Daily Orange Roundup

Okay, I'm going to start off with an anecdote totally unrelated to the post. Just skip to the 2nd paragraph if you don't care. Anyway, I had about an hour in between two classes this afternoon, so I decided to sit down in the lobby of the building I was in to read through the Daily Orange (which inspired the second part of this entry). After about 10 minutes, a girl walked in and sat down across from me. Then...she took out her cell phone and proceeded to talk for 20 FREAKING MINUTES. Why would you do this when the person across from you is clearly reading? Here's the best part: I caught some of her conversation, including the phrase: "...It's worth it to get a Democrat in office." SHE WAS RUDE AND A DEMOCRAT!!!! I love college.

Okay, now for the actual post. There aren't any full editorials in the DO today that I can cover, but a couple items caught my eye. Let's take a look. First, we have Cheers and Jeers, which gives us a rather unique perspective on the week's events. Here's a sample:

Cheer - Wheelchair-bound owner of Hustler Magazine Larry Flynt is rumored to be in the process of publishing a story about a woman who allegedly had President George W. Bush's 1970 abortion. According to America's favorite smut peddler: Bush allegedly paid for and drove his then-girlfriend to have an abortion, presumably conceived by the future president. If the story proves true, it would be an embarrassing revelation for Bush, given his stern opposition to abortion. The Daily Orange cheers Mr. Flynt for having the testicular fortitude to pursue such a story - something another news media outlet (like CBS) would likely be scared sh*tless by.

Keep in mind that this paper published an editorial a few days ago about how pathetic the John Kerry adultery charges are, and how the right should stop attacking him. Hooray for consistency.

There are also some interesting news items, such as this

A new brother of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity was stopped by DPS (Department of Public Safety -ed.) after it was reported that he was dressed in blackface, according to a Public Safety report.

Director of Public Safety Marlene Hall said the case is now being reviewed by the District Attorney, although the university will continue to pursue the case.

The brother said that he was not dressed in blackface, but instead was dressed in camouflage in an attempt to take back a composite, a collection of all current members of the fraternity, from a sorority...

This is frickin' hilarious. Apparently, it's now a hate crime to even RESEMBLE someone in blackface. It gets better, too:

Although the brother said he was not dressed in blackface, [the fraternity president] said he understood that it could have been perceived as offensive.

"We apologize," [he] said. "We don't consider that behavior or mind-set to reflect on the fraternity."

The Thought Police have struck again. Allow me to sum this up in case you're confused: A fraternity member was wearing camouflage for some kind of prank. Public Safety thought it was blackface and reported him. After they sorted out the case, the president of the fraternity apologized.

Who else sees the problem with this? THE PRESIDENT OF THE FRATERNITY HAD TO APOLOGIZE BECAUSE PUBLIC SAFETY MADE A MISTAKE!!!!!!!!! Since when is it a crime for someone to perceive you as a racist? Unbefreakinlievable.

Finally, we have yet another story about "diversity" that fails to explain what that word means. Here's a summary:

Calabash spread diversity through music
The Women of the Calabash don't just make their own music - they make their own instruments.

The trio plays on the hard shell of the calabash, a squash-like gourd, along with an array of homemade wooden instruments crafted by group member Madeleine Yayodele Nelson.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs will bring the Women of the Calabash to Goldstein Auditorium tonight at 7:30. This performance, free to SU students, is also funded by the U. Encounter Diversity Grant, S.A.M.E. and the RAICES dance troupe.

First of all, I think it's funny that they're sponsored by so many groups, especially those with names like S.A.M.E. and RAICES. I've never even heard of them. Also, how exactly does one "spread diversity?" Let's see if they tell us:

Infusing natural sounds with lyrical poetry, the female trio illustrates its heritage and culture through music. The performance will include musical influences of the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa.

"(They are) bringing a cultural show to Syracuse University to emphasize diversity through music and dance," said James Duah-Agyeman director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

Okay, at least that sounds a little more like what you would call "diversity," but still, how is it a "cultural show," exactly? Isn't any show technically a cultural show? I've gone to see a couple stand-up comedians (Jim Breuer and Dane Cook) since I came here. Aren't they part of our culture?

There's more, but that pretty much sums it up. I would really like someone to explain what diversity is, because I still can't figure it out.

That's all for now. I have a lot of stuff to do in the next 36 hours or so, but I will hopefully have a very important message posted sometime tomorrow. I'm not giving you any details, but I'll just say that it involves what you might call "undercover work" (no, not that kind, you perverts). More on that tomorrow night.