Negative Political Ads

I was watching T.V. the other day and during a commercial break I saw four political ads in a row- four! And at least three of them were negative. What’s up with that?

   Everyone I speak to about political ads say they hate all of the negativity. I wonder why a candidate can’t just bring up their own qualifications and leave out the attacks. But even though we all hate the negative ads and political ads in general, they’re still showing them, so they must be doing something, right?

   Well, they do a little. An article from Discover News says that while negative ads do not affect voter turnout or change the minds of decided voters, they do encourage people to look more deeply into the issues and do some research themselves. The article reports that most people claim that the negative ads have no affect on them. But, studies have shown that certain key words can stick with us and possibly affect our opinions involving the candidates attacked in the ads.

   So it seems like there may be something to negative ads. In the upcoming presidential election, the margins are tight between the incumbent and his challenger. According to Gallup, today (10/24) there is only a one percent difference (47% to 48%) between the two candidates amongst registered voters. That means that if the studies mentioned in the article I mentioned are correct, negative ads could have an affect on the election- likely on the undecided voters.

   If it is also true that negative ads encourage potential voters to look more deeply at the issues, then are they so bad? Isn’t it best if we are all take the time to educate ourselves about the candidates and the issues? We all hate negative ads, but if their affect is beneficial toward the education of voters, (as indirect as it may be) then I’m all for them. So next time you see a negative political ad, go ahead and gripe about it, but remember that it may be inspiring another voter to educate him/herself.

Money

   I like having money (but don’t have much). It’s nice to be able to buy things with money that I have earned. But I think it’s weird how we rarely see the money that we make these days. So what’s up with money?

  

 The idea of money is pretty simple. You give someone currency that you have, they take it and give you what you want in exchange for it. It’s also fairly easy to understand the relative value of the money we have. We know that a dollar can’t buy anything. Twelve bucks can get you a decent meal. And anywhere from forty to seventy dollars fills up your car with gas. But, what I wonder is, what does that money mean?

  The cash money in your hand used to be worth a set amount of precious metal (i.e. gold). This is called the Gold Standard. That basically means that if you have cash in your hand, it can be traded in for a set amount of gold. But, it is no longer in use today. Our current system is called flat money. Flat money means that goods are allowed to fluctuate in price depending on what the market demands. So now, instead of our cash actually being worth something physical, we as a society have determined that it is has value based on the market in order to trade for goods and services. Basically, our money has value because the market determines that there is a demand for it.

  

 Leaving the gold standard and allowing money to be worth something simply because we say it does wasn’t enough. We now have electronic banking, credit cards, transfers, money wiring, etc. Every two weeks, I get paid for working. I have my money directly deposited into my bank account. I check online to make sure I got it all. Its there- “hooray!” Then I go out to eat and pay with my credit card.    Later in the month I get a statement from the credit card company, telling me that I owe them money. So I jump online and directly transfer funds from my bank account to the credit card company. During this entire process, I have not seen a shred of paper money. I have been paid for my services, postponed payment on goods for myself, and then paid my bills, all with seemingly imaginary money.

   I just think it’s weird that we buy things with something that we can’t see and to me, seems to have no apparent value. Of course, I’ll still use money, and I’m not necessarily against the way it is now. It’s just an interesting concept to think about.

Eating Habits

   What is the purpose of food? Why do we eat? It provides our bodies with sustenance, helps give energy to our muscles, and supplies our brains with the things we need to function properly. That’s what food is for. So what’s up with poor nutrition?

   Well, for most of us, food is more than just sustenance. It’s not a chemical equation, easily calculated to figure out what goes where in the body. It’s a memory in a flavor, a culture in a bite. We have holidays, traditions, and gatherings, all with food at their focus. As intelligent beings, we require more than just mere sustenance to make it through the day. Food isn’t just good for our bodies, its good for our hearts (so to speak).

   Although food is nearly as important to us emotionally as it is nutritionally, it is also important to remember that unhealthy food can lead to excess fat build-up. Too much of the things that make our taste buds smile can also play a role in problems such as, atherosclerosis (thickening of the artery walls) and hypertension (high blood pressure).

   To combat the risk of future heart disease, I’ve started trying to cut out sweets. It’s a difficult task that requires diligence and discipline. For me, motivation is the key when trying to accomplish something. After a difficult workout at the gym, I can say no to sweets by telling myself that the several moments of pleasure are not worth all of the work I just put in.

   The CDC reports that over one third of the population of the United States are classified as obese (obesity is defined as having a BMI of over 30). As a society, how did we get so heavy? The simplest explanation is that we have become more sedentary and do not eat the proper nutrients to accommodate for such. The CDC would agree, saying that “obesity result[s] from an energy imbalance. This involves eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activity.” This could be a result of our work force switching from labor-intensive occupations to less physically demanding ones.

   We need food to survive. And even though it can be delicious and it’s nice to enjoy, we need to remember that at its roots, food is nutrition and should be treated as such. The negative affects of a poor diet can have some serious consequences and can also be downright dangerous. I love food and I’m sure you do too. But let’s work on making our diets better.

Hand Washing

   Are you a hand washer? We all know we should wash our hands after using the bathroom. 95% of adults claim to practice restroom hygiene. But a university study showed that 90% of women do and only 72% of men wash their hands after leaving the bathroom (Edwards et al., 2002)*. Hand washing was one of the most significant medical discoveries of all time. So guys, what’s up with that?

   Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician in the mid 1800’s, was disturbed by the number of deaths from infection that victimized many birthing mothers. His clinic’s doctor’s ward suffered three times the mortality rate of midwives. Semmelweis realized that doctors who had recently worked with dead bodies were also caring for expecting mothers. He established hand washing and reduced the clinic’s mortality rate to below 1%.

   On school days, I generally spend several hours on campus. Naturally, it is necessary for me to visit a public restroom. I’ve noticed one facility in particular that seems to be plagued by under washing. Although there is ample sink space to wash up, there is only one hand soap dispenser on the far side of the counter. This leads many patrons to leave the bathroom without lathering up, simply because it is inconvenient to reach around another user to get disinfectant.

  The other day, I had several hours to kill, so I decided to see if the problem persisted only in restrooms in which there was not enough soap. Each one was the same. I walked in. The smell of deodorizer barely masked the unmistakable stench of fecal matter. Even if the restroom had no dispenser issues, I usually observed at least one person not washing his hands. It didn’t seem to matter what type of movement it was- be it bowel or bladder. I found myself wanting to exclaim, “Dude, I know your mother taught you to wash your hands. You just got off the toilet and I have to touch the doorknob too.”

   It’s clear that as a society, we understand that we are supposed to wash our hands. Edwards and his crew show in their study that most people claim to wash their hands. They look into several other factors, such as race and whether or not an observer being present makes a difference. But the key factor is gender. And men are far behind.

   So seriously, what’s up with that?

*Edwards, Donald, Elizabeth Monk-Turner, Steve Poorman, Maria Rushing, Stephen Warren and Jarita Willie. 2002. "Predictors of Hand-Washing Behavior." Social Behavior and Personality 30(8):751-756