4 University Daily Kansan / Monday, February 24, 1992 OPINION LIFEIN HELL ©1992 BY MAIT GROENING Semantic battle is useless I've decided to start a new organization on campus — for men only. The name of this new group is Boys Against Ridiculous females, or BARF. Because these are politically correct times, BARF's first action will be to boycott all products from the Hershey Foods Corporation. You see, BARF is concerned that the company is giving womyn preferential treatment over men. It is actually the HERSHE-V name that is problematic. BARF is a reasonable organization. We at BARF recognize that multiple production runs are costly. We don't expect the company to produce HIME-y bars in order to balance the gender inconsistency. What BARF proposes, however, is that the company merely drop the "r" in its name. The new HE-SHE-y Foods Corporation could stand at the forefront of the move toward a politically correct society! Andrew Hodges Guest columnist I would hope that by now you realize I am being facetic to prove a point. There can be a place in our society for political correctness — to a point. For example, when referring to a law enforcement official, it is fine to use a gender non-specific term such as police officer. If there is some reason that the gender of the police officer is relevant, then feel free to use policeman or policewoman. It is sensible to make distinctions among these words because the exchange of ideas and information becomes clearer. But the use of words such as womyn (women), herstory (history) and Herspanic (Hispanic) is as ridiculous as my Hershey example. What's the point? Women are not going to gain any respect through such childishness. They will gain the attention and respect that they deserve through praiseworthy actions, not through twisted words. Women deserve the same rights and opportunities as men. But the goal of equality of the sexes will only be reached through respect and understanding on both sides of the issue. Let's quit splitting hairs over semantics. Aberrations of the English language in the name of political correctness do nothing to bring the sexes together, but everything to tear them apart. - Andrew Hodges is a Mulvane junior majoring in journalism. December grads get cheated Those who finish in winter lack ceremonial recognition that others receive in May Almost two months ago, 484 KU students were denied a graduation ceremony simply because there is no planned commencement for students who graduate in December. Commencement is a time for students to rejoice after long years of studying hard to earn a degree. Family members and friends travel from all over the country to see the big day. It is an opportunity for most KU students to pat themselves on the back by celebrating with their classmates. But December graduates have only two undesirable options if they choose to participate in the ceremony. First, they can walk down the Hill in May before they actually graduate. This defeats the whole purpose of the ceremony. Participating in commencement even though the student has one semester left of school does not create the same effect. They still are KU students who will be faced with homework and examinations after three short months of summer vacation. The second option is to wait until the following May. This solves the first problem but presents another. After students receive their degrees, chances are they will work, go back to school or travel. The following May is five months into the future. Graduates' lives will be drastically different. Commencement will lose some meaning between December and May because of the transition from college to the real world. Other schools have December commencement ceremonies, and it is time for KU to go with the flow. Although walking down the Hill would not be an option in December, Allen Field House would be the ideal place to have a December commencement. December graduates deserve a celebration. Rock Chalk beats challenges Julie Eileen Litt for the editorial board Move to Lawrence High eats profits from the revue,but students find independence Economics definitely will play a role in the 1992 Rock Chalk Revue. Supply and demand have caused the revue to sell out for the Feb. 29 performance; the other five performances are expected to sell out as well. In previous years, there were three performances at Hoch Auditorium. This year, six shows will be performed. The last three shows will be Feb. 27-29 at Lawrence High School. The proceeds from the will go to the United Way of Douglas County. But the Revue will not be able to make as much money from this year's ticket sales as it has in the past. Auditorium seated a total of 9,300 people for three performances. Lawrence High School will seat only a total of 6,000 people for six performances. Although having Rock Chalk at Lawrence High will decrease the amount of proceeds the revue collects, the move has given the revue more independence. This year's revue is being run by about 300 KU students. Fraternities and sororites can get community service points from participating in the Revue. It is good that KU students put forth an effort each year to help out those in need, even though it took a little more work than in previous years to make everything happen. The participants should be commended for putting together the show in a new environment. It is hoped that this annual event will continue in the future, even if there are more obstacles to overcome. Tiffany Lasha Hurt for the editorial board Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the University Daily Kansan editorial board. Opinions expressed in letters, cartoons and guest and staff columns are solely those of the author or artist. Views expressed in columns and cartoons are not necessarily shared by the Kansan Members of the editorial board are: Alexander Bloemhof, Jim Brown, J.R. Clairborne, Mark Coatney, Amy Francis, Tiffany Harness, Tiffany Lasha Hurt, Kate Kelley, Julie Eileen Lit, Stephen Martino, David Mitchell, Chris Moeser, Beth Randolph, Martin Scherstuhl, Juliane Wasson, Frank Williams and Zarher Zercher. Column was bad satire Just today I read Eric Fliokoski's guest column from the Feb. 12 Kansan "Womyn push interests too far at Multiversity." The experience leaves me wondering why you considered it worth printing at all. Not only is the piece snide, childish and deliberately insulting rather than informative or argumentative, but its satirical attack is foolish to the point of inanity. Behind its smirking exaggerations lie equally silly implications and gross generalizations. While virtually any subject can benefit from intelligent challenge and from humor, your printing of such an ad feminism attack under the guise of humor does no more than release the writer's bile — and even validate it. That's a shame. ■ Haskell Springer Professor of English Editorial weakens KU Higher education is in trouble in Kansas. The commitment of the Legislature has waned. Students need to be a vocal, active force in Topkena. He should not be allowed to Chris Moeser notes in his editorial of Feb. 20. Lettersto the editor The Associated Students of Kansas has not been a dynamic force on campus this year. Moeser is right, but he does not explain why ASK has been remiss. All of his criticisms are directed at the campus, not the state department of ASK. David Hull, who resigned his position in January, was responsible for assembling and overseeing the Advisory Board and cultivating a campus presence for the organization. Hull neglected both duties. Moeser's criticism would more accurately be directed at Hull. Joe Cinalli was the state director of the organization until very recently. Moeser's praise of Lobby Day can rightly be directed at Cinalli and his new co-director, John Schwartz. Condemning ASK on the basis of the unmet responsibilities of one individual is irresponsible and misleading. Moeser does not only condemn, but suggests alternatives — normally a laudable addition to an editorial. However, the only alternative found in the editorial is a reference to "sitting in" in the Statehouse. ASK is a lobbying organization that uses its mental in the enactment of important laws like the Kansas Landlord Tenant Act, and programs like the YES program precisely because we rationally and professionally approach the Legislature. Such a suggestion that ignores ASK's mission coupled with the inaccuracies above serve to discredit Moeser's editorial. During a period characterized by a lack of legislative support for higher education in Topeka and around the state, it only further weakens KU's position when editorialists make uninformed, unsophisticated attacks upon the best voice the University has in state government -ASK. Chris Pace Salina senior Opinions differ on war Mr Caruso: I am writing in reply to your column titled "Advertisements glorify warfare's obvious horror," printed in the Feb. 11 issue of the Kansas Many of the things you have to say I agree with — that war is horrible, that war is gruesome, and that people die in war. But I must disagree with you concerning your belief that "most of us didn't use the death and maiming of 100,000 people) a second thought." I respect your right to an opinion, but please refrain from commenting for me on what I decide to think about The death of so many people is a tragedy, and I consider them to be more than statistics. However, when considering these deaths remember that many of these same Iraqi soldiers who died were killed after they themselves had executed, tortured and maimed citizens of Kuwait — whose country the Iraqis had aggressively entered. Concerning your comment that "officers are only small, expendable wheels in a giant bureaucracy designed to destroy." I think that perhaps you should read your own column and remember that these officers are also individual people — not just statistics. Sean Kentch Topeka senior War is never justified When I saw David Caruso's Feb. 11 column "Advertisements glorify warfare's obvious horror," I instantly knew what the public's response would be. Caruso's respondents up to this point have been rational and politic. But I see flaws in some of their arguments. Dong Deadly acknowledges that yes, war is horrible, and we'd all like to live in a world of consumate peace, but sometimes war is an inevitable reality. Labeling something "inveitable" doesn't make it excusable. Killing people is never justified. So in keeping with my philosophy, we wouldn't have fought Desert Storm. What then? Saddam Hussein wreaks havoc on the lives of Kuwaitis. This is bad. Shouldn't we do something? One good slap welcomes another, right? The natural human inclination is to slap back. Except that with today's technology, you can use it to generate a generation for a generation. Maybe turning the other cheek is a more prudent international policy. At the same time, though, I realize that wars like the Revolutionary War are directly responsible for the freedom I enjoy today. Am I being hypocritical to revel in the results of a 200-year-old war but criticize a one-year-old war? Yes. So I'll resolve my internal conflict right here. We shouldn't have had the Revolutionary War. Long live the King! KANSANSTAFF Kansas City, Mo., freshman TIFFANYHARNESS Editor VANESSA FUHRMANS Managing editor TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser Editors News Mike Andrews Editorial Beth Randolph Planning Lara Gold Campus Eric Gorski/Rochelle Olson Sports Eric Nelson Photo Julie Jacobson Features Debbie Myers Graphics Aimee Braindan/J Jeff麦瑟 JENNIFER CLAXTON Business manager JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser Campus sales mgr ..Bill Leibengoord Regional sales mgr ..Rich Harsbarger National sales mgr ..Scott Hanna Co-op sales mgr ..Ame Johnson Production mgrs ..Kim Wallace Lia Keeler Marketing director ..Kim Claxton Creative director ..Leah Koehler Classified mgr ..Kip Chin JAY STEINER Retail sales manager Rusinase Staff Letters should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words. They must include the writer's signature, name, address and telephone number. Writers affiliated with the University of Kansas must include class and hometown, or faculty or staff position. Guest columns should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The writer will be pho- The Kanan reserves the right to reject or edit letters, guest columns and cartoons. They can be mailed or brought to the Kanan newsroom, 111 Stuart-Flint Hall. Stick by David Rosenfield