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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1990)
4 45 onday, October 22,1990 The Battalion Pages f rill i 1 r m ivation. •rill Tear as "a somethin i of Cade, e team .nd menti ' natioiii ntinued from page 4 because we’ve all made it through k same thing. The freshmen ■ven t been through all of it yet, but iny of them will be great leaders in e Corps.” Pharr says Aggie pride is also evi- nt when they receive awards after pmpetition. ' Most of the other teams yell and earn when they get seconds and rds, but we receive our firsts in si- ice,” he says. “Everyone looks at us d thinks we’re cocky and we are.” Lechowich says he initially joined ause he heard of the team’s pres- although he didn’t know what expect. 1 didn’t really know how hard it igoing to be until I got out there first day,” he says. “It’s pretty gh; it’s really demanding; it’s yintense.” ntensity is involved in every as- t of Fish Drill Team, Lechowich [.Even when they eat in Duncan aing Hall, they’re required to look tight ahead, move briskly, eat ckly and leave. The whole point of it is being in- se,and that’s how they’re number he says. Despite the stess and strain of be- on the team, Pharr says it helps shmen more than it hurts. "When you first come into the rps, you’re stripped of all your ivileges, so you already feel like re bottom dog. "Being on drill team puts you a |i)up,” he said. “You’re no longer any freshman in the Corps; u’re one of the top freshmen in Corps." Lechowich says that he feels elite being on the team. “Right now there’s bO of us out of while 18! i this yen. number is 40 by nts unior Rid roudtok of its diffi d betweer •drickD.jtt r acticesJ jonfireat' they no* lotr Some things seem stupid and ople think the Corps is crazy, but leaches you discipline, how to be a kx! listener, how to show respect dhow to get in good shape.” Lechowich said his goal for the aris to imitate his upperclassmen he can set a good example in the lure. "The things I’d like to get out of sh Drill Team are the comradery, icellence, leadership, and respect,” : said. “Fish Drill Team is re eded by all because everyone lows how tough it is.” Photo by Fredrick D.Joe sh Pinkerton stands ready for e next command during drill am practice. a Peace Corps is coming to A &M Oct. 23 & 24 Wake-up Service $15.00 per month Allows 30 wake-up free .500 per additional wake-up ACX Communications 779-0104 FREE •BQ SANDWICH WI Purchase ofAncrther •'ytle^quibe, Fired! i!M 846-L1VE m , mg'*''/ If ^ , PI I r ; ■ -/ * mm & •, i \ssured of his ‘coolness, ’ columnist speaks out aspiration lives in music, message With all the tension and sexual- loice bashin’ that’s occured over le last month, it’s important not to irget other areas of ignorance, hos- lityand prejudice. A typology that’s rawn undue angst and antipathy Jward me over the last few years is f e not connected to sexual prefer- ce, color, or political ideology. My discriminating characteristic is loice of music. Now I know you’re 'likin’, "How petty and superficial music.” But just listen, maybe iu’ve been guilty of musical intol- ance or condenscension and never en known it (which has been the sewith subliminal racism and sex- jpnd with religious intolerence). need to first clarify what type of usic I’m talking about — hardcore, aiigh that is using very loose ter- nology. Actually, what most of my lends, family and enemies lump to- :iher as hardcore includes punk, Dst-hardcore, alternative rock, ime funk and industrial. But for le sake of generality, I’ll use hard- re. Let’s start with a case in point. I as at a party a few weekends back id a nice, but musically docile omen noticed the tattoo on my |ghtankle and asked me about it. When I informed her the tattoo [as the symbol for a group named econds — a positive, straight-edge md whose direction is based on ti-hate, bigotry, drugs, alcohol d sex — she looked at me dumb- mndly for a few seconds, then ew a smile and exclaimed, “Oh, u listen to that screaming and earing stuff. I hate all that noise, (don’t worry, I have a friend who hand he’s cool.” Gee, besides having felt assured of I coolness, 1 also felt like I should ive been standing in the financial Id line declaring some sort of mi- wity status. Case in point number two. There ay be a few readers who can empa- JOHN RIGHTER Music Commentary thize with this next cjuote, which I re ceived not too long ago. “You’ll grow out of that one clay, won t you? I mean you won’t always be like this, w ill you ? Like what? We re not talking about masturbation and doll playing here. 1 m afraid the' tattoos are quite permanent and probably so is the caring, conviction and acceptance. What most people fail to realize with Hardcore is that it is a positive release/much like football, sew'ing or religion. I hope 1 never just wake up one morning and say, “You know I’m tired of trying to find inspiration and love in my life. It’s time I just grew up, put on a tie and listened to KennyG. Most of the people I’ve found committed to straight edge and posi punk also have been committed to an open heart and an open mind. They are responsible people who feel a responsiblity for their actions and not the stereotypical street ruf fian who has been stigmatized on hardcore by the tragic tales of Sid Vicious and the mentally-retarded Nazi skins. Well, I’m not going to be equally cliche and say, “In fact, some of the* finest and smartest people I know listen to hardcore music, including world leaders and social activists. But, the point is if you would take a second and read the lyrics of groups such as Fugazi, Minor Threat, TSeeonds, Gorilla Biscuits, Jawbreaker, or countless others, I think it would he quite difficult for vou to be so elitist or closed-minded. Maybe you’d even like the music — it’s been known to happen. It’s amazing how people who are so sexually frigid and biblically strin gent can Find entertainment in groups such as Van Halen, M.C. Hammer, Poison, George Michael, Bel Biv DeVoe or the countless other hormone-inflated, mentally impo tent jokesters. These are the same people who hear one note of hardcore music and throw a conniption until I take it off. Some literally threaten to pursue bodily harm because the music sounds “quite damnable to (them).” Not all hardcore is positive. Some of it is quite damnable, and I’ll be the first to admit it. But, we should all be aware of the danger of sweeping generalities, which is the basis of most hardcore bashin’. I realize this essay is somewhat self-serving. But, I’m sick and tired of feeling like society’s misfortune for liking a form of music, especially when those condemning hardcore haven’t even taken the time to listen to it. For if they gave it a fair ear, and dropped all their aesthetic dogmas and parental brainwashing, I’m quite confident the stigma would cease. I’m also sick and tired of a certain condescending attitude that I occa sionally receive: “I never would have guessed you listened to that. You seem normal enough. Are you hav ing family or school problems?” No, no, no. Hardcore music is simply a form of positive self re inforcement, absolutley no different from the spiritual nourishment you seek in church or with your family. We all want to be better people and to love and help this world a little more. At least that’s what I want, and if you don’t feel this same way, then maybe it’s time you changed /our music. 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