HOW TO SUBMIT
The Kansan welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns submitted by students, faculty and alumni.
OPINION
The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject submissions. Letters should be around 200 words. Guest columns should be 500 words.
7A
THURSDAY, JANUARY 17. 2008
THE UNIVERSITY HARLY KANSAN
》 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
New interactive changes developed for Kansan.com
Welcome back to another semester of The University Daily Kansan.
We are proud to launch a new version of our Web site, www.kansan.com. It's the product of many months of work by our Web coordinator, and it's designed with you in mind. The organization is more user-friendly, and we'll have plenty of interactive features to complement our daily print edition, including videos, photo galleries, hyperlinks and multimedia presentations. We also have blogs covering everything from pop culture to a nontraditional student's perspective of University life. Our editors also will be blogging, so tune in for a glimpse into the inner workings of The Kansan.
We're busy developing other new ways to serve your needs this spring. We're working to create a letter-
writing tool for Kansan-
com that will let readers
send e-mails to state and
University officials. In the
coming weeks, we plan to
launch Free for All Live,
a video version of Free
for All. Look for us on
Wescoe Beach to express
your opinions, vent your
frustrations or engage in epic
debates about Chuck Norris
or Ugg bootz.
In our print edition, we will be publishing more national and international news to keep you informed. We're still a campus newspaper, however, so you'll see plenty of news specific to the University. As Student Senate elections take place and the men's basketball team ties for an undefeated season, we will be there every step of the way. From club sporting events and community service projects to celebratory occasions and the drama of college life, we are here to represent you. So, let us know what you think, and stay tuned this semester for more changes along the way.
Slipke is a Bristol, Conn. senior in journalism. She is Kanser editor.
Democrats to blame for'soap opera'state
letter to the editor
America has been at war for many years between good and evil. God is good because he provides life, love and understanding, caring and sharing.
The devil and evil take away life. He helps you to destroy; he helps you to be greedy; he helps you to be stupid; he helps you to rob; he helps you to carjack; and he helps you to take advantage of other people. When you allow the devil to control your thinking, no amount of money is enough and you always want more from the fruits of other people's labor.
When you allow God to come alive, he helps you to be an all-around better person. He helps you to be responsible for your actions. He helps you be a better husband, father, wife and mother. He helps you to be a better employer and employee.
Our State and Federal lawmakers start off with
a prayer, but it's only for show because they can't allow God to penetrate that greedy crust as long as they are controlled by evil and the devil. The State and Federal governments are going to continue to rip us off.
and their labor unions allowed the devil and evil to destroy millions of poor families, and now we have crime and violence all across the United States. They failed to take care of the children.
Also, the Democrats and the labor unions allowed the devil and evil to help them destroy millions of jobs, and they will keep on destroying more jobs because they will turn the red states into blue states so they can have a bigger and more powerful soap opera bureaucratic state and federal labor unions.
Edwin Stricker
Retired U.S. Air Force sergeant
KANSAN.COM
- Still reminiscing about warmer days in Miami? Read Asher Fusco's football blog, see video links and check out other blogs updated daily.
CONTACT US
Darla Slipke, editor
864-4810 or dslipke@kansan.com
Matt Erickson, managing editor
864-4810 or merickson@kansan.com
Dianne Smith, managing editor
864-4810 or dsmith@kansan.com
Bryan Dykman, opinion editor
864-4924 or dykman@kansan.com
Toni Bergquit, business manager
864-4358 or bregquest@kansan.
com
Lauren Keith, associate opinion editor
864-4924 or lkeith@kensan.com
Katy Pitt, sales manager 864-4477 or kpitt@kansan.com
Malcim Gibson, general manager and news adviser
864-7857 or mcgibson@kensee.com
Jon Schlitt, sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or jschlitt@kansan.com
COMMENTARY
Tyler Doehring
So-called parodies misinterpret genre they are trying to mock
I don't know much about the upcoming movie "Meet the Spartans" other than it exists, and that is enough to make my soul hurt.
I was half right.
I saw a commercial for it and assumed that it was promoting "Epic Movie 2"
The creative team (if you can call it that) behind "Meet the Spartans" is the same duo behind "Epic Movie," so in a way they are ripping themselves off. Kind of like John Fogerty but with less ... well, talent.
The writing/directing team of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer is the same that also brought us "Date Movie," the "Scary Movie" series and "Spy Hard." These two have based their entire careers on doing nothing but lazy parodies.
Trying to logically explain why this movie and most of the parody genre exist in a cultural black hole poses one major problem.
100 percent Lean American Parody "Butchered since 1985."
It's like they hock loogies at
Every time I think about this movie, my brain hurts. I go cross-eyed a little bit. Fear not, I'll soldier on.
The commercial shows a Sanjaya look-a-like (ZING!), a Paris Hilton look-a-like (ZOWEE!), a Britney Spears look-a-like (BOFFO!) and a Donald Trump look-a-like (um...what?) What is epic about "The Apprentice?"
What's wrong with these movies is that they don't stay faithful to the genre they claim to be mocking. Instead of focusing on epic movies, any pop culture reference imaginable is crammed in.
I have not seen any footage (leaked or otherwise) besides what is in the commercial. I am totally uninformed, and that doesn't matter, because someone with a partial college education is still informed enough to analyze "Meet the Spartans" on a 30-second TV spot.
The worst part is that these movies openly lie to the audience. By calling the movies Epic, Date, Space, Robot, Old-Person Love Story or whatever Movie, there is a promise made that it will be about the word in the title. If I pay to see "Epic Movie," why would I want a "Deal or No Deal" scene? These things are not epic.
Britney Spears shaving her head and Paris Hilton's stay in the clink get too much attention anyway, and it only validates them by implying that they are worthy of satire. They are worthy of just ire.
What Friedberg and Seltzer
don't realize, or just don't care about, is that even zany comedies still have rules to follow. If anything and everything is fair game, then it isn't zany — it's mind-numbing anarchy.
When I was in high school, I saw "Scary Movie" and thought it was funny. Maybe it's the 14- to 17-year-old market that keeps these movies afloat. Are our younger siblings so desperate for quality entertainment that they are forced to see Friedberg/Seltzer productions?
That may be true, but "Meet the Spartans" is still going to suck.
A friend of mine told me that you can't force people to have good taste.
Anything.
Bad parodies are hurting American culture, and maybe someone will be moved by my plea.
If no one goes to this movie, then others like it won't get made.
Mersmann is a Lawrence senior in creative writing.
If you're bored the weekend of Jan. 25 and feel like catching a movie, catch something else.
Mos Def and Jack Black have a movie opening that weekend, you like Mos Def, right? And just to be safe, if you do want to " meet the Spartans," buy a ticket to a different movie and go into the wrong theater.
COMMENTARY
Politicians, students find happy media
The year of 2008 is upon us. Not only is it a new year, but it is also a new semester, and we will face the trials of keeping new resolutions and the decision of voting for a new president in the upcoming election.
As a college student, I have become significantly aware that my generation has automatically been placed into a category of not caring and not knowing. We are considered to be one of the most apathetic groups in society, and we are negatively looked down on as
Although the actual date of election is about 11 months away, the importance of being educated on the decision is vital to our nation and our generation.
When looking at the statistics, it's understandable why people are disappointed in the political action occurring on campuses nationwide.
being unawake of not only our nation's politics but of the rest of the world's as well.
Our voter turnout numbers are low, and our political awareness is just not there. In fact, a recent study performed on a number of campuses nationwide found that a majority of college students could name all three judges on American Idol, but they could not name a single Supreme Court Judge.
According to the U.S. Census, 47 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in the 2004 presidential election — not even half of the eligible voters in our age group went to the polls.
The purpose of this is not to get you to go to the polls and increase the numbers. It is to encourage you to learn and to become an involved, well
I'm not surprised.
YouTube campaign videos
Hillary Clinton
Search: Hillary Clinton
Sopranos Parody
Barack Obama
Search: Obama Girl
Mike Huckabee
Search: Chuck Norris Approved
educated citizen.
I'm not suggesting countless hours of research and studying, but I am encouraging some simple, well educated knowledge.
Mitt Romney
Search: Mitt Romney
"Jihad"
In fact, many of the candidates have their own Web sites, and many others are writing their own blogs.
This is a great way to reach the tech-savvy youth of today, and it's much easier for politicians to tailor their writings to a younger generation, so that the interest among us is created.
If reading isn't your style, take a venture over to www. youtube.com, where a number of candidates have created
their own political messages for your viewing pleasure.
The core issue here is that as a young adult in America, it's important for us to view voting as a civil duty, not an irritating inconvenience or outdated ritual.
We must engage in actions that improve our state of life, and we must become politically aware of core issues facing our nation.
With that said, I encourage everyone to take this semester and educate themselves. Get involved. Ask questions. Register to vote.
Durbin is a Hays junior in journalism.
》 FREE FOR ALL
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish.
Thank you, Rock Chalk Dancers, for not being naked and also for the lack of pelvic thrusts. We appreciate it.
appreciate it.
Topuka sucks
of the time.
I do in fact know the basics of grammar. It's just annoying, and it wastes time to do it correctly all
plural.
You know what really grinds my gears? When people use the apostrophe the wrong way. It isn't used to make things
I think what he was trying to do was incorporate the word "puke" into the name of the city. "To-puke-a." Before you criticize someone's spelling, please learn the basics of English grammar. Capitalize first letters, and end sentences with one
period.
If you're going to bag on some town, you should probably spell it right first, or you just look like an
--atheist.
--atheist.
Seriously, football players, we get it. You went to the Orange Bowl and took a billion pictures of your view, the bus and your
--atheist.
I really hope Juno doesn't get overquoted and ruined like Napoleon Dynamite (which quite honestly was a really shitty movie to begin with).
Wow, Grace, you're kinda cute.
I did it for the lulz.
Sex: That's what I'm going to get once school starts again.
I had a nightmare that I had a roommate when I came back to school. I almost started praying to not have one, and then I remembered that I'm an
Decisions, decisions.
Drugs and stuff caused these major decisions.
As if we haven't heard that a thousand times. It's pretty much only funny if you can spell it correctly. You feel
---
Why is Kansas so windy? Because Nebraska sucks and Oklahoma blows...
@KANSAN.COM
Want more? Check out Free For All online