Should Video Games Be Considered a Sport?

    Should video games be considered a sport? As video games and social media get more and more popular, the presence of video games grows larger, and questions like this get more and more common, heated, and complicated. This has been a very controversial topic and is complicated mostly because of one reason: the definition of a sport is different for everyone. 

    According to the Oxford Dictionary, a sport is "An activity involving physical exertion and skill, esp. (particularly in modern use) one regulated by set rules or customs in which an individual or team competes against another or others". I think that this definition fits pretty well activities many people would consider sports. However, not many people would consider that video games involve much physical exertion, so it would be safe to say that the Oxford Dictionary's definition of a sport does not consider video games as a sport. 

    Contrasting to definition provided by the Oxford Dictionary, Urban Dictionary has multiple contrasting definitions. Now the reason why I used Urban Dictionary is because anyone can create a definition here, meaning I have access to what everyday people think of the word sport. For example, "TripleJumpr1.3" says that a sport is: "any activity that one can practice, AND compete in with others on different levels (eg. by class, district, state, national, etc)." TripleJumpr1.3's definition fits video games, since, you CAN practice video games, and you can also compete with others on different levels. The last part of that definition is especially strong for the argument that video games are sports, since many video games are ranked, putting people against those with similar skill levels. However, some others on Urban Dictionary have definitions that would not include video games as a sport. According to "Brendon Ferguson" on Urban Dictionary, "A sport requires direct concurrent competition with another team or individual in an activity requiring cardiovascular effort", which I think is just too specific. I this definition would rule out track, powerlifting, among many others that people would consider sports because they don't have "direct concurrent competition", or "cardiovascular effort".

    So how about we switch back to a more reputable and credible source? According to Merriam-Webster, a sport is: "physical activity engaged in for pleasure" or "a particular activity (such as an athletic game) so engaged in". Video games definitely fit the second definition, being an activity than can be engaged in, and it could be argued that video games also fit the first definition, however pressing a button and sliding a mouse around does not count as physical activity in my opinion.

    To answer the question of if video games are sports, my answer is that it is no, but I would encourage everyone to always think for themselves and decide. You should never allow someone's opinion negatively affect you, and that is why it is important to remember that everyone has different opinions, and to also respect those opinions.

- Jason

References:

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sport&defid=2706230 (Warning: I couldn't link the specific definitions, so I used this link, which has some non-school appropriate definitions)

https://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/187476

Should Abortion be Legal? 

By Ruby Mitchell

Abortion has been legal in the U.S. since 1973, when Roe v. Wade was passed, but since then, there has been an ongoing discussion about whether abortion is a morally valid choice, and whether Roe v. Wade should be overturned. In June of 2022, after the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Roe v. Wade was overturned. In some states, Roe v. Wade was protected, but in any state where Roe v. Wade was not protected, abortion became illegal. This court ruling inspired a very polarized response. Some people were overjoyed, celebrating in the streets when the ruling came out, while others were crushed. Many people were terrified of what this meant for the future of women's rights in America and feared that this was a large regression in the fight for equal rights. The debate about abortion is a difficult topic to discuss, considering the contentious moral question of the rights of the parent versus the fetus. 

The arguments of the pro-life side, the side that believes abortion should be illegal, center around the rights of the fetus. They claim that it’s necessary to fight for abortion restrictions because the fetus has no voice to fight for itself. They claim that the fetus is a living being and performing an abortion should be considered murder. They argue that all human beings have rights, and this should be no different when discussing the rights of a fetus. A majority of people who have pro-life beliefs practice some form of Christianity. A survey of U.S. adults conducted in March of 2021 found that people who follow some sort of Christianity believed that abortion should be illegal much more often than people who weren’t affiliated with any religion. The largest group of people in this study who believe that abortion should be illegal were white evangelical Christians, with most of them, about 75%, believing that abortion should be banned. Many Christian churches teach that abortion is a sin, and it’s likely that when pro-life Christians learn this, they feel the need to spread this message to protect anyone from committing this sin. However, many have critiqued this, saying that because of the separation of church and state, religion should not play a role in any government decisions. 

The arguments of the pro-choice side, the side that believes abortion should be legal and accessible, center around the rights of the parent over the rights of the fetus. They argue that any pregnant person should have the right to choose what they want to do with their body, and that choice should not be made by the government. They argue that the life of the parent is more important than the life of the fetus, because it is an actual life, the parent has feelings, memories and relationships, making their life more valuable than the possible life of an unborn fetus, with no consciousness or feelings. They argue that having a baby could be detrimental to someone who is pregnant and not capable of raising a child. They argue that being forced to have a child would not only hurt the parent, but also the child, because of how messed up the adoption and foster care system is. The survey I mentioned earlier also found out that on average, people who didn’t follow any kind of Christianity had more pro-life beliefs, with 97% of atheists believing that abortion should be legal. 

I believe that abortion should be legal for everyone. I agree with the pro-choice viewpoint that the parent’s life is more important than the potential life of the fetus. No one should have autonomy over anyone else’s body except for that person. People often forget that pro-choice doesn’t mean pro-abortion. It doesn’t mean that everyone has to get an abortion, it just means that if someone needs an abortion, they should have access to it. Banning abortion isn’t going to stop abortions from happening; it’s going to limit accessibility to safe abortions. If someone wants an abortion, there are many unsafe ways to get one that could result in not only the extraction of the fetus, but the death of the parent. When abortion is banned, there are very few licensed doctors willing to risk their careers to perform an abortion, which leads many people to unsafe abortions. Banning abortion also disproportionally affects people in poverty. Rich people will always have a way to get an abortion if it’s needed, they could always travel out of state or out of the country to get one, but for people in poverty that’s not an option, and that leads to a spike in unsafe abortions, and a higher overall death rate, of both parents and fetuses. If pro-life people want to lower the abortion rates, there are other ways to do so that don’t depend on stripping millions of people’s rights. They can make health care and prenatal care more accessible so it's easier for people to carry pregnancies to term, and they can make sex ed more helpful so fewer young kids are getting pregnant. The choice to get an abortion should be no one’s but the choice of the person who is pregnant, and banning abortion is doing nothing but regressing the progress of the ongoing fight for equal rights. 

 

References:  

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/05/06/americans-views-on-whether-and-in-what-circumstances-abortion-should-be-legal/  

https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-study-that-debunks-most-anti-abortion-arguments  

https://www.mccl.org/whyprolife  

Should Colleges Work to Curtail Student Drinking?

           The epidemic of alcoholism on college campuses continues to be a serious problem. According to a study conducted in 2002, an average of four college students die every day in alcohol-related accidents. However, universities still do far too little to discourage students from drinking, and drinking is considered a social norm on many campuses. I believe that colleges should work to lower the rate of drinking among their students.

           First of all, universities have an obligation to discourage drinking because it is a safety hazard for their students. Alcohol contributes to accidents and unintentional injuries and fatalities, especially for college students. According to the National Institute for Health, in 2005 1,825 college students of age 18-24 were killed in alcohol-related accidents. Alcohol also contributes to violent behavior. A survey in 2001 revealed that 690,000 students were involved in a violent altercation with a fellow student under the effects of alcohol that year. Colleges must work to reduce the frequency of such incidents, because they are obligated to help keep their students safe.

           Second, universities should work to reduce rates of drinking among students because it is a more serious problem on college campuses than it is elsewhere. According to a survey conducted in 2019, 53 percent of students surveyed had consumed alcohol in the past month. Among non-college students of the same age, the statistic was 33 percent. At many universities, drinking is seen as a social norm, especially in fraternities and sororities. Bars near universities often use promotions and discounts to attract students from campuses.

            Finally, universities should work to limit drinking among college students because they are in a unique position to help. Universities are perhaps the largest providers of healthcare for college students. They are also able to communicate with their students, which makes it possible for them to spread awareness of this issue. They also provide housing for many college students, so they are in close enough contact to know if a student develops a drinking problem.

            Colleges should work to reduce student drinking because it is a safety hazard to their students, it is a more serious problem on college campuses than elsewhere, and colleges are uniquely suited to help alleviate this problem. I think colleges should help by communicating regularly with students on the dangers of binge drinking and through more targeted interventions with students who have been identified as possibly having a drinking problem through the housing and healthcare systems.

Graph showing binge-drinking rates among young adults. Source: NIH.gov

                                           

Mcmurtrie, Beth.  “Why Colleges Haven’t Stopped Binge Drinking.”  The New York Times, 14 December 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/15/us/why-colleges-havent-stopped-binge-drinking.html.  Accessed 7 December 2022.

 Facts on College Student Drinking. Rockville, Md: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2021. Print.

Hingson, Ralph W. “Focus on: College drinking and related problems: magnitude and prevention of college drinking and related problems.” Alcohol research & health : the journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism vol. 33,1-2 (2010): 45-54.

A Guide to the Gentleman: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue follows Monty during his chaotic tour of the Continent with his sister Felicity and best friend (but not really just a best friend) Percy. Monty is an 18th century playboy, but also desperately in love with Percy. The two young men explore their relationship and find themselves as more than just friends when their Grand Tour turns into a Grand Goosechase. The wrong box stolen, the wrong duke angry, highwaymen, pirates, and more come together for a grand adventure.

Honestly, at first I wasn’t super invested in the plot or romance but the last chapter pulled through really well. In the beginning, Monty could be summarized in one word: douche. He’s really entertaining but hard to become invested in. As more of his backstory with his father and Percy got revealed, his character gained much more depth and he grew on me a lot (but he can still be a bit dense sometimes). I also prefer subtle and deeper romance over drama, which was why I found their romance harder to be absorbed in. There were classic misunderstandings and a lot of push and pull, which isn’t totally my style. But as time passed, the story showed how much they genuinely cared about each other and I liked their relationship more.

The scene at the end of the last chapter is one of my favorites in the book, along with the flashback about Percy. After all the adventure and excitement come to a stop, Monty and Percy have the chance to speak alone for the first time in a while. In the scene, I felt the depth and weight of their relationship a lot stronger than the rest of the book. Even though there wasn’t much going on, the scene made me appreciate the characters a lot more and was a nice ending. It was like taking a step back and tying everything together. Another important scene for the development of their relationship is the flashback where Percy supports Monty through his darkest times. The scene showed a completely different side of the two than what was portrayed in the present. Monty feels sad and tired, which is rare and adds a lot to his depth and maturity compared to his usual joking and flirting. The scene shows just how much they care about each other and what they’ve gone through together, which I really enjoyed.

I read this book incredibly slowly, which definitely took away from the full effect (my short attention span self simply cannot), but it was still a good read. The characters feel very human, and the relationships between characters are very sweet. The novel only gets better as it goes on, and the character and relationship development are well-written. If you enjoy historical fiction and romance this is the book for you (the author gives really good historical context). Overall a very entertaining and solid read.

- Sabrina