North Carolina Newspapers

PAGE TWO THE BENNETT BANNER Friday, November 17, 1989 Date rape isn’t an inalienable right He takes vou out for dinner and a movie. Afterwards, he says, “Let’s go back to my place.” You get there and suddenly, the perfect gentleman of the evening has turned into a character like that in a Dr. .lekyll and Mr. H\de horror flick. Most date rape incidents begin e.xactly like this. Many young women ha\’e experienced this type of date scenario at one time or another. No matter how prudent a young woman is in picking her dates, there are no discernible or conspicuous characteristics that separate the good ones from the bad ones. However, incidents of date-rape are not a question of which guys are good or bad, but simply a statement of moral values and ideas that have shaped our society’s views of male/female relationships. Men are taught, from puberty and throughout adulthood, the sexual male “role” when dating a young lady. I am, in fact, a witness to the patronizing jargon that goes on between young men when dating becomes the topic of discussion, “Yeah man, if the b—- don’t give it to you, you better jump on that and take it.” As absurd as it may sound, many American males assume that if they spend money on a young lady, it entitles them to certain inalienable rights in the form of sexual liberties, at the cost of their dates’ integrity and emotional well-being. IJate-rape, like any other form of sexual abuse, is not only illegal but totally immoral. ^ , I_"nfortunitGly, like other sexucil pGi’VGrsions thiit rtg enRciGcl upon minori- ties especiallv women, date-rape is often justified as a means for a young man to c’on:iuer a 'date who’s “playing hard to get.” It was, until recently, overlooked as a personal dispute between two consenting adults. However, no man has the right to invade a woman s body because of soc- ietv’s sexual hang-ups. Date-rape is now getting the attention it deserv^es be ep use of the increase in reported incidents and informative television and maga zine co\'erage. The more we, as young women, know about the dangers and the legal action we can take when faced with a date who just simply refuses to take no for an answer, the better the chances are for the perpetrators to be treated like all other sexual offenders. If one of mv Bennett sisters should ever find herself in an uncompromising position with a date and he turns into a Mr. Hyde. I urge her please to go for help and do not blame herself for what happened. Sister, you are just a victim of someone’s abnormal behavior. Dating is fun and can lead to even happier times: but when it is harmful to you, like AIDS, it can destroy your social life forever. (Rehan Overton) Turner must be seen as a human being As the second black Miss America, Debbie Turner has put under considerable scrutiny. Recently, she was criticized for stating that being black had nothing to do with her winning the Miss America title. What “does” being black have to do with it? Absolutely nothing. Turner won the title based on her personality, beauty, talent and intelligence. The color of her skin was not a criterion for which she was judged. Yet, after winning the title, she was asked by reporters how it felt to be black and Miss America. How is she supposed to feel? Privileged? Privileged that she is black and was chosen as Miss America, or that she was chosen Miss America, and happens to be black? Any other winner of the title would not have been asked how it felt to be a white Miss America. So why should Turner feel any differently about it‘^ Of course, it is wonderful that a black woman won the title; that is an achieve ment in itself. However, it was not the first time and hopefully it won’t be the last. But the real achievement is that Turner went up against 49 other contest ants, all of whom were just as beautiful, talented, intelligent and poised. So, Turner herself had to be more than just black in order to win. Nonetheless, the media made a big deal out of the fact that Turner stated that being black was only a coincidence in her winning the title. In fact, they said that it was becoming common for blacks to deny their heritage after suc ceeding in a field which is normally dominated by whites. This in turn, stated the media, degrades the black community. I do not believe this is what Turner or any other black person whom the media may have been referring to, had in mind. Turner was not denying that she is black. She w'as simply stating that there is more to her than just being black. She is an intelligent, beautiful woman who, because of nothing she had any control over, is black. The judges chose her because they felt she was the most qualified contestant to be Miss America whether she was black or not. My feelings on this subject do not, however, mean that I don’t believe this was a significant achievement for blacks. It was a great achievement, but it just goes to show that a black person can be judged on what’s inside, rather than what’s outside. Our society has to realize through Miss Turner, that we as a black community are more than just black; we have numerous other charac teristics and abilities. The Miss America Pageant judges realized that fact, not once but twice, and hopefully, all whites wdll come to see us as more than just black people. (Yvette N. Freeman) rr rr Look Who's Talking Film is hilarious a review by Yvette N. Freeman “Ix)ok Who’s Talking” has to be one of the most enter- t a i n i n g and imaginative movies ever made. Not only is the storyline excellent but also the acting and special effects. The movie centers around Kirstie Alley’s character, an accountant who falls in love with one of her clients — a married businessman, played by George Segal. When things don’t work out between the two. Alley goes into labor and is taken to the hospital by cab driver John Travolta. From there, TYavolta and Alley form a friendship re sulting in Ti-avolta’s becom ing the babysitter. Both Alley and Travolta turn in great performances in this movie, and Bruce Willis is absolutely hilarious and believable as the voice of Mickey, Alley’s son. “Look Who’s Talking” is a movie that will keep you laughing from start to finish, and it’s refreshing to see a movie made from a child’s perspective, from conception to toddler-age. Just about all of the comedy highlights are a result of Bruce Willis’ interpretations of Mickey’s thoughts. And when I mentioned the movie being made from the child’s perspective from con ception, I do mean conception. One of the best scenes is a re-creation of Segal’s sperm fertilizing Alley’s egg in the womb. Now guess who’s voice just happens to be that of the sperm also? Of course, Bruce Willis. As a result of Willis’ inter pretations of Mickey’s thoughts and feelings, people who see this movie will prob ably never look at babies and toddlers the same again. They’ll wonder exactly what their baby is thinking, and what those strange facial ex pressions really mean. This movie will make you wonder if babies really can rationa lize, and what is actually going through their minds when adults insist on talking babytalk to them—you know, the “goo-goo-gaa-gaa” stuff. If you want to see a great comedy that will keep you entertained not only during the movie but also afterward, see “Look Who’s Talking.” I would give it a 9.5 on a scale of one to 10. *TXe3^ennell annc^ Editor-in-chief Yvette N. Freeman Associate editors Cherryl Floyd, Shavaughn Neal Reporters MIji Bell, Chandra Farrington, Louise Morris, Rehan Overton, Erica Salter, Marcl Smith, Vicki Wilkins Photographers Cherryl Floyd, Yvette N. Freeman, Jamett Mills Adviser Michael Gaspeny Opinions expressed in essays, columns and letters to the editor belong to their authors, not to the staff of the Banner, whose ideas appear in the editorials at the top of this page. Send letters to the editor to Box 2, camous post office. All corres pondence must bear a handwritten signature and must be acknowledged by the author. Letters are subject to editing according to newspaper style and demands of space. No anonymous letters will be published. The trouble with gates Hell is no exit a column by Taundra Woodard In the spring and on into the summer, the campus stands out majestically. The beautiful flow ering magnolias and the deep green grass add warmth to the small campus. During the day the campus is open and inviting, beckoning visitors to come and languish in its lush tranquility. But at night the campus turns into a den of darkness with shadowed walkways, unlit corners and unguarded entrances. It is this dark picture along with some as saults on and around the campus that prompted the administration to put gates on almost all of the entrances to the college. The gates may seem to be an effective means to protect the student body, but they can also feel like a prison at times. I defi nitely think that every young woman on the campus deserves the best protection that she can get. But a problem occurs when we look at the real effectiveness of the gates. In the parking lot next to Black Hall, a gate prohibits exit or entrance from the campus by automobile but anyone walking can step over the brick wall and stroll through the campus. Also, some of the gates have simple locks that lift up to open and fall back down into place as a person exits. Another problem occurs when the gates to the driveways are locked at no par ticular time but at the discretion of the security guards. To a cer tain extent, I agree the driveways should be locked because they prohibit people from driving through the campus late at night and disturbing students. But there need-S to be a uniform time for closing the gates. The information should be posted so all students will be aware of the safety mea sures. Off-campus students need this information because there are many times when they stay on the campus late at night studying with other students. As it is now, students can get locked on the campus if they try to leave and the gates have been closed. It happened to me one night. I had been studying late with a friend in Merner. At 12:45 p.m. I left the dorm to go to my car in the park ing lot behind the dorm. I d.id not realize that the gate had been locked until I was almost to the end of the driveway. I had no choice but to go back to the dorm and hope someone would hear me knocking. It just so happens that my friend heard me and opened the door. I listened to the dorm director call security to come and open the gate. She instructed me to go to the gate immediately be cause a guard would be there soon and he would re-lock the gate if I was not there waiting. I went back to my car to wait. As the minutes ticked by, I periodically turned on the heat to warm myself, hoping someone would come soon. After a half hour passed, I felt that I had no other choice but to drive up be hind Merner and go to security because I was sure that no one would hear me knocking on the front door of Merner Hall a second time. When I got to the security house, three guards were on duty. I asked the guard at the switch board if someone was going to open the gate so that I could get out. He informed me that the guards were at the gate already. At that point I walked back to my car and drove back to the gate. At first I still did not see anyone but a few minutes later two guards came and unlocked the gate. By this time it was 1:30 a.m.—45 minutes after I had first tried to go. I am well aware that this was not a typical situation, but none theless the very gates that are there to protect us can also im prison us. There should be signs posted all around the campus indicating what time the gates will close. Also, if a student does get locked on the campus by accident, she should not have to wait for over a half hour to be let out. 1989-90 BENNETT COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCHEDULE NOVEMBER 16 Mt. Olive College Away 7 p.m. 17 Methodist College Home 7 p.m. 21 Winston-Salem State Home 7 p.m. 29 Guilford College Home 7 p.m. DECEMBER 1 Dillard University Home 6 p.m. 5 Winston-Salem State Away 7 p.m. 7 Meredith College Home 7 p.m. 9 Montreat-Anderson Away 2 p.m. JANUARY 13 Averrett College Away 2 p.m. 16 Piedmont College Home 7 p.m. 18 Methodist College Away 7 p.m. 20 Queens College Home 1 p.m. 22 Greensboro College Away 7 p.m. 23 Mt. Olive College Home 7:30 p.m. 25 Meredith College Away 7 p.m. 30 Piedmont College Away 7 p.m. FEBRUARY 5 N.C. Central Home 7 p.m 6 Averrett College Home 7 p.m 8 Queens College Away 7 p.m 12 N.C. A&T State Home 7 p.m 14 N.C. Central Away 7 p.m 16-17 Meredith College Basketball Tournament Away B p.m. Correction Box The following additions and corrections need to be made to the story head lined “Volleyballers have Zip” in our Oct. 13 issue. • Bennett is playing volley ball and basketball as an independent team. The school is applying for admission to the NCAA Division III. • The members of the volleyball team did not have to take drug tests as a requirement for participation. • The names of Kimyatta Vinson and Shawn Muss- ington were misspelled. • The volleyball team finished with a 3-10 re cord. Support your Bennett Basketball Team