VKircli 24, IW2
Femmks Fatale : It’s Woman Versus Woman at UNC-CH
Cuest Writer
People «ocout)tenn2ny jocia)
tn today'$ $cxnety. One
of the mote coniroversial «^ic» is
sexism, which tias been the focuii
of much debate on college
campuses tn reccnt >ears.
Webster’s Dictionary defines
sexism as discrtmBs^on against
people on the basis of sex. It can
also bt interpreted as an alfitudc
t&at one sex is inferior to the
c«her. Thessfe defimtkins imply
that dijscriminatj(m is made t»t a
male to f«maie basis. However,
when »te conceti^tss on the
tfMC-CH where the
women men 5 to a
has emerged. In onter to contpete
in this batt^« women often ie$ort
tosw;htactlc$a$gossip,decqpti(»,
and they ^khis^ social status to
WomCT seem to find petty
things to taHt, abom when it comes
to degradii^ other women, and
even venture into fabricating
stories. By partidpaling in gos*q>,
some women hopeiodt)tain power
over their sisters, ar«J they are
particularly harsh cri&s of each
other, especially in terms of
appcarance. Many people
congregate outside the
Undergraduate Library and
Greenlaw Hall, ai> area of campus,
which for many constitutes the
‘Vard” This is a central hangiwt
for those who want to scrutinize
their fellow students. One can hear
critical comments, such as “5 he
knows that ain't her hair!” or
“What is that $be got on?” and the
like. Many limes, this kind of
criticism seems to be almost force
of habit for some womat; wanen
are used to critiquing each {Hher.
Women also go&s;^ abtwt each
other^s personal life, mainly
ccmcemittg sexual relations. I often
hear/'Cirl do you know who she is
sleejftug with nowT" This is yet
anmher way fcH- females toempower
themselves ai other women's
expeme. Hiey feel that as long as
theytoww tte "goods," or gossip
onsomeone chc,liicy have the upper
hffi)d>
Betrayal is another tool utilized
10 achieve goals for c«tain women.
The strategy of manipulating
another person forpersonfil gam is
quite prevalent. One example of
diis broken trust is when a female
plots to gain the boyfriend of an
a.ssociate. First, she will befnend
her perspective mate’s girlfricjwl,
and through this avsix:iaiion, come
in close contact with the other
woman’s man. 'Fhen, when the
tinte is right, she will make her
move and that's when “ail hell wilt
break loosed After all is said and
done, “Fm sorry,” is never heard,
and t)ine times out of 10, the new
rel£^onshipdoes not even last. The
odd thing about this, is that there is
no reason for a women to “steal* a
man from another. Sometiroes, a
woman does this just to prove she
can. In this way, bed^yal can make
a tcmate feel superior to another.
The status of women in social
groups can bnng about jealousy.
As seen on campus, there are many
sororities, for example, that many
women would like to join. But if
ycHi don’t have a certain amount of
money or if you do not look a certain
way, then your are rejected .solely
on these principles. Because of this
type of labeling, some common
stereotypes have circulated
throu^out the UNC campus. For
instance, in the pa.'rt* members of
Delta Zeta sorority have been
referred In as the “Easy DZ’s, Alpha
Kappa Alpha has been accused of
discriminating against dark-skinned
individDials, and the letters of ZTA
(which stands for Zeta Tau Alpha)
has been interpreted by some to
mean “zits, tits and ass.” These
title4 might be the result of jealous
females denied entry rnti> these
groups. It is also another way
women have divided themselves
and exhibit female vs. female
sexism.
In addition to the Greeks, there
are ccrtain cliques around campus
united by traits such as skm color,
hair texture and styles of clothing.
One has to look or acta certain way
in order to be accepted or even
noticed. Some cliques have similar
power to sororoties, in that if a
person is accepted into the elite, she
may feel superior to others who
were not.
By no means can it be said that
female-to-female sexism is limited
to this campus. One can take a
look in just about any social
setting and 6nd that the same
tiungS go On in different forms,
Ivlany women feel that they are
sijpcaior ft) others because of
jobs, money and physical
af^jearance. As to why this kind
k sexism occurs, one must point
the fingear to the Society in which
welive.Swchemphasis is placed
on females being the prettiest ch'
the thinnest, that women have
becOineaccustomedtoccHnpeting
with each cnher. This sinwtion
l^::ks a dear-cnt solution, but if
lines of ajmmonication between
women could be opened, much
of this n»>sense would stop. Also,
mutual respect is another
possible soluUon. Wtwnen ^wttld
respect the feelings and
‘’ix'^erties” of their sisters.. By
doing this^ the 'majority Of
prt^lems that women have with /
each other would cease.
Williams a freshman physical
therapy mprfr^m Hoekf Mount
Class of ‘92 Kentes and Armbands Show Culture
By Ravita Taylor
Guest Writer
Attention all graduating African-
American seniors;
You are invited to attend the
First Annual African-American
Senior Celebration on Saturday,
May 9,1992.
After contemplating my four
years’ experience at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I
decided to organize an event
recognizing the existing adversities
that we, as African-American
students, face in our strivings for
advancement. The economic,
social, and political injustices
historically plaguing African-
Americans collectively do not
escape us simply because we are
students at the “diverse” UNC-
CH. Present issues concerning a
justifiable free-standing Black
Cultural Center, an endowed chair
for our beloved Dr. Sonja H. Stone,
and well-deserved benefits for
UNC-CH housekeepers exemplify
the basis of my views. As students,
we face these issues in addition to
combatting ignorance of African-
American history and culture that
surfaces within the classroom.
Too often we find ourselves
correcting false ideas and
assumptions expressed through
textbooks and teachers themselves.
The totality of these conditions
partially describe African-
Americans’ unique experiences at
UNC-CH, and I feel that we have
more than sufficient cause to
celebrate our earning a degree
regardless of these pronounced
obstacles.
Beginning Wednesday, March
25 through Friday, March 27, the
executive committee of the First
Annual African-American Senior
Celebration (Tammi Hampton,
Terri Stroud, and myself) will
accept orders for “Qass of ’92"
Authentic Kente stoles and red,
black, and green armbands. These
items, intended to be worn at the
First Annual African-American
Senior Celebration ceremony on
May 9, 1992 and at the general
commencement on May 10, 1992,
can be purchased in front of the
Student Union (no personal checks
accepted).
Any juniors, sophomores, or
freshmen interested in actualizing
this African-American Senior
Celebration as a tradition at UNC-
CH as well as anyone with general
questions concerning thiseventmay
contact me at 933-7023.
Advertise in Black
Ink! Call 962-4336
PRE-ORIENTATION
1992
A|i|»iicafkiiis 2H*c ciirreiiflY availalilc for
sfiNleiifs «ksiriiij to serve as coiiiiseiorK
for l^re-lhieiitatHNi I!I92, a iiroyraiii tliat
tarjjets iiicoiiiliifj iiiiiioritY fresliiiieii.
Apiilicatioiis are avaialiie at the Si»ii|a
Haynes Stone Cultural Center ami at IMI
Siiiitli Ihiiklliifi. 1'lie «lealline for the return
of these a|i|»lications is Alarch hy
5:00 |».ni. I^or fiirtlier infonnatHin, contact
Canillle ;mhlY at