Commentary
Oregon Daily Emerald
Monday, September 19, 2005
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I In my opinion
‘public displays ’ and ‘venus opinion traps ’
Destroy Discourse
With a growing awareness of the
world around me and an ever-increas
ing interest in politics, I have often
found myself starved for a discussion,
a debate, or a verbal scuffle about one
issue or another. However, one thing
causes hesitation about bringing up
the issues that I feel so passionately
about: the blood-thirsty raving lunatics
that seem to be around every comer.
You know the ones — pupils dilat
ed, shoulders tensed, hackles raised,
ready to pounce and tear your opin
ions and thoughts to pieces. These
creatures come in every size, shape,
color and political persuasion, and
they are a force to be reckoned with.
As different as all of these creatures
may be, I find that the majority of
them can be put into two different cat
egories: the Public Displays and the
Venus Opinion Haps.
The Public Displays are the kind that
attack you when all you are simply try
ing to do is walk down the street. I had
a close-up view of this particular breed
when I attended the presidential inau
guration and found myself assaulted by
dozens upon dozens of screaming pro
testers. Don’t get me wrong, I think
everyone has the right protest, but
these people were taking things too far.
After witnessing the inauguration
with some friends, we made our way
to the parade route. Somehow, after
pushing through the huge crowd and
going through a security check point,
we managed to make it to our destina
tion. For more than two hours I stood
in the cold, attempting to watch the pa
rade over the shouts of “murderer,”
“asshole” and “liar” that were coming
from the mouths of those around me.
Dozens of faces, twisted with anger,
shouted obscene language while fami
lies and children attempted to peace
JESSICA DERLETH
FREEDOM RINGS WHERE OPINIONS CLASH
fully watch the parade.
I cannot stress enough that I think
we all have the right to protest, but the
language and hand gestures made by
the protesters were completely unnec
essary. Along another part of the pa
rade route, the same message was
shown in a more powerful and appro
priate manner; a group of more than
5,000 turned their back on President
Bush as he passed. They made their
point calmly and logically, which is
what I urge everyone to do when there
is a message to get across.
But please, for the sake of all hu
mankind, do not become one of the
opinion-lunatics who are constantly
going like a torturous energizer bun
ny. Whatever the location or the point
you are trying to get across, some
people just aren't going to agree with
you. And please, do not keep attack
ing people and their opinions. If peo
ple are firm in what they think, you
are not going to be able to say any
thing that will suddenly get them to
change their position.
Even though the energized
people who follow you insisting that
they know what they are talking
about can be especially alarming,
none inspire terror as much as the
Venus Opinion TYap.
These type of people are a little
more rare, but they make up for their
rarity in their swift, vicious attack. I
nave, tor tne most pan, managed to
avoid said people; however, I wit
nessed a close encounter that my best
friend had. While at a party, consisting
mainly of staunch Bush-haters, my
friend mentioned that she likes the
president. The seemingly benign per
son with whom we were talking had,
up until this point, seemed like a very
nice, normal, non-violent individual.
However, when my friend mentioned
that she voted for Bush, there was a
slight shift in his features. He starting
asking her some innocent questions
about her political stance. Then he
suddenly exploded with the force of an
atomic bomb, “HOW COULD YOU
LIKE THAT MURDERER? HE HAS RU
INED THIS COUNTRY!” This guy was
a maniac. I do not think circumstances
ever warrant attacking people because
they disagree with you.
Everyone should be able to talk
about important issues without attack
ing others or having to worry about be
ing mauled. If everyone (including the
lunatics mentioned above) would
strive to be open to what others have
to say, then the more timid people out
there would feel comfortable talking
about controversial topics.
These types of civil discussions
should always be encouraged because
they allow people to become familiar
with important issues, with how others
think, with how to express their views
and how to effectively communicate.
So, I encourage everyone to be in
formed, debate, have fun and, as
American journalist Charles Dana said,
“fight for your opinions, but do not be
lieve that they contain the whole truth
or the only truth.”
jessicaderleth@dailyemerald.com
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■ Editorial
ASUO
slacks off—
is anyone
surprised?
For the Associated Students of the Univer
sity of Oregon, our student government, the
summer proved a rocky transition to the
2005-06 administration.
As noted by Emerald news reporter
Nicholas Wilbur (ODE Aug. 11, “Student
‘sits in’ for ASUO summer Senator”), one
ASUO senator, Spencer Crum, was not only
missing from a Senate Summer Committee
meeting in August, he was signed into the
meeting by an old roommate.
Cnim might find it amusing that he told
his ex-roommate to “be Spencer Crum”; the
rest of us paying incidental fees are hardly
laughing. Crum later said that he was ex
pecting the Senate Summer Committee to
be more “flexible,” and might not have as
sumed his current position had he known
the duties that it entailed.
University students tend to have a general
reputation for avoiding serious responsibili
ty, and it is disappointing to see members of
our student government fulfilling such a
negative stereotype.
The Crum/roommate identity switch was
not the only situation of lagging attendance
that plagued the ASUO this summer. One
senator, Sara Hamilton of the EMU Board Fi
nance, crafted an e-mail to her fellow sena
tors regarding the problem of continual ab
sences meetings (ODE July 9, “ASUO
committee neglects duties”). When less
than two-thirds of the committee is in atten
dance, meetings must be postponed.
Hamilton wrote that “coherent organiza
tion” was lacking among the Summer Com
mittee Senators, to which Committee Chair
man Reinier Heyden replied that they were
doing their best and hadn’t considered the
fact that Senators might be out of town dur
ing the summer.
benators were missing irom meetings
without giving notice to anyone. Obviously,
someone is not doing their best, be it in
terms of prompt responses or simply taking
the time to communicate.
If ASUO senators cannot even understand
and relate with each other, how can they ex
pect to respond to 20,000 students?
Further troubling is the fact that multiple
senators this summer violated Green Tape
Notebook rules by failing to hold office
hours or missing more than one-third of
senate meetings.
The Summer Senate is given $5,000 to
distribute. When elected officials don’t do
their work in a mature and devoted manner,
it’s basically like giving the middle finger to
the entire student body.
In response to the various issues plaguing
the Senate Committee this summer, ASUO
President Adam Walsh has been ambiguous
on possible ramifications in the upcoming
year. Walsh isn’t sure what, if any, action
will be taken against senators who violated
their job duties this summer.
Students are exhausted of hearing about
ASUO officials not taking their jobs seri
ously (think: last year’s ASUO retreat to
Sunriver, saturated in arrogance and mari
juana), and the Emerald is exhausted from
reporting on it. In the following year, the
entirety of the ASUO needs to take heed:
We, the students of the University, cared
enough to elect you. Show the University
that you care enough to represent us and
spend our money wisely.