Tangents and Tirades

by The Cowl Editor on January 24, 2019


Opinion


Holiday lights.
Photo courtesy of FreeIconsPNG.

VenNO: Why I Prefer Paper Money

In the last few years, Venmo, a money transferring app, has become increasingly popular. But the rise in the popularity of Venmo has had a tragic consequence: the phasing out of paper money.

Admittedly, I have a Venmo account. I find it necessary to have one as a college student, as no one seems to carry cash around in their wallets anymore. Most people even prefer to be paid via Venmo instead of being handed cash.

However, Venmo falls short of paper money in many ways.

In order to access the money in your Venmo account, you need to transfer it to your bank account, which takes from one to three business days. Therefore, if you opt to do an instant transfer Venmo to your bank account, Venmo charges a fee.

Moreover, Venmo has become another form of social media. Although there are settings that allow your transactions to be hidden from the public, the default setting allows the entire world to view who you are sending money to and what you are sending it for. In an age where Instagram, Facebook, and many other social media sites consume so much time and energy from people’s lives, Venmo does not need to be added to the list.

Lastly, there is a certain satisfaction that comes along with physical money. Your Venmo balance may be $500, but you can’t hold that form of money in your hands or roll around in it on the ground. Paper money may be old-fashioned, but it still has a leg up on Venmo.

—Kelly Wheeler ’21

 

Friar Friendliness: AirPodsí Next Victim

In this era of AirPods, Beats headphones, and easy access to music streaming services, more and more people are plugging in and individually listening to music on their phones.

While it is great and convenient that people can effortlessly listen to and enjoy their favorite songs on the go, this habit of constantly wearing headphones in public places hinders people from properly interacting with others.

This is an issue on our own campus, where a multitude of students walk to class or to other areas of Providence College completely plugged in with their heads down.

This may not seem like an issue to some, however looking up and saying hello to someone can really make someone’s day, as well as improve your own social skills and awareness.

Along with that, some people may view those with their headphones in as people who have no desire to interact with others at that moment, which may not be the case.

Being a smaller school, the likelihood of running into someone you know during your walk across campus is high, and people need to be more open to saying hello even if you are not the best of friends.

As a Friar Family, we should be more open to being friendly around campus and one of the best ways we can achieve this is by unplugging and embracing our Friar friendliness.

—Marie Sweeney ’20

 

Lighting the Way Through Winter

The winter months are some of the darkest times of the year. Daylight hours come and go with lightning speed, leaving gray skies above our day-to-day activities.

December offers a brief respite from all the darkness, with many homes lit up in holiday decorations, candles in windows, and beautiful multicolor lights. For one month, we can forget the literal and figurative darknesses of the winter season.

Almost as fast as they go up, though, these decorations return to their respective attics within days of Dec. 25 or even Jan. 1, leaving us to once again carry on our daily lives in the lack of sunlight and warmth.

Even here on campus, the rapid disappearance of boughs and garland by the start of the second semester starkly contrasts to the lights and projected warmth that was found across campus in the first semester.

Although it can be expensive to use electricity for all the holiday lights, one does not need to leave the elaborate displays up through the new year. By just keeping a few candles in the window or some colored light strands, the goodwill of the holiday season would continue and make the transition to the new year smoother.

In a season defined by its lack of daylight and extremely cold temperatures, passing houses and buildings with lights in the windows on our everyday travels offers welcome moments of warmth and distraction, making these harsh winter months all the more bearable.

—Joshua Chlebowski ’21