The catalyst? An editor who, shocked that students did not respond to an article labeled "Gay Fashion" printed a few days earlier, demanded that BYU students show a "little more passion.")
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In response to the valiant effort to fight for mens rights and against male sexism everywhere, I prefer to answer the writer's demands that we conduct our affairs with “a little more passion.” Dear, as cute as you and your sentiments to fight the good fight are, perhaps you will allow me to instruct you on the ways and means of what you call “passion.”
Upon coming to the university, I rather expected educated people to care about something with a little more substance than we did in high school—but am unable to find anything beyond complaints about cleavage, the Bookstore, PDA, what he said, what she said, or some other pathetic offense. Like you all think you're so original.
While you carry on about BYU fashion injustice, may I remind you that children are starving to death every day—within the United States? Gaza has been torn apart by tanks and rocket fire for three weeks and has received no aid. The first African-American president was inaugurated less than a week ago. The Executive, the Senate and the House are all now Democratic. Guantanamo Bay will close and its 245 detainees released to U.S. Attorneys within the year. The Congo and Rwanda have formed a military alliance against Hutu insurgents after decades of hostility. Last year, the UN removed its surveillance from North Korea's main nuclear complex in Pyongyang. Two in China face the death penalty for selling watered-down milk that has killed six infants as of now, yet six doctors in France were acquitted from a case of negligence that killed 114 people.
Do you understand what I'm trying to say? Is no one enraged at the fact that trillions of dollars change hands each year in the human trafficking of over 27 million slaves worldwide, including sex slaves and child soldiers? Does no one care that over ten million females have been aborted in India because their dowries are so expensive, or that 2,500 bride burnings are reported annually?
There are things that matter. And things that don't. In the paper written by students for students, I expected better than this. Forgive me if I've offended anyone who's ever written to the Forum—or for the entire Daily Universe. There are 35,000 people on this campus; studying, testing, doing homework, putting together theses and projects and lessons to accomplish what they are passionate about. So they don't care about some kid saying men look gay in V-necks; so what? The writer seems to think these soon-to-be lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, artists, writers, and musicians have no passion.
Last semester, I viewed some of this passion first-hand. In addition to their schoolwork, my roommate found the time to put together Christmas care packages to comfort a few of the 200,645 men and women serving in Iraq. My visiting teacher and her roommate brought relief to countless victims of domestic violence at the Center for Women and Children in Crisis. Ward clerks tutored kids with Downs at the local elementary school. Our FHE mom organized groups together to sing and play music in Provo nursing homes.
But why did no one hear about it?
Because these gormless freshmen would much rather put their variety of talents into the work they cared about than insert articles alongside “Mens Fashion Rights at BYU”. They refuse to belly-ache and whine and waste their time writing down wailing articles about how things ought to be—they take their passion and make things how they ought to be...if only for their small moment.
If the DU would rather we were like Heather Fraley and her noble cause for Facebook breast-feeding pictures, then I apologize in advance. Perhaps more of us actually believe the world is our campus—and not the other way around.
