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    State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

    State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

    Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

    Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

    Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

    Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

    “Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

    “Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

    Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee

    Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee

    Ole Miss welcomes new Student Media Center director

    Ole Miss welcomes new Student Media Center director

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    Rebel Nation celebrates Ole Miss’ first College World Series championship

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    Ole Miss sweeps Oklahoma to win National Championship

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    Rebels bounce back to win thriller over Arkansas 2-0, advance to CWS Finals

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    Rebs stay hot in Omaha, beat Auburn 5-1

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    Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

    Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

    A step into the sports industry

    A step into the sports industry

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    Ya heek ya balash: A month of exploring and experiencing Jordan

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    L.A. living

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    State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

    State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

    Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

    Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

    Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

    Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

    “Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

    “Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

    Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee

    Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee

    Ole Miss welcomes new Student Media Center director

    Ole Miss welcomes new Student Media Center director

  • Sports
    Rebel Nation celebrates Ole Miss’ first College World Series championship

    Rebel Nation celebrates Ole Miss’ first College World Series championship

    Ole Miss Baseball returns home to crowd of fans

    Ole Miss sweeps Oklahoma to win National Championship

    Ole Miss sweeps Oklahoma to win National Championship

    Rebels bounce back to win thriller over Arkansas 2-0, advance to CWS Finals

    Rebels bounce back to win thriller over Arkansas 2-0, advance to CWS Finals

    Ole Miss is dominated again in game two

    Rebels victorious over Hogs, move on to bracket finals

    Rebs stay hot in Omaha, beat Auburn 5-1

    Rebs stay hot in Omaha, beat Auburn 5-1

  • Arts & Culture
    Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

    Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

    A step into the sports industry

    A step into the sports industry

    Ya heek ya balash: A month of exploring and experiencing Jordan

    Ya heek ya balash: A month of exploring and experiencing Jordan

    L.A. living

    L.A. living

  • Opinion

    Opinion: The shame of Confederate Heritage Month

    Farewell Column: I did my best and the DM did too

    Gas prices are Biden’s fault, not Putin’s

    CRT can’t be in Mississippi schools but homophobia must be?

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Opinion: The university needs to find its sense of shame

John HydriskobyJohn Hydrisko
February 16, 2021
Reading Time: 3 mins read

We tend to confuse embarrassment and shame. We might say that embarrassment is a shallower or lighter version of shame, yet we still think of them as two words for the same thing. But if we are to be precise, embarrassment and shame are distinct from one another.

Embarrassed is how we feel when we act out of character or deviate from an internal expectation of ourselves. What is embarrassing for one person might not be embarrassing for someone else. I feel embarrassed when I trip in public, but you might feel unembarrassed when you do the same.

Ashamed is how we feel when we act in poor character, when we deviate from a more universal standard. What is shameful for someone should be shameful for everyone. We all should feel ashamed when we lie, cheat or steal.

There are times when a university might be embarrassed. This past football season, the University of Mississippi unwittingly featured a pornographic actor dressed in a doctor’s coat on a souvenir cup honoring the state’s “healthcare heroes.” This gaff was, quite obviously, a deviation from the administration’s internal expectation about itself. It responded to this embarrassment by mitigating any further damage to its reputation, by never acknowledging the event and by letting the whole fiasco fade into memory. This course of action was, more or less, an appropriate response to the event.

Then, there are times when a university should be ashamed. For years, officials have publicly condemned racism while privately coddling racist alumni. For months, officials mishandled — by their own admission — a secret investigation into the now-infamous photograph of armed students posing in front of the sign marking the place where Emmett Till’s body was found.

For weeks, officials have ignored widespread demands for a proper explanation of the dismissal of Garrett Felber. It should be obvious that Felber was not fired because he won an unauthorized grant for his department. Instead, he was fired because he gave cause for administrators to feel embarrassed again and again and again. If only his bosses had felt not embarrassed but ashamed.

Taken together, these cases point to a wider pattern of how the UM administration fails to handle the tragedies, crises and scandals which beleaguer our community. In each instance — a glimpse of a culture-marked bigotry and nepotism, a potential hate crime, another chapter in our school’s long history of repressing anti-racist speech — the Lyceum has responded with damage control, radio silence and an enduring faith in the shortness of our own attention spans. As a result, the university’s response to almost distributing thousands of plastic cups graced by the likeness of an adult film star and the university’s response to gravely abusing people are virtually indistinguishable.

All this is to say that the University of Mississippi confuses embarrassment and shame on what seems an hourly basis. The school seeks to avoid embarrassment, instead of sitting with its shame. Instead of dealing with the consequences of its actions, the University of Mississippi attempts to manage the perceptions of its actions. Instead of safeguarding our community, those within the Lyceum and those close to it obsess over enrollment rates and property values and tax revenues.

No one cares if the University of Mississippi is embarrassed, feels out of character or acts clumsily from time to time. We all should care, however, that the university finds its good character, acts decently and makes real efforts to exemplify a good school. We all would be better off if the University of Mississippi found its sense of shame for once.

John Hydrisko is a senior English, philosophy and history major from Philadelphia, Penn.

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4 weeks ago

Opinion: The university needs to find its sense of shame

John HydriskobyJohn Hydrisko
February 16, 2021
Reading Time: 3 mins read

We tend to confuse embarrassment and shame. We might say that embarrassment is a shallower or lighter version of shame, yet we still think of them as two words for the same thing. But if we are to be precise, embarrassment and shame are distinct from one another.

Embarrassed is how we feel when we act out of character or deviate from an internal expectation of ourselves. What is embarrassing for one person might not be embarrassing for someone else. I feel embarrassed when I trip in public, but you might feel unembarrassed when you do the same.

Ashamed is how we feel when we act in poor character, when we deviate from a more universal standard. What is shameful for someone should be shameful for everyone. We all should feel ashamed when we lie, cheat or steal.

There are times when a university might be embarrassed. This past football season, the University of Mississippi unwittingly featured a pornographic actor dressed in a doctor’s coat on a souvenir cup honoring the state’s “healthcare heroes.” This gaff was, quite obviously, a deviation from the administration’s internal expectation about itself. It responded to this embarrassment by mitigating any further damage to its reputation, by never acknowledging the event and by letting the whole fiasco fade into memory. This course of action was, more or less, an appropriate response to the event.

Then, there are times when a university should be ashamed. For years, officials have publicly condemned racism while privately coddling racist alumni. For months, officials mishandled — by their own admission — a secret investigation into the now-infamous photograph of armed students posing in front of the sign marking the place where Emmett Till’s body was found.

For weeks, officials have ignored widespread demands for a proper explanation of the dismissal of Garrett Felber. It should be obvious that Felber was not fired because he won an unauthorized grant for his department. Instead, he was fired because he gave cause for administrators to feel embarrassed again and again and again. If only his bosses had felt not embarrassed but ashamed.

Taken together, these cases point to a wider pattern of how the UM administration fails to handle the tragedies, crises and scandals which beleaguer our community. In each instance — a glimpse of a culture-marked bigotry and nepotism, a potential hate crime, another chapter in our school’s long history of repressing anti-racist speech — the Lyceum has responded with damage control, radio silence and an enduring faith in the shortness of our own attention spans. As a result, the university’s response to almost distributing thousands of plastic cups graced by the likeness of an adult film star and the university’s response to gravely abusing people are virtually indistinguishable.

All this is to say that the University of Mississippi confuses embarrassment and shame on what seems an hourly basis. The school seeks to avoid embarrassment, instead of sitting with its shame. Instead of dealing with the consequences of its actions, the University of Mississippi attempts to manage the perceptions of its actions. Instead of safeguarding our community, those within the Lyceum and those close to it obsess over enrollment rates and property values and tax revenues.

No one cares if the University of Mississippi is embarrassed, feels out of character or acts clumsily from time to time. We all should care, however, that the university finds its good character, acts decently and makes real efforts to exemplify a good school. We all would be better off if the University of Mississippi found its sense of shame for once.

John Hydrisko is a senior English, philosophy and history major from Philadelphia, Penn.

In Case You Missed It

Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

7 days ago
A step into the sports industry

A step into the sports industry

7 days ago
State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

7 days ago
Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

3 weeks ago
Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

4 weeks ago
“Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

“Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

4 weeks ago

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