Have an idea for a story? Let us know! Contact: Elliot Chan, Opinions Editor ™ opinions@theotherpress.ca Your laws are too ‘precious’ » Why comparison of the Turkish president to Gollum is as ridiculous as fantasy Elliot Chan Opinions Editor ‘we, S opinions@theotherpress.ca [ Turkey, insulting, mocking, or showing any dissension to the president is against the law. This case was proven when Bilgin Ciftci, a Turkish doctor, created a meme of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s face side by side, matching expressions with Gollum, the despicable character from The Lord of the Rings. Ciftci has since been fired from his job, but now the courts are determining the next order of action. Since the chief judge— apparently too busy—has never seen any of The Lord of the Ring films, he and the court is turning to some experts of Tolkien’s epic tale in order to determine whether or not the comparison is indeed an insult. The argument in defence of Ciftci is that Gollum is a hero of the story and therefore the meme was not an insult, but rather a compliment. Now, I’m going to break this whole situation into two parts. First off, Gollum, although he redeems himself (in a sense) : at the end of the saga, is not a : hero of the trilogy. He is a vile : creature that succumbed to : greed. Gollum is a victim, for : sure, but at no point was hea : hero. He killed his best friend, : Déagol. Gollum is the epitome : of a self-destructive addict. I know what you are : thinking: he ended up destroying : : the One Ring, doesn’t that make : him a good guy? No! Because : he bit off Frodo’s finger in an : outburst of voracity and fell : off the edge of Mt. Doom. He : had no intention of destroying : the ring. While it was the ring : that corrupted poor Smeagol : and morphed him into : Gollum, we cannot honestly : say that Gollum is a hero. The second part of the : situation that must be addressed : is how stupid the law is. This : proves that freedom of speech, no : matter how benign it is, is still a : luxury in many parts of the world. : Moreover, the inability of some : to show any sense of humour is : even more disturbing than the : law itself. The fact that Tayyip : didn’t just brush it off and accept : the little ball busting is kind of : funny, too. You'd think a man : with power could poke fun at the : fact that his looks are comparable : to, say, Orlando Bloom. Let’s be honest, Ciftci was : not trying to plot Erdogan’s : downfall. Even if he disliked the : President, the mere comparison : to Gollum did very little harm to the President’s persona. All : it did was call attention to the : fact that Erdogan shared similar : features to a fictional character— : which he totally does! Perhaps : Peter Jackson didn’t need to : utilize CGI or Andy Serkis. He : could have just cast Erdogan. r I m sure many in Turkey : found the comparison uncanny, : too. But when a country has a : law that makes it incapable of : processing a joke, then it is that : country that becomes the joke. : Imagine a Canada where we : werent allowed to satirize our : leaders. That wouldn’t be the : free country we know and love. : Turkey is a beautiful place, one : | wish to visit one day, but with : a law like that it sounds more : like Mordor than Rivendell. (Y Sparking interest (¥ White is the new black, yellow, brown, and all the other hues, really (¥ Unwrap some free time this holiday And more! Image via www. huffingtonpost.co.uk Don't brag about your work ethic, ever » Why nobody needs to know that you are a hard worker Elliot Chan Opinions Editor ‘ws, S opinions@theotherpress.ca ou think you work hard. Well guess what? Nobody cares. Nobody cares how hard you work. People care if you get the work done or not. How hard you work is your business, and even then it’s just your own perception of yourself, and we know how often that is flawed. It’s a competitive world out there and hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. However, when you start advertising your efforts as if what you're doing is so much more significant than everybody else, you are putting a target on your back. You think announcing your hard work will get you praise, but rarely is that the case. Telling someone you've worked hard, even if you did, is like a pretty skinny person telling you that they are attractive. On the other hand, ifyou tell someone that you've worked hard and they found flaws in your project, then don’t you look like an idiot? Wanting people to know : that you’ve spent significant : time on something is natural. : We live in an age where sharing : information—regardless of : how mundane—is as normal as : sharing an elevator. But when : you are telling people that you : work hard all the time, what you : convey is that you are stressed : out and under pressure all the : time. Many people see hard : working people, not as inspiring, : but as pitiful. They have towork : harder, because they suck at what : : they are doing. Other people : : with the same job and same : assignment as you are getting it : done with ease, but here you are, : working hard. Pfft! Don’t make : ajob sound hard; make a job : sound enjoyable and painless. You might think that your : boss wants you to work hard, : but that’s not true. Your boss : wants you to bite off what you : can chew and swallow it well. : The Canadian workforce loses : $16.6 billion a year in sick days. : : Keeping you healthy and working : : consistently is better than having : you breaking your back and : winding up out of commission. : Working recklessly doesn’t : impress anyone, not even the ; person paying you to do so. If you work hard, the product : will speak for itself, and nobody : will ever be able to take it away : from you. It’s true—sometimes, : hard work doesn't pay off : immediately. You can play a : great game and still lose. But if : you are genuinely putting in the : effort, with a set goal in mind, Image via thinkstock be : you are not after the praise. You : probably don’t even care what : other people think. You want to : do your best. How you get to your : accomplishment doesn’t matter, the key is that you get there.