Commentary
Oregon Daily Emerald
Monday, January 31, 2005
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WHr DO I FAVOR A
'‘CUT AND RUM"
APPROACH IK IRAQ?..
, ///A^V^&Ss^'N'^ jT.
...'CU2 THE WAY I SEE IT; \
IT WORKED ONCE, AN' JT
CAN VORK AGAIN//
FtfRTWANGLER
Bret Furtwangler | Graphic artist
■ In my opinion
...and I’m addicted to
Facebook
“Oh my god, he totally poked me! ”
“Well, poke him back — you’re
both in the ‘I Was Trashed In My
Facebook Pic’ group.”
“Oh, wait, he’s also in that ‘Fuck
All You Haters ... I’m Gonna Pop My
Collar’ group.”
“Ew, never mind!”
He poked me? What might have
seemed like a lead into a discussion
of sexual harassment has become
a regular figure of speech. Within
the period of just a few months,
poking, joining groups and facebook
ing that really cute guy you saw
in last Thursday’s lecture have
become commonplace.
The Facebook, according to its
Web site, “is an online directory that
connects people through social net
works at colleges and universities.”
For those not part of the soon-to
come “I’m Addicted to Facebook”
group, here’s the rundown: Any per
son with a university e-mail address
can join, post a picture, write infor
mation about him or herself, start or
join groups and add friends, spous
es, etc. Users can even click on items
in their individual profile to find oth
ers with the same classes, interests
or favorite music.
Unlike other online communities
such as MySpace, Facebook “is
a mirror image of what exists in real
life,” according to founder Mark
Zuckerberg in an interview with
Current Magazine. Zuckerberg
eats dinner at Jack in the Box and
punctuates his sentences with the
phrase “which is really sweet.”
Zuckerberg, not even old enough to
legally purchase a beer at the time of
that interview, has, with the help of
AILEE SLATER
FURTHER FROM PERFECTION
a few friends, created one of the
most amazing resources of our time.
The Facebook, amazing? Yes. It
strikes this columnist as more than
wonderful that some of the brightest
minds of this generation are using
their talents not to build nuclear
bombs or attack home computers
with viruses or spam, but to help
people make and strengthen commu
nities of friendship. And that is a
laudable goal.
In terms of material for the sociol
ogy or anthropology of sexuality,
Facebook provides a plethora of ma
terial. Members can post their rela
tionship status, which sex they are
interested in, and if they are looking
for friendship, dating, random play
or “whatever I can get.” I haven’t ac
tually heard of two "whatever I
can get” facebookers finding one an
other and getting whatever they can,
but I don’t doubt the occurrence of
such events. Even being fairly liber
al about sexuality, I guess I’m still
old-fashioned when it comes to con
cepts such as “meeting the person
you’re about to sleep with” and
“checking to make sure he or she
doesn’t have any venereal diseases
before you shack up.”
Nevertheless, Facebook is the
perfect venue for discovering if that
cute guy you see every day on
the bus is single or if that wicked-hot
girl in chemistry lab is interested
in men. It’s socially acceptable by
Facebook standards to message
someone because you’re in the
same group, enjoy the same music,
or both think that “Underground
Hip Hop Tastes Better Than Candy
Bars.” Opportunities like these
to form random connections do
not exist in any other arena. How
often do you see a bumper sticker
proclaiming “I Know and Enjoy
the Aicha Dance?” Facebook offers
a wonderful way to make these
random, yet possibly meaningful,
connections without appearing
(too] deranged.
Yes, our personalities are being de
fined by strings of “I Heart Blank”
and “Blank is Fun,” and groups exist
more as a means to prove one’s iden
tity rather than as places to arrange
actual baby-seal-clubbing expedi
tions. Still, being able to put yourself
out there for acquaintances, friends
and possible love interests feels pret
ty damn liberating. Gone are the
days when one had to take twelve
shots before daring to approach a
random person.
In true Facebook fashion, while re
searching for this article, I requested
the friendship of every founding
Facebook member. No response yet,
but I’m confident that each one will
soon realize the strength of his or her
individual bond with me. Especially
Chris Hughes; what a cutie! Maybe
he’ll join my “I Heart the Creators of
Facebook” group.
aileeslater@dailyemerald.com
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■ Editorial
Celebrating
Iraqi votes
— a needed
seed of hope
On Sunday, the people of Iraq fulfilled a na
tional dream by voting in a democratic election.
Though the results are still being tabulated, pre
liminary reports suggest that voter turnout was
much higher than expected — some estimating
as many as 60 percent of registered voters came
out to cast their ballots — with far less violence
than widely feared.
This is certainly an occasion for celebration.
The long-suffering people of Iraq have accom
plished something truly inspirational. It is a tri
umph that so many people hungry for democ
racy braved nightmarish conditions, with
insurgents promising widespread bloodshed at
polling places, in order to make their voices
heard. This first taste of democracy will surely
prove addictive. The first step has been taken,
and far from stumbling, the nation of Iraq has
taken it in stride.
Rather than voting for a president or prime
minister in yesterday’s election, Iraqis voted
for candidates who will make up a 275-mem
ber National Assembly and 18 provincial legis
latures. The assembly is responsible for creat
ing a permanent constitution and selecting
a president and two deputy presidents. These
three members will then select a prime minis
ter, who will serve until the next set of
elections in 11 months.
While there was impressive voter turnout in
many regions in Iraq, in other regions turnout
was virtually nonexistent. The Sunni city of
Samarra, for example, had fewer than 1 per
cent turnout, according to Reuters. The major
ity of Iraqi Sunnis boycotted the elections, ei
ther by choice or through intimidation, which
has the potential to throw the legitimacy of the
elections into question and further divide Iraq
along sectarian lines.
Furthermore, the fairness of the election is
difficult to ascertain, due to the fact that inter
national election monitors were not present in
the country for fear of being targeted by insur
gents. The relative peace of election day (we
say relative because 35 people were confirmed
dead as a result of multiple suicide bombings)
was achieved through intense security meas
ures that included curfews and street barri
cades. This is by no means the end of the insur
gency. The freedom that the majority of Iraqis
so desperately desire will not suddenly occur
due to this election. They have only begun
down that long road ahead.
What yesterday’s vote means for the Ameri
can occupation remains to be seen. Concrete
answers from the Bush administration are still
few and far between. Will fewer U.S. troops be
needed? Will the timeline of U.S. involvement
in Iraq be greatly reduced? It is doubtful that
yesterday’s success has had any effect on the
answers to these important questions.
But our notes of caution are not meant to
dampen this historic day. There will be time to
worry about the road ahead; today, let’s revel
in the fact that a much-needed seed of hope
has been planted in the Middle East. Hopeful
ly, it will put down strong roots and grow for
many years.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Jennifer Sudick
Editor in Chief
David Jagemauth
Commentary Editor
Steven R. Neuman
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