opinions // 20

Keep your head up

» Are our passions worth dying for?

Elliot Chan
Opinions Editor
M opinions
@theotherpress.ca

Wee the San Francisco
4gers’ 24-year-old star

linebacker, Chris Borland,

 

walked away from the game asa
precaution against life-crippling :

head injuries, many were left
puzzled and rather frustrated.
The puzzlement came from
the fact that Borland was
stepping away from more than
a sport; he left a huge salary,
an extravagant lifestyle, anda
future of athletic achievements
behind. Many would kill
to get the opportunity that
Borland had and it’s frustrating
that the NFL has created an
environment where playing a
sport professionally has become
akin to self-endangerment.
“From what I’ve researched
and what I’ve experienced, I
don’t think it’s worth the risk,”
said Borland in an interview
with ESPN. Then he added, “I

 

just want to live a long, healthy
: life, and I don’t want to have

: any neurological diseases

: or die younger than I would

: otherwise.”

Nobody can argue against a

statement like that. We live in
ia world where we are driven to
: excel. We work so hard that we

Chris Borland

: are all certainly on the verge of
: our breaking point. I speak not
: only of football, but also of life:
: in general. We push ourselves to :
: the limit and we cannot always
: be certain that our human

: body and our state of mind can
: handle the strain.

In the critically acclaimed

Photo via onthebrain.com

: movie Whiplash—a story about
: a jazz student striving to be

: the best drummer possible—

: we learn what true passion

: mixed with unquenchable

: determination can do to

: someone, especially after an

: instructor puts them through

: physical and psychological hell.
: The movie made the point plain :
: and simple: blood, sweat, and
: tears were merely the byproduct :
: of success, in addition to :
: the mental strain. In life we

: should all be so fortunate to

: have something that we are

: passionate about, that we can

: devote our whole life to, that

: we can one day be remembered
: for, and when it’s time and we

> are on our death bed, we can

: say that we did all we could and
: then pass away happy.

Borland will live a long

: life, but he will lose all those

glorious moments. Forget

the money. There are many
: ways for an able-bodied man
: like Borland to make money.
: What I want to focus on are
: the intangible moments of

theotherpress.ca

: life. Life is not everlasting.

: It’s made up of moments of

: intensity and long periods of

: anticipation. Borland will never
: feel the thrill of standing in

: front of 60,000 people. He will

: never lift the Vince Lombardi

: Trophy in victory. He will

: only be remembered as a man

who merely lived a healthy

: life. Admirable, but far from

inspiring—at least that is how

: our overachieving society will
: consider him.

I want to congratulate

: Borland for his courageous

: decision, but I won’. It’s hard to
: celebrate a quitter.
: hard to praise a ‘fraidy cat. It’s

: hard to look up to someone

: who is a coward. Many people

: get injured or die on the job,

: from McDonald’s employees

: to construction workers to

: professional athletes. Life is

: full of uncertainty—disease,

: accidents, strange twists of fate
: all happen to normal people—
: and to simply write yourself

: off because of a likelihood of

: injury, well that is pure defeat.

It’s

 

Implications of religious freedom acts

» Boycotting Indiana for legalized discrimination laws

=

Cazzy Lewchuk
Staff Writer

 

recent law was signed by
he Governor of Indiana on

March 26, entitled the Religious
Freedom Restoration Act. The
law legalizes a business owner's
“free exercise right” to practice
their religion, protecting them
from government intervention.
In essence, this law legalizes
discrimination towards
minorities—particularly the
LGBT community—under the
guise of a for-profit company
practicing their religion. A

restaurant owner could refuse to : of this boycott do not just

: include the supporters. All

: Indiana citizens— many of

: whom in no way support the

: law—are affected. This may be
: through internal actions (an

: LGBT person losing their job)

: or through ironic out-of-state

: ones (many business owners in
: Indiana have reported a loss of
: customers, regardless of their

: own personal stance on religious

ee : freedom).
even politicians have spoken out :

serve a same-sex couple or fire
an employee for being gay.
For obvious reasons,
this law has provoked a lot
of controversy; the LGBT
community, liberals, and
even many conservatives
have criticized the law. A
movement known as Boycott
Indiana has begun. Many
consumers, businesses, event
organizers, entertainers, and

against Indiana due to the new
policies. Seattle, San Francisco,
and the state of Connecticut
have issued executive orders

: banning state-funded trips to

: Indiana. The message is clear:

: discrimination is never justified,
: and it will not be supported.

Discrimination of any

: sort is never okay, particularly

: against the LGBT community,

: who already face struggles

: in every aspect of their

: lives. The backlash against

: Indiana’s businesses and event
: cancellations—reducing

: the economy by millions of

: dollars—may help get this law

: amended or revoked. If nothing
: else, it sends a strong message

: to the Governor and supporters
: of the Act that bigotry is not

: accepted by others.

On the other hand, sufferers

Should all the citizens of

: Indiana receive backlash over
: their government's actions?
: Should everyone have to suffer

: because of laws that weren’t

: supposed to affect them? But

: perhaps the sanctions will

: encourage everyone to look at

: the rights of the marginalized

: people who the law affects and

: take a stronger local stance. It’s

: a difficult issue. Is spreading

: discrimination and oppression:
: the best way to fight oppression? :
: Perhaps this act says more :
: about the executive rights of

: governments ona state-to-state

: basis than it does about what

: Indiana, a state of 6.5-million

: people, thinks as a whole.

Legalized discrimination

: and bigotry is nothing new. :
: There are many, many countries :
: in the world where the LGBT

: community is punished by

: jail time or even death. It’s an

: uncomfortable issue that’s

: difficult to address due to

: cultural context and diplomatic
: relations. Russia was under

: media attention for anti-gay

: laws, but they were still allowed
: to host the internationally

: funded Olympics. The Middle

: East received considerable

: support and business from the

: US, despite their repression of

: the LGBT community. Of course, :
: it’s much easier for state-to-state
: business to be conducted than

: federal or international. We

may actually stand a chance of
: amending or reversing the home
: discrimination. Is bigotry more

: important when it takes place in
: the US than internationally?

I’m in no way a supporter

of the Indiana act, and don’t

: plan to be travelling to the

: state anytime soon. This is just
: as much to do with how little

: there is to see in Indiana as it

: does with their laws. I believe

 

: supporting businesses and

individuals whose stances I

: agree with is far more important
: than the governments that

they live under. If we truly

: wanted to not support

: Oppression as consumers, we

: wouldn't be buying our clothes,

: smartphones, cars, computers,

: or anything else manufactured

: in the communist restrictive

: government of China.