Es Sw Si EO UI SS SL Eve on Our The Lion's Ee Suhrisy Is, 2011 Ceneraiion He Said By Paolo DiPaolo Lion's Eye Staff Writer pod5013@psu.edu Valentine’s Day is a holiday that people usually hate, men especially. Why do men hate Valentine’s Day? Well, I have reasons that will make you rethink how you feel about this holiday. People sometimes feel that just because you don’t have a girlfriend or a boyfriend that you shouldn’t care about this day. Again, you are also wrong. On Valentine’s Day love is everywhere and you can’t help resist its power. I’m going to breakdown the word Valentine like never before to show you as the readers what Valentine’s Day could mean to you. . V is for Victim. I say this because ev- eryone is a victim in Cupid’s Chokehold of love. People no matter what have feelings for at least someone. We all know it’s true too! We are all people that fall in love and Valentine’s Day is the day to fall victim to love. A is for Affection. Affection is what you have towards another. It’s your emotions taking over your body physically and mentally for the person you love in your life. L is for Love. Yes, I’m stating the obvious. Love is the word that people say so frequently and really can’t explain its true meaning. It’s the word everyone LOVES to say. It’s the feeling that people have over one another that is so unexplainable to ask someone what it really means wouldn’t be right because everyone has a different mean- ing for it. : E is for Expression. Expression is the opportunity to show the person you love how you really feel. It’s the way to let your feelings flow and show the person that you love how much they really mean to you. N is for Nice. It’s the kindness that you can give someone know matter who it is. Just because you are not with someone doesn’t mean that you can’t be nice to someone on that day. T is for Time. It’s the time to hold nothing back and do everything that you can to show your love the most. This day is very special to many people. This may not be the most popular holiday, but it’s the time of the year that people still look forward too and the holiday that everyone wants to remember. I is for Innocence. The innocent love is desired by everyone. Valentine’s Day brings out the true love between two without interference. Your innocent love for another takes you over the top and brings you to that romantic place that we all wait for. N is for Now. It’s the love that will last now and forever. At this point, your love is so strong for someone that you can’t help, but want to be | in the moment. On Valentine’s Day love the moment now and forever. E is for Enchanting. The final word is enchanting because it means magical. All the words lead up to this because love could be enchanting and Valentine’s Day could be magical to someone who you love. As I conclude there is no reason to hate Valentine’s Day. If you hate this day that means that you hate love. Love is the single greatest thing that keeps life going. It’s the moment in time to love someone. Just remember on this to love. Love is the greatest search in life that everyone looks to find. So as I say, Valentine’s Day means “a Victims Affection to love and Expression to be Nice during a Time of Innocence Now for Enchantment.” Happy Valentine’s Day, Everyone! Hugs 8. Kisses. ..... WHATEVER y ° She Said By Megan Draper Lion's Eye Staff Writer msd5198@psu.edu I love the holidays, real holidays, that is. I also understand and respect that just because I don’t celebrate a particular holiday, that doesn’t mean that it is not meaningful and le- gitimate. Valentine’s Day, however, does not fall into the “real holiday” category. I mean, how many people even know what it is they are celebrating when they exchange gifts on Valentine’s Day? Is the holiday itself really that important to that many people? I know, Valentine’s Day supporters claim it’s about love and there was a guy with the name Valentine. Yes, there was a St. Valentine, but why exactly there is a Valen- tine’s Day is not entirely clear. So, nobody’s entirely sure why the holiday came into existence, I consider that code for “Fake Holiday.” Why not celebrate Monkey Day on December 14th? (Yes, it is actually Monkey Day on December 14th.) Perhaps one could argue that the history is unimportant, because Valentine’s Day is about love. I would question that person’s definition of love. I suppose if you think love is about spending money and showering your significant other with gifts, than Valentine’s Day is about love. I always thought the very nature of love is that it is unconditional. If you truly love someone, do you really need an annual holiday to remind you? The only ones benefiting from Valentine’s Day are the companies that promote it. Valentine’s Day is so commercialized that it gives Hallmark Holidays a bad name. Every business has found a way to cash in on Valentine’s Day. Cards, chocolates, and flowers are Valentine staples. Why they are considered romantic, I cannot even begin to fathom. If you actually spoke a verse from one of those cards to your girlfriend or boyfriend, they would think you were crazy, and rightfully so. Why then, is it “sweet” and “thoughtful” to give it to someone in a heart festooned card? The cupids and candy hearts get to me as well. Those candies are possibly the most artificial and | unappetizing sweets in existence. My theory is that they were made purely for deco- ration and are not fit for human consumption. Does anybody find cupid appealing, I think he’s just kind of creepy. Personally, I yiouid prefer a Monkey Day baboon over a Valentine’s Day cupid. Restaurants, movie theaters, and a plethora of retail stores also cash in. There is a tendency for romantic comedies to come out around Valentine’s Day; I somehow doubt this is a coincidence. You don’t even have to plan or put any effort into your Valentine’s Day date. The movie is picked for you, and the restaurant may even have a Valentine’s Day Special selected. The gift will be easy as well, seeing as the retailers have chosen all of the items for you. Stores manage to be filled with those cheap white bears every February. If you want to spend a bit more, you can even get a singing bear. Perhaps I am the one missing the point of Valentine’s Day. Maybe the tacky decora- tions and shallow cheer are supposed to be what makes Valentine’s Day fun. Well, regardless of the point, I still have no interest in Valentine’s Day. I think that I’1l wait around for December, and celebrate Monkey Day instead. le It Mast, Or (6 1t More? Music is an art that is constantly changing, and cool or be successful is 10 live life in the footsteps of By Ryann O’Donnell- Lion's Eye Staff Writer r005042@psu.edu tive] presentation over the years has changed drastically. It has gone from rock and roll, psychedelic rock, disco, rhythm and blues, rap and much more. When people think of music they cannot help but think about the people that are associated to the certain types of music. So, the question is; does music have control over our generation, or society as a whole? The twenty first century has brought a long with it a wide range of music. Within all of the different styles of music come different characteristics of the listeners as well as performers. Each group of people is almost like their own sub-culture. The groups of people that listen to classic rock seem to wear their hair long and wavy, while also wearing band t-shirts and tight jeans. The classic rock group of people is seen as hippies. They are the freewheeling, pot smoking, and earth-loving kind of individuals. The people that listen to rap have the sub- culture of gangsters or want to be gangsters. They are seen dressing in baggy clothes and backward hats. They act like they don’t care about anyone but themselves, and only care about sex, drugs, violence, and money. The lyrics of songs can impact an individual drastically. The listeners believe that the only way to be their role models. An example of how media can actually have an effect on behavior is in the song “Cop Killer” by Ice T. In this song he says Die, die, die pig, die! F**k the police! (repeat) F**k the police, for Rodney King. F**k the police, for my dead homies. F**[ the police, for your freedom. F**k the police, dont be a pussy... Not only does this song encourage violence, but it also tries to take away the manhood of those who do not by saying “Don’t be a pussy”. The message is that violence is manly. No man wants to be compared to a girl. One reported incident related to this song was in July 1992, where two Las Vegas police officers were ambushed and shot by four juveniles who explained that they were induced to commit the offense by the record- ing of “Cop Killer,” published by Time Warner. These young men continued to chant the lyrics to “Cop Killer,” even after their arrest. Things like this show exactly how the media can impact people. “[The violence adds an attrac- that glamorizes the activity.” Media of this sort clearly has an effect on those exposed. Law enforcement should not have to worry about something like this when they are trying to help society. Artist and filmmakers need to be aware of the message they are send- ing out and the easily influenced minds they are affecting. If this violence is constantly being shown to consumers they are going to begin to think that it is normal. After repeated exposure to graphic media violence, viewers may become “com- fortable” with the violent content, thereby reducing their level of anxiety toward the crimes. Whether it is The Beatles talking about taking LSD, or Lil Wayne ‘making your Bed rock’, music gives Rapper and actor Ice T. (photo courtesy google.com) a message to its listeners.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers