Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
? H
E N
I N
E ? E
MAS
I'D
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 9A
an-
first
CBS
any
to
nancy
tribune
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2010
FREE FOR ALL
--statements, and the vote against the recommendation, burst the Lawrence liberal bubble, and proved that even in a city known for its progressive openness, bigotry still exists among the citizens and within the law.
To contribute to Free for All, visit Kansan.com or call (785) 864-0500 or try our Facebook App.
Western Kansas is so boring.
Dude, western Kansas is where it's at! Talk about bird behavior
To those who gave up alcohol for Lent, this night is for you!
I'm pretty sure I've met
10-year-olds who are more
intelligent and mature than
my roommate.
--statements, and the vote against the recommendation, burst the Lawrence liberal bubble, and proved that even in a city known for its progressive openness, bigotry still exists among the citizens and within the law.
I love that my friends who could never get into a sorority play "Sorority Life" on Facebook
--statements, and the vote against the recommendation, burst the Lawrence liberal bubble, and proved that even in a city known for its progressive openness, bigotry still exists among the citizens and within the law.
--statements, and the vote against the recommendation, burst the Lawrence liberal bubble, and proved that even in a city known for its progressive openness, bigotry still exists among the citizens and within the law.
My bitch of a friend just posted pictures of her party on her Facebook. It's a party she didn't invite me to.
What's with all the little kids on campus? Is it bring your kid to class day?
--statements, and the vote against the recommendation, burst the Lawrence liberal bubble, and proved that even in a city known for its progressive openness, bigotry still exists among the citizens and within the law.
I did a quiz for my online math class a week before it was due and didn't even realize it until now. I think hell just froze over
I just found an industrial size box of fruit snacks! This is better than Christmas!
--statements, and the vote against the recommendation, burst the Lawrence liberal bubble, and proved that even in a city known for its progressive openness, bigotry still exists among the citizens and within the law.
I really will text you soon. Be patient for me.
--statements, and the vote against the recommendation, burst the Lawrence liberal bubble, and proved that even in a city known for its progressive openness, bigotry still exists among the citizens and within the law.
Snorting Ambien hurts.
The revolution is coming.
--statements, and the vote against the recommendation, burst the Lawrence liberal bubble, and proved that even in a city known for its progressive openness, bigotry still exists among the citizens and within the law.
I heard the revolution wouldn't be televised.
--statements, and the vote against the recommendation, burst the Lawrence liberal bubble, and proved that even in a city known for its progressive openness, bigotry still exists among the citizens and within the law.
Bob Dole. Bob Dole.
Bob Dole.
Wow, apparently Christian Bale was one of the voice actors in "Pocahontas" (Editor's note: He was "Thomas." Mel Gibson was "John Smith").
--statements, and the vote against the recommendation, burst the Lawrence liberal bubble, and proved that even in a city known for its progressive openness, bigotry still exists among the citizens and within the law.
I'm glad I've managed to keep my house plant alive all this time.
Brady Morningstar is like the team's wingman. He helps them score, but can't get any for him.
Why am I such a space cadet?
Does everyone have their zombie apocalypse plans completed?
--statements, and the vote against the recommendation, burst the Lawrence liberal bubble, and proved that even in a city known for its progressive openness, bigotry still exists among the citizens and within the law.
Did I seriously text her? It's time to give up drinking.
--statements, and the vote against the recommendation, burst the Lawrence liberal bubble, and proved that even in a city known for its progressive openness, bigotry still exists among the citizens and within the law.
Continue standing up to City for human rights
EDITORIAL
Despite a large citizen turnout last week, the Human Relations Commission of the Lawrence City Council voted 4-to-3 against reconsidering its previous vote to keep gender identity and expression out of the city's antidiscrimination code.
In voting against this, four committee members were also voting against civil rights that all humans deserve. The transgender community is not asking for special privileges or preferential treatment. They are just demanding what all citizens are guaranteed: equal protection under the law.
Currently, it is legal in Lawrence to fire or evict someone because of his or her gender identity. This discrimination was supported at the meeting by a large number of religious zealots who openly declared that those in the transgender community are "unnatural sexual predators." Other arguments against this antidiscrimination law included "it would cause mass confusion" and "God had standards when he created Adam and Eve."
These are outlandish, ridiculous, hateful statements that have no merit. These
This item is currently scheduled to appear on the City Commission's consent agenda, which means it will not be debated before passing through.
Every person in Lawrence who cares about human rights should let each of the five city commissioners know that they do not agree with the committee's decision. Tell the commissioners to take this issue off the consent agenda.
However, this horrible act of oppression and prejudice can produce galvanizing progress if students and community members mobilize to fight.
This issue is too important and controversial to not be debated in front of the full commission. These vicious attacks against Lawrence's transgender community cannot stand. Hope can only triumph over hate if people shout truth in the faces of those working against it.
—Caitlin Thornburgh for The Kansan Editorial Board
Check The Kansan for updates about when this item will appear of the commission's agenda. Visit www. ci.lawrence.ks.us/agendas to sign up for e-mail notification.
Contact the Lawrence City Commissions to say you disagree with the committee's vote, and to take the item off the consent agenda.
Mayor Robert Chestnut:
(785) 764-32.20
robchestnut@sunflower.com
Vice-Mayor Mike Amyx:
Home (785) 843-3089
Work (785) 842-9425
mikeamyx515@hotmail.com
Commissioner Aron Cromwell:
(785) 749-6020
aroncromwell@gmail.com
EDITORIAL CARTOON
Commissioner Lance Johnson:
(785) 838-3338
lJohnson@perdiangroup.com
Commissioner Michael Dever:
(785) 550-4909
mdever@sunflower.com
Hand written letters can be sent to all of the commissioners at the following address:
City Hall, PO Box 708, Lawrence, KS
66044
SEXUAL HEALTH
AROOJ KHALID
Super Bowl advertisements perpetuate gender stereotypes
During the Super Bowl, a decidedly macho event, several commercials either showed men of a more metrosexual nature or as severely henpecked. And, of course, there can't be a henpecked husband without a henpecking wife. More than the stereotypes themselves, it's the complaints generated by these commercials that reveal the most prominent gender issues of today.
Some feminists take issue with the stereotype of the nagging wife. I agree that it isn't flattering, and is often overdone. But I also think there's something wrong when we can't recognize and laugh at our own flaws. Certainly not all wives are overbearing, but some are some of the time.
If we want real equality, women need to be allowed to be traditional or progressive, happy or sad, mean or nice. While some may not have found the humor in the heppecking commercials, I don't think it's fair to expect women to always be portrayed as perfect.
On the other side of the equation is the apparent ambiguity about the American male image. Is the "American man" a tough guy that puts his foot down when it comes to beer and trucks? Or is he
Sex and Sensibility
Just as women have been pursuing recognition of their more professional and business-oriented sides, men are starting to publicly explore their more sensitive sides. Although I have trouble viewing men as "opressed," I do recognize that they are just as tied to social expectations as women are. So what's the explanation behind advertisements suddenly starting to explore less traditional male roles, especially during the largest sporting event of the year?
a more sensitive, cultured man who uses moisturizer? Or is he simply a spineless wimp at the mercy of his girlfriend?
Some professionals think it has to do with the economy. More men are staying home without jobs and feeling a little insecure. It's easier for them to feel better when they see other men struggling, too.
BY MELISSA LYTTON
mhytton@tarsan.com
Others point to the modern
demographics of the Super Bowl. The audience is now split almost down the middle between men and women. Advertisers no longer have the luxury of catering to a particular kind of viewer. As such, the messages and themes in their commercials tend to be a little less clear-cut. That's wonderful because, even if it's still imperfect, it's another step toward equality in the sports arena.
The KU athletics department not only strives towards that ideal, it's even a little ahead of the curve. There are actually more women's sports at KU than men's, and female fans are encouraged to get involved. Women regularly show up in bleacher photos of big games, and the Union's free game schwag is pretty unisex.
There's still no women's football team but, considering how male-centric sports, especially collegiate sports, have been in the past, KU's embracement of women is another reason I'm proud to be a Jawhawk.
Maybe next year, the Super Bowl advertisers could take a page out of our book.
Lytton is a senior from Kodiak, Alaska in creative writing.
HUMOR
Worthy weekends
Monday morning is generally recognized as the worst time of the week for a KU student, except for one redeeming quality: the golden opportunity for students to share their elaborate stories entitled "The Incredibly Awesome Things I Did This Weekend That You Totally Won't Believe"
Though weekends may be a great opportunity to relax and unwind, Monday morning is all about having the best stories to tell. Besides selecting the correct style of North Face jacket, a totally awesome weekend story is probably the most crucial part of a KU student's popularity.
If a KU student's weekend story simply consists of some beer pong and a "crazy awesome party," then he or she shouldn't even bother insulting a fellow student by forcing them to listen to it. That's just weak. That's a Weak-Sauce Weekend.
Make no mistake: Monday morning storytelling is a bitter competition and not everyone can win it. So, to aid in creating a perfect weekend story, I've created an official "Wicked-Awesome Weekend Story Points System" to judge any KU student's weekend. The more points a story earns, the more wicked-awesome it is:
1. Receiving a black eye from a fight: 5 points
2. Receiving a black eye from a fight with Baby Jay. 20 points
4. Getting arrested for Driving While Intoxicated: 10 points
5. Getting arrested for driving a Vespa off of a ramp into Potter's Lake: 15 points
6. Convincing a group of party-goers that you are an Eastern European foreign international student by performing a completely made-up rendition of the Lithuanian national anthem: 15 points
7. Consuming a massive amount of Totinos products: 5 points per every 10 ounces ingested
Stuff KU Students Like
BY JOEL PETTERSON
10. Drunkenly dancing on a table: 5 points
9. Convincing a member of the opposite sex that you are a member of the cast of "jersey Shore:" 5 points
8. Using an entire student loan to purchase a Taco Bell franchise: 100 points (Disclaimer: While this is a buttload of points, it's still not really worth it.)
12. Commandeering a Satebus for an entire night: 30 points
11. Drunkenly dancing an entire Riverdance routine on a table: 25 points
13. Partying with White Owl: 10 points
14. Partying with Bill Self: 20 points
15. Partying with Taylor Swift: 1,000,000 points. (If Taylor Swift comes to your party, you will never need another weekend story for the rest of your life.)
If a story does not earn at least 30 points on this scale, it's not worth wasting your breath on Monday morning. If it doesn't earn 15 points it's not even worth a Facebook status update.
It's also a good idea to research ways to make an upcoming weekend potentially awesome, such as figuring out Taylor Swift's likely partying location next week or practicing Eastern European accents.
So make sure you rack up a decent point total this weekend, because life's too short to begin the week with a Riverdance-less weekend story.
Petterson is a sophomore from Prairie Village in Journalism.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Today marks the beginning of DREAM week—a week dedicated to motivating youth around the nation to stand up and speak out about national immigration reform.
The DREAM act has become gridlocked in Congress because
The Development, Relief and Education Act for Alien Minors (DREAM) is a vital piece of legislation that would free a path to citizenship and allow thousands of undocumented students, brought to the U.S. at a very young age, the opportunities to pursue college educations.
Some conservative extremists lambaste pro-immigrant organizations, citing economical issues. Yet, they continually refuse to pass legislation that would allow millions to contribute greatly to the U.S.-the inaneness of it all unnerves me.
of partisan politics. Congress and the American political system are failing us. The University of Kansas—an institution historically known as a hotbed of activism and as a leader in civil rights—needs to step up and make it known that its students will not quiet our voices.
This is our current day civil rights issue. Twelve million undocumented immigrants reside in this country. They live in fear, are denied basic civic liberties and face prejudice and discrimination every day.
We have heard the arguments, fought the labels and renounced the racists. Apathy and pity get us nowhere. The time has come to engage and use our civic voices.
Erin Fleming is a senior from Miami in English and journalism.
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
LETTER GUIDELINES
Send letters to opinion@kansan.com
Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the e-mail subject line.
Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown.
Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.
CONTACT US
Stephen Montemayer, editor
848-410 or smottenauer.idkansan.com
Briane Planenetiel, managing editor
848-410 or bftatennauer.idkansan.com
Jennifer Torline, managing editor 864-4810 or jtorline@kansan.com
Lauren Cunningham, kansan.com managing editor 864-4810 or icunningham@kansan.com
Vicky Lu, KUJH-TV managing editor 864-4810 or vlu@kansan.com
864-4810 or vlu@kansan.com
Emily McCoy, opinion editor
Kate Larrabee, editorial editor
864-4924 or klarrabee@kansan.com
Cassie Gerken, business manager
864-4358 or cgerken@kansan.com
Carolyn Battle, sales manager
864-4477 or cbattleiikansan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news
Jon Schitt. sales and marketing adviser
864-7666 or jcshittakasan.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kanan Editorial Board are Stephen Montemayer, Brianne Flannentle, Jennifer Tornier, Liana Cunningham, Vicky Whelan, John Goulden, James Casten Andrew Hammond, Michael Haltz, Stafanie Penn and Cattin Thornbull.