Diversity is a crucial ingredient in a free and progressive society.
The U has several diversity offices that enrich educational experiences, enable individuals to progress without barriers and encourage everyone to participate in the effort.
Every day we are fighting a war of diverse ideas, and America is losing. With monumental challenges to overcome in our economy, the environment, national security, energy, health care, crime and equality, we tend to fight rather than look for solutions and compromise. Some march in protest while others sit in frustration.
It seems as though diversity is a double-edged sword—we want to be tolerant of different ideas, yet not at the expense of our own self-interests. In this battle, some voices are louder than others.
In New York after California’s gay marriage ban passed, protesters in lower Manhattan stood behind barricades, holding signs. “Love and Unity not hate,” one read. “All we need is love,” said another.
In Los Angeles, thousands of demonstrators were met by counter-demonstrators. “There is nothing civil about a man marrying another man,” one protester said. “You lost. It is not a civil rights issue. It is an issue with morality.”
It is challenging enough to achieve a diverse society when both sides of a controversial issue have valid arguments and facts to support their side. However, it becomes even harder when blind, aggressive arguments enter into the equation. Until we can sort out a compromise in deciding how to move forward with the issues facing our nation, we must maintain peaceful objectivity.
As part of the “McCarthey Family Lecture Series: In Praise of Independent Journalism,” CNN anchor Anderson Cooper addressed a crowd of more than 300 at Rowland Hall-St. Mark’s School in Salt Lake City on Saturday. He discussed the importance of objectivity and finding your own voice amid a war of ideas.
“You can’t allow your own fear and insecurity to alter what you see,” Cooper said. “It’s very easy to demonize those with a different opinion from your own, but it’s harder to walk in their shoes. Strangers reaching out to strangers is what makes the difference.”
There are no clear answers as to how to facilitate and encourage diversity, but the process is certain. Rather than get lost in the heat of emotion and angry words, we must foster an attitude of understanding and desire to listen to new ideas.
“We have to look directly into the things that scare us the most,” Cooper said. “In the hustle and bustle of daily life, we can easily forget the lives other people are living every day.”
It’s important to form opinions and have a backbone in defending them. However, when diverse ideas are presented, rather than decidedly disregarding them, it’s more important to listen while creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding—even if there is no solution and the outcome is to respectfully agree to disagree.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/1.915542
Friday, November 21, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Prop. 8 blame game no use
Once seen as a black-and-white issue, the definition of marriage has become gray. In last week’s election, Arizona, California and Florida voted to change their constitutions to define marriage as a heterosexuals-only institution. The marriage amendment passed in Florida 62.1 percent to 37.9 percent. It was a much tighter margin in California, with the amendment passing by less than 4 percent.
Because we live in a democracy, the citizens of our country are extended the right to vote for the passage of laws intended to benefit society. Although the majority of voters decided to maintain the traditional definition of marriage, the opposing side is protesting the decision.
Supporters of same-sex marriage focused their protest and anger on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by staging marches at the Los Angeles Temple and at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. A close look at polling numbers will quickly show that their efforts were misguided.
Black turnout—spurred by Barack Obama’s historic campaign for president—was unusually large, with black Americans making up roughly 10 percent of the total electorate. Polls show that black voters are more likely to attend church than white voters and less likely to be comfortable with equality for gays and lesbians. According to CNN, black Americans voted against marriage equality by a wide margin: 69 percent to 31 percent.
“I was born black. I can’t change that,” said California resident Bilson Davis, 57, who voted for Proposition 8. “They weren’t born gay—they chose it.”
According to an analysis of the most recent reports from the California secretary of state, opponents of Proposition 8 raised $43.6 million, compared with just $29.8 million for those who oppose gay marriage. The Los Angeles Times reported that LDS Church members donated nearly $20 million dollars to support the amendment. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that California has a population of 36.5 million people. LDS Church members total 770,000, which represents only 2 percent of California’s population.
Supporters of gay marriage will inevitably exercise their right and appeal the decision of the general election. It is a healthy democracy when citizens exercise their freedoms, but it is inappropriate for supporters of gay marriage to unjustly target and falsely accuse the LDS Church or any other group of wrongdoing just because the decision didn’t go their way. There should be no blame assigned for why the amendment did or did not pass. Instead, it’d be more productive for both sides of the issue to engage in a mutually respectful dialogue to determine appropriate solutions and compromises to settle the issue rather than fight with crass words and heated emotions.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/1.906433
Because we live in a democracy, the citizens of our country are extended the right to vote for the passage of laws intended to benefit society. Although the majority of voters decided to maintain the traditional definition of marriage, the opposing side is protesting the decision.
Supporters of same-sex marriage focused their protest and anger on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by staging marches at the Los Angeles Temple and at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. A close look at polling numbers will quickly show that their efforts were misguided.
Black turnout—spurred by Barack Obama’s historic campaign for president—was unusually large, with black Americans making up roughly 10 percent of the total electorate. Polls show that black voters are more likely to attend church than white voters and less likely to be comfortable with equality for gays and lesbians. According to CNN, black Americans voted against marriage equality by a wide margin: 69 percent to 31 percent.
“I was born black. I can’t change that,” said California resident Bilson Davis, 57, who voted for Proposition 8. “They weren’t born gay—they chose it.”
According to an analysis of the most recent reports from the California secretary of state, opponents of Proposition 8 raised $43.6 million, compared with just $29.8 million for those who oppose gay marriage. The Los Angeles Times reported that LDS Church members donated nearly $20 million dollars to support the amendment. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that California has a population of 36.5 million people. LDS Church members total 770,000, which represents only 2 percent of California’s population.
Supporters of gay marriage will inevitably exercise their right and appeal the decision of the general election. It is a healthy democracy when citizens exercise their freedoms, but it is inappropriate for supporters of gay marriage to unjustly target and falsely accuse the LDS Church or any other group of wrongdoing just because the decision didn’t go their way. There should be no blame assigned for why the amendment did or did not pass. Instead, it’d be more productive for both sides of the issue to engage in a mutually respectful dialogue to determine appropriate solutions and compromises to settle the issue rather than fight with crass words and heated emotions.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/1.906433
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Campus bike lanes a waste of funds
White lines are being painted all over campus sidewalks. They first appeared late last month and are intended to prevent accidents between bicyclists and pedestrians. During the weekend, bicyclist stencils were painted alongside the bike routes to educate pedestrians and bikers on how to use this new striping system.
Jake Green from Commuter Services said he is aware of two bicyclist-pedestrian accidents that have taken place this semester.
Former U student Josh Jones said he was once ticketed by a campus police officer for riding his bike too fast. Although difficult to enforce, a campus police watchdog system seems like it’d be better than lines painted on a sidewalk to promote safety.
The new sidewalk striping program is a pointless initiative. The lack of planning and research that took place before the lines were painted is dumbfounding.
Green said an ad hoc study was conducted in which avid bicyclists stood next to a sidewalk near the Student Services Building to count the number of bikes that passed during a two-and-a-half-hour period. Forgoing the use of speedometers, they counted nearly 40 bikes that passed along Union Drive. Apparently this information was enough to justify paying a contractor $3,500 to paint the lines on campus sidewalks.
Green said the initiative is in the beginning stages and Commuter Services is relying primarily on students to assist with the program’s rollout. For example, the U Bikes Public Comment Forum is a Google group where U employees, students and concerned people can discuss the biking environment at the U and make suggestions of where more white lines should be painted. But considering the money being spent, the project should be managed by an entity that does real research before implanting unproven solutions.
Many students are confused by the bike lanes and can’t see the point.
“If someone cannot control their bike because they do not know which side of the pavement to ride on, then they have serious issues and might need to think before even bringing a bike on campus,” said Brett Sorensen, a junior in communication.
The bike routes proceed from the Heritage Center to the Marriott Library and the Student Services Building. The lanes will extend to the Warnock Engineering Building as soon as water piping construction in the area finishes.
Regardless, the bike lanes are unnecessary and a reckless use of funds. The $3,500 spent to paint these lines on the sidewalk could have been better used in almost any other capacity.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/campus_bike_lanes_a_waste_of_funds
Jake Green from Commuter Services said he is aware of two bicyclist-pedestrian accidents that have taken place this semester.
Former U student Josh Jones said he was once ticketed by a campus police officer for riding his bike too fast. Although difficult to enforce, a campus police watchdog system seems like it’d be better than lines painted on a sidewalk to promote safety.
The new sidewalk striping program is a pointless initiative. The lack of planning and research that took place before the lines were painted is dumbfounding.
Green said an ad hoc study was conducted in which avid bicyclists stood next to a sidewalk near the Student Services Building to count the number of bikes that passed during a two-and-a-half-hour period. Forgoing the use of speedometers, they counted nearly 40 bikes that passed along Union Drive. Apparently this information was enough to justify paying a contractor $3,500 to paint the lines on campus sidewalks.
Green said the initiative is in the beginning stages and Commuter Services is relying primarily on students to assist with the program’s rollout. For example, the U Bikes Public Comment Forum is a Google group where U employees, students and concerned people can discuss the biking environment at the U and make suggestions of where more white lines should be painted. But considering the money being spent, the project should be managed by an entity that does real research before implanting unproven solutions.
Many students are confused by the bike lanes and can’t see the point.
“If someone cannot control their bike because they do not know which side of the pavement to ride on, then they have serious issues and might need to think before even bringing a bike on campus,” said Brett Sorensen, a junior in communication.
The bike routes proceed from the Heritage Center to the Marriott Library and the Student Services Building. The lanes will extend to the Warnock Engineering Building as soon as water piping construction in the area finishes.
Regardless, the bike lanes are unnecessary and a reckless use of funds. The $3,500 spent to paint these lines on the sidewalk could have been better used in almost any other capacity.
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/opinion/campus_bike_lanes_a_waste_of_funds
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