THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2011
PAGE 5A
opinion
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In the last four years, four NCAA Tournament appearances, four Big 12 championships, one National Championship, 132 Wins. #STILWINNING
I dare one of you to step on that court against Morningstar, Reed, the twins, or anyone else on the Jayhawk team. Any takers? Didn't think so.
Every time I say, "You're my favorite," I really mean, "I love you." I'm just afraid to say it.
Look on the bright side. The Royals start the season on Thursday. World Series here we come!
An iPhone is like a penis ... fun to play with in private but rude to pull out at the dinner table.
How about them Bulls, huh?
The worst part of the snow and cold reappearing: the concurrent reappearance of Uggs and Jeggings
Listen ... I honestly don't care about politics right now, world news, etc. I'm taking 20 credit hours and working... I don't have the time nor energy to care. Stop talking.
Man it's good to be back, I missed you, Lawrence!
Seriously, what happened to White Owl?
A true fan doesn't become disheartened by a loss and can make fun of it the moment it happens.
ONE MORE YEAR! ONE MORE YEAR!
ONE MORE YEAR!
So what, do we only love our team when they're winning games? I can't believe that some of you call yourselves KU fans. A true KU fan would love and support their team through both the ups and downs and wouldn't complain about it.
No I'm not crying because KU lost...
ooooh these damn onions!
Get over it. It's not like you were the one on the court. Your life WILL go on, believe it or not.
When all else fails, remember that at least we are not K-State.
Taylor Swift should hire my friends and me for song lyrics.
You're a dirty pirate hooker!
I'm engaged!
I just did the math for all the bills I've paid recently...and I discovered my roommates owe me $183.18 EACH!
The saddest part about the loss is it will be 20 years before we get to play them again.
Sometimes, I wonder why I got sober, there's no fun in that life.
FOE
Muck Fizzz shirts on eBay for only 10 bucks, or a few left!
Next year I will be taking my talents to the blue grass state.
Meet Lawrence leaders and get active in the LGBT community
QUEER CULTURE
Lawrence is holding its first lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBGT) summit tonight, and everyone who is interested should totally come.
The purpose of the conference is to raise awareness of issues affecting the LGBT community to the public and local public officials, as well as contribute to the overall development of the community.
I've always thought of KU/Lawrence as the "Berkeley" of the Midwest, in terms of its liberal atmosphere at least (I mean... we also probably have an almost proportionate number of homeless people and sketchy bars as San Francisco, right?). This event is a big step toward advancing the social and political interests of a salient
minority in our local community.
military in our local community. Several city commission and school board candidates will be attending, as well as at least one current state representative and one Lawrence school board member, among others. Speakers will be discussing issues such as bullying and gender identity, including personal stories from local
members of the LGBT community (Who doesn't love a good "gay" story? — repressed feelings, crazy parents, social exile — it's good stuff people).
But these talks are not just for queers. Although the event is centered on queer issues, it's important even for people who are not members of the queer community to feel welcomed. Exposing people to information to which they are not normally exposed only creates more enriching and effective dialogue.
Come out to Maceli's tonight and support LGBT issues, listen, have a drink (for those are of age, of course). It's a great way to educate yourself and be a more active member of the community.
Lawrence's LGBT Summit
Where: Maceli's 1031 New Hampshire
When: Today, 7 to 9:30 p.m
Cost: Free
Some Topics to be Discussed:
School bullying; gender identity inclusion, LGBT community issues, mental health effects of a inclusive community
Castle is a junior from Stilwell in political science and human sexuality.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Self-reflection, examination helps everyone make better decisions
Usually we start with emotions, intuitions and pre-set rules. These good basic guides have serious limitations. What if society's consensus about what is right is actually ill-founded? What if generations have routinely accepted a norm without examination?
BY HANNAH SANDAL
hsandal@kansan.com
How do we tell the difference between right and wrong? Should we even bother asking?
Rational inquiry is the missing piece. With it, we might discover that original justifications for a routinely accepted rule have withered (or were never robust). Such a rule of behavior is at best useless and at worst counterproductive and harmful.
The philosopher Jeremy Bentham rigorously examined — and encouraged others to examine — many issues. He observed changing ideas about race and said: "It may one day come to be recognized that the number of legs ... or the termination of the os sacrum are reasons equally insufficient [as skin color of humans] to abandoning a sensitive being ['to the caprice of a tormentor']." He saw that societies' notions of justice change over time.
Racial and gender discrimination are examples of ill-founded societal norms that were taken for granted. But, people critically examined and controversially rejected stale old norms. They chose to act according to their conscience and reason.
This is why I have written about the morality of meat-eating. Many people consume animals without carefully examining whether they should. Lori Gruen, a philosophy professor at Wesleyan University, noted that people are disconnected from the raising of animals for food. She writes that "the sympathy that people might naturally feel toward a being who is suffering... would probably cause most to object to these institutions." What is lacking is a rigorous examination of the factual and rational issues involved.
This examination is our lifeboat in a sea of societal and historical directives for behavior. Well-meaning people may make choices that hurt others, and those decisions often could be avoided by reflecting on everyday behavior-guiding principles. We each have a responsibility to use our intellects to determine whether society's laws, rules, norms - and ultimately, our own behavior - are actually just.
Many people have responded to my piece about meat-eating. Some brought robust discourse. We discussed facts and logic. We examined rationally-grounded counter-arguments. Many responses, however, were emotional, reactionary, defensive, or even vitriolic. They effectively prevented a productive discussion of either side's perspective.
Astrophysicist Carl Sagan observed that “[a]ll of us cherish our beliefs. They are, to a degree, self-defining. When someone
to a degree, self-definition. When someone ... challenges our belief system as insufficiently well-based... [i]t feels like a personal assault." But, Sagan rigorously examined fundamental ideas anyway. Openly confronting our ideas and beliefs can at times be uncomfortable. It can also put us more in touch with who we are and who we aspire to be.
Many aspire to peace and happiness; to loving everyone, even enemies. They aspire to feel compassion for the downtrodden and suffering, regardless of differences in nationality, economic class, or species. With honest and logical examination of ourselves and society, we can explore ideas and practices that might impede achievement of such goals.
The ancient Greek scholar Pythagoras saw meat-eating as an impediment to peace. He wrote: "As long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap the joy of love."
For millennia, individuals like Pythagoras, Bentham, Sagan and Gruen have examined and discoursed with peers about the big questions. This is how we learn from each other, sharpen our understanding, and overcome obstacles to the pursuit of our highest aspirations. This is how we advance. Utilize your intellect and reason. Engage each other. Tackle big questions. And find big answers.
Sandal is a third year law student from Baldwin City.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
As we mourn our basketball loss, our great tradition remains strong
"I don't want to talk about it."
That is the sentence I have heard 9 times in my first three classes on Monday. A loss is a loss and it's understandable to be disappointed over the tournament loss, but I'm disappointed mostly at the student body for their attitude toward the loss. The students I've talked to are acting like entitled children who didn't get what they wanted for Christmas.
People, we have won our seventh straight conference championship. We won 35 games and only lost three. That is a winning percentage of over 90 percent. We're upset!! We can't expect a monopoly on NCAA 'titles; that will only set us up for failure.
It should be OUR sole responsibility as students and as fans to support the Jayhawks rather than sitting around having a pity party because our team didn't win it all. We should be proud that we are capable of recruiting talent like the
Morris brothers. We get nowhere by moping around. We have history, we have great sports, we have 30+ win seasons, and dammit, I say we have honor, too. I was raised in a Jayhawk-loving house and one of the greatest lessons I was taught is to take big losses with a grain of salt.
I say this all with hope — hope with a little bit of confidence — that we will come back next November just as loud as we were this season, just as loud as we were last season, and so on. Kansas basketball is resilient; we can come back with power year after year. Fans, students, don't take for granted what we have. Kansas is special, and while we won't win the tournament every year, we always bounce back.
Doug Whiston is a sophomore in political science from Quincy, Ill.
James Naismith's Original Rules of Basketball will be on display at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art until May 29. Where should the rule's final destination be?
Allen Fieldhouse
Enshrined in its very own museum on campus
Spencer Museum of Art
Don't care
Vote now at KANSAN.COM/POLLS
RELIGION
Actively helping others can bring new perspectives to students
Like some students do during spring break, I decided to head south to enjoy a week of warm weather. But while others were at the beach, I was on a mission trip in San Antonio with the campus ministry WesleyKU. I found out quickly that it is tough giving up a week of relaxation to help others. However, this past week meant more to me than any other throughout the year.
I got to see what true selfless love looks like through organizations such as the Catholic Worker, an organization that helps the homeless by building relationships with them, and the San Antonio Food Bank, which has hundreds of volunteers that help serve 58,000 people in southwest Texas facing emergency food needs. I was amazed at how much people gave of their prayers.
gifts and service to help others in need. The simple idea of unbidden kindness that I saw when helping various organizations in San Antonio is one I think we need to implement here at the University more often. The idea of putting others before oneself in a society where the predominant thought is me, myself and I is a lot harder than it sounds. The simplest acts, such as
BY ALLISON BOND abond@kansan.com
To really advance unbidden kindness at the University and in our community, there are several organizations that students can get involved in to help promote simplicity, social justice and sustainability. Just by the giving of your time to organizations such as the KU Campus Community Garden, the Center for Community Outreach and the Lawrence Community Shelter is a big step to showing others kindness.
Getting involved in these organizations, as well as others, can help shape you as well. Volunteering forces people
opening the door for others, smiling or being more courteous to others while driving around town, can make the biggest difference to someone's day. However, I believe a lot of us need to go a step further.
to open their minds to the world around them. It is no longer just you in the world; there are over six billion people, many of whom need help. It all starts with the willingness to put others before yourself by giving of your prayers, gifts and service. And once you realize the importance of helping others, blessings and challenges that will help strengthen you are sure to follow.
For more information about the organizations listed in this column visit www.ku.edu A-Z and www.law-renceshelter.org.
Bond is a junior in journalism and religious studies from Andover.
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CONTACT US
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kansai Editorial Board are Nick Gerik, Michael Holtz, Kelly Stroda, D.M. Scott and Mandy Mauney
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