OPINION
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7A
FRIDAY,MAY 2,2008
COMMENTARY
It's a bad day when you have to buy mace
Then I got mugged and my universe was once again set aspin. "Why, WHY!" I guess a scrawny blond girl walking to her car at night alone is the perfect target.
I gave in today and bought some mace. Now my already ridiculously bulky keychain has entered the realm of absolute absurdity. I feel like a seventh grader, and all I need now is a beanie baby carabeaner hanging from my backpack, and I will be set.
Who would've guessed. I know, stupid right. But after being robbed in one form or another three times last year, I started feeling helpless, and I have to say it really sucks. I am afraid of all men now, well, actually I'm afraid of any person who looks like they could take me, which happens to be a vast majority of the population.
I grew up in Kansas City, and I never felt afraid. I thought all Kansans had this special love for each other and never wanted to hurt one another.
Surprisingly, it took me a while to finally break down and buy the mace, it was like I didn't want to admit to myself that the place I call home isn't as safe as I thought it was.
It's the random acts of violence that bother me the most. I mean, the guy who mugged me, he probably did it cause he needed money (sorry that there was only $15 and giant obsolete cell phone in there), but when there is no rhyme or reason why a crime is committed, it's scary. Two of my good male friends were walking home from Mass. Street last year and were called over to a car by
a couple of guys who said they needed directions. When they got to the car the guys maced them and sped away. I mean, what is that? It's disgraceful, and that was in Lawrence.
Lots of people who live here feel invincible, like they can walk around at night alone, drunk or whatever, but times are changing and you just have to be more careful. It's the sad truth.
When people are so scared of each other that some think carrying a concealed weapon is justifiable, it changes the playing field. How far will the line between self-defense and murder have to be blurred until people start realizing that giving guns to the everyday American might not be the brightest idea.
How many 4-year-olds need to get shot, how many schools gunned down before policy changes and people start to realize guns are bad. From someone who has been held at gunpoint by a less-than-stable person, I can tell you giving guns to the public is ludicrous. Alas, it's too late now. There are way too many guns in the this country to get rid of them all. Armed robbery, shot to death, driveby, there are places in the world where these terms don't exist.
I'm not saying that everyone should go buy mace and be scared. It's more about just being aware and conscious of your surroundings. I'm not one of those people who chain-emails horror stories around. I'm really not. I'm pretty normal, but I do worry when it's after dark, and I'm alone. If being cautious saves you from becoming a victim, then believe me, it's worth it. We work hard for the things we own and having them or your dignity snatched away in an instant isn't worth living life naively and thinking you're indestructible.
Simmermon is a Leawood senior in journalism.
>> LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Russian brides: Asset or liability?
The costs for mail-order brides can vary greatly, from $4,000 – $15,000. To obtain a permanent visa, the bride must remain married for a minimum of 2 years. Assuming that a $6,000 bride doesn't receive citizenship until after three years, that works out to
Dating over the Internet has become a cultural norm. By comparison though, mail-order brides are still somewhat disapproved of. Why is this the case? I can personally, without much hesitation, think of a few benefits of such a social contract. Of course an axiomatic benefit is sex. But moving beyond this, the vendee also inherits a maidservant.
$5 a day. Purchasing a maid and someone to sleep with, in such a slow economy for a few dollars a day, are benefits enough to pursue this adventure.
However, there is more. Like an automobile you can choose year, color, and make. Who wouldn't want such choices in life? A final benefit is what the bride actually receives, citizenship. Of course there are many more benefits, but these are a few key elements in why mail-order brides are ideal commodities in this society
Robert Bergersen is a Garden City senior.
HOW TO SUBMIT
The Kansan welcomes letters to the editors and guest columns submitted by students, faculty and alumni.
The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions.
For questions about submissions, call Bryan Dykman or Lauren Keith at 864-4810 or e-mail dykman@kansan.com.
General questions should be directed to the editor at editor@kansan.com.
hometown (student); position (faculty member/staff); phone number (will not be published)
LETTER GUIDELINES
Maximum Length: 200 word
GUEST COLUMN
GUIDELINES
The submission must include: Author's name and telephone number; class.
**Maximum Length:** 500 words
The submission must include: Author's name and telephone number; class, hometown (student); position (faculty member/staff); phone number (will not be published)
CONTACT US
Darla Slipke, editor
864-4810 or dslipke@kansan.com
Matt Erickson, managing editor
864-4810 or merickson@kansan.com
Bryan Dykman, opinion editor
864-4924 or dykman@kansan.com
Dianne Smith, managing editor 864-4810 or dsmith@kansan.com
Darla Slipke, editor
954 402 6018
Lauren Keith, associate opinion sur-
864-4924 or keith@kansan.com
Katy Pitt, sales manager 864-4477 or kpitt@kansan.com
Malcim Gibson, general manager and news adviser
Jon Schilt, sales and marketing adviser
864-7666 or jschitt@kansan.com
Toni Bergquist, business manager 864-4358 or tbergquist@kansan.com
864-7667 or mgldson@kansan.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Alex Doherty, Brydan Dykman, Matt Ericson, Kelsey Hayes, Learn Keith, Darla Slipke, Dianne Smith and Ian Stanford.
Max Rinkel
》 FROM THE DRAWING BOARD
COMMENTARY
Yale artist raises serious basic questions about art
Some people would say that contemporary artists are phonies who present shocking or disgusting works like vacuumums or excrement that only deserve the label "weird", never art.
According to David Cateforis, associate professor of art history, people who claim that something is not art either dislike or disagree with the piece and are attempting to take away its status as meaningful by trying to deem it unworthy of the title.
The trouble with this issue, news-wise, is that Yale claims that Shvarts explicity told University officials that she did not engage in these acts, yet Shvarts maintains that she did. Because she will not make an official statement admitting that she lied to the press and because the project includes human blood, Yale will not allow the piece to be shown.
Professor Cateforis teaches my Art after 1945 class, and we spoke for quite a while after I heard about the controversy surrounding Aliza Shvarts, a Yale senior art student. In fulfillment of her senior art project, she repeatedly artificially inseminated herself with donated sperm and induced miscarriages with legal, herbal drugs over a period of nine months. She had planned to project video footage of the miscarriages onto an installation piece incorporating the blood from the miscarriages to be put on display from April 22-May 1 in Green Hall on Yale's campus, but the University announced the day before its opening that it would not be shown.
The issue of truth, however, is not important to the meaning of the actions as a work of art. The knee-jerk reaction of most people who hear this story is that of disgust, but it is unfair of any person to assume that he or she has the power to name something "art," or take that name away from it.
Shvarts had honest artistic intentions when she completed these actions, and she meant to promote discourse about the politics of the female body and reproductivity, and call attention to the way that we ascribe names to physical objects to give them meaning; she said it "is at its heart an ideological act, an act that literally has the power to construct bodies. In a sense, the act of conception occurs when the viewer assigns the term 'miscarriage' or 'period' to that blood." These are Shvarts' words, taken from her column published in the Yale Daily News on Friday, April 18th stating her artistic intentions. Although her explanations are very heavy with big academic words and theoretical ideas, a very simple reading sums it up: Talk! Talk about what you believe and challenge yourself.
If we take the title of "art" away from this work, we are "refusing the challenge it raises of forcing us to think about what we believe" said Cateforis. "Art has the ultimate freedom to explore and question everything, and this successful provocation reminds us that the art arena is one where subjects are more open." This "provocation" refers to the incredible amount of media attention this issue has received, from blogs to the Washington Post to Perez Hilton.
I believe that this incident, whether true or false, is one that will cause more negative results in its controversy than positive. Due to the nature of the vast majority of people to very vehemently oppose it, and the potentially negative light it may shed on the pro-choice movement, this call to challenge beliefs may be left unheard. Shvarts can and will be connected to the pro-choice movement by many pro-life advocates, but NARAL's official stance, taken from its Web site, is "While it's critical to promote policies that help prevent unintended pregnancies and make abortion less necessary, NARAL Pro-Choice America also fights to protect the right to safe, legal abortion." Because this is such a hot topic in politics and morality, I believe that the weight of controversy and scandal will overshadow a positive aspect to this work and
give conservatives everywhere a chance to link Shvarts to the prochoice campaign.
The issue as important as the negative effects of this matter is: If we keep the title of art from this project, we are not challenging our beliefs. One's convictions are the most powerful when they have been challenged, and by ignoring the ability of this work to promote discussion, we refuse to confront our preconceived beliefs and the opportunity to challenge or alter them.
As for what Yale students think, I asked my childhood friend Cassie Mitchell, a junior at Yale, and she reported that "because time has passed and Aliza has done some incredible work in writing her oped and refused to say anything else, she's attracting more positive attention. Especially with Yale completely bailing on her. I mean, it's not every day that Dean Salovey, arguably one of the best loved men on campus, calls a student's work reprehensible."
I have my fair share of opinions about this work which I am happy to discuss, but they are secondary to my opinion that this performance should be seen as having a positive artistic intention that is ultimately coming to fruition through all of the controversy and dialogue in the press regarding its artistic intentions, morality, and political implications. You should assess all of this for yourself with an open mind rather than putting this paper down and saying "Eeew. This girl is crazy." More first-hand news on Shvarts and the details surrounding this case can be read at www.yaledailynews.com.
Although blood has already been drawn in the name of art when Chris Burden performed "Shoot" in 1971 in which a friend shot him, and the issue of naming first appeared when Marcel Duchamp turned a urinal upside down, signed it with an alias and called it "Fountain," Shvarts' work deserves to be seen as a work of art and deserves to be viewed with a critical mind and not a closed one.
Ryan is a Salina junior in art history.
editorials around the nation
Soldiers with felony records on the rise
As the conflict in Iraq enters its fifth year with no end in sight, the capability of the country's armed forces is being challenged by extended combat assignments.
In a disturbing sign that standards are being lowered to fill the ranks, the number of felons granted waivers to serve in the Army more than doubled this year from last, rising to 511 from 249. Even the Marine
Corps, whose slogan is "The few, the proud, the Marines," accepted 350 recruits with felony records last year, a jump from 208 in 2006.
Offenses waived included convictions for armed robbery, arson and burglary. Both services also granted increases in the number of waivers for misdemeanors.
One reason recruiting highly qualified young people for the armed forces has become so difficult is that they see the unfair and seemingly endless
demands placed on our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The United States must maintain and expand a military of the highest quality.
- Houston Chronicle April 24
To contribute to Free For All, visit Kansan.com or call 785-864-0500. Free For All callers have 20 seconds to talk about anything they choose.
Ya, you go and play Grand Theft Auto 4 on your shiny new PS3. I'm gonna kick it old school and rock out with some San Andreas.
SKIRT SEASON!! WHOO-HOO!!
--juice!
Senti, ché' l'uomo di ferro
oggi. Vail VA!
--juice!
Always wrong
--juice!
I want to apologize to everyone I screwed over in Bio 100. Please don't listen to me next time I try to give you the answer. It will be wrong. Always wrong.
No one cares that it's your birthday. But out of curiosity did you turn 13?
--juice!
I'm torn right now. He was a complete ass, but it's hard for me to not be with him.
To the girl in my Econ 104 class with the black apple iBook with a pink cover: Get the fuck off your computer.
--juice!
I want to make a sexy time
In the past four days I have lost three pairs of earrings two because of sexy time and one because I was drunk.
Throwing a frisbee around does NOT make you an athlete. Get over yourselves.
--juice!
To the Econ 104 girl, all studs are gay. Accept it.
Man I just found my roommate was gay and I have been living with her for two years!
--juice!
To the annoying couple in the library, shut up and stop loudly flirting. I can't even Facebook peacefully!
Quit being so loud and only eating half of a piece of chocolate. Also, we do not appreciate your flying balls. Love, the girls next door.
--juice!
To anyone that I just hit with my kite outside of the Union: I'm really sorry. I didn't realize the wind was so violent.
--juice!
--juice!
My Arch 104 class is boring as hell. I have never seen so many people eat, sleep and do crosswords in the same lecture. This sucks my ball
---
Who is ready for school to be over with. Me.I fucking am.
KANSAN.COM
Want more? Check out Free For All online.