Welcome to Cheers and Jeers. We’ve had half of a busy week with another half yet to go. Let the C&J begin…
Cheers to Charles Darwin, who turns 200 tomorrow. We’ve got to hand it to the man, he’s still stirring up controversy almost 150 years after his publication of On the Origin of Species took the world by storm. Honestly, though, we can’t see why, because after all, evolution makes sense. Did we really have to go through this shit for nothing? Which leads us to our next point for the week…
Jeers to CSBT. Everyone’s favorite group on campus decided that to counteract the Year of the Sciences backed CLP’s on Darwin’s birthday, they’d launch a barrage of CLP’s themselves. Isn’t it kind of difficult to stand on a moral or intellectual platform when it is built on nothing but the collective dislike of all things liberal? I mean, I happen to like the idea of universal healthcare, a progressive tax bracket, and teaching scientific theories in school. Makes you wonder where in the CSBT constitution there’s a rule against advocating common sense.
Cheers to Furman being chosen a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. We all knew that Furman was beautiful, but that doesn’t mean a thing until kickass environmental groups want to love on you with awards and such. Take a minute today to look at the trees on our magnificent campus. If you feel inspired, you might just want to run to the nearest one and give it a big, barky hug.
It wouldn’t be C&J without puppies, of course. What are you cheering and jeering about this week?
TJ
Perhaps if you all weren’t so obviously left wing people would read your blog more. CSBT’s speaker on Mon. discussed the need for free speech in our society, which is extremely important as we see groups trying to squelch free speech through speech codes, the fairness doctrine, and much more.
Feb 11, 2009 @ 12:32 am
CANNITO
Ok, so… just a random Cheer that I’m not sure is confirmed.
From what I have read from those random “Furman Friends” I added back as a n00b freshman, Mutemath is coming to Furman.
Bobby, since you introduced me to them, I’m coming to you… do you know if this is fact?
Either way, it’s a Cheer if it’s true, or a Jeer if otherwise.
GOOD!
Feb 11, 2009 @ 12:44 am
drew
Well see. If you read our FAQ, you’d know that we’re not really even trying to be subtle about this. In fact, we’re trying pretty hard not to avoid subtlety.
Also, let’s be honest. It’s the CSBT. They don’t really do “free speech.”
Feb 11, 2009 @ 12:53 am
samuel
@TJ – To address your specific points on “speech codes,” the conservative buzz-word for those attempts to remove offensive language from public forums (and I don’t mean offensive as in cursing, I mean offensive as in could be construed as sexual harassment), those are rules which I feel are important for protecting people in the workplace against harassment from their superiors for which there is no legal recourse. The same goes for public schools and universities, where people would have no other legal ground to stand on for sexual harassment claims.
And the fairness doctrine, which was eliminated by the FCC in 1987, which required stations to “present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was honest, equitable, and balanced”? Yeah, I think that was a bullshit rule, so I don’t agree with that at all.
But let’s be honest and not throw around words without saying a) what they mean and b) why you do or don’t support them.
Feb 11, 2009 @ 8:23 am
Tory
Cannito, I’m assuming you mean the facebook status I put up last night. I found a FUSAB Mutemath poster in the McBee stairwell. Unless that was an elaborate and heartless prank, I take that as evidence that they will be coming to campus on April 17.
Feb 11, 2009 @ 10:25 am
drew
Ditto on the FUSAB poster.
Saw one in the DH today.
Feb 11, 2009 @ 4:34 pm
bobby
Okay, so here’s the scuttlebutt:
CSBT: If you don’t like us, don’t read our blog. Notice that we did allow your pointless comment to be posted. Free speech means a lot to me – I’m not going to say your group shouldn’t be allowed to be inflammatory and wrong, I’m just going to say that it is, and I rarely listen to anything you have to say. Also, you just go served. Sam shut you down.
MuteMath: is coming, and I will post more information soon.
Feb 13, 2009 @ 1:52 pm
bobby
and here it is. YAY.
Feb 13, 2009 @ 2:19 pm
Allison
On a completely unrelated note (at least to the previous replies), I like how the title of the puppy picture is “mini-dog”. It made me smile. Like this
Feb 14, 2009 @ 3:29 pm