Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / March 18, 1991, edition 1 / Page 2
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War Is Over, But We Didn't Necessarily Win It Lisa Pope Editorials Editor Ding dong the war is over (although the witch is not exactly dead, just crushed a little). Over, over, over. No more Penta gon press conferences or special news bulletins or 24-hour-a-day CNN, or pon derous articles querying, "Will the draft be reinstated?" After dragging us through the usual wearying round of war analysis (Is this another Vietnam? Are we justified? Will the American people support this...), the commentators can sit back, take a deep breath, and start worrying about the future of the Arab states (and won't that be fun?). Not to mention the domestic problems that got so conveniently swept aside by the war fervor: small things like the budget, drugs, education, the S & L crisis (is it still a crisis now? Or did it get demoted while no one was looking?) Exciting to think about it, isn't it? Jn a surreal sort of way, the war became an all-consuming, dark diversion: How can you worry about the budget when Americans are on the front lines of battle? Exactly. Never mind that someone has to From the Editorial Board... Yearbook Needs Interest Interest in Guilford's yearbook, The Quaker , has rarely (if ever) excited great enthusiasm in the student body. De spite the fact that each student spends $X per year through student activities fees for their book, concern over how and where that money is spent is low to non-existent. Just as long as a book comes out at the end of every year, students are happy. Unfortunately, this lack of interest makes it hard for the yearbook as an organization to continue to fill the posi tion of editor-in-chief year in and year out. This is unfortunate because the yearbook is a powerful organization which does more than just produce a 200+ page book once a year. First of all, The Quaker is the truest cataloguer of student life that Guilford has (with the obvious exception of The Guilfordian). The brochures and book lets that the administration produces are fine and well, but they are student life as interpreted by non-students. The Quaker, on the other hand, is made by students and for students, and hence is truly a student record of our lives here. And the yearbook benefits the col lege in more tangible ways than just providing memories. The Admissions Office uses it to recruit new students, 2 THE GUILFORDIAN March 18, 1991 pay for those tanks and planes and 400,000 troops—better to just close your eyes and sing a rousing chorus of "God Bless America" ("The Star Spangled Banner" may be substituted if you're a highly pro ficient singer). But now, what happens? Once the pa rades are over, do the flags and the ribbons come down? From gas station to front yard to Burger King, they seem to have sprouted: looking around, one may wonder if we're in The Twilight Zone, stuck in an endless repetition of the 4th of July. We have become overnight a nation of flag-waving super patriots, with a fierce team mentality (Go USA!) Some thought that the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics were bad, but that was child's play compared to the 1991 Saddam Hussein Bowl. So we won. So we get to cheer the troops and pat ourselves on the back and give Colin Powell and Nor man Schwarzkopf standing ovations (and maybe let them run for office) and chant, "I'm Proud To Be An American" just one more time. Rah. Rah. Rah. Some find the patriotism to be positive, seeing a sense of united community and purpose that has been lacking since the and the Alumni Office uses it to solicit gifts from old students. Both of these are essential functions of the college and ones which students must promote if we expect to see our college last be yond our own short tenure here. The reason for this editorial is that The 1991-92 Quaker is looking for qualified students willing to commit their time and hard work to produce this book. The editor-in-chief is open for either a single editor or co-editors. The book can be designed as the editor sees fit; some yearbooks are witty, some are serious, some are introspective, some are comprehensive, some are detailed, and some are upbeat. Every Quaker ever produced at Guilford has differed greatly due to the wide spectrum of in dividuals who have produced it Maybe you're a freshman trying to get involved or maybe you're a junior wondering how to spend your final year; whatever you are, think about the importance of having an annual to look back on when you've left Guilford. Ask yourself if you're willing to give your time and energy to a publication which is too often taken for granted. Applications are available at the In formation Desk through Friday, March 22. glory days of World War 11. For a nation split by Vietnam, Watergate, draft dodgers and flag burners, it certainly is a new experience. It is also, ultimately, a disturb ing one. For this wasn't the Olympics or the Super Bowl of nations or even the Iran hostage crisis. It was a war. And whatever In Defense of Liberalism 'Coercive Utopians' Misconstrue Their Heritage William Burris Guest Writer Mainstream ideologies, movements and political parties in democratic societies are prime targets for extremists. Ideologues and power-mongers, from either the right or the left, attempt to take them over and use them for their own purposes. These so called reformers conceal their objectives, distort the common language, exploit ambiguities, and seduce the innocent and naive with little difficulty. Nowhere is this more evident than in American liberalism in the twentieth century. Communists and fellow-travelers posed a serious threat after 1945 and were only defeated after a valiant struggle by genuine liberal democrats who, belatedly, recognized what was going on. Although a later struggle with proponents of anew version of "socialist realism" has not been completely resolved, this threat from the extreme left, still clinging to its Marxist imperatives, seems less danger ous at the present moment. But a new threat to American liberalism now looms ominous. Often referred to as Editor-in-Chief Jacob Stohler Managing Editor Peter Smith News Editor Justin Cohen Features Editor Lara Ramsey Editorials Editor Lisa Pope Sports Editor Butch Maier Layout Editor Bruce James Assistant Layout Editor Jennifer Watts Photo Editor George Brand Copy Editor Suzanne Moore Business Manager Lesley Funk Advertising Manager David Putzel Faculty Advisor Jeff Jeske The Guilfordian is the student newspaper of Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C. Submitted articles are welcome. Opinions expressed in editorials and letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and editorial board. The editors reserve the editorial licence to The Guilfordian staff. Please address all mail to: The Guilfordian, Box 17717, Greensboro, NC 27410. your view on the rightness or wrongness of the conflict, there isn't much to celebrate in destructive bombings, civilian deaths, and military casualties on both sides. In the midst of patriotic grandstanding, it would be good to remember that war, even in victory, is hell. "Coercive Utopians," these reformers are the children of a modem version of Ameri can liberalism, home-grown intellectuals, professors, administrators and students who, if they ever understood liberalism, now seem to hold its basic tenets in con tempt. In their passion to create a new society, they are determined to sniff out, indoctrinate and, if necessary, punish all who take exception to the meaning of the word "sensitivity" as defined in their own personal lexicon. Their tactics are famil iar. First, corrupt the language. Then seize the moral high ground and lay siege to those, either in government or universi ties, who have the power to make deci sions. In due course, they capture the decision-making offices themselves. They have succeeded wonderfully in American colleges and universities, especially in pres tigious institutions or colleges of lower rank that share similar aspirations. Conservative journals have been warn ing us of these developments for some years now. But, such journals are read mainly by people who do not live for politics. Indeed, conservatives see politics as a rude interruption of their private lives. Their sermons have thus had little effect But now things seem to be changing. The New Republic, the leading liberal journal see LIBERALISM on page 3
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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March 18, 1991, edition 1
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