This column will be printed in Thursday's, 4/17/09, Crimson White. I attempted to address the problems with the theory that laws should be based on popular morality as well as respond to a recent rash of people refusing to get the facts I've been noticing lately. I don't care whether or not you agree with me about something, so long as you've got all the necessary facts to make an informed decision. It's something we need to think about.
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As Chris Holmes' column in Wednesday's edition of The Crimson White states, laws are codified morals in his opinion. Why? Because laws are made to unify what society thinks is right and wrong. As popular opinion today seems to go, America was founded on Christianity, morals are okay to legislate and are the founding source of laws and we should vote for laws based on our religious beliefs.
I'm sorry, but that makes no sense and is, quite frankly, ignorant, which has been going about like a dangerous disease.
America was not founded on Christianity. It was founded on freedom. Desire for equality (amongst certain people) and class elimination. A desire for land. But the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were not Christian in ideal. If you've taken an American Government class, you've heard the names Locke, Rousseau and Montesquieu. Keeping people in check, keeping people equal through social contract and mutual agreement, giving everyone a few very basic rights. These are the philosophies that founded our law. Christianity has similarities, but never when I read the Bible did I notice "Thou shalt not run a red." Facetious, maybe, but it illustrates the point. And the Treaty of Tripoli, Article 11, most certainly helps solidify the point that we are not a Christian nation. Shocker there.
America has no place passing laws based on popular thought. Banning slavery was not popular with the majority. Letting women vote was not popular with the majority. Allowing interracial marriage was not popular with the majority, especially in certain states. Popular morality is not what matters and affects these things. The philosophies that create our government as laid out in the U.S. Constitution are what affects those decisions. It just usually takes a large, unpopular outcry that gains speed for the issue to be brought up. Breaking a law isn't bad because the law is about some moral issue, it's because breaking the law is, by most moral sentiments, inherently immoral unless following the law is immoral.
These are things that we can learn with just a little bit of study. A little research into the cultures of the times, a glance at the court cases and opinions in "Loving v. Virginia" or "Brown v. Kansas Board of Education" or "Tinker v. Des Moines" would show that the Constitution, not popular morals, made those decisions.
But some people are content thinking what they think. Knowing the "facts" they know, as spoonfed to them by other people. All the time, I hear people spouting off arguments about something as simple as what movie to go watch and saying, "Well I heard [insert blatant non-fact here]."
This is a travesty. We have people thinking evolution says we evolved from monkeys and that evolution and religion can't mix, people thinking that their religion says something it doesn't and people just being... ignorant. Truly ignorant about what is correct and what is false.
We need to stop this epidemic of nonchalance toward education. It's sad there even is one considering we're at a university. Even on the simple things, people don't want to research. Want to know what a movie's about? Read a review. Want to find a new place to eat? Look in a phonebook. Want to know what happened to Brother Micah? Ask someone in charge of UA grounds.
People, we need to challenge ourselves in our educations, so we don't make mistakes like thinking the Bill of Rights is copy-pasted from the Bible. We need to stop being content with what we think we know and spread our blanket of knowledge around to cover the whole bed.
I recently watched "Dead Poets Society." An excellent film, one everyone should watch and pay close attention to what it's asking. It asks its viewers, "Is knowledge dangerous? Is tradition the safest path?" Perhaps it is the safest path. Then again, so is living in a bubble. This world will not walk around your life to keep you safe. There is no guarantee your beliefs and ideas won't be challenged. So challenge them yourself first. Either you'll find out you were wrong and fix it, or you'll be ready for any argument that comes your way. And don't be content to just take the classes that are required of you, especially if you're curious about other things. Satisfy that curiosity. Yeah, your GPA may be injured, but your life will be enriched.
Speak up when you have something to say. Look up when you have something to see. Learn the things you don't know. Complain when you seek change. Question when something seems off. Seize the knowledge, the human experience. To better your life, this University's output and the world's expectations.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
An open letter to the UA administration.
NOTE: The following column isn't actually how I feel about this topic. I haven't done enough research to actually make a decision on what I think. What it is, though, is a sample of an "Our View" that I wrote in an attempt to be next year's Crimson White Opinions Editor. I did not get the position, so I may write some columns but that's it. Expect opinions like this, though, and every day as the plan is to have an Our View every single time the paper prints.
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Foster Auditorium: A place infamous on our campus and across the nation, thanks to Alabama Governor George Wallace standing in the doorway to fight for a segregated school.
Everyone remembers good ol’ boy George in his infinite racism. What people need to be reminded of, however, is the fact that he lost. On that doorstep, in June 1963, segregation failed. We took one step further away from racist policies and closer to equality.
Yet, our UA administration seems intent on letting Foster Auditorium wither into obscurity. They seem to be so embarrassed by the actions of the governor that they forget the role we played in integration. Creative Campus attempted to bring attention to the history behind Foster and the role we played through their Foster Auditorium Awareness Week that suddenly became Awareness Day.
Why is that, admin? Why are we letting this issue move along quietly? Is it an issue of money? I don’t think so. If it is, call up some influential people. Artur Davis came to the forum, and his time isn’t something given lightly. I'm sure he could find some way to raise funds. As national and well-known Foster Auditorium is, funds should be no problem.
And speaking of fundraising, a silent fundraising? Keeping quiet until 2010? What purpose could that possibly have? Are you afraid to let people know whether or not Foster is making money, or is this just another attempt to sweep the topic of Foster’s possible renovations under a cone of silence?
This topic has gone completely under-discussed and ignored for too long. When President Whitt took over, he decided to stop all progress that had been taken toward making Foster Auditorium a historical site. That brought up hope of renovations, which are next to impossible to do on historical sites. That hope, however, was slowly and painfully throttled away via zipped lips and hushed conversations.
Why are we so terribly ashamed of Foster Auditorium? Why do we want it to continue its direction towards becoming a heap of rubble? Well, UA administration: Some of us don’t. You might not be able to tell since you’re not opening up any discussion on the subject and letting people with a vested interest say their piece. Maybe you are ashamed of it. Maybe you are embarrassed by what Governor Wallace did and how it seemed to taint the University with an air of racism. But after Prothro and Mt. Cody and Javier Arenas, I think it’s a little more than obvious that we’re not standing in any doorways any more.
So, here’s a novel idea. Let us have a say in our campus and in our history. With as much as we pay to come to this great Capstone, it’s the least you could do.
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Foster Auditorium: A place infamous on our campus and across the nation, thanks to Alabama Governor George Wallace standing in the doorway to fight for a segregated school.
Everyone remembers good ol’ boy George in his infinite racism. What people need to be reminded of, however, is the fact that he lost. On that doorstep, in June 1963, segregation failed. We took one step further away from racist policies and closer to equality.
Yet, our UA administration seems intent on letting Foster Auditorium wither into obscurity. They seem to be so embarrassed by the actions of the governor that they forget the role we played in integration. Creative Campus attempted to bring attention to the history behind Foster and the role we played through their Foster Auditorium Awareness Week that suddenly became Awareness Day.
Why is that, admin? Why are we letting this issue move along quietly? Is it an issue of money? I don’t think so. If it is, call up some influential people. Artur Davis came to the forum, and his time isn’t something given lightly. I'm sure he could find some way to raise funds. As national and well-known Foster Auditorium is, funds should be no problem.
And speaking of fundraising, a silent fundraising? Keeping quiet until 2010? What purpose could that possibly have? Are you afraid to let people know whether or not Foster is making money, or is this just another attempt to sweep the topic of Foster’s possible renovations under a cone of silence?
This topic has gone completely under-discussed and ignored for too long. When President Whitt took over, he decided to stop all progress that had been taken toward making Foster Auditorium a historical site. That brought up hope of renovations, which are next to impossible to do on historical sites. That hope, however, was slowly and painfully throttled away via zipped lips and hushed conversations.
Why are we so terribly ashamed of Foster Auditorium? Why do we want it to continue its direction towards becoming a heap of rubble? Well, UA administration: Some of us don’t. You might not be able to tell since you’re not opening up any discussion on the subject and letting people with a vested interest say their piece. Maybe you are ashamed of it. Maybe you are embarrassed by what Governor Wallace did and how it seemed to taint the University with an air of racism. But after Prothro and Mt. Cody and Javier Arenas, I think it’s a little more than obvious that we’re not standing in any doorways any more.
So, here’s a novel idea. Let us have a say in our campus and in our history. With as much as we pay to come to this great Capstone, it’s the least you could do.
An introduction.
There once was a boy at The University of Alabama.
Great story.
At any rate, my profile explains where I am right now in my life, and as such, one should expect some of my posts to relate to University of Alabama issues. If you're reading and you get lost, it's okay. I will try and post some things on a more national and widespread level as well.
For the most part, this blog will be a place where I rant about politics, policy and philosophy. Sometimes I'll rant about national politics, sometimes about what my University's doing wrong this time... and then, sometimes, I'll just write about something people should think about or that would be interesting to think about for some. I hope to avoid making this a LiveJournal. After all, that's what LiveJournal is for. I don't want to rant on my life, but rather to present issues in a logical manner that will hopefully better life, for myself and others.
Comments are welcome, and in fact appreciated, so long as they aren't moronic and flaming. For the few that will read, please enjoy and try to get something out of my ramblings.
Great story.
At any rate, my profile explains where I am right now in my life, and as such, one should expect some of my posts to relate to University of Alabama issues. If you're reading and you get lost, it's okay. I will try and post some things on a more national and widespread level as well.
For the most part, this blog will be a place where I rant about politics, policy and philosophy. Sometimes I'll rant about national politics, sometimes about what my University's doing wrong this time... and then, sometimes, I'll just write about something people should think about or that would be interesting to think about for some. I hope to avoid making this a LiveJournal. After all, that's what LiveJournal is for. I don't want to rant on my life, but rather to present issues in a logical manner that will hopefully better life, for myself and others.
Comments are welcome, and in fact appreciated, so long as they aren't moronic and flaming. For the few that will read, please enjoy and try to get something out of my ramblings.
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