THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011
PAGE 11.
opinion
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I just made my first trip into the Watson Library stacks. Now I understand why so much sex happens in there.
He laughed. I love it when he laughs; although, the truth is I am not in love with him.
When explaining something to the class, every third word should not be "umm."
Beat the heat... I would rather beat my meat...
Time to enter the Thursdimension.
Who is "They?" and who is "You?"
It's hard to rhyme a word like vagina... Agh, never mind. Just f*ck it.
Lost my dignity at the Ozarks this weekend, once again.
I feel ya, I lost my dignity there last year... and then again last month.
Sounds like the biggest tool in the universe.
You muscles will not stop my bullet.
I am a 200-lb., tool thank you very much.
ANIMAL LIFE
A good pet helps ease the craziness of life
One thing that used to bother me was when people treated their pets as their children.
Dog sweaters, cats with middle names, sleeping with their beta fish and shih tzu strollers. I mean, what was the point? Were they too stiff to make friends with the 25,000 KU students with whom they have so much in common? Or was it that they didn't enjoy their time alone and needed something to fill the void?
Before I adopted a rat from a local, friendly, nation-wide chain of pet stores, the attitude My assumption of doting pet owners was one of notty annoyance. Your dog is your baby? I'd think, "you're a
BY LIZ STEPHENS editor@kansan.com
slave to something smaller than you and it's not even a human." Then I would go snuggle myself or count my money. I was fine alone. Except that I cried a lot and kept the television on so I could pretend that the noise it made was my family.
On the suggestion of my mother, I got a rat but I honestly didn't think anything spectacular was going to happen.
To my surprise, the tenderness that I felt toward this scratching, sniffing rodent was immediate and overwhelming. The first thing I did was teach him to come to his name as I held a spoonful of peanut butter. Then, I lied on the carpet of my apartment and had the little guy crawl all over me. He clawed his way into my hair and nestled, and I thought, "so this is it." This is Animal Parenthood. I realized that I would never have to snuggle alone again.
Now, just a few days later, I'm so sitten with my new animal that sometimes I wish that
I could have gestated and borne him myself. Although breast feeding the little critter might prove to be logistically difficult, I couldn't decline such an experience.
More than anything, I understand how other pet owners feel when they put their maltipoo in a feathered headdress or apply fake eyelashes on their hedgehog. To the rest of us, it may seem like these animal owners are crazy, but it's really the opposite. They aren't crazy because of the animal. The animal keeps them from going crazy.
Stephens is a junior in English from Dodge City.
POLITICS
Meaningful political discourse should begin with civility
I had the opportunity to visit some of my favorite historical sites in Virginia last week, including Mount Vernon, Monticello and George Washington's birthplace.
I learned quite a few history lessons while I was there and even after having visited multiple times, there always seems to be a new bit of information that strikes my interest when learning about the foundation of our country.
All that history got me thinking about the state of politics today. Obviously the founding fathers didn't always get along, and a few could be quite nasty to some of the others. There were definitely times when arguments got personal.
But in the end, these politicians knew they were working toward a common goal, and a prosperous and proud country founded on liberty for all (well, for some — we're getting there, though!). With this vision on the horizon, these men often set aside their differences, made difficult compromises and worked together for what the nation as a whole believed in.
BY KELLY COSBY editor@kansan.com
Maybe they didn't always make the right decisions. But based on some of the alternatives, I think our nation turned out to be pretty OK.
To me it seems that this putting aside of certain differences (even wealthy land-owning white males have plenty of differences) was one of the major keys to the early successes of the United States. Now, I'm sure every political generation can point to instances when this hasn't been the case, this being especially true during times of discrimination and inequality based on
race, gender, etc. But given the major steps we have made in recent years toward a more equal society, shouldn't the method of our discourse reflect that progress?
Instead, those early days of Washington and Adams resemble very little to the way politicians and citizens handle arguments today. Yes, we have many eloquent speakers and intelligent individuals who bring worthwhile commentary to the discussions on various issues, but we are slowly losing our tradition of civil discourse.
At the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, the encouragement of civil discourse is a priority. The institute pushes students and community members to discuss issues respectfully while working through the civil and political process to "redirect the course of our nation."
This is an important goal at a time when many of us often use personal attacks and verbal assault to express our "ideas." I admit I've made a snarky comment or two about Sarah Palin's intelligence, but those kinds of remarks bring nothing to the discussion. I've seen people say things to each other (incidentally, often under the cover of anonymous comments on the Internet) that almost compete with the rhetoric of Fred Phelps in terms of how hateful and unconstructive they are. There is no place for this kind of argumentation in public discourse.
Since our University is the home of the Dole Institute, we should take its emphasis on civil discourse to heart. A reclaiming of civility in politics could begin with our student generation. It all begins with self-awareness and encouraging others, and at its core is empathy.
Cosby is a senior in political science and English from Overland Park. Follow her on Twitter @KellyCosby.
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