FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 5
opinion
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I'm considering being a nudist for Halloween, but I'm afraid that might be overdress the occasion.
To the social welfare student, money may not buy happiness, but it buys things that make me happy.
That awkward moment when you realize someone stole the FFA page out of your Kansan because the Quidditch spread is on the back.
Even with their long brooms, the quidditch team has never choked. Can the basketball players say the same?
Confession: I blatantly flirt with my TA University of Kansas why must you let hot people teach?
You may have been better than us with the engineer thing. But certainly not after you call yourself a "fratter."
For having the most popular sport on campus, basketball fans have some serious insecurity issues over Quidditch.
To stop the "best major battle," just look to the top of the hill. What is the highest point in Kansas? The psychology building looks down on all of you.
To whomwe said Quidditch is a made up sport from a movie, get your facts right. It's a made up sport from a book.
I've been here for two months and the number of guys who hold doors open for girls still amazes me. Keep it up!
Black and white is so last election.
That awkward moment when you mean to text a friend but accidentally text the FFA and it gets published.
To the friend of a friend with terrorist tendencies, Wescoe beach is made of cement. Burning it down would be impossible. Maybe you should try being funny?
Nice guys finish last only because douches don't make sure the girl finishes at all.
Adderall: it's not an addiction if you've got a prescription.
The University's male population consists of either the taken, the gay or the alcoholic. So few choices left over and I'd STILL never consider a fratter.
GOVERNMENT
If people-watching was a sport, I would be the best of all time.
I go to University of Kansas and I read the Bible, not that this fact will make it to a liberal school's paper, but it's worth at try.
Today I got a Brazilian wax, which means this weekend I'll be ready to get my slut on. My father would be proud.
Oh no, people noticed me avoiding cracks on the sidewalk?
Dear sorority girl, I kissed your hat, but only because you stretched into my personal space. Also, you smell nice.
Whoever says money doesn't buy hap-
piness has never ridden a jet ski.
I like vagina, but I especially like Christmas. Christmas comes around more often.
Women underrepresented in politics
The Left perspective
By Kelly Cosby kcosby@kansan.com
The very real truth is that women are underrepresented in the legislature, and no matter what you want to say about gender equality or gender disparities, this severe underrepresentation is bad for women.
It is troubling that recruitment of women in the Republican Party is declining, because this means less overall representation for women. And female Democrat incumbents may face a tough race in the next election.
If you have a mustache, I'm going to automatically assume your name is Oscar.
The negative effects can be felt both in terms of symbolism and issue representation.
The symbolic representation (known as descriptive representation) that comes with simply having higher numbers of women, regardless of how they influence policymaking, plays an important role in getting women in the U.S. involved in the political process.
A male legislature can be viewed in some ways as a force of opposition to women's rights groups. Even though I don't believe most men truly "oppose" serving women's interests, it sometimes perceived that way. As Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson from Texas said in The New York Times, men aren't necessarily against legislation driven by women for women; "it was just that they never thought about the issue."
It's simply a lack of personal experience with the issues that causes men to overlook legislation needed for gender equality, decreasing violence against women, etc. And even in an ideal world where men thought of these issues first, a lack of women in government would still be a misrepresentation of our population.
This is why we have members of the Senate and House distributed from different states; each state's interest is important. It's the same when it comes to demographic traits.
This also leads to the idea that more women in the legislature can increase the possibility of good substantive representation, meaning actually representing the interests of women. This is different from descriptive representation because in some cases, of course, a female representative may not necessarily push women's issues through.
Some argue that women are far more likely to champion women's causes in Congress, which makes sense. But unless there is a larger group of women serving in the Senate, that substantive representation is compromised. A larger group of women would be more influential.
It looks like that may not happen soon, and the current representation women have may be in jeopardy.
Kelly Cosby is a senior in Political Science and English from Overland Park
Moderate Politics
By James Castle jcastle@kansan.com
A recent New York Times news story discussed the potential status of women in the 2012 congressional elections. Many people quickly point to the low number of women in the national legislature (and lower legislatures), and how undemocratic this is, given that over half of our population is female, making this group seriously underrepresented. Albeit true, the overall underrepresentation of women in the legislature, though most obvious, is perhaps not the first issue women and their supporters should address.
According to the data on the U.S. Congress' webpage, there are 96 women in both the House and the Senate, 78 of them in the House and 18 in the Senate. But only 17 of those women in the House, and only four of the 18 women in the Senate, are Republican. This means 78 percent of women in both the House and the Senate are Democrat. And this gender gap in party representation (perhaps due to many Republicans endorsing traditional gender ideology, which discourages women's presence in the public realm)
poses a more immediate problem.
According to a 2004 article by political scientist Mala Htun, quotas, that is, set minimum numbers of certain groups — in this case, women — required to represent each party in the legislature, are the most appropriate standard for a category like gender, because gender cross-cuts parties, races, religions, etc. Although an increase in the representation of women increases the focus on women's issues, women nonetheless have little trouble successfully passing the legislation they sponsor relative to male legislators, according to political scientist Kathleen Bratton in her 2005 study on token women in state legislatures. Because American politics is so partisan, it is critical
that groups that cross-cut parties are represented relatively evenly in the parties, as this would allow group members on all sides to address women's issues. If half the members of Congress were women, partisan politics would still prevail if all of them were Democra
— Castle is a senior from Stiwell in Human Sexuality and Political Science
Democrat.
View from the Right
By Billy McCroy bmccroy@kansan.com
Considering that they represent half of the population, women should have representation in Congress. The 2012 election could see the number of female members of Congress grow to new heights. The number of female senators has steadily risen since 1981, when there were only two. There are currently 17 in the United States Senate and 76 female Representatives. However, this entire argument is counterproductive. We will never reach true equality until Congressional members are not seen as either male or female, white or minority, but simply Americans in public office.
We must look at these members of Congress on their own achievements; simply collecting them into a group such as, female members of Congress, ignores their individuality. An "equality-enforced" policy would diminish the accomplishments and hurt the legitimacy of the election process. Electing people solely based on their gender is a slap in the face to the people who have successfully been elected regardless of their gender. They should be in Congress based on their political beliefs and elect-ability, not their gender.
As long as these public officials vote in the interest of their constituents and the United States of America, they should be viewed as upstanding citizens ready for public office. Personally, I will not take part in the false assumption that female members of Congress possess any different or special qualities than those of male members. The idea that female members are more apt to compromise across the aisle doesn't necessarily achieve that sense of equality that should be striven for. The true beauty of the electoral process is that people will vote for the candidate who best represents their political beliefs. The growing numbers of women in Congress show that Americans feel women can do that.
— Billy McCray is a junior in economics from Des Moines, Iowa.
FLIRTING
Foreign accents still captivate in digital world
Picture this: you're having a splendid evening out with your friends, and a man/woman is clearly eyeing you, but is not anyone you would generally consider. Then that person walks over and begins to speak to you and things suddenly change when he or she speaks. Why? The accent. Then you say to yourself: "You just became 50 times hotter and
By Emily McCartney emccartney@kansan.com
I'm automatically interested."
I just realized this about accents after hearing about my friend's fall break escapades in Las Vegas. She had spent her weekend with a lofty international fellow, so naturally I creeped
Facebook to check him out. He wasn't necessarily anything special or the type of man I would usually be interested in, but with a brilliant personality and beautiful Australian accent, it totally made sense to me.
It's like this huge force comes over you when someone is speaking in an accent. It may be because you have to listen more
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
If Darth Vader and Lord Voldemort dueled, who would win?
@GUK Opinion Darth Vader, duh. Voldie's frail-ass couldn't handle the force. If a goofy kid can beat him, Vader would make short work of it.
bafast
Follow us on Twitter @UDK_Opinion.
Tweet us your opinions, and we just might publish them.
@UDK_Opinion That duel is a win for nerds everywhere. #nerdfasylove
closely to understand, it may be because you're amazed at how there can be so many different sounds to say one word, or just simply because the accent forces you to listen to him talk to you and you can't help but stare deep into his eyes. And this is exactly how they'll get you.
poppycock57
poppycock$
@UDK_Option Darth Vader,
obviously. No nose, no win.
BoomCityAdamT
@UDK_Opinion Darth Vader can block blaster fire with his hand. The only thing Lord Voldemort blocks is men's chances of getting
agdetmering
@UDK_Opinion Lord Voldemort, I'm not sure Darth Vader can deflect a spell with the force...but in a rap battle Vader hands down.
the_colby_zone
plrappel
@UK_Opion it all depends on what wins between magic & the force. Personally, I don't think Vader can deflect avada kadabra so. Voldemort
These men or women with these beautiful accents have a way with words. They're able to sweep you off your feet with a simple "hello", and it's mind-boggling! We crave that sexy Collin Firth look-alike to come cruising along and catch our attention with a dreamy "hello".
Take this for the contrary: There's a gorgeous man or stunning woman you notice standing across the bar that you absolutely cannot wait to have a conversation with and find out his or her life story. Then the dreaded happens: She opens her mouth and all that's running through your mind is, "my God, how many times can you use the word 'like' in one sentence?" Or he opens his mouth and all you're thinking is, "Will I be able to compare every conversation I ever have with you similar to having a conversation with a wall?" You then wish you could've just stared at him or her from across the room without ever having heard them speak.
Communication skills are pertinent to flirting and sparking the beginning of a relationship. With the popularity of conversations via technology these days, people underestimate the power of "the voice". So the next time you spot that cutie from across the room you want to talk to, either speak with an accent, or try to have a conversation that won't make you look so stupid.
Both situations can usually turn out awful. You're either going to end up being suckered into a night full of frolics and mistakes with the accent, or a conversation that ends with you wishing you could get the last twenty minutes of your life back.
McCartney is a junior in journalism from Orange County, Calif.
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