Fanaticism or addiction: where to draw the line?

Video-games can become an addiction. They set a trap and once you have fallen in it, the way out is not easy to find. Kids and teenagers spend hours on end glued to the television or the computer playing games. Games that allow you to escape your mind-numbing, everyday life and become whoever you want. You can be a gangster looking for vendetta. You can be a soccer star playing for the invincible team on Earth. You can be a member of a rock band playing along with rock-star legends. You can be a soldier fighting against the enemy. Or choose to be a civilian who kills zombies. But what strikes me the most are simulation games. Those who play these games stop having face-to-face interaction and replace it with virtual interaction. This is a paradox.

Video-games are no laughing matter either: there is so much money at stake that the industry does not dare risk losses by producing a humorous game. The reason behind this is that the target audience has changed over the last decade and videogame industry is gaining so much importance that it is being compared with the film industry: games have just the same expectations as blockbuster movies. Over the years, grown-ups have become the new big consumers of videogames. This may be one of the reasons why the genre of video games has also expanded: unreal sceneries where you can interact with other people, share a drink or even flirt and have an interactive significant other. Some XXX video games have entered the market, such as Playboy Mansion or Seven Sins.

Video-games cause such addiction that some people even forget about their physiological needs. They lose track of time and they can spend several hours without food or without going to the bathroom. Games are so addictive that they will not let you stop playing them. Every once in a while there are stories in the media that tell about someone who died after playing for umpteen hours straight.

There is nothing wrong with video-games but we need to know where to draw the line .It does not matter whether you are a kid or an adult, there is one very important issue that we need to be aware of: videogames may be addictive. No matter how exciting your virtual or internet life may get, real life is and always will be definitively more rewarding.

S.O.S: Save Our Schools

We are entering a new era of knowledge. But if we take a look into the school system, it is unquestionable that it is dangerously wounded. We cannot turn a blind eye to the decadence of schools and its system in general. We are all to blame for this situation.

During the past few decades, there has been a significant reduction in money destined for education. In some countries, it does not even appear in the top 5 of their budget list. What is worse, corrupted politicians steal part of that budget for their own benefit. Education has to be one of the priorities for all governments and must be taken seriously.

Schools’ infrastructure also needs improvement. It is sad to think that in some countries the lives of both students and teachers are at risk because of the deplorable state of school buildings. Roofs and walls that can collapse anytime, gas and water facilities that do not work properly, classrooms that are overcrowded, just to name a few, are some of the basic needs that must be improved as soon as possible.

Another component of this decadent system is teachers’ salaries that must be increased urgently. Money paid to teachers is sometimes so little that some highly qualified teachers opt to abandon the profession in search of better possibilities. That is the reason why job positions are offered to those who are ill-prepared to work as teachers. There is no doubt that students are the ones who suffer the consequences of this.

Education sets our limits. It is by means of education that we become aware of what we can be capable of. We need to understand that nothing can be improved if we do it on our own, ; there is no individual salvation. Every single one of us depends on what other people can offer. As we live in a society, it is our responsibility to take action and do something to improve the present situation of our schools. If we want our future to be different, we need to act now!

Letter to the editor: Schools taken over by students

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in response to the article “Schools taken over by students” that appeared on the last issue of your magazine where Mr. Chalmers supported the students who are taking over schools. This is a very controversial issue and I think it should have been handled more carefully.

Mr. Chalmers claims that there is no harm in students fighting for their rights. But what happens with the rights of ordinary people? Does the end justify all means? Many people suffered the consequences of the pickets. What about their rights? Because of the pickets some people were not able to get to work on time, some were stuck with their cars for several hours and some picketers were blocking the way for ambulances and police. We live in a democratic society where fighting for what you believe in is allowed as long as you do not interfere with the rights of others.

Nobody can deny that school infrastructure is in a deplorable state: roofs which may fall any time soon; heating and water systems that do not work; not enough room for the children, etc.

I was watching a television program where the journalist was asking the students why they were there. Some said that it was cool not to have classes. Some did not even know what to answer. Another claimed that they were picketing for a day care center to be opened up at the Arts University so that those who have children can leave them there. Is that a reasonable improvement to be asking for? Not even in private enterprises is there such degree of comfort to be found in our country.

There are other ways to solve this problem. There is a diplomatic way by which you can raise your voice and be heard and fight for what you think is necessary. Picketing may be the easy way out but it will not bring a magic solution from the sky. As a civilized country, we need to understand that picketing over schools will not improve the situation.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. John MacKenzie

Education in crisis

The crisis in education tends to be a very recurrent topic in all countries. Several factors contribute to deepening the deplorable situation of the education systems. This crisis has left schools with a mortal wound that needs healing.

We need to realize and bear in mind that society is in constant evolution. Yet the level of education is not what it used to be. Fifty years ago, you could graduate from high school and get well-paid job. Nowadays everything has turned more complex and a high school diploma is not enough to get a job. But the education system seems to be regressing. Most of the teenagers who graduate from high school fail at reading comprehension level. And what is more, there is a big gap between the level of high school and university.

Teachers’ salaries are a controversial issue. Those who want to be teachers need to go through a long course of studies to become highly qualified professionals. Then, when they want to work, the salaries are so low that they can discourage anybody. This may be the reason why many proficient teachers end up working somewhere else and their jobs are taken by someone less qualified.

Furthermore, the dilemma of schools taken over by students depicts not only an educational crisis but also a social crisis. There is no harm in fighting for your ideals and for improving a situation that affects your peers. But there is a line that should not be crossed. When you fight for something you believe in and go on strikes and make yourself heard is alright. But when you are picketing and blocking the streets, making it impossible for other citizens to go to work or get home on time, upsetting citizens’ lives and not letting some of your schoolmates –those who want to- have regular classes, then, something is wrong. Actually, in those kind of situations is where the social and educational crisis are exposed.

Education is what shapes our future and it needs to be taken more seriously. Going to school and receiving a proper education is a vital stage in the lives of every human being. Thus, we cannot bury our heads in the sand and ignore the tumours that affect and threaten to leave education perpetually damaged. This situation affects us all.

The environment on our doorstep

Our planet is constantly been attacked by us. We do not assume the responsibility of our acts and we are always ready to put the blame on somebody else. Then we wonder why environmental problems are getting worse day in and out. The time to change is now. There clock is ticking.

We have many alternatives within reach to start being “eco-friendly”. When going to the supermarket, switch for a reusable bag. Worldwide, up to a trillion plastic bags are used and discarded every year—more than a million per minute. Did you know that water covers more than 70 percent of the surface of the Earth, and 97 percent of it is salt water? Many people do not have access to freshwater supplies. Use only as much water as you need, do not waste the water you do not use. Eat local grown food in order to reduce the amount of air pollution and noxious fumes that are required to transport the food from the place it is grown to your table. As Al Gore –former vice president of USA and author, businessperson and environmental activist: “The struggle to save the global environment is in one way much more difficult than the struggle to vanquish Hitler, although this time the war is with ourselves. We are the enemy, just as we have only ourselves as allies.”

"The end is nigh". It may be the title of a horror film or a book. Or it even may look like a prophecy. But it is not. I am talking about the environment. It may sound a little overdramatic, but there is no time to lose. Act now! As a Native American proverb says: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

Letter to the editor: same-sex marriage

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my support for gay marriage. I was extremely disappointed when I read on the editorial of your latest issue that there is no place for same-sex marriages.

We are concerned about two persons of the same sex getting married. Instead of judging others, we should take a real look at our society’s decadence and lack of education. These are the real causes of the decline of our society.

In our cities, streets are no longer safe. Crime is becoming increasingly violent. Lack of opportunities and the availability of cheap and dangerous drugs are the cause of these problems.

At school, I was taught that homosexuality goes against nature and that it should not exist. Now that I am an adult, I wonder what fear lies beneath this prejudice. Some people think that gay marriage is the apocalypse, but have no problem watching semi-naked women on the most viewed television show.

Some of those who oppose gay marriage use religious reasons to back their ideas. They claim that God created men and women to be together as a couple. Therefore, homosexuality goes against God’s plan and rules. They also express that women are “designed” for men and vice-versa. As a Catholic, I do not think that God will unleash his fury upon me for supporting gay marriage. What is more, I strongly believe that God’s message is about love, and nothing is more beautiful than two persons expressing their love for each other.

We should give everybody the opportunity to choose. I would rather see a child raised by the same sex parents than read about that child in the papers for committing a murder or being part of the increasing number of children involved in drug abuse.

Yours sincerely,

Scarlet Paltrow.

Should 16-year-olds vote?

With England’s proposal for lowering the voting age, the debate is on. Grown-ups and teenagers face each other and state their opinions in a fiery discussion in which the issues of being sensible and discriminated against are recurrent topics.

Those who are against of giving 16-year-olds the opportunity to vote would argue that it is not sensible to give them the right to vote. They back up their opinions by saying that teenagers are just interested in the Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana and Playstation videogames and know nothing about politics. Some even go as far as saying that the world of politics is too difficult to be understood by a “little child” and only grown-ups who have studied are able to grasp the meaning of politics.

Some teenagers counterattack this argument by claiming that if they are considered old enough to go to war, then, by the same standards, they should be given the right to vote. What is more, that is the age when they begin to shape their future by choosing a college and a career. School systems are different from one country to another. For example, in England or in the US an adolescent finishes school at 16, while in Argentina at 18. And also the legal age of adulthood varies among countries: 15 for Iran and Iraq, 16 for UK, 18 for Argentina –or even within countries such the US. This is in no way sufficient criteria to try to measure the knowledge of a person.

In my opinion, adolescents are being underestimated by thinking that they are not mature enough to understand what politics is about. We are always complaining about politicians and saying that we are tired of hearing the same names. What we need is a change. And that change may rely on giving 16-year-olds the right to vote.