The Daily Tar HeelMonday, October 29, 199093
RSEMBEIRi
Comparison not meant
to be attack of Judiasm
Editors' note: This letter was turned
in on Thursday, Oct. 25, but due to an
administrative error was not included
in Friday's DTH.
To the editors:
"Dana Lumsden, I'm the student body
vice president, I can make life so diffi
cult for you that your head will spin."
Fortunately, the Student Code does not
give Grant Vinik a power that the
Constitution doesn't even give Dan
Quayle.
But The Daily Tar Heel, by allowing
Vinik to print a personal attack in the
paper and by denying me a timely re
sponse, granted him part of that power.
I spent a weekend defending myself
against people who are silly enough to
read a letter on the editorial page of the
DTH as fact. I suggest that instead of
attacking those people who are trying to
improve the environment on this cam
pus and in the process deflecting from
the real issues at hand, Vinik use his
energy to improve it himself. As these
African-American and Jewish students
battle out personal differences in print,
"KKK" gets sprayed on cars and anti
Semitic letters get sent to the computer
center. I know the perpetrators are hav
ing a good laugh at our expense.
Whatever the perceived
"black"mailing Vinik received the other
day, I only wanted him to realize that
placing posters of African-American
heroes on the walls of his office is not
enough. Evoking his ancestry as a Jewish
South African is not enough. A pro
active approach to the problems of this
campus and American society is enough.
By asking Vinik what a Jewish ste
reotype was and to v isual ize the one that
he named, I only sought to help him see
how, although the statues that exist don't
offend him, there are certainly statues
that could. By quoting me out of con
text, Vinik made me look not only anti
Semitic but also hypocritical. Roger
Madison (another harasser of Grant
Vinik) and I proceeded to follow the
self-proclaimed "champion of the op
pressed" after he said, "If you want to
discuss this further, you'll have to fol
low me to class." Follow him we did,
and I was told by Vinik to hide behind
a tree while he signed the petition as a
favor to Madison.
The response from Vinik's letter leads
me to believe that the campus seems to
value Jewish stereotypes more than
those of Asians, African-Americans or
women. You can't mention a Jewish
stereotype but you can depict a black
one in statue form. Stereotypes are
stereotypes! The fact that I had the
audacitylo mention that there are Jewish
stereotypes which could very well be
depicted in a bronze medium offended
Vinik and the students who have been
harassing me. Obviously, there would
still be a CAOS (Community Against
Offensive Statues I certainly would
be a member) if there were a Jewish
stereotype depicted, and I would venture
to say that Vinik would eagerly sign his
name. B ut si nee there is no Jewish person
depicted, there is no Grant Vinik. Where
is the logic?
Alluding to the stereotype of a
"money-grubbing" Jewish person was
not meant as a polemic on our Jewish
population. It was an attempt at getting
Vinik to inhabit the offense that femi
nists take to the statues (and in the
process, the offense of African-Americans
and Asians as well).
I felt that by pointing out to other
students how there could have easily
been ethnic stereotypes of them in front
of Davis, we would have a bigger CAOS.
For example, I asked an Italian
American student if he would be of
fended if the artist depicted an Italian
American student as a mobster and
called it "campus 1 ife." He said "I would,
but it's not there" a response similar
to Vinik, however he wasn't some junior
politician and I don't expect a letter in
the DTH implying that I'm anti-Italian.
I ask that Vinik cease to insult my
intelligence and the intelligence of other
African-Americans on campus by
evoking posters on his wall. If these
"men" are his true heroes he should
want to emulate their behavior. Nelson
Mandela's behavior is the behavior of
action. Martin Luther King's behavior
is the behavior of action. Harvey Gantt's
behavior is the behavior of action.
Vinik's isn't.
Perhaps he is making the transition
from an annoying rhetorician to an ef
fective activist. But in the meantime,
my only suggestion is to be quiet.
When you don't take action, you
invite reaction. Whether Vinik chose to
sign on for CAOS is not important;
there are more than 600 people who
have. When Vinik takes action, in
whatever form, that's when he'll be all
right with me, and our heroes. Smile on.
DANA LUMSDEN
Junior
Political ScienceRussian Slavic
Literature in Translation
Campus has benefited
from discussion of issues
To the editors:
The events of last week demand some
attempt by all of us to focus, to clarify,
to understand.
Against an early-week backdrop of
spoken concerns about instances of
harassment on our campus, a gift of
statuary arrived a gift from other
students, students only five years re
moved from our classrooms and the Pit.
For some of us, the sculptor's work
evokes images which are deeply hurt
ful. For others, the fact that someone
might have objection to the artwork is
beyond understanding and is, thereby,
itself offensive. For still others, the work
has inherent appeal and meaning. In the
crowds that have gathered around these
bronze symbols of ourselves, there have
been heated discussions, arguments,
threats and at least one report of a small
fight. But, there have also been insights
and understandings shared among
people who might not otherwise have
had such an opportunity.
From a long-ago course about art, I
recall a then dry, academic admonition
that "art should challenge, should un
settle, should evoke emotion." Surely
the artist has accomplished that end
with her work, but I think she has done
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DTHKathy Michel
more.
In the last several days, we have all
seen more intense discussion, more
thoughtful argument, more heated ad
vocacy of position and more "education"
of each other than we might hope for in
even the best of staged academic exer
cises. As an opportunity to explore and
share with each other our feelings of
intensity about both our differences and
our similarities, this gift has been a rich
one.
Of course, it is too early to know how
all of this will finally resolve, but I hope
that we will not lose the true gift of the
artist the rare catalyst of an oppor
tunity to open our minds and our hearts
to better listen to and hear one another.
FREDERIC W. SCHROEDER
Dean of Students
Statues should be viewed
as art, not as stereotypes
To the editors:
Shortly after reading the Oct. 24 ar
ticle "Students concerned new statues
evoke stereotyped images," I wanted to
respond. Immediately, in fact. The first
surprising thing to me was that students
feel they can demand these statues be
removed and "ta-da" it happens. Being
the pieces were donated by the class of
1985 and the preliminary sketches were
approved, the so-called biased look at
student life cannot be blamed on the
artist's fancy. Secondly, it astounds me
that on a campus of so many freedom-of-expression
fighters and opposers of
Jesse Helms' censorship of artwork that
there would be outrage over statues
depicting accurate student life. Must I
mention the irony of the placement of
Jessica Lanning's editorial voting for
the removal of the statues over the ar
ticle applauding 2 Live Crew's court
victory?
If I've gleaned any knowledge dur
ing my time at UNC, it is that this kind
of searching for racism and sexism in
every nook and cranny only leads to the
very tensions and line-drawing many
say the statues symbolize. True, there
has been ignorant and unnecessary
discrimination and name-calling on
campus in recent weeks, but let's not
create segregation. Drawing attention
to such acts and giving them media
coverage only encourages the con
scienceless violators. Constant empha
sis on our differences only makes us
less alike.
These images on display may repre
sent common stereotypes, but they are
not false depictions. What is so insult
ing about a portrayal of a black student
athlete? Who is to say it is not a proud
example of what our University has
become and the diversities it has to
offer? How many times have you seen
a male hugging a female smack in the
middle of your walkway, very often
looking more feminine and more, well,
female! The point is this the statues
were designed to represent different
walks of life on campus. The protests
are originating in the individuals' of
fense at their own interpretations. This
is not to mention the artist's own inter
pretations of her work; that is essential ly
unimportant. Art is to be appreciated
for its ability to arouse different emotions
in different people. Simply, art is in the
eye of the beholder. If you see the African-American
female as a slave with a
basket on her head, the athlete as an
insulting stereotyped clone, and the
female of the couple as a whimpering
subordinate, then so be it. But just be
cause you see the pieces as degrading to
you or your peers, don't be blind to me
walking by admiring the "student bod
ies" as talented and expressive art.
DENISE CLINE
Junior
Psychology
Racism and sexism exist
in critics, not in sculpture
To the editors:
After reading and arguing about the
statues in front of Davis, we believe the
following question is at the center of the
issue: are racism and sexism the intent
of the artist, or the perception of the
viewer? Some students are offended by
the figures because they see tham as
racist and sexist, and others don't mind
them because they don't recognize an
intent to stereotype. We don't believe
that the artist was expressing prejudice
in her work, and so we see the statues
simply as expressions of art. To change
or remove the exhibit because of how it
is interpreted would be no different than
banning homoerotic photographs be
cause of how they were perceived; both
of these violate a strict interpretation of
First Amendment rights.
Though I (Mark) often encounter
people who are upset about services I
am offered as a learning disabled student,
I still believe these people have a right
to their own opinion. However, they
don't have a right to discriminate against
me by impeding my education. The
discontent is based on a perception, but
the discrimination would be an action
that infringes upon my rights. We hope
that everyone is able to look at this issue
in those terms and make a fair j udgement
on these statues. Ask yourself, did the
racism and sexism exist in the statues
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before they were put up, or were those
characteristics created by the viewers'
perceptions?
MARK SHELBURNE
Sophomore
Public Policy Analysis
MIKE KOLB
First year
Law
Stereotypical sculptures
reinforce generalizations
Editors' note: The following was
submitted on behalf of SARR (Students
for the Advancement of Race Relations ),
. a committee of the Campus Y.
To the editors:
No, we don't have a problem with the
sculpture outside of Davis Library. We
have at least two problems with it.
First of all, the two African-American
stat ues val idate personal prej udices. The
manifestation of such stereotypes on a
public campus, in a prominent part of
the campus, reinforces false generali
zations. The statues reflect and condone
the evaluations of any ignorant indi
vidual because his or her innermost
suspicions materialize in bronze and
concrete!
The second problem is that many
well-meaning people do not see how
the sculptures and things of this nature
might be harmful. This ignorance is
revealed through conversations with
people who feel that too much is being
made of the sculptures. They believe
that racial incidents are isolated and
come from a vacuum. As a result of this
belief, African-Americans have been
accused of finding racism where there
is none. Whereas one can easily see that
racially motivated incidents, such as the
defacing of the Harvey Gantt poster,
present strong evidence that racism does
exist here, perhaps only those who have
been the victims of such attacks feel the
need to identify the causes and rein
forcements leading to such actions.
The burden of the proof, however,
should no longer fall to the victims. We
should all ask ourselves, "Why was the
Gantt poster defaced?" and "Why did
an African-American Homecoming
Queen candidate receive a hate note?"
Furthermore, "How might the condon
ing of stereotypes, such as those repre
sented by the statues, charter racism?"
Instead of simply acknowledging and
accepting the symptoms, we should
challenge ourselves to reveal the rein
forcements of the disease.
TERRI STROUD
Junior
Political Science
CATHY CALLAHAN
Junior
American Studies
Contradictory editorials
encourage speculation
To the editors:
Let me see if I've got this straight.
According to Oct. 24's editorial tandem,
the statues outside of Davis Library
would be valid works of art and de
serving of free-speech protection if they
graphically depicted violent sexual acts
against women. And Silent Sam should
be replaced by a statue of Luther
Campbell, whose "gun" (nudge, nudge)
would go off every time a "bitch" or
"ho" walked by. Sounds logical to me.
MARK A. McCOMBS
Mathematics Lecturer
Editorial takes symbolism
beyond reasonable limits
To the editors:
It was with much amazement that I
read Jessica Lanning's editorial regard
ing the new sculptures in front of Davis
Library. As an alumnus living and
working in Chapel Hill, I still read The
Daily Tar Heel frequently and enjoy the
DTHKathy Michel
open forum on important and contro
versial subjects. The Davis Library
sculptures are certainly important, but
only short-sighted and judgmental
opinions will make them controversial.
First, a minor point. The sculptures
by Julia Balk are an artistic expression.
Silent Sam is a monument. It does not
promote sexism. What it does do is
stand as a memorial to brave young
soldiers who gave up their lives for
what they believed in. Any legend sur
rounding Sam is the product of some
individual long-forgotten. If someone
wants to start a legend for Silent Sally,
the young woman in the sculpture bal
ancing a book on her head, I don't think
anyone will be bothered. And I'm
guessing that book will never drop after
some young man walks by.
Back to the editorial. Lanning says
there is a man twirling a basketball like
a Harlem Globetrotter. Her words. Like
a Harlem Globetrotter. What she means
by that is anyone's guess. The
Globetrotters are highly skilled and very
successful entertainers.
Lanning says there is what appears to
be a black slave woman balancing a
book on her head. Slave woman? Is she
wearing shackles or shoes? Slave
woman. This sort of absurd editorializ
ing is shameful.
When does Lanning think portraying
a student who enjoys basketball as black
will be okay? A hundred years? Five
hundred years? Sounds like Lanning
would like to make incredible efforts to
avoid any remote chance of misinter
pretation by some ignorant passerby.
Let's see ... a white student twirling a
basketball; a black couple hand in hand,
no apple, no leaning; a black woman
just holding a book. Pretty soon she'll
have the Julia Balks sculpting with
cookie cutters, not hands and hearts.
Safety and sterility over creativity and
energy.
The Davis Library sculptures depict
some students. Nobody special, just
some students. There are couples who
walk together, there are girls who carry
stacks of books, maybe even the rare
one who puts one on her head. And I'm
willing to bet that of all the students
who also like basketball, there's at least
one who happens to be black. Balk's
work is not stereotyping unless all her
work follows this pattern. Those
sculptures are just one artist's view of
life.
Lanning says we must all quit walking
on eggshells. Well, Lanning needs to
quit dropping eggs in front of us on this
one.
RICHARD MARVILL
Class of 1987
Chapel Hill
"The Student Body'1 is not
an accurate portrayal
To the edit
Tuesday afternoon a friend highly
encouraged me to view the new statues
in front of Davis Library. Upon observ
ing the figures, I had the opportunity of
meeting and talking with Julia Balk, the
artist of "The Student Body." She ex
pressed that when creating the array of
sculptures, her intentions were not to
create stereotypical images of African
Americans or women. Instead, she
claims to have attempted "not to leave
anyone out." Does Ms. Balk think that
just because she has sculpted someone
of color that I would be impressed?
The statue of the basketball player
with his book by his side and the basket
ball at the focus of his attention rein
forces the belief that all black people
know how to play basketball, especially
those at Carolina (a school very noted
for its basketball team). Balk told me
as if for reassurance for my sake that
in her mind Michael Jordan is the most
famous Carolina alumnus; therefore,
she wanted to project his image in "the
athlete" figure. Bulls 23 is not on the
figure's jersey, and nothing else about
that statue distinctly implies that it is
Michael Jordan. Anyway, Jordan is not
the most successful (maybe the most
famous but not the most successful)
African-American graduate of Caro
lina. Many have gone on to MBA school ,
law school, medical school, graduate
school and pursued many various ca
reers with a strong academic back
ground. The vast majority of Carolina's
African-American students and alumni
are not athletes; therefore, we are still
left out of the sculpture. Of course,
many do not prefer to see the portrayal
of these more academic achievers. Is it
because they are less amusing?
Speaking of amusing ... what is the
African-American female statue doing?
Romanticizing about carrying a basket
on her head in the motherland, perhaps?
Maybe Balk's opinion of the female
and her one book (unlike the female
figure with seventeen books) is "whim
sical;" however, this nonchalant, free
spirited African-American revives the
notion that African-American students
are at this University for reasons other
than academics to fulfill a quota,
maybe? I am perturbed and tired of
people displaying their ignorance of
African-Americans and our culture by
mainly depiction us as irresponsible,
funny, happy, dancing, singing and
"whimsical" sports-playing sub-humans,
and these misrepresentations of
African-American students at Carolina
in "The Student Body" are definitely
sickening.
DTHKathy Michel
The lovers are also offensive. The
image of the male-dependent female is
a stereotype that does not need to be
perpetuated anywhere and especially
here on campus. Yet, the female sculp
ture leaning on the male figure for sup
port as his hands are casually placed on
her buttocks implies submission.
Art is controversial, but freedom of
speech is not the issue here. Other forms
of slurs such as public racist and sexist
speeches, posters, and banners should
not and are not openly condoned by this
public university, so why should "The
Student Body" with its racist and sexist
implications be allowed to remain on
our public facility?
Of course, the argument can be made
that Balk sculpted what she knows, and
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I do not refute that. After talking with
the artist, I realized that her intentions
were harmless; however, she needs to
real ize that our norms, bel iefs, and va lues
are shaped by society. Hence, because
this is a racist and sexist society her
ideas and beliefs of women and people:
of color are a reflection of those preju
dices. An artist does create what she or
he knows and how she or he perceives
it, but I would only hope that if -ever
again when Balk is attempting to create
images of a diverse group of people.hc
would investigate and spend time-
learning more about those she is repre
senting in order to avoid those stereo
types apparently instilled in her by so
ciety. - .
Those of you that do not find the;
statues offensive and fail to understand
the feelings of those that are of an;6p
pressed group, I encourage you to spend .
some more time in the library to learn,
the truth about other persons and their
cultures. I also challenge you to 'defy;'
your stereotypes of others by intera'cf
ing with students in a more socially,
diverse realm. If you decide to accept,
my challenge, do not pursue it with
tokenism but with sincerity instead. Of
course, though, you have the option of '
ignoring all the points I have made
while continuing to live your life with:
ignorant perceptions of other people.;.
Meanwhile, I hope that by the time thi.
editorial is printed, the Board of Trustees ;
will have decided to permanently re
move "The Student Body" from' this-'
campus in effort to improve race rela-i
tions in the University community..;
STEPHANIE ELLIS
Senior"
African-American Studies
Political Science'
Preconceptions plague
blacks as well as whites
To the editors: '
Ah, the statues in front of Davis!
While being convinced by a passionate.
and deep-thinking gentleman of , the,
institutionalized racism embedded in
the statues, I had an enlightening ex
perience. The gentleman said that, be
cause I am white, I am either part of the
solution or part of the problem (of rac-;-ism).
I asked what his opinion would be
if I were vice president of the NAACP;
he said that such a superficial gesture,,
merely to appease my guilt, would be'
insufficient. I want to thank this man for
letting me experience racism from the
bad end of the stick. His preconceptions
of white people, as much as his strong
and solid arguments, opened my eyes to
the subtle power of stereotyping human
beings, manifested in the form of a
statue or in the minds of those who view
it. . v
TOM MARGOUS
Graduate
" Biology
Library sculpture evokes
already existing tensions
To the editors:
This letter is in response to all of the'
recent outcry over the newly erected
statue "The Student Body." I respeii-:
the fact that some people on this campus
feel that this statue is a racial andor
sex ist representation of the student body
at UNC. What I fail to respect is" that
these people somehow feel that their
interpretation of this work of art is the
only correct one. Art is a great thing,,
because two people cm look at the same
piece of art and interpret two totally
different things. There is no "correct" '
interpretation of art, only a search for
the message the artist was trying to get'
across. Julia Balk, the artist, stated very;
clearly in her article in the Daily-Tar
Heel Oct. 26 that her message was not
one of racism or sexism, but of strength
and harmony among the different sexes-'
and the different races. ' '
At the heart of all of this controversy .
is not the statue itself, but the racial and ,
sexual tensions which exist at this !
University. As a senior, I realize that ',
one only needs to open his or her eyes to !
see that problems which exist at UN.G, !
the United States, and for that matter the !
whole world. It is human nature for ;
people to initially mistrust things.ers
people that are different from thetnI
selves, efforts of the people who.V;
working so hard to try and facilitateV'.
change in the racial and sexist attitudes :
which exist here at UNC, but I feel that' :
their efforts could be put to better .use. I
First, the only way that true change will-;
ever occur is if people take time';tb' ;
examine their own prejudices, which ;
we all have, and work to overcome :
them. As I am sure everyone can ap- J
preciate, the removal of one statue will
not eliminate or even reduce racism and
sexism on this campus. Only through
education, an open mind, hard work and ,
love will true change occur here at UHC
and in the world. ; ;
The statue unfortunately has become,
a target for people who are earnestly ;
seeking change to vent their frustration, ;
and it serves as something tangible to' ;
work for or against. I feel that the statue, j
should remain right where it is, because ;
it does point out the differences between! j
the races and the sexes wh ich w i 1 1 al ways
be present. But, more importantly, , It j
shows us that with a lot of work these.
differences can be cherished and bne
day we may all live in harmony as one
people. I am sure that there are many ;
people who will disagree with ni' ;
opinion, which is their right. I am" not j
trying to "convert" anyone to my way pf ;
thinking, I am only offering some "fobtf, ;
for thought." -"?.
CHRIS THROCKMORTON j
Senior
Physical Therapy
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