OPINION
9A
TUFSDAY. APRIL 8, 2008
COMMENTARY
Ever-changing music scene leaves out diverse tastes
A consumer mentality is plaguing music, and I'm not talking about the satchels of money the record companies expect us to pay for 10 songs.
THE UNIVERSITY DARLY KANSAN
When a listener is always seeking what's fresh, it's easy to forget that for every new hit single, there are dozens of outstanding tracks that just got lost in the void over the years.
I'm not saying that it's wrong to appreciate new material, but in that ephemeral chase for the cutting-edge, many people lose sight of all the great music that's already been made.
Just because something is new doesn't mean that it's any better than something that's been around for a while.
Oldies stations try to remind us of all the great music from bygone eras.
But if you listen to any one of these stations for a week, you're bound to hear the same songs on endless repeat. The problem with these stations is that they rarely dig past the surface of the artists they feature. Sure, you'll hear "Like A Rolling Stone," but even with Bob Dylan's extensive collection, the stations never go deeper than that.
The public is reducing great artists to solely their hits. That's like seeing the Mona Lisa and thinking you know everything there is to know about DaVinci. It just ain't right.
It's getting even harder for oldi- stations to give artists the time
they deserve because the songs they play are steadily creeping up the musical timeline.
Oldies stations started out playing the jazz of the 1950s, and they gradually moved into rock and roll as the times changed.
How long before they make it into the '90s and beyond?
But now anyone can hear music from as recent as the '70s and even the '80s playing on oldies stations.
If you ask people who lived through the "oldies" era, they'll tell you that the music that's on these stations is what they were listening to when they were young, but there's so much that's missing.
I'm worried for the future. Not only because of the tons of greenhouse gases we're pumping into the air or the steadily rising sea levels that threaten to drown our coastlines, but because when the oldies become the music of our generation, there won't be a separate station for each one of the distinct genres that we love.
Artists will be lumped together by decade regardless of where they came from.
Imagine Britney Spears playing after Nirvana on 108.8 F.M., "Greats of Generation Y".
People want their favorite bands to be remembered when they grow old, but not just for that hit single that got airplay.
You might find something that you never knew existed.
Take a break from what's hot and look back in time to some of your favorite artists other songs you may have skipped over.
If nothing else, you may learn that the bass line from "Ice Ice Baby" wasn't written by Vanilla Ice.
It was David Bowie
Lerman is a Highland Park, III., sophomore in journalism.
TALK BACK TO THE KANSAN OPINION DESK
Sounds fishy
If the proposal is approved in the Senate by a two-thirds majority, voters would see it on November's ballot.
The Kansas Legislature has proposed an amendment to the state's constitution that would allow residents the right to hunt and fish.
This puts the right to hunt and fish on the same level as the other freedoms, such as speech, religion and the press.
What do you think about this possible amendment? Are Kansans lacking these rights? Send your thoughts to kansanopdesk@gmail.com
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》 FROM THE DRAWING BOARD
COMMENTARY
Tyler Doehring
Poetry allows its authors to paint pictures with words
The month of April showers the world with not only rain but also poetry.
That's right. It's National Poetry Month.
Now, many readers may be rolling their eyes and groaning, thinking of the usual poetic stereotypes
We have our:
1. Angsty, depressed intellectuals donned in black who are burdened with the woes of the world, their souls dripping truth upon the page.
2. Old-school romantics who, like hippies, enjoy watching the grass grow and cannot say anything without describing it to the last miraculous molecule.
3. Old epic poets who describe battles and glory in such a vague way that we are immediately induced into a sonorous slumber.
Poetry is sometimes misunderstood as boring or too complicated. Sure, some poetry is like that, but we should not be so quick to condemn all poetry books to only be useful doorsteps.
Poetry does not require a deep, dark hidden meaning. Poetry just is. It is a form of expression, a way of communicating the author's thoughts.
If we judged every book by the literature we are required to read in class, many of us would never pick up a book again in fear of finding something as terrifying as "Heart of Darkness."
Poetry attempts to describe a moment in time, and it paints a picture with words.
Think of poets like Shel Silverstein, Dr. Suess or Ogden Nash. They are talented writers who express their thoughts and ideas in poetry.
However, their poetry is often not what we think of when thinking of traditional poetry. But, regardless of the form and subject matter, their work is still poetry.
I am sick of angry, the-worldsucks poetry, and I cannot bring myself to write an ode to the clouds. (They're clouds. They float. End of story.)
When we look at poetry with this mindset, it is not as daunting. In fact, we might find poetry rather fun.
If authors write about personal subject matter in a style that is true to themselves, then poetry can be beautiful and easily accessible for all people.
Instead, I wrote a poem about how I despise how much teachers pick literature apart.
This poem was very popular with my classmates in high school.
Why? Because it is genuine.
Hartz is a Stilwell junior in creative writing.
my poem
The Literary Loony She stands up front holding a giant book, cover reflected in reading glasses "a classic piece of literature"
She claims there's "hidden meaning" and "symbolism" and literary terms
She says the author purposely [like he actually planned this insanity] used literary terms to enhance the story.
My assonance.
And finally she finishes and asks us what we think about this wonderful work How will it affect our everyday lives?
Well, I think, I'm in need of a decent doorstop
But instead I simply reply "This book really speaks to me. Isn't that personification?"
And she beams so brightly and I grin back
I think I'll get an A
excerpt from a poem by Jenny Hartz.
editorials around the nation
To anyone who dared believe that "the surge" had solved our problems in Iraq, the recent outbreak of violence must come as a painful awakening. The renewed intensity of combat means that Iraq's factional strife remains as big a problem as ever and that the ultimate U.S. goal of creating a unified, stable and democratic government in Iraq is as elusive as a mirage. While U.S. soldiers are drawn into a civil war pitting three rival Shiite militias battling for political power, mortar rounds pound the fortified U.S. complex known as the "Green Zone" in Baghdad.
Surge brings violence not stability to Iraq
If the face-off between Iraqi soldiers and the militia of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Basra was a test, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government flunked.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
An injured university student is seen after he and his classmates were rescued in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad. Gunmen abducted two buses transporting students to Mosul University on Sunday.
Not only was he obliged to rescind an ultimatum that the renegade militia surrender, but members of his government were forced to go hat in hand
to Iran to negotiate a ceasefire. The surge that Bush so often touts has helped to reduce U.S. military casualties, but the underlying political and social divisions of Iraq remain a huge impediment to fulfillment of the U.S. mission. At best, the surge has been a tactical advance, not a permanent success. Next week, when Gen. David Petraeus testifies before Congress, he should not flinch at giving a realistic assessment. Americans already know that there are no rosy scenarios in Iraq. Nor do they expect hard and fast deadlines for achieving something that can be called success.
What they are entitled to know, however, is what it will take to get the job done. They deserve honest answers.
The Miami Herald April 1 editorial
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Why are people discussing the looks of the Hanson brothers when clearly there are bigger fish to fry?
I was woken up at 4:45 by some drunk walking up and down the hall pounding on
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Having classes today is such a slap in the face to the basketball team. They are bringing in a hell of a lot of money and pride for our school right now and you are going to slap them in the face like that?
Who? Mike Jones!
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I hate when people say "Rock Chalk Jayhawk, go KU", because "go" is not part of the chant. Please stop.
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Why are all women just a big cup o'crazy?
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The girl wearing the Cornish jersey in UBS on Saturday needs to come back in so I can formally propose to her.
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The divorce is settled. Kansas got the house, cars, custody of the kids, the 401K and a shot at a national championship.
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Can we elect Brandon Rush for Student Senate President so that way no one will have a problem with the winner?
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Why are people still talking about UNC? I think we proved that Hansbrough and UNC are unrepresented.
Tyler Hansbrough looks like Beaker from the Muppets. Meep meep!
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Please don't bring your small children to Mass Street after we win the championship. Please don't expose them to the mayhem
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To the girl who put out her cigarette on my hand Saturday night: I'll still take that
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To the guy in Watson whose porn turned on: Don't worry. I don't think anyone heard that incredibly loud orasm
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I cannot pledge my support for any Student Senate candidate until he tells me what his plan is to deal with Voldemort.
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Bill Self is the emperor of Kansas.
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