Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ED-BOARD: STUDENTS SHOULD CHALLENGE OLD ZONING LAWS
United States First Amendment
FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2009
COMING MONDAY
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
To contribute to Free for All, visit Kansan.com or call (785) 864-0500.
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
Milano double chocolate cookies are better than sex.
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
My roommate finally had sex while I was sleeping five feet away in my bed. Oh joy.
The girl upstairs and the boy next door both had sex last night. They were loud and have squeaky beds.
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
Are you freshman really that stupid?
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
Yes, yes we are that stupid.
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
Nipple cupcakes!
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
I am in love with a guy that has a girlfriend. This blows.
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
I introduced the Free for All to SENCIILS long before yesterday's article in The Kansas.
I played World of Warcraft for 12 + hours a day last semester and still got a 0.5 higher GPA than the average freshman.
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
Mr. WoW: I bet you got laid less than the average freshman as
Wakarusa Music Festival can suck it. Stay in Lawrence.
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
Don't brag. It is all downhill from here.
Wakarusa Music Festival will be much better outside the watchful eye of the Kansas state police.
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
We watched the Richard Pryor Show in my History of Latin American course.
I'm watching my friend write math equations in chocolate ice cream
Barack Obama's first step towards decreasing government waste: $170 million spent on the Inauguration. Nicely done.
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
To the hot girl in my ATMO 105 lab who was checking me out: Yes, I really am this good looking.
My Peace and Conflict class smelled like patchouli today. It was awesome.
I love patchouli!
--section caught my eye — and not in a good way. In "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)," author Mark Baurlein makes quite a statement. Who knew that our generation's intelligence is depressing enough not only to comment on in passing, but actually to write a 300-page book about?
STUDENT LIFE
PAGE 5A
Technology doesn't lead to'dumbest generation'
Illustration by James Farmer/KANSAN
While browsing through Borders, a book in the social science
Primarily, this work aims at convincing digitally engaged youngsters that their current pastimes will doom them to permanent ignorance. Apparently, if our generation (those born in 1980 and after) refuses to change, we will all "be remembered as the fortunate ones who were unworthy of all the privileges" we inherited.
Baurlein gives oodles of examples to back his belief that "Milleennials" are only getting more stupid. Not all of his claims add up, such as his assertion that 18 to 24-year-olds "don't vote regularly" because "45 percent can't comprehend a ballot." This conflicts with statistics from The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (C1RCLE)
THINGS OF RELEVANCE
that reported our voter turnout between 52 and 53 percent for the 2008 election. The author has more questionable ideas, like claiming that two-thirds of our generation is not adequately literate, though he also admits that college enrollment has jumped 20 percent in the past 10 years.
As puzzling as some of these "facts" may be, fears about the digital age's negative effects aren't exactly a rarity. Numerous other venues have been shouting about the travesty of technology, from Atlantic Magazine's cover title "Is Google Making us Stoopd?" to in-depth reports by ABC News like "Will GPS Make Us Dumb?" It's undeniable that a gadget-loving computer whizzes and the digitally intimidated.
What exactly does this mean for students? Are our futures, both as intelligent humans and full-time employees, in jeopardy? We have been raised with the benefits of cell phones, spell-check, PDAs and lap tops. It's unfair for society to
punish the technology-dependent monsters that it created.
I spoke with Professor Gary J. Minden of the University's department of electrical engineering and computer science department, who assured me there's little to fear. Rather, students need to recognize how quickly technology is changing almost every occupation. According to Minden, "You will be doing different things than those before you. The challenge is to recognize how much things are going to change in your career and learn to anticipate those changes to stay ahead." Despite worries about the shrinking brainpower of Millennials, Minden reassured our generation, "I don't think students are any dumber now than they were before."
We aren't morons — we're just misunderstood. It has been said that the past 200 years have seen more advances than the thousand before it. With that in mind, we must remember to be patient with our elders and their concerns about our potential technology-dependence, while also lending a benevolent hand when they are struggling to set up their TiVo.
Buser is a Columbia, Ill., junior in English and journalism.
LAWRENCE
Pit-bulls and owners deserve playtime too
One thing that I've learned in my last four years in Lawrence is that the city is not particularly pet-friendly, especially for certain breeds. My experiences as a pit-bull owner for the past five years have opened my eyes to an entire breed of animal that is widely discriminated against.
With my cat and Mia, my dog finding a place to accommodate the three of us has always proved to be a daunting task. While searching for an apartment this year, I encountered a few leasing agents, one for Hawks Point, who refused to allow "aggressive breeds" or who flat-out said "no pit-bulls." In addition to domestic discrimination and problems finding housing, my dog and I have experienced the vendetta that is out against pit-bulls around the city.
Most recently, I paid a $91 fine for an animal-at-large ticket. I was allowing my dog to run around for a few minutes in a completely empty and desolate Dad Perry Park, when an animal control officer arrived and issued me a ticket.
The officer, who closely resembled Dog from "The Bounty Hunter," grilled me regarding my dog's most recent vaccinations and
then seemed surprised that I didn't keep Mia's records with me or in my glove compartment. I was also questioned as to whether my dog was on the city's aggressive animal list, which she is not.
I begrudgingly paid the ticket, as I always have. Over the past couple of years I have gotten two tickets, totaling more than $400, in animal-at-large fines on occasions when Mia escaped from my back yard. In each case, the same mullet-sporting officer threatened to shoot my dog if she made any aggressive action. These instances occurred a few years ago when some were trying to eradicate pit-bulls within the limits of Kansas City by "euthanizing" the dogs with shotguns.
In every situation, whether I was present or not, my dog never attacked or made the attempt to attack any person or animal. Granted, she may have barked, but I've heard dogs do that from time to time. I understand that she was loose, and perhaps her being a pitbull is threat enough, even though there was no aggressive action. If she had been a golden retriever, though, would the response have been the same? Think about the times you've driven by Allen Fieldhouse and seen people playing Frisbee with their labs offleash, do those owners all deserve tickets? They do not, and my dog and I didn't deserve the tickets that we got.
In my opinion, an animal's upbringing is the best determinant of behavior, not its breed. I resent the fact that people judge me and place me in a category with Michael Vick merely because I own a pit-bull. I am not a ringleader of an underground dogfight club. I'm just a regular student who brought her animals with her to college. Yet I get fined in my attempts to do with what my animals what everyone else does with theirs, namely, play with them.
I'm not hoping or wishing that anyone receives undeserved fines; I simply ask that fines be given without bias. Don't ticket me solely based on my dog's breed. That's discrimination.
McNaughton is a Topeka senior in English and journalism.
POLITICS
Possibilities for Bush's post-presidential future
Yes, George W. Bush, or "Dubya," as the cool kids like to call him. For eight years, he has been our nation's leader, interacting with American businessmen, foreign dignitaries, foreign businessmen, concerned Americans and probably a few kids who opened up lemonade stands, as they count as "businessmen" and can supply him with endless streams of refreshing beverages on hot days
Well, it happened. Barack Obama was sworn in and has officially become President of the United States. The era of George W. Bush has ended, and a new one is set to begin. Countless questions now arise. What will Obama do to fix the economy? Will his election-time supporters be satisfied with his performance? But perhaps the biggest question that has not been addressed enough is this: what will become of George Walker Bush?
But now, after declaring "accomplished" missions that had barely even started, insisting that Social Security isn't reliable but the stock market is, and dodging only the most stylish Iraqi footwear, Bush is done in Washington. From here on, he will be president of little more than the shaky but beloved treehouse he will inevitably build somewhere on the grounds of his ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Some former presidents go on to further their legacies after they leave the White House. Jimmy Carter has taken on humanitarian and diplomatic causes; Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush occasionally team up for philanthropic work; Richard Nixon spent several years attempting to construct an army of killer robots to deal with
Time will tell if Bush uses his post-presidential life wisely, acting as the public face of T-ball, or something exciting like that. I can only pray that he pops up on the national radar once or twice, giving us some amusing mispronounced words we can laugh about for years to come.
What then, will George W. Bush's great post-presidential activities be?见下文 of Texas, most people know little of significance about his time as that state's governor. He apparently declared an official state "ZZ Top Day," in honor of Texas's most gloriously-bearded rock legends, and seemed like a supporter of the death penalty. Of course, Bush may not even take on a cause. Sure, he got plenty of name recognition, which could do wonders for some issue, but after eight years in the Oval Office, he could be tired of that sort of thing. Perhaps this will give him the time he wanted to put more effort into clearing away brush on his ranch, where he could only spend five months of the year before. (Homesickness is a killer when you're important.)
the people on his list of enemies. (Note: one of these may not be entirely credible.) Thomas Jefferson went on to found the University of Virginia, and his epitaph actually references that feat, but not the fact that he was once Commander in Chief.
Cohen is a Topeka senior in political science.
FROM ARIZONA
VINCENT BALISTRERI
INCENT BALISTRERI
U. Arizona
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Obama could inspire athletes to speak out
When Barack Obama was sworn into office on Tuesday, it reassured me that anything is possible.
Many probably see Obama's connection to sports through the fact that he plays pickup basketball against the UNC Tar Heels and suggests on ESPN that college football needs a playoff to determine a national champion. But those events are nothing compared to the difference he actually makes.
Since the days of Muhammad Ali and Jim Brown, many prominent athletes have been reluctant to discuss their political views in fear of losing endorsements. Now that we have a president who preaches change and likes' to knock down a few jumps in his spare time, the desire of athletes to participate in political discussions has seemed to increase overnight.
UWire
You couldn't pay an athlete to talk about his political views during the 2004 election, but Obama has greatly influenced the attitude of athletes in making sacrifices for the betterment of society as a whole.
Even Tiger Woods, who over the years has refused to discuss politics, has expressed his admiration and support of Obama. It's amazing how many athletes support Obama despite the negative impact his tax plan might have on their bank accounts.
When listening to Kevin Garnett say "anything is possible" after winning the 2008 NBA title, I took it as him just being silly after his first championship. But waking up today and realizing that my president is black lets me know that anything really is possible.
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