Political hype
Election time brings search for integrity
In the coming campaign, there is
not a lot of promise for anything
new. Only the sound bites will be
new, although I can promise you that
they will sound familiar.
This is the MTV generation. It is
now possible to make a voting
decision on a few sound bites or
advertisements. The worst part about
this is that if you make the decision
that way, you can come off sounding
intelligent.
Campaign managers use hot
button phrases to catch the attention
of the voters. They do this on the
principle that enough people don’t
actually take the time to sift through
the information. They just rush to
their voting precinct, recalling
vaguely that one candidate is a
family man. Not everybody docs this
—just enough to ensure that the
candidate will win.
The difference between Republi
cans and Democrats is becoming
thinner. Republicans are supposed to
be conservative — which means no
change. Democrats are supposed to
be liberal, or attempting to change
the government. But “conservative”
has somehow grown to mean
“wanting less government” or “hard
hearted.” Democrat has evolved into
“bleeding-heart tax-and-spenders.”
Thoreau wrote: “That government
is best which governs least.” A
Republican, right? Yet, Thoreau
believed that a government com
posed of intelligent people did not
need an extensive set of laws
dictating the behavior of those
people. This comes from the idea
that people can make critical choices
all by themselves.
The ability to make a critical
analysis, however, comes from
practice. It comes from the opportu
nities to make mistakes and learn
Kristi Kohl
“It is now possible to
make a voting decision
on a feiv sound bites or
advertisements. ”
from them — both yours and those
of others. This isn’t something that
people arc bom with.
The question, then, is how long
does it take for a person to develop
this ability? It depends on each
individual. Some never go beyond
the superficial images. Others have
extraordinary insight into human
nature from a very young age.
Integrity is something that can’t
be measured. It can’t really even be
defined as a collection of certain
characteristics. It is our ability to live
up to the internal standard of “how it
should be.” We all have certain
things that we can’t compromise on.
For some, it’s trying hard and
doing well in classes. Others
couldn’t care less. But there comes a
time in our lives when we need to
pick our standards and take a stand
about what is important to us. If we
just drift along, then our lives won’t
have much meaning. There needs to
be something that we take pride in.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said
that “If a man is called upon to be a
streetsweeper, he should be the best
streetsweeper he can be.” Thking
pride in the things we do is an
essential part of our character.
There are times when we have to
choose between two goals. That
decision is an important part in the
character-building process.
Sometimes I wonder if our
elected officials have ever reached
this point. There are times when I
wonder if they even listen to all of
the sound bites. I think their speech
writers collaborate with their
thousands of aides to write a
beautiful speech candidates can
deliver with fine oratory skill. No
effort required.
Maybe it’s my instinctive distrust
of politicians that makes me so
cynical. Despite this, I do realize that
they are a necessary part of our
government. Does it really matter
that they don’t actually care about
us?
They do listen to the political
surveys. Doesn’t that reflect our vote
in at least a small way? The bottom
line is that the lobbyists have a great
advantage over us. They know the
politicians they want in office. They
work to find the data that will
support their cause and not detract
from the politicians’ other interests.
In any case, we need to do more
than just watch the sound bites. We
need someone with the integrity to
stand for what he believes in the face
of these lobbyists.
Tell me if you find him.
Kohl Is a junior biology major and a
Dally Nebraskan columnist
\vJiu3Bi s*mos’cfi u - > . - . - ..
You decide
Who's good enough to pass the popularity test?
It seems my life always has been
dictated by what I have on my feet.
Remember “Kangaroos” (the
shoe with a velcro pocket that could
hold a coin) or red Converse high
tops a few years later? Then there
were Reebok high tops with
blinding bright neon laces.
From there we crashed and
burned with the “Puma Disc
System” (OK, so maybe I was the
only person that bought a pair).
Finally, we lead up to the current
“Timberland” hiking boot fad.
What I’ve trampled on the past
19 years has been a statement in
popularity.
Popularity.
I say the word and what do you
think? Elementary school, right?
No, too young. How about junior
high? Or high school?
Yes, those were the times when
your popularity was determined by
what kind of label was sewed on the
butt of your jeans, by what kind of
friends you hung out with, what
activities you were in and who or
who you did not “go with.”
Sigh ... Those were the days,
right?
I remember them well. In eighth
grade it seemed 1 was as popular as
the class mascot, which happened to
be a pig (don’t ask). I wore what
everyone else wore, yet never did
what everyone else did. I was a
(shudder) nerd and immediately fell
to the bottom of the almighty
popularity pyramid.
Yet now, I put forth a question
that I and everyone else whose
popularity has ever been compared
to a pig will ask — is college yet
another haven for “popularity”?
Or have we risen above the
temptation to judge others by the
clothes they wear, their hairstyles,
their friends and their dates or lack
thereof?
Sadly, no.
Popularity seems to be here to
Kasey Kerber
“Yes, those were the
times when your
popularity was
determined by what
kind of label was sewed
on the butt of your jeans
f »
stay. That never holds more true
when you apply the timeless quote
“you never get a second chance to
make a first impression.”
Think about it. When you meet
another student for the first time,
what is the first thing you judge
about them? Appearance. If they
have green hair, your first impres
sion is going to be “why does this
guy or girl look like a Fraggle?”
Yet popularity extends far beyond
appearances. Who you hang out
with has become just as much a _
statement in popularity as when you
had 10 “best-friends” clamoring
over you in junior high.
Ever hear the word “cliques”? If
not, use your eyes and you’ll see
them. There arc probably a few in
the class you’re now in. Or, if you
happen to be reading this during a
meal, they’re certainly around.
Cliques are nothing more than a
group of friends. Yet what makes a
group of friends different from a
clique is that in a clique, people are
pretty much the same. How many
times each day do you encounter a
group of guys that wear the same
clothes, have the same bald-head
hairstyle and say the word “shit” a
lot. Or a group of girls who seem to
share outfits, have the same hair
styles and say the words “like” or
“whatever” a lot.
Popularity even extends to who
you date. How many times have you
avoided getting to know someone
because you heard something about
them from your friends? Or because
your friends mocked them? Or
because they don’t fall into your
“clique”?
Or ask yourself how many times
you’ve dated someone that your
friends didn’t like and then they
pressured you to go after someone
else that better fit their “standards.”
Let’s be honest with ourselves —
we’ve escaped “popularity” about as
well as we’ve escaped the ’80s,
which anyone that watches VH-1
can tell you is not at all.
We still live our lives by whether
we have a “Bongo” or “Levi” label
stamped to the butt of our jeans. We
still shy away from the guy with a
nose ring or girl with a shaved head.
We still laugh along with our clique
of friends as they make fun of the
person who, for a moment, we
considered dating.
We still have a lot to learn ...
There are things in this world
more important than what clothes
you wear, who you hang out with
and who you do or do not date.
There comes a time when you
simply have to say “to hell with it.”
That phrase should be the one by
which you decide to live your life
by.
Notice what I said: “You decide.”
Kerber Is a freshman news-editorial
major and a Dally Nebraskan columnist
Baldness shouldn’t
be a personal issue
During a recent interview, the
noted actor Ben Kingsley was
asked about his baldness.
Like the late Yul Brynner’s and
the late Telly Savalas’, Kingsley’s
scalp is totally without hair. No
fringe, sideburns or fuzz.
Kingsley said he does not
discuss personal matters. That
was surprising for two reasons:
First, people in show business
seldom consider anything too
personal to talk about. They don’t
hesitate to blab about who they
are sleeping with or have slept
with and if it was fun.
And when they get too old to
sleep with anything but a denture
holder, they write books with
detailed accounts of everyone
with whom they’ve had even a
brief snuggle.
Kingsley should be praised for
having the dignity to refuse to
discuss a personal matter. Of
course, he’s English, and English
actors are more reserved than
their American counterparts,
except those who perform after
drinking a quart of gin.
But of all the things he could
consider “personal,” why bald
ness? Unless he wears a hat or
toupee, his hairless dome is there
for everyone to see.
Baldness is normal to hundreds
of millions of men across the
planet. Some are totally bald, as is
Kingsley. Others are bare on top
with a fringe on the side and
back, which makes them the
barber’s 10-minute delight. And
some shamelessly let the side
fringe get long and comb those
few sad side strands across the
bare top.
But baldness is no more a
personal matter than you height,
eye color or the size of your shoe.
One way or another, it is a matter
of genetics.
Unless, of course, there arc
peculiar circumstances involved
in Kingsley’s baldness.
Let’s say, for example, that
until recently, Kingsley had a lush
head of hair. But then, during one
of those lover-spats shows for
which show-biz people are
famous, every strand was plucked
out by an enraged girlfriend.
Under those circumstances, it
would be understandable that he
would say his lack of hair was a
personal matter. You couldn’t very
well expect the man to say, “Well,
I have no hair because my
gorgeous live-in lover and I
disagreed over the Oscars, and
she plucked my entire thatch.”
It’s more likely that at some
point his hair started falling out,
either receding at the forehead,
which is the most graceful way to
lose it, or on top, creating that
empty round spot, which is less
desirable unless you are about 6-5
and nobody can see it.
The arrival of baldness can be
traumatic, especially for men who
are young.
But as a great philosopher
once put it, “Hey, doo-doo
happens, man, dig? So be cool.”
And that’s the way it is with
baldness. Just as some people
Mike Royko
“It takes me about tivo
or three seconds to
prepare my hair in the
morning. I haven’t
oivned a comb for 15
years and spend
nothing on sprays,
shampoo or a blow
dryer. ”
become nearsighted or farsighted
or have prominent noses, over
bites, big ears or poor hand-eye
coordination, others lose their
hair.
Some young man staring with
terror at a dozen hairs in his sink
might disagree, but there are
benefits to baldness.
For one thing, a young man
who knows baldness is a family
trait might be more inclined to
seek an early, stable family life.
He looks at his father, who has a
head like a cue ball, and tells
himself: “Uh-oh, I’d better find a
willing female and marry her now
before I look like old Dad.”
So young men who are
inclined toward future baldness
tend to marry young. Of course,
when his hair falls out, he notes
that his wife now weighs 180
pounds and has big blue veins in
her legs. So she, too, was looking
ahead. But that’s the breaks.
And as I’ve written before,
there is nothing more time- and
cost-efficient than baldness.
It takes me about two or three
seconds to prepare my hair in the
morning. I haven’t owned a comb
for 15 years and spend nothing on
sprays, shampoo or a blow dryer.
In contrast, a friend who is a
TV anchor creature spends a
minimum of 30 minutes a day at
home and in the health club on his
hair. Think about that. It comes to
about 182 hours a year. TTiat’s
more than 7.5 full days.
If you think of the millions of
man hours that are wasted each
year by the millions of men who
are overhaired, it is an awesome
economic waste by this country.
Because we are in a highly
competitive global economy,
maybe we should shave a law
requiring all men to have their
heads shaved each day.
Women, too. I don’t want to be
accused of discrimination.
(C) 1996 by The Chicago Tribune