363 - 369 Perspectives: Dec 4, 2012

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Rate Your Professors and Yourself

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Think back to your first term of university. You had a lot to learn in a short amount of time. Not only did you have to find your way around campus, you had to create your own schedule by selecting classes and professors. The process of choosing classes may have been daunting. Did you consult friends on which professor was the best? Did you ask which professor was the easiest to learn from?

It is common for students to consult with their peers before choosing their professors. They may consult with their friends or fellow students in addition to university ratings and forum websites such as RateMyProfessors.com. Although online sources are popular, students may not be aware of the many biases present in online reviews. How reliable are professor evaluations anyways?

Imagine you are presented with this real list of student comments on RateMyProfessors.com and are asked which professor you would choose.

“I felt stupid almost every class that I attended. I have never met such a rude teacher.”
“Absolutely hilarious, and he knows his stuff. Easy to get an A.”
“Hands down the best prof I've ever had”
“Decent prof, but not the best.”
“He is very unapproachable and his tests are ridiculously unfair.”
“I leave the class feeling disrespected and stupid EVERYday”

After looking at the above list, you would probably be more inclined to enroll in the class promising the “easy A”. But how do you feel after being told that all of these reviews are for the same professor? How can you trust any of these reviews when the responses are so varied? The reality is that you may consult these types of reviews during your university career without being fully aware of varying degrees of bias.

When students give feedback on their professors they are influenced by many different factors. Some of those factors include class size, exam and assignment type, workload, and timing of the evaluation itself. Studies have shown that teachers with smaller classes consistently get higher ratings than those with more students. Another influencing factor is the type of assignments and exams a student is given; classes with multiple choice exams get consistently lower ratings than those with written responses such as essays. Students who perceive the out-of-class workload to be higher than other classes will also rate professors lower. Students are influenced by all of these factors, but perhaps the important factor is whether a student completes the questionnaire before or after a final exam.

If a course and professor evaluation is scheduled after a final exam, the chance of bias increases. For many students, the final exam or submission of a final assignment, is the ultimate test of knowledge of course material. A student may experience a feeling of relief, disappointment, or euphoria following an exam. These feelings will directly or indirectly influence the professor feedback. If a student feels they did poorly on a test, they may use the course evaluation to retaliate against a professor. Another student who feels they did well, may give a more positive score to their professor. The degree of bias present in evaluations is also intensified by how the evaluations are collected.

Forum websites such as RateMyProfessors.com (RMP) carry significantly more bias than Universal Student Ratings of Instruction (USRI) collected by an institution. The University of Calgary asks students to complete a USRI near the end of the semester before any final exams. The timing is no accident; the University is trying to limit the bias in the ratings by scheduling the reviews before a final examination. In contrast, RMP allows students to post reviews at any time, even years later. The trustworthiness of the data is questionable as the site operates on the honor system; reviewers are not even required to prove they are students.

The use of RMP amongst university students is extensive even with so much potential for bias and error. A study into the level of student awareness and utilization of RMP was done recently at the Appalachian State University. The study surveyed a total of 216 students and the results suggested that the use of RMP was extensive amongst those students. The survey showed that 95% of students regarded RMP as being a credible source of information. When it came time to select an instructor, 75% of the students admitted to using RMP. The results of this study are not entirely surprising because students appreciate the qualitative responses that give more insight into teaching style than the USRI numeric results.

Students may perceive RMP as being reliable, but the students who leave reviews will often blame the professor for poor marks instead of admitting personal responsibility. There are two components that contribute to the academic success of a student. The first one is quality of instruction; a good professor is essential to a successful learning environment. The second component is the motivation of the student to learn. If a student is not doing the required readings or attending class, they are failing to take responsibility for their own education. You will ultimately glean the results of you efforts but many students will not own up to their own mistakes.

You will never read on professor evaluations comments such as, “I wish I had attended more classes and done the required readings”, or “If I had asked more questions or seen the professor during office hours, then I would have understood the material a bit better”.

Personal responsibility is the missing piece of the puzzle. You will never get a complete picture of a professor from a review unless those reviewers provide an honest assessment of their own responsibility for their education.

If you ask someone for a professor recommendation, ask a follow up question of, "how dedicated were you to learning the class material?" The response will indicate whether or not the professor deserves the criticism or the praise.

Keep an open mind when it comes to reading professor reviews. Remember, one man's junk is another man's treasure. You may find that some of your favourite professors may not appeal to everyone, but that doesn't mean they don't have knowledge to impart.

References

Davison, E., Price, J. (2009): How do we rate? An evaluation of online student evaluations, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 34:1, 51-65

McKeachie, W. (2007): Student ratings: The validity of use, American Psychologist, 52:11, 1218-1225

# posted by Jo-Anne Andre @ 11:08 p.m. 0 Comments

Gender-Neutral Advertising

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Gender Neutral Advertising

Student ID#10043199 – Coms 369 L02

As a young girl, I loved to play with Barbie dolls and toy kitchen sets. I collected teddy bears and I loved to dress up in princess clothes. As I got older, I was more interested in sports such as softball and basketball. My princess dresses were traded in for jeans, and I grew more interested in construction and Lego sets. I enjoyed playing with Hot Wheels race tracks, but these were toys that my brother or male cousins had and that I had never owned. In all the toy catalogues I had seen, young boys were playing with sports equipment and cars. The Nerf guns or super soaker water guns that I enjoyed playing with were never advertised in the hands of a young girl. I felt as though my love of these toys was not normal. I slowly started to become interested in cooking and baking, as I believed that this was expected of me. The toys I started to ask for at Christmas would reflect this.

Now society trends towards being more accepting of what is not considered the norm. While others judge young boys who show a more gentle and nurturing side, even going so far as to make assumptions and label them as homosexual, others see this as a more natural portrayal of real men. According to a 2012 article in The Daily Mail, the number of stay at home dads in the USA has doubled in the past decade (para. 2). More young children, including young boys, are seeing their fathers cooking and cleaning. These men are the role models for their young sons, and knowing they are also cooking makes it more acceptable for young boys to want to cook.

A young girl in New Jersey has recently started a petition that urges Hasbro to create a gender-neutral version of the Easy Bake Oven. Her younger brother aspires to be a chef and wants the toy oven. He has, however, been discouraged by the female targeted advertising. His sister feels that he should be allowed to be himself, instead of being forced to play with boy’s toys and games. The oven itself is pink in colour, which follows the socially constructed ideology that pink is a woman’s colour. As well, advertisements feature only young girls playing with the toys. Approximately 10 years ago there was a boy-targeted version of the oven called the ‘Queasy Bake Cookerator’. This toy oven encouraged young boys to cook, but did make it seem unnatural. They promoted gross-out foods such as ‘crud cakes’ and ‘sludge shakes’. This does not allow the boys to feel comfortable with traditional baking.

A 2009 article in The Huffington Post estimated that more than 30,000 single mothers in the US military have been deployed to either Afghanistan or Iraq (para. 1). Although women have been enlisting in the army since the 1940s, being a solider has primarily been seen as a man’s job. As more women enlist in the military, young girls are seeing images of strong women; women who are fighting for their country, and using guns. There are also women in the workforce, and they are no longer expected to be the primary keepers of the house. They are not expected to cook food for their husbands and family, and to clean the house. These chores are now shared amongst the members of the household.

Young girls are discouraged from participating in games that encourage the use of guns. Nerf gun advertisements are targeted towards boys, and the packaging of these toys features images of young men. They are not shown as being capable of fighting or showing strength equal to that of a boy. They are not being encouraged to be providers for their family. The toy advertisements targeted towards girls show them cooking, cleaning and caring for the children. They are reinforcing the expectation that women should be housewives, and not primary providers.

Children’s toys should be advertised in a gender-neutral manner. Young boys should be encouraged to cook, and young girls should be encouraged to be strong and to stand up for themselves. A toy store in Sweden has recently been featured in the media for their gender-neutral advertising. Their recent Christmas catalogue features young boys ironing and vacuuming. Young girls are shown playing with guns and cars. In the 21^st century women are no longer expected to cook for their husbands. They are now actively employed in the workforce. Women are well-educated, and also seen in positions that are superior to men. They are no longer expected to be in the kitchen or the primary caregiver for their children. Young boys should be encouraged to take care of the children, and they should also be taught how to cook. With the women of the household joining the workforce, the men need to be capable of cooking as well as cleaning their homes. If they didn’t learn these skills, they would starve and could potentially live in unhealthy conditions. With men and women being considered equal, children should be taught about this equality. They should not be forced into perceived gender specific norms that society no longer adheres to. If a young boy enjoys baking, he should not be judged, and young girls should not be stopped from learning about cars and playing with them. We need to be more open-minded and to allow children to be themselves.

For More Information:

Farberov, S. (2012). Number of stay-at-home dads has DOUBLED in past decade as 'man-cession' bites. In Daily Mail. Retrieved from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160638/Mr-Mom-generation-Number-stay-home-dad-DOUBLED-past-decade-amid-changing-attitudes-ongoing-man-cession.html

Glantz, A. (2009). Report: 30,000 Single Mothers Deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan. In The Huffington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-glantz/report-30000-single-mothe_b_322185.html

# posted by Jo-Anne Andre @ 11:01 p.m. 0 Comments

Why Malala Yousafzai Must Win the Nobel Peace Prize

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Why Malala Yousafzai Must Win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala Yousafzai is an amazing young woman. In only a short few years, 14 year old Malala has opened up worldwide discussion on the education of girls. Also, Malala has openly challenged one of the biggest problems our current world faces, the Taliban and their archaic views on women. Malala hails from Pakistan's Swat valley, a place that has been taken over by the Taliban. It was once a beautiful tourist destination, but after they Taliban took hold, laws were enforced that forbid females from attending school and other atrocities (Khan, 2007). Despite these extreme hardships, Malala wrote a blog for the BBC anonymously starting in 2009 that told the story of what the Taliban was doing to her home and her education. Despite warnings from the Taliban, Malala continued to attend school and reached out to the media to gain awareness (Anchal Project, 2012). Malala became increasingly recognized, and this was a problem for the Taliban. It all came to a standstill on October 9^th 2012 when the two men stormed onto Malala’s school bus, full of innocent school children, and demanded to see her. The assassin then shot Malala in the head and neck. Malala is still recovering, but the effects of her campaign against the Taliban are flourishing. A campaign was started to award Malala with the Nobel Peace Prize. The campaign has been so successful that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has signed on to nominate Malala for the Nobel Peace Prize (CBC, 2012). With the support and nominations from world leaders, it will be much more hopeful for the inspirational Malala to win an internationally respected prize. Not only has she received respect from world leaders, but the UN has even declared November 10^th 2012 as Malala day. Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education, has also declared it as a mission to have all out of school children back in school by the end of 2015. The slogan of the campaign is 'I am Malala', recognizing everyone's need to attend school and have basic rights.

Some wonder why the Nobel Peace Prize should be given to such a young girl who wrote on an online blog, but the context in which she wrote her blog is what is astounding. Coming from a place where girls were not allowed to go to school, Malala stood up against her enemies with the weapon of the written word. Many struggle to find the courage to fight the smallest inconveniences in their life, but with no hesitation, Malala has bravely taken on the role of defending her education, as well as inspiring a movement in which the education rights of girls and boys on a global scale is taken on as a goal. While others feel as though they do not have a voice or an opportunity to speak out, Malala spoke up for them all. While others are afraid of what will come if they stand up, Malala took the chance and gave hope for all. While others in the west struggle to get the motivation to wake up and go to their comfortable school, Malala has been fighting her way to even be allowed to attend school. Malala shows the determination, courage and dedication that makes the impossible possible. These are the attributes of a deserving and talented young woman who has inspired world leaders and rural Pakistani school girls alike. This is an example of a young woman who deserves to win the Nobel Peace Prize for what she has achieved locally, internationally and within the hearts of many.

It is important not only to give Malala the Nobel Peace Prize for her role in education, but the large monetary prize would also be of importance. It is noted that when money is given to a girl in a developing country, the money goes to something positive, something to make her life and the lives of those around her better. As illustrated in the book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn, women and girls are very important for a country’s well being. Countries such as China have flourished because China allowed women into the public work sphere. An old Chinese proverb states that women hold up half the sky, but weak uneducated women cannot do their full share if they are kept in the low ranks of society. The first step in empowering women and getting them into the workplace is educating them. Malala exemplifies this worldwide need to educate women and girls. Malala holds every idea that will keep her country and our world moving forward. We need to reward her as she is what our world needs. It is easy in a developed country to go about living our day to day lives and overlook the needs of other women, but you cannot sit and avoid what is going on in the rest of the world. Women in North America still feel our world has sexist unfair overtones, but just imagine the world Malala lives in. Courageous, brave and whole hearted, Malala deserves all the attention and recognition in the world. She needs our support to win the Nobel Peace Prize and continued recognition to achieve her goals. Malala holds up more than half the sky, she holds up the hearts and dreams of all girls in the world. We are all Malala.

To Sign the Petition:

www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/nobel-peace-prize-for-malala

More Information and Useful Sources

Anchal Project. (2012, October, 19). We Are All Malala. Retrieved from http://anchalproject.org/we-are-all-malala/

CBC. (2012, November, 22). Prime Minister Stephe n Harper Signs Petition to Nominate Malala Yousafzai For the Nobel Peace Prize. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/world/prime-minister-stephen-harper-signs-petition-to-nominate-malala-yousafzai-for-the-nobel-peace-prize.html

Khan, Bazir. (2007). Retrogression in Swat. Retrieved from http://www.valleyswat.net/articles/ retrogression_in_swat.html

Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S. (2010). Half the sky: Turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide. (1st ed.). New York: Vintage.

UN Special Envoy for Global Education. (2012). A World at School. Retrieved from http://educationenvoy.org/

# posted by Jo-Anne Andre @ 10:42 p.m. 0 Comments

Wheat Belly - Why We Are Fat

by Yvonne Brown

We in North American are fat, and we are getting fatter. Research has shown we exercise no less than our grandparents but our pant size keeps increasing. Most of us, try to foster a healthy lifestyle and are conscious about what we eat. We don’t understand why we are getting fatter. We don’t understand why it is so difficult for us to lose any weight. We are bombarded with advertisements through multi media about so-called healthy food choices, weight loss drugs and weight loss programs. Many of the products being advertised to us for weight loss will actual result in weight gain. (heart and stroke, 2012) This weight loss issue is a multi billion-dollar industry.

In 2012, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is an epidemic. In the United States 35.7 percent of Adults are obese and 16.9 percent of children age 2 to 19 are obese. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) above 30. Overweight means a BMI of 25 to 29.9. Obesity rates among U.S. adults have more than doubled from 15 percent in 1980. In that same time, they have more than tripled among children. According to Dr. Davis, an American preventative Cardiologist and author of the book Wheat Belly, the answer lies in modern wheat. Modern wheat is making us fat and keeping us fat.

Dr. Davis’ Wheat Belly examines how wheat is making us fat and how it is making us unhealthy. Modern wheat has been engineered so it could withstand adverse conditions resulting in high yields and cheaper products. This modern wheat has adverse effects on our weight and on our health. Dr. Davis claims this modern wheat should not be consumed by anyone. Eating two slices of whole wheat bread increases a persons insulin levels higher than if they had eaten a Mars bar. Wheat has a protein that stimulates our appetite so we feel hungry within two hours of consumption. We are not hungry for just any food we crave junk carbohydrates such as, cookies, bagels, chips or muffins. This places us on a rollercoaster and we are hungry again in two hours. The only way to stop the cycle is to stop the wheat.

The addictive nature of wheat is not only known to medical researchers but also to the food manufactures. This is why wheat items dominate our grocery store shelves from the bakery, pasta and cereal aisles, and frozen and processed foods aisle. Modern wheat is cheap to produce and yields high profit margins. This addiction has resulted in obesity and brings on other serious health concerns.

We must get rid of our wheat bellies, as the underlying fat is a killer. Belly fat is also called “visceral fat”; it surrounds the organs in the belly. Visceral fat is different from other fat such as the fat that is on our buttocks and thighs, visceral fat acts as a gland secreting hormones, causing side effects such as breasts on men. It also affects our immune system, which is being linked to Alzheimer’s, Diabetes, Cancer and Heart Disease.

So why are we still eating wheat? Perhaps it is because we have been bombarded with propaganda from the Diabetic Association, Heart and Stoke, Canadian Cancer and other health advocates advising us to reduce our fat intake, exercise more, snack less and eat more “healthy grains”. The net result has been we have become fatter. For one thing the “no fat low fat” campaign saw the food manufactures replacing the fat with sugar to keep the food palatable. This move actually made us fatter. The health association claim that eating more whole grains will make us healthy, this is not true it will make us fatter. Health organizations have endorsed products like breads, cereals, and pastas, all aiding in our obesity.

The endorsements are based on flawed logic. These health organizations have made a bad assumption. We know that whole wheat bread is better than white bread, however, this does not mean that brown bread is a healthy choice. The analogy is similar smoking filtered cigarettes is not as bad a smoking unfiltered cigarettes. This cannot be interpreted to mean that filtered cigarettes are a healthy choice.

Several food manufactures have jumped on the bandwagon don’t eat wheat campaign. Dr. Davis does not advocate for eating a gluten free diet as he points out that the gluten free manufactured products are filled with bad ingredients such as cornstarch and tapioca starch. The starch’s used in these manufactured products will significantly elevate the insulin level, making us hungry shortly afterwards.

After hearing Dr. Davis interviewed on CBC radio in July, I decided to try eliminating wheat from my diet. One of the things that helped me decide to try this diet was Dr. Davis’ debunk of the myth that increasing exercise and decreasing food intake will result in an idea body weight. Dr. Davis points out that there are many athletes, including triathletes who do an incredible amount of training but are still overweight by 20 to 40 lbs. He claims that many of us have tried to increase our exercise routine to aid with weight lost have ended up eating more as we get hungry for the increased amount of energy exerted during exercise, leading to us gaining weight.

Dr. Davis does not hold us responsible for our growing waistlines instead he blames modern wheat. I did not find giving up wheat as easy as Dr. Davis claimed in his book. It is definitely a challenge when eating out. However, I started to eat more legumes, vegetables, and dairy. I switched from whole-wheat pasta to brown rice pasta. I did not increase my exercise level or make a conscious effort to eat less food. Six months later I have lost 35lbs. The biggest change from the weight loss was a release from constantly feeling hungry. I sleep better and my concentration is better. The elimination of wheat worked for me.

This pheononum is not just isolated to North America the same exists in countries like England; however the English blame their expanding waistlines on sugar, mostly corn syrup. They concede the effects of wheat but feel that corn syrup is a bigger contributing factor to obesity. The parallels of the side effects of corn syrup, a product of corn which is man made, and wheat is striking. Researches both claim that people are not exercising less today than in our grandparent’s day. The obesity era started with the low fat - no fat campaign. Corn syrup tricks the brain into thinking its hungry leading to overeating. The same happens with wheat the results are increased cravings for sugar leading to overeating. The argument of corn syrup has merit, however, Dr. Davis is primarily looking at people who are making a conscious decision to eat health and therefore cites wheat.

This begs the question, why are these products in so much of our food? The road to obesity was the road of good intentions. In the 1970’s the world breadbaskets needed to be filled. Wheat was engineered to achieve this end. Corn syrup has been used in a lot of foods to replaced sugar. Its is cheaper to produce and aided in the preservation of foods. Foods do not undergo the testing that drugs do so they come on the market before the adverse effects are known. These two products have a staggering impact on the health care system.

The health care system is the biggest loser when it comes to obesity. The rise in obesity related diseases has dramatically increased, making all governments look at how to address the overweight issue. In 2008, the United States spent $147 Billion on obesity related diseases. The United States along with England are expecting these costs to increase by forty percent by 2030.

Many governments are contemplating a taxation of junk food. The Canadian Government is looking at taxes on sugary drinks, chips, chocolate bars to help combat the obesity issue. However, as we have seen, these are not the only things that are making us fat. Wheat is making us fat! I think it is clear that we need to take responsibility for our own health. We now know that wheat is our enemy and we need to stop eating wheat and gain control of our weight.

References

Davis, W. (2011). Wheat Belly. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: HarperCollins Publishing Ltd.

Peretti, J. (2012, June 11). Why our food is making us fat. Retrieved from The Guardian: www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jun/11/why-our-food-is-making-us-fat

Unknown. (2012). Obesity in America. Retrieved from Obesity in America: www.obesityinamerica/statistics/index.cfm

# posted by Jo-Anne Andre @ 8:20 p.m. 0 Comments

Should Steroids Be Banned From Sports?

Should Performance Enhancing Drugs Be Banned From Sports?

Gino De Paoli

Professional sports are full of impressive history with even more impressive figures that will be remembered throughout history: Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and John Elway. As newer innovations to the game and sciences develop we’ve seen the baseball world get a tainted name thanks to performance enhancing drugs or steroids that have given a black mark on the game. Players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens and Ben Johnson has been investigated for using PED’s. All of these players have broken records set by the forefathers of Major League Baseball. Barry Bonds breaking Hank Aaron’s all-time homerun record of 755 homeruns and many are vying for his name to be abolished from the record books. Some may ask why punish those who take them? They aren’t hurting anybody? Wrong! They’re hurting themselves over time, which can create harsh medical problems or deficiencies, and it’s plain and simply cheating!

Where Pro PED’s in sports and more specifically Baseball, fail to get my approval and why it should be banned is back to basics of baseball where hitting is where the money is. Those that can hit the ball stay in the league. The juicers like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa fall into place is the fact they are good technical hitters anyway you can’t teach a perfect swing, many of these players had that but used PED’s to go over the top to get the contracts. It wasn’t even about winning baseball games as long as you got or getting paid your millions you’d sleep better at night. These players were a good 30-homerun hitters a season before juicing which is a good thing to be in the majors on any team to offer big coin. There’s a laziness factor here yes they worked out with new technologies and medicine. But… they could have got that power over a slower period of time and hit those 50 plus home run seasons but fear of losing a position to someone who is coming up the ranks higher for instance could have them fighting for their jobs. It’s plain cheating it’s like adding weights to a bobsled to go faster down the track then without them. If you’re good at what you do, you shouldn’t worry about those behind you and the money… It will come to you if you work at it.

For keeping steroids in baseball and not serving any suspensions of any kind can be broken simply as an evolution of the game. Supplements can help a player get stronger and faster then ever before in the early days of baseball were there wasn’t as much offseason training or workouts during the season. Because the competition of baseball is very intense and big money plays a factor into how your performance on the field goes, players may need to do that to stay afloat in the league or risk being a journeyman ball player who doesn’t win a championship or enjoy America’s Pastime. Also through time and as human beings are concerned every player is in the most part bigger then the average player 70 plus years ago when Babe Ruth hit 715 total home runs (Not To mention his main diet was Hotdogs and Beer).

The extent that really hits home to me on the use of PED’s, Growth Hormones or upping Testosterone levels is simply the health ramifications behind them. Through my time being a journalist and learning about sports health, I’ve stumbled on many gruesome side effects. Three years ago while researching a documentary project on steroids/PEDs from the views of the male perspective. The doctor who has never prescribed these to anyone in sports medicine for rehab or development plainly said it would create serious ramifications on you and those around you. The first was simple for any man who uses it for an extended period of time would suffer from shrunken testicles and sexual impotency. Right away for average males and myself, no one wants to see their manhood take a hit like that. But at the end of the day more than 100 baseball players have been suspended for doping violations. Other common occurrence with steroid use on the effects leading to early deaths that we hear in the news is, a vast increase in LDL cholesterol, (the bad kind) which creates those dying of heart attacks in their late 30s or early 40s like pro wrestlers in the past.

There’s the physical side effect of PEDs/steroids but what might actually be the part of them that no one sees is their impact on the mentality of a human being. With all the chemicals going through the body helping an athlete stay in shape and have the biggest muscles they can possibly have, it slowly takes control of your life and have no self control at times of your surroundings. AAS or as we know it “Roid Rage” creates a chemical reaction that reaches combustible levels in the brain. Effects from AAS can be depression, severe psychosis, aggression and violence. One case that’s stands out still to this day is the murder/suicide of WWE Wrestler Chris Benoit on June 25^th 2007. Autopsy results showed massive amounts of brain damage and a mix of numerous undetectable steroids have been linked to the murder he committed on his wife and seven year old son before hanging himself on a weight machine. All because one wants to be in the best shape can possibly be in so they can continue to earn big money, endorsements and mostly keep a job because that’s all they’ve known to do. No sure that’s the way I’d like to make a living if my life span would be 40 and have serious medical issues.

Lastly the use of PEDs/steroids is just embarrassing for yourself and those associated with you. Final case and point Ben Johnson the Canadian Sprinter who won the 100 Metre Dash at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Here he was on top of the athletic world and had made his country proud for a couple of days and now he’s the goat of Canadian Sports and known for being a cheater not an athlete which the embarrassment lives till the end of time for himself. Why would you put yourself through health problems that can lead to deficiencies in your life including an early gravesite or embarrassment and being known as a cheater. PEDs/Steroid use doesn’t look like the way to get into in shape fast and not to mention in the modern era of sport… You will get caught. You may as well hit the dumbbells, weight-room and health food stores the right way. Find a trainer, find a program, eat right and work hard… It will get better but only if you’re not willing to cut corners.

# posted by Jo-Anne Andre @ 3:50 p.m. 0 Comments

So a Rape Joke Walks into a Comedy Club...

Daniel Tosh, noted asshole.

Every so often, someone will make a rape joke. We have all heard one before. Maybe from a comedian, maybe from a co-worker, maybe from a friend. Perhaps they didn’t think anything of it, and perhaps you didn’t think much of it either. Or perhaps it didn’t sit well with you, and you said something to the person who made the joke. Maybe you told them that the joke wasn’t funny, or that it wasn’t appropriate. And maybe upon hearing this, the person in question became defensive, claiming that “it was just a joke,” or that “you don’t get it,” or that they are protected by “free speech” and are exempt from criticism. Perhaps they became aggressive instead, and began mocking you for questioning their joke, claiming that you should be raped, and that it would be funny if that happened.

While that last possibility seems a bit far fetched, it unfortunately did happen. Near the beginning of July this year, a comedian named Daniel Tosh was performing a stand up set when he started talking about how rape jokes can be funny. When a woman in the audience disagreed with him, he pointed at her and said, “Wouldn’t it be funny if that girl got raped by like, five guys right now? Like right now? What if a bunch of guys just raped her?” The woman left the show, and soon after shared what had happened on her friend’s blog. The story went viral, and Tosh was widely condemned for his actions. However, some people, including respected comedians such as Louis CK, claimed that Tosh shouldn’t be criticized for saying what he said, since comedy shouldn’t be censored or restricted.

The people defending Tosh’s actions and, by extension, the use of rape jokes, are only looking at a small part of a very big picture. They are of course correct when they say that comedy shouldn’t be censored; we are lucky to be living in a country where a person can say almost whatever they want without fearing prosecution. However, just because you can say something, does not mean you should. Because words have power — whether you like it or not, and whether you mean them to or not. Words can lift people up and cause people to laugh, but they can also easily serve to tear people down, especially people who have already been hurt. Jokes that trivialize rape and the survivors of rape have the power to easily hurt others, and help to contribute to one of the most pressing problems facing modern society: rape culture.

On the website upsettingrapeculture.com, rape culture is defined thusly:

“In a rape culture, people are surrounded with images, language, laws, and other everyday phenomena that validate and perpetuate, rape. Rape culture includes jokes, TV, music, advertising, legal jargon, laws, words and imagery, that make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people believe that rape is inevitable. Rather than viewing the culture of rape as a problem to change, people in a rape culture think about the persistence of rape as ‘just the way things are.’ ”

Rape is a major problem in our society. According to Roger Williams University, one in four women and one out of six men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, and less than 20% of sexual assaults are actually reported to the police. This is such a widespread issue that you almost certainly know somebody that has been sexually assaulted, whether you are aware of it or not. Rape is only an aspect of sexual assault, with other unwanted sexual acts such as forced touching falling under the same term, but all sexual assault has a profoundly damaging effect on the mental and often physical wellbeing of the survivor.

Being raped is one of the most horrible and traumatizing things that can happen to a person, since it involves being completely invaded, dominated, and humiliated. In a way, it can be seen as worse than death; since death is something that must one day happen to all of us it is easier for people to talk about it and make light of it, but rape is something that no person should be forced to go through. This is compounded by the fact that over 80% of survivors of sexual assault are women, and that almost all people who commit sexual assault are men. It is an act that is carried out primarily on women, by almost exclusively men, making rape and sexual assault something that many women constantly live in fear of, which isn’t how things should be.

The threat of potential sexual assault is only made worse by the existence of rape culture, which normalizes these actions while survivor-blaming the people it has affected. Victim-blaming is a trend in our society to shift the onus of responsibility of the rape onto the victim of the act, instead of onto the rapist. This can be seen when people claim that the survivor was “asking for it” by wearing revealing clothing, walking in the wrong neighborhood or drinking too much alcohol, as if it was somehow their fault that a person violently attacked them. Attitudes like this, along with ideas that rape is somehow natural and that men cannot control themselves, make it difficult for people to come forward and report sexual assault for fear of being silenced and judged along with their attacker.

When people make jokes that trivialize rape and mock the survivors of sexual assault, it only makes these problems worse. It creates an atmosphere of hostility and doubt, where survivors become more fearful of talking about what happened to them. It also can be psychologically damaging towards people who have been sexually assaulted, forcing them to remember the pain of the attack, and then be told it is something to be laughed at. Some of these jokes also claim that a person should be raped, or that they deserve to be raped, which helps to normalize the action and make it seem like something that can be justifiable in certain situations, which it is not.

However, not all jokes about rape do this; like any difficult subject, a joke about rape can be handled correctly. Kate Harding, a feminist and rape survivor, posted a list of fifteen examples of “rape jokes that work” on her blog after the Tosh incident, in order to prove this point. What these jokes have in common is that they don’t target the victims of rape, or claim someone should be raped, or make rape seem less than the traumatic and horrible action it really is. These jokes instead target the rapists and rape culture, the people and social conventions that allow rape and sexual assault to be so prevalent. These jokes do what good comedy is supposed to do, they transcend a painful and traumatic experience instead of merely trivializing and disrespecting it. They criticize the things that are wrong with our society, instead of reinforcing them. And they mock those who deserve to be mocked, instead of people who have already suffered so much.

Because when it comes down to it, Tosh wasn’t being a comedian when he told that woman it would be funny if she was raped. He was being a bully. And while it may have been legal for him or anyone else to say such callous things about such a horrible and sensitive topic, it doesn’t mean those things should be said. Because words do have power. And we should use that power for good.

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