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CALEB SLINKARD CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR Perhaps no specific terminology represents the decline of literacy in American society more than SMS language, also known as textese, chat- speak and a myriad of other names. Anytime someone opens their mouth only to spit out “LOL” or “BTW,” I die a little inside. Ok, well maybe that’s a bit harsh, but you get the point. The prominence of such speech reflects a society fully embrac- ing texting, chatting and other new media which, in and of itself, is not bad. The problem is it reflects a culture quickly mov- ing toward a less intel- ligent method of com- munication. It’s seeped into the fabric of our cul- ture through YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, IM and numerous other instant communication sites and programs to such an extent that to hear someone use “OMG” in a sentence is almost nat- ural at this point, espe- cially for college and high school students. That worries me. It worries me because my generation and those following it seem to ignore the fact that reading actu- ally might be good for you. “Legit” might be cool to use among your friends, but it doesn’t help write English papers or get job interviews. I’m not say- ing people who use SMS langauge don’t read, but if they do, they certainly are ignoring some fun- damentals of the English language. Either way, it sounds like they don’t. More than anything, hearing people use SMS language is personally frustrating to me, because it makes them sound like an uneducated Valley girl. It’s not bad to use tex- tese in formats such as tex- ting and Facebook chat. After all, those formats are what it was invented for. Reading “How r u doing?” in a text makes perfect sense to me. After all, it’s a hassle to type out complete words when you can just use an abbre- viation and get your point across, especially when you are driving. But when people begin to use it in everyday conversation, I can’t help but roll my eyes. Do they have any idea how stupid it sounds for them to say “LOL” in a conversation? How peo- ple can sound so ignorant with so few letters is really the most amazing part of this phenomenon. The rallying call of the 70’s was “peace” while my generation’s is “TTYL.” If that’s not sad, I don’t know what is. So have fun, all of those fluent in textese. Maybe someday you’ll grow up. I can only hope so. ADAM TROXTELL SPORTS EDITOR What happened at Fort Hood on Nov. 5 was absolutely horrible. For some, especially for those who lost a friend or fam- ily member in the shoot- ing, calling it a tragedy is only putting it mildly. The real tragedy, I fear, is only beginning. Upon hearing the name of the shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan, my stomach dropped as I could only imagine the firestorm about to occur. Now the media are throw- ing around phrases such as “links to Pakistan” and “communication with a radical Muslim leader.” After 9/11, the lives of Muslims in America were difficult enough. After the Fort Hood shooting, the concentration of Muslim discrimination is shifting to those in the military. Americans have abso- lutely no right to judge Muslims based only on their fear of radical Islamists. The fact is every religion can be taken too seriously and give people a sense of duty to not only ensure their beliefs spread like wildfire, but also to eradicate those teaching a different belief. For the most part, Americans view Muslims as anti-American. This is naturally going to happen when a group of extremists crash planes into historical American buildings in the name of “Allah.” Islamic terrorism is only a form of ultra-Muslim extremism, and the main reason it’s prominent is because those in high posi- tions of authority in the Middle East are preach- ing it. Governments in that part of the world are founded strictly on Islamic principals, so it is easy for extremism to be taught. There are millions of Muslims all over the world. They are dot- ted across Europe, North Africa, parts of East and Southeast Asia, and even here in the U.S. True, there is no accurate way of knowing how massive the terrorist network is, but the numbers do not add up. If all Muslims are ‘out to get us’, as many Americans believe, wouldn’t they have done it to a greater extent already? It does seem the nation- al media are restraining themselves at the moment. The fear of being branded a racist or discriminatory seems to be keeping them in check. However, it also seems they are doing all they can to play up the fact this shooter, this Nidal Malik Hasan, was Muslim. The American people can- not allow themselves to become immersed in the idea the world of Islam is completely separate and an enemy of the western world. They intertwine so much, and the unraveling of one contributes to the unraveling of another. The same applies for Muslims in the military. Just because our opponents in the ‘war on terror’ hap- pen to be fighting for their religion does not mean all Muslims want to fight for their religion and against the United States. I have no doubt about the existence of terrorist ‘splinter cells’ in America, but that does not mean every single person of Middle Eastern descent should be watched under a microscope. There are many Muslims in America. Some of them love this country, others are willing to fight for it, and they have a right to worship who or what they please. Freedom of reli- gion is, after all, in our Constitution. So all of these people who insist anything Muslim is anti-American need to remember what their country was actu- ally founded upon. Every American has a right to be treated equally, regard- less of anything, even if the people in high positions of their religion are wag- ing war against everything non-Muslim. JOSH LAW STAFF WRITER Some of you may have seen people walk- ing around campus this month wearing creepy (or comical in my case) mustaches. No, we are not becoming pedo- philes or peeping Toms, as popular belief would suggest. We are par- ticipating in an event called Movember. Movember is a portmanteau of the words “mustache” and “November”, and the reason behind the event is to help pro- mote awareness of men’s health issues. I feel this event is very important, because these issues are not readily dis- cussed among men due to the sensitive nature of what they repre- sent. These diseases kill tens of thousands of men every year and leave a great number more with effects last- ing them the rest of their lives. The two main dis- eases that are focused on are prostate and testicular cancer, but there are a variety of other issues that afflict men specifically. The mustaches are a symbol that attracts attention and makes people want to ask questions, much like the pink ribbons that people wear for breast cancer awareness. Movember was start- ed in 2004 in Australia and has gained world- wide attention since then. There are now many countries in the world that participate in the event. Movember lasts for the entire month of November and requires the par- ticipants to shave on the first and let it grow until the end of the month. At the end of the month, awards are given out to the partic- ipants who catalogue and submit pictures of their mustaches to the national website. Other awards are given to the participants who raise the most money for the event or get the most people to sign up for it. There are also private parties for the people participating all around the country. Even though this issueseems like a wor- thy cause to support, there are situations that arise not allowing men to grow a moustache to support this cause. In 2007, there were several students in New Zealand who were banned from their graduation ceremony, because they grew moustaches to support Movember. I have also read several accounts of people being made to go home from work to shave, because office policy does not allow for facial hair. Seriously? I know I rant and rave about the luna- cy I see in day-to-day life, but when a com- pany or organization does not allow this for one lousy month of the year, I have to beat my head against my desk out of frustration. This cause is a wor- thy, worthwhile, hon- orable one that is doing no harm to anyone. I cannot understand how anyone would try and stymie it, regard- less of policy or rules. Still Movember is a wonderful event, which will bring awareness to an issue that needs to be addressed. There will always be people who try to stand in the way of progress, but it’s good to see men supporting this cause despite what their superiors say. OPINION OPINION www.theeasttexan.com Thursday, Dec. 03, 2009 Page 2 “Textese” undermines English language The East Texan, official student newspaper of Texas A&M University-Commerce, is published 12 times per semester during the Fall and Spring by students in reporting and editing classes. Content is solely the responsibility of the student editors and writers. The comments and views expressed in The East Texan do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of other students, staff, faculty, administration, or the Board of Trustees. The East Texan is located inside the Journalism building on the east side of campus in room 113. Single copies are available in Journalism 113 for an additional 25 cents. Letters to the Editor are welcome and should be limited to 250 words. They will not be edited for spelling, grammar and libelous or malicious statements. We reserve the right to refuse publication. Letters should be typed or e-mailed and must include a signature, classification (grade level) and telephone number. Mailing address is The East Texan, P.O. Box 4011 Commerce, Texas 75428. Established 1915 The East Texan The East Texan JESSICA RUSH MANAGING EDITOR ADAM TROXTELL SPORTS EDITOR JAMES BRIGHT EDITOR JARED WATSON ONLINE EDITOR DANIEL MENDENHALL PHOTO EDITOR CALEB SLINKARD CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR News Desk 903-886-5985 facebook.com/pages/The- East-Texan-Online twitter.com/TheEastTexan ADVERTISING SAM EPPLAR 903-217-4049 CHANCELLOR MILLS 214-564-0644 CONTACT FRED STEWART FACULTY ADVISER Web site: www.theeasttexan.com E-mail: [email protected] fred_stewart@tamu- commerce.edu MEGAN CAREY ARTS SCENE EDITOR Above the Law Muslims deserve right to fight LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, An alumni association can really be a powerful tool not just as a source of donations but also as a way for graduating stu- dents to connect with for- mer students who have already been out in “the real world” and can give them valuable guidance. -Dallas Movers Dear Editor, I am curious as to how and adult (student) giv- ing away something paid for can, in any concievable way, be equated to steal- ing. I am also unable to understand how taking out a meal that was paid for can be in any way construed as a “privlige.” Mr. Offerle, are stu- dents allowed to purchase a take out meal and, for example, give their friend a bite of their hamburger or will that result in los- ing take-out “privliges”? Can they give them 2 bites? Can they take one bite and give away the rest, or must they eat at least half? Where do you draw the line with this absurdity? -Jake Dear Editor, youre kidding right? this doesn’t belong in circula- tion, much less on an xanga must be amatuer hour -seriously? Dear Editor, I think it was an entertain- ing read. Journalism doesn’t have to be news,news,news. I liked it and I bet alot of other readers did and can relate as well -Yeah, seriously Note: Previous two comments in reference to the Nov. 12 article, “Crazy B’s cling to men” by Jessica Rush online at theeasttexan.com Dear Editor, I noticed you made a post about peopleofwal- mart.com. Perhaps you might be interested in doing a follow up about People of Public Transit. People of Walmart inspires sister site (People of Public Transit) http://www.peopleof- publictransit.com/ The public bus and sub- way systems are littered with amazing photo oppor- tunities. Many of us have been sitting alone witness- ing something amazing and only wishing we could share the experience with our friends. Well now you can! Thank you, -John Michael “I sunk my Titanic.” James Bright, Editor “I thought you dated a girl named Ernest.” Jared Watson, Online Editor “A tarantula came, and I couldn’t say no.” Megan Carey, Art Scene Editor “Mascots hook up, have baby on the way.” Caleb Slinkard, Campus Life Editor “I’m the last picked? I’m the fat kid?” James Bright, Editor “Movember” promotes men’s health Random quotes out of context It is undeniable how fast-paced our lives have seemed to become these days. Instant com- munication, drive-thru and speedier modes of transportation have all ingrained a sense of impa- tience in our daily lives. This does not mean we can race through life and around and across campus, oblivious to the safety of pedestri- ans and other drivers in Commerce. Seriously, we’re beginning to won- der how many people have to get hit by cars in this town for people to take a good hard look at how reckless they are driving. Already this semes- ter a former professor was hit and killed by a vehicle as he attempted to cross the street. A woman was hit and taken away by ambulance a couple weeks ago from in front of the Ferguson Social Sciences building when, again, an oblivious driver struck her with a car. Last semester students were hit in a crosswalk, so telling pedestrians to stop jaywalking isn’t necessarily going to stop this problem. Perhaps the light-up crosswalk signs which show people when it is safe and appropriate to cross the street could be installed around known problem areas; however, this won’t do too much good until people start with an evaluation of their behavior. People should allow themselves more breath- ing room in getting from one destination to another, and apparently both driv- ers and pedestrians would be wise to open their eyes and stay alert as they take what has recently been a life-risking trek across our somewhat unsafe campus streets. Editorial: Pedestrian safety fixed with careful drivers MELISSA ARCHER STAFF CARTOONIST
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ADVERTISING SAM EPPLAR 903-217-4049 CHANCELLOR MILLS 214-564-0644 tion, much less on an xanga must be amatuer hour -seriously? “I sunk my Titanic.” James Bright, Editor “I thought you dated a girl named Ernest.” Jared Watson, Online Editor “A tarantula came, and I couldn’t say no.” Megan Carey, Art Scene Editor “Mascots hook up, have baby on the way.” Caleb Slinkard, Campus Life Editor “I’m the last picked? I’m the fat kid?” James Bright, Editor News Desk 903-886-5985
Transcript of Page2_(12-03)
CALEB SLINKARDCAMPUS LIFE EDITOR Perhaps no specific terminology represents the decline of literacy in American society more than SMS language, also known as textese, chat-speak and a myriad of other names. Anytime someone opens their mouth only to spit out “LOL” or “BTW,” I die a little inside. Ok, well maybe that’s a bit harsh, but you get the point. The prominence of such speech reflects a society fully embrac-ing texting, chatting and
other new media which, in and of itself, is not bad. The problem is it reflects a culture quickly mov-ing toward a less intel-ligent method of com-munication. It’s seeped into the fabric of our cul-ture through YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, IM and numerous other instant communication sites and programs to such an extent that to hear someone use “OMG” in a sentence is almost nat-ural at this point, espe-cially for college and high school students. That worries me. It worries me because my generation and those following it seem to ignore the fact that reading actu-ally might be good for you. “Legit” might be cool to use among your friends, but it doesn’t help write English papers or get job interviews. I’m not say-ing people who use SMS langauge don’t read, but if they do, they certainly are ignoring some fun-damentals of the English
language. Either way, it sounds like they don’t. More than anything, hearing people use SMS language is personally frustrating to me, because it makes them sound like an uneducated Valley girl. It’s not bad to use tex-tese in formats such as tex-ting and Facebook chat. After all, those formats are what it was invented for. Reading “How r u doing?” in a text makes perfect sense to me. After all, it’s a hassle to type out complete words when you can just use an abbre-viation and get your point across, especially when
you are driving. But when people begin to use it in everyday conversation, I can’t help but roll my eyes. Do they have any idea how stupid it sounds for them to say “LOL” in a conversation? How peo-ple can sound so ignorant with so few letters is really the most amazing part of this phenomenon. The rallying call of the 70’s was “peace” while my generation’s is “TTYL.” If that’s not sad, I don’t know what is. So have fun, all of those fluent in textese. Maybe someday you’ll grow up. I can only hope so.
ADAM TROXTELL SPORTS EDITOR
What happened at Fort Hood on Nov. 5 was absolutely horrible. For some, especially for those who lost a friend or fam-ily member in the shoot-ing, calling it a tragedy is only putting it mildly. The real tragedy, I fear, is only beginning. Upon hearing the name of the shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan, my stomach dropped as I could only imagine the firestorm about to occur. Now the media are throw-ing around phrases such as “links to Pakistan” and “communication with a
radical Muslim leader.” After 9/11, the lives of Muslims in America were difficult enough. After the Fort Hood shooting, the concentration of Muslim discrimination is shifting to those in the military. Americans have abso-lutely no right to judge Muslims based only on their fear of radical Islamists. The fact is every religion can be taken too seriously and give people a sense of duty to not only ensure their beliefs spread like wildfire, but also to eradicate those teaching a different belief. For the most part, Americans view Muslims as anti-American. This is naturally going to happen when a group of extremists crash planes into historical American buildings in the name of “Allah.” Islamic terrorism is only a form of ultra-Muslim extremism, and the main reason it’s prominent is because those in high posi-tions of authority in the Middle East are preach-ing it. Governments in that part of the world are founded strictly on Islamic
principals, so it is easy for extremism to be taught. There are millions of Muslims all over the world. They are dot-ted across Europe, North Africa, parts of East and Southeast Asia, and even here in the U.S. True, there is no accurate way of knowing how massive the terrorist network is, but the numbers do not add up. If all Muslims are ‘out to get us’, as many Americans believe, wouldn’t they have done it to a greater extent already? It does seem the nation-al media are restraining themselves at the moment. The fear of being branded a racist or discriminatory seems to be keeping them in check. However, it also seems they are doing all they can to play up the fact this shooter, this Nidal Malik Hasan, was Muslim. The American people can-not allow themselves to become immersed in the idea the world of Islam is completely separate and an enemy of the western world. They intertwine so much, and the unraveling of one contributes to the
unraveling of another. The same applies for Muslims in the military. Just because our opponents in the ‘war on terror’ hap-pen to be fighting for their religion does not mean all Muslims want to fight for their religion and against the United States. I have no doubt about the existence of terrorist ‘splinter cells’ in America, but that does not mean every single person of Middle Eastern descent should be watched under a microscope. There are many Muslims in America. Some of them love this country, others are willing to fight for it, and they have a right to worship who or what they please. Freedom of reli-gion is, after all, in our Constitution. So all of these people who insist anything Muslim is anti-American need to remember what their country was actu-ally founded upon. Every American has a right to be treated equally, regard-less of anything, even if the people in high positions of their religion are wag-ing war against everything non-Muslim.
JOSH LAW STAFF WRITER
Some of you may have seen people walk-ing around campus this month wearing creepy (or comical in my case) mustaches. No, we are not becoming pedo-philes or peeping Toms, as popular belief would suggest. We are par-ticipating in an event called Movember. Movember is a portmanteau of the words “mustache” and “November”, and the reason behind the event is to help pro-mote awareness of men’s health issues. I feel this event is very important, because these issues are not readily dis-cussed among men due to the sensitive nature of what they repre-sent. These diseases kill tens of thousands of men every year and leave a great number more with effects last-ing them the rest of their lives. The two main dis-eases that are focused on are prostate and testicular cancer, but there are a variety of other issues that afflict men specifically. The mustaches are a symbol that attracts attention and makes people want to ask questions, much like the pink ribbons that people wear for breast cancer awareness. Movember was start-ed in 2004 in Australia and has gained world-wide attention since then. There are now many countries in the world that participate in the event. Movember lasts for the entire
month of November and requires the par-ticipants to shave on the first and let it grow until the end of the month. At the end of the month, awards are given out to the partic-ipants who catalogue and submit pictures of their mustaches to the national website. Other awards are given to the participants who raise the most money for the event or get the most people to sign up for it. There are also private parties for the people participating all around the country. Even though this issueseems like a wor-thy cause to support, there are situations that arise not allowing men to grow a moustache to support this cause. In 2007, there were several students in New Zealand who were banned from their graduation ceremony, because they grew moustaches to support Movember. I have also read several accounts of people being made to go home from work to shave, because office policy does not allow for facial hair. Seriously? I know I rant and rave about the luna-cy I see in day-to-day life, but when a com-pany or organization does not allow this for one lousy month of the year, I have to beat my head against my desk out of frustration. This cause is a wor-thy, worthwhile, hon-orable one that is doing no harm to anyone. I cannot understand how anyone would try and stymie it, regard-less of policy or rules. Still Movember is a wonderful event, which will bring awareness to an issue that needs to be addressed. There will always be people who try to stand in the way of progress, but it’s good to see men supporting this cause despite what their superiors say.
OPINIONOPINION www.theeasttexan.comThursday, Dec. 03, 2009Page 2
“Textese” undermines English language
The East Texan, official student newspaper of Texas A&M University-Commerce, is published 12 times per semester during the Fall and Spring by students in reporting and editing classes. Content is solely the responsibility of the student editors and writers. The comments and views expressed in The East Texan do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of other students, staff, faculty, administration, or the Board of Trustees. The East Texan is located inside the Journalism building on the east side of campus in room 113. Single copies are available in Journalism 113 for an additional 25 cents.
Letters to the Editor are welcome and should be limited to 250 words. They will not be edited for spelling, grammar and libelous or malicious statements. We reserve the right to refuse publication. Letters should be typed or e-mailed and must include a signature, classification (grade level) and telephone number. Mailing address is The East Texan, P.O. Box 4011 Commerce, Texas 75428.
Established 1915
The East TexanThe East Texan
JESSICA RUSHManaging Editor
ADAM TROXTELLSportS Editor
JAMES BRIGHT EditorJARED WATSONonLinE Editor
DANIEL MENDENHALLphoto Editor
CALEB SLINKARDCaMpUS LiFE Editor
News Desk 903-886-5985facebook.com/pages/The-East-Texan-Onlinetwitter.com/TheEastTexan
ADVERTISINGSAM EPPLAR903-217-4049CHANCELLOR MILLS214-564-0644
CONTACTFRED STEWART
FaCULty adviSEr
Web site: www.theeasttexan.comE-mail: [email protected] r e d _ s t e w a r t @ t a m u -commerce.edu
MEGAN CAREYartS SCEnE Editor
Above the Law Muslims deserve right to fight
LETTERS TO THE EDITORDear Editor, An alumni association can really be a powerful tool not just as a source of donations but also as a way for graduating stu-dents to connect with for-mer students who have already been out in “the real world” and can give them valuable guidance. -Dallas Movers
Dear Editor, I am curious as to how and adult (student) giv-ing away something paid for can, in any concievable way, be equated to steal-ing. I am also unable to understand how taking out
a meal that was paid for can be in any way construed as a “privlige.” Mr. Offerle, are stu-dents allowed to purchase a take out meal and, for example, give their friend a bite of their hamburger or will that result in los-ing take-out “privliges”? Can they give them 2 bites? Can they take one bite and give away the rest, or must they eat at least half? Where do you draw the line with this absurdity? -Jake
Dear Editor, youre kidding right? this doesn’t belong in circula-
tion, much less on an xanga must be amatuer hour -seriously?
Dear Editor, I think it was an entertain-ing read. Journalism doesn’t have to be news,news,news. I liked it and I bet alot of other readers did and can relate as well -Yeah, seriously
Note: Previous two comments in reference to the Nov. 12 article, “Crazy B’s cling to men” by Jessica Rush online at theeasttexan.com
Dear Editor, I noticed you made a
post about peopleofwal-mart.com. Perhaps you might be interested in doing a follow up about People of Public Transit. People of Walmart inspires sister site (People of Public Transit) http://www.peopleof-publictransit.com/ The public bus and sub-way systems are littered with amazing photo oppor-tunities. Many of us have been sitting alone witness-ing something amazing and only wishing we could share the experience with our friends. Well now you can! Thank you, -John Michael
“I sunk my Titanic.” James Bright, Editor“I thought you dated a girl named Ernest.” Jared Watson, Online Editor“A tarantula came, and I couldn’t say no.” Megan Carey, Art Scene Editor“Mascots hook up, have baby on the way.” Caleb Slinkard, Campus Life Editor“I’m the last picked? I’m the fat kid?” James Bright, Editor
“Movember” promotes men’s health
Random quotes out of context
It is undeniable how fast-paced our lives have seemed to become these days. Instant com-munication, drive-thru and speedier modes of transportation have all ingrained a sense of impa-tience in our daily lives. This does not mean we can race through life and around and across campus, oblivious to the safety of pedestri-ans and other drivers in Commerce. Seriously,
we’re beginning to won-der how many people have to get hit by cars in this town for people to take a good hard look at how reckless they are driving. Already this semes-ter a former professor was hit and killed by a vehicle as he attempted to cross the street. A woman was hit and taken away by ambulance a couple weeks ago from in front of the Ferguson
Social Sciences building when, again, an oblivious driver struck her with a car. Last semester students were hit in a crosswalk, so telling pedestrians to stop jaywalking isn’t necessarily going to stop this problem. Perhaps the light-up crosswalk signs which show people when it is safe and appropriate to cross the street could be installed around known problem areas; however,
this won’t do too much good until people start with an evaluation of their behavior. People should allow themselves more breath-ing room in getting from one destination to another, and apparently both driv-ers and pedestrians would be wise to open their eyes and stay alert as they take what has recently been a life-risking trek across our somewhat unsafe campus streets.
Editorial: Pedestrian safety fixed with careful drivers
MELISSA ARCHER StaFF CartooniSt
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