OPINION
9A
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2008
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
FROM THE DRAWLING BOARD
Tyler Doehring
COMMENTARY
Is embracing campus diversity an asset or liability?
When I was a child, the answer to the question of why I was brown and my brothers were white dawned on me as I sat in the kitchen drinking my evening glass of milk with them; my brothers liked white milk, and I liked chocolate milk. If you could have only witnessed the amount of chocolate milk I consumed as a child, you wouldn't scoff on my logic.
When I grew up, I found that the concept with which I was confronted—diversity—was posing as difficult a problem to the grown-ups around me as it did when I was a child.
On returning to school last year, I found that the diversity question was being dealt with by the good folks at the Multicultural Resource Center. On the credentials of my above mentioned theory on diversity, they hired me as a member of the Diversity Peer Education Team, a group that "provides workshops and presentations intended to promote awareness about the diversity that exists on KU campus." Being involved with the program has helped me to coalesce my own various and wandering thoughts on the subject and work towards a theory of my own.
I've noticed two separate ways of thinking about race: The first says that it is best to not concern yourself with a person's race, but to look to the person inside. The second says that a person's race or ethnicity is a part of who they are. The latter is superior, I believe, because it disregards the presupposition that difference in race is synonymous
with inequality while choosing not to ignore the truth of the matter; that between us there exist differences.
"Diversity" you will hear it said "should be considered an asset, not a liability." This describes the kind of value we place on diversity, a thing that used to be seen as "bad", but is now seen as "good". But this rhetoric transforms diversity education into an act of providing incentive for changing one's mind about it: it is now merely an act of trying to convince people that diversity is good. A more accurate statement would be to say that diversity is neither an asset nor a liability, but a reality - especially in a globalizing world.
I've heard it taught, in a diversity and journalism context, that one shouldn't approach a minority to ask a question about an issue stemming from being a minority, because this will somehow make them feel unusual. Essentially, don't approach a black person because they're black
to ask them about a being black. This is tantamount to saying "Hey, you're unusual, can I ask you some questions about unusually?" What this states is that being a minority is synonymous with being unusual and what that comes from is a misunderstanding about the idea of difference, and how it applies to people.
No one person is "different." The term "different" can't exist if only one person is in question. Once you have two people, the concept of "difference" exists. "Difference" exists in this abstract space between people; it does not rest on any one person. One person cannot be different, but two or more cannot help be it.
Education should work to erase whatever reticence one might have at approaching someone of a different race or background, since once the idea that this person is unusual or weird is gone, any apprehension should leave with it, barring whatever else you might know about the
person, in terms of his or her lack of social and/or hygiene skills.
Diversity is more than difference in race: it's difference in gender, sexual orientation, religion, experience and a myriad of other things, but my theory still stands: 1) "difference" isn't a quality of any one person, and 2) any approach to them involving that presupposition would therefore be flawed. I believe that any approach to any problem should involve critical evaluation, and diversity should not be an exception. Once the root of this has been gotten to, then perhaps we can grow beyond the question, and once we abandon the idea that individuals are somehow "different" in and of themselves, then we can approach the real question of living together, and evolve through our lack of understanding.
Anderson is a Perry senior in creative writing.
COMMENTARY
Leave my athletes alone, let them play their games
Sports are sports, there is no need to talk about steroids as long as the athletes continue to win
NICK MANGIARACINA
It just pains me to see these athletes suffer. Why does the media have to beat up on them any way? Did you see poor Marion Jones cry at that press conference when all the reporters put those sticks in her face?
You people really know how to make a woman feel alone. Just because Jones was juicing doesn't give them the right to take her medals. She ran so fast on the T.V.; Did you see her?
She didn't know she was doing anything wrong. Why punish her? She's just a child. Now you wouldn't put a child behind bars now would you? Plus, what people should know
She's so inspiring and smiles so much—especially when she won those medals.
Marion ain't the only one suffering though. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens have been taking a beating too. People have been calling them all sorts of names — "cheater" and "liar." I've seen the hurt in their eyes. They aren't responsible—just look at them.
You showed them how it should be Marion. The only thing that could've been better well've been if she was wearing the stars and bars.
Plus, those people talking' bad about my boys don't know Barry and Roger like I do. People are saying they shamed America and baseball. They don't know what they're talk-
America is about winning and the only thing more American than that is apple pie.
is she won. Didn't she?
Another thing I'm mad about is people saying star athletes don't have problems—least of all big ones, you know? That ain't true. What do you think keeps them awake at night? Same stuff we worry about they worry about too: Money.
ing' about. I've watched the games on the T.V. I've been there in spirit
You've tried deciding what to do with your bills before? It ain't easy. They have more of it—how you think they feel? They make millions selling themselves.
We need to get back to the games—so's here's to being happy. They're better than us people, so let them play. If we were better athletes wed be there instead of here. Fact is they special cause they're good at what we ain't. They keep us busy—something we can't do well. Bless them for it. Don't scald them.
What I mean to say in all this is leave them alone. Leave my athletes alone. They haven't done anything to
you. They just wanted better.
I reckon we seen too many mirrors these days.
Mangiaracina is a Lenexa senior in journalism.
Great. First Juno promotes pregnancy, and now KU tells students where to go to get
Visit Kansan.com and add the Facebook application, "University Daily Kansan," to start contributing.
actions.
I know what you mean, I had
shitty friends, and last semester,
I basically told them to back off,
and now I'm happier than ever
before, and I'm prospering!
This week I realized that everyone around me is miserable because they are stuck in relationships that aren't very satisfying. I'm single and awe-
》 FREE FOR ALL
You, sir, may have the largest penis on campus, but I have the largest dildo on campus. And since it does not come attached to a bastard like you, so I'd say I
have the better deal.
I don't think I've ever been this happy before. I'm in love, and it's amazing!
--that day.
Go find some other lonely soul, and do the dirty. You'll feel better
Boyfriends who break up with you right before Valentine's Day really suck. As if Valentine's Day isn't every single girl's worst nightmare. I have to suffer through a break up on
I don't think I've ever been this happy before. I'm completely single, and it's amazing!
---
I'm giving my girlfriend the clap for Valentine's Day. I love you!
---
Numbers don't dwindle if you go to grad school. Then you can have one of those kinky GTA-student relationships that are wanted.
/ GHA student relationships that I always wanted.
---
You just need to grow up a little. Life is passing you by. When you get out of college, the numbers dwindle
---
14,000? So stop being such a princess.
How come there are over 14,000 boys here and I can't find one I like?
A college newspaper has a special sex section? How predictable.
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