The Guilfordian
March 27,1998
A starting point
BY WATTS DIXON
Guest Writer
I write this not to condemn
anyone's chosen lifestyle or to advertise
my own, but rather to present informa
tion that many people may find useful.
My hope is that this information will sur
prise some people and incite them to take
action.
I realize that there are many well
intentioned individuals out there who
would like to uphold certain ethically and
environmentally sound ideals in their lives.
I pass no judgment on the level to
which they take these ideals and would
merely like to aid them in their endeavor,
for the best intentions are often rendered
moot by the presence of ignorance.
Knowledge is power...who can
deny the truth in these words? We are
forever at the mercy of others if we
choose to let ourselves stagnate. Being
college students, we are all very wise.
We know many, many things. But do
we know something as simple as the ori
gin of the food we eat? Where it came
from? How it came to be? At what cost
to the environment and to others? When
you buy a product, do you know who
actually manufactures it?
As it is, by blindly consuming what
is handed to us, we could be heartily sup
porting the very things we attempt to fight
when we join an organization devoted to
social justice or environmental protection.
As students, we tend to rationalize
our ignorance, claming to be too busy
Guilford College: love it or change it
BYJACOB NOBLE
Staff Writer
Sometimes when one raises issues
within their own institution, that institu
tion will retaliate in defense. I am now
beginning to feel what that attack is like.
Some have labeled me an instigator
or rabble-rouser. Others have proclaimed
that I am a traitor to the institution and
Quaker principles.
Students now question my ap
proach, saying that I am too intimidating
or pessimistic. One student recom
mended that if I have so many problems
with the school, I should just leave. I soon
began to think, this cannot be the only
student who feels this way towards me.
I have been receiving nasty looks for
months, and there are probably others
with our countless scholastic priorities to
donate time to such exhaustive outside
research. But can we comfortably fall
back on such a weak argument? Per
sonally, I care infinitely more about how
my personal actions affect the environ
ment and people around me than I do
about coaxial and noncoaxial strains in
rocks, an integral part of my geology ma
jor. I propose then that we all make a
conscious effort to know the conse
quences of our actions as consumers.
We have to power to say, "Now your
product represents practices that I de
test, and I will not partake of it or any
thing else you manufacture." It is cru
cial that we realize this power and use it.
Now I present you with a starting
point. This is a pitiful fraction of what is
out there, and I urge readers to take the
initiative and find out what else is there
is.
1) 90% of all cheese, unless marked
otherwise, contains an enzyme called ren
net which is taken from the lining of
calves' stomachs. Thus, in a very real
sense, most commercial cheese is not
even vegetarian. There are, however,
cheeses available that do not contain ren
net, many of which are organic as well.
These are available at all natural food
stores and some large supermarkets (The
Super Harris Teeter).
2) The following is a list of compa
nies (and in some cases sub-companies
or products) that still engage in animal
testing for cosmetic purposes: Proctor
and Gamble (Crest. Pantene. Tide. Vidal
who think the same, but do not have the
courage to engage in conversation with
me.
For a while transferring was some
thing I began to contemplate, but then
something happened. While reviewing
documents for a research paper I was
writing I came across a transcript for an
interview.
Mr. Wei Jingsheng, a Chinese dis
sident, had been imprisoned in China for
over 20 years due to his pro-democratic
literature which had been distributed
throughout the country. Mr. Jingsheng
was now free and talking with the me
dia.
During a radio broadcast he was
blasted by a caller from Japan and Mr.
Jingsheng was then accused of "tarnish
ing" China's image. To this Mr. Jingsheng
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COURTESY OF THE USBIC EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
Sassoon, Cover Girl, Jiff, Noxema),
Colgate-Palmolive, Bic Corporation,
Clorox, Johnson&Johnson (Neutragena),
S C. Johnson and Son (Dracket Prod
ucts), Kimberly-Clark Corporation, An
drew Jergens Co., Lever Brothers,
Chesebrough-Ponds, Helene Curtis In
dustries, and Reckit and Coleman. Gillette
has allegedly stopped all animal testing.
3) The following are all owned by
either RJR-Nabisco (the maker of Camel
cigarettes) or Philip Morris (the maker
of Marlboro cigarettes). Thus, when you
purchase any product manufactured by
the compahies mentioned below, you are,
in turn, supporting the tobacco industry
(and consequently aggravating my aller
gies, which can be unpleasant for every
one): Kraft. Maxwell House, Jell-O,
Miller, General Foods, Oscar Meyer,
Post, Kool-Aid, and Nabisco.
4) Coors Beer not only funds anti
homosexual groups such as the Con
cerned Citizens (a group pressing for the
responded by saying their is a difference
between government and country and
that "one can attack one without attack
ing the other."
This is what I am doing. When it
comes to an academic setting, I love Guil
ford. For the most part, my professors
have been great. What I have taken from
them is something I will never forget. As
for my friends, they have always stood
by and accepted me for who I am, in
stead of molding me into something I am
not.
I am staying at Guilford because
this is my home. This is where I chose to
pursue my education. Yes, I could go
somewhere else, but I want to stay here,
and since I am here my voice counts. If
just one person agrees with me, then I
must not be entirely wrong. I have no
reinstatement of criminal penalties for ho
mosexuals), but it has been proven to
have violated labor laws and toxic emis
sions laws. In addition, Coors is a bla
tantly racist establishment. William
Coors, one of the brothers who runs the
company, once said that if blacks thought
that it was unfair that their ancestors were
"dragged here in chains against their
wi11... I would urge those of you who feel
that way to go back to where your an
cestors came from, and you will find out
that probably the greatest favor anyone
ever did you was to drag your ancestors
over here in chains, and I mean it!"
Later, in the same speech, he remarked
that blacks "lack the intellectual capac
ity to succeed."
I have so much more to say, but
hopefully I have said something that has
ignited a fire in at least a few minds. If
you have questions, please call me at
x 3908, and I will gladly point you to some
helpful resources.
problem with the interior; it is the exte
rior which has me uneasy —the false
sense of community that has been exhib
ited. To leave would be a cop-out on my
part, one. which would do nothing to make
me a stronger person.
With all of this talk about people who
want me to leave I am reminded of some
thing Colman McCarthy, a man for whom
I have a great deal of admiration, told me.
He said that during the 60's and early 70's
his outspokenness against the Vietnam
War would often result in others attack
ing him. The comment most often deliv
ered to Mr. McCarthy by these "patri
otic" Americans was the standard "Love
it, or leave it." To them Mr. McCarthy
would always riposte "No, love it or
change it." As one can see, my choice
has been made.
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