Drinking age

Should the drinking age be 21? The United States is the only country that has the  legal drinking age of 21. The United States also has the highest amount of alcoholics. In other countries they embrace alcohol as part of their culture and serve drinks as young as 12. I also don’t understand how it can be legal for a person to go to war and die for their country, and vote for the next president but they can’t drink. It doesn’t make sense that a person then becomes an adult at 18. It doesn’t follow because if you are truly an adult you should be able to make your own decisions their should be no more age limits set on things. 

I also think that if the drinking age were to be lowered there would be a lower rate of alcoholism because their wouldn’t be this need to sneak alcohol and get as drunk as you possibly can. In high school kids who choose to drink, drink dangers amounts because they have to be so careful about getting caught that once they are free they go crazy. This is an issue that the United States should look back into.

juicy campus

I was recently shown a website in which people are allowed to go on and write whatever they want about fellow students. This website is www.juicycampus.com. It has many universities listed on it and promotes people to gossip about fellow students. I searched through the site a little bit to see what it was all about and was appalled. I have never seen such awful things written about people and I was so surprised at how many people had written on there. I have never seen so many awful things written about girls. People bashing a girl by calling her a “slut” and a “fat whore.” How can people feel good about themselves bashing another student from behind a computer scene? I was always taught that if you can’t say it to someone’s face then don’t say it at all. It was sad to read these awful statements about fellow students.

Safety or not SMU pd

Is the SMU police department really just looking out for the safety of students? Every night I see an officer walk in at around 12 and then again at 2 and for those who are still up at 4. This officer is always carrying a breathalyzer. Now if and officer is just their for “our safety” then why is he carrying a breathalyzer. Im pretty sure that a breathalyzer does nothing to keep people safe. They are using this excuse of keeping students safe in order to find those who have been drinking. Yes I understand that it is illegal and I’m not trying to argue that it is okay, but I am trying to argue that if SMU police department is really just looking out for the safety of students then the officers that patrol the halls should not be carrying breathalyzer's. 

In one incident a hall mate of mine walked out of the bathroom and an officer stopped him and give him a sobriety test for absolutely no reason. He was not stumbling or anything of the sort. Now is this really looking out for our safety or is this just another way to try and get SMU students in trouble?

global warming

Should we be worried about global warming? Their are so many facts and percentages thrown around these days swaying a person’s opinion one way or another it’s hard to know what to believe.

Recently a movie was released about the effects of global warming by Al Gore called “An Inconvenient Truth.” In this movie he states facts about global warming and it’s possible effects. It one scene he states that in as soon as 10 years Greenland could be melted. This is a scary thought because if the sea level rises the coasts disappear. So those people with homes should really think about that the next time they are thinking about buying an SUV are deciding whether or not to recycle.

There are also many claims that global warming doesn’t even exist. Some people say that are world is just getting warmer because of cycles. In these cycles the earth’s temperature goes up and down accordingly and that the earth is actually cooler than it was as recent as 200 years ago.

The debate makes it difficult about whether or not global warming exist, but even if it doesn’t should that stop us from going green?

Reality Television

If you didn't know it's time you do, reality television is fake. Everything that happens on those shows is scripted. No normal human beings drink all day and do the ridiculous things that happen on those shows. I admit I watched some of MTV's "Laguna Beach" and being from the Orange county area I know a few of the characters, and they vouched that it was fake. I can also tell you that it is nothing like that. I lived in Laguna beach for 2 years of my life and have lived right outside of laguna beach for the rest of my life. There is not nearly as much drama as they make it out to be. Also they film their lives over a 6 month period of time and mix and match clips in order to make it seem like things happen that did not. MTV does the job of creating these characters so that people will watch the show. Don't believe everything you see.

After college

College is suppose to be a time when you find yourself and a time where you experience new things, but what happens after college? I know you get a job and such but how as a 19 year old am I suppose to know what I want to be in life? I feel like we are being thrust into a job that we might not want.

College is about discovery and you definitely experience new things and people. I found myself looking into the business school as many who enter SMU do. Entering the business school almost promises a good career and money, but what if you get stuck in a job that you hate? I feel a lot of pressure to pursue a career that might not be for me.

If the system could be changed I think I would allow some time for discovery before entering college. I think kids should have the opportunity to have a year to spend time doing different jobs so that they can find what they really want to do. They should setup programs that allow kids to follow around people in different jobs to get a taste for them. It would be really unfortunate to find yourself with a graduate degree in a field you don't like with a job that you don't like.

Injuries in sports

Today a common theme among major league athletes is to play through an injury. For example Kobe Bryant is playing through a torn ligament in his pinky finger and is opting not to have surgery in order to play in the upcoming season. Another professional athlete, Chad Johnson, is opting to not have shoulder surgery until after the season even though it was recommended by doctors. I don't know if this is a smart move by either of these athletes because of the pain they could endure later in life. This does show the dedication of professional athletes and that they are not just over paid premadonna's. They actually have a passion for what they are doing and are striving to be the best and win a championship. The question this brought up t me was, are they getting pressure from anywhere else? Is their coaches and general managers forcing them to play injured? If so, it might be a good time to take a second look at professional sports.