Opinions

 

 

 

Worshiping False
Idols with False
Eyelashes

By Laura Kelsey, Opinions Editor

B ritney Spears is big news—
whether she is dancing or driving,
lip-synching or drinking —and anyone
who stands within a few metres of any
media source is well versed in her life.
It is common pitfall of celebrity that
with fame comes a bit of shame— but
Brit makes sure that her dose of disgrace
is higher than any
pop “idol” before
her, causing many to
wonder if she is trying
to advertise for the
SPCA with all of the
pussy she has been
flashing.

So why does the
general public care so
much about Britney’s
spearhole? Are people
that nosy? Do folks
actually care about
the fame-whores they
fervently follow, or is
it as case of waiting for
the stars to crash and
burn?

Our obsession with
fame surely shows the
state of society, and,
channelling Socrates,
should beg each of us
to wonder “What is
the life that is worth
living?” if we have this
much time and money :
to waste on trash. PAY

The life that is ca
worth living has surpassed mere survival
and rewritten the definition of success,
meaning that although most people in
Western civilization are not struggling
for food and water in the natural sense,
modern humanity is faced with the new
challenge of higher-stakes living.

Evolving pressures in the home and
workplace give hectic atmosphere to our
current lives, and during our downtime
we don’t want more real world anxiety —
we want to relax, and switch our tired
minds away from our problems.

This means scrutinizing the lives
of others, mainly the rich and famous,
and relishing in their falls from grace.
Tabloid journalism is about distraction,
not morals. Their publications are the
furthest thing from ethical reading as
one can get. The timeless quest for the
“meaning of life” has been blotted out
by Tara Reid’s disfigured nipple, and

8

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any major life solutions discovered by
the more-enlightened humans are being
drowned out by hordes of American Idol
contestants.

Culture also plays a role in our fame
fascination. North America has been
a cultural melting pot for centuries,
and many average white mutts do not
have a history or background of their

omen OWN. While the

Chinese have their
traditions and the
Scandinavians have
their folklore, the
mixed ancestry
youth of the US and
Canada have adopted

a celebrity culture
) in lieu of ancient
ceremonies—
shallow roots will
grasp at anything to
stabilize themselves,
and modern man has
chosen simplicity
and scandal to
worship.

When someone
reads perezhilton.
com, it is not to “test
their own standards
of morals and
principals,” as Trina
McQueen wrote of
tabloid journalism
in The Globe and
Mail—it is to get
dirt, plain and
==> simple. When Kevin
Neuman of Global National segues from
coverage on riots in Paris, France to
Paris Hilton’s new court date, it is to give
the television audience a intermission
from the horrors of the world—take a
break, and chew on this celebrity for a
bit, and then we'll be back with more
real news that, although it is stressful, is
real news.

Britney lost her babies, but so
have a million mothers in the Middle
East— mothers who actually wanted
their kids. As bad as K-fed is a rapper,
he doesn’t seem the type to behead his
own children, so Brit shouldn’t be too
worried and neither should outsiders; it’s
not really our business, anyways. But,
perhaps it’s that intimate connection we
have with Britney’s boys that has the
public in such an uproar—don’t forget,
we’ ve all seen what those babies came
out of, and, as scary as it is, we can’t

 

wait to see more.

Nothing Slow
About Korea!

Sunny Side Up

By Sunny Park

I was recently downloading a movie
from the internet. I love movies, and
I often watch as many as four films a
week. Well, it may be hard to believe,
but it took me more than seven hours
to download the movie! That’s too
slow. Far too slow. For several hours I
Googled the problem, trying to find an
answer. Eventually I discovered that
there is in fact no way to dramatically
improve my internet connection. Well,
there actually is one way. It is drastic, but
I like speed. I’m moving to Korea.

Whoa! I can hear you saying “Sunny,
you’ ve flipped. You can’t be serious.

No one leaves Canada just for a better
internet connection.” Well, the joke’s on
you, because I’m blowing this pop stand.
I’ve made plans to leave in February, and
I think you should come with me. We
can enjoy a super-fast connection speed
together. But there’s
more to Korea than
just the best Internet
in the world. A bit
more Googling, and
I learned more about
my soon-to-be new
home.

South Korea has changed
dramatically over the last 50 years.
Emerging from the horrors of the
Korean War in 1953, the economy of
Korea was flattened, remaining on par
with India for several decades. With a
combination of hard work on the part
of its citizens, coupled with strong and
wise government, the Korea of today
is often referred to as an Asian Tiger.
Koreans place a high value on modern
technology, public transportation, and the
history of the country. No city in South
Korea exemplifies these things as much
as the capital, Seoul.

The world is in the midst of an
information age, and the internet is the
driving force. Nowhere in the world
is the internet more developed than
in Seoul. People can use the internet
anywhere in Seoul because almost every
restaurant and coffee shop provides
wireless internet. Believe it or not, even
the stalls in the public washrooms offer
an internet connection! Also, Korean
internet companies have succeeded
in making the internet as practical as
possible for everyone in the country.
Korean people can do many things
through the internet such as shopping,
watching TV, gambling, and counseling.
They can even control their entire
home’s electric system through the
internet. It is very useful when people
leave their house but forget to turn
something off.

Along with a highly developed
internet system, the public transportation
in South Korea is some of the best in
the world. Redesigned in 2005, this
system provides the citizens of Seoul

“Believe it or not, even
the stalls in Korean
public washrooms offer
an internet connection!”

with an inexpensive and practical

way of accessing their city. Before the
reconstruction, Seoul was a nightmare
for commuters. Commuters would be
stuck in seemingly endless traffic for
up to five hours a day. The pollution
made by these cars was terrible, and
contributed much to the world’s
impression of Seoul as a dirty city.
Today, thanks to the redesign, people
spend an average of only one hour
commuting to and from work. The
amount of pollution has decreased.
With less time spent stuck in traffic,
the citizens of Seoul are able spend
more time engaged in leisure activities,
enjoying life in their clean, beautiful city.

Koreans are very proud of their
history, and nowhere is this more
evident than Seoul. Special palaces such
as Kyung- Bok and Kyung- Hee are
visited by more than a million tourists
every year. These
palaces celebrate
the past glory of
Korean monarchy.
The long tradition
of Buddhism is
symbolized in the
Han-Bok temple.
Built over 2000 years ago by a group
of colourfully dressed and devoted
Buddhist monks, this temple has been
the site of countless important religious
events. This temple was recently
declared World Historic site by the
United Nations.

You and I will have a great future
ahead of us. Clearly, Seoul has a lot
going for it. Seoul is the city with the
modern technology, great transportation
and thrilling history. Along with cheap
booze and hot sex, it is what makes this
city such a fun place to be. And those
lights are never ever going to be turned
off.