40 4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 23, 2003 OP/ED Ulije 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 letters@michigandaily.com EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 LouIE MEIZLISH Editor in Chief AUBREY HENRETTY ZAC PESKOWITZ Editorial Page Editors Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. NOTABLE QUOTABLE t IfJIcan get through this, I can get through anything." - WKBD-TV50SOO sports commentator and former Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Morris, on covering the Tigers during a year when they tied the American League loss record, as reported by The Detroit News. STEVE COTNER AND JOEL HOARD OPERATION PUSSYCAT Hey Colin, remember this one? "Free people will set the course of history!" /ti / h yM 3 MYY f _- Oh man, I'm so drunk... I just need to get some sleep. 4 U ~ ': 1L 4 ~ ^m Do you smell sulfur? They say that's the first sign of brain damage. A%, 4 I People who use words they don't know are (not) ironic fascists AUBREY HENRETTY NEUROTICA "A man may take to drink because he feels him- self to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely .,u> because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts." - George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language," 1946 Q uick: Define fascism. Quick! Too late. Next: Irony. Go. You have no idea, do you? Be honest. I promise I won't get angry. I won't think you're stupid. It's okay if you don't know. There are lots of words I don't know. All I ask is, if you see or hear the word "irony" and don't immediately think, "Ah, yes, irony: a method of expression in which the actual meaning of the words used is the opposite of their usual meaning" or "Oh, irony, of course: a combination of circum- stances or a result that is the opposite of what might be expected or considered appropriate," please don't use the word yourself. Please. Never. I'm serious. Don't say it. Close your mouth and open a dictionary. It'll take 20 seconds, tops. Then you'll know. Then you can say it. Irony is just the beginning. Fascism is another issue altogether. If you actually know what it means, good for you. If you're like most college students, you suspect it means some- thing like "stupid," but you're not really sure. And yet you say it. All the time. Why? Are you really paying so little attention to what you're thinking that you'll say "fascist" when you mean "capitalist" or "Democrat" or even "ass- hole"? Don't you value your own opinion enough to express it clearly to others? Why are you glaring at me like that? I know my aggressive and enthusiastic lin- guistic inquisitions often offend and/or annoy people. And indeed, somewhere in the deep recesses of my superego, a little voice squeaks disapproval every time I "ruin" a perfectly good conversation by pointing out a verbal snafu (my own or anyone else's) mid-sentence. But I don't hound people just for kicks. I'm not one of those militant grammarians who have mas- sive heart attacks every time someone dares end a sentence with a preposition. In fact, as long as the meaning of the sentence is clear, I think a preposition is a fine word to end it with. I get brash and tactless when people use words they don't know because every aspect of our society - our legal system, our govern- ment, our foreign policy, our tax code, every- thing - is based on linguistic subtlety, and if average people are too lazy to tackle the really obvious stuff (e.g. looking up "fascist" before they decide once and for all that the conserva- tive kid in their poli sci class is one), there's lit- tle hope that they'll notice when they're being verbally duped by the people in control - the people who know what the words mean. Case in point: Several months ago, the very minute the U.S. military invaded Iraq for the express purpose of overthrowing that nation's government, CNN had a "War on Iraq" mon- tage ready to go, complete with matching bot- tom-corner-of-screen graphics. A couple of days later, the montage and the graphics all said, "War in Iraq." If the bulk of the viewing population still hasn't bothered to distinguish irony from misfortune (Hello, Alanis Morris- sette), how many people are going to get angry about one little preposition swap? Scarier still, how many will even notice the difference? (HINT: There is a big difference. A really big one. Think about it.) Being picky about language is not just a goofy English-major hang up. Or it shouldn't be. Words mean things, and knowing what they mean has many practical applications that are neither academic nor political. You'll never be able to argue your way out of that speeding ticket, for instance, if you don't know the exact wording and implications of the law you're fighting. On trial for murder? Guilty? Then believe me, you'll want to hire a lawyer who not only chooses her own words carefully, but also pays close attention to those of the judge, the prosecutor and the witnesses. Every misused word, every slovenly expression could be a matter of life and death. Chances are, while you're grumbling about the "fascist" who answered her cell phone during lecture, there's a real fascist pushing unconstitutional legislation through Congress. You might say that was ironic. And if you did, you'd be wrong. Henretty can be reached at ahenrett@umich.edu. q ~1 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 'Double standards'favoring minorities unfair to majority To THE DAILY: I would like to commend Johanna Hanink for shedding some light on the plight of the majority in a "diverse" student body ('Members-only' diversity, 09/22/03). The fact that minorities have the carte blanche to exclude whomever they choose is not new to me. I was, however, shocked to hear this practice got down to\the gutter- level of blatantly excluding whites from a meeting. I can't believe such racism could be condoned at a supposedly diverse uni- versity. Truth be told, tweaking your admissions numbers to get a good ratio of minorities might look good on paper, but in reality I believe it does nothing. In my years at the University, the underlying message I repeatedly received was, "You are not allowed to have racial pride, because you are white. You are not allowed to have sex- ual pride, because you are male. You are not allowed to have pride in your sexual orientation because you are straight. Now, love what we do and leave us alone." If the people running an all-white meet- ing similar to the meeting Hanink derides in her column, said "no colored people allowed" and the residence hall actually allowed it, I guarantee you every single per- son involved in putting on that meeting would no longer be affiliated with this uni- versity. I'm sick of the double standards. ADAM WILSON Alum Racial and ethnic diversity do not exist on 'U' campus TO THE DAILY: I was impressed by Johanna Hanink's piece on the diversity issue at the University. I quite vividly recall my first visit to campus after my son (class of '94) enrolled. We strolled thru his dorm and came to a large, nicely decorated room labeled "African- American Lounge." I asked my son if any- one else was welcome there. He told me that the lounge was only for African Americans, thus the sign. When I asked where the "Euro- pean-American Lounge" was, he told me that diverse groups on campus? JIM TROUT Reader Despite loss,fans must show supporlfor Michigan footbal TO THE DAILY: I stand as one of the many people dis- appointed with this weekend's football game. I can't hide the frustration I felt when I saw our boys in blue lose. They looked uncomfortable, to say the least. However, I'll be the first to say never give up. Our team may have lost one game, but it's only that; one game. I am disgusted by what I've seen after that. Students are los- ing faith in the team to the point of selling their remaining tickets because "it doesn't matter anymore." It's only one game. This is the time that our football team needs us more than ever before. They don't need the typical "bandwagon" fans giving up hope and making them feel deserted. All the maize and blue faithful need to unite and stand up in support for our guys, showing them that one game doesn't ruin a season - that it's only one of 12, and there's still plenty more to go. The first three quarters of the Oregon game are behind us. The final quarter is a stepping stone. They played like champions that quarter, bring- ing the score back from a tremendous deficit. Now they need our continued sup- port to extend that champion attitude all the way to New Year's Day and beyond. So this weekend, don't let the Big House be empty. Don't let the stadium be even quieter than usual. Let your anger and dis- appointment fuel the fire inside you for the remainder of this season. Wear your colors with pride and sing it loud and proud! Hail to the Victors! MARY PINTER LSA junior Reader apologizes for not supporting the team TO THE DAILY: I would just like to apologize to the Univer- sity community. I was not behind the Wolver- ines 100 percent last weekend, and that's why they lost to Oregon. If I had once screamed, "Go Blue!" it would have made a difference. twelve years providing crucial media support for higher education, I was appalled by your article headed New technology tries to spice up outdated lectures (09/22/03). This preposter- ous headline was accompanied by a photo- graph of a dozing student sprawled in an auditorium seat, unable to stay awake over a crossword puzzle. The inference seems to be that highly trained lecturers are somehow at fault for failing to hold the attention of so many bright young things. But boredom occurs in the brain of the beholder. Boredom is the result of a decision, made by certain students, to disengage and resist the efforts being made to help them educate themselves. The fact that this is the most over-stimulated generation in history makes this a prickly problem. It would be best resolved by the stu- dents themselves, who need to exercise more than a nominal amount of self-discipline. There is nothing boring about the subjects being lectured upon. This is not a boring world. Wake up. I never had the money to go to college, nor did I choose to borrow enormous sums of money in order to be able to afford tuition and expenses. But if I were enrolled at this prestigious university, I sure as hell wouldn't wait for somebody to make lectures more like video games before I'd pay attention. Don't you realize how privileged you are? The atti- tudes expressed in this article are insulting to those of us who have been forced by econom- ic necessity to educate ourselves, using self- motivation to learn what we can outside of the established curriculum. You, my dears, are using up a lot of resources. You've got it made, and your desire for further shortcuts is pathetic. As most professors will tell you, try- ing to pull your education off of the Internet is an unstable and often erroneous path. If you are lucky enough to have a living, breathing teacher who wants to talk to you in person about a topic they have spent years researching, then show them the courtesy due anyone who works hard to help you grow up intelligently. Authentic interaction involves something more than sluggish action - or gross inaction - on the part of the students. Technology is provided to help you learn, not to keep you from falling asleep. Stop looking for interactive joysticks. Sit up and take good notes. The lectures aren't outdated. What's outmoded is your lack of self-discipline; it is a very costly embarrassment, and frankly the world no longer has time for it. THEODORE GRENIER LSA staff 4 0 uY~tn :Inf~Prnr istrmr nn ad 5urn s