Cartoon botches Mormon marriage
On Friday, Nov. 15, I was distressed to see David Keyes’
cartoon because it supports a misguided stereotype ““
polygamous Mormons ““ that has been the cause of all too much
grief to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(often referred to as Mormons).
It is not the case that Mormons have multiple wives. The
Latter-day Saints have not allowed polygamy among their members
since before the 1900s.
Unfortunately, the myth that the practice continues prevails in
popular culture thanks to material like this cartoon. The truth is,
any member of the church who advocates or practices polygamy is
excommunicated from the church. This has been the case for over a
hundred years.
Furthermore, during our extensive missionary work worldwide,
when people want to be baptized, they are required to have only one
wife (an important requirement in a world were monogamy is the
exception).
Latter-day Saints are among a dwindling population of Christians
who teach and affirm the sanctity of marriage. We believe marriage
is ordained of God and an essential part of God’s plan for
all of us. As such, marriage is encouraged among our members. But
the Church has no dating services and teaches that polygamy is
wrong.
Timothy Cross Fourth-year, political
science
RPI moot if other policies adhered to
The News article featured in the Nov. 15 Daily Bruin titled
“Forum Speaker Warns About Color Blind RPI,” awoke some
very interesting thoughts in yours truly.
I had never thought of the Racial Privacy Initiative as being an
initiative based specifically on the term “racial
profiling.” The term racial profiling conjures up images of
airport security officials avidly searching Arab or Middle Eastern
men in the weeks and months following the Sept. 11 terrorist
attack. Innocent people were considered suspects around the globe
because of their race and the way they looked.
It seems that racial profiling is, well, racist in cases when
those targeted are mistreated, but just fine in cases where people
can benefit. Many feel that for students, it should not only be
allowed, but also encouraged.
I don’t know if people will ever live in a world that
doesn’t put physical characteristics such as race in such an
important position when considering individuals. I don’t know
if I would want to live in such a world. My own ethnicity plays a
huge role in my identity and who I am, as it does for many
others.
As much as people would love to not be judged by race, race and
ethnicity are primary characteristics by which people identify and
see themselves. If people are willing to recognize their own races
and ethnicities and uphold them proudly, they shouldn’t have
a problem with exposing that information to universities and
administrations, right? Race is, in fact, a form of classification,
above all else.
The question is whether race should be a mode of classification
concerning admissions policies, educational funding and other
university policies. The way I see it, life challenges and
hardships are already heavily weighed in the admissions process
along with academic criteria. Even if race and ethnicity are not
revealed in the application process, things like family income,
home environment, educational background and physical and mental
hardships are, and are considered accordingly. I don’t
understand how underrepresentation can come from such already
successful programs.
I guess the real question is whether creating a diverse campus
compliments the university’s high standards or stands in its
way. It seems that if all other things are held justly, it should
already be the former.
Sona Bekmezian First-year, biology