OPINION
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2005
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▼ MCKERNAN'S PERSPECTIVE
Kevin McKernan/KANSAN
Broaden world perspective begin with Brazil tutorial
HATE ME!
Because this is a university, we expect students to be well-rounded individuals. This is unfortunately not always the case. It's shocking to realize how many people do not know about other countries, and sometimes even about what is happening inside the United States.
JULIA MELIM COELHO
jcoelho@kansan.com
I will address these people who pay no attention to the media in hopes that by their graduation, they will have learned something. Because I'm from Brazil, I will start with it and describe my experiences since beginning my study at the University of Kansas.
Americans have not closely examined other cultures, relying too much on stereotypes, such as that Brazil is a jungle or that there are no computers or a certain level of technology. But Brazil offers almost everything that the United States offers. Stereotypes exist for a reason, but they are not always true.
Brazilians also have stereotypes about the United States. For example, Americans do not know anything about other countries and have never traveled abroad. But an amazing number of KU students have traveled abroad.
Still, I'm asked questions all of the time that would seem obvious. A few include: "Where is Brazil? What language do they speak there?"
I'll answer these questions now, so that I will not have to answer them again.
Brazil is located in South America, and the people do not speak Spanish; they speak Portuguese. Other bright questions I have been asked: "Do you have calculators in Brazil? Is there Internet in Brazil? Are there lions in the middle of the streets?"
These are real questions, and the list goes on.
I've also noticed parts of American culture I don't understand. Starting with daily things: Americans are used to eating bacon for breakfast—and eggs, pancakes and sausage. Even college-age kids in Lawrence do not care much about their health. They might go to the gym, but they give up hamburgers and fries? It's doubtful. Brazilians are worried about their health and will not accept a sandwich or a quick snack to replace lunch or dinner. In Brazil young people especially are worried about their health and looks. They are even known as the "healthy generation."
Another shock is if a Brazilian tries to go out in Lawrence, the clubs close at about 2 a.m., and they have something called "last call."
The Brazilian nightclubs are normally open until 6 a.m., and they never stop serving drinks. If you know any Brazilians, you will notice they normally do not go out to party before 11 p.m. or midnight, even if the clubs close at 2 a.m. This is because they are used to going out and comin-
back the next day.
Even though Brazil and the United States differ in many aspects, it's not a different world there. Movies come out at almost the same time in both countries. And the movie theaters look exactly the same. Also, the songs on the radio are nearly the same but with Brazilian music added to the American repertoire: Travel 5,000 miles to Brazil, turn on the radio and listen to the same songs as in Lawrence.
Against all stereotypes, Brazil is a mix of urbanization, nature, culture and technology. It is a nation that learned how to balance fun and working hard.
These are just some examples that reflect the different lifestyle that Brazilians and Americans have developed throughout time.
Antonio Simoes, associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese who is from Brazil, said Americans were normally more informed about their own country, unless they had traveled abroad. He said this ignorance is not only of Brazil but in general toward foreign countries.
Simoes said he could not understand how Brazil and the United States could be so different because they had so much in common. "We are also part of the New World," Simoes said about Brazil. He said that both countries were similar in size and that they were part of the same colonization period.
The reasons that college students do not know about other countries are many. A possible reason, Simoes said, was that people in dominating countries had a tendency to isolate themselves, creating a strong sense of nationalism.
People in both the United States and Brazil have a lot to learn from each other, and this is why every culture should be equally valued. It is hard to define myth and truth, but it is a rewarding experience. To truly understand a culture, you have to be there, but being informed is the way to begin.
- Melin Coelho is Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, sophomore in theater and film and journalism.
THEFACEBOOK.COM ATE MY SOUL
Get off your computer; have real conversations
I know it's a cliché, but it's hard to deny that the world is rapidly getting smaller.
As I write this article, I am signed on to three instant messaging programs, two e-mail accounts, my journal on Xanga.com and, of course, the infamous Thefacebook.com
DENNIS CHANAY
dchanay@kansan.com
Thefacebook.com.
It's amazing that all of these things have become commonplace in today's culture, even though they serve the same basic purpose: connecting us with other people.
But how much have these tools really advanced the art of communication? How many of our Thefacebook.com "friends" do we really converse with face-to-face on a weekly basis?
The answer for most of us is probably not many. That's because, while the Internet seems to be rapidly breaking down the barriers of distance and time in personal relationships, our natural tendency toward laziness rebuilds those barriers in the oddest ways.
A "friend" has become something that we digitally collect, putting him or her up on a shelf along with the others to increase our network.
Have you ever had someone ask you to be his or her friend on Thefacebook.com who you are certain you don't know? Well, chances are you don't know that person, but you may be a friend of a friend of a friend. So do you add this person whom you're sure you don't know, simply to compile a larger friends list?
The conversations that followed were some of the most intriguing I've ever been a part of. One person was completely obsessed with the goal of reaching 200 friends. Another believed such an action would ruin the "legitimacy" of thefacebook.com. The third saw thefacebook.com as a way to meet new
I asked three of my friends this question, over MSN Messenger of course, and received three distinct answers: "Yes," "No," and "If they're reasonably cute."
love interests. "Everyone loves a good poking," he said.
nure in which we can sit back and wait for people to come to us, we're losing a piece of ourselves.
The obvious problem here is the more time we spend on the Internet trying to meet people, the less time we are spending actually meeting people. The more friends we "collect," the less value the word "friend" actually has. By creating a cul-
Of course, there are success stories too. One of my best high school friends recently transferred from the University of Kansas to the University of Central Arkansas to be closer to his girlfriend, whom he met on the Internet in seventh grade. The bond that these two had created was strong enough to convince my friend to pack up his stuff and head out of state.
But how often does this ever happen? Hardly ever. Romantic relationships are best built with actual contact.
A 1998 study by Robert Kraut and Sara Kiesler, doctors of social psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, found that use of the Internet resulted in alarming increases in depression and loneliness, paired with decreases in social engagement, stating that real-life, intimate relationships are often swallowed up by shallow online relationships.
These words ring in my head as I find myself chatting with a friend that lives 20 feet down the hall, over MSN Messenger. How many of our personal relationships are slowly withering or dying due to our decreasing lack of human contact? Should we really gamble with something as precious as friendship? Of course not.
So, maybe we should spend a little less time collecting "friends," and more time making friends. Log off of the Blogspot, and tell your stories over lunch. If we all did this, the world may not be as small, but it would be more friendly.
- Chanav is a Paola freshman in political science.
▼ AUSTIN, YEAH BABY!
Of-age drinkers' credibility hurt by fake ID crackdown
Minors think it's easy to use fake IDs according to an article in The University Daily Kansan this week. Because so many students and Lawrence
If minors want to drink they should go to a house party. Fake IDs ruin the drinking-establishment experience for the rest of us.
AUSTIN CASTER
acaster@kansan.com
residents use fakes, Lawrence-area bartenders have reason to be skeptical.
The bartender working Monday night at Louise's Bar Downtown, 1009 Massachusetts St., denied my ID, and I'm actually legal.
After a 12-hour day of school and work, I was ready to enjoy a schooner and watch the KU men's basketball game. A friend of mine had secured a booth and was already halfway through his first beer when I arrived.
The bartender asked for my ID, and because I've been 21 for some time now, I obliged. I had nothing to hide. My hands didn't shake as I handed him the identification. It has a hologram so he must have realized it was real. I got it from the DMV, not some kid in Ellsworth.
sign my name, but I was in complete shock.
He asked for a second form so I gave him my KUID. My hair's a little shorter than two years ago when I got my ID renewed at age 20, but my face hasn't changed.
For some reason he looked timid. Maybe recently he got in trouble for letting minors drink. Lots of people who aren't old enough try to drink in this town. But if the problem is so bad in Lawrence, bartenders should be able to tell whether an ID is real. I would have volunteered to
Lucas Tarde, another bartender at Louise's, said bartenders used a booklet issued by the state of Kansas to decide whether an ID was real. He said he took fakes and told minors not to come back. He couldn't tell me why I had a problem.
Fortunately the bartender on Monday night didn't threaten to take away my ID. If he had called the police they could have fingerprinted me, proving my identity.
Police arrested the students in Ellsworth who didn't realize the consequences of making and distributing fakes.
Capt. Schuyler Bailey, KU Public Safety Office, said his department tried to educate students about the hazards and the legal consequences of possessing and making fake IDs starting at new student orientation.
He said the bars in Lawrence worked hard to detect fakes and that many had installed expensive equipment to help their staff. If Louise's scanned IDs, I wouldn't have had a problem.
I go to bars for the atmosphere. At the risk of sounding like an alcoholic, it's more fun to watch the game on a big-screen TV with a bunch of people and a huge glass of beer.
If people didn't make and use fake IDs, bartenders would be more trusting and I wouldn't have been robbed of my experience.
- Caster is a Shawnee senior in journalism. He is a copy editor and designer for the Kansan. *
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For more comments, go to www.kansan.com.
Bringing back overnight camping is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
The University Daily Kansan censors too much of the Free For All. That's why you never hear any intellectual statements.
I think I just got cut off by a bird-flippin' Boy Scout.
How can Christians dismiss some parts of the Bible as antiquated while claiming that others still apply today? There's an inherent fallacy in their belief.
It sucks to break up with your girlfriend the day before Valentine's Day. That's why I'm glad I dumped mine back in November, Yess!
Joshua Bickel needs to keep his big mouth shut for all of us young'uns who enjoy using our fake IDs.
Why is it that every time I need a computer at Anschutz, there are at least five people playing online poker?
It's 2 o'clock in the morning, and I just got woken up by moaning and grooming coming from my roommate's room. Thanks, roomie.
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