FEATURES 8
The Financial Aid Crunch...the Movie
When last we met, 1 had begun
to ponder the “things nobody
wants to talk about.” Well, I’ll
start with a tale of magnificent
proportions and certainly
something that nobody wants to
talk about, a really bad movie.
I arrived here in essence,
ignorant of the college routine
especially where finances were
concerned, and in all honesty, I
am speaking specifically of
financial aid.
I have classified this
experience as cither an out-of-
body experience or reminiscent
of a movie that goes on much too
long, like the Energizer Bunny
advertising campaign. Sometimes
you just have to say enough is
enough.
“The Financial Aid Crunch-
The Movie,” is one of those
films that could have been a
contender for an Oscar, with its
cast of thou-sands; intriguing plot;
and thrilling twists and turns. The
only problem I seemed to have
with the film is that while it
promised much more than it
delivered, I found that the ending
simply ruined the entire film.
After the main character had
jumped through all the
appropriate hoops to put the plot
into motion, I found the dialogue
of the supporting cast weak, and
sometimes inconceivable. And
while the plot line was realistic,
(maybe loo much so), and the
story was billed as a romantic,
true-lo-life, success story, it
quickly turned into a horror or
psychological thriller that is a
more accurate description.
It seemed that the perpetrator
of this tale decided that instead of
following a successful movie
format, such as those mentioned
above, it was deemed that
something was lacking in that
format. It was also decided that in
order to “boost” popularity, the
heroine would be pitted against
the system.
Well, it is needless to reiterate
the entire plot, but I am sure that
there are many of you who can
relate lo a movie experience of
this type. I
have to say
that I
recommend
the movie,
for no other
reason than
the lesson
it so aptly illustrates, but I can
definitely guarantee that its a film
you would not want to live
through twice.
As a novice critic, I fail to see
where a lot of the dilemas created
in the film were anything but
diversionary and frivolous. I
guess the film producerswouldn’t
feel a need to apologize, because
when you look at “the bottom
line”, they are in the business of
making “our money.”
Believe it or not, there are still
many of us walking around with
no time or money for such trivial
pursuits. So hopefully, with the
next film release date, just around
the corner, the producers will
realize that even though they
seemingly begrudge us our
finances, we do not wish to be
treated like ignorant, young
children being led around by our
noses.
We recognize the financial
clout that we possess and
understand that while this may be
one of the better movie making
establishments, there are others,
who with our patronage, would
profit and eventually be able to
better compete with such a giant
of the industry.
“The bottom line” is this, with
all the other problems we face in
“this world,” something that is
simply a matter of formulas,
should not become the fairy tale
turned nightmare that was
produced by this institution.
Hopefully you can relate to
this column, and while bad
movies can hardly hold a candle
to reality, there is a very important
pointhidden in the message; think
about it.
On a kinder and gentler note,
my tip for the week is to never
underestimate the importance of
cultural interaction. This campus
is a wealth of cultural diversity,
to which I say, embrace it. By
understanding the cultural pride
of others, we are better able to
appreciate the beauty of our own
culture.
Have a good semester; release
some pressure and work it out!
Peace.
No She Didn t
H'/r/i Tonya Crew
Why Blacks Should Remember the Past
By Jarvis T. Harris
Ink Staff Writer
“Live today. Forget the past!”
I hear this all the time from
certain elements of our society.
“Blacks need to stop thinking
about slavery and the oppression
of the past 400 years.”
That’s another famous claim
that I continously hear. But none
of this could be more erroneous
than the Board of Trustees
members speaking on the lack of
a need for a more diverse curricula
at UNC. Blacks are continuously
asked to forget their history. We
should never forget our history.
First, blacks already had very
little knowledge of themselves
before arriving on the wretched
shores of this country. Asking us
to forget the past is tantamount to
asking us to forget what we do j
know about ourselves.
Denying who we are can’t,
and never will, lead to anything
productive or fulfilling. Asking
us to slop looking back is to say
that, “we should not want to be
proud of who we are and what we
have endured to get this far.” In
the early days of our existence
here in the United States, we
didn’t do anything to be ashamed
of.
In fact, everytime white
society tried lo take a step, we
were right there paving the way
for their successes-never reaping
the benefits of our own labor.
Maybe other segments of our
society should stop looking back,
because the history that I read
and understand says that they,
whites, are the transgressors, not
African Americans. Maybe if we
stop refiecting on the past, they
will stop feeling guilty. If that is
the case, we should never stop
turning our heads lo the f)asL
Second, many African |
Americans wonder why we are j
in such a sad state today. Well, I
Jarvis Harris
that question can easily be
answered by looking into the
historical crystal ball. Anytime
you start two centuries behind the
status quo, you will need centuries
to catch up.
I am amazed that we have
made the strides that we have, in
such a short period of lime.
Our condition today is deeply
rooled in oiu^ past in this country.
We did not come here like
European immigrants with hopes
and desires for a better life; we
came here with chains shackled
to our bodies, while we endured
every kind of inhumanity
possible.
We could not just assimilate,
because we were black and
African — not pale and
European. No matter how hard
you try, you cannot hide your
blackness. You cannot hide your
skin tone like a religion or faith.
Being black was seen as a reason
to handicap African Americans.
We need to look back for an
understanding that this is very
much the case today and will
almost certainly be the case for
years to come until we unite to
fight that ideology. The arrival of
the “Bla:kness” was the greatest
thing to happen to this country.
Finally, we need to look back,
because if we do not, the same
thing will happen again —
slavery. Maybe in a different
form, but it will happen.
As a matter of fact, we are
enslaved now.
Look around your community.
Who owns the stores and shops?
Non-African Americans —
economic slavery.
Look on the street comer. Who
is selling the dope? That’s right'
— iM'others and sisters — mental
salvery.
Look at your evening news.
Who’s getting killed by the
dozens? Once again, the answer
is brothers and sisters.
Looking back to the past
shows us that while the
mechanisms may change, the
institutions do noL If we give up
our past, we might blindly think
we are making progress. A
careful look at the past will show
us that we are suU just slaves, but
to a different type of master.
If we don’t look back to study
oiu" mistakes and those of others,
we are doomed to die still cradled
in the arms of bondage.