H
Editorials
" FOR GOSH SAKES... I WISH THESE PEOPLE WOULD JUST
STOP ALL THEIR BELLY-ACHING 1... r
Letter to t
Walkmans
Dear Guilford,
As "walkmen" become more
affordable and more of us start
relying on them, it is wise to con
sider the negative effects of such
portable, private music
machines. Studies are now com
ing out warning about the health
hazards of extended periods of
loud noise played at close
distances to the ear, The volume
levels of these headphone
machines are deceiving ; they are
much louder than they seem
because virtually all of the sound
is focused directly on the ear
drum.
Lynch's Line
Distinguished Visitor Prods Conscience
By Janice Lynch
When I was fifteen years old, a
schoolmate struck me in the back
with an electric cattle prod. I
screamed, thinking the school
bus had been rear-ended and my
back broken. I am a stranger to
physical pain, but I have never
forgotten this incident.
A month ago, at the conference
on South Africa, Motialepula
Chabuku noted that the Reagan
administration had recently
authorized that 2500 electric
shock batons—cow prods—be
sent to the South African police
for "riot control." This horror
seems more real to me than any
other.
It is "old news" that Dr. Hen
drick van der Merwe was this
years' Distinguished Quaker
Visitor and leading speaker in a
symposium entitled, "South
Africa: Search for Solutions."
The news from South Africa is not
old; it is not disappearing;
atrocious human rights violations
occur there daily. This news is
not dated.
At the conference, I was quick
to condemn van der Merwe, an
Africaner, for apologies he made
As a non-walkman, I feel that
these technological goodies also
pose a sociological hazard by
reinforcing the alienation that
already exists in our impersonal
society. When you wear your
"walkman" in public you block
out a vital part of your environ
ment. You make an obvious
statement by turning on the tunes
and treating your surroundings
as '"visuals"—the sounds of
birds, of planes overhead and
wind through the trees, of conver
sation or laughter, just aren't
good enough. For those of you
who make it a habit of walking
around sucking on your walkmen
for the conditions is South Africa.
It seemed as though they had
been said too often. Now I wonder
how I should apologize for the
electric shock batons which were
sent in my name as an American
citizen. Certainly we are both at
fault.
I have since come to realize
that van der Merwe's is a voice to
be heard. The man walks a dif
ficult line in South Africa, juggl
ing his relationships with
Africaners and blacks in a search
for peaceful conciliation between
the two factors. While his solu
tions may slowly bring about
change under the current system
of apartheid, his seem to be the
only solutions which will ensure
the survival of the country.
In the Greensboro Public
Library I saw a book on Steven
Biko, the black student leader
slain by the South African police
in 1977. Van der Merwee had
worked with Biko; in fact, one of
his books was banned for its
reprint of the text of a speech
made by Biko.
For a man who did not shake
hands with a black until he was 21
years old, van der Merwe has
certainly come far. Perhaps one
day other Africaners will embark
like I used to suck on my thumb, I
have this to say—no hard feel
ings, but I've turned you off. I
know you're probably not the sort
that's imaginative enough to hum
a tune or sing or whistle or just
enjoy the rhythm of your own
footsteps. You might even be hav
ing a hard day, clutching to those
tunes that cocktail your way out
of the dull life that those of us
without walkmen are forced to in
habit. You have become just
another dull part of my scenery.
Gee, I can't wait until I can get a
set of portable television glasses
so I won't have to look at boring
people like you.
Karl Miller
on this same struggle and come
to realize the inherent evils of
apartheid.
As van der Merwe noted in the
Greensboro Daily News, change
in South Africa must incorporate
certain guideliness if it is to occur
at all. Among these:
-working for human rights for
all South Africans;
-realizing that apartheid is an
issue of the privileged class and
change will not occur unless
pressure is brought upon them;
-sanctions with conditions
ration, rather than emotion,
guiding actions.
Two years ago I was walking
with two black females in West
Berlin when an elderly white man
approached us. He asked my
friends where they were from,
but would not tell his own citizen
ship.
"You would not speak to me if
you knew," he said.
"Then you must be South
African," my friend turned away
from him.
"Yes—look, I lived there all of
my life and I want to tell you that
I am sorry for what goes on there
against blacks. I did nothing to
help, but I am sorry.
Guilfordian, April 11,1984
We Sing Swansong
This has proven to be the most difficult space to fill each and every
week. The dreaded responsibility has bounced back and forth
betweeen the co-editors' shoulders. The deals that'have been struck in
order to escape the torture of the HOUSE EDITORIAL are beyond
belief.
The situation is no different, this, our final week as co-editors of the
Guilfordian. What do we have to say to the Guilford College Communi
ty about our experiences?
We surprised ourselves a year ago when we moved out of the ranks
of the "apathetic," (though ever-critical and complaining students)
into "campus leaders" by applying unopposed and being appointed co
editors for the Guilfordian 'B3-'B4.
Our goals and expectations were high, despite the realistic warnings
of friends and foes alike, "If you do it right, everyone will hate you."
We've obviously not reached perfection yet!
We encountered many difficult, hard-core journalistic decisions ear
ly in our 19 issues. Large chunks of our naivete vanished as we tore our
hair out, consulted our advisor, searched through journalism text
books and looked for precedents set in previous Guilfordians, until we
finally took the plunge and made the decisions, quite from gut intui
tion.
It is likely that we are known for some of our more stringent
guidelines: our famous "conflict of interest" restriction on writers of
stories; the incessent use of the colorless word "said"; a noon
deadline on Saturday (HA! HA!); and finally... come rain, sleet, snow,
or even tests or papers—an issue per week!
Seriously, all of these idealistic guidelines and aspirations had a pur
pose, basically to provide Guilford College with a weekly, trustworthy,
NEWS-oriented newpspaer.
This was more difficult to accomplish than we had anticipated. Peo
ple who are not accustomed to the presence of a non-judgmental, ques
tioning body are more likely to take a negative view of such a body.
Questioning does not have to have negative connotation. The right to
question and free press have served as vital forces in the development
of our nation.
Our challenge to subsequent Guilfordian staff is to improve on what
we have established and go far, far beyond.
The "truth" as we see it is that Guilford College needs a free press
as badly as all the communities in the nation.
At the time, the three of us
were angered by the man's
apology, and, by his own admis
sion, his failure to work against
apartheid.
I see now that the apology was
a difficult one. I understand van
(gutlforiitan
Co-editors Susan Harvey, Donny Horton
News Editor Michele Lynch
Features editor • Iris Velvin
Sports editor DougDrotman
Photography editors Brittany Plaut,
Tom Risser
Layout editor Wendy Harrison
Business manager Michele Gatton
Advertising manager John Roberts
Circulation manager Karen Vance
Staff: Joe Albright, Kenneth
Goldwasser, Martha Hayworth,
Janice Lynch, Jennifer Park,
and Rich Weinblatt.
The Guilfordian reserves the right to edit all articles, letter and
artwork for taste, veracity, and length. The dealine for copy is
122:00 p.m. on Saturday preceding the Wednesday of publication.
Material may be left on the office door upstairs Founders, or mail
ed to Box 17717. The opinions expressed by the staff are their own
and not necessarily those of the paper or of Guilford College.
Page five
der Merwe's apologies. While ten
thousand apologies will not end
the suffering in South Africa or
restore human rights to all of her
people, certainly they are one
move forward in the struggle
against apartheid.