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VIEWPOINTS Page 8 1 _l m A f f _I A. 1 ■ rV_y Wednesday, March 22,2006 _.__________ M t AMECOCK EDITORIAL BOARD Editor j STEVEN VAN HAREN j News Editor j JUSTIN CHAPURA Assistant News Editor j JACKIE ALEXANDER j The Mix Editor j ALEXIS ARNONE Design Director chas McCarthy Sports Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU Viewpoints Editor BRINDY McNAIR Assistant Viewpoints Editor AARON BRAZIER IN OUR OPINION Take your roommates to ‘Vagina Monologues’ Liberation. Discovery. Clitorises. If any of those words make you uncomfortable, go see “The Vagina Monologues” on Thursday, Friday or Saturday at 8 p.m. in the law school auditorium. Bring an open mind. Bring a friend. Leave expectations at the door. With an unflinching, unsettling eye, Eve Ensler’s play tackles domestic violence, rape, cancer, AIDS and a host of other issues confronting women. “Monologues,” staged at myriad college campuses around the country, aims to get people comfortable with onen discussion. “The Vagina Monologues” is about a search for empowerment and self-awareness. In an age of political correctness, a jolt of reality is just wnat the OB/GYN ordered. “Monologues” looks to break stereotypes about the word “vagina,” help women overcome fears about their bodies and end violence against women. L,otty goals indeed, but if anyone can do it, the supporters of such a grassroots movement can. The play has always relied on a heavy dose of word-of-mouth advertising, and USC students should try to get their friends into the audience. Guys usually think they won’t get anything out of “Monologues.” Not true. The secrets of the female mind are the psychological equivalent of the Holy Grail to some men, and an opportunity to hear two hours of priceless insight could be helpful in decoding the opposite sex. Be prepared to laugh, cry and learn. Be prepared to hear almost every possible nickname for “vagina” ever invented. Be prepared to have your beliefs challenged. You might squirm in your seat, but it’s all in the name of knowledge through genitalia. Forget the stereotype that the play only features or caters to lesbians or belligerent man-haters. “Monologues” is about a search for empowerment and self-awareness, two things anybody can relate to. And with proceeds going to local crisis centers, $8 is a small price for a night of entertainment and enlightenment. IT’S YOUR RIGHT Voice your opinion on message boards at www.dailygamecock.com or send letters to the editor at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu CORRECTIONS If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know about it. E-mail us at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu ABOUT THE GAMECOCK STEVEN VAN HAREN Design Director chas McCarthy Copy Desk Chief AARON KIDD News Editor JUSTIN CHAPURA Assistant News Editor JACKIE ALEXANDER Viewpoints Editor BRINDY McNAIR Assistant Viewpoints Editor AARON BRAZIER The Mix Editor ALEXIS ARNONE Assistant Mix Editor KRISTEN TRUESDALE Sports Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU Assistant Sports Editor ALEX RILEY Photo Editor NICK ESARES Assistant Photo Editor KATY BLALOCK Public Relations Director ROSE GREENE Page Designers MIKE CONWAY, KATE FENWICK, MEGAN SINCLAIR Staff Writers AJ. BEMBRY, TOM BENNING, JESS DAVIS, tim McManus, marjorie RIDDLE, GINA VASSELLI Copy Editors CAROLINE DESANCTIS, BETHANY NICHOLS, ELIZABETH PARHAM, KATIE THOMPSON, JAMISON TINSLEY, KRYSTAL WEBBER, LIZ WHITE CONTACT INFORMATION Offices located on the thirdfloor of the Russell House Editor's office hours are from 2-3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays Editor gamecockeditor@gwm.sc.edu News: gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu Viewpoints: gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu The Mix: gamecockfratures@gwm.sc.edu Sports: gamecocksports@gwm. sc. edu Public Affairs: gamecockPR@yahoo.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726 ; Sports: 777-7182 Editor's Office: 777-3914 Fax: 777-6482 w i uiikii i ifiLuin Director SCOn UNDENBERG Faculty Adviser ERIK COLLINS Creative Director SUSAN KING Business Manager CAROLYN GRIFFIN Advertising Manager SARAH SCARBOROUGH Classifieds Manager SHERRY F. HOLMES Production Manager C. NEIL scon Advertising APRYL ALEXANDER, KATIE CUPPIA, BREANNA EVANS, MARY RACHEL FREEMAN, DEIDRE merrick, mckenzie WELSH i iix< unaiLAjuvift is me editorially independent student newspaper of the University of South Carolina. It is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the fall and spring semesters and nine times during the summer with the exception of university holidays and exam periods. Opinions expressed in THE GAMECOCK are those of the editors or author and not those of the University of South Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher 0/THE GAMECOCK. The Department of Student Media is the newspaper's parent organization. THE GAMECOCK is supported in part by student-activity fees. One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for Si each from the Department of Student Media. ■0WPa*0t<Osf m / IMMK3RAH0N IS A NUMBERS \ / SAME! WE ONLY WANT HUDPIEP \ / MASSES YEARNING TO WORK THE FIELDS. VACUUM T>« HOUSE, \ CLEAN THE TOILETS AND CUT / \ 1HE<3t?ASS! / Courtesy KRT Campus Mystery attracts lovers to play guessing game Secrets seduce suitor at first impressions, keep admirers digging As a girl who matured during the “Sex and the City” era, I have to admit shadiness is a term my cynical, hopeless romantic mind has come to associate with men. But I’m sure its something both sexes win equally. We’ve become masters of deception, even in the most innocent of ways. So why is it that people are never what they seem? You can dig and dig and read every Facebook profile, blog and Google search result on the information highway, but the mystery remains. Take that guy everyone has pegged as the rebel because of his leather jacket. Maybe he’s a sensitive soul, more romantic than my girlfriends. It’s a big disappointment to think you’re dating the bad boy only to find out he’s a big baby. And what about that girl who seems so into you only to blow you off a few dates later. She plays the sweet and innocent, and later you discover she’s a party girl. Or what about our lovers’ secret habits; you could be sleeping with the guy that has bags of hair in his closet. Everyone can agree that the first part of the relationship is the best, complete with four-hour phone conversations and the unwillingness to hang up. That’s how both sexes decide if the crush could actually be something more. The first few weeks are what helps set up the long haul. So maybe that initial attraction proves to be false or maybe you find a real spark, whatever you get from the never ending conversations its not shadiness. If she stops calling you two weeks later, don’t fret; she just didn’t feel the same way, Take the rejection and walk away. Maybe she’s a little disappointed you aren’t the rebel she thought you were. Sure it sucks when you feel like you’ve made a real connection with someone and they don’t feel the same. But look at it this way: at least you didn’t waste a year of your LIZ IUHITC Second-year print journalism student life making each other miserable because you both accepted the initial reaction. If there’s one thing I’ve learned through my relationships, it’s that first impressions aren’t always right on. Maybe people aren’t what they seem, but sometimes the getting to know who they really are is the best part. Everyone in a relationship wishes they could have that until-5 a.m. chat again. But to be completely contradictory, that mystery you spend weeks trying to decode is what attracted you in the first place. And months later, it’s what keeps you hanging in there. If everyone walked around with signs hanging from their neck saying: “I like romantic comedies,” or “I listen to bad music,” there wouldn’t be any reason to talk to them. Personally, I like the first few sweaty-palm dates. I once spent two hours in Arby’s getting to know a boy. Months later, every time I pass an Arby’s I can’t help but smile. It was tho$e first few minutes of butterflies that told me I really liked this guy, even if I have to call in Sherlock Holmes sometimes. IN YOUR OPINION D/\1</>n olnrnfiprtHAtir ey-m-m nnn i« A noimin a1 a Tl,„__ don’t fit in media I would like to express my concern over a recent story in The Gamecock (“After Saturday attack, search on for shooter,” March 20) in which mention is made of a student being shot in the shoulder by “a black male.” I would encourage the staff at The Gamecock in the future to use better judgment and develop a greater sense of responsibility in order to avoid such expressions that serve no identifiable purpose and that may have negative unintended consequences. I assume the" description “black male” was provided by the Columbia Police. However, while the physical description of a can be relevant for the police, such a description has an entirely different meaning when it is adopted in a news article. Specifying the gender and race of a suspect surely helps the police in their inquiries, but it is not relevant in a news story unless a case is made to the contrary and The Gamecock would hold the view that the suspect was shooting because he was black and male. I doubt this is the case. Arguing that the description is factually accurate is not relevant, because many other descriptions would be accurate as well as would be similar descriptions of suspects and victims in other criminal incidents. * V livg U • V » UVb towards the members in our community who happen to share the characteristics of such a description, also, can be considerable and their stigmatization is not something responsible journalism should contribute to. MATHIEU DEFLEM Associate professor of sociology Submission policy Letters to the editor should be less than 300 words and include name, phone number, professional title or year and major, if a student. E-mail letters to gamecockopinions® gwm.sc.edu. Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more information. I Abortion ban attacks girls final options, not demand To cut termination use, students, children need proper sex education FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Gov. Mike Rounds signed ^ a bill completely banning abortion unless the pregnant woman’s life HRTE is at risk. The DZIRTRRS law makes no Colorado exceptions for State serious health University risks or victims of rape or incest. This law is a blatant attempt to challenge the legal precedent of Roe v. Wade and a dangerous choice for women throughout the nation. ^ When I spoke to mj V father, who is a physician in South Dakota, about the issue he had a very interesting analogy. He said that abortion is a symptom, and treating symptoms does not do any good. If a patient comes to him with pneumonia, he could treat the accompanying cough symptoms but would still die of pneumonia. The truth is, changing the availability of abortions does not change the demand. Outlawing abortion jusr^ forces women to travel^ to other states or turn to black-market methods and put their lives in danger. The problem is not women getting abortions; it’s women noorlinrr rtknrtinnc South Dakota does not require any form of ' contraceptive, abstinence or sex education. As a product of the public school system, I can safely say that my sexual education experience was sub-par. I didn’t learn much about my sexual or reproductive health from thf^k boys’ basketball coach. I am lucky to have two parents in the medical field who saw the need to teach my sisters and me about safe sex. The state should mandate sexual education and self defense classes. Make emergency contraception readily available. Give women resources to prevent an unwanted pregnancy rather than end one. Rounds has said he believes that the test of a civilization is how it treats its most helpless and vulnerable people, which he savs are the unborn. ^ What about the youngW girl who is raped and becomes pregnant? Is she not vulnerable and helpless? What about the daughter who is impregnated by her abusive father? Why should she have to suffer the consequences of someone else’s heinous actions? What if the mother’s psychological health is at risk? What if her socioeconomic status would prevent her from adequately caring for a child? There are too many “what ifs” for this ban to b^A plausible. There has to b^ exceptions to the rule. The world is not black and white, but is painted in a million shades of gray. It is impossible to determine the “right” answer to this question or define when a human life begins and ends. Instead of making laws based on extremes, it is the responsibility of legislators to give a voice to the people whom the laws affect and find the shade of gray that pleases? the majority. r Winners & Sinners Cinnamon, a Sheltie w from Seabrook, N.H., H saved a 4-year-old boy and his friend from a rabid fox. Recently captured Kenneth Hinson is accused of kidnapping two 17-year-old girlds and raping them in an underground dungeon behind his home.