4A the university daily kansan
opinion
tuesday, february 3, 2004
Sex obsessed? KU students aren't unique to interest
"As an election year cranks up, with caucuses in neighboring Iowa on Monday, the candidates are mired in Medicare and the war on terror. But at this Midwestern school, a human sexuality class and a sexually charged calendar are the issues."
You may be asking, where is this seemingly sex-crazed Midwestern school that this quote from a Jan. 20 article in The Dallas Morning News is referring to?
OURVIEW
The Dallas Morning News recently printed an article alleging KU students are sex obsessed. In this, a sarcastic editorial, we wonder: are we really more concerned with sex than with social issues?
Well, let's narrow down some of our choices.
The University of Missouri? Probably not. Rumor has it no one there has sex.
Nebraska? Oklahoma?
No, fellow Jayhawks, this quote is referring to none other than the good old University of Kansas.
C'mon.
The quote rules out Iowa.
Just give us sex. Sex, sex, sex If it doesn't at least involve sexually suggestive undertones, we don't want to waste our time with it.
in our country.
In fact, Dennis Dailey's human sexuality class should become a required part of the freshman curriculum, as important as English 101 even, so a good, solid sexual foundation could be set early in a young Jayhawk's stay here in Lawrence.
Those soldiers should never have enlisted in the first place. Maybe if that single mother of four on welfare didn't work in that paint-producing factory while she was pregnant, her baby would've been born healthy, right?
We should break them in early, get their young, impressionable minds off of all the pointless, played-out social
Just give us sex, Sex, sex, sex.
Yeah, screw them.
issues that cloud our lives.
We should start to push the more serious issues that concern our campus, such as how far apart that girl's legs are spread on the cover of the new "Women of KU" calendar.
There's a basketball blocking the money shot, what's the big deal?
Because, in the end, these are the kind of things that really matter to KU students.
Isn't that right, Dallas Morning News?
PERSPECTIVE
Apathy not the problem with Gen. Y; our activism takes a different form
Uninterested, skeptical and selfindulgent; Generation Y is described as one word; apathetic.
COMMENTARY
The time of the new election is upon us. This in turn sparks the question, "How do we get this apathetic youth to care about political/social (feel free to insert what you like here) issues?"
But this generation is far from apathetic. Today, students worry about their studies, getting jobs, finding careers after college and relationships both romantic and platonic. The list continues to grow longer and longer. Today's youth may live in a fruitful society, but it leaves little room to fail. Parents design it this way.
In the '60s and '70s, college-aged kids (our parents) experienced a plethora of issues. Civil rights, women's rights, homosexual rights and the draft. Each issue knocked on their doors
Brandi Mathiesen opinion@kansan.com
every day. Who wouldn't speak up?
"As I look over the decade of the '60s, early in the decade students were very much like now," said Dan Bernstein, professor of psychology. "What I think is different are the issues generated in the 60s and 70s. As annoying as Iraq is, nobody knows any KU students who were dragged off to war. Many, many people were dragged to Vietnam. It was immediately relevant and generated a lot
of activity."
Bernstein said that after the issues cooled, people lapsed into inaction.
cooler, people upbeat. "How a person reacts to crisis events depends on the person, Bernstein said. "This generation has the same variety and range of people now as then, but they don't have the deep crisis. The situation is the difference."
This generation enjoys a comfortable lifestyle, and carries a heavy burden to succeed. Generation Y is plagued with the desire for perfection: the perfect paycheck, perfect partner and perfect property (singular or plural). Growing up, parents and society introduced this generation to the need for college. While attending college, this generation continues to add more interests that lead to more stress. The desires are endless and expected.
While choosing what to put on their
plate to ensure success, students listen read and voice their opinion. Though political and social issues may not top as the main cuisine, it does come in the form of an occasional dessert. Because students are busy with studies, work and other chosen activities, this does not mean they are uninterested in politics and other headlining news.
This generation is skeptical, spirited and thinks critically. They use time wisely, and speak up when needed. Generation Y is carefully preparing itself for the future. A thought provoking, soft-spoken, powerful generation is growing into adulthood.
This generation may not be shouting at the top of its lungs, but if you listen carefully our voice is heard.
Mathiesen is a Overland Park senior in journalism.
ON POLITICS
President Bush's politics should stay; Rumsfeld, and abortion rights OK to go
In my first column of the semester I have been asked to present myself and my views. I don't plan to be vague about this task; I will take a direct and honest route. With apologies to those who dislike labels, I am a conservative. What is more, many of you will probably find me to be extraordinarily far to the right and even mislabel me a radical for many of my views. As much to pique your interest and make you want to read my columns as for any other reason, I will describe my views on some pertinent issues here. A sort of stump speech if you will.
A sort of example:
I think George W. Bush should be re-elected. I do not worship the man. In fact I think he has made certain mistakes in his term. However, I think that he is a basically honest person who has done his best under difficult circumstances. I greatly admire his willingness to circumvent ponderous trilateral organizations
COMMENTARY
Matt Pirotte
mburhenn@kansan.com
(the United Nations) when they fail to accomplish their duties. I also think that when the United States is under imminent threat of harm we dearly need a Texan in the White House. To qualify my strong statements in support of the president, I am not pleased to see what he is doing with immigration, and I think Donald Rumsfeld should be sent packing.
I am not at all convinced by the rhetoric against Bush's tax cuts. Even when I hear such arguments as "he is giving the biggest breaks to the wealthiest people" I tend to think to myself "who do you suppose is paying the most taxes to begin with?" I think that those who are blessed with financial success have a moral duty to share their wealth with those less fortunate. I do not think it is the government's position to be the arbiter of that morality. Does it not seem that a tax system that takes a larger cut from those who make more money is fundamentally un-American?
I do not believe in a "woman's right to choose." I have little doubt that I will get the opportunity to expound on this view in the future, so I will not attempt it here. Roe v. Wade is the Dred Scott decision of our time. I
firmly think that history will remember the last 31 years as the American Holocaust; I hope that history will not judge us all too harshly for allowing it to continue.
I am alarmed by the growing secularization I see in our culture. I think that cutting religion out of more and more spheres of life is a dangerous and slippery slope. Regardless of how all politicians end their speeches, I do not think we can simultaneous ask God to bless America and then butt out of our society.
Rather than going on and on, I will encourage you to read my columns. It's going to be a wild ride.
Pirota is a Joplin, Mo., senior in biology.
Read next Tuesday for the liberal viewpoint by Anna Gregory.
Free for All
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Guess what I found out this weekend? Hookers don't like to snuggle. Imagine that.
The thing about beer pong is that everyone wins.
My friend just said that she is sober dialing people. Not drunk dialing, but sober dialing. I will probably call you guys back really soon.
I just saw someone on KCTV5 just shove a KU student on live TV. That's awesome.
This is to whoever stole the camp-out list. You have no soul. Have you no remorse?
The DJ battle at Abe and Jake's was the stupidest thing that I have ever had to listen to in my entire life.
K-State doesn't have class today. That is such crap. I have to go to class. At least that is what the 864-SNOW heifer said.
My geology class is so cold. I better get an A just for sitting through it.
The question is: Did she pee at The Wheel or not?
If my liver had legs I believe that it would run away.
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