The Battalion
OPINION
2
Tuesday, November 14,1989
Opinion Page Editor Juliette Rizzo 845-
Shanty sparks racial concerns once agai
s
Anti-Apartheid movement
in America hypocritical
care might think, “why should we pay
any mind to them?” Our hypocrisy is
unnerving.
Peaceful solution neede
not violence, bloodshed
C(
Cl
Matt
McBurnett
Columnist
America has far too many problems
with race relations to have anyone se
riously consider our recommendations.
Jim Westmoreland’s recent faux pas is
a prime example.
Once again, our Students Against
Apartheid have decided to manifest
their views in the form of a shanty.
And, once again, their creation has
been defiled by people who either had
mean prejudice streaks or simply did
not like to look at the “black-shack” any
more. If it happens again next year I
believe it qualifies as a tradition.
I disagree emphatically with the
wanton destruction of the shanty. The
builders of the shack obviously had ob
tained permission for its construction,
so there is no need for anyone to skirt
the rules and vandalize it.
Houston City Councilman Jim West
moreland jokingly suggested that
Houston Intertcontinental Airport be
renamed “Nigger International.” At
the time, council members were con
sidering a proposal to rename the air
port in honor of the late U.S. Rep
resentative Mickey Leland. As a direct
result of his gaffe, Westmoreland lost
his recent election to Beverley Clark, a
little known black woman witb no polit
ical experience.
Whites and blacks must mutually ad
just their attitudes to cope with the re
maining racism problem in America.
Until we conquer our domestic racism
problem, we should not attempt to in
tervene in other nation’s affairs.
Do not get me wrong, though. I do
not like the shack.
Never mind the fact it is hideous and
has an identity crisis. It fluctuates be
tween an outhouse and Hurricane
Hugo rubbish. Either way, it still is not
quite as ugly as the English Annex.
Westmoreland served 16 years on
the council and drew almost 80 percent
of the vote in 1987. Many people may
point to Westmoreland’s defeat as a tri-
umph for blacks and anti-racism
forces. Afterall, a racist comment
turned the race around. I see it as an
unwelcome indication that a major rift
is present between blacks and whites.
Had Beverly Clark used the word “nig
ger,” nothing would have changed.
An interesting thought arises when
one attempts to place America in South
Africa’s shoes. We would not be overly
excited if people in, say, Japan began
protesting our country’s racial policies
because they did not suit Japanese be
liefs. If they even hinted at tampering
with our government in an attempt to
ease the strain our blacks undergo, we
as a people would be furious. How
then, do we expect to tamper with, as
some have suggested. South Africa’s
autonomy to appease standards that we
concoct and impose on them?
I am averse to supporting the shanty
because it reflects hypocrisy and the
tendency of some Americans to forget
that other nations are entitled to at
least a small degree of autonomy.
If Westmoreland truly is a racist, he
certainly deserved to lose. His record
and his seemingly authentic apology
indicate his comment was simply a mis
take.
It is granted that Apartheid is
wrong, but we should have learned
from our experience in Vietnam that
meddling in other nations’ internal af
fairs can severly backfire. By the way,
the Soviet Union’s Communist system
violates the rights of many more peo
ple than Apartheid, and it does it to a
much worse degree.
For the sake of argument, let us say
the South African government notices
that people in America are protesting
their Apartheid system. Let us also say
they care. If they try to change their
system, could we point to ours as the
ideal model? Ofcourse not.
“Because they have not solved the
race relation problems on their home
turf,” the South Africans who actually
The entire incident reflects an
overly wary attitude toward racism dis
played by society. Twenty years ago
when the civil rights movement was be
ginning, this attitude was more than
necessary for the movement’s survival.
America has progressed significantly
since the 50s and 60s, (New York just
elected a black mayor) and this always-
on-guard attitude toward racism is not
only unnecessary, but it is proving to be
one of the final stopping points in the
path of harmonious relations between
blacks and whites.
I simply cannot justify any concen
trated anti-Apartheid movement here
in America without thinking of the hy
pocrisy involved. For this reason, I do
not see any need for the anti-Apart
heid shack/rubbish.
Members of Students Against Apart
heid reportedly have said they desire to
show, with their shack, that racism ex
ists at A&M. Well racism certainly does
exist here, and we need to halt it in
stead of clinging to idealistic notions
that we can provide a cure for racial
problems in far away countries.
Matt McBurnett is a junior electri
cal engineering major and a columnist
for The Battalion.
Recently there has been much de
bate about the issue of racism on the
A&M campus and how it can be paral
leled to the oppression in South Africa.
Most of it is centered on the idea that
anyone opposed to the view of the Stu
dents Against Apartheid (SAA), a cam
pus organization, is a racist or a sup
porter of the racist policies of the
South African government.
The Chancellor’s office was recently
marched on by SAA in opposition to
the continued investment in South Af
rica by Texas A&M.
SAA supports the removal of for
eign capital and instituting sanctions
against South Africa. These policies
are put forward by the African Na
tional Congress (ANC) and leaders
such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an
appointed leader who represents 1.5
million South African Anglicans.
It is asserted that disinvestment and
sanctions are preferred by the majority
of the blacks in South Africa. They be
lieve the blacks will be given an equal
voice in their country as a result of the
government’s fear of an economic col
lapse.
The plain and simple truth is that
the majority of South African blacks do
not support disinvestment or economic
sanctions.
Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Black
leader of the 5.4 million Zulu nation,
said that, “When I oppose disinvest
ment as an option...! receive mass ap
plause (in the Black community) for
doing so... Those who call for disinvest
ment do so in direct opposition to the
Black sentiment in South Africa.”
In fact, “Chief Buthelezi, Prime
Minister George Matanzina, and seven
other elected leaders, representing
over 21 million blacks (out of a total
black/white population of 32.7 million),
are unanimously opposed to disinvest-
fheiit, sanctions or racial violence.”
Instead of trying to destroy South
Africa’s economy we should promote
economic growth that will assure black
progress.
Mark
Saum
Guest Columnist
According to Innocent Abiaka.i^
Nigerian born president of INA-Initi
national, “Effective changes can ? ^
made in South Africa by requiring
firms doing business there to adhere®'
non-racist policies. If they don’t,im
should forfeit all tax advantages!#'
trade assistance from the U.S. govt: a]
ment in all their overseas marketi-
not just South Africa.”
Whose interest is SAA andtheAteqj
serving? In South Africa it is commflj
for members of the ANC and or:
black radical groups to give oe
blacks a “necklace.” A necklace
where they take a black man who
ports peaceful reform, put adit
around his neck, pour gasoline ocj
and light it. I know it is ascleartoii
as it is to me how that advances then
rights of blacks.
The day that SAA marched on cli
chancellor’s office, they held an ail re
apartheid rally. One of the people§e
invited was an ANC activist who . ex
been arrested at UT last year if ar
breaking into the chancellor’s olkl U |
during a similar march and rallv.lW
same man told attendees the ANC
supported militarily and economical
in
by Cuba, and advocated the viol®
overthrow of the South African
ernment as the only possible resolum
to the conflict. In reality, SAAdoesrf
1)
support human rights, nor the view! se
the majority of the South Afnc| ( g t
blacks. It supports the torture a*
murder of black South Africans £
the violent overthrow
_ . . st
f the govt | h
ment. Divestment is not theonlywan ^
abolish apartheid. I would preferto: ^
the peaceful solution before we rev
to bloodshed. Please rememberthislii^ ,
next time you see The Shack.
Mark Saum is a junior BAN Am d
and guest columnist for The Bate
ion.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches — aphrodisiacs of the stars
Did you read what Jack Nicholson’s
former girlfriend said about him?
She said, among other things, he was
a “sex machine” and was into erotic
games, such as spanking.
She also said he ate peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches in the bed in or
der to keep up his sexual strength.
Lewis
Grizzard
Syndicated Columnist
going to ask for the death penalty dur
ing our divorce proceedings.”
“I’d say,” she continued, “you are to
lovemaking what Muammar Khadafy
is to world peace.”
Some guys have all the luck.
Ex-girlfriends usually are more un
derstanding than ex-wives. They still
hate you, but only about half as much
as ex-wives do.
Here’s an ex-girlfriend of a guy call
ing him a “sex machine” in public,
which means a lot of other women will
want to give of Jack a try now just to
see if he lives up to his billing.
“Somehow,” she said, “the term ‘sex
machine’ just doesn’t seem to work
when I apply it to you.”
I called an ex-girlfriend.
I pressed on, “What terms apply to
me when you think of my sexuality?”
“Jack Nicholson’s ex-girlfriend,” I
explained, “said he was a sex machine.
What would you say if you were asked
what sort of lover I was?”
“You call here, again,” he said, “and
I’m going to hurt you.”
I went on to my next ex-girlfriend.
She was a lot nicer about the whole
thing.
“Well, you weren’t bad,” she said.
I knew I would find somebody who
appreciated my abilities as a lover.
“Could you expand?” I asked.
“Well,” she said, “if we turned off
the lights and I thought of my ex-boyf
riend, Bruno, it was bearable.”
meeting, Juanita rolling out from-’
der my car at the Gulf station, oildl
ping down on her shirt, the one*!
“Juanita” sewn in script over her!
pocket.
“Juanita,” I asked, “was 1 a {
lover?”
“If I could have ever got)l
cranked, darling,” she replied, v
knows?”
I had one last ex-girlfriend to call,
the lovely Juanita.
I figured perhaps it might work for
I phoned my ex-wives and several
former girlfriends to see what sort of
recommendations they could give me
as a lover.
“Do the words, ‘numb,’ ‘yawn,’ and
‘wake me up when this is over,’ ring a
bell?”
She handed the phone to her cur
rent boyfriend, Bruno.
We met while I was having my oil
changed. I can still remember that first
I went and made myself a coupli:
peanut butter and jelly sandwichtsl
just wish I’d known about themsotf
Copyright 1989, Cowles Syndicate, Inc.
Wife No. 3:
My first ex-wife, once she stopped
laughing, said, “You’re a sex machine,
all right — a 1954 DeSoto with plaid
seat covers.”
“How did you get this number?” she
asked.
MAftSWJ
“But didn’t we play any erotic
games?” I asked her.
“Please be civil,” I said. “I know we
had our differences, but I was just
wondering how you would describe me
as a lover.”
“Once you tried to use a dirty word
in Scrabble, but I disallowed it,” she
said.
“How would I describe you as a
lover?” she asked, in a tone of voice I
remembered distinctly.
I moved on to wife No. 2:
It was in that very same tone of voice
she once said to me, “My lawyer is
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