Page 2/The Battalion/Tuesday, March 11, 1986
Opinion
Education doesn't stop
when the chapter ends
Textbooks have
children’s undi
vided attention.
They are the pri
mary educational
resource of public
schools, and most
students -— and
even teachers —
unquestionably
skim their pages,
digesting the
material regardless of validity or false
hood.
For this reason, textbook selection is a
tedious process. The goal is to Find a
text that educates, not indoctrinates.
Gary L. Bauer, the undersecretary of
the Department of Education, recently
told the Association of American Pub
lishers that America’s textbooks are fail
ing to accurately inform children about
Communism and the nature of commu
nist nations.
Bauer cited one textbook which por
trayed the status of Soviet women: “E-
quality for women in the USSR is a real
ity ... . They receive equal pay for equal
work .... Men and women are treated
equally under Soviet law.”
Technically, the book could be per
ceived as true. But equality in an oppres-
Isive society is meaningless. The book
i fails to put its statement in the context
| of Soviet society. If a child is not told the
j whole picture, his knowledge becomes
one-sided.
Many textbooks, in their attempt to
be objective, steer clear of presenting
the truth. A history book should not ig
nore human rights violations in Amer
ica just as it should not overlook the hu
man rights situation in the Soviet
Union.
Objectivity, however, is not always
easy to achieve — especially when the
definitions vary drastically from text
book critic to textbook critic.
Phyllis Schlafly, a recipes-over-re-
sumes activist, claims the most despica
ble area of textbook unobjectiveness is
nuclear war. In a recent column,
Schlafly was horrified by a book that
taught schoolchildren that disarmament
is an admirable goal. Schlafly is angered
by books that portray the horrors of nu
clear war and which claim that the nu
clear arsenals of the United States and
the Soviet Union are equal threats to
mankind.
The syndicated columnist hides be
hind Commentary magazine — a publi
cation that is itself far from objective.
Schlafly and Commentary cannot ex
pect textbooks to conform to their lim
ited frames of mind — that’s not objec
tivity. That, too, is indoctrination.
Nuclear arsenals, be they in the
United States, the Soviet Union or
Tonga, present a danger to the contin
ued existence of man. It’s not unobjec
tive for a text to present these dangers,
but showing favorable treatment — in
tentionally or unintentionally — defeats
the purpose of an educational tool.
The impact of biased texts would be
reduced if children didn’t have to de
pend on them so heavily. Other than
textbooks, our children have few
sources of information in the classroom
— especially such topics as Soviet life.
Few Soviet Films are viewed in this coun
try. Almost no Soviet literature is avail
able. Only a handful of magazines can
be purchased, and most of these are not
available in stores. Soviet music is un
heard in this country.
This is a greater danger than biased
textbooks. Ronald Reagan can bril
liantly articulate attacks against the “Evil
Empire” because few Americans know
enough about the Sovie/'Union to con
test this description. As long as the
USSR remains a nebulous void, the
United States is provided with a catch
all villain — a definite black to contrast
our white in a world that is neither. The
minute we try to understand our
enemy, this easily defined white and
black becomes a murky gray.
The Soviet Union is supposed to be
our greatest enemy. Yet we know dan
gerously little about the day to day
workings of the Soviet system. Almost
any military strategist knows that the
best way to defeat an enemy is to Find
your foes faults and then use these
weaknesses against them.
Comparing alternative political the
ory is the best way to develop conFi-
dence in our own. By exposing children
to these alternative educational re-
sourses, they will make these compari
sons themselves instead of having it
spoon-fed to them through the pages of
a text.
To make such comparisons, children
would have to develop critical thinking,
which is what education’s all about.
Loren Steffy is a junior journalism ma
jor and the Opinion Page editor for
The Battalion.
United Feature Syndicate
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Shaping Imelda’s new image
Almost every
public relations
Firm in America is
after the Imelda
Marcos account.
Myron Steaknife
told me why.
“Mrs. Marcos has
a distorted image
in the U.S., but
fortunately she
has enough
money to change it. I’m making a pre
sentation next week. What do you think
of it?”
Myron opened a large folder. “The
way I see it, Imelda owns half of all the
real estate in New York, and Leona
Helmsley owns the other half. I want
Imelda to move to New York and per
sonally advertise her real estate prop
erties in the same manner that Leona
does hers.
“I see Imelda in a full-page photo
stretched over the top of a piano saying,
‘Leona is wild about Harry and I’m wild
about Ferdinand. If you really want to
have a ball come to the Golden Casa for
a lovers weekend. We feature free
breakfast, free ice, free movies and free
elections.’
“I have another based on Mrs.
Helmsley’s ad in New York Magazine. It
shows Leona standing in the dining
room of her Palace Hotel saying, ‘It’s
the only palace in the world where the
Queen stands guard.’ ”
Steaknife said, “We’d show Imelda
singing into a microphone on the bal
cony of her hotel. The copy would read,
‘Leona Helmsley has no idea what it
takes to guard a palace. Would you be
lieve even a company of crack troops
and a dozen tanks isn’t enough?’ ”
“Why the ads?”
“I want the public to think of Mrs.
Marcos as an astute businesswoman in
stead of someone who keeps shoving pe
sos in her Calvin Klein jeans. The fastest
way to do this is through advertising. I
also have a brokerage Firm interested in
signing up Imelda for a commercial.
She would stand in front of the plane
she arrived on from the Philippines and
say, ‘Hello, I’m Imelda Marcos and my
husband and I made money the old-
fashioned way — we smuggled it out of
the country in a trunk. If you expect to
be overthrown soon, call me at this toll-
free number, and for a fee I’ll advise
how to keep your loot with the blessing
of President Reagan.’ ”
I said, “You think that will help Imel
da’s image?”
“It can’t hurt it. I want to persuade
the country Imelda was not one of these
dictator’s wives who spent all her time in
Paris buying clothes with her country’s
Fresh Air Funds. I’m going to show that
there were a lot worse spendthrifts
kicked out of their countries this year.”
“You’re not talking about Mrs. Duva-
lier?”
“Let’s just say I’m talking about any
one who knows anything about voodoo
economics.”
Steaknife said if Imelda doesn’t want
to go head-to-head with Leona
Helmsley or do brokerage commercials,
she could venture into the jewelry busi
ness. “She has enough diamonds to light
up the Statue of Liberty for a week,” he
said.
“That’s a lot of diamonds.”
“Just because a person is a head of
state’s wife doesn’t mean she can’t own a
few nice things.”
“Your entire presentation seems to be
built around getting Mrs. Marcos a job.”
“Every woman has to fulfill herself,”
he said. “Since Imelda owns shopping
centers, art treasures, stocks and chests
full of gold bullion, she doesn’t have to
lift a finger for the rest of her life. But
when you’ve been married to someone
like Marcos you have to keep occupied
in your spare time. There is just so
much polo Imelda can play with Ferdi
nand.”
“This is a pretty good presentation,” I
told him. “Do you think Madame Mar
cos will go for it?”
“I don’t see why not. If she doesn’t
want to do it I have a book contract for
her to sign. A publisher wants her to
write ‘Hawaii on $750 Million a Day.’ ”
Art Buchwald is a columnist for the
Los Angeles Times Syndicate.
Mail Call
Stu<
Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff resem toe
right to edit letters tor style and length but will make every effort to maintain thou:
intent. Each letter must be signed and must include the address and telephone numbtn
writer.
By
Missing jewelry
EDITOR:
LOST!
Mar. 2 between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. a blue jewelry case about 8kj
by 10 inches must have fallen in the front drive of the Memorial Stui:
Center as our car was being unloaded.
This case contained Five diamond rings, three diamond necklace:
single strand of pearls, two pair diamond stud earrings, pearl and
amond earrings, a gold sand dollar necklace with a “B” initial witi
amonds, numerous gold chains and earrings, also some costume jeweln
Some of these items have a great sentimental value.
If anyone found the jewelry or has any information about the jews
please contact Maj. Josephine Hoelscher at the University Police Depi
ment, 845-2345 or Clara Arterburn at the MSC, 845-8908.
You will be rewarded.
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Bob Derrington
(915) 362-5463
Pure Jabberwocky
fdvisi
-—
By I
With tfi
EDITOR:
Being engineering students, we seldom get a chance to read (ieukj
respond to) articles in The Battalion. However, with regard toGlennyJ
tha’s column on the changes Texas has experienced over the past I
years, we must speak out.
Murtha has neglected one major change Texas has seen. Thischanf;
even evidenced in Murtha. Mathematics has radically changed. Littlfi
we realize that in this evolved form of higher mathematics, it is poiabkL’^ n ,;!
reach percentages in excess of 100 percent. Careful arithmetic, boll) k lor j t y Cor
and without a calculator, yields the same result — 70 percent Anglos finite a de
21 percent Mexican Americans, plus 12 percent blacks equals 103perw>rk on r
If other minority groups in the state were added in like fashion, thep; , f| n ' nor '’
ulation of Texas might swell to 125 percent. W 5 ’ sa y
While the source Murtha used for his data could be at fault, one!&!^ (
question the credibility of a writer who uses obviously flawed !tatisticO uar y ^
support his opinions. Misinformation is the bane of society. Others miijiver to m
question the sources Murtha employed in forming his opinions on isairding pi
such as fundamentalism, homosexuality, conservatism, evolution or atjlll enhar
tion. Biorities
In closing, we must say, “Twas brillig and slithy toves did gyreandrf ^ tie c ° l
ble in the wabe,” which has a clear and convenient meaning to a chara:^. au “ n ‘'
in “Alice in Wonerland.” Yet, for those of us who desire consistency
pure jabberwocky. Kedcom
Rpple wh
R. Alan Moore ’87
Stephen N. Mitchell ’87
Norman Yee ’87
A bit of imbalance?
EDITOR:
I am a graduate student in Educational Technology, and I tvas|
viously on the on the staff of a small college newspaper while doing myJ
dergraduate studies.
I have submitted two letters over the past three months which, forrl
sons unknown, have not been printed in The Battalion. The letters wij
written in direct response to columns and, although they were lenjj
were not libelous in any way. I spent a fair amount of time doing researl
on the topics of my letters, and I felt that they were reasonably intelM
and well thought out; unlike many of the letters which I see printed^
your editorial page.
It is to my understanding that many other students here at Texas AH
have had the same problem with their letters not being printed. Whatisi
reason for this? I was not informed as to why my letters were not accept
ble, although I did provide a return address and telephone number.
This is a campus of 35,000 students yet only about a dozen lettefil
week appear on the editorial page, with the majority of the space!
dedicated to Battalion staff and Art Buchwald. There seems to be a I
an imbalance here. If you are not receiving enough letters, then pleaseij
form the students. The Battalion is state funded, and the opinions prinifj
in it should not be restricted to a small, elite group of journalism
and syndicated columnists.
In my opinion, the ideas of the columnists, (some of which 1 actual
agree with), could easily be put across in about one third of the spaefj
think that by now, the majority of students here at A&M have aquireij
substantial knowledge of their wittiness and their writing abilities. Whyt
leave room for other ideas and opinions? If the students really waiilj
read Art Buchwald and look at nationally syndicated cartoons, they cap
ways refer to the Houston Post.
Steven Lucas
Graduate Assistant, EDTC
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Battalion is not state funded. Our fundingisf
erated from our own advertising. The columnists who appear on this M
are paid to express their views. It also should be noted that The BattaW
functions as a training ground for journalism students, however elite i’|
may be. Letters are not run for a variety of reasons, but all are read helm
the decision to run or not run is reached. Letters stand a much
chance of being run if they conform to our letters policy, listed in thist
umn each day. If they exceed the word limit, as this one did, theymuStb
cut, as this one was.
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
Editor
Managing Editor
Opinion Page Editor.
City Editor
News Editor
Sports Editor
The Battalion Editorial Board
MichellePo’ 1 !
Kay Mali
....Loren $Pi
.Jerry 0^1
Cathie Andeif
TravisTin^l
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