The Blue
Banner
You're not in high school anymore^ and here's proof
Editorial
Art at the other end
of the tunnel?
The death of rap artist Tupac Shakur will undoubtedly
provoke heavy criticism on the rap music industry. The
popular belief seems to be that rappers glorify a “thug” lifestyle
of drug and alcohol abuse, murder, robbery, and exploitation of
women. Although many —if not most— rap songs do present
this type of lifestyle, the songs rarely—if ever— condone or
glorify these actions.
What we seem to forget, or possibly ignore, is that art imitates
life, not that life imitates art. Rappers, who are artists just as
legitimately as other singers and songwriters, rap about the
environment in which they have grown up and in which they
live every day. They don’t condone committing cold-blooded
murder in their music, they rap about living a defensive life in
fear of becoming a victim.
In Tupac’s “It Ain’t Easy,” he said: “I can’t sleep. Niggaz
plottin’ on me, kill me while I’m dreamin’. Wake up sweaty and
screamin’ ‘cause I can hear them suckers schemiti’. Probably
paranoid. Problem is them punks be fantasizin’. A brother bite
the bullet. Open fire and I doubt I wonder why.”
Rap music also often expresses the problems and concerns of
racism and of living at the lower end of the socio-economic
ladder. T upac’s “Soulja’s Story” confronts some of the difficul
ties of being black in today’s society: “They’re cuttin’ off
welfare. They think that crime is risin’ now. You got whites
killin’ blacks, cops killin’ blacks, blacks killin’ blacks. S—t’s just
gonna get worse.”
This hopeless feeling is also often reflected in rap music, and
many people use this as yet another attack on rappers. Because
many of us (both critics and fans of rap music) don’t live the
lifestyle that rap music portrays, we can’t begin to understand
the difficulties in escaping from this life.
We are quick to judge and seem to forget the harsh realities
of living in a threatening environment. When people face each
day in danger of being killed or hit by thugs, how can they
possibly see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel? How
can they even see the tunnel?
Editorial Board
Catherine Elniff
Michael Taylor
Renee Slaydon
Jennifer Thurston
Jeanette Webb
Del DeLorm
Editor-in-Chief
News Editor
Features Editor
Sports Editor
Copy Editor
Photo Editor
Staff
Rafrica Adams, Bob Buchanan, Aimee Campbell, Brad Davis,
John Hodges, Trish Johnson, Jay Malinoski, Kyle S. Phipps,
Mark Plemmons, St. Claire Ready, Alex Self, Jason Wicks,
Monica Williams
Wendy McKinney
Marissa DeBlasio
Thomas Estes
Advertising Manager
Business Manager
Circulation Manager
Mark West, faculty advisor
The Blue Banner is the student newspaper of the University of
North Carolina at Asheville. We publish each Thursday except
during summer sessions, final exam weeks and holiday breaks.
Our offices are located in Carmichael Hall, Room 208-A.
Our telephone number is (704) 251-6586. Our campus e-mail
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Nothing in our editorial or opinions sections necessarily reflects
the opinion of the entire Blue Banner editorial board, the faculty
advisor, or the university faculty, administration or staff.
Unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of a majority of the Blue
Banner editorial board. Letters, columns, cartoons and reviews
represent only the opinions of their respective authors.
The Blue Banner welcomes submissions of letters and articles for
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ered on the basis of interest, space, taste, and timeliness.
Letters must be typed, double-spaced, and must not exceed 300
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The deadline for letters and classifieds is noon on Tuesday. If
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The Blue Banner
208A Carmichael Hall
One University Heights ^
Asheville NC 28804
Nate Conroy
Columnist
Dear Freshmen,
Now that you’ve been away
from the games of orientation
for a while, what do you really
think about this place?
I know at first life can be
rough here at UNCA. So in
case you haven’t yet figured
out all the differences between
college and the high school
you so recently graduated
from. I’ve prepared this handy
guide to assist you with what
they don’t mention in the bro
chure. Your friend, Nate
0 In high school, if you don’t
have any friends you’re all
alone.
0 In college, if you don’t have
any friends, you have your
roommate.
0 In high school, you have two
categories of clothes: School
clothes and casual clothes.
0 In college, only two catego
ries of clothes matter: Clean
clothes and dirty clothes.
0 In high school, you’re cool
if you don’t do any work.
0 In college, those people are
gone next semester.
0 In high school, lots of people
are still growing and awkward-
looking.
0 In college, the people look
almost old enough to play a
high schooler on TV.
0 In high school, your family
pays about .0000000001% of
the bill for your school in the
form of paying taxes and buy
ing candy bars in school
fundraisers.
0 In college, either your par
ents pay or you go into debt
for the rest of your life from
taking out college loans.
0 In high school, you’re cool if
you smoke and then hide it
when the principal comes.
0 At UNCA, cool people sit
outside of Karpen and smoke.
0 In high school, you have to
put up with obnoxious PDAs
(Public Displays of Affection)
in the halls.
0 In college, people go to their
rooms and have sex.
0 In high school, you have a
few low-end computers that
95% of students and 99% of
faculty don’t understand.
0 In college, you have a
buttload of extremely expen
sive computers that lots of
computer-types claim to un
derstand, but no one really
does.
0 In high school, you have a
yearbook every year.
0 At UNCA, the only time we
tried to have a yearbook, some
guy took everyone’s money for
it and ran.
0 In high school, people talk
about drinking.
0 In college, people become
alcoholics.
0 In high school, there are lots
of good-looking girls around.
0 In college, high school girls
become jail-bait.
0 In high school, you miss most
of the good cartoons and talk
shows because you’re at school.
0 In college, you can schedule
your classes around Jerry
Springer if you feel like it.
0 In high school, mommy does
your laundry for you.
0 In college, you’ll trek across
the state with a hamper in tow
so mommy can do your laun
dry for you.
0 In high school, the teachers are
shocked if you cuss.
0 In college, you’re not shocked
when the teachers cuss.
0 In high school, computers are
for dorks.
0 In college, only dorks haven’t
learned how to use computers to
download porn.
0 0 In high school, you get as
signed seats.
0 In college, you can change seats
if you want, but the unspoken
rule is that you stay within a
couple of desks of the seat you
took the first day.
0 In high school, sports are pretty
important.
OAt UNCA, most of the student
body couldn’t give a rat’s ass
(even when we win a champion
ship).
0 In high school, people wear
cool college shirts.
0 In college, freshmen wear their
senior t-shirt for 3 weeks until
they realize it makes them really,
really look like a freshman.
0 In high school. Student Gov
ernment is an utterly useless
popularity contest.
OAt UNCA, SGA has the
“power” to make suggestions to
the administration.
0 In high school, you say “her-
ass-ment.”
{) In college, you say “harris-
mint.”
0 In high school, you skip class
to make yourself look like a rebel.
0 In college, you skip class to
sleep.
0 In high school, going to the
auditorium is cool because it
means you’re going to an assem
bly and getting out of class.
0 At UNCA, you go to the au
ditorium for Humanities lec
tures.
0 In high school, you can use
logic to get by on multiple-
choice tests.
0 In college... can you bulls—t
an essay?
0 In high school, the school
issues you books.
0 In college, you have to take
out a second mortgage to pay
for your books.
0 In high school, the cafeteria
serves the same nasty refuse day
in, day out.
0 At UNCA, the caf has good
variety of refuse.
0 In high school, you have to
listen to other people’s loud
music in the parking lot.
0 In college, you have to listen
to other people’s loud music
when you’re trying to sleep.
0 In high school, the first
amendment says teachers aren’t
allowed to push religion on you.
0 In college, the first amend
ment says Gary Birdsong can
stand outside of the caf and
preach his helllll-fire.
0 In high school, the only ad
vantage teachers have over you
is the teacher’s manual.
0 In college, some of the pro
fessors actually know what
they’re talking about!
0 In high school, people do
drugs because they’re bored.
0 In college, people do drugs
because they’re stressed.
0 In high school, some admin
istrators’ sole reason for being
is to catch you skipping.
0 In college, no one gives a crap
whether you come to class.
Humanify is humanify stop pretending otherwise
Kristi Howard
Columnist
I debated for quite some
time whether or not to write
this column. What finally gave
me the old “kick in the pants”
to do so was an article that
appeared in last week’s Ban
ner about Dr. Charlotte
Goedsche and her partner,
Cynthia Janes, who won an
award for speaking out for
gays, lesbians, and bisexuals,
despite threats to their own
personal safety.
The fact that these two
women put themselves at risk
rather than keep quiet about
the need for gay rights in this
country got me started think
ing about bravery and strength
of personal convictions. The
fact that they should be threat
ened for expressing themselves
made me wonder if America
isn’t going backward instead
of forward.
Now, before you call me
an alarmist—or an idiot—just
think really hard. Think about
the number of African Ameri
can churches that have been
burned lately in the South.
Think about the fact that in
this modern age we still have
the KKK, we still have gross
censorship and women who
make less than men for doing
the same job.
Think about the fact that
in this country where indi
vidual freedom is supposed to
be prized above all things, we
still have an entire group of
people who are treated with
violence and disgust just be
cause of who they are and who
they love.
We would like to think that
we’ve come far since the days
of the suffragists or Dr. Mar
tin Luther King. In the rela
tively liberal atmosphere of
Asheville its easy to think that
the good guys are winning and
that everything is OK. It is
easy to forget that the world is
still a place intolerant of dif
ference.
It hasn’t been too many years
ago that a brave woman named
Rosa Parks dared' to say that
there was no reason that she
should have to walk to the
back of the bus to sit, just
because of the color of her skin.
And people hated her for tell
ing the truth. Her actions were
so threatening to some people
that they felt the need to react
with violence.
It wasn’t so very long ago
that a group of women stood
up and said, “We’d like to vote
too, thank you very much.
There is no reason why we
shouldn’t be able to.” And
people hated them for telling
the truth. Their words and
actions scared some people so
badly that these women were
threatened with violence.
And now we have another
group of Americans standing
up to say, “I’d like to love the
person that I love without be
ing the target of violence, thank
you very much. There is no
reason why I should have to
apologize for being who I am.”
But some people don’t seem to
be listening, because telling the
truth seems to be getting these
people into trouble.
True, we are an integrated
society. But there is still racism.
True, women have rights now,
but there are still those who think
that their rightful place is in the
kitchen. True, the First Amend
ment gives gays and lesbians the
right to say “I deserve the same
rights as everyone else,” but there
are those out there who would
like to kill them for it.
And, if that doesn’t strike
you as just a little bit scary, then
it should.
Don’t get me wrong. Every
one has the right to their own
opinion. Right now you could
be thinking, “Man, that chick is
whacked out on Goofballs or
something. She doesn’t know
what she’s talking about.” And
no one should try to take that
opinion from you. It’s OK to
disagree.
You have every right to think
that I don’t know what I’m talk
ing about. But if I make you so
angry with my mere words that
you have to blow me up with a
big old bomb, that is another
story altogether.
What no American has the
right to do is to hurt someone
else with their ignorance. When
someone’s lifestyle so threatens
you that you have to send them
death threats, or take potshots at
them outside of abortion clinics,
then you need to take a long
look at yourself, buddy, because
you just stepped over the line.
My ultimate point is that hate
hurts everyone. It hurt everyone
in the days of Dr. King, and it
hurts everyone now. Not just
those that it is directed against,
but everyone who has to live in
the hostile atmosphere created
by intolerance. And trust me,
that atmosphere is about as wel
coming as the ammonia-tainted
air of an uninhabitable planet.
Living, loving things don’t have
a chance in that kind of world.
Just because you are not gay
doesn’t mean that discrimina
tion against gays isn’t your
problem. Just because you
aren’jt African-American
doesn’t mean racism isn’t your
problem. Just because you
aren’t a woman doesn’t mean
sexism doesn’t affect you.
When one person is discrimi
nated against, that sends out a
bad message, a message that
some might interpret to say
that it is OK to take other’s
rights away.
But we are all the same.
Every human being has the
same need for love, warmth,
and compassion.
We all have to live on this
planet together, people, so we
might as well get used to that
fact. We might as well try to
get along. Despite what some
people may think, it’s a big
world—plenty big enough for
everybody.
It is up to each and every
one of us to decide whether we
are going to accept one another
as-is, without trying to dis
criminate or silence or destroy,
and move forward into the fu-
ture-or cling to the hate and
stay mired in the past.
Parkini
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