ByWillAtkinson.com

Talk of an ‘08 Fred Thompson presidential run is once again surfacing.

Never discount the importance of superficiality in American politics (for reference, see Jesse Ventura, the 1960 Kennedy/Nixon debate, or the Washington Post story on “the politics of beauty”). That aside, Thompson’s prospects - already aided by a strong speaking voice and a memorable “Law & Order” acting role - might be bolstered by his resemblance to the recently deceased President Ford. He looks presidential and recently deceased presidents are often remembered favorably.

Does anyone else see it?

President Gerald Ford:

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson:

I wrote the following op-ed column for this week’s Johnsonian, which comes out later this evening. You read it here first.

Call for West Center accountability
By Will Atkinson

In early 2005, DeVere Construction placed a winning bid to build Winthrop’s new state-of-the-art athletic facility. The press release at the time said the $18.5 million bid was 10 percent higher than the supposed costs. Student fees, and yes that means your tuition, are shouldering most of the project’s cost. The highest bid Winthrop received was $21.4 million.

Jump forward two years: the West Center has been marred by mismanagement, inclement weather and now, tragedy. The project’s price tag has been raised to $25 million and if you think the center will open this fall (as the Winthrop Web site claims), I’ve got a nice bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you.

If you were a freshman in 2005, you would have been excited about using pristine athletic facilities for the latter half of your undergraduate career. That is, if you took Winthrop officials at face value.

“We have to take the lowest bid as long as it is responsive and responsible,” Walter Hardin, facilities management associate vice president, said in a 2005 Johnsonian interview.

The keywords here are “responsive” and “responsible.” It’s up to the Occupational Health and Safety Commission to decide whether the recent death was due to irresponsibility. Whatever Hardin meant by “responsive” - Princeton’s Wordnet says it means, “reacting to suggestions, influences, appeals or effort” – it’d be hard to make the case that any of those adjectives can ascribe the project, given present circumstances.

After DeVere’s initial bid, the obligatory postcards were sent to thousands of prospective students hyping the new construction. There were press releases, news stories and general fanfare.

Construction began at an anemic rate. The hours of Peabody, the old gym, were cut and there has been nary an exercise equipment upgrade in four years. Peabody’s pool, while funded in part by student fees, offers approximately four hours to students each day. And that’s if you want to swim between 7 and 9 a.m. or on your lunch break. It’s closed on Saturday if you’re wondering.

Let’s contemplate our sports editor’s thoughts: “The administration needs to stop fantasizing about the glorious Lois Rhame West Center and actually solve the problems that students are facing today.”

These were our former sports editor’s words, 33 months ago. If you’re wondering what buildings could possibly be built in slightly over two years, consider the Empire State Building and the Pentagon.

Unfortunately, it takes an appalling accident such as last week’s to point a critical spotlight on this project once again. It’s time for some accountability, hustle and maintenance of current facilities.

An otherwise well-written New York Times story on the NBA Finals is hindered by a grammatically cumbersome lead.

“The Miami Heat was badly outplayed Sunday night, seeming to be out of answers and at times looking as if they were outnumbered.”

should be…

“The Miami Heat were badly outplayed Sunday night, seeming to be out of answers and at times looking as if they were outnumbered.”

The AP rule for this is under “collective nouns” of the sports section:
“Teams names such as the Jazz, Magic, the Avalanche, take plural verbs.”

CBSNews.com: Blog

Is the world reverting to 19th century yellow journalism? There’s been a great deal of “partisan journalism” talk. It could be said this movement has been spurred by the popularity of Internet bloggers and their unabashed partisanship.

Still, isn’t “partisan journalism” an oxymoron? The venerable Associated Press was founded on the laudy principle of non-partisan journalism. How could a story sent across the wires have a slant if it’s running in multiple papers?

If Bret Hart can be a journalist, it might be time for a change.

Study Suggests Caffeine Can Help Liver

I knew it! As an avid coffee consumer, I found this article quite comforting. Now I’m sure writing a term paper at 4 a.m. on eight cups isn’t healthy but I’ll take the good with the bad.

Boing Boing is running an article by Dale Dougherty on how news is supposedly made.

Dougherty, the developer and publisher of Global Network Navigator (the first commercial Web site), contends journalists are lazy and do not question numbers enough.

An excerpt:

Journalists were good students. I was told the answer so I just have to repeat it using my own words because if we all gave exactly the same answer in the same words, that would be copying.

Don’t you just wish that journalists wouldn’t make up answers to questions they can’t answer? Don’t you wish they could sift through self-serving research and not repeat numbers that are at the least, meaningless, if not wholly bogus?

The funny thing is that this same news is made every year in the same way as reliably as the turkey at Thanksgiving. The Internet allows us to see how news is made, as though we were walking through a factory tour, and we can compare the very similar results of a mass production system. Turns out the news can be as fake as a department store Santa.

An interesting, if unacquainted, critique…

The “same news” is known as evergreen stories. Christmas happens every year. It’s always news, as are most major holidays. Newspapers aim to serve their community and these events affect many readers.

Of course story leads will bear similarities throughout the countries. There’s only so many ways to introduce a story detailing a rise in sales.

Yes, many stories originate with press releases but journalism is hardly an untouchable bastion of elitist big-wigs. Press releases are sent by non-profit organizations and multi-million dollar corporations alike. If anybody believes they have a newsworthy story, it’s as easy as calling or e-mailing your local editor.

Dougherty believes journalists are far more obtuse or insidious than actuality. Still, the story’s worth a read.

When Ralph Waldo Emerson addressed the Phi Beta Kappa society in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he gave a fire and brimstone sermon on the languid nature of American academia. He assailed the reliance on England, the non-rebelliousness of thought, the notion of a scholar, and the excuses made by academics.

So what if America is a burgeoning fresh economy, thought Emerson. America has a beautiful, immense “howling wilderness” waiting to be mined for thought and stories. Faulkner would later expound upon Emerson’s idea by declaring there is no past since it is evidenced in the present. Emerson believed American scholars need to stop the petulant bemoaning of England’s enviously rich history and background.

Emerson attacked the strict, rigid life an academic was perceived to lead. He urged academics to get out! It was his belief that one cannot write about the world without being in it.

He went on to attack the academic worship of books, the bibliophiles. Books contain excellent ideas that were once revolutionary but are tools, he said.

Emerson also called for American scholars to be self-reliant. Some have incorrectly interpreted this as contradictory to his urge to scholars to be part of the world. In actuality, Emerson is urging academics not to rely on the ideas of others, to be original in thought. Every age is revolutionary and it serves no purpose to rest upon the dusty laurels of yesteryear, thought Emerson.

Flinging aside my Emersonian self-reliance, Emerson’s advice can be applied to modern academia, albeit with several caveats. It would always serve academic life to initiate revolutionary new truth. This seems self-evident. With the extreme compartmentalization of the technological era, it would be supremely beneficial for academics to be versed in a variety of disciplines. This was originally the aim of a liberal arts education. With CLEP tests, high school AP credit, and other means of receiving college credit, this “Renaissance Man” aim has been highly diluted. Even doctors and physicians might discover something by being more worldly.

Although college students are coddled more than ever, a regrettable capitalistic tinge has crept into American education. We don’t learn for learning’s sake but for salaries that will bring future university endowments and Thoreau to turn in his grave. Higher education has become rigid and shallow. Emerson would cry for revolution.

I prepared these remarks before the racial issues forum last Thursday but didn’t have a chance to deliver them.

###

I’m going to give you a number. 2,559,466.

That is the number of soldiers who have fallen for this country since its founding. They died for American ideals. They fought for these words:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Perhaps you know it, the first amendment.

The Johnsonian is protected by the first amendment and that includes Byington’s free expression. Period. No ifs, ands or buts. No matter how much you detest her opinion and viewpoint, she has the right to express herself.

I would like to commend the Roddey-McMillan Record for the restraint exercised in their coverage of this incident. I was ready for the worst and it turns out, I didn’t need to be.

However, the editorial contained within the November 9, 2005 edition contains several points to which I take great offense.

First off, the editorial asserts that the Johnsonian made a scapegoat out of Byington to veil some insidious racial plot. This is pure conjecture and disingenuous journalism.

The piece also declares my editor-in-chief Rebekah Woodson to be an outrageous person for having the audaciousness to print a controversial opinion column. I quote: “What bothers us is…she would run the same piece again. How can you say that when such literature generated this amount of tension and has seemingly created a racial divide further separating blacks and whites?”

I’m going to use Aristotle’s time tested argumentative method, reductio ad absurdum. If journalists are to follow this proposed modus operandi of avoiding tension, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward would be coming to a Burger King near you. A minor event known as Watergate created significant amounts of tension for the Nixon administration.

It must be noted that the civil rights movement was protected by the first amendment. Journalists covered freedom rides, bus boycotts, and marches with bravery and balance. The pictures of African-Americans being beaten just for sitting at a whites-only lunch counter created inestimable amounts of racial tension. Would it have been better to ignore these events and keep everyone feeling safe and tension-free?

Now some of you will make the logical fallacy that I have tried to equate Byington’s column with the valiant 1950s and 60s civil rights struggles. This is unequivocally incorrect. I am merely citing precedent to bolster an argument that I regret having to make in the first place: free speech is intrinsic to this great country. It was founded upon it.

Just because someone’s thoughts cause controversy does not mean they should be marginalized. It is a fundamental principle of the American republic that the rights of a minority, which in this case is free speech, be protected from the tyranny of the majority. Ben Franklin said that.

Admittedly, race issues are extremely tenacious and volatile, especially in this region. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are 47 active hate groups in South Carolina, more than any other state. Obvious inequalities exist among different groups. America will only be greater when every citizen can compete economically on a level playing field.

Still, it saddens me that this column prompted vitriol and anger rather than a measured discussion. If anywhere should be a safe haven for the marketplace of ideas, it should be a university. I think it’s embarrassing to the college that a reasoned debate did not occur. Rather, headlines splashed ‘uproar’ and ‘anger.’

As reprehensible as some speech might be, it must still be protected. Because you disagree with an idea does not mean it should be quelled. Such an opinion is totalitarian and tantamount to book burning.

I urge students not make assumptions about an organization’s motives. Byington’s column was not an organized attack on African-American students. Rather, Christine Byington elected to express her views in our paper. Any student is allowed to act as she did. It is her right.

I had no knowledge of the content contained within Christine’s writing prior to publication. To purport that I did is both folly and a logical fallacy. You do yourself a disservice by not weighing the issue more carefully.

The Johnsonian exists as a forum for all students. We invite all viewpoints from across the political spectrum. If you feel differently from Christine, I challenge you to prove her wrong. We are always looking for writers and would love to ideas from across the ideological board. I believe it’s healthy for a campus to discuss issues that many people hide under the blanket or shy away from.

Finally, if you have problems with our coverage, tell us. I had not received any negative letters yet after Christine’s column some students termed my hard work shoddy and lacking in journalistic integrity. Yes, that is an affront to me but I am always looking to improve myself as a person and a journalist. The Johnsonian is open to all students, all viewpoints, and all people, regardless of race, color, or creed. I invite you to transform our publication if you believe it needs to.

Column critical of black students lights off brouhaha
Black fraternity calls for resignation of student paper’s editors

In the Nov. 2, 2005 edition of Winthrop University’s The Johnsonian, copy editor Christine Byington wrote a column critical of some black student’s opinions.

The first sentence of the column, “Black people at Winthrop will probably be angry,” would give Nostradamus a run for his money. Many Winthrop students are incensed over the column.

Alpha Phi Alpha, the predominantly black fraternity, called for the resignation of the entire Johnsonian staff at a rally held Thursday night in Tillman Hall. Over two hundred people packed Tillman auditorium to capacity.

Shouting matches have been reported in the cafeteria, minority students are demanding repercussions and the Johnsonian’s editors (of which I am one) are coming under fire.

As much as Byington’s opinions might be reprehensible to some, it is within her rights to publish them. Her column did not contain any falsities, it did not harm anyone’s reputation and it is not hate speech. Under the first amendment, Byington has the express right to publish her opinion.

The Johnsonian will publish controversial opinions. The staff desires students to discuss and be interested topics addressed in the paper.

The opinions, however, are just that – opinions. Nothing more, nothing less. They do not represent the staff’s views, just the columnist’s.

We invite responses and articles from across the ideological spectrum.

…..

And now, for your intellectual digestion, here is the Christine Byington’s controversial article presented in its entirety:

Student observes double standards at Winthrop
By Christine Byington
Copy Editor

Black people at Winthrop will probably be angry. And I’m sure they will proclaim that Christine Byington doesn’t care about black people. If you care, however, you will read this thoughtfully.

To begin, I think it’s important to state a fact obvious to those who know me well. I don’t mean to implicate all blacks in this. I just have a problem with the belligerent ones who think we aren’t doing enough for them.

Hurricane Katrina brought back to the public attention the ongoing issue of race relations in America. The tragedy quickly shifted from concern for the people affected by the hurricane to the judgment that the federal government did not like black people. Obviously, the federal government has a vendetta against the blacks and chose not to respond to them quickly, right?

Hurricane Katrina brought back to the public attention the ongoing issue of race relations in America.

I guess we’re assuming that the many people of various ethnic backgrounds in the Bush administration don’t care about black people, either.

Today in the daily student announcements I saw the “Black Fact of the Week.” I did not have a problem with this in itself. Surely it is important for us to understand the contributions of black people in our lives. However, this is just one piece of an ever-complicating problem on campus. In case you don’t know, there are quite a few groups on Facebook devoted to black people. Two in particular caught my attention: “Winthrop Does Not Like Black People” and “I Should’ve Went To a Blacker College.”

The first group describes itself as, “a group for people that agree that Winthrop is not a university for black people. Winthrop really doesn’t try to do anything for blacks and black people has to work so hard to get things here.” My main point with that description, being the amateur grammarian that I purport to be, is that the first step to “get things here” is to use proper English. To get what you want, you have to work hard. I don’t think this is a problem unique to black people. Everyone has to work hard in college. I also wonder what they want. If anyone who is a member of that group would like to inform us what they want, then that would be super. My friends and I hypothesize that professors are equal opportunity dislikers. They don’t necessarily make things difficult for you because of your skin color or any other variable. They make things difficult because they can.

I don’t think this is a problem unique to black people. Everyone has to work hard in college.

Seriously, though, what would you like Winthrop to do more of for you? I’m sure the administration would like to hear your options because they dedicate themselves to making Winthrop a positive learning environment. No, that was not a facetious comment.

The second group I mentioned begins its description with a simple question: “Are u sick of not finding anyone good to do your hair without paying an arm and a leg? Do you ever see an HBCU’s band and then hear the sorry Winthrop Pep Band and feel ashamed? Do you find yourself fleeing to other colleges just to enjoy a REAL homecoming (ex: football team)? Did you look around the first day of orientation and was like what the hell did I get myself into? Then you should have gone to a blacker college!”

I think this opinion I am about to write applies to everyone who complains for house about Winthrop. If you hate the school so much, you have options. Namely, go ahead and go to another college. This Facebook group brings up the issue of having no football team at Winthrop. I don’t know about anyone else, but I knew Winthrop didn’t have a football team when I applied. Chances are you did too.

I have enjoyed many-a-comment in class about the plight of black people. Now, I understand taking pride in your heritage. However, it is just that – heritage. We no longer hose people in the streets. I’d say if you have the freedom to sit in a classroom and state those opinions, you’ve got it pretty well. I think the problem many people see with all the racially based arguments is that it seems those who argue the points are using past experience as present justification. They still think that the United States is a racist country and that the country isn’t doing enough for them.

I think the problem many people see with all the racially based arguments is that it seems those who argue the points are using past experience as present justification.

I am a Republican and I definitely believe in the Republican-esque approach to achievement: Anyone can succeed in life if they try hard enough. Sure, there might have been many barriers to black success 40 years ago. However, it is 2005. With the exception of a minority of businesses and perhaps universities, there are not many barriers to deal with anymore. In fact, I think there has been a surge in specialized programs for people of various ethnic backgrounds. For example, I’ve been looking into summer research programs in psychology. I’ve noticed that most of the programs are limited to students of ill-represented groups (i.e., ethnic minorities). I am only half black and I don’t want to use that as my way to get into a program.

Ultimately, I think we need to achieve more equality. To be truly equitable, for example, we should offer programs that are specifically for whites. Yes, I just said that. I’m sure a lot of people just slammed the paper down and spouted a few expletives. But don’t you see the logic here? It can’t be a problem in one instance and not in another. Kids, that’s called a double standard.

To be truly equitable, for example, we should offer programs that are specifically for whites.

This happens far too often, though. Some blacks are happy with the programs that benefit them. Once a similar programs starts that is gears toward whites, all of a sudden the program becomes racist. Like a person I know said once, if an Association of Ivorites was established on campus, people would be up in arms. We need only look at the case of a whites-only scholarship established at Roger Williams University last year. The group who sponsored the scholarship did so not out of racism but out of a desire to be fair.

Those who complain about the state of affairs tend to cit this desire for fairness. However, to be truly fair, we should offer such specialized opportunities for various groups in America. We should also offer White Facts of the Day and Hispanic Facts of the Day, among others.

I think it’s important to mention the groups on Facebook that are devoted to intelligent and articulate blacks. It’s somewhat disappointing when that it perceived as a surprise. I’m sure if you approached any of those people and asked them what people in their families or communities though of them, you’d probably find a few who would tell you people didn’t like them. Some in the black community frown upon black students succeeding in life. I think we have a problem when we need Facebook groups to highlight articulate blacks on campus. While others are spending time complaining about the way things are, there are students at this school who are doing something about those problems.

Some in the black community frown upon black students succeeding in life.

A basic observation of people would show you that if you devote time to complaining about the way things are (Jesse Jackson), you don’t have as much time to devote to finding effective solutions. To the angry black people who might be reading this column, understand that I do not mean ill will toward you. Basically, I’m the “safe” person to write this because I’m biracial. Know that there are many people on this campus who feel the same way I do but who do not want to air their opinions in the Johnsonian because, well, they are white.

I think it’s sad when some whites feel they must stifle their opinions because of the color of their skin. That must be what life was like for blacks in the 1950s.

MediaPost Publications - ‘05 Proving To Be Worst Newspaper Year Since Recession - 10/31/2005

This is distressing.

There must be positive stories out there. It’s not as if the public will no longer need or digest the product journalists create.

Hopefully, this is just the ebb in journalism’s overall flow. New technologies and delivery techniques will continue to transform journalism but it will never make the profession obselete.

Several companies are working on an LCD paper. Such an invention would spell wonders for journalism. Consumers could purchase an “LCD newspaper” and new content would be automatically uploaded to it, including video. This, of course, is far, far down the road but it’s something to think about.