Editorials
February 10,1994
Viewpoint
UNCG Fracas Defies Reason
I am Erick Gill, the new editor of The Pendulum. I would like I
explain to our readers what our purpose is and what our goals are.
I don’t plan to write out a phoney ''E)eclaration of Principles” like
some fictional movie character, but, I intend to set realistic goals that
our staff can meet.
As editors come and go, so does the style of The Pendulum. This
is not how real newspapers work and believe it or not. The Pendulum
is a real newspaper. Our publication meets real deadlines, is printed by
a real printing press and is read by real people. Those real pec^le that
read The Pendulum expect to read news that alTects them and the
environment around than. They also expect to read the facts.
The goals of this staff arc the same as any other newspaper. Our
staff strives to report the facts as accurately, as truthful and as fast as
wecan. The Pendulum wcxks hard to present its readers with news that
is happening around locally and nationally.
The purpose of The Pendulum rmains the same as it was designed
originally almost 20 years ago.
The Pendulum is a weekly newspaper that “Serves the Elon
College Community.” This means its purpose is to inform our readers
of what is going in the Elon College area and how it may affect them.
However, this is not always an easy or pretty job to do. The news can
sometimes be harsh and shocking: but, it is our job as student journal
ists to report the facts. It is not our job to make the school or the town
of Elon College look good or bad. It is our job to present the facts and
let our readers decide the truth.
The Pendulum is just as much part of the media world as any other
newspaper. Students, faculty and local residents read our publication
and expect to read the unbiased tnith about the Elon College area. That
is our job.
As student journalists, we will make mistakes, everyone does.
However, The Pendulum staff disciplines itself not to make mistakes,
to be accurate, unbiased, punctual and honest in reporting the news that
affects its readers.
Erick Gill,
Editor
The Pendulum
Serving the Elon College Community
Editor
Erick Gill
Advertising
Beaumont Martin
Managing Kditor Reporters
Rob Mancuso t leather Anderson
Kelli Bridges
Graphics Hlditor Tiffany Gdniondson
Amy l-ogerwell Jeannine I-jdmer
A & K Kditor
l^ri Haley
Spfirts iCdltor
Angie Riley
Opinion tailor
Scott Miller
Photo Kdltor
Marco Ormaetxea
Photographers
Stacy Mogol
Heather Wessel
Sports Reporters
Tony Carricic
John Piontelc
A & E Reporters
Rick Galiher
Ingrid Quinn
Business Manager
Stephen Good
Office Manager
Heather Baldwin
Adviser
Joey Senat
The Pendulum, founded
in 1974, Ls published by
Elon students. The
Pendulum welcomes
your opinions with
letters limited to 300
words. Letters must be
signed with a phone
number for verification.
Deadlines for submission
Ls noon Monday.
Single copies of The
Pendulum are free. If
extra copies are needed,
they can be purcha.sed at
The Pendulum office.
Office: 102 Lebanon
Ave., Won College, N.C.,
27244. 584-2331.
Last week, a disturbing case of
infringement upon the rights of
others took place near our school
in the Triad. At the University
of North Carolina at Greensboro
a student wrote into the news
paper and made several claims
about Martin Luther King. One
of the things that the letter said
was that King “seemed to be
against God’s way. The very fact
that our nation attempts to
remember and pay reverence to a
man who sought to mix us
makes me sick.”
It turns out that the individual
whose name was typed on the
bottom of the letter had nothing
to do with it. In fact, the First he
heard about it was when someone
read it to him over tlie phone.
Then he started getting phone
calls. Some called him racist.
Others threatened him with
bodily harm or even death.
Imagine that, threatening death
to someone because they
allegedly expressed their opinion.
That is the big outrage in this
incident. Forget that the letter
was flat out wrong and pigheaded.
(There is some evidence to
suggest that MLK was less than
divine. However, it is flimsy
evidence at best and really should
not deUact from his greatness.) It
is wrong to threaten someone
because they express their
opinion.
Scott
Miller
It is sad to note that the focus
appears to be on the student who
really wrote the letter.
Obviously, he should be
punished to the fullest possible
extent under UNCG honor codes.
However, it is unconscionable
that other students chose to
threaten him with bodily harm
and even death. It is no more of
a proper action than a Jewish
individual threatening the life of
Louis Farrakhan for his rabid
anti-Semitism. This raises the
obvious question: How should
society deal with the racists, anti-
Semitics, homophobics and
sexists that are a part of our
society?
The most important thing to
realize is that a great majority of
our society does not approve of
those traits in a individual. To
some degree, tolerance is a large
part of what we are about.
Knowing that a great majority of
individuals in the United States
are not of a hating ilk, we should
not be afraid of public discourse.
A possible example is the
letter at UNCG. Let us say, for
the sake of discussion, that this
was a lettCT that really expressed
the beliefs of an individual.
E)eath threats against the
individual are not going to get
him to suddenly change his point
of view. The solution is to have
a responsible individual (head of
the BCS, chair of African-
American studies, etc.) calmly
and rationally refute every point
that the offending letter makes.
The way that many individuals
responded to the letter at
Greensboro would drive the
racists and homophobics
underground and let the hate
fester. If we encourage them to
speak, and then calmly refute the
diatribe point by point, we can
show that the racist argument is
invalid. It would be kind of like
killing them with logic.
Open discussion in a free
society is how problems always
have been solved. To understand
the opposite sides’ argument
makes it much easier to discredit
it. Violence, or the threat of
violence, is going to simply
result in the two sides going
further apart Only when there is
peace amongst us and a rational
exchange of thought can the
dream Dr. King so eloquently
asked for be fully realized.
1994: Year of the Incapable
Marc Gentile
Columnist
For some unbeknownst reason,
1994 has become the year of the
momentarily incapable. This is
the new politically correct way
to say temporary insanity. The
alarming precedent being
established daily is the oh-so-
American tactic of completely
failing to take responsibility for
our actions.
This excuse is not a new one,
used far back in American
history, and also used disguised
in other words. These range from
the Nuremberg trials to Ollie
North, and many other things,
but the message is the same, “It’s
not my fault.” We have been
forced to accept this decision
from afar and, usually, watch the
criminal walk.
However, lately, this has been
used to get away with such
offences as; shotgunning your
parents, removing your husbands
penis, and, if all goes according
to the Plan, putting a hit out on
your skating rival. These recent
decisions are merely examples of
a tendency that has been passed
down through generations and
become embedded in American
nature.
“A-
new attitude
must be passed down
from the Courts, and
that is if you break it
you bought it.”
Because of this, I don’t wish to
put the burden on the American
people, but rather cn the cloaked
shoulders of all which proclaims
itself to be just I do not support
a dramatic toughening of all
criminal codes without 3
restructuring of what is
supposedly illegal. My point is
that in the case of violent crime
such as these sufficient action
must be taken.
A new attitude must be passed
down from the courts, and that is,
if you break it, you bought it. Or
something to that affect When
this is done then we will have a
sense of responsibility for ouf
actions that will spill over into
all walks of life.
Grab your shorts as I attempt
to tie this into our daily lives
without sounding too
conservative. But it is important
to realize the importance of ouf
actions. If I have incorrectly
represented something in thi*
column. I'm sorry, but
remember, it’s not my fault.