Page 2/The Battalion/Friday, August 5, 1988
Mail Call
Hip, hip, hipster
EDITOR:
Everyone wants a cure for AIDS, everyone. I work in a
biochemistry/genetics laboratory. Even though our research is nowhere near
the field of retroviruses, we can relate scientifically. Recently I asked people
around our laboratory if they would work directly with the AIDS virus. Not
many said yes. It seems the risk would not be worth the scientific glory. So let
us give three cheers to the scientists who risk their lives for scientific research,
would you?
John Villand
In defense of truth and honor
EDITOR:
If I were to stand in front of MSG shouting, “Ghandi was a murderer, a
hypocrite, and a child molester!” or “Martin Luther King, Jr. was an
adulterer and a lunatic!” it is doubtless that I would soon have a crowd in an
uproar and my life in serious danger. Society will not tolerate such
outrageous, slanderous statements about such great men. Yet, outragerous,
slanderous statements have been made about another great man, and when
someone spoke out against the injustice, society rose in favor of lies and
slander. I’m referring to the recent controversy in The Battalion about the
motion picture “The Last Temptation of Christ” and the letter by Ian Dick
alerting Christians that Universal Studios intended to make a mockery out of
their god.
I do not advocate censorship. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “I have
sworn eternal hostility against every form of tyranny against the mind of
man.” I have sworn also to defend Truth and Justice. My Constitutional
rights allow me the freedom to speak out and offend (if I so desire) and speak
out when offended. While Universal Studios has the right to produce this
film, I have an equal right to speak out against it and persuade as many as will
stand with me to do likewise. I defy anyone to tell me I should not stand up
for what I believe.
Censorship and boycott are not synonymous. Boycott is a refusal to
support or patronize those whose actions cannot be condoned. Censhorship
is the forced prohibition of one’s actions or ideas.
I urge you, therefore, not to endure this blatant distortion of the truth, as
the depiction of Christ in this film (according to the information provided by
Mastermedia International) has no factual basis. It is overtly repugnant to
anyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ. If you find it offensive, do
something about it. KAGC radio station (779-1510) has all the information
you may need about petitions and people to contact. There is no excuse for
silently allowing men to slander Jesus Christ. As long as I have breath in me, I
will neither tolerate lies nor be intimidated by those who scoff at the defense
of Truth and Honor.
Laura Gilliland ’89
No more rings for this collar
EDITOR:
I would like to publicly thank the University Police Department for the
excellent job they did in recovering the seven Aggie rings stolen from the
Clayton Williams Alumni Center on July 6. Had it not been for their efforts,
in cooperation with the Crime Stoppers program, these rings most likely
would never have been seen again.
Special thanks are due the three detectives, Bert Kretzschmar, John
Phillips, and William Scott, who used metal detectors to locate the rings in a
park near Texas A&M.
My husband’s ring was his most priceless possession, and due to the early
date it was issued, could never have been duplicated.
My heartfelt thanks to Bob Wiatt and his department, as well as the
efficient Crime Stoppers program.
Margaret Rudder
More Tea?
EDITOR:
I don’t claim to have a Ph.D. in economics. Furthermore, I don’t claim to
be a radio specialist such as our economically confused Randy Lemmon,
either. I am an agricultural economics student, and it’s a shame Mr. Lemmon
did not enjoy his economics class or retain even the need for economics.
I also don’t claim to be a neologist, which, according to Mr. Lemmon, all
economists are. Economists, such as I am, use “buzzwords” only to explain
how the economy is operating and as a common basis for understanding.
After reading the despondent views of Randy Lemmon, I hope anyone who
is confused with economics will take an economics class in the near future.
Many more economically illiterate people could result in getting Dukakis
elected.
The question I’m going to ask is: What is the price of tea in China?
While such useful information is found in surplus on today’s airwaves, I
am under the impression that most people don’t care what the price of tea in
China is. Unless doing a relative price analysis of countries, I would not care
either.
Uncle Jenkins had a point with the Great Depression. At the time,
government was filled with Mr. Lemmons who knew nothing about
economics. The American dream has a price tag, but I will assure you, Mr.
Lemmon, that worldwide economic depression is not in the forecast. And as
for severe thunderstorms, I believe one is now precipitating on your parade.
Damon VanZandt ’90
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters
for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must be signed and
must include the classification, address and telephone number of the writer.
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Jay Janner, Art Director
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Opinion
What do you mean “grow old?
Each person in
the world, every
year, is going to
age, regardless of
the countless mil
lions spent on
physical fitness,
special diets and
anti-wrinkle
creams. This is not
the first time in
my life that I have
come to terms
Barbara
Jones
with the inevitability of growing old, but
previously I had only thought of this
happening to, you know, older people.
Recently however I have started think
ing about the fact that I am an active
part of this aging process. Perhaps I am
going through some kind of pre-middle
age crisis.
When you are growing up, the con
cept of aging is about the farthest thing
from your mind. You are too busy
thinking about boys (or girls) and get
ting yourself into trouble to even
fathom the idea of your eventual matu
rity. Maturity at that age meant finally
filling out your training bra or finally
growing tall enough to be able to beat
up your older sibling. I’m afraid the lat
ter never came for me. At a towering
5’2” I am still waiting for my growth
spurt.
In a few months I will be 23 years old.
I should hardly be bordering on senility,
but lately I have noticed ways I have
changed. In any other environment I
would be considered in the spring of
life, but here on a college campus this
cannot hold true. Because I would guess
the average age on this campus is about
19, I have recently been plagued with
the idea that I am getting old. Several
times a night I will be confronted by
some pimple-faced freshman who
would say those dreaded words, “Gosh,
you’re pretty old!” The idea had never
occured to me before, but now the real
ity has become all too apparent.
Since my encounter with the fresh
man I have noticed other subtle things
in my life that point to this inevitable
fact. For example, I have noticed re
cently that all my favorite television pro
grams are old reruns of yesteryear. My
favorite shows are “Bob Newhart,” “-
Mary Tyler Moore,” “MASH,” and “La-
verne and Shirley.” “These are the clas
sics,” I tell my younger brother who
scoffs and tunes into the modern age
network programming such as “All”
and “Miami Vice.” How can an intelli
gent person sit down and watch a show
that centers around a stuffed animal?
Another difference I have noticed be
tween myself and the youth of today is
our choice in music. I used to be a MTV
addict, but today I can only watch it for
about 10 minutes before I begin to suf
fer a severe headache and have to turn
it off. I find groups like Ratt, Metalica,
Guns and Roses, and Poison to be com
pletely appalling to the senses and can
not understand the attraction of the
youngins today to such groups. I can
vividly remember my mother displaying
the same sort of disgust over rock
groups of my era that I used to lust
over. And whatever happened to the
rock groups of my generation? Led Zep-
plin, Boston, Rush and The Police; Now
those were the classics. See there’s that
word again. Only aging people use the
word “classic.” My favorite radio stai-
tons are “classic” rock stations or golden
oldies stations — the exact stations my
parents used to listen to when I was a
kid.
nals to me. They dress weird, wearm ,
makeup then I do and carry am
boom-boxes that scream out violent
disturbing music at deafening sot
levels. Have I reached an age at
can no longer understand the youtl
today?
My friends, except for a few extt
tions that are, like myself, takingt}.
time, have all graduated andaretai;
jobs as sales representatives, finatit
analysts and the like. Many of them;
even getting married and talkingalu
having children. But wait I’mnotn
yet! Are we no longer kids? I
like a kid. At what stage in your life
everything become clear and you
pletely understand the ways of
world? Or do you just wing it?
Probably the most devastating
happened the other day whenafi
of mi tie from high school called
asked for my current address. Wli
asked her why (expecting to heard
other dreaded wedding invitation),
said that she is starting to get a
list together for our first class reui
Class reunion! I was shocked tore;
that it will soon be five years sintf)
graduated from high school. How
flies when you’re getting old.
With thoughts of a nine-to-five
insurance and car payments, and
plete financial independence looming
near in my future I can say only
look forward to all these withamixii
of absolute fright and excitement.D
ting old is not something I look font
to with extreme dread. I am tryin;
look forward to another stage in
that will be filled with change andai
tional responsibilities, but hopeft
there will always be a part of me
forever remain a kid.
T
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When I go to the mall I almost always
feel old. The kids that hang out in the
malls across the country look like crimi-
Barbara Jones is a senior joumi
major and a columnist for The i
ion.
O
/res
&nd
phae
Ivith
Dam
“J
beat
Iron
(Tex:
“1
this
It’s hair today, gone tomorrow
It’s time some
body updated the
current status of
men’s hair in this
country, and it
might as well be
me who does it.
I’m a man, and
still have hair,
ill. Men’s hair is
mply not the is-
ic it once was.
uring the ’50s,
their hair like mops, so some men began
wearing their hair that way, too.
They were known as “hippies.’
Hippies wore their hair long, were
against the Vietnam War, enjoyed lis
tening to loud music while rolling
around in the mud and wore sandals.
1. The so-called good of boys »1
used to beat up long-haired hippiesi
wear their hair long. Meanwhile, rl
cals, liberals and the Perrier and "1
wine spritzer types seem to prefersll
hair.
Lewis
Grizzard
)s and early ’70s, all anybody talked
out was hair.
They were considered generally un
kempt by those still in short hair, and I
have even heard a preacher denounce
hippies as committing sacrilege by wear
ing the same shoes as Jesus.
2. Teenaged boys have choices ofl|
styles. Some have their hair (
orange and wear it in a fashion ref
niscent of the back of one of those*
ards that lives in the desert.
There was a Broadway musical about
hair, and hair was the cause of a great
many fistfights.
How men wore their hair once made
a bold statement, concerning their poli
tics, musical interests and favorite form
of footware.
They were also ridiculed by patriots
and aficionados of country singer Merle
Haggard, who sang the pro-U.S. an
them, “Okie from Muskogee.” It fea
tured these lines: “We don’t wear our
hair long and shaggy/like the hippies
out in San Francisco do.”
Others wear the top of their
the old crew-cut fashion but leavtf
quite long in the back, suggesting!
hair stylist had a heart attack in mid
and didn’t get to finish.
And:
The “slick” look is catching on"■
successful male executives. You s
down your hair and then comlij
straight back in order to look like'
chael Douglas in “Wall Street.”
It began with Elvis in the ’50s. Elvis
wore his hair long, and he also had long
sideburns.
“Boots are still in style as manly foot
wear/Roman sandals won’t be seen.”
Goes great with French cuisinean|
limo.
A number of young men soon were
wearing their hair like Elvis. They were
known as “greasers,” and were thought
to be rebellious.
After the Vietnam War ended, how
ever, hippies disappeared and hair took
a steep nosedive as a burning issue.
Merle Haggard started singing about
something else.
4. Even if I wanted to wear my V
that way, I don’t know where youcaafi
buy Wild Root Creme Oil these days !
Young men with a future ahead of
them wore their hair in a crew cut one
step above a shaved head.
Then came the Beatles, who wore
Taking stock of men’s hair today —
something that hasn’t been done in
some time — I have made the following
observations:
5. Men’s hair styles are still makp
statements, indeed, but they seeffl||
whisper now instead of the shoutil
yesterday.
I think I like that a lot better.
Copyright 1988, Cowles Syndicate