10The Daily Tar HeelWednesday, October 24, 1990
9Sft ror of editorial freedom
Jessica Lanning
JENNIFER WING, University Editor
Lynette BLAIR, Forum Editor
Peter F. Wallsten, City Editor
VlCKI HYMAN, Features Editor
Jamie Rosenberg, Sports Editor
JOE MUHL, Photography Editor
Lisa Lindsay, News Editor
MELANIE BLACK, Layout Editor
and Kelly Thompson, Editors
NANCY WYKLE, University Editor
Crystal Bernstein, Opinion Editor
STACI Cox, State anf National Editor
CHERYL ALLEN, Features Editor
ALISA DeMaO, Omnibus Editor
JoANN RODAK, News Editor
ALEX De GRAND, Cartoon Editor
James Claude Benton, Ombudsman
Sexist and racist images
Offensive statues need to be removed at once
Brand new statues were put up in front
of Davis Library Tuesday, and they should
be taken down today.
The artist sculpted seven figures, two of
which were African-Americans: one is a
man twirling a basketball on his finger like
a Harlem Globetrotter, the other appears to
be a black slave woman balancing a book
on her head. Two other figures, walking
alongside each other, depicted a man
draping his arm around a woman who
carried an apple. These four statues carry
overtones of sexism and racism, and those
are two isms this campus should not tolerate.
In the past few weeks, this university
has seen some serious episodes of dis
crimination. A Harvey Gantt poster was
found with racist slurs written on it. Notes
with anti-homosexual comments were
found on the UNITAS floor of Carmichael
Residence Hall. Similar phrases were
placed on the Cube on Coming Out Day.
And a note was placed on the Homecoming
Queen's car denouncing the idea of an
African-American queen.
: This rash of hate crimes must stop; the
list must come to an end. But these set of
statues will do just the opposite. This
campus, through its history and heritage,
already has racist and sexist elements in
place. For instance, Silent Sam in McCorkle
Place. First, the statue is racist because it
Rappers were right
2 Live Crew's aquittal reinforces free speech
Hallelujah. Rap rules.
After all the hype, press coverage and
much undue attention, the rap group 2 Live
Crew walked out of a courtroom last week
with fans cheering and jurors wanting to
buy their controversial album, As Nasty as
They Wanna Be. The group was finally
acquitted by a Fort Lauderdale jury of an
obscenity charge for a club performance
this summer.
By this point, no doubt, there are very
few people who haven't heard of 2 Live
Crew. For more than a year, politicians,
politicians' wives and everybody with a
self-righteous attitude has hounded the
group for simply expressing itself. This is
not to say that those uncomfortable with
the group's lyrics didn't have a valid ar
gument. Explicit songs about violent sexual
acts against women and graphic descrip
tions of anal and oral sex are definitely
offensive material that can have regrettable
consequences if heard by impressionable
individuals.
But should a group be stripped of its
First Amendment rights for fear of what
someone might do if he or she listens to it?
Indeed not. That is an unfair shift of re
sponsibility. Individuals control what they
listen to. No one is forced to support any
group or any type of music.
Parents who claim to care about what
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commemorates Confederate soldiers who
fought for states' rights and their ability to
legalize slavery. Second, the statue pro
motes sexism with the legend that Sam's
gun (which has been silent for years) goes
off every time a virgin goes by. This campus
does not need any more statues belittling
females and African-Americans.
Having those figurines in front of the
main research center on campus commu
nicates University approval of the statues.
For a community that has spoken so ada
mantly against racism, sexism and recent
discriminatory events, this display sends a
contradictory message. Elements of this
campus have strong traditional values that
unfortunately harbor discriminatory views.
This community does not have to continue
this tradition.
Discrimination can only be worked out
in the open. If non-whites and whites alike
continue to walk on eggshells, second
guessing how the other will react, this
community will never accomplish its discrimination-free
goal. Without open, un
inhibited discussion among everyone, no
one will understand where their views are
wrong or learn to think in a new, non
discriminatory way. This artist has chosen
openly to say mat racism and sexism is OK.
And this campus should openly say NO.
Jessica Lanning
their children listen to shouldn't force their
opinions on the masses for the sake of their
children. That's the easy way out, to say the
least. These "concerned" parents should
talk with their children and make sure they
don't buy such albums or attend concerts
where the music will be performed. And
the same is true for adults. If they find the
messages abrasive, there' s no need to go on
a banning raid. There are many otherrecords
and artists to choose from.
Thank goodness the jurors in the 2 Live
Crew case realized this. They could have
easily been swayed to label the group ob
scene. Four of the jurors were women
the very group 2 Live Crew raps about in a
derogatory manner. Five of the six jurors
were white possibly having never come
in contact with many of the rap group's
terms and expressions. At least two of the
jurors were older than 60 in an age group
far removed, in many ways, from the types
of music youth listen to today. But, instead
of judging 2 Live Crew on what they were
used to, the jury realized the basic right of
freedom of expression. While many jurors
said they wouldn't listen to the music, they
all said it wasn't criminal obscenity.
Now, despite those whom they offend, 2
Live Crew can continue to be as nasty as
they wanna be. Lynette Blair
jr r .is'r iic v .1 w 1 et aa; - turn hi r w .vFmza v i i
And the exciting
W:
hen last we left our intrepid colum
nist, he was embarking on a danger
ous journey, without the aid of his
Stupid Mission Force compadres. He was fly
ing solo, going alone, the Lone Wolf, like
Charles Bronson in "Death Wish 111." In other
words, he couldn't get anyone else to go with
him. Sounds like his love life.
After I decided I had to go find Rainbow, I
hauled tush down to Phil Farquhar Previously
Owned Automobiles Se Habla Espanol in
Raleigh because I needed a special car for this
job. My trusty VW Golf just didn't have the
juice under the hood, and besides, I wanted a
spacious trunk, because I might have to forc
ibly return Rainbow to her rightful place in my
kitchen.
I talked to Tradin' Dave, sales manager at
Farquhar Se Habla Espanol, and told him of
my special needs. He told me he couldn't help
me with those, but he could help me find a car.
"John, this here's what you' want."
"What is it?"
"A red 1972 Cadillac Eldorado convertible
with whitewall tires and white leather seats."
"Dave, that looks like a '76 Gremlin to me."
"How much money you got to spend?"
"About 40 bucks."
"Then it's a '76 Gremlin."
"How many miles?"
"338,987. But it runs like a dream."
"Gee, I don't know, Dave. I was sorta hop
ing for something ... less embarrassing."
"Tell ya what I'll do. I'll toss in a wash'n' wax
at no extra charge to you, and I'll put on a new
set of Goodyears at no extra charge to you, and
I'll tune her up at no extra charge to you, and I'll
tighten the clutch at no extra charge to you, and
I'll put one of those Christmas tree deodorizers
on the rear-view mirror for only $782 more."
And I said, "Wha?"
Three hours later, a puke-green 1976 AMC
Gremlin with whitewall tires and the most
expensive Christmas tree deodorizer in history
rolled off the Phil Farquhar Se Habla Espanol
lot and onto 1-40. 1 had the technology. I had the
money. I had the initiative. But most of all, I
had too much free time.
Gantt willing to help
clean up environment
To the editors:
Timothy Moore's criticism of
Harvey Gantt's attention to the
hazardous waste issue in his cam
paign for the U.S. Senate ("Gantt
makes mistakes in incinerator is
sue," Oct. 19) is dead wrong.
First, Moore asserts that Gantt,
if elected, "would have no input on
the (hazardous waste) issue what
soever." This is not true. The
Congress, through federal agencies
such as the EPA and OSHA, and
through federal legislation such as
the Clean Air and Clean Water
Acts, exercises enormous forma
tive power over the environmental
policies of all 50 states, including
North Carolina's own laws that
deal with the design, siting, regu
lation and impact of toxic waste
incinerators. Thus, Gantt, as a
member of the Senate, could and
would play a powerful role in this
environmentalpublic health de
bate, a role that Helms prefers to
abdicate, at our expense, to the
moneyed polluting corporations.
The second thrust of Moore's
criticism, the charge that Demo
crats alone "caused the need for a
hazardous waste dump inthe state,"
is absurd. Every one of us, re
gardless of political affiliations, is
responsible for the toxins and trash
that our society produces. Com
mitted environmentalists like Gantt
recognize this and fight for a
cleaner and a healthier ecology.
The time has arrived to elect to
the U.S. Senate a man who believes
that the federal government must
be a positive force in the steward
ship of the environment and in the
search for Rainbow continues
John Bland
First off, I looked at the return address on the
letter Rainbow had allegedly sent me. It read,
and I quote, "Pedro says arriba back soon."
That's it. No address, no name, not even a
little old zip code. Just those mysterious words:
"Pedro says arriba back soon."
Who was Pedro? Could Rainbow be hiding
out with a bunch of South American revolu
tionaries, fighting for their freedom from the
dastardly oppression of military juntas? What
the hell is a junta anyway? Why is the j silent?
I hopped onto a jet bound for Rio and real
ized I should have hopped into it instead.,When
we landed I looked like a Fudgsicle that had
been left in the very back of a Fast Fare freezer.
The first thing I did when I got into Rio was
go into a local watering hole and look for
Pedro, because that's what Marshal Dillon
always did in "Gunsmoke." I sauntered into a
place called "Der Bauhaus" and glanced it
over. No Rainbow yet. Maybe if I asked some
of the locals.
"Excuse me!" I shouted above the din.
"Excuse me! Can I have your attention please?
Excuse me! I'm looking for Pedrol"
They all looked at me like I'd just committed
a political atrocity with a mountain goat.
"Do you know who Pedro is?"
Still silence. Must be the language barrier, I
thought. I quickly glanced in my handy Spanish-English
dictionary and realized I should' ve
gotten the English-Spanish one instead.
"Ummmm ... Por favor," I improvised,
"know-a who-a Pedro is-a?"
From somewhere in the back of the bar a low
voice growled, "That's Italian."
"My fault," I shouted. "El know-o who el
Pedro is-o?"
"Nuh-uh," they yelled in unison, and went
back to their drinks.
This was perplexing. I was in a South
American bar and no one was named Pedro. I
grabbed the nearest guy by the collar and in
AIDERS' FORUM
education of the youth. The time
has come indeed for us North
Carolinians to elect Harvey Gantt.
KAMLEE
Staff
Davis Library
Israeli issue proves
too complex for writer
To the editors:
The column, "Jews and Pales
tinians need to settle their score,"
by Kimberly Maxwell (Oct. 1 8), is
at best naive, and at worst inten
tionally misleading. She would
have us believe that Israel was
created as "a reward to Chiam
Weizman ..." for helping Great
Britain during World War I and
that when Israel was formed in
1947, "all the Palestinians who
lived in that area were kicked out."
Both of these points are incorrect.
For the record, there has been a
continuous Jewish presence in Is
rael dating back well before the
conquest of Jerusalem by Rome in
70 A.D. Jewish prayer and tradition
since that time has reflected a de
sire for a return to that homeland
and the re-establishment of an in
dependent Jewish state. Modern
political Zionism (the movement
to restore Israel as a viable politi
cal entity) began in the 1880s. At
that time, Jews fleeing persecution
from around the world began mi
grating to the site of present-day
Israel. They bought land, drained
swamps, and as the cliche says,
"They made the desert bloom."
After World War I, the British
assumed control of the Middle East
which had been held by the Otto
man empire. More and more Jews,
fleeing persecution, came to Pal
estine to lay the framework for a
national home. The Balfour dec
laration, representing British policy
in 1917, stated that Great Britain
"looked with favour upon the es
tablishment of a Jewish State in
Palestine." The original area of
British mandate Palestine included
present-day Jordan and Israel. Over
time, the land was divided, with
more and more being given to the
Arabs. Less than 20 percent of the
original total was then to become
Israel. In 1 947, the United Nations
further divided the area and ap
proved the creation of a state to be
named Israel (now smaller than
New Jersey).
Contrary to the distortion pro
vided by Maxwell, all Arab Pal
estinians living within the borders
of Israel were invited to stay by the
new government. Many left their
homes after being told by Arab
leaders that they should "get out of
the way" while the invading armies
of several Arab countries "drive
the Jews into the sea." They were
told they could then return and
have all the land to themselv es. As
history goes, the Arab states did
not destroy Israel in 1948 as they
had hoped. Those who left their
homes became part of the Pales
tinian refugee problem. Other Ar
abs truly left from fear of war or
the consequences of battle. These
unfortunate groups constitute a
large portion of Palestinian refu
gees. However, Maxwell, many
Arabs stayed and became citizens
of the state of Israel. They vote and
pay taxes like any other citizen
(the same cannot be said for Jews
in any Arab country of the world).
There are even four Arab members
in the Israeli Parliament. This is in
contrast to the Arabs of the West
V N
PUP
terrogated him.
"What's your name?" I said.
"Klaus," he said.
"Are you South American?"
"I am now."
"Who is PedroT
"I don't know."
"Say, didn't I see you in 'Triumph of the
Will?'"
"No. That wasn't me. I've never been to
Berlin. I am a native Brazilian."
"Hmmmm. A blond, blue-eyed native Bra
zilian?" "It is possible! Look at Charo!"
"Charo! Is she Brazilian?"
"I'm not German! I'm Brazilian! My name is
Klaus Rodriguez!"
"I thought she was from Indiana."
"I was framed!" he went on, wildly waving
his arms. "I was not at Stalingrad! I know
nothing of atrocities committed in the name of
the Reich! I was only taking orders! Those four
million Deutsch marks were my wife's!"
"Huh?" I said.
"Heil mein Fuhrer!" he shouted, and dropped
dead at my feet of a massive guilt-induced heart
attack.
I stared at his limp, cold body. "You sure
she's not from Indiana?"
That's when I decided I had to go to the
mountains, to find a revolutionary group who
knew about Pedro, and, hopefully, to find some
cheap drugs.
I'll never forget the day I headed up into the
hills, looking for Rainbow, Pedro and change
for a five. The air was so clear, so fresh, and I
could see nothing but razed Amazon rain forests
for miles and miles. After a while I came across
a small mountain village, untouched by civili
zation, and it was there that I ran into an Indian
named Wolfgang, who taught me about the
ancient Aztec ritual of Cuervo shots. I did 12, 13
of these and felt no after-effects whatsoever.
Except for the dream about the midget.
John Bland is a senior English and Romance-Novel-Writing
major who's been
watching too damn much "Twin Peaks."
Bank and Gaza who are not citizens
and around whom the current
conflict exists.
The current problems in Israel
with regard to the West Bank and
Gaza are very complex. There is a
lot of right and wrong on both
sides. Years of mistrust and mis
deed work against men and women
who seek a just settlement. Mis
statement of fact and oversimpli
fication of the issue does not help
to clarify the situation. Please,
Maxwell, before you again try to
offer a solution to the complex ities
of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
learn the history of the dispute.
GARY L. FREED, M.D.
Graduate
School of Public Health
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