The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 01, 1990, Image 2

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The Battalion
OPINION
Thursday, March 1, 1990
Mail Call
Matthews needs to take off blinders
EDITOR:
I seriously doubt that rock guitarist Pete Townshend appreciates having
one of his song lyrics used by Andrew Matthews in his recent column of Feb.
22. Andrew misspells Pete’s last name, but worse than that he tries to associate
Pete with his naive and uninformed argument supporting minority rule in
South Africa. Pete, who is a charter member of Artists Against Apartheid and
performed on the Sun City album, would be justifiably insulted.
But Andrew didn’t stop with just insulting Pete Townshend, he goes on in
his article to insult a whole race of people, In his article he asks the rhetorical
question “How have blacks fared under black rule?” and then concludes that
they have a “blemished record.” This statement has unabashedly racist impli
cations. I’m offended at what he is implying and I’m white. He seems to be
implying that blacks are somehow incapable of handling leadership positions
and therefore need whites to run things for them. To back up this specious
argument that blacks are somehow too barbaric and backwards to hold posi
tions of leadership, Andrew quotes a lot of casualty statistics (without ever giv
ing the source of his information) from various civil wars that have taken
place in many different African countries over the past 20 years. How many
people died during the U.S. Civil War? Did the high casualty figures from
that war somehow prove that whites, like Abraham Lincoln, were incompe
tent leaders and needed the direction of some foreign power? Something that
Andrew does not mention is that in most of these wars one side or the other is
being financed and armed by the U.S. via the CIA. Also, many of the military
dictators that Andrew mentions came into power with the help of CIA backed
coups that maintain their stranglehold on the country to this clay and have the
financial and miitary support of the U.S.
Andrew’s view of the world is overly simplified. He sees a two dimensional
world where everything is either right or wrong with no middle ground and
no consideration for any other options. He worships the concept of capitalism
as if it were a religion and closes his eyes to its excesses and abuses. I just wish
that Andrew and people that share his views would take off their blinders and
see the world from a broader perspective.
Mike Thomas ’87
Ivana did have a real job
EDITOR:
In reference to Matt McBurnett’s letter on Feb. 16, I feel compelled to
comment on the following: Who do you think you are to downgrade the job of
a wife and mother when you do not know the first thing about being either?
To say that the job of a wife and mother is “nothing” is ludicrous, for that is
practically everything in a marriage. If it were not for those women who are
willing to stay home and take care of the children, you men would not have
the opportunity to go out and make any money! Mothers get a place to live
and that is it; they have no money of their own and are completely at the
mercy of their husbands for financial support. If the marriage does not work
out, many are left with nothing, except of course the children whom they can
not support without child support. (We certainly would not want you men to
be burdened with the kids, as you would not be able to further your career if
you had to stay home with them all day.) Many women have devoted their en
tire lives to raising a family. That is their career, and as with any career, when
one is fired, one gets a severance pay of sorts, or at least is able to collect un
employment. Such is the case with Ivana Trump. If Donald had stayed home
all day to take care of the children, do you think he would have had time to
make all those million-dollar deals? I think not. (Of course he would not have
had time to have those alleged affairs either.) Do not tell me Ivana did noth
ing “except be a wife and mom.” It was because of her that he was able to con
duct his business. And what does she get for her years of hard work but a
mere $25 million (not $20 as you incorrectly stated), which is nothing com
pared to the billions she currently has. Donald is the one who has supposedly
committed the wrong here, not Ivana, and he should pay for the mental an
guish he has caused his wife — he certainly can afford it!
Indeed, many women, such as myself, are career-oriented and are able to
take care of themselves, but some choose not to do so. Some find great reward
in raising a family, and do I feel sorry for them if this is the kind of respect
they get. Incidentally, I hope you do not feel your mother wasted her life
doing “nothing” raising you. 1 feel sorry for her if that is the thanks she gets
from you!
Coriene M. Case ’91
Let’s make it a ‘Human Thang’
EDITOR:
Why do so many groups segregate themselves? The only way, I believe, to
fight discrimination is not to isolate yourself from other groups but to join
them. Don’t misunderstand me. This is not just a black or white thing, male or
female thing, Christian or Jewish thing. It’s a human thing. And you’re right:
I don’t understand. Some women feel it’s wrong to allow all-male universities
to exist, or, heaven forbid, a group of males to have a men’s club. But I don’t
even hear any men whining over the existence of a female engineering so
ciety. What about the black engineering societies or minority engineering so
cieties? Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t we all engineers? Groups that are
exclusive do serve a purpose (men’s clubs, all-female univesities, minority stu
dent groups). But let’s not overdo it. Be proud of your heritage, your religion
or your gender But try not to be defensive. If people want to belittle you be
cause you’re black, white, overweight or because you’re just different, ignore
them. They’re just proving their ignorance and insecurity. Let’s make it a
“Human Thang.”
Danny Collins ’90
Have an opinion? Express it!
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff resen’es the right to edit letters
for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. There is no guarantee that
letters submitted will be printed. Each letter must be signed and must include the classification, address and
telephone number of the writer. All letters may be brought to 216 Reed McDonald, or sent to Campus Mail
Stop 1111.
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Scot Walker, Editor
Monique Threadgill,
Managing Editor
Ellen Hobbs, Opinion Page Editor
Melissa Naumann. City Editor
Cindy McMillian, Lisa Robertson,
News Editors
Richard Tijerina, Sports Editor
Fredrick D. Joe, Art Director
Mary-Lynne Rice, Lifestyles Editor
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting
newspaper operated as a community service to
Texas A&M and Bryan-College Station.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are
those of the editorial board or the author, and
do not necessarily represent the opinions of
Texas A&M administrators, faculty or the
Board of Regents.
The Battalion is published Monday through
Friday during Texas A&M regular semesters,
except for holiday and examination periods.
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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
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2
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Opinion Page Editor
Ellen Hobbs
W(
845-3314
Corporate literacy programs
could help get
Many people can’t read this article.
Researchers estimate that 25 million
American adults are illiterate. They
don’t have the skills to attain a
meaningful job or perf orm simple
literary tasks like ... reading a
newspaper.
The illiteracy problem has always
been with us and always will. According
to some figures, it currently costs the
United States $20 billion in lost
productivity and government support.
But actions from the corporate sector
have helped curb the problem. And
increased involvement from more
companies will mean more benefits for
America.
Until recently, the burden of trying to
solve the literacy problem has been left
to the federal, state and local
governments. But these government
programs have not taken a significant
step towards solving the problem.
On the other hand, several corporate
programs have shown that
corporations, with the support of
education systems and government, can
have very successful campaigns against
illiteracy. Several companies educate
their own employees to help improve
productivity, and others contribute to
existing programs and youth education.
IBM, General Motors, Coca-Cola,
RJR Nabisco and General Electric have
contributed hundreds of millions of
dollars to youth education. Pizza Hut
and Jell-O Desserts have begun
ambitious campaigns to get youngsters
interested in reading.
In-house corporate literacy programs
produce benefits for both the employee
and the employer. The employee learns
to read and write, and the company gets
a much more productive worker, for
certain types of jobs. In some cases,
productivity has increased by as much as
50 percent.
Companies such as Polaroid, General
Motors, Southland, Planters Peanuts,
Ford Motor Company, AT&T, Unisys
and Domino’s Pizza have implemented
literacy and education programs to
differing degrees. Some companies
make agreements with local community
colleges or public schools. Others have
their own completely in-house
programs. One thing is universal: T hey
have all been very succesful.
the word out
o
Timm
Doolen
\ . c , s
Columnist
Some examples: Polaroid has one-
third of its 10,000 employees enrolled in
classes. In Boston, Mass., 600 companies
are working with local government to
prepeare high school students to hold a
job. The companies commit to hiring
many of the graduates they helped out.
Every company invovled in literacy
programs has shown a marked
improvement in productivity.
Media companies need to get
involved in publicizing literacy
campaigns. Media companies,
publication retailers and publishing
houses all have a direct interest in
having literacy increased.
Project Literacy U.S. (PLUS), a
project of ABC! and PBS, has been very
successful in getting the word out about
literacy programs. Newspapers have
done a good job, but could do a better
one, of showing the need for literacy in
America, and spreading information
about how adults can enter literacy
programs.
Obviously, corporate help is needed
in the campaign against illiteracy. T he
federal, state and local governments
should encourage corporate help by
offering tax discounts and other
incentives to those companies who of fer
successful literacy programs.
The governments will not be able to
handle the burden of illiteracy in
America. More companies need to be
encouraged to get into the campaign for
literacy if we are to successfully decrease
the problem. The government needs to
start soon to encourage companies to
develop literacy programs anti support
existing programs. T he United States
will never be able to eradicate the
problem of illiteracy, but with help from
companies, more people will be able to
read the words on this page.
Timm Doolen is a junior computer
science major.
Balloon releases endanger
our rragile environment
Ronda
Shepherd
Columnist
Take time
to celebrate
Black history
R
Month gave chance
to learn about culture
February was Black I listory Month,
was a time for blacks and non-blacks
alike to recognize the contributions
blacks have made to our country andk
the world as a whole. For too many
years the contributions that blackshavt
made have been overlooked. History
wasjust that: his story.
Black History Month was designed#
tell a more complete story of United
States history. Formerly Black Histon
Week, the month highlighted thesid
contributions of the people who Ralph
Ellison called “the invisible men.”
It was only recently that blackswert
mentioned at all in history texts. Totht
naked eye it would appear that blacks
were simply mythical creatures who(K
not exist at all in recorded history.
When blacks did become a part of
history texts, the textbook writers
seemed to have a difficult time decidit
what to sav about them. History should
be simple; all black and white, no gray
Social issues would complicate the rosy
way writers wanted to depict history
Thus, we had the abridged versionof
blacks’ role in history.
Watered-down history texts taughi
American youths that blacks did
nothing but were enslaved, freed and
then fought for Givil Rights. Itwasas
though blacks existed in a type of
historical limbo; appearing and
disappearing whenever their chapters
came up.
T exts failed to include the “Buffalo
Soldiers” who helped tame the wild,
wild West. T eachers lectured for days
about ancient civilizations and never
once mentioned that Egypt is in Africa
and the' Great Pyrimids were built by
Af ricans. Children who were taught
about Napoleon, never heard of
Hannibal or the Queen of Sheba. Wh
everyone knows Bell invented the
telephone, do they know his assistant,
who actually did the drawings, was
black?
Yes, the text mentioned George
Washington Carver. But blacks
invented more than peanut butter. We
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A friend sent me an article which
appeared in The Battalion release last
Wednesday to call attention to the
Designated Driver Program.
While I applaud the participation of
the A&M students in this worthwhile
program, I wish that
they would find some
way to promote the
program other than
releasing balloons in the
atmosphere.
I also hope that all
student groups would
consider not using
balloon releases to
publicize projects. If
they wish to have
colorful balloons,
perhaps they would
consider having
balloons delivered to
nursing homes, hospitals or child care
centers instead of releasing them to
damage our environment.
We share this fragile earth, our island
home, with God’s other creatures. The
Gardener
Osbourne
Reader’s opinion
practice of releasing helium balloons
has grown in popularity in our schools,
churches, clubs and homes.
The balloons have been shown to kill
many of God’s creatures, especially
birds, fish and many species of turtles
when they ingest the balloons thinking
that the balloons are food. The balloons
are not biodegradable and remain a
threat to wildlife for many years after
the balloons return to earth.
Please help educate the students
about the damage they cause when they
release these attractive killers of wildlife.
I’m sure that Aggies will-stop this
practice once they understand the
impact of their actions.
Gardner Osborn was an Aggie
Parent of the Year in 1983
invented the mop, forks, the traffic
light, a machine that could manufactu#
shoes, the light switch, the iron, blood
transfusion, open heart surgery and
much more.
No text taught that blacks helped
build this country, so little black
children felt like they did not rightful!)
belong. They were made to feel like
intruders in a country their people
helped build, develop and make great.
Black History Month was our montli
to shine. Our month to filter through
the voluminous clouds of historical
discrepancy. It was not to set blacks
apart, but to make us a part of the grant
scheme of things.
Blacks have worked too hard against
seemingly unsurmountable oddstobe
denied our rightful place in history.
What the texts won’t tell, history won’t
let us ignore.
Ronda Shepherd is a senior
journalism major.
Adventures In Cartooning
by Don Atkinson Jr.