4A the university daily kansan
opinion
friday,october 31,2003
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What the bloody hell is this?
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Hey, way to go. Way to de-pledge your only pledge of color. No, you are not racist or anything.
图
I just saw seagulls on Iowa eating a rat off the road. Seagulls? We live in Kansas.
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I lost my pet goat. Has anyone seen it?
If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, what is the road to heaven paved with?
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When I grow up, I am going to have more ooampa-loompas than Willy Wonka.
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What do I do when my roommate informs me that she is becoming a lesbian? Help. Please.
I was going to be greek but I don't have enough money to buy friends.
Earthquakes don't kill people, buildings do. Thanks, Mario.
Pork chop sandwiches
What is with these North Face fleece pullovers? Are these issued to students as a freshman? I am a transfer student and I feel like I missed something here.
baghdads of our lives
Halloween gift of looking 'weird' should become year-round treat
perspective
COMMENTARY
On the holiday of open-minded acceptance, we are given an opportunity to be whoever we want to be. Only on Halloween, it seems, can we ignore our character roles and play with imagination.
Ali Cullerton
opinion@kansan.com
As rewarding as dropping false pretenses and abandoning societal boundaries can be, why do we truly allow ourselves to let go only one night of the year? More importantly, are we wearing a costume on Oct. 31 and dressing naturally the other days, or is Halloween a blatant reminder of how black and white many of us live of our lives?
often does, the lines of acceptance thicken. The boundaries we once viewed as categorical coincidence fade into a guideline for the socially correct. We become judges of our own team.
It is completely logical that social circles are developed through similar interests. Music, political standpoints, hobbies, shared classes and personal chemistry are all factors in the reality of comfort zones. Because of this, it makes sense that our friends also share certain styles of clothing. When the style becomes a prerequisite, but, as it
people find comfort and reassurance in social circles. Whether they are close-knit group of friends, fellow classmates, intimate relationships or any other type of personable interaction, having the acceptance of another makes us feel good about ourselves. As hard as we may try to deny it for the reassurance of our independence, we want to be wanted.
Taking these roles into our personal social groups seems a bit more threatening. Is it judgmental to say that fraternity men buy a lot of their clothes at Abercrombie & Fitch? Or is it a fact? Is it wrong to assume that many punk-rock activists are vegan? Who determines the difference
Based on popular opinion, if a man wore a skirt it wouldn't seem natural. From this same perspective, a woman with dreadlocks would be stared at if she went down the street confessing her love for pop icon Britney Spears. Women shaving their legs and men wearing pants loose are examples of gender roles we live with.
Zach Stinson for The University Daily Kansan
between forming a hypothesis based on personal experience and stereotyping. Why is this issue so threatening?
In order to break down the concrete reality of social barriers, we have to identify their existence and eventually work on overcoming them in our personal lives. Forcing ourselves to meet a new persona with conflicting interests is one of the first steps in the process of defeating prejudice. Making a conscious effort to reach out into unfamiliar territory is another way to resist boundaries.
While Halloween gives us an excuse to explore our imaginations without fear of acceptance, it is one night. The invitation to dress in a contradiction to our predetermined identities is a gift of empowerment.
Let's carry consistent acceptance into our everyday lives. When the clutter is overlooked, we can recognize similarity among all. We are capable of feeling the same emotions, refusing to avoid eye contact and discouraging generalizations.
So tonight, dive into the unknown, defeat boundaries, and don't be afraid to start tomorrow morning with the same open-mindedness that you fell asleep with.
- Cullerton is a Chicago senior in creative writing.
In search for exotic, you find traces of home
perspective
Editors note: Plummer is studying abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica.
It amazes me how an experience can be familiar and foreign at the same time. In a different culture, there are echoes of home.
The weekend of Oct. 18 was an experienced I will cherish forever. It will exist in my mind like an insect stuck in amber, perfectly preserved in its beauty.
According to my Lonely Planet Costa Rica guide book, every Columbus day there is a week-long celebration called "los carnavales" in the Caribbean coastal town of Limon. The guidebook also said the region had a strong Afro-Caribbean influence and presence.
I had one destination I had to reach before leaving Costa Rica. I had to go to "carnavales" in Limon.
That weekend finally and fully replaced the concept of an African Diaspora with a reality that I could hear, see and feel. I was awestruck by the beautiful mixture of races and cultures, which all claimed intense pride
Alexzia Plummer
opinion@kansan.com
COMMENTARY
in being from Limon. The sounds of Spanish and Jamaican-accented English filled my ears. The smells of Costa Rican, Caribbean and Asian food filled my nose.
Temporary booths lined the street, selling everything from handmade jewelry to wooden furniture. There was a regular carnival that included a ferris wheel and bumper cars. Greetings spelled out in Christmas lights lined the streets. It all created a festive mood.
Even though I was foreign, I encountered reminders of the familiar. I walked by several beauty shops and
The parade took me back to my days on church drill team. I remembered the loud thumping of drums inside my ribcage — they seemed to alter my heart rate to another rhythm. I remembered the shrill shrieks of metal whistles signaling the change of dance moves.
saw ladies getting their relaxers and men getting their hair lined up. I saw little girls with beads in their hair and guys with cornrows.
guys will come. The parade that Saturday was amazing. People wore bright and tropical-colored uniforms. All ages of people, from pre-school children to middle-aged, participated.
Although there were reminders of my past, there were definite indications of my present. Floats blasted Latin-American pop songs. A few floats had live salsa bands. The celebration had a distinct Latin flair.
Reggae music provided the soundtrack to the weekend. Damion Marley gave a free concert in the park. He sang mostly his own songs, but also a couple written by his father, Bob Marley.
I went to a temporary reggae club that was under a tent on the street. Despite the music, most attendees adhered to the hip-hop uniform of doorgars, sunglasses at night, big chains, severe color coordination and familiar brand names: FUBU, Sean John, Rocaear, Ecko. I was in Central America, but it looked just like a party at home.
The weekend's experiences still glow brightly in my mind. It piqued my interest in another culture. I was able to see the similarities as well as the unique characteristics the celebration had. They showed me how much I had left to learn about the world.
Sometimes you leave home in search of the exotic, but instead you find someone else's home. In doing so, you find pieces of your own home.
A year ago, I couldn't tell you where Limon was or that there was a large Afro-Caribbean population in Costa Rica. I had never heard of Carnavales.
Plummer is a Bellevue, Neb., senior in journalism.
letters to the editor
Letter suggests genocide for U.S. war on terrorism
The letter entitled "United States, University must confront terrorism" (The University Daily Kansan, Oct. 29) is both appalling and entirely misguiding.
It is the prejudice exemplified within that letter that is more frightening than the potential of nuclear war. (Leonard) Magruder expresses a Hitleresque hatred of a religion and proposes invading "the entire Muslim world."
And what of the Muslim populace of the United States? Are we to round them up and force them to abandon their religion or face some dire consequence? These extremist views prove the necessity of learning. We can learn from the past that racial or religious intolerance (which, in some cases, leads to "purification," also known as genocide) is greater than any other evil on this planet.
There is NO equation saying that Islam equals terrorism. Anyone who actually believes that every Muslim is a terrorist should learn about other cultures and rethink their fantasy about conquering "the entire Muslim world." You will not wipe out terrorism by turning into a terrorizing nation — you will only make it stronger and more prevalent.
I am an American. I was born in this country 27 years ago, in its bicentennial birth year. I have served in the United States Army and the Kansas Army National Guard. I grew up near Philadelphia, one of the most influential cities in founding this country. I have walked on the same paths as this country's forefathers. I have seen the original documents that this country was founded on in the Washington, D.C., National Archives. I have visited many battlefields of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars to honor the blood that was spilled for this country's freedom. I am a registered voter. I am as patriotic as the next person, if not more. I take my pledge of allegiance to this country very seriously.
Eric Rosa Mission freshman in journalism
Americans can say pledge as proud, patriotic atheists
Editors note: Ryland's letter addresses the column, "Under God phrase protected by U.S. constitution," by Matt Pirotte, which ran Oct. 28.
Apparently, Mr. Pirotte, I am not welcomed or a part of this country for this is "one nation under God." I am an atheist.
Sam Ryland
Topeka junior in psychology
event coordinator
Society of Open-Minded
Atheists and Agnostics