FORUM
Dear Editor,
We wish to address a Serendipity
event that might not receive much
consideration: the Battle of the
Sexes game show. Wjiile we do not
claim to know or predict every- >
thing that will transpire during this
event, the very idea of it is cause for
alarm. This game appears to merely
reinforce damaging standards of
gender behavior, though it is seem
ingly playful and innocuous.
The very idea of a "Battle of
the Sexes" is problematic in that
it inherently assumes a binary sex
system, pitting men against women.
As recent performances on campus
by the Tranny Roadshow and the
Athens Boys Choir made clear, this
notion of a convenient either/or
approach to sex and gender leaves
out a vast population of transgen
der and transsexual persons, who
are also members of this campus
community.
The idea also suggests that your
biological sex is the essential deter
minant of how you will act and
what you will be interested in,
which is the purported subject of
the game. Do men not like to cook?
Do women not like to play sports?
While our gender identities can be
mysterious from time to time, we
believe there are better ways of try
ing to find answers to such ponder
ous questions, which can even be
explored in Women's and Gender
Studies classes you can take right
here at Guilford College! Also, if
we're taking a tongue in cheek
approach to the general ways that
men and women behave, then are
we not also laughing at the other
- more violent - ways gender mani
fests itself, such as the dispropor
tionate amounts of men who com
mit violence and women with life
threatening eating disorders?
Contrary to popular belief,
sexism continues to be an enor
mous problem in our society, with
real symptoms and real victims,
and Guilford College is certainly
not exempt from this. There are
other ways to have fun during
Serendipity weekend that do not
involve playing into an oppres-
.sive system, the normality of which
allows it to continue and show up
in seemingly harmless occasions
such as this event.
Danielle Perry and Andy
Freedman
Dear Editor:
In the March 28 issue of The
Guilfordian, the caption to the
March 25 candlelight vigil com
memorating the 4,000th U.S. mili
tary death in Iraq read, "... Max
Carter led a candlelight vigil in
front of Founders to commemorate
Iraqis killed by American troops."
The paper did get the candle
light vigil and location part of the
event right, but not the rest of the
statement! I was a participant in
the vigil, but it was organized by
GPeace and led very effectively
by students Airlie Parham and
Rebecca Sullivan. More important
ly, the vigil was held to recognize
the milestone of 4,000 U.S. military
deaths. Certainly, it was mentioned
that more than 600,000 Iraqis have
died in the war; but during the
silence of the 50-minute vigil, it
was the names of U.S. military per
sonnel known personally by vigil
participants that were called out
and "held in the Light."
Thank you for correcting the
wrong impression left by your
photo caption.
Max L. Carter, director
Friends Center at Guilford
College
WWW.GUlLFORDIAN.COM
Free Money? Fll take some
By Ashley Gilmer
Staff Writer "
"Dear Taxpayer:
We are pleased to inform you
that the United States Congress
passed and President George
W. Bush signed into law the
Economic Stimulus Act of 2008,
which provides for economic
stimulus payments to be made
to over 130 million American
households. Under this new
law, you may be entitled to a
payment of up to $600 ($1,200 if
filing a joint return), plus addi
tional amounts for each qualify
ing child."
A few weeks ago, I, like
millions of Americans received
a notice from the government
that opened with the above
words. After reading the first
paragraph, my interest was
piqued. As I read further, I grew
confident that a windfall was
headed my way. All I needed to
do was file my 2007 tax return,
and the stimulus money would
show up in my mailbox. I saw
myself laughing all the way to
the bank.
It wasn't until paragraph
seven that my newfound wealth
disappeared before my very
eyes.
Working students do not
qualify for a payment "if they
can be claimed as a dependent
of another taxpayer." Darn! That
makes me and a lot of other
Guilford students ineligible
for the payment. The money
we can't receive will go to
eligible Americans as part of the
government's effort to boost the
sluggish economy.
The Economic Stimulus Act is
designed to stimulate the econ
omy by providing incentives for
small businesses, encouraging
job growth, and getting cash
into the hands of consumers.
Consumers are expected to rein
vest the cash in the economy by
spending it on products such as
electronics, clothing and other
items.
In the event you do qualify
for a payment, don't let miscon
ceptions stop you from enjoy
ing it.
Some of the misconceptions
that surround the act include: the
stimulus payment will reduce
2008 tax refunds, and Americans
will have to pay taxes on the
money received. Neither is true.
Payments received will in no
way affect future tax refunds,
nor are they taxable.
But is it too little, too late?
Some economists believe that
the country has already entered
a recession. According to them,
the stimulus payments don't
come soon enough, and since
they are a one shot deal will not
have much impact in turning
things around. They add that
quarter of 2007.
The Treasury Department is
unsure how much the stimulus
package will cost. This is sur
prising and a little scary, since
the country already has a huge
national debt.
On March 31, the depart
ment reported that debt as
$9,437,594,138,091.39. If that
amount was equally divided
amongst the population of
Greensboro (237,316), everyone
in the city would be a million
aire to the tune of about $ 40
million each.
But why count the money
now?
The government has invest
ed huge amounts of money in
things that haven't helped the
average American see relief
(e.g. the War in Iraq and the
Bear Stearns bailout). When
it decides that helping those
who really need it can actually
On March 31, the department reported that
debt as $9,437,594,138,091.39. If that amount
was equally divided amongst the population of
Greensboro, everyone in the city would be a mil
lionaire to the tune of about $40 million each.
these payments will increase the
national debt.
A recession occurs when
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
growth is negative for two or
more consecutive quarters in
a year. Economists note that
employment rates fall, housing
prices decrease, and business
growth stops or slows dramati
cally during a recession. Sounds
like everyday news to me.
Nevertheless, the Commerce
Department, which keeps track
of the GDP reported small but
positive growth for the last
stimulate the economy, I say
go for it.
The checks will begin to
reach mailboxes sometime in
May. All that taxpayers must
do is file their tax returns, and
the government will automati
cally review them to deter
mine eligibility. As I mentioned
before, dependent students are
not able to benefit directly, but
keep in mind that your parents
will likely have some extra mad
money (so give mom a call).
Happy spending! (If you are
eligible.)
Don*t mi// Oul!
There’s Still Time to
Register for Summer!
Summer Session is the perfect time to take that class you
really want to be able to concentrate on, get ahead, improve
your GPA, or try something completely different.This sum
mer, Guilford is offering more classes than ever before, includ
ing many new classes and scheduling options... check it out
today... and register online!
Stephen Zunes
^^Nonviolent Action, U.S. Foreign Policy,
and the Struggle for Democracy in the
Middle East and Beyond”
Thursday, April 10, 7:30-9:00 PM
@
New Garden Friends Meeting
Sponsored by
Guilford College Department of Peace & Conflict Studies,
Office of Campus Ministries, and Friends Center