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And more!

Not all cheaters are instantly the worst

> Why people aren’t faithful

Cazzy Lewchuk
Opinions Editor

 

heating is generally considered

to be one of the worst things one
can do to another in a relationship.

It’s not only breaking the bonds
of the relationship, but it’s a huge
betrayal of a person’s trust. As anyone
who's been cheated on knows, it can
create deep trust issues and emotional
scars for years afterwards. It can negate
the build-up of trust that sometimes
takes years in a relationship.

But why do people cheat? What
drives them to seek a romantic/
sexual arrangement outside of
their established partnership?

While each situation is different,
most cheat because they’re unsatisfied.
They no longer find complete fulfillment
in their current arrangement, and have to
have their needs met through someone
else. Communication and honesty
are important to any relationship, and
that those values are usually absent
when cheating goes on. Many cheaters
are too cowardly or dishonest to talk
to their partners about their needs.
Others try, but are met with a lack of

understanding, or even hostility.

Not having your needs met ina
relationship is much more common than
one would think. One answer could be
a non-monogamous situation, in which
the parties are allowed to see other
people while maintaining their existing
relationship. These arrangements are

becoming more common, though are
still frowned upon or not understood
by many. I'd be willing to bet cheating
is a lot more common than most people
think, too: many who cheat on their
partners will never have the other find
out, and many more are forgiven.
Breaking trust with your partner is

  

Image via boulevard69.com

not a good thing to do. Cheating should
not be encouraged, but it can be justified
if the current situation is unfixable. It’s
important to have your needs met. If
your partner is unable to fulfill them,
even after clearly communicating

the problem, is it any wonder people
seek to find them somewhere else?

Breaking up isn’t always the easiest
or correct answer. It’s a lot easier to find
someone who gives you things your
partner can’t/won't than it is to leave
your partner and then seek those things
out. It’s true what they say: breaking
up is hard to do. Also, in some cases, a
person is trapped in a relationship. This
could be due to an abusive situation, or
simply a financial/emotional dependency
on being with someone else.

Ideally, everyone has a solid and
healthy bond with their partner, and
doesn't need to cheat. Cheating is still
questionable and downright hurtful
in many cases. Some cheaters do it
simply because they can, and have no
regard for their partner’s feelings about
it. Obviously, such cases should be
condemned. But relationships, especially
unfulfilling ones, are difficult things to
navigate. Affairs happen for a reason.

Diamonds are a hugely unethical scam

> Don’t buy ‘rare’ jewellery

Cazzy Lewchuk
Opinions Editor

 

D iamonds are one of the most
coveted substances in the
world. They're expensive, beautiful,
and a true status symbol. Nothing
shows that you are attractive and
privileged like wearing a rock.

Diamonds are also one of the biggest
scams on the planet. Large corporations
set up mines in the 1930s and convinced
people that diamonds are valuable and
rare. They’re not. Why do you think we
have so many stores selling the damn
things? They’re imported almost literally
by the truckload from hard-working,
international miners. Many diamonds
are mined in war zones and unstable
countries and are used to finance warfare
and bloodshed. Although many ethical
processes exist so that jewellers do not
get involved with “blood diamonds,”
the fallout and demand still contribute
to actually ending people’s lives.
The diamond industry is incredibly
shallow and unethical at best, and
immoral and life-ruining at worst.

It’s no secret diamonds cost
hundreds, or even thousands of
dollars. There's a societal and social
expectation that a person spend this
kind of money to show their love. There
are so many better things one could
spend that money on that are still great

gifts. Five-hundred dollars can buy a
really nice TV, a trip somewhere, ora
lot of high-end Sephora products.

Then there’s the really gross notion
that the way to express love is through
spending an amount of money equal
to someone’s rent. You don't prove your
affection through spending hundreds
on an entirely useless object that isn’t
even rare. Diamonds are one of the
hardest substances on Earth, but the
commercially sold ones have almost
no value or purpose outside of being
molded into a fancy engagement ring.

If you must buy jewellery, there
are lots of precious stones that look
just as nice. They’re much cheaper,
more colourful, and are often far more
ethically sourced. And if all else fails,
cubic zirconium looks just like a diamond,
but it isn’t! Except for a few chemical
differences and a much lower price
tag, they're literally the exact same.

The jewel industry makes a lot of
people rich, hurts a lot more people,
and helps almost no one. It’s just sales
associates in suits on commission trying
to convince you that you need a useless
small rock harvested from a literal slave
(or at least highly underpaid worker)
in Africa to make your engagement a
real thing. It’s only when consumers
stop demanding these shallow useless
products that the diamond industry
will stop this ridiculous market.

 

Image via Wikimedia