THE TUL NE HULLABALOO ------VIEWS OCTOBER 17, 2008 • 15 ·POLITICS· ·SOCIETY· Let them choose OfV-necks, Pabst and protest Flaws in pro-life arguments Hipster apathy is reaction to inaneyouth movements

So I'm walk- "sperm + egg= embryo?" Now we It's become ca, is only a problem for people too comfort, housed now in universi- ing past Boggs can't use contraceptives, because rather popular stupid to use the Internet - hours ties and gentrified neighborhoods, "What do you today, and I those would prevent the parts of to rage against of nun-themed scat porn are just looking quite indifferently to the see not once what could become an embryo what many a handful of keystrokes away. The world we inherit" think about the but twice the from coming together. people assume War on Drugs, perhaps the only It's not like youth movements equation wem- "So much the better; say true to be my gen- grievance left with the potential to don't exist. The "anonymous" cru- recent increase bryo =baby= pro-life types. So let's extend the eration's coun- galvanize youth, is so mishandled sade against Scientology is com- adult." While I equation even more: "sex= sperm Jeff ter cu It u re. by the government that it's current- posed of naive, socially awkward in sexual William suppose I ap- + egg = embryo." That's bad news Silberman Deemed "hip- ly easier and safer to procure a vial young people who spend their Lee-Wagner plaud the idea for Sarah "Abstinence Only" Pal- sters; the label of acid or an eightball of blow than time cruising the Something-Aw- assault on and of injecting a in. Every time you don't have sex, applies to any ful/Fark/4chan/ED Internet circuit. bit of rational- you are preventing a potential well-educated young person who Their community spirit is admira- near campus.? " ity into an emotionally charged embryo from being formed, and cares more about personal vanity "A cause exciting ble, but their goal is inadequate. debate, this seemed a bit ques- since an embryo is an adult, not than collective action. enough to replace Even better, I can't go anywhere on tionable coming from the side having sex is like shooting some- It's contemptible, these critics • the Internet without anti-Fed, pro- that bases its points almost en- one in the face. write, that today's young radicals self-interest may Ron Paul and 9-11 'fruth Movement tirely on opinion. True, the chance of sex lead- celebrate apathy and are wholly un- never exist as long people bombarding me with their I'm not saying the pro-life ar- ing to a full baby is less than the concerned with creating any cause- own pet causes. gument is invalid - after all, if chance of an embryo being born. driven movement. The critics tell as postmodern, These movements. however, lack you believe that a metaphysical But there's a long road between us hipsters create a countercul- unconditional coherent direction and competent ·soul· suddenly appears when a conception and birth, and plen- ture obsessed with conswnerism apathy lives in the leadership. The snarky "die hipster perm enters an egg, then the de- ty of chances for stillbirth, mis- and unconcerned with the plights die· crowd doesn't realize the Abbie bate really stops there for you. carriages and other misfortunes. of the world, let alone those of the minds of our young Hoffinans of our generation are too Aborting a fetus would, presum- So an embryo has only a (admit- working classes whose style they intellectuals." smart to care. They (or we, if I may ably, destroy a soul as surely as tedly high) possibility of being a imitate. be so bold to include myself among "It sucks! It's rea lly shooting someone. person. But the equation doesn't But, even though it's composed today's apathetic wunderkinds) scary!" Add to that the belief that un- say "embryo is less than a baby; mostly of individuals with a de- it is to get a student loan. would rather steal V-necks and la- less we get a chance to dip a soul it says wembryo = baby:' So we ob- sire and capacity to act out against A cause exciting enough to re- ment the implications ofpost-mod- Isabelle Miller architecture in water, the all-knowing and all- viously aren't concerned about mainstream values, this style isn't a place self-interest may never exist em ontology than bother with such freshman powerful God is forced to make probabilities here. counterculture. Hipsters, who nev- as long as postmodern, uncondi- trivial things. We have no counter- that soul bum for an eternity of Nov.. · in the interest of fair- er identify themselves as such, are tional apathy lives in the minds of culture because we have no cause. an effect (not a cause) of the com- torture. If you believe that, you're ness, there is another pro-life ar- our young intellectuals. ｾ ｾ We have no cause because things " . definitely going to have problems gument in this same vein that placency of our times - and it's not If my generation's Students for are. more or less, fine. -·:'. ｾ -· ·.ｾ \\ith abortion, and it makes sense has to be tackled - the sugges- their fault a Democratic Society, the classic Jeff Silberman is the Hullabaloo's ,, that you would want to prevent tion that somewhere in the de- Yes, the War on Terror is a crime student activist group, composed views editor and a sophomnre in the others who happen to have dif- velopment process the fetus be- against humanity, but it's certain- our own Port Huron Statement, Newcomb-Tulane College. He can r ferent beliefs from having a say.in comes conscious, and thus fully ly no Vietnam. Censorship and so- it would [email protected]: "we are people of be reached to lead the revolution at the matter. human. This argument has more cial repression, at least in Ameri- this generation, bred in substantial fsilbs@gmail.com Unfortunately for the pro- merit. except in the obvious case life folks, it seems a majority of of danger to the mother, perhaps America doesn't agree - other- it would be safer to wait out the \\ise we would have stopped de- last few months and then put the "I think it's scary. Me bating Roe v. Wade and started newborn up for adoption than being a tiny woman shooting doctors a long time ago. risk aborting something that on campus, I wou ldn't The pro-life crowd. then, has might notice. venture off McAlister to tum an opinion based entire- On the other hand, this is a after dark without a big ly on a very specific set of beliefs decision between a woman, her man: into a rational argument that can conscience and her doctor. Even be debated on its objective mer- if one finds third-trimester abor- Kayla Swedensky iLc;. They havt! to rationa11y con- tion disagreeable, it is not the psychology vince at least some of the major- government's right to interfere in sophomore ity before they start restricting such a personal decision. rights and telling others what to Indeed, if it wasn't so serious do \\ith their bodies. it would be comical to see the This is when it gets interesting. same "small government• Repub- Against the religion-based ap- licans who are so strongly against proach, there's no real argument regulating a factory's smoke- - you think a fetus has a soul, I stacks fight to regulate a wom- think it's a rather dumb seahor e. an's womb. \Ve agree to disagree. What this all means is that this Problems for the pro-life peo- pro-life attempt to rationalize and ple start when they drop their argue doesn't work, and either it's "embryo has a soul· argument to back to the drawing board, or the gain more support. Then, the ar- pro-life club is going to need a lot gument falls to that chalk equa- more little white flags. tion - a fetus is going to be a William Lee-Wagner is the Hul- "I think the one on Freret baby, who is going to be a person, labaloo's main section layout edi- and Broadway was kind so if we protect people, we should tor and a sophomore at Newcomb- of scary just because it protect fetuses. Tulane College. He can be reached was so close." But there's no reason we can't for comment at wleewagn@tulane. extend that equation. How about edu. Lauren Vossller freshman undecided

·POLITICS· McCain has lost his dignity, identity Mistakes ofcampaign reveal candidate's profound lack ofcharacter and consistency

America is in tra failed - and she wasn't even a didate they support, knows of his only hurt. energy independence when his re- the midst of a Republican. Yet, for whatever rea- calls for hope and change. As a result, he has resorted to cord shows that he voted against perfect storm of son, McCain thought it could work McCain, on the other hand, is mudslinging and, as his top advi- energy independence for the past tragic events. We for him - it, of course, did not. simply random with his attacks sor says, "changing the subject." two decades. are currently in The choice of Palin only exempli- on Obama. First it was Reverend He's gone from misleading Amer- So who is the real John McCain? "I think it's something a war that many fies the old logic of Washington. Wright, then Obama's foreign poli- icans in his speeches to blatantly He is a man who served our coun- that obviously and do not support, You can imagine the vetting cy experience, then taxes, then Bill lying about how he was for regula- try bravely, valiantly and in ways absolutely needs to be ｾ ｾ ｾ ｾ ｾ ｾ ｯ ｵ ｲ global repu- process and almost hear a top ad- Ayers and now "Who is the real tion and Obama was nol that few can ever comprehend. He prevented." Jack tation has taken a visor saying. "We'll get the con- Barack Obamar He lies about how he wants to is a man who was once a maver- Melamed hit. we have a na- servative base on board, and we'll Obama has one central end lobbying groups' con- ick. He is a man who has worked Ronnie Kanter tional debt that get the disenfranchised Hillary attack on McCain: Mc- trol of Washington across the aisle and certainly has a business is well over $10 trillion, gas pric- Clinton supporters." Women have Cain claims to be an while having near- record that shows it. freshman es are through the roof and we're been offended by this notion that agent of change, ly his whole staff But, he is also a man who, in going through an economic crisis. just by putting a lady on his tick- but he votes with composed offor- lying to the country, is essential- Yet, all John McCain wants to talk et female voters would blindly George Bush 90 mer or current ly willing to sell his soul to be about is Barack Hussein Obama's switch a11egiances and ignore Pal- percent of the time. lobbyists. He elected. He is now a man who "terrorist" buddies. in's stances that are unacceptable Nearly everyone lies to Amer- votes with his party 90 percent of McCain is desperate. to most Clinton supporters. knows that statistic icans when the time, and a man who runs an If we look closely at his strate· As Barack Obama put it, "he at this point. and a re- he says that undeniably dirty campaign. He gic errors, we can see why his cam- (McCain] must think you're cent CNN poll shows he has always uses political stunts and intellec- ｾ paign has deteriorated to where it stupid:' that the percentage fought for the tual dishonesty to help his own is today. McCain's next critical mistake of people who be- middle class career. He is a man who started I The most significant blun- was his lack of a clear, consistent lieve a McCain presi- when his re- his campaign preaching "coun- ｾ der was conceding that the elec- message. Before selecting Palin as dency will mean an ex- cord, which try-first," but it is now apparent tion would be centralized around his running mate, it seemed that tension ofBush's policies he refers that he is McCain-first and noth- 1 ｾ change, as opposed to his initial expertise and experience was at has increased this past to so of- ing else. "I don't know. I think it's ten, dem- Perhaps even he doesn't know awful. It's truly awful. =li theme of experience. He then se- the crux of his campaign. Then it week from 50 percent ｾ lected Sarah Palin as his running was "McCain the Maverick." Then to 56 percent. With onstrates who the real John McCain is Something should be ｾ mate in an attempt to demon- it was about reforming Washing- President Bush's ap- otherwise. anymore. done about it, maybe f strate his "maverick" credentials. ton by reducing earmarks and proval rating hit- And fi- jack Melamed is a contribut- more patrolling." John McCain's theme ofchange, pork barrel spending. Through it ting a whopping nally. he lies ing writer to the Hullabawo and a Iris Liu ac; a]], McCain lost his identity. 24 percent, Mc- to Americans .freshman in the Newcomb-Tulane we know, is not credible. Law School "Change" didn't work for Hilary Obama's message is clear, and Cain knows this when he says College. He can be reachedfor com- 1st Year Exchange Student Clinton either. Taking on the man· everyone, regardless of what can- growing trend will he believes in ment at [email protected].

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