The Harvard Crimson

In this series, Flyby Staff Writer Olivia M. Munk identifies, dissects, and discusses ideas, articles, and opinions found in popular media and popular culture. She's here to inform you and to make you think—about what's out there, what it means to us, and what it might mean for you.

WHAT IT IS

Liberal arts colleges may be known for being accepting environments, but that doesn't mean they are places of uniform thought and opinion—not everyone holds the same views. Recently, over a dozen student protesters interrupted a performance for prospective students at Dartmouth College to decry instances of homophobia, sexual assault, and racism on campus, chanting "Dartmouth has a problem!" Following the protest, hateful comments and threats of physical violence pertaining to the protesters were posted on anonymous message board site Bored at Baker (and were promptly taken down). This past Wednesday, the college's administration cancelled classes to promote an open dialogue addressing the incidents.

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In this series, Flyby Staff Writer Olivia M. Munk identifies, dissects, and discusses ideas, articles, and opinions found in popular media and popular culture. She's here to inform you and to make you think—about what's out there, what it means to us, and what it might mean for you.

WHAT IT IS

In case you've been living under a rock and you don't already know, gun control laws are a hot topic in the United States right now. Although the Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms, many contend that, in so doing, it facilitates mass murders such as those that occurred in Aurora, Colo. in July of 2012 and  Newtown, Conn. in December. Some argue that we should institute laws stipulating that background checks be run before someone buys a gun in order to bar those with a history of violence or mental instability from being sold a firearm. On the flip side, others argue that the government ought to make it easier to buy guns so that people can protect themselves from the other violent people who are also buying guns. Either way, guns exist, and the unfortunate fact is that, as long as they do, people will use guns to hurt each other. So how do we regulate these weapons without violating our inalienable American rights?

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In this series, Flyby Staff Writer Olivia M. Munk identifies, dissects, and discusses ideas, articles, and opinions found in popular media and popular culture. She's here to inform you and to make you think—about what's out there, what it means to us, and what it might mean for you.

WHAT IT IS

In 2010, Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi committed suicide after his roommate shared a video over the internet of his romantic encounters with another man; 15-year-old Phoebe Prince hanged herself after being tormented online by girls from her high school; most recently, Rehtaeh Parsons attempted suicide and died several days later after her peers shared images of her rape.

Kids can be cruel—and it's clear that the newest technology can enable them to be even crueler. With the advent of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, not to mention instant picture messaging over cell phones, even the briefest of debaucherous acts become immediately immortalized. Using the internet to bully peers, aptly called "cyberbullying," has become an increasingly frequent phenomenon in recent years.

A recent op-ed in the New York Times, however, suggests that we're being overzealous in our definition of "bullying." The piece's author, Emily Bazelon, argues: "The word is being overused—expanding, accordionlike, to encompass both appalling violence or harassment and a few mean words." Is it possible to say, however, that "a few mean words" does not constitute bullying when these very words—or images, or videos—can and do drive some to take their own lives?

Although social media has its obvious benefits, it is just as obvious to most that whatever these kids are doing, bullying or not, something must be done to prevent teenagers from being tormented by their peers to the point of suicide. The question is: What?

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In this series, Flyby Staff Writer Olivia M. Munk identifies, dissects, and discusses ideas, articles, and opinions found in popular media and popular culture. She's here to inform you and to make you think—about what's out there, what it means to us, and what it might mean for you.

WHAT IT IS

A letter to the editor posted on The Daily Princetonian's website outlines one female alum's main advice for matriculating women: Find a husband. Susan A. Patton, President of Princeton’s Class of 1977, writes , "Here's what nobody is telling you: Find a husband on campus before you graduate. Yes, I went there."

Patton argues that had she given birth to a daughter, she would advise her to seek out a husband that is of equal intelligence, and that college is the number one place to find him. This, however, should not take the full four years. Patton notes that "freshman women... have four classes of men to choose from. Every year, you lose the men in the senior class, and you become older than the class of incoming freshman men. So, by the time you are a senior, you basically have only the men in your own class to choose from, and frankly, they now have four classes of women to choose from. Maybe you should have been a little nicer to these guys when you were freshmen?"

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In this series, Flyby Staff Writer Olivia M. Munk identifies, dissects, and discusses ideas, articles, and opinions found in popular media and popular culture. She's here to inform you and to make you think—about what's out there, what it means to us, and what it might mean for you.

WHAT IT IS

According to the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), Vassar College gives new meaning to the term "liberal" arts. The religious organization (frequently referred to as a hate group) has dubbed the private college in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. an "Ivy League Whorehouse" and is set to protest there tomorrow (February 28). An announcement on the WBC's website, tactfully entitled "godhatesfags.com," proclaims that the group will protest the school for being "champions of whoredom" and having partaken in a "fag agenda."

(Continued)

In this series, Flyby Staff Writer Olivia M. Munk identifies, dissects, and discusses ideas, articles, and opinions found in popular media and popular culture. She's here to inform you and to make you think—about what's out there, what it means to us, and what it might mean for you.

WHAT IT IS

In the wake of the Great Recession, formal college education and its ever-increasing price tag has been under scrutiny from the popular media. To make higher education accessible for all, Bill Gates, Florida governor Rick Scott, and others have proposed the implementation of a $10,000 bachelors degree program. Is it possible? A recent op-ed in the New York Times details Arthur C. Brooks' flirtation with traditional college, followed by what his parents fondly dubbed a "gap-decade," and finally a return to academia by correspondence. Brooks managed to complete his undergraduate degree as well as two graduate ones without obtaining a cent of debt, and most importantly, all for less than $10,000.

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