Counterintuitive Spring 2023

It seems counterintuitive that men, who have dominated the world for millennials and are the leading perpetrators of rape, are the ones deciding what it means to be raped. The evolving definition of rape has been on the rapist side until the twenty-first century. 

 Even today there is disagreement on what is considered rape, whether rape can occur if the rapist is someone the victim knows or is in a relationship with. Despite the evolution of cultural and moral ideals, we still see medieval ethics find their way back into the definition of rape. Todd Akin, former U.S. Representative believed that “Without a woman’s consent she could not conceive.” Bring back the barbaric theory that a womans body would either not allow her to get pregnant during rape, and if she does get pregnant, it would no longer be considered rape. 

Men should not have the power to decide what is considered rape, if they do not intend to educate themselves in order to have a full understanding of all the forms and outcomes of rape.

Source: Men Defining Rape: A History

It seems counterintuitive that thousands of dollars would be put into the final year of a person’s life just to try and discover the slightest chance of recovery. Paying for test after test, different doctors, and more procedures just to get more negative results that continue to confirm the unavoidable conclusion of life.

Although there are cases where doctors have come back with false negative tests, it is never a bad thing to get a second opinion when it comes to discussing the possibility of letting a person move on. However when the process is dragged out to a fifth test, a fourth opinion, the patient’s chances of getting an optimistic outcome has diminished a fair amount. End-of-life care, although it is there to support families to make their decisions on the beloved’s behalf easier, it causes the families to pay thousands just to come to the decision to pull the plug.

Source: How Mom’s Death Changed My Thinking About End-of-Life Care

https://www.propublica.org/article/how-moms-death-changed-my-thinking-about-end-of-life-care

It seems counterintuitive that we chase after something that we could have had all along, but had no idea how to get. Most people spend their life trying to achieve happiness through a job, a family, etc. People will get sad or disappointed when their dreams don’t come true, but years later it may turn out to be the best thing that happened to them. 

Fate can seem so cruel when it throws a curve ball at us. Although we hate it when we are given a limited time to assess our choices, those decisions turn out to be the most beneficial one you can make.

The decisions where the outcome is decided quickly without too much deliberation, are the ones that people tend to regret less. They give people a sense of accomplishment or joy, knowing they made a good decision. Compared to those that have the time to contemplate over whether they are making the right decision. These people are more likely to disagree with their earlier choice due to the amount of time they begin to question their initial thoughts. Those stuck with their hasty decision are more likely to be pleased by what they chose. For instance, if someone was given the choice between a cookie and a brownie, very few people would regret the decision they made and many would just be happy. 

Even then every choice is circumstantial, there will always be a harder question that needs to be answered, we may not always know what’s best. Life is never truly knowing if you made the right choice, just enjoy what you do in the moment.

Source: Dan Gilbert: The surprising science of happiness

Do Toms Shoes Really help People?

It seams counterintuitive that the premise of “buy one, give one” companies fail to address the real problems that developing worlds face. For Toms to go into a community and give out shoes, the consumers of these goods begin to expect that when their shoes grow old they will be gifted new ones. “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” If they can create their own market and production systems for making shoes or any-other types of goods the people in the community would benefit long term. The aid that these people need does not lie under handouts, they require teaching and mentorship for improved quality of life.

Free Heroin to Battle Addiction

It seam counterintuitive that addicts are given heroin “safely” to keep them out of the way of law abiding citizens. Is this a desperate final effort to help the worst of the worst addicts or is it killing them in the nicest way possible. Many rehab workers have had successful results in even the worst cases. Understandably sometimes it may not work out but feeding their addiction so that they don’t bother anyone else feels wrong. The heroin safe zones create a class of people that are dead but still ticking. The government gives up on them but cant execute them, instead they are just keeps out of everyone else’s way to seam morally correct.

Does Using Paper Take CO2 Out of the Environment?

It seams counterintuitive that paper holds on to carbon for a very short period of time but we recycle paper anyway. Eventually, paper decomposes and releases its carbon into the atmosphere, turning into the harmful carbon dioxide. As on piece of paper goes through the recycling process, it will evidently expel all its carbon content, defeating the purpose of paper being recycled.

1)Free Heroin to Battle Addiction

It seems counterintuitive that heroin, one of the most addictive and deadly opioids in the world, would be provided legally to some of the worst drug addicts in Vancouver, Canada. But that is exactly what is happening.

Because Vancouver is a port town, it serves as a distribution center for narcotics smuggled over the Pacific. A large portion of the narcotics are kept within the city, particularly in a neighborhood known as “Downtown Eastside”. Currently it serves as the epicenter of Vancouver’s drug problem.

Several approaches have been taken to solve this issue in Vancouver for many years. They ultimately came up with the concept of creating the program Insite, a secure haven. Without fear of being caught by authorities, some of the worst users are given some of the purest heroin under the supervision of nurses for free. Insite center employees offer clean syringes, disinfectant wipes, and other medical supplies to addicts to make the process as clean as possible.

This program is offered to a select group of 26 heroin users who have already tried more standard approaches like methadone to combat their addiction. They’re written off as hopeless cases because their bodies are deemed too poisonous and heroin-saturated to ever be weaned off of the drug.

A committee of medical professionals has determined that people who have tried and failed several times to overcome their heroin addiction while on methadone should engage in harm reduction. It is possible to prevent heroin addicts from relapsing if they are given daily dosages and are given enough care. As a result, individuals are less likely to be found dead in an alleyway, to perform a car break-in, or to shoplift merely to get some money. Although Insite’s goal is not to get heroin addicts to stop using the substance, it does aim to reduce the harm that they may bring to others as well as themselves.

Some people doubt the topic’s morality and think it’s a more humane method to put an end to their lives. The decrease of harm to users and others, on the other hand, adds value to society in the long term.

2)Are Multi-Vitamins Dangerous?

It’s seems counterintuitive that multivitamins, which are advertised to improve our health, might instead put us at risk. Most vitamin users receive their daily allowance from food alone, compared to nonusers. With so many goods on store shelves, it’s easy to consume more than the recommended daily amount of certain vitamins and minerals. That can be harmful in some situations.

Multivitamins aren’t the nutritious miracles the market would have us think, according to a mountain of evidence. In 2009, a large research of older women found that multivitamins did not protect against any illness such as heart disease, lung disease, or colon cancer. Another similar study came to the same conclusion in 2011.

Instead, we must determine whether or not the vitamins we are ingesting are indeed required for our health. Federal health officials, for example, recommend multivitamins for picky eaters and anorexics, as well as specific supplements for certain groups of people. Increasing poor bone density in the elderly is promoted by consuming more Vitamin D.

Healthier individuals should shy away from vitamins and continue to consume their daily required nutrients from their food intake.

3)Is Walmart Organic and Local?

It seems counterintuitive that Walmart is one of the countries most successful grocery producers when it it comes to organic foods. However, their products are not truly organic. Walmart’s objective is to make more money; it has no intention of bringing about social change.

Any goods sold in the same state is considered local by Walmart. Walmart appears to buy its produce in bulk from larger farms owing to the reduced cost and the opportunity to resell the fruit as organic due to it being sourced from a nearby farm.

This appears to be a ploy by Walmart to defraud their consumers while simultaneously increasing their profit margins. People who sincerely believe they are buying organic food should not be penalized. Customers who really want organic products should contact local farms instead than shopping at Walmart.

Vancouver combats its heroin problems by giving its addicts the best smack in the world

Heroin Deaths have increased by more than 500% in the last 10 years. These numbers continue to go up and the access to the drug is growing even faster. It seems counterintuitive to allow Vancouver’s heroin addicts to shoot up under the supervision of a nurse and without the fear of being arrested by police. Most people who take heroin will become addicted to it within 12 weeks of consistent use. Approximately 7,000 people die from heroin a year and now governments are going to look the other way and ignore it. Supervised or not, to allow addicts to continue injecting an addicting and illegal drug into themselves to lower a crime rate is a crime itself and morally wrong.

Vancouver started a program that is going to treat heroin addicts. Heroin addicts are being given heroin by doctors and they call it “treatment” for them. All this does is slowly kill them off or get rid of them so that they are someone else’s problem. If these people are given doses of heroin every day and kept comfortable and docile, no one will likely be seeing them dead or in the middle of the street begging for money. Most heroin addicts lose their houses for drug use and money they spend on drugs. Only 26 addicts are in this program right now but if people think they won’t get in trouble by the police for heroin usage, they are going to start injecting heroin. People are less likely to get addicted to heroin if they don’t know of a safe spot to go to inject. This program is being compared to blackmailing because they are stating that these people will always be heroin addicts, and that there is no hope of getting off heroin, so let’s give the patients more heroin so they are less dangerous. This is completely counterintuitive because the program are just killing heroin addicts in a more polite way.

Why are people happy?

It seems counterintuitive that both someone who lost a leg and someone who won the lottery are equally happy with their lives. Studies show that achievements or failure have far less impact, less intensity, and much less duration than people expect them to have. It is assumed that major life traumas have no impact on happiness. Happiness can be synthesized by a positive mindset.

Humans have a psychological immune system: a “system of cognitive processes that help them change their views of the world, so that they can feel better about the worlds in which they find themselves.” Many think that happiness needs to be found rather than synthesized. There is no way people can be happy after losing everything they ever worked for. However, Jim Wright was in this situation before when he lost his power. He stated he is so “much better off physically, financially and mentally and in almost every other way.” His mindset had a lot to do with the beginning of his happiness. He made his life great from his reaction to something terrible which is synthesizing. Synthesizing happiness is what we make out of life when we don’t get what we want. Our longings and our worries can be dramatic. We have preferences that lead us one way or another, but happiness is synthesized.

There’s more to life than being happy

It seems counterintuitive that it is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness. In a study, psychological scientists asked Americans from 17-78 if they thought their lives were meaningful and/or happy. This is when they discovered that there is a difference between a meaningful and happy life.

A happy life has more to do with how people receive happiness without giving to others while meaningful is how people give happiness to others. Happiness can mean selfishness if the people are only receiving happiness and not giving any in return. The pursuit of happiness is ironically leaving people less happy. No one should be looking for happiness, if feeling good, happiness just comes. Happy people live an easier life because they are only worried about themselves while meaningful lives are all about making others happy. Most Americans do not have a strong sense of what makes their lives meaningful. The pursuit of happiness is associated with a taker who only takes what’s given to them. Satisfaction is happiness. If being selfish makes someone happy then how does the pursuit of happiness thwart happiness. It is counterintuitive because it is saying that the pursuit of happiness which is being selfish and happy prevents happiness.

1) Anne Frank’s Diary is a Work of Fiction

It seems counterintuitive that one of the most celebrated diaries in history could be a work of fiction. The term “diary” implies that the contents include the real life experiences and feelings of its author. The text is expected to be factual. However, it appears that Anne Frank had revised and embellished her diary with the intention of it being published for the public eye. 

While it would be extreme to claim that Anne Frank’s beloved diary is a complete work of fiction, it certainly should not be referred to as a historical document. In her memoir, Miep Gies, a Dutch citizen who put her life in danger to hide Anne and her family in their annex, explained an unusual encounter with Anne, as she interrupted the young girl in a writing frenzy. It was one of many instances where Anne was caught in a trance-like state while crafting her diary, rather than spontaneously recording anecdotes of her day.

Anne had noted many times that she dreamed of being a writer and longed for the public to read her work. Soon after beginning her diary she had decided to write it as a book, in diary form, to hopefully publish after the war concluded. “Just imagine how interesting it would be if I were to publish a romance of the ‘Secret Annex.’ The title alone would be enough to make people think it was a detective story. But, seriously, it would be quite funny ten years after the war if we Jews were to tell how we lived and what we ate and talked about here.” The original diary was gifted to Anne in June 1942, and shortly after, her entries began. In the spring of 1944, after making the executive decision that it was no longer to be for her eyes only, she revised the entire book, while continuing to add new entries. 

It may be upsetting to many to claim that not all of Anne’s writing is truthful, as she suffered through the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust. Nevertheless, the remarkable writing itself should be respected as a fine piece of literature. Anne wrote with an overwhelmingly mature voice that thoroughly convinces the reader that it is simply an innocent and spontaneous diary of a teenage girl. Anne certainly should be recognized as the gifted writer that she was.

2) The Hair Part Theory

It seems counterintuitive that something as superficial as the way one parts one’s hair could be a highly defining factor in determining one’s identity. The Hair Part Theory is the concept that an individual dominant in the analytical and logical skills of the left-hemisphere brain function will wear a left side hair part, while a right side hair part would be visible on an individual who excels in right-hemisphere brain function, predominantly imagination and emotional abilities. It is absurd that such a theory exists, as it is impossible to conclude this vast amount of information about a person by analyzing the part in their hair that may very likely change depending on their hairstyle for the day. Furthermore, some supporters of the theory claim that the left side part has developed a reputation to be a masculine feature and the right side part has become more associated with femininity. Making such a claim implies that the average observer may consciously take note that an individual with a left side part, despite their gender, exhibits a masculine presence, which is highly unlikely.

Those in favor of the theory believe that many prominent public figures have supported this thesis. The strong-willed Margaret Thatcher and Hillary Clinton, women certainly not known for their glamour or femininity, both validate the Hair Part Theory with their left side parts. Men such as Lou Gehrig and Laurence Olivier, individuals who were known publicly for their sensitive natures, have also served as evidence to the theory with their right side parts. While these examples may align with the theory, it is likely that they are simply coincidental and great conclusions should not be drawn from them. Another popular example, those who advocate for the Hair Part Theory suggest, is that of Superman and Clark Kent, claiming that even Superman, the epitome of masculinity, has a left side part, while his mild-mannered alter ego, Clark Kent has a right side part. However, it is much more logical that the creator of Superman merely intended to have stark differences between the characters’ two personas and any alignment to the theory is once again by chance.

The Hair Part theory reinforces stereotypes that have been embedded in society for centuries—that a trivial aspect of one’s appearance can account for a great deal of their personality. While evidence of this theory may prove the contrary in some cases, it is presumptuous to claim that it can be universally applied to all. Overall, it is counterintuitive to perpetuate this absurd theory that ultimately contradicts everything for which society is striving, regarding acceptance and inclusivity.

3) Do Multivitamins Make You Sick?

It seems counterintuitive that a multivitamin labelled to improve your health could actually inflict an illness. However, studies have shown that the majority of individuals who consume vitamins on a daily basis already receive adequate nutrients from their food intake, resulting in a surplus of the vitamin from the supplement. Certain vitamins when taken in excess, can actually increase one’s risk of developing a disease. For instance, studies have linked an excessive amount of folic acid to heart disease and the retinol form of vitamin A to birth defects, among many other afflictions. One may question why these possible risks are not clearly labelled for the consumer to consider before purchasing. 

While daily vitamins are not necessary for the popular majority, there are particular people that do benefit from specific vitamins. Alcoholics may benefit from a folic acid supplement due to the fact that alcohol blocks folic acid from absorption. It is suggested that people following a plant-based diet should take a B12 supplement, as animals are the main source of the nutrient. Apart from distinct scenarios that vary from person to person, the average individual does not need exorbitant amounts of daily vitamins compacted into a small supplement.

The true beneficiaries of the daily vitamin are not those who take it, but those who work in the $28 billion dollar industry. It is no coincidence that the Food and Drug Administration, pressured by political figures, does not require vitamins to have labels explaining the possible risks that come from exceeding the recommended daily intake of certain nutrients, as that would not aid in their marketing of keeping the consumer “healthy.” Parents may be hesitant to feed their child vitamins each morning, if they were aware that each gummy surpasses the upper daily intake limits of vitamin A and zinc. If authentic information was presented to users, many would abandon their daily multivitamin, as these vitamins clearly do not aid in making people healthier, but rather line the pockets of politicians and executives. 

As a student with a communications-based major, I thought it would be interesting to try viewing the content of “Romney, Corporate Welfare King” from the perspectives of each of the three major television news networks for this assignment. In addition to this, my author category doesn’t exist yet so I just submitted it under “Purposeful Summaries”.

FOX News (Conservative)

It seems counterintuitive that to leave behind a shell of a company would be a success, but for Bain Capital, the private equity firm headed by Mitt Romney in the years before his 2012 presidential run, it was. Romney & Bain took advantage of chances presented by a flagging industrial sector to succeed, providing capital to revive companies such as Indiana’s Steel Dynamics to both save jobs and make profits for Bain’s investors. Even when Bain’s target corporations did not come back from their troubles (which only occurred on less than half of their deals), Romney still fulfilled his main purpose – to make money for his investors. An example of this can be seen in Bain’s salvaging of a $58.4 million profit out of a failing South Carolina steel mill. This was accomplished through wise usage of opportunities presented by the United States’ tax code as well as other public-private partnerships available to all aspiring entrepreneurs. While this may seem hypocritical given Romney’s anti-entitlement stance on the campaign trail, it actually represents a savvy needed to identify loopholes present in the tax code and the social safety net so that they can be closed to make a more fair and free market for everyone.

CNN (Moderate/Neoliberal)

It seems counterintuitive that to leave behind a husk of a company would be a success, but for Bain Capital, the vulture capitalist firm headed by Mitt Romney in the years before his 2012 presidential run, it was. In the stormy years following the collapse of the manufacturing sector, owners of small companies such as Indiana-based Steel Dynamics & South Carolina-based GS Industries were faced with no choice but to sell to firms like Bain. Bain would purchase these companies using high-interest loans and government subsidies, which loaded the struggling firms with debt but also lowered their tax burden, providing a slim chance for revival. However, this chance comes at a cost – if profits do not come quick, Bain would resell the flailing company, often leaving them for dead. When viewed in the context of Romney’s “pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps” campaign rhetoric, this liberal usage of government help seems hypocritical and immoral, if not illegal. Such hypocrisy would be worrisome if Romney were to take the nation’s highest office, where he would be faced with the prospective collapse of programs such as welfare and social security.

MSNBC (Leftist)

It seems counterintuitive that anyone could profit from the death of the American manufacturing sector, but Mitt Romney and his brood of vampire capitalists at Bain Capital have found a way. Bain, which takes advantage of the inequities and flaws of the capitalist system and US tax code to enrich its investors, utilizes a business model that breaks the back of struggling companies with debt, often leading to their demise. In addition to this, as employees like thirty-eight-year veteran South Carolina steel worker James Sanderson can attest, Bain also ferments labor strife, using it as a strategy to fire longtime employees and chop away at the benefits of those left standing to boost the bottom line. While those such as Sanderson and his laid-off coworkers at recently closed GS Industries suffer, Bain and their investors got away with a golden parachute to the tune of a $58.4 million dollar profit. When these skeletons in Mitt Romney’s closet are compared to his campaign talk of slashing welfare and social security, they represent not just hypocrisy but an existential threat to the American way of life.

It seems counter intuitive that drug users in Vancouver are getting free, tax funded, and high grade heroin. safe injection cites, especially those in the east downtown section, are flooded with users daily. this steady supply of heroin fuels addicts habbits but decrease Vancoucers crime statistics. kevin thompson told a researcher that, as an addict, he would not be functioning without the free heroin supplied by safe injection cites. he goes on to say that he would resort to breaking into cars if his free heroin supply were to be disrupted. safe injection cites effectively throw the proverbial snowball and wait for it to grow. if we as a community let this continue the number of addicts will grow, the demand for heroin will rise, and when people get tired of funding these cites there will be more addicts that will do anything to get the drugs that would no longer be free; thus making any crime risk now look minuscule in comparison to ones in Vancouvers future.

I feel that the photographs of Fabienne charisma are counterintuitive but highly disrespectful. I believe that her story should be told but having pictures sent around the Internet of her face Down in the rubble is not the slightest bit noble. many state that we paid journalists to document these things, which is understandable. But circulating these pictures was not done to inform people, nor for altruistic reasons, you can inform people with words and it’s still effective. These reporters use these images because it makes money, they all are reporting on the same girl so the only edge they can get is a shocking, controversial picture. You could argue that the picture portrays emotion and that could help spread awareness, but how many earthquakes and shocking pictures of such surface from Haiti? If the emotional aspect really works then how much more do we need to see before everyone’s ‘aware’ of what’s happening in Haiti? I believe that most people know what’s happening in Haiti, people and organizations just don’t want to be accountable for an impoverished nation that sits on the North American/Caribbean Faultline. If these people truly cared then why did they spend their money on reporting instead of donating, it’s because spending money does not make money when you give it to a nation that needs it, they would much rather capitalize off the catastrophes then help stabilize a country in need because it gives them no economic growth. I understand that many organizations don’t have enough money to support an entire country, but there’s a fine line between reporting what’s happening and photographing a dead 15-year-old for shock value to your audience.

It seems counterintuitive to prescribed antibiotics and recommend Kenny the elephant not to perform. However, his handler acknowledged but declined the doctors, Gary D West, recommendations, causing Kenny to perform but not be able to perform any stunts. After the advised show ended, Kenny bled rectally because he over exerted himself, while ill, during  previous shows. He inevitably succumbed to his illnesses because of a lack of medical attention; though, the circus states that the cause of death is still unknown. Later animal activist organizations sued the circus on the grounds of willful abuse, this circus denied being aware of such things. But around 2009 his handler told the court that he was oblivious to the fact that his employees were equipping the elephants with ankuses, harshly whipping them, and even shocking them on certain occasions.