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Show ------~--~---- - - - JOURNAL COMMENTARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR WORDS AND DEEDS uch is made in the world today about the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions. Quite possibly, the emphasis placed on such a virtue stems from the fact that all too many individuals attempt to downplay the impottance of owning up to what we do and say. Sadly, it seems that our own campus is not free fro m those who wouJd attempt to shirk this charge. Happily, there are those who do not. Last week, a student, anonymous to most, did something that was noteworthy, but not for aJI the wrong reasons. First, he broke a hackboard in the P.E. Building after ignoring the printed warning that dunking was not alJowed. Soon enough, he found out why the notice was there and was left with onJy a bent rim and some broken glass. ~ members of the human community, it is virtually inevitable that we will all do stupid things. The consensus would no doubt agree that Mr. Dunk-o-Rar:na ' s exhibition su re ly fits this classification , but at the same time could cut him some slack in light of his mortal condition . Consequently , the aft e rmath of this . unfortunate situation was, in fact , positive enough. The guilty party did the honorable, noble and, yes, the honest thing by leaving his name a nd numbe r in an attempt to make restitution for his misplaced zeal. And an opportunity to grow in stature in the eyes of those w ho prize an honest heart was won. Just as important as 'fessing up to our faults is acknowledging w hat we say and the public opinions we espouse. Rece ntly, the Journal received a le tter to the editor from a student who, among other things, was upset abo ut an edito rial cartoon that ran on Sept. 3 of this year depicting sorority signs. The author w rote: "I am a me mber of a Greek organization on campus and I have noticed a definite anit-greek [sic] attitude by your cartoonist Derk. The purpose of the editoriaJ cartoon is to make fun of certain points in life, not to maliciously slander an organization." The author finished with: "If you print this do not use my name or any other identifiers of me other than 'concerned student of SUU. '" The Journal never has and never wilJ print an anonymous letter, which is why this one did not run. Those who report the news or express their opinions in the media are subject to scrutiny to the consuming public, as welJ they should be. By the same token, the critical public should be held to answer for their opinions, as well, when published in an open forum . Most would probably consider this 'fair.' In this same vein, it is reasonable to expect that an individual whose actions a re injurious to many to deal openJy with the repercussions. Consequently, the acceptance and the abdication of the responsibility to put one's name to a word or deed, when it impacts the public at-large are actions to be judged closely. The former is to he expected; the latter is little more than cowardice. M UNIVERSITY JQ\2~~~ DIRECTING STAFF AND DESK PHONE NUMBERS: Edi1or G lenn H2lterm2n 586-7750 Associate Editor Chad L.imb 586-7759 O pinion Dirtt1or D.ivid Barnu 586-7759 Photo Edi1or John Gucnl<:r 586-7750 Copy Editot Russell Miller 586-7750 Focu• Edilor Kc! Luken 51!6-1992 Ass't Focus Edi1or Komi Eg:in 58(..1992 Arts Editor Bundon Bc:van 865-8443 Spons Editor O.W. Anderson 865-8443 Almaltllc Edi1or Anna Turpin 865·8226 Ad Man2ger M2gg1e Neisen 586-7758 Ad Rtprtsent2tivc Kyle Case 586·7758 Ad Designer J2n,en G undcI$on 586-7758 Facuhy Adviffrs Lany Baker 586--7751 Moms Brown 865-~556 SENIOR STAFF WRITERS AND REPORTERS' DESK S86-n57, 586-5488 The Unn·l•",rv Journal 1s puhl1shcJ \'.Very Mund.ly anJ ThursWy of the acaJc:m1c y.,;a.r by anJ for the -.1u~nt ht.Jy u( Southun Utah Un,vcrstty It n."CCIY\.'1 aJv1St.....ncm from thc umv-..:ntty's cnmmun1camm J...1,mmcn1 ~nJ Crum ,he un1vcnuy aJminiJ\r,uion The views .anJ or1nmns CJ:l"r\'.'.!5':d tn the fa,urnal .arc 1h1114: uf 1nJ1V1Ju.al writ ers .mJ Jo nut ncccu~nly reflect 1h1.: vu;ws of th\! 1nst11utnm, (;,cuhy, staff ur -,.1uJ...·1u ht.Jy ,n ,ccncr.al An uns11J1",J 1..-Jtturu1I directly abov..: 1.s 1h1.: orm10n u( tht: Unnr-~r:.uy Y,arrial ,u a ,1nik r,;snny Lt.."ltcrs UJ thi.: 1.."11tur m\»t ~ t)'J'l.-'1 .1nJ ,ncluJc the name anJ pht1nc number Only the n.amc will 1k: punt..:J. NJmcJ will not be wnhhdJ unJcr Jny c1rcumsunc:..:.s anJ th.: cJnor rcscrVt..':5 cdllln,t r,1v1k1li:> L..'tu:rs must he 'luhmnu.,J hy ~rm ThursJ..ays ror tnclu.J1on in M.,nJ.ay t..Jnmns, anJ by 5 rm MonJ.&y, (~ir ThursJ..ay t..'1,uons Cnt'nnc~ Any 1nJ1v,Jua) wuh ~ ~m,:v-;ancc aµmn the /uurna/ 1houlJ Jin:ct such r<ohlcm first to the i.:Juo, If unr~sulvt.."1. th~t ,-n..:v ..mcc shoulJ th1.:n ~ J.m:rtc.. J to the f.acuh y aJv,sc:tls1. If s-ull unr~,lvcJ. the ~ucv..tn1:.c ~houlJ he Jm.-ctcJ to the Journ&JI Stt..'\."r1"1t Commuu.:c. whu::h 1.s ch:nrc,:J hy Dr Fr.tan C P\.'arsun, ~•t>-l'Y.I Univ~n11y Journo.J: Ofhc..:s in SUU T-.:chno1u~y 8u1IJ1n,t 00.l M..t1l at SUU Bm:: ~.4ft4, CcJ.ar City. Uuh <4 "!O FAX (~.1,1,~~.,~~7 E-m,al ,JJn:,s ~,urnahlsuu ,Ju : ••• - -----O.~IJ.U..<J.'\..l\ln_(JIJ>l')VI~ 111\.\IKfnll.l ll!l'(<ll"I • - ••• ·----•-- DERK Journal 10-12-98 DAVE BARRY COMMENTARY Do,nestic tips fro,n guys Guys do not get enough credit for being domes tic. This is because the people who give OUT the c redits for being domestic are-not to generalize or anything-women. Women tend to believe that domestic things should be done in a certain way, defined as "not the way guys do them." I have a perfect example of this type of thinking in a letter I received from a woman named Karen in Portland, Ore., who does not approve of the way her fiance handles his dirty dishes: He puts them in the refrigerator. Now I can hear you women asking: "Why?" But I het most guys immediately grasped the reason, which is: If you put dirty dishes in the sink, after a couple of days they get moldy; whereas in the cold, airtight environment of the refrigerator, mold takes much longer to develop. "I'm wondering," Karen wrote, "if we should just ask for an extra refrigerator for a wedding gift." My feeling is, no. It makes far more sense to get a freezer. Not only will a freezer hold a lot more dirty dishes than a refrigerator, hut, thanks to the· lower temperature , these dishes can remain relatively mold-free in there forever. This wilJ leave Karen 's guy with more time for other domestic c hores, such as laundering his underwear in the dishwasher, unless that is where he keeps his canned goods. But getting hack to my main point: Guys are sometimes accused of not having a domestic flair just because they tend to accessorize a room with used pizza boxes. But there are examples of guys coming up with decorative touches that Martha Stewart wouJd never conceive of even with the aid of world-class narcotics. For example, I h ave here a fascina ting newspaper a rticle sent in by alert past or Pete Beckstrand of the Zion and Franklin Lutheran Churches of Viroqua, Wis. This article, which I swear I am not making up, is from the Sept. 26, t 996, e diti on of-get read y for a n excellent ~namc-::thc Vtr!?!Ql'J _<;_q,p1ty Br.o~t;er; It concerns a local resident named Mervin Langve who, according to the article, discovered a slice or toast in an old·time toaster... in an old cookstove: He realized that the toast was made from bread baked hy his mother; thus , as the a rticle states, Mervin determined that the toast is 36 years old. I am telling you right now what a woman would have done if she had found a piece of toast older than all three Hanson brothers combined: She would, using tongs, throw the toast away, then throw the tongs away, then gc;t out her industrial disinfectant and violently scrub the entire house as well as several neighboring houses. But that is not what Mervin Langve did. According to the Vernon Country Broadcaster, he mounted this piece of toast on a breadboard he now has hanging in his kitchen. The Vernon County Broadcaster states that it makes for "a very attractive keepsake." I called Mr. Langve, and he told me that the toast is still on his wall and looking as good as ever, despite the fact that he has never put any kind of preservative on it. I asked him if visitors think his wall decoration is unusual. "They sure do," he said. "They can't hardly ; . believe it. " I bet they can 't. And I happen to think that Mervin Langve has broken important new interiordecor ground .w ith the concept of walJ-mounted heirloom foods . Think of the possibilities! (" ... and on this wall is the actual meaJ that Uncle Walter was eating wtren he passed away; you can see his forehead imprclsion in the mashed potatoes.") So let's not say that guys are not domestic, OK? When we sec a guy who makes drapes by nailing trash bags ovCt" his windows, let's remember that he might have a legitimate domestic reason, such as that he ran out of duct tape. Let's be fair; let's be open-minded. And above all, let's remember to let our underwear thaw before we put it on. Dai•e Barn, is a nationally synd icated columnist. , -r-11 ,....,.,.,,. ..... .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ |