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• Thursday, March 29, 2012
Opinion
Mary Stanfield, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666
Editorial
Column
Deceptive rhetoric limits debate
Take the break to live your life on a leap of faith
Our View: Oklahoma House comments on the Personhood Act reveal divisive, unacceptable discourse.
diminish) real rights in the real world.
Deceptive use of facts
It includes the claim that this bill is supported by medical professionals in obstetrics and family pracThe “Personhood Act,” which would define life tice. Of course, it fails to mention the opposition of as beginning at conception, was approved by the the Oklahoma State Medical Association. Oklahoma House Public Health Committee on It also references a 2011 Gallup poll, Tuesday. It will move to a full House vote, claiming it showed “60 percent of women and having been passed by the Senate, it is The Our View quickly on its way to becoming a law. is the majority believe abortion should either be illegal or allowed only in limited circumstances.” It’s We’ve been vocal about our distaste for opinion of The Daily’s true that 60 percent of women in the U.S. this bill, but recent communication from the nine-member said abortion should be allowed in few or no House has revealed a deeper concern. The editorial board cases, but that is in comparison to the other press release drafted by the House’s media options, which were “most” or “all.” division was rife with misleading facts, diviChoosing “few” over “many” is hardly the same sive rhetoric and damaging assumptions that attack as choosing “only in limited circumstances.” Out of and discount opponents of this bill. that 60 percent, only 24 percent said abortion should We expect better from our representatives. And be illegal in all circumstances. And 50 percent of you should, too. Maybe it’s not unexpected, and maybe it’s not new women consider themselves “pro-choice.” — after all, abortion debates always are the most Discounting the opposition controversial and the least logical. Just dropping the Worse, though, is the language that entirely disrewords “pro-life” or “pro-choice” is enough to induce gards — and demonizes — Oklahoma’s pro-abormouth-foaming in otherwise rational people. But Oklahomans have become far too complacent tion rights constituents. Another quote from Billy states: “A vote for this measure simply declares that with the state of the abortion debate. For too long, the state of Oklahoma values life and believes every the public has watched while the politicians who child is a gift and deserving of protection. That is not represent it resort to illogical arguments, blatant emotionalism, outrageous attacks and outright mis- a controversial viewpoint.” By couching the debate in these terms, Billy fails information to silence their opponents. These tactics to acknowledge any possible legitimacy in the arguderail and obscure the conversation — an undesirments of her opponents. This statement both misable effect no matter which side you’re on. characterizes the possible effects of the bill and disMisleading characterization respects the opposition by implying that there could not possibly be any rational basis for disagreement. The release includes assurances from Rep. Lisa In doing so, it implies that any group that disagrees Billy, R-Purcell, that the bill would not, as opponents with this bill must not value the lives of children. have claimed, interfere with in vitro fertilization, Whether or not you’re supportive of abortion contraception, abortion, emergency contraception, rights, you must recognize that our legislators are medical research and treatment of ectopic pregnantasked with finding answers that will most benefit cies. But if this is the case, why didn’t the author inthose they represent. Their duty is to hear all the clude specific language to that affect in the bill? arguments involved, deliberate between them and The new version of the bill does mention that it choose the solution that works best for Oklahoma. will not interfere with contraception and fertility In order to do that, they must listen equally and treatments. But it ignores the other serious concerns mentioned by committee members. The committee fairly to all sides of any debate. They — and the pubvoted to table several amendments that would have lic — need access to all the facts, free from emotionalism and dismissive tactics, in order to make the specifically protected these other rights. Billy goes on to claim that this bill is nothing more best decision. Democracy relies on free and open dialogue bethan a statement of intent — it won’t actually change tween even the most disparate, passionate groups. anything. We have our doubts about that. This kind of disrespectful, dismissive and misleadIf you want to make a statement, hold a press ing rhetoric stands in the way of that discourse. conference or write a blog. Laws are not for making statements; they are for creating enforceable Comment on this at OUDaily.com doctrines that regulate behavior and protect (or
Column
Media perpetuates sex violence
W
ith Women’s OPINION COLUMNIST History Month ending and Sexual Assault Awareness Month upon us, it is important to consider how America regards women as victims and how our culture perpetuates sexual assault. Kayley Gillespie The National Sexual kayley.m.gillespie-1@ou.edu Violence Resource Center seeks to raise awareness about sexual violence and preventative measures in April. The 2012 campaign is devoted to encouraging a conversation on how communities and individuals can connect and respect one another in order to prevent sexual violence. Human sexuality has emotional, social and physical components. Our values, interactions, behaviors and feelings are included in its construction. Healthy constructions of sexuality prevent sexual violence. American culture breeds sexual violence. The sexual and demeaning language in music, the sexual images on television and the link between adolescent media consumption and sexual activity testify to how society has failed the innocent. In the age of social media, it’s no surprise that children are exposed to more advertising and media sources than ever before. This would be beneficial if Drake rapped about respecting women or environmental sustainability. Instead, Drake raps about how taking advantage of women is a mere pastime when “there ain’t much to do” and includes various references to drugs, alcohol and guns. Money is privileged throughout this song, “Motto,” which is the number 1 Billboard Top 100 rap song this week. Objectifying women and materializing all aspects of life is not new to the music scene. According to an article in the Western Journal of Medicine, sexually explicit songs set to music videos with provocative clothing and suggestive motions represent at least 60 percent of all music videos. As much as 80 percent of all movies shown on television have
sexual content. This contributes to the 143 incidents of sexual behavior teenagers view each week. Sexual violence is on the rise, partly because youth are desensitized to sexualized messages that are presented as common and without consequence. In addition to teenage pregnancy and STDs, there is a very real risk for viewers to adopt the values, beliefs and behaviors they are exposed to. The sexually explicit climate in the U.S. exacerbates not only the entertainment industry, but also the sex trafficking industry. This is a national and, more frighteningly, state issue. Because sex is so normalized and communication technologies link 90 percent of the world’s population, sex trafficking victims come from every corner of the globe and many end up in the connecting highways of the Bible Belt. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 300,000 children in the U.S. are at risk every year for commercial sexual exploitation. The U.S. is the number one destination for child sex trafficking in the world. And the U.S. is the primary producer and consumer of child pornography. With social media spreading destructive images of children and youth in risqué clothing and poses, it’s no wonder sexual assault is an issue. We are socialized to believe women should be objects of a man’s gaze. Music videos and TV maintain this idea. Women are prey. The former CEO of Disney, Michael Eisner, once said, “We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make history. We have no obligation to make a statement. We are here to make money.” Who would have guessed that the former CEO of Disney and rap star Drake would have so much in common? The issue isn’t just rap music or Disney or reality television. We cannot blame a single entity, but we can take responsibility for how we are influenced and how we spend our time. The culmination of all forms of media today is destructive to our identities, counterproductive to equal rights movements and perpetuates sexual violence. Kayley Gillespie is a literature and cultural studies junior.
O
ver the last Opinion columnist week, everybody has been talking about springbreak-this and springbreak-that. Most of the time, I hear people talk about how they went home and slept Kimm Johnson for seven days straight or kimm.johnson@ou.edu just brought in some extra dough by staying in town and working. So when people ask me what I did for spring break, I have to contain my excitement. Truth be told, I loved my spring break. And it wasn’t the huge party scene everyone assumes for college students. It was the opposite: I went on a community service road trip to Washington, D.C., through a campus organization called Students Today Leaders Forever. To say that I signed up for this trip on a whim would be the understatement of the century. I didn’t really know anyone who had gone on a trip or was going this year. All I really knew was that I was about to get on a charter bus with 35 strangers, and we would be stopping in six different cities. There, we would do three hours of community service, go visit the attractions at the location, then hop on a bus and drive to the next destination. I did not know where we would sleep, what we would eat, what community service we were doing or who else signed up for this. And I didn’t realize any of this until a few days before the trip. By the time I figured this out, I had lost my phone and been told not to bring my laptop. But I made it onto the bus, flustered and worried that I would be kickin’ it Henry David Thoreau style with people who wanted nothing to do with me. Once the wheels got rolling, we did the typical getting to know you exercises. I went through them halfheartedly, thinking I would probably only talk to two or three people on the trip anyway. I couldn’t have been more wrong. By around 8 p.m., we made it to Little Rock, Arkansas, and slept in a tae kwon do dojo. We had a miniature lesson and met the highest-ranking black master in tae kwon do. Afterward, we did cheesy Camp Crimson-esque activities, which made me think, “Oh great, these people are going to try to be my best friends and then see me on the South Oval and pretend like we never met.” Throughout the next several days, we did outdoor cleaning community service, and it was revealed to us that this was more of a leadership and bonding trip than anything else. On the second day, after our community service cleaning up a YMCA camp, we walked around downtown Nashville, Tenn., and were introduced to a little something we called dance bombing. If you watch the Ellen DeGeneres show, you know where I am going with this. We would start a video camera and then dance behind random strangers. This was a turning point. Seeing everyone be crazy and have so much fun together without any judgment was a really different, exciting experience. Now that we were all starting to enjoy ourselves, some friendships started forming. By the third night, we got even closer. We did an exercise where we talked about our strengths and weaknesses, and these 35 strangers were sharing things they had never told anyone. It didn’t feel fake, and it didn’t feel forced. From then on, it felt like we had built a true community. Next, we headed to a state park and cleaned up a river. The whole time, we talked to one another about everything and anything. We actually enjoyed each other’s company rather than feeling plagued by it. Having everyone in such close proximity made me think we would eventually start bickering, but it never happened. In part, I have to say it was because of the positive mindset of the trip’s leadership. When we couldn’t get to a location in time to take showers at night, we had to wake up at 5 a.m. to take them instead. But that wasn’t how they told us. Instead, they said we would get to shower in the morning. Those little positive spins on things really kept up the family environment and morale. I could literally go on and on about the little things like that, and if you ever see me on campus, I would be ecstatic if you asked me about it. But I’m going to fast forward to when we met the other busses. And that was the first time we realized how close we really were. On the way back to Norman, we literally did not want to leave the bus because we were so close. I have never felt so bonded to 35 people in my life. We all talked about how some of the people we have been friends with for years are not even that close to us. Every day since then, I have talked to somebody from the trip, and they never fail to brighten my day. Sometimes you should take a leap of faith. Will it always be as crazy and fantastic as the trip I just described? No. But you only live once. Don’t be afraid that things will turn out horrible. Take things one day at a time and branch out to new organizations and opportunities in Norman. You might actually find something that is better than an awesome spring break of partying. What you might find is people who surprise you, people who encourage you and people who will mold you into a better person. You might just find something worth living for. And isn’t that half of the reason we are in college anyway? Kimm Johnson is an environmental design and professional writing senior.
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