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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 1993)
jvember 9,195 JQJ luesday, November 9,1993 6 into the four) , their only sui ight. pass from Day the ball at t| The Battalion Editorial Board CHRIS WHITLEY, editor in chief PHILLIPS, managing editor MARK EVANS, city editor , subbing whil 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 mstring, was eked four time efs' touchdowi to 20-16. the kickoff! found Sterlin id Jackie Harri ?d like it wouli , aided by a inst Dale Carte i jets' 3. mipson charget ta stripped him, > fell on it. Thei et up a 40-yan zed the game a! WUat KiMPa Sen MNP VJbUU> Uet a 7-yeaR.-oLP WatoU thi? AVJc-U ViObeNce oN PRiMe tiMe ? EDITORIAL Multiculturalism New requirement, same classes >ke a teammaf c his lunch oi eseburger will are some bene ag/' Aikmai mmy Johnsoi le conservativi ing with Aik idering his Sir rarterback hai hamstring. When Texas A&M Universi- ral hundred Oif's Faculty Senate added a new aid. "We wan multiculturalism requirement to is healthy an te core curriculum, it accom- we bring hir (fished nothing. The controver- ij 1 sparked by the proposed re- i 100 perceniuirement resulted in a ridicu lously watered-down version of who replace multiculturalism. ay, and Hugh Both advocates and oppo- ying the prac«ts of the measure can join to- ;ether in a resounding new yell: Sooooooooo WHAT?" The multiculturalism resolu- tried to appease every inter- le to play, Gar i Johnson. "Ja unday. nday to decid kman. day situation might be 2:3f e might waist group by compromising on le purpose of multiculturalism learning about other lifestyles. Students will not study other mltures at all. Instead, they will ?fore I makeaigthg same old curriculum an said. "'Hder a different name. to be out anyjy^g new requirement will of time." ijrdly affect the future Aggies 'the teamhas|f w | lom j s intended. How n Jason.” ja n y students don't take at -eak of 24 col^ f wo classes on American or season startsL^j-jonai cultures? >ng NFL quan A n incredible number of .lasses, from history to engi- list of injuj luring, ma y satisfy the new re- an operatiol j U j remen j. p ur thermore, multi- (iilturalism courses will also sat- their other core, elective or major requirements. According to University fig ures, over 60 percent of 1991-92 graduates had taken classes in June, oper it elbow ant ndex finger o mothered by left should? his hamstrinj ;et my ribs which would meet both parts of the new requirement. Students can't lose! They won't be taking different courses; the same class will just fill a dif ferent blank on their degree plan. The Faculty Senate vote caps a long, drawn-out conflict that only served to divide the stu dent body and tarnish the Uni versity's image. Who gains? Certainly not those students who have no concept of people different from themselves, or the misunder stood minorities in American so ciety. Perhaps the University ad ministration, which now has a nice buzzword to include in lists of the required coursework at A&M, comes out ahead. "Multiculturalism" jumps out at potential students and faculty and implies knowledge and un derstanding about other cul tures. Unfortunately, the multi cultural requirement will be hard pressed to give students that kind of education. Those who worked either for or against the proposal need to step back and look hard at the product. The proposal accom plishes almost nothing, regard less of the various opinions on multiculturalism. This whole sit uation makes the entire Univer sity look bad. Opinion The Battalion Page 9 Nazi occupation and the enemy within What would make a nation collaborate with invaders? ROBERT VASQUEZ Columnist I magine that the United States were invaded today. Imagine that the enemy began killing the people around you, collecting your friends and family into groups, forcing them into gas cham bers, herding them into massive holes in the ground where they would be shot and then buried — alive or dead; it didn't matter. Now, imagine that your own government was helping them do it. More than six million Jews died by the end of World War EL Many died in concentration camps. Many were beaten to death. Many were left to live, only wishing they could die. Survivors remain today who were only children when they were beaten by officers during the German invasion. They watched as their mothers were slapped and pushed to the ground, kicked, and then beaten. And then killed. Some recall their fathers being dragged away to be beaten, hung upside down, their skin peeled from their bodies, and then left to die. These children didn't understand why their parents were forced to endure this. Who de served such treatment? Why were they doing this to them? Who was responsible? After the war ended, France began bringing back the Jews who had survived the concen tration camps. Suddenly, everyone agreed: The war crimes committed against the Jews were inhumane, barbaric and unforgivable. "Those Germans must be punished," the French tried to say. After all, it was the Ger mans who had invaded France. It was the Ger mans who had set up those concentration camps. It was the Germans who sought to ex terminate the Jews. The Gen-nans were wholly to blame for the the atrocities imposed on the Jews. Weren't they? The sad truth is: No, they weren't. The French were tom between the democratic ideals they had worked to achieve and the German rule imposed on them. Should the French government and citizens resist — pos sibly causing riots and increasing bloodshed for everyone? Or should they do all they could to keep the peace, working with the Germans to the best of their ability? Yes, the Germans were shipping Jews out of town. But was that so bad? Wouldn't it be better just to live quietly while the invaders did what they had to? There were family members to consider. Should French lives be risked just because the government wanted to ship certain families to another place? The French government decided to accom modate the Germans. France, the French officials who worked with the Ger mans during that period. "We didn't want to do it, but we had to." Did they really have to? Did the French police really have to seek out Jews so zeal ously — sometimes more so than their Ger man counterparts? Did they really have to build their own concentration camps to kill more Jews when the German camps were filled? Why were the French so quick to work with the Germans in removing the Jews from their land? Much evidence has been uncovered show ing that the Germans were not the only ones who sought to rid France of the Jewish peo ple. Many leaders in the France of that day had long harbored anti-Semitic sentiments of their own. They were none to pleased with the Jews in their lives, and the German inva sion and the subsequent disintegration of France may have been a convenient excuse for the French finally to move, to act upon their anti-Semitic impulses. Had the French purposed to exterminate the Jews in gas chambers and through tor ture, as the Germans finally did? Probably not. However, the government in France was all too compliant it received orders to re move the Jews. The French were too quick to comply. They could have resisted. They should have have resisted. As Americans, it's so easy to judge the French for the atrocities imposed on the Jews. It seems stupid to ask if the United States would have done the same. The United States stands for life and liberty. We hold hu man life sacred here. So, why did we wait nearly six years be fore we finally decided that we should help, storming the Normandy shores to help stop the carnage? I, along with 24 other Texas A&M stu dents in the Rudder Normandy Scholars Pro gram, leave for France this Monday. 1 hope nobody there asks me these questions. Be cause I don't yet have the answers. Maybe 1T1 find them there. Robert Vasquez is a senior journalism major Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, cartoons and letters express the opinions of the authors. The Battalion encourages letters to the editor and will print as many as space allows. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author's name, class, and phone number. We reserve the right to edit letters and guest columns for length, style, and accuracy. Contact the opinion editor for information on submitting guest columns. Address 1 etters to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Mail stop 1111 Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843 Tax: T409) 845-2847 Parents pass down their shopping habits to next generation r e fences in ve been in- ield, but all ody did try linst school y and a lot art in this eds serious ly school to is the only abusive se ? of the re- ? memories to the ones 1 they only lalloween voided. E veryone at one time or another has flssed his or her lead back and pro- tlaimed with the ilmost conviction, I will not be like *y parents." But it is in- svitable; after 18 ears of co-habita- Son, little bits of Mom and Pop have ieeped into the ^conscious activ- jfes of daily life. I ound this out the 'ther day at the grocery store. I was mo ving down the personal hygiene aisle oward the toothpaste display. Without much as a moment's hesitation, I licked up a tube of Crest and was on my jay. Then I stopped — why had I picked rest? Why not Colgate, Aqua Fresh or leem? No trivial advertising promise, such as JENNY MAGEE Columnist cleaner whiter teeth, a cheaper price or a more kissable smile had influenced my decision. I chose Crest because that is the kind of toothpaste that my mother bought. I have used it all my life, and I figure my teeth will probably fall out if they are ever brushed with any brand other than Crest. I wonder if advertisers realize that they are fighting a losing battle to some degree. 18 years of parent-enforced pref erences are not going to change as fast as the jingle writers and coupon-makers would like. I once accompanied my friend, Rachel to three different grocery stores in search of McCormick food coloring. Heaven for bid that we just use the generic brand. Oooh-nooo, Rachel insisted that the cake we were making would be an absolute failure if our icing was colored by any thing other than McCormick. On our way out of the third store, carrying the prized purchase, I asked Rachel what made this particular brand of food color ing so special. "This is the kind my mother uses," she said. Who was I to question the maternal or )N College Republicans and multiculturalism I still cannot believe how out of touch the College Republicans are on the issue of Multicultural education. They must feel alienated and disillusioned to have recom- Mended the proposals outlined in the Nov. 4 Battalion. They still do not get it! To ask the College Republicans to de scribe how multicultural education should be taught is akin to asking a psychology major to explain how quantum physics should be taught. They just do not belong to the same system of knowledge and ex perience. Their recommendations are sopho- moric and hark back to high school class es. To suggest extra credit somehow does justice to the core and foundation of multi wisdom of food coloring preferences? These little family rituals and con sumer-preferences are passed along to children much like red hair or blue eyes. I once heard a story about a young man who was fixing Christmas dinner for his fi ance. When she sat down to the beautiful, candle-lit table, the first thing she noticed Here we are relishing our freedom and independence — only to find out that we're still bound to our parents through toothpaste and laundry detergent. was the ham that sat on a large platter in the center of the table. As she admired the intricate way her boyfriend had decorated the entree with cherries and pineapples, she realized that large portions on either end of the ham had been chopped off. She questioned her boyfriend about it. "Well, doesn't everybody cut the ends culturalism reeks of insincerity and gross distortion. This type of recommendation does not belong on a world class campus. Their last recommendation of erecting a statue or dedicating a building in the name of a minority person is condescend ing. It is insulting and patronizing. Where are they getting these ideas? How long did it take for them to come up with such shameful concepts? They are practicing "political correctness" in its worst form — with no intention of pro moting harmony or education. They put forward recommendations as if to say they agree with multicultural ed ucation, but their own recommendations pull the cover off their hypocrisy. These people DO NOT believe in any form of multicultural education. Shame on the College Republicans for sticking their noses where they do not be- of the ham before they cook it?" he replied. "My mom always did." Years later at a family dinner, the girl questioned her mother-in-law about the culinary benefits of cutting off the ends of the ham. "I don't know if it does a dam thing to the ham," the woman replied. "I always had to cut my hams before I cooked them because my pot never was big enough for the whole thing to fit." College life has brought all of these in herited quirks into the limelight. Here we all are on our first permanent flight from the nest, relishing our freedom and inde pendence — only to find out that we're still bound to our parents through tooth paste and laundry detergent. Occasionally, these inherited traits are passed on to outsiders. My suite-mate taught me her mother's long-held secret of the proper way to fold a fitted sheet. Be cause she always had to make sure that the elastic comers did not make the folded sheet look lumpy and lopsided, my suite- mate cannot stand the sight of a fitted sheet that has been folded improperly. Little controversy arises when friends long. I cannot fully express how much contempt I feel for their false pretenses. They are so confused and misdirected, so completely devoid of any recognition of the present or the likelihood of what is to come that tfiey will soon find themselves entirely out of the mainstream of Ameri can society. And therein lies the first lesson of mul ticulturalism. John M. Velasquez Graduate student Be ready for cameras this Saturday at Kyle For the first time this season, the 10th ranked Aggie football team will be shown share their secrets and preferences with other friends. However, the real trouble comes with marriage. Many times, before a starry-eyed couple makes the trip down the aisle, they forget to find out vital in formation about each other, such as what sort of air-freshener they prefer or how they prefer their French fries cut: straight, ridges or chunks. Engaged couples usually check their compatibility on issues such as in-laws, child-rearing theories and religious philosophies, but they never think to question each others consumer loyalties. In my days as a grocery store clerk, I have witnessed married couples become enraged to the point of violence over which brand of hot dog is the best for barbecuing. It would be interesting to add a con sumer-preference and ritual question naire section to the marriage license re quirement. That way people could dis cover before it is too late that their part ner-to-be is a loyal Skippy user. Jenny Magee is a sophomore English and journalism major nationally on ESPN, Nov. 13, against the Louisville Cardinals. Football fans across the country will see the Wrecking Crew defense and the 12th Man spirit. However, it would be very embarrass ing for Texas A&M if ESPN's cameras show 25,000 empty seats at Kyle Field. Last year, we had only 48,000 fans when we beat the hell outta them 40-18. This year Louisville is ranked #13 and has a highly rated passing attack. The 12th Man could make Hie difference in a close game, so we need as many noisy fans as possible to pack Kyle Field. When ESPN puts the cameras on the crowd, America should see a full stadium filled with Aggie spirit, not empty seats. See ya at the game, Ags! George Flickinger Class of'95 840