Friday, November 10. 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 5
Feature Perspective
Fake mullet quickly prompts stereotypes
First, the basics; for Halloween, my stylist. Steve, glued 20 inches of real human hair to my skull in an attempt to create the greatest mullet the campus of the University of Kansas had ever seen.
Did you point? Did you laugh? Were you one of three wanna-be Prada models who tried to beat me up at a local bar and dell? Or, did you just utter the words 'white trash' as I walked past?
If you said yes to any
If you said yes to all of these questions, thanks, you helped me write this article (especially the poser-model dudes). Many of you might have noticed my hair grew 20 inches in the back and remained short in the front last week.
Why? Quite simply, to challenge all the beautiful people on this campus.
My goal was not to ridicule the true mullet wearing members of our society. Instead I was trying to assimilate, to become the stereotype that forced people to stare.
Lucas Krump guest columnist opinio@kansan.com
By trade I am a lawn-mower. For the last eight years, I have sweated behind a 48-inch Encore mower, driven a big truck, stepped in dog crap and enjoined every minute of it.
As the proud owner of a lawn and landscaping business, I have already been subjected to the stares and unwarranted traffic stops as I drive through affluent neighborhoods. I have heard customers gasp in astonishment when I tell them yes, I am a college student.
It is the behavior of people who only know me by the appearance of my profession that spurred a desire within me to embrace the social construction so many of you call, "white trash."
Yes, on Halloween I played the role of the truck driving, Billy Ray Cyrus fan. Everyone laughed, took a picture and told me how I looked like real "white trash." As if comparing someone to human discharge is responsible to be funny.
As I entered into, let's just call it "the Peach Pit" on a solo mission. Three Brandon Walsh impersonators gave me a hard stare. No comments, just the typical "you-mow-lawn's" look I have experienced while building my lawn care empire.
After a beer, I left, only to hear the comment:
"Mullet trash, drink somewhere else." Not believing my ears. I asked, "What?"
"We're not going to beat you up, we're going to kill you, mullet trash" screamed Brandon.
was it true? Was the mullet, the white-trash appearance, so challenging to these three close-minded boneheads that they had just threatened my life? Fearing a coup of my beautiful locks, I ran. But the mullet behind me would stay.
For the next three days, I was content living my life with a mullet. People encouraged me to wear "white trash" clothes and act like "trash" (whatever that is suppose to be).
I changed nothing; my mullet was not about playing the part of "white trash" so many of us have created. It was about challenging people, how they would treat me.
Could the masses of people so consumed by appearance accept an individual who appeared not to be?
As I strolled down Jayhawk Boulevard days after Halloween, I could not help but notice the stares. Then I heard the comment "white trash" whispered behind my back.
I was overjoyed. I had become the stereotype.
To this behind-the-back talking individual I present the question: What is white trash? Is white trash someone from a different socioeconomic background, from a different part of town? Is white burger the person who makes your cheese-burger or mows your lawn?
All I presented to the world during my four-day experiment was a mullet, a hairstyle. People who knew nothing about me, my family or my home felt perfectly comfortable openly degrading me.
Soon, the mullet was removed and I returned to my normal self. But I could not help thinking about what had just transpired. Was it really true? Were people on this campus really this close minded?
Did you see me and think "white trash"? If so, ask yourself "why?"
The University of Kansas provides us with the education to be successful. We must down our own stereotypes and social constructions so we as individuals can accept all individuals without classifying them with meaningless adjectives. I urge my fellow classmates to look past the profession, the appearance the mullet and learn to accept all human beings.
Krump is a Overland Park junior in communications,
Letter to the editor
Columnist ignores other side of conflict in the Middle East
After reading your blatantly racist and bigoted column ("Appeasement a poor tactic in Middle East," October 28), we feel a response is necessary.
First off, let's clear up one important thing. Mitchell is Jewish, and Dario is Roman Catholic.
Mr. McCool, you seem to be blind to several sides of this issue. First of all, neither side in this endeavor has done anything resembling a decent
job of upholding their agreements. The Israelis see the Palestinians living among them as second-class citizens. They always have, despite equal status under the law. Israel is not an innocent party by any means. The Palestinians, though, have abandoned Yasser Arafat as a leader because they see him as making too many concessions to Israel. Thus, there is no real Palestinian authority with which Israel may negotiate in good faith.
That being said, the hatred the Palestinians show in their sermons is also echoed in kind by some extremist Jews. This latest round of violence was instigated by a Jew attempting to visit the Temple Mount, a site closed to Jewish visitors. Whether that is right is beyond the scope of this discussion. The fact remains, however, that Ariel Sharon had no business being in an Arab-controlled area at great risk to himself, and evidently, the entire regional stability. Ariel Sharon is one of the leaders of an extremist faction within Israel that has openly called for the expulsion of the Palestinians.
Israel has successfully implemented peace accords with nations such as Egypt and Jordan. Anwar Sadat was assassinated by extremists within his government for brokering the Camp David accords. The Jordanians and the Israelis have had a very good relationship since signing their peace accords in 1994, Yitzhak Rabin signed these accords with King Hussein I and was himself assassinated by Yigal Amir, an extremist Jew who felt he had to stop the peace process at any cost.
Another thing to consider is not all Israelis and Palestinians want all this violence. There are many people on both sides of the violence who just want it to end and want peace. You have made a rather arrogant presumption by assuming the actions of a few dictate the feelings of the whole.
Israel has not acted honorably in all aspects of the latest round of violence, or any other. They have recently been shelling and bombing Palestinian police stations, and other Palestinian Authority buildings. They have sent tanks against civilians. Remember how the world reacted when China did the same thing in Tiannan Square? They have killed innocent civilians who were not involved in the violence. And yes, Palestinians have killed innocent Israeli citizens, too. Nobody's hands are clean in this tragedy.
Lastly, the anti-Semitism displayed by the Palestinians is nothing new for the Jews. Jews have been persecuted as a religious group since Abraham migrated from Canaan to Egypt. Jews have faced horrors from Babylonian and Roman persecution - and survived. Jews have dealt with Russian pogroms and Christian crusaders - and survived. Hitler certainly did not begin anything new, and no one in the Arab world will, to quote your own words, "finish what was begun at Auschwitz." Survival is not the issue here. Peace is.
Dario Landazuri
Milwaukee, Wis., senior
Mitchell Trope Overland Park junior
| | Sat - Sun | Daily |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1 Billy Elliot * | (1:35) | 7:15, 9:45 |
| 2 Remember the Titans* | (1:05) | 4:15, 7:05, 9:45 |
| 3 Pay Forward * | (1:20) | 4:20, 7:15, 10:00 |
| 4 Red Planet * | (1:40) | 4:40, 7:10, 9:40 |
| 5 Little Killin * | (1:15) | 7:00, 9:30, 10:00 |
| 6 Charlie's Angels* | (1:55) | 4:55, 7:35, 10:05 |
| 7 Little Killin * | (2:00) | 5:00, 7:45, 10:05 |
| 8 Charlie's Angels* | (1:25) | 4:25, 7:95, 9:35 |
| 9 Men Of Honor * | (1:10) | 4:05, 7:45, 9:30 |
| 10 Bedazed * | (1:10) | 4:05, 7:45, 9:30 |
| 11 Meet The Parents * | (1:45) | 4:50, 7:10, 10:00 |
| 12 The Legend of Bugar Warriors * | (1:50) | 4:00, 7:10, 10:00 |
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