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Panels on Roles of Sexes Look at Myths, Realities
Lisa Pope
Staff Writer
Imaging. There's been a lot of it going
on in the Gallery during these past two
weeks. If you felt funny vibes seeping out
when you walked by, it's because faculty/
staff members were wrestling with the
idea of "Where I Stand Looking at the
Woman/Man Who is Not Yet."
Fortunately not all on the same day.
"The Woman Who is Not Yet" took center
stage first, Wednesday, September 26. The
theme was addressed by a panel composed
of Ellen O'Brien, Claire Helgeson, Linda
Brown, Jane Cans, Carol Stoneburner,
Becky Gibson, Carol Clark, Cathy Tritsch
ler and Adele Wayman. It was not a debate
or an occasion for oratory but, as Carol
Stoneburner said, a "shaped, intentional
discussion." Such discussion was far from
rigid; the wide range of represented disci
plines meant that many angles of women's
existence were addressed. Ellen O'Brien,
Bungee Jumping Finds a Brave Taker at Guilford
Michael Tobkes
Staff Writer
Think back to the summer before you
began your freshman year it's not that
long ago for most of us. Do you remember
what you were doing or thinking in those
final days before embarking pn the college
journey? Maybe the memories are very
vivid for you, or maybe they are not. For
freshman David Lee, however, vivid may
just about be an understatement.
This past summer, Lee joined the ranks
of the few and daring, taking part in the
latest sports-craze/adventure, known as
"bungee jumping."
Bungee jumping entails ascending in a
tethered hot-air balloon some 150 feet
above the ground, stepping out onto a two
foot square wooden platform, and diving
head-first into the sky. The jumper is
secured by three nylon cords, five-eighths
of an inch thick, that are attached to a Swiss
harness with metal hooks.
After diving off the platform, the jumper
experiences about 50 feet of freefall in a
few seconds time, before the cords are
fully extended. At this point, he drops
another 50 feet, coming within 50 feet of
the ground. Nextherebounds7sfeetorso,
and bounces up and down, until the bal
loon lowers him to the ground. After three
minutes or so, it's all over.
Balloons Over Charlotte is owned by
Dan Stone, who looks to be in his mid
thirties, but won't admit his age. His is
more than likely the only company east of
California that provides the brave the
opportunity to bungee jump from a hot-air
balloon.
Before last June, Stone's business was
limited to champagne-flights from south
for example, spoke of the difficulty women
have in freeing their natural voices; they
are too much conditioned by societal warn
ings against loudness or aggressiveness.
Carol Clark spoke of voices being stilled
also: women's economic voices. She
pointed to how little traditional "women's
work" is valued by the economy; tilings
such as child-rearing and housework are
seen as less important than "real," wage
earning jobs.
Jane Caris read from her poetry, while
Linda Brown read from her soon-to-be
published new novel. However, not all of
the panel members chose prose or even
words to express their thoughts of gender.
Adele Wayman, for example, highlighted
images of women in art, from classical
statues to her own work, and thatof Miriam
Shapiro, who was reinterpreted the myth
of Eve in several of her paintings.
Turning from "the Woman Who Is Not
Yet," the second face of the topic appeared
Charlotte, with views of the NCNB build
ing, open farmland, and South Carolina's
now-defunct Heritage U.S.A. Since ex
panding the operation to include bungee
ing, 500 people have paid SIOO apiece for
two jumps ($75 for the first, $25 for the
second).
Customers range in age from 18 to 65.
The physical requirements are simple: you
must be 18, weigh less than 250 pounds,
and be free of any back injury or other
chronic health problem. Stone requires
participants to sign a waiver, releasing him
from any responsibility in the event of
injury while jumping.
Though some jumpers find the experi
ence terrifying, most find it enthralling,
and see little threat of physical danger. So
far only four people have actually chick
ened out at the last minute. One person
was injured in Charlotte, but he was at
tempting complicated flips at the time,
which novices are not allowed to perform.
In fact, that person, asl -year-old used-car
salesman is one of Stone's most frequent
customers; he receives a discount because
he drums up business and draws spectators
who pay $3 per carload to watch from the
ground.
There have been no fatalities in the U.S.
to date, although a controversial Reebok
sneaker ad was pulled from the airwaves
last spring. The commercial depicted two
people bungee jumping from a bridge, and
presumably only the one wearing the
Reebok survived.
France has seen two deaths as a direct
result of bungee jumps off of a tower in
which their cords were severed. There
have been no deaths reported in New
Zealand, where the sport is also popular.
In Australia bungeeing has been temporar-
one week later, with discussion of "Where
I Stand Looking at the Man Who is Not
Yet." Panel members included Roy
Nydorf, Sam Schuman, Jerry Godard,
Michael Geisler, George Loreo, John
Stoneburner, Bill Gibson, Ernest McCoy,
Joe Groves, Vernie Davis, Jack Zerbe,
Tom Powell and Tom Clark. The ensuing
discussion was really a journey, passing
along the way male and female roles are
perceived in childhood, society's reluc
tance to accept a mingling of the masculine
and feminine, and the concrete wall men
face in trying to break out of the gender
stereotypes. In other words, John Wayne
is a hard image to shake.
Thediscussion produced a host of stimu
lating comments from "men are up a tree"
(Roy Nydorf), to "men can be feminists...
but we find it difficult to listen, to watch"
(Jerry Godard), to "The Man Who is Not
Yet will develop courage" (Tom Powell).
As in the first panel though, there was no
last word —no definite conclusions.
ily suspended pending an investigation
into an incident in which the participant
suffered a broken collarbone.
The FAA has not begun to set any regu
lations in the U.S., however Balloons Over
Charlotte has voluntarily had its equip
ment inspected and deemed to be safe (the
use of three cords, instead of one, is sup
posed to provide added safety). FAA
Supervisor Bill Murphy believes the agency
has no jurisdiction since the balloons are
tethered to the ground, and therefore, are
not technically "flying objects."
Despite the inherent dangers, there is
Vadas
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a variety of perspectives presented on
feminism. And you want them to be
presented by an as articulate, capable per
son as you can find. You can not have a
better person to present them than Me
linda... She is quite prominent," said
Powell.
Vadas' radical convictions on feminism
stems from complex philosophical theo
ries which were developed by feminists
Catherine McKinnon and Andrea Dworkin.
"Radical feminist analysis finds the
subordination of women within the prac
tice of the sexual," explained Vadas. "It is
in fact a well-hidden form of political
sadism in which women as a group arc
targeted by men as a group."
Vadas said she does recognize that not
every man is necessarily an oppressor of
women, butshe insists thatdoesn'texempt
them from blame.
"It is the responsibility of all men to end
the political sadism against women, just as
THE GUILFORD IAN October 8, 1990
There are many more words to come:
the panel discussions are only the begin
ning of a two-year Images Project spon
sored by the Women's Studies Depart
ment The project is designed to help
faculty come to terms with their thinking
of gender, but student involvement is very
important too. In fact, the panel discus
sions will conclude with a student dia
logue about "The Woman/Man Who is
Not Yet," on October 10, from 4:15-5:45
p.m. in the Gallery.
Plans are also being made for further
images-related activities. For example,
Miriam Shapiro will be on campus next
semester, as the project focuses on gender
images in art. Also, the drama department
is planning to stage a feminist interpreta
tion of William Shakespeare's Measure
for Measure.
The imaging has only begun. As Carol
Stoneburner said, "If you cannot imagine
an alternative future, you cannot get there."
actually little physical skill involved. One
participant called her experience, "death
survived," and told Time "sky diving is a
lot less scary." According to Guilford's
David Lee, "Most people are crazy enough
not to be scared."
Lee says he felt the biggest rush at the
top of the first recoil, but that when he
reached the end of the line and began to
spring back up, it was an unnatural feeling
"we shouldn't be doing this," was his reac
tion at the time.
see BUNGEE on page 8
it is the responsibility of all Christians to
stop anti-semitism," said Vadas.
For men who lack appreciation for
feminist theories Vadas advises them to
dress up as women for a few years and
consider how they are treated. She also
urges them to listen to testimonials pro
vided by women who have been victim
ized by men.
Vadas has written numerous articles on
her beliefs and how they relate to contem
porary issues such as civil rights. Her
articles are strongly thought out; in an ar
ticle on pornography she wrote 125 drafts
before she submitted the final version.
"The articles are more empirically from
a legal standpoint. I go very slowly be
cause I don't have that much working time,"
said Vadas who adds she was hoping to
someday publish a book.
Despite receiving many accoladesfo her
work and it being printed in prestigous
philosophical journals, she has remained
modest.
"I don'tknow why I'm being interviewed.
There's nothing especially interesting about
me," said Vadas.
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