THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6,2005
PAGE 5A
WWW.KANSAN.COM
LET'S GOETT IT ON
Going through the emotions
It is now official: The anti-war movement (at least at the University) has lost any sense of reason and is now just going through the motions. If you don't believe me, just look at last Thursday's protest on Wescroe Beach.
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Let me begin by saying that the protesters I talked to were courteous and politely answered all of my questions, although I'm sure after they read this they'll wish they hadn't. After talking to a few of them, I'm not sure they even knew exactly why they were there.
I asked a woman encouraging students to sign a petition if the protesters wanted recruitment off campus because they didn't think that students at the university could make their own decisions about joining the military. She answered that the protesters didn't believe this, but were only exercising their free speech rights against the military. I then asked if the military didn't have the same free speech protections. The answer I got was that the military had the same First Amendment rights, but that didn't stop the protesters from voicing their opinions. At this point, you should hear the sound of a needle scratching
JOSHUA GOETTING
opinion@kansan.com
off a record in your head. In case you don't, let's recap. At least one protester — probably many more
— was exercising her free speech to try to prevent another organization from exercising its, even though the protester freely admitted that the military had free speech rights to be recruiting on campus so that students could make their own decisions about joining the military. But it gets better.
The second sign at the protest read, "We will not fight your wars." This sign also bothered me a bit, so I asked another protester why he didn't support those who did fight the wars, our troops. He replied that he did and things went downhill from there.
Now I admit, I'm not majoring in philosophy and I haven't taken any logic courses, but to me, a sign like that implies that everyone who has chosen to fight for his country has made the wrong
decision. I made this argument and also pointed out that it's awfully hard to say legitimately that you support people when you adamantly believe that they have made a horrible decision and are ruining our country and another one. The response I got bordered on incoherent and the phrase, "You obviously just don't understand," was repeated often.
I realize that some of the protesters on Thursday were probably as sincere as could be and really believed in what they were doing. But, this does not excuse the fact that their cause is lacking in reason and intellectual honesty. After attending the protest, I am more convinced than ever that the main impetus behind the anti-war movement on campus has little to do with actual policies and a lot to do with a general disdain for the military and partisan politics. If the protesters really want to change minds, maybe next time they will come up with some coherent reasons why people should take them seriously.
Goetting is a Leavenworth senior in political science and East Asian languages and cultures.
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.
(Editor's Note: To see Free for all in its glorious entirety, check out http://www.kansan.com/opinion)
The "Plan C" cartoon by Doug Lung is the most offensive thing I've ever seen in the paper.
There's a girl on our floor named Robin, and she always wears a robe, so we started calling her Robe-in.
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You know what's cooler than a DU pre-party?
A Rhombus pre-party* *Rhombus giggling*
People at the Kansan should definitely do some research into stories that they do instead of false reporting that kids were thrown out of windows and had head injuries.
Eric Jorgensen should be in two times a week. He's the funniest thing in the UDK.
I would like to thank the Kansan for the reeferendum article. I didn't read it or anything, but I rolled a beautiful joint out of it, and it definitely made my afternoon.
So they just sent a request for the National Guard to go help the hurricane victims, but it's a hell of a long flight from Baghdad to New Orleans.
Those editor's notes in the Free for All are my favorite part of the Kansan Keep up guys!
Don't be square, rush Rhombus!
I'm a student at KU, and I've never been so disrespectful in my entire life. I just got told by a ticket taker with no line that I need to go around to one entrance with 60 million people.
tAttention all Arby's employees: Your sauce is not gold; it has no value as a currency. So why are you so stingy with it when you give it out to customers?
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Hey, Free for All: ladybugs.
Frankenstein inspires teammates? I hope that Dracula and the Wolf-Man start picking up the slack, 'cause she can't carry the team on her back.
This is hot dog cart guy. I had a great idea. We should allow military recruiters on campus, but they should sell hotdogs! Then the hippies wouldn't care, 'cause they'd be getting hotdogs for cheap!
A pet store, Jamie? Really? A pet store?
Thanks for making it so that I can read the crossword from thirty feet away. Now if only my arm was that
Ong.
I bet my friend a hundred bucks that this wouldn't get published. So don't publish this or I'll come and like, kill you or something.
I got totally wasted and rollerbladed everywhere.
The president said the hurricane relief effort was unacceptable, and he's right. Where are the national guardsmen? Where is the money? Oh wait, that's right, it's being pissed away in Iraq. What about America,
Bush?
Sir, at this point, pizza is inevitable.
Who is Eric Jorgensen, and why does Sara Garlick kill vampires dead? (Editor's Note: Garlic is deadly to vampires. Try reading a book or something.)
Shamboozled again!
What happened to KU Info? The man is trying to ruin it!
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Hey Free for All, what's up? I think you're cheating on me. I gave you come golden comments the other day, and you rejected them. Don't break my heart, Free for All.
Do you guys remember when their used to be a Sports Free for All? I do. I bet David Padgett remembers too.
For anyone that was at the football game, the first "S" flag needs to pick it up a little bit. We got Kan Sas here.
I would like to thank the members of the Kansan board who wrote the editorial about the marijuana. It was very responsible.
TALK TO US
Austin Caster, editor
864-4854 or acaster@kansan.com
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Matthew Sevick, opinion editor
864-4924 or msevick@ kansan.com
Sarah Connelly, business manager 864-4014 or adddirector@kansan.com
John Morgan, sales director 884-4462 or addreder@kansan. com
**adviser**
864-7666 or jweaver@kansan.com
SUBMISSIONS
Jonathan Kealing, managing editor
864-4854 or ialeking at kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager,
news adviser
864-7687 or mgibson@kansan.com
jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing
adviser
Instead of competing with other women, instead of boosting our egos by finding "faws" and promoting self-loathing, we should preach acceptance. There is no reason why a woman should hate her hips or J-Lo shouldn't love her ass. We should accept who we are and how we were made.
Heidi Klum's who had nice bodies naturally were their own standards of acceptance and rejection. One that, just as the hatred for the curves, freckles and wrinkles that our bodies may display, needs to be abolished as well. This movement toward more realistic standards does not mean that we need to negate the women who have been "lucky" enough to set that bar so high. I guarantee they have their own stories to tell.
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 any questions, call Austin Caster at 864-4810 or e-mail opinion@kansan. com.
We're tired of complying with beauty standards that are not achievable. The National Organization of Women has declared Oct. 19 "Love Your Body Day." Take a break from those fashion magazines, stay away from mass media, wear your sweats and stop weighing yourself! Stop buying products that use negative images of women. Or get involved by joining organizations that embrace positive body image, like From the Inside Out.
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general questions should be directed to the editor at editor @kanan.com.
GUEST COLUMN GUIDELINES
It's time that we establish our own beauty standards and break this cycle of competition for something most of us can never obtain.
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Also: The Kansan will not print guest columns that attack another columnist.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Appreciation: It does a body good
Ells Ford, Verning Wang, Julia Melia Coelho, Dan Hayt, Annie Wattner, Lily Jaina, Nathan McGinnis, Josh Goetting, Sara Garlick, Chas Edgerton, Rw Whiteling, David Archer
I understand we're a society of consequences: We don't care until we've got skin cancer (tanning beds), lung cancer (cigarettes make you thin), acid reflux (bad food), a daughter taking diet pills (magazines), a screwed-up metabolism, a burst implant or a friend who dies tragically young in a car wreck because she has neglected to eat for a few weeks straight.
SUBMIT TO
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Lawrence, KS 68045
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So sue me. I was watching America's top model today. I used to be vocal about my hatred for television, but have begun, out of boredom, to force my opinions on this tool that can be used for various learning objectives, especially when trying to understand certain ideas and convey them in a manner that 13-year-old girls could comprehend.
I always pick the underdog.
You know; The girl who everyone thinks has an eating disorder or the one who used to be "fat." And you know what they mean by "bat" right? Size eight and up. Come on, ladies, Tyra Banks (the host of the show) is a size eight and she is a Victoria Secret model.
During the summer, I found out that I was one of two women from
"It would help if you didn't wear such tight clothing." Translation: No one likes to see a "fat girl" embrace her "fat." Of course I made a point to tell him that these little diatribes were not a positive influence on my self-esteem. A silence followed, and then an excuse. "But, you're strong; you can't use that as an excuse."
Growing up in a world of tall, tan, blonde and beautiful people, we all suffer from this "seen but unseen illness." I learned both to envy and to despise these media figure-heads. I hated my freckles; I would sneak into tanning beds trying to make them merge. I would dye my hair, trying to make it blonde. I would work out, work out, eat a bagel and work out some more. I was hopped up on diet pills and Prozac and I didn't even bother to question why.
JOY LAWSON
opinion@kansan.com
Lawrence to receive an opportunity to be included in From the Inside Out, a peer education group that facilitates discussions about body image, eating disorders and the mass media. You know what my father said to me?
And then I realized what was happening. These negative feelings I had for the Kate Mosses and the
Lawson is an Olathe senior in women's studies.
▼ HANG OUT WITH YOUR LANG OUT
Doug Lang/KANSAN
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THE OTHER TEN PERCENT
Dealing with break-ups tricky
A relationship that lasts long enough to be considered a relationship doesn't just disappear overnight. Those feelings can last for a long time, especially if only one person wanted the relationship to end.
I recently broke up with my boyfriend, and you know what word I hate? "Ex-boyfriend." As in: "There's your ex-boyfriend's car" or "Your ex-boyfriend likes that song."
PATRICK ROSS
opinion@kansan.com
There should be a transition word that encompasses the hope that you'll get back together along with the relief of making the right decision combined with the fervent wish that he won't be the first to have sex with someone else. "Ex-boyfriend" doesn't cut it. It has a finality and a scary quality that says "I don't have the ability to make relationships last," or "Now I have to start all over again." How about "post-relationship co-sufferant"?
Whatever you call it, break-ups always suck no matter when they happen. And whether we're the break-ee or the break-en, break-ups have an effect on our lives that only matters of the heart can have. A break-up can be consuming or it can be liberating — or both — and chances are, almost all of us will
deal with a break-up while in college.
It's hard to look objectively at a relationship and say "This isn't delivering what I want." It's also unfair to the other person to remain in a relationship for fear of hurting the person even though you no longer want to be with them. The pain will always be worse later.
Most of us are in our late teens and early-to-mid twenties. We don't always have tons of experience with dating and one of the biggest mistakes we tend to make is staying in a relationship when it's time to move on.
You may lose friends in the "divorce," so be prepared. When two people part, some things can't be shared or split down the middle. As someone who has been friends with a broken-up couple after its break-up, take it from me that it's almost impossible to treat each one equitably.
A new semester brings with it many new opportunities. New
classes, new jobs, new friends and new digs all combine to open a world of positive changes in our lives as we return to school or come for the first time. Sometimes painful choices have to be made. I'll call it a fall cleaning of sorts.
The most important thing to remember when dealing with an "ex" situation is that sometimes our emotions get the best of you. Don't call him at three o'clock in the morning and yell. Don't drunk dial him for a booty call. Don't assume that he feels the same heart-wrenching pain or profound relief that you feel. And don't ever convince yourself that you can't move on or feel love again. Also: E-mail can be dangerous, choose wisely.
Conventional college wisdom
Conventional college wisdom — which is to say I heard this somewhere — tells us that it takes as long to get over someone as the relationship lasted. I guess I'm facing a long, hard nine months. But, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens and for all of you out there who are recently single or will be soon, take heart. There's nothing that can take your mind off an "ex" quite like too much homework.
Ross is a Lawrence senior in journalism.
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