but All of my fans send me e- a result, it has a large effect on For many white their own. the Pulitzer committee still mails with encouraging and the zeitgeist of society. With As a result of this, hasn't responded to that appli- such a large influence comes children, their only people tend to take all of the cation I sent in. All over cam- thoughtful suggestions. Record responsibility. contact with African- messages purported in hip- pus, students are shaping may show that r have only had Ever since the rise of American culture is hop as truth. This is extremely opinions that will stay with two such emails but that's Gangsta Rap in the late 1980's, 50 Cent. damaging. People will get a them for a lifetime. What on tri~iaL It's still pr~of that I'm domg something right. No one a glorification of+thug" life has distorted view of minorities. earth makes mine any more can take that away from me. occurred. Before that, rap was But hip-hop could still important than anyone else's? Generally speaking, I am a storytelling, a literary genre of minstrelsy until I came to improve. Mainstream rap- Eventually, readers will an.organized person, and rarely of music. Pockets of it still McDaniel is not my fault. It's pers often defend th~ir craft look for substance in what I miss class. As a bonus, I watch are, yet they are not in the the fault of my school system by saying that they are merely write, and my incredible Wit, movies regularly and know a mainstream. not teaching me about the describing their childhood charm, and personality won't lot about pop culture. No one Many complain that the history of racism and ste- and what life gave them. Yet, be able to hide my deficien_ violent images portrayed in reotyping while I was grow- if one looks at the body of cies. Sure, I had an internship complained too much when 1 Tan the newspaper. And nOW some types of rap only hurt the ing up. , Mas Def or Talib Kweli's at The Baltimore Sun, but that that I've stepped aside, and let ears of African-American So perhaps the.problem work and then compares it to consisted of one too many vis- Pat take Over, the complaints youths. This is a grave problem. is not with hip-hop, but with Snoop Dogg, one can see how its to the farm museum. are at an all time low. But it's only a part of the nega- the school system in general. rappers can tell truth without Over and over again, I tive influence mainstream hip- Because many students learn lionizing. abuse my power as COmmen_ Truthfully, J try too hard hop can have. For many white little of other cultures in I love hip-hop uncondi- tary editor and make my story ~obe funny. So maybe I should Just come up with a crossword children, their only contact school, the media and popu- tionally and my only purpose the lead one. Most of the time with African-American culture larculture controls what they is to improve it and the I just write something to fill ~ puzzle every week, instead of is 50 Cent. learn. The fact that hip-hop is people who consume it. If hole in the section. :vriting so~ething that is amus- Like the comedian Chris the only outlet for many to hip-hop artists can under- Exactly what point am I Ing to, at most, two other Rock once said, "White kids learn about ethnic culture is stand the impact they have on trying to make here? people. However I don't think I'll give up just ;et. After ?-11,1 learn European history up a huge problem. their listeners, then improve- A good student journal- ,;ouldn'twant to just quit after their ass." Hip-hop should have ments can be made. ist should ask himself, "What I v~ spent all this time planting Many schools teach very this responsibility, but only to makes me qualified," and this little ethnic history or culture. a certain point. It is clear that will be my attempt to convince a hi?den message in my mas- Most of what I learned about people should learn enough you, the reader, to continue to terpiece here. read my gibberish. Now, just Thank you for your time.