Opinion

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Hookstead's 'rape culture' letter shows some still hold gross world views

The Badger Herald’s recent letter-to-the-editor “'Rape culture' does not exist” further proves the University of Wisconsin- Madison’s preeminent ego-inflamed, aggressively misogynistic, notorious “semi celebrity” David Hookstead unsurprisingly doesn’t harbor the capacity to understand the concept “rape culture.” There has already been an onslaught of backlash in response to his column—appalled voices furiously speaking against what is clearly a gross rhetorical misrepresentation of the truth on a core level. All anger toward this abomination is totally warranted. But my response here is not intended to insult or belittle Hookstead as a person (social media can take care of that). All I’m going to do is explain why his claim is wrong.

Despite glitches, "Obamacare" is the correct choice for healthcare

The roll out of the Affordable Care Act online exchanges have been plagued with glitches that have prevented millions of people from being able to sign up for healthcare coverage that the law mandates. This is an inexcusable mistake by the federal government, and someone must be held accountable for these egregious errors. That being said, these technical issues are not cause to lose faith in the broader policy. Despite the minor setbacks that the technical problems have caused, the Affordable Care Act was the right thing to do and will help American society in the long run.

US House needs to pass the ENDA

Monday night, the Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which makes it illegal for an employer to fire or not hire someone due to his or her sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The passage of ENDA marks a significant milestone for the LGBT equality movement. Nevertheless, the Heritage Foundation’s Ryan Anderson and many other conservatives feel differently. Anderson stated ENDA is “bad policy” because “ENDA would create special privileges based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” ENDA ensures that as many as two-thirds of LGBT individuals do not face employment discrimination in their respective workplaces and that the third of men earn less than their similarly qualified heterosexual male counterparts earn the same. Ensuring all people are rewarded for their hard work rather than exogenous factors is by no means a ‘special privilege.’ Anderson complains that ENDA would “impinge Americans’ right to run their businesses the way they choose,” but Anderson forgets that the 14th Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law. Surely, ensuring LGBT folks are treated the same as their heterosexual counterparts supercede the rights of businesses.

Rape culture in the U.S. does indeed exist

It looks like The Badger Herald has embraced the thoughts of the one Mr. David Hookstead again. And this one is a doozey!

A message from PAVE: This is what rape culture looks like

Thank you, for the stunning example of how rape culture is alive and well on the UW-Madison campus. There are several aspects of the recent Letter to the Editor that Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE) feels warrant response.

Ethics are more important than notoriety

A fundamental principle of journalism is the productive incitement of discussion that does not arrive at the harmful expense of readers. In publishing the letter “‘Rape Culture’ Does Not Exist,” The Badger Herald has done one of these things correctly: opened a floodgate of dialogue for students to weigh in and victims to share experiences. However, the catalyst to this discussion has been an unproductive means of reaching a productive dialogue.

Students need more civic engagement

The Daily Cardinal editorial board released an opinion piece Tuesday, Oct. 29 encouraging University of Wisconsin- Madison students to fulfill their democratic obligation and take part in the local elections approaching this coming April.

NSA must stop spying

The United States National Security Agency, or the NSA as it as popularly referred to, is in some hot water. On Monday, allegations came from Europe that NSA has spied and collected information from foreign leaders for almost a decade. Allegedly, The NSA collected information from 35 world leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of the United States’ closest allies. This espionage has left many around the world feeling uneasy and suspicious of the United States, and President Barack Obama claims not to have known about this espionage. This is not the first round of trouble for the NSA, either. Last May, former CIA employee and NSA contractor Edward Snowden released confidential documents detailing the NSA’s surveillance practices. This included the ordering of American phone companies to send extensive call records and logs to the NSA. Rightfully so, this left a feeling of unrest among Americans. Many Americans were concerned over the scope of these surveillance practices and it asks the question: Just how much do the NSA and federal government know about our daily lives?

Discrimination in Russia should be fought

Eating right is a lifestyle

Plenty of people consider themselves to be health experts. They alone know what is truly healthy and unhealthy, and other people should be judged and corrected for their silly dietary mistakes. Here is the secret: everyone is wrong to some extent. Healthy eating is not about fad diets or fasting, and it is certainly not about finding the perfect combination of diet and exercise either, because that does not exist.

Breaching privacy has become too easy

It’s a dangerous world that we live in. What is the price you are willing to pay to feel safe? Apparently, the National Security Agency feels that price isn’t cheap.

Bilingual ability is a necessary, invaluable asset to possess

Whether or not you have the time or the brainpower, it’s time to hunker down with Rosetta Stone and start saving up for a trip to Spain or Argentina. Why is this? Because being bilingual is becoming a hot commodity in the job market. Behind the scenes of the sexiness that comes with speaking a foreign language, there seems to be a weird power struggle between languages. Here in the United Sates, I see two extremes. One of them rewards bilingualism and one simply and stubbornly considers English to be the superior language in the United States.

Politics should better represent women

Having recently applied to law school and talked to my dad about the “optional essay,” which usually asks a diversity related question: i.e. “How can you contribute to the diversity of this campus?,” I realized women still have a long way to go. Speaking with him on the phone, I asked him what angle I could take on my diversity and how it will add to Georgetown Law School’s campus. I’m a white girl from the Midwest, so I didn’t think I had much to offer. “Well you know, women have made progress, but you’re still not equal to men,” my dad so brilliantly remarked. And, ding-ding-ding, a light bulb went off. Female political science students here at the University of Wisconsin- Madison—this column is dedicated to you, but male political science students should listen as well.

It's time to get rid of racist sports mascots

Students, take interest in your local government

As University of Wisconsin-Madison students, we have the obligation to participate in local government. We are not only students in Madison but also residents of the city. These roles come with the responsibility to be proactive about how we want to use resources and how to enact the changes we want to see in the city we live.

Middle school shooting demands reformation in gun control

If someone were to ask you what happened in Nevada this past Monday, how would you respond? Would you know to what they are referring? Maybe you would have guessed a casino heist or something extravagant. You probably had no idea that anything of importance happened in Nevada. But lo and behold, something very important and concerning happened this past Monday in Nevada, and I am willing to bet a majority of people had no idea occurred. The event I’ve been referring to is the Sparks Middle School shooting. In the shooting, a 12-year-old gunman wounded two of his classmates and killed a teacher before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide. According to law enforcement, the boy had taken the handgun used in the shooting from his parents. You may be asking yourself how did you not  hear about this event. The answer is: This shooting received very minimal media coverage and was not a major focus for news outlets. In fact, during the 5 p.m. news on Monday, it took almost 20 minutes before there was a mention of the shooting, and even then it was an extremely brief story.

Police serving to protect campus, not punish

Last week, The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board sat down with District 8 Ald. Scott Resnick to discuss current happenings in the downtown Madison area.

David Hookstead needs to shut up

In a recent Letter to the Editor published in the Badger Herald, University of Wisconsin-Madison junior David Hookstead outlined his feelings on the increased crime around campus. He proposes three steps to take to help lower crime: prioritize police attention, allow students with conceal-carry permits to carry guns on campus and for people to travel in groups specifically for women to travel in groups with a man. The latter two steps he offers are ridiculous proposals. Although I agree with him regarding the prioritization of police attention, his thinking on access to guns will likely create more problems than they solve and his assertion that travel in groups with men is what will protect us ignores the reality of circumstances around lots of crimes being alluded to.

Democrats should change tax agenda

In the process of running for office, every politician has to face the unavoidable question: are you going to raise taxes? So of course, as part of her new stint in politics Mary Burke was inevitably forced to answer the pesky tax question with the press. For Democrats like Burke, the question is cause for quite the controversy. The dilemma is to enact their programs. Democrats need a source of more revenue, but no politician wants to support raising taxes, especially a candidate running for election. So how do they say they’re not going to raise taxes when they really plan on doing so? Burke awkwardly answered that she would avoid raising state and local taxes but that she would make no pledge to actually do so.

Maybe this whole college thing is actually totally overrated

School is a lot of money.