OP-ED
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, September 28, 1993
5
Gumby's apologizes, pledges better service
Gumby's of Lawrence deeply regrets the offense given the Haskell Indian Nations University community by certain of its employees. We want to thank all Haskell students for the opportunity to discuss your concerns and to assure you that policies have been implemented to prevent any recurrence. We hope that together Haskell and Gumby's of Lawrence can turn this unfortunate experience into a new relationship of mutual respect, cooperation and understanding. Gumby's of Lawrence is proud of the opportunity to serve Haskell, the University of Kansas and the residents of Lawrence, and pledges prompt, friendly and high-quality service in the months and years to come.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Brian Sipp co-owner of Gumby's of Lawrence
Kansanstereotyped working white males
I am constantly fascinated by the solicitous attention paid by the Kansan to the concerns of minority pressure groups. Every day, when I pick up the Kansan, I know that I will be treated to three or four articles that in some way advance the political agendas of organizations that claim to speak for women, gays, African Americans or Hispanics. The Kansan never misses a chance to denounce what somebody has perceived as racism, sexism, homophobia or stereotyping. So, of course, I was surprised when I
checked the editorial page of the Sept. 21 Kansan and found Chris Ronan's column titled "Roofing job makes student wish to be back at school and studying."
This column was one of the most blatant and unfair examples of stereotyping that I have seen printed anywhere. I am sure that there are many clean-cut, polite, nonsmoking, intelligent, sensitive and untattooed working-class males out there but they don't seem to exist in Mr. Ronan's world.
Actually I don't mean to get on Mr. Ronan's back. The people I am angry with are the Kansan editorial staff for not having enough perspective to catch this prejudice and stereotyping.
Roofers are identified in the public eye as being "rednecks" or "white trash" (two racial epithets which are socially acceptable). If Mr. Ronan had written his column making fun of people in a profession identified with some other social group, the Kansan would have never printed it.
Of course, it's wrong to stereotype and put down a migrant farm worker; in America today it is socially unacceptable to make fun of people based on their race, religion or ethnic background.
This is all to the good -but it should apply to everybody. If it's wrong to make fun of African Americans, Jewish or Polish people, than it's wrong to make fun of white working-class males. But the Kansan is too busily and hypocritically involved in promoting the agendas of minority pressure groups to recognize this basic truth.
John Chappell
Raymond Birt claimed that Lance Hamby's thesis that the Judeo-Christian world view, as incorporated in the U.S. Constitution, provides adequate grounds "to deny parental custody rights to gay parents" was both historically inaccurate and logically flawed. In fact, it was both historically accurate and logically cogent. Much more so than Birt's own conclusion that the Sharon Bottoms case is really "a question of human rights for a group still not considered fully human."
Leawood graduate student
Never mind that no sane person claims that these people are less than human, only that they exercise a deviant and potentially disastrous lifestyle. We are already paying for these deviant "lifestyles" in our fight against AIDS, the gift to our society from "gay" men.
Western society was well-shaped by Bible
The real issue here is Birt's participation in the defamation through ignorance of the "Judeo-Christian philosophy." He is typically "platitudinous" in his statement that "there is no such thing as Judeo-Christian philosophy..." and "no authority to determine exactly what Judaism or Christianity are or what a Jew or a Christian must believe."
Such abysmal ignorance of the simplest biblical texts surely should not be exposed in print. Only our current climate of cultural relativism and what in liberal circles passes for thinking can hide such stupidity.
Such resolute foolishness falls to the level of college yells if we believe that "Western philosophy has had a less than inspiring history when dealing with nonmale, nonconforming or
nonwestern people." Where in all the world, throughout history to within a few years ago, would a woman have had it so good as she did in the west after the Judeo-Christian philosophy took hold? Only after other cultures began to "westernize" were women ever treated well in other cultures. I invite you to consider the Chinese practice of hobbling women and the still-current abomination of female circumcision practiced throughout most of Africa and the Arab Middle East.
I ask you to differentiate, as the Judeo-Christian "philosophy" does, between loving people and hating, sinful behavior. Sheldon Wilson
Lawrence graduate student
Western Civ critics have no argument
With reference to the full-page advertisement captioned "Would Jesus Flunk Western Civ?" taken out Sept. 20 by KCBT Student Ministries, I would like to make a few comments. KCBT suggests that "a careful examination" of the western civilization textbook "reveals" a basic methodological approach to understanding the Bible that is at once a "subtle attack on Christianity" and a conscious withholding of "truth." KCBT would have us believe that its leaders are the legitimate arbiters of truth, and that its members should be teaching western civilization. KCBT apparently is making three demands: 1) that western civilization instructors teach biblical narrative as fact; 2) that they stop distorting the impact Israel had on the
development of civilization; and 3) that they start teaching that Jesus was not just a man but "God."
There are serious problems with this approach. First, such an approach is illegal vis-a-vis a strict adherence to the principle of separation of church and state. However, KCBT is not interested in the needs and expectations of an objectively oriented, multicultural student body, only the needs of its narrow constituency. Second, the mission of academia is the accumulation of knowledge through objective, scientific enterprise, not the application of a blind-faith approach to history. Third, KCBT's argument that western civilization misrepresents Jesus and his existing nature, implies that KCBT understands Jesus and his nature correctly. Objective readers who are interested in doing a little research of their own will find that the Jesus KCBT advocates is a Jesus the New Testament canon could make nothing of; and the KCBT's basic methodological approach to understanding the Bible is itself a "substate attack" on biblical Christianity.
Those without a philosophical or religious axe to grind would find the question "Would Jesus Flunk Western Civ?" absurd. In light of the Nazarene's championing of both the principle of justice and a correct exegesis of the religious texts, objective readers can only conclude that, not only would Jesus pass western civilization with honors, but, were he alive today, he also would be teaching western civilization with an eye for imparting the "truth" to the lost souls at KCBT.
Matthew Fewels
Instructor, western civilization
Matthew Fellows
U.S. juries capable of giving fair verdicts
I am writing in response to Tiffany Hurt's article, "Packaging all part of games that lawyers play." In her commentary, Ms. Hurt stated that, "(Lawyers) are merely trying to sell the judge and jury a package." She continued to state that the defense of alleged criminals (guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution) was "pure advertisement." After discussing this "advertisement" issue with both a KU advertising student and KU law student, I could find no logic in this statement. While both realized that lawyers are invaluable participants in the American system of justice, neither could imagine using advertising in a courtroom.
Just as invaluable is the constitutionally guaranteed trial by a jury of peers. Although this system has served us well for more than 200 years, Ms. Hurt believed that some juries, like the first Rodney King beating jury, were too biased to disseminate fact from opinion, and thus rendered the "wrong" verdict. Ms. Hurt implied that slick legal tricks by unscrupulous lawyers produced these "wrong" verdicts, but she supplied her readers with no examples. Luckily, this country has enlightened individuals such as Ms. Hurt and thousands of rioters, who came to the "right" verdict simply from watching 15 seconds of a four-minute video.
It seems to me that the only people disregarding facts are those who would convict others in the media rather than in a court of law.
Doug Roberson
Galena sophomore
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Celebrate Women's Week!
October 4th-- the 8th
MAJOR EVENTS
MONDAY: Lecture by Bobbi Larson in the Kansas Union. TUESDAY: Women's Fair with information and recruitment in the Kansas Union!!
FEATURING: THE STUDENT ASSISTANCE CENTER, PLACEMENT CENTER, WATKINS HEALTH CENTER, EMILY TAYLOR WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER, AND OTHER STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS. A LECTURE SERIES OF EDUCATIONAL AND GROUP DISCUSSION SESSIONS ON WOMEN'S ISSUES IN THE
SION SESSIONS ON WOMEN'S ISSUES IN THE KANSAS UNION!
INCLUDING: AIDS/HIV, LEADERSHIP AND INVOLVEMENT, JOB SEARCH AND OPPORTUNITIES, NUTRITION AND EXERCISE, VOLUNTEERISM, AND MALE/FEMALE COMMUNICATIONS.
INCLUDING: AIDS/HIV, LEADERSHIP
WEDNESDAY Women's Fair / Lecture Series Continued!
KANSAS UNION!!
ALL WOMEN WELCOME!!!
DICKINSON
THEATRE
141-8600
Dickinson 6
2239 7150
Man without a Faces $^{P13}$ *{4:15}*, 7:00, 9:30
Secret Garden $^{P13}$ *{4:30 only}$
Undercover Blues $^{P13}$ *{7:25, 9:35*
Mannenhattan Mystery $^{P13}$ *{4:30}, 7:10, 9:40*
The Fugitive $^{P13}$ *{4:10}, 7:05, 9:55*
The Program $^{R}$ *{4:35}, 7:20, 9:45*
True Romance $^{R}$ *{4:20}, 7:15, 9:50*
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Jurassic Park PG-13 5.90,
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Into the West PG¹ 5.15
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Warlock Armageddon R¹ 5.15,
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In the Line of Fire R¹ 7.20, 9.40
The Good Son R¹ 7.20, 9.40
CINEMA TWIN
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Rookie of the Year PG 9.88,
7.98, 8.38
Another Stakeout PG 9.88,
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SHOWTIMES FOR TODAY ONLY
INDIVIDUALIZED WEIGHT CONDITIONING PROGRAMS
For Students, Faculty, & Staff
Recreation Services has a staff member on duty in the Robinson Center Weight Room to help you with such a conditioning program. During Open Recreation, this individual will be able to assist you with proper lifting techniques, machine usage, and a variety of individual work-out packages.
MONDAYS
Staff will be available at these times:
TUESDAYS
WEDNESDAYS FRIDAYS
7:00PM-10:30PM
7:00PM-10:30PM
7:30PM-10:30PM
12:30PM-2:30PM
Drop by during these times and design your own program today! For more information call 864-3546, Recreation Services, 208 Robinson.