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Wednesday, December i, aoio | Thk Red a Black
Cmn OtM | Managing Editor me@randb.com
CaariMy IWbroak | Opinions Editor oplnlons@randb.com
Oppressed must
create identities
To many observers,
the term “gay-Chris
tian” seems to be
something of an oxymo
ron, akin to “Jewish-Nazi”
or “black-segregatlonlst.”
Indeed, over its 2,000-
year history, the Christian
Church’s homophobia has
led to millions of gays
being rejected by their
families, driven to suicide,
discriminated against by
political institutions and
murdered outright.
Even today, the LGBT
community faces an
onslaught of violence and
terror that is normalized
in Christian culture, most
recently exemplified by
the bullying that drove
gay Rutgers student Tyler
Clementi to suicide in
September.
Given the content of
the Christian Bible, this is
hardly surprising.
Leviticus 18:22 explicit
ly condemns homosexuali
ty as an abomination pun
ishable by death.
So what’s stopping fun
damentalist Christians
from acting on that belief?
Nevertheless, Charles
Hicks believes he has
found a way to bridge the
gap between these two
disparate cultures.
Homosexuality, Hicks
argues in his column
(“Personal identities are
more than sexuality," Nov.
30), is not an identity, but
an “adjective” that
describes the experience
of being sexually attracted
to a member of the same
sex. As such, homosexuali
ty isn’t a lifestyle it’s
merely a behavior.
At first glance, this all
sounds fine and good.
That is, until we give it a
moment’s thought.
It is impossible for a
persecuted minority group
not to politicize its identi
ty in the face of oppres
sion.
If the minority group
won’t define their identity
themselves, their oppres
sors will not hesitate to do
it for them.
Asa Jew, I can draw on
my own experiences as
well as the history of my
people for evidence of this.
From the legend of
Exodus to the Holocaust,
anti-Semitism has played
a crucial role in defining
both Jewish history and
identity.
Most of the unique cul
tural practices that now
define Judaism were
developed through
Mailbox
E-mail and letters from our readers
Resignation creates outcry
Asa former opinions
editor of The Red &
Black I’ve been lucky
to work with Daniel
Burnett. Burnett’s posi
tive demeanor and firm
leadership style made him
a great editor
His coUeagues knew
they could always count
on him to give guidance in
tough decisions and to do
whatever it took to help
them.
He dedicated himself to
this newspaper and it is
better because of it. I’m
saddened he made the
choice to act unprofes
sional in a capacity where
he was representing The
Red Si Black and that his
actions have overshad
owed all the work he has
done for this newspaper.
Burnett is an amazing
young man and journalist.
I have faith he will learn
from this mistake and
come out better from it.
YASMIN YONIS
Newspapers and
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Jonathan
oppression. Rather than
destroy Jewish identity,
anti-Semitism united us
and strengthened our will
to survive.
The Jewish experience
of anti-Semitism may hold
important lessons for the
LGBT community.
Oftentimes it is our
sense of self-preservation
that strengthens identity
politics and forms the
armor that will sustain us
against the onslaught of
oppression we face.
Rather than allow
oppressors to define them
negatively, minority
groups can proactively
create their own positive
identity and win public
acceptance.
In re-defining homosex
uality as a mere “adjec
tive,” Hicks is undermin
ing homosexuals' opportu
nity to define their identi
ties for themselves.
And in doing so, he
comes dangerously close
to engaging in victim
blaming.
By arguing that
Christians should accept
homosexuals because
“we’ve all sinned and fall
en short of the glory of
God," Hicks is furthering
the false notion that
homosexuality is somehow
ungodly, sinful and flawed.
Rather than placating
our oppressors’ illusions,
why not negate them by
establishing our own
truth?
People should be free
to love whoever they want.
Period.
Instead of mouthing
the tired “we are all sin
ners" mantra to
Christians, why not ask
them why they believe
love is a sin? How does
love cause us to fall short
of God’s grace?
These are questions
that demand answers
from Christian homo
phobes answers that
they cannot, or will not,
give.
Until we learn to stop
framing minority identity
through the lenses of our
oppressors, we are none of
us free.
Jonathan Rich is a
junior from Alpharetta
majoring in sociology
The incident that led to
the resignation of The Red
& Black’s editor-in-chief is
not particularly surprising,
given the extraordinary
emphasis placed on alco
hol and partying in your
paper this fall.
The relentless “No. 1
Party School”-themed
articles and link on The
Red & Black’s website
speak volumes volumes
of vodka, as it turns out.
Since 20041 have con
tributed 85 published col
umns to The Red Si Black.
But this fall I chose not
to submit anything at all,
primarily because of my
disappointment with the
direction of the paper.
I hope the forced
shake-up in leadership is a
turning point for The Red
St Black, which in past
years has been the best
newspaper in Athens.
JOHN KNOX
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Opinions
Cell phone a poor zombie deterrent
If popular culture is any indica
tion, the world is coming to an
end.
We’ve been obsessed with every
thing from wizards to vampires
but now society has zombies on the
brain.
This recent zombie fad invaded
our homes via movies (“Shaun of
the Dead”), books (“Pride and
Prejudice and Zombies”), video
games (“Left 4 Dead”) and TV
shows (“The Walking Dead”).
Our fascination with these hor
rific creatures has spread quickly
and to all comers of the country,
much like a hypothetical zombie
virus would.
But if this zombie mania has
taught me anything, it is to be wary
of another cultural phenomenon
cell phones.
Notice that none of the charac
ters portrayed in post-apocalyptic
wastelands carry mobile devices,
simply because the feeble things
wouldn’t be of any use.
The first thing to die in a zombie
takeover would be cell phones, fol
lowed closely by those individuals
too dependant on them (cell
phones, not zombies).
You cannot text an animated
corpse.
Blackßerrys will not protect you
Pornography consumption danger to girls
Things you can use
your Visa card for:
designer tags,
designer bags. Designer
vags? Yes. A growing
trend has women shelling
out big bucks to recon
struct their Britneys. The
procedure is known as
vaginal cosmetic surgery,
or labiaplasty. And, frank
ly, I’m concerned.
What do ideal genitalia
even look like?
Unfortunately, some of
us have rather clear
expectations. I recall a
friend whose date (don’t
worry, not a University
student), interrupted her
mid-hook-up to suggest,
“Umm, there’s a razor in
my bathroom if you want
to go take care of that,”
referring to her pubic
hair. The date ended fast
er than you can say
“mood kill.”
So, where are these
standards of sexual ideal
ism coming from? Too
much pubic hair, too
small penis, too-big labia
the list goes on and on.
I imagine (and many
pom scholars agree), that
the pornography industry
influences much of our
tenets of nether region
attractiveness. For
instance, anti-pornogra
phy activist Gail Dines
argued bikini waxes only
gained popularity after
pom stars began going
bare.
So, let’s talk about
pom. It’s a dominant
force in our media, yet is
rarely discussed in public
dialogue.
First, let me make
something clear: I’m no
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prude. I’m not proposing
that we stage a pubUc
event to bum pomos
whilst reading from the
Book of Acts.
But, I have some
mixed feelings about por
nography. On one hand, it
seems a healthy way to
relieve sexual tension.
And Hugh Hefher, with
his disarming smile and
highball in hand, makes
me think the world of
pornography is sophisti
cated, playful and sexual
ly Überating.
On the other hand,
there are aspects of the
pom industry that trou
ble me.
After all, what is liber
ating about a woman
being forcibly choked by
a penis while being caUed
a dirty slut? What is play
ful about “crush” films
(which feature women
erotically crushing to
death small creatures
such as bugs and even
kittens)?
Readers might argue
that violent pom is not
the norm.
However, the Internet
brought pom into our
homes in an unprece
dented way. With this
increased accessibility,
Adult Video News reports
show that men are
becoming bored with and
desensitized to “normal,”
feature pom and are
turning increasingly to
Our Staff
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g
from their assault.
These aren’t the Droids you're
looking for.
Infestation there isn’t an app
for that.
If smart phones were so smart,
they would have more practical
uses.
Instead of sharping our observa
tion skills, they distract us.
Instead of helping us evade zom
bies, annoying ringtones draw their
attention. •
Instead of training us how to
survive, cell phones endanger our
lives.
We have come to expect rapid
technological growth and a contin
ually improved state of living. But
nothing would impede these expec
tations faster than an undead pop
ulation.
When surrounded by zombies,
priorities suddenly shift from cell
phones to shotguns.'
Walking quietly and carrying a
big stick becomes a lifestyle rather
than a quote.
violent, gonzo pom for
arousal.
Though “crush” videos
remain rather under
ground, the erotic degra
dation of women, (for
merly a marginal, niche
genre), has become a
mainstream genre in the
industry, said Adult Video
News. Violent pom is
becoming the norm.
Another concern of
mine stems from my work
with victims of sexual
trafficking from Atlanta.
Does the highly-profitable
pom industry contribute
to this criminality by pro
moting female sexuality
as a commodity? Some
victims of human traffick
ing are forced into por
nography.
There is no conclusive
evidence of a correlation
between the consumption
of pom and sexual crime,
and I do not make that
claim. However, we can
not deny pom shapes and
molds our attitudes
toward sex.
Like all media, pom is
consumed, digested and
absorbed into our public
conscience. It creates cer
tain expectations that are
carried over into our real
world sex lives such as
the pressure for women
to go epilate downstairs.
Though there’s noth
ing wrong with trimming
the hedges, I cannot fath
om why any self-respect
ing woman would allow a
laser, tweezers or hot wax
between her legs.
Not to mention, the
concept behind going
bare seems suspect. Men
desire women to look like
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Phone (706) 433-3002 | Fax (708) 433-3033
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540 Baxter Street, Athens, Ga. 30605
Zombies have a knack for put
ting us in touch with reality, even if
they aren’t real themselves.
In fact, zombies are the exact
opposite of cell phones complete
lack of communication, not user
friendly and they don’t require to
be charged daily.
As impractical as it would be to
survive in a zombie nation with a
cell phone, it is just as difficult to
live in our society without one.
These days, it has become nearly
impossible to communicate with
each other without an electronic
medium. Conversations have
become more efficient —but less
personal.
I don’t dislike cell phones, just
the effect they have on our society.
In a way, cell phones turn
humans into zombies. People stag
ger from place to place, glazed eyes
locked on mobile devices.
Our face-to-face conversations
have become little more than
grunts and groans. ’
Cell phones do many people’s
thinking for them.
I only hope that if the zombies
do arrive, we will have enough
brains left for them to eat.
Robert Carries is a senior from
Dunwoody majoring in newspapers
prepubescent girls? Does
that not make anyone
else uncomfortable?
The trend seems per
fectly in line with popular
pom flicks featuring titles
like “Barely Legal” and
“Naughty Teens.”
Though I question how
pom affects the fate of
our genital integrity, I
don’t blame the pom
industry for creating pom
(as long as it features
consenting adult actors).
This is a multifaceted
industry functioning in a
capitalist society. It oper
ates on one simple objec
tive: to make money.
Besides, as a journal
ism student, I do not sup
port censorship. It’s the
consumer’s responsibility
to make informed deci
sions. There’s healthy
pom and there’s
unhealthy pom healthy
use and unhealthy obses
sion. But, let’s acknowl
edge the role the industry
plays in our lives and
open up our dialogue.
Let’s question why
girls as young as 8 years
old are getting bikini
waxes. Let’s question
whether we should allow
violent pom to stream
into our homes. Let’s con
sider that pom may be
limiting our sexual imagi
nations rather than
expanding them.
And for the love of
God, let's not expect our
sexual partners to mea
sure up to the yardstick
of pornography.
Devon Young is a
senior from, Danielsville
majoring in magazines
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