Dear Unruly Masses,
New semester, new staff and new ideas. We want to grab your attention with the most outstanding
At Ease to ever hit the sidewalks of Texas A&>M. Not that we don’t admire the efforts of the past, we
pprtflinlv do — but we set our goal thusly: avoid those subjects youVe seen ajillion times.
So, with that goal in mind, we combed the city, looking carefully at the things that are around us to
find something different — something that we hadn’t sought an explanation for earlier. Something
like androgyny. We've all heard the word, but does it mean anything to us here at A&>M.
The title, "The Year of Thing Androgynously, v came to us courtesy of our music reviewer, Walter,
who on a whim mentioned the idea for a column. We liked the way it sounded, then after some
thought, decided we really liked what it meant. The media has served androgyny to us on a silver
platter (Thank you, Boy George), but the idea goes beyond a man in eye shadow or a woman with
short hair. By definition, androgyny means having both male and female characteristics — men
tally', socially, possibly physically. In truth, it means an assimilation. On a scale of 1 to 10, an andro
gynous person is a 5, showing some characteristics of both, no overtly strong characteristics of ei
ther. For example, a sensitive man or a forceful woman.
So, armed with few sources and little information about the whole thing, our writers set off on their
task — carefully. Considering the nature of the subject and the nature of this campus, it was nec-
essarv to find the network of friends and acquaintances at ASpM wiio consider themselves to be in
this category. Once that w^as done and interviews began, we found out how real these folks are. An
• interview that was scheduled for 10 p.m. continued well into the early hours of the next day — and
we were afraid that there would be no common ground, no way to relate. Once again, people were
judged wrongly because they were not mainstream. Talking to sociologists and philosophers, most
of the staff discovered that we could also be considered androgynous, along with many of the people
we know'.
So then we were abuzz with ideas and ready to wTite. Sitting at the Deluxe Burgerbar with Patti w'e
tried to nail down just what we wanted to get across here. Reams of notes don't hold a candle to
three people exchanging ideas over Drugstore baskets and cherry' Cokes. We decided that our main
point is that androgyny is not something wierd or deviant. In a societal context, it can be, in fact, a
way of coping. It is more prevalent than we thought and not just a way of dressing. We also want to
say, Team to accept.' That’s not preaching, folks — this week proved we’re learning it right along
with you. Lastly, we hope, that if nothing else, we make you think.
At Ease has a new look and a new purpose beyond the TV logs. What used to be an “Entertainment
Supplement’ is growing into a features publication that will, we hope, inform and entertain —
learning doesn’t always have to hurt.
Sincerely,
Shawn 6= Leigh-Ellen
Co-editors