Newspaper Page Text
I h«‘ (]<)IU‘giat(‘
.-j. Briggs Petway
Editor-in Chief “ =
Associate Editor ° .
Business Manager
Sports Staff Guy Hyatt, Russell Rawlings
Ptiotographers Peter Ctiamnessand Doug Hackney
Copy Editor Spencer Sm.th
Staff Writers
LaVee Hamer, Tricia Lough, Jamie Brame,
Jackie Parker, Brad Tucker
The Collegiate is published weekly by the students of Atlantic
Christian College, Wilson, North Carolina 27893. The views
expressed herein are not necessarily those of the faculty or
admininistration.
For Lack Of Anything Belt
What are you doing right now?
Reading the latest issue of the
Collegiate'’ How nice. Thank you
for your time, because the staff
appreciates the fact that you
have taken a moment to read
what it took some time to come
up with. If I were not on the staff,
I would probably be reading the
paper, too. But I think that I
Warm Porn
On Gay Street, in Columbus, a big and seedy dump of
a building houses what its owner promises to be the
biggest selling magazine in the “Men’s Magazine”
business: Larry Flynt’s Hustler. If the magazine is little
known in Eastern North Carolina, it’s because mid-
westerners buy them faster than Flynt can stock them.
In “Men’s Magazines” only Playboy and Penthouse
outsell Flynt’s Hustler, which, amazingly, has reached a
circulation of about 1.5 million a month. That such a
large circulation could have been attained in such a
short time (the magazine is only 18 months old) testifies
to the adage that no one ever lost money un
derestimating the intelligence of the American public,
for that is precisely what Hustler seems to do.
Like the building where it’s published. Hustler is,
frankly, a dump magazine; a kind of pornographic
National p:nquirer; a digest of rank humor about as
subtle as a locomotive; and a wealth of turn-ons for the
average American male. In short, Hustler is not much
different from any other magazine selling at the corner
pornography store: Hot Sex, Swing, Pornocopia,
Pussycat, Wide Margin, etc.
What’s disturbing about Hustler is that unlike the
other garage magazines it sells big and on a national
market. At least Playboy and Penthouse have certain
redeeming qualities. As long as those magazines carry
good articles, the reader can justify his purchase, but
Hustler lays it all out front and makes no pretense to
good taste.
Although Flynt is a rather obtuse fellow, he is un
consciously a shrewd judge of Americans, and if his
magazine is a success, then it is a commentary on
Americans. Flynt states: “Out magazine is a turn-on.
You see? And our magazines respond to what the people
are, not what we’d like them to be.”
Perhaps this is the tragedy of the average American:
he’s settled to be what he is instead of trying to be what
he can be. In other words, he’s decided that ideals are
useless and settled for being lazy. Collectively, the
American public has forfeited ideals and thus opened
the door to hucksters like Flynt who capitalize on our
complacency.
The solution, an emphasis on the liberal education,
may seem like warmed-over hash, insipid and the
politician’s final answer to any problem. Banning
material like Hustler is dubious and creates more
problems than it solves. (Those fire-mouthed fanatics
who would, give me the shivers.) But by bringing back
the liberal oriented education — foreign languages,
history, English, geometry — and replacing the so-
called practical subjects like electronics and welding,
we begin to cultivate those broader and somewhat less
definable attitudes that constitute a real education. If
this sounds like the old cliches in a college catalogue
concerning the value of a liberal education, it’s only
because they’re truths that we often overlook. If the
average American’s idea of entertainment is Hustler, as
Flynt would have us believe, we’re in quite a mess
JOHN PACA
Two Failures
By this time in my career as editor of this illustrious
tabloid I feel sure that my readers have discovered my
affinity to complaining. To be honest, I feel my job
necessitates a quantity of griping. If I do not gripe,
people become too complacent and just tolerate thmgs
that are often unjust and unfair.
Two days ago I decided to chide the State and Script
people for their choice of dramatic productions. I found
their selections, as a whole — excluding a few — morbid
bleak, and altogether too negative. Sure, life presents a
variety of negatives, but for me, life presents far more
positive elements. Then Paul Crouch blows my editorial
by announcing tryouts for Godspell. I can see no way to
describe this play as negative. It is a virtual celebration.
But, alas, I must still complain, not with the Stage
and Script or with Paul Crouch, but with the playwrites
of Godspell and its predecessor, Jesus Christ Superstar.
I have seen Superstar done by a touring company of
national renown. I have seen Godspell done by the
youths of the local Christian Church and as a movie
more times than I care to admit.
My problem arises in the theology of these two
productions. To me, and my opinions are always dif
ferent from most people’s, the two plays emphasize the
humanity of Christ over the divinity of Christ. Basic
Christian theology dictates that Jesus is fully man and
fully God. I am fully aware of the theatrical difficulties
of dealing with a god, but the presentations at hand
transform Christianity into some sort of moral stan
dard. While being an ethic, Christianity must be con
sidered a religion, complete with all of the mystical
ramifications.
Sure Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. But
he also healed lepers and caused a blind man to see. He
talked about faith and belief and goodness, but he also
walked on the water and calmed the seas. To me, Christ
is the link between God and man. He is more than the
only perfect man: He is God.
Now, I’ll cry when Bob Hope dies. He is a great man.
But I have to face facts. When Hope dies, a great
humanitarian and a great comedian dies. But his death
can do nothing for me than make me stop and reflect. In
the death of Christ, I have a fresh approach to life. He
not only gives me a code of ethics that makes me feel
warm inside, he gives me the promise of a new and
better life after I die to the world. This fact is not
reflected in the two plays to which I refer. In Superstar,
Christ’s death is the end, he is not resurrected, he does
not defeat death. To be honest, I cannot tell whether or
not Jesus is resurrected in Godspell. However, this play
strikes me throughout as a celebration of a man and his
ethic. Maybe that’s the point. I don’t know.
I have always tried to approach these plays as a
worship experience, yet I always fail to see the truth of
the Christian experience depicted. Maybe I am
becoming a mystic, but I cannot worship an ethic. I need
a religion. Christianity is my religion; it may not be the
only one, but it has personal meaning for me. In this
^nal sentence, I am spiritually forced to say that Jesus
Christ died and lived again for me. (Amen*?)
BRIGGS PETWAY
er
reading it again.
Ridiculous? Of course Ti,
exactly what itwasmean^:
It shows the futility 0 1
editorials thrown awav
course of the last threehoi^
also shows that I am bes,V
to go batty tryi^T,!^
somethmgthat will makes^
to me and to those of you ww
up with my work, I thank Z
IS very tiring to think up an il,
that will hopefully make vl
ife a little better, andtWj
tha no one is very interest*
Sort of like a professor must
when he prepares a lesson i
the class seeing
think that it was worth the tim,
to read the assignment o
maybe like the people wb'
worked hard to think r
questions for the questionnr
that some of you did not see fie
return. Or maybe like the SG.i
A can almost hear it no«
“Oh, no, not again! Get read,
for someone else to give meat
of ways to change my life,"
I can almost sympathize
you. After all, your Sunt
school teacher and preacher to!'
you to change your evil wavs
Your parents told you to gm
up. Your teachers told you:;
shut up and listen. Everyoneyo
come into contact with has’jo
something to offer you that jiE
does not seem to fit the way vk
live. Even if you refuse toiiste
to them, you are forced tokee
up with someone else’s ideat
correct clothing, correct haii
style, correct slang, corrw
everything that you did notte
a chance to think up on vm
own. Is it fair for me toexpec
you to listen to me while I try::
help a little bit? Well, being ii
vain as I am, you could te
guessed that I am going to do:
anyway. After all, maybe it«i
help somebody. At least you «i
feel a little sorry for what»;
editorial writers have to f
through to please our boss: yot
Sit back for a moment. Clcs
your eyes. Roll them around::
your head for a minute. Qos
them tight for about fi't
seconds. Relax. Now, take:
deep breath and feel the a'
coming into your lungs, Repes:
that. Just breathe quietly to:
few minutes and let your mini
wander. Then do whatever vf.
have to do.
That was not as bad as yo.
thought it would be, was it’ ■
hope you feel better, too. Alte
all, since I have nothing betterK
do, I can relax all night. J*
consider this a present froc
someone who cares enough.
want to do better. You kiw
maybe this wasn’t such a was
of time for you or me after al
was it?
Jamie Brame
Letter To The Editor
Well, congratulations.
Collegiate, you have made
another one of your classic 14-
carat statements, I am referring
to the nature of the caption on
Fleetwood Mac in your
December 11 issue, Fleetwood
Mac was one of the better
concerts that has come to this
campus and it was the one you
chose for your putdownl You
want some examples of poor
concerts 1 Hydra and Atlantic
Rhythm Section were washouts,
but not a peep from them.
Also, how can you account for
a statement like "perhaps a
band more people can relate to,”
Now, that was a riot. Have you
ever given thought to the dif
ferent types of musical
preferences here on this cam
pus? Trying to make a blanket
like that is ridiculous. Also, no
matter what type of band you get
to come to this campus, not all
the students are going to go!
Finally, I would think that you
owe the members of the en
tertainment committee an
apology. It took a lot of work to
set this concert up and they had
a huge crowd on their hands
They deserve a pat on the back
not a stab.
Chuck Franks
Copyrighted material removed.