WUPR Issue 21.3: Medicine by Washington University Political Review

Washington University

political review 21.3 | November 2014 | wupr.org

medicine

political review | NATIONAL

EDITORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NOTE Editors-in-Chief: Gabriel Rubin Sonya Schoenberger

Executive Director: Nahuel Fefer

Staff Editors: Henry Kopesky Billie Mandelbaum Aryeh Mellman

Features Editor: Grace Portelance

Director of Design: Alex Chiu

Assistant Directors of Design: Simin Lim Andrew Kay

Director of New Media: Ari Moses

Programming Director: Hannah Waldman

Finance Director: Alex Beaulieu

Dear Reader, The rapid and lethal spread of Ebola has dominated international headlines and revealed dramatic disparities in international public health. While the reaction to the virus in the developed world was alarmist, the epidemic has raised unsettling questions: Why have some deadly diseases been ignored by medical research and the pharmaceutical industry? Why has the international community, including the World Health Organization, been so slow to mobilize an effective response to a public health crisis that has already claimed nearly 5,000 lives? How vulnerable is our modern, globalized world to pandemic? As students at a university with one of the top medical schools in the country, we are regularly reminded of the importance of medical research. The Washington University Medical School receives hundreds of millions in research funding each year, and the researchers this supports are at the forefront of cutting-edge research in the field. Washington University has been a key supporter of the Human Genome Project, a leader in cancer research, and an important supporter of public health programs in the St. Louis region. Medicine may be grounded in science, but its effects are social and political. In this issue of the Political Review, our writers have engaged with a broad range of topics related to the intersection of medicine and society. Xiaochang Song argues that the pharmaceutical industry overstates its research and development costs in order to maximize profits, while not addressing the most pressing global health challenges. Serena Lekawa critiques the division between traditional remedies and biomedicine. And in an in-depth examination of gene patenting, Daniel Knudsen predicts that the future of medicine will involve major trade-offs with personal privacy. Our writers have also explored the issues of homelessness, academic freedom, and education reform. We welcome you to join our discussion of these and other issues by submitting your feedback and your original article ideas to editor@wupr.org.

Front Cover: WUPR Design Team

With best regards,

Theme Page:

Gabriel Rubin and Sonya Schoenberger

Andrew Kay

Editors-in-Chief

Back Cover: Savannah Bustillo

TABLE OF CONTENTS 6

Big Pharma, Bigger Costs 7

Patently Human 8

Serena Lekawa

US vs. Other OECD Countries Healthcare Cost Comparison Simin Lim

Everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Doctor Lindsey Wanberg

I for Intersex 18

Savannah Bustillo

A Tip of the Hat to the Colbert Report Samuel Klein

The Other SIde of Paradise Katelyn Taira

A Message from the Missing Divya Walia

A Model for Prison Reform Brian Leibowitz

Miriam Thorne

The Indecision of the Supreme Court Andrew Eichen

Grace Portelance

Ayurveda in the Modern World

Daniel Knudsen

When is Brain Death not Death

Common Core: The Wrong Decision Candice Love

Xiaochang Song

Supporting the Smoker

NATIONAL

Rachel Butler

MEDICINE

INTERNATIONAL

A Cure Withheld

The Academic Bias Against Israel Max Handler

Home Remedies Alex Chiu

political review | MEDICINE

WASHU MED SCHOOL: AT A GLANCE 1891 1918

The medical department was established

The department officially became the School of Medicine. There were few pre-requisites to attending medical school at the time, and students usually took on two years of study without completing a previous 4-year degree.

1918

Women were first admitted to the School of Medicine, albeit reluctantly

1923

Evarts Graham, the head of Surgery with a 32 year tenure, performed the first successful lung removal surgery. He also helped clarify the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer.

1944

Herbert Gasser, Professor and head of Pharmacology, and Professor Joseph Erlanger won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for revolutionary work analyzing individual nerve impulses. This brought the Medical School into the international spotlight

1947

A second Wash U affiliated team, Carl and Gerty Cori, won the Nobel Prize for research into glucose metabolism. Gerty was the first American female Nobelist! They began a trend of over a dozen more Nobels being awarded to affiliated scientists in the coming years.

1962

The first African American physician graduated from the Medical School.

1990

Department of Genetics named one of the first national centers for the Human Genome Project.

2014

The Medical School is one of the top recipients of funding by the National Institutes of Heath, and conducts research primarily in the fields of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease and genomics.

political review | NATIONAL

“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

political review | MEDICINE

A Cure Withheld Rachel Butler

n 2012, US health care providers wrote 259

for it like there is for the overdose-causing

After the training concluded, the doctors and

million prescriptions for opioid painkillers,

drugs. Furthermore, it’s expensive – only one

nurses in the room talked about their own

enough to give a bottle of pills to every adult

drug company, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals,

patients and the benefits that Narcan could

in the country, and that number is on the rise.

manufactures it, and it costs $42 per two-

provide if it was more readily available. One

Prescription medications now kill more people

dose kit. Many pharmacies do not even

of the most vital components of treating

than cocaine and heroin combined. Illegal

carry Narcan-- it is typically only available in

addiction, as I saw firsthand during my time at

opioids like heroin are also cheaper and more

ambulances and hospitals, places that people

the hospital, is building an extensive support

readily available than ever before—a packet

who suffer an overdose often do not reach

network for the addict that moves beyond just

of heroin sells for just six or eight dollars. The

in time. Studies and reports from drug users

physicians and therapists and includes family

United States is currently facing an epidemic

suggest that at least half of opioid users do not

members and friends as resources to turn

of opioid overdoses: between 1999 and 2010,

die alone, meaning that having Narcan readily

to for help. The stronger an addict’s support

the number of drug-poisoning deaths in the

available to drug users and those that associate

system is, the more likely he or she is able to

country involving opioid painkillers grew from

with them has the potential to save many lives.

recover rather than experience a fatal overdose.

4,300 to almost 17,000. Despite these rising numbers, pharmaceutical companies approve new, ever-stronger opioid painkillers every year, and doctors continue to prescribe them freely and in high doses.

I went to a Narcan training session at Boston Medical Center, where some of the staff of the addiction unit where I was volunteering were quickly taught how and when to administer

Improving the availability of Narcan will not solve the underlying opioid problem in this country. However, it could help avert numerous overdose deaths, giving addicts another chance to recover.

Providing Narcan to the friends and family of an addict could greatly improve patient outcomes, allowing them to stop an overdose as soon as they see the signs of it. However, Narcan remains an under-publicized, overly expensive drug, whereas the opioids that can cause an overdose are highly accessible to almost anyone. Improving the availability of Narcan will not solve the underlying opioid problem in this country. Physicians continue to overprescribe painkillers and create new addicts, and heroin seems to get cheaper and cheaper each year. Narcan is not nearly as profitable for pharmaceutical companies to manufacture

Naloxone, a drug that can be administered as

the drug. Anyone over 18 can train to become

as painkillers, which are lucrative precisely

a nasal spray to halt an overdose, is a potential

a Narcan administrator in less than half an

because they cause addiction. Right now,

solution to this problem, and yet it is much

hour, and can apply for two doses at a time.

naloxone training is only available in 17 states;

harder to obtain than the opioids themselves.

However, these training sessions are rarely

Missouri is not among them. State and federal

Often referred to by its brand name Narcan,

advertised to the general public, and are

governments must step in to support the

naloxone can rapidly reverse an overdose on

mostly attended by medical personnel. The

distribution and production of Narcan so that

opioids of any type. Approved by the FDA in

administration of Narcan is straightforward:

the lifesaving drug can fulfill its potential to

1971, it does not produce a high, has few side

it comes in a single dose vial, and is sprayed

avert overdose deaths, giving addicts another

effects, and cannot cause an overdose.

into the nostrils as soon as the signs of an

chance to recover.

While people suffering from addiction seem to have little trouble getting opioids, Narcan is much tougher to find, for the addicts themselves and for non-addicts who could administer it. Narcan has to be prescribed by a physician, and there is no black market

overdose are detected. Remarkably, Narcan can stop any opioid overdose, even when a person has stopped breathing. As long as Narcan is administered before death, an unconscious person will wake up and, after initial withdrawal-related discomfort, recover.

Rachel Butler is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at rachelkbutler@wustl.edu.

political review | MEDICINE

Big Pharma, Bigger Costs Xiaochang Song

n accurate depiction of pharmaceutical

of slow innovation, Alan F. Holmer, president

R&D costs. These companies have routinely

research and development (R&D) costs

of PhRMA stated, “The industry is spending

made this argument to deny potential life-

is the most important piece of data

more than $30 billion annually on research

saving drugs to world health organizations such

in the debate over the best way to stimulate

and development with 80 percent dedicated

as countries in the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI,

pharmaceutical innovation—a long-standing

to the advancement of scientific knowledge.”

founded by Bill and Melinda Gates) and the

concern at the forefront of fundamental

Holmer’s assertion is that the vast majority

governments of these developing nations. R&D

public and global health issues. R&D costs

of pharmaceutical R&D is concerned with

costs also affect the way that these health

are often useful in analyzing and improving

improving existing drugs and not with creating

organizations run. GAVI has created a long-

drug development and FDA approval times,

“me-too” drugs—medicines which have a

term financial burden for itself because of the

two of the most important components

new patent life but are not therapeutically

financial decisions it has made based on its

of the drug discovery process. The pharmaceutical industry justifies its high prices on the basis of the high cost of R&D that it incurs, and it has sought patent terms and data exclusivity from the government without providing substantive evidence that such favorable legislative measures facilitate innovation. Historically, the pharmaceutical industry’s role in basic science research

PhRMA’s exaggeration of R&D costs is used to claim legislative protection and detachment from global health issues. This strategy has been wildly effective and has resulted in billions in sales and profits for the industry.

has been grossly overstated. The majority of this intensive portion of research is done not by big pharma, but by the NIH and small biotechnology firms. 2.4 percent of corporation sales go to basic science research and 84 percent of all funds for basic research come from public sources. High R&D figures, such as the $800 million figure reported by PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America), the trade group representing American pharmaceutical companies, are used as evidence to persuade legislators to grant longer patents, greater

more effective than existing drugs. However,

perception of high pharmaceutical R&D cost.

in 2002, only seven of seventy-eight FDA-

High R&D costs ultimately influence the debate

approved drugs were categorized as better

on how to reduce the global health burden and

than drugs already on the market. Marcia

the discounts that companies can reasonably

Angell, the former editor-in-chief of the New

provide for poor, sick populations.

England Journal of Medicine, calls this lack of innovation “the biggest problem facing the industry and its darkest secret,” and believes the industry’s manic advertising blitzes are designed to cover up this fact.

exclusivity, and more tax incentives. The

The pharmaceutical industry has been able to

public information about true R&D costs and

$800 million is the primary way that PhRMA

use R&D costs to leverage its position, not only

the elimination of disproportionate legislative

generates political capital, which is worth

in the form of lobbyists in Congress but also in

benefits would help stimulate real innovation

hundreds of billions in tax concessions.

the global health arena. Large, multi-national

in the pharmaceutical industry and lay the

pharmaceutical corporations continuously

groundwork for addressing global public health

justify the lack of research on drugs to combat

burdens.

Despite PhRMA’s wildly influential claims that innovation requires exorbitant R&D costs and legislative favor, the 1990s showed the slowest growth in drug innovation since the dawn of the pharmaceutical industry in the late 1930’s. In response to growing criticisms

malaria, tropical diseases, and tuberculosis— diseases of the poor—by stating that the inability of the poor to pay for these medicines would make it impossible to recuperate their

Xiaochang Song is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at xcsong12@gmail.com.

political review | MEDICINE

Patently Human R Daniel Knudsen | Illustration by Alicia Yang ealistically, middle school biology

plants. An experimental serum made from

companies were able to reserve the right to

students may end up remembering one

these manufactured antibodies has proven to

access various parts of this code based solely

key concept: that their genetic code

be highly successful treating Ebola-infected

on whether they could beat others to the US

consists of a huge number of genes forming a

monkeys, and was given to Dr. Kent Brantly,

Patent Office and say, “Here it is – we found it

string of molecules that exists in each and every

an American doctor who nearly died from the

first.”

cell of their body—a code that makes them

disease. He is one of the few to recover, at a

completely unique, and impossible to replicate.

time when thousands are dying.

From the standpoint of much of the non-profit

Many assume that the individual parts of that

Innumerable other proteins and drugs can be

it locked out research labs across the world

code are also unique, impossible to replicate,

produced through genetic engineering, and

from doing the work they want. The system

and, for that matter, impossible to sell. It

corporations have rushed to capitalize on their

gave an unfair advantage to large companies

makes sense, then, that many Americans are

discoveries and protect them through patents.

that could churn out patents on strings of

unaware of the laws being debated that would

From a business standpoint it makes sense.

code. Smaller labs unable to pay royalties or

research community, this was just bad science;

govern how one can manipulate, market, and

too slow to reserve their own tracts of human

monopolize life itself. One example of this

DNA found themselves locked out of a new,

multifaceted issue is the recent battle over

burgeoning field, which in turn stalled or killed

gene patenting.

discoveries and products designed solely to help sick people. According to Lori Andrews

The first patent issued for a genetically

of The Illinois Institute of Technology, prior

engineered organism was awarded to

to 2013, “53 percent of genetics labs had

an engineer at General Electric in 1980.

stopped doing research due to concerns about

This controversial claim was litigated in

gene patents. Forty-nine percent of American

Diamond v. Chakrabarty, in which the

Society of Human Genetics members had

Supreme Court ruled in a landmark 5-4

to limit their research due to gene patents.”

decision that whether a product is alive is

Though the scientific community generally

irrelevant; the cell had been manufactured,

recognizes that corporations have an inherent

and so rights to its use are reserved to the

profit motive, genetics became a field in

engineer. Since then biotechnology firms

which one was either with or against a few

have been fast to jump on the bandwagon,

powerful companies reminiscent of Gilded Age

reserving their claim to various aspects of

America’s robber barons.

life at an impressive rate. From 1981 to 2013, an estimated 20 percent of known human genes were patented. These 4,000 patents do not include those on animal sequences and the processes for manipulating DNA related molecules and machinery. Gene patenting may seem like a mess of technical terms and statistics, but its impact is very real. Gene patenting gave both public and private corporations the exclusive right to test for and use patches of genetic code. To call this a lucrative business would be an enormous understatement. For example, one of medicine’s best hopes for saving people infected with Ebola virus lies in bioengineered tobacco. The genes that code for antibodies, tiny particles normally produced by the immune system to kill targeted threats, such as viruses, can be transplanted into tobacco

Genetic products are revolutionizing medicine, and helping people in new and exciting ways— yet all that research and development grows to be very expensive very quickly. Companies patent the sequences they isolate and the products they produce in order to make up for R&D costs. Often discoveries are leased out to other laboratories, research institutions, and

And in terms of bioethics, the idea of leveraging control over a fundamental aspect of the human identity rings a sour note. On one hand a gene patent inherently blocks progress on therapy; on the other it implies that the organization owns a component of life. Royalties on genes can very easily be seen as extortion over a product one has a natural right

companies for very high prices.

to access.

Yet the key here is the phrase “their

As of June 13, 2013 the human gene patenting

discoveries.” A patent protects an invention or an original thought. The system exists in order to foster new discoveries and protect innovators from the monopolies of bigger and more powerful entities. No person invented the human genome. While our individual DNA is unique, 99.99 percent of it is exactly the same across the human population. And yet,

dilemma became a non-issue in the U.S. when the Supreme Court unanimously decided on the case of Association for Molecular

Pathology v. Myriad Genetics. The case was a culmination of a large number of complaints by researchers and doctors who had been served cease-and-desist orders by Myriad Genetics when they tried testing for the BRCA2

political review | MEDICINE

breast cancer gene. Possession of the gene

But more importantly, gene patenting is just a

biotechnology, one of America’s best new

dramatically increases the chances a patient

microcosm of the battles yet to come. I don’t

industries, could stall out in the driveway. On

will at some point develop breast cancer, so

know the answer to the big questions we are

the other end one can foresee corporations

detecting its presence is extremely useful

about to face—the questions of personhood,

capable of monopolizing fundamental aspects

for preventative treatment. The sequence

privacy, and, yet again, our ability to patent

of life and stifling the progress of medicine

was isolated and its effects determined by

the various aspects of life. Questions like

crucial to improving the human condition.

Myriad in 1995. The company then gained a

whether one can patent an organism, like an

patent for the sequence, and demanded any

engineered plant, bacteria, or animal, and even

laboratory testing a patient for the gene pay a

whether it is ethical to alter the genes of an

royalty, covering Myriad’s previous R&D costs

unborn human. These questions do not have

and making them a large profit. However, the

easy answers, and they have no precedent—

patent halted research by other groups and

the world is running full tilt into the diverse,

dramatically ratcheted up the price of the test.

and ethically murky field of biotechnology.

The American Association for Molecular Pathology represented doctors whose practices and patients had been hurt by Myriad’s zealous protection of its patent. They alleged that DNA exists everywhere, in all of us – making it what the legal code calls “a product of nature,” and thus not patentable. Myriad responded with the argument that the process of isolating DNA is artificial and difficult, validating their patents. The Supreme Court chose a middle ground. The court ruled natural DNA is by definition a product of nature and cannot be patented. However, they also noted that genes created artificially can be patented, as well as many other components of the genetic code besides DNA unknown to most people without a biological science background. The court made the law more palatable by ruling in favor of natural uniqueness, but the decision lacked the bite many bioethicists sought. Though mankind walked away with its DNA, so to speak, the giants of the biotechnology industry gained both approval and protection to continue operating and profiting in much the same way as before.

Society is full of different opinions, and many may fully support the freedom to alter and

For now, I just consider myself lucky to have avoided living in an America that legalized patenting people.

Daniel Knudsen is a freshman in The School of Engineering. He can be reached at danielknudsen@ wustl.edu.

capitalize on life, while others may seek a world where humanity leaves cells the way it found them, and many more will have an opinion somewhere in between. However, what is certain is that for the past fifty years our rights to exploit, own, and monopolize ourselves and the staggering diversity of life around us have been determined by nine aging justices and a handful of CEOs. Americans generally don’t know the details of their bodies, cells, and DNA, but the terrifying thing is that chances are good most people only know a little less than the Supreme Court did. Know that the law is changing, and it is up to America to decide, not just how it feels, but just as importantly whether or not it is interested. If legislators don’t pass laws to determine for the country what its stance is, they run the risk of letting a small, oligarchical group decide for us. Though the Court has good intentions, and private researchers have great knowledge, biotechnology is not law, and neither group is qualified to make decisions in both. Unless society begins to take a stand for the natural pricelessness

Opinions on the case vary, yet this massive

and opportunities inherent

and complex issue went undetected and

in all living things, we

unimaginable by the majority of Americans.

risk two extremes.

Gene patenting was a practice that for millions

On one end of

meant the difference between long life and

the spectrum,

early death, a practice that I believe severely stifled scientific progress.

political review | MEDICINE

SUPPORTING THE SMOKER Grace Portelance

efending cigarette smoking in today’s

range of social, economic, and political angles,

quit smoking as a health-conscious decision is

world yields little sympathy. Given that

the campaign’s most effective and poignant

a public health must, we need to consider if our

tobacco is an admittedly unhealthy

arguments were those aimed at the popularity,

looking down upon smoking is truly for the good

and addictive substance, finding pro-tobacco

appearance, or desirability of smokers. While

of the smoker or a symptom of our perception of

advocates is relatively rare—and for good

statistics on lung cancer are sexy in their own

class differences.

reason. Smoking has been linked to many terrible diseases, and people generally do not support habits that are detrimental to health. Despite this, I have found that people judge the smoker more than the habit itself. Many see the act of smoking itself as intolerable

Just as in the crusade against obesity, shame isn’t the way to improve someone’s health.

and therefore socially unacceptable. There is a judgment that is aimed towards cigarette

We have been taught that smoking is a decision

smokers that largely does not exist towards

right, saying that kissing a smoker is “like licking

those who smoke cigars, drink alcohol, or

an ashtray” is much more effective in generating

ingest marijuana. This difference in attitude

shame and disgust. It is that shame and disgust

is reminiscent of the government’s disparate

that is so pertinent to this discussion—just as in

treatment of powder cocaine and crack: The

the crusade against obesity, shame isn’t the way

difference isn’t as much about health as it’s

to improve someone’s health.

classes and therefore is subject to a paternalistic

Tobacco use certainly isn’t good for you, but

usually something along the lines of “don’t

substance.

the crusade against it and judgment for it is

you know that’s bad for you?” While it is more

completely unfounded while many dangerous

than likely that smokers are equally aware of

In terms of a societal impact, what others

habits slide under the radar.

risks as non-smokers, those who do not smoke

about class— the government simply doesn’t like the group that is associated with the latter

smoke has minimal effect on you compared to

made by stupid, undesirable people, and while it is true that smoking is terrible for one’s health, it is one of many, detrimental vices. The difference is, smoking has become a vice of the lower attitude. Consider the reaction smokers get—

and judge others for it create an artificial divide

other vices. Yet the judgment remains.

This issue is directly related to class. Twenty-

Let’s compare smoking to something present

smoke, while only 17 percent above it do. Even

without stigma in the college lifestyle: binge

more stratifying is the difference education

Smoking is bad—but so are a lot of things. On

drinking.

makes. Twenty-five percent of adults who did

which vice we choose to lay our judgment and

not graduate from high school smoke, compared

contempt tells a lot about how we view class

to just nine percent of those who have

differences in our society. We should stop using

completed a college education. Interestingly,

anti-smoking criticism as a vehicle for these

drinking behaviors have an opposite pattern:

classist attitudes.

Alcoholism and alcohol-related diseases are serious concerns: one out of every 10 deaths of people between the ages of 20 and 64 is alcohol-related. The danger to oneself aside, secondhand smoking issues pale in comparison to the injuries that alcohol causes. I have never heard of someone who crashed a car into an innocent person due to tobacco use. Nobody has ever been a perpetrator or victim of sexual assault when tobacco was an aiding factor. On a day-to-day basis, is binge drinking not more likely to cause harm to those around you than a cigarette? The judgment smokers face is largely attributable to the anti-smoking campaign of the late 20th century. One would be hardpressed to find an equally influential campaign in American history. While covering a broad

eight percent of people below the poverty line

between those enlightened and those in the dark.

Though less easily categorized, the higher one’s income, the more likely he or she is to be at least a moderate drinker. Statistically speaking, on a campus like ours, students likely grew up in a situation where casual drinking was present and normal in their homes while smoking was a behavior done by the “other.” Even something as close in chemical makeup as a cigar is seen with vastly different connotations. The indulgent image of a wealthy man in a suit smoking an expensive cigar is classy, even professional. However, you won’t see an East Coast frat boy smoking a cigarette in his Facebook profile picture. Cigars are celebratory, sympbols of wealth, while cigarettes are a symbols of the underclass. So, while encouraging people to

Grace Portelance is a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at grace.portelance@wustl.edu

political review | MEDICINE

When is Brain Death Not Death Miriam Thorne | Illustration by Carolyn Ryan

srael, a first-world and technologically

Critics of the Organ Transplant Act do not

from donation because they are morally inferior.

advanced country, has surprisingly low

oppose efforts to increase donated organs.

The priority system explains willingness to

rates of organ donation. In 2007, only

But they generally find that the priority system

donate an organ by moral character alone.

about 8 percent of Israelis were registered

does so in an unethical way. Israel is one of few

donors, compared to the 30 to 40 percent

countries that include non-medical criteria in

in most Western countries. Lawmakers and

its distribution of donated organs. Whenever

religious leaders have been working to increase

non-medical criteria are considered, there is

the rate of organ donation, but efforts are

risk that groups of people will be systematically

particularly complicated in Israel because of

disadvantaged. For example, a market system

religious concerns regarding brain death as the

for organs discriminates against the poor. Under

definition of death. In 2008, the Knesset (Israeli

this priority system, those who do not donate

Congress) passed two laws that changed the

are discriminated against.

Lawmakers did not only theoretically delegitimize the Haredi reason for refusing to donate but they also tried to eliminate it completely through a different law. Also in 2008, lawmakers, clinicians, and religious leaders collaborated to create and enact the Brain-Respiratory Death Act, which established that brain death defines death. Under the Brain-

way that organ donation operates in Israel.

Respiratory Death Act, one cannot validly claim

To declare a single definition of death erases the heterogeneity of religious, philosophical, and ideological conceptions of death and dying.

An immediate effect of this law was that the

that a person does not die until the heart stops. Haredi reasoning for abstaining from donation became legally invalid. The first question to ask about the BrainRespiratory Death Act is whether all Jews really accept the interpretation of the text that was made by the Chief Rabbinate and then codified in the law. Although the Chief

The Organ Transplant Act of 2008 created a

Defenders of the priority system argue that the

priority system in which those willing to donate

system is not discriminatory because those

an organ get priority to receive one if they ever

who do not donate choose not to and everyone

require a transplant. One goal of the priority

has that choice. But claiming that anyone can

system was to increase the number of organs

choose to donate disregards the possibility

donated by providing an incentive to donate. But

that an individual might have a legitimate

lawmakers were also motivated by frustration

set of values or beliefs that prevents him or

with Haredi Jews, who happily accept organs

her from donating. Just as a poor person has

but refuse to donate them. Traditionally, Jewish

legitimate reasons not to pay for an organ he or

law has prescribed that cardiac death defines

she cannot afford, a religious person can have

death and that organ procurement from a

deeply-held beliefs that prevent him or her from

brain-dead patient is murder. Many Jews, even

donating. Who gets to say what constitutes

Orthodox Jews, have, in recent years, followed a

a ‘legitimate’ reason not to donate? Who has

different interpretation of the law and accepted

the authority to say that no legitimate reasons

brain death as death. Still, numerous Orthodox

exist? Is the Israeli government really in such

Rabbis and communities—not only Haredi—

a position to judge certain religious values? By

continue to believe that they cannot, according

including participation as a donor in the protocol

to the written law, elect to be cadaveric organ

for assessing how organs are distributed,

donors. Their refusal to donate does not reflect

lawmakers make claims to moral authority,

an ideological unwillingness to be a donor.

judging people’s ethical and religious codes.

death should qualify as death is not a medical

Similarly, because those who donate organs are

and religious values and ethics.” For the Brain-

more likely to receive them, donors are, in effect,

Respiratory Death Act to simplify death as a

deemed to have a greater right to life than non-

medical condition or even a judgment based

donors. This assumes that people who donate

on a single line in a religious text is reductionist

are better people and more deserving to live,

and dismisses alternative ways of thinking and

and that those who do not have no justifiable,

conceptions of life.

On the contrary, Jewish law holds that the greatest deed is to save a life and that almost any other law must be broken to do so. But, under this law, one cannot kill a person to save another; according to certain Orthodox communities, cadaveric organ donation would involve just that.

Rabbinate collaborated with lawmakers and supported the determination of brain death as death, numerous Jewish sects still maintain that cardiac death is death. For the Chief Rabbinate to support a single definition of death knowing that it would not be accepted by all Jews is troubling. And for it to have enormous life and death consequences because of the Organ Transplant Act is even more problematic because it undermines the role and legitimacy of the Chief Rabbinate as a protector and representative of all Jews. To declare a single definition of death erases the heterogeneity of religious, philosophical, and ideological conceptions of death and dying. It also simplifies the conception of life and death to medical terms. In an op-ed in Haaretz, Rabbi David Shabtai says, “Whether brain question, but depends on philosophical, moral

respectable reason, implying that they refrain

political review | MEDICINE

In examining the laws and their effects, it is perhaps most important to consider how authority was used and produced during the passage of the two laws. Medical representatives were quite powerful in creating the priority system and establishing a national definition of death. Religious authorities also influenced the lawmaking process and the Chief Rabbinate approved the law. But only certain, intentional, religious authorities actually had power. The Haredi Jews, who held the minority position on the organ donation issue, were either not considered in the lawmaking process or were disregarded. The way in which the law was presented, as an inclusive and collaborative process with religious authorities, masked the exclusion of diverse representation within religion. In the face of criticism, lawmakers made certain changes to the laws but they maintained the laws’ structures, for the most part. In the years following the enactment of the two laws, Israel did see increases in organ donor rates and in the actual numbers of organs donated. Some might argue that the laws’ successes in this area warrant its failure to represent and treat all Israelis equally. But an acceptance of a discriminatory system reveals a great failure of the larger society and government to represent its citizens and protect them politically. Miriam Thorne is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at miriampt93@gmail.com.

Key Terms Organ Donation is the transplantation of procured organs from one body to another. Expendable organs can be procured from living donors, but all other vital organs must been taken from a dead patient. Current technology requires that the deceased donors’ heart still be beating for the organs to be viable; doctors procure organs when the patient’s brain is dead but heart is alive. The Organ Transplant Act, 2008, created a point system that gave priority on the organ transplant list to those willing to donate organs. The Brain-Respiratory Death Act, 2008, legally defined brain-death as death; currenttechnology only allows cadaveric organ procurement from patients who are brain-dead. Orthodox Judaism is a conservative sect of Judaism whose members closely follow the written and oral laws of the Torah. Haredi Judaism, also known as ultra-orthodox, practice the most conservative form of Judaism and follow Jewish law most strictly.

political review | MEDICINE

Ayurveda in the Modern World: Traditionally Effective, or Effectively Traditional? Serena Lekawa For many, the word “Ayurveda” might bring to

magnitude of biomedicine’s symbolic power

Nisula uses research on medical integration

mind things like acupuncture, yoga (pants),

until this past summer, when I came face-

and health seeking to frame the discussion of

and the smell of burning incense. Some might

to-face with a prescription for herbal pills

Ayurveda’s presence in healthcare practices

imagine hippie-healers sitting cross-legged

and balms in Sri Lanka. An aunt of mine who

today. Nisula’s research and analysis found a

on the floor, feeling each other’s energies and

lives in Colombo sent me to a practitioner of

general preference for biomedical care, and

holding each others’ hands. Others still may

traditional medicine after noticing that heat,

a framing of Ayurveda as either a second

imagine someone with a Staten Island accent

humidity, and travel appeared to have thrown

choice should “allopathic” treatment fail, or as

sneezing through the word “Darth Vader.”

off my homeostasis. Upon entering the clinic

a supplement. This contributes to the forces

where the Ayurvedic doctor lived and work, I

influencing healthcare in India, where the

smiled through a grimace and for the most part

government acknowledges Ayurveda as “a

ignored the regimen she gave me, traveling on in

significant sector of health care” and formally

resolute and determined discomfort. I didn’t feel

promotes the “integration of Ayurveda into state

properly ashamed of myself until I arrived at the

health-care system.”

What Ayurveda actually is—a traditional form of healing practice originating in India—may or may not include variations of the previously listed conceptions. Taking the closest translation, Ayurveda literally means “the art of being.” Often, in the face what we generally think of as “Western” medicine, or perhaps more

air-conditioned LAX terminal three weeks later.

Tradition, historical context, and cultural

What my unconscious bout of ethnocentrism

relativism all factor into the integrative equation,

prevented me from grasping was thatthese two

but the economic stakes at hand can’t be ignored either. The powerful

appropriately, “biomedicine,” concepts of “alternative” healing practice are dismissed as the frivolous experiments of health nuts or free spirits fighting the establishment—something foreign to play with on a personality-branding level,

“What my unconscious bout of ethnocentricism prevented me from grasping was that these two spheres of thought and healing need not be considered in opposition to one another.”

made interesting by its sense of otherness.

mechanisms we associate with biomedicine (CT scans, MRIs, X-rays, among a number of other formidable acronyms) are incredibly costly. The I-AIM Healthcare Centre, an integrated Ayurvedic hospital in India, emphasizes in the mission statement available on

spheres of thought and healing need not be

their website the goal of providing “efficacious,

considered in opposition to one another. It’s true

safe and cost-effective healthcare solutions to

that we cannot gauge the efficacy of Ayurvedic

contemporary problems,” (emphasis added).

medicine the same way we assess biomedicine.

In the global political climate of healthcare and

As Ted J. Kaptchuk discusses in his article

healthcare policy, it’s also worth thinking about

“Acupuncture: Theory, Efficacy and Practice,”

what integrative policies would mean in terms

traditional healing practices often require a more

of economic benefits, and how this informs

Moreover, biomedicine is measurable—

holistic, qualitative framework for assessment

notions of both cultural relativism and universal

quantitatively legible in that it lends itself to

that speaks more to human experiences

standards of care.

affirmation by randomized controlled trial.

than to chartable results. If we accept that

We live in a society enamored with the power

the measurement standards are discrete, it

of proving things on paper. Biomedicine is

becomes easier to consider biomedicine and

the empiricist’s dream. It follows that doctors,

Ayurveda as compatible entities. Indeed,

hospitals, diagnoses and prescriptions hold

potential benefits of this marriage transcend

a powerful gravitas in the minds of many

the philosophical.

Biomedicine is established, serious, and technical in everything from jargon to practice. It is targeted, and its general effectiveness is an ever-expanding homage to the capacity of modern science and discovery.

Americans, and citizens of the modern world at large. I don’t believe I personally grasped the

In the 2006 article In the Presence of Biomedicine: Ayurveda, Medical Integration and Health Seeking in Mysore, South India, anthropologist Tapio

Serena Lekawa is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at slekawa@wustl.edu

political review | MEDICINE

US vs. other OECD* Countries in healthcare performance (2010) Infographic by Simin Lim

Avg. percentage of US GDP spent on healthcare

17.6% Healthcare spending per capita in the US

$8,233

9.5%

Avg. percentage of OECD countriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; GDP spent on healthcare costs

Healthcare spending per capita in OECD countries

$3,268

Avg. cost of a hospital stay in the US

Avg. cost of a hospital stay in OECD countries

$18,000

$6,200

2.4 practicing physicians per 1,000 people in the US

3.1 practicing physicians per 1,000 people in OECD Countries

2.6 hospital beds per 1,000 people in the US

There are 3.4 hospital beds per 1,000 people in OECD Countries

Avg. life expectancy in the US

Avg. life expectancy in OECD countries

78.2 years

79.5 years

*The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. Members include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, IsraĂŤl, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Fees tals. dure the c

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Man ensu ensu need

Sour

political review | MEDICINE

How other OECD countries are keeping healthcare costs down COMMON FEE SCHEDULE Fees for medical services are standardized across hospitals. Patients pay the same amount for the same procedures, regardless of location. Insurance does not change the cost of procedures drastically.

CUTTING DOWN ON COSTLY AND UNNECESSARY TESTS Although it has been argued that testing could lead to real differences in patient care, research at Dartmouth Institute has shown that “there are large variations in medical practice across different regions in the United States which cannot be explained by differences in population structure or differences in illness.” There is little correlation between the high amount of testing and more effective treatments. Many OECD countries have strict “clinical guidelines” to ensure more rational use of MRI and CT exams. This ensures that patients are still getting the sort of care they need without wasting medical resources.

FLEXIBLE RESPONSE TO BUDGETED COSTS Most countries are flexible in responding to healthcare costs that seem to be exceeding their budget. For example, in Japan, if one specific area seems to be growing faster than planned, the government lowers fees in that area so people can still afford to get the healthcare they need without overspending. Another example would be in France, where the government monitors spending across all services intervene by promoting more generic and cheaper drugs (where possible) to supplement higher-than-projected healthcare costs in other areas.

HOSPITAL PRICE REGULATION Many other OECD countries set budgets for how much hospitals can spend. The quality of care delivered in hospitals in these countries are comparable to that in the U.S., and universities are still able to attract the best students to study medicine. These politices ensure hospital administrators and doctors are as resourceful as possible, thus keeping costs down for patients.

instances where the us outperforms OECD coutries in Healthcare

If insured, waiting times for U.S. patients are among the lowest in OECD countries. 20% of patients wait more than 4 weeks for a specialist appointment and less than 7% wait 4 months for elective surgery.

Between 2004 and 2009, the five-year breast cancer survival rate is 89.3% compared to the OECD countries average of 83.5%

Cutting-edge drugs and treatments are available more quickly to American patients than elsewhere. The average time between launch and release in the US is only 1.3 years.

The size and diversity of the U.S. system results in more experimentation to find better ways to deliver health care. Examples include the Accountable Care Organization and Medical Home Model.

, Source: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/health-costs-how-the-us-compares-with-other-countries/

political review | MEDICINE

Everyone’s a Doctor I Lindsey Wanberg | Illustration by Simin Lim emerged from the bathroom, a distant

Because of the nature of its process, some

study conducted by Even J. Lanseng and Tor

look in my eyes, dangling my phone

academics argue that the Internet cannot be an

W. Andreassen from the Norwegian School of

melodramatically from the tips of my fingers.

accurate source for diagnoses. A study published

Management outlined the answer. The study

The phone display was pulled up to Google

by the Microsoft Corporation discovered that a

stated that because Internet diagnoses are “at

results of my search inquiry: “Why have I

web search attributed the searched symptom

your convenience and tempo, no travel to or

urinated four times in the last half-hour?” (This

“headache” to a result of caffeine withdrawal

wait time at healthcare provider,” the tool “may

was a very real concern at the moment). The

and a brain tumor with equal probability. In

improve patient perceived service quality [and]

answer, as far as I was able to tell from my

reality, the chance of having a brain tumor is 1

patient satisfaction”. Lanseng and Andreassen

four-second search, was diabetes. Apparently

in 10,000-- not very probable. With all of the

underline the potential of self-diagnosis

the condition increases the amount of water-

pumpkin spice lattes getting chugged down

technology to reduce waste of both patient and

retaining glucose in the kidney, which then

before midterms, I think it’s safe to bet that

healthcare resources.

results in excess urine.

caffeine withdrawal is the much more likely

My roommate met my just-diagnosed-with-ahorrible-disease stare with a raised eyebrow. “Uh… is everything okay-”

cause of your headache than cancer. Overall, the Pew Research Center found that the doctors of 18 percent of those who diagnosed themselves online disagreed with the diagnosis

“Yes. Except for the small little fact that

or “offered a different opinion about

GOOGLE SAYS I HAVE DIABETES,” I answered

the condition.”

her abruptly. She caught her breath… and then laughed.

On her show, Ellen DeGeneres discussed one of the harsh effects of self-diagnosis unreliability: “[The

Laughed. As it turns out, though my roommate maybe could have skipped the hurtful reaction, she was right to be skeptical of my self-diagnosis. I don’t have diabetes. Maybe cyberchondria, but not diabetes. Increasingly, people like me are diagnosing themselves via the Internet. Google claims that the practice has become so common that it can determine flu circulation based on the geographical distribution of Google searches that mention flu symptoms. The use of Internet self-diagnoses might seem like a ridiculous trend. Why are we putting our medical fates into a search engine that is essentially a burping machine? After we enter our carefully worded inquiries (such as, “Why have I urinated four times in the last half-hour?”) a software contraption called a “spider” gathers web pages with similar words and positioning of words to ours, prioritizing the most popular websites. The search engine then spews out all of this information onto the screen, leaving us to roll up our sleeves and shuffle through it.

I don’t have diabetes. Maybe cyberchondria, but not diabetes.

Internet] makes us worry about things that we don’t need to worry about…

Furthermore, self-diagnoses for certain

you can spend hours diagnosing what you

conditions can improve treatment. The

think you have… [and when] you finally go

Graduate School of Nursing’s Director of

to a real doctor… he says that weird spot you

Research Annemarie Jutil discovered that

have on your face is chocolate pudding.” She

catching conditions such as heartburn,

proceeded to lick imaginary pudding off of her

headaches, urinary tract infections, yeast

face and the audience erupted in laugher. In

infections, and the common cold early through

her own way, Ellen DeGeneres is explaining

self-diagnosis (these conditions are relatively

the concept of “cyberchondria.” This is the

easy to self-determine) “permit[s] earlier

official term, as defined by the Microsoft study,

access to appropriate treatment and improved

for “unfounded escalation of concerns about

outcomes.” Identifying these conditions will

common symptomatology based on the review

save patients from a lot of discomfort. Many of

of search results and literature online.” The

the remedies are available over-the-counter, so

argument here is that self-diagnosis is more

after a quick Internet search and a trip to the

harmful than helpful because people tend to

local Target, a sick man can be on his way to

spiral into a pit of anxiety, believing they have

healthy horizons.

a terminal illness when of course, they really don’t. One in five people will experience this panic after conducting their self-diagnoses. Angry cyberchondriacs can vouch for this—an especially vocal woman stated that “googling

Finally, for the people who don’t experience crippling cyberchondria, searching the Internet for possible diagnoses can be relieving. Lanseng and Andreassen’s study found that while “about

symptoms is more dangerous than cancer itself.”

13 percent… expressed their anxiety regarding

If self-diagnoses are so risky, why have one

48 percent was actually calmed.” In a panel

third of adults in the United States pursued

discussion on medical web-searches, Victoria

an Internet diagnosis at some point ? A 2005

Lambert, Chair of the Medical Journalist

information found on the internet… a total of

political review | MEDICINE

Association gives an example of a man with

last week, “this could be it.” Along these lines,

who has a cold thinking they have Ebola, and we

erectile dysfunction who would have benefited

I urge you not to and take the Ebola diagnostic

certainly don’t want every college student who

from Internet self-diagnosis. The man she

quiz on selectsmart.com (it gives an 81% chance

drank too much soda thinking she has diabetes.

described waited four years to bring up his

of having the disease to people with normal flu

That was a close one.

problem to the doctor. “His home life’s a mess,

symptoms) unless you are willing to interpret

he’s stressed, his job life’s ruined… and he

the information with great responsibility. Self-

can’t talk to anyone about it,” she explains. She

diagnoses can be helpful, calming, and might

continues, offering what could have been a

even save you a trip to the doctor, but they must

modern solution. “The alternative is now he will

be made with caution. We don’t want everyone

Lindsey Wanberg is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at Lindsey.wanberg@wustl.edu

go online [and] from day one, he’s not on his own”. In many cases, knowledge is a source of power and comfort. Perhaps the more we know about our bodies, the better off we will be. In the future, self-diagnosis may be even more common. However, self-diagnoses will likely shift away from the Internet and into the direction of medical home tests. A biology professor at the University of Texas, Andrew Ellington, has already begun to research the development of home tests for common illnesses such as the flu. NPR described it as “[sneezing] into a specially formulated tissue, and the resulting color transformation in the tissue gives you your [diagnosis].” These tests can be printed on paper for about five cents and therefore have the potential to be accessible for everyone. Seem unrealistic? Ellington urges us to think about how far self-diagnosis has already come. Back in the olden days (around the 1920s), some women got their urine injected into a rabbit at the doctor’s office to see if they were pregnant. If the rabbit’s ovaries swelled up (the only way the doctor could tell this was to cut open the rabbit, killing it), the woman was pregnant. However, today, pregnancy tests are much different. You can pick one up at Student Health Services, pee on the little stick, and find out within several patient and calm moments whether you are pregnant. “If we can detect pregnancy, why is it that we can’t detect lots of other things?” Ellington remarked. The lesson here is to take self-diagnoses with responsibility and skepticism. Humans are terrified of disease—look at what’s happened with the Ebola virus. There’s panic, even expectations for Ebola to blanket the planet in apocalypse. As my English professor commented

political review | NATIONAL

“I” for Intersex Savannah Bustillo

d campaigns like those of Absolut Vodka

century due in part to the Enlightenment’s

the intersex community, like the transgender

and Calvin Klein that target high-end

use of systematized tools for research and

community, breaks from the rest of the

gay couples, new movies like Blue is the

investigation. Freud, Jung, and others presented

rainbow community— intersex people are

Warmest Color, and television shows like Orange

works in psychoanalysis, psychology, and

inherently medicalized. Intersex developed

is the New Black have begun to normalize the

psychiatry as emerging scientific practices

as a community of medicalized people who

LGBTQIA* community. Yet no matter how many

that sought to systematize and order the

were identified and studied by medical

episodes of Modern Family we may watch, our

human mind while still maintaining the role

professionals to “correct” them for biological

society’s acceptance of these communities only

of the “confession.” The 19th-century societal

differences that were said to be health risks.

goes so deep. Need we remind ourselves of the

pressure to ground parts of human lives in a

According to the Intersex Society of North

HIV/AIDS scare of the 90’s and early 2000s,

new scientific paradigm led to the assumption

America, “most of the treatment of intersex

when queer people were viewed as carriers of

that our society could justify why queerness

was motivated not by metabolic health

a disease that endangered the human race? Or

was wrong: it was unnatural, illogical, and

concerns, but by psychosocial concerns;

perhaps we should remember the fact that queer

pathologized in a way that threatened to bring

as in the 1890s, by the 1950s, intersex

people still are not allowed to donate blood,

down the human race. Queerness represented

was viewed primarily as a psychosocial

despite being completely clean? Many still view

an illness that needed a cure. In this way, the

problem that mixed sex categories in socially

queer people in medicalized ways, as “carriers of

medicalization of queerness emerged, and

uncomfortable ways.”

disease” that should not be encouraged to form

slowly extended to all sexual identities that were

families. This medicalization causes problems

not heterosexuality. This past of medicalization

within the rainbow community as some groups

has understandably resulted in a huge push-

shift away from medicalized rhetoric, while

back against medicalization. Many queer people

others , such as the intersex community, are

reject rhetoric or labels that seem medicalized.

inherently medicalized.

Words like “hermaphrodite,” “transsexual,” and “sex change,” are now

When LGBTQIA* groups continue to push away from medicalized rhetoric and to work for towards a new rhetoric, intersex communities are marginalized as they struggle to become visible in their identity.

generally rejected as queer people move to redefine the rhetoric that assists to affirm

A problem lies in the fact that the trend of sexuality identity politics is to move away from the medicalization of the different acronym communities. When LGBTQIA* groups continue to push away from medicalized rhetoric and to work towards a new rhetoric, intersex communities are marginalized as they struggle to become visible in their identity. The medicalized lens imposed on the intersex community comes

their identities.

with a history of gross abuse. For example,

However, this dynamic

their genitalia altered by doctors without

directly impacts other

the permission or knowledge of parents.

communities, like the

Today, the intersex identity is intertwined

“I” in the LGBTQIA*

with the medical field because intersex

acronym, which

identities are linked to medicalized entities,

represents intersex.

like chromosomes. To reject medical rhetoric

Most people are

is understandable for groups like LGB, but

unfamiliar with the

this also rejects an inherent part of other

meaning of “intersex,”

communities and thus causes strife in

and the community the

between members of the rainbow community.

hundreds of intersex newborns have had

A key trend in queer history is the attempt

word represents. According to the Intersex

Open communication between groups in the

by queer communities to shift away from

Society of North America, intersex is “a

LGBTQIA* community and the larger public

a medicalization imposed by the masses.

general term used for a variety of conditions

can help fuel stronger ties between these

According to Michel Foucault in The History

in which a person is born with a reproductive

communities and facilitate the breakdown

of Sexuality, identities like homosexuality

or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit

barriers and ‘otherization’ as all groups strive

developed under the stigma of being

the typical definitions of female or male.” This

to create a more inclusive rhetoric.

“incorrect”; many developing these identities

definition includes anything from appearing as

felt compelled to confess to institutions

one sex on the outside but having anatomy on

like the Christian Church. Nevertheless,

the inside that doesn’t match to in-between

queerness was woven into the analysis of

genitalia, mosaic genetics, or the addition

the medical industry throughout the 19th

or subtraction of chromosomes. However,

Savannah Bustillo is a freshman in the Sam Fox School. She can be reached at skbustillo@wustl.edu.

political review | National

A Tip of the Hat to The Colbert Report Samuel Klein | Illustration by Ezekiel Saucedo

tephen Colbert, the man, is moving on to a

debuted a recurring segment called “The Wørd,”

His background in improvisational comedy

bigger stage. The comedian will be replacing

in which Colbert delivered a short speech

contributed to his ability to think quickly on the

tenured talk show host David Letterman as

about the state of America with bullet point

spot, and he always had a retort for any actor

the new host of CBS’ The Late Show come 2015.

remarks à la his primary target of parody, Fox

or member of Congress who dared attempt to

But on the same day—a day that is approaching

News’ Bill O’Reilly. But unlike O’Reilly’s bullet

outwit him on the air.

far too quickly—Stephen Colbert, the character,

points, Colbert’s sarcastically undermined

will die.

his monologue. Colbert’s first Wørd was

Colbert, the man, will likely forsake his signature frameless glasses in favor of the more urbane fullframed specs he routinely dons out of character to separate his true self from his unmistakable

“truthiness,” meaning something one knows to be true in his gut rather than in his brain. Truthiness was named Word of the Year by Merriam Webster shortly thereafter.

“He’s a master improviser,” remarked author and acclaimed satirist George Saunders in an interview with CultureMap, an online magazine. “You can’t beat him. He’s so quick, you can’t believe it.”

on-air personality.

Colbert sought to interview almost every

He will bring his team of writers downtown

“Better Know a District.” He only aspired to

to the Late Show’s Ed Sullivan Theater, but

complete 434 parts because he declared

Colbert’s clever, practically proprietary satirical

California’s 50th District “dead to me” following

character cannot migrate to the broader and

a lack of constituent support for its criminally

older audience of network television.

corrupt representative. In these interviews,

member of Congress in his 434-part series,

Colbert routinely set the congressperson up for

The Colbert Report has done more for America

failure with comically loaded questions that were

than many realize. Colbert and his team of

often taken completely seriously.

writers exposed to the general public the gaping holes in campaign finance regulation,

Comedy Central will not “replace” Colbert. As the

even going so far as to solicit donations for

comedian goes, so goes the format of mock right-

his legitimate Colbert Super PAC and siphon

wing punditry. The 11:30 PM time slot will be filled

them out without documentation. (He later

by former Daily Show “chief black correspondent”

disclosed, completely voluntarily, that he had

Larry Wilmore, who will be hosting a new

donated his newly acquired million dollars to

program provocatively titled The Minority Report.

various charities). He raised the morale of troops

While the Comedy Central airwaves will still have

overseas and increased domestic support for

programming after Stewart’s half hour, there will

the men and women of the armed forces by

be an gaping void in the greater landscape of

televising a week’s worth of shows at Camp Victory in Baghdad. He made headlines when

Entertainment was guaranteed every night on the

television.

show; even during turbulent times such as the

For its fans, The Colbert Report meant so

passing of Colbert’s mother and the months-long

much more than political comedy. The show

Writers Guild strike of 2007-2008, the comedian

transcended conventional methods of satire.

delivered on his commitment to the Colbert

Colbert became a figure in life beyond the TV,

Nation to provide intelligent and hysterical

running for “President of the United States of

The show was destined for greatness from the

commentary. The Report was always innovating,

South Carolina,” interviewing Bill Clinton at

beginning. Colbert had served as a correspondent

provoking, and pushing the boundaries of

Washington University, creating a PAC, co-

on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and Stewart

media criticism. No one was off-limits from the

hosting a rally on the National Mall, and authoring

in turn became an executive producer on the

show’s clever critiques of pop culture, sports,

two bestselling guides to American life. Colbert

Report. The idea was to create, as exists in the

and politics. But this criticism was all within the

certainly stood the test of time, getting better

real news media, an analytic pundit-centered

deliberately crafted character Colbert fine-tuned

every season. The Colbert Report, while it lasted,

complement to the more news-based Daily

over the years, a character that satirized, above

was a wonderful privilege to watch. Thank you,

Show. Jon Stewart was the most trusted man in

all, the news media at large.

Stephen Colbert.

he brought his satire to the 2006 White House Correspondents’ dinner, generating controversy for his fans (collectively known as the “Colbert Nation”) to feast on.

the American news media; Colbert would be the most opinionated. The Report started off strong; the first episode

While his exposé and analysis segments gave the show character, Colbert’s humorous, cutting nightly interviews earned it legitimacy.

Samuel Klein is a freshman the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at klein.s@wustl.edu.

political review | NATIONAL

Common Core: The Wrong Direction Candice Love

hen someone like Bill Gates publicly

students in kindergarten through the 12th

Even though most states “chose” to adopt

advocates something, it is hard not to

grade should know about general studies

these standards, more than 20 states have

listen. But his strong public support

subjects by the end of each school year.

either rejected the standards or have pending

for Common Core State Standards has me,

This system also claims to pull ideas from

legislation to get rid of them, which is a small

for the first time, highly doubting him. At a

successful education systems around the

move in the right direction.

Politico event in late September, Gates said that

world. At face value, having high standards for

Common Core, an initiative that sets national

students so that they can compete in a global

learning standards for each public school in

market sounds like a great idea, but lessons

America, was a “very basic idea.” So basic, in

learned from No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

fact, that it could be compared to the United

suggest that a national education standard is

States’ transportation system. “Should Georgia

not the direction we want to move in.

are successful in the first place. First, these

Everyone knows about the disastrous NCLB,

because each nation has worked to find a

a standardized, high-stakes testing model

system that works best for their students.

attempting to achieve universal proficiency in

American kids are different than, say, Finnish

reading and math by 2014. Aside from the fact

kids, so it is absurd to believe that they should

that it is 2014 and we have not yet reached

all learn in the same ways. Secondly, the one

have a different railroad width than anybody else? Should they teach multiplication in a different way? Oh, that’s brilliant. Who came up with that idea?” he sarcastically asked in his support of the Common Core.

I believe that teachers and local communities know how to teach children better than Bill Gates and federal bureaucrats. The problem with these sentiments is, quite simply, that children are not trains that can be set onto a standardized track and be expected to succeed. Not all children are blessed with a photographic memory and an amazing ability to recall large amounts of information. The majority of children have to put in a lot of effort in sometimes unconventional ways in order to learn and master things like multiplication. Holding all American public school students to the same standards may not be the best idea. Common Core, at the most basic level, is a high quality set of standards that outline what

Even though Common Core uses ideas from successful education systems around the world, it misses two key points as to why many of these education systems abroad systems all look different from one another

that goal, it has become clear that

thing the best school systems abroad have in

standardized testing is not the right

common is that they are decentralizing. Even

way to gauge a child’s success, and

though the initiative is misnamed “Common

proves detrimental to the learning

Core State Standards,” they are centralized,

process. Often, teachers are forced

federal standards forced upon the states.

to “teach to the test,” cheat, and do

Though I don’t advocate that our education

whatever else is necessary to avoid

system remain the same, I do think it is clear

losing government funding for poor

that we are running at full force in the wrong

student performance. So why, then,

direction.

would the federal government believe in taking the bad ideas of NCLB and magnifying them to go from controlling one annual test to an entire

Call it a radical idea, but I believe that teachers, the people working closest with students each day, have the best judgement as to how their

year’s curriculum?

students learn. I believe that teachers and

Another issue worth noting is that

better than Bill Gates and federal bureaucrats.

the supposed “research based”

We shouldn’t focus on raising the standards

Common Core standards had never

of the curriculum but rather in raising the

been tested in a school before

standards of teachers. If states required more

being implemented, and were

rigorous standards for teacher certification,

local communities know how to teach children

created by private organizations. Even though

it could help bring a quality teacher into each

NCLB proved ineffective, its creation was a

classroom in America. With more qualified

public process. Is it any surprise that the new

teachers would come more trust for the states

Common Core standards revolve around

and fewer federal regulations, making it easier

testing considering many who developed

for teachers and local communities to take

the Common Core have strong affiliations to

on the responsibility of education. This is the

testing companies?

direction we should want to move in if we want

To add to the problem, implementation in the states was less than voluntary, since the

education to improve, so that our children can compete with the best students in the world.

federal government gave states the ultimatum of accepting the standards or losing federal money and waivers for some NCLB standards.

Candice Love is a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at lovecd@wustl.edu.

political review | National

The Indecision of the Supreme Court Andrew Eichen | Illustration by Caroline Dierksheide

he Supreme Court recently made a

directly to the courts,

definitive statement on the controversial

thereby deliberately

topic of same-sex marriage. No, the court

circumventing the

didn’t decide that same-sex marriage should or

Constitution. No matter

shouldn’t be legal nationally. The court didn’t

the issue, the Founding

even hear the case in question. Rather, without

Fathers gave us a

comment, in early October, the Supreme Court

legislative process for a

decided to decline hearing several noteworthy

reason.

same-sex marriage appeals, from a variety of states. The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear a case is rarely noteworthy. While the court receives approximately 10,000 petitions for writs of certiorari every year, only about 80 are ever heard. However, the recent decision to deny these cases directly affects the issue of same-sex marriage in a number of states, and by extension,

The act of legislating from the bench is rarely appropriate. This is specifically the case with same sex marriage, one of the most highly contested issues in the

the nation as a whole.

country today. Why

Following the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling

justices, who aren’t

in U.S. v. Windsor this past year, in which it struck

elected by the population,

down a large portion of the Defense of Marriage

decide important and

Act (DOMA), there has been a national push to

controversial policy

legalize same-sex marriage by way of the courts.

issues? Justices are

Prior to the influential ruling, only nine states

appointed for life so that

had legalized same sex marriage. Of those, three

they can fairly judge

were decided through popular vote, four by state

cases of constitutionality

legislatures, and two through court decisions. In

while simultaneously

the year and a half since, an additional 16 states

being shielded from

have legalized same-sex marriage. However,

public opinion. They

this time only four settled this issue through the

aren’t appointed to form

This trend of bringing critical policy issues

state legislatures, while twelve decided it through

an oligarchy which dictates decisions on critical

before the courts in lieu of passing legislation

courts. It’s abundantly clear that in the past year

issues without any input from the electorate.

needs to stop. It not only violates the rights of

the same-sex marriage debate has moved from

should a select few

the legislative branch to the judiciary.

The Supreme Court’s decision in early October

By deciding to take advantage of judicial

appeals was a decision in and of itself. By

activism to get marriage equality passed

rejecting the various cases, the court de facto

in a number of states, same-sex marriage

overturned the will of the legislatures and people

advocates display blatant disrespect for the

of eight different states. This once again, not only

legislative process. There is no question that the

demonstrates the increasing role of the courts

legislative process is cumbersome, slow, and

in the current same-sex marriage landscape,

altogether irritating. Especially today with great

but additionally indicates another step towards

partisan divides across the nation, it’s difficult

a more dominant federal government. While it

to get legislation passed. Same-sex marriage

isn’t the role of state judges to rule on same-sex

advocates must be frustrated more than anyone

marriage, it certainly isn’t the role of federal

by the process. There is no doubt it’s painful to

judges to do so. Same-sex marriage is a state-by-

watch an important piece of legislation sit in

state issue, and should continue to be addressed

committees for months, just to have it rejected

as such. Is this not why we have states in the first

when brought to the floor. However, this is no

place—so we can celebrate and respect an array

excuse for advocates to skip the constitutionally

of diverse laws and opinions among a variety of

prescribed process by bringing the issue

local political landscapes?

not to take any of the several same-sex marriage

the electorate, but also establishes a dangerous governmental precedent. If a state wants samesex marriage, like any other policy, it should be passed by way of state legislatures or ballot referendum. While advocates may feel that this is a one-sided issue that should be dealt with by the courts, they ignore the existance of another side that is equally passionate, which can make an equally cogent argument for their position. What if all states end up legalizing same-sex marriage through the judicial branch? This sends a direct message to the American people that their opinions are inconsequential in light of the opinions of a select, unelected few.

Andrew Eichen is a freshman in the Olin Business School. He can be reached at aeichen@wustl.edu.

political review | NATIONAL

THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE “I Katelyn Taira | Illustration by Esther Hamburger t’s gotten worse,” my Aunty Aileen says as

cycle of criminalizing Hawaii’s homeless

we talk over lunch. It is difficult to reconcile

population. These measures do little to alleviate

the images of picturesque beaches and

the problem of homelessness and only serve to

sunsets with the hunched figures shuffling

displace it by forcing the homeless out of the

along the streets and crouching next to building.

sight.

With half of my family living on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, I frequently visit my relatives’ homes, beaches, and local haunts. However, when confronted with cardboard boxes serving as makeshift shelters, dirty bare feet and the tattered hems of pants and shirts, and shopping carts piled high with sundry personal belongings, I begin to question Hawaii’s status as a paradise. Unsurprisingly, officials in the Oahu city of Honolulu have swept their homeless population off of the tourist-infested shores and onto the streets to save the city’s reputation as a prime vacation spot.

Oahu is finite in space: there are only so many places to go before hitting the water. So with the beaches off-limits, the homeless population often looks to downtown areas or parks as a source of refuge. Lawmakers, however, have decided to close public parks at night and ban tents in public spaces. Historically and once primarily restricted to run-down Chinatown, the homeless population is growing and expanding outside of its former parameters into the business districts, causing concerns primarily with business owners and the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Small businesses in particular have taken a special interest in deterring the homeless with

Hawaii has attempted to retain its longstanding reputation as a tourist destination by removing any sign of homelessness from its crowded beaches and parks.

informal patrols and renovated storefronts. However, these measures do not stop the

With homelessness up over 30 percent from the

homeless from congregating and sleeping in

past 5 years, Hawaii has attempted to retain its

front of places of business.

longstanding reputation as a tourist destination by removing any sign of homelessness from its crowded beaches and parks. It is not uncommon for a homeless individual to be fined for pushing his or her carts or sleeping on sidewalks near popular tourist sites. The police go as far as confiscating the belongings of those who don’t comply. The response of Honolulu, Hawaii’s capital, to the problem of homelessness is indicative of Hawaii’s larger problems. Honolulu officials recently passed an ordinance that now allows the police to arrest those who sleep and urinate outdoors. The ordinance is being applied now in Waikiki, a Honolulu neighborhood and major tourist destination that officials want clear of signs of homelessness. These fines, arrests, and losses of property further a vicious

Passed in June 2013, Hawaii’s Return to Home law sought to purchase homeless individuals one-way airplane tickets off of the island, essentially saving taxpayers from providing welfare and making the state more touristfriendly. It seems logical considering 6 out of 10 homeless individuals are not originally from

create more affordable housing. The impact of

Hawaii, but instead are lured from the mainland

these measures, though, is likely to be limited.

with promises of warm weather and suitable

The cost of living in Hawaii, according to a

living conditions. The bill, however, has never

recent U.S. Commerce Department Bureau of

been implemented because of complications

Economic Analysis report, is the highest in the

regarding funding, setting up mainland family

nation, topping both New York and California.

connections, researching criminal background,

This economic environment limits the ability of

and other logistical issues. Since the homeless

the homeless to improve their quality of life.

crisis cannot be neatly exported, lawmakers have passed provisions that will hopefully

The most troubling aspect of this crisis, however, is the view that homeless people are

political review | National

the problem, as opposed to homelessness itself.

transparent social services support system and

significantly reduced, thereby allowing tourism

While tourism and development are among

individualized care that includes job training

to thrive while also placing an emphasis on the

Hawaii’s primary focuses, the fact remains that

and treatment for individuals. Such support is

individual well-being of all of Hawaii’s residents.

there are 465 homeless individuals for every

necessary considering that two-thirds of the

With this goal in mind, Hawaii may maintain its

100,000 people in the state. With a population

homeless population consists of veterans, the

label as a paradise not only for tourists, but for

of only 1.4 million, Hawaii cannot displace

mentally ill, and addicts. While it cannot be

its locals as well.

such a significant number of its residents every

easily remedied, the homeless crisis in Hawaii

day, deem the situation sufficiently dealt with,

requires immediate attention and some of the

and continue to peddle souvenir t-shirts and

famed “aloha spirit” of inclusion that the state

leis. In order to fully treat the homelessness

boasts. With the right policymakers, motives,

crisis, Hawaiian officials must provide a

and infrastructure, homelessness can be

Katelyn is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at ktaira@wustl.edu.

political review | NATIONAL

A MESSAGE FROM THE MISSING O Divya Walia

n the night of September 12, Hannah

to similar cases in lower-income, racially

the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson

Graham, a sophomore at the University

segregated areas. For instance, media analysts

and Trayvon Martin’s death in Florida have

of Virginia, left an off-campus party

noted a huge difference in coverage between the

kept the relationship between racial stigmas

while intoxicated and wandered into the

kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart from a wealthy

and crime fresh on the nation’s mind. The

downtown Charlottesville area. At 1:20 AM the

Salt Lake City neighborhood in comparison

possible revelation of Jesse Matthews as a

next morning, Graham sent a cryptic text to her

to the disappearance of Alexis Patterson, a

mass abductor or murderer could result in the

friends saying she was lost, despite being in an

7-year-old African American girl living in a poor

perpetuation of a larger racial stereotype, adding

area she knew well. This was the last time she

area of Milwaukee. Both were reported missing

fuel to the existing fire.

was heard from. After Graham’s disappearance,

within the same month in 2002, with one girl

over 1,000 volunteers searched the area, police

appearing in national headlines constantly and

offered a $100,000 reward for information

the other never even mentioned. Graham’s

leading to Graham’s safe return, and, for the

case definitely fits with the former. The fear

first time in Virginia history, an aerial drone was

and attention Graham’s story has attracted

utilized in the search.

certainly has a lot to do with the startling

The media reaction to Graham’s disappearance has been significant. National news sources have broadcast countless images of the young

anomaly of her case: a well educated, upperclass white girl vanishing from a populated and relatively safe area. Her story stresses the uncomfortable notion that no one is ever really

On October 18, volunteers discovered human remains on an abandoned property eight miles from Graham’s last known location. The remains were subsequently confirmed as Graham’s. The news comes as a tragic development for those optimistic for her safe return. Nevertheless, Graham’s tragedy has brought with it several crucial reminders—firstly, the importance of safety and alertness, especially in conjunction with alcohol. University students

The fear and attention Graham’s story has attracted certainlyhas a lot to do with the startling anomaly of her case: a well educated, upper-class white girl vanishing from a populated and relatively safe area. girl and have competed with one another to piece together her whereabouts the night she went missing. Adding to the intrigue, Graham’s disappearance is the fifth of its kind in five years

safe or exempt from tragedy, a fact that has led to an outpouring of support to the devastated Graham family.

to take place within a few miles of Route 29, the

In early October, new evidence identified

local highway that runs through Charlottesville.

32-year-old Jesse Matthews as the last person

The first such incident occurred in 2009 with

seen with Graham, buying her drinks and

the disappearance of Morgan Harrington, who

possibly leaving a bar with her in the early

was separated from her friends at a Metallica

hours of September 13. Forensic proof has

concert on the UVA campus and whose remains

also linked Matthews to Morgan Harrington’s

were found in a nearby field three months later.

disappearance in 2009, a huge break in these

The press storm that surrounded Graham’s case and ones like it highlights the nature of national interest. Why has this tragedy garnered so much attention and what does it say about the American people? National media has been criticized in the past for giving all of their focus to cases like these—kidnappings or murders of upper-class, white children or young adults from wealthy neighborhoods—in comparison

everywhere, especially young women, are struck by Graham’s recognizable face, proof that a few careless (though not unfamiliar) choices can lead to the unthinkable. Her case also reminds us to be vigilant, to look out for friends and fellow students, to refuse to let anyone leave alone and unprotected. As the case unfolds further, the media will continue its predictable dance.

Future discussion of the Graham case will be revealing not only of what happened on September 12, but also of the racial and class dynamics of national interest and opinion.

eerily similar cases. Matthews, an AfricanAmerican orderly at the UVA hospital, had been accused of two sexual assaults at two separate universities he attended, though neither of the women decided to press charges. Though Matthews’ arrests brings us closer to discovering Hannah’s fate, his race will certainly play an interesting role in the discussion of this case, especially in a place like Charlottesville, Virginia. Recent events like

Divya Walia is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at dwalia@wustl.edu.

political review | National

YOUR IDEAS HERE wupr is always accepting submissions from washington university undergraduates.

send your ideas to editor@wupr.org

political review | international

A MODEL FOR PRISON REFORM? T Brian Leibowitz | Infographic by Simin Lim he conditions of penitentiary facilities in

guns in hand. Clashes broke out immediately

highest incarceration rate in Latin America.

Latin America have long been subjected

between armed prisoners and stunned National

Costa Rican reformers within its Ministry of

to immense scrutiny. Over the last

Guard members. Approximately 61 people

Peace, concerned about the rising frequency

few years, the news has exposed increasingly

were killed and 120 injured. This was not even

of incarceration, decided to lead the charge for

inhumane prison conditions, mainly caused

Venezuela’s most recent prison tragedy to date;

prison reform. Their first step was creating a

by overcrowding. While the world has looked

in 1994, over 100 inmates died in a Maracaibo

third party institution to oversee and protect

on with shock and mostly expressed concern

prison battle, and over 60 inmates were killed

the rights of inmates. The IDB then stepped

through words instead of action, Costa Rica has

during a breakout at a prison in Caracas in 1992.

in to work with the government in providing

created a plan that, if effective, could potentially serve as model for all of Latin America.

Honduras has recently faced prison death

Prison overcrowding in Latin America is most

fact, the contemporary concern with prison

common in economically disadvantaged

overcrowding is embodied by the February 14,

countries. High incarceration rates are largely

2012 prison fire in Comayagua, Honduras, which

a result of strict laws regarding drug sentences

took the lives of over 300 inmates. According to

and an insufficient budget for reform. An even

CNN, the prison was built to hold 250 inmates,

greater barrier to reform is the lack of public

but an investigation found that there were 852

support. Despite tragic and frequent incidents in

detained there. While these events in Venezuela

tolls even greater than those of Venezuela. In

vocational instruction to prisoners, so that they would be capable of entering the labor market upon their release. The IDB also issued a major loan to Costa Rica in order to assist with these reforms. Finally, the Costa Rican government has put in efforts to improve the training of its prison staff in an attempt to both lessen corruption and to keep order. Costa Rica’s steps towards reforms are both bold and admirable. While the reforms do

[These reforms’] main goal is to help prison become a place forrehabilitation, giving prisoners the hope that their future will not be the same as their past.

not pretend to eradicate the problem of overpopulation as a whole, they are certainly steps in the right direction. Their main goal is to help prison become a place for rehabilitation, giving prisoners the hope that their future will not be the same as their past. It seems that Costa Rica will be a testing ground for the possibility of implementing prison reform in

which prisoners are injured and even killed, the

and Honduras were perceived as disastrous,

Latin America. Although prison reform is more

public generally takes little to no interest in the

they have not brought about any major

straightforward in Costa Rica than other Latin

idea of prison reform. As a result, Latin America

international public movement for reform.

American countries due to Costa Rica’s lower

has not yet undergone its own penitentiary reforms. The onus of reform has, so far, been placed on governments and international organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which lends money to the governments of developing states in the

So, the question is why Costa Rica is initiating Latin America’s prison reform. Logic would lead most to conclude that a country so affected by either prison massacres or uncontrollable prison fires would lead the charge to reform.

Americas, to initiate such changes in policy.

When examining the statistics presented by

Latin American prison reform’s origins in

with its 33 prisons, official capacity of 8,536

Costa Rica may seem surprising, especially

inmates, and total prison population 14,963, has

when one examines recent prison conflicts in

significantly mitigated its overcrowding problem

Venezuela and Honduras. Take, for instance

relative to Venezuela. Venezuela has 32 prisons

the Uribana prison in Barquisimeto, Venezuela,

meant to hold 18,515 prisoners, but that actually

which suffered a tragic prison riot in 2013.

hold 52,933. Costa Rica’s prisons are at about

The corruption of the Venezuelan correctional

175 percent capacity, while Venezuela’s are at

system enabled prisoners to obtain military

an astounding 286 percent capacity. Amazingly,

weaponry, even within the heavily guarded

Costa Rica’s crime rate is significantly lower

facility. On January 25, 2013, the day of a

than those in both Honduras and Venezuela.

planned search of the Venezuelan prisons by the National Guard, prisoners awaited the soldiers,

prisonstudies.org, one can see that Costa Rica,

At the start of 2013, Costa Rica had the third-

crime rates, the successful implementation of these reform movements could signify a call for change across Latin America and lead to a potentially more humane penitentiary system. Only time will tell whether or not Costa Rican prison reform can serve as a model for the rest of Latin America.

Brian Leibowitz is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at b.leibowitz@wustl.edu.

political review | international

Costa Rica vs Venezuela 33 Prisons

Official Capacity

32 Prisons

Total Prison Population

8,536

14,963

Number of Inmates 0

Official Capacity

Total Prison Population

10,000 20,000

18,515

30,000 40,000

52,933

50,000 60,000

Costa Rica is at 175% capacity

Venezuela is at 286% capacity

175%

286%

political review | international

THE ACADEMIC BIAS AGAINST ISRAEL J Max Handler

ust a few months ago, everything in

Hebron would follow the three teens abducted

Furthermore, the method that Gustafson has

Stephen Salaita’s life seemed to be

earlier that summer and disappear. The fact that

chosen for expressing his displeasure is a poor

going right. He had just accepted a

professors defended Salaita much more than

one. He seems to be a supporter of academic

professorship at the University of Illinois at

they defended Hirsi Ali speaks to a clear double

freedom; in a comment responding to a Student

Urbana-Champaign in the American Indian

standard: there are things you can say about

Life editorial criticizing him, he wrote, “We

Studies department, leaving behind a job at

Israel that you can’t say about anything else.

should all question any action … which seeks to

Virginia Tech. He bought a house and was all ready to move. Then he posted a few tweets

If these incidents weren’t enough, there is quite

silence vigorous public debate and knowledge sharing on this and other questions” And yet

critical of Israel, and the job offer disappeared.

a bit of other evidence to support the idea of a

The hardships Salaita faced are nothing

have attempted to make their campuses safer

compared to those of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the

for minority students, teaching about things like

women’s rights activist and anti-Islamic scholar.

microaggressions and generally encouraging

She left her homeland of Somalia for the

more politically correct attitudes. However,

Netherlands after suffering genital mutilation at

these attitudes do not extend to Israel and

the age of five. She got into politics and made

to Jewish students. Numerous organizations,

a number of films critical of Islam before she

such as the Association for Asian American

decided to leave following the murder of her

Studies, have endorsed academic boycotts of

Yet there are no media campaigns to make

friend and fellow anti-Islamic activist Theo

Israel, and many professors, including one here

colleges more hospitable to Jews and to others

van Gogh. Earlier this year, Brandeis University

at Washington University, have joined them.

with pro-Israel views. People are up in arms

planned to give Hirsi Ali an honorary degree

No one boycotts universities in the Middle

over Ayaan Hirsi Ali giving a speech about her

before students and professors protested,

East over their governments’ treatment of

experiences with Islam, but offer no quarrels

claiming that her views on Islam constituted

women. Apparently, only Israeli universities are

when Northwestern continues to employ Arthur

hate speech. The offer of an honorary degree

deserving of being boycotted due to the actions

Butz, an electrical engineering professor and

was revoked.

of their government. Some institutions, such

Holocaust denier. Noam Chomsky is one of

as Oberlin College, have even taken the drastic

most respected academics in the world, and

step of divesting from Israel. This is strange,

he once proclaimed that, “Anti-Semitism is no

considering they still buy products from China, a

longer a problem, fortunately. It’s raised, but

nation whose government is the world’s biggest

it’s raised because privileged people want to

supporter of North Korea.

make sure they have total control, not just 98%

Two academics, two similar stories. In both cases, the media frenzy that followed focused on the question of free speech. Individually, that is the best angle to look at these two stories. But together, they raise a much more interesting issue: how American academia treats Israel. The difference between the reactions to these two controversies was telling. Few academics stood up for Hirsi Ali, claiming that her work was hate speech. When she was invited to speak at Yale, student groups said that she was unqualified to do so, even though she had lived through many of things she criticized. With Salaita, the reaction was the exact opposite. The same people that had supported the decision not to let Hirsi Ali speak all but took to the streets over Salaita’s non-hiring, claiming his right to free speech had been violated. They chose to ignore some of his more offensive tweets, such as, “Zionists: transforming ‘anti-Semitism’ from something horrible into something honorable since 1948.” In another tweet, he wished that all of the Jewish settlers in

double standard. Colleges all over the country

As previously noted, these academic boycotts have extended to Washington University. Professor Brett Gustafson, a member of the anthropology department, signed a letter calling for the academic boycott of Israeli institutions. Gustafson defended himself against claims of anti-Semitism by arguing that criticism of Israel is not in and of itself offensive. However, his actions are questionable not because they are critical of Israel, but because the focus is solely on Israel. Gustafson criticizes Israel for things that he is apparently fine with other nations doing, as he has not called for an academic boycott of any other nation. Apparently, only in

here he is, doing exactly what he says we should avoid. The boycott he supports is effectively silencing the students and professors at Israeli universities. He ignores the fact that much of the criticism of the Israeli government comes from within; many of the professors and students he is boycotting would surely agree with him.

control.” If this were said about any other group, no one would hesitate to deem it offensive, and Chomsky would be condemned. But because he said it about Jews in the context of criticizing Israel, he is allowed to make use of the classic stereotype of Jewish people seeking power and control. This attitude is an unfortunate remnant of stereotypes about Jews. Jews are stereotyped as being successful, so it is assumed that they need no extra protection. Colleges need to recognize the issues that Jewish students face on campus and confront them. It’s time to stop the steady onslaught of anti-Israel thought before it morphs into outright anti-Semitism.

Israel are the nation’s universities responsible for the actions of their government. If Gustafson wishes to avoid hypocrisy and be morally consistent, he should take a stand against all nations whose governments he disagrees with.

Max Handler is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at handlermax@gmail.com.

political review | international

Illustration by Alex Chiu 29