Page Two
HIGH LIFE
■Sept. 30, 1968
Violence Lacks Losic
Violence in our nation and world
is a cause for great concern not
only because of its consequences,
but for the underlying problems
it poses. Violent action has alwfeys
been a problem to society, but that
does not justify its continuing
presence '.’u our “civilized” world.
The problems which face the peo
ple of all societies can be solved but
not through violent means. And
those who presume that the end
justifies any means used do not
realize the lack of logic in such
statements.
Not only is the logic distorted,
but those who follow such a dogma
generally deceive themselves that
violence is corhqct only if it is used
to perpetuate their ideologies and
not those of their opposition. That
is a common belief in our present
society and one does not have to
look far to find examples or such.
One recent and blatant example
was in Chicago, Illllnois at the Dem
ocratic convention. Many demon
strators came there with different
purposes. Some came hoping to
influence the delegates to institute
both a change in policy and choice
of candidates, while others came
to show their disgust of the pres
ent situation and to disrupt the pro
ceedings. Some came for other
varied reasons, while a few came
with no planned purpose whatso
ever. A certain degree of those
who cam!e to protest in Chicago
probably did intend to use violence
if necessary to obtajin their goals,
but their numbers can only be
speculated about.
The action which occured be
tween police and demonstrators
illustrates how speculation on the
protestors’ desires was distorted to
such a great degree that the events
occured. Many police were taunted
and jeered at, spat upon, cursed,
and hit by flying missies. The at
mosphere was such that when the
first policeman (or poTcemen) be
gan to beat and take the demon
strators into custody, it is natural
to assume that the other police
felt justified in using whatever
means they deemed necessary in
arresting the protestors.
The flurry of controversy follow
ing the Chicago melee illustrates
how people are separated over the
quest on of violence. There are
many other examples of the vio
lent conflicts which abound in our,
society, but they are far too nu
merous to recount here. The ques-
HIGH LIFE
Published Weekly
1 September through 1 June, except
Thanksgiving, Christmas, between semes
ters and spring holidays by the students
of Grimsley Senior High School,
801 Westover Terrace
Greensboro, N. C. 27410
Second-class Postage Paid
In Greensboro, N. C.
$1 Per Semester
fiMTtiiHAfioNAD Founded by the
Class of 1921
Revived by the
Spring Journalism
Class of 1937
Editor Sue Tucker
Business and Advertising
Manager Don Vaughan
Assistant Business
Manager - Richard Dodson
Editorial Staff Elyse Topkins
Carol Jeesee, Jim Hinck
News Staff Sandra Dodson
Susan Michaels
Feature Editor Marcia Quigley
Sports Staff Jean Gravin
Frank Jones
Copy Editor — Linda Wells
Cartoonist Larry Hollifield
Photographer Craig Fox
Exchange Editol Carol Groover
tion which should be pondered is,
why should people be made to feel
that violence is the only way to
gain an end? Shouldn’t instead,
people be shown that intelligent
and logical reasoning means more
than violent action? Or is this a
desire not to be fulfilled, a utopian
concept?
It appears that although violence
is on the rise, mass media is merely
making Us more aware of problems
which have existed for centuhes.
If we would only follow the ex
amples set forth by such non-violent
leaders as Mahatma Gandhi and
Martin Luther King, there would
be a great drop in violent reaction.
It can only be hoped that future
generations will use the lessons
from the past in order to formulate,
the future, a non-violent future.
HIGH LIFE
PRESENTS PLAN
As we begin a new school year
here at Grimsley, we hope the com
ing year will be a profitable one
for all of us. We on the staff of
HIGH LIFE hope that the paper
will serve the needs of the student
body and will receive student sup
port.
There is always talk of involve
ment in the school, and it fis some
times difficult to take an interest
or give an opinion. Often we feel
that our opinions are worthless or
that we do not have as much to
contribute as another. We hope to
provide on the editorial page of
HIGH LIFE, a place for everyone’s
bp.’nions and expressions. These
contributions do not neoessarily
have to be in the form of letters
to the editor, but could include any
type of creative writing. Few have
the exact feelings about things, and
surely we cannot hope to reflect
the views of everyone. So we en
courage differing views.
HIGH LIFE w'll try to fulfill its
purpose as a high school newspaper
by representing to the students
campus news and activities. Yet,
because of the times in whih we
are living, it is impossible to iso
late ourselves from what (is occur
ring outside of campus life. We
therefore want to write about issues
of concern, both local and on a
wider scale which will hopefully
give HIGH LIFE’S readers an op
portunity to find out what is hap
pening now.
NEW FAD:
POSTERS
The latest fad to hit Grimsley
and other Greensboro High
Schools is posters.
There are three main types of
posters; psychedelic, star, and pro^
test. In many larger cities, es
pecially New York and San Fran
cisco where hippies abound, there
are poster shops. In Greensboro
many stores that specialize in nov
elties have good selections of
posters.
Psychedelic posters tend to be
optical illusions. Some are black
and white for sharp contrast,
other hot pinks, oranges, fuschias,
and yellows that usually fuse or
clash. As you look into a spiral
poster you seem drawn in, en
compassed. This gives the sensa
tion of continuation or eternity.
Other mind-blowing posters are
formed of checks and wavering
lines.
AL4- AtA0R/can PfUMor?
Some Thoughts
About Youth
An article about college students
last week stated that the four
greatest influences on this geilera-
tion have been the velocity of his
tory, the electronic revolution, the
affluent society, and chronic vio
lence.
Continued on Page Four
The velocity of history is the
speeded-up happening of events.
Changes occur so quickly and so
drastically that things and ideas
are obsolete almost as they appear.
Today, it is nothing to hear of a
heart transplant operatfon or of a
plane .crash or of another, soldier
killed in Vietnam. It is nothing in
the sense that we are all prepared
for change; have come to expect
it. But our lives are so speeded up
that we often lose our own identity
in this rapid movement.
We all watch televig'on and find
it hard to imagine growing up
without it. But we are the first
children of the television age and
the influence it has on our lives
is aremendaus. Events occuring
around the world can be happen
ing “right in our living rooms”
via the mass media. Life is there,
brought to us in living color and
we cannot escape or .avoid its real-
jities.
Today, most of us are fairly af
fluent; that is we can have almost
anything we need, within reason.
Young people have grown up in
affluence and accept it as conven
ient, but are not overly impressed
by it. Affluence is steen not as
something to strive for, but as
something nice to have with striv
ing for something more important.
The last, and perhaps most im
portant fact, if the abundance of
violence of which this generation
has become keenly aware. We are
the first generation of the nuclear
age. We have been witness to, or
fought in thd war in Vietnam.
Racial tension has often resulted
in violence and hatred, and three
extraordinary and visionary men
have been murdered while seeking
an end to violence.
A Radcliffe senior said in a com-
mencte, prayer, “We do not feel like
a cool, swinging generation. We
are eaten up by an intensity that
we cannot name. Somehow this
year, more than others, we have
had to draw lines, to try to find
an absolute right with which we
could identify ourselves. First in
the face of the daily killings and
draft calls . . . then with the
assasinations of Martin Luther King
and Senator Kennedy.”
These are many broad generaliza
tions about youth and surely not
every young person feels this pres
sure or tension of living in the
world as it is today. But it is ob^
vious that “growing up” and ma
turing is more complicated today
than ever before because of the
changing in valutes, morals, ideals,
etc. One can only hope that these
problems will serve as challenges
to this generation to (improve the
future for themselves and for
everyone.
School's Open..
Use Your Head!
Ready for school?
Hopefully you are, because
school is ready for you.
And these activities will pre
pare you for an education that
will enable you to make a good
living as well as a good life.
SPEAK—Express your ideas,
but first learn enough to have
some ideas. Join the debating
club, present talks in class when
ever possible, (even when you are
scared), and discuss problems
with those who know more than
you.
LISTEN—The ear is as import
ant as the mouth, for it takes two
to converse. Be attentive to other
speakers, for you want others to
be polite and quipt when you
speak.
WRITE—Anything you present
on paper worth reading is worth
re-writing. Good compositions are
planned. Build with information,
make an outline, watch your spell
ing and punctuation. Get the cor
respondence habit and themes be
come easy.
RESEARCH — Dig for facts
and let them present your point
of view. Learn how to use an
encyclopedia, dictionary, thesaur
us, and the tools of research
available in every library.
INVENT — CREATE _ DO —
BE — ACT—Find something you
eally enjoy. Paint or play foot
ball or write stories or sculpt or
hike or play an instrument. You
are unique. Determine what you
can do better than any other stu
dent and get ready to excel.
RELAX—Enjoy a movie, visit
a best friend, go to a dance. Yes,
have fun. That is part of attend
ing school, too.
So use your head. Make the
most of school, for you are your
most important subject.