OPINION
NEBO
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2004
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
EDITORIAL
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Effects of political protests never sure bet
The foundation of our country is built on basic human rights. All are of equal importance, though expressions of two of those rights have been in the news frequently as of late: freedoms of speech and assembly.
of speech and assembly With an estimated 500,000 demonstrators in New York City voicing their displeasure with the Bush administration, one can fully comprehend what it means to voice your opinion. However, the protestors are playing a risky game.
tors are playing a vital game. Organized demonstrations and protests can be linked to vital successes for rights. Both the women's suffrage and civil rights movements held protests and marches, and today women have the right to vote along with other crucial rights. It can't be argued that such a method of action is wrong, for without them, such vital legislation would never have been passed.
The possible success of the protesters in New York hinged on one singular detail: violence. Luckily, there was no fog of rage obscuring the voices of those speaking out against President Bush and the Republican party. If a massive outbreak of violence had occurred, protesters would have defeated their cause, sending a message of blind anger rather than organized opposition. They could have shown the world that they were just as irreverent as the government they wish to change, but instead they were relatively well-behaved, even with some small pockets of violence.
Despite how well the protestors behaved themselves, demonstrations can have unclear consequences. Recently, columnists in papers
around the country have brought the protests of 1968 against the war in Vietnam to the forefront as an example of unclear results. Even after nearly 40 years, no one knows if the protests led to the end of our nation's involvement in the southeastern Asian country, or led to the election of Republican candidate Richard Nixon, who furthered the war effort and was nearly impeached for shady campaign tactics.
The results sought by the demonstrators are well-intended: an improved foreign policy, better national healthcare, better education, and no internal threats upon basic rights. Much like previous documented demonstrations, they believe they are fighting for a just cause. However, though they may interpret their protests as successes, it will be the nation that decides that in November.
Such a massive show of opposition to the current government could bring others to Democratic nominee Senator John Kerry's camp, or it could galvanize Bush's campaign for re-election. There is no way of knowing how the protests will be received by the general public, and thus there is the risk that the exact opposite of what the protestors wants occurs, that they get the response they desire, or even that their actions do nothing whatsoever.
With the Republican National Convention finished, all we can do is wait for the next two months to pass until the last ballot is counted and reported. The true victor of the past week in New York George Bush or his protesters — will then be known by the public.
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Graduating from college in four years is like leaving a really good party at 10:30. Think about it.
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Why can't we have any nice, quiet, introspective drunks on our floor at three in the morning?
How do you tell your roommate that her boyfriend needs to start paying rent?
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It's time that we stop using McDonald's as a scapegoat for our nation's bad health and recognize the real cause of poor health: a lack of consideration and education on the part of the people themselves
All I've got to say is I have $20 for the person who can reveal the identity of Broadband Man.
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Wolf Man is in Hashinger where he belongs.
Let me get this straight: Democratic National Convention is on every single channel, but the Republican National Convention can't be found on one. America must be run by a corporation, along with the media.
Conservatives are idiots.
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STINSON'S VIEW
Dr. how can we tie Bill Clinton's heart surgery to the KU campus? Jimmy, Topeka Freshman
Revive the lost art of making out
Making out may not be a racy topic, but I recently realized that I haven't talked about it since the 10th grade.
talked about. In college we have become interested in more salacious topics including intercourse of all varieties. However, I've encountered enough horrible kissers in the past year to warrant this review session, your "Junior High Make-Out Revival Guide."
SEX 101
Make-out biology: When two people kiss the hormone oxytocin is released within the brain. According to a University of Virginia article, oxytocin promotes lactation in mothers, but also promotes feelings of bonding and kinship. When you make out your brain is releasing a chemical that makes you feel bonded to your make-out buddy. Oxytocin also gives you that all-over happy feeling.
Make-out compatibility: The genesis of this article came from a conversation with one of my good friends, Danny. We talked about how kissing can either be really good or bad depending on the person. He claims that $90\%$ of good kissing is lip compatibility, meaning, each person has a distinct style of kissing. No matter how much you like a person, if their kissing style doesn't match yours, well, sorry. Lip compatibility is important, but technique and gusto have a lot to do with it. I was involved — I use the term loosely — with a guy for a period of time, who had
STEPHEN MOLES
opinion@kansan.com
wonderful, full, sensual lips, yet never used his lips nor did he open his mouth widely. What should have been a magical melding of lips was ruined by a lack of confidace.
ideal make-out conditions: Sorry, but it's got to be sober. (Maybe ecstasy if you really want to be weird.) Any level of intoxication may lower your inhibitions, but it also severely limits your pleasure and performance. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant; it may cause a loss of coordination (i.e. tongue) and make you interpret pain and pleasure improperly. It'll cause you to make out with the ugly chick or dude.
My study in Make-out: In order to have a better perspective, I took an informal survey of about 20 McCollum Residents. I asked all of them: "what can ruin good a make out?" For the most part they agreed: slobber. No one wants to make out with Wet-Mouthed Suzy so keep your saliva in check. Swallow. Other faux pas included too
much tongue, unresponsiveness, licking the nose, beard burn and hickies. But the most impassioned response was from Gina Ford, Washington, D.C., sophomore, who claimed "Don't kiss and talk. You are not a multi-tasker." No one wants a conversation; they just want your sweet loving.
What's good make-out: This varies from person to person, but being responsive and sensual makes a great make-out session. I always come in with moderate lip work and a little tongue. If the person is enjoying it, I slowly become more and more aggressive until we're in full make-out mode. (Unless I'm drunk, then it all goes out the window.) Another technique that works well is lip teasing. When your partner goes for the kiss, quickly kiss them and pull back or temptingly bite their lower lip lightly and pull back. Anticipation only makes things sweeter.
Most of all have fun, be creative and don't slobber. On one final note, be careful. You can get oral herpes from making out. It's true. And according to the American Social Health Association about half the population has it. Don't be a lip trump or you'll get some nice cold sores. I hope that gave you some better insight into the lovely lip world, and I'm done.
Moles is a Lawrence junior in sociology.
Terror war alters history, language
As the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches, America is still fighting a war on terror. Though that day's events instigated this war as an official, capital "W" War in the eyes of Americans, the term has a longer histo-
The phrase "war on terrorism" was first used in the 1940s to describe Britain's reaction to a rash of terrorist attacks in Palestine, which was under British mandate at the time. It has been used off and on since then to describe other anti-terrorism efforts.
LANGUAGE RULES!
APRIL BENSON AND LAUREN STEWART
opinion@kansen.com
President Reagan spoke of a "war on terrorism" when he discussed the international desire to reduce terrorist activity '80s. Even then, Reagan meant "war on terrorism" just as other generations had their wars on drugs and poverty. It is war in a figurative sense; War that focuses on education and outreach rather than military response.
Today's war on terror is different. Political leaders consider this war to be more than just a decades-old rhetorical phrase renewed for convenience; it is the defining struggle of an era and reason enough for military force.
On a linguistic level, the word "terror" has expanded in meaning and usage. It is more extreme, vague and complex. On the evening of Sept. 11, President Bush reintroduced the idea of "the war against terrorism" in a national address. This concept was an apo
counting.
The Sept. 11 attacks, like many acts of terrorism, didn't give Americans an easy way to respond. The idea of a war being understandable — something that can be fought and won against a defined enemy
Ideologically, terrorism is not something that most Americans feel comfortable supporting. But the word terror carries so much weight that Americans feel they can't support terror and find it difficult to condemn the war against it. Can you be pro terror if you are not anti-terror? Are you anti-terror only if you support the war against terror?
priate salve to our newly wounded country.
— gave Americans the sense that their nation was pro-active in a situation that otherwise leaves one side powerless. In this way, the language surrounding Sept. 11 has united people.
you support, the war is over. In a similar vein, because of the strategic naming of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, people who do not agree with the government's approach may look like they do not support freedom.
Words like "terror" and "freedom" have been used so frequently in the post 9/11 era that they have morphed into linguistic monsters. No longer confined to narrow dictionary definitions, their meanings have expanded to include all the emotions and experiences people associate with them, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11.
When words break away from dictionary definitions and gain secondary meaning, scholars consider them to be "loaded." The secondary meaning is probably ambiguous or it carries multiple emotional or opinion-based connotations. It is difficult to separate one's personal beliefs from dictionary definitions, which is why loaded words are so common in the English language.
"Terror" no longer means just extreme fear in American rhetoric, it means "extreme fear" plus the memories and emotions associated with Sept. 11 and the battles that have been fought in its aftermath.
Even though the idea of a war against terror and terrorism is not new, it is shaping the attitudes of modern citizens more than ever.
Benson is a Grand Island, Neb., senior in English and music. Stewart is a Wichita senior in English.
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