。
4A the university daily kansan
opinion
monday, September 15, 2003
talk to us
Michelie Burhenn
editor
864-4B54 or mburhenn@kansan.com
Lindsay Hanson and Leah shaner managing editors 864-4854 or thanson@kansan.com and ishaffer@kansan.com
Louise Stauffer and Stephen Shupe
opinion editors
864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Amber Agee
business manager
864-4358 or director@kansan.com
Taylor Thode
retail sales manager
864-4358 or adaales@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson
general manager and news adviser
884-7667 or mgibson@kansan.com
Matt Fisher
sales and marketing adviser
864.7866 or mfisher@kansan.com
Free for All Call 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
For more comments, go to www.kansan.com
There is a kid in my music theory class who has worn the same shirt and jeans for the past three days. Get some new clothes, man.
The free tea in the in union made my day today.
perspective
Is it weird that I still watch TRL every day?
Pop-Tart plus microwave equals bad, bad news.
--perspective
I would like to thank the good-looking female joggers who wear bright colors around campus. It makes you that much easier to spot.
Do you think that the Monopoly hotels were built because of Fraser Hall or just the design of it?
The little people are dancing on the ceiling. They are looking at me right now.
perspective
图
This message goes out to our missing roommate, Lindsay. We haven't seen you since you went to the library on Monday and we are really worried and we want you to come home. We hope you are not mad and we are sorry.
To the guy I saw talking on his cell phone while riding his bike: My friend, you have your finger on the pulse of our generation.
To the guy that drives the Defender white: It's the Jetta black that swerved in from the right. You caught my sight, and I just might want to be with you tonight.
--perspective
I would like to report a buffalo sighting in the parking lot of Jefferson Commons on Thursday. Thank you.
A music nerd just pointed out to me that when you listen to a dial tone on the phone, it is actually an A and an F and it forms a major third.
留
I want to know why you can pick your friends and you can pick your nose but you can't pick your friend's nose? I have a friend and I want to pick her nose but she won't let me. What's up with that?
Hi, UDK staff I guess we don't have to be sad about 9-11 anymore because it happened in the year 200, according to you guys, which was over 1,800 years ago. I know I call in and slander you guys all of the time but I hope you are really embarrassed because that is the worst error I have ever seen in my life.
Jennifer Wade for The University Daily Kansas
Feminism needs men's contributions; both sexes benefit from equality
A common bumper sticker I see around Lawrence says, "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people."
Scary idea isn't it?
Historically, the United States has not treated women as people. Women were not given the right to vote until the 1900s. Men who beat their wives were seen as "taking care of business" not committing a crime. Influential thinkers like Sigmund Freud viewed women as abnormal and inferior men.
Thanks to the work of feminists, these ideas and legal barriers are slowly changing.
At first glance, it would seem that feminism has been incredibly beneficial to women but has nothing to do with men.
COMMENTARY
Despite what some might think, feminism is not inherently painful to men.
In her book Feminism is for Everybody, bell hooks defines feminism as "a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression."
Feminists aren't, by definition, manhating lesbians like some would like you to believe.
Men can be feminists,enjoy it,and even benefit from it as long as they commit to working to end sexism,sexist exploitation, and oppression.
Feminism encourages all people including men, to work toward a more equal society, free of sexism and
Travis Weller
opinion@kansan.com
oppression. A first step is that we, as men, have to admit that we benefit from a system that still exploits women. Men are encouraged into higher paying professions like engineering and medicine. At the University of Kansas, the School of Engineering is still staggeringly male. We are more likely to speak in a group setting and our opinions are more likely to be taken seriously when we do. We earn more for doing the same job that women do. In 2002, women earned 76 cents for every dollar that a man made. We are encouraged into leadership positions more often than women. Clearly, other factors like our race, class, ability level, and sexual orientation (among others) can change the amount of advantage we gain by being male, but as men, we are advantaged.
At this point, you are probably asking,
"OK, feminism sounds cool. I know that
women are oppressed but, as a man, I benefit from this system, why should I care about changing it? What can a more equal society do for me?"
First, I think it is important to remember that all people should work to the exploitation of others. No one is truly free until we are all free. Exploitation and oppression, whether it is based on sex or race or sexual orientation or another factor, is never acceptable. It is the responsibility of white people to help to end racism, it is the responsibility of straight people to help to end heterosexism, and it is the responsibility of men to help to end sexism. It is ridiculous for those who are privileged people in society to say to those who are disadvantaged, "Hey you should do something to end your oppression." With an advantaged status, and all the benefits that we gain from being male, it is our responsibility to do what we can to end the exploitation of women, those who don't have these benefits.
Also, in a more equal society, relationships between men and women are healthier. When people are viewed as equals, more complete relationships can form between them. Each person's thoughts and opinions deserve equal consideration in relationships, whether it's a friendship, a professional relationship, or something more romantic. When we ignore or dismiss the thoughts and ideas of an entire group of people, we not only trample on the human rights of that group, but we also miss out on important opportunities for progress in our own lives. It might be easier to be dismissive of the thoughts of an entire sex but it is ultimately incomplete, irrational, and ineffective.
An added benefit of a more society is better sex. When women are men are equals in an intimate relationship, both can take the initiative and feel comfortable trying new things. Feminism can result in better relationships both inside and outside of the bedroom.
There are many ways for men at the University to get involved in the feminist movement. Men can take a women's studies class or check out feminist literature at Watson Library. Men can volunteer at the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center in Strong Hall. Men are welcome to join campus feminist organizations like the Womyn's Empowerment Action Coalition or the Commission on the Status of Women.
Feminism has gotten a bad rap. The fword may be intimidating, but ultimately, it offers benefits to all people.
Weller is a Garden City senior in sociology
perspective
Look at Women of KU modeling opportunity as a stepping-stone on path to better self-image
Not many of us have come to terms with the fact that our bodies are all differently shaped, or that we may never reach perfection. Even me, a Women of KU calendar model.
Many of us in the Women of KU calendar distinguish the opportunity as a stepping-stone to allow ourselves freedom to be sexual and feminine. Each one of us brings a different shape, aspiration or upbringing to the calendar. But to pose for the calendar, we first had to be comfortable in our own skin.
It's the inner confidence and the awareness of our bodies that brings us all together and separates us from others.
COMMENTARY
Denise Spidle, Hesston sophomore and 2003 Women of KU calendar model explained how posing for the calendar changed her.
"It was not that I looked at my body any differently, but I would see my flaws, and I had learned to accept them," she said.
Epilepsy also participates in student ministry at her church. She wants
Jaqueline LeSage
opinion@kansan.com
women to look at the calendar and know that we should not only strive to be smart and accomplished, but also learn to take care of our bodies and be proud of them, she said.
My decision to be a part of the calendar was never based on one reason in particular. I felt almost a sense of freedom and awareness about my body as I entered my sophomore year at KU. I began to realize that I must accept the things I cannot change, and celebrate them.
As a child, I was told to feel lucky for who I was, where I was, and how far I got in life. Not until my sophonore year did
I take that advice and run with it.
I guess you can say that posing in a swimsuit for a world-renowned photographer may have been a bit of a leap, but it just so happened to do the trick. For each woman, posing for a calendar will be different. But there is going to be a time in our lives when we must step outside of our comfort zones.
Even someone who is comfortable in front of a camera found posing for the calendar boosted her self-esteem.
For Trinity Wright, Shawnee sophomore,posing was no problem. She is Miss United States Teen and 2004 calendar girl). She said that her Women of KU career so far has made her more aware of her body, and that she is no longer afraid to look sexy. Even after participating in pageants since she was four years old, she said that this was different because she realized how much her body had grown into womanhood. Thus, making her proud to look the way she does.
Let the Women of KU calendar be a stepping-stone for you as well. Know that each dimple or roll is OK to accept. Know that walking around in the nude on in your skivvies is liberating and sexy. Become aware of your body, because it's the only one you've got, and being too hard on it is only going to make it less appealing.
Remember, this is a college calendar. All of the models are here for an education first. The other women in the calendar, as well as myself, all have aspirations for their career just as any other college student would.
As we near the releasing of the fifth anniversary edition, the Women of KU calendar still reigns as one of the top and longest-running university calendars in the nation. It continues to show us that real women have curves, and are happy to embrace them, which is truly a rare gift.
LeSege is a Weyzata, Minn., junior in journalism.