Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 1995)
VIEWPOINTS EDITORIALS. OPINIONS. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Holiday wish: An end to violence and death ■ OUR OPINION: America s “coming apart at the seams' and youth cnme is one of the major reasons I-as! Tuesday evening in Springfield, a man walked into a fast-food restaurant and shot a 22-year-old man to death. t hat event alone was a headline story. How the man was apprehended < ould have easily been a story all by itself, It should at least bo cause for concern. After {lulling the trigger, the man ran out the door toward the parking lot. Another customer in the restaurant followed him but side, whipped out Ins own semiautomatic pistol, and ordered the suspect to stop, drop his gun and lay on the ground. On Saturday afternoon, same city, a man walked up to a gas station on Main Street, {minted a handgun at an employee, and demand ed cash. The suspect stuffed an "unknown amount of money" into one of his pockets and fled on foot. according to police VVeh onto to Springfield. Please chet k your weapon at the door? The man who shot the 22 year-old (an alleged drug dealer) claimed the victim had threatened the life of his daughter. If this allegation proves to Ixj true, fine — just one less low-life drug-dealing slime preying on our young and restless (or dumb and dumb er). Citizens who take the law into their own hands usual ly do so out of frustration with law enforcement agen cies, the legal system, rage toward I ho perpetrator of the crime and fear of further victimization. These points represent an opinion topic of its own The bigger picture is that the recent shooting and rob bery exemplify a growing trend of crime in Eugene and Springfield in spite of national statistics that show a decline in crime. Recent statistics reveal that teenage crime has risen 21 percent since 1900 Over all. the crime rate for adults ages 18 and older has dec reased by 2 percent. Why is tins happening!? Police say it is partly duo to an increase in our local pop ulations, but there is no sin gle reason. Over tho hist two docudfts, the American family unit has disintegrated into a tide washed sand castle of its !u! mcr fur!rcss - like M'if Men have gtv #Q up mi their wives and i iiildren and have left behind a vacuum of hopelessness no family counselor could over fill. Our children have became generations of "latchkey" youth who go home to an unsupervised existence of boredom. babysat by an entertainment Industry that thinks killing is fun and murder is sexy. One study in youth crime showed the crime rate among juveniles reaching a peak during the 3-D p m. time bloc k. Junior leaves school at 3. robs the store with his gang buddies around 4 and gets homo before t> to do homework. As long as the media por trays a "life is cheap" pre sent. and parents fail to love and nurture their children, our young will only have pessimism and despair for their future. ti* fragpt 0*s* lm«itt o *«owgft hut* ***tg mt Kfwoi r*# irt T***** 1f$>*l44* AhM0 tt* lyfWW trt If# 0>«QOA t>*«» t**<AU Pei*iU*f*Q Os At « th§ 01 Oust*1. »»****. 0>«QO* A own** m ff* AiitxutoO p»fw :r# {mr*i*j opK«!« «*******►•*> o* tte «m it Sip** 300 d 9m I <b Iter***# um^r lto!W0r*d •#*»4ft :•**«•** Bwoptmonol If* t m#**J «Wx*a-: ttt*f») MfpmS COHaNMI tlpNMMl th* opmwn of ff«t cdwnvnt th* t(twfiad a 0fwnt ptpftrtir tte unt#»fuJ rtmovis <# nw »i p^wn * paw vtit* n* t*« t#rt»r »• C*>«* (>lv«3 Thtyn *U*H**4 l#H« l»\ jS*n*vw. 0*m* 0»*»ct«f Sliver to&ery HtQfclldttw ion BffttnNfc f <*■**•»*iJ* M*i**nn« l **(&. AMKV Ate tttenMH Umu t lOtM SvnttAt «A*i1m K»ftei t**c*»o« CM* lo«tt «U«or %o*u M®*l $**r* 8Uv»ft lfeomfect AM4t*t Am* CtAwmljo Mtto Ai/ary H*cf> jtraM* Cert* DteO *rt*n9 i»>t» '•«!* M*n»y «tt* M#4 U »t» M*>mi*00*C* OtVMnQ,**•!• VfK**J* Q*tt Mml l !•#>>•••«** Anr* Mo** tU*m#d *f*t¥ KmAra Axsrstrtf «3&v M0*#» COiNA mao* **ftW 0* liM JpMtoft OMon MMtw Idttoriftt cure ||<tM if*! Ste*’1 *AO * M»| Anteruu>- .*** ffcAn* OteCy jn* M 8tof*l M#r« Cwnrtrt||tew Pnmo Aj f«MMk ?i#rte Ntftnwi i*fn> K*W *** KuteKAMI. So«h» Stenwaofl C«*f &*•* ^**#1 fte i'A«* Pfcg» 5M*t Ann* ft*®-, u'«ry» fc*1 t*gh HMttfVi ***»» V*rt SUM* *0to«***l Unite dr* #*.:f Mte8iKir««l Anm«c MNMteA! Wr«>)y Com ay f «m vi«r te» ‘*S*JVMT> KAtlulH WU**-r* G/»#i)C» i'«ww ftcv» Min s**#n«» MUfftte* -;wJy ftm* Bmr* Mr. M l An’to Anr» Am»30* Mu.oCtenQ Tot* to* Jiitltt ikite* 'ttspm ■ •.■'• ■' • -«'» - ; .'■ M * - •, y. • ■■ M :v..?* •?."•/.* W- ' -4 •''U"-* u Mfe »k»tt ;*>*'*Ajr Wtat* cucvcMMAn' '^UnMM Mtm RjEHH CatewnofiAm l *«*i tociM Hw.nn&l Cjn<« ti<i Rmjys‘ Mi-#* lA j <i Ca#*>- ShNrM Jo* S«A«r A*»o« Sfc>-ni» Sd**m W-aMmi. I**, 'ur* vovaq !•»>*«» MS»* Cvtete Jw% Coanoay Tiri Gi^^ni* ittenjn' 0»«ir#»tt«i . #» AAiwi. Jofw ioog Xf» S»»n ItetrvM 344 Mil i«»ni >44 331? AdrtftJiiaj C(llVt’«(S A4wwt**i*| 344 J? if 344 444} vje'rt p»nallv D£cideo TO DO SOAAfrwVG about 7W£ V/OlEVC£ ON ;rv _ W£ FcxjkJD THE CjUV responsible for some of that violence , ANO HAVE TIED Hlf* UP «***, * ♦wfc j \ % y a,*|J J £ ^ 0U*<**1* #W*"V./J happy { NOW? A Hi w nt^f nf-Dt/P M HEiPo^i'9i( fen 5t*“4i awTirt ( L Depression hurts, heals and inspires Your pain is the breaking of the shell that ton loses your understanding — Knhlil Gibran Late one flight in the «ii‘ hours of the morn ing. 1 w,»s cli< king through what was on late night television when something caught my eve It was a public service announcement dealing xvith depression The announcement centered around a Pablo Picasso painting of an old guitarist The painting was done during Picasso'* Blue Period, during which he was in n severe state of depression for more than four years The painting then metamorphosed (with the aid of computer animation) from a wretched old man filled with anguish to an erect, happy, shiny person while the announcer told of all the wonders of modern-day counseling. The mes sage ended with the words "so that not everyone nowaday* will have to go through a blue peri od.” I found this rather frightening. It would seem that this message reflects an unhealthy and simplistic atti tude toward some of the most important emotions human beings have. Granted, depression and sad ness are not among the most pleasant of feelings, but they are necessary it Depression, as unpleasant as it is, is part of the healing pros ess. We cannot allow ourselves to forget that In this day and age * * of group therapy and Prozac, people are much too quii-k to dismiss emotions that are too uncomfortable or that they are unable to deal with. They crave a quick fix, whether that means running to a shrink who merely tells them. hey. you’re OK. and gosh darn it, people like you." or hiding themselves at the bottom of a bottle. The darker side of the psyche is something we a!! must face and more importantly, deal with People who walk around all day perpetually happy are also perpetually annoying In reality, they are probably not all that happy and hiding from themselves. Of course, not everyone can cope with all of the emotions of their souls running lose inside their heads, and they may genuinely need pro fessional help in sorting through certain things Hut there are also people who run for help at every emotional scraped knee, be it the loss of a sweetheart, their dog's death or some other per sonal crisis. This is detrimental because they 1"earn how to deal with their emotions H\ dealing with less serious problems, one is able then to deal with more difficult problems, such ns the loss of a loved one because of death or emotional separation. OPINION m rrr n rf» r* mm *p:: ir ri' Depression, as unpleasunt as it is, is part of th« healing process. We cannot allow ourselves to forget that When you lose someone you love after giving him or her the best years of your life, growing together, and learning what love truly is. it mat ters very little if you don't grieve. If you merely substitute a surrogate for what was once there, what good came of the time you spent with a loved one now gone? Reflect upon what you once had, both for bet ter and worse, but never let yourself forget Grow with each passing emotion, and allow yourself to heal. Grief is temporary; joy and mirth will follow in time. Depression and sadness also keep us in bal ance. What is joy without sadness? What is love without feelings of loss, despair and emptiness? If we cannot judge our happiest moments against something, they become meaningless and hollow If we went always artificially blissful, wu would be drug induced zombies telling each other things that we have never really felt. We wouldn’t be alive. “Pop a Prozac if you're feel ing down! Have some Valium if you just can’t deal!" We want to feel better, and we want to feel butter now. But where would we be if no one ever had a Blue Period? Picasso's masterpiece would prob ably not exist today if some shrink back then had said, "just have some Prozac, and call me in the morning More important, perhaps, wu wouldn't consider it a work of genius if it did not bring out our sorrow and despair so exquis Mozart s "Requiem ' is a mass for the dead, and Beethoven's “Fifth Symphony" is the sound of Death beating at the door. The works of Shel ley. Keats, and Byron all tear at the heart, but we read them anyway Why? Because they are a part of us, and because like it or not, depression sells. )ust look at the annoyances of the Cure. R.h M . Counting Crows and a plethora of other angst bands that rake in millions off pain and anguish. Everyone needs a Blue Period every so often to keep things in perspective. Friends and fami ly will give advice without end. but they cannot deal with the problem for you. There are things that every individual must ultimately lace alone. 1 his is what makes us stronger; what makes us better; what makes us human. /esse I. Bnhrvr-Clancy, a senior ina/oring in bio chemistry, is a columnist for the Emerald
