Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Feb. 14, 1985, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of Elon University Student Newspaper / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Page 2 The Pendulum Editorials Thursday, February 14, 1935 Coors: The problems behind the ad When most people buy some thing or eat something, their thoughts are probably not directed towards the manufac turers of the product. The stan dard way of thinking (or what I assume is standard) would be to only pay attention to the pro duct itself; its taste, quality and price to determine whether or not it will be bought. Manufac turers do a pretty good job with making sure that a product at least looks good through to day’s hi-tech advertising. Take a cigarette ad like the ones for Players, in which a group of fun-loving adults are living it up in some club and everyone looks deliriously happy. Or beer ads, in which snowy mountains surround someone’s- cozy log cabin and off through the clouds is writ ten the message that makes that product irresistible. All of that is very appealing to the senses. However, those advertisements say nothing ab out the people behind the pro duct. Take Coors, whose “best of the Rockies” campaign has made them the golden brewery brothers. Joseph and A'^olph Coors, who founded their mul ti-million dollar corporaaon, are avid supporters of right- wing causes. Joseph Coors has been a key member of Reagan’s “kitchen cabinet” of wealthy California and Western friends. He has also been an important fund-raiser, was in strumental in getting James Watt named as U.S. interior secretary,* and contributed heavily to the re-election cam paign of Sen. Jesse Helms, R- N.C. In the last year Coors chair man William K. Coors has come under great criticism from black leaders by making public statements that attributed the economic problems in black- governed Africa to “a lack of intellectual capacity.” Many black leaders believe that Coors’ statements refer not only to blacks in Africa, but to all blacks. Company officials say that since his remarks, some retail ers have been calling distribu tors about Coors asking that the “racist” beer be removed from shelves and that people refuse to buy the beer where it is stocked. This boycott of Coors expresses the rage of black people, who are offended, not by the beer itself, but on the views of the people behind the product. When we become aware of Coors’ views, the question to ask is: Should his feelings mat ter? Should consumers who are offended by something said or done by the manufacturer stop buying the product even if they like it? Should people who are not offended by Coors’ state ments support something that is offensive to other people? It is sad that executives should be able to hold such narrow-minded views, but whether people choose to sup port their products should be an individual matter. Some times it is hard to feel for a situation that does not affect one personally. While other’s emotions can be understood and sympathized, most people will not take a stand with them against an issue. The prevail ing attitude today is one of “in nocent bystander” where a person can see what is happen ing, but doesn’t get involved. I’m guilty of it. This attitude is easy to undei stand. But that doesn’t make ii right. While it would be good to be able to throw one’s emotions into someone else’s situation, distance is usually the answer instead. I’m not even sure where we should draw the line on “involve ment”. Should everything be our responsibility? Should everyone, blacks and whites and minorities of all origins boycott Coors because one group finds that company offensive? For now, it seems that the people who are offended by Coors, blacks whose feelings have been hurt, are the only ones taking a stance. That by itself is not enough to hurt Coors economi cally. —by Loukia Louka PEANUTS® bv Charles M. Schulz THAT BRIGHT THING?; THflT'5 Cniie^ THE saK. UEQEHO HAS IT THAT IT &ifiN65 ///''" V, :'''//////////■ l&JN ' POckV Mtn. r^£WS Take care in choosing majors “Dream a little!” That was the advice Lela Faye Rich gave to a group of students at the College Program on Feb. 5. The Program was entitled, “How to Chose a Major.” She meant that in order to determine what your major will be, dream ab out what you would like to be doing in the next five years. The associate director of academic advising said, “when you choose a major, spend time in that department getting to know the professors because they can help you a great deal.” According to Rich, “the deci sion of what major to choose should be based on three main criteria: interests, values and abilities.” “Some people want to make a lot of money at whatever they are doing so they choose a ma jor in which they can make a lot of money,” Rich noted. In ess ence, people who value money in a job are also placing value on financial security, she said. Others, she continues, choose jobs which involve .traveling both in and out of a company. People choose a job in which they are able to help others such as being a teacher or social worker. Most of these kinds of jobs, no matter how re warding they may be, do not pay very much, she concluded. “Most of the time you nee^ clues such as being satisfied cjt what you are doing in order to determine what type of major to choose,” Rich said. Other principles that are applied to selecting a major include “thinking logically about what to major in or the type of job you would be getting,” she sa^d. Rich asked for a show of hands to determine each stu dent’s class rank. She asked Jay Hardy, a junior majoring in Computer Information Sci ence, what advice he could give , to the freshmen in the audi ence. He told them to “decide early in college what to major in so that you won’t have toti so many major courses at ti time.” From Feb. 28 - March 28,pn fessors will give lectures tost dents concerning their depi ment and will also disci possilire job opportunities! students in that particular! partment. The programs* ,lje Ji^ld (Tuesdays from Si a.,m.it6 10 a.m. in Moo«r Theatre. ^ j By Kami Bm : i' I V. j^Unijg^ejtur^ Sports Editor Head Photographer Photographers (The Pendulum Staff nil): . Editor Associate Editor Student Affairs Editor Vicky Ji«« Features Editor Maureen Sweenfl Arts Editor Patricia Ayc^ Emphasis Editor ■ Brian E. BalcW® Jamie Co# Steve PMft* SluartWW joeCo# Ann Cfat» Ad Manager Mo“*' Copy Editor AdvL BobtW, ,The Pendulum welcomes letif® ; Jimited. to 250 words, from w readers.'Longer materials may submitted as opinion articles. A ters submitted must be signM, a phone number given so tnai i letters validity can be checked ^ilor (eSjBTves the right to e® I -length, libel, gpod taste anfl curacy. The deadline for submiOT materials is 2 p.m. « tice is located on 102 Willia Avenue, phone 584-233 584-2476.
Elon University Student Newspaper
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 14, 1985, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75