Your Voice | Letters

Cultural centers are already affordable

To the Editor:

Ms. Steinberg's column last week ("Catching up with culture" 2/5/08) shows that she is oblivious to the realities of student discounts to cultural institutions in the U.S. as well as our basic system of a federal government.

Incredible deals can be found across this country, including student-only $10, not 10 Euro, tickets to the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera, for center orchestra tickets, not balcony. And we get to listen to Maria Callas or see Loren Mazel conduct instead of lesser local talent.

In addition, any student qualifies for membership to the American Association of Museums, $35 annually, which guarantees free admission to almost every major museum, as well as a myriad of minor institutions, such as the Eastern State Penitentiary right here in Philadelphia.

Not every museum needs a card for discounted entrance. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where one could spend every day for a week and never see the same work twice, is free every day.

The United States Federal Government also subsidizes non-profit institutions by providing tax incentives. Local governments help to construct and expand cultural institutions and yet these institutions remain free from government censorship.

There are great examples of open access to cultural institutions throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Both have their advantages, but it is not difficult for those willing to spend a couple minutes looking for deals to find world-class experiences without paying a fortune. When I traveled in Eastern and Western Europe, I looked at guide books and asked locals for deals before complaining that there was nothing to do.

Adam Fettig

School of Design, 2010

Society and alcohol

To the Editor:

In the Feb. 8th article "Experts cite possible link between alcohol and violent crimes," Stephanie Ives, director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives, was quoted, "alcohol lowers inhibitions and contributes to higher-risk behaviors, which could potentially contribute to assaults."

Although Ives has the best interest of the students, comments like these may be adding more harm than good to the situation.

Alcohol has many undeniable negative effects, but it is unclear whether drinking alcohol actually makes you less inhibited and leads to more deviant behavior. It may be the comments that associate alcohol with lack of inhibition that make people act uninhibited. Perhaps how people act when they're drunk is tied to the cultural expectations of how you're supposed to act. Culture makes us believe we are supposed to act uninhibited, more aggressive and more promiscuous. Therefore when we drink, we will act this way.

Sophomore Zack Bader says it best: "It is a self-fulfilling prophecy; alcohol is just a substance that gives you an excuse to act differently." When you're drinking you're allowed to behave in a way you can't always. It is a way to escape.

Does the person determine society or does society determine the person?

Seth Levine

SEAS Freshman

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