Stop being useless, fad-following, oblivious, unthinking, materialistic morons who contribute nothing to the betterment of society!

I must point out a mistake in the Oct. 8 opinion piece about Britney Spears. It’s not a factual error mind you. It’s a simple mistake of expectation.

Do you really expect anyone who cares about Britney Spears to read all the way down to the eighth paragraph?

The eighth paragraph is where the reader will encounter the message. It’s the message the average student needs to hear. We all know, however, that the average pop-obsessed, MTV watching, Paris Hilton loving, wannabe socialite won’t read past the first paragraph, especially without pictures.

Some of you reading this might say it’s unfair of me to categorize everyone who is interested in Ms. Spears so negatively. Some might even say I’m guilty of resorting to hyperbole to prove my point, but I challenge you to really listen to what students and your friends are talking about.

The number of people who care about Branjelina more than they care about administrative pay raises and fee increases is extraordinarily depressing. There’s room in our tiny little brains for Paris Hilton and health care issues, Britney Spears and the erosion of our constitutional rights, Lindsay Lohan and the dismantling of our system of checks and balances.

It’s as if some people think it’s cute to be dumb. We need to stop letting these people to be unchallenged. We need to let them know that being dumb is disgusting. By “we,” I mean all of us, including professors.

Instead of quietly smirking at a student’s blissful ignorance, we need to confront them.

Instead of gossiping about celebrity relationships, we need to examine our own.

Instead of jumping on the latest celebrity-sponsored social cause, we need to figure out what really matters to us.

Instead of feeling sad because we’re surrounded by simpletons, we need to be angry.

Instead of burying our frustration eight paragraphs deep in an opinion piece, we need to scream it in the first line.

Benjamin Garber Journalism Senior, Reader of both TMZ.com and The New York Times

Dear Editor,

With millions of families starving in Africa, the ongoing genocide of Darfur, terrorism and, of course, our troops in Iraq fighting insurgents everyday, whoever helped organize the agenda broadcast on CNN still beats me. Whether you love her or hate her, you have no choice but to feel as though you live with Britney Spears. If only Uncle Sam knew that the most powerful country in the world has made Britney Spears the center of breaking news on all mediums of social networks and has sparked debates among our fellow citizens about a half naked pop culture disaster, I’d say he’d be pretty disappointed. Fans interested in Britney Spears’ pantyless visits out on the town or her drives with her children behind the wheel are more than welcome to feed their hunger through their own searching.

But when I turn to CNN, I expect to hear about the presidential campaign, progress in Iraq, the return of the troops, the latest on the war on terrorism, safety measures and other social events that call for awareness and prevention.

We shouldn’t be concerned with celebrity drama that take us all on tour with their mistakes of drug abuse, custody rights, DUI charges, breakups and makeups. It’s just ridiculous. Someone should send CNN to journalistic rehabilitation so then maybe we can have the good old Cable News Network back.

Sincerely, Sabrina Shahnazarian

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