I have never considered myself to be apathetic toward life’s political arena. I vote regularly and I keep up with current issues, both national and international.

The one exception I have found regarding apathy about a cause is the war in Iraq. There has been a lot of buzz about the war these last few years and I cannot help but personally feel that as time wears on, I am fighting a shadow-faced bully with both hands tied behind my back.

Going out on a limb here, I will say that most college students do not concern themselves wholeheartedly with the war. Until recently, now that the five-year anniversary of the war has passed, I haven’t thought about what implications the war has on my life, financial aspects excluded.

However, my mind changed dramatically when a series of personal and heartbreaking articles ran in The SouthtownStar profiling people whose lives have been personally affected by the war in Iraq.

An Easter Sunday article profiled Sabrina Schultz, a 24-year-old widow and mother of nine-month-old son, Logan. Schultz’s late husband, 1st Lt. David Schultz, died in Iraq when an enemy mortar struck his office building and killed him.

The story outlines an array of completely relatable experiences ranging from the couple’s meeting at NIU, to David’s all-too-common yet heart-warming first-time-father jitters.

This article, along with the others in the series, made me realize that the war in Iraq is more than just a pain in the neck to hear about. It is more than our country’s recession. In my opinion, this war depicts humanity in its most valiant and raw form.

My epiphany about the human condition regarding this cause arrived with the implementation of a popular and often overused tactic in journalism: emotional appeal.

We’ve all seen this tactic used quite frequently. Think back to the late-night commercials you see with young children in Africa afflicted with AIDS or a similar disease. These specials are dripping with emotional appeal: young kids sifting through garbage for food accompanied by music so melancholy it could bring a tear to your eye.

Emotional appeal is one of the most effective ways to gain awareness and support for a particular cause or situation.

Not surprisingly, emotional appeal has been used since the beginning of print media. Sensationalism was apparent in news as early as the Colonial Era. News stories of the day made little effort to differentiate between fact and opinion.

Thus, many stories had an underlying “moral of the story.” It would not be uncommon to see an article about infidelity, condemning the offender to an eternity in hell.

I believe the series of columns about the Iraq War in The SouthtownStar utilizes emotional appeal effectively. For those concerned with finances, figures and politics, the usual war in Iraq articles will suffice.

For those looking for a deeper tie to those halfway around the world and searching for a way to reconnect with areas of life that have grown commonplace, the outlet of brilliant emotion-based journalism is a great place to look.