WEDNESDAY MARCH 12, 2003
4A • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN * 5A
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2003
FACE-OFH
Turning from the flag: Courageous or cowardly
Protesting peacefully respectable
It's not a mystery why 21-year-old Toni Smith has come under criticism. Smith, a woman's basketball player for Division III Manhattanville College, turns away from the American flag during the "Star-Spangled Banner" before each of her team's games. Critics think it's disrespectful not only to America, but to everyone who has died for the flag that represents our country.
What Smith is doing is not stupid or treasonous. If anything, it's ironic that she turns her back on the symbol that represents her ability to turn her back at all. It certainly isn't wrong. We should be more supportive of people like Smith who have the guts to stand up for what they believe, especially if it's through peaceful protest.
Smith said she could not, "in good conscience, salute the flag" because she believed the government was out to expand its own power rather than better the quality of life for its people.
"It is my right as an American to stand for my beliefs the way others have done against me" she said. "Being patriotic cannot simply be an empty slogan."
She said those who disagreed with her should recognize her right to act patriotically by making individual decisions. What's impressive is the way her school responded. Richard A. Berman, Manhattanville president, said that the college requested that views such as Smith's be expressed and received respectfully.
"It is irrelevant whether I, or anyone else, agrees or disagrees with Ms. Smith's position," he said. "Her right of expression is fundamental and we support her."
It's courageous that Smith still turns her back on the flag after enduring an entire basketball season of hecklers in the crowd and people protesting her. It's courageous that she still does it after getting into fights with her teammates and having people run onto the court waving flags in her face.
Which is worse: a person who exercises the right to protest or a person who thinks that anyone who disagrees is a dirty anti-American? It's interesting that she plays for the Valiants, a word associated with courage.
Smith's views and actions may be controversial, but even those who disagree need to recognize that she has the right to do it.
Jon Ralston for the editorial board
TALKTOUS
Kristi Henderson
editor
Jennifer Wade for The University Daily Kansai
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Jenna Goenfert and Justin Henning
Jenna Goepert and Justin Henning
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Leah Shaffer
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Amanda Sears and Lindsay Hanson
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Eric Kelting
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Malcolm Gibson
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Sarah Jantz
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Face-Off is a project of the Kansan editorial board. Two editorial board members argue opposing sides of a hot-button issue that affects students at the University of Kansas. This section is designed to help students understand opposing sides of an issue and make informed decisions. Readers who have a suggestion for a topic that could be used in Face-Off or wish to join the editorial board, please call Amanda Sears or Lindsay Hanson at 864-4924. E-mail suggestions to opinion@kansan.com.
Matt Fisher
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Matt Fisher
Kengo Terada
opinion@kansan.com
International clubs benefit Americans
COMMENTARY
PERSPECTIVEI
Day by day, tension about potential war is mounting. Sometimes, understanding and negotiating prevents countries from the atrocities of war.
Once we try to be open-minded about a different culture,we will be able to understand why and how things should work.
Joining international clubs is one useful tools to help understanding communities with different background.
What are international clubs for?
Actually, I am an officer of the Japanese Student Association. Through the club, I have made friends with whom I can share the same troubles and complaints about classes. More than that, these people could be good company to correspond with for a long time.
While I was having a good time at the club's last event, one question hit me. Do only international students benefit from international clubs? Can Americans benefit as well?
According to the University's Web site, more than just the Japanese Student Association exists. In addition, there are the International Student Association, the Hispanic American Leadership Organization and others. Some unofficial or unregistered international clubs might exist.
By looking at the names, these clubs seem to be exclusive. Students could easily assume that only students from the named countries are welcome. But for anyone, attending these club meetings could be a good opportunity to make friends who have diverse backgrounds.
In addition to being a good opportunity, international clubs could be fine substitutes for studying a foreign language. Most KU students study or have studied a foreign language, and native speakers can help in the understanding of their languages. You do not have to be ashamed if you make grammatical mistakes. If I say to female teacher, "You are so hot chicks," she might hate me, even though I am trying to give her a compliment.
For getting to know different cultures, including their languages, international clubs are worth reconsidering for all students, especially American students. This is because the majority of KU students are American.
In fact, not many American students are participating in international clubs. I interviewed American students in Anschutz Library and asked if they had participated in international clubs.
All of them were interested in those clubs. Their interest toward international clubs was to understand the other culture, to learn diversity at the University and to improve their foreign language skills. And most of them were used to or were taking foreign language classes. They also think international clubs could benefit them. Unfortunately, they have participated little in international clubs, even though they understand it could be a fine opportunity.
Students thought no one pushed them to join different communities and did not give them enough information.
Ben Doerr, a Swaziland, South Africa, sophomore in business, is a lucky person who got the opportunity.
"I used to live in Africa and speak French," he said, "and my French class teacher introduced me to the French Table, where we can talk with native French people in French."
His personal experience surely affected his attitude toward different cultures. Actually, it is quite hard for people to keep motivation to be concerned about different cultures if no one strongly encourages them to get involved in different communities. On the other hand students I interviewed have already discovered the necessity of different cultures. And they think that they care more about international matters than their parents' generation.
Lack of information is a practical problem. Some of the American students I talked to said they did not even know whether American students were welcomed at international club meetings.
I also interviewed international club officers about what they think about American students joining their clubs and how they do public relations toward American students.
Gaston Araoz, Bolivia sophomore, is the social chairman of ISA.
"All students are welcomed." he said.
"To participate there, students inform different issues and spread awareness."
He is trying to make all students aware. He said the group set up a table during orientation and hung filers in buildings, but only five American students were registered in ISA out of its 150 members.
Finally, international clubs will have to keep thinking about good ways to encourage American students to participate. On the other hand, American students should pay more attention to participating in a different community. Likewise, love without a partner is not true love. Understanding differences requires interaction between American students and international students.
Terada is Kashiwawa, Japan, sophomore in journalism and vice president of the Japanese Student Association.
Free forAll
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street at 6:00 in the evening. I think we can save some money by firing some KUPD. They've obviously got too much time on their hands.
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It is the soldier, not the reporter, who granted freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the post, who granted freedom of speech. It is the soldier who salutes, serves beneath, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, that allows the protesters to burn the flag. If not me, then who?
Protesting represents contempt
Toni Smith's behavior is an embarrassment. The Manhattanville senior has decided to turn her
senior has decided to turn her back on the American flag during the national anthem before her basketball games.
She has every right to make her stand, but the way she is choosing to do so is both insulting and contradictory. What's more, Smith should realize that the American flag is bigger than any one federal administration.
Francis Scott Key did not see Colin Powell waving above the walls of Fort McHenry. A neatly folded poster of Donald Rumsfeld is not presented to the spouse of a deceased serviceman or woman. The United States Marines did not raise a picture of President Bush on Iwo Jima. The flag transcends any one government that struts and frets its few years in Washington.
It is apparent that Smith is showing her opposition to the actions and decisions of the current administration. Her actions instead represent, if inadvertently, contempt for her country.
ESPN.com lists a story about Manhattanville's game against the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. As one might expect, the midshipmen were less than receptive to Smith.
The real irony of Smith's actions is that she is turning her back on her right to turn her back. Citizens of Nazi Germany did not have the luxury of making such a seditious statement without fear of the harshest reprisal.
They have every right to be indignant. Smith's actions constitute an ongoing slap in the face to those men and women who have put their lives on the line, and often lost them, for that flag. Try telling an infantryman in combat about Smith's "courageous protest."
simply put, Smith is using her right of free speech to protest the symbol of that free speech. It sounds funny when you think of it that way.
Similarly, I would guess that an Iraqi citizen today could not show such contempt for the symbol of his or her country without being swiftly shot or imprisoned.
It is unfortunate that it is becoming increasingly popular to exhibit blatant anti-Americanism. Peace can indeed be patriotic, rejecting your flag cannot. Smith and her ilk should seriously reconsider their actions.
Those who are not willing to respect Old Glory are demonstrating the most flagrant sort of hypocrisy by living under its protection.
Matt Pirotte dissenting
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