6 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014 EDITOR NADIM ROBERTS lewpoints Our young ones are starving thousands of high school students starve themselves for 30 hours when they participate in charity fasts like World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine. According to a recent statement released by Vancouver Coastal Health, charity fasting can trigger eating disorders or depression in impressionable teenagers who are sensitive about their weight and body image. Why is no one raising awareness about this issue? Why is there no 30- hour fast to help these youth? ’'m 0: youth are at risk. Every year tired of seeing this crisis being ignored, and that’s why I’m launch- ing the “International day to raise awareness about the plight of students who are fasting in order to raise awareness for world hunger.” The day will be observed with a mandatory 30-hour fast followed by a three-course banquet. Let’s be real for a minute. What do events like World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine actually teach our children and youth? They ingrain in them this idea that service to humankind is a passive activity that can be achieved through starving ourselves for a day in our high school gymnasiums. They teach our youth that, as long as they give those 30 hours, the other 8,736 hours of the year can be spent in complete ignorance of our world’s horrifying global issues. After they give their 30 hours, they can go home, eat a nice meal, and sleep soundly in their beds. The next day they will see their friends at school and, while nibbling on their ham sandwiches and sipping on their juice boxes in the cafeteria, they will say, “Wasn’t that time we fasted so much fun? I can’t wait for next year.” It is time we change the way we inspire our youth to serve their communi- ties and the world. We should be real with them and let them know that a 30-hour fast is simply a clever way of getting young people to hand over some of their parents’ cash and feel like they are solving famine. OPINION NADIM ROBERTS Time to grow up row up Langara. G I came to college thinking it was a place full of respectful adults. Instead, I found myself surrounded by a new form of passive-aggressive bullying. Langara wrapped up Bullying Aware- ness week and I was shocked to learn how bad the bullying situation —” is on college ad campusessuch as OPINION ours. Cyberbullying MADELYN has become so FORSYTH intense that our government has felt the need to criminally charge people who take it too far. The simplicity of telling someone something through the internet and not having to see their reaction or how it affects them seems to be what appeals to bullies. High school was different because bullying almost seemed like a rite of passage. In college we are expected to act like adults, but the reality is that very few of us know what an adult acts like. The “Langara confessions” Facebook page is a dream for cyberbullies. This is the type of faceless bullying I find cowardly and most hurtful. Langara confessions is a hotbed for college bullying. I always think back to what my mom told me as a kid: “Treat others the way you would like to be treated.” I only hope one day the world will collectively think the same way. We want to hear from you Did we get a fact wrong? Tell us. Got a different point of view? Write to us. Problems with something we've said? Let us know. Journalism instructor Ethan Baron oversees The Voice. Email him at ebaron@langara.be.ca These cyber bullies are just as bad as the other ones... Las By Nadim Roberts Debate Is good for our campus sial film festival last week has served to promote our college as a destination for artistic and political debate. | angara’s hosting of a controver- The decision of the organizers of the Just Film Festival to screen four films related to the Israel- Palestine conflict has been met dike with controversy, but maybe that OPI N ION isn’t such a bad JEREMY thing for our college. MATTHEWS The Langara Jewish Student Association has claimed that three of the four films portray Israel in a negative and biased light. The festival’s website claims the event is “B.C.’s largest social justice film festival,” and the Langara logo is prominently displayed on the front page of the festival website. Langara’s campus is not necessar- ily known as a centre for debate on the world’s hot global issues, but it should be. College and university campuses have always been environ- ments that are conducive to the sharing of ideas. A little bit of controversy is a natural conse- quence of this. Langara cannot be held respon- sible for the views of the individual artists whose films are being screened. These filmmakers have a right to express themselves and their views. If Langara becomes known as an environment that is home to spirited and balanced debate, its esteem will grow in the eyes of Vancouver’s artistic community, and this is good for the college’s reputation. The festival, and its surrounding controversy, is a boost to Langara’s profile. We should welcome it and hope that our campus plays host to more events like this that put our college on people’s radars. Fil fay ce) The Voice is published by Langara College's journalism department. Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration. We welcome letters to the editor. All letters must be signed. They may be edited for brevity. Names may be withheld in special cases, but your letter must include your name and phone number. HOW TO REACH US PHONE 604-323-5396 FAX 604-323-5398 E-MAIL thevoice@langara.be.ca DROP-IN Room A226 Langara College There is a mailbox at the entrance to the journalism rooms. SNAIL MAIL The Voice 100 West 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. VSY 226 WEBSITE wwwilangaravoice.com EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE: MANAGING EDITOR/ PAGE 6 Nadim Roberts PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Jesse Lam PAGE 2 Vanessa Szpurko PAGE 3 Nick Eagland PAGE 4 Amy Jones PAGE 5 Andrea Anthony PAGE 7 Kendra Wong PAGE 8 Tricia Lo WEB EDITORS Tyler Hooper Jenny Peng REPORTERS Karly Blats Megan Bobetsis Erin Boe Lauren Collins Alissa Crane Edrick Dudang Madelyn Forsyth Mike Hodder Lukasz Jonca Leslie Kam Ash Kelly David LaRiviere Ashley Legassic Edmond Lu Jeremy Matthews Graham McFie Hanna Myrberg Christopher Slater Renee Sutton Ben Zutter Contact us: Online at langaravoice.com Twitter at @langaraVoice