t°ber28]
Opinion
J k Thursday, October 28,1993
The Battalion Editorial Board
CHRIS WHITLEY, editor in chief
JULI PHILLIPS, managing editor MARK EVANS, city editor
DAVE THOMAS, night news editor ANAS BEN-MUSA, Aggielife editor
BELINDA BLANCARTE, night news editor MICHAEL PLUMER, sports editor
MACK HARRISON, opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, sports editor
KYLE BURNETT, photo editor
The Battalion
Page 11
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EDITORIAL
Route to safety
Bike paths will save lives, money
on informatr.j
am 11:30a.m-Hj Texas is known for being the
don call the05:“^ -- -
1845-9804.
Friendly State. Now there's a
new plan being pushed by the
'ell Practice, ir« Texas Bicycle Coalition to make
L. For moreirts Texas bicycle-friendly.
Bike paths promote clean air,
less traffic and safer riding. To-
generali™*: ctay before the College Station
•/ or "(|ty Council, the TBC will be
' ora 1 fighting to pass the Bikeway
4RA BBQ,daic Master Plan, which would cre-
Centerfrom^ ate seven miles of on-road
ition call Justiii routes and lanes and off-road
;;bike paths.
, , This path will be a continu-
ent^of TAhi ous ^ 00 P t ^ iat Texas
DOp.m. FornJA&M with local schools, the
at862-2525 Wolf Pen Creek amphitheater
complex, and residential, com-
t & chili cook-: merriai and entertainment ar-
l. For more inf: Igl "-"><<■ rn rr OF:d -tr. bRm. i MU:
ell at 847-2850.. • -i
What exactly will this plan
itudents Assc do for students? Currently,
t in RudderTtrMiyone who tries riding down
e informationuTexas Avenue or University
■38. Drive is risking life and limb.
, . . , Bike accidents are entirely too
wciibZ^ frec l uent - J ust four months a S°'
ration call Mart a man riding on Wellborn Road
was killed.
Areas of improvement will
ic.: Graduates:.include bikeway crossings un-
•'sStudentCmHgj. Texas Avenue, as well as
bicyclist-activated traffic sig
nals and bike bridges over
general meefccreeks that are currently diffi-
ormationcalldf
'’4.
cult to cross. A very important
aspect of the plan is that it em
phasizes cooperation between
bicyclists and motorists
through education on how tp
share the road safely.
It's surprising that the City of
College Station has never taken
action to produce a comprehen
sive bicycle path system before,
considering that a federal trans
portation bill passed in 1991
would make the city eligible for
$1 million in federal aid.
The remaining costs will
have to be covered by the city,
but in the long run it will actu
ally save money. By one esti
mate, every bicycle mile trav
eled will save the public over
$1 in capital investment.
The environmental savings
should be considered as well.
Texas has the highest nitrogen
oxide emissions in the country,
more than twice that of Califor
nia, the second highest state.
Every gallon of gasoline
burned releases twenty pounds
of carbon dioxide, plus nitrogen
oxide, carbon monoxide, hydro
carbons and other pollutants.
Once the bike paths are de
veloped, the entire community,
and not just bike riders, will
benefit.
What you don't know might help you
Don't be afraid to try a new attitude; you might like it
FRANK
STANFORD
Columnist
I 've never related to
baseball much.
However, I was re
cently thumbing
through a news maga
zine and hit upon a tid
bit of information that
got me thinking about
our national pastime
and how it relates to the
change of attitudes in
our country.
When Jaclde Robin
son, a slave's grandson,
shattered the color bar
rier of Major League
Baseball in 1947, a
number of the players
threatened to strike in protest to Isis race.
At the time, of course, this politically incor
rect gesture was actually correctly political.
No one, including Mr. Robinson, was shocked
by the dissent on the part of players, and even
spectators, for having to associate with or en
dure watching a colored man play ball. Those
who didn't particularly hate the thought of a
black player could sympathize with those who
did. Some even said it would ruin the whole
someness of the game.
Well, almost 47 years later, baseball is still
dominated by "whites," but the concept of a
black man having to fight racial discrimina
tion to play professional baseball is almost
unfathomable. The same owners and man
agers who balked at an interracial team in
the '40s and '50s would be in multimillion
dollar bidding wars over some African -
Americans today.
Although this phenomenon of change
may invoke a desire to join hands and sing
"Ebony and Ivory," it's not the passage of
time, baseball or even racism that most in
trigues me about this evolution of attitudes
toward certain individuals or concepts.
The stubborn American tendency to hob
ble social change is the basis for civil injus
tice, the problems it causes and the problems
it will continue to cause in our culture.
There are three simple steps to speeding up
the process of social change: Exposure, realiza
tion of falsehoods and truths, and acceptance.
Exposure to, or education of, almost any
thing feared or hated has positive results, even
m cases which have no obvious positive out
comes. To be exposed to other cul hires, orien
tations/ideologies, religions and races is to be
come aware of reality, plain and simple. The
most difficult thing about exposure is the fear
and shock it often invokes.
In 1964, the parents of Little Rock, Arkansas
schoolchildren were terrified and hateful over
a little 60-pound black girl attending an all-
whiteschool. Similarly, the conservative fac
tion of the '50s was horrified at the music of
Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, fearing for the
degradation of society. Both established
groups, usually non-reactionary, had to face
fearful and unfamiliar situations. That scary,
required class you just knew you'd hate — but
really enjoyed — is another prime example.
However, it's not a certainty that such ex
posure will automatically change individu
als' minds. There is still a Flat Earth Society
for the occasional ignoramus. Metaphorical
ly speaking, however, we can all greatly re
duce our ignorance by taking enlightening
cruises that encircle the globe.
Realization of falsehoods and truths hope
fully occurs sometime during or after expo
sure. This is when the baseball bigot decides,
"Wow, that Robinson fellow can really play;
maybe he won't ruin the game after all."
For years I was afraid of and mad at gay
people. After working with some gay students
in a restaurant, I realized my fear was based
on lack of exposure. Thus, my fear subsided. •
Probably every person on this campus has met
someone they just knew they'd hate for rea
sons of unfamiliarity — a roommate or lab
partner of a different nationality, background,
etc. — but wound up really liking and under
standing that person's differences.
This brings me to the most important stage
in social change: acceptance. In order to bring
beneficial social change full circle, new ideas
and ideologies, differing viewpoints on reli
gion, sex education, politics and even the Ag
gie Bonfire should only be regarded as differ
ent from your own, and accepted as such.
Only when acceptance has been made will
different peoples be able to get along. How
ever, as with all social theories, this one of
exposure, realization and acceptance is not
without flaw.
Acceptance doesn' t always, nor necessari
ly should, follow realization. Jeffrey Dah-
mer's roommate or lab partner, for instance,
would've been wise in rejecting little Jeffy's
desire for spleen sandwiches.
Unless he actually tried one, of course.
Frank Stanford is a philosophy
graduate student
Editorials appearing in The
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xe will be a 5
ihown Thursda; !
Like Water fe
istice.
Homosexuality is not a mental disorder in need of a cure
GUEST
COLUMN
I n Peter
Brunone's Mail
t n Call letter of
a information t Oct. 7, he stated
3-7281. that the American
„ ., .Medical Associa-
SSl-(AMA )c °n- w
Tain) from I2:5i ducted a f cent
information a ^rvey of Ameri-
75 lean psychiatrists in
which 69 percent
■ The promise: agreed that homo-
3 p.m. Dinnf sexuality is a
a/directions» pathological condi
tion.
. .ul After reading
1,0 " s ™ this, I made a
- an Hniiid N valiant effort to lo-
an three daysf cate reference to this survey. I went
run date. Applf to the Medical Sciences Library and thor-
notices are irt (Highly researched the Medline database,
e run in Whabbut found neither hide nor hair. I
questions,piea^searched several other databases but
15-3313. turned up nothing.
I I then called the AMA, since I
7 thought that if they performed such a
PT| l^Birvey, then surely they would know
KEVIN
WELLER
something about it. The answer came
back a resounding "No!"
In fact, they said it's not their policy to
conduct surveys of psychiatrists' opinions
on this matter. They wouldn't have
asked the question in the first place. Fi
nally, I called Mr. Brunone and asked him
for a reference, which he promised to pro
vide. As of my submission time. I'm still
waiting.
So we are left with a mystery: from
whence came such a claim? Are the peo
ple at the American Medical Association
performing studies they know nothing
about? Feel free to call them at (312) 464-
4818 and ask them; I think I know the an
swer you'll get.
Might Mr. Brunone have meant by
the AMA the American Management
Association? But no, they wouldn't rep
resent the "medical community" as his
letter suggests. Then what is the natural
conclusion? The claim is either the re
sult of careless research, or it is outright
fiction.
The consensus within the American
Psychological Association is that homo
sexuality cannot be defined as a disorder
(i.e., a mental sickness). In fact, it is men
tioned in the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders only to say
that it is not!
For a behavioral disposition to be clas
sified as a disorder, it must interfere with
everyday functioning and adjustment.
Yet, when psychologists conduct blind
experiments to determine the sexuality of
There is ample evidence
that sexual orientation is
determined by a combina
tion of both hereditary and
environmental factors. Be
ing gay is as much a choice
as being brown-eyed.
subjects without knowing who is homo
sexual and who isn't, they can't tell the
difference.
As it turns out, gay and lesbian peo
ple are generally no worse or better ad
justed than everyone else; most lead
productive, happy lives when allowed
to do so by society.
There is ample evidence that, like most
complex human traits, sexual orientation
is determined by a combination of both
hereditary and environmental factors.
Whatever its origin, being gay is as much
a choice as being brown-eyed (even less
with the advent of color contact lenses).
Given a genetic predisposition, it's
likely that sexuality is determined by en
vironmental factors in early childhood.
Yet, psychologists have yet to scientifical
ly ascertain any common denominators in
the socialization of people who turn out
to be gay. Gay people come from good
homes, broken homes and everything be
tween.
As for Mr. Brunone's notable quota-
bles, there still exists psychiatrists who
share in his opinion on this issue, clinging
to old superstition like some kind of secu
rity blanket. Yet, we might question the
authority of someone whose "25 years of
experience" in clinical psychology is only
with those gay people who do not want
to be gay. These patients are suffering
from low self-esteem brought on by a ho
mophobic society, i.e., homosexuality is
not the real problem. Consider that some
of Freud's own hypotheses turned out to
be wrong simply because his patients
were psychotic and simply neurotic!
Is it possible for a gay person to be
come straight? You might as well ask if a
straight person could become gay.
Still, claims abound of the "curing" of
homosexuals. Proponents of "reparative
therapy" conveniently fail to mention that
most of these "newly heterosexual" peo
ple return to their former homosexual be
havior. Maybe the Lord can change gay
people into straight people, but this evi
dently isn't His will!
The upshot of this game of musical
sexualities is that people can change their
behavior — if they really want or need to
— but not their natures. Even if changes
of nature were possible, the next logical
question is "Why?"
But that's another issue for another
day.
Kevin Weller is a senior computer
science major
Aggie spirit lacking
in program director
This is a letter in response to "Maroon
Tape." I was so glad to see Les Fiecht-
ner, Director of Undergraduate Pro
grams for the College of Business,
brought into the spotlight. I would love
to hear more stories about Mr. Fiechtner,
both good and bad. Of course. I'm sure
that he would deny anything he had said
in the bad stories, just as he did in Chris
Jakubezak's and probably will in my let
ter.
Upgrading from catalog 111 to catalog
116, I found that the ECON 322 course
that I was enrolled in would count for
absolutely nothing in my particular situ
ation. When I switched catalogs, it was
one day past the Q-drop period. I was
told by a good friend, who worked
where Q-drops are handled, that I could
go to my department head and he could
approve the Q-drop.
Going to Mr. Fiechtner, I was told this
was true. Mr. Fiechtner could approve
the Q-drop, but he would not. After ask
ing why, he said it was because he
"didn't want to."
He then went on to say — very arro
gantly I might add — that if he wanted
to, he could Q-drop after the semester, or
change a grade form an F to an A or an A
to an F. He ended with, "I can do what
ever I want."
Personally, I am sorry to call Mr.
Fiechtner a fellow Ag. He is the only
person on this campus that I have ever
said did not belong. So, Mr. Fiechtner,
while you may deny or not remember
your actions towards students, we do.
Stephen C. Cook
Class of '94
One Lutheran church
doesn't represent all
This letter is written in response to the
article regarding the Evangelical Luther
an Church in America (ELCA) support
ing homosexuality and masturbation.
First of all, I have been a Lutheran
since birth. I was baptized Lutheran into
the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Syn
od and recently transferred to the Con
fessional Lutheran Church. Since I go to
church every Sunday, I would like to
think I have a good understanding of the
Bible and the Lutheran faith.
Never in the Bible is there a verse or
meaning supporting homosexuality or
masturbation. On the contrary, through
out the Scriptures, homosexuality and
masturbation is shot down.
What about the commandment.
"Thou shall not commit adultery"? This
means extra-martial affairs, homosexual
ity and masturbation is prohibited. I
guess this "Lutheran" church has never
read the book of Romans. The first chap
ter openly condemns homosexuality.
How can any church organization sup
port it?
This seems to be another case of a
church trying to twist the Bible's mean
ings to what they want to believe.
Churches say the Bible needs to change
with time. They are wrong. The Bible is
constant and people should adapt to it.
Don't get me wrong. Nobody is perfect
and everybody sins, but to openly support
something the Bible openly condemns is
absolutely wrong. This is just a case of a
"bad apple spoiling the bunch." Not all
Lutherans believe in this absurdity.
Micah N. Hovda
Class of '97