Who is at fault if a man hits a woman with his car? The man’s; he should not have been driving in the kitchen.

If you are a man and you laughed at these jokes, you are an asshole. If you are a woman and you laughed at these jokes, you are an idiot.
Too many women who simply comply with sexism and do not think about the implications of doing so. By laughing or joining in, you are condoning the notion that women are inferior to men. I know people who claim that if you are offended and speak out against this blatantly sexist language, you are simply being too sensitive. The truth is that these jokes are examples of our society’s failure to take seriously the idea that women and men are equal.

Our society’s speech is rife with sexism that often goes overlooked. Womenkind’s inability to drive, perform mundane tasks such as screwing in a light bulb, or do anything else but “make me a sammich,” are accepted truths within our society because these ideas are usually offered as comedy. Many masterminds behind these genius jokes would have you think that they do not think these statements are true.

Women who do not view sexist language (or sexism in general) as an insult do not only damage their position in society, they damage every woman’s position in society. A woman laughing at a sexist joke or complying with a sexist idea lends a perceived credence to the statement in the eyes of the man saying it. The man views the woman as an authority on being a woman and if she says it is OK to be sexist by complying with abusive rhetoric, it is only strengthening his opinion that what he just said is acceptable.
Women, stop laughing. The joke is on you.

I fully believe that there is no God. No supreme being created this planet, there was no garden, there was no resurrection and there is no spirit guiding my actions. Yet I can still be a good person. I still believe that murder, rape and theft are wrong, even though I have no stone tablets sent by God to tell me so. I still respect the dignity of other human beings, even though my beliefs about religion have changed. In short, I have the same morals now that I did when I was in high school.

Oddly, some people’s perception of me has changed. To them, I am on a downward spiral that leads only to reckless debauchery and an eternity in hell for sins that I have not yet committed, but inevitably will. I do not understand how my future has changed without a moral change within myself.

I respect people’s opinions to a point; that point is when someone refuses to respect my opinions. I am an atheist and some people cannot accept that. I do not believe in God and there is no amount of rhetoric that can change my beliefs at this time.

I am supposed to respect the beliefs of every Christian (along with all of the sects and sub-sects within Christianity), and I do, but when I ask certain Christians to reciprocate that respect, I receive none. I am often slapped in the face with my supposed lack of morality and then slapped harder when I refuse to turn the other cheek.

In the Christian belief, I am wrong. But in my opinion, the Christian belief is wrong. I am respectful of an opinion that I feel is incorrect, but receive no respect in return. Christianity is the default “right”; by not being Christian, I am always placed on the defensive. I constantly have to defend, justify, explain and re-defend my position. Some people cannot or will not accept that I simply have a different opinion from them on this particular topic. I deserve to be accepted and respected.

I had a conversation with one of my siblings the other day, and it occurred to me that in discussions of religion and belief, I am forced to be on the defensive. I was asked if I would take my future children to church to give them a “moral base” that would guide them. I responded that I would give my children a solid grasp of right and wrong but I would instill those beliefs myself. I do not understand why I would have to expose my children to a system of beliefs that I do not believe in. This would be like liberal parents sending their children to a camp run by Glen Beck.

I do not ask for people to convert to atheism and I do not ask for pity. I do not even ask for understanding. I simply ask for people to respect my opinion and leave it at that.

The art department is encouraging students to spray paint responses to the cases of racist graffiti that have been found in the residence halls. They will be able to paint their messages Tuesday, Dec. 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Linda James, an associate professor in the art department, said that this is an opportunity to give art a voice towards social justice.

“This wall is for all UW-Platteville students to express in graffiti form their reactions to the recent incidents of racist graffiti. It is a kind of visual ‘shout out,’” James said in an e-mail to the administration. James said art students will supervise the event.

Katharine Caywood, senior art major, is leading the event.

“We have a really strong art department and one of the things that we are encouraged to do is come up with ideas,” Caywood said. “This idea takes what [the vandals] have done and shows them that people who have a positive voice outnumber them.”

Caywood said that James told her and other art students that the art department wanted to make a visual statement about the graffiti in a public setting.

Caywood students could use things like compliments or lyrics.

A drop box will be available in the Pioneer Involvement Center for students to leave things they want to have on the wall if they cannot get to the wall themselves.

“We want something that we can be proud of instead of hiding it in basements and bathrooms,” Caywood said.

Students for Peace and Justice hosted an open forum Nov. 4 on U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.  David Krugler, David Rowley and Nancy Turner, all  associate professors of history, presented the history of Afghanistan starting with the build up to the Soviet invasion of the country in 1979. Caywood was in Afghanistan for 26 months, completing four deployments between 2003 and 2006. After the presentations, a question and answer session was held.

Devine Nzegwu, president of SPJ, moderated the forum. She opened the forum by introducing Rowley. Rowley presented on what he called, “the overreaction of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.”

In 1978, the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan, a Marxist group, took power. The Soviet Union backed the party and redistributed land, established a social welfare system and required that women go to school.

Rowley said that patriarchy was strong in the countryside, and led to a revolt. While this was not a great threat to the Soviet Union, the Soviets overreacted and invaded.

Rowley concluded his presentation by saying that according to documentation from after the fall of the Soviet Union, “The action [of the Soviets] was wholly defensive.”

Krugler spoke about U.S. policies in reaction to Afghanistan. The Carter Administration established the Carter Doctrine, which stated that any outside attempt to gain control of the Persian Gulf was a direct threat to the U.S.

Former President Ronald Reagan expanded covert operations in Afghanistan by giving them stinger missiles. Reagan’s policy was to get the Soviets out of Afghanistan by all means.

Turner presented on the beginning of the Taliban and al-Qaida. Turner said that the Soviet withdrawal created a hopeless power vacuum. This led to the creation of the Taliban by Mullah Muhammed Omar in 1989. Turner said that the Taliban’s stated goal was the creation of an Islamic state in Afghanistan.

In 1988, Osama bin Laden created al-Qaida who’s goal, Turner said, was to end to all foreign influence in Islamic countries.

Caywood then presented on his deployment in Afghanistan.

“It was our job to find bad guys and go kill them,” Caywood said. “Or arrest them if they were willing to cooperate.”

After Caywood’s presentation, the forum was opened to questions from the audience.

Mike Sharkey, an associate professor of philosophy, asked about the antipathy between Islam and Christianity.

“Americans need to realize, just like Christianity, Islam has lots of divisions,” Turner said. “There is a huge variation in Christian belief, likewise, there is a huge variation in Islamic belief. The problem in the Middle East is not really Islam.”

Dean of Students Rich Egley asked, “Where in our history do we find a largely unilateral restructuring of a country?”

Krugler said, “Roosevelt called for unconditional surrender in Japan and Germany. We are taking out your government and putting one in of our own fashion.”

Rowley said, “A fundamental difference is that Japan is a state that is very old. Afghanistan is not a state, it has never really been a state. If Afghanistan gets a state, it will be if someone builds it. I don’t think we can afford it.”

Signs of Depression

Emotional Symptoms:
Sadness, anxiety, guilt, anger, mood swings, helplessness, hopelessness

Physical Symptoms:
Sleeping too much or too little, overeating or loss of appetite, constipation, weight loss or gain

Behavioral Symptoms:
Crying for no apparent reason; withdrawal from others and new situations; getting angry easily; being unmotivated; loss of interest in one’s physical appearance and/or activities which were once of interest; turning to alcohol or drugs

Thought/Perceptions:
Feelings of being a failure; criticizing oneself frequently; disappointment; blaming oneself for unfortunate happenings; being pessimistic about the future

Source: University Counseling Services

People who were close to a person who died by suicide have options to help them deal with grief.

“It is important that they have others they can reach out to, including family, friends, religious or spiritual supports or counselors,” Deirdre Dalsing, UW-Platteville counselor said. “They need to be provided the opportunity to talk about what has happened and the reality of it all.”

Dalsing said loved ones need to talk about the death, even though it may be difficult.

“They may struggle to keep their emotions in check, feel agitated and unfocused,” Dalsing said.

People who are close to an individual who has killed himself or herself should not feel responsible for not seeing the warning signs, Dalsing said.

“Those closest to the individual who has killed themselves will deal with a unique sense of grief, which is confounded by the questions of ‘why’, ‘what could I have done’, ‘why didn’t I see it coming,’” Dalsing said.

Dalsing encouraged anyone who is having trouble coping with death to visit Counseling Services. Counseling Services has five counselors on staff who are available from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Wednesdays, a counselor is available until 8 p.m.

Besides Counseling Services, students can speak with their advisers, Student Affairs administrators, Dean of Students Rich Egley and Student Health Services. Also, students can call 24-hour crisis hot lines. The number for Unified Counseling Services is 1-800-362-5717 and the Suicide Crisis Line is 1-800-784-2433. Both numbers are free and confidential.