4A - Monday, January 28, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
4A - Monday, January 28, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.coh
CJbe 1idigan al
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MELANIE KRUVELIS
and ADRIENNE ROBERTS MATT SLOVIN
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR
ANDREW WEINER
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Acknowledged service
Women in combat is progressive, but precautions needed
The United States military has once again taken a progres-
sive step in the continuing conversation on inclusion of
more Americans in the armed forces. On Jan. 24, out-going
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and General Martin Dempsey,
chairmgn of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, signed an order to lift the
military's 1994 ban on women in combat. The decision to include
women on the front line comes a year after the repeal of the Penta-
gon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Though the action to be more
inclusive and accommodating of female soldiers is honorable, cer-
tain precautions need to be made in order to ensure the well-being
of all military personnel.
The Republican Party has
spent the past few months
licking its wounds and
taking a long, hard look at the
man in the mirror. For the second
straight presi-
dential elec-
tion, the GOP
was trounced
- largely due
to its uncanny
ability to solely
appeal to old,
white men. The JAMES
Republican BRENNAN
Party has dug
its own grave
by taking a far-right stance on
religion, women's health, the envi-
ronment, the military, gay rights
and a myriad of other key issues.
While this may have gotten Presi-
dent George W. Bush to the White
House twice, it's clear that the
country's electorate has changed.
From what I can tell, Republi-
cans of my generation feel little to
no compassion for the policies of
the Bush era. Despite this change,
the GOP platform continues to
deny science, belittle women,
ignore minorities and denigrate
gay rights. This year's election is
proof that the socially conservative
Republican is a dying breed.
Younger Republicans, as
detailed in an article in The New
York Times, are predominantly
less conservative when it comes
to abortion, gay rights and other
social issues. As a whole, the Unit-
ed States supports gay marriage
- a fact expressed in poll numbers
and recent state ballot initiatives.
Moreover, the younger generation
has embraced access to contracep-
tion, the end of the war on drugs
and less military involvement over-
seas. Finally, what's most indica-
tive of the changing guard of the
Republican Party is the country's
changing views on religion. 16 to
20 percent of Americans are affili-
ated with no religion at all, a num-
ber that increases to 25 percent in
young people. The religious right
was integral in the elections of
Presidents Ronald Reagan, George
H. W. Bush and George W. Bush,
but Christianity is losing political
sway in young people.
What all this means is that the
current structure of the Repub-
lican Party - one dominated by
far-right social conservatives - is
inherently flawed. Economic issues
still draw sharp divides, but the
country is slowly uniting around
civil libertarianism. Young con-
servatives do not see former GOP
hopefuls Mitt Romney or Rick
Santorum as ideal candidates com-
pared with someone in the mold of
Ron Paul, one of the nation's most
influential libertarians.
There is a growing demand in
this country for politicians who
want to limit the government's
social and fiscal sway - for people
*who believe in both civil liber-
ties and deregulated free market
capitalism. College libertarian
clubs have sprouted up all over the
country, while college Republi-
cans are increasingly more open to
social freedom. This past year, Mitt
Romney did not win the major-
ity of women's votes and almost
completely failed to attract young
people and minority voters. Presi-
dent Barack Obama did an excel-
lent job rallying his supporters,
but the GOP has failed to embrace
the changing political ideologies of
America.
What the Republican Party
needs to realize is that social prog-
ress has come, apd it stops for no
one. Gay marriage is here to stay.
So is reform of the war on drugs,
women's access to birth control
and further secularization of gov-
ernment. The party will die if it
does not accept these changes,just
as Democrats would have died had
they tried to battle against civil
rights for years after the 1960s.
The Republican Party has
reached a reckoning point. Many
conservatives are angry that Mitt
Romney wasn't genuinely far-right
enough. Had he been a real conser-
vative, they claim, people would
have embraced his message and
voted Obama out of office.
The socially
conservative
republican is a
dying breed.
4
But as I said, this type of repub-
lican is a dying breed. Poll numbers
show that hardcore conservatism is
a major detriment to candidates in
the new demographics of America.
Obama won the youth, Latino and
female votes 60 percent, 71 per-
cent, and 53 percent, respectively.
Holding archaic stances on immi-
gration, race, sex, war and religion
is killing Republicans, as the num-
bers show.
Libertarianism, whether
through the Republican Party or
some other channel, will one day
soon come to have major political
power in this country. The GOP
can either choose to embrace a
long-term strategy for the future,
as the Democrats did, or they can
continue to be upended time and
again in national elections. Many
pundits and writers have embraced
the idea that Republicans just need
to reach out to minorities a little
more if they want to bounce back,
but that alone isn't enough. The far
right's view on the role of govern-
ment is dying. An embrace of lib-
ertarianism would shrink the gaps
in key demographics, while finally
giving libertarians - a large,
underrepresented political group -
somewhere to go. If the GOP plans
on surviving, they have to accept
the changing face of conservatism
or see their brand go extinct.
- James Brennan can be
For years, women have been serving in
combat without acknowledgment. Due to the
blurring of front lines during recent wars and
the shortage of troops, female members of the
military often participate in combat without
the title or credit men receive. The decision to
repeal the ban - though delayed - will finally
give women the recognition they deserve.
Women will have a better chance at career
advancement in the military with approxi-
mately 237,000 combat-related positions now
open to female applicants. Better financial
compensation and benefits will also be avail-
able to women in combat.
Before women are allowed on the battle-
field, the military must first make some cul-
tural changes. For decades, reports of rape
and sexual assault by military personnel have
plagued the United States' armed forces. The
documentary, "The Invisible War," chronicles
the abuse of women in the military over many
years. Many assaults are reported to authori-
ties but only 16 offenders have been convicted
from 2001 to 2011.
Often times war zones are in areas in which
women are not on equal grounds as men. The
fear that women may be specifically targeted
by enemies on the front line deterred the
armed forces from allowing females in com-
bat. However, women in the military may face
more risks from other U.S. service people.
Women on the front line are often an added
bonus to their unit. Civilians are often more
likely to cooperate with a female soldier than a
male.Women are also able to conduct searches
on female citizens in areas where it is cultural-
ly unacceptable for men to touch women who
aren't their wives.
According to Panetta and Dempsey, the
standards for combat soldiers won't change,
but women will now have the opportunity
to apply. "Not everyone is going to be able to
be a combat soldier but everyone is entitled a
chance," Panetta said at the order signing. The
Pentagon's repeal of the ban works to share the
burden of national defense and allow ability,
not gender, to dictate roles. Now, the military's
next step is to make proactive changes within
their infrastructure to ensure the physical and
mental well-being of each soldier.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE COVERSATION
Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and viewpoints. Letters
should be fewer than 300 words while viewpoints should be 550-850 words. Send
the writer's full name and University affiliation. to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan, Eli Cahan,
Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis, Patrick Maillet, Aarica Marsh, Jasmine McNenny,
Harsha Nahata, Adrienne Roberts, Vanessa Rychlinski,
Paul Sherman, Sarah Skaluba, Michael Spaeth, Derek Wolfe
CRAIG LAURIE
Beyond blood
"l don't like that man. I must get to know him better."
the - Abraham Lincoln
pod lu fl Lincoln Logs: Harsha Nahata discusses how we avoid conversa-
tions with those we disagree with, but we're actually just passing
up opportunities to learn and understand.
Go to michigandaily.com/blogs/The Podium to read more.
The art of concise articulatiton
S
6
I urge the student body and University
administration to consider, discuss and reflect
on the social, political and psychological
implications of participation in and promotion
of a blood drive that prohibits donations from
gay and bisexual men.
Across the United States, businesses, non-
profit organizations, churches, universities
and hospitals regularly hold blood drives to
meet the persistent need for blood for trans-
fusions. According to a recent e-mail sent to
all University students, staff and faculty from
Vice President for Student Affairs, E. Royster
Harper, the donation of blood is a humanitar-
ian act, a civic duty, a way to show your school
pride and the gift of life itself. The Ameri-
can Red Cross, which collects 40 percent of
donated blood in the United States, encour-
ages organizations to hold blood drive events
in order to increase goodwill in communities,
provide an avenue for individual altruism and
save lives. After natural disasters, when cop-
ing with the death or illness of a loved one, or
simply looking for a way to "give back," people
are encouraged by their friends, families and
institutions to donate blood.
Maybe you've given blood, volunteered at
a blood;drive, even spearheaded an event like
the Blood Battle against Ohio State University.
Good. You understand the personal signifi-
cance of participation and you've likely saved
lives. Take a second to consider the following:
Imagine that you are banned from donating
blood startingnow and for the rest of your life.
Your vital blood and your civic contribution
are unwanted and rejected. You are excluded.
You are banned. You are unworthy to donate.
The ban on your blood has nothing to do
with any blood-borne illnesses (you aren't liv-
ing with any) or because of sexual behavior
that puts you at particular risk for a blood-
borne illness (at University-sponsored blood
drives and at blood drives around the coun-
try, a man is barred from donating blood if he
has had any form of protected sexual contact
with another man even once). You are banned
because you are a man who once had a boy-
friend or who comes home every night to a
husband instead of a wife. How does this feel?
Do you feel useless? Unwanted? Hated?
This feeling is the unexamined stigma rei-
fied by the quiet complicity of institutions
like the University and schools across cam-
pus, including the School of Social Work. If
we remain silent about the downsides inher-
ent in holding blood drives and if we refuse to
incorporate discussions about advocacy and
awareness into our promotion of and partici-'
pation in blood drives, then we will continue
contributing to the oppression of gay and
bisexual men.
At the University, we frequently approach
social justice issues from all-or-nothing
perspectives. Things are good or bad - and
right or wrong. There are rarely, if ever, open
conversations about the nuances and para-
doxes inherent in many of the activities. The
current and ongoing University-wide blood
drive, held in classrooms and common areas
all over campus, represents this aversion to
dialogue and self-reflection. Conversations
are limited to the idea that blood drives are
inherently and unassailably good. No ques-
tions, comments or concerns are welcome. No
criticisms or analyses allowed; no education
necessary.
Most things in life are rarely perfect. That
doesn't mean we can't work to make them bet-
ter. We don't have to ignore the stigmatizing
and marginalizing effects of blood drives. We
can promote the incredible benefits of blood
drives without relying on shaming those who
do not or cannot participate in them. We
should hold these events while holding trans-
parent conversations about our complicity in
structural oppression and ways we can work
to oppose it. It's time for us to reflect.
Craig Laurie is a graduate student
in the School of Social work.
D escribe yourself in
three sentences that
are no more than
eight words each."
Excuse me,
internship appli-
cation: Did you
just give me all
of 24 words to
paint a picture
of the awesome-
ness that is
me? A personal
statement is one HEMA
thing, but being KARUNA-
forced to cut KARAM
down so much
into so little is
obnoxious. How doI pick just the
right words to use? I could just list
24 adjectives about myself - but
that's too boring. I could twist the
rules of grammar and write three
sentences that are not really sen-
tences - butI don't think I should
be experimenting too much on an
application like this. So, where doI
draw the line?
Dilemmas like mine aren't iso-
lated. It seems that the desire for
brevity as a way to measure think-
ing abilities is becoming more wide-
spread. And why not accomplish
two things at once by asking for a
sort of personal statement? A friend
recently shared a question from
a leading company that asked the
applicant to describe, in 100 words
or fewer, why he or she wanted to
work there. While the company
gets the desired information about
the applicant's interest from this,
it's also able to see how creative
the applicant can be in such space
limits.
But this forced conciseness seems
a bit counterintuitive to our edu-
cational methods. So much of our
time in school is spent describing,
expanding and developing ideas in
order to meet word or page require-
ments. We'll flip between online
thesauruses trying to find the
longestword that means what we
intend and add all kinds of "fluff"
to take up space. Even as I type this
column, my eyes are glancing down
to the word count every few min-
utes. While we've been taught not
to ramble and to stick to the point,
we're still encouraged to explain
our ideas as much as possible. And
now, suddenly, it seems that what-
ever we learned from our 25-page
final reports and 5,000-word liter-
ary analyses has gone to waste.
Perhaps this argument that less
is more is about more than just
measuring our creative ability. In
our fast-paced world, people don't
have time to read through anything
longer than a few sentences at a
time. Take the Twitter culture, for
example. With over 200-million
monthly active users, the San Fran-
cisco-based company is one of the
largest online forums - despite the
fact that its users are only allowed
to post 140 characters at a time.
Personally, I feel stifled every
time I'm tweeting and see that
little red counter closing in toward
'zero. I'm that person struggling
to eliminate characters until I can
make it down to exactly 140; some-
times, I'm forced to spread my ideas
across multiple tweets at once. On
principle I refuse to abbreviate
"you" to "u" and "before" to "b4"
- I won't budge when it comes to
good English. But being the word
nerd that I am, it's suffocating to
have to replace a longer, more apt
word with one that is shorter and
more succinct. (And can we take a
moment to acknowledge that "suc-
cinct," at eight letters, is hardly a
succinct word?)
Giving in to the demands of
modern culture shouldn't have to
mean compromising vocabulary.
But maybe, even from a language-
oriented point of view, being short
on space means finding innovative
uses for punctuation or communi-
cating multiple entendres where
appropriate. It's an exercise not just
in creativity, but, perhaps, also in
mastery of language.
When we're
cramped for space,
every letter means
so much more.
Maybe you've yet to face a task
that requires you to drastically cut
down on words. But if and when
you do come across such a situ-
ation, embrace it as a challenge.
Finding the right words to describe
who we are or what we feel is never
easy, but when we have to do so in
such a small space it turns into an
opportunity to truly find the root
of what we're tryingto say. For all
the Twitter fiends out there, think
about what's really important in
every tweet you compose. When
we're cramped for space, every let-
ter means so much more.
As for me, I've tried to turn what
was initially an annoyance into
an exercise in figuring out what
I'm really about. There's some-
thing almost poetic about trying
to describe ourselves with just
the bare minimum. So, here Iam,
stripped down to the root.
Quick-witted, sharp, passionate:
just "no" isn't an answer. From ben-
zene to Bharatanatyam, my bases
are covered. My words may be small
- my dreams aren't.
- Hema Karunakaram can be
reached at khema@umich.edu.