7.

The freedoms we take for granted in Canada

> Consider yourself lucky to live here

Sameer Siddiqui
Contributor

 

anada is a country which has

made a unique mark on the world
stage. All over the world people look
towards Canada as a beacon of hope
and equality. However, many of us who
live here tend to take these freedoms
for granted. What we fail to realize at
times is that the same freedoms we
assume to be expected, people in other
parts of the world cannot even imagine.

Tam thankful to God for granting
us the opportunity to live in this
country. I believe that Canada, and
the west in general, are generous
countries. The freedom of religion
that we enjoy in Canada, the right to
practise a religion or not to practise,
is amazing. People in other parts of

the world are prosecuted for simply
having different religious views.

The freedom that I most cherish
here in Canada is the freedom of speech.
This freedom is under attack in many
parts of the world. That is the reason
many people who are persecuted for
their different views often seek protected
status in Canada and the US. Credit
to both countries for accepting people
from different parts of the world.

What we must be careful about
as we progress into the 21st century is
that we don’t lose track of who we are
with regards to the freedoms that we
enjoy. Our foremost duty should be to
protect our rights and these freedoms,
and there cannot be any compromise.

What I fear is that some people
might try to use these same freedoms
that we have to silence others. When we

 

lose our right to say what we believe is
the truth, then society enters a decline.
Any reasonable debate takes place when
both sides are heard and given equal
opportunity of being heard. When we
start to prevent one side from sharing
their opinions, then an honest debate

cC

... the same freedoms we
assume to be expected,
people in other parts of the

world cannot even imagine.”

 

can never take place. Sometimes we
as humans need to grow up, listen,
and accept the truth, whatever it may
be. Sometimes the truth is on our

Stop sensationalizing science

> Science should be reported on truthfully

Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor

I weird what constitutes as news
nowadays. There is something
surreal about looking atsocial media
in the morning and finding an actual
“news report” about a celebrity having
trouble jumping over a puddle, but
this is our unfortunate reality.
Mainstream media has taken
news—something that should
be honest and informative—and
twisted it into a hodgepodge of
entertainment and pleasure. As
bad as mainstream journalism is,
scientific journalism is even worse.
It’s prone to the same biases and
interpretations, but is susceptible to
more exaggeration and sensationalism.
Science is something that has been
continuously sensationalized in the
media. Although sensationalizing may
sound like a good thing, after doing a
quick Google search of what the term
means, it’s clear it is not something
that should be associated with science.

To sensationalize something means
to present information that excites
and entertains the public, at the
expense of accuracy. As much as I
believe scientific findings should be
reported in a way that interests the
public, it should not be done at the
expense of accuracy for the sake of
entertainment. It should be done
honestly, and for the sake of education
and sharing scientific information.

You shouldn't trust every scientific
study you read or hear about. Scientific
reports are often misrepresented or
fabricated in online news articles or
mainstream television to excite the
public and ultimately to get a boost in
ratings. Mainstream news and media
needs to stop fabricating scientific
research to get people talking about it,
but report on it honestly and truthfully.
Science is already super interesting, so
we shouldn't have to fabricate it to make
it easier to digest. Yes, it may be difficult
to understand at times, but dressing
it up to make the public understand it
doesn’t do anyone any good, either.

 
     
 
     

~osmnic rays @
i science, :
of tee
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eloped the

side and sometimes it’s not. Truth
does not care about our feelings.

All humans want to live free. We
seem to feel choked when our freedoms
are reduced. I believe that for any
society to truly progress it must be
free. I feel that, throughout history,
the only societies that have progressed
are ones that upheld human rights and
allowed ideas to be freely exchanged.
Even today, it seems as though only
those countries which have made the
most progress have the most freedoms.

I would request all of you to take
a moment and think about the place
you live, and the freedoms that you
enjoy. The people who fought to bring
freedom to North America did not give
up their lives in vain. Their struggle

Photo via Middle East Eye

should be our inspiration to uphold these

values. We should not forget them.

   

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Image via Public Domain Pictures