Bivar

 

Fear pandemic

By Shaylee Perez

ee hugging. Many will be familiar
Re this idea. Many will have ~
even seen the viral video on

YouTube, or have actually done this.
Basically, you hold a sign up that says
“FREE HUGS” and you let the people
come to you. Why? For fun. To make
connections. Maybe just because you
need a hug, or you want to brighten up

Why am I telling you about this?
Not just because it was a fantastic
experience, but because we were asked
(albeit respectfully) by the Facilities
Services department of the College
to put down our signs and stop the
hugs, due to the risk of HIN1. 1 think
this incident raises a very interesting
argument. Does the College have a right
to decree student’s behaviour? Yes, I
think we have all agreed already that as

On the one hand, if you are
attending College, you are an adult. As
an adult, I feel it is my right to decide
what I will do with my body. And as
all the wonderful individuals who
came over to give me a hug were also
adults, they also chose, as adults, to put
themselves at risk.

But, on the other side of this debate, fess
is the idea that not all adults know what fee
is best for them. It is the College’s

responsibility to protect its students to

“As an adult, | feel it is my right to decide what I will do with my body. res peda anal Know that]

And as all the wonderful individuals who came over to give me a hug want to be protected. Or what I see
were also adults, they also chose, as adults, to put themselves at
risk.”

as over-protected. We already have

signage posted visibly around the

school detailing the HIN1 virus, as

well as ensured access to soap, water
and hand-sanitizer, if wanted. Dissuading
personal body contact would be one
issue. But decreeing that I, and others
may not (I repeat, not) choose to hug
whoever and however many others we
chose to—is a step too far in my book.

I know how I feel, but I’d like to

hear what others think.

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the day of another person.

A woman I know named Helen
Clay, whom you may know or have seen
in the concourse free hugging away,
emailed me recently —she was going to
hug again. I was game, so, I put out a
hit out on my Facebook status and text-
messaged some friends to see if anyone
else wanted to join in the fray. The day
of, a friend of mine joined Helen and me
in the concourse to administer some hugs
and smiles.

students on school property, we must
adhere to the school’s policies. But to
what degree do they have a right to
mould our behaviour? Should they put a
mandate on who I hug?

Though I feel this raises endless
questions in the spectrum of how far
should the arm of authority be allowed
to reach, I want to focus on one: do you
believe the College was within their right
to ask us to stop the free hugging? And
why do you think that?

 

Alma Mandera and Helen Clay

 

 

 

 

 

Where has courtesy disappeared to?

Thank you? You’re welcome?

I hear
on some planets
when you say
“thank you" people
reply “you're
welcome”.

 

By Joanne Power

h, courtesy; I feel that it may be
A= the way of the polar ice

caps. I have noticed a disturbing
trend in the last 10 years or so. People
just don’t seem to have the inclination to
observe social niceties anymore. Don’t get
me wrong; I’m not advocating bringing
back a prescribed set of etiquette rules a la
Emily Post. I would just like to see people
exhibit some basic human kindness. For
example, when you see someone drop a
pile of books in the library or fall down
the stairs, help them. Pick up the books for
them, call an ambulance, just don’t walk

 

on by and pretend that you are oblivious to
their plight.

This lack of courtesy seems to have
spread to all areas of life, but driving a car

don’t have the pedal to the metal
in the first nanosecond after that
light ripens to green, your ears
will be blasted (and who knew
so many people were conversant
in sign language?).

I use a crosswalk quite
regularly. In this day and age of
multiple lane traffic this is not
a risk-free proposition. In fact,

I believe it ranks up there with
bungee jumping and skydiving.
It used to be when the little
person appeared on the crossing
lights, cars stopped, people
ventured onto the road and
made it to the other side alive
and unmolested. Not anymore.
If you are lucky, one car may
stop for you, but, then, as soon
as you are committed to your
perilous journey, another car
will inevitably roar past in an
adjacent lane, narrowly missing
killing you while shooting
venomous looks at you and the
more courteous driver. And how
about the special ire that other
drivers show cars with an L and N on the
back of their vehicles? I’ve seen more birds
flipped for these poor, hapless, marked cars

“Or, how about what happened to my friend, who lives in Los
Angeles, who held open a door for another guy and instead of
receiving thanks, the guy said ‘Hey dude, get some self esteem.’”

or any wheeled vehicle seems to bring out
the nasty in most of us. Do you remember
when you had at least two or three seconds
to respond after a light turned from red to
green? Well, fasten your seat belts. If you

than for the slow starters and cross walk
stoppers put together.

This garden-variety discourtesy drives
me crazy, but what really makes me lose
it is the “thank you”/"you’re welcome”

parlance. Now, correct me if I’m off base,
but it used to be that when you bought
something, had a door held open for you,
or had some other reciprocal exchange
with someone, you said “thank you” and
the other person responded with “you’re
welcome” —simple, neat and tidy.

Well, I’m sad to report that “you’re
welcome” is not an automatic response
anymore. Now when a “thank you” is laid
at the feet of someone they are just as likely
to respond with “no worries.” What does
this mean? I’m not worried about our brief
exchange; I’m just being polite. Or, how
about what happened to my friend, who
lives in Los Angeles, who held open a door
for another guy and instead of receiving
thanks, the guy said “Hey dude, get some
self esteem.”

My all time artery buster, that I hear
in the United States far too often, when I
courteously say thank you, is “Uh huh.”
That’s right, apparently “thank you” doesn’t
even rank a real response, just a grunted
“uh huh.” What? Suddenly being nice or
observing a courtesy that makes the world a
gentler place to live in, is too much trouble?
Or does “uh huh” mean that they don’t
believe that you really are thankful? Maybe
I’m just an old curmudgeon ranting about
the “youth of today” or perhaps the world
is just moving too fast for people to really
take the time to be nice. If you believe that
is true, I have a couple of words for you:
“Uh huh.”

 

 

Fuming? Nodding? Tell us what you think;
contact opinions@ theotherpress.ca with your
opinions about this or any other article