The Rice Thresher, Vol. 94, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, February 2, 2007 Page: 3 of 24
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THE RICE THRESHER OPINION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2,2007
Self-proclaimed gadfly
Latour visit fits Rice students perfectly
At the moment, I am proba-
bly one of very few undergradu-
ates excited about Bruno Latour
visiting next week. The only other
one I can think of is Will
Rice college junior Ashley
Allen, the other under-
graduate fellow helping
the Humanities Research
Center with his visit.
It seems like every
few months or so, gradu-
ate students plaster the
Humanities Building with
flyers for some visiting
scholar whom no one
has ever heard of except
those graduate students.
But for Bruno Latour, the Humani-
ties Research Center is taking an
active effort to actually connect with
undergraduates. And connect we
undergrads should.
Evan
Mintz
Latour 's visit is for
students — not for
some professor, not for
endowed-chair
adminstrators and
certainly not for
300 VIP donors.
As visiting speakers go, I'll
assume most of Rice's focus is on Bill
Clinton rather than Latour. This is
entirely understandable. Clinton was
not only the most powerful man in the
world, less than a decade ago he was
Clinton. Unfortunately, this cultural
icon and instant punch line will only be
at Rice for two hours, giving a meticu-
lously planned speech that has prob-
ably been heard many times before.
Yes, there is something special about
being in the same room as
the former president, but
while Clinton stood atop
the modern world, Latour
has analyzed the scientific
and cultural assumptions
that prop it up.
As he is a larger-than-life
figure in the developing and
still fuzzy field of science
and technology studies,
Latour's visit should be very
important to Rice, where
technological research
stands on equal footing with pro-
claimed softer sciences. Latour
shares in this boundary-breaking,
much to the chagrin of scientists, as
he enters the lab as an anthropologist
to reveal the external factors that go
into the creation of scientific facts.
But the other side of the quad is no
friendly territory for Latour either, as
he forces social critics to endure the
same analysis that they employ.
Indeed, for Latour — and for Rice's
graduation requirements — science,
technology and society are all the
same, massive system. Of course,
many Rice researchers already see
this played out in the political, scientific
and social inputs and ramifications of
nanotechnology — Rice's own little
ix-t project.
Considering this crossover,
Academs and S/Es alike should
come to Monday's undergradu-
ate discussion to talk with this
preeminent scholar face-to-face.
And after hearing Latour's ideas,
maybe students will analyze exactly
what it is they are doing in the lab
or library.
But unlike the Clinton speech,
students will be able to talk back
and maybe influence latour him-
self. Students have not had to force
their way into this meeting — but
have been invited. Latour's visit
is for students — not for some
professor, not for endowed-chair
adminstrators and certainly not for
300 VIP donors.
It is rare that a visiting scholar
will go out of his way to chat with
undergrads, and this is not an oppor-
tunity we should pass up. Hopefully,
the visit will make sure that latour's
name is not just known to philosophy
students, but also the would-be scien-
tists whose work Latour critiques.
For Latour — and
for Rice s graduation
requirements — science,
technology and society
are all the same,
massive system.
Bruno latour may never be the
subject of "Saturday Night Live
sketches" nor an item of hatred for
talk radio. But after Clinton flies off
in his private chartered jet, I'm sure
the topic of his speech will merely
be filed under the Rice memory of "I
saw Bill Clinton!" But latour's ideas
have to potential to resonate with
Rice long after he is gone.
Evan Mintz is a Iianszen College
junior, opinion and Backpage editor,
and Humanities Research Center
Undergraduate Fellow..
Rice Voices
Khmer Rouge trial warns of Darfur inaction
While I was skimming through
the International Herald Tribune,
an article about the recent Khmer
Rouge trial caught my eye.
It explained the obstacles
the trial was undergoing due
to political complications.
Although an international
court has long been ready
for the trials, the Cambodian
court's ties to former Khmer
Rouge leader and current
Prime Minister Hun Sen
have barred international
tribunals from taking any
further action.
News of ever more delay
in bringingjustice to the millions killed
in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979
was disheartening, it has been almost
three decades since the killings, yet
those who coordinated the mass
slaughter of their people have not
faced substantial charges. Several of
these leaders are still living freely, and
so much t ime has passed since the end
of the Khmer Rouge regime that it has
allowed the leader, Pol Pot, and one of
his main henchmen, Ta Mok, enough
time to age and die before they could
be tried. Hie article was a depressing
reminder that even though the regime
has already collapsed, corruption
still prevents these murderers from
receiving justice.
The article also reminded me of my
personal experience with the history
of the Khmer Rouge. last year. I was
able to visit the infamous Tuol Sleng
detention center and the killing fields
in Cambodia and saw for myself
the remnants of the Khmer Regime
destruction. Dried splatters of blood
cover the floors, walls and ceilings of
torture rooms; bits of cloth and bone
exist among the weeds of the killing
fields — remains of those shot or
strangled to death. And a sign in the
field tells a story about killing babies by
cracking their skulls against the trunk
of a tree. These were all immediate
and traumatizing evidence of the mass
slaughter in Cambodia.
However, what struck me most
deeply were the pictures of the
Joyce
Yao
victims in the detention center.
Row after row of faces looked dully
back at me. Their eyes showed no
anger, hatred or even fear.
Instead, they were empty
and lifeless.
These atrocities
occurred at a time where
intervention could have
taken place, had the world
not been ignorant of what
was happening. The lack
of awareness was deadly
and resulted in the loss
of more than 1.4 million
lives. Although the Khmer
Rouge has come and gone,
the cruel and unnecessary loss of
innocent lives is. unfortunately, still
taking place at this moment.
the people who must face the threat
of robbery, rape, loss of loved ones
and loss of their own lives every day.
It is our job as people of this society
to raise awareness and contribute to
ending the genocide by pressing for
further action by the United Nations
and countries with power. We can also
join organizations on campus such as
Amnesty International to help organize
the next I )arfur Awareness event.
We can donate money or send
messages to the U.N. and our
government just by taking some
time out of our days to log onto
savedarfur.org. We have the ability
to make a difference and should
take this opportunity to change the
course of history.
Joyce Yao
freshman.
is a Will Rice College
Guest column
Feminists-for-life fight for
women, defy stereotypes
"Women deserve better than
abortion."
Feminists marched in Wash-
ington, I).C, on Jan. 22., carry-
ing signs broadcast-
ing the belief that
abortion shows that
the needs of women
have not been met. With
them, on a route from the
National Mall to the steps
of the Supreme Court,
marched more than
100,(XX) other pro-lifers.
Every year since
1973, on the anniver-
sary of the Roe v. Wade
decision, pro-lifers from
around the country and world
have traveled to the capital to
peacefully protest the legalization
of abortion. Lheir intent: Ensure
that the U.S. government does not
forget that a significant portion of
the population does not accept this
ruling and will not rest until there
is justice and protection of life for
all, including the unborn.
I went to the march for the first
time with five other Rice students,
and I wish every student could
have seen it: No one was bomb-
ing abortion clinics, shouting
obscenities or telling people they
are going to hell. While there are a
few people who use these tactics to
attempt to influence people—just
as there are fanatics in every move-
ment — they are not true to the
heart of the pro-life cause.
Being pro-life is a deep cher-
ishing of the inherent value and
dignity of all people at any stage
in their lives — no matter their
gender, race, ethnicity, abilities
or disabilities, or beliefs, even if
they are different from our own.
Tlie core of the pro-life movement
calls for love and respect for pro-life
and pro-choice people alike, and for
women who have had one abortion
or many or none at all. All human
life is deserving of respect, and that
is what we hold strong to.
Educated and insightful speak-
ers spoke at conferences and gath-
erings throughout the weekend.
An African-American orator spoke
passionately about the dispropor-
tionate effects of abortion on the
black community in the United
States, especially in urban areas:
"Thirteen million African-Ameri-
can babies have been killed since
1973," he mourned. "And we as
African-Americans cannot ignore
this issue any longer!"
He informed us that black
women are about four times more
likely to have an abortion than white
women, highlighting both the his-
Kathleen
Hanson
tor y of black women being targeted
by abortionists and the injustice
of black women facing circum-
stances in which abortion seems
like the only choice.
He asked us to picture
a world without Martin
Luther King, Jr. — a
distressing world, but the
only world we would have
known had his mother
chosen to abort him.
Advancing the view
that abortion reflects
injustice against women.
Feminists for Life of
America, a pro-woman
pro-life organization,
dedicates itself to the elimination
of the root cause — the lack of
practical resources and support
— that drive women to abortion
through holistic, woman-centered
solutions. Representatives from
this organization informed us that
many women considering abortion
do not have a true choice because
of their circumstances and lack of
support, and they advocated for col-
lege students to help keep women
from having to choose between
their child and their life plans. It
is a truly benevolent organiza-
tion dedicated to promoting the
rights and addressing the needs of
women, as well as being unwilling
to end life.
What I saw during this march
is that the pro-life movement is
not made up of stereotypical rich,
white Republican males who want
to keep women "in their place."
The pro-life movement is a diverse
group of people who recognize the
significance of the fact that one in
every four pregnancies ends in
abortion, meaning we have lost a
quarter of our generation—people
who could have been our brothers,
sisters and friends.
'Hie pro-life movement is made
of people who find it downright
disturbing that while we college-
age students were in our mothers'
wombs, we had absolutely no legal
protection. The pro-life movement
is made of compassionate people
educating the public about the
humanity of the fetus, supporting
and counseling pregnant women
and post-abortive women, provid-
ing resources so that women can
keep their children or put them
up for adoption, and spreading an
ethos of love and dignity for every
type of person.
After all. a person's a person,
no matter how small
Kathleen Hanson
College junior.
is a Lovett
A sign in the field tells
a story about killing
babies by cracking
their skulls against the
trunk of a tree.
the Rice Thresher
The people of Darfur have been
living in treacherous conflict for
more than three years. Even though
some international organizations and
countries have finally begun steps
toward resolving the situation, their
delayed action is blatant proof that
most nations capable of exerting
pressure upon murderous regimes
are too caught up in other concerns.
Turning a blind eye to the ongoing
horrors is certainly the easiest
path and may seem to be the more
pragmatic option, but in the end,
problems don't resolve themselves. In
time, conditions will only worsen and
spread, so the responsibility lies on
those who can help to take action.
Hie crisis in Darfur can seem
unreal and largely unrelated to our
Rice bubble. But we should all stop
to really evaluate what it is like for
David Brown
Editor in Chief
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Senior Editor
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Brown, David. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 94, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, February 2, 2007, newspaper, February 2, 2007; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443111/m1/3/: accessed June 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.