College Admissions
In a world of increasingly competitive admissions for college acceptance, Strauss breaks down the issues arising due to the system. The premise of her argument centers around the claim that children are becoming worse off due to the stress and competitive nature attributed with being accepted into the most prestigious colleges and universities in the world. The fierce competition is described by Strauss as akin to "The Hunger Games", the popular novel written by Suzanne Collins. According to Strauss, the result of this competition is a "fundamentally Darwinian" message to students, describing it as being (as Darwin had said it) survival of the fittest. This results in students not staying true to their passions, interests, and values. Strauss continues to call this very grim result a "call to action for students and parents everywhere". At the conclusion of the article, Strauss lists a number of declarations, some of which she encourages students and parents to do, and others that she stresses should not be done.
While I agree with Strauss that the notion fueling ultra-competitive behavior is wrong, and that students ought to choose a college that is the most suitable to their needs academically, financially, and from a personality standpoint, I believe that the declarations that she encourages everyone to follow take it too far. While it is true that the immense stress and lack of sleep associated with getting into the most prestigious colleges in the world can be harmful, to some students this may be a step in achieving what they want to be, and where they desire to go. Telling students to individually follow these declarations will not allow for a sweeping reform in the college admissions system. Instead, it will only hurt the individuals who follow the declarations, thus pushing the people following the system to greater success. The true reform must come from the colleges and universities themselves, and the admissions offices of each one. The students and parents are not at fault, so it is pointless -- counterproductive -- to target them as the ones needing change.
Strauss, Valerie. "How college admissions has turned into something akin to 'The Hunger Games'." The Washington Post. Fred Ryan, 28 March 2016. Web. 2 April 2016.
For more reading on this topic:
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/03/where-admissions-went-wrong/475575/
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/03/college-admissions-narcissists/475722/
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/03/the-commodification-of-higher-education/475947/
Carbon Emissions
China's greenhouse gas emissions are a problem. The world's superpowers (United States and China) are both looking to lead the way to reduce CO2 emissions, and as of now China is exceeding both expectations and projections. Some say that the emissions in China have already peaked, in which case they would be over 10 years ahead of schedule. Evidence for this is that China is experiencing an economic shift away from the use of coal, which is a result of the economic slowdown. In addition China has also implemented policies limiting coal usage and promoting hydropower and nuclear power. On the flip side, others say that urbanization and coal plants are still on the upswing, so the emissions are at best going to plateau. The per capita gross domestic product statistics support their case. It is agreed upon, however, that China could have a leading role in climate change.
Coming from a country that has not historically been "environmentally friendly", the news that both Chinese policy and practice is changing is overwhelmingly good news. The article presents both opinions to a reasonable extent, but personally I believe the true significance here is that change is coming, and coming early. Hopefully the fact that China is turning the tide will lead other major contributors of greenhouse gas emissions to follow. As said in the article, limiting the temperature change to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit is essential to preventing an environmental catastrophe. In the future, look to see if China does indeed become an active player in the campaign for stalling global warming, or if the United States and European Union continue to lead the process on their own.
Wong, Edward. "It's Hazy, but China's Carbon Emissions May Have Peaked." The New York Times. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr., 3 April 2016. Web. 3 April 2016.
Suicide and Guns
The article centers around a man named Keith Carey, who is a gunsmith trying to help Western states reduce their suicide rates, which are the highest in the country. The suicide rates in these states are, after being age-adjusted, at over above 50% more than the national rate. Among those who have committed suicide, 60% involved firearms. Common theories as to why these states have such high suicide rates include rural isolationism, economic distress, and "self-reliant frontier mindset" deterring people from seeking help. Whether these theories are accurate or not, the correlation between prevalence of firearms in the West and suicide rates is a persistent factor.
Having done a large quantity of research on the topic of firearm prevalence and suicide, I find these alternative theories possible, but pointless. I agree that each of these theories has merit, but the bottom line is that these guns are dangerous to the safety of not only gun owners, but also those close to owners. The article says that in Carey's town, "guns are an integral part of daily life", but it never expands upon what this actually entails. If the presence of these guns is commonly linked to homicides and suicides (not only in the Western rural states), obviously something must be changed. Instead of doing what the article references (posting suicide hotlines, pamphlets, etc), a more direct and effective way of reducing harms is to simply control the number of firearms, or some other type of political action.
Crary, David. "In West, region of guns and suicide, outreach to curb deaths." Times Union. George Randolph Hearst III, 3 April 2016. Web. 3 April 2016.
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