Letter to the Editor: Learn to read signals

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    Dear Editor,

    Although I appreciate the ingenuity of last week’s letter in suggesting a “stoplight button” labeling system, the proposal has one fatal flaw – its success depends on the students’ knowledge of what to do at a stoplight.

    Ideally, a student would see a yellow light and know to “proceed with caution.” However, anyone viewing the intersection of University Avenue and 800 N. on a busy afternoon could see that many students interpret the yellow light incorrectly.

    To many students, the yellow light seems to mean “hurry up before it’s too late!” And even the red light is sometimes misinterpreted: instead of “stop,” it seems to mean “if it looks clear, I’ve still got a chance!”

    Now imagine how these misinterpretations would be applied to the issue of individual availability if all BYU students were wearing colored buttons to indicate their status.

    If, for example, a single man views an attractive woman wearing a yellow button, he should know how to “proceed with caution” because she has significant other.

    Based on local driving habits, however, this would not be the case. Instead, he would think, “I better get moving before it’s too late!” A common way to phrase the mentality is, “It don’t mean a thing if she ain’t got a ring!”

    And to some students, even a red button would not be an indication to stop. To these students, the red button would mean “as long as no one has said ‘yes’ at the altar, and I think I can do it, I’ve still got a chance!”

    Perhaps there really is a need for a labeling system on campus, but unless BYU offers a refresher course in driver’s education, this one simply won’t work.

    Olivia L. Cook

    Midway

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