Opinion
Page 4 University Daily Kansan, June 7, 1982
Season of difference
Yes, Toto, we are in Kansas once again. The wheat fields, the scarecow, the stockyards and the tin man are all still out there, a little wetter and rustier than usual, but basically constant and unchanging. But don't let the familiar atmosphere hull you into a sleepy, summer-time stupor, all is not calm on the Midwestern front.
In fact, an undercurrent of change, with its beginnings several months back, will sweep over our own favorite Hill, swelling into an almost miraculous metamorphosis before the summer's end. The University Daily Kansan, currently an outmoded paper-and-pencil operation, will be transformed into a modern-day, computerized newspaper. The VDTs are coming, and nothing can stop them now.
With the computer system coming to the Kansan newsroom, the password for the summer will be "different," which is appropriate for this summer's Kansan for several reasons. As in the past, the summer Kansan will be published on Mondays and Thursdays, rather than every day, as during the regular semester. The collapsed publishing schedule creates differences in the nature of the paper. Breaking news stories are not as plentiful, but more in-depth and analytical pieces are possible.
paper change, but this summer, a physical difference in the editorial page will be realized. Monday papers will include the traditional Kansan "Editorial Opinion" page. However, Thursdays will see page four transformed into a "Topics" page, dealing with a single, specific topic each week on an issue, theme or informative basis.
Not only does the general tone of the
The Topics pages are an attempt to better serve the reader by offering concentrated, in-depth and analytical coverage of subjects such as U.S. foreign policy, local music and education.
Along with these physical changes in the content of the Kansan, physical changes will also be inherent in this summer's newsroom as the computer system is installed and tested. The change to video display terminals from typewriters and paper should speed Kansan production time as much as the Concorded speed intercontinental air travel.
So, as each summer brings changes to the Kansan, 1982 will be no different. Some of the differences will be short-lived, as in the past. Daily publication will, of course, begin again in the fall, but that publication will be up-to-date, much simplified and truly a real-life journalistic experience for future Kansan staffs.
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BANKRUPTY.
©1982 MIAMI NEWS
Sexual liberation has gone too far
Sex!
That's right, sex! I must not ashamed of the word. In fact, I kind of like it. Sex, sex, sex, sex.
Unfortunately, some of the traditional pleasantries surrounding sex are becoming unpopular. Prompted by hard-core feminist films and lectures, charges of discrimination, chauvinism and exploitation are being bandied about because of expense of open, unabashed practitioners.
One feminist presentation currently making the rounds had been dramatically titled "Killing Me Softly." In this short propaganda piece, advertisement excerpts are used to draw the media-presented image of the exploited female.
The picture that emerges from this film makes the worthwhile point that society and advertisers appreciate women only for their beauty, not because they are further than their total worth as a human being.
This explotation, which has been troubling mankind for quite some time, is one of the most fundamental yet perplexing obstacles facing our society. All people, regardless of their race or sex, must finally be appreciated for their human worth, or our culture will not progress.
This means that males and females can no longer afford to exploit any other male or female. This also means that legal contracts such as marriage or employment should be based on an equivalent basis. Work loads and pay scales should be equal, regardless of race or sex.
After "Killing Me Softly" makes this worthwhile point, however, it generates some undesirable side effects. The film goes on to imply that women who look pretty behave in a less-than human manner and function according to the dictates of the male-controlled advertising model. In the male who appreciates female beauty is labeled a chauvinist bent on sexual exploitation.
This new push to turn admiration of sex appeal into an insult is most distressing because the women's movement proponents fail to account for the human need and desire of women. After all, people are enamored by the beauty of other things besides prettie men and women.
For example, people feel a thrill of pleasure when they see a classic automobile. An early-model Corvette built low to the ground and has a wide stance give an aesthetic experience that is hard to rival.
When someone is staring at a such sight, however, seldom does anyone say, "Hey, why're ya 'lookin' at that sleek Corvette like that? You figurein' on exploit it for your own physical gratification? You thinkin' about punchin' its accelerator?"
Of course, the sleek lines of a Corvette cannot be compared to the glory of the human mind and soul. People were made for truer purposes than having their accelerators punched. Still, people are like cars in that speed and beauty are part of their total worth, and admiring that speed or beauty is a compliment, not an insult.
EROS
It's even more natural for men to admire the beautiful features and shapes of a female than to admire a Corvette. Such admiration is important, in conjunction, but a fulfillment of the need for beauty
If this is true, human beings should be glorified by admiration, and each party should
John Scarffe
gain something. The admirer should gain a
leasing memory and a broader sense of bea-
ly, while the beautiful person gains a sense of-
worth.
Admiration of beauty should also be wel-
combe because it is relative and seems to be in infinite supply. For example, just because I admire the stark beauty of the Sangre De Cristo mountains, my admiration for the gentle slopes of the Northern Colorado Rockies is not limited. Despite arguments to the contrary, admiring one mountain, or one person, does not insult all others.
This unlimited ability to appreciate physical attractiveness is as important to the sexual process as it is to beauty and self-esteem. If women were to stop looking pretty and men were to stop looking at them, an unhealthy decline in American populations could result.
After all, physical attractiveness is the beginning of the mating process. Men and women court members of the opposite sex who have a broad range of physical beauty. Often, these courtshifts result in sexual activity (or vice versa), and this sometimes leads to the continuation and growth of the species. Like it or not, surviving long enough to create another human being is one of the best measures of a human's total worth.
Feminists who are working hard to develop
For example, if an already insecure male was shouted down or glared at because he admired a woman's beauty, many solid family relationships would never get started.
male sensitivity to warm and female feelings and problems would so well to keep these facts of life in mind. They would also do well to realize that men have feelings and problems of their own.
The solid family relationship my wife and I share is an example of one that began, partly, because we were not ashamed to express appreciation for each other's beauty. This expression reached a culmination a few weeks ago when I accompanied her to the hospital.
I was not sexually exploiting my wife and I was definitely interested in the final outcome, so trained by Lamaza classes, I helped her during the six-hour labor and 20-minute delivery. In those few hours, we discovered another beauty of the female body—giving birth.
When it was all over, however, and my good-looking son was lying on his mother's belly, the doctors and nurses all stared at him! What a bunch of chauvinists!
Letters to the Editor
Human fetus is an individual
Thomas Long, president of KU Young Democrats' offers the reasoning, or statement rather, than "It is an obvious and undeniable truth that an unborn fetus is an inseparable part of a woman's body. Therefore, to forbid a woman to be pregnant, it is to invade her constitutional right to privacy."
Is the fetus part of a woman's body?
This proposition deserves close scrutiny.
To the Editor
If a fetus is truly an "inseparable part of a woman's body," then the answer to the question "How many eyes does a woman in this condition have?" would, in fact, be "Four."
It would also only be logical to ascribe that a woman in this condition has for example, two heads, (one internal and one external) and 21 fingers, or (ad absurdum) two sexes and contractions; A part of a woman's body is, after all, a part of a woman's body. You cannot have it both ways.
I can now hear the protest cries that "No one meant it was a part of the woman's body like that—that's crazy!" I agree. That is crazy (the undeniable and obvious truth may not be so)
Perhaps some clarification can be provided by looking at the test-tube baby.
What the test tube provided was the environment upon which the embryo was dependent for its survival. No one would argue that the embryo had survived, even though it said that the test tube had suddenly become biotic.
Whatever one might think of it, the test-tube baby provides the illustration that the embryo or fetus is not an inseparable part of the woman's body, not merely an element of private concern.
The embryo had an existence and integrity quite apart from the test tube though it depended upon the environment provided by the test tube for its continued survival. Likewise, the fetus in a human embodies on the environment provided by the other, yet has its own integrity and existence.
The relationship of the domicile fetus to the mother is dependence, not identity.
Kirk Allison
Kirk Allison
Wichita sophomore
KU lighting is adequate
To the editor:
I am somewhat disturbed that it has become necessary to write a letter to the editor and apologize for the newspaper to the people in the University who have diligently worked in support of, and obtaining, the lighting we have on this campus.
In a front page article April 28, headlined "Police say unit campus invites crime," I personally was misquoted several times, starting with the headline. At no time did I say that an unit campus invites crime, nor did I say that Stouffer Place or the scholarship were used to invite that 'any creature' is unit sufficiently can be a potential hazard (for deviant characters).
I did not say that "Lighting was a much-needed investment for existing buildings. They should be built toward Sundays Drive. They have to be lighted better; they are a definite security risk."
What I did say was
The University has done much to improve the lighting, such as Irvine Halls, areas around Stouffer Place, some of the scholarship halls, Marvin Grove and some parking lots. I did say that areas that, in my opinion, needed to be considered for additional lighting were Memorial Drive, the area between Blake and Twente halls and in between some other buildings.
The reporter also conveniently neglected to state that the University police receive very few assault reports. The reporter did, however, give credit to those deserving in the light efforts, such as Don Beem and J.J. Wilson. These two individuals have always been willing to work with the student groups and the police department.
Jeanne Longaker.
Bentley Community Service
Kansas University Police Department
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The University Daily Kansan welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced and should not exceed 500 words. They should include the writer's name, address and phone number. If the writer is affiliated with the University, the letter should include his class and home town or faculty or staff position. The Kansan reserves the right to edit or reject letters.