MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 5
opinion
Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 or at kansan.com
Hey, I know you want to see, but don't stand on the benches in Allen Fieldhouse!
This university is so respectful to the United States military. Thank you, Jayhawks; I will be a fan forever. Oorah and Rock Chalk!
STOP THE WOO.
How to spot freshmen: They're the ones sitting at basketball games.
If you have to drink at a basketball game, you are an alcoholic.
Just in case anyone was wondering...
You can, in fact, hear Allen Fieldhouse
all the way to Iowa Street.
CAMPUS
All these freshmen came to the first game of the season...to throw paper airplanes around. Go back to high school.
Mad props to the guys with the letters at the basketball games. You guys are awesome.
Maybe some of you haven't figured it out yet, but we're not doing that spinning thing on free throws. It looks dumb. End of argument.
Now that Gatorade is a sponsor, are they going to start loading the T-shirt cannon with Gatorade?！
Don't worry, Withey. You're not tall. You're just big boned.
If I was a good looking girl, I would talk to loser guys on the bus just to make their day.
Sometimes I wonder if Jeff Withey actually reads the FFAs... If you do, I expect the word "bamboo" to be in the next FFA.
Hahahahahahaha Lakers.
Am I the only one who has gotten kicked off the Safe Bus?
The number of people wooing during the chant is too damn high!
Feminist Ledbetter leads by example
Sometimes I drink water just to surprise my liver.
In case you haven't read any of my columns pretty much ever, I'll go ahead and out myself as a flaming feminist. I feel like this gives some necessary context to help you understand why a little more than two months ago, when the Democratic National Convention came along, I felt as if someone had just given me a lifetime supply of kittens.
If you didn't manage to catch the DNC, I was overjoyed because of the amount of amazing women that spoke at the convention: Cecile Richards, Eva Longoria, Sandra Fluke, Nancy Pelosi and many more added their voices to a conversation and political season where women's rights and the importance of women voters rose to the national stage in a way few could have predicted. I rode the roller coaster of political feelings, going from feeling angry, to feeling uplifted, to feeling way impressed that our First Lady closed her speech with Beyonce's "Get Me Bodied."
To the couple making out in the art and design building Saturday night... I saw you.
And then, of course, there was Lily Ledbetter. A woman I paid attention to not just because she's
a leading activist in women's rights for pay equity, not just because it was she who lent her name to one of the first pieces of legislation President Obama signed after his inauguration in 2009, not just because she was a lovely and intelligent presenter, but because I knew that she was soon going to be at the University of Kansas today at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Jana Mackey Lecture Series.
The Jana Mackey lecture series was established by the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity in honor of Jana Mackey, a former student at the University of Kansas who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2008. Jana received an undergraduate degree in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University and studied at the KU School of Law, as well. She was incredibly involved in Commission on the Status of Women, the University's feminist group, was an advocate and frequent volunteer with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, and was a believer in true equality. Jana was, in short,
Looks like the out-of-staters are finally getting to experience Kansas' five-minute weather principle.
a woman whose life no one ever thought would be cut short by domestic violence.
She was intelligent, passionate and a testimony to the fact that in a culture where we breed hate and discrimination towards women and gender-nonconforming individuals, violence is perhaps the only facet of life that does not discriminate.
The Jana Mackey Lecture Series was established to bring speakers to campus to advocate on the injustices facing women that Jana spent her life living. Now, some might question why Lily Ledbetter is speaking—what does receiving a paycheck less than your male coworker and being brutally murdered have to do with one another?
But pay equity relates to domestic violence because instances of oppression do not exist in isolation to one another. Rather, they are interwoven, building layers and layers of injustice to strengthen systems that work against equality and human dignity. Unequal pay and domestic violence are just two of the ways that gender discrimination manifest itself.
Program Director for the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity Kathy Rose-Mockry said, "We selected Lilly Ledbetter as our speaker this year because she exemplifies all that Jana stood for - her grit, determination and commitment to taking a stand when confronted with inequity and discrimination."
When we live in a society where those who are not biologically male, and identify as men, and behave "appropriately" masculine, are considered weaker, we must recognize that inequal pay does lead to domestic violence. That it says in either instance, "you are less, and deserve less, because of who you are."
fangirl, and I'm totally going to be front row and center at Lily Ledbetter's talk. But, whether or not you consider yourself particularly well-versed in politics or feminist rhetoric, I highly encourage you to go, and not just those of you who identify as women. When a person is oppressed because one category of their identity is deemed as "less", it sets a precedent for treating others as "less". It perpetuates the idea that some are worth more simply for being male, or straight, or white, or able-bodied—the list continues on and on.
Obviously, I'm a feminist
So, if you're pretty okay with the idea of human dignity, I'd suggest you check out the talk. I can't promise Beyonce will be incorporated — though I'll keep my fingers crossed — but I can say that I'll think you'll come out educated, empowered and maybe even a little bit pissed. A winning trifecta, in my opinion, for affecting change.
Gwynn is a sophomore majoring in English and Women, Gender, and Sexuality from Olathe. Follow her on twitter @AllidoisGwynn.
POLITICS
Americans meant to be equal
Elections officials in Florida tallied up the votes on Saturday-four days after the rest of the nation managed to count theirs—thus bringing the election season to a close.
No more debates, no more attack ads, no more millionaire politicians asking for $5 hand-outs and no more Facebook posts from your friends offering their best political punditry.
We are finally finished with this "historic election", but what's so historic about this one?
Here come the Girl Scout Cookies!
For starters, America's first black president was re-elected. With the election of Barack Hussein Obama, a very distinct message was sent to every one who resides in this country: Racism is officially 100 percent unacceptable. Granted, many of us already knew this. However, the election, and re-election, of a black person to our highest office reinforced this fact like no other achievement could.
I agree with Young Jeezy. They should put President Obamas face on the $5,000 dollar bill.
Secondly, Obamacare will be the law of the land, and healthcare is now a right. As the debate is now over, I would like to put to rest one asinine argument.
They bemoan entitlements and redistribution, incorrectly identifying them as the apparatuses of socialism or the harbingers for
In the warped minds of many conservatives, the extension of heath care to all citizens infringes upon personal liberty—a liberty grounded in classic American Liberalism that promotes self-determination and rugged individualism.
I believe that with the perfection of cloning, some people will finally be able to date who they want. Themselves.
the end of America. They forget that their prized ideology extends to all, not just themselves, and that self-determination falls beyond the scope of civil rights. It is a human right.
In America, we do not have to prove our political rights—such as our rights to free speech, to vote, and to protest. As U.S. citizens, we are all equal—every one of us.
Our social rights are universal, too. These rights guarantee our right to subsistence sufficient to survival and independence. Gwendolyn Mink, professor at Smith College, said, "Where political rights assume equality among the individuals who possess them, social rights enable equality by countervailing inequalities among individuals."
Even the most hardened leftist must admit capitalism has won. In fact, most liberals surrendered to this idea soon after World War II, rendering conservatives' charge of "socialism" incorrect and inane.
Because of the viscous nature of capitalism, a system that inherently creates winners and losers, social rights mitigate the damages done to those who don't "win."
The lame protest that health care for all infringes on liberty
stems from twisted logic and an un-American spirit.
The charge comes from a place of privilege—a privilege bestowed upon middle to upper class Americans by a not-so-free market, which has historically granted subsidies to big businesses, decimated cities and created the urban poor. Capitalism inherently breeds inequality. As is said in economics, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." Privilege comes with a cost, and it's more than one pays by merely working hard. There are externalities, and entire populations have become just that.
Independence and self-determination is a fundamental right for every American, not for the middle and upper classes alone. To reserve this right for a segment of our population resembles aristocratic notions America's founding fathers despised the most.
Scott is a graduate student majoring in American studies from Overland Park. Follow him on Twitter @dscott12.
So those that have the privilege of a higher education, the means to raise a family and opportunity for a career need to honestly look themselves in the mirror—there they will find their missing liberty.
By broadening the rights of all, such as extending health care to every citizen, we come closer to achieving the ideas our country cherishes the most: the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Until every American has this right, we still have work to do.
Wu-Tang Clan is here forever
MUSIC
Ian Cummings, editor
editor@kansan.com
Vikaas Shanker, managing editor
vshanker@kansan.com
Dylan Lysen, opinion editor
dlysen@kansan.com
living in this day in age, I have come to love hiphop music. I'm not talking about Lil Wayne, Drake, or Tyga, I'm talking more about the old school, smooth sounding music. I like the lyricism, the creative beats and the all around funky sound it holds.
There have been many prominent individual careers and groups that have made hip-hop what it is today. Including Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z and others. But only Wu-Tang Clan changed hip-hop as much as they did in the early '90s. And this upcoming year may see its innovation again.
Now, the eight-man rap group has announced it is getting back together after a short stint of individual careers, to make another album. Its first album to ever be released has been out for sale for nearly twenty years now. Although, it has been five years since the group has released a full album, in 2007, it has plans to make another album for release in 2013.
The clan originally began as a nine-man group and it was something that has never happened in hip-hop before. But ever since the death of Ol' Dirty Bastard (ODB) in 2004, it has been reduced to an eight-man group.
This album has the potential to be huge. With each member having very successful solo careers, there is a lot of talent going into the album. But this could also pose some potential problems as well. Because each member has made it big with their own individual styles, their ego could kick in and that could
Carroll is a junior majoring in English from Salem, Conn. Follow him on twitter @BCarroll91.
As the Clan's one song "Triumph" goes, "Wu-Tang is here forever." And it seems that they were right.
The news is great for the world of hip-hop. The sound of hip-hop has recently changed, but if the clan can successfully create a good sounding album while bringing back its old sounding flow, then the more recent artists will have some good competition to keep up with. It will force the artists to put all their effort into their music.
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I just don't see that happening, though. I think the Clan can make a comeback with this album. The release will be the 20th year anniversary since the group's breakout album "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 chambers)" was released. Every member displays dedication to the group, especially RZA, who has the group's logo tattooed on his left arm. They all still have that same love for the group and want to make the album the best they can.
make it hard to work as a team again.
Ross Newton, business manager
newton@wanstan.com
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earrington@wanstan.com
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Nexan Editorial Board are Ian Cummings,
Vikas Shanker, Dylan Lynen, Ross Newton and Elise Farington.
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