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