+
MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014
PAGE 4
+4
opinion
Ok, like third time this week, some dude comes out of the stall and doesn't wash his hands #dont-touchanything #dontshakehands
Text your FFA submissions to (785)289-8351 or at kansan.com
If they don't remember the old Marvin bus stop, they're too young for you!
You should totally get your foot run over and see what happens. KU has repeatedly dispelled this myth, but some people will just have to learn that for themselves.
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
Reading the FFA while in a Morgan Freeman voice was the best idea ever!
That moment when you realize you're facebook friends with the manager of your favorite liquor store...
Let me dispel this myth: if you are hit by a bus you will absolutely NOT receive tuition compensation. You may, however, receive a Darwin award.
FFA of the Day has undercut the validation of getting an FFA (. New goal: FFA of the Day of the Week.
All the horoscopes on April 1st are going to be only 2 or 3, right?
The Underground needs to invest in a water heater. How am I supposed to kill any germs on my hands with water below zero?
Can everyone stop telling Joel that he has to go to the NBA? If that's his choice fine, but stop shoving him out the door.
I hate when right-handed people sit in the only left-handed desk.
Instead of trying to replant grass every year on the dirt path by the chancellors house why don't they just make a sidewalk?
Editor's note. That would mean admitting defeat.
my science teacher doesn't know how to play a YouTube video. God have mercy on our souls.
My friend really changed once she became a vegetarian. It's like I've never seen herbivore.
I miss the days when ordering food through the drivethrough was only for those who already knew what they wanted to order.
INSPIRATION
I'm pretty sure I just saw a squirrel searching for the nuts he buried last fall, I hope he finds them. GOOD LUCK LITTLE GUY!
23 on the baseball team is really cute...
Beer tastes different before noon.
I'm only dating a kappa sig for the test files #GDIprobs
R.J. Mitte says be a leader, change a life
I went to listen to R.J. Mitte speak about his cerebral palsy and experiences living with a disability. A John Locke fan whether he knew it or not (at one point during his talk he claimed that "all people are inherently good"), I thought that Mitte's talk was insightful—if a bit informal.
In a full ballroom filled with eager students ready to share a room with fame, I was perhaps the only person there who has not seen more than thirty seconds of the show, "Breaking Bad," for which R.J. Mitte is famous. This isn't to say that part of my motivation wasn't my curiosity in seeing a celebrity close-up. On the contrary, that was certainly part of my interest. But I am glad
I chose not to watch an episode of the show before going to listen to his talk. He is likely to.
My inability to subsequently know this man through his role on television gave me the opportunity to listen more to his words than gawk at his face. Of the many, many things Mitte said on that stage, there are a few that stand out to me. In particular, Mitte's straight-forward, upfront answer to a question, for which he responded, "I am able to fill a room like this because of my good fortune and privilege. But I realize that this talk will only matter to a handful of you, and the rest are here because of my privilege. But because of that handful of people, that's all that matters."
R. J. Mitte also told a story of an old woman who fell with no one to help her, despite being surrounded by people. Instead, the people around her turned away or stepped over her. In shock about what he was seeing, Mitte helped the woman up and began to take care of her. And because of his assistance, the people who had previously ignored the woman began to help her.
This, I think, was the most important point of Mitte's
speech for myself. Mitte's point was that every cause needs a leader and that when one person takes initiative—even alone—they will find followers.
I think this is a very important point for students everywhere across our campus to know and understand. We have not all struggled physically, mentally or emotionally throughout most of our lives. We have not all been bullied so cruelly that we go home to cry every night. We cannot all understand these things or how they affect those who experience any number of things.
We can, however, take initiative. We can be leaders. We can identify the problems of our society,
and we can come up with creative solutions to fix them. All it takes is one 'yes,' and knowledge of where to start. If you are looking to get more involved around campus and help people at the same time, consider joining the Center for Community Outreach, applying for an alternative break, or volunteering your time at places like Jubilee Café or the Willow safe center. Remember, you may not be the one knocking, but you can build the door for the one who does knock.
Tasha Cerny is a senior from Salina studying English.
COMPETITION
Only in the USA: where not winning is considered losing
A few weeks ago the Oscars rounded out Hollywood's award season, the time of year people suddenly develop a vested interest in which film will be deemed the best of the year.
For some it's a personal grievance that Leonardo Dicaprio "lost" yet again this year, and he and I remain in a dead heat in the little gold statues department. That's how we talk about not being selected by the Academy to receive their award. Not winning is characterized as losing. Never mind critical acclaim, fame, box office revenue, or intrinsic satisfaction for that matter. Even if you're unbelievably fortunate enough to be nominated for an Academy Award, if the committee doesn't choose you to be number one, you've lost.
The United States has an obsession with winners and losers and it dominates our discourse. Never mind that this year's best picture nominees represented a wide variety of genres and unrelated themes. They must fit our discourse and be ranked because we must have a winner.
Of course competition dates back beyond the Roman Empire, even to Cain and Abel's sibling rivalry, but it has never been more at home than in America. Our election season is longer and wrought with comically more drama than anywhere else in the world. To our neighboring democracies across the pond it's no different than an American soap opera.
None of this is inherently bad, in fact March Madness is perhaps a byproduct
of this fervor so I won't complain. But what's concerning are the more sinister manifestations of this Ricky Bobby "if you're not first you're last" culture
The winner-take-all attitude is evident in how our current events are framed. This attitude, aided by fear-mongering cable news talking heads, becomes consequential when it is the lens Americans apply to the outside world and becomes how popular perception of other nations, and the U.S.'s role in the world, is shaped.
Evidence of such an obsession is recognizable in the discourse surrounding international relations in popular headlines such as the burgeoning "threat" of a developing China. The dialogue cultivates an us vs. them mentality driven by a misconception that the global economy is a zero-sum one. In this case a situation with a winner and a loser between the U.S. and China has been artificially crafted to fit how Americans view the world.
In Russia's annexation of Ukraine this attitude again seeps into the conversation. In this case the effects of this kind of American exceptionalism steers the discussion back toward the U.S. and how Russia's actions are directly related to America. That Putin's motives are instead motivated by centuries old regional relationships that
have little or nothing to do with the United States actions hardly even enters the discussion.
The most serious encroachment of this culture is how it compounds what is shaping up to be my lifetime's most chronic economic ailment
- income inequality. Capitalism is all about winners and losers. Ideally hard work, innovation, and talent instead of opportunity, circumstance, and luck separate the winners and losers. That may never be the exact case but recently the trend would seem to indicate a turn for the worse.
Income inequality has reached levels unprecedented in the modern era but part of what gets in the way of appropriate identification of this issue is an obsession with winning that placates popular consciousness. Instead of addressing the problem, the status quo dictates we accept that the wealthy and the poor deserve what they receive. The winners are celebrated and the losers are shamed.
When Christian Bale won the Oscar for supporting actor for The Fighter in 2011 he thanked the film's producers, "for pushing us out there and letting people know it exists, so many movies are just brilliant but nobody ever knows about them."
There needs to be more room to ask questions about who's winning and who's losing because our producers lack parity.
Clay Cosby is a junior from Overland Park studying political science.
ECONOMICS
Prioritize environment over economic growth
Economic growth is commonly perceived to be the solution to many of the woes of the modern world. Problems, from recessions to overpopulation to climate change, can, according to some, be solved with continual growth. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that perpetual growth of the world economy is causing undue and unsustainable strain on the environment. As economist Herman Daly writes, "Relying on growth ... might be fine if the global economy existed in a void, but it does not. Rather the economy is a subsystem of the finite biosphere that supports it." Economists like Daly advocate sustainable economic practices, which preserve the biosphere while ensuring economic health.
Public perception on this issue has changed with time. In 1984, Gallup began polling Americans, asking whether they agree more with the statement "protection of the environment should be given priority, even at the risk of curbing economic growth" or "economic growth should be given priority, even if the environment suffers to some extent." Since the poll began, Americans have tended to favor the environment over the economy. However, this trend reversed following the 2008 recession. Today, though, 50 percent favor the environment over the economy while 41 percent hold the opposite view.
Unsurprisingly, a divide exists between the views of Republicans and Democrats on the issue. Today, nearly two-thirds of Republicans believe that the economy should be given priority
while about two-thirds of Democrats hold that the environment should be favored. In addition, younger demographics tend to favor the environment over the economy.
Regardless of public opinion on the issue, the perceived need for continual economic growth is causing serious problems within the environment. While the economy can suffer damage and recover, most aspects of the environment do not have this luxury. As the effects of climate change become clearer, it is important that the world economy change to reflect the need for environmental preservation. Daly claims that creating a sustainable economy is possible, albeit with drastic adjustments to the entire economic system. Though these changes may be difficult for some, it is necessary for the economy to find its place in and respect the biosphere it exists in. If this does not happen, the long-term consequences will certainly be far more drastic and undesirable than changing policy now.
Ike Uri is a freshman from Concordia studying English and sociology.
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
Follow us on Twitter @KansanOpinion. Tweet us your opinions, and we just might publish them.
Which should America be focusing on: the economy or the environment?
FFA OF THE DAY I secretly love that I still get stickers on my papers in college.
Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Send letters to opinion@kansan.com. Write LET THE EDITOR IN the email subject line.
Kate Kukka, editor-in-chief
kurtus.kuksan@kansan.com
Allison Kohn, managing editor
akohn@kansan.com
Laureen Armendariz, managing editor
laureen.armendariz@kansan.com
Katie Kutsko, editor-in-chief kkutsko@kansan.com
@KansanOpinion both, the world isn't black and white. Come on Kansas
@BryanAnthMorgan
Anna Wenner, opinion editor
awenner@kansan.com
Sean Powers, business manager
spowers@kansan.com
Kolby Botts, sales manager
kbottbs@kansan.com
@maddienave
@KansanOpinion I'm sure there's a way to focus on both. There should be at least..
CONTACT US
Brett Akagi, media director and content strategist
bakagi@kansan.com
Jon Schittt, sales and marketing adviser
jschittt@kansan.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
!
Members of the Kansas Editorial Board are Katie Kutsko, Allison Koen, Lauren Armendariz, Anna Wenner, Sean Powers and Kolby Bots.
+